Chapter 73: Revelation

The unveiling of the truth left Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong deeply shocked. Xu Xiaodong admired, “Brother Chen, you’re getting faster. It hasn’t even been a day, and you’ve cracked the case.”

“Well, your praise sounds a bit strange to me. The case isn’t solved yet. We have a direction now, but the challenge lies in how to investigate. First, the conflict between the brothers happened three months ago. In that time, they had ample opportunity to dispose of all evidence. Moreover, the body was burned, so no fingerprints or DNA can be found. Second, Wu Hao’s motive is very secretive. To avoid suspicion, he even willingly let his sister-in-law have relations with others. No one can prove he had an affair with Pan Xiuying.”

“Wait, as long as Pan Xiuying gives birth to the child,” Xu Xiaodong said.

Lin Dongxue frowned. “But the child would be so pitiful. Born as evidence, both parents would end up in jail. What kind of life would that be?”

Xu Xiaodong scratched his head awkwardly. “You’re right. It’s not ideal.”

“Yeah, the child is really unfortunate. Born into the wrong circumstances, destined for a difficult life. Pan Xiuying must be feeling especially anxious now. The child must be dealt with, but handling it at this crucial time would raise suspicion. So, there’s a slow way to handle this case. We wait. When Pan Xiuying goes for an abortion or can’t hide it anymore, it will naturally prove her affair with Wu Hao. With this one lie, we can break open the entire case.”

“The night is long and full of dreams,” Lin Dongxue said.

“There’s also a faster way. Find a way to prove that no one saw the victim in these three months. Get a search warrant and focus on investigating Wu Hao and Pan Xiuying.”

“But where is the crucial evidence?”

“This case probably won’t find decisive evidence easily. There might be indirect evidence. Let your brother show his perseverance and focus on investigating Wu Hao thoroughly.”

Lin Dongxue smiled. “My brother sounds like a hunting dog the way you describe him.”

“Not at all. In my mind, your brother is like a lion.”

“Get lost, I’ll punch you!”

“We should go back and quickly inform the task force about this news. Let’s not waste any more time investigating Mr. Ximen.”

Leaving the lab, Chen Shi took out a cigarette and handed one to Peng Yue. After a few seconds of hesitation, Peng Yue accepted it and asked, “Have you been here before?”

“No… It’s a nice place though. Every girl here is prettier than the last. Is this your alma mater?”

Peng Yue looked at the students on the playground and said, “When I was in school, I was bullied by my classmates because of my introverted personality. A friend stepped in for me once on the basketball court, taking on four people alone.”

Chen Shi responded evasively, “If only I knew how to play basketball. Girls really like watching boys play basketball.”

Peng Yue suddenly stopped and stared fixedly at Chen Shi. Chen Shi smiled back at him, and then Peng Yue looked away, sighing as if reminiscing about the past.

Thirty minutes later, the meeting room of the task force was abuzz with excitement.

“What? Wu Hao and his sister-in-law actually…”

“Is that woman pregnant? Is she carrying her little nephew’s child?”

“Did ‘Ximen Qing’ not commit the murder?”

Lin Dongxue, acting as the spokesperson, felt embarrassed by everyone’s exclamations. Lin Qiu listened and asked, “Is there any evidence?”

“None.”

Lin Qiu glanced at Chen Shi and said, “No evidence? So, all of this is based on your reasoning?”

A police officer said, “I think Chen Shi’s reasoning is logically sound.”

Another officer added, “Yes, we believe him!”

Yet another officer chimed in, “From the current clues, this is the most plausible hypothesis.”

Lin Qiu narrowed his eyes, looking at his suddenly supportive subordinates. He felt a bit lonely as their leader. Just as he didn’t know how to step down, Chen Shi said, “Actually, I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. If it weren’t for Team Leader Lin laying the groundwork, I wouldn’t have come up with this reasoning so quickly.”

Lin Qiu felt embarrassed by the sudden shift in his subordinates’ allegiance. He coughed, “Let’s proceed with this investigation. But be careful not to startle the snake. Our current work is divided into three main focuses: First, investigate the relationship and backgrounds of these brothers. Second, find evidence of Wu Hao’s affair with his sister-in-law. Third, and most difficult, find direct evidence that Wu Hao committed the murder.”

“Well done, well done! Team Leader Lin has a clear train of thought, immediately outlining the main direction. Impressive, impressive!” Chen Shi praised.

“You’re going overboard.” Lin Dongxue whispered, pulling at his clothes.

Lin Qiu, surprisingly pleased, coughed and said, “This is the difference between professionals and amateurs… Alright, let’s leave it here for today. Come in earlier tomorrow.”

Xu Xiaodong raised his hands in triumph. “Quitting time!”

Everyone turned to look at him, their expressions serious. Xu Xiaodong awkwardly put his hands back down.

After the meeting dispersed, Xu Xiaodong insisted on treating Chen Shi and Peng Yue to dinner. Just as they were discussing it, Lin Qiu walked over. “It’s a bit early to celebrate. Wait until the case is solved, and I’ll treat. Chen Shi, you must come too this time.”

Chen Shi smiled. “Team Leader Lin treating? I definitely won’t miss that.”

Lin Qiu coughed and looked at Lin Dongxue, but addressed Chen Shi, “Well done!”

Then he walked away.

Xu Xiaodong chuckled, “Team Leader Lin can’t even praise people sincerely.”

“If you have something nice to say, go ahead.” Chen Shi said.

Xu Xiaodong took a deep breath. “I’ll give you a big compliment!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s wait until the case is solved.”

Everyone went their separate ways. The next morning, Lin Dongxue arrived at the bureau, where there had been a breakthrough. Everyone seemed especially spirited, busy early in the morning.

She noticed Chen Shi hadn’t shown up and texted him. Chen Shi replied, “Are you treating me like a colleague now? I’m still renting taxis. Let me know when you find some leads.”

Lin Dongxue replied, “Wouldn’t helping be faster?”

“Is there money involved?”

“Yes!”

“Nope, not coming. I want to sleep in today. Do a good job, Little Flower of the Police.”

Hearing Chen Shi praise her as a ‘little flower,’ Lin Dongxue touched her face and smiled. A passing officer told her that Captain Peng had some progress and asked her to go over.

Entering the technical squadron, she suddenly heard Peng Yue scolding, “Who told you this?”

Going in, she saw Xu Xiaodong standing opposite Peng Yue. Everyone else in the room looked baffled, as they had never seen their captain lose his temper before.

“What’s going on?” Lin Dongxue asked.

Xu Xiaodong stammered, “I just told a joke to make everyone laugh. It was the story Chen Ge told me yesterday about the medical student touching my chest. I didn’t expect Captain Peng to react so strongly!”

Peng Yue raised his eyebrows. “Chen Shi said that? He said it himself? How did he know about this?”

Lin Dongxue said, “Captain Peng, don’t scare us. It’s just a joke.”

“It’s not just a joke. That medical student is…”

Peng Yue suddenly stopped talking and looked around at everyone’s shocked faces. He sat back down in his seat. “Making up slanderous stories about medical students really annoys me.”

Peng Yue was not someone who would lie. Even Lin Dongxue could see that he looked unnatural. She wondered, how could this joke have touched a nerve with him?