The Suicidal Witness

Xie Jia’s attempted suicide caught everyone off guard. If Qin Song hadn’t been tailing him, the Hehai Guangming Bridge would have claimed another male corpse that night.

“How is he now?” By the time Zhao Yu and Liu Huisheng rushed to the scene, the sign above the operating room door flashed a piercing red: In Surgery.

Qin Song was in a black tank top, his muddy jacket slung over his shoulder. The thick knots of muscle on his arms pressed together, radiating the imposing pressure and sheer force of a powerful male physique.

“No life-threatening danger. His leg is fractured, so it’ll take some time before he can come out.”

As he spoke, he scratched his head a couple of times. The water from his hasty rinse in the hospital restroom still clung to his hair, spraying droplets with every scratch. The mud on his arms hadn’t been fully washed away either, leaving dried crusts on his skin that resembled parched, cracked tree bark after a severe drought.

Zhao Yu pointed to the row of chairs nearby, gesturing for him to sit:

“Thank you for your hard work. Sit down and rest for a bit.”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Good thing you had me tail him, Captain. If he had died, this whole case would have gone down the drain.”

“What exactly happened out there?”

“Damn, it was bizarre. Once he stepped out of the station, he didn’t take a cab or the subway; he just walked straight down the road. I felt something was off right then, so I kept close. Later, he went to a park and sat for a while; I followed him there too. Who knew that after leaving the park, he’d walk all the way out to the Guangming Bridge and just freeze right in the middle of it. Then he just stared down at the water. I instantly knew something was wrong and charged forward. Before I could reach him, the guy threw himself right over. I managed to snag his jacket, but it was useless! Scared the hell out of me, so I dove in right after him. Took a massive amount of effort to haul him back ashore. He was already unconscious by then…”

Qin Song recounted the entire sequence of events from start to finish, growing more shaken the more he talked about it.

“Man, Captain Zhao, it’s a good thing you had me stick to him. If something fatal had happened, I wouldn’t even want to imagine the fallout!”

Zhao Yu nodded: “Understood. You’ve had a long day. Leave things here to me; go back and get some rest.”

Liu Huisheng fetched a hot drink from the vending machine and handed it to Qin Song: “Exactly, Vice Captain, go back and rest. We’ve got it covered here.”

Qin Song took the hot drink, a hint of smugness rising in his brows: “Little Liu, see? The older numerical generation still knows best, after all. Didn’t I say Xie Jia was acting suspicious? Now he’s gone and tried to kill himself out of guilt. Once he wakes up, we’ll get a proper statement out of him.”

Liu Huisheng offered a faint smile: “Yes, of course.”

In reality, if Liu Huisheng hadn’t subtly implied that Xie Jia required 24-hour surveillance, Zhao Yu would never have assigned Qin Song to this task. Furthermore, Xie Jia’s leap off the bridge was not the “suicide out of guilt” that Qin Song deduced, but rather due to a much deeper psychological fracture.

“The collapse of one’s core belief system can kill a person.” After Qin Song left, the two women sat down on the bench outside the operating room, and Liu Huisheng revealed her actual reasoning for ordering the tail on Xie Jia.

“You foresaw that he wanted to commit suicide?” Zhao Yu asked.

“I couldn’t predict the act itself,” Liu Huisheng replied, gazing up at the crimson operating room sign as she explained. “For someone who has been severely subjected to psychological manipulation, the controller becomes their entire world. Guo Chong’an’s death was already a massive blow to him. When we first met him, his overall aura was incredibly drained. During the interrogation, we forcefully stripped away Guo Chong’an’s facade. Consequently, his faith shattered. If no one keeps an eye on him, a person in that state can easily spiral into extremes.”

“What do we do now? Wait for him to wake up? But he’s likely told us everything he knows.”

“Hmm… there is still one key figure left.”

“Who?”

“Guo Chong’an’s fiancée, Fang Qing.”

“Fang Qing?”

“If you found out that the man you were about to marry was actually gay and actively involved with multiple men simultaneously, would you marry him with an unruffled mind?”

“But she fainted the moment she saw the corpse and hasn’t regained consciousness since.”

“It doesn’t matter. We can wait.”

