Chapter 466: A Couple’s Lies

Chen Shi asked curiously, “You went to borrow money from your nephew?”

Mrs. Song said shamefully, “Yes, it’s embarrassing to say. Ever since we bought the house, we’ve been in debt, constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul. Then Wanjun’s father got sick, which made things even worse. I had to go around begging and flattering relatives to borrow money, losing all face. Recently, creditors have been pressing us again. We’ve borrowed from all our relatives and friends, and in desperation, I approached Song Yuwen for help to settle the debts.”

“Did he lend you the money?”

“No. That day, Yuchang had some business with him, so I didn’t have the chance to ask and left. I planned to go back in a couple of days, but then this tragedy happened.”

“I have an inappropriate question: given your financial situation, why did you send your daughter abroad to study?”

“That was her dream. We’ve suffered most of our lives, knowing that lack of education brings hardship. We wanted her to have a better life, so it was an educational investment. Actually, we owe a lot to Song Yuwen’s family. Without their frequent help, Wanjun might not have had the chance to study abroad. They’ve done a lot for us.”

“It seems you have a good relationship with them?”

Mrs. Song waved her hand, “Not really. I just visit them often. If you don’t maintain contact, relationships fade. Plus, I took care of Song Yuwen when he was little, so we’re quite close… I heard his funeral is in a couple of days. White-haired people burying black-haired people, it’s so sad.”

“By the way, your daughter is abroad. When did you last see her?”

“She came back for Spring Festival last year, brought a lot of gifts, and even bought me a sweater. I told her not to spend money, just coming back made us happy. She stayed for a few days and left. We usually stay in touch over the phone.”

“May I ask if you have a photo of her?”

“Let me find one…” Mrs. Song opened her phone and showed Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue a family photo of the three of them, looking happy and sweet. The date was last Spring Festival.

Chen Shi looked at the photo, feeling something was off. He asked, “Who took this picture?”

“The phone has a timer function!”

“Oh…” Chen Shi laughed. “I didn’t know that. Just this one?”

“The others didn’t turn out well.”

“Can we see them?”

“They’re really not good. No need to see them.”

No matter how Chen Shi insisted, Mrs. Song refused to show more photos. Without a search warrant, Chen Shi had to drop the matter.

After asking a few more questions similar to those asked of her husband, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left. Lin Dongxue remarked, “A truly struggling couple. Why did you ask the same questions twice?”

“What do you think?”

“You’re testing them?”

“Did I find anything?”

“Their answers were almost identical, except for one difference. The husband said the daughter came back the year before last, while the wife said last year. But the family photo was indeed from last year, so the husband must have remembered wrong.”

“The husband didn’t remember wrong. He initially said last year, then suddenly changed it to the year before last because he was diagnosed last year. When I asked if the daughter knew about his illness, he said no. To cover up the lie, he changed the date.”

“So, he was lying?”

“They both were. Their answers were too consistent, clearly rehearsed.”

“Why would they lie?”

“The daughter might not be abroad at all…” Chen Shi felt puzzled. Everyone knew Shi Wanjun was studying in Australia. If this was a setup for murder, it was planned way too early.

This murder involved unexpected elements—the gun mailed by Zhou Tiannan. Did the killer start preparing three years ago? That didn’t make sense.

This lie must have another purpose, but it’s closely linked to the murder.

Back at the station, Chen Shi asked everyone to investigate certain things. He focused all attention on the second aunt’s family, convinced they were suspects. In the afternoon, Xu Xiaodong excitedly called Chen Shi to the office, saying, “I found something on the surveillance.”

“From the same day?”

“Yes, some more data was recovered. Look.”

Xu Xiaodong played a video from near 11 PM on July 25th. A woman in a white dress walked into the building. Chen Shi said, “What a strange angle.”

“Nothing I can do about it; that’s how the camera was positioned.”

The guard had adjusted the camera to peek down women’s shirts. Watching the video repeatedly, they could barely identify the woman’s figure. She was slim, wore youthful clothes, and had slightly curly long hair, suggesting she was young.

Chen Shi watched it several times, getting lost in thought. Xu Xiaodong waved a hand in front of him, asking, “Chen, did you notice anything?”

“Something seems off…”

“What is it?”

“Have you been given any other tasks?” Chen Shi suddenly asked.

“You told me to keep watching the videos.”

“No need for that now. I want you to stake out the second aunt’s house. Watch their every move.”

“What? Why am I always given these tedious jobs? Can’t I do something more technical? Or do you think I’m only capable of this?”

Chen Shi comforted him, “That’s part of investigating. Most of it is dull and tedious. Honestly, I think you’re great, but you need to develop patience. This is good practice for you.”

Xu Xiaodong reluctantly accepted the task and left. Chen Shi called Lin Dongxue over to show her the video. She exclaimed, “Wow! From the time and place, this must be the suspect. Too bad the angle is ruined.”

“Yes, a young girl in white carrying a gun into a house—a violent but poetic scene. But this angle shows nothing but cleavage.”

“There’s not even much cleavage. She’s so flat, not as good as me,” Lin Dongxue joked.

“Still, if we look closely, we can gather some information.” Chen Shi paused the video and played it frame by frame. Despite the night setting and low resolution, he pointed out, “This girl’s face is very white, but her skin isn’t that fair.”

“She must be wearing makeup.”

Chen Shi pulled out his phone, comparing a saved photo of Shi Wanjun, “Could it be her?”

“We can’t see the face clearly, and these are just ‘photo tricks.’ You haven’t seen her in person.”

“But we have her ID photo.” Chen Shi showed the ID photo of Shi Wanjun. “What do you think?”

“This photo is so young. Was it taken in high school?”