Chapter 99 Chapter 99 The most crucial and direct evidence is still missing...

Late at night, the lights were still brightly lit in the office of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Tiandu Branch.

Ji Yinhe stood in front of the blackboard and informed all his teammates about the content of his afternoon meeting and conversation with Zeng Rou.

The air became quiet and no one spoke for a long time.

Until Niu Dazhi raised his claws holding Qiulin's red sausage—

"Did Zeng Rou finally answer Teacher Lu's question?" he asked, bewildered. "He Ling sent Yao Xiulan to meet her father's client, and also stole Feng Qisheng's job and Chengguan Middle School's job?"

"No." Lu Zheng, passing by from the technical department next door, shook his head. "This is just Ji Yinhe and I's speculation. It's been so many years, and the evidence from back then is hard to find."

"I'll go find her!" Yu Jing suddenly slapped his thigh and stood up. "This He Ling is so mean! She's been bullying Yao Xiulan for four years, and I don't believe there's no clue at all!"

Ji Yinhe pursed his lips, "...Captain Yu, I understand your anger, but He Ling is still lying in the autopsy room, and Yao Xiulan is the prime suspect in this case—"

"Alright, Captain Ji, I know what's important." Yu Jing sat down, a little disappointed. "I just can't stand it. Why do you rely on your family's wealth and power to bully others like this..."

Ji Yinhe lowered his head and sighed.

In fact, she also felt sorry for Xiulan in her heart, but as a criminal police officer, finding out the truth was her top priority and she must not let her emotions get the better of her at work.

"Um, Captain Ji, I have a question." Sang Xiangyang raised his hand. "Zeng Rou said He Ling took Yao Xiulan to meet Taiwanese businessmen. No one knows exactly what happened, and although Yao Xiulan acted very reluctant, she went anyway... Could it be that it wasn't as bad as we imagined..."

"That's right." Niu Dazhi agreed. "Businessmen often travel around the world, so they've seen all kinds of women. Yao Xiulan has a birthmark on her face, right? It's a serious flaw..."

Ji Yinhe stared at the darkness outside and shook his head slightly.

"No, I think Yao Xiulan has a special quality that is exactly the treasure that those old men dream of."

The two generals Heng and Ha said in unison: "...Ah?"

Captain Ji put his hands behind his back and paced in front of the blackboard. "Think about it from their perspective. These businessmen often visit prostitutes, and most of the time they encounter people who want to use their sex life to exchange for benefits and resources, regardless of gender. Yao Xiulan's youthful innocence and inexperience with worldly affairs are something they rarely encounter, especially since she's a teacher training student with a bright future... You know, ruining someone's future is much more attractive than simply throwing money at them."

"... makes some sense." Yu Jing stroked his chin and said, "No one would want to accompany those old men, but Yao Xiulan is different - He Ling must have taken advantage of her love for Feng Qisheng, and because of her poverty and low self-esteem about her appearance, she used her as a tool for herself and her father to make money. In the end, she stole her job and took advantage of her..." He pounded his chest, "No, the more you talk, the angrier I get!"

After the words fell, the office fell silent. Everyone looked very sad, especially Sang Xiangyang, who had a daughter at home. He couldn't help sighing, "This little girl is so pitiful! I should have called the police at that time!"

"Ah..." Niu Dazhi bit into the sausage, "She's the one I want. How about... issuing a wanted order?"

"No." Ji Yinhe leaned against the window and said solemnly, "Teacher Lu, Zeng Rou, and I all agree that Yao Xiulan is not necessarily the murderer."

"--ah?"

Now it's not just the two generals Heng and Ha, even Yu Kyoto has joined the ranks of those who have doubts.

"Putting aside Yao Youlu's case and Lin Fang's death, in 1980, Yao Xiulan followed her sister back from Jiangtan to Chaojiang Village in Dengzhou, where they lived together. At that time, the college entrance exam had only been resumed a few years ago, and getting into a teachers' college was difficult. She must have studied very hard. Zeng Rou said that Xiulan was so poor that she even sold her bedding and luggage for college, one zongzi at a time, for four years without changing them. This shows that she and her sister Yulan had a deep family bond. She studied a profession like teachers, which involves interacting with children and teenagers, and had no obvious mental problems. From this perspective, no matter how much she hated He Ling, she at least wouldn't have taken her anger out on him and killed the five-year-old girl Feng Xiaojing."

Ji Yinhe gave a well-reasoned answer, and the three people on the opposite side could not utter a word of rebuttal.

After a long while, Yu Jing rested his chin on his hand and muttered, "Could there be some other hidden secret? Can Zeng Rou be trusted? What if someone came to her in advance to coordinate a story and put the blame for the murder on Yao Xiulan—"

"Then instead of telling us that Yao Xiulan wouldn't kill anyone, they'd say she definitely did it."

Ji Yinhe successfully retraced her logic, "Captain Yu, Zeng Rou probably didn't lie. Her account of this past was full of details and rich in depth. If it was a lie, then I can only say that her lying skills were too high."

Niu Dazhi blinked, "Captain Ji, you don't think Yao Yulan is the murderer of the family annihilation case, do you?"

"It's possible, but we still lack the most crucial and direct evidence."

"..." Yu Jing exhaled through his nose. "Okay, I've heard Captain Ji's intuition is incredibly accurate, so I'll trust you this time."

"Okay." Ji Yinhe nodded with a smile, "If you have a different opinion, please feel free to raise it at any time."

Yu Jing tapped his fingers on the desk. "What are the plans for tomorrow?"

Ji Yinhe lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, and the figure he met on the bus last time seemed to jump out in front of him again.

Coincidentally, Zeng Rou said Yao Yulan practiced martial arts, and this girl who left in a panic when she heard that she was a police officer also had a foundation in martial arts.

The starting station of the bus that day was at the junction of Jiangtan and Dengzhou, two prefecture-level cities. She checked the map and found that she could transfer to Chaojiang Village via an intercity bus!

——So this girl is the Yao Yulan she has been looking for?

"Tomorrow you will continue with your previous plan and visit the neighbors in Wisteria Lane and Feng Qisheng and He Ling's other relationships."

Ji Yinhe looked at the stars in the dark night sky outside and replied softly, "As for me...it's time to go to Chaojiang Village and look for the Yao sisters!"

*

The next day was a bright sunny day. As the Spring Festival was approaching, the weather became warmer, perhaps inspired by the New Year.

After Ji Yinhe and Lu Zheng finished their breakfast in the cafeteria, they got on the bureau's jeep and drove to Dengzhou along the bus route.

After passing the jurisdiction of Jiangtan City and entering the relatively economically backward Dengzhou, the road conditions become very rugged.

But Captain Xiao Ji is no longer the novice driver he was back then. He holds the steering wheel firmly and drives steadily and...slowly.

This allowed Lu Zheng, who was sitting in the passenger seat, to carefully observe whether there were any clues related to the Yao sisters along the way.

Probably because the sun was shining brightly today, when we passed a large town west of Chaojiang Village, we saw many vendors sitting on the roadside selling boxed lunches, fruits and vegetables.

Ji Yinhe stared at the narrow road as the jeep slowly moved forward among the crowd.

Lu Zheng only heard him say softly, "About ten meters ahead, there's a young woman selling cakes."

"pastry?"

Ji Yinhe immediately thought of Yao Youlu's Taosu Shop. He looked in the direction Lu Zheng pointed, and his heartbeat suddenly stopped.

She would not make a mistake. The girl sitting behind the pile of bamboo baskets with a brown wool scarf wrapped around her neck was the girl who had helped on the bus that day.

Although she didn't want to admit it, more and more clues pointed out that this was Yao Yulan, who was closely related to the case within the case.

"call--"

Ji Yinhe turned the steering wheel, stepped on the brake, and parked the jeep in a hidden place under the tree.

The two men pushed open the car door, put on cold-proof masks, pretended to be two citizens out looking for food, and walked towards where Yao Yulan was.

"I think she still remembers me." Ji Yinhe murmured to Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng asked: "Are you bringing the person back today?"

Ji Yinhe shook his head, "I just want to talk to her."

Lu Zheng said "Okay" and took a small step back behind Ji Yinhe.

The two figures were too conspicuous, and even with masks covering their faces, Yao Yulan recognized them at a glance.

She nervously put away the bamboo basket and was about to leave, but Ji Yinhe blocked her way and picked up the small red sand pot at her feet as if she were a passerby. She asked, "This is quite exquisite. How much is it?"

"Not for sale." Yao Yulan squinted in the sunlight. "My mother made it for me."

"Your mother must love you very much." Ji Yinhe met her gaze. "The pastries smell delicious. Is it a family craft?"

"..." Yao Yulan calmly snatched the sand pot back and said stiffly, "Yes."

"I'm from Jiangtan." Ji Yinhe smiled and asked casually, "There used to be a Yaoji Peach Cake shop in Jiangtan. The cakes and pastries you make were just as delicious... Hey, the owner of that shop was Yao Youlu. Is he a relative of yours?"

When Yao Yulan heard her father's name, her lower back trembled unconsciously, but she still managed to remain calm and replied, "I don't know him."

"Really?" Ji Yinhe's smile suddenly faded, and he asked coldly, "A while ago, a family was murdered in Jiangtan City. Interestingly, we found a skeleton at the crime scene. It was the owner of Yaoji Taosu... Have you heard of him?"

Yao Yulan's face changed. The female police officer in front of her actually knew the connection between her sisters and Wisteria Lane!

At this moment, she thought of running away. After all, her sister Xiulan was hiding not far away. What if the police came to arrest them...

A tall shadow moved across the ground; it was obvious that another policeman had walked behind her!

Yao Yulan took a deep breath. Now she could only take a gamble. After returning from Jiangtan, she had studied the relevant laws and regulations. As long as there was no evidence, the police could not arrest anyone rashly!

She was sure—they left no trace on Wisteria Lane, and it was impossible for them to leave any trace!

"I haven't heard of it." Yao Yulan looked up and smiled. "Do you want to buy some cakes?"

"...No." Ji Yinhe took out a coin from his pocket and threw it into the red sand jar. "Maybe you forgot that you helped me on the bus a few days ago. I want to return the money to you."

"Oh, it's you." Yao Yulan stood up calmly. "I remember now. Women should help each other. You're welcome. If there's nothing else, I'll go back—"

"What's wrong with your leg?" Ji Yinhe opened his eyes wide, "Wasn't it fine in the car last time?"

"…It's an old injury that always flares up when it's cold. It's warm today, so I think it'll be healed by the afternoon."

Yao Yulan tried to be perfunctory with her words, turned around and limped towards the street.

Ji Yinhe didn't let her leave easily this time. She pulled Lu Zheng along and stopped them. Staring into her evasive eyes, she asked, "Is this old injury related to your father?"

“…”

The word "father" touched Yao Yulan's sore spot. She stopped abruptly and raised her eyebrows:

"Officer, some people are like animals. They have no moral bottom line and are unfit to be husbands or fathers... Since you've already suspected me, I'll make it clear - if you don't have evidence, please let me go!"