“My point is, her psychological fortitude seems rather fragile. The killer shouldn’t be her,” Zhao Yu stated, trying to articulate her perspective as clearly as possible.

“The killer is definitely not her,” Liu Huisheng shut down the possibility entirely.

“You’re that certain?”

“My profiles have never been wrong.”

Male, between 25 and 40 years old, height between 170 to 185 cm. Medium build, meticulous mind, stable income. To the outside world, he likely comes across as an absolute ‘Mr. Nice Guy.’

Liu Huisheng never doubted her analytical profiles.

A man leaping from the Hehai Guangming Bridge in the dead of night, only to be rescued by a passing police officer who dove into the river after him—this incident instantly blew up on Weibo’s trending topics that very night.

There had been quite a crowd of onlookers at the scene. Photographing, recording videos, making phone calls—the entire bridge had been packed with people. Very quickly, sharp-eyed netizens pointed out that the rescued man looked remarkably like Xie Jia, the personal assistant to the late Changsen General Manager, Guo Chong’an.

As a familiar face within the Major Crimes Unit, Zhao Yu returned to the hospital the following day to check on Xie Jia’s medical status. The moment she stepped out of her car, she was swarmed by the media.

“Officer Zhao, sources claim that the individual who attempted suicide last night was Guo Chong’an’s assistant, Xie Jia. Can you confirm if this is true?”

“Many netizens are currently speculating that Xie Jia is the mastermind behind this murder and tried to commit suicide before he could be apprehended. What is the police’s stance on this?”

“Did Xie Jia really attempt suicide out of guilt?”

“…Chong’an’s secret lover, is this case actually a crime of passion?”

The path was completely blocked. Zhao Yu was forced to halt and address the queries:

“…related to the deceased. Please refrain from malicious speculation. The police will not let any criminal slip away, nor will we [wrong any innocent] person.”

She raised her hand, signaling the reporters not to interrupt, and continued:

“I have duties to attend to. Please make way, everyone. Any official updates will be shared with the public. Thank you.”

With the reporters blocked outside by hospital security, Zhao Yu finally stepped into the inpatient building. Her eyes scanned the lobby left and right before she spotted a certain someone playing the casual observer near the elevators.

“I never realized you were such a celebrity, Captain Zhao.” Liu Huisheng’s tone was melodious, the curve of her eyes turning playful.

“Why did you take the detour?” Zhao Yu asked, clearly unamused.

“I saw that swarm of reporters, so of course I slipped away. I have no desire to become a celebrity like you.”

The two of them stepped into the elevator. Zhao Yu pressed the button for the 4th floor and said coldly:

“It’s not the reporters you’re avoiding; it’s the camera lenses.”

She wouldn’t even participate in the official group photos for the Major Crimes Unit’s commendations, let alone expose herself to the lens of the external media.

The person Liu Huisheng was actively hiding from had to be someone terrifyingly powerful.

Having her inner thoughts pierced, a bitter smile touched the corners of Liu Huisheng’s mouth. She looked down at the tips of her patent leather high heels, then raised her head to glance at Zhao Yu, a trace of gentle reproach in her voice:

“I wish you weren’t quite so smart sometimes.”

Zhao Yu fired right back: “Likewise.”

Concealing from one another, deciphering one another, playing with one another, owing one another.

Xie Jia woke up quite early. With his leg encased in a cast and suspended, he huddled tightly on the hospital bed. Since opening his eyes, he refused to eat or speak, staring unblinkingly at the empty air outside the glass window.

Liu Huisheng attempted to comfort and counsel him, but it yielded minimal results. She was forced to make an overseas call to seek guidance from an old classmate who specialized in acute trauma psychology.

Zhao Yu wasn’t particularly sentimental. Seeing that he had regained a fraction of his energy, she asked him directly if he had any suspicion regarding who the killer might be.

Xie Jia naturally claimed he had no idea. His eyes were bloodshot as he repeatedly spat out the details of those three other lovers.

Knock, knock!

Suddenly, two sharp raps sounded at the door, and a tall, well-built man appeared at the entrance.

“Excuse me, is Xie Jia in this room?”

