Chapter 62 Why did you hang Grandma up...?
"What a coincidence?" Chu Ci frowned.
"Yeah, what a coincidence, isn't it?"
Shen Xiuhe forced his work onto his colleagues and left with them amidst their resentful stares.
He went upstairs to his office and poured himself a glass of water.
"Sigh, I finally found an excuse to push my work away."
He quickly gulped down a few mouthfuls of water and continued talking about the car accident.
"This car accident was truly horrific."
Shen Xiuhe showed them several photos of the scene. "Several cars were wrecked and almost injured pedestrians on the roadside. Disputes suddenly increased, and there were arguments downstairs."
As he spoke, the fierce look between his brows vanished, and he smiled as he instructed Chu Ci:
"Miss Chu, I'm making an exception for you because you'll be a special advisor to our police station in the future."
You absolutely mustn't tell anyone!
Without saying a word, Chu Ci returned the photo to him. "When did I agree to be a special consultant for your police station?"
"When you're ready!"
He grinned and pushed the photo over again.
"Just kidding! If your incense shop goes out of business, just remember to consider our Kwun Tong Police Station first!"
Seeing the two of them looking down at the photo carefully, Shen Xiuhe put away his playful expression and became serious.
"He was the one who caused this car accident."
The man in the photo is a young man, not yet thirty years old.
Chu Ci still remembered the man's refined and gentle face.
This man is the husband from the young couple who came with Guo Miaotong's homeroom teacher last time; he is also Guo Miaotong's son.
Chu Ci remembered that he didn't say much at the time, and seemed to be a taciturn person.
Shen Xiuhe: "His name is Li Yingqiao, he is 29 years old this year, and he is an employee of a financial company in Central, while also working part-time at a TV station."
"But none of that matters. What matters is that we discovered he applied for a visa and planned to take his wife and children abroad."
"But someone tampered with his car. On the way to the airport, the brakes suddenly went out of control, and the operating system also malfunctioned."
"This car was speeding recklessly on the road, causing several accidents as a result, and he eventually collided with another car..."
He paused for a moment, his expression showing a mixture of confusion and seriousness.
"What's wrong?" Shen Zaikun asked him.
Shen Xiuhe glanced at his older brother and pursed his lips: "The car that collided with Li Yingqiao only had a layer of skin scraped off. Li Yingqiao's wife was sitting in the passenger seat and was knocked unconscious. She is now seriously injured and in a coma."
"Their son was sitting in the back seat, and he was perfectly fine, just a little frightened. But Li Yingqiao himself..."
He pressed his lips together more and more tightly, saying, "His heart stopped the instant the car accident occurred."
"Cardiac arrest?" Chu Ci looked up. "He has a history of heart disease?"
"No, that's why I find it strange."
Shen Xiu scratched his head. "His death was too sudden and too strange, which is why I felt something was wrong."
Shen Zaikun: "So his car suddenly went out of control because of this?"
“No, that’s not it.” Shen Xiuhe shook his head. “The technicians inspected his car and found that someone had tampered with his brakes and control system, which caused the accident.”
"But we haven't found out who did it yet."
Thinking of not only Li Yingqiao, but also Li Yingqiao's mother who hanged herself, Shen Xiuhe held his head in his hands.
A hint of fierceness crept into her eyes again. "Sigh, this is so complicated..."
"Oh, right." He suddenly realized, "Why did you suddenly come looking for me?"
Chu Ci sighed helplessly, "You finally remembered this."
“We think there’s something fishy about Li Yingqiao’s mother’s death, so we came to ask you about it.”
Shen Xiuhe glanced at Chu Ci, then at his brother, his eyes darting around.
"Really? In that case, I'll take you to Li Yingqiao's house!"
He almost couldn't wait to grab the keys, humming a little tune about the little building.
She couldn't help but chuckle as she walked up the stairs, "With the two of you here, I feel like my workload has been reduced."
Chu Ci glanced at the photo on the table and deliberately asked, "Me too? Is that convenient?"
"Convenient." Shen Xiuhe grinned, his eyes practically disappearing from his teeth. "As long as you can provide clues, anything is convenient!"
The car quickly arrived at Li Yingqiao's house. Looking at the detached villa in front of her, Chu Ci raised an eyebrow.
Although this location isn't prime, it's still possible to own a detached villa in Hong Kong...
This family is really rich.
