Detective Fiction: “Death of the Lover” / Chen Qingyang

The wife of a listed company chairman, Song Xiaoling, was taken away by police officers who came to her residence to escort her to the Criminal Investigation Bureau for interrogation and statement-taking.

At 11 p.m. in the deep night, two police cars were parked outside the Song family villa. Song Xiaoling, wearing an off-white silk nightgown and a coat draped over her shoulders, walked out of the main gate accompanied by two female police officers. Her face was pale, yet she still tried to maintain composure. At the entrance, reporters who had rushed over upon hearing the news had gathered, with flashes going off one after another.

“Ms. Song, what is your relationship with the deceased Yang Wannian?”
“Was Yang Wannian your lover?”
“Was he killed because your husband discovered the affair?”

Song Xiaoling lowered her head and did not say a single word.

At the Criminal Investigation Bureau interrogation room, the cold white fluorescent lights on the wall made it feel inescapable.

Handling detective Zhou Zhicheng pushed a stack of photos in front of her.

In the photos, a man in his fifties lay on his back in the basement of an abandoned villa in a suburban area, a fruit knife stabbed into his chest. The deceased was Yang Wannian.

“Ms. Song,” Zhou Zhicheng said, “we have found that you and Yang Wannian had a three-year extramarital affair. At 8:40 last night, you drove to his apartment. At 9:20, the two of you left together. At 10:15, someone saw you entering the abandoned villa in the Xindian mountain area. At 00:07 a.m., Yang Wannian was found dead. You had better explain in detail the circumstances of the case, as well as the movements of the deceased before and after his death.”

Song Xiaoling remained silent for a long time.

Finally, she raised her head, her voice hoarse.

“I did not kill him.”

Her hands trembled slightly.

“But… I know who wanted him dead.”

Zhou Zhicheng’s gaze sharpened.

“Who?”

“My husband, Song Zhenbang.”

Song Zhenbang was the chairman of “Zhenbang Construction,” with assets worth tens of billions and deep political and business connections. The company was currently bidding for a major government development project, and any scandal would be enough to cause its stock price to collapse.

Song Xiaoling said that three years ago, she met Yang Wannian at a charity gala. Yang Wannian was the financial consultant of Zhenbang Construction, divorced, humorous and considerate, and often accompanied her to events. Over time, the two grew closer and closer.

Half a year later, they began a relationship.

“I originally thought he truly loved me,” Song Xiaoling said in a low voice. “Until one month ago, I discovered that he had been secretly photographing me with him, and also secretly recording audio.”

Zhou Zhicheng frowned.

“He was blackmailing you?”

Song Xiaoling nodded.

Yang Wannian said that if she did not produce 50 million, he would hand the photos and recordings to the media, and also tell Song Zhenbang.

“I was very afraid,” she said, “I knew Zhenbang’s temper. If he found out, he would definitely not let us go.”

Zhou Zhicheng asked: “So last night, you went to negotiate with Yang Wannian?”

“Yes.”

She said Yang Wannian had arranged for her to go to his apartment and asked her to bring 20 million in cash first as a show of sincerity. She complied.

After arriving at Yang Wannian’s apartment, he suddenly changed his words.

“He said 20 million was not enough, he wanted me to go abroad with him, otherwise he would publish everything.”

“And then?”

“He took me to that abandoned villa, saying it was safe there and no one would track us.”

She said the two of them had a heated argument in the basement. Yang Wannian drank a lot of alcohol, became emotionally agitated, kept insulting her, and also threatened to confront Song Zhenbang directly.

“I was very afraid and wanted to leave. But he wouldn’t let me go.”

She paused.

“Later, someone came in.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know. I only saw the back of a man.”

She said the man wore a black trench coat and a newsboy cap. After Yang Wannian saw him, his face suddenly changed.

“How could you be here?” Yang Wannian had exclaimed at the time.

The next second, that man rushed forward and knocked Yang Wannian down with one punch. She, frightened, fled the basement and ran upstairs, hearing quarrelling sounds coming from below.

A few minutes later, a scream.

She did not dare to look back and directly drove away.

“Why didn’t you report to the police?” Zhou Zhicheng asked coldly.

“Because I was afraid.”

Zhou Zhicheng said nothing.

