Fang Hu was startled by the trembling coming from the mirror and nervously asked, "Who's there?"
The pounding abruptly stopped, and Xiao Li, who was handling the records, looked towards the mirror with some concern. Meanwhile, Song Rui remained calm and continued to question Fang Hu about the case.
The interrogation was not interrupted by this small incident and appeared entirely normal. However, in the cramped monitoring room across the interrogation room, Shen Youquan was pressed against the wall by two policemen, urging him to remain calm.
But how could Shen Youquan remain calm? His hair was disheveled, his eyes were red, his lips were parched, and his heart was torn apart by intense fear and deep regret. Only now did he truly understand the meaning behind what Vanjara had said to him that day.
It wasn't a metaphor hinting at an ominous future, but a brutally realistic prophecy about murder that was about to unfold! When all the truth was revealed, he realized just how accurate the prophecy was!
That day, Vanjara had almost pulled his ear and said to him, word by word, "Do you know? Your daughter has no future at all. She will soon be killed by someone close to you! And this person will take everything from the Shen family!"
So-called "taking the nest of another bird" was literally taking the nest of another bird, not some metaphorical literary device. Just as demonstrated in the documentary, those birds would unite to push his helpless daughter off the high branch, causing her to fall to her death! He had thought his imagination of the words was cruel enough, but he had underestimated the extremes of human nature.
Some people lacked even basic humanity, their evil could be so extreme, so cold. He had thought that Shen Yurao was just a usurper, taking away his daughter's affection and resources, but it turned out that he also wanted to take away his daughter's life! They wouldn't even give his daughter a chance to grow up, and the minuscule resources he had used to raise his daughter were already seen as something they couldn't tolerate her sharing with anyone!
And himself? Where was he when all the tragedy unfolded silently? He realized now how afraid he was, but also how grateful; grateful for the inexplicable appearance of that person and the advice at every step.
Once Shen Youquan had calmed down, Song Rui had gotten the complete confession from Fang Hu. Fang Hu implicated others, and Zhao Yuan naturally followed suit. Among the three, Zhong Huilu had the lowest psychological threshold and confessed earlier. When the accusations against them were directed at Long Chengsheng, he could not hold out and soon confessed his guilt.
As they were being taken to the detention center, Zhong Huilu met Shen Youquan and Shen's father and mother in the corridor. Her eyes were filled with panic, and she reached out to grab the hem of her husband's clothes, only to be avoided. She could only plead bitterly, "Youquan, please treat Rao Rao well!" Realizing that her words were ambiguous, she hastened to clarify, "No, don't be too good to him, just give him a meal! Youquan, you don't lack that little money, consider it my plea! Consider it my begging!"
As the officers dragged her away, she persistently turned back again and again, stretching her arm with all her might, just to get a promise from her husband.
Shen Youquan sneered, "Even now, you're only concerned about Shen Yurao. Have you ever thought about what will happen to Ling Ling? When you agreed to Long Chengsheng's kidnapping plan, what were you thinking? Ling Ling is also your child. How could you bear to let them kill her?"
"I really didn't know Long Chengsheng wanted to kill Ling Ling, or I would never have agreed! Youquan, trust me! Youquan, please don't abandon Yurao!" Zhong Huilu was still being led away, her sharp voice lingering.
Just as she left, a female police officer brought Shen Yurao to the police station. He was slightly weakened, but thankfully, hadn't been abused. At the same time, the police brought Shen Yuling to the station. With no responsible adults in the Shen family, Shen Youquan naturally didn't trust a group of servants to take his daughter. If even the closest person was so terrifying, whom could he trust?
Seeing Shen Yurao with red-rimmed eyes, Shen's father and mother reached out instinctively to hug and kiss him, but then stopped abruptly, afraid to approach him. Their love for this child wasn't fake, but it had originated from his gender, the so-called "the Shen family needs an heir to inherit the throne." Now that the heir was an illegitimate child, who would take everything from the Shen family and destroy its foundation, this love was naturally lessened, even harboring some hidden resentment.
When the female police officer handed the child over, they turned their backs and looked cold and scary. It was Shen Youquan who picked up the child and gently placed him on a chair, then picked up his daughter, hoisted her onto his shoulders, and affectionately kissed her twice.
Shen Yuling had no idea what was happening. She laughed happily, holding her father's head. While the Shen family was in the midst of a crisis, she was being well protected.
Shen Yurao had been staring at the bright smile on Shen Yuling's face, his mouth tightening more and more, but as usual, he didn't say a word. He just silently jumped off the chair, staggering over to Shen Youquan's side, carefully tugging at his trouser legs with his small hands. He raised his lovely, translucent face, and tears fell silently from his eyes, like a frightened little animal.
In the past, Shen Youquan would have put down his daughter and gone to hold him. But now, Shen Youquan just looked at him, looked for a long time, and then gently stepped back, freeing himself from his pulling. Such a small child was already using his fragile appearance to ostracize his siblings and gain the most love and benefits. What his parents left him in his blood, was just like a young bird of prey understanding how to murder a magpie as soon as it hatches, causing fear for no reason.
If he raised this child himself, would he understand gratitude? Would the genes hidden in his blood change? Shen Youquan didn't know the answer, nor was he prepared to sacrifice a part of his daughter's interests to be a good person. For the sake of Shen Yurao's future, Long Chengsheng attempted to strangle his daughter's future, and this alone was enough to completely dispel Shen Youquan's thoughts of adopting Shen Yurao.
