Chapter 47 Trying to trap me? You are too naive

Zhou Zizhe ignored his banter and instead stared intently at his face for several full seconds.

"Have we met somewhere before?"

"Impossible." Yu Dazhang had already gone through an internal struggle just now and simply waved a hand dismissively. "Don't try to cozy up to me. Even if we really know each other, it's useless. Right now, no one can save you."

At this moment, he genuinely wanted to rush over, grab Zhou Zizhe by the neck, and shake him violently.

Then demand loudly: *Confess, were you trying to frame me!*

"No, I definitely saw you somewhere. My memory is very good; there's no way I'm wrong!"

Following this remark, Zhou Zizhe's voice gradually lowered, and a pensive look appeared on his face.

"Where on earth have I seen you... I shouldn't be unable to remember..."

"Alright, alright, I don't have time to play guessing games with you." Yu Dazhang interrupted impatiently. "Do you have anything to say or not? If you keep this up, we'll swap interrogators."

Seeming to take effect, Zhou Zizhe stopped pondering, and his eyes regained their focus.

"Officer, you're quite young. How did someone with your build manage to become a criminal investigator?"

As if retaliating against Yu Dazhang's earlier banter, Zhou Zizhe said with a smile, "Let me guess, you must have joined the force first and gained weight afterwards, right?"

"Wrong guess." Yu Dazhang kept a straight face. "I'll give you one last chance. If it's still such a boring topic, I won't humor you anymore."

He spoke with complete confidence. This was the police's turf, not the suspect's.

"Don't rush. Please allow me to confirm your identity." Zhou Zizhe put away his smile and asked with dead seriousness, "Him—why wasn't it him?"

Yu Dazhang had anticipated long ago that he would ask this. His expression darkened as he let out a cold hum.

"Cunning little smart aleck."

"What do you mean?" Zhou Zizhe's expression shifted, his tone inadvertently growing somewhat hurried.

"He is who he is!" Yu Dazhang's gaze turned razor-sharp. "You wanted to test how much I actually know? I can tell you, I know everything about what you've done."

"Your motive for murder, and your initial plans after committing the crime."

"You brought up that question to mislead me, making me think Kong Lingjie didn't know the truth and was tricked into it by you."

"You're too naive. What do you mean 'he wasn't him'? Kong Lingjie was well aware of what he was doing."

"Let me tell you, he is who he is. He is an accomplice to this case, and he will definitely be sent to prison!"

Pausing for a moment, Yu Dazhang took a deep breath and continued:

"At a time like this, you're still thinking about saving whoever you can. You are truly beyond saving."

The interrogation room fell silent.

Opposite him, Zhou Zizhe remained mute, his eyes darting about as if avoiding Yu Dazhang's gaze, or perhaps pondering something.

***

Beside them, Qian Cheng recorded the notes while occasionally stealing glances at Yu Dazhang.

Staying by his side required zero brainpower; it felt as though every complex scheme became simple in his presence.

About a minute later, Yu Dazhang spoke again:

"Why so mute? Keep going. I figured you had a bit more struggle left in you."

Whatever Zhou Zizhe thought of, his gaze suddenly steadied, and the composure returned to his face.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly upward as he looked at Yu Dazhang with a half-smile.

"No doubt about it, it really is you. I never imagined that the person who saw through my plan would be so young. When I imagined getting caught, I always envisioned the one who arrested me would be some old-timer."

Quite full of himself, aren't we... Disliking this conceited demeanor, Yu Dazhang said coldly, "Speaking of youth, you're even younger."

"It's different." Zhou Zizhe looked at the chubby man in front of him, a hint of appreciation showing in his eyes.

"Our perspectives are different. I set the exam, and you solved it. If we swapped places, I certainly couldn't do what you've done."

Saying this, his gaze drifted downward to land on Yu Dazhang's shoulders.

"Two chevrons?" Blinking hard, he opened his eyes again and looked at Yu Dazhang in disbelief. "You're still just a probationary officer?!"

"Is catching you that difficult?" Facing someone so full of himself, Yu Dazhang decided to hit back in kind.

