Qin Guan didn't sleep a wink all night.
He lay on the cold, hard plank "bed," forcing himself repeatedly to fall asleep—only by getting enough rest could he muster the energy to face the challenges ahead and win this final battle.
But sleep wouldn't come.
His mind was terrifyingly clear, replaying his "confession" over and over—the details were correct, nothing was omitted, and the logic was clear.
He Zhisheng would definitely investigate. As long as he investigated, he would find the evidence.
Among the garbage pile outside the Xinhe Hotel, he would surely find Qi Min's clothes.
On the worn wooden door of the Xinhe Hotel, he would also find the kick marks.
And on the door frame opposite Room 201 where Qi Min stayed, he would definitely find Qin Guan's bloodstains.
Furthermore, the guests in the neighboring room would confirm the brief argument that occurred in Room 201—while Qin Guan was disposing of Qi Min's body, he had heard someone in the next room cough loudly.
Of course, the most crucial part was Feng Zhi and Xu Ruyi—if He Zhisheng was willing to dig, he would discover that these two had been in secret contact that night. He might even find surveillance footage of Feng Zhi tailing Qin Guan.
Time ticked by, minute by agonizing minute, until dawn finally broke.
Qin Guan got up and endured another excruciating hour before seeing Lao He's apprentice, Xiao Wu.
Brought back into the interrogation room, Lao He was already seated. His expression was calm. When he looked up at Qin Guan, there was no trace of contempt or doubt left in his eyes.
He had found it.
He had rushed to the Xinhe Hotel overnight, checked, and verified all the details Qin Guan had mentioned in his previous statement.
They had started verifying his testimony and would confirm every part of it!
Once all the details and evidence aligned—of course, some of his inferences might be slightly off, but that wouldn't affect the overall picture.
The big picture was the entire chain of events he had meticulously laid out. It was clear, it was logical—all the evidence would prove it.
He was on the verge of winning.
"Recount what you said yesterday again," Lao He lifted his chin, signaling Qin Guan.
Qin Guan nodded—as a prisoner, he was more cooperative than any other suspect. What was one more retelling? With victory in sight, he would have repeated it even if Lao He hadn't asked.
"I'll start from that morning again," Qin Guan took a deep breath, striving for calmness, composure, steadiness. "Although I saw Qi Min, because of my impatience, things went very badly. She was angry, I was angry. I was worried she would keep harassing Xu Ruyi, and I didn't know what choice Xu Ruyi would make next, didn't know if my family would fall apart. In short, my mood was terrible."
"I was also extremely tired. Those days, because of the trouble Qi Min was causing, I was constantly on edge, terrified Xu Ruyi would find out. I hadn't slept well for ages; I was utterly exhausted."
"After leaving the Xinhe Hotel, I sat by the roadside for a long time, not knowing where to go. Go to the hospital? Xu Ruyi hated me because of the affair; she didn't want to see me. I wanted to explain, but the child was also in the hospital—letting the child hear such shameful things about his father? I couldn't do it…"
"Go home? The house would be empty, just me. I wasn't used to it, it felt awful, and I couldn't sleep."
"I felt like such a failure, so stupid. How had I managed to ruin a perfectly good life like this?"
Qin Guan frowned, his face mirroring the distress and frustration of that day.
"So, I took a taxi to Xincheng, to the Huihuang KTV. It's run by a friend of mine. Sometimes when I was feeling down before, I'd go there. He'd always keep a small private room for me. I'd just sit quietly inside, listening to music and drinking. He knows my habit. If you don't believe me, you can ask him."
The Huihuang KTV wasn't far from that construction site. Dragging Qi Min's suitcase that morning, Qin Guan had noticed the place.
Of course, Qin Guan wasn't lying.
This Huihuang KTV really was opened by a friend. He had indeed gone there a few times before, sitting alone in a small room, drinking and listening to music.
In front of the police, it was essential to tell the truth.
Truths where every detail could be verified by the police.
Qin Guan understood this better than anyone.
He had already told countless truths.
"But that day, I only realized after getting out of the taxi that the Huihuang KTV was long closed. I was so muddled, just focused on finding a place to drink and escape, I completely forgot the operating hours. I made the trip for nothing,"
Qin Guan sighed, his face gloomy, his voice even more natural.
"I didn't call my friend. It was early morning; he was surely still asleep. I wouldn't do something so rude. I just walked around that area by myself."
"I walked quite a bit that morning. You can check the road surveillance nearby; you should see my figure. I remember there was a construction site nearby. When I passed it, I accidentally got concrete splashes on my trouser leg. After I got home, I threw the clothes in the washing machine. Maybe the concrete wasn't completely washed off. You can also go to my house and look for those trousers to check."
He had scrubbed hard at that concrete stain but couldn't get it all off.
Little did he know it could now serve as proof of his innocence.
Qin Guan continued to frown. The second time narrating, he was calmer, showing none of his urgency.
"Anyway, that day, I hadn't slept all night. I was upset and exhausted, wandering like a ghost. Eventually, I still took a taxi home. Near my home, on a street, I saw a noodle shop, got out, and ate a bowl of noodles. It was a place called 'Zhen Niu' Beef Noodles. They probably have surveillance too; you can check."
"After eating, I went home, thinking I'd rest a bit before going to the hospital to figure out how to explain things to Xu Ruyi."
"Who would have thought, when I got to the hospital, I ran into you guys coming to question her, and Xu Ruyi suddenly changed her story."
"She said she had gone to see a classmate the day before and accidentally fell down the stairs. She insisted she had never met Qi Min."
"She denied everything she had told me the night before, everything! She stubbornly claimed she hadn't seen Qi Min. I was completely dumbfounded. I couldn't understand why she changed her story,"
Qin Guan wore an innocent look. "At the time, you should remember, I was very agitated. I almost lunged at her to ask, why!"
"I was confused for a long time, unable to grasp why she did it. It wasn't until later, when I went with you to the Xinhe Hotel, to that room, that I finally understood."
Qin Guan took a sip of water.
He was approaching the crucial point. Steady, steady, he had to stay steady.
He told himself inwardly—this was the second time. There was no need to act like the first time, playing the true victim, agitated, frightened, aggrieved, yet not overly distraught.
The second time, he was much calmer.
"When you brought me to the Xinhe Hotel, to be honest, I was utterly hopeless by then. I had no idea what was happening, where Qi Min had gone, and even less what Xu Ruyi was really up to!"
"Until I entered the room,"
"Do you remember? That room had a strong smell of disinfectant? What is disinfectant used for? It can destroy human DNA. You know that. As a lawyer, I naturally know it too."
"Also, that room had no hairs at all. Not a single strand of Qi Min's hair was found. No fingerprints of Qi Min either. Nothing, right?"
"I am a victim, but I'm also a lawyer. What I couldn't understand before, I grasped when I thought about it from a professional perspective!"
"The truth of the matter is," he lifted his gaze, his expression growing even more composed, his eyes steadier, "that morning, after I knocked on the door, failed to get in, and left, Xu Ruyi sent Feng Zhi to sneak into Qi Min's room, kill her, and then clean the entire room!"