Chapter 61: Frightened

When they saw Zhang Jiawen, she had already been brought to the interrogation room. As Ning Shuyi and Huo Yan entered, she nervously glanced up at them, growing even more tense as she caught sight of Huo Yan’s impassive face.

Ning Shuyi had previously tried to imagine what kind of person Zhang Jiawen might be. Both Yu Mengpeng and Cai Xin had mentioned that she liked to invite Wang Yuluo to bars and nightclubs for fun, so Ning had pictured someone stylish and brash, exuding a “party girl” vibe.

But the figure now cowering in the interrogation room made Ning question whether her assumptions had been nothing more than prejudice. Zhang Jiawen was petite, her complexion sallow, and her long hair, naturally curly, looked messy and unkempt. Her features were unremarkable; she wore an oversized hoodie, baggy sweatpants, and sneakers. Even with the loose fit of her pants, her legs trembled so violently that it was impossible not to notice.

With nerves and composure like that, she was clearly just a small fry at the very end of the chain—hardly anyone important.

Ning Shuyi and Huo Yan took their seats. Zhang Jiawen began to shake even harder, squirming restlessly in her chair.

“Zhang Jiawen, is it? Do you know why you’ve been brought to the police station?” Ning Shuyi opened her notebook and asked.

Zhang Jiawen gave no response. Her head stayed bowed, hair obscuring half her face.

“Zhang Jiawen, did you hear my question? Please answer.” Ning Shuyi, unfazed, repeated herself with patience.

Still, Zhang Jiawen ignored her, not lifting her head or opening her eyes.

Huo Yan frowned slightly, and with a sharp crack, slapped his pen down on the table.

At that, Zhang Jiawen jolted violently, shot a quick, fearful glance at him, then looked away. At last she stammered, “I—I heard you… I don’t know why you called me here, but you called, so I didn’t dare refuse…”

Ning Shuyi couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused. In her years on the job, she’d conducted many interrogations. Some people responded only to a soft approach; others, as stubborn as a dead pig, were immune to both carrot and stick. Then there was Zhang Jiawen’s type—the most infuriating of all—who only responded to intimidation. If you tried to reason with her kindly, she’d play dumb and ignore you. Only after scaring her out of her wits, making her tremble like a leaf, would she finally be willing to talk.

But now that Ning Shuyi had figured out Zhang Jiawen’s temperament, things became much simpler. If she needed a fright to cooperate, so be it—let her have it. Ning knew she couldn’t match Huo Yan’s intimidating aura, the kind that could set someone trembling with a mere bang of a pen, but there were other ways to instill fear.

She smiled gently at Zhang Jiawen. “Zhang Jiawen, there are some things I need to tell you. You just need to listen—no need to answer anything yet. When I’m finished, you can speak if you want.

“I imagine you’ve watched American TV dramas, haven’t you? Do you remember how they always show someone getting taken to the station, interrogated, and the suspect clams up no matter what? Eventually, since the police can’t get a word out of them, they have to let them go, as if nothing ever happened?”

Zhang Jiawen shot Ning Shuyi a furtive glance, puzzled by this unexpected conversation about American dramas, but she didn’t deny it, eyes darting as she tried to figure out what Ning Shuyi was getting at.

Ning Shuyi didn’t intend to play riddles. “What I want to tell you is that things are different here. Over there, they follow the principle of presumption of guilt—the police can arrest whoever they suspect, evidence or no evidence, and just keep them locked up while they gather proof for a conviction.

“But here, we operate under the presumption of innocence. Without sufficient evidence to establish someone’s suspicion, we can’t just arrest them on a whim.

“So, to put it another way, if you’ve been brought into the station for questioning, how likely do you think it is that you can deny everything and walk away unscathed?”

Zhang Jiawen swallowed, her throat so dry that it seemed painful to even do that.

“By the way, let me also explain how our law punishes drug trafficking.” Ning Shuyi smiled as if discussing something trivial. “According to Article 347 of the Criminal Law, anyone selling or trafficking these substances faces a minimum of three years and up to seven years in prison, with the death penalty as the upper limit.

“From what we know, you’ve been at this for some time, so I’d say less than seven years is unlikely in your case—more than seven is almost certain. As for whether it’s fifteen years or even higher, I can’t say; that’s not my department.

“Just think about it—even if it’s only fifteen years, by the time you’re out, you’ll be in your forties. Half your life will be gone!

“However, I can offer you a chance to earn leniency. If you cooperate with our investigation and provide key information, it may be considered when sentencing. Whether you seize this opportunity is up to you.”

As soon as she heard the sentencing guidelines, Zhang Jiawen’s face drained of color, turning ashen. Still trembling, she looked up at Ning Shuyi, who was smiling at her, and couldn’t help but protest, “Impossible! I asked someone about this! The stuff I handled wasn’t anything major, just small things, the soft kind! They told me it’s not the same as those really serious ones, not as bad!”

“If they’d told you the nature was the same, would you have dared to get involved?” Ning Shuyi shook her head in resignation. “If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing more to say. You can keep resisting, stay silent, and refuse to confess. But if you waste your chance at leniency and see the final sentence, it’ll be too late for regrets.

“We’re only interested in what’s related to your friend Wang Yuluo. If your refusal to talk is just to deny your own actions, then we’ll leave now. Your case will be handled by others, and it won’t affect us in the slightest.”

With that, she calmly stood and began packing up her things to leave, Huo Yan rising as well.

“Wait! Please, don’t go! Was what you just said true? The stuff I handled, is it really sentenced the same as those really serious ones—those so-called ‘ocean’ or ‘ice’ types?” Zhang Jiawen finally broke, calling after Ning Shuyi.