But when I think about how Li Yingqiao's mother accepted bribes and gifts at school... I realize it's hard for someone like that to be poor.
They put on shoe covers and gloves, and did other preparations before going in.
Li Yingqiao's house was very messy, with items scattered on the floor. I almost stepped on something as soon as I entered.
It was clear they left in a hurry.
Standing in the messy living room, Chu Ci suddenly asked, "Where did Li Yingqiao's mother hang herself?"
"there."
Shen Xiuhe pointed to the first floor, near the bathroom inside.
“Right in the public restroom on the first floor, Li Yingqiao said that his son woke up and wanted to find his grandmother, but he ended up finding a person hanging in the restroom.”
Chu Ci walked in the direction he pointed and carefully examined the bathroom.
As Shen Xiuhe spoke, he couldn't help but shrug his shoulders. "Miss Chu, there shouldn't be anything dirty in this room, right?"
"I don't know, I didn't see it anyway."
Chu Ci shook his head, but felt a little strange.
He asked Shen Xiuhe, "When did Li Yingqiao's mother die?"
"We received the report this morning, and the forensic doctor estimated the time of death to be around 3 a.m. today."
"That is to say, it hasn't been 24 hours yet."
“Yes.” Shen Xiuhe nodded, carefully observing her expression. “Is there a problem?”
Chu Ci crossed his arms, lowered his eyes, thought for a moment about the contents of the "Spiritual Medium Comprehensive Literacy Quick Guide," and then spoke:
"Generally speaking, this is not normal."
The two brothers, Shen Zaikun and Shen Zaikun, looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Chu Ci: "It hasn't been 24 hours yet, and Li Yingqiao's mother's soul hasn't been taken away. Since she died here, I shouldn't be unable to see it."
In an instant, Shen Xiu felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.
He stammered, "You mean...she's still here?"
"Logically, that should be the case."
Chu Ci looked up and downstairs, but did not see Li Yingqiao's mother.
She couldn't help but rub her eyes, her heart pounding.
Is it absolutely necessary to use the spirit-connecting incense?
But she could clearly see Jiang Caixia and Granny Guo before, and she didn't use the spirit incense then.
Moreover, she currently doesn't have any spirit incense on hand...
"Miss Chu, have you discovered anything?"
Shen Xiuhe stood in the first-floor living room, looking up at her.
Chu Ci shook her head. "No."
She was about to go downstairs when she looked up and saw a middle-aged woman standing at the end of the stairs on the first floor.
Her face was pale, and she was wearing the white trench coat she wore when she went out. Her tongue was hanging down to her chest.
It's a typical sign of death by hanging.
Upon seeing this scene, Chu Ci slipped and almost fell down the stairs.
Shen Xiuhe exclaimed "Ouch!" and quickly came over to help her up.
"Miss Chu, are you alright? Your arm isn't healed yet, don't hurt your leg again!"
He helped Chu Ci to her feet and noticed that she was staring in one direction. He followed her gaze.
There was only an empty floor there.
"What's wrong?" He subconsciously lowered his voice.
Chu Ci looked closely, but there was no one there anymore.
"It's nothing," Chu Ci said, looking at Shen Xiuhe who was supporting her. "Did Li Yingqiao's mother go out before she died?"
“No,” Shen Xiuhe said, puzzled. “Why are you suddenly asking this?”
"What clothes was she wearing when you found her body?"
"Clothes?" Shen Xiuhe stroked his chin, thinking. "Hmm, it seems to be a dress with purple orchids?"
“It’s pajamas,” Shen Zaikun answered for him. “I remember it was a purple orchid nightgown.”
Shen Xiuhe realized, "Yes, yes, it's pajamas, that's why I thought she hadn't gone out."
"If you've been out, you could just hang yourself in your outdoor clothes. There's no need for a ritual, like changing into your pajamas before committing suicide, right?"
He chuckled at his own words, and when he looked up, he saw Chu Ci and Shen Zaikun frowning at him.
Shen Xiuhe's smile froze on his face, "..."
Shen Zaikun stared at him coldly: "Disrespecting the deceased, be careful of ghosts knocking on your door in the middle of the night."
Shen Xiuhe: "..."
He shrank his neck, and whether it was a hint from his brother or not, he inexplicably felt a chill on his neck.
Shen Zaikun looked at Chu Ci: "Miss Chu, why are you asking this?"
Chu Ci: "I just saw Li Yingqiao's mother. She wasn't wearing pajamas, she was wearing clothes for going out."
