Chapter 34 Senior Inspector, in Full Bloom.
Weng Zhaolin looked puzzled and asked Zhu Qing, "What do you mean by 'little mouth'? Did anyone just say that?"
How could Madam possibly help her uncle teach her boss a lesson at this moment?
Zhu Qing coughed lightly and shook her head: "I don't know."
The niece doesn't know, but the uncle does!
Shengfang looked up with a sincere expression and said, "Mmm—"
Her little mouth was covered again, and Zhu Qing calmly said, "Don't speak."
Weng Zhaolin was even more confused. He had just finished urging and scolding his subordinates when he got stuck in his throat and forgot how to continue.
He restarted the car, the engine roaring, and was about to leave when the child raised his hand, wanting to say something.
"Can you take us somewhere?" Fang Fang asked, peering through the camera.
This was Zhu Qing's first time riding in Mr. Weng's car.
This was also the first time Inspector Yung had driven one of his subordinates. He sat in the driver's seat, the two passengers behind him whispering amongst themselves, unable to join the conversation, experiencing firsthand the treatment of a taxi driver. This big guy and little girl were treating him like a taxi driver!
"Qingzai, when are you planning to practice driving?"
"Let's get through this busy period first."
Weng Zhaolin pricked up his ears and finally heard it.
It turned out that a new recruit from the Major Crimes Unit was going to take his driver's license test. He joined the conversation, offering some advice on taking the driving test, and even showed off a bit at the end.
"The year I took my driver's license test was different from now. When I took my license back to the police station, I was the only one in the entire station who could drive!"
Shengfang continued in a small voice, "Once you get your driver's license, your uncle will buy you a car."
Weng Zhaolin knew, of course, that his new subordinate was the long-lost granddaughter of jewelry tycoon Sheng Wenchang, who had been living away for twenty years. Who in the entire Yau Ma Tei Police Station didn't know?
I heard she bought a house recently, and many people from the police station have visited their home, but I was the only one left out. Inspector Weng wasn't really interested in socializing with young people, but they mentioned buying a car, which was something he was familiar with.
"Buying a car, huh?" Weng Zhaolin proudly patted his steering wheel. "Mine—"
"That one won't do." Shengfang cupped her little hands and gently covered her mouth.
Weng Zhaolin's lips stiffened.
He didn't ask why it wasn't allowed. This young master from a wealthy family used to have a chauffeur and ride in luxury cars, experiencing only extravagant treatment. For him to ask further questions now would only be humiliating and pointless.
Weng Zhaolin smoothly changed the subject, asking why they wanted to go to the welfare home.
“Li Ziyao was the fiancée of the deceased, Fang Songsheng,” Zhu Qing said. “She grew up in an orphanage and was adopted at the age of fourteen.”
This point was not mentioned in Mo Zhenbang's report.
Weng Zhaolin was clearly somewhat surprised. After learning that Zhu Qing and Li Ziyao had another relationship, he habitually tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel.
"If they come from a well-off family, why would they drop out of school?"
“Back in those days, more than a decade ago, the facilities at the welfare home were not advanced enough, and the database consisted entirely of handwritten records. Even if the welfare home did its best to find out about the adoptive families beforehand, the information collected was not necessarily accurate. In the end, it all depended on the conscience of the other party.”
“A fourteen-year-old girl living in a stranger’s house would probably have a very difficult time if they had bad intentions.”
What Weng Zhaolin said was also a problem that Zhu Qing had already considered.
Did her adoptive family force her to drop out of school in her teens to become a beer girl, or was it because Xin Xin felt more secure earning money with her own hands than relying on adoptive parents with whom she had no blood relation?
“The welfare home should still have the records from that time,” Zhu Qing said.
“A breakthrough is a good thing. Let’s follow this line of investigation first. By the way, do we need to go through the recusal procedure for your relationship with Li Ziyao?” After saying that, Weng Zhaolin shook his head before Zhu Qing could answer. “Forget it, she’s just a childhood friend. It won’t affect your professional judgment.”
When they discussed official business, Sheng Fang listened attentively.
