Upon hearing this, Ye Xuan immediately asked, “Where?”
“At a repair shop by the roadside leading to the city. According to the owner’s description, a young man came to sell the car around ten o’clock at night. The owner was about to close up when the young man drove the car over. The car was sold for fifteen hundred in cash. It’s already been dismantled, and all the good parts have been swapped out.”
Ye Xuan asked doubtfully, “Has that young man been found?”
Lin Chengfeng nodded in response. “We traced the nearby surveillance footage and confirmed his residence. Zong Fei has already taken people to apprehend him. We should have news soon.”
Only then did Ye Xuan nod, then grumbled, “That owner didn’t even check the car’s background before buying it. What a shady businessman!”
Lin Chengfeng chuckled and said, “That’s normal. The license plate had been removed and dumped in a trash bin not far from the repair shop. How could the owner check the details of an unlicensed car? He’s a businessman; he wouldn’t bother with such things.”
Ye Xuan sighed and said, “I’ve had that car for two years. To lose it just like that… I really feel a bit reluctant to let it go.”
Hearing this, Lin Chengfeng said slowly, “The owner bought stolen goods without checking the situation. That’s illegal. You can demand it back.”
Ye Xuan shook his head and replied, “It’s already been dismantled. Even if it’s reassembled, it won’t be the same. Forget it. I’ll just seek compensation from that young man and buy a better one later.”
Lin Chengfeng nodded, then said, “Let’s go to the police station together. The victim’s husband should be arriving soon.”
Ye Xuan nodded, standing up as he said, “Alright, let me freshen up first, then I’ll go meet him.”
The two arrived at the Public Security Bureau.
Upon seeing Lin Chengfeng and Ye Xuan enter the lobby, Xu Guanglei, Li Xiaoran, and Wu Gang hurried over.
“Captain Lin!”
The three then nodded at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan smiled and nodded back, then asked, “Where’s the victim’s family?”
Wu Gang immediately replied, “He just arrived. I had him wait in the interrogation room.”
The two nodded and then entered the observation room.
Inside the interrogation room, a middle-aged man with a gaunt face but an imposing presence sat upright.
Lin Chengfeng glanced at Long Hao, then entered the interrogation room with Wu Gang.
Since Ye Xuan’s status as a criminal investigation consultant hadn’t been finalized yet, it wasn’t appropriate for him to enter. He could only stay in the observation room, but he could communicate with Lin Chengfeng and Wu Gang via the intercom system.
Lin Chengfeng and Wu Gang sat across from Long Hao. Looking at him, Lin Chengfeng said, “Mr. Long, please accept our condolences.”
Long Hao shook his head indifferently and replied, “Just a woman. No need for concern, officers.”
“Mr. Long, wasn’t Ms. Chen your wife? Why aren’t you grieving at all?”
Long Hao smiled and replied, “I did like her at first—young, beautiful, and knew her place. She was only interested in my money, and I have plenty of that, so we got married.”
“But a year after the wedding, I discovered she was secretly keeping a young lover. That’s when I saw her true colors. From then on, I started resenting her and often didn’t go home. Women like her are a dime a dozen out there. Why bother going back?”
“I originally planned to divorce her after I finished this busy period. After all, she’s enjoyed such a comfortable life for so long—it’s about time it ended. Who would have thought she’d end up dead? And dying is one thing, but she even wasted my time. Dying like that was too easy on her.”
Lin Chengfeng coughed lightly and said slowly, “Mr. Long, watch your language.”
Only then did Long Hao realize his tone and replied with a smile, “Officer, don’t take it too seriously. That bitch probably hooked up with countless men out there, stirring up trouble. It’s no surprise she ended up dead. Let’s just drop this case.”
Lin Chengfeng looked at Long Hao and asked calmly, “Mr. Long, where were you at eight o’clock the night before last?”
Without hesitation, Long Hao replied, “At the Hilton, attending a business dinner.”
Lin Chengfeng glanced at Wu Gang, who nodded in confirmation, and continued, “Mr. Long, did your wife show any unusual behavior recently?”
Long Hao thought for a moment and shook his head. “I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen her for almost a week.”
After asking Long Hao a few more questions, Lin Chengfeng let him leave the police station.
Lin Chengfeng turned to Ye Xuan and asked, “Ye Xuan, what do you think?”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “He probably wasn’t lying, and he has an alibi. This case likely has nothing to do with him.”
Li Xiaoran asked curiously, “Could he have hired someone to kill his wife and pretended not to care?”
Ye Xuan frowned upon hearing this and muttered, “Hired someone…”
A moment later, Ye Xuan suddenly looked up, remembering the “rustling” sound from the night of the crime!
It wasn’t the sound of a stray cat fleeing—it was the hurried footsteps of a person!
Ye Xuan looked at Lin Chengfeng and said urgently, “Officer Lin, I need to go to the crime scene!”
Lin Chengfeng looked puzzled. “We went back to investigate again yesterday but found nothing unusual. What’s wrong?”
Ye Xuan frowned deeply. “There must be something we missed. At the time, I heard some noise in the alley. At first, I thought it was a stray cat running away, but now I realize it wasn’t a cat—it was a person!”
“And the person who stole my car wasn’t the murderer. He might have been hired by the killer to keep watch, or he might just have been a passing thief. The real murderer never left that alley from start to finish!”
Everyone stared at Ye Xuan in disbelief.
This was too unbelievable!
Lin Chengfeng frowned and said to the others, “Let’s head out immediately!”
“Yes!”
At the crime scene.
Ye Xuan looked around and remarked, “It was dark that night, so I didn’t notice. This alley is quite large and really secluded. It’s impressive that the killer managed to find this place.”
Lin Chengfeng sighed helplessly. “Enough chit-chat. Let’s focus on the investigation.”
Ye Xuan turned to the corner where the body was found and walked over.
“Officer Lin, come here for a moment.”
Lin Chengfeng asked, puzzled, “What for?”
Ye Xuan replied casually, “The killer and the victim were having an affair here, and the victim’s body was found in this spot. Such a suspicious place naturally needs to be examined.”
“No way.”
Li Xiaoran and Xu Guanglei exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with anticipation, as if thinking: Watching this in broad daylight is really thrilling!
Seeing Lin Chengfeng’s reluctance, Ye Xuan continued, “Don’t be shy. This is called immersive investigation, Officer Lin. Since I’ve already stepped in, as a people’s police officer, you should naturally lead by example and take the initiative.”
Li Xiaoran, never one to miss a chance to stir up trouble, covered her mouth and said, “Captain Lin, Ye Xuan has a point. Only by putting yourself in the shoes of the perpetrator can the case be solved more easily. Besides, you’re both guys—there’s nothing to be afraid of!”
Lin Chengfeng shook his head helplessly, lifted his leg, and walked into the corner of the alley. He stopped only when he was just a fist’s distance away from Ye Xuan.
“What next?”