He knew Song Xiaoling’s words might not be trustworthy. But the forensic report showed that Yang Wannian had a large amount of alcohol in his stomach, and the time of death was roughly between 11:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Song Xiaoling’s car had already appeared on the highway interchange surveillance at 10:47 p.m. In other words, she could indeed have left before the murder occurred.

However, what was even stranger was that Yang Wannian’s phone and computer were missing. There was likely blackmail material stored inside.

The next day, the police summoned Song Zhenbang.

Song Zhenbang was neatly dressed in a suit, his expression calm. As soon as he entered the interrogation room, he coldly glanced at his wife.

“Xiaoling, how many things are you still hiding from me?”

Song Xiaoling lowered her head.

After sitting down, Song Zhenbang interlocked his fingers.

“Officer, I was in a company meeting all last night. I have more than ten witnesses. I only left the company at 11:30.”

Zhou Zhicheng pushed a photo in front of him.

It was a secretly taken photograph.

In the photo, Song Zhenbang was standing outside Yang Wannian’s apartment at 8:20 last night.

Song Zhenbang’s eyes changed slightly.

“How do you explain this?”

“I just went to talk to him about something.”

“What kind of talk?”

“Company accounts.”

Zhou Zhicheng sneered.

“According to our understanding, Yang Wannian had recently been secretly investigating Zhenbang Construction’s overseas accounts and had copied a lot of data. Were you worried he would leak it?”

Song Zhenbang remained silent for a few seconds. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

But the police soon discovered that Yang Wannian had once handled offshore money-laundering accounts for Zhenbang Construction and held a large number of secrets. Once exposed, not only the affair, but the company itself would collapse.

The case began to become complicated. Lover, wife, listed company chairman—each had a motive for murder.

Three days later, Zhou Zhicheng found a memory card from a dashcam in the underground parking lot of Yang Wannian’s apartment. It was a backup card from Yang Wannian’s car, found beside a drain cover near the parking space.

The police immediately restored the footage. The video showed that at 10:03 p.m. last night, Yang Wannian and Song Xiaoling got into the car. The two argued intensely inside the car.

Yang Wannian shouted: “You think giving me 20 million will settle it? I did so many dirty things for your husband, and in the end I’m kicked away like a dog!”

Song Xiaoling cried: “What do you actually still want?”

Yang Wannian suddenly sneered.

“I don’t want money anymore. I want you to do one thing for me.”

“What thing?”

“I want you to get Song Zhenbang’s safe key for me.”

The footage suddenly cut off here.

Zhou Zhicheng realized that what Yang Wannian truly wanted was not money at all, but what was inside Song Zhenbang’s safe.

The police immediately searched Song Zhenbang’s office.

As expected, inside a hidden compartment in the chairman’s office, there was an electronic safe. However, the safe had already been opened and was completely empty inside.

Song Zhenbang was furious.

“Impossible! The documents were still inside yesterday!”

“What was inside?”

His face turned ashen.

“Several overseas account documents, and an old photograph.”

“What photograph?”

Song Zhenbang hesitated for a moment.

“Taken twenty years ago.”

“Whose photograph?”

He did not answer.

Zhou Zhicheng began to suspect that another secret from twenty years ago might still exist.

He re-investigated Yang Wannian’s background and unexpectedly discovered that Yang Wannian was not his real name.

His real name was Lin Jianxun.

Twenty years ago, Lin Jianxun had grown up in an orphanage in the south. At eighteen, his younger sister mysteriously disappeared and never returned.

The person who had funded that orphanage at the time was the young Song Zhenbang.

Even more shocking, police found an old newspaper. It stated:

—Twenty years ago, a young woman fell from a construction site and died. Police ruled it an accident.

The girl’s name was Lin Shufen.

She was Lin Jianxun’s missing sister.

Zhou Zhicheng suddenly understood.

Yang Wannian’s approach to Song Xiaoling was never because of love.

From the very beginning, he was targeting Song Zhenbang.

He infiltrated Zhenbang Construction, obtained financial secrets, then deliberately approached Song Xiaoling, using the affair as leverage. What he truly wanted was evidence of his sister’s death back then.

That old photograph was likely the key.

The police reviewed Yang Wannian’s recent communication records and discovered that the last person he contacted before his death was not Song Xiaoling, nor Song Zhenbang, but a man named Chen Zihao. Chen Zihao, 32 years old, special assistant to the chairman of Zhenbang Construction.

