Fifteen minutes later, a police car arrived downstairs at the restaurant.
Fang Zhen approached Ruan Yu and said, "Ms. Ruan, if it's convenient, we'd like you to accompany us to the scene to assist with the arrest operation."
Li Shican stepped in front of her and asked Fang Zhen, "What's the situation there? What's the suspect's current state? Is there any weapon involved? Will she be in danger? Can you guarantee absolute safety?"
"SWAT teams are already stationed near the residence. Based on confirmed intel, the suspect is currently in a stable state, and the likelihood of firearms possession has been largely ruled out. However, if we proceed with an immediate arrest, Mr. Ruan and Ms. Qu inside the residence may still face threats to their personal safety."
"Ms. Ruan's cooperation is requested to facilitate peaceful persuasion and minimize direct armed confrontation. The police will do everything possible to ensure the safety of everyone on-site. Please trust us, comrade."
Li Shican frowned deeply. "For persuasion, don’t you have negotiation experts and psychologists?"
"Professionals will be deployed simultaneously. However, considering the suspect sought help from both Mr. Xu and Ms. Ruan during her time on the run, we believe she holds irreplaceable value in the negotiation process. Of course," he turned to Ruan Yu, "Ms. Ruan is under no obligation to cooperate. If you have reservations, you may remain outside and wait for updates."
Ruan Yu shook her head. "I'll go with you."
Xu Huaishi tugged at her sleeve. "Sis..."
Ruan Yu patted her hand gently. "Don’t worry, your brother’s stance on the phone aligns with the police." She then glanced at Li Shican. "You shouldn’t come along. If paparazzi get involved, it might disrupt the operation. Can you look after Huaishi for me?"
Li Shican hesitated, then nodded. "Remember, safety first."
Ruan Yu got into the back seat of the police car.
Fang Zhen asked her a few questions about her family’s situation. After listening, he communicated with someone via police radio before turning back. "Ms. Ruan, your parents have been extremely wise and composed, buying the police ample time. There have been no abnormalities inside the residence so far."
Recognizing the officer’s awkward attempt at reassurance, Ruan Yu forced a smile. "Thank you." After a pause, she asked, "Officer Fang, if possible, could I learn more about the case details?"
He nodded. "The suspect and the deceased departed from Su City by car yesterday at 8 a.m. Highway surveillance shows the suspect was driving, but aside from the most frequent fingerprint (No. 1) on the steering wheel, there was also a fingerprint belonging to the deceased (No. 2). This suggests the deceased may have taken the wheel at some point in unmonitored areas."
"The dashcam chip is missing, likely removed intentionally, making it impossible to reconstruct the full route. However, navigation records indicate the suspect and the deceased were headed toward the vicinity of your parents’ home."
So Zhou Jun had been bringing his girlfriend to visit his teacher this time.
Ruan Yu frowned and listened on.
"The crime scene was a remote mountain-adjacent road in the suburbs. Due to the lack of surveillance, specifics remain unclear. The deceased’s body was found outside the vehicle, with fatal blunt-force trauma to the head.""Comparison confirmed. The murder weapon is a claw hammer found in the car, likely intended for emergency use. The handle again showed Fingerprint No. 1 matching those on the steering wheel, along with the victim's Fingerprint No. 2."
Ruan Yu interlaced her fingers, rubbing her thumbnails back and forth as if to dispel the tension hanging in the air, not daring to dwell on any deeper implications.
"The victim's phone was also discovered outside the vehicle. There's a crucial call record from 10:32 PM—the time of the incident—where the victim called his father. During the call, the victim screamed for help repeatedly, shouting phrases like 'Help! Let me go, Zhou Jun!'"
"Additionally, a small piece of skin tissue was found under the victim's fingernails, likely torn from the perpetrator during the attack. Both the DNA from this tissue and the two instances of Fingerprint No. 1 will require comparison once the suspect is apprehended."
Though Fang Zhen's wording remained clinically objective, by this point—combined with Zhou Jun's subsequent flight and refusal to cooperate—the evidence had already formed a clear directional pattern. This was why the police had listed him as the prime suspect and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The car sped toward the suburbs. Ruan Yu took deep breaths every two minutes, struggling to steady herself. Just as she'd nearly regained composure and they were approaching home, sudden commotion crackled over the police radio.
She immediately straightened. Fang Zhen also tensed, urgently requesting details through the device.
A male voice responded: "The suspect became agitated upon realizing Ms. Qu had alerted authorities. He's now holding Mr. Ruan hostage with a fruit knife on the fourth-floor rooftop. Our team has scaled the building from the rear and is in position, but the negotiator's face-to-face attempts have proven ineffective so far."
"ETA three minutes." Fang Zhen glanced back at Ruan Yu, expecting tears, but found her sitting perfectly still with unblinking forward gaze.
"Ms. Ruan, you must—"
"I trust you." She interrupted with a nod.
Three minutes later, they exited the vehicle to find their residence completely cordoned off. Part of the crowd consisted of neighbors being evacuated by officers, while others were police preparing safety measures.