As a senior inspector, he couldn't have risen to his position solely through luck. Wong Siu-lun possessed genuine talent and ability; it was just that the media spotlight was too dazzling, and appearing on "Police Training" was too glamorous, so Inspector Wong temporarily set aside his primary duty of solving cases. At this moment, Sheng Fang was engrossed in listening to him and his niece analyze the case with such eloquence when suddenly the sound of brakes rang out, and Wong Siu-lun's car slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
Shengfang's attention was completely drawn to the faded sign on the welfare home's door.
Is this where my niece has lived since she was a child?
It's really shabby.
"This is it." Zhu Qing reached for the car door. "Thank you, Officer Weng."
Weng Zhaolin waved casually, only realizing his mistake after they got off the car.
Who would have thought they came from such a far place? I shouldn't have agreed to the child's request just now because I wanted to save face!
It was at this moment that, as Inspector Ong watched their retreating figures, he suddenly connected the pieces of evidence—
The little one speaks, his small mouth, the big one tells him to shut up...
Who exactly is being told to stay silent?
As Inspector Weng's car drove away, Sheng Fang, a child, exclaimed admiringly, "Qingzai, Zhaolin is really not a petty person!"
“Call him Sir Weng,” Zhu Qing said. “Uncle Weng is fine too.”
Zhu Qing decided to go to the bookstore again in the next couple of days.
The children's area should have picture books that teach children how to address relatives.
For example, Dad's father is called Grandpa, and Mom's sister is called Aunt...
He can address family members according to their seniority, but outside, he's not everyone's uncle!
...
Sister Xin Xin became Li Ziyao after being adopted.
Strangely, Zhu Qing was able to find very little information related to her identity.
The adoptive family registered her under a different name and took her abroad; that's all the information the police could find.
"Qingzai, I don't like it here," Sheng Fang muttered, her little face scrunched up.
He had seen reports about orphanages on TV, where many orphans lived, and Fangfang's uncle had assumed that such places would at least be spacious and bright. But to his surprise, the building before him was not only small in scale, but also shrouded in a profound silence, eerily quiet. Even a cheerful but not particularly sensitive child would feel that the air in this place was so heavy it was suffocating.
Zhu Qing told him that there are now some welfare homes with better facilities and conditions.
“This one is quite old,” she said. “I heard a few years ago that it might be relocated.”
As Zhu Qing walked toward the dean's office, she would stop and introduce the old activity areas and dormitories to him.
For her, the cafeteria was a battlefield. The older children had big appetites and would snatch food from the younger children. Some of the younger, thinner children simply couldn't compete and could only hide in a corner, hungry and secretly wiping away tears. Sometimes the staff would intervene, but more often than not, it was better to avoid trouble, since the children's battles happened every day.
“That was the first time I wanted to be a policeman,” Zhu Qing said. “If I were a policeman, I would arrest all the older kids who were stealing food.”
Sheng Fang was intrigued: "You're so silly. The police can't just arrest people randomly."
Walk past the cafeteria and you'll reach the dormitory area.
In the beginning, the children all lived in a dormitory, and a place with many people is like a small society.
At that time, she and her sister Xin Xin slept in beds next to each other, head to head.
The two little girls pulled the blankets up to cover their mouths, whispering endless secrets to each other.
"Later, it was divided into two large dormitories," Zhu Qing said. "The older children shared one room, and the younger children shared the other."
When they heard that they were going to be reassigned to dormitories, little Zhu Qing and Xin Xin were extremely anxious, and the two girls refused to be separated no matter what. However, before the dormitory relocation was completed, Xin Xin left the orphanage.
They quickly arrived at the dean's office.
"Qingzai, does the dean still recognize you?"
"Of course. I moved away after I grew up."
Director Guo of the welfare home watched Zhu Qing grow up.
The old dean was a good person, always worrying about things, her brows were always furrowed, and her thick glasses couldn't hide the weariness in her eyes.
Although Zhu Qing had given her uncle a heads-up before he entered, the atmosphere in the office was very oppressive as the child saw someone so preoccupied for the first time. He kept quiet, his little hands obediently resting on his knees.
While observing carefully, Shengfang understood.
No wonder my niece's throat was covered in chewing gum, because Dean Guo's throat was also covered in chewing gum.
She was indeed a quiet and reserved person.