The police immediately brought him in.

At first, Chen Zihao denied everything.

But when Zhou Zhicheng placed the communication records and surveillance footage in front of him, he finally collapsed.

“I didn’t want to kill him!”

His hands trembled.

“I just went to retrieve the photo from the safe.”

It turned out Chen Zihao’s true identity was the son of Lin Shufen. Twenty years ago, Lin Shufen had not fallen accidentally. She was pregnant with Song Zhenbang’s child at the time. Song Zhenbang, fearing scandal, forced her to have an abortion. Lin Shufen refused, and they argued at the construction site. In the struggle, she fell from a high building.

Song Zhenbang used money to suppress the case and also sent the newborn child to an orphanage.

That child was Chen Zihao.

A few years ago, Yang Wannian found Chen Zihao and told him the truth. The two decided to join forces to take revenge on Song Zhenbang.

Yang Wannian was responsible for infiltrating the company to gather evidence, while Chen Zihao stayed by Song Zhenbang’s side, waiting for an opportunity.

Last night, Yang Wannian called Chen Zihao and said he had obtained the safe key and asked him to meet at the abandoned villa.

“When I arrived, Song Xiaoling had already run away,” Chen Zihao said while crying. “Uncle Wannian showed me the photo. In it, Song Zhenbang was holding my mother, and behind them was that construction site. He said that as long as the photos and account data were released, Song Zhenbang would be destroyed.”

“Then why did you kill him?”

Chen Zihao lowered his head.

“Because… he lied to me.”

It turned out Yang Wannian never intended to make the data public.

He wanted to use it to exchange for 1 billion yuan from Song Zhenbang. After getting the money, he would take the data abroad.

“He said I was just a tool. He didn’t care about my mother at all, nor about the truth.”

In anger, Chen Zihao fought with Yang Wannian.

In the chaos, he grabbed a fruit knife from the table and stabbed it into Yang Wannian’s chest.

The interrogation room fell into silence.

Everyone thought the killer in “Death of the Lover” would be a jealous husband or a blackmailed wife.

No one expected that the real killer would be a illegitimate son carrying twenty years of hatred.

However, just as the police were about to close the case, Zhou Zhicheng suddenly discovered something wrong.

The forensic report showed that although the stab wound in Yang Wannian’s chest was fatal, the real cause of death was poisoning.

A large amount of sleeping pills had been put into his alcohol.

In other words, before Chen Zihao stabbed him, Yang Wannian was already close to death.

Who administered the poison first?

Zhou Zhicheng suddenly raised his head and looked at Song Xiaoling, who had been sitting silently in the corner all along.

Her face was deathly pale, but a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

“It was me,” she said softly.

“I already knew he approached me not out of love.”

It turned out that a month earlier, Song Xiaoling had already discovered that Yang Wannian was investigating her husband, and also knew he was using her.

But she did not expose him. Because she had long since hated Song Zhenbang to the core.

For years, Song Zhenbang had repeatedly cheated, abused her, and even forced her to abort pregnancies. She had long wanted to destroy him but had no opportunity. So she deliberately cooperated with Yang Wannian.

She gave him money, gave him the safe key, and even pretended to still love him. She believed Yang Wannian would destroy Song Zhenbang for her.

But last night, in the basement, she finally heard Yang Wannian’s true plan.

He never intended to take revenge or seek justice for anyone. He only wanted to exchange secrets for money.

“At that moment, I suddenly understood,” Song Xiaoling said softly, “you men are all the same.”

She put sleeping pills into Yang Wannian’s alcohol.

Then left.

She knew that whoever went in afterward, Yang Wannian would not survive.

Chen Zihao merely delivered the final blow for her.

Zhou Zhicheng looked at her.

“Why did you only confess now?”

Song Xiaoling slowly raised her head.

“Because I suddenly felt that, compared to Yang Wannian, the one who truly deserved to die was Song Zhenbang.”

She took out a small recording device from her pocket and placed it on the table.

“In here are the evidence of Song Zhenbang killing Lin Shufen twenty years ago, and his bribery and money-laundering over the years.”

It turned out that before leaving last night, she had already copied the materials and recordings from the safe.