Inflated rescue airbags stood ready as ladder trucks and ambulances approached from nearby.
The overwhelming noise and chaos made her head spin.
Qu Lan, protected by officers at the perimeter, spotted Ruan Yu and cried out: "Yuyu! Your father, he's—!"
Ruan Yu jogged over. On the rooftop edge, Zhou Jun held Ruan Chengru at knifepoint with his back to them, engaged in a heated standoff with SWAT and negotiators on the opposite side.
She patted Qu Lan's back, jaw clenched to maintain calm. "Mom, we'll be okay."
Fang Zhen handed her a police earpiece. "Our presence is psychologically overwhelming the suspect, making him unresponsive. We need to withdraw our team from the rear temporarily. Firefighters will assist you onto the ladder platform—we need you to engage him briefly, try to stabilize his emotions."
Ruan Yu nodded, inserting the earpiece.
Qu Lan grabbed her arm. "Yuyu, you can't go up there! Your fear of—"
"It's fine, Mom." She shook her head before turning back to Fang Zhen. "Please continue, Officer Fang.""The negotiator will stay in contact with you through this earpiece. Every word between you and the suspect will be transmitted accurately to the team below."
"Remember two things: first, act within your capabilities; second, the police guarantee that neither you nor the hostage will be harmed. The worst-case scenario..." He paused here, pointing toward the top floor of the opposite building.
From his gaze, Ruan Yu guessed that snipers might be positioned there.
The worst outcome wouldn't be her or her father getting hurt—it would be the police being forced to shoot the suspect if necessary.
She shivered slightly and nodded. "I understand."
Ruan Yu took off her cumbersome high heels and, with the help of professionals, climbed the aerial ladder.
The SWAT team that had been on the rooftop had now concealed themselves behind the building. Zhou Jun, who had just begun to relax slightly, saw the ladder slowly rising and immediately tightened his grip on the knife against Ruan Chengru's throat. "Don't come up! Stay back!" he shouted.
Ruan Yu quickly called up to him, "Zhou Jun, it's me—Ruan Yu! I'm alone!"
Hearing her voice, Zhou Jun's hand trembled slightly, and he instinctively took a step back toward the inner edge of the rooftop.
Ruan Chengru, despite being the hostage, managed a faint smile. "Son, don't be afraid. Yu is just a young girl—she won't hurt you."
As the ladder rose, Ruan Yu finally reached eye level with them. She first exchanged a glance with Ruan Chengru, then held up her empty hands for Zhou Jun to see. "Zhou Jun, don't be scared. It's just me. I didn't bring anything, I promise."
Perhaps caught off guard by the unexpected reassurance, Zhou Jun's grip on the knife wavered slightly under the repeated words of "don't be afraid."
His eyes reddened as he stared at Ruan Yu. "Why... why are you coming up...?"
A directive came through her earpiece: "Tell him you believe in him."
She responded immediately, "I came because I believe in you."
Zhou Jun's gaze flickered briefly before dimming again. "No one believes me. Once the prosecution gets the DNA match, no one will believe me..."
Ruan Yu frowned.
The negotiator's voice came through the earpiece again: "Ask him why."
"Why?"
"The dashcam footage is gone, the fingerprints are mine, and she..." His teeth began to chatter. "The flesh under her nails is mine too. My name was in that phone call. It's all too coincidental—every piece of evidence points to me. No surveillance, no witnesses... who would believe me?"
"If that's the case, why did you reach out to Huaisong for help?"
"Because I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't!" His agitation flared again. "Xu Huaisong's father—isn't he the one who can turn black into white? He can help me... he can, right?"
A crazed look flashed in his eyes, sending a chill down Ruan Yu's spine.
But she clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on the ladder railing. "Zhou Jun, no one has the right to turn black into white. Only truth itself can determine what's black or white, and only the law can reveal that truth to the world. Just over a month ago, I was drowning in the pain of false accusations too—but the law cleared my name in the end. It can clear yours too. You have to trust it, okay?"
"I don't... I don't trust the law, I don't trust the police... They're all hunting me down, every single one of them!""But the law believes in you!" Ruan Yu's voice rose slightly. "When you stopped believing in the law, it still believed in you—believed the suspect was innocent. If you didn't kill her, then work with the police to find the real culprit and give her justice."
"The real culprit? Will there even be one?" Zhou Jun suddenly laughed bitterly. "We argued halfway, and before we separated, she said she'd definitely make me regret it... This was her way of making me regret. There's no real culprit. There never was!"
"There will be. The police have already ruled out suicide. If it wasn't you, then it must have been someone else."
Ruan Yu stared intently into his eyes, adopting a subtly guiding tone as she relayed the words coming through her earpiece as naturally as possible: "Zhou Jun, think—could that last phone call have actually been meant for you? When she said 'Help! Let me go, Zhou Jun,' maybe she didn't mean 'Let me go, Zhou Jun,' but rather 'Help me, Zhou Jun'..."
