tailleur

Chapitre 10

Ningxia smiled and said, "It's alright! I also want to know who that person is!"

Following Wu Linshan through a corridor, they arrived at a room at the corner. Wu Linshan asked Ningxia to look through the glass window in the door at the person inside.

The first thing you see are two policemen with their backs to you. In front of them is a table, and across from the table, a strange man is answering the policemen's questions, looking tired.

"Do you know him?" Wu Linshan asked softly.

Ningxia shook her head: "I've never seen anything like it!"

"Zhang Yanfang, where were you on July 13th?" The questioning began, with a younger policeman on the left asking questions and taking a statement.

"At home!" The man named Zhang Yanfang was very young, looking no more than twenty-five years old. He was dressed plainly, without any particular distinguishing features, wearing a blue shirt and jeans. He seemed to ignore the police officer's answer, appearing somewhat nonchalant.

"Can anyone prove this?"

"No! I live alone!" Zhang Yanfang rolled his eyes.

"Then why does Jinshan Car Rental have your rental receipt from July 13th, with your signature and ID number on it?" A policeman sitting on the right took out a red receipt.

"You rented a black Santana, what are you going to do with it?" the policeman asked unhurriedly.

"What for? Let me think! Oh right, let's go out and have some fun with friends!" Zhang Yanfang was still the same as always.

"Bars! Karaoke bars! I don't remember!"

Have you ever been to Lingyun Road?

"No!" This time the answer was quite straightforward.

"You just said you didn't remember, how do you know you haven't been to Lingyun Road!" the policeman said coldly.

Zhang Yanfang's eyes darted around: "I only go to entertainment venues, I would never go to that deserted, godforsaken place!"

"Then how do you explain the bloodstains on the car you rented?"

"Nonsense!" Zhang Yanfang jumped up. "What makes you think you can prove the bloodstains in the car are related to me?"

"Sit down!" the policeman shouted sternly. Zhang Yanfang was somewhat wary and obediently sat down.

The policeman who had just questioned them sneered: "The car rental company owner testified that you were the only person who rented that Santana that day. How do you explain that?"

"Why didn't he just drive his car and hit someone? Why is he blaming me?" Zhang Yanfang retorted without backing down.

"Did I say that car hit someone? How do you know?" the policeman asked again, unhurriedly.

Zhang Yanfang's expression immediately changed, but he quickly retorted defiantly, "You arrested me for no reason, there must be something wrong! Would you interfere if I bumped into a cat or dog?"

"Alright! Tell me which friends you went out with that day, and where you went! We need to have them come in to verify!" The police officer wasn't in a hurry and continued with the following questions.

"What right do you have! I haven't broken the law! Why are you treating me like this! I want to see a lawyer!" Zhang Yanfang shouted nervously.

Wu Linshan watched from outside, his brow furrowed. He whispered to Ningxia, "Wait outside!" Then he pushed open the door and went inside, yelling at Zhang Yanfang, "Shut up!"

Upon seeing Wu Linshan, Zhang Yanfang became somewhat intimidated and quieted down.

Officer Wu said coldly, "Still being stubborn! Do you even know that the girl you hit is dead!"

"What?" Zhang Yanfang was extremely surprised, his expression suddenly turning panicked. "Dead...dead...dead?"

"That's right!" Officer Wu's voice was extremely authoritative and intimidating. "If you still don't tell the truth, prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison!"

A few beads of sweat suddenly appeared on Zhang Yanfang's face. He trembled slightly and stammered, "I...I...didn't...want...to...kill...her!"

"Hmph! Tell me everything!"

"Yes!...Yes!" Zhang Yanfang wiped the cold sweat from his brow and continued, "I actually don't know that girl at all. An old man named Yu Youwen hired me!"

"What? Yu Youwen! Fang Jian's teacher!" Ningxia exclaimed in surprise from outside the door.

"He gave me two thousand yuan and told me to drive and run over the girl in the blue dress! After finding out where she lived, I went there. It was evening, dark, and there weren't many people around. I spotted the blue dress and drove straight at her. I didn't intend to kill her, but I was going too fast, and I was nervous, so..." Zhang Yanfang was extremely frustrated. "It was that old man's idea; it has nothing to do with me!"

"How can you be sure that the girl is the one Yu Youwen asked you to hit?" Wu Linshan asked again.

He gave me a digital photo, it looked like it was taken with a phone, a bit blurry, but I recognized the clothes, a blue dress, quite unique! So I was sure it was that girl, but I never expected... sigh!

Wu Linshan came out, glanced at Ningxia who was standing to the side with tears streaming down her face, and said softly, "Let's talk over there!"

