Chapter 658: Lu Qi’s Wife

Chen Shi said, “It can’t be Lu Qi. Why would he knock on his own door?”

They looked through the peephole and saw a woman outside. They opened the door, and the woman looked surprised. “Who are you to Lu Qi?”

“We’re the police,” Lin Dongxue showed her badge.

“What did Lu Qi do?” she asked.

“Who are you? Why are you looking for him?”

“I’m his wife.”

“Wife? You don’t live together?”

The woman, surnamed Ding, entered the house and asked for a glass of water. She gulped it down, looking exhausted as if she had traveled a long way. “I came from the neighboring city early this morning. I haven’t had breakfast. I’m here to ask for alimony.”

“Are you divorced?”

“No, we’re not divorced. It’s more like a separation…” Mrs. Ding sighed deeply. “Can you tell me what Lu Qi did? Did he kill someone?”

Chen Shi exchanged a glance with Lin Dongxue before answering, “We’re still investigating. He might be connected to several murder cases.”

“Is he on the run?”

“Technically, he’s missing.”

“I knew this day would come,” Mrs. Ding shook her head. “Our marriage was very transactional. My father was the former president of Ding Group, so I was a wealthy heiress. But now… well, a plucked phoenix is worse than a chicken. My father committed suicide because of huge debts. I didn’t dare to inherit his estate because it meant inheriting millions in debt. When Lu Qi first joined my father’s company, he had a charismatic presence. My father liked him a lot. Within a few years, he became an executive. We first met at my father’s birthday party, and I was immediately captivated by him. His charm was like a dangerous vortex that women couldn’t resist. He pursued me fervently. I knew he wanted to be my father’s son-in-law to eventually take over the company, so I treated him coldly. But he was persistent. Women are fools in love, and soon I was his. That was the beginning of my misfortune…

“We got married and soon had a child. Lu Qi’s attitude towards me changed drastically. We were strangers living together, but in public, we pretended to be a loving couple. I discovered his affair. Any woman would be furious upon finding out, but he didn’t even bother to hide it. He looked me in the eye and said I wasn’t his first woman and wouldn’t be the last. If I interfered, he’d have me killed. I lived in constant fear, even considering suicide with my child. But I knew that wouldn’t threaten him. He didn’t love me or our child. He’d cry the hardest at my funeral to show my father how much he cared. My father was deceived by him until he lost everything to him.

“He sold out my father’s company to Dong Xiao for a limited-edition sports car,” Mrs. Ding laughed bitterly. “Then my father committed suicide under the weight of debt. I knew my own disaster was coming. The day my father’s death was reported, Lu Qi calmly walked in and told me to leave, not to tell anyone I was his wife. He didn’t want a divorce because half of his ill-gotten wealth would go to me. I asked if he didn’t want his own child. He coldly said, ‘That’s your child, not mine.’ I begged him to at least let us live. I had no skills and would die without him. Our son would end up in an orphanage, maybe turning out like him, seeking revenge one day. Perhaps that thought moved him. He agreed to send alimony monthly but I could never appear before him… The payment should’ve come by now, but I couldn’t reach him, so I came in person and met you.”

“Is Lu Qi an orphan too?” Chen Shi asked.

“His past sounds like a story. I don’t know if it’s true. He said he was a street kid adopted by con artists. Because he was good-looking and obedient, they pretended to be from an orphanage and placed him with wealthy families. He’d help rob the families or they’d kidnap someone. He did this until his teens. One day, he was placed with a particularly kind couple. It made him yearn for a different childhood. The thought of another child having a happy childhood made him jealous. He poisoned the couple and ran away. The police busted his gang but never found him. He changed his name and moved to another city.”

Lin Dongxue was shocked by the story. Lu Qi couldn’t just be described as twisted; he was completely selfish.

She said, “Do you know when and where this happened?”

Mrs. Ding shook her head. “He was calm when he told the story, like it was about someone else. He was threatening me, showing he’d killed before. If I didn’t obey, he’d kill me the same way. If you ask if I hate him, I don’t. I understand now he’s not human. He’s a beast in human skin. Beasts have their own logic, always living for themselves. He’d betray anything. If I’m right, he betrayed Dong Xiao this time, didn’t he? Everyone’s talking about Dong Xiao’s disappearance. It must be him, right, officer?”

Chen Shi thought it was useless to hide the truth anymore. “Yes, we think so too. He might have killed Dong Xiao, but we can’t find him. Do you have any clues?”

“Lu Qi’s only compassion isn’t for women or children; it’s for his brothers. Wherever he goes, he has a group of followers, like a wolf pack. Men admire strong men more than women do. You might find him by looking for his brothers. He could be hiding with one of them.”

“Thank you!”