She did not want to save her husband.

She was waiting. Waiting for everyone to expose each other.

Three days later, Zhenbang Construction’s stock price hit the limit down. Song Zhenbang was taken into custody on suspicion of murder, money laundering, and corruption.

Chen Zihao was prosecuted for murder. Song Xiaoling was also transferred on suspicion of premeditated poisoning for murder.

The case shocked the entire nation. The media gave it a name: — “Death of the Lover.”


推理小說：〔情夫之死〕／陳清揚

一個上市公司董娘宋曉玲，被警員登門帶走，前往刑事局偵訊組做筆錄。

深夜十一點，宋家別墅外停著兩輛警車。宋曉玲穿著米白色絲質睡袍，披著外套，被兩名女警陪同走出大門。她的臉色蒼白，卻仍努力維持鎮定。門口聚集了聞風而來的媒體，閃光燈一陣接一陣。

「宋女士，妳和死者楊萬年是什麼關係？」
「楊萬年是不是妳的情夫？」
「他是不是因為妳丈夫發現外遇，才被滅口？」
宋曉玲低著頭，一句話也沒說。

到了刑事局偵訊室，牆上的冷白日光燈照得人無處可逃。
承辦刑警周志誠把一疊照片推到她面前。
照片裡，一個五十多歲的男人仰躺在郊區一棟廢棄別墅的地下室，胸口插著一把水果刀。死者正是楊萬年。
「宋女士，」周志誠說，「我們查出，妳和楊萬年有長達三年的婚外情。昨天晚上八點四十分，妳曾經開車到他住的公寓。九點二十分，你們一起離開。十點十五分，有人看見你們進入新店山區那棟廢棄別墅。凌晨零點零七分，楊萬年被發現死亡。妳最好詳細交代案情，還有死者死亡前後的行蹤。」
宋曉玲沉默了很久。
最後，她抬起頭，聲音沙啞。
「我沒有殺他。」
她的手微微發抖。
「可是……我知道，是誰希望他死。」
周志誠目光一凝。
「誰？」
「我丈夫，宋振邦。」
宋振邦是「振邦建設」董事長，身價數十億，政商關係深厚。這家公司正在爭取一件政府大型開發案，任何醜聞都足以讓股價崩跌。

宋曉玲說，三年前，她在一場慈善晚宴上認識楊萬年。楊萬年是振邦建設的財務顧問，離過婚，風趣體貼，常陪她出席活動。久而久之，兩人越走越近。
半年後，他們開始交往。
「我原本以為，他是真心愛我。」宋曉玲低聲說，「直到一個月前，我才發現，他一直在偷拍我和他的照片，還偷偷錄音。」
周志誠皺起眉。
「他勒索妳？」
宋曉玲點頭。
楊萬年說，如果她不拿出五千萬，他就把照片和錄音交給媒體，還要告訴宋振邦。
「我很害怕，」她說，「我知道振邦的脾氣。如果他知道，一定不會放過我們。」
周志誠問：「所以昨天晚上，妳是去和楊萬年談判？」
「對。」
她說，楊萬年約她到公寓，要她帶兩千萬現金，先表示誠意。她照做了。

到了楊萬年的公寓後，他卻忽然改口。
「他說，兩千萬不夠，他要我跟他一起出國，否則他就把所有東西公布。」
「然後呢？」
「他把我帶去那棟廢棄別墅，說那裡安全，不會有人跟蹤。」
她說，兩人在地下室大吵一架。楊萬年喝了很多酒，情緒激動，不斷辱罵她，還威脅要去找宋振邦攤牌。
「我很害怕，就想離開。可是他不讓我走。」
她停頓了一下。
「後來，有人進來了。」
「誰？」
「我不知道。我只看到一個男人的背影。」
她說，那個人穿黑色風衣，戴鴨舌帽。楊萬年看到他後，臉色突然變了。
「你怎麼會在這裡？」楊萬年當時驚叫。
下一秒，那人衝上去，一拳把楊萬年打倒。她嚇得逃出地下室，跑上樓，聽見下面傳來爭吵聲。
幾分鐘後，一聲慘叫。
她不敢回頭，直接開車離開。

