Diary of a Criminal Investigator

"Ms. Sun, we are the police investigating your husband’s murder case. I hope you can promptly provide us with any information you have. Don’t worry about being embarrassed."

"Well... I’ll just say it then, since he’s already dead..."

"It happened three years ago. My husband’s timber business was doing well, making a lot of money, and needed to expand. We needed to hire people for finance, logistics, secretarial work, all sorts..."

"But I know about the whole boss-secretary thing; it’s never good. So, I personally picked a secretary for my husband, a distant relative of mine named Ye Xiaohui..."

"Wait!"

Zhang Hui suddenly interrupted Zhang Xiaofeng’s wife: "What did you say the secretary’s name was?"

"Ye Xiaohui. Why?"

Ye Xiaohui?!

Zhang Hui was taken aback.

Based on what Wang Qianqian explained, the last name Zhang Xiaofeng called out when he was with her was this Xiaohui. Could it be this Ye Xiaohui?

"Is there something wrong with this secretary?"

"There’s nothing wrong with the secretary. She’s my distant relative. Old Zhang handled a lot of social engagements outside, so initially, I even had her keep an eye on him for me."

"But..."

Ms. Sun’s face turned grim: "Two and a half years ago, Old Zhang went out for a social engagement with Ye Xiaohui, and after he drank too much..."

"After he drank too much, he... did something to Xiaohui..."

"Didn’t Ye Xiaohui report it to the police at the time?"

"Report what? I gave her a sum of money. None of them wanted to report it, and our whole family depended on Old Zhang. If he went to jail, it wouldn’t benefit anyone."

"At the beginning, Xiaohui agreed, but later..."

"Later, two months after, Xiaohui found out she was pregnant."

"We had been married for so many years and never had a son. So when Old Zhang found out, he didn’t want Ye Xiaohui to have an abortion."

"He had someone examine her; the pulse reader said it was a boy, but Ye Xiaohui didn’t agree."

"Later, the affair became a big scandal, and everyone knew that Xiaohui was carrying Old Zhang’s child... Later... Xiaohui... couldn’t take the rumors and tried to commit suicide by jumping into the river. Luckily, she was rescued in time, but because she was in the water for too long, she became a vegetable."

"The child wasn’t saved either."

"Then, Old Zhang gradually fired all the workers who knew about this, so now the current workers don’t know what happened before."

"Where is Ye Xiaohui now?"

"At my hometown, on the outskirts of Tianzhou City. Back when she was at the plant, she met a man and got engaged to him. That man hasn’t been with anyone else and has been taking care of Xiaohui ever since."

"What’s the man’s name?"

"His name is Qiao Hongshan. He’s an old worker from the plant. He was there when Old Zhang started the timber business."

"Since Ye Xiaohui became a vegetable, why didn’t the family report it to the police?"

"Our family paid a million, and since we’re relatives, Xiaohui’s brother needed the money for his wedding, so they didn’t pursue it further."

Half an hour later.

"Brother Qiang, let’s head to Tianzhou City. With Ye Xiaohui in her current state today, Zhang Xiaofeng holds the largest responsibility, which counts as a huge grudge."

Ren Qiang nodded, but there was still some confusion about the situation.

It’s been over two years since what happened to Ye Xiaohui, and she’s a vegetable, obviously unable to seek revenge herself.

Her family took the money and didn’t pursue it back then. Why would they now, after two years?

Or perhaps Ye Xiaohui’s boyfriend?

From a motive perspective, it’s possible.

But why didn’t he seek revenge back then? Why wait two years?

"You go personally. If there’s no progress, have the folks over in Tianzhou help out and bring back any footprint samples. Lu Chuan can do the comparison."

"Alright, I’ll head over now."

Although there were still some doubts, it didn’t stop Zhang Hui from following up this lead.

Three hours later, Tianzhou City’s outskirts, Mawang Village, first group.

In the humble shop front of a white brick and blue-tile small pharmacy, Zhang Hui met Qiao Hongshan.

Qiao Hongshan had a dark complexion, stood over 1.8 meters tall, and had a very strong build. Standing up, he towered over Zhang Hui.

This build...

Matched the suspect’s physical characteristics that Lu Chuan had described!

"Qiao Hongshan, these are the officers from the Public Security Bureau. They need to ask you some questions."

At this moment, Qiao Hongshan held a kitchen knife in his hand, wearing an apron, having just come out of the kitchen.

Upon hearing the village head’s introduction, Qiao Hongshan’s body tensed up, and his hand clenching the knife bulged with veins.

Zhang Hui felt his heart skip a beat, realizing he might have come to the right place!

Just as he was about to draw his weapon, a robust figure positioned itself in front of him.

Lan Bingyu!

The recently enlisted veteran, now a new officer, stared menacingly at the opposing Qiao Hongshan, poised for combat.

Zhang Hui’s tension eased considerably.

Though newly arrived, this Lan Bingyu was undeniably the pinnacle of combat ability within the entire Criminal Investigation Team.

In just a few days, she had taken down every colleague in the action team on the sparring platform, including her mentor.

Indeed worthy of being a special forces veteran, many of her techniques were unfamiliar to Zhang Hui, every move aimed at vital points, a single misstep and one would immediately lose combat effectiveness.

Although Qiao Hongshan was burly, standing against Lan Bingyu, the supersized fighter, he wouldn’t last more than a couple of rounds.

The ordinary village chief clearly hadn’t grasped the situation: "Hongshan, cooperate with the officers first, then get back to cooking."

Qiao Hongshan wasn’t sure if he had calmed himself or was deterred by Lan Bingyu’s stance, but after a moment of consideration, he set down the kitchen knife and wiped his hands on the apron.

He smiled at the village chief: "Alright, chief, cooking can wait."

"Hmmm, when you’re done, come by the village. Xiaohui’s social insurance hasn’t been canceled yet... Well, try to take it easy."

The village head patted Qiao Hongshan’s shoulder, sighed, and walked out.

Cancel social insurance?

Zhang Hui’s eyes tightened.

Even though Ye Xiaohui is a vegetable, her social insurance still needs to be regularly paid.

Otherwise, how would her medical bills be reimbursed?

Social insurance cancellation would only occur if... the person was no longer alive.

So... is Ye Xiaohui dead?

"Officers, please take a seat in the living room next door, I’ll wash my hands and be right over."

Next to the small pharmacy, the connected living room, after washing his hands, Qiao Hongshan led Zhang Hui and Lan Bingyu over.

During this time, Lan Bingyu vigilantly kept her eyes on Qiao Hongshan, ready to defend or attack at any moment.

This minor scene was mere child’s play compared to the missions she’d previously executed.

In solving cases, there’s much she still needs to learn, and these days she’s gained a lot from the team and Zhang Hui.

But when it came to combat...

Neither Zhang Hui nor the entire Criminal Investigation Team would stand a chance against her.