Chapter 364: Strict Parenting

Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, “This matches up with Xiaodong’s testimony. He said Li Mengran went upstairs at 10 PM.”

Chen Shi nodded and asked Aunt Wu, “Why didn’t you tell the police?”

“I was afraid they’d suspect me. Ranran came back to get her ID, and I didn’t expect anything like this to happen. I was worried you’d think I was a suspect if I mentioned it.”

“Was Mr. Li at home then?”

“Mr. Li had gone out to look for her. Ranran snuck back in, drank some juice—there’s half a bottle left in the fridge that she drank from—then took her ID. She said she wanted to scare her dad by running away and planned to spend the night at an internet cafe or hotel. I warned her to be careful, and she assured me it was safe because those places have surveillance. Who knew this would happen by 1 AM?”

“You didn’t tell Mr. Li. It seems you usually sided with her,” Chen Shi said.

“You have no idea how strict Mr. Li is. Ranran never slept more than six hours a night throughout high school. She had to attend evening classes and get extra tutoring at home. If her grades slipped, Mr. Li made her write self-reflection papers while crying. I felt so bad for her. Despite their wealth, she had it much harder than average kids. That’s why I always took extra care of her. Last night, I even gave her some of my homemade cookies.”

“Her grades were excellent. Why did Mr. Li still trust scammers enough to buy exam papers?”

“What? How did you know about that? Mr. Li was desperate for her to get into Peking University. To be honest, with her grades, she could have gotten into any top university below Peking. But he had his heart set on it. They fought about this yesterday, and he slapped her, which is why she ran out.”

“Is there anything else you want to tell us?”

Aunt Wu shook her head.

Chen Shi took out a photo of the box cutter, “We found Ranran’s blood and someone else’s fingerprints on this. You clean the house, so they’re probably yours. Do you realize how damaging this evidence is?”

Aunt Wu covered her mouth in shock, “I can explain!”

“Go ahead.”

“That time, Mr. Li forced Ranran to write a promise not to associate with Gao Xiang. She cried all night. The next morning, Mr. Li went on a business trip, and Ranran didn’t get up by 9 AM, which was unusual for her. I opened her door with a key and found her in bed with that knife, her wrist cut. I was terrified and called 911. Luckily, her life was saved. I kept it a secret from Mr. Li to avoid a huge scandal.”

“Do you know why? Was it because Mr. Li broke up their relationship?”

“No, Ranran told me later she only had a crush on Gao Xiang. That night, he walked her home and tried to assault her in an alley. A passerby stopped him, but she was so scared she couldn’t go back to class and didn’t dare tell her family. That’s why she did something so foolish.”

“You kept the knife?”

“I hid it in her used test papers, fearing she’d hurt herself again.”

Chen Shi collected the half-empty juice bottle and Aunt Wu’s cookies, packaged in five small bags, saying, “We’re not suspecting you, but we need you to come to the station and repeat your statement in detail. Your testimony can clear another suspect’s name.”

“I’m not the suspect, right?” Aunt Wu asked, worried.

“Of course not. You had neither the motive nor the opportunity. I know you cared for Ranran deeply. Your testimony narrows down the timeline, which helps our investigation a lot.”

“Alright, but please explain this to Mr. Li.”

“We will!”

Lin Dongxue called the station. The case had been filed, but the third team was handling it. After consulting with Lin Qiupu, the third team agreed to let Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue participate in the investigation.

Lin Dongxue then contacted the third team’s leader to escort Aunt Wu for her statement.

After temporarily saying goodbye, they left the apartment. Chen Shi pressed the elevator button to go up, and Lin Dongxue said, “You pressed the wrong button!”

“I want to check upstairs.”

“Upstairs?”

“If what Aunt Wu said is true, I think Ranran liked Gao Xiang, which is why she felt devastated when he assaulted her, leading to her suicide attempt.”

“Do you suspect Gao Xiang?”

“I’m not sure without seeing him. But I don’t plan to visit the school. First, the killer’s method suggests they aren’t a student; second, school relationships are too complex. Let the third team handle that mess.”

“So you’ll just wait to take the credit?”

“It’s not taking credit. Investigations have fast and slow parts. With more manpower, we could take it slow. But it’s just us, so we need to be quick! I’ll prioritize suspects based on likelihood and focus on them first. It’s a bit of a gamble, but it’s practical.”

“But you always seem to get it right!”

“Just luck!” Chen Shi smiled. He wanted to say it was intuition, putting himself in the killer’s shoes.

They took the elevator to the top floor and climbed to the roof. The door was locked. Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue, “Find the property manager.”

“Okay.”

As Lin Dongxue left, Chen Shi pulled out his lock-picking tools and quickly opened the lock. “Come back! Someone left this lock loose. I pulled, and it opened.”

Lin Dongxue returned, amazed, “Your luck is incredible!”

On the rooftop, though it was evening, the summer sky was still bright. Chen Shi surveyed the area, taking photos. Lin Dongxue asked, “What are you photographing?”

“Looking for places where the crime might have occurred. The body had dirt. Look here.” Chen Shi showed her photos, and they discussed the possibilities.

“The flowerbeds by the road have dirt, but with all the traffic, it’s unlikely. Pass!”

“The school has a quiet field at night, but would Ranran go there? Pass!”

After eliminating many options, one remained: a nearby construction site. They decided to check it out immediately.