Volume One, Chapter Eight: The Confidant Suspect

"Your wife was so displeased with your philandering, yet you spent over a year pursuing your new flame, Jiang Shishi. And the reason Jiang Shishi refused to commit to you was precisely because you were a married man," Zhuang Jie analyzed. "During that year, you must have been in quite a difficult position, right? You must have thought of many ways to make Lin Xiaoyang step aside?"

Fang Yi wore a faint look of disdain upon hearing this. "And so? To make Lin Xiaoyang step aside for Jiang Shishi, I decided to murder my wife? To confuse the police, I specially took my new lover to Paris before killing my wife, attempting to create an alibi for myself?"

Zhuang Jie did not answer, but the look in her eyes as she stared at Fang Yi clearly asked: Isn't that exactly what happened?

Fang Yi seemed to perceive her inner thoughts and continued, "In my world, beautiful women are never in short supply. I have no need to abandon my established family for any one of them, let alone commit something as absurd as killing my wife. I am a businessman; there are naturally some women I play around with, and Lin Xiaoyang has long since grown accustomed to that. Furthermore, I have always treated Lin Xiaoyang well and have satisfied everything she wanted, so in certain matters, we have long reached a tacit understanding."

"But you developed genuine feelings for Jiang Shishi," Zhuang Jie stated.

"What makes you say that?" Fang Yi asked.

"Isn't everything you've done the best proof of that?"

"Pleasing a woman I like, whether by spending money or time, is nothing more than normal," Fang Yi said in a flat tone. "Besides, whether or not I have genuine feelings has nothing to do with whether I would jeopardize the foundation of my family."

Zhuang Jie and Yang Chenxu sparred with Fang Yi until after eleven o'clock that night, but the effective information they gathered was minimal.

After Fang Yi left, Zhuang Jie said with a hint of frustration, "That Fang Yi, his brain really moves fast. Every sentence sounds unremarkable, yet each one manages to sidestep any suspicion of his own involvement."

Yang Chenxu agreed, "In this day and age, without some wits, who could make a business flourish?"

Zhuang Jie was silent for a moment before saying, "I still feel that Fang Yi is highly suspicious."

"Why? Is it just because when a married woman meets with an accident, her spouse is always the prime suspect?" Yang Chenxu asked jokingly.

Zhuang Jie analyzed, "Let me ask you a question. Suppose you are a successful, young man who meets a woman you truly like, but she refuses to have any involvement with you because you are married, and you happen to be completely infatuated with her... what would you do?"

Yang Chenxu laughed upon hearing this. "I don't know. A decent man like me wouldn't run into such things."

Zhuang Jie did not give up, continuing, "And especially when your wife is particularly bothered by this, even signaling her interference and constantly applying pressure on you, would you not feel annoyed? And at this moment, you are getting along with your heart's desire like a soulmate; she loves, understands, sympathizes with, and appreciates you, even admires you, but refuses to have a physical relationship or let you get close. At this point, what do you think... what would you do?"

Yang Chenxu's smile gradually faded, as if he were deep in thought.

Zhuang Jie followed up, "While men are relatively rational, they can also be emotional at times. Especially when there is a massive contrast between two significant women, the possibility of such emotional volatility becomes even greater."

After a while, Yang Chenxu spoke slowly, "But... a man with his level of accomplishment would ultimately choose to protect his core interests."

"What do you mean?" Zhuang Jie asked.

Yang Chenxu turned to look at her. "Finances, children, spouse, family... these count as a man's core interests, don't they?"

Zhuang Jie was about to nod but quickly stopped herself. "Finances can be continuously generated; children can be born again; a spouse can be replaced; a family can be reconfigured... For a man who is young enough and has enough power, core interests are never set in stone. It all depends on how determined he is to change it all, and what price he is willing to pay to do so, don't you think?"

Faced with this question, Yang Chenxu found himself unable to retort. He suddenly felt that although Zhuang Jie was young and might show some immaturity at crime scenes, her perception was hardly any weaker than his own.

Zhuang Jie suddenly thought of something else. "How do you think Fang Yi got those injuries?"

"It's hard to find an answer based on speculation alone," Yang Chenxu said.

Zhuang Jie’s mind did not stop deducing. "Could it be that before he went to France, he argued with Lin Xiaoyang and they got physical? And the conflict between them happens to be related to his plan to go to Paris this time?"

Yang Chenxu did not agree, bowing his head in thought with a furrowed brow.

Zhuang Jie pondered for a while before adding, "Of course, there is another possibility: the reason he took Jiang Shishi to Paris this time was precisely because he had a falling out with Lin Xiaoyang. So he brought his beloved along to Paris to clear his head? Or perhaps, to escape."

...

While Yang Chenxu and Zhuang Jie were discussing Fang Yi, he had already returned to Dongjiang Garden.

He stood in the familiar bedroom on the second floor, looking at the pair of light blue pillows neatly arranged at the head of the bed.

Originally, Lin Xiaoyang liked soft pink. The reason the bedding had been changed to light blue was because Fang Yi liked it...

He stared at the pillows for a long time, then sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to touch the one on the right.

This was Lin Xiaoyang's pillow. It still had her stray hairs on it—long, dark brown, slightly wavy... they stood out sharply against the sea of light blue.

As Fang Yi watched, his eyes reddened, and he picked up the strand of hair.

The hair, once clearly visible on the pillow, became increasingly blurry and indistinct under the light...

Fang Yi sat there for about half an hour before heading downstairs.

He walked from C16 all the way to the door of C13. After he pressed the doorbell, a woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight opened the door. She had fair skin, fine eyebrows and eyes, a small face, and a pointed chin. While not exactly a great beauty, she was delicate and pretty.

When she saw Fang Yi, there was clear surprise in her eyes.

But this spark of surprise flashed and vanished, and she quickly regained her composure. "Mr. Fang, you're back so soon? Didn't you say you were going to France for a month?"

This woman was named Kong Huahua, who had once been a small nanny in Fang Yi's home.

But later, her role became far more than just that of a nanny...

Fang Yi did not answer, instead asking, "Where are Fangfang and Yuanyuan?"

"Just asleep..." As Kong Huahua spoke, she immediately opened the gate wide and stood at the edge of the threshold. "Come in quickly; it's cold outside."

Fang Yi said nothing, walking straight inside before striding toward the living room.