Shen Xiu stared in horror, his eyes wide, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
"What? She's still here?! Then what I just said... "
Chu Ci said calmly, "Don't worry, she doesn't hold a grudge as much as Granny Guo. She won't retaliate against you because of a joke."
"That's good, that's good!"
Shen Xiu patted his wildly beating heart, clasped his hands together, and prayed aimlessly to the surroundings.
"Auntie, you're so kind, please don't hold it against me. I'll definitely think carefully before I speak in the future!"
Shen Zaikun watched his younger brother spin around and worship the air, ignoring him.
Chu Ci was asked, "Was the clothes Li Yingqiao's mother wore before she died important?"
Chu Ci nodded. "Generally speaking, a ghost's form will remain the same as when it died."
"She was wearing her usual clothes when she went out, but it was discovered that she was actually wearing pajamas, which means that someone must have changed her clothes after she died."
As for who helped her change her clothes...
He is undoubtedly the murderer.
Shen Zaikun turned to Shen Xiuhe and asked, "Their house is so big, they must have servants, right?"
Shen Xiuhe, who was praying, stopped and said, "Yes, but that maid was off yesterday."
“We went to ask her, and she said that Li Yingqiao gave her a paid day off, so she took her child to visit relatives.”
"Did Li Yingqiao tell her to rest? Did he say why?"
“It was Li Yingqiao who told her to rest, but the reason was…”
Shen Xiu shook his head. "No, it was just a sudden decision to let her rest. The maid was very happy about this good thing and didn't ask any questions."
Chu Ci lowered her head thoughtfully and carefully searched the living room while they were talking.
Shen Xiuhe followed behind her, "Miss Chu, what are you looking for? Let's go together."
"The clothes that Li Yingqiao's mother was wearing when she went out."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zaikun helped with the search, saying, "Your direction is correct. Since the murderer was able to get her pajamas, it means he is very likely someone from this family."
"What kind of clothes?" he asked again.
"A thin white trench coat, over which was a dress; the dress was a very bright color, it was..."
She tried to recall the color of the dress, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure on the second floor.
Li Yingqiao's mother was standing in front of a bedroom, pointing towards the bedroom door.
Chu Ci's pupils trembled, and she quickly ran over.
When they arrived at the bedroom, Li Yingqiao's mother had already disappeared. They pushed open the door and found the room filled with photos of Li Yingqiao and his wife.
Shen Xiuhe followed and helped introduce, "This is Li Yingqiao's and his wife's room."
Chu Ci opened the wardrobe, which was in a mess, probably because the couple had rummaged through it while packing their luggage.
She rummaged through the wardrobe, and Shen Zaikun naturally helped her look for other places. Shen Xiuhe scratched his hair and followed along.
He walked around the room, and for some reason, suddenly bent down and lowered his head.
A European-style double bed was placed on the floor, and a bundle of white and orange clothes was curled up there quietly.
"Found it!"
His eyes widened, and he quickly took out the two pieces of clothing, excitedly asking, "Is this it?"
"Yes, this is it!"
Chu Ci looked at the two pieces of clothing and asked Shen Xiuhe, "Do you have a larger evidence bag?"
“No…” Shen Xiuhe shook his head, “But it’s alright, I’ll have someone bring it over in a bit.”
He examined the clothes in his hands. "But what's the use of this?"
"These clothes were in Li Yingqiao and his wife's room, so I suspect they helped me change them," Chu Ci said.
"You mean..." Shen Xiuhe's brows furrowed so deeply they seemed to knot together, "...it's Li Yingqiao and his wife..."
Chu Ci nodded. "That's very likely."
Of course, it would be too hasty to conclude that Li Yingqiao and his wife are the murderers based on just this one piece of information.
But this was what Li Yingqiao's mother showed her.
Shen Zaikun asked calmly, "Is there any other evidence? The kind that can be used in court?"
Chu Ci shook his head, "Not yet, let's wait and see if the deceased gives me any new information."
Shen Zaikun: "..."
He watched Chu Ci's retreating figure wandering around the house, a hint of envy in his eyes.
"Miss Chu, you have the ability to communicate directly with the deceased. Are you really not planning to go to the police station?"
Chu Ci paused, looked down at her toes, and remained silent for a while before turning her head with a smile.
"Now I own my own shop, I don't have to worry about food or clothing, and my life is no worse than when I was in the police station."
