Chapter 549: The Third Murder

Peng Sijue and his team began examining the scene. There were numerous fingerprints and footprints from various people in the victim’s house. During the two hours leading up to his death, Gu Daqiang’s phone continuously received messages from friends, with three of them inviting him out to have fun.

It seemed Gu Daqiang was quite sociable, making the fingerprints and footprints at the scene practically useless.

The focus was on the window frame and Gu Daqiang himself.

However, there was something in the surveillance footage. Around 7 PM, a man heavily bundled entered the community, and after Gu Daqiang’s fall, this man left quietly.

Chen Shi asked Old Zhang, “Do you have any suspects?”

Old Zhang shook his head, “Ah Zhen’s death was ruled a suicide, and the case was closed without deep investigation. Two young men visited that night, though.”

“Besides Gu Daqiang, who was the other one?”

“A guy named Liu Qin, but he’s definitely not the one. I smelled alcohol on him that night, and he was caught for drunk driving and sent to the station.”

“Is he still there?”

“He’s detained by the traffic police!”

Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue to call and confirm. Old Zhang continued, “Liu Qin might be the direct cause of Ah Zhen’s death. She messaged him that night, and he said some things. Let me show you the chat logs.”

Old Zhang took out his phone, showing photos of the chat logs. Ah Zhen’s phone had been severely damaged, making the text hard to read, but the gist was clear.

At first glance, it seemed like ordinary conversation. However, a closer look revealed that Ah Zhen was asking for help, perhaps at her most desperate point. Liu Qin’s indifferent responses shut the door on her, pushing her into the abyss.

Chen Shi shook his head, “People always regret it after a tragedy.”

“Indeed, Liu Qin was very emotional afterward, saying he caused Ah Zhen’s death and was willing to pay with his life.”

“I’ll go talk to him.”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the traffic police department. Liu Qin wasn’t surprised to see the police, still immersed in his guilt. Chen Shi got straight to the point, “Your friend Ah Qiang is dead.”

“How did he die!?”

“He fell.”

“Suicide?”

“It’s more complicated than that. We need to talk. This isn’t the best place; I’ll get you bailed out.”

After the paperwork, Liu Qin was released, carrying a box of personal belongings. The first thing he did was find his phone and put it in his pocket.

The three of them went to a nearby teahouse, found a quiet corner, and sat down without ordering anything. Chen Shi asked, “What’s your relationship with the three of you?”

“College classmates. Ah Zhen and I were in the same department; Ah Qiang was in another.”

“Did they start dating back then?”

“I was the matchmaker. Ah Zhen and I were like best friends. She saw Ah Qiang at a school sports event and fell for him, but she was too shy to say anything. After a year of silent crush, I couldn’t stand it, so I approached Ah Qiang through a mutual friend. Ah Qiang made the first move, but Ah Zhen was so nervous that she acted cold and indifferent. Ah Qiang thought I was playing a prank on him. Eventually, they got together, but it was rocky from the start. Ah Zhen was deeply insecure, always feeling unworthy of Ah Qiang and paranoid about him getting close to other girls. Her childhood was unhappy, from a divorced family, so they always fought. Ah Qiang often complained about her excessive suspicion.”

“You seem to be friends with both of them. Who do you side with more?”

“Ah Zhen.”

“Do you like her?”

Liu Qin smiled and shook his head, “I only sympathized and cared for her. Actually, I have a boyfriend.”

“You have a boyfriend?”

“It’s 2021; is that strange?”

“Not at all.”

“After graduation, I grew closer to Ah Qiang because we worked at the same place. On the day of the incident, we had just entertained a client, exhausted, and went drinking at a bar. I was too drunk to notice Ah Zhen’s messages. I should have sensed something was wrong, but I was too muddled to think straight. I just gave some half-hearted advice. I thought she was fine, but who knew…” Liu Qin held his head in pain.

“I read Ah Qiang’s statement. What’s the truth between him and Ah Zhen?”

“They both tell different stories. Ah Qiang claims he started dating his new girlfriend after breaking up with Ah Zhen, but Ah Zhen said he was cheating. From what I know, Ah Qiang had been flirting with Lili for a while, and he was already tired of Ah Zhen by then. Ah Zhen, being so sensitive, couldn’t have missed it.”

“When did this happen?”

“About six months ago.”

“Do you think anyone would kill Ah Qiang to avenge Ah Zhen?”

“I don’t know, but if someone did, then I’m definitely next.”

“Revenge is just a hypothesis. The case isn’t clear yet, but be careful and stay in touch with us.”

Liu Qin nodded, “Ah Qiang had a messy personal life. Many girls were ambiguously involved with him. You might want to investigate that.”

“Did Ah Zhen have anyone particularly close to her?”

“Her mother and her brother.”

“Do you have their contact information?”

“I’ll find it.”

The two of them left, and Chen Shi noted the time. “Let’s continue tomorrow.”

Over the next two days, the police combed through the social circles of Ah Zhen and Ah Qiang but found no clear suspects. The only person with a grudge against Ah Qiang was a man named Sun Jun.

According to Ah Qiang’s classmates, at a farewell party before graduation, Sun Jun said something that infuriated Ah Qiang, who beat him severely. Sun Jun swore he’d get revenge someday.

After graduation, Sun Jun struggled, picking up a gambling habit and constantly hiding from creditors.

On the afternoon of September 25th, the police found Sun Jun’s residence. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi knocked on the door, but no one answered. Lin Dongxue remarked, “Why do gamblers and drug addicts always end up being the prime suspects?”

“They can’t control themselves and might do anything.”

“It seems he’s not home or has moved out. Another wasted trip.”

“Let’s take a look inside.”

“Is that okay?”

“Following proper procedures would take too long. I can’t wait.”

Seeing no one around, Lin Dongxue agreed. When Chen Shi picked the lock, they were stunned to see a man hanging from the ceiling beam, swaying like a wind chime…