No te apoyes en la barandilla oeste para retener el claro otoño

Capítulo 6

“Ms. Shen, I have a few questions that I would be very grateful if you could answer. Could we find a place to talk?” Lin Zhongjie said.

"Officer Lin, please ask whatever you want. I'm willing to answer anything for Xiao Su's sake, no matter how many times I have to answer," she said calmly as she sat down on the sofa. Her tone seemed to imply, "Ask me here."

Xiao Su. Every time Lin Zhongjie heard Shen Biyun call Su Zhiwen that, he felt uncomfortable all over. Although it wasn't exactly a big deal that an older woman was marrying a younger man, he still couldn't accept it; he was a conservative person.

Jian Qiming walked over to Shen Biyun and patted her shoulder, as if to greet her and comfort her.

"Are you feeling better?" Jian Qiming asked.

"Much better, thank you." Shen Biyun turned around and smiled slightly at him.

Lin Zhongjie knew that Jian Qiming asked this question simply to put pressure on him, to make him pay attention to the way he asked the questions and to control the timing of his questions. "Fatty," Lin Zhongjie cursed inwardly.

"When was the last time you saw Su Zhiwen?" Lin Zhongjie asked Shen Biyun.

"May 6th, the night of our wedding anniversary."

"What time is it?"

"After dinner, around 8 o'clock, I don't remember the exact time." She propped her head up with her wrist, looking very tired.

Where did you meet?

“In our bedroom on the second floor.” Upon hearing this, Lin Zhongjie couldn’t help but get goosebumps. He couldn’t imagine that 38-year-old Su Zhiwen would be willing to share a bed with this woman in her sixties every day.

"What did he say about this trip?"

He said he was going to Hong Kong to see a friend and would be back in about three days.

"Why don't you go with him?" Lin Zhongjie stared at Shen Biyun, thinking to himself, "How can you, as his wife, be so carefree as to let your young husband travel alone?"

Shen Biyun glanced at him, as if she could see through his thoughts, and smiled slightly.

“We trust each other, and I believe Xiao Su won’t do anything outrageous. Besides, even if he really wanted to hide something from me, could I stop him by keeping an eye on him all day?” Shen Biyun coughed lightly. “Moreover, I wasn’t feeling well those days and couldn’t go out at all.”

"Who is he going to see? Do you know their names?"

“He said his surname seemed to be…” She frowned and thought hard for a while before saying, “It seems to be Cai. I’m sorry, you asked me this question last time. I think I said it was Xin. I really can’t remember. He must have mentioned it to me, but I didn’t pay attention at the time. My head was spinning.”

What was he doing in Hong Kong?

“He wants to do business with his friend,” Shen Biyun said with a hint of humor in her dark brown eyes. “He doesn’t want to work for my company. Although he didn’t say why, I know he’s afraid of being laughed at. Zhiwen has a strong sense of self-esteem and is stubborn like a child in some ways. That friend from Hong Kong seems to be his college classmate. He works in the electronics industry, and Zhiwen wants to partner with him to open a processing plant.”

"Open a factory? Does Su Zhiwen have the financial capacity to invest in that?"

Jian Qiming coughed, and Lin Zhongjie turned to look at him, not understanding what he was trying to say.

“Let me explain,” Shen Biyun said to Jian Qiming.

Jian Qiming gracefully gestured for Shen Biyun to enter. Lin Zhongjie felt that Jian Qiming looked more like an old playboy than a professional today.

“As a gift for our first wedding anniversary, I promised to invest 3 million in Zhiwen’s electronics business. That’s why he’s so eager to go to Hong Kong to see his friends.” Shen Biyun sighed softly as she looked at the large pot of kumquats lying on the ground in the corner of the living room. “He looks so high-spirited, just like an immature child.”

Investing 3 million yuan in a business for an ignorant child—Shen Biyun is really generous to her young husband, Su Zhiwen, Lin Zhongjie thought.

"Has he ever run a business before?" Lin Zhongjie asked.

“No. He used to be a dance school teacher; all he knows is dancing.” Shen Biyun turned her gaze to him, as if to say, “It’s my business whether I’m willing to give him 3 million; I don’t need anyone to tell me if it’s right or wrong.”