「妳為什麼不報警？」周志誠冷冷問。
「因為我怕。」
周志誠沒有說話。
他知道，宋曉玲的話未必可信。但法醫報告顯示，楊萬年胃裡有大量酒精，死亡時間大約在晚上十一點至十一點半之間。而宋曉玲的車在十點四十七分，就已經出現在高速公路交流道的監視器裡。換句話說，她確實有可能在命案發生前離開。

然而，更奇怪的是，楊萬年的手機和電腦都不見了。那裡面很可能藏著勒索資料。

第二天，警方傳喚宋振邦。
宋振邦西裝筆挺，神情冷靜。他一進偵訊室，就冷冷地看了妻子一眼。
「曉玲，妳到底還有多少事情瞞著我？」
宋曉玲低下頭。
宋振邦坐下後，雙手交握。
「警官，我昨晚一直在公司開會，有十幾個人可以作證。我十一點半才離開公司。」
周志誠把一張照片推到他面前。
那是一張偷拍照。
照片裡，宋振邦站在楊萬年公寓外，時間是昨晚八點二十。
宋振邦眼神微微一變。
「你怎麼解釋？」
「我只是去找他談事情。」
「談什麼？」
「公司帳務。」
周志誠冷笑。
「據我們了解，楊萬年最近正在偷偷調查振邦建設的海外帳戶，還複製了不少資料。你是不是擔心他把那些資料交出去？」
宋振邦沉默了幾秒。「我不知道你在說什麼。」

但警方很快查出，楊萬年曾經替振邦建設處理海外洗錢帳戶，手裡掌握大量秘密。一旦曝光，不只婚外情，連公司都會垮。
案件開始變得複雜。情夫、董娘、上市公司董事長，每個人都有殺人的理由。

三天後，周志誠在楊萬年的公寓地下停車場找到一支行車記錄器記憶卡。那是楊萬年車上的備份卡，掉在車位旁的水溝蓋邊。
警方立刻將影像還原。畫面顯示，昨晚十點零三分，楊萬年和宋曉玲上車。兩人在車裡激烈爭吵。
楊萬年大吼：「妳以為給我兩千萬就能了事？我替妳丈夫做了那麼多骯髒事，最後卻像條狗一樣被踢開！」
宋曉玲哭著說：「你到底還想怎樣？」
楊萬年忽然冷笑。
「我不要錢了，我要妳幫我一件事。」
「什麼事？」
「我要妳把宋振邦的保險箱鑰匙拿給我。」
畫面到這裡突然中斷。

周志誠意識到，楊萬年真正想要的，根本不是錢，而是宋振邦保險箱裡的東西。
警方立刻搜索宋振邦辦公室。
果然，在董事長室的暗櫃裡，有一個電子保險箱。可是，保險箱已經被人打開，裡面空空如也。
宋振邦大怒。
「不可能！裡面的文件昨天還在！」
「裡面放了什麼？」
他臉色鐵青。
「幾份海外帳戶資料，還有一張舊照片。」
「什麼照片？」
宋振邦遲疑了一下。
「二十年前拍的。」
「誰的照片？」
他沒有回答。
周志誠開始懷疑，二十年前可能還藏著另一個秘密。
他重新調查楊萬年的背景，意外發現，楊萬年並不是他的本名。
他的真名叫林建勳。
二十年前，林建勳曾經在南部一間孤兒院長大。十八歲那年，他的妹妹離奇失蹤，從此再也沒有回來。
而當年負責資助那間孤兒院的人，正是年輕時的宋振邦。
更驚人的是，警方翻出一份舊報紙。報紙上寫著：
——二十年前，一名少女在工地墜樓身亡，警方認定為意外。
少女的名字，叫林淑芬。
她正是林建勳失蹤的妹妹。
周志誠忽然明白了。
楊萬年接近宋曉玲，根本不是因為愛。
他從一開始，就是衝著宋振邦來的。
他潛入振邦建設，掌握財務秘密，再故意接近宋曉玲，利用婚外情作為籌碼。他真正想得到的，是當年妹妹死亡的證據。
那張舊照片，很可能就是關鍵。

警方調閱楊萬年最近的通聯記錄，發現他死前最後聯絡的人，不是宋曉玲，也不是宋振邦。而是一個叫陳子豪的男人。陳子豪，三十二歲，振邦建設董事長特助。
警方立刻將他帶回。
陳子豪一開始否認。
但當周志誠把通聯紀錄和監視器畫面放到他面前時，他終於崩潰。
「我沒有想殺他！」
他雙手發抖。
「我只是去拿回保險箱裡的照片。」

