Chapter 262 Mysterious Man

According to the key direction proposed by Zhou Yi, all the people involved in the investigation of this case took copies of Tang Xue's photos and went to Donghai Community and its surrounding areas for investigation.

When the investigation of a case reaches a bottleneck, we have to go back to the most primitive method, the three axes!

No matter how powerful your reasoning ability is, it is just a castle in the air.

Judicial proceedings only look at the complete chain of evidence.

Shi Tao assigned the work arrangements for the visit. Zhou Yi said that in addition to the witnesses, the identity of the child's father has not been clarified yet.

Huang Chen is actually the most suspicious, but judging from the current investigation, the two may have only engaged in some marginal behaviors.

Another suspect is the tutor named Hu Weihua. Zhou Yi first went to Yao Fenfang's house and found the notebook she mentioned.

Sure enough, it densely records every expense in the lives of the mother and daughter, from big things like social interactions to small things like buying a scallion. From the words between the lines, it can be seen that their life is indeed quite tight.

It contained Hu Weihua’s phone number, the tuition fees paid, and the date of each tutoring session was clearly marked.

Judging from the price, it is indeed not cheap, no wonder Yao Fenfang said she couldn't afford it.

Zhou Yi called the number above. An old lady answered the phone, and there was the sound of children crying around.

The number belonged to Hu Weihua's home. The old lady said it was Hu Weihua's mother, who was still working at school at this time.

Zhou Yi casually asked how old the child was. The old lady smiled and said that he was fourteen months old and very naughty.

Zhou Yi was a little worried. Hu Weihua's child was just over one year old, which meant that when he was tutoring Tang Xue, the child had just been born. His wife might still be on maternity leave while breastfeeding, and his mother was helping to take care of the child.

In such an environment, whether it is consensual or forced, there is no possibility of having a relationship.

He was much less wary of Teacher Hu, but he still had to ask.

Since he and Shi Tao took the two people away directly when they came to Yao Fenfang's house before, they did not participate in the on-site investigation.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi walked around the room to see if there were any other clues.

Zhou Yi came to Tang Xue's bedroom, which was small and could only accommodate a bed, a single wardrobe and a desk.

There are many posters of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars on the wall, and a pile of contemporary music magazines and many tapes in the drawer.

Zhou Yi opened a thick notebook, on which were written many lyrics in colorful colors and many patterns.

It can be seen that this is probably the spiritual sustenance of the introverted Tang Xue.

Other than that, nothing special.

Zhou Yi stood in the bedroom and took a look. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he saw a piece of headphone wire sticking out from under the quilt at the head of the bed.

He turned back the covers on the bed and found a silver Sony Walkman.

He had seen this walkman before, as his cousin Zhao Min also had an identical one.

But he remembered that this thing was not cheap. Zhao Min spent more than a thousand yuan on it, and his aunt was reluctant to spend it. It was his uncle who decided to buy it because he loved his daughter.

According to Yao Fenfang's salary level, this walkman would cost her at least half a year's salary.

My aunt's family was much better off than this, and she bought it for her studies when she was in high school.

This thing is simply not something that Tang Xue's family can afford.

Moreover, there was no such expense in Yao Fenfang's account book, and it was even less likely to be from Tang Xue's father.

Then there is only one possibility, that is the father of the child.

Although it was also possible that the male classmate gave his Walkman to Tang Xue, Zhou Yi felt that it was more likely that the man was an adult male with a certain economic foundation.

Zhou Yi told Qiao Jiali about the Walkman and his thoughts. Qiao Jiali's expression became serious: "Is Tang Xue selling her body for money?"

"I don't think so. Judging from how much she values ​​the bracelet on her hand, it's probably a romantic reaction. But if the other person is an adult, it's probably not a normal relationship."

"Are you suspicious of that tutor?"

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and replied, "It's hard to say. I'll have to ask to find out."

So the two drove to Nanming No. 2 Middle School where Hu Weihua worked. Since Hu Weihua was still in class, they first talked to the school leaders to learn about the situation.

The school leaders praised Hu Weihua's teaching level, saying that he is conscientious, diligent and pragmatic. He not only cares about students, but also has a strong spirit of research and is deeply trusted by his classmates and parents.

When asked about his personal situation, the school leaders expressed some regret that because Mr. Hu's external conditions were a little weak, he started a family relatively late.

I got married to my current wife at the age of 35 after being introduced by a colleague at school. Fortunately, the good news of her pregnancy came soon after the marriage, and she gave birth to a lovely boy last year.

This is consistent with what Yao Fenfang said that Hu Weihua is about the same age as herself, as well as the information Zhou Yi obtained from his previous phone call to his home.

Half an hour later, Hu Weihua was called over by the school leaders after finishing the class. When Zhou Yi and Qiao Jiali saw him, they knew why the principal was so sorry just now.