Lin Zhongjie suddenly realized she was a very opinionated woman. He believed that few could change her mind once she made a decision, and he wondered what her daughters would think if they knew. He glanced back at Jian Qiming and saw the latter defending Shen Biyun with his eyes. They were husband and wife; it was her freedom and right to give her money. Lin Zhongjie replied with his eyes: Shut up!

"Then how did he end up in your storage room again?" Lin Zhongjie asked.

Shen Biyun felt as if she had been stung.

“I don’t know,” she said.

Lin Zhongjie knew that she had answered this question more than once, but she always gave the same answer.

"Are you the only one with the key to the storage room?"

“Yes,” she answered softly.

"Does that mean that no one else has it besides you?"

"Yes...yes, it should be." Shen Biyun frowned slightly, her tone hesitant.

"Why did Su Zhiwen go to the storage room? Do you know?"

“I asked him to go. I asked him to go to the storage room to get a painting to take to my cousin in Hong Kong. This was something I promised my cousin. She had always wanted an original painting by my stepfather, Huang Yaliu.”

"Did he go to the storage room alone? You didn't go with him?"

"Yes."

"You gave him the key?"

“I was in a bad mood that day and drank a couple of extra glasses of wine. My head was spinning, so after I went back to my room and finished explaining things, I went to sleep. Yes, I gave him the key and told him to go get the painting himself,” Shen Biyun said with a melancholy expression.

Did you give him the key at his request, or did you give it to him voluntarily?

“Of course I gave it to him.” A slight displeasure flashed in his brown eyes. “He’s a man of principle; he knows what requests he should make and what requests he shouldn’t.”

Have you seen him since?

Shen Biyun shook her head.

"If that's the case, how did you get the key back into your possession?"

Shen Biyun looked away.

"It was on my bedside table the next morning."

"What do you think about this?" Lin Zhongjie asked.

"I think Xiao Su put it there."

Did Su Zhiwen tell you which flight he took to Hong Kong?

He said it was 7:40 in the morning.

Did he go back to his room last night?

"He said he had to catch an early morning flight and didn't want to wake me, so he slept in the study tonight." Shen Biyun gently touched her face, as if she was regretting something.

Did you go to the underground storage room later?

"No."

"Don't you check if someone has taken anything from the storage room?"

Shen Biyun chuckled softly, as if he had asked a ridiculous question: "If he wants to continue living with me, if he wants that 3 million investment, he wouldn't be foolish enough to do something stupid at this crucial moment. He should at least wait until the investment is in hand. I believe he wouldn't be that stupid—no, I didn't check." She paused, her voice rising slightly, "Besides, my rheumatism has flared up, and I can't go down to the basement. Officer, you'll understand when you reach my age that health is the biggest limitation; there are many things I'm powerless to do."

Lin Zhongjie glanced at her legs subconsciously; they were hidden under her skirt, barely visible.

He heard her add, "Actually, even if Zhiwen took one or two extra things because he was playing around, I wouldn't mind. When you're with young people, you have to be prepared to tolerate their indulgences, don't you think, officer?"

"Do you have the key to the storage room?" Lin Zhongjie asked the question again.

“You’ve already asked her that question, Officer Lin, and she answered it. Yes, only she has it. In other words, Ms. Shen Biyun now subjectively believes that only she has the key to the storage room.” Jian Qiming turned to Shen Biyun and calmly asked, “Is that what you mean?”

Lin Zhongjie sensed that Jian Qiming's words contained multiple assumptions. If they followed the path Jian Qiming had opened up, a completely new world would immediately appear before them. But how far these assumptions were from the truth, no one knew. Lin Zhongjie knew that Jian Qiming was merely trying to clear Shen Biyun's name.

“Yes.” Shen Biyun hesitated slightly, but finally nodded affirmatively.

"What exactly is stored in the storeroom?" Lin Zhongjie asked, completely ignoring Jian Qiming.

“There are paintings by my stepfather Huang Yaliu, cheongsams left by my mother, trinkets I used to collect, souvenirs I bought when I traveled to various places, as well as gifts, vases, wine, art sculptures and the like. I made a list, and I’ll give you a copy later.”

"Did Su Zhiwen go to the storage room before May 6?"

"No." This time, Shen Biyun answered with certainty.

Why are you so sure?

