Under what circumstances would a woman marry a man she doesn’t love, or even despises?
Zhou Yi couldn’t figure it out, especially when the man wasn’t handsome and was clearly not wealthy.
That’s why he hadn’t voiced these thoughts earlier, for fear of misleading the investigation.
"Now that you mention it, a possibility just occurred to me," said Wu Yongcheng.
"Captain Wu, are you suggesting that Zhang Xinli might be sleeping in a separate room from her husband?"
"Mhm. After all, both bedroom doors were closed when we went in, so we couldn’t see what the rooms were like."
"If they really are sleeping in separate rooms, then Zhang Xinli’s alibi falls apart."
Zhou Yi nodded. "Which means we really need to have a good talk with this new husband of hers."
"Yeah. When we get there, I’ll say hello to their director first and have him find us a convenient place for questioning."
"That’s our Captain Wu, so well-connected."
"Cut the chatter. Anything else?"
Wu Yongcheng was, of course, asking about Zhou Yi’s other findings.
"Yes," Zhou Yi replied.
"You really have more? I was just asking casually. Tell me, kid, are you some kind of master Detective?"
Zhou Yi smiled. "I’m just a temp. It’s all thanks to the brilliant leadership of a true Detective like Captain Wu."
"Spit it out, spit it out. Don’t keep me in suspense."
"I discovered that the bathtub in Zhang Xinli’s home had been cleaned."
"What’s so strange about that? Isn’t a bathtub for taking baths?"
Hearing him say that, Zhou Yi knew he definitely didn’t have a bathtub at home.
Whether it was the nineties or the twenty-first century, most people who installed a bathtub with romantic notions rarely used it for soaking after the first few times.
It did, however, make for a decent temporary fish tank. Zhou Yi had even done that himself once.
"Captain Wu, bathtubs are actually not very practical. The shower in Zhang Xinli’s home was a later addition. You can tell from the drill holes in the wall."
"And when a bathtub isn’t used for a long time, especially with a shower head above it, a ring of splash-shaped limescale will form around it."
"Once that limescale builds up, it’s very hard to clean. Even taking a bath won’t easily get rid of it."
"But I touched the bathtub at Zhang Xinli’s place. It was clean and smooth, obviously just scrubbed."
Wu Yongcheng asked, "Maybe she just likes things clean. Her home seemed pretty tidy to me."
"No. There was obvious limescale residue on the edge of the sink."
That sentence from Zhou Yi sent Wu Yongcheng deep into thought.
At the same time, he was utterly shocked. ’This kid, Zhou Yi, managed to observe such a minute detail in the one or two minutes he took to use the bathroom.’
’Could it be true, what he said about himself? Was he a police detective in a past life?’
"You’re saying she washed something in the bathtub," Wu Yongcheng said.
Zhou Yi nodded. "Yes. And it was something she had to scrub the entire tub clean after washing to feel at ease."
"Bloody clothes!" the two said in unison.
As they spoke, the car came to a stop. Wu Yongcheng looked up; they had arrived at the power supply office.
Zhang Xinli’s husband was named Wang Youfu. He was an electrician at the district power supply office, thirty-five years old this year.
In the nineties, a man who wasn’t married by that age was basically considered an old bachelor.
And from their wedding photo, Wang Youfu’s looks were very average, a far cry from Zhang Xinli.
In those earlier years, many people’s thinking was quite traditional, not like the younger generation who lived with such a modern mindset.
Getting married and having children was still a deep-rooted belief.
So, those who ended up as old bachelors were usually either ugly or poor, and some had personality flaws.
Zhou Yi was certain that the man connected to both Zhang Xinli and Du Xiaolin was definitely not Wang Youfu.
It had to be someone else!
Wu Yongcheng must have been here before. He navigated the power supply office building with familiarity, making a beeline straight for the director’s office.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Wu Yongcheng pounded on the door.
Zhou Yi was a bit baffled. ’Since when was a police captain so brazen?’
"Come in," a voice from inside called out.
Wu Yongcheng pushed the door open and boomed, "Well, if it isn’t the great Director! Long time no see."
Inside, a middle-aged man sitting behind a desk looked up and immediately stood to greet him.
"Well, well, isn’t this our great Captain Wu! What wind blew you in today?"
"The ill winds of your corruption," Wu Yongcheng said, though his expression was clearly joking.
Obviously, the two were on excellent terms. Otherwise, a director and a police captain would never dare to make such a joke.
"Ha, ha, fine. If I really were corrupt, I’d make sure to end up in your hands," the burly director laughed.
"Whether or not you end up in my hands remains to be seen, but if that gut of yours gets any bigger, you’re going to have a run-in with health problems," Wu Yongcheng said, patting the other man’s stomach.
"Hah, you’re too late. I already have high blood pressure, and my cholesterol’s a bit high too. Can’t be helped. I’m getting to that age."
"Come on. I’d say it’s too many drinking parties."
Joking and nudging each other, they sat down on the sofa on the west side of the office. The director skillfully began to prepare a tea set on the table, pouring hot water from a nearby thermos to brew tea.
"Zhou Yi, this is Old Lu, Lu Changjiang, the director of our Qingshan District Power Supply Office. Old Lu and I were army buddies. He had the bunk below me back in the service," Wu Yongcheng introduced.
’So Captain Wu was a soldier,’ Zhou Yi thought. ’I didn’t know that.’
"Director Lu, a pleasure. My name is Zhou Yi. I’m... Captain Wu’s soldier."
Zhou Yi paused deliberately as he said this, noticing that Wu Yongcheng had no reaction.
He knew it then. ’My spot on the City Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Detachment is in the bag.’
"It can’t be easy working under him, can it? He’s a real handful. Famous for it back when we were soldiers," Lu Changjiang teased.
"That’s where you’re wrong, Director Lu. Captain Wu treats me very well, trusts me completely."
Lu Changjiang’s eyes went wide in disbelief. "What? Him? Did I hear you right?"
Wu Yongcheng said flatly, "That’s because Zhou Yi is exceptional enough."
"Well now, young man, it’s a rare day I hear Old Wu praise someone. Not bad, not bad at all. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you."
"Alright, let’s get down to business. Do you have an electrician in your office named Wang Youfu?"
Lu Changjiang nodded. "We do. What’s wrong? He didn’t get into trouble, did he?"
"No, we just need to ask him some questions. As for the details, you know the deal, I can’t say."
"Hey, I get it, I get it. A matter of procedure."
"Should I call Wang Youfu over for you, then? You can talk here, and I can step out."
Seeing him about to get up, Wu Yongcheng waved his hand.
"No rush. First, I want to get some information about him from you."
"Sure. Ask away. I’ll tell you anything I know. Happy to cooperate with your work."
"What kind of person is this Wang Youfu?"
"His work ethic is pretty good, and he’s one of our more skilled electricians. But in terms of personality, he’s a bit of a clam, doesn’t like to talk to people much. That’s why he’s thirty-five and still single."
"The key thing is, when people try to set him up, he rejects them outright without even meeting them. Isn’t that strange?"
Wu Yongcheng and Zhou Yi immediately exchanged a look. Neither was surprised by what they saw in the other’s eyes.
Zhou Yi was now almost certain of one thing: this Wang Youfu was probably Zhang Xinli’s backup plan.