After sitting down in Wu Linshan's office, Wu Linshan waited quietly for Ningxia to calm down before speaking: "Do you know that Yu Youwen?"

Ningxia nodded.

"Does Chen Ying know him?"

"She doesn't know her!"

"Oh?" Wu Linshan's eyebrows shot up, clearly surprised by the answer.

"I think the person Yu Youwen initially wanted to hit was me!" Ningxia raised her tear-streaked face and looked sadly at Wu Linshan.

"Tell me about it!" Wu Linshan exclaimed in surprise.

Ningxia told everyone about Fang Lian's affair.

"Oh! Is that so!" Wu Linshan's eyebrows softened again. "Let me make a hypothetical assumption. Yu Youwen, upon seeing your valuable dowry, might have been tempted and wanted to hire someone to injure you so he could get his hands on it. And that day, you happened to be wearing that blue dress, which Yu Youwen secretly photographed and gave to Zhang Yanfang. Because the image quality was too low, Zhang Yanfang only recognized your coat and your address, and given the darkness, he didn't hesitate to run over you. Therefore, Chen Ying became your substitute!"

"Let me think! It seems like those letters started after I met the professor, and then..." Ningxia lowered her head and frowned as she thought for a moment, "Right, it seems like I stopped receiving them after the professor passed away! Could it really be him? I don't think someone his age would use those emails!" She was still somewhat suspicious.

"It's hard to say! Based on the current analysis, Yu Youwen is most likely the 'Avenger'!"

"Why did he choose such a name?" Ningxia asked softly, feeling puzzled.

"Wait a minute!" Wu Linshan stopped. "Something's strange!"

"What?" Ningxia raised her bewildered eyes.

"If Yu Youwen wanted your dowry unconditionally, he could have simply told Zhang Yanfang to speed up and run you over. But, as you just heard, Zhang Yanfang said that Yu Youwen only wanted to injure you, not actually kill you. His goal is very likely to get you to hand over the dowry to him, which means he might be the 'Avenger'!" Wu Linshan lowered his head in thought. "But strangely, Zhang Yanfang actually killed Chen Ying. Judging from his tone, he seemed somewhat surprised; he didn't expect to kill someone! What happened?"

A knock sounded on the door.

"Please come in!" Wu Linshan was somewhat displeased that his train of thought had been interrupted.

"Captain!" The officer who had questioned them earlier entered. He was very young, no more than twenty-five years old, and still had a touch of naiveté, but he was clearly very intelligent. He gave Ningxia a polite, slight smile as he entered.

"Xiao Li! Has Zhang Yanfang confessed everything?"

"Yes! This is the record from just now!" Xiao Li said, handing Wu Linshan a stack of documents.

Wu Linshan looked around: "Is everything here?"

"Yes! It also includes the records of the car rental company owner!"

"Fine! You can leave now!" Wu Linshan frowned and carefully read through each page.

Xiao Li went out, and Ningxia waited patiently for Wu Linshan, also thinking about the question that had just been raised.

"That's right!" Wu Linshan suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Look! During our interrogation, the car rental company owner mentioned something: besides the damage caused by the accident, there was another part of that black Santana that had been tampered with!" Wu Linshan handed Ningxia the stack of documents.

Ningxia took it and was even more surprised: "Brakes?"

Wu Linshan took the documents again, nodded, and said with a grave expression, "It seems someone has tampered with the brakes, their aim being to kill someone! This Zhang Yanfang has become someone else's accomplice!"

Ningxia's face turned deathly pale, her mouth agape, utterly bewildered.

"Oh! Don't be nervous!" Seeing Ningxia was frightened, Wu Linshan quickly smiled and reassured her, "It's just a guess, don't be so scared!"

"You mean, someone wants to kill me?" Ningxia was utterly incredulous.

That's one way to put it!

"Why? Who?" Ningxia was very puzzled.

"It seems it's still related to your priceless box!" Wu Linshan looked up at Ningxia. "Alright! Tell me everything that's happened recently!"

So, Ningxia, who originally wanted to leave room for maneuver, told everyone about how she obtained the square box, until Ningkang disappeared.

Wu Linshan frowned deeply. He walked to the window, gazing at the lights outside, and said thoughtfully, "It seems Yu Youwen isn't the only one who wants this box! Your brother..."

"But I don't think my brother would want that dowry. He's not short of money; he runs a law firm in Shanghai, so his income should be quite good!" Ningxia didn't want Ningkang to become a suspect in the police investigation.

"Then what about your online friend Fang Jian? He's Yu Youwen's student, isn't he?" Wu Linshan's eyes were still fixed on the darkness outside the window.