原來，陳子豪真正的身分，是林淑芬的兒子。二十年前，林淑芬並不是意外墜樓。她當時懷了宋振邦的孩子。宋振邦怕醜聞曝光，逼她墮胎。林淑芬不肯，兩人在工地爭吵。拉扯間，林淑芬從高樓墜下。

宋振邦花錢壓下案件，還把剛出生不久的孩子送進育幼院。
那個孩子，就是陳子豪。
幾年前，楊萬年找到陳子豪，告訴他真相。兩人決定聯手報復宋振邦。

楊萬年負責潛入公司蒐證，陳子豪則待在宋振邦身邊，等待機會。
昨天晚上，楊萬年打電話給陳子豪，說他已經拿到保險箱鑰匙，要他到廢棄別墅見面。

「我到的時候，宋曉玲已經跑了。」陳子豪哭著說，「萬年叔把照片拿給我看。照片上，宋振邦抱著我媽，背後就是那個工地。他說，只要把照片和帳戶資料交出去，就能毀掉宋振邦。」
「那你為什麼殺他？」
陳子豪低下頭。
「因為……他騙了我。」
原來，楊萬年根本不打算公開資料。

他要拿這些東西，向宋振邦換十億元。拿到錢後，再帶著資料出國。
「他說，我只是工具。他根本不在乎我媽，也不在乎真相。」
陳子豪憤怒之下，和楊萬年扭打。
混亂中，他抓起桌上的水果刀，刺進了楊萬年的胸口。

偵訊室裡，一片沉默。
所有人都以為，「情夫之死」的兇手，會是吃醋的丈夫，或者不堪勒索的情婦。
沒想到，真正殺死楊萬年的，竟是一個背負二十年仇恨的私生子。

然而，就在警方準備結案時，周志誠卻忽然發現一件不對勁的事。
法醫報告顯示，楊萬年胸口那一刀，雖然致命，但他真正的死因，卻是中毒。
他的酒裡，被人下了大量安眠藥。
換句話說，在陳子豪刺他之前，楊萬年其實已經快死了。
誰先下的毒？
周志誠猛然抬頭，看向一直坐在角落、始終沉默的宋曉玲。
她臉色慘白，嘴角卻浮起一絲淡淡的笑。
「是我。」她輕聲說。
「我早就知道，他接近我不是因為愛。」
原來，一個月前，宋曉玲就發現楊萬年在調查丈夫，也知道他在利用自己。

但她沒有揭穿。因為，她早已恨透了宋振邦。

多年來，宋振邦不斷外遇、家暴，甚至逼她流產。她早就想毀掉他，卻苦無機會。所以，她故意配合楊萬年。

她給他錢，給他保險箱鑰匙，甚至假裝還愛他。她以為，楊萬年會替她毀掉宋振邦。
可是昨天晚上，在地下室裡，她終於聽見楊萬年的真正計畫。
他根本不打算復仇，也不打算替任何人討公道。他只想拿著秘密換錢。
「那一刻，我忽然明白，」宋曉玲低聲說，「你們這些男人，全都一樣。」

她在楊萬年的酒裡放了安眠藥。
然後離開。
她知道，無論之後誰進去，楊萬年都活不了。
陳子豪只是替她完成最後一刀。
周志誠看著她。
「妳為什麼現在才承認？」
宋曉玲慢慢抬起頭。
「因為我忽然覺得，比起楊萬年，更該死的人，是宋振邦。」
她從口袋裡拿出一個小型錄音筆，放到桌上。
「這裡面，有宋振邦二十年前殺害林淑芬，還有這些年洗錢、行賄的證據。」

原來，昨晚她離開前，早就把保險箱裡的資料和錄音複製下來。
她不是想保住丈夫。
她是在等。等所有人彼此揭穿。

三天後，振邦建設股價跌停。宋振邦因涉嫌殺人、洗錢與貪污被收押。

陳子豪因殺人罪遭起訴。宋曉玲則因預謀下毒，被依殺人罪移送。

案子震驚全國。媒體給它取了一個名字。——《情夫之死》。