Chapter 401: Truth Revealed

All matched.

After hearing Wang Dachuan and Xiao Zhang's words, Xu Mo realized that his earlier guess was correct.

This really is killing with a borrowed knife!

In this murder case, Ren Qin is not an accomplice; she is the mastermind.

As for the man who was previously thought to be the mastermind, he was merely an unlucky fool who almost took the blame.

The man's killing is a fact, but it was also an accident—an accident that could have been avoided.

The story that the victim was going on a business trip was a lie told by Ren Qin; her purpose was to lure the man to her home, so that when the victim returned, a fight would break out between them.

Come to think of it, even a foster son with no blood relation who has been raised for decades should have some feeling; even if the foster son died unexpectedly, Ren Qin should be grieving for a long time—she couldn't possibly, in an instant, devise a fake scene of the foster son slashing his wrist to commit suicide.

Unless she had planned all of this from the start.

"Is Ren Qin still in the Interrogation Room?" Xu Mo asked.

"Yes, she is."

Xu Mo hummed briefly, then walked toward the Interrogation Room.

Inside the Interrogation Room.

Ren Qin sat in the interrogation chair; after pleading guilty, she still looked uneasy, her face lacking the open expression of someone who had disclosed everything, as if she still harbored some concerns.

Wang Dachuan, holding the paternity test report, pushed the door open and entered, sitting opposite Ren Qin; Xu Mo wore an expression ready to question.

Ren Qin, seated in the interrogation chair, was initially stunned, then asked in puzzlement, "Police comrade, I have already explained the facts just now."

She thought Xu Mo didn't know she had pleaded guilty and was preparing to interrogate her again.

"I know you explained," Xu Mo said, staring at Ren Qin as if to pierce her, "But you haven't finished, have you?"

For a moment, Ren Qin's expression kept shifting.

Ren Qin's expression fell into Xu Mo's eyes, and he grew more certain of his conjecture.

He picked up the paternity test certificate just brought back from the testing agency and said meaningfully, "I've just learned something… the victim is not your biological child."

Ren Qin fell silent, bit her lip, and after a moment nodded.

Her voice was tiny, like a mosquito's buzz: "Um…"

"We visited your neighbors; they said they often hear commotions from your house, that your so‑called foster son is beating you, right? The son you raised with hardship turned out to be a treacherous wolf; you must especially hate him."

Ren Qin was about to deny, but Xu Mo waved his hand, signaling her to stay silent, and continued speaking.

"We also asked the victim's company; the night before his death, his supervisor never assigned him a business trip, only told him to spend the evening with a client. You knew the victim could return that night or the next day. I want to know why you told Qin Guofu that the victim was to be on a week‑long business trip."

After speaking, Xu Mo leaned back against the chair, looking at Ren Qin, hoping she would answer.

But Ren Qin only opened her mouth slightly and couldn't utter a single word.

After waiting about a minute, Xu Mo lost patience and simply stated his conclusion.

"You hold a grudge over the foster son, whom you often beat without reason, and you wanted to kill him but lacked the courage, fearing that a mere woman couldn't handle a strong, prime‑aged foster son, so you devised to use Qin Guofu as a scapegoat to kill him, right?"

"No! That's not it! I didn't!" Ren Qin hurriedly explained.

Xu Mo slapped the table, trying to intimidate Ren Qin into telling the truth.

"Then why, knowing the victim only had an engagement that night, did you tell Qin Guofu he was to be on a week‑long business trip?"

Against the light, Ren Qin couldn't see Xu Mo's expression, but could tell from his tone that the officer interrogating her was angry.

"I… he told me. He said he would be on a week‑long business trip; that's what he told me," Ren Qin said weakly.

"How did he tell you—by phone? Text? Or in person?"

In the era of big data, everything leaves a trace; call logs and chat records can be easily retrieved.

As for a person's whereabouts, that's even easier to track; the streets are full of surveillance.

Whether the victim communicated with Ren Qin the night before his death, what messages were sent, whether they met—these are not difficult for the Police to investigate.

Ren Qin fell silent.

She lowered her head.

That earlier sentence was just a spur‑of‑the‑moment excuse.

Xu Mo was right; the victim's business trip was entirely fabricated by her to lure Qin Guofu into the house.

Qin Guofu and the victim had always been at odds, never getting along; the victim found Qin Guofu's relationship with Ren Qin distasteful, let alone staying overnight at his house, so a fight between them was inevitable.

At this point, Ren Qin would provoke a few more words, and once they fought, the bloodshot‑eyed pair would enter an endless, unending clash.

A moment later, Ren Qin lifted her head, stared at Xu Mo, and expressionlessly acknowledged the matter.

"You're right… I've raised that beast for decades. Though there's no blood relation, we have decades of feeling, almost like mother and son. As for him, ever since he learned there's no blood tie, he occasionally attacks me, disregarding any gratitude. I've had enough."

"Even a dog knows to wag its tail at its owner, yet I raised a treacherous wolf… Heh, that night he told me he was entertaining a client and wouldn't come home. I then thought of this plan: I lied to Qin Guofu that the beast was going on a week‑long business trip, inviting him to stay at my house for a few days. In reality, I wanted him to help me deal with that beast; I couldn't fight it alone."

She paused at that point.

She became much calmer, the anxiety on her face vanished completely; after explaining everything, she had nothing left to argue about.

She need not elaborate on what followed, as she had already mentioned it once and Xu Mo knows.

Wang Dachuan, standing beside Xu Mo, widened his eyes in disbelief; Xu Mo and Ren Qin's dialogue had overturned his expectations.

Good fellow… so indeed, Ren Qin is the mastermind!?

That Qin Guofu next door is just a scapegoat; the key is that the kid still doesn't realize he's been used as a gun.

Xu Mo is awesome!

If Xu Mo hadn't suddenly thought of this, the case would have been closed hastily.

"But…" At that moment, Xu Mo spoke again: "I'm still a bit puzzled—Qin Guofu killed your foster son, which aligns with your wishes, right? Then why go the extra mile to fabricate a suicide scene for the victim?"