Chapter 35 Mysterious Girlfriend
On the way back to Lan Valley, Ji Feng received a call from Jiang Bo, informing him that the Lan father and daughter had been brought back to Lan Valley by the provincial authorities and that he would be attending a preliminary hearing the next day. Thinking that the Lan family had been essentially cleared of suspicion in the Shen Zhaoran case, his previous obsession with bringing them to justice faded. He was now more anxious to understand why his classmate Lu Chenzhou had become involved in this case and what hidden secrets lay behind it.
Since the Lan family was involved in many major cases, the Municipal Bureau assigned Sun Jincheng, the head of the pre-trial section, to preside over the trial in person, with Ji Feng and another pre-trial officer assisting.
Lan Xiting and Lan Ruojin were detained in two separate pre-trial rooms. Lan Xiting was so confident in his shrewdness that he did not take Section Chief Sun, who was nearly 20 years younger than him, seriously at all. He still maintained a calm expression.
"Lan Xiting, why are you flying to the UK this time?" After the routine legal policy education was completed, Sun Jincheng stared at Lan Xiting and asked.
"To transport the exhibits back from the UK." The cunning Lan Xiting refused to admit to fleeing. However, in Sun Jincheng's view, this was unimportant.
"Do you know why we asked you to come back from Hong Kong?" Sun Jincheng's voice was steady and powerful.
"I don't know." Lan Xiting said in a firm tone.
"You should be well aware that without solid evidence, we can't take coercive measures against you, a major taxpayer in Langu City. I'm telling you this so that you understand the current situation and can honestly explain the problem."
A flash of panic crossed Lan Xiting's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "I'm a legitimate businessman, operating according to the law. I don't know what crime I've committed."
"Let me tell you one more thing. The people who went to Hong Kong to bring you back were leaders and colleagues from the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Corps. If there wasn't irrefutable evidence, do you think the leaders of the corps would have so easily approached the Hong Kong police about this matter?"
"Now that you have the evidence, just convict me directly. Why bother talking?" Lan Xiting, the old fox, still looked unmoved.
"Finally, let me remind you, even if you don't tell others, your son and daughter may not necessarily keep their secrets. You have to think carefully."
"Don't try to play tricks on me. What they say is theirs and it has nothing to do with me." The old guy was still stubborn.
Ji Feng thought to himself, it was really a stone from the toilet, smelly and hard.
"The reason why I'm reminding you over and over again is, first, because you've contributed to the economic development of Langu City; second, because you're old. I'm giving you a chance to be honest, so don't miss it," said Section Chief Sun Jincheng majestically.
"I have nothing to say. If there is evidence, convict. If there is no evidence, release the person."
"Okay!" Sun Jincheng smiled coldly, "Then let's go ask your daughter and see if she is also so stubborn." After saying that, he stood up, and Ji Feng and others followed closely behind, leaving Lan Xiting alone in the interrogation room.
In the adjoining interrogation room, glaring light poured down, illuminating Lan Ruojin's face with a pale pallor. She slumped in the cold iron chair, her hands cuffed to the table, her head lowered, her long, tangled hair obscuring half her features. Her limited-edition luxury coat hung loosely around her shoulders, like a bargain stall item. Only the lingering scent of her high-end perfume reminded her of her former status. Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably, the arrogance and frivolity of the past long gone.
"Ms. Lan, we meet again." Ji Feng said, staring into her eyes.
"Captain Ji... I really don't know anything..." Her voice was filled with tears, and tears slid down her delicate makeup. "My father never let me get involved in company affairs..."
Ji Feng sat down expressionlessly and said sternly, "Ms. Lan, that's not what you said the last two times we met. You kept saying that the Lan family is a law-abiding businessman and operates legally. Why are you not allowing you to participate in the company's affairs now? Aren't you contradicting yourself?"
Lan Ruojin sobbed and wiped her tears with the back of her hand, her eyes flickering: "I... I'm just helping Dad with some daily affairs..."
"Ms. Lan, we're old acquaintances, so I won't beat around the bush. I'm telling you clearly, without evidence, we can't possibly bring you and your daughter back from Hong Kong. Now, I'm giving you a chance. Do you want to speak up yourself, or wait for your brother and father to speak up?"
"My brother? You really did capture my brother. He didn't know anything, so you let him go."
