Chapter 5 - Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be treated severely

Lin Qiupu looked at Chen Shi with a cold smile, and Chen Shi grinned back at him. Lin Qiupu said, "Look at the eight characters behind me, read them out loud."

"Resist harshly, confess leniently... Did I pronounce that correctly?"

"You're not the first dishonest criminal, and you won't be the last. Do you really think—"

"Watch your words, Captain Lin. I'm a suspect, not a criminal. I'm still a law-abiding citizen! Detaining and interrogating me without evidence is already illegal!" Chen Shi was unyielding.

"No evidence!" Lin Qiupu erupted in anger. "Let me remind you: on the early morning of September 11th, around 2 AM, a female passenger named Gu Mengxing got into your car. The text messages she sent to her boyfriend during the ride prove that you verbally harassed her. The next day, her body was found by the river, with obvious signs of r*p* and murder. Dare you claim you're completely innocent?"

Three pairs of eyes were fixed on Chen Shi. A brief flicker of surprise crossed his face before he quickly regained his composure.

"Yes, a beautiful female passenger did get into my car that night, but I dropped her off at her destination, the Fengzhilin Hotel. My dashcam can confirm that," Chen Shi said calmly. In this situation, staying silent would only raise more suspicion.

"Where did the trip start?" Lin Qiupu pressed.

"Near a barbecue stall by Shihouzi Road. I was there waiting for a ride, hanging around for about two hours."

"Why wait so long?"

"I fell asleep!"

"I know for a fact that the route from Shihouzi Road to the Fengzhilin Hotel passes right by the crime scene," Lin Qiupu said.

Chen Shi rolled his eyes, shook his head, and laughed helplessly. "Go check my dashcam!"

"That can be forged," Lin Qiupu retorted.

Chen Shi laughed out loud. "What do you want to know, exactly? I tell you the truth, and you won't believe me. I say I have evidence, and you call it fake. Now you're hoping I'll just take the blame and make it easy for you. What do you think this is, a matchmaking session? Just find someone who fits your idea and call it a day?"

"Watch your language!" Lin Qiupu's voice was cold.

"I'm a law-abiding citizen, innocently detained here, no food to eat, not even a glass of water, verbally humiliated by you guys, and forced to confess. Am I not allowed to express my dissatisfaction?" Chen Shi snapped.

Lin Qiupu glared at him as if he were trash, then picked up the phone and muttered a few words. Lin Dongxue asked, "Did you verbally harass the female passenger?"

Chen Shi replied like reading from a script, "Chinese law defines verbal sexual harassment as using obscene language to provoke the opposite s*x, sharing personal sexual experiences, telling dirty jokes, or making suggestive comments. In that sense, I didn't verbally harass her, I was just making small talk."

"Don't twist the concept. I asked if you harassed the passenger verbally," Lin Dongxue insisted.

"You're the one who doesn't understand the concept. What level of interaction constitutes harassment? Casual chatting? Asking for contact information? Investigating someone's family background? Or is it sexual harassment in the legal sense?"

Lin Dongxue was at a loss for words. She shifted her angle. "From what I know about you, you seem to be overly enthusiastic towards female passengers. At 2 AM, being overly attentive to a single female passenger seems very inappropriate to me."

"That's your opinion. First of all, I talk a lot. Second, I like the opposite s*x. Third, I'm single. If I see a young, beautiful female passenger get into my car, what's wrong with chatting for a bit? Just like our conversation in the car just now—did I infringe upon you?"

Lin Qiupu looked at Lin Dongxue. "What did this guy just say to you in the car?"

Lin Dongxue brushed her hair back and slowly replied, "Just normal conversation."

Chen Shi pushed further, "As a single man, I think it's reasonable and legal to talk to women in any situation, any time. I'm a driver, I spend almost 24 hours in my car. If I don't talk to my passengers, I'll go crazy!"

Lin Qiupu slammed the table. "Stop dodging the question! The facts are clear: the victim got into your car, and you verbally harassed her. Then she was r*p*d and murdered, on the way to her destination!"

Chen Shi scratched his neck. "When you put it that way, it almost sounds reasonable. Well, can I get a cigarette?" He gestured with his fingers.

The three of them exchanged glances. Asking for a cigarette now meant confessing, but they hadn't expected him to give in so quickly. Lin Qiupu handed him a cigarette, and as he was about to light it, Chen Shi interrupted. "No, no. You've got two packs of cigarettes on you, right? One for the criminals, one for yourself. Pull out your pack of Zhonghua, don't try to fool me."

"You!"

"Do you think I'm blind? You smell like Zhonghua cigarettes."

Lin Dongxue covered her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. Lin Qiupu was furious and took out a pack of hard Zhonghua, lighting it for Chen Shi. He took a deep drag, exhaling the smoke with pleasure. The three of them waited for him to speak, but all that came out was more smoke.

As the cigarette was nearly finished, Lin Qiupu urged, "Alright, enough. Time to tell the truth."

Chen Shi gazed at the ceiling and said, "Thirty years ago…"

"Why are we talking about thirty years ago now?" the recorder murmured.

"On an autumn evening thirty years ago, a dog was run over by a car on the road outside your house. The next day, you were born!"

"You!" Lin Qiupu stood up, slamming the table with a loud crash. "You're asking for trouble, insulting law enforcement officers, you want to die?"

Chen Shi flicked the cigarette butt off. "Did I say there was a cause-and-effect relationship? Did I say that?"

Lin Dongxue suppressed another laugh, while Lin Qiupu stared at him with fury. The recorder was confused, unsure how to write this down.

Chen Shi added, "The things you just mentioned, they're all facts, I admit. But just because they're all facts doesn't mean there's a cause-and-effect relationship. That's basic logic. Without clear evidence, these are just isolated events."

"Good! Good!" Lin Qiupu was seething with frustration.

Lin Dongxue thought to herself, this guy isn't like other criminals who just make a mess of things. He's been dealing with the situation head-on, without dodging, and he does have some valid points. His thinking is so meticulous. Maybe there's a simpler truth here—he's not the killer.

She glanced at Lin Qiupu's furious face, feeling a little guilty for her own doubts.

Someone knocked on the door, and an officer brought in the results of the dashcam analysis. Lin Qiupu glanced at it, exchanged a few words with the officer, and nodded for him to leave.

Lin Qiupu held up the papers. "Ha, your so-called evidence doesn't work in your favor at all..."