Hu Weihua is a little under 1.6 meters tall, has an average appearance, and has many pits on his face left by acne. He is indeed at a disadvantage in terms of appearance.

Especially with Tang Xue's room full of celebrity posters, it was hard for Zhou Yi to connect a little girl who loved Hong Kong and Taiwan celebrities so much with Teacher Hu in a relationship.

Although Hu Weihua looks average, he speaks in a generous manner, and one can tell from the moment he opens his mouth that he is a cultured person.

After learning that they came for Tang Xue, he explained in a clear and organized manner how Yao Fenfang was introduced to him for tutoring and how he himself tutored Tang Xue, including how many classes a week, how long the classes lasted, the cost, etc.

"To be honest with you, I didn't originally want to give students private lessons. But at that time, my wife had just given birth and the family expenses were a bit high, so I wanted to earn some extra money. I'm actually quite ashamed of myself," Hu Weihua said embarrassedly.

"Teacher Hu, where do you give Tang Xue extra lessons?" Qiao Jiali asked.

"It's in my living room, right next to the dining table. Our house is a little small, and there's no separate space. I was quite embarrassed about it, and I told Tang Xue's mom that it might be a little noisy."

"Have you always been at your house? Have you never been to Tang Xue's house?"

Hu Weihua shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, I made it clear to Tang Xue's mother from the beginning that I would not come to her house. She agreed to this, so I agreed to tutor Tang Xue."

Hu Weihua was smart enough not to ask them what had happened to Tang Xue, but he seemed to have a vague guess and immediately added, "Because the tutoring classes are in the evening, my wife and my mother are always at home. Tang Xue and I have never been alone together. Sometimes her mother would bring her over, and she would be there too."

Zhou Yi and Qiao Jiali nodded. Hu Weihua’s meaning was very clear.

No matter what reason you come to see me, Tang Xue and I have an ordinary teacher-student relationship, and there are witnesses.

Zhou Yi and the others understood what he meant and stopped asking questions. After all, this was just a routine investigation into Teacher Hu and there were no clear clues pointing to him.

"Teacher Hu, did you notice anything unusual during the time you were tutoring Tang Xue?" Zhou Yi asked.

Hu Weihua thought for a moment and said, "There haven't been any unusual circumstances, but there was one time when her father came to pick her up."

Zhou Yi and Qiao Jiali were shocked. "Tang Jun?"

Didn’t He Bin find Tang Jun and tell him that he hadn’t visited his daughter for a long time?

Hu Weihua shook his head. "I don't know her name. Sometimes Tang Xue's mother works the night shift and leaves after dropping her off. After the tutoring, Tang Xue goes back on her own. I expressed my concerns before, but since we're not far away, her mother said it was okay."

"Then one time, Tang Xue's mother worked the night shift, and I walked Tang Xue out after class. Oh, if she went home on her own, I would always walk her to the gate of the community."

"Then she saw a car waiting for her across the street. The driver was a tall man."

Zhou Yi asked: "How do you know that's her father?"

"When Tang Xue saw that man, she ran over happily and even hugged him," Hu Weihua said, having keenly sensed something was amiss. "I instinctively thought it was her father and didn't think anything else. After all, Tang Xue was a very quiet student."

Zhou Yi was certain that the man driving the car was not Tang Jun. Tang Xue and Tang Jun had a poor father-daughter relationship, so how could they happily hug each other when they met?

It seems that this mysterious man is the one who caused Tang Xue to become pregnant.

"Teacher Hu, did you see the man's appearance clearly, or the license plate number?"

"No. I saw her get in the car, and then I left."

Zhou Yi asked when this happened.

Hu Weihua said he couldn't remember the exact date, but it was definitely around the end of May or the beginning of June, because about two or three weeks later, just before the final exams, Yao Fenfang said embarrassedly that something had happened at home and she might have to suspend her tutoring for a while. She hadn't seen Tang Xue since then.

The two thanked him for his cooperation and left the school.

"This man owns a car and can afford an expensive Walkman, which means he's well-off." Qiao Jiali analyzed after leaving the school. "But almost no one knows about this man, which means he's very cautious in his relationship with Tang Xue. Tang Xue probably doesn't have this awareness, which means this man specifically told her to do this."

"I think this man is probably married. What I hate most in my life is men who are unfaithful in their marriages!"

"Sister Qiao, I agree with your analysis. This man is definitely not one to be seen in public!"

Just as Zhou Yi finished speaking, the mobile phone in his pocket rang. When he picked it up, he saw that it was Shi Tao calling.

"Zhou Yi, let me tell you, I have a major discovery!"

"And guess who provided the information."

"That's the mascot security guard you mentioned!"