"Your mother's death is related to Qin Guan, isn't it?"
Outside the window, the night was murky. Above them, a long-unused light cast a ghastly white glow silently over the two figures in the room.
Old He's affable, plastered-on smile was gone. He was serious, earnest. His face still bore a hint of puffiness and oiliness, but his sharp gaze pierced Xu Ruyi like twin blades.
"When she died, only Qin Guan was by her side. Only Qin Guan witnessed the process. Qin Guan could say whatever he wanted, couldn't he?"
"You must have believed him. But your father doubted it!"
"Your father printed out a copy of your mother's hospital records, her death report—over two years after she died. Why?"
Old He's voice wasn't loud, but each word struck Xu Ruyi like a boulder.
His gaze, like an electric current, ruthlessly scanned every inch of Xu Ruyi's face.
Xu Ruyi felt her face go numb, her entire body going numb.
He truly had come prepared.
He hadn't started with Qi Min. He hadn't chased the dead ends of "Zeng Demei" or Feng Zhi. Instead, he had turned to investigate her parents' deaths.
What had he found? How much did he know? How much did he understand?
"You saw that medical record too, didn't you?" Old He took a step closer. He was tall and imposing, looking down at Xu Ruyi, an overwhelming sense of pressure washing over her.
Xu Ruyi stood motionless, frozen.
Old He had already pulled the familiar medical record from the bag he carried. It appeared before Xu Ruyi once more—the record that declared her mother would never wake again.
Her heart felt like it had been slammed by something heavy.
"This record seems normal, and it is normal. Cerebral hemorrhage is inherently dangerous; failure to save her wouldn't be surprising,"
Old He stared at Xu Ruyi, "But your father became suspicious. He was a smart man. After discovering Qin Guan's affair with Qi Min, he no longer blindly trusted Qin Guan! He began to doubt Qin Guan's words, the things he described! The most important doubt was about your mother's death!"
"So he printed this record, didn't he? Because he thought something about it was suspicious!"
Xu Ruyi held her breath.
She wanted to refute him, but her tongue was stiff, immobile.
"There was something suspicious. Although your mother was weak after surgery, she was recovering well. I've seen her discharge report and spoken to her friends and colleagues. She had high blood pressure, but she wasn't prone to anger. What could make such a rational, cultured woman lose control so completely?"
"She hadn't clashed with outsiders. So, the conflict must have come from within the family!"
Old He took another step closer. "Either Qin Guan wronged you, and she fiercely defended her daughter, becoming so agitated she lost control. Did Qin Guan wrong you? No. Three years ago, Qin Guan was the model husband, a paragon in everyone's eyes, especially attentive to you!"
"Or, Qin Guan did something wrong. It couldn't have been you—you were heavily pregnant, gentle and filial. The one who must have done wrong was Qin Guan! Qin Guan, who just happened to be by her side when she had the attack!"
Xu Ruyi could no longer breathe.
This man had truly found the right direction.
He had come precisely for this.
Unable to find a breakthrough in the Qi Min case, having hit dead ends for so long, he had changed course, aiming to shatter her defenses with the deaths of her parents.
Yes, her parents. They were her fatal weakness.
Xu Ruyi knew it, understood it. Reason told her she should let out a light laugh and say, "Captain He, aren't you overthinking this?"
But she couldn't speak. A massive wave of pain, sharp as knives, crawled up her throat, binding her tongue.
"Your mother suddenly became so emotionally agitated she had a cerebral hemorrhage. Only Qin Guan was with her when it happened. She vomited a mouthful of blood. Your father sensed something suspicious about this, didn't he? He told you, right? And then? You searched carefully and found this bloodstain? And this blood… it had been painted over with paint?"
Old He's eyes deepened. "The person who did that naturally couldn't be you, nor your father. That leaves only one person! Qin Guan! Qin Guan, who watched your mother take her last breath!"
"You probably didn't fully grasp it at the time because you were agitated, in pain. But once you calmed down, you would quickly see it clearly. Your mother's death absolutely, absolutely had to be related to Qin Guan! Why did he cover the bloodstain? Because he was hiding something! Hiding what? Naturally, the crime he committed against your mother!"
Dead silence.
The room was filled with dead silence.
Xu Ruyi took a step back, her body pressed against the wall of the hallway.
If she didn't lean against it, she feared she wouldn't be able to stand.
Repressed pain, terror, and tension churned in her chest, merging into an uncontrollable torrent seeking an outlet.
Old He looked at her face—it was etched with unmistakable pain, like tree roots branching into every pore, every blood vessel.
His heart stirred. In his memory, another slender, familiar figure superimposed itself onto her.
Old He shook his head, gritting his teeth to dispel it—personal feelings had no place in an investigation. This was his only chance to dig out the truth.
It was his duty.
He had to block her escape route.
"This medical record—your father printed it first. Why did he print it?"
He continued to drive the knife into Xu Ruyi's vitals.
"He printed it before your father's car accident. And then, not long after, he inexplicably had that crash. And when he crashed… only Qin Guan was with him!"
"Why, Xu Ruyi? Did you really never think about it?" Old He advanced another inch. His eyes locked onto Xu Ruyi, his gaze seeming to pierce through her fragile, strained exterior and plunge straight into her heart.
The answer was already obvious.
"Your parents loved you so deeply. Yet, it was only after they had both passed away, beyond saving, that you learned the true cause of their deaths. Xu Ruyi, the greatest regret and pain in life must be… just that!"