Xiao Zhao finished eating first and chatted with them for a while. Seeing that Zhuang Zi had called the waiter to settle the bill, he left ahead of them.
The restaurant was busy, and with many customers at lunchtime, the food took a bit longer to arrive.
Si Hang leaned back in his chair, idly playing with his phone on the table. Suddenly, he lifted his eyes and glanced at Xie Kui across from him, asking, “Where are we running into issues with the case?”
Xie Kui looked at him, sighing deeply. “The scope is too broad, and the target is unclear. After lunch, I’ll analyze it again. We must produce results today.”
Si Hang thought for a moment and then asked, “Is there anything unusual about the victim in Zhuang Hong’s case?”
“I contacted the police in H City. They said Zhao Yuan had been working on a construction site and fell from a scaffold at the end of last year, leaving him in a vegetative state. He hasn’t been discharged yet. Ever since their family fell on hard times two years ago and lost their child, his wife has had some mental health issues and has been undergoing treatment under supervision. She couldn’t possibly have gone far,” Xie Kui shook his head, lamenting, “This family really seems to be hit with one tragedy after another.”
Si Hang remained silent, his thoughts returning to the sight of the modestly dressed young couple who had knelt before him years ago, their voices hoarse with pain as they pleaded for justice for their two-year-old son. Contrasting this with Zhuang Hong’s indifferent and disdainful expression in the interrogation room, his face darkened even further.
However, a suspicion emerged in his mind, which he briefly pondered but didn’t get a chance to voice before Xie Kui continued, “Zhuang Zi told me she suspects the perpetrator has something to do with her sister’s car accident six months ago. Yet, when I reviewed the accident file, I didn’t find anything unusual.”
Originally, Xie Kui had full responsibility for the case, and Si Hang hadn’t planned to intervene. But seeing Xie Kui so stressed and the progress slower than expected, he felt compelled to offer some advice, “It’s very likely that the perpetrator doesn’t have a personal vendetta against her.”
Xie Kui looked intrigued and asked, “Why do you think that?”
Si Hang pointed at the table, explaining, “Based on the perpetrator’s behavior, they used a method that caused no pain whatsoever. Psychologically, if the perpetrator harbored deep hatred towards her, they wouldn’t have allowed her such a comfortable death—this suggests a much more complex emotional connection between them. There are two possible explanations for this behavior: first, Zhuang Zi knows something the perpetrator doesn’t want revealed, prompting them to eliminate her discreetly under the guise of suicide. Second, the perpetrator initially didn’t intend to kill but used this method to achieve another goal. According to Zhuang Zi’s own account, there were several strange incidents at her home in the months leading up to the incident. Given her timidity, the perpetrator likely exploited her vulnerabilities, using threats and intimidation to achieve their objectives. The precise timing of the report suggests the reporter has some suspicion, but it may also be a coincidence.”
Xie Kui’s heart skipped a beat, a solemn expression crossing his face, tinged with a sense of realization.
“Combine these insights with your discussion,” Si Hang continued calmly, putting away his phone and standing up. “I’m going to wash up.”
Xie Kui leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. He carefully reconsidered Si Hang’s suggestions in light of the information he currently had. Suddenly, numerous details flashed through his mind, fleeting and elusive, like a glimpse of light through dense fog. Though still hazy, he felt on the verge of a breakthrough.
In the next moment, he immediately pulled out his phone and called Xiao Zhao, who had just left. “Where is Zhuang Zi now?”
Amidst the faint noise of traffic from Xiao Zhao’s end, standing by the roadside smoking, he replied, “She sent her brother-in-law off and has returned to the hotel.”
“Don’t let her out of your sight. Bring her to the office immediately; there are some crucial details I need to ask her about,” Xie Kui instructed.
Ending the call just as the waiter arrived with their food, Xie Kui turned to Si Hang, somewhat excitedly, “Jiang Zhihao claimed when he reported the case that Zhuang Zi’s mental health had deteriorated due to a setback after her ex-boyfriend publicly declared his love and proposed to another woman the day before the incident. However, Zhuang Zi herself denied this in her report. From this perspective, Jiang Zhihao likely intended from the beginning to confuse everyone.” Read this novel at NovelPing for the best experience.
Si Hang neither agreed nor disagreed, simply stating nonchalantly, “I haven’t delved deeply into the case. Based on preliminary analysis, we can consider her brother-in-law as a suspect, but we shouldn’t rule out other possibilities.”
