Grocery Store No.514

On February 23, 3021, in the interrogation room of the criminal investigation team, Jiang Chengyan and Yao Min walked in one after the other and took their seats.

Jiang Chengyan looked at Sun Ting and asked, “Sun Ting, where were you on the afternoon of February 19?”

Sun Ting’s eyes flashed with confusion, and said, “I was at home on February 19 and didn’t leave the house.”

Jiang Chengyan stood up, walked toward Sun Ting, and said, “Roll up your sleeves. Let me see your wrists.”

Sun Ting looked puzzled and said, “Captain Jiang, what do you mean by that?”

Jiang Chengyan repeated again, “roll up your sleeves and let me see your wrists.”

Sun Ting frowned slightly and hesitantly rolled up her sleeves.

Looking at Sun Ting’s smooth wrist, Jiang Chengyan’s eyes flickered, and he sat back in his seat and then asked, “Sun Ting, what’s your relationship with Wang Ran?”

Sun Ting subconsciously blinked and said, “friend, it can also be said we’re best friends.”

Jiang Chengyan looked at Sun Ting noncommittally and continued to ask, “We have been to Bincheng, met your parents, and learned that they adopted you in an orphanage in Bincheng. Wang Ran also happened to be a child from the same orphanage. What’s more coincidental is that the DNA between you shows that you two are blood relatives. Do you know this?”

“What? How is that possible? Why don’t I remember anything at all? I don’t know about this at all.” Sun Ting looked at Jiang Chengyan blankly as if she knew nothing about it.

“Sun Ting, Wang Ran is dead. Did you know?”

“Wang Ran is dead? How is that possible? Didn’t she go back to her hometown?” The shock in Sun Ting’s eyes looks real.

“Wang Ran’s body was found yesterday. She died more than a month ago. Liang Yijun killed her and buried her body in the greenhouse of his villa.”

Sun Ting looked at Jiang Chengyan and exclaimed, “Captain Jiang, what do you mean? How could Yijun kill Wang Ran? It’s impossible. You must have made a mistake!”

Jiang Chengyan looked at Sun Ting in silence. Sun Ting’s expression became more and more unnatural when he stared at him, but she still insisted, “Captain Jiang,  is it true that Yijun killed Wang Ran? Are you sure?”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

Jiang Chengyan picked up a document from the table and said, “At five o’clock in the afternoon on February 19, Ling Hua’an was stabbed in the chest with a knife. Before he fell, his fingers scratched the culprit’s wrist and left evidence on his clothes. The blood on his left cuff and the DNA of the skin tissue are the same as yours. What else do you want to say?”

Sun Ting looked at Jiang Chengyan in shock and said, “Impossible! I didn’t even leave the house on the 19th. How could I have gone to hurt Mr. Ling? You must be mistaken!”

Jiang Chengyan turned the situation around in a few words. With conclusive evidence, Sun Ting can only prove her innocence by herself, so the initiative was in Jiang Chengyan’s hands. Yao Min couldn’t help but secretly give a thumbs-up under the table.

Sun Ting lost her composure just now, a panicked look flashed on her face, and she thought for a while and said, “Surveillance camera, our community has a surveillance camera. You will know at a glance whether I went out or not.”

“The surveillance cameras are only available in the elevator and the lobby on the first floor. If you go down the stairs to the blind spot on the second floor and leave the community from other floors… It’s entirely possible. So there are loopholes in the surveillance video, and it cannot be used as evidence.”

Sun Ting anxiously argued, “I didn’t, I didn’t go out at all on the 19th. You can check all the surveillance cameras in our community. I didn’t go out at all.”

“Are you sure?” Jiang Chengyan opened his laptop, found the surveillance video, and walked toward Sun Ting. He pointed to the screen in the surveillance and said, “This is the surveillance video at the gate. At that time, although you were wearing a hat, someone hit you and knocked your hat down, capturing your face through the surveillance camera. Look, this is you, right?”

Sun Ting looked at the picture on the laptop screen, she was speechless, and the expression on her face changed.

Jiang Chengyan put the laptop back on the table and said lightly, “Sun Ting, what else do you have to say?”

Sun Ting was silent, her head hanging low, the fingers of her right hand pinching the flesh on the back of her left hand hard.

Jiang Chengyan waited for a while, closed the laptop, and said, “The evidence of you killing Ling Hua’an is conclusive. Even if you don’t admit it, it’s useless; we can still convict you. Intentional homicide, it’s a death sentence. You’re still so young. What a pity.”

