“Who…? I don’t remember.” Secretary Nie knew she’d made a mistake. Her eyes darted about, and she kept edging toward the door, clearly trying to slip out of the director’s office.
Unexpectedly, Zeng Yongjia stepped in front of her and blocked the way. When she saw the search warrant he produced, she looked as though she was on the verge of tears.
At that moment, panting footsteps sounded from the doorway.
“O-Officers, honestly, you should’ve let me know before coming! I feel terrible making you wait for me all the time.” Wang Wenping appeared as impeccably dressed as ever in his business suit, repeatedly wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
After speaking, he pretended only then to notice the situation in the office. Looking surprised, he hurried over to Secretary Nie and said, “Secretary Nie? Why aren’t you preparing some fruit for our guests? This is terribly inhospitable, terribly inhospitable!”
Secretary Nie immediately answered and hurriedly tried to slip past Zeng Yongjia.
“That’s not necessary. We’re here on official business, not for food and entertainment.”
He Shu’s words successfully stopped her. Then she gestured for Wang Wenping to take the search warrant.
“We came today to lawfully obtain all information related to the victim, Xin Li. Naturally, that includes the identity of the VIP member who referred her to your hospital. I need that member’s records as well.”
Wang Wenping waved his hand and gave a rather perfunctory smile. “What referral? This happened so long ago. Secretary Nie must be remembering incorrectly.”
“Y-Yes…”
“This concerns a homicide investigation,” He Shu interrupted. “Director Wang, yesterday you requested a search warrant. We brought one today. Deliberately concealing important clues or knowingly withholding information carries legal liability.”
Although she smiled, it never reached her eyes. Her words were unmistakably intimidating.
Secretary Nie immediately shut her mouth. Uneasy and clearly wanting no part of the situation, she looked helplessly toward Wang Wenping for assistance. She had only intended to come to work as usual. How had she suddenly become entangled in potential legal consequences?
The refined expression on Wang Wenping’s face twisted with indecision. More sweat appeared on his forehead. After standing there and thinking for a moment, his previously straight-backed posture seemed to sag.
Finally, he waved his hand. “Go get the materials the officers requested.”
After Secretary Nie hurried out as though she had just been granted a pardon, Wang Wenping sat down behind his desk, wiping sweat from his face the entire time. He looked like a man who had just survived a fierce battle, utterly drained. Even his meticulously slicked-back hair had come undone from all the wiping; several strands now hung loose across his forehead.
“Director Wang, your reactions really are rather unusual,” He Shu observed, watching him. Taking advantage of Secretary Nie’s absence, she continued, “You seem frightened every time you see us. We can’t help wondering whether you’ve done something you’re feeling guilty about.”
At her words, Wang Wenping’s movements stiffened. Still, he stubbornly refused to admit anything.
“I’m just an ordinary person, Officer. Don’t normal people get nervous around police? Even when you know you haven’t broken any laws, you still end up mentally reviewing every single thing you’ve done in your entire life three times over.”
Seeing that he was determined to stick to that explanation, He Shu didn’t press further. Instead, she exchanged a glance with Zeng Yongjia.
From the looks of things, they would probably be able to get something useful out of him before the day was over.
The office suddenly fell silent. The complete absence of sound only increased the psychological pressure on the man behind the desk. He unconsciously loosened his tie and even removed his suit jacket.
Two minutes later, Secretary Nie finally returned carrying a folder. She walked over to the coffee table and carefully laid out the freshly printed documents from inside.
“Gu Weiwei?” He Shu picked up the two sheets and studied them together with Zeng Yongjia. The woman in the photograph had obviously gone a bit too far with cosmetic surgery. A subtle adjustment here or there might have looked natural enough to escape notice, but a complete transformation like this was another matter entirely. No amount of surgical skill could fully disguise it.
“Twenty-six years old. Here’s a contact number…” He Shu flipped through the pages. There wasn’t much useful information on them. Most of the file consisted of records detailing the procedures and cosmetic treatments Gu Weiwei had received at the clinic. Her most recent visit for a non-surgical aesthetic treatment had been two months earlier.
Judging from the listed services and their original prices, Gu Weiwei had spent nearly a million yuan at the hospital over the years. No wonder she qualified as a VIP member.
He Shu deliberately read certain key personal details aloud while watching Wang Wenping’s reaction from the corner of her eye. Eventually, she handed the file to Zeng Yongjia for safekeeping and looked up at the man behind the desk with a meaningful smile.
“Director Wang, what exactly is your relationship with Miss Gu?”
“She requires services, and I provide services.” Wang Wenping appeared somewhat displeased by the question. “It’s nothing more than the simple relationship between a client and her cosmetic surgeon.”
“Since Director Wang says so, of course the police will choose to believe you.”
He Shu stood up as though she had already achieved the purpose of her visit and was preparing to leave. At the same time, she instructed Zeng Yongjia in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft: “When we get back, contact Miss Gu and ask her to come to the bureau to assist with the investigation. Make sure we thoroughly clarify everything, from beginning to end.”
“Don’t worry, Captain He.” Zeng Yongjia patted his chest. “I’ll map out every single one of her social connections, no matter how minor. Nobody gets missed.”
Noticing Wang Wenping unconsciously holding his breath, He Shu turned back just before reaching the door. “Director Wang, if you happen to remember anything, you’re always welcome to contact the police.” Her smile deepened slightly. “It’ll save everyone a lot of trouble. Otherwise, if I end up learning something from Miss Gu and need to come to your home later to verify it, and your family happens to find out…” She paused. “Well, at that point, I’m not sure how convenient that would be for you.”
A threat. A naked, undisguised threat. And yet, when He Shu delivered it, she wore the expression of someone thoughtfully looking out for his best interests.
Wang Wenping clenched his jaw. In the end, just as the two officers were halfway through the doorway, he finally spoke.
“Officers, please wait.” As he said this, he shot Secretary Nie a meaningful look. “You can step outside for now.”
Secretary Nie practically fled. Before leaving, she even thoughtfully closed the office door behind her.
He Shu and Zeng Yongjia returned to the sofa and sat back down.
Behind the desk, Wang Wenping lowered his head and fell silent, staring at something unseen. Neither officer rushed him. They offered no encouragement and no pressure, simply waiting.
The seconds ticked by. By the time both of them had nearly finished their tea, Wang Wenping finally stirred. His complexion was ashen. His hair was disheveled. Not a trace remained of the composed, energetic executive he had presented earlier.
After letting out a long sigh, he spoke quietly. “The situation between Gu Weiwei and me is indeed… complicated. But there were reasons for it…”
“So the two of you were having an affair?” He Shu cut off what was clearly about to become a lengthy explanation.
Every minute was precious. They didn’t have time to sit through a love story. Besides, whatever excuses he might have had, the facts remained the facts: he had cheated, he had betrayed his family, and he was still a scumbag.
“…Yes.” After a brief hesitation, the man finally forced the single word out through clenched teeth.
“Director Wang should have been honest about this from the beginning instead of trying to coordinate with his secretary to conceal information from the police. We’re police officers, not the morality police. Extramarital affairs aren’t our jurisdiction,” Zeng Yongjia said, thoroughly baffled by the man’s deliberate attempts at concealment.
He Shu, however, thought for a moment before asking: “The reason you were so frightened when you saw us yesterday… was that related to Gu Weiwei, wasn’t it?”
Since there was no point hiding it any longer, Wang Wenping gave up resisting and answered more readily.
“Yes. About a month ago, I ended that relationship. She threatened to go to the police and accuse me of rape. She also said she’d bring the police to my hospital and ruin my reputation so thoroughly that I wouldn’t be able to stay in business anymore.”
He wiped his face. “I’m a well-known person in this field. If she really did something like that… And I have a family. If word of this ever reached my wife and children…” He laughed bitterly. “To be honest, when you showed up yesterday, I thought she’d actually reported me.”
“Since Gu Weiwei was your former lover,” He Shu continued, “you must know something about her relationship with Xin Li.”
“The two of them…” The man hesitated before answering. “I guess you’d call them coworkers.”
“Coworkers?” Zeng Yongjia asked. “What company did they work for?”
“As far as I know, they both worked under a man known as ‘Brother Shan.’” The moment he said it, Wang Wenping quickly looked toward the sofa. What he saw was He Shu’s frighteningly perceptive gaze. There was already understanding in her eyes.
Closing his eyes and steeling himself, he continued: “That’s right. They were sex workers.”
“I originally got in touch with this ‘Brother Shan’ through a social networking app. Later, through him, I met Gu Weiwei. One thing led to another, and we established an ongoing arrangement. We met several times a month.”
His expression darkened. “But that woman definitely wasn’t seeing only me.”
“Tell me, was that reasonable? Have I ever treated her badly all these years? Every part of that body was paid for by me. And in the end she turns around and threatens me?” He spat out the last words bitterly.
“Damn it.” The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. The refined, scholarly demeanor he had displayed when they first met was completely gone. His eyes had even turned red with anger.
“After all this talking, why exactly did you hide the relationship between Xin Li and Gu Weiwei?” Zeng Yongjia persisted. His tone had grown noticeably firmer. No matter how much Wang Wenping talked, he seemed determined to circle around the issue instead of getting to the point.
“…”
Faced with such a direct question, the man instantly fell silent. It was obvious that his little scheme had been mercilessly exposed. Everything he’d been saying up to now had merely been an attempt to focus on irrelevant details, hoping the police would overlook the important parts and let him muddle through.
“I heard Secretary Nie mention that Xin Li caused such a fuss over the cost of her surgery that you eventually gave her a significant discount,” He Shu said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. “Director Wang, you’re clearly a shrewd businessman. Why would you make a deal that loses money?”
“You said it was because you were worried she’d affect the hospital’s business. But wouldn’t that create a precedent? If other customers found out, wouldn’t they all try the same tactic? Wouldn’t that hurt profits even more?”
“A cosmetic surgery hospital isn’t a charity. Since when are you so generous?”
Zeng Yongjia’s eyes widened slightly. “Director Wang, please answer the question directly. Did you also have an inappropriate relationship with Xin Li?”
“It only happened twice! And she agreed to it!” Wang Wenping suddenly became emotional. Rising from his chair, he slammed his palm against the desk. A moment later, however, he seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon and collapsed back into his seat.
“Who could have imagined she’d end up dead? Yesterday, all I could think about was making sure you never found out about our relationship. This is a murder case. If you knew I was connected to her, there was no way you’d leave me alone. And if my wife ever found out…”
In short, throughout his entire explanation there was only one central theme: He was terrified of his wife.
Afterward, He Shu questioned him in detail about various aspects of the relationships and circumstances involved. Finally, she took out the computer-generated reconstruction of the unidentified victim discovered three years earlier and asked him to examine it.
He Shu followed up with a few more detailed questions before taking out the computer-generated facial reconstruction of the victim discovered three years earlier and asking Wang Wenping to identify her.
Wang Wenping studied the image for a moment, then shook his head.
“No impression at all. Logically speaking, my hospital had only been open a short time back then, and we didn’t have many clients. If she’d ever come here, I should remember her at least a little.”
He looked at the picture a few more times before pushing it back across the table. “You can have Secretary Nie pull the client records from three years ago. Since you have a search warrant, whether I agree or not doesn’t really matter.”
“We’ll do that,” He Shu replied, standing once more. “Thank you for your cooperation, Director Wang. As for any follow-up—”
“Could you please not contact my wife? And please don’t tell her any of this.”
His face was full of pleading. The mere mention of his wife seemed to fill him with dread.
From an angle Wang Wenping couldn’t see, Zeng Yongjia rolled his eyes dramatically. Being that terrified of his wife while continuing to cheat on her so relentlessly was truly a rare talent.
“Everything you’ve provided today is for investigative purposes only,” He Shu explained patiently. “We naturally won’t disclose witness statements or information provided by involved parties.”
Then she added: “Of course, that’s assuming everything proceeds normally. If, during the course of this investigation, evidence points in the direction of your wife, then we’ll naturally need to speak with her.”
“Y-You… what exactly do you mean by that?” The man’s pupils widened in alarm.
“Director Wang, sometimes when you think someone doesn’t know something,” she said, “the only person who doesn’t know is you.”
That was all she said. Without bothering to see just how shocked he was by the implication, she turned, opened the door, and left the director’s office.
Afterward, He Shu and Zeng Yongjia went to speak with Secretary Nie again. Her confusion upon seeing the photograph of the first victim appeared entirely genuine. Furthermore, after checking through old client records, she confirmed that the woman had indeed never been a client of the hospital.
As they walked out of Aimani Medical Aesthetics Hospital, Zeng Yongjia was still muttering to himself.
“When we were upstairs, I thought we’d finally found the connection between the victims. I figured they were both linked to this hospital. Now we can pretty much rule that out.”
“Although…” he continued, “the possibility that they were both connected to Director Wang still can’t be eliminated. Just because the first victim wasn’t a client here doesn’t mean she didn’t know him.”
“Oh, right, Captain He. What you said earlier… were you implying that his wife might be involved too? A murder motivated by jealousy actually sounds pretty plausible.”
The two talked as they climbed into the vehicle.
After starting the engine, He Shu unconsciously tapped her fingers against the steering wheel.
“What I said earlier was more of a warning for Wang Wenping,” she explained. “I wanted to prepare him in advance so he wouldn’t come running to us and make a scene later if we ended up contacting his wife.”
“We definitely need to speak with her. At this stage, we can’t ignore any possible lead. But personally, I don’t think the chances of finding something useful through her are particularly high.”
After saying that, she fell silent. She mentally reviewed every piece of information they had obtained that day. Only after sorting through it all in her mind did she shift the car into gear. The vehicle slowly pulled away from the cosmetic surgery hospital and merged onto the road.