Chapter 52: Estrangement, A Temporary Shelter

“At least she knows how to behave—didn’t make a fuss, so it wasn’t really hard on us,” the police officer said with a smile, glancing at Bian Changxi. “These are extraordinary times, and we’re short-staffed. The interrogation will be handled by Boss Zhang here—he’s got the approval of the chief’s son, so don’t start with all that talk about what’s legal or not. Now that you’re here, just cooperate. Old Zhang, she’s all yours. Here’s everything we found at her place.” He handed over a large bag.

Before bringing her in, they had searched Bian Changxi’s place and taken everything they could find.

Bian Changxi frowned but didn’t protest. She followed Boss Zhang and another person into an office, where a woman was already waiting. Boss Zhang said, “Search her first,” and gave a look to the suited man, who picked up the bag and left.

Bian Changxi was well aware that something was off about all this, but she said nothing, expressionless as she raised her arms and let the woman search her.

It tickled a bit, but she endured it.

Boss Zhang looked at her in surprise. Didn’t she feel any shame? She was so calm and cooperative.

“Boss Zhang, nothing unusual,” the woman reported.

Boss Zhang nodded for her to leave, then pulled out a chair in front of the desk and sat down. “Sit. Miss Bian Changxi, right? Do you know why you’ve been brought here?”

“I do. To cooperate with the investigation.”

“Then tell me, how did you kill Tian… uh, Tian Jiaxing?” He glanced at the file.

“I’ve already said, I didn’t kill Tian Jiaxing, or anyone else.” Bian Changxi calmly and honestly described what had happened, though she left out many details. Looking at him, she said, “With today’s forensic methods, it should be easy to verify what I’ve said.” The implication was clear: go check the facts and stop asking stupid questions.

Boss Zhang kept a smile on his face, but he was getting irritated. Was she too deep into her act? Anyone with half a brain could tell something was off here—shouldn’t a normal person be confused, scared, or angry?

He didn’t know much about the art of negotiation—he just ran an internet café—but he’d been around long enough to know that to get the upper hand, you had to make the other person wary, make them afraid.

He’d expected to be dealing with someone anxious and angry, someone he could pressure bit by bit until they lost their composure, and then he’d bring up the real topic of the day. But this Bian Changxi, whether she’d gotten wind of something or was just slippery by nature, wasn’t playing along at all. She was even deflecting his questions!

He hurriedly jotted down a statement. “Then why did you leave the New District and go all the way out there? Most people wouldn’t go that far without a special reason, especially with zombies everywhere these days.”

“I heard there were people raising chickens and ducks and growing vegetables in that little village. You know as well as I do, Boss Zhang, it’s day six of the apocalypse—fresh food like that is hard to come by. Who knew I’d run into all that trouble when I got there? I wasn’t in the mood for much, just brought back two ducks.”

As she answered, Bian Changxi kept a close eye on Boss Zhang. What worried her most was the possibility she’d been followed. If whoever was tailing her had witnessed everything, including her entering and leaving the farm, her secret would be completely exposed.

But for now, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Boss Zhang smiled, wrinkles creasing at the corners of his eyes. Just then, the suited man returned and whispered something in his ear. Boss Zhang’s expression darkened slightly. He waved his hand, and after the office door closed, he said, “Miss Bian, I know you’re a smart person, so let’s not waste time. I’m here today because I want to ask you about someone.”

He pulled out a photo. “Have you seen this man before?”

Bian Changxi glanced at it, a little surprised. Someone had asked her about this person not long ago—short black brows, a hooked nose, bronze skin, a sinister look that was hard to forget. She said, “Not long ago, someone else showed me this same photo and asked the same question.”

Boss Zhang’s eyes locked onto her, scrutinizing her every micro-expression. He spoke with a hint of sorrow, “Actually, the person who asked you before was sent by me. The man in the photo is Zhang Jingang, one of my employees. Two years ago, a jade bracelet that had been in his family for generations was stolen. He was very upset and angry, and he’s been searching for it ever since. About ten days ago, he got word that the bracelet had ended up in the Jiangcheng area. He resigned and went there on his own, but never came back.”

He paused. “I was worried, so I did some digging. Apparently, the bracelet is now with a female university student surnamed Bian. And as it happens, you’re the only female student with that surname at S University in Jiangcheng, aren’t you?”

The office fell silent.

The two stared at each other. After a while, Bian Changxi finally spoke, “So, Boss Zhang suspects that I’ve met this Zhang Jingang, and maybe even did something to him, which is why he’s missing?”

Oh, what a caring boss—following every clue, just wanting to find his employee, and accidentally stumbling onto a big lead.

But was that possible? Would he really go to all this trouble for something so minor? How much pull would it take to get involved in the Tian Jiaxing case?

At least Bian Changxi understood one thing: they really were after her jade bracelet, and most likely had no idea about the farm.

Boss Zhang apologized, “You’re the only one I can ask. I heard about the Tian Jiaxing case from Young Master Xiao. It’s clear you’re not really involved, but I still asked him for a chance to speak with you alone. I hope you don’t mind.”

Boss Zhang was no fool—he knew exactly where the holes in his story were. By blaming everything on Xiao Jing, he was just going with the flow.

Bian Changxi waved a hand. “Let’s keep things separate. Aren’t we supposed to be talking about Tian Jiaxing? Let’s settle that first.”

Boss Zhang’s eye twitched, but he forced a laugh. “It’s just that Zhao Amin happened to be going home and saw a fire in the hills. Who would’ve thought it was a body being burned? Looks like someone’s trying to squeeze some money out of this…”

“So how did you know I started the fire?”

“Well, someone saw you riding a bike from that direction.” Damn! Who’s interrogating whom here?

Riding a bike…

Bian Changxi lowered her eyes, cursing inwardly.

She hadn’t brought her bike when she came to the New District yesterday, but Boss Zhang had mentioned it, which meant he wasn’t lying. On the other hand, if someone really looked into this, it would be a loophole—a clue to the existence of the farm.

She’d been careful, getting off the bike far from the New District, so how had someone still seen her? Was there someone else wandering around for chickens and ducks, just like her?

“So that’s how it is.”

Boss Zhang said, “That’s all for that. Now, about Zhang Jingang…”

Bian Changxi glanced at him, feigning emotion. “Boss Zhang, you really do care about your employees. But I’m sorry, I really haven’t seen Zhang Jingang. As for the jade bracelet, I do have one…”

Boss Zhang’s lower eyelid twitched. He took a sip of water and politely said, “I know it’s a bit presumptuous, but Miss Bian, would you mind letting me see the bracelet? We heard your bracelet looks a lot like Jingang’s, so we thought maybe you’d bought his. If I could see it and confirm it’s not the same one, I could look elsewhere, and you wouldn’t be wrongly accused.”"