Sun Ting raised her head and said with an uneasy look: “I didn’t kill people. I didn’t kill people! Captain Jiang, you have to believe me. I really didn’t kill people!”

“You think I’ll believe that?” Jiang Chengyan looked coldly at Sun Ting and said, “Do you know my relationship with Ling Hua’an? He was my best friend, but you killed him. You know how I feel right now?”

Sun Ting said in a panic, “No, it’s not me…”

“I’m happy to be able to catch his murderer and put you on trial.  I hate that I can’t transfer the case to the court right now to make you get the death penalty as soon as possible so I can avenge him.”

Jiang Chengyan’s tone was cold. There was a glint of resentment in his eyes. If she hadn’t known that Ling Hua’an was fine, even Yao Min would have been blindsided.

Sun Ting was frightened by Jiang Chengyan, with a look of fear in her eyes, and said, “You can’t do this. The murderer is not me…”

Jiang Chengyan interrupted Sun Ting’s words sternly, “He has your blood and flesh on his sleeves. You are the murderer!”

“It’s not me! You can’t accuse me wrongly!” Sun Ting’s emotions became agitated.

Jiang Chengyan shouted, “it’s you! You’ll be sentenced to death. You’ll end up dead! You’ll be buried with him!”

Sun Ting shook her head desperately and exclaimed, “It’s not me! It’s not me! It’s not me!”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

Jiang Chengyan asked very quickly, “Who is that? Who is the murderer?”

“It’s Gao Ying. “Sun Ting blurted out unconsciously, and then was stunned on the spot.

Jiang Chengyan calmly asked, “Who is Gao Ying?”

Sun Ting looked at Jiang Chengyan in a daze, and after a long time, she lowered her head.

Jiang Chengyan waited for a while, picked up his laptop, and said, “Let’s go. There is no need to review.”

Yao Min quickly stood up and said in response, “Great. Captain, the case is considered closed, right? So can we get off work on time today?”

“En. After processing the documents, you can leave work on time.”

“It’s great. I can finally get off work on time. I should get a good night’s sleep when I go back today.”

The two are having a conversation, completely ignoring Sun Ting’s existence. Seeing this, she was completely panicked. When Jiang Chengyan held the door handle, she finally couldn’t help but say, “wait a minute.”

The corners of Jiang Chengyan’s mouth curled slightly, but it disappeared without a trace when he turned his head and asked coldly, “what else do you want?”

A struggling look appeared on Sun Ting’s face, and after a long silence, she finally opened her mouth and said, “I didn’t kill the person. It was Gao Ying who did it.”

Jiang Chengyan sat back in his seat and asked, “your DNA was detected on Ling Hua’an’s sleeve. How do you explain this?”

Sun Ting understood that to get rid of the murder charge. She had to tell the truth. The police also had already discovered Gao Ying’s existence; even if she concealed it, it was useless.

“Wang Rang, me, and Gao Ying are triplets sisters. I am the eldest sister, Gao Ying is the second sister, and Wang Ran is the youngest. When we were three years old, we were abandoned by our parents at the orphanage’s gate, and the orphanage took us. As for who our biological parents were and why they did this, we don’t remember anymore.”

Sun Ting turned her eyes to the ground and pinched her fingers unconsciously, apparently caught in a memory. After a pause, she continued, “We lived together in the orphanage for two years. When we were five years old, we were adopted one after another. Wang Ran was the first, Gao Ying was the second, and I was the third. Although we are all in Bincheng, we haven’t been in touch for many years. It wasn’t until I met Wang Ran in Huacheng and accidentally saw the birthmark on her shoulder,  then we were reunited.”

“When did you get in touch with Wang Ran?”

“Six years ago, I came home that summer and ran into her when I went swimming. We have been in touch since then and vowed to find our second sister. However, a fire destroyed most of the information in the orphanage, so we searched for three years before we found Gao Ying.”

“After graduating from college, you stayed in Huacheng, successfully entered Heilan Trading, and established a relationship with Liang Yijun. You thought you had a firm foothold in Huacheng, so you recommended Wang Ran to work at Hailan, right?”

Sun Ting said regretfully, “Yes, but I didn’t expect that doing this would harm her.”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

“Didn’t you know how Liang Yijun was before you got together?”

Sun Ting shook her head and said mockingly, “I don’t know. He is good at hiding it. No, they have always been very good at hiding it, and I am indeed blind.”

Yao Min asked curiously, “do you love Liang Yijun?”

“I do, at least once. Otherwise, how could I be so easily deceived by him.” Sun Ting looked at Jiang Chengyan with red eyes, “I didn’t lie before. He promised to have sex with me on our wedding night. I was moved at that time… I was moved by a perverted man. Do you think I am blind?”

Jiang Chengyan was silent for a while, and continued to ask, “when did you know about Wang Ran’s accident?”

Sun Ting wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeves and said, “On the day of Wang Ran’s accident, I was sick and didn’t go to work. She said she would come to see me after getting off work, but I waited until late at night, but she didn’t come. I tried to call and text her, but I couldn’t get in touch with her. Gao Ying and I looked for her all night, but we couldn’t find her. It was like she had disappeared from this world. The next day, when I went to work, I asked about Wang Ran. My colleagues said she has resigned, and even Liang Yijun is no exception. I vaguely feel that something must have happened to Wang Ran.”

“When did you find out that Liang Yijun killed Wang Ran?”

“More than a month ago, Liang Yijun fell ill. I visited his home and found Wang Ran’s photos on his computer by chance. The shooting date was the day Wang Ran disappeared. The photos were taken almost every day, and she was covered in wounds, whips, needles, and cigarette burns… looks scared and shocked. In the last photo, Wang Ran was lying on the floor covered in blood, while Liang Yijun, that beast, was kneeling beside her like  he was a show-off and taking a selfie.”

Tears welled up in Sun Ting’s eyes again, and she choked up, “I was completely devastated at the time. I didn’t think my sister, who I had been looking for over a month, would be in my boyfriend’s house and being tortured to death ……”

“Why didn’t you call the police?”

Sun Ting lowered her head, was silent for a while, and said, “Because Wang Ran has a habit of stealing, I was afraid that once I called the police, Wang Ran’s affairs would be discovered, so I didn’t go to the police.  If I don’t hesitate at that time, Wang Ran wouldn’t have been imprisoned. For more than a month, she suffered inhuman torture. I regret it, but it’s a pity it’s too late to say anything now.”

Jiang Chengyan looked at Sun Ting in silence before saying, “so you decided to take matters into your own hands and kill Liang Yijun.”

Sun Ting lowered her eyes, wiped her tears with her hand, smiled mockingly, and said, “I didn’t kill people. I don’t have the courage. When I found that photo, my first thought was to escape. I didn’t even have the idea to save that photo, so I hurriedly put everything back in place and ran away in a panic.”

“Gao Ying killed him?”

“Although Gao Ying is our younger sister, she is the most thoughtful. She said that if Wang Ran died, she must be died in vain, and those who died in vain would not be willing to reincarnate. We wanted to bring her back, so we paid a Master, and sure enough, we brought back Wang Ran’s soul. Wang Ran died tragically. She was unwilling and wanted revenge, so Gao Ying came up with a plan. “

“What plan? ”

“Gao Ying and I are identical twins. Not only do we look the same, but even our DNA is the same. No one can tell who we are as long as we don’t leave fingerprints. On New Year’s Eve, Gao Ying took advantage of the information that Liang Yijun was out with his friends to sneak into his home. She installed a surveillance camera in his bathroom and slipped an anesthetic into the red wine because Liang Yijun had a habit of drinking red wine in the bath. When he fell asleep, Gao Ying returned to his home and faked his suicide by slitting his wrists.”

“What happened to Gao Mingqiang?”

“Gao Mingqiang is Gao Ying’s adoptive father. He has a very good relationship with Gao Ying. He overheard our plan and wanted to stop it, but Gao Ying seemed possessed by a demon and insisted on killing Liang Yijun. Gao Mingqiang couldn’t stop it, so he wanted to take the blame. He left evidence in the room pointing to himself before committing suicide in his rental house.”

“You and Gao Ying are identical twins. Even your DNA is the same. How can you prove that the one who killed Liang Yijun was not you but Gao Ying?”

“It’s really not me!” Sun Ting seemed to think of something and said eagerly, “Captain Jiang, didn’t you say that Mr. Ling scratched the murderer’s wrist before he died? My wrist is intact, which proves that it’s not me.”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

“You said that Gao Ying installed a surveillance camera in Liang Yijun’s bathroom beforehand, is that surveillance video still there?”

“The surveillance video is connected to her laptop. I don’t know if she has deleted it.”

“Where’s her laptop?”

“In the bedroom drawer.”

Jiang Chengyan glanced at Yao Min, who quickly got up and walked out.

Sun Ting looked at Jiang Chengyan and said in guilt, “Captain Jiang, I’m sorry about Mr. Ling. I apologize to you on behalf of Gao Ying.”

“Sun Ting, who is the master who helped you summon the soul?”

Sun Ting was stunned, then replied, “It was contacted by Gao Ying. I don’t know exactly what his name is. I only heard Gao Ying call him Master Hao.”

“Do you have his contact information?”

Sun Ting shook her head and said, “No. I didn’t believe it at first. It was all done by Gao Ying. Later, he summoned Wang Ran’s ghost and made me believe it.”

The door was opened, Yao Min walked in from the outside, and returned to her seat.

Jiang Chengyan then asked, “has she lived with you before?”

“No. Gao Ying and Wang Ran lived together before, they only came over occasionally.”

“Where do they live?”

“Guangmei Community, Building 5, Unit 1, No. 702.”

“Do you know where Gao Ying is hiding now?”

“I don’t know. Probably she will leave Huacheng.”

Jiang Chengyan said, “Sun Ting, we need to verify your confession. So you must stay in the detention room for a few days.”

Sun Ting nodded and said, “I understand.”

Jiang Chengyan and Yao Min packed up and left the interrogation room, and Sun Ting was taken back to the detention room by the police at the door.

“Captain, you are really bull¹, so easily took Sun Ting down. It’s just that Sun Ting said something about ghosts and spirits. It’s not like she has a mental problem.”

“Do you think there is something wrong with her mental state?”

“It’s not like that. I’m not a doctor, so I’m not sure. But judging from Sun Ting’s attitude, the relationship between her and their sisters is not very good. At least not to the extent that they can die for each other.”

Jiang Chengyan didn’t answer. He walked quickly to the office and said, “Guo Hai, Chen Miao, you guys follow me to Guangmei Community. Yao Min, you go to the forensic department to inform Su Ke and go with them.”

“Yes, Captain.”

In the hospital, Ling Hua’an had just finished his lunch. Yan Yu was washing, and Lu Hao was sitting beside the bed chatting with Ling Hua’an. The door of the ward was pushed open, and a middle-aged woman walked in.

Lu Hao was stunned, then he reacted and said, “Mom, you’re here. Ge, mom is here.”

Ling Hua’an looked in the direction of the door and called out, “Mom.”

Ling Ling answered indifferently, “I heard that you were injured, I came over to see. How is your condition now?”

“It’s already fine, you don’t need to worry.”

“I bought some fruit, eat some after dinner. It’s good for your health.”

“Thanks, mom.”

Lu Hao got up, gave Ling Ling a seat, and said, “Mom, sit down.”

Ling Ling shook her head and said, “No need, I have something else to do, so I’ll leave now. Haohao, your cousin is returning to China today. The flight is at two o’clock in the afternoon. You accompany me to pick him up.”

Lu Hao frowned and said, “Mom, it’s my cousin who has returned to China. Has no one picked him up from uncle’s house?  Why do I have to go?”

“Your cousin only comes back once a year. So it’s right for our families to get together. Listen to me. Put on your coat and go.”

Lu Hao said, “Mom, Ge was seriously injured for three days. You didn’t come to see him, and now you want to leave after coming for less than two minutes and take me to the laborious family party. Mom, Ge is your son. He is my brother. How can you do this?”

Ling Ling growled, “Lu Hao, is this how you talk to your mother?”

“Ge has been moved out of the house for ten years. Yet, you don’t care about him. You don’t even know where he lives. When my brother wanted to come home for New Year’s Eve, you turned him away because grandparents came to celebrate the New Year. Mom, I don’t understand; we’re both your son. Why are you so cold to Ge?” 

Lu Hao looked at the calm Ling Hua’an and couldn’t help but feel aggrieved for him.

“It was his own choice to leave home in the first place, and since he chose to do so, he has to bear the consequences. I have done my duty as a parent by raising him.” Ling Ling looked at Ling Hua’an and said, “Hua’an, do you also have a problem with me?”

Ling Hua’an suppressed the churning emotions in his heart and said as calmly as possible, “you are right. You have done your duty and I will never have a problem with you. Lu Hao, go with mom, don’t worry about me here. Don’t let people gossip.”

Translated by Cafe No. 20 – cafeno20.wordpress.com

“Ge…” Lu Hao looked at Ling Hua’an painfully, becoming more dissatisfied with Ling Ling, saying, “whatever you want to say, I won’t go anyway. A group of relatives who only know how to compare each other is more hypocritical than the other.”

