Chapter 50: Now Comes the Moment to Witness a Miracle

“What are you talking about!” Kong Lingjie avoided looking at the bottle, fixing his gaze on Yu Dazhang:

“I don’t understand!”

Yu Dazhang stared into his eyes, as if seeing something fascinating:

“Oh~? You guessed right away what’s in this bottle? I underestimated you.”

Just now, he noticed Kong Lingjie’s eyes widened for an instant, his eyelids and eyebrows slightly lifted, then immediately returned to normal.

That reaction meant surprise.

Precisely because it lasted only an instant, Yu Dazhang was certain he wasn’t faking it.

The reason is simple: an expression of surprise lasting over one second is fake.

Why say that?

Because microexpressions are part of the stress response.

They arise from human instinct, beyond conscious control, impossible to conceal or fake.

Even the best actor will show a microexpression the instant they encounter a genuine stimulus.

Their “acting” can only come after the microexpression.

Why do so many criminal investigators study psychology but rarely use it in actual work?

Because two conditions must be met:

First, a flexible mind capable of applying learned knowledge creatively.

Have you ever experienced this: while recalling the past, suddenly a thought strikes you…

Damn, I should’ve done it that way back then!

That’s the legendary “Monday morning quarterback.”

Only after everything’s over do you realize there was a better way at the time.

Everyone learns the same knowledge, but some apply it to life and work, while others forget it all within a few years.

That’s the difference between people.

So just this one criterion—applying knowledge creatively—eliminates the vast majority.

Second, excellent eyesight and sharp observation.

The ability to see and capture subtle changes.

This is also essential; no matter how sharp your mind, if you miss the clue, it’s useless.

Both points are indispensable.

Yu Dazhang possesses both.

Kong Lingjie’s performance might fool Lu Zhongxin, but before him, it’s transparent.

“Speak,” Yu Dazhang stood before Kong Lingjie, looking down at him:

“Which of you two came up with the idea to take the blame?”

“I already said—I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Kong Lingjie met his gaze, expression resolute, eyes open and honest.

What an excellent actor… Yu Dazhang couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He’s wasted as a laborer; with this talent, he could’ve at least landed a bit part in a film base like Hengdian or Zhongshan.

What a pity.

“Alright, then we’ll start from sixteen years ago,” Yu Dazhang sighed and asked:

“Why did you and your wife divorce?”

Kong Lingjie froze, clearly unprepared for this question.

He opened his mouth, hesitated several seconds, then replied:

“Incompatible temperaments.”

“You’re not lying—it really was incompatible temperaments,” Yu Dazhang continued.

“But what was the reason? You didn’t just lose feelings out of nowhere.”

“We got tired of each other,” Kong Lingjie’s expression darkened, as if unwilling to mention his ex-wife.

“Now comes the moment to witness a miracle,” Yu Dazhang said, stepping back two paces.

Amid the startled gazes of Lu Zhongxin and Kong Lingjie, he pointed:

“You’re lying!”

“Back then, your ex-wife filed for divorce unilaterally—because you lost your only child!”

“After that, you traveled to many cities searching for him.”

“When you ran out of money, you took odd jobs, saved every penny, then moved to another city to keep looking.”

“But for the past four years, you’ve stayed in Songhai, never gone anywhere else.”

“I can’t think of any reason that would make someone as determined as you stop—unless…”

Before Yu Dazhang could finish, Kong Lingjie suddenly shouted:

“Stop!”

Yu Dazhang halted mid-sentence, frowning slightly. How fragile?

I’ve barely started—there are still several more revelations coming~

You’re making me feel useless.

“You found her too?” Kong Lingjie asked, eyes wide.

“Not hard,” Yu Dazhang replied:

“Follow the vine to the fruit. To us, your ex-wife is your only remaining relative.”

After this, Kong Lingjie fell silent.

As if lost in memory, his eyes gradually lost focus.

Yu Dazhang didn’t rush; he sat back down and waited quietly with Lu Zhongxin.

About two minutes later, Kong Lingjie spoke again:

“Is she doing well?”

Yu Dazhang didn’t answer. Instead, he took a DVD from the file folder and inserted it into the laptop on the desk.

After a few operations, he walked to Kong Lingjie, placed the laptop on the partition, and angled the screen toward him:

“Watch for yourself,” Yu Dazhang said, tapping the touchpad to play.

When a middle-aged woman appeared on screen, Kong Lingjie’s eyes instantly reddened, his body stiffening.

Please... collect 6...9...books....!

As if seeing her in person, he forced a smile.

The woman in the video answered question after question; Kong Lingjie stared unblinkingly at her face.

Until she said, “Yes, we had a child,” and Kong Lingjie finally broke.

Tears streamed down his face, his lips trembling violently.

Let me explain something.

Do you think this is melodramatic?

Why do so many TV dramas show suspects bursting into tears when their family is mentioned?

Such clichés!

If you think that, congratulations—you’ve never been inside a real interrogation room.

The drama may exaggerate, but it’s not overstated.

Forget the formal interrogation rooms in detention centers or holding facilities—just consider a police station.

First: no windows.

In a completely enclosed space, emotions have no outlet.

Traveling to see scenery relieves stress.

Now think: what does a sealed room do?

This is also psychology.

Second: the walls are like leather sofas—no echo, slightly elastic.

Guess why—I won’t elaborate.

Third: the room layout.

Imagine: at least two people staring at you nonstop.

Yes, nonstop.

The longer it goes, the heavier the pressure becomes.

This is one interrogation technique: steadily increasing psychological burden.

From the moment you enter the room, this burden becomes invisible pressure.

It hangs over your head like a boulder, making breathing difficult, tightening your nerves.

Until… you’re given an outlet to release it.

The video ended. Yu Dazhang returned to his seat, waiting for him to regain composure.

Long after, Kong Lingjie lifted his head, voice hoarse:

“Why did you disturb her? So many years have passed—she must have remarried by now. Why bother?”

Yu Dazhang shook his head:

“She’s been alone all this time.”

"Really?!" Kong Lingjie stared at Yu Dazhang in disbelief:

"How could she possibly..."

"Nothing is impossible," Yu Dazhang interrupted:

"She stopped hating you long ago."

I need to speed up... Yu Dazhang reminded himself inwardly.

I must win over Kong Lingjie as soon as possible.

I can't let Zhou Zizhe linger too long—once he fully recovers, he's bound to cause more trouble.

We must strike now and finish this quickly; Zhang Yan's body has been stored for over two weeks and must be buried.

Before Kong Lingjie could speak again, Yu Dazhang continued:

"Answer me this first: if you found your son, why didn't you tell the child's mother?"

(End of Chapter)