Chapter 145: Superficially United, Fundamentally Divided

Xue Chengyi’s mistress sat at a table near the door, eating quietly and not interacting with others.

Chen Shi walked over, pulled up a chair, and sat down. The woman looked surprised. “You’re the guy from that day…”

“My name is Chen. What’s yours?”

“Oh, Officer Chen, I’m Li Ping.”

“What brings you here?”

“I’m friends with Old Xue. His father passed away, so of course, I came to pay my respects.”

“Friends?”

“Haha, I knew I couldn’t fool you. You saw us together that day. Yes, we’re in that kind of relationship, but his wife knows and turns a blind eye.”

“They have such a harmonious relationship?”

“There are all kinds of couples in this world. Sorry, I need to get home. My child is waiting.”

Chen Shi thought he might get some useful information from her and said, “I’ll go with you. Did you drive?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Let’s share a cab then. We can save some money.”

Outside the restaurant, Li Ping asked, “Was that girl with you your daughter?”

“No, I’m just her legal guardian.”

“She looked familiar. Is she in Class 2, Grade 8?”

“Yes, what’s your child’s name?”

“Li Yantong. I’m a single mother.”

“Being a single mom isn’t easy. I’d like to know more about Xue Chengyi’s family.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you can tell me.”

“Is he involved in tax evasion or something?”

“No, no. This isn’t about that. He’s connected to a case I’m investigating. It’s not that he’s a suspect; it’s just police work to look into everything.”

“I understand!” Li Ping thought for a moment. “He’s been married to his wife, Tang Hui, for twenty years. Their relationship seems unusual. Tang Hui has an affair with a junior colleague, which Xue Chengyi knows about. He also knows about me. It’s like an open secret. She never makes a fuss.”

“A superficially united but fundamentally divided couple?”

“Exactly. You summarized it well. I think it’s because Tang Hui is his first wife. Xue Chengyi once told me they’ve been through a lot together. When they first started their business, they were dirt poor and borrowed a lot of money. Luckily, the investment paid off, and the business gradually picked up. He also mentioned that something significant happened during that time, something lucky that kept his fortune going.”

“What was it?”

“He didn’t say.”

“When did he start his business?”

“2001 or 2002, I think.”

“Anything else you can tell me?”

Li Ping shared more details until the cab arrived. She said, “Officer Chen, care to share a ride?”

Chen Shi replied, “Sorry, I need to check something with Xue Chengyi.”

“Let’s chat another day then!”

“Thank you.”

Chen Shi returned to the restaurant. The guests had left, and Xue Chengyi, drunk, was crying loudly, “I failed in my duty as the eldest son. I’m so unfilial!” His siblings were consoling him, saying he had done enough and their father was at peace.

Nearby, his wife Tang Hui watched coldly, her expression piquing Chen Shi’s interest.

Seeing Chen Shi, Xue Chengyi suddenly stopped crying and slurred, “Officer Chen, you’re still here?”

“You’ve had too much. Let me take you home.”

“No, no, thank you for coming today. My brother can take me home.”

“Don’t be so formal.”

Chen Shi helped Xue Chengyi to a car, then sat in the driver’s seat. Xue Chengyi patted his shoulder, saying, “You’re a good friend. Let’s drink more at my place.”

Tang Hui opened the door and got in. “Thank you, Officer Chen.”

“No problem. He helped my daughter last time. I haven’t properly thanked him yet.”

Tang Hui smiled, but when Chen Shi glanced back, he saw her cold eyes in the rearview mirror.

Using the GPS, Chen Shi found Xue Chengyi’s address and chatted with the couple as he drove. Once there, Tang Hui said, “I’ll help him upstairs. Thank you, Officer Chen.”

“No problem, I’ll be off then.”

Tang Hui helped Xue Chengyi inside and dropped him on the sofa. Xue Chengyi mumbled, “Water, give me water.”

Tang Hui went to the bathroom, filled a basin with cold water, and splashed it on Xue Chengyi, jolting him awake. “Are you crazy?” he yelled.

“You’re the crazy one, inviting a cop here! Are you trying to get us killed?”

“He helped my daughter with a bully. I have a favor with him. He won’t suspect me… Besides, even if he does, he won’t find any evidence!”

“I warn you, Xue Chengyi, we know what we’ve done. It’s either we live together or die together. Be cautious!”

“I… I know!”

“Good. Burn Dad’s belongings. Leave no traces.”

Xue Chengyi muttered, “Damn, this place is like an icebox. I can’t stand it here for another second.”

Tang Hui sneered, “You think I like it? Ever since you did that, this place has been a shell.”

Chen Shi didn’t leave immediately. He stood outside, watching. The couple didn’t turn on any lights. Strange, he thought.

Leaving the complex, he called Lin Dongxue to find out where she was, then took a cab to the hospital.

At the hospital, in the room where Du Ting fell, Peng Sijue, Lin Dongxue, and Xu Xiaodong were searching for evidence. Peng Sijue was scanning the floor with a biological detection device, finding some hair and fibers that would need to be tested later.

“The floor was recently cleaned. There’s not much dust. The footprints aren’t clear and have little evidential value,” Peng Sijue said.

Lin Dongxue took out a key. “This is the window key found on the victim. Let’s see what it opens.”

They unlocked the window with security bars. A cold wind blew in, making them shiver. Peng Sijue shone a flashlight on the window edges. “A lot of dust has been wiped off.” He took some samples to compare with dust on the victim.

Lin Dongxue tried to reconstruct the scene. “The victim fell face down. The killer must have placed her on the windowsill, ‘sat’ her there, and then pushed her from behind.”

Peng Sijue noted, “The back of the victim’s coat was torn.”

Xu Xiaodong exclaimed, “There are fingerprints here!”

The others looked over. On the right side of the windowsill, near the edge, were four fingerprints. Peng Sijue illuminated them with his flashlight. “They’re blurred. It’ll be hard to lift them.”

“Are they from the victim?” Lin Dongxue instinctively checked the other side of the windowsill and found more prints.

Comparing the prints on both sides, they realized something odd. If the killer left these prints, he must have gripped both ends of the window and used his chest to push the victim. Such a posture would require extremely long arms, like those of Liu Bei.

It couldn’t be the victim’s defensive marks, as the autopsy confirmed she was dead when she fell.

“The fingerprints are of different sizes,” Peng Sijue suggested. “There were two killers!”