Realizing she had evaded his question, Shen Zaikun opened his mouth to ask again, but Shen Xiuhe spoke first:
"Miss Chu, if you want to change careers, you must consider our Kwun Tong Police Station first!"
He raised his eyebrows and patted his chest vigorously.
"I can help you discuss your compensation with the police chief; it definitely won't be worse than running your own business!"
Shen Zaikun: "..."
He opened his mouth and sighed silently.
He could sense that Chu Ci was actually very interested in investigating the case, but for some reason, even though she had the opportunity, she didn't want to go to the police station.
The three of them wandered around the house for a while, but Chu Ci did not see Li Yingqiao's mother again.
Seeing that it was getting late, she sighed, "Never mind, maybe she doesn't have anything to say. Let's go."
Shen Xiu was somewhat disappointed with the result.
However, previous cases were always very difficult to solve, so it's already quite good that we were able to get a key piece of information this time.
He followed Chu Ci out, but Chu Ci, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stumbled.
"Miss Chu!"
He reached out to grab her, but then everything spun around him, and he and she fell down the stairs together.
"Ouch, my back..."
He fell down the stairs, and he became Chu Ci's human cushion.
"I'm sorry, are you alright?" Chu Ci quickly stood up.
"It's alright, it's alright."
Shen Xiuhe stood up, supporting his waist, and looked at her hanging arm.
"Miss Chu, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Chu Ci lowered her eyebrows, somewhat angry. "Just now on the stairs, someone tripped me."
"ah?"
Shen Xiu, who was walking behind Chu Ci, wanted to say that it wasn't him, but then his face turned pale as he thought of something.
"Could it be..."
Chu Ci frowned and nodded. "We can't leave yet. She definitely has more to say."
She wanted to walk around the house again, and Shen Zaikun and the other person wanted to follow.
Chu Ci shook her head and refused, "The two of you have too much yang energy. Wait for me here."
"good."
Chu Ci followed the same route and saw Li Yingqiao's deceased mother in Li Yingqiao and his wife's bedroom.
She stood by the bed, pointing to a solid wood stool.
"stool?"
Chu Ci walked over and, at her prompting, hesitantly bumped the stool.
The moment she was touched, a familiar throbbing pain shot through her head, and a flood of images rushed to her mind.
In the bright living room, Li Yingqiao's mother pushed open the door with a box of money, looking flustered as she told her son to pack his things.
"No, we can't stay in Hong Kong any longer."
"The Bai family knows that it was me who published the apology letter, and they have already started targeting me!"
“I’ve withdrawn all the money from the house, and with Zizai and your wife, we’re taking the next flight abroad!”
She was wearing a white trench coat, carrying a money box in her arms, and wearing high heels as she hurriedly ran to her room on the second floor.
But after taking a few steps, she didn't hear a response from her son, so she turned around in confusion.
"Son, what are you standing there for!"
She hugged the money box and shouted.
"Hurry up! Once the Bai family attacks us, we won't be able to leave!"
But her son just stood in the lavishly decorated living room, head down, fists clenched at his sides, his whole body trembling.
Seeing Li Yingqiao's strange appearance, Li Yingqiao's mother couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"son?"
She thought her son was reluctant to give up his good job in Hong Kong, so she came over to comfort him.
"Don't worry, your aunt is abroad, and she's doing quite well there. Once she gets there, I'll have her find you a good job."
"We still have a lot of money. Even if we go abroad, our lives won't be worse than they are now."
However, despite her gentle explanations and attempts to comfort him, her son remained silent with his head down.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she went up to pat her son on the shoulder, "Yingqiao?"
Li Yingqiao raised his head, and his bloodshot eyes startled his mother.
"Yingqiao? What happened to your eyes?"
She wanted to get a closer look at her son's face, but he brushed her away.
"Get away from me, don't touch me!"
Her high heels slipped, she lost her balance, and fell to the ground along with the money box in her arms, unable to get up.
"Yingqiao!"
She glared at her son, both confused and angry.
"What exactly do you want?!"
Li Yingqiao stared at her without saying a word, but when she finally succeeded in her patience and was about to leave, he slowly rolled up his sleeves.
“Your student’s grandmother has no intention of letting you off the hook. I have this kind of thing on my arm too.”
A small black spot on his arm stood out starkly against his pale skin.
His mother was startled, touched it, and slapped his arm.
"What nonsense are you talking about? It's just a mole!"
