Chapter 1060: Perplexed and Smitten (120)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Both husband and wife were shocked out of their senses. The man said firmly, “It can’t be my friends. I know them very well. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have befriended them. They won’t harm others.”
“Before the results are out, I can’t pinpoint anyone or jump to conclusions and deduce who’s innocent and who’s not. So, Mr. Dong, do you understand what I mean? I heard that you’re colleagues. Have they reported to work yet?”
“They have, they’re in the office now.”
“There’s a tea house over there. Why don’t you get them to come out and meet me?”
“Okay.”
“Before that, could I trouble you to give me their mobile numbers and address?”
The man agreed without hesitation.
An Xiaoning and the mistress waited for half an hour in the tea house before the three people finally showed up. The man introduced, “Ms. An, these are those friends of mine who stayed over at my house for a few days previously, Xiao Wu and his girlfriend.”
“Have a seat.”
An Xiaoning spoke in a composed tone and crossed one leg over the other while placing her hands on her knees. She had been keeping her eyes fixed on the couple from the moment they entered.
The owners of the apartment were seated beside An Xiaoning.
Clearly displeased, Xiao Wu said, “I was just staying over at my friend’s place for a few days. Why have I become the suspect behind your bodyguard’s disappearance?”
“I obviously have my reasons for suspecting you. If you want to prove your innocence, then please answer my questions truthfully.” An Xiaoning took out the information sheet of car owners and asked, “Is ‘AS.H25XX’ the license plate number of your car?”
“Yes,” Xiao Wu answered.
“May I ask, where was your car at 6:28 am?”
“I obviously drove it to work after having breakfast with my girlfriend.”
“What time does work start?” she asked the owner of the house.
“Eight o’clock.”
“You left the estate at half past six to have breakfast before work that starts at eight? Although some employees would usually arrive at work half an hour earlier, breakfast doesn’t take that long. What did you do during the time in between?”
“We obviously went back to my home to take a look. There was something faulty with my bathroom and it was repaired only yesterday. Besides, it takes time to travel around, doesn’t it?”
His explanation was rather reasonable. After a moment of silence, An Xiaoning said, “Why don’t I just hypnotize the two of you in order to save my time and yours? How does that sound?”
Xiao Wu and his girlfriend looked at each other in shock before asking in astonishment, “Hyp… hypnosis? Are you a hypnotist?”
“I know a thing or two about hypnosis. Your friend and his wife are around, you don’t have to worry about your privacy being infringed. This is the best solution to solve the problem. I’ll find out the truth after asking you while you’re hypnotized,” An Xiaoning said, smiling.
Xiao Wu picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea. “Are you really going to hypnotize me?”
“Do you think there’s a better way to prove your innocence?”
“Okay… alright, then.”
An Xiaoning said to his girlfriend, “Please wait outside for ten minutes.”
“Okay.” The woman stood up and walked outside.
Xiao Wu lay on the couch while An Xiaoning sat down beside him.
There were two things in this world that could get most people to tell the truth.
One was a lie detector and the other was hypnosis.
Those who do not have a strong willpower are usually vulnerable to hypnosis.
An Xiaoning had a deja vu moment, feeling like Xiao Wu would behave the same as Sister Zhang. She wondered to herself if she had taken a misstep again this time.
However, after hypnotizing him and questioning him, An Xiaoning was certain that she had gotten the right suspects.
“Where were you and your girlfriend headed to after you left Sanqiao Estate in the morning?”
“To the harbor.”
At this juncture, the owners of the apartment were astonished, because Xiao Wu had stated before the hypnosis began that he and his girlfriend were going back to their home.
That meant…
They dared not utter a single word and continued to listen quietly.
“What were you going to do at the harbor?”
The man was trying to resist the hypnosis, as evidenced by the frown on his forehead and the look of uneasiness on his face. It seemed like he had finally shown his true colors and that he was merely pretending to be calm earlier.
A grave expression formed on An Xiaoning’s face as she questioned sternly, “Answer me, what were you going to do at the harbor!?!”
“To make a transaction.”
“What transaction?”
She could no longer get any more answers out of him, for his willpower was still rather strong. However, it was enough to learn of the things he had divulged.
Instead of waking him up from the hypnosis, she turned around and looked at the pair who were watching quietly.
“If he asks about what went on during the hypnosis later, just tell him that I didn’t manage to sound him out. I’ll question his girlfriend later before proceeding to settle this. Understand?”
“Yes, yes,” they answered with a nod.
“Take note of your expressions, don’t let the cat out of the bag.”
She woke Xiao Wu up. “What did she ask?” asked Xiao Wu, who had no idea what happened during the hypnosis.
“Well… nothing much, it was just questions related to the incident.”
“What happened afterward?”
“She didn’t get anything out of you.”
Xiao Wu smiled in relief and said, “I told you we had nothing to do with this.”
“I still have to hypnotize your girlfriend even if I didn’t manage to sound you out.”
Xiao Wu was worried that his girlfriend wouldn’t pass the test.
Thus, he purposely frowned and rebuked, “Ms. An, I’ve already done what I could to cooperate with you. My girlfriend was with me at the time. How could she have done anything suspicious if I didn’t? Ms. An, I suggest you hurry and catch the culprit. We’re just working employees, we’re going to have our salaries docked if this gets in the way of our working hours.”
“You and your girlfriend are separate individuals. Perhaps you just didn’t get hypnotized because of your strong willpower. Cut the crap and get your girlfriend to come in while you wait outside.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t care who you are. We have the freedom to decide if we want to be hypnotized by you. No one has the right to compel us, let alone you. You’re not even a police officer.”
Seeing how stubborn and adamant he was about letting his girlfriend cooperate, An Xiaoning said while smiling, “Your salaries are going to be docked and you have your own freedom? Don’t those only matter if you’re alive?”
“What…”
“You can’t understand what I said? You may ask your friends if I’ve managed to sound you out during your hypnosis earlier,” An Xiaoning said with a smirk.
Xiao Wu’s face stiffened instantly. He turned around to look at the owners of the apartment and asked, “Did she manage to get anything out of me?”
The male owner answered, “Didn’t you say that you had gone home after breakfast? However, you said that you had gone to the harbor instead during the hypnosis.”
Pangs of panic engulfed Xiao Wu at the instant that he heard his words, and his initial composure turned into anxiety.
An Xiaoning said to Xiao Wu, “You went to the harbor to make a transaction. Do you really think that your willpower is that strong and that I couldn’t sound you out at all? Xiao Wu, I’m giving you a chance to live. You either tell me everything that happened, or…”