"I'll say it again: you're being too clever by half! To deal with a self-righteous person like you, there's no need whatsoever for a seasoned senior investigator."

"To kill a chicken, why use a butcher's cleaver? A probationary officer like me is more than enough."

Hearing these words, Qian Cheng, who was taking notes nearby, involuntarily straightened his back.

Why did listening to that sound so utterly exhilarating~?

He had always assumed Yu Dazhang was proud and conceited.

After all, the man's skills were right there; he had the capital to be arrogant.

Yet he never expected that police officers with more seniority than him held such a high position in Yu Dazhang's heart.

*To kill a chicken, why use a butcher's cleaver?* Hearing that felt truly wonderful.

Zhou Zizhe was also stunned by Yu Dazhang's words, though his thoughts differed from Qian Cheng's.

He was genuinely shocked by Yu Dazhang's status as a probationary officer.

Could it be that he was truly being self-righteous and had underestimated the current crop of criminal investigators?

No, he was bluffing!

Most criminal investigators nowadays came from police academies, and he himself was a top graduate from one.

"You also went to a police academy, right?" Zhou Zizhe asked.

He directly ignored Yu Dazhang's provocation; at a time like this, getting enraged meant losing the upper hand.

"Let's talk about your case." Naturally, Yu Dazhang refused to follow his lead.

"Fine, then let's talk about my case." Zhou Zizhe paused, seemingly formulating his phrasing, before continuing a moment later:

"You said you know my motive for murder. Then tell me, what on earth drove me to kill?"

***

Seemingly accommodating, he was actually still trying to steer Yu Dazhang into his own narrative pace.

If Lü Zhongxin had encountered such a question, he would surely have shouted in reprimand: *"I'm the one asking the questions here! You better give me an honest confession!!"*

If he said that, it would certainly project imposing momentum, but unfortunately, it would be utterly useless.

Moreover, the opposing Zhou Zizhe would instantly deduce that the police definitely had no idea about his motive.

This question, which seemed like a test for Yu Dazhang, was actually another probe.

He wanted to test whether this probationary officer of roughly the same age was just bluffing or had genuinely deduced the truth.

"Ordinarily, I shouldn't answer a question like this."

The stern look on Yu Dazhang's face softened slightly, and his tone was no longer quite as rigid.

"However, to cure your chronic suspicion, I'll indulge you."

With that, he pulled two sheets of paper from the file folder he had brought in, placed them on the table, and tapped on them.

"Know what these are?"

Looking at the papers on the table, Zhou Zizhe didn't answer, but a flicker of added interest appeared in his eyes.

For some reason, he felt that what was recorded on those papers was crucial, and it was definitely related to him.

"These are the transcripts from the interrogation of Zhang Yan's parents." Yu Dazhang picked up the papers and waved them in front of Zhou Zizhe.

"I took them down personally the afternoon you were caught."

"Want to know what they think of you?"

Zhou Zizhe still didn't reply, nor did any expression cross his face. He simply stared unblinkingly at the papers in Yu Dazhang's hand.

"Very good, I like your reaction." Yu Dazhang smiled. "No reaction is the best reaction, but you're still too green."

"At the very least, you should show a hint of curiosity, or even a tiny bit of surprise—that would make it look genuine."

"You're terrified, which is why you dare not display any emotional expression."

"Didn't your teachers at school teach you? The more someone pursues perfection, the more loopholes they leave behind."

"Just like you right now."

Seeing that Zhou Zizhe still maintained an indifferent facade, Yu Dazhang didn't get angry; instead, the smile on his face deepened.

"Earlier, I reviewed the surveillance footage of Zhang Yan walking home from school the day she went missing. Not long after she left the school gates, she received a phone call."

"Don't bother thinking about how to deny it; that call was made by you."

"I don't know what you said, but I could read the words Zhang Yan spoke from the surveillance video."

"Combined with this transcript from Zhang Yan's parents..."

"Next, I'll tell you a story..."

"A clichéd love story about an insecure man."