"If he were greedy, why would he go to such lengths to help me find the real box?" Ningxia also didn't want Fang Jian to become a suspect at this moment.

"But your brother did take that box!" Wu Linshan suddenly turned around and said coldly to Ningxia.

"I...I can't be sure it was him who took it!"

Wu Linshan glanced at Ningxia, then sat down: "So, do you need to report this to the police now?"

"What case should we report?" Ningxia asked curiously.

Wu Linshan stared at her coldly for a moment, then uttered, "I can't be sure if the box you have is an antique, so I can't file a case. But you can report it to the police yourself as a theft!"

Wu Linshan thought for a moment, then asked, "What if someone really wants to hurt you?"

"That's definitely not my brother!" Ningxia was a little angry, and she got up and left.

"Wait!" Wu Linshan stopped her, his expression relaxing slightly, and he looked somewhat apologetic. "I think you still need help. Here's my phone number. You can call me right away if you need anything!"

Ningxia couldn't refuse, so she took Officer Wu's business card, said coldly, "Thank you!" and turned to leave Wu Linshan's office.

When she got home, it was already past three in the morning. Ningxia went straight to her bedroom, changed into her pajamas, and collapsed onto the bed to sleep.

Ningxia woke up suddenly, unsure how long she had slept. For some reason, she felt uneasy. She checked the time; it was only a little past four. A faint moonlight shone through the window, slanting across the dressing table opposite her. Ningxia didn't turn on the light. After her eyes adjusted to the room's light, she quietly surveyed her bedroom.

This is a room of about ten square meters. Facing south is a large floor-to-ceiling window, and directly opposite the window is a door. Next to the door, in the remaining space, is a large wardrobe. Ningxia's bed is located on the west side, so every morning she can sit on the edge of the bed and watch the sun slowly rise in the distance. Directly opposite the bed is a white dressing table, where she usually keeps some of her usual cosmetics.

When Ningxia's gaze fell on the dressing table, her expression suddenly changed drastically. She gasped and then exhaled puffs of white gas, causing the temperature in the entire bedroom to plummet below zero.

The white dressing table that originally held those odds and ends bottles and jars has now been transformed into a long, dark brown table. There are still some bottles and jars on the table, but these small bottles are all antique-style blue and white porcelain or pea-glazed porcelain bottles, exquisite and full of classical charm.

What chilled Ningxia to the bone was that, right in the middle of this large pile of small bottles, stood the ancient sunflower mirror, its surface gleaming with copper spots! In the mirror, a woman in red was staring intently at herself. A cold sweat broke out all over her body, and she shivered involuntarily. The woman in the mirror seemed to shiver as well. Terrified, she quickly stood up, only to see the woman in the mirror also seem to sit up. Stunned, she stared incredulously at the woman in the mirror, who was also staring back at her. She raised her right hand, and the woman in the mirror raised her left.

Ningxia was startled and jumped out of bed, running to the ancient mirror. It seemed that the woman in red in the mirror also ran over.

Overwhelmed with terror, Ningxia examined the ancient sunflower mirror again, only to discover that the person reflected within was herself. Looking down, she realized she was now wearing a bright red ancient costume. She touched her hair; the heavy bun stung slightly. Was it really real?

Looking at the woman in the mirror, was that really her? The woman in the mirror was looking at her with an extremely strange and unfamiliar gaze, so unfamiliar and frightening. The attire, the expression, and the blood-red, dazzling dress—what was going on? Who was this woman in the mirror? Who was she? Had she become the strange woman in the mirror, or had the woman in the mirror become her? Ningxia was caught in a whirlpool of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream.

She looked around the room again, and in an instant, the entire room transformed into an ancient one. The original floor-to-ceiling windows became a row of antique-style window frames; the Simmons mattress became a mahogany bed with a canopy; the wardrobe became a large Ming-style mahogany wardrobe, and in front of it, a silk screen appeared, painted with elegant plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums in ink wash; and the modern door that was originally on the north side became a double-leaf mahogany door that could be pulled open. In an instant, the entire room had completely transformed into an ancient bedroom.

She touched the red sash hanging from her waist in disbelief, then sat down on the bench in front of the table. The room was dimly lit, with only a faint sliver of moonlight filtering through the window. Ningxia got up and tried to open the window, but it wouldn't budge. She went to the door, but still couldn't open it. It was as if some force had locked the entire room, like a giant box, trapping the frail Ningxia inside like a grasshopper.

A wave of immense fear surged from her feet to her scalp; Ningxia felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, and her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. She desperately pushed and pulled at the windows and doors, but nothing happened. Waves of suffocation made Ningxia feel increasingly weak, and she involuntarily collapsed onto the cold ground.