“Lu Hao!” Ling Ling frowned tightly and said in annoyance, “it’s because I spoiled you so much that you don’t even listen to my words anymore?”

Lu Hao was just about to retort when he heard Ling Hua’an say, “Lu Hao, listen to mom. Go, there is Yan Yu here.”

Lu Hao looked at Ling Ling and then at Ling Hua’an. To prevent Ling Ling from saying more things that made Ling Hua’an sad, he chose to compromise and said, “Ge, call me if you need anything.”

Ling Hua’an nodded and said, “En, go. Don’t worry. I’m already fine.”

Lu Hao passed Ling Ling out of the ward and expressed his dissatisfaction with her actions. Ling Ling looked at Yan Yu, who came out of the bathroom, frowned slightly, and said, “Hua’an, find a girlfriend soon. Always with a man will make people gossip.”

Ling Hua’an was stunned, his eyebrows furrowed, and said in disappointment, “Mom, you did your duty ten years ago. You don’t need to worry about my affairs now.”

Ling Ling frowned and said dissatisfied, “what kind of attitude is that?”

Ling Hua’an took a deep breath and said, “Mom, since the words have come to this point, I will make it clear to you. I like men and already have a boyfriend. At first, I wanted to take him to meet you, but looking at your attitude…forget it.”

Ling Ling’s face became extremely ugly, and she said with disgust, “Ling Hua’an, how could you do such a thing? What did you learn?  You actually learn to others to play homosexuality. Aren’t you disgusted?”

Ling Hua’an took a deep breath and said with a smile on the corner of his mouth, “I don’t steal or rob. I live on my own hands and fall in love with someone I like. I don’t feel disgusted at all.”

“It’s shameless. Why did I give birth to such a thing as you!? Ling Hua’an, you’d better break off that idea, or don’t blame me for breaking off our mother-son relationship.”

Ling Hua’an looked at Ling Ling, and although he couldn’t see, there was still an image of her in his mind before he lost sight. It was just a pity that the gentle and loving mother gradually blurred and disappeared by now.

“Do it, “Ling Hua’an said calmly, “I won’t go home in the future. You all take care of your health.”

Ling Ling was stunned and then growled, “Ling Hua’an, you really want to break off your relationship with me for a man? Do you still have some conscience?”

“The man you are talking about is my lover. He truly loves me! How about you? Have you been to the parent meeting at the school? I was bullied at school, have you asked me? Have you ever cared why my eyes are blind? I was disabled, yet I moved out of my home at eighteen just after I became an adult. Did you ever wonder why?”

Ling Hua’an closed his eyes and said tiredly, “break it off. Just pretend that I have no conscience. Pretend that you never had me as a son.”

Ling Ling still wanted to speak but was interrupted by Yan Yu, “Auntie, Hua’an is seriously injured, and he needs to rest. Please go back.”

“Mom, haven’t you hurt your brother enough? Do you feel satisfied when you force him to death?” Lu Hao became increasingly dissatisfied with Ling Ling and looked at her sadly.

Ling Ling looked at Yan Yu before back to Ling Hua’an and said with a cold snort,  “you should take care of yourself. Lu Hao, let’s go. Don’t deal with him again in the future, don’t let yourself become astray.”

Lu Hao shook off Ling Ling’s grip, looked at Ling Hua’an, and said, “Ge, get well. I will see you tomorrow.”

Lu Hao turned around and left the ward, while Ling Ling followed closely behind.

Yan Yu walked to Ling Hua’an’s bed, he hesitated before holding his hand, “Hua’an, don’t be sad, you’re not alone. You still have me and Captain Jiang, we will always be by your side.”

Ling Hua’an softly responded, raising his arm to cover his eyes, tears welling up in his eyes and soaked sleeves. He usually didn’t want others to see his vulnerability, but at this moment, he really couldn’t control it.

~~~

The author has something to say:

The comment area was so busy yesterday that I found it too difficult to write, ai~

🔔Cafe’s Memo 📝:

This chapter is quite long.

I honestly hate Ling Hua’an mother T_T Also, Captain Jiang is so scary in the interrogation room in this chapter (｡•́︿•̀｡)

I still want to post every two days like before, but life started to get busy again (つ﹏<。)

Thank you, for still reading this story with me ε===(っ≧ω≦)っ

1. awesome ↺