Chapter 533: The Death of Li Xiang

Chen Shi asked, “Can we come in?”

Zhang Rui stepped aside from the door, “It’s a mess. Hope you don’t mind.”

The apartment was small, with a prominent workbench covered with small parts made from scrap metal. A nearby cabinet held model tanks and replica guns, some made from welded metal sheets.

Noticing Chen Shi’s gaze, Zhang Rui explained, “I like tinkering with little projects.”

“Have you ever made a real gun?”

“A real gun?” Zhang Rui leaned against the table, lighting a cigarette, his thick eyebrows furrowing from the smoke. “Making a gun is straightforward. Bullets are harder to get, so people usually make those single-shot pistols that fire steel balls. Only small-time thugs use those. I’m a law-abiding citizen. I wouldn’t make real guns. What do you want from me?”

“What’s your relationship with Li Xiang?”

“We’re close friends,” Zhang Rui paused, “in every sense of the word.”

“So, you’re a couple?”

“That’s not illegal, Officer!” Zhang Rui chuckled. Since they entered, he’d been staring at Chen Shi, barely glancing at Lin Dongxue, which made her feel a bit sidelined.

“It’s just infidelity, morally questionable at most.”

“When we met, I didn’t know he was married. He always took off his wedding ring when he went to bars. We were already intimate by the time he told me. His marriage was a disaster. He and his wife were living apart. I told him to get a divorce, but he was too prideful.”

“Do you know Lin Hui had a large sum of money?” Chen Shi watched his reaction.

“No, what money?” Zhang Rui scratched his nose, a clear sign of nervousness.

“Do you own a gray trench coat?”

Zhang Rui tensed up. “I do… but who wears a trench coat in this season? People would think I’m crazy.”

Lin Dongxue’s phone rang. She stepped outside to answer it. Xu Xiaodong told her shocking news: Li Xiang was dead.

Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi outside and said, “Li Xiang was murdered near his neighborhood. The coroner says the time of death was last night and… it was a gunshot.”

“That’s a coincidence!” Chen Shi was also surprised.

Returning inside, their expressions had changed. Chen Shi asked, “One more question. Where were you last night?”

“At home.”

“Who can verify that?”

“No one. Why are you suddenly so serious…” Zhang Rui tried to laugh.

“What were you doing at home?”

“Watching movies.”

“Online?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see the playback history.”

Zhang Rui reluctantly opened his computer and showed the playback history from last night. He had been watching a series from seven to ten, but Chen Shi didn’t believe it. Such records could easily be faked by leaving the computer on.

To test his reaction, Chen Shi dropped a bombshell, “Li Xiang is dead.”

“What!?” Zhang Rui was genuinely shocked. “Who did it?”

“Why didn’t you go to work today?”

“Do you suspect me?” Zhang Rui’s reaction seemed genuine, making Chen Shi uncertain. “I have a flexible schedule. There’s not much work these days, so I stayed home. You can ask my colleagues.”

“You need to come with us.”

“Are you crazy? Li Xiang is dead, and you suspect me? Why would I kill him! If anyone should be dead, it’s Lin…”

“What!?”

Zhang Rui stopped mid-sentence, “I get it. That bitch is framing me. Where is she? Did she report it?”

“Come with us.”

Faced with Chen Shi’s firmness, Zhang Rui reluctantly complied. After taking him away, Chen Shi searched the apartment and took several photos.

At ten in the morning, Zhang Rui was brought to the station. In the interrogation room, he shouted, “I didn’t kill anyone! You’ve got the wrong person!”

Chen Shi was outside reading the autopsy report. The bullet had been extracted; it was a steel pellet, similar to the one found at Green Community. It likely came from the same homemade gun.

Li Xiang’s last call was to Zhang Rui. Based on the timeline, Li Xiang was killed after returning from a trip with Chen Shi.

Lin Dongxue asked, “Why would Zhang Rui kill?”

“If there’s a motive, it’s probably money. Zhang Rui might have thought Li Xiang had the money or wanted to silence him.” Chen Shi was also puzzled by the sudden turn of events.

“When we were leaving earlier, I saw Zhang Rui’s car. It’s exactly like yours,” Lin Dongxue said. “I think I know how Lin Hui disappeared. That night she must have encountered Zhang Rui. He injured her, and when she saw your car on the highway, she thought he was chasing her, so she fled.”

“I thought the same.”

“I have another theory. Zhang Rui might have already killed Lin Hui but didn’t get the money. To avoid suspicion, he killed Li Xiang.”

“It feels too sudden.”

“People do extreme things in desperate situations.”

“Let’s go talk to him.”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the interrogation room. Zhang Rui’s voice was hoarse from shouting. He banged on the interrogation chair, “I really didn’t kill anyone!”

“Let’s put the murder aside for now. I have other questions. You’d better be honest,” Chen Shi said.

“I didn’t kill anyone…” Zhang Rui mumbled.

“Do you know about the ten million yuan?”

“Yes… I know.” He hung his head.

“How did you know?”

“Li Xiang told me. He sold the house behind his wife’s back. When Lin Hui found out, she had the locks changed and discovered the money. She took it and disappeared. The person who lost the money found Li Xiang and hinted about it. Li Xiang later realized the person was a corrupt official and guessed he had lost a large sum.”

“And then?”

Zhang Rui’s lips trembled, “We planned to get the money.”

“Quite bold.”

“Because Lin Hui took it. The official was also looking for her. If we intercepted the money from her, the official would only suspect her. But… the plan had to be secret. Neither Lin Hui nor the official should know. That way, Lin Hui would think the money was taken by the official, and the official would think she still had it. We’d get ten million and live worry-free.”

“For instance, making Lin Hui ‘disappear’?”

Zhang Rui weighed the pros and cons, “Yes, we planned to kill Lin Hui. Li Xiang couldn’t do it. It had to be me, because no one knew about our relationship. Li Xiang agreed to split the money with me afterward, and we’d run away together. But we never carried out the plan. I swear, we didn’t. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now!”

“So, how far did your plan go?”