“Xin Xin?” Dean Guo frowned. “I remember her.”
When talking about the past, Principal Guo had a few more things to say.
Gradually, the baby was almost dozing off before she finally got into the zone.
"The couple wanted to adopt a well-behaved and pretty girl, and they were a bit picky."
"I recommend children under seven years old; I've never considered Xin Xin."
"But to my surprise, that lady took a liking to her at first sight."
“It’s rare for children this age to be adopted, and I have concerns.”
"But the lady was very sincere, and Xin Xin also wanted to leave, so the formalities were completed quickly."
Director Guo recalled that the couple were well-dressed, cultured, and engaged in trade, frequently traveling between China and abroad. They had a very good relationship and decided to adopt a child from the orphanage because they hadn't had any children of their own after many years of marriage, which they regretted.
“I think Xin Xin and them are destined to be together. The child is pitiful, and fourteen years old is not too late. If she can live a stable life and receive love in the future, I will be happy for her.”
“Generally, after the formalities are completed, the welfare home and the adoptive family will not have much contact. During the days in the welfare home... the adoptive parents certainly hope that the child can forget and completely move on.”
“Xin Xin’s situation was special, so I kept a close eye on her. During that time, her adoptive mother wrote to me.”
That letter, though from a long time ago, was well preserved by Dean Guo; it was tucked inside a book on his bookshelf.
This is a book about parenting, first published in 1980.
More than a decade ago, Dean Guo repeatedly watched the document, took notes, and studied it.
The old letters, even the envelopes were yellowed, showed how old Dean Guo's wrinkled hands trembled slightly as he took them out.
The movements are so slow; it's making the children anxious.
Zhu Qing stepped forward to help.
In the office, the only sounds were the turning of pages and the rustling of letters.
After a long silence, Dean Guo finally spoke again: "Is Xin Xin not doing well in their family?"
Zhu Qing's hand, holding the letter, suddenly stopped.
She looked at the neat handwriting on the letter and the accompanying photo of Xin Xin with her adoptive parents.
“It’s all my fault. If I had visited more often and asked more questions back then…” Dean Guo’s hand tightened on the thick parenting book. “What does a child know? She just wants a place where she can sleep peacefully.”
All Xin Xin, at fourteen, wanted was a home.
...
From the moment they left the orphanage, the children's steps became increasingly joyful.
Once inside the house, the little one kicked off his sneakers, slid in on his knees, and "whoosh!" glided into the house on the smooth floor, where he comfortably lay down on the living room floor.
That's good, he's home.
Even better, Qingzai also left that awful place, the orphanage!
Shengfang was still young, and he couldn't imagine or express the hardships his niece had endured in the orphanage. But she must have been like the other children he had just seen—lifeless, without smiles, and when she heard footsteps or saw unfamiliar faces, she would hurriedly stand up and look over timidly.
While at the orphanage, Sheng Fang asked the children if they thought they were adoptive parents.
Zhu Qing nodded.
She remembered those eager, cautious, and obedient eyes...
In the past, Sister Xin Xin was like this, desperately hoping that someone could take her away, desperately wanting to have a home.
More than a decade ago, the family that adopted Xin Xin sent her a letter.
Now, this letter is placed on Zhu Qing's desk, within easy reach, but she doesn't have the courage to read it again.
"Qingzai—" Shengfang's sweet little voice came from the kitchen, "Time to cook!"
The young master was, after all, a young master. From childhood to adulthood, he had to be coaxed and urged three times to eat, and he would reluctantly open his precious little mouth to taste a few bites. As for cooking, Sheng Fang never imagined that one day she would actually stand on a small stool in the kitchen, put on an apron, pick up a spatula, and prepare dinner for herself.
The apron was so long that it dragged on the ground. The young master moved his feet and accidentally stepped on the edge of the apron, almost tripping.
Zhu Qing helped him up and tied her apron on at the same time.
For many years, she had eaten her three meals a day in the welfare home canteen, the police academy canteen, the police station canteen... Sometimes she would even cut her three meals into two, just making do with whatever she could get by. But now, she was actually taking ingredients out of the refrigerator with Sheng Fang, researching how to make a nutritious and delicious home-cooked meal.