Zhou Jun's eyes widened with disbelief. "What are you saying?"
Ruan Yu continued guiding him: "You said you separated after arguing, right? Maybe after parting ways, while driving, she encountered the real killer. Knowing you were the closest person nearby, she called you for help."
"But while operating her phone, the killer interfered, causing her to mistakenly dial her father over a hundred kilometers away. She was actually calling you for help—not telling you to let her go. This phone call doesn't prove your guilt..."
Zhou Jun stood frozen, mouth agape. His grip loosened, and the fruit knife clattered to the ground, drawing gasps from the crowd below.
SWAT officers hidden behind the building swiftly scaled the rooftop and subdued him.
Ruan Yu's legs gave way, her knees hitting the railing with a dull thud.
Just then, the fire truck's ladder extended close to the rooftop. Firefighters immediately helped her down before assisting Ruan Chengru.
As the ladder descended, Ruan Yu glanced back at the rooftop.
There, Zhou Jun knelt on the ground, tears streaming through his fingers.
He covered his face, repeating brokenly: "She didn't use death to punish me... She didn't use death to punish me..."
The arrest was successful, yet in this moment, the weight in Ruan Yu's heart didn't lift—instead, it grew heavier.
So Zhou Jun had fled because he mistakenly believed the victim intended to frame him for her suicide as revenge.
But even if he walked out of court an innocent man someday, how could he continue living with this guilt and regret?
Such a tragic misunderstanding. Such an irrevocable parting.
With the suspect apprehended, the scene returned to normal within half an hour.
Remembering Xu Huaishi, Ruan Yu called Li Shican and learned she'd already been safely returned to Suzhou by Liu Mao under Xu Huaisong's remote arrangements.
She then texted Xu Huaisong to confirm her safety before hurrying off to give her police statement.
Ruan Chengru and Qu Lan underwent full medical examinations confirming no injuries.
By the time the three were safely escorted home by police, it was already past 4 p.m.Upon entering the house, seeing both mother and daughter still visibly shaken, Ruan Chengru chuckled and said, "Goodness, anyone seeing you two like this would think I hadn't been rescued at all!"
"You old fool, what nonsense are you spouting?" Qu Lan shot him a sharp glare.
"Even if I were blind, I wouldn't be mute. Can't I even speak?"
Ruan Yu wrapped one arm around her father and the other around her mother, mediating: "Alright, alright, stop arguing! It's the holidays—what should we have for dinner tonight?"
She deliberately avoided mentioning the afternoon's drama in her words, but both Ruan's Father and Mother could tell she was still unsettled and forcing herself to appear relaxed.
Qu Lan said, "Knowing you were coming, I bought plenty of groceries. I'll start cooking now."
"Forget it, don't trouble yourself. I feel like instant noodles," Ruan Yu said with a grin, pushing both her and Ruan Chengru toward their room. "You two rest for a bit. I'll come at five to beat the eggs and cook the noodles. I'm going to my room to make a call first."
Ruan Chengru gave her a sidelong glance: "Who are you calling? Young Xu? He's in San Francisco—it's past one in the morning there!"
"I know..." Ruan Yu pouted.
"Oh, you old man," Qu Lan shot Ruan Chengru a look. "What's wrong with one in the morning? Even if it were two, three, or four, he'd still have to answer our Yu Yu's call!"
"Exactly!" Ruan Yu took her phone back to her room, leaning against the door as she dialed Xu Huaisong's voice call.
At this moment, she recalled what he had said to her over the phone at noon that day.
He hadn't told her exactly how to resolve the crisis—only that she must trust the police as much as she trusted him.
Distant water couldn't quench a nearby fire. He was a lawyer, not a god or a superhero. In such moments, the only solution was to trust fully and cooperate actively with the police.
He said that if the police took her to the scene, it wasn't to rescue her parents—it was to rescue Zhou Jun. Once a hostage situation occurred, the police would surely have a plan to free the hostages, though it might involve neutralizing the suspect.
Her presence was to protect the suspect.
So, she didn't need to fear the suspect.
The call connected within two seconds. Ruan Yu drawled in a mumble, "Xu Huaisong..."
Because he was in the hospital late at night, Xu Huaisong's voice was hushed, making it sound especially gentle. He asked, "What's this? After playing the heroine once, I've gone from 'Huaisong' to 'Xu Huaisong'?"
He was joking to ease her exhaustion and lingering fear. Though Ruan Yu couldn't bring herself to laugh, his voice was deeply comforting: "Mhm, say a few more things to me."
"Like what?"
"Anything."
"Anything?"
Shouldn't this be the time for a string of sweet nothings to comfort her properly?
Ruan Yu lost patience and urged, "Yes, hurry up and say something."
Xu Huaisong chuckled. "Aren't I speaking? What's wrong?"
"Ugh, can't you tell?" Ruan Yu sighed. "I miss you."
Author's note: The big scene is resolved, folks. Ready to risk diabetes?
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