As she spoke, she turned to go upstairs.
"Don't overthink it. Hurry back and pack your things, wake up your wife and son, we need to get going."
But before she reached the stairs, a tremendous force came from the back of her neck, pulling her back and causing her to stumble.
This time she fell to the ground and couldn't get up.
"Li Yingqiao!"
Twice in a row, she finally lost her temper with her son.
"What exactly do you want?!"
But her son just stared at her with his bloodshot eyes.
Seeing this made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
"Yingqiao?"
As if she had a premonition, she softened her voice and moved her body backward.
"You...you don't need to be afraid, everything is over!"
“Listen to your mother, let’s go abroad. That old devil can’t possibly come with us, can he?”
"Once we get abroad, we'll be safe! Listen to your mother..."
The only response she received was her son's hand, which reached out and gripped her neck.
Li Yingqiao's eyes were bloodshot, with red veins covering his entire eyeball.
"No, it can't be over!"
"You killed her granddaughter, and all you did was apologize. How could she possibly let us off the hook!"
Li Yingqiao's mother was being choked and couldn't breathe. She tried to pry her hands off, but couldn't.
“Ying… Ying Qiao…”
Her face turned a deep purplish-red, her mouth gaped open, but she struggled to get any oxygen in.
Before her consciousness faded into darkness, she saw a shadow standing behind her son, staring intently at her.
She was unable to close her eyes, but she did not die; she was merely unconscious.
Li Yingqiao looked at the black spots on her hands, then at her unconscious mother on the ground, and suppressed her sobs.
After a while, he looked up at the children's room upstairs, then at his own arm, and his gaze slowly hardened.
"Mom, don't blame me... If you don't die, she definitely won't let us go."
"An apology is useless; only a life for a life..."
He moved a stool over, found a spot in the bathroom where he could hang the rope, and hung it up.
But how to hang his mother up there to fake a suicide was another problem for him.
The noises downstairs woke up his sleeping wife.
His wife was startled when she saw him putting a rope around her mother-in-law's neck.
However, after discussing it, the couple thought about their young son and the Bai family's troubles, and finally reached a consensus on their interests.
The couple worked together to hang the person up, but when they saw the clothes on the mother-in-law's body, they felt something was wrong.
"How could someone committing suicide at home be wearing outdoor clothes?"
"Yes, yes, put her down again and change her into her pajamas!"
"What about withdrawing the money? The banks are closed long ago at this time. She must have pulled some strings to get the money!"
"It's okay, I have an excuse, don't worry."
The couple had considered everything they could think of, but they overlooked one thing.
That means there was a child in the house besides the two adults.
The youngest son, Zizai, was woken up and saw his parents hang his grandmother up, but he was confused and thought he was dreaming.
It wasn't until the next day when he went to find his grandmother and discovered that she was hanging in mid-air and not answering him that he burst into tears.
Li Yingqiao then called the police, but unexpectedly, his son cried and questioned him and his wife:
"Mom and Dad, why did you hang Grandma up like that, and so high up at that! Why isn't Grandma talking to me?!"
In that instant, both of their legs went weak.
Worried that their child might accidentally reveal something while they were too young, they immediately decided to leave the country after dealing with the police who came to their door.
...
Chu Ci lay on the stool that Li Yingqiao had stepped on when she hung the rope, and it took her a while to recover from those images.
Li Yingqiao's mother, who was just standing next to her, has now vanished without a trace.
She looked at the stool, her legs went weak, and she went out.
"Shen Xiuhe?"
She leaned on the second-floor railing and called out to those below.
Shen Zaikun and Shen Xiuhe looked up together.
Shen Xiuhe: "Found it?"
Chu Ci nodded, seeing his delighted expression as he prepared to go upstairs, "There's no evidence, only witnesses."
"A witness?" Shen Xiuhe's cheerful steps faltered. "What witness?"
“The witness who saw Lee Young-kyo and his wife kill his mother.”
As Chu Ci spoke, she held onto the stair railing and walked down the stairs.
"You just said that Li Yingqiao's youngest son is still alive, right?"
"Yes, he was frightened and is in the hospital now."
Shen Xiuhe's expression changed slightly as if he had just realized something. "Could the witness be this child?"
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Author's note: I scrapped the draft and rewrote it, so I'm a little late today.
Sorry, everyone. Unless there are special circumstances, updates will generally be at 9 PM from now on. [kissing emoji]
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