Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

At the police station, Jiang Li handed Zhou Tiancheng the note from her pocket.

Zhou Tiancheng unfolded it. His brow furrowed tighter and tighter as he read. Before Jiang Li or the others could get a look, he immediately pulled out his phone to call a colleague at the hospital.

"If you see any sign of He Zhong, arrest him immediately!"

Jiang Li picked up the note to read, her eyes widening in shock. ’This case was even more complicated than she had imagined.’

Lu Xingye took a look, then picked up his phone to contact Ji Qinghe at the station.

"Sister Qinghe, take some people to the hospital and check it out. This case is getting complicated.

It wasn’t until after Kong Zhen married He Ming that she found out he was gay. The baby she was pregnant with... it was He Zhong’s."

Lu Xingye finished the call and took a deep breath. He was starting to piece it all together.

After He Ming and Qin Hao broke up, He Ming found he couldn’t perform. But his parents couldn’t accept their only son being gay, so they forced Qin Hao to go abroad.

Kong Zhen had found He Ming to be polite and responsible, so she had started a relationship with him. It wasn’t until their wedding night that she discovered her new husband couldn’t perform.

On account of He Ming treating her well, she resigned herself to the situation, thinking it would be fine even without children. But He Zhong thought otherwise.

And so, Kong Zhen was manipulated. Her own husband might have even had a hand in the scheme.

The "honeymoon" was just a cover story the He Family invented to stop the neighbors from gossiping. The truth was, Kong Zhen had discovered the man from that night was her father-in-law. She had a massive argument with He Ming, and it was during this time that she happened to run into Qin Hao, leading to everything that followed.

Jiang Li’s worldview was shattered yet again as she read. If not for He Ming, Kong Zhen would never have had to suffer through any of this. The dead He Ming was far from innocent.

The test results for the food Zhou Tiancheng had sent to the lab came back.

"They found Dichlorvos in it."

"So, once He Zhong found out about Kong Zhen’s miscarriage, he figured the baby was gone and decided to kill her to keep her quiet?" Jiang Li looked up at the two of them.

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at the report and nodded. "That’s the suspected motive."

Zhou Tiancheng turned to contact his colleague at the hospital.

"Captain Zhou, we got him. He Zhong was nearby when the nurse went in to feed Kong Zhen her meal. Xiao Nian and I are coming back now."

Xu Yong glanced at He Zhong, who was pinned to the ground by Yu Huannian.

Yu Huannian was incredibly strong. He thought he’d even heard the crack of a bone breaking. On top of that, He Zhong was now sprawled on the ground, completely still.

"COUGH, COUGH... Captain Zhou, Xiao Nian might’ve used a bit too much force during the arrest..."

"Just get him back here, as long as he’s not dead!"

"Roger that!"

Xu Yong hastily hung up, gave instructions to the other officers standing guard, and headed back to the police station with Yu Huannian.

After hanging up, Zhou Tiancheng called Ji Qinghe to ask for an update from her end.

Ji Qinghe was in the hospital room, looking at the woman on the bed. She told Zhou Tiancheng, "She’s alive. Don’t worry."

"Okay, I’ll send you a copy of the file in a bit," Zhou Tiancheng said before hanging up and heading back inside.

’Just when he thought he could close the case, something else had to happen.’

A while later, Xu Yong and Yu Huannian returned with He Zhong.

Zhou Tiancheng stared blankly at Xu Yong as he watched He Zhong being carried in.

Xu Yong scratched his head. "I might have been a bit rough during the arrest. He might have, uh, a broken bone. But he’s not dead."

Zhou Tiancheng: "..."

Yu Huannian dumped He Zhong onto a chair. He Zhong’s leg was broken; any movement sent waves of pain through him, so running was out of the question.

Zhou Tiancheng averted his gaze, looking at the helpless He Zhong. ’Serves him right,’ he thought suddenly.

"Officer Zhou, there... there must be some misunderstanding. Your men just... they just grabbed me! This... this is preposterous!"

He Zhong’s face was ashen, cold sweat beading on his brow. The pain was excruciating.

When Zhou Tiancheng remained silent, He Zhong’s confidence wavered. ’Don’t tell me they’ve figured something out?’

’No, that’s impossible. Even if they found something, it couldn’t have been this fast.’

’He had been planning to take his daughter-in-law and leave the country. But now, his son was gone...’

"Officer Zhou, isn’t He Ming’s case already closed?"

Zhou Tiancheng’s expression was grim. "Yes, He Ming’s case is closed. We’re here today for Kong Zhen’s case!"

He Zhong’s heart clenched. He looked at Zhou Tiancheng. "Officer Zhou, what are you talking about? I... I’m afraid I don’t understand."

His ashen face betrayed no emotion, but inside, he was panicking. ’Did Kong Zhen tell them?’

’But I asked the nurse. Kong Zhen’s condition is critical. She woke up for a moment then passed out again. She can barely stay conscious, let alone talk.’

At that thought, He Zhong calmed himself. ’They’re probably just bluffing, trying to get a reaction.’

Zhou Tiancheng watched him, then spoke, shattering that fragile hope.

"The reason I arrested you is because I have evidence. So, He Zhong, are you going to tell me yourself, or do I have to spell it out for you!"

He Zhong looked up, his eyes meeting Zhou Tiancheng’s. He’d always had an innate fear of the police, but now, staring into that intense gaze, he felt completely exposed.

He Zhong dug his nails into his palms. The combination of the searing pain from his leg and Zhou Tiancheng’s sharp, scrutinizing gaze was agonizing.

Zhou Tiancheng watched He Zhong. The oppressive atmosphere, the physical pain, the inner terror... ’He’ll crack,’ Zhou thought. ’There’s no way he won’t talk.’

After ten long minutes, He Zhong finally caved. "I’ll talk. But I had my reasons. I never meant to hurt her."

Zhou Tiancheng’s gaze turned icy. ’Every killer has an excuse.’

He Zhong lowered his head, wiping the sweat from his brow on his sleeve. "Officer Zhou, you know we only had one son, He Ming. He was... led astray by that bastard Qin Hao..."

Zhou Tiancheng cut him off with a frown. "I don’t want to hear your excuses. Drugging Kong Zhen—was it just you, or did you have help!"

He Zhong shuddered. "Yes, it was me. I did it all by myself. Officer, if you’re going to arrest someone, just arrest me."

The way he said it, Zhou Tiancheng knew instantly: he hadn’t acted alone.

He shot He Zhong a look, then stood and walked outside. He called Ji Qinghe to check on her progress.

Ji Qinghe saw the incoming call from Zhou Tiancheng. What a coincidence; she had been just about to call him.

"Hey, Tiancheng. Wan Caixia just confessed to everything over here. It was her idea. And He Ming knew that she and He Zhong were going to drug Kong Zhen."

Ji Qinghe was furious. ’He Ming hiding his homosexuality to marry Kong Zhen was marriage fraud, plain and simple. And then, he did nothing to stop his parents when he learned they were going to drug her.’

’A man like that is better off dead,’ she thought. ’It was just a tragedy for Kong Zhen, who walked into what she thought was a marriage full of hope, only to find herself in a viper’s nest.’

Thankfully, she made it out alive.

"Alright, got it." Zhou Tiancheng discussed a few more details with Ji Qinghe before hanging up.

Meanwhile, seeing Jiang Li and the others had returned, Luo Binglin pulled out a case file and handed it to her.

Jiang Li and the others looked down at the file.

The file was for a murder case from three years ago. The killer had been the victim’s neighbor, and according to the confession, the motive was brutally simple.