"It was Di Ruihe who instructed me. He had me pose as a doctor to examine your child."
Xu Zehong, fearing death, confessed everything in one go.
He confessed before any torture was even applied?
Seeing Xu Zehong groveling on the ground, licking his shoes, Di Mingjue bent down and lifted his chin. "Aren't you afraid he'll retaliate if you talk so quickly?"
Compared to him, Di Ruihe was much gentler.
Xu Zehong's forehead rested on Di Mingjue's instep as he begged for mercy, again and again.
"It's not impossible to spare your life," Di Mingjue said in a low voice.
The bowed head shot up. Xu Zehong eagerly awaited his next words.
"Regarding the car accident from back then, shouldn't you explain the whole process?"
Memories were pushed back three years.
At that time, Xu Zehong was just a truck driver who loved to gamble. Every penny he earned, he would take a break to gamble. Once the money was spent, he would return to work.
By chance, he met Di Ruihe at a gambling table. He had lost everything, and the loan sharks had found him, demanding repayment.
Having lost all his money, he had nothing to repay them with. Just as his fingers were about to be chopped off, Di Ruihe intervened. He repaid the debt for him and took him to a high-end restaurant.
Tempted by money, Xu Zehong vaguely agreed to Di Ruihe's proposal. The aftermath was his truck colliding with Di Mingjue's car at night.
To lessen his crime, he voluntarily called the police, requested an ambulance, and did not flee the scene.
Xu Zehong glanced guiltily at Di Mingjue, hesitating whether to bring up the car accident again.
"Shen Lin, go and see if Director Shen, who is in charge of supervising the prison, is still around," Di Mingjue instructed.
Before Shen Lin, standing beside him, could even agree, Xu Zehong nervously interjected.
"I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything you want to know. But I have conditions."
Di Mingjue's expression was stern; he did not respond. Shen Lin continued to carry out his earlier instructions.
As Shen Lin was about to leave the dilapidated wooden house, Xu Zehong's heart became increasingly uneasy.
Should he speak or not?
It was already a difficult decision.
Once Shen Lin stepped out of this door, the prison would know he had been swapped out. At that point, not only would he not be able to genuinely strive for a reduced sentence, but he would likely lose even the chance for one.
"I'll talk!"
As Shen Lin's foot crossed the threshold, Xu Zehong screamed out desperately. He poured all his strength into that single sentence, then slumped limply at Di Mingjue's feet.
A man in black moved a stool aside. A tripod was placed about two meters away from him, with a camera recording on it.
"Speak," Di Mingjue said once everything was in place.
Facing the camera, Xu Zehong couldn't utter a word.
He regretted it.
One of the charges in his sentencing back then was fatigued driving, which had led to the car accident. Denying it now would be equivalent to committing perjury.
As the camera recorded every passing second, Di Mingjue observed his subtle facial expressions through the small screen.
"Shall I start for you?" Di Mingjue asked.
The man in black beside him cracked his knuckles, his finger joints making popping sounds.
The kicks he had received earlier were forceful. Hearing the sound now made Xu Zehong's scalp tingle and his tailbone ache.
"No, no need. I'll talk, I'll tell you everything," Xu Zehong said fearfully to the camera, recounting the events of that year.
After speaking for half an hour, Shen Lin put away the camera and took out a stack of cash from his backpack.
Di Mingjue gave a nod, and the money went into Xu Zehong's pocket. "This is your payment for your troubles. Continue to follow Di Ruihe's arrangements and pose as a good doctor."
Did he hear correctly?
Xu Zehong looked at the red banknotes before him in disbelief.