The uncle and niece lined up in the kitchen, taking turns. He washed the vegetables first, then passed them to his niece to cut. By the time she finished cutting, he had already taken his place, ready to start cooking.
Usually at this point, they would argue for a long time. Qingzai would say that children shouldn't play with fire, while the children would say that Qingzai's cooking wasn't flavorful enough... Anyway, in this confused and chaotic state, they successfully served three dishes and a soup.
The soup was cooked by Aunt Ping and brought over; once heated up, it was incredibly fragrant.
The other three dishes were prepared by the uncle and nephew, and were placed on the table next to the slow-cooked soup, making it look quite authentic.
"Let's eat!" Zhu Qing said.
Shengfang nodded vigorously and rubbed her little hands together.
Fangfang has eaten so many meals, but never before has she been so full of anticipation as she is today.
He filled a bowl with white rice, smiled broadly like a baby with crescent-shaped eyes, and held up his little spoon: "Let's eat!"
Shengfang took a bite of rice.
Wow, it's half-cooked.
After taking another bite of the home-cooked food, he tilted his head and said, "Qingzai, this is awful."
"How could that be?" Zhu Qing exclaimed in surprise. "I'd like to try some too."
In just two minutes, the anticipation that had filled the eyes of the child and niece vanished without a trace.
They transformed into Uncle Goose and Aunt Goose, frowning and looking completely bewildered.
Why doesn't it taste good?
"That doesn't make sense, they're not burnt."
"I've added salt and stewed it for a long time..."
"Could it be because it was stewed for too long?"
While the uncle and nephew were pondering, they were holding a bowl of Aunt Ping's slow-cooked soup and savoring it carefully.
The chicken soup has been simmering for a long time, how can it taste so good? That doesn't make sense.
Zhu Qing refused to believe it: "Try again."
"don't want--"
She slowly put down her chopsticks again: "If we fail today, we'll succeed tomorrow."
The niece teaches her villainous uncle another lesson.
She offered a piece of inspirational advice: "A philosopher once said that setbacks are the ladder to wisdom."
The uncle tilted his head, seemingly understanding but not quite, looking at the wilted dishes on the plate, and sighed silently.
So these unpalatable dishes were actually a set of steps...
The uncle and nephew's first attempt at cooking ended in failure, but at least the food was cooked through and not completely unpalatable.
They kept saying how bad the food was, while putting food on each other's plates.
Zhu Qing covered her rice bowl: "That's enough, that's enough."
Shengfang also covered her own rice bowl, fearing that her niece might launch a sneak attack.
By the end of the meal, after everyone had laughed enough, Zhu Qing looked up at the wall clock.
The clock had gone around more than halfway; it turned out they had been eating for quite a while.
The stress, worries, and anxieties of the whole day were chased away by the laughter echoing through the house.
"Alright." Zhu Qing stood up. "I'm full."
She turned to walk towards the bedroom.
The uncle, quick-witted and agile, grabbed his niece.
"Stop! Let's wash the dishes together!"
Zhu Qing quickened her pace and slipped away: "Don't you like playing with bubbles?"
The younger elders were nagging behind me.
"You ran off right after eating? Slow down, slow down..."
"You can't do strenuous exercise!"
"This child!"
...
In the case of the murder of Fang Songsheng, the owner of Ya Yun Piano Shop, the police have temporarily identified one suspect.
The first person to discover the body was Amy, the piano teacher, also known as Cai Huimin.
The next morning, Choi Wai-man was taken to the Yau Ma Tei Police Station.
"Officer, I've already said it, I just had a momentary lapse of judgment and stole the watch and nine thousand dollars..."
"But how could I dare to kill?"
The police officer in charge of the interrogation didn't bother with any more questions: "What murderer would admit to daring to kill?"
Cai Huimin insisted, "I have no deep-seated hatred for him at all. In fact, he is my boss and pays my salary... Why would I kill him?"
“We’ve checked your financial situation. You’ve maxed out your credit cards, and every single one is overdrawn.”
"I recently sold a house and am renting for now."
"You asked the deceased for a raise twice before, but he refused with various excuses. The office door slammed so loudly that many people heard it."
"You've been teaching at Ya Yun Piano Studio for so many years, Amy's name is already deeply ingrained in everyone's minds. People privately say that Amy's piano skills are no less than Fang Ya Yun's; she just lacks a stage to showcase herself."
"At that international piano competition, Fang Songsheng registered his daughter, Fang Yayun, and I heard you also registered, but not long after, you withdrew your registration form. Was it because you were competitors, so you made way for the boss's daughter?"
"No, the reason I suddenly took back the registration form is because..." She bit her lip, unwilling to continue.
The officer tapped his finger on the interrogation table: "Nine thousand dollars and an expensive watch, is it worth risking a life?"
"I didn't!" Cai Huimin's voice suddenly rose. "I didn't!"
The officer opened the case file: "What was your alibi for the period between 5 and 6 a.m. on Wednesday? Who can testify for you?"
Cai Huimin's hands were clasped together under the interrogation table.
Suddenly, her brow relaxed.
“At that time—” her voice calmed down, “my mother was on night shift at the hospital. She was in such a hurry that day that she forgot to bring a clean towel and gloves, so she called me.”
"Your mother is a nurse?"
Cai Huimin pursed her lips.
Her expression became unnatural, and she awkwardly looked away: "It's a caregiver, a night shift caregiver."
At this point, there's nothing left to hide.
"The reason for suddenly withdrawing the application form was that something happened in my family at the time."
"It was a decline in our family fortunes. My father ran away, leaving behind debts."
“My mother… was once an elegant lady who considered many jobs. She never worked a day in her life, and respectable companies simply wouldn’t hire her.”
"I used to never lift a finger, but now I have to empty bedpans for patients in the hospital, doing the dirtiest and most tiring work."
Originally, Cai Huimin did not want anyone to know all this.
The once elegant and composed piano teacher with her hair styled in a princess style is now struggling financially, and she finds it hard to cope with this sense of loss.
But some things, which are difficult to say at first, become easier to say once you muster up the courage to start.
“Every Wednesday… the music school gives us an extra subsidy. It’s not much, but I really need it,” Cai Huimin said. “That day I went there, waiting for the students to arrive, and found Teacher Fang’s body. Nine thousand yuan and a watch would have been enough for us to get by for a while…”
“I admit that I did ask Mr. Fang for a raise. Mr. Fang was the only person in the music school who knew about our family’s actual situation. He patted me on the shoulder and said that he was running a music school, not a charity, and that he couldn’t give me a raise for no reason.”
"How can it be considered unjustified? Teachers with the same qualifications as me outside are paid much more than me."
Cai Huimin said that the hospital has strict shift handover procedures, and all visitation records can be found.
As soon as she finished speaking, she added softly, "I may be short of money, but I won't kill anyone."
"Dad has already run away."
"My mom... she's still waiting for me."
...
The Major Crimes Unit B was highly efficient and quickly established Cai Huimin's alibi.
According to the nurse on duty, Cai Huimin arrived at the hospital at 4:50 a.m. on Wednesday.
She had only intended to deliver towels and gloves, but noticing her mother's pale complexion, she stayed.
"That day, Cai's mother had a backache. We asked her to take a day off, but she refused, because missing a day of work would result in a deduction in her salary."
"The nurse said that Cai Huimin was very filial and always carried liniment with her. Cai Huimin went downstairs to buy her mother a bowl of white porridge, urged her mother to eat quickly, and helped her rub the liniment."
“They sat in the corridor outside the ward until about 5:45 p.m., when the patient that Cai’s mother was taking care of pressed the nurse’s bell, and Cai Huimin left. The nurses’ station has detailed records of this.”
“I’ve calculated the distance from the hospital where Cai’s mother works to the Ya Yun Music Store in Wan Chai. Even if Cai Huimin could fly, she wouldn’t be able to get to the Ya Yun Music Store before six o’clock, let alone complete the murder.”
After verification, Cai Huimin was cleared of murder suspicion. However, she did steal the victim's watch and cash from the front desk drawer.
Zeng Yongshan asked, "Uncle Li, wouldn't this count as theft...? Will she go to jail?"
At the time, in the interrogation room, Tsang Wing-shan and another police officer were in charge of interrogating Choi Wai-man.
Her eyes were filled with remorse, and her downcast gaze revealed her utter shame as she begged the police not to notify her mother. For some reason, just thinking about that scene made Zeng Yongshan feel uneasy.
“Although the stolen goods were returned afterward, the crime was already committed and it doesn’t affect the conviction,” Uncle Li said. “Furthermore, the theft interfered with the police investigation—”
At this point, Uncle Li glanced at the group of young people and chuckled, "Look how nervous you all are. After all, it's her first offense. If she shows remorse and her belongings weren't damaged, she'll probably only get a community service order..."
Zeng Yongshan breathed a sigh of relief.
Mo Zhenbang glanced at her and said, "How many times have I told you, don't let emotions cloud your judgment when investigating a case?"
He placed a thick stack of files on the conference room table and asked, "Any progress on the deceased's fiancée's side? I asked you to go to her residence to investigate clues, did you go?"
“Reporting, Inspector Mok!” Tsang Wing-shan straightened her back. “You instructed us to investigate the deceased’s residence, not his fiancée’s!”
"Stop being so sarcastic," Mo Zhenbang said irritably.
Liang Qikai chuckled: "I remember this task was assigned to Zhu Qing and Haozai, right? Going to Li Ziyao's house."
Mo Zhenbang slammed his hand on the table: "This case is still completely unsolved! Everyone, get yourselves together!"
...
Zhu Qing was assigned the task of visiting the deceased's fiancée's home.
After all, this was just a routine preliminary investigation. Inspector Mo had heard from Weng Zhaolin that Zhu Qing and Li Ziyao were old acquaintances, so he assigned this task to her. But in reality, the so-called old acquaintance did not provide any help in solving the case.
Standing in front of Li Ziyao's house, Haozai asked, "Even if...she really is the murderer, you would—"
"We will arrest him according to the law," Zhu Qing replied crisply.
But she hopes that this case has nothing to do with Li Ziyao.
"Knock knock knock—"
The knocking echoed in the apartment hallway, growing more urgent with each knock.
Just when the police thought no one was home, a woman in pajamas haphazardly ruffled her fluffy, wavy hair and impatiently opened the door. She introduced herself as Li Ziyao's roommate. It was four o'clock in the afternoon, and the roommate had obviously just been woken up. After understanding the police's purpose, she grabbed a shirt and put it on, then sat on the sofa with her legs crossed.
"I didn't get home until after 4 a.m., had some late-night snacks, and by the time I lay down, it was almost dawn."
"Do you all think you can all become a young mistress like Ziyao?"
"But even if she finally becomes a young mistress, it's all for naught. The old man didn't live to enjoy his life, so Ziyao is even less fortunate." Her roommate said, running a hand through her hair and reaching for a pack of cigarettes from the sofa. "You don't mind, do you?"
Haozai gestured for him to go ahead: "Is Li Ziyao not home?"
"Her?" my roommate scoffed. "She's probably at the insurance company again."
"Would it be convenient to go to her room and take a look?" Haozai asked.
The entire living room was filled with the smell of secondhand smoke.
"Go away, it's not my room anyway."
This is a two-bedroom apartment. Li Ziyao and her roommate each have their own room, while the living room and bathroom are shared.
Normally, if the bedroom door is closed, no one can disturb anyone else.
“She’s the one who uses the kitchen. Sometimes she makes soup and sends it to the old man. She’s so virtuous and always thinking of recipes to make.”
“We met in Lan Kwai Fong when we were teenagers, and later we shared an apartment, splitting the rent in half. A while ago, she found a job at a music store, and less than a month later, she came back to give me wedding cakes.”
Zhu Qing asked, "Were you home between 5 and 6 a.m. on Wednesday? Did Li Ziyao come back then?"
“I drank a lot and kept running in and out of the bathroom to throw up all night.” My roommate thought for a moment and said decisively, “The shoes by the door aren’t there, so she’s not home.”
According to Li Ziyao's testimony, on Tuesday evening, after she got off work, she went to a dessert shop, bought some dessert, went upstairs, ate it, and then slept soundly until dawn.
But now, her roommate led Zhu Qing to the door.