"I advise you to be smart and try to get leniency." Sun Jincheng said sternly from the side.
"Whether your brother knows the truth or not, I think we know better than you." Ji Feng's soft yet firm words struck Lan Ruojin like an electric shock, causing her body to tremble noticeably. Then, she burst into tears again, saying, "He just has a bad temper and loves to fight. He's really not interested in family matters, and my father is very sad about it."
"Lan Ruojin!" Ji Feng shouted, "I'm warning you, we don't have the patience to play tricks on you. Your brother has already admitted it, and you're still covering for him, avoiding the main issue. I'll give you one last chance, so take it!"
Lan Ruojin leaned over and buried her face in her palms. The interrogation chair creaked as she sobbed violently. The suppressed sobs, like the wails squeezed out from the depths of her heart, gradually turned into heart-wrenching howls. Her shoulders trembled violently like sieves.
"Lan Ruojin, crying won't solve the problem, and don't imagine you can escape guilt by pretending to be pitiful. Look at this."
When Ji Feng placed the copy of the interrogation record signed by Lan Renxuan in front of her, she seemed to be frozen, stopped crying, and slowly her expression turned into frustration.
Her pupils gradually blurred, and her once straight back now slumped. She felt as if her muscles and bones had been pulled out, sinking weakly into the chair. She trembled slightly, and after a long time, she raised her sleeve and wiped her face fiercely. As if she had made up her mind, she finally gritted her teeth and squeezed out two words: "I say..."
"Speak one by one." Sun Jincheng said in a dignified manner.
"You...those text messages you received were sent by my men in an effort to get you to stop investigating my husband's murder."
"So, it was your family who arranged for someone to do the Shen Zhaoran case?" Ji Feng interrupted.
"No... No, really not. I'm worried that if you investigate this case, it might bring up other issues in our family."
"Lan Ruojin, you are really something. You are interfering with the investigation and suspected of obstructing public service. Do you understand? You are ignorant of the law!" Ji Feng said gritting his teeth.
"I really don't understand, please let me go, I really don't understand..." As she said this, she started crying again, and her exquisite makeup was completely ruined.
"Stop crying and continue explaining." Sun Jincheng interrupted her crying.
Lan Ruojin, a "vase" raised in seclusion, can ultimately not be compared with the shrewd Lan Xiting; in front of the experienced Sun Jincheng, she is like a fledgling amateur chess player facing a battle-hardened professional master, and the outcome is already determined.
With Sun Jincheng and Ji Feng's coordinated verbal offensive, Lan Ruojin's last line of defense collapsed like a rotten tree, and he confessed in detail the Lan family's crimes, including tomb robbing, cultural relic smuggling, and shielding Lan Renxuan. This went much more smoothly than Ji Feng had expected.
Having captured Lan Ruojin without a fight, it should be no surprise that they could capture Lan Xiting in the afternoon. At lunchtime, the pre-trial team decided that their focus would shift to Lan Xiting that afternoon.
Since the Lan family was not directly involved in the Shen Zhaoran case, Ji Feng decided to temporarily withdraw from the interrogation and instead focus on investigating the hidden story behind Lu Chenzhou and other related clues.
The night was as dark as ink, the city shimmering in neon lights and shadows. Ji Feng sat in a corner of the Criminal Investigation Division's office, his chin resting on his hand, brow furrowed in thought. Jiang Bo and Xin Xiao were also silent, their brows heavy with worry. No words passed between the three of them, none of them having a clue what Lu Chenzhou's secrets lay hidden within them.
"We have too few clues," Xin Xiao whispered, his voice tinged with fatigue. "Because Lu Chenzhou is an undercover agent, he needs to deliberately hide his true identity, which poses a considerable challenge to solving the case."
Lu Chenzhou's girlfriend was the only person who might have the key information. However, they knew nothing about her and had no idea where to start.
"I checked the calendar. Next Thursday should be Lu Chenzhou's death anniversary. Maybe she will show up on that day." Jiang Bo looked at Ji Feng with a hint of uncertainty and said, "If the two of them had a deep relationship, she might come back to pay her respects on that day."
Ji Feng's eyes lit up after hearing this, "Yes, Captain Jiang still has many ways. I will go to the cemetery next Thursday to stake out. According to common sense, she will most likely go to pay her respects. In addition, I plan to check her birth registration information from that year, maybe I can find some clues." Jiang Bo's words seemed to open up a new idea for Ji Feng.
