Chapter 526: Visiting

Chen Shi observed Li Xiang closely and felt that he didn’t seem to be lying.

Lin Dongxue continued, “According to her colleagues, you two are getting a divorce and dividing the property, including the house. Is that true?”

Li Xiang was silent for a moment before saying, “So even her colleagues know… I guess she really is planning to divorce. We’ve been married for only four years, and every time we see each other, we argue. It’s partly because we live apart—she’s in Long’an, I’m here. We only see each other on weekends. In four years of marriage, we’ve spent less time together than some couples do in a month. The house she’s talking about is the one we bought together. She probably wants to sell it and split the money.”

Chen Shi noticed Li Xiang’s eyes flickering when he said the last sentence and interjected, “You only have one property in your names?”

“Just one. Why would I lie about that?”

“Alright, we’ll verify this information later.”

Li Xiang suddenly looked flustered and added, “Wait, let me clarify. We do have only one property in our names, the one we live in now. But she has another property in her name, though… I contributed to it.”

“What’s the story with that?”

“That house is here too. She bought it when she was working here, before we were married. She said she liked it and wanted it as our marital home, so we each put in half the money. Later, I ended up paying most of the mortgage, but the house is in her name, so legally it’s her premarital asset. When we argue, she says she’ll take the house if we divorce, and I tell her to pay me back my share. We’ve argued about it countless times. If I had known, I wouldn’t have put her name on the deed.”

“And the house you live in now?”

“That’s a new house my parents got after their old place was demolished. It’s closer to my job, so we live there. The old place was a bit far, so we rented it out. It’s still rented out now.”

Lin Dongxue quickly noted down this information, asked for the addresses of the two houses, and then asked, “Where were you last night?”

Li Xiang looked surprised, “You suspect me?”

“We’re just investigating.”

“I was at home playing video games.”

“Anyone to confirm that?”

“My buddy Zhang Rui was with me. We played until 11 PM, then went to bed.”

Chen Shi interjected, “What game were you playing?”

“‘Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.’ It’s a single-player game.”

“The new release?”

“Yeah, you know it?” Li Xiang’s expression brightened as if finding a kindred spirit. In truth, Chen Shi only knew about it because Xu Xiaodong had been obsessed with it recently and often talked about it.

Chen Shi said, “I thought it was a single-player game.”

“Just because it’s single-player doesn’t mean you can’t play it with someone else. Zhang Rui and I both love single-player games, so we took turns. When one of us died, we’d switch and have a drink.”

Chen Shi nodded and took down Zhang Rui’s contact information for verification.

As they were about to leave, Li Xiang said, “I think my wife might have run off to meet her lover. If you find her, tell her to come back. This is no way to live… By the way, can I have Haha back?”

“The dog is at the station. You can either come to Long’an or we’ll bring it here.”

“Alright, just let me know in advance.”

As they left, Lin Dongxue asked, “So, do you think he’s a suspect?”

Chen Shi said, “He seemed a bit nervous, but he didn’t seem to be lying. He might just be bad at dealing with strangers.”

“His wife earns over ten thousand a month, seems like a strong-willed person, and he’s more of a homebody and introverted. No wonder they don’t get along. I wonder how they met.”

“People are often attracted to qualities they lack. Once they have them, they realize it’s not what they wanted.”

With some time to kill, they wondered where to go next. Lin Qiupu called and said, “We checked the traffic monitors and found nothing suspicious. We also thoroughly searched the area and found nothing. How are things on your end?”

“Everything’s calm here,” Chen Shi replied. “Do you have any leads we should follow up on?”

“Lin Hui frequently contacted a number before she disappeared. The person is named Lu Hao, a hairstylist, and he lives in Lieyang.”

“Address?”

They headed to the address provided, a hair salon, but Lu Hao wasn’t working that day. They called him, and he answered in a soft, effeminate voice, saying he was at home.

By 5 PM, they reached Lu Hao’s place. He was already waiting outside. He was very thin, with pale skin, wearing hot pants and a pink T-shirt, and his permed hair was styled into a high, cockatoo-like crest.

Lin Dongxue compared herself to him and noted his skin was even fairer than hers. As she got closer, she caught a whiff of cologne.

Lu Hao looked quite delicate, like a pretty boy, though Lin Dongxue didn’t find this type appealing. She thought he was likely Lin Hui’s lover.

“Hello!” Lu Hao extended a hand to shake. His hands were soft and slender. “How can I help you?”

“What’s your relationship with Lin Hui?” Chen Shi asked directly.

“We’re just friends.”

“How did you meet?”

“At driving school. We hit it off and started hanging out.”

“Hanging out meaning…?”

“Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. We’re really just friends. I know she’s married, and I have a girlfriend. We just meet for haircuts and meals.”

Chen Shi didn’t believe this explanation. A busy, married woman wouldn’t make time for a casual opposite-sex friend.

“Did you know she’s missing?”

“Really? How? Where?”

“We’re investigating that. Before she disappeared, you two had several phone calls. Did you meet?”

“No… we didn’t.”

Chen Shi smiled skeptically. “What did you talk about?”

“She was feeling down, arguing with her husband, and just venting to me. I tried to cheer her up.”

“Alright, hold on a moment.”

Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu, asking for screenshots of Lin Hui’s call logs. During this time, Lu Hao seemed nervous, biting his nails.

Chen Shi read from the call logs, “First call was on September 8, from 8:04 PM to 8:05 PM. Second call was at 8:23 PM, lasted 30 seconds. Third call was at 8:40 PM, also 30 seconds. Last call was from you to her on September 10 at 8 PM, but she didn’t answer. These durations and frequencies don’t seem like casual conversations. More like you were arranging to meet, confirming locations. Don’t you think?”