“That day, he asked me how to use the key. He’s not good with his hands. Other men can fix things, but he can’t do anything,” Shen Biyun said sadly. “He said that when he was a child, his mother didn’t let him do anything but study. Every time he touched something fun, his mother would hit him with a ruler. So later, he became unable to do anything. He’s especially bad at mechanical things. I bought him a new Walkman—no, not a Walkman, it’s probably called an MP4 player. He sat by the window for most of the day studying it, and then gave it back to me, saying he didn’t know how to use it… He especially liked to sit by the window in his pajamas listening to music. Sometimes, while listening, he would cry alone… I really don’t know what happened to him! He was perfectly fine on May 6th!”

Lin Zhongjie heard the suppressed sob in her voice. He knew that if he continued, she might burst into tears, and he didn't want that to happen. Based on his experience, comforting her at such times would only make her emotions worse, so he tried to ask in a calm tone:

"What do you think of Su Zhiwen's situation?" He glanced at Jian Qiming, expecting the latter to rush to comfort his female client, but to his surprise, like him, he chose to remain inactive. Because both of them had tacitly ignored her pain, she quickly regained her composure.

“I really don’t know, officer. I can’t guess what happened to him,” she said softly, taking out a silk handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

"Don't you find it strange that he's been gone for so long without a word?"

“Actually…” Shen Biyun turned to look at Jian Qiming.

“Actually,” Jian Qiming continued for her, “as early as May 11th, five days after he left, she had already noticed something was wrong. Because she couldn’t reach him by phone, and he hadn’t called, she came to me.” Jian Qiming said.

Why wasn't the police called?

"Ms. Shen married Su Zhiwen amidst various social opinions and pressures. Of course, she wanted to handle family matters discreetly and didn't want others to gossip about her marriage," Jian Qiming said seriously. "I helped her hire a private investigator in Hong Kong to investigate Su Zhiwen's whereabouts in Hong Kong, but the Hong Kong address and phone number provided by Su Zhiwen were fake. So we couldn't find him."

"This kind of investigation shouldn't take 10 days. You should have the answer soon. I'll say it again, why didn't you call the police?"

“Indeed, we quickly got the answer: Su Zhiwen hadn’t crossed the border at all. We were going to call the police, but then she received a text message from Su Zhiwen saying that he was in Guangzhou and would come back after finishing his business.” Jian Qiming seemed to see Lin Zhongjie’s doubts about the text message and immediately continued, “We planned to wait a few more days and see if Su Zhiwen still didn’t come back before calling the police, but two days later, Su Zhiwen’s body was discovered.”

Lin Zhongjie thought that Su Zhiwen's phone could not be found at the scene.

When was that text message sent?

“May 22nd,” Jian Qiming replied.

Lin Zhongjie decided to take a look at Shen Biyun's phone later.

"Ms. Shen, is your biological father the painter Shen Qianyi?" he asked, changing the subject.

A look of surprise appeared in Shen Biyun's eyes.

“This is irrelevant to the case,” Jian Qiming said, speaking for her.

"It was just a casual question."

“Yes. Shen Qianyi is my father.” Shen Biyun’s voice sounded very old.

Where are his paintings?

"It's a pity that most of his paintings were lost during the Cultural Revolution," Shen Biyun said coldly.

Lin Zhongjie nodded: "It is indeed a pity. Okay, that's all for today. Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Shen."

"Thank you, officer. I hope we can get an answer to Xiao Su's case soon." She stood up and shook his hand. Her hands were slender, delicate, and seemingly boneless. It was hard to imagine that these hands could manage a successful and vast enterprise.

Before meeting Shen Biyun, Lin Zhongjie had always imagined her to be a shrewd and strong woman. However, after meeting her, he discovered she was a beautiful and refined lady, dressed elegantly yet tastefully, speaking softly and gently, sometimes with a touch of sarcasm but never causing offense—it was as if she had lightly tapped him with a smile. Lin Zhongjie believed many men would be more than willing to accept such a woman. In short, Shen Biyun impressed him as intelligent, witty, and extremely charismatic, with considerable influence over men. Some women remain attractive even at 60, and Shen Biyun was a perfect example; moreover, most people wouldn't guess she was 60 when they saw her.

He suddenly remembered her autobiography, "The House of Ladies," which she had written a few years ago, and decided to take some time to read it.

Jian Qiming escorted Lin Zhongjie away from the Shen residence. As they walked through the garden, Lin Zhongjie asked Jian Qiming as they went: