152. This Was Just the Final Straw

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Ji Shen had listened to the audio, claimed to be the only evidence, over and over again.
He was certain the audio was genuine.
But Wen Shuang had firmly denied everything during interrogation, so the breakthrough had to lie with these five petty gangsters!
Ji Shen entered with a stern face.
These five thugs had already been interrogated three times, and each time their statements were consistent.
But since the testimonies from both sides conflicted, one of them had to be lying.
Of course, Ji Shen believed Wen Shuang!
However, being a police officer at the station, he couldn’t openly express such bias.
Everything depended on the final evidence!
“Officer Ji, we’ve already confessed everything we know. It all comes down to this: three days ago, Wen Shuang approached us and told us what to do! We were just following orders!”
The leader of the gang said.
Ji Shen narrowed his eyes: “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely, without a doubt!”
He sat down and interrogated them sternly for half an hour. The five remained united, repeating the same story over and over.
Suddenly, Ji Shen stood up and instructed Xiao Zhang.
Xiao Zhang: “Yes, sir!”
He immediately took four of them away, leaving one behind, who shouted, “What are you doing? Police aren’t allowed to abuse their power! If you do, I’ll report you!”
Ji Shen sneered coldly: “Don’t worry, I just think there are too many of you here, it’s noisy!”
He fixed his gaze on the one left behind.
After half an hour of observation, he realized this thug was the most timid of the five.
His eyes kept darting away, and he spoke in the softest voice!
Perhaps he was the key to cracking the case.
“Li Quan, you said you received instructions from Wen Shuang three days ago. How did you communicate with her?”
Li Quan remained expressionless: “To make sure she wasn’t a liar, we met in person to exchange. But we were cautious; the place had no cameras, so you cops can’t find any evidence!”
“What time was it? Morning or afternoon?”
“Five thirty in the afternoon.”
“Five thirty? Are you sure?”
Ji Shen suddenly stood and squinted. “Wen Shuang is a dancer with the Provincial Dance Troupe. Three days ago, she starred in the ballet ‘Wang Zhaojun Leaves the Frontier.’ To my knowledge, the performance usually starts at six. Meeting you at five thirty is cutting it close, isn’t it?”
Li Quan hesitated but remained firm: “It was five thirty, I’m certain it was five thirty in the afternoon!”
Ji Shen turned to Xiao Zhang: “Check Wen Shuang’s ballet schedule immediately.”

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Xiao Zhang understood and quickly investigated.
He returned: “The show started at six, but the performers usually begin warming up at five thirty! Li Quan, are you sure you didn’t get the time wrong?”
Their gazes were too sharp.
Besides, now Li Quan was alone in the interrogation room—the one with the weakest psychological endurance among the five!
Li Quan clenched his palms: “I... I’m sure...”
Ji Shen slammed the table, his gaze fierce: “Are you really sure? If you’re lying, the consequences will be severe!”
The pressure from the man was overwhelming.
Li Quan faltered: “No... no, wait, let me think... I might have gotten it wrong? Maybe it was four thirty. It was three days ago, and after so much questioning, I’m a little confused. Yes! She said she had a ballet that night, so she couldn’t meet too late. Right, it was four thirty!”
Ji Shen slammed the table again: “Wen Shuang didn’t have a performance that day at all!”
Wearing his uniform, Ji Shen exuded a formidable aura, radiating a fierce sense of authority.
Li Quan’s face went pale!
“I... I was wrong…”
“No, this isn’t just about a mistaken time. The entire event never happened. If it were just a wrong time, we could understand, but you’re not even sure whether Wen Shuang had a ballet that night. If you really met her to exchange something, you would have checked all these details.
Moreover, if Wen Shuang had a deal with you three days ago, you wouldn’t make such mistakes! Li Quan, you’re lying!”
Ji Shen shouted fiercely.
Li Quan collapsed weakly!
...
After interrogating Li Quan, Ji Shen questioned the other four separately.
Under immense pressure, they all made numerous mistakes!
Their statements were far less watertight than when they were together!
Wen Shuang waited through the night.
At first, she couldn’t stop crying.
First, she was falsely accused and dragged to the police station; she had never been treated so unfairly.
Second, the distrust from a man chilled her already cold heart further.
Third, the interrogation room was eerie and terrifying.
She was especially sensitive to cold and shivered alone inside.
It was freezing!
Finally, the next day, the door opened!
Ji Shen stood at the doorway. “Wen Shuang, everything has come to light. They framed you. You can go now.”
Wen Shuang had cried all night; her eyelids were swollen like peaches.

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She stood up but found her legs weak, almost collapsing again.
Ji Shen quickly walked over and steadied her, but Wen Shuang brushed him off, “No need, Officer Ji. I can walk out by myself!”
She walked quickly, not wanting to stay in this hellish place any longer!
Ji Shen silently followed behind her.
They finally reached the police station entrance.
This was where they first met.
Wen Shuang still remembered that day—she had worn a pink dress and pretended to pick up a wallet just to catch Ji Shen’s attention and exchange a few words!
Everything that followed had unfolded naturally.
Looking around now, everything felt like a different world.
The man in front of her was cold and unfamiliar.
If possible, it would have been better if they had never met.
“Officer Ji, you don’t have to pretend to see me off. I told you, this is where we part ways!”
Wen Shuang’s eyes were red, her hair messy, and her makeup from yesterday half wiped off—looking both disheveled and cold.
Ji Shen reached out to take her hand. “Don’t say things in anger! Wen Shuang, everything I did was by the book. I’m not favoring anyone! Go home and rest. When I’m done with everything, I’ll come find you.”
“This isn’t just about this incident. I’m breaking up with you because of many things that have piled up. Because of your tangled relationship with Jiang Ning, your inexplicable coldness, your inability to distinguish boundaries between men and women—too many things. I don’t even want to list them all.”
Wen Shuang looked exhausted. “Officer Ji, I’m tired. I don’t want to keep dragging this out anymore!”
This was just the final straw.
Ji Shen tugged her twice.
Her resistance was strong.
He was annoyed as well. “Wen Shuang, are you sure about this?”
“I’m sure!” Wen Shuang said decisively and firmly. “From now on, bridge and road, no ties at all!”
Ji Shen stared at her for a long moment, a fire burning in his heart. “Fine, as you wish!”
Wen Shuang strode away.
Author’s note:
Officer Ji was stubborn at first about the breakup, but later on, he gradually realized how painful it truly was...