"Indeed, this is a direction worth further investigation," Jiang Bo added. "We can retrieve relevant records of childbirth or abortions from hospitals in Lan Gu and Mo Island within eight to ten months after Lu Chenzhou's death and find valuable clues."
"But, next Thursday is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month..." Xin Xiao said worriedly.
"There's no other way. We can't give up this only clue." Ji Feng said firmly.
Xin Xiao nodded silently.
"Child, child, don't be greedy, after Laba it will be the New Year.
Laba porridge, in a few days, it will be the twenty-third.
On the 23rd, the sugar melon is sticky, on the 24th, sweep the house..."
It was already the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the streets of Lan Valley were beginning to fill with the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year. A knife-like sea breeze, laden with a salty, fishy aroma, weaved through the alleyways. Pedestrians hurried along, their necks hunched, clutching New Year's goods of all sizes. As the sky darkened, the signs of the established street vendors lit up one by one. The candied haws stall at the entrance of Pichaiyuan also had its warm yellow light bulbs hung. Strings of hawthorns, coated in glistening sugar, were placed on straw bundles, shimmering in the chill wind.
In eastern Haidai Province, it's a tradition not to seek medical attention during the Lunar New Year. Consequently, the major hospitals in Langu and Modao were overcrowded before the holiday. Coincidentally, with the winter flu season at its peak, half the police officers who visited the hospitals caught the flu. Fortunately, they persevered and finally completed a thorough search of the archives departments of all hospitals in the two cities before the Lunar New Year. They retrieved over 800 records related to births and abortions within eight to ten months of Lu Chenzhou's death. The subsequent intensive sifting effort exhausted all three clerks, instantly reducing the detachment's staff by one-third, leaving the office building feeling deserted.
Even more challenging, they had to interview each of the nineteen eligible women they'd screened before the Lunar New Year in an effort to identify Lu Chenzhou's girlfriend. This was necessary because the holiday was approaching—for at least ten days, the traditional holiday would cause all businesses, except public utilities, to close, forcing the investigation to a standstill. For the task force, waiting ten days in vain was clearly too much of a luxury.
As if testing them, the heavens sent a timely, auspicious snowfall. In a blink of an eye, the sky and earth were a blanket of white. The fallen officer could no longer be allowed to continue to brave the snow. The detachment decided to keep only Jiang Bo, giving him a taste of both captain and office staff. The remaining officers who could still persevere set out on the snowy journey, recreating what Jifeng had experienced in Yishijiang two months earlier. Although the wind and snow in Lan Valley were "much gentler" than in Yishijiang, the pressure of braving the wind and snow, and the difficult snowy roads, was still heavy on everyone.
Amidst the snowstorm, it was already the 28th day of the 12th lunar month by the time all the "snowmen" had returned to the detachment to review their visits. Jiang Bo, deeply moved, declared the Criminal Investigation Team a "hardworking and combat-ready" force of public security officers and insisted on hosting a welcoming reception for them. However, the officers' immediate desire was to "catch their breath" and return home to prepare for the Lunar New Year holiday, so Jiang Bo had no choice but to comply.
After summarizing the results of the visits, most people were ruled out as suspects, except for a woman named Bo who had an abortion, for whom the search was fruitless.
Xin Xiao flipped through the files, his brow furrowing ever tighter. "This woman surnamed Bo who had an abortion... doesn't have any contact information, and there's no information for her family. The hospital confirmed that unless the patient insists otherwise, contact information is required according to regulations. But not only did she not register any contact information, she didn't even leave any identification."
"It's indeed a bit unusual." Ji Feng pondered, "However, she may not be Chen Zhou's girlfriend. If the two of them were deeply in love, even if they encountered misfortune, common sense would have led them to choose to give birth to the child. After all, it is the fruit of their love. But this person chose to have an abortion. What do you think?"
He closed the folder, stood up, and walked to the window. In the distance, accompanied by a series of explosions, colorful fireworks scattered like shooting stars, lighting up the night sky.
As a last resort, he could only place all his hopes on tomorrow - the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, to wait at the cemetery.
"We have to find her." Ji Feng turned around, his eyes gleaming with determination. "We have no choice. What she holds may be the key to our breakthrough."
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