Xie Kui nodded, then shifted his focus, frowning deeply. “If Jiang Zhihao does have any ill intentions towards Zhuang Zi, then her suspicions about her sister’s accident… there might be something to it.”
“Actions have consequences. Perhaps Zhuang Zi’s concerns aren’t unfounded,” Si Hang added calmly, his gaze sharp.
“First, check if Jiang Zhihao has a solid alibi,” he suggested.
…
Returning to the office after lunch, Xiao Zhao had already brought Zhuang Zi to a small conference room in the Criminal Investigation Department.
The door to the conference room was half-closed, and the bright light illuminated simple tables and chairs, outlining stern and cold lines. Zhuang Zi sat at the conference table, resting her head on her hand, staring blankly at her phone screen. Her slight figure cast a solitary silhouette under the cold light, appearing lonely and desolate.
Upon hearing footsteps, she immediately turned her head.
Xie Kui walked in directly, while the tall figure beside him pushed open the door and entered the adjacent office.
She looked at Xie Kui and greeted him.
Xie Kui nodded and got straight to the point, “Miss Zhuang, I’d like to ask you a few questions about Jiang Zhihao.”
Zhuang Zi’s expression tightened slightly. She stared at Xie Kui for a couple of seconds before asking softly, “Do you suspect him too?”
Xie Kui didn’t answer directly but countered, “Have you noticed any unusual behavior from him towards you?”
Zhuang Zi fell silent for a moment, not answering directly but her expression subtly changed, something Xie Kui naturally picked up on.
Indeed, since her sister’s death, Jiang Zhihao’s level of concern for her had changed significantly. Being as sensitive as she was, she naturally noticed. Sometimes she had her doubts, but they were fleeting. She felt she was probably just overthinking it.
Jiang Zhihao and her sister had been in love since high school, went to the same university, and married shortly after graduating. They had been deeply in love all these years. Get faster updates on novelping . com.
Her sister had a special fondness for her, treating her like a child, just like Xiao Rui. Jiang Zhihao knew about their close bond since childhood, being each other’s only beloved family, so he treated her like his own sister as well. She was sure of that, and she could feel it. So she had always treated him with respect as an elder brother.
After her sister’s accident, Jiang Zhihao had made a tearful promise at her grave. Though he could never make up for his debt to her sister in this lifetime, he would take care of the two people she cared most about.
Zhuang Zi never really suspected him. After all, he and her sister had been loving each other like this for years. She had even been envious at times.
If there were any suspicions, it might just be her fear that Jiang Zhihao would transfer his guilt for her sister onto her and cause some unpredictable changes. To avoid this, she had already tried her best to avoid his care and maintain a suitable distance as a relative.
“I can’t think of any reason why he would harm me,” Zhuang Zi said.
Xie Kui pondered for a while and asked again, “How was his relationship with your sister?”
Zhuang Zi gave a very certain answer, “Very good.”
If her sister was the only one who genuinely cared for her, then Jiang Zhihao was the only one in the world who truly loved her sister.
When her sister had just graduated from university and joined the family company, she had shown remarkable results in less than two months. She was very capable, so Zhuang Hong valued her highly, and three months later, he directly arranged a heavy position for her in the Purchasing Management Department. Because of this, Zhuang Jiao, the eldest son of the Zhuang family, feared that she would threaten his position in the company and joined with the supplier to set a trap for her. Not only did the company lose billions of dollars as a result, but they also incurred a large amount of foreign debt, and the other party threatened to put her in jail.
At the most desperate moment, the family was helpless, and Zhuang Hong was angry at her for her mistakes and took no interest in her.
The crucial moment came when Jiang Zhihao was also involved.
They were still in love at the time, and in order to help her fill in the deficit, Jiang Zhihao sold his parents’ villa and the car he had bought during his research at the university, and then borrowed money to slowly help her out of the crisis.
Because she knew about her mother’s experience, her sister was a very cautious woman in her emotions. If the other party did not give her enough security and confidence, she would not hesitate to marry him.
So, even she could be sure that Jiang Zhihao took care of her and cared about her entirely because of her sister.
Xie Kui’s expression was once again serious, and he thoughtfully played with the pen in his hand for a while before saying, “For the sake of Miss Zhuang’s safety, it’s best not to let anyone know about this incident.”
As he spoke, he took his cell phone out of his pocket. “What’s your brother-in-law’s phone number? I need to talk to him personally to clear his suspicions as soon as possible.”
“He’s on a business trip.” For some reason, Zhuang Zhi’s heart suddenly felt a little bad and looked down at her watch. “It’s time he took off.”
Xie Kui looked at the expression.