“This shoe cabinet is usually filled with both of our shoes,” she said. “I hate mess, so I had already agreed with Li Ziyao that we could only put one pair of shoes by the door at most. When I came back in the early morning, I clearly saw her shoes there, but when I went to the bathroom just before dawn, only my own shoes were left by the door. I specifically checked the time, and it was a little after five in the morning.”
"So, she sneaked out." Her roommate lowered her voice, her face full of gossip. "Madam, did Ziyao kill that old man?"
"Zhu Qing!" Hao Zai poked his head out of the room and waved to her.
When Zhu Qing stepped forward, she saw Hao Zai point to the insurance policy on the table and the small photo frame on the corner of the table.
"The name of the insurance beneficiary is Dai Feng."
Zhu Qing picked up a small photo frame from the corner of the table; it was a photo of Li Ziyao and a man.
"Li Ziyao's insurance beneficiary is her ex-boyfriend. The old man's beneficiary name has been changed to Li Ziyao." My roommate clicked her tongue twice. "Poor old man."
Just now, my roommate mentioned that Li Ziyao went to the insurance company again.
It seems to be a question about whether the insurance policy has taken effect.
"She's so greedy, I think she's really stupid," her roommate said. "The wedding house is already in her name, and that's not enough, she's actually thinking about benefiting from insurance..."
"Could it be that she suddenly refuses to marry the old man?"
"She didn't want to get married, but the old man disagreed, so she killed him?"
"Tsk tsk, if you're going to eat salty fish, you have to bear the thirst. Who told her to bring this trouble upon herself?"
...
Once they left the apartment Li Ziyao rented, Haozai's mouth never stopped.
"If your relationship is so bad, why are you sharing an apartment? Just now, I didn't hear her say a single nice thing about Li Ziyao. Living under the same roof, don't you think you'll ever fight?"
“I understand… Maybe at first, their relationship was alright, after all, they had known each other since they were teenagers. But later, Li Ziyao got involved with Fang Songsheng and was about to rise to fame, and her roommate couldn’t stand it anymore.”
"No wonder Li Ziyao didn't mention her roommate last time. I guess even when she goes home, she locks the door and pretends she lives alone."
"Fragile friendship!"
Zhu Qing was holding a photo of Li Ziyao and her boyfriend Dai Feng.
To be precise, he should be called my ex-boyfriend.
"Why didn't you put the photos away?" she asked, puzzled. "Is it because you knew Fang Songsheng wouldn't come to her house?"
Haozai shook his head and said mysteriously, "Who knows? Maybe she and Dai Feng never broke up at all, and it was all a honey trap."
Fang Songsheng's insurance policy has Li Ziyao as the beneficiary, and the marital home is also registered in her name.
In addition, her roommate mentioned that Li Ziyao was not at home between 5 and 6 a.m. on Wednesday. These interconnected pieces of evidence are sufficient for the police to take her back to the police station for a formal investigation in accordance with the law.
When Li Ziyao was taken to the Yau Ma Tei Police Station, it was already dark outside the window.
In the corridor outside the interrogation room, she and Zhu Qing stopped at the same time.
After an unknown amount of time, Li Ziyao smiled slightly and said, "I didn't expect you to actually become a police officer."
This was the first time Xin Xin had acknowledged her since their reunion. Her tone was light and casual, as if she were just teasing a complete stranger, with a hint of playfulness.
There was no indication that he cherished or missed those childhood memories.
...
Mo Zhenbang did not allow Zhu Qing to participate in this interrogation.
She stood in the observation room next door, watching Li Ziyao's every expression and listening to every word she said.
"The house is in my name, so what? I'm so much younger than Song Sheng, it's not unreasonable for me to ask for some security."
“That insurance policy is also a form of protection. You can see how much his daughter looks down on me. If it weren’t for these protections, I wouldn’t have received a single penny after Songsheng’s accident.”
Fang Yayun's disdain for her father's fiancée was obvious to everyone.
"I was young after all, and back then I was thinking, what if he kicks the bucket in the future—"
"But I never expected this day to come so soon."
"I'm terrified of hardship and poverty. So what if I fight for some of my own interests?"
The image of Sister Xinxin in my memory is hard to reconcile with Li Ziyao at this moment.
