Chapter 214: My Colleagues Are About to Cry When They Hear This. So What if You Have a Substitute Leave? Ptui!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

With the clues in hand and both eyewitness and physical evidence, cracking this seemingly unsolved case wasn’t as challenging as it initially appeared.

Chen Canjun made his third trip to the police station, but unlike the previous two times, this time he had no chance of leaving freely. The only way out now was to head to prison.

Soon enough, the police extracted the truth from Chen Naidong, and Chen Canjun readily admitted to his crimes.

“So what if it was me?” Chen Canjun retorted defiantly. “Chen Jianguo deserved to die!”

Facing police interrogation, Chen Canjun showed no fear, rather a sense of pride. “He thought I didn’t know, but he had been eyeing my wife for a long time!”

“As Lan Xiaofen mentioned earlier, there was something going on between him and my wife…” He chuckled. “Sure, he might have been quite the playboy out there, but I never thought he’d lay a hand on my wife!”

“My wife, she’s the one I paid several hundred dollars in dowry for! She’s mine, and anyone who dares to touch her, I’ll kill them!”

“Officer, tell me, if someone stole your belongings, wouldn’t you be angry?”

“Have I done anything wrong?”

The police officer taking his statement was left speechless. To be honest, was Chen Canjun in the right state of mind? Would any rational person think it’s acceptable to kill someone over rumors about their spouse? Not to mention that the person in question was his own cousin…

Could anything Lan Xiaofen said have gotten through to him??

The police officer, having completed the statement, exchanged a tired glance with the records clerk by their side. As they stepped out, they locked eyes with Su Xuan, who had just emerged from the surveillance room.

“Officer Su, the statement is all here,” the police officer said to Su Xuan. “I suspect there might be something wrong with Chen Canjun’s mental state.”

Hearing this, Su Xuan nodded with a solemn expression. In the surveillance room, he had also overheard the conversation, and he found Chen Canjun’s mental state quite peculiar.

But…

That wasn’t a reason for him to escape the charges.

“I understand. Thank you,” Su Xuan replied. “Next, I’ll need you to take a statement from Chen Naidong as well.”

In his words, there was a hint of resignation. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to take the statements himself; it was just that both of these individuals seemed to have episodes of madness when they saw him. In the end, Su Xuan decided against it.

Forget it…

Since they would go mad upon seeing him, he would send someone else to take their statements. It should be straightforward!

However…

“The issue with Chen Canjun may not be so easy to resolve,” Su Xuan said thoughtfully as he looked at the recorded statements in his hand.

Seeing this, Zhou Qiang glanced at him and understood what he was thinking. “Do we need to consult a psychologist?”

If the individuals involved indeed had mental health issues, it would require careful consideration during the investigation and when submitting evidence to the court.

At those words, Su Xuan lowered his head without saying anything.

Chen Canjun committed this act when the case was still just a rumor. Coupled with his previous criminal record from childhood, Su Xuan couldn’t help but suspect he had a radical personality.

If everyone reacted to such situations by resorting to violence, and then used mental issues as a means to escape accountability when discovered by the police…

“Let’s go ahead and arrange it,” Su Xuan finally said.

“Determining a mental disorder is not so simple.”

“He only appears to be that way now.”

“If we want to know for sure whether he genuinely has a mental issue or not, we’ll have to wait for the final results.”

“Zhou Qiang, please schedule an appointment with a doctor and take him for an examination when the time comes.”

“I’ll prepare the documents…”

“This case has dragged on for too many days. It’s time to conclude it.”

Su Xuan’s words echoed in the hallway, and Zhou Qiang nodded in response.

“Alright, I’ll do that.”

As for Chen Jianguo, his wife, Lao Xiaofen, had been frequenting the police station. Despite her earlier misjudgment that her son was the one who killed her husband, she now knew that her son had concealed the truth and even protected the killer.

As a result, Chen Naidong had also been taken into custody.

Lan Xiaofen had approached the police on multiple occasions, hoping they would close the case. She no longer wanted to dwell on how her husband had died, and she didn’t want her son to carry a stain on his life.

However, it was no longer within Lan Xiaofen’s power to simply request the case be closed. The police had found the killer and gathered evidence. It was no longer easy to dismiss the case.

Lan Xiaofen had visited the police station several times, only to be convinced to leave each time. In the end, it was Chen Naidong who persuaded her.

“Mom, please don’t come anymore,” he said.

“This is truly my fault. I’m a monster,” he continued.

“I watched Dad struggle in the water after he was pulled under, but I didn’t lift a finger to help him.”

“I don’t deserve to be called your son.”

“Let me go to jail. That’s the only way to atone for my sins.”

Chen Naidong, who had previously believed he had done nothing wrong, had a moment of clarity after Lan Xiaofen slapped him. He realized that he had allowed Chen Jianguo to drown in the water without lifting a finger to help. He was a monster.

Now, the only way to cleanse himself of guilt was through imprisonment and the legal system.

“Son…”

“What are you saying? How is this your fault? This isn’t your mistake…”

“You can’t come with me. You’re so young, you can’t have a blemish on your record…”

Lan Xiaofen wanted to say more, but Chen Naidong didn’t want to continue the conversation with his mother. He turned and walked away.

After that encounter, Lan Xiaofen never visited the police station again to request the case be closed. The case was concluded more quickly than Su Xuan and his team had expected.

Chen Canjun did indeed have some mental issues, but they weren’t severe. Combined with the police’s consideration of the case, the mental evaluation report for Chen Canjun had not been released before the trial.

When he heard the verdict of his sentence, Chen Canjun’s face contorted.

“No!”

“I’m not guilty, I’m not guilty!”

“You want to frame me, not just to protect my marriage. What have I done wrong?”

“Let me go, I don’t accept this, I’m going to appeal!”

With his furious outbursts, Chen Canjun was escorted away.

As for Chen Naidong, he also faced his own fate. He saw his mother watching him from a distance, and that expression made him avert his gaze.

“Mom, wait for me!”

He couldn’t bring himself to go inside; he couldn’t reconcile with his conscience.

Lan Xiaofen took a deep breath and smiled through her tears, “Mom will wait for you!”

Fortunately, Chen Naidong wasn’t the one who had committed the physical act. His guilt was lighter, considering he was the son of the deceased, and with Lan Xiaofen’s letter of forgiveness. He was sentenced to only three months, a decision he had requested himself.

Once the case was concluded, Su Xuan left the courthouse, looking at the blue sky and letting out a sigh of relief.

“How do you feel now? Is the case finally over?” came the voice of Zhou Qiang.

Su Xuan immediately raised an eyebrow. “No, I’m just thinking that I can finally take a vacation.”

“If I had known that, I would have used my vacation days!” Zhou Qiang replied.

This case had been mentally and physically exhausting, and Su Xuan was looking forward to some well-deserved rest. He was going to use up his vacation days and take a day off to relax.

Zhou Qiang thought to himself, “You have a vacation, big deal.. So what!”