Chapter 76

Jin Yunhao and two others acted separately.

Jin Yunhao took Shin Donghae to meet Hua Helan, while Yin Guohong, with arrest and search warrants, went to investigate the prison guard suspected of taking bribes.

Shin Donghae drove the car and eventually stopped on a narrow street halfway up a hill.

Along the street, houses were built on both sides. There were two- or three-story buildings, as well as low, single-story houses.

Jin Yunhao and Shin Donghae arrived at a relatively dilapidated two-story building. This was Hua Helan's home, where she currently lived alone.

Hua Helan, dressed casually for home, opened the door. She had a slight sweat on her forehead, a pale complexion, and prominent dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes were also red and swollen, perhaps from crying earlier that morning.

After Jin Yunhao explained the purpose of their visit, Hua Helan invited them into the house.

"I'm sorry, the house is a bit messy. I live alone, and there aren't many types of drinks. Please have some plain water."

Hua Helan served Jin Yunhao and Shin Donghae two glasses of water, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and spoke with a dull expression.

After thanking her, Jin Yunhao began to observe the room.

The TV, air conditioner, and other household appliances were all branded, but they seemed to be rarely used and maintained, with a thin layer of dust on them.

It was understandable that the TV was not often used, given the prevalence of computers nowadays, but not using the air conditioner in the summer? Was it broken?

The owner was quite lazy, not even getting it repaired when it was broken.

In addition, the white floor was slightly yellowed, with some stains that had not been cleaned properly.

The furniture was scattered and disorganized, with a few pieces of women's clothing draped over the chairs and sofa.

The house was not only dirty and messy but also lacked any signs of life, unlike the environment of an adult woman living alone.

Noticing Jin Yunhao's scrutinizing gaze, Hua Helan lowered her head, feeling embarrassed, and quickly tidied up the clothes.

"I'm sorry, it's been a long time since we've had guests, so I haven't paid much attention to cleaning. I apologize for the mess."

While she was busy, Hua Helan once got close to Jin Yunhao, and he faintly detected a faint, slightly stimulating odor from her, which was somewhat pleasant.

"What is this smell? Oh... I mean, did you use any perfume? It's quite special," Jin Yunhao pointed to Hua Helan and asked curiously.

"Oh... no, I don't usually use perfume. It might be because I work in a chemical plant, and I've been exposed to this smell for a long time. Please have some water. The air conditioner is broken, so the room is a bit stuffy."

Hua Helan answered and then turned to the balcony, skillfully and quickly opening other windows to improve the air circulation and reduce the stuffiness.

After Hua Helan returned and sat down, Jin Yunhao asked her some basic questions: "Do you live here alone? What about your child?"

At this question, Hua Helan's face instantly showed a pained expression, and she勉强 answered, "Yes, I live alone. Ha ha, I don't have any children. After my husband's incident, I had a miscarriage."

Jin Yunhao slightly bowed, apologizing, "I'm sorry for bringing up your painful memories."

After a few more casual conversations, Jin Yunhao gave Shin Donghae a look, and Shin Donghae took out a notebook and began to ask Hua Helan some questions, reading from it.

The questions mainly involved Hua Helan's views on Jin Taecun, similar to the questions the reporters asked in the morning.

While Shin Donghae was asking the questions, Jin Yunhao carefully observed Hua Helan's expressions.

"Are you really forgiving Jin Taecun from the bottom of your heart?" Shin Donghae asked.

"Yes, I am forgiving him from the bottom of my heart."

Before answering, Hua Helan had a brief moment of shaking her head, but the movement was very slight, almost imperceptible to the average person. She only began to nod as she spoke.

However, Jin Yunhao, who had been closely observing her, did not miss this abnormal, subtle movement.

She was lying. Her subconscious had not forgiven Jin Taecun, and her nod was a deliberate, forced action.

"Do you believe Jin Taecun has truly reformed?" Shin Donghae asked the second question.

"Yes, I believe Mr. Jin Taecun has truly reformed. The words he wrote in his book are very sincere, and I believe him."

After answering, Hua Helan glanced at the air conditioner, slightly turned her head, and the corner of her mouth curled up on one side of her face—this was a typical sign of contempt.

She was showing contempt for Jin Taecun's book and for Jin Taecun himself. Additionally, her first half of the answer was a mechanical repetition of Shin Donghae's question, which was a very typical sign of lying.

...

"According to the prison, Jin Taecun has been well-behaved in prison and has started to believe in Christianity. I think he will become a Christian after his release," Shin Donghae concluded after asking a few more questions, closing his notebook.

"Yes, I think so too."

After answering, Hua Helan took a moment to glance at the air conditioner, her eyebrows raised and drawn together, her eyes glaring, and her lips tightly closed—a typical sign of anger.

When Shin Donghae praised Jin Taecun, she showed an angry expression. If she had truly forgiven Jin Taecun, why would she show hatred? Clearly, she was still lying.

At this point, Jin Yunhao had a clear answer.

Hua Helan had been lying all along. She was not speaking from the heart.

Then, what was her purpose? Was she being threatened?

Jin Yunhao couldn't figure it out. He unconsciously took out a lighter and played with it in his hand.

"Clack"

A clear sound, Jin Yunhao had just opened the lighter, and Hua Helan looked over, her face changing dramatically as she quickly closed the lighter lid.

"Sorry, I'm a bit allergic to kerosene smell." Meeting Jin Yunhao's puzzled gaze, Hua Helan explained, "And my husband used to smoke a lot. Your lighter reminds me of him."

Jin Yunhao shrugged and put away the lighter, but a new question arose in his mind.

Hua Helan's first explanation was勉强 plausible, but the second part seemed forced, as if she was deliberately adding it to avoid further questioning.

She was still lying.

Jin Yunhao found it strange. Hua Helan was a master of lies, not saying a single true word from start to finish. He couldn't figure out what she was hiding.

...

After a few more exchanges, Jin Yunhao and Shin Donghae said their goodbyes.

As they walked to the door, Jin Yunhao noticed a pile of waste paper boxes in the trash can, paused, and turned to ask, "Do you often shop online?"

"Oh? Ah! Yes, I don't like going out much, so I usually buy things online," Hua Helan followed Jin Yunhao's gaze, saw that he had noticed the contents of the trash can, and explained nervously.

She quickly opened the door and saw Jin Yunhao and Shin Donghae out.

Back in the car, Shin Donghae spoke first, "Boss, I think Hua Helan wasn't telling the truth. She seemed to be lying all along and acting very strangely. There's definitely something wrong here.

Boss, to be honest, I'm now very sure that she was threatened and forced to speak well of Jin Taecun. You need to be prepared for that."

Jin Yunhao patted Shin Donghae's shoulder and smiled confidently, "Understood."

Then he turned his head and looked at Hua Helan's residence. He noticed a figure on the second floor closing a window, and his smile became even more enigmatic.

Without turning his head, he instructed Shin Donghae, "Call back and ask Song Enzhi to help investigate Hua Helan's online shopping habits. See if she often shops online."

"Also, stake out the nearby garbage collection area. After Hua Helan disposes of the garbage, bring everything back for analysis."

After saying this, Jin Yunhao opened the car door and got out, leaving a tall back view for Shin Donghae, "Leave the car to you. I'll take a taxi back."

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