Silent Reading 默读 [BL Novel by Priest]

Chapter 59 to 69

CHAPTER 59 - [Reading Aloud (2)]

When Luo Wenzhou left the interrogation room, he felt he was somewhat delirious. The lengthy and strenuous process of interrogation was a sort of torment for both parties, especially when faced with a suspect with Xu Wenchao's psychological quality. Not giving the other party a chance to catch a breath in fact meant having no time to catch a breath yourself.

While those rushing around outside were still seeking all kinds of evidence, the interrogator and the interrogated had to read between the lines of each other's expressions for involuntarily betrayed traces of information to mutually deceive and mutually judge—

How much evidence do they actually have? How much did Su Luozhan actually say?

Where did he just contradict himself? Which of his words could be true, which of his words are dodges to get away from the major topic?

Are they tricking me?

How can I trick him to get him to confess?

The least slackening, and Xu Wenchao would immediately have seized the opportunity to quibble and retract. It was hopeless to think of substituting another interrogator.

Everything from Luo Wenzhou's neck up had basically shut down. Wholly relying on muscle memory, he mechanically navigated to his office.

Qu Tong's parents had heard the news and rushed off to Binhai without listening to any counsel to the contrary. Only Guo Heng was left.

Luo Wenzhou saw his back and thought that Guo Heng was sleeping. He instinctively lightened his steps and picked up a uniform jacket someone had tossed nearby. He was about to drape it over him when Guo Heng suddenly looked up.

The wrinkles around his eyes extended in complex twists and turns from the bridge of his nose to his temples, like the cracks in parched earth. In his eyes, their slightly yellowed whites shot through with blood vessels, there wasn't a trace of sleep.

The previously bustling office of the Criminal Investigation Team was utterly silent. The people were either still busy elsewhere, or else they hadn't been able to stand it any longer and had gone to sleep. The two men looked at each other wordlessly, the air seeming glued together, thick and motionless; the wind of the most powerful air-conditioning couldn't have blown it away.

After a long time, Guo Heng spoke first with difficulty. "Your...your leader surnamed Lu told me everything."

Luo Wenzhou slowly pulled up a chair and sat down across from him.

"He didn't give me too many specifics," said Guo Heng. "He said you were still verifying some details—can you tell me the particulars now?"

Luo Wenzhou paused. "On that summer day twenty years ago, Guo Fei by chance got acquainted with a girl who said she had come to Lotus Mountain with her teacher. The girl was wearing a floral-patterned dress and looked very pretty, but she seemed to have no sense of direction at all. She asked her the way several times. One day, when she got out of cram school, Guo Fei met the girl again. The girl seemed very worried, claimed that the teacher she'd come with was in the hospital, and she couldn't find the way back to the hotel alone. Guo Fei was a warm-hearted child. At the end of each term, the teachers all commented that she was 'willing to help others.' To this day the records are in the Lotus Mountain Elementary School's archives. She tried to explain the directions a few times, but the girl still didn't understand. It was only a little detour, anyway, she thought. She'd only be a few minutes late. So she decided to personally take the girl where she wanted to go..."

From the first time he had mentioned the name of "Guo Fei," Guo Heng had been shaking uncontrollably. His turbid tears rolled from the corners of his eyes, redirected by row after row of wrinkles to the white hair at his temples.