Liu Huisheng looked toward the source of the voice. The man was dressed in a blue striped suit, holding a bouquet of flowers in his left hand and a fruit basket in his right—clearly a visitor checking on a patient.

“Yes.”

Liu Huisheng shifted two steps to the side, clearing the visual blockage between the doorway and the bed so the man could see Xie Jia clearly.

“And you are…?”

Liu Huisheng scrutinized the newcomer. Just last night, she had run checks through the station’s database; Xie Jia’s parents were back in his hometown, his only older brother was in Japan, and he had no relatives residing in Wengcheng. The man standing before them couldn’t possibly be a relative. Furthermore, judging purely by facial features, he actually bore a striking resemblance to the deceased Guo Chong’an.

“Guo Chongliang?”

Guo Chongliang blinked in surprise, offering a polite smile: “And you are?”

Liu Huisheng answered transparently: “We are the officers handling Guo Chong’an’s murder case. My surname is Liu, and this is Officer Zhao.”

Guo Chongliang quickly stepped forward, setting the bouquet and fruit basket down on the television console before politely extending his hand toward Liu Huisheng:

“Hello, Officer Liu, hello, Officer Zhao. Thank you both for taking on the heavy burden of this case.”

Zhao Yu gave his hand a brief, professional shake: “It’s no trouble. Solving cases is simply our duty.”

Guo Chongliang sighed: “Ah, my brother’s tragedy has brought trouble to so many people. How is the investigation progressing now? Have you identified the killer?”

“It’s not that fast. We will update the family as soon as there are any developments.”

“Alright, thank you for your hard work.”

“Is Mr. Guo here specifically to see Xie Jia today?”

“Oh, yes. My father felt unwell yesterday and was also admitted to this hospital. This morning, when the news mentioned that Xie Jia had met with an accident, my father told me to come down and check on him. After all, if anyone else suffers an incident, the company won’t be able to hold itself up.”

“Understandable. I heard Changsen is preparing for an IPO, so public perception must be critical right now.”

“It’s shameful to admit, but with my brother’s sudden passing, I don’t even know if the listing can still go through.”

“No need to worry. As long as the company has solid foundations, listing is merely a matter of time.”

“That will depend entirely on my father and the board directors. I can’t handle a real estate firm; I’m not of much help there.”

…

Although Zhao Yu wasn’t naturally adept at social pleasantries, she possessed basic conversational tactics. Within a few exchanges, she managed to gauge Guo Chongliang’s true intent.

He had indeed come strictly to see Xie Jia. However, it wasn’t out of any personal affection, but rather because the suicide attempt had caused a massive public stir, prompting his father to dispatch him to protect the company’s reputation.

Changsen’s foundations were indeed robust, but Guo Chongliang genuinely had zero interest in it. This effectively ruled out the possibility of him murdering his older brother to seize the family estate.

After the initial exchange of courtesies, Guo Chongliang walked over to the bedside and offered Xie Jia a few words of comfort.

“Focus on recovering from your injuries for now. Father mentioned that the company will not make any personnel changes regarding your position. Your salary will be paid as usual during your recovery, and the company will compensate you with a psychological distress allowance. Also, you don’t need to—”

Mid-sentence, his phone began to ring. He answered it, spoke a couple of words, and hung up in a hurry. He turned back to look at the two officers:

“Officer Zhao, my sister-in-law has regained consciousness.”

The sister-in-law was Fang Qing, the fiancée of the deceased Guo Chong’an.

Zhao Yu instantly moved into action: “Then please look after things here for a moment. We will head over to take her statement.”

“Alright, no problem.”

Liu Huisheng had wanted to have a conversation with Fang Qing from the very first moment she laid eyes on the wedding footage. Now that the woman had finally woken up, her pace quickened. Clutching her handbag, she followed closely behind Zhao Yu. As she walked past the ward’s viewing window, she instinctively glanced inside. Through the partially open slats of the blinds, she saw Guo Chongliang holding a fruit knife, quietly peeling an apple for Xie Jia.

“What’s wrong?” Walking ahead, Zhao Yu noticed that her partner hadn’t caught up and stopped to ask.

Liu Huisheng pulled her gaze away and quickly picked up her pace to catch up.

“Nothing.”