He called Zhong Huilu's mother, fortunately the kind-hearted woman cared about her grandson, although she couldn't quite accept the reality, she still agreed to take her grandson away. When she carried Shen Yurao onto the car, Shen Yurao finally realized what was happening. He had always been very intelligent, even terrifyingly so. He repeatedly shouted, "Daddy, don't you want me? Grandpa, Grandma, don't you want me? I'll be good, take me back, okay?"
Tears flowed silently from Shen's father and mother's eyes as they said goodbye, but Shen Youquan expressionlessly pressed his daughter's head against his chest and made the temporary driver drive away.
Shen Yurao, who always cried silently, cried out loud this time, a heart-wrenching cry...
---
A case involving a high amount of money of up to 50 million was solved like this, from Shen Youquan reporting the case to the child being rescued, the whole process only took eight hours, once again setting a new record for the history of the Chengnan sub-bureau. The director received high praise and recognition from the higher authorities and returned to the sub-bureau with a triumphant expression, saying, "Our sub-bureau has made a great contribution again. Everyone in the special task force will receive a bonus!"
"Wow! Bonuses!" The group laughed happily, but Song Rui quietly packed up his briefcase, seeming out of place in the festive atmosphere.
Since interrogating Van Galle after undergoing a psychological test, the results showed that his mental state was healthy enough to continue serving as a police consultant. But since then, he hardly laughed gently, as if he had become a different person.
As someone who had previously doubted him, the director felt embarrassed, coughed, and said, "Thanks to Dr. Song, if it weren't for Dr. Song's unconventional methods, successfully probing and breaking through Long Chengsheng and Zhong Huilu's psychological defenses, and obtaining their statements, our case would not have been solved so quickly. Dr. Song, this credit is yours."
Song Rui slowly rolled down the sleeves of his hand, slightly pursed his thin lips, sighed and said, "Director, you are overpraising me. You should be very aware who really deserves the credit. If it hadn't been for Van Galle's suggestion, Shen Youquan would not have done the DNA test, or taken the child away, or even secretly reported to the police without telling anyone at home. If any of these steps had gone wrong, it would have meant not just the case for the Shen family and our police station, but possibly several lives. While we solved the case, we have nothing to be proud of, because we participated in an open-book exam, with the final answer already told to us by Van Galle. We just need to work backward from the answer to catch the criminals and save the child. Change me, change everyone in the team, the case would still have been solved, there's no credit to be claimed, just a little more hard work."
The jubilant team members gradually quieted down, then revealed embarrassed expressions. Yes, Van Galle had already laid out the truth before their eyes, and any of them could have solved the case. There was really nothing to celebrate.
The director looked around at everyone, then looked deeply at Song Rui and shook his head, "I don't think the efforts you've all made are insignificant, without you all, the case would not have been solved in eight hours, and the child would not have returned safely. Dr. Song Rui, you seem very lacking in confidence recently, but have you ever considered why Van Galle remembered you and recommended you to Mr. Shen? Because he knows you are the best at psychological warfare, and in this case, you've had a thorough understanding of the psychological state of all the criminals, found and struck their psychological weak points, and hit the bullseye! Your psychological astuteness is the key to a quick solution. I apologize for my previous doubts, please forgive me, and please continue to work with us."
Song Rui's eyes flickered slightly, as if touched by something, and after a long silence, he reached out his hand and shook the director's. Seeing this scene of reconciliation, the members of the criminal investigation team all smiled with relief.
After leaving the Chengnan sub-bureau, Song Rui drove to a secluded corner, first took out a disinfectant wet tissue and wiped the hand he had just shaken with the director repeatedly, even wiping the steering wheel several times before taking out his phone and dialing a number that he had kept for a long time but never dared to touch. The clear and gentle laughter of the person seemed as if it were close at hand, and it made the hairs on his profile quietly stand up, numb yet burning.
Even across time and space, Van Galle's influence on others remained so strong. He called him "Dr. Song" with a light laugh, as if the three words were held on the tip of his tongue, brewing an inexplicable enchanting power.
Song Rui's throat suddenly felt dry, and after a long silence, he meaninglessly responded, "It's me."
"The child has been saved, right?" As if it were a question, but with an affirmative tone.
"She has been saved." Song Rui loosened his tie, took a deep breath, and said, "Why did you specifically designate me to solve the case? I thought you disliked me?"
"Hmm?" Van Galle absentmindedly hummed, and Song Rui could almost imagine him tilting his head and coming over to look closely. Were his eyes still as deep and bright as they had been last time?
"Dr. Song seems to have misunderstood something. I have never disliked you. On the contrary, I think Dr. Song is very special. I am looking forward to our next meeting." Van Galle chuckled softly again, and Song Rui suddenly pulled the phone away, looking at the screen with dismay and confusion. Just now, he felt as if there was something invisible piercing his earlobe against the phone, followed by a blazing numbness.
Was the phone leaking electricity? But he couldn't throw away the damaged phone, and didn't know what else he could say to Van Galle, so he awkwardly and hastily hung up the phone. After a long, long time, he gradually realized what Van Galle had just said and, with lips barely perceptible, said, "Being recognized by you is my honor."
Whether Van Galle was a medium or just a smooth-talking fraudster, there was no doubt that he was the most special person in the world, and no one could replace him.
Van Galle stared at the dimming phone screen, inexplicably adding, "You are too humble."