Chapter Sixteen: Going to the Police Station
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Lin Xiaoyan clenched her phone and said, “After work the night before last, I went to Aylor Hospital to visit a colleague, and then…”
Lin Xiaoyan told the police everything that had happened at the hospital, the phone call she had received from Sister Lin yesterday, and what had happened on the bus that morning.
Mao Hong frowned slightly. This was going to be difficult. It was only the girl’s suspicion, not enough to open a case.
“May I ask what I should do in this situation? Can you protect me?” Lin Xiaoyan asked.
Mao Hong hesitated, then said, “Why don’t you come to the station? Since nothing concrete has actually happened…”
Lin Xiaoyan was silent for a moment after hearing that. “All right. Should I come now?”
“Whenever you have time. You can come over at any point.”
“All right. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lin Xiaoyan hung up the phone. She decided to go to the police station during her lunch break. It was not far from her company, and she could get there in about half an hour.
Her lunch break lasted two and a half hours, so she should be able to make it back in time for work that afternoon. As soon as work ended at noon, Lin Xiaoyan told Gao Miao and Susan that she had something to take care of and would not be eating with them.
“All right. Bye.”
“Mm.”
After saying goodbye to them, Lin Xiaoyan hurried off toward the police station.
Half an hour later, Lin Xiaoyan walked through the station’s front doors.
The officer on duty noticed someone entering and smiled. “Hello. How can I help you?”
Nervously, Lin Xiaoyan approached him. “Hello, I…I called this morning. They told me to come here…”
“Hmm? Have you committed a crime?” the officer asked, looking at her.
Lin Xiaoyan quickly shook her head. “No, no. I…I’m here to report something.”
“What’s your name?”
“Lin Xiaoyan.”
Just then, He Qian’an happened to walk out, preparing to leave. When he suddenly heard a familiar name—Lin Xiaoyan—he stopped and looked toward the girl in the lobby before walking over.
“You said you came to report something. What happened?”
“I…I discovered that someone wants to capture me…” Lin Xiaoyan clenched her fists and summoned the courage to speak.
He Qian’an stood to one side, studying Lin Xiaoyan. She matched the information he had received.
Lin Xiaoyan. Female. Twenty-four years old. A recent university graduate. Introverted, socially anxious, with a simple circle of relationships…
He Qian’an walked over and tapped on the desk. “You, Lin Xiaoyan. Come inside with me.”
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Lin Xiaoyan stared in terror at the tall, expressionless police officer standing before her.
“W-what are you doing?” Her voice trembled.
She regretted coming. She wanted to leave.
This police officer looked frightening. Could he be a bad person?
He Qian’an noticed that she was afraid of him, so he softened his voice. “It’s all right. I only heard you say that you wanted to report something, so I’m taking you inside to hear what happened.”
“D-do I have to go in?” Lin Xiaoyan took a step back.
Perplexed by her caution and fear, He Qian’an patiently explained, “It’s nothing. I just need to ask you a few questions. There are other officers inside.”
“Let’s go.”
He Qian’an turned and walked farther into the station. Lin Xiaoyan remained where she was, hesitating.
The officer who had spoken with her earlier leaned over and whispered, “Don’t worry. He’s our captain. He just looks a little stern, but he’s a good man. Go on.”
“Oh. All right…”
Summoning her courage, Lin Xiaoyan followed him.
Hearing her footsteps behind him, He Qian’an headed toward the office.
“Captain, weren’t you leaving to take care of something?” Li He asked in confusion when he saw his captain return almost immediately after leaving.
He Qian’an walked to his desk. “Someone came to report a case. I brought her in to ask about it.”
“Oh.”
Li He lowered his head and continued eating instant noodles.
Lin Xiaoyan followed He Qian’an into the office. Seeing the other officers inside, she felt a little more at ease.
“Sit.”
He Qian’an pulled over a chair for her.
“Th-thank you…”
Lin Xiaoyan sat down cautiously, occupying only a third of the seat.
He Qian’an glanced at her, lowered his head, and took out a pen and paper. “Go ahead. Why do you want to report something?”
Lin Xiaoyan parted her lips. Looking at the police officer before her, she thought for a moment before saying, “The night before last, I went to Aylor Hospital to visit a colleague…”
When He Qian’an heard the words “Aylor Hospital,” a dark glint passed through his eyes. On the notepad, he wrote five words: “Aileen, the victim.”
“Then…my eyes had been injured recently, and my colleague suggested that I have them examined at Aylor Hospital.”
“…Later, while the nurse wasn’t paying attention, I left the hospital.”
When Lin Xiaoyan mentioned that the nurse had forcibly dragged her off to complete the admission procedures, He Qian’an lowered his head, as though lost in thought.
“…This morning, on the bus, a man deliberately bumped into me. Then my arm was cut until it bled…”
Lin Xiaoyan raised her arm for the officer to examine.
He Qian’an saw the scratches on her arm. After taking a closer look, he confirmed that they had indeed been made by a sharp object.
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“So, I suspect that…” Lin Xiaoyan’s expression grew troubled. She did not know how to continue.
He Qian’an looked at her. “What do you suspect?”
Lin Xiaoyan hesitated, truly unsure how to put it into words.
Watching her struggle, He Qian’an set down his pen and turned his attention fully to her.
“There’s something I want to ask you.”
Lin Xiaoyan raised her head and looked at the officer before her.
“Do you know Aileen?”
Lin Xiaoyan’s heart tightened. “I…I do.”
“What is your relationship with her?”
Lin Xiaoyan’s thoughts were in turmoil. Did this officer know that she had made that phone call? Had he already discovered something…?
Slowly, Lin Xiaoyan explained her relationship with Aileen.
“When we were taking Aileen’s statement, she said something. She said, ‘I should have listened to you. I shouldn’t have ordered delivery.’”
He Qian’an fixed his eyes on Lin Xiaoyan. When she heard those words, her face turned slightly pale.
“Do you know Li An?”
Lin Xiaoyan stiffly shook her head. “N-no, I don’t.”
“Li An was the delivery driver who broke into Aileen’s home that night.”
Lin Xiaoyan lowered her head, gripping her fingers tightly.
“We questioned Li An. He said that he only decided to break in and murder someone after entering the residential compound. He hadn’t called anyone beforehand, nor had he told anyone that he intended to kill.”
“And you, Lin Xiaoyan, called the police on the night of the nineteenth and claimed that you had heard the delivery driver…”
Lin Xiaoyan’s lips trembled. In her heart, she kept telling herself not to be nervous.
“Perhaps the delivery driver I heard…wasn’t alone,” Lin Xiaoyan said, glancing at He Qian’an.
However, He Qian’an’s gaze was so sharp that she felt as though every disguise she had put on had been seen through by the man before her.
In He Qian’an’s eyes, Lin Xiaoyan’s face was filled with fear and unease.
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