Chapter Thirty-Six: Suspected Domestic Violence

Lu Yuan did not ask many questions. After barely half an hour of questioning, he signaled to Wen Ke with his eyes that the interrogation could conclude for the day.

Wen Ke understood immediately. "Mr. Zhuang, thank you for your time today. We’ve kept you quite a while."

Wen Ke stood up, intending to escort Zhuang Dong out of the interrogation room. Just then, Zhuang Dong looked at Lu Yuan. "Dr. Lu, would it be convenient to exchange contact information?"

Lu Yuan did not meet his gaze. "That would not be convenient. If you wish to reach me, please go through Captain Wen."

Zhuang Dong’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing more.

Wen Ke saw Zhuang Dong out of the police station, still having a colleague tail him to ensure he did not leave S City. Back in her office, Lu Yuan watched as she organized her notes, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk.

Once Wen Ke finished handling the external matters, she returned to her office. "Any findings?"

"One piece of good news and one piece of bad news," Lu Yuan said candidly.

Wen Ke thought for a moment. "Tell me the bad news first."

Lu Yuan used his pen to circle everything Zhuang Dong had said. "Throughout the questioning, I was observing his expressions and reactions. His ability to organize his thoughts was methodical, and his demeanor was remarkably calm—not the behavior typical of someone suffering from a mental illness."

Simply put, it was highly probable that Zhuang Dong was not ill. Wen Ke’s previous hypothesis would need to be thoroughly reconsidered.

Hearing this, Wen Ke frowned visibly. "I sensed it too. Zhuang Dong was significantly calmer today than he was before."

"And the good news?"

"The good news is that Zhuang Dong lied. The symptoms he described for Zhuo Yan’s condition were essentially templates pulled from the internet, applicable to ninety percent of psychiatric patients."

This was why Lu Yuan had circled his statements; it was obvious Zhuang Dong had done his homework.

Wen Ke understood immediately. "You mean Zhuang Dong guessed we would call him back for questioning, so he memorized these scripts online beforehand?"

Lu Yuan nodded. Were Zhuang Dong’s answers problematic? Not at all. Every symptom he described could be found in almost any psychiatric patient; it was impossible to pick holes in his narrative. To achieve such a level of detail required prior preparation and private rehearsal.

Wen Ke felt that inviting Lu Yuan to assist was a truly correct decision. "Then, in your opinion, could Zhuang Dong be the murderer?"

Lu Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to declare that Zhuang Dong was the one who killed Zhuo Yan, but the problem remained: he had no evidence.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yuan spoke softly. "I cannot say for certain if he is the killer, but I can offer one piece of advice: observe him more closely. If he truly suffers from a mental disorder yet can remain this composed during an interrogation, there is only one possibility: dissociative identity disorder."

Wen Ke felt a headache coming on. Just then, a knock sounded at the office door. Wen Ke called out for the person to enter, and a colleague stepped in. "Captain Wen, Assistant An Shi has delivered the surveillance footage from six months ago."

Earlier that day, Wen Ke had visited the clinic where An Shi worked and located his assistant. Fortunately, the surveillance records from An Shi’s private therapy room were kept for a year before being overwritten—a rare piece of good news.

Hearing this, Lu Yuan stood up to leave. His task was complete. Seeing this, Wen Ke hesitated before asking, "Lu Yuan, would you like to watch it with us?"

Lu Yuan was taken aback. "I am not with the police department. Am I allowed to see it?"

Wen Ke was confident. "You are the psychological expert I invited to assist with this case, so you are practically one of us."

Truthfully, Lu Yuan wanted to see it. Since Wen Ke had given the green light, he felt no need for further reservation. The police officers were surprised to see Lu Yuan; he had been a suspect himself, yet now he was acting as a consultant.

"Xiao Wang, play the footage."

In the conference room, Lu Yuan sat beside Wen Ke, surrounded by officers who cast occasional, curious glances in his direction. Xiao Wang operated the computer with practiced ease, and within moments, a thirty-minute video appeared on the large screen.

The date of Zhuang Dong’s treatment was clear; they only needed to locate that day’s footage and filter for moments where Zhuang Dong appeared. The screen flickered and then stabilized. The camera was positioned at an awkward angle, clearly intended to be discreet so patients would not notice its presence.

Two figures entered the frame. Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed—they were none other than Zhuang Dong and Zhuo Yan. Could it be that Zhuang Dong wasn’t lying, and he really was just accompanying her for treatment?

The footage continued in silence. The system lacked audio. They saw An Shi, dressed in a white coat, approach them and speak. Ten minutes later, only Zhuo Yan remained on screen, lying motionless in a rocking chair, apparently asleep. An Shi and Zhuang Dong had disappeared from view.

Zhuo Yan remained asleep for over ten minutes; without checking the timestamp in the corner, one might have thought the video had frozen. Finally, An Shi and Zhuang Dong reappeared. This time, Zhuang Dong was clearly smiling. An Shi snapped his fingers near Zhuo Yan’s ear; she slowly awoke and, supported by Zhuang Dong, walked out of the room.

The footage ended there. That was all the video relevant to Zhuang Dong.

"Is there footage from any other angle?" Wen Ke asked Xiao Wang.

Xiao Wang shook his head. "This is the only angle the assistant provided."

"What about the audio?" Wen Ke felt the content of their conversation was crucial.

Xiao Wang shook his head again. "I checked with the hospital. The surveillance systems in all therapy rooms are purchased uniformly and do not record audio. Their stated reason is to protect patient privacy."

This made things difficult. The footage actually made Zhuang Dong seem less suspicious. From the visuals alone, it appeared exactly as he had claimed: he was simply accompanying Zhuo Yan to see a psychiatrist, not seeking treatment for himself.

"May I say something?" Lu Yuan raised his hand.

Under the gaze of the officers, he seemed a bit out of place. Wen Ke nodded. "Go ahead."

"Please rewind to the segment where Zhuo Yan is sleeping, and zoom in on her face and exposed arms."

Xiao Wang looked at Wen Ke. She was the one in charge. "Do as he says."

With her approval, Xiao Wang rewound the footage and zoomed in. Zhuo Yan’s face and arms were covered in bruises.

"Zhuang Dong never mentioned any self-harming behaviors in his statement. Therefore, we have every reason to suspect that Zhuo Yan was a victim of domestic abuse. On these grounds, we should be able to apply for a psychiatric evaluation of Zhuang Dong and use it as legitimate justification to prevent him from leaving S City."