Perhaps, as she said, she was truly afraid of suffering and poverty.
"But I really didn't kill anyone; killing someone would land you in jail."
“I was with my ex-boyfriend between 5 and 6 a.m. that day, and we were still asleep.”
"It's a matter of mutual consent between a man and a woman. I'm not married yet, so there's no need for me to remain chaste for the sake of Song Sheng, is there?"
When asked how she managed to contact her ex-boyfriend Dai Feng, Li Ziyao shrugged.
“I can’t find him either; he’s the one who comes looking for me.”
"Dai Feng usually hangs out in the Lan Kwai Fong area. Why don't you go and try your luck?"
...
The children went out with a full stomach.
Aunt Ping cooked dinner for them. After dinner, the uncle begged his niece to take him to buy Ninja Turtles. To his surprise, she agreed.
"Xingji Toys?" Zhu Qing muttered, "How did they find such a hidden alley?"
“We audiophiles have our own methods,” Sheng Fang said, feigning maturity.
After buying the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles model, they walked through the alley, and the further they went, the noisier it became.
Lan Kwai Fong at night is ablaze with neon lights.
The air was thick with the smell of alcohol. It was still early, and the nightlife of men and women was just beginning. They could still walk in a straight line.
The child looked around excitedly, tugging at Zhu Qing's sleeve: "It's so lively here!"
There's nothing a three-year-old wouldn't want to participate in.
When Zhu Qing showed him a photo of Li Ziyao and Dai Feng and asked if he wanted to try his luck, Sheng Fang agreed without hesitation.
“We’re looking for this man,” Zhu Qing told the future officer to write down the man’s features in the photo. “He’s her boyfriend.”
Since we're already in Lan Kwai Fong, we might as well investigate the case while we're at it.
Zhu Qing's gaze swept across every corner of the street, and suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dr. Cheng and several colleagues push open the glass door of a bar.
At lunchtime, Zhu Qing often mentioned that her colleagues had arranged to have a "Happy Hour" in the evening, and she never expected to run into it today.
Cheng Xinglang seemed to notice her gaze, turned his head and saw her: "Madam?"
He walked towards Zhu Qing, a lazy smile on his lips as usual.
"Tetris!" The young master raised an eyebrow.
Cheng Xinglang pressed his head down: "You're a defeated opponent."
It holds a child's harmless little fist as they wave it in mid-air.
Cheng Xinglang: "Okay, okay."
That smile unconsciously reminded Zhu Qing of that day, of Uncle Li's hesitant words.
Uncle Li sighed and said that he would tell Dr. Cheng about it another time when he had the chance.
Zhu Qing composed herself and asked directly, "Any progress on the test results?"
When the victim's body was discovered, bruises were visible around his mouth. It is initially suspected that the killer, in a moment of panic, covered his mouth with his hand while he was shouting for help.
“DNA cannot be extracted from skin flakes.” When discussing his specialty, Dr. Cheng’s tone became slightly somber. “The killer’s palms sweated, and the sweat mixed with oil—”
"What about fingerprints? Can they be extracted?"
"Relying on those few old-fashioned cameras at the Hong Kong Police Station?" Dr. Cheng shrugged. "The dynamic friction when covering the mouth simply doesn't leave any complete patterns for comparison."
"Hey!" Sheng Fang, who didn't understand at all, jumped up and down, "Don't talk about business."
Cheng Xinglang chuckled softly, bending down to look the child in the eye: "Talking about Ninja Turtles?"
Fang Fang puffed out her cheeks.
Dr. Cheng always treated him like a brat, he was simply blind to his worth.
The young master took off the Ninja Turtle model's ID card, waved it in front of Cheng Xinglang, and said coldly, "Look carefully, Senior Inspector, Sheng Fang."
Zhu Qing turned her head away, unable to suppress a smile.
"Sir Sheng, my apologies." Dr. Cheng suppressed a laugh. "Your surprise inspection of Lan Kwai Fong, are you here to search for treasure?"
Senior Inspector Fangfang had a stern look on her round face.
He had a cool, businesslike expression: "Qingzai is here to see her boyfriend."
Zhu Qing: ?
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