*Xin Lei*

A ten-year-old daughter could actually kill her own mother…it was hard for me to believe.

Zhang Chao seemed distressed as he spoke again. "You can\'t even understand how shocked I was. Just the day before, everything seemed alright. Xiulan...she seemed and behaved like any other normal child. We found hope, but Qiuyue...she was dead. She wasn\'t breathing anymore. Xiulan was sitting at her side as if nothing happened. She was smiling as if nothing ever happened. Even I was nauseated with the scene, but Xiulan seemed unaffected."

It was Yuan who softly asked, "You must have asked her about it. What did she say?"

Zhang Chao said, "What did she say? Xiulan said that Qiuyue was being annoying. She knew that the psychiatrist was for her treatment, and she hated that we thought of her as sick. Qiuyue used to scold her, but after the meeting with the psychiatrist, she was more patient towards her. So she thought that something was different. And then once again...she started blaming Ning. We love Ning more than her, we are partial towards her, and we only want her as our daughter."

Zhang Ning seemed sad.

"She thought we wanted to distance ourselves from her. Xiulan said that Qiuyue made her angry for thinking her as sick. She started to hate her."

"That\'s why she k-killed Mom! She...How could she…" Zhang Ning cried.

"It was later that I came to know that Xiulan might have inherited my Grandfather\'s condition. Her mental state wasn\'t right when she killed that kitten and Mom. But-but even if I knew that I couldn\'t forgive her. I still cannot let it go. I lost Mom so young. I miss her so much, even now. I still blame her sometimes, even though I know I shouldn\'t."

"Ning...it\'s alright." Zhang Chao sighed.

So Zhang Xiulan killed Zhang Qiuyue. Ah...now I see the truth behind the news of her accident.

Bai Li said, "I see. Now I understand. You faked her accident to give answers to the public. You didn\'t want anybody to know that your own daughter killed her."

Zhang Chao stared at him and said nothing.

"Zhang Qiuyue was already dead when she was in the car."

He slowly nodded. "Yes...I had no option left. After all, Xiulan was so young. I didn\'t want it to affect her future. She didn\'t do it on purpose. It might be harsh, but I know Qiuyue would have wanted the same thing. That accident covered the injuries that Xiulan inflicted on her. Only my trusted workers know this secret. When I announced her death, I knew I would have to face backslash. I heard the rumors that were floating around that I killed my wife and covered it up with an accident. Everybody knew about our fights and arguments. Naturally, I was the main suspect. But I could do nothing."

I carefully observed him but his expression said that he was serious. At this point, it was difficult for me to gauge whether he meant it or not.

I narrowed my eyes.

I typed. "But what about the driver who died with her? I am sure he was very much alive when he drove the car."

As expected, Zhang Chao stiffened. I saw sweat forming on his forehead, and he was clasping his hands in nervousness.

"That... wasn\'t supposed to happen."

Bai Li asked, "What do you mean?"

"I cannot tell you that."

Bai Li smiled. "But I can already guess what might have happened. It must be one of the many secrets in your closet."

"Bai Li…" Zhang Ning weakly said, "T-That is not what you are thinking."

"It is exactly what I am thinking. You didn\'t tell the driver that you were going to leave a dead Mrs. Zhang in the car. You probably covered her neck with some cloth to hide that fatal scar. You fed him some lies that she was feeling weak, so she was sleeping or something like that. He had no idea that you had planned an accident on the way."

Silence.

"The esteemed Mr. Zhang Chao didn\'t want anybody else to know her death. Why would the driver agree to fake an accident? It was dangerous. Things could go wrong because you wanted to show an accident serious enough to make her death believable. He might not have wanted to take the risk, and even if you fed him with money, there was a chance he might leak out the truth in the future or might blackmail you with it. So, you simply didn\'t tell him. The truck collided with the car, and he didn\'t even know that it was all planned. Mrs. Zhang couldn\'t be any more dead, but a breathing and living person got killed."

His silence admitted everything.

I felt so furious at him that I wished to slap the daylights out of him.

I typed. "Mr. Zhang. You had no right to take innocent life to hide your wife\'s murder."

"I did everything to protect my daughter. It was cruel, but I was left with no choice."

I looked at him in shock.

I typed. "So? You wanted to protect your daughter, but didn\'t that driver have his family too? Did you think about his family? His parents? His wife? His children? How could you get so selfish! A person who had nothing to do with your wife\'s death died just like that! Don\'t you feel ashamed!"

Zhang Chao quickly said, "I gave his family a hefty compensation. I didn\'t leave them stranded because their breadwinner died. They are living a comfortable life with the money."

Bai Li laughed. "Mr. Zhang. If I commit a crime and for hiding it, I use Zhang Ning and kill her, and then I come to you, throwing a cheque at your face, do you think you would be satisfied with that sort of compensation? Would you want that money?"

Zhang Chao said nothing.

"Tell me. If it comes to your daughter, will you tolerate that shit? It\'s like you are saying, \'Thank you for letting me use his death to cover my ass. This cheque is your reward. Enjoy.\'"

No answer.

I typed. "Mr. Zhang, you can give them money, but can your money replace his existence in their lives? Can that money give them his love?"

Bai Li said, "Giving his family compensation is actually an insult to them after how you killed that man for your own benefit without even batting an eyelid. I think if his family came to know the truth, then they would have thrown the cheque back at your face."

I looked at Zhang Ning and typed. "What do you have to say about this?"

Zhang Ning looked pale, but I didn\'t care. At this point, I could only imagine how that driver\'s family would have felt devastated to learn about his death.

"I agree with you." She looked at us tearfully, "Even when I came to know about it, I was angry at Dad for a long time. The man was innocent, yet he had to die just to protect my sister. But for how long would I have been furious at him? A-and if Xiulan hadn\'t killed Mom, then nothing like this would have happened."

Yuan said in a grave voice. "But that was not any way to handle a situation. Just because you have power, that doesn\'t mean you will cross all your limits."

Bai Li said, "Mr. Zhang, I hope you come out with the truth."

"Wait, what? Zhang Chao looked shocked. "Are you crazy!"

I typed. "Mr. Zhang. We are sane. And you heard him right. The man deserves justice, and his family deserves to know the truth behind his death. We cannot let this matter go."

"No! It\'s already been thirteen years!"

"So?" Bai Li retorted. "Even if it had been thirty years, I would have said the same. You murdered him, and you want to live your life by just convincing yourself that that compensation was enough. A life cannot be compensated with money. You legit murdered him, and you deserve punishment."

I typed. "Better come clean yourself or don\'t force us to testify. We are all witnesses to your confession."

I narrowed my eyes at Zhang Ning and typed. "This is what you should have done when you came to know the truth."

Zhang Ning shrank back. She bit her lip. "I-I know, but I couldn\'t...He is my Dad, and I had already lost my mother! I didn\'t want to lose him too." She burst out into tears. "He is the only one I have now…"

Bai Li shook his head. "You are a politician\'s daughter. You should know better than anyone else what a politician\'s job is. It is to serve people. Sure everyone loves their family, but if the people like you who are meant to serve others think selfishly, then why are you even at that position?"

Zhang Ning froze and said nothing.

"What happened after Mrs. Zhang\'s death?"