Chapter 23: Ever More Entangled and Complex
“So, you mean that Luo Xiangdong’s two business partners, his wife Liu Hong, and her younger brother Liu Gang can basically be ruled out as suspects?”
Chen Yu’s brows knitted slightly as he glanced into the rearview mirror at Yan Zheng seated in the back.
Yan Zheng massaged his brow, a wry smile surfacing on his face.
“This is your case, yet now you’re coming to me with questions?”
Chen Yu forced a laugh, then quickly changed the topic: “By the way, Captain Yan, what do you think of Dong Zhan’s secretary, Zeng Chen? What kind of role does he play?”
“Oh?” An expression of surprise flashed across Yan Zheng’s face, quickly replaced by a look of approval. “You actually managed to dig up that much?”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Tell me, what’s your opinion of him?”
Chen Yu let out a soft chuckle. “I don’t have much of an opinion. I just think that sometimes a dog who wags its tail for its master will turn around and bite.”
“Zeng Chen isn’t the one who killed Luo Xiangdong.” Yan Zheng’s voice was low and firm. “At most, he’s just a pawn.”
“But…” His tone shifted and his gaze grew darker. “This person is someone you need to keep a close eye on. I suspect he’s involved in other cases as well.”
“Other cases?” Chen Yu’s heart skipped a beat as sudden understanding dawned. “Are you referring to that matter you previously asked me to investigate?”
“That’s right.” Yan Zheng nodded. “Still, even in Luo Xiangdong’s case, his shadow isn’t entirely absent. Since you brought it up, I might as well elaborate a bit.”
“Fifteen years ago, Liu Gang’s wife was brutally murdered in her home, and the unborn child in her womb was not spared. You should already be aware of this—I saw it mentioned in yesterday’s live broadcast replay.”
Chen Yu nodded.
Yan Zheng continued: “That same year, there was another murder in River City with strikingly similar methods.”
“A copycat crime?” Chen Yu mused aloud. “Jack the Ripper?”
Yan Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Jack the Ripper?”
Chen Yu waved his hand dismissively, shifting the subject. “Nothing, just an ill-chosen comparison. Please go on.”
He thought to himself that the history of crime in this world seemed to differ from what he knew.
“Dong Zhan, Luo Xiangdong’s business partner, brought in a mysterious investor to help the Xiangdong Group expand rapidly.”
“This man wielded considerable power. In the early days, the group’s entire financial chain was practically propped up by him. On the street, people called him ‘Mr. Jin.’”
“Mr. Jin didn’t have many hobbies, but he had a particular obsession with young, beautiful women.”
Tch, I like that too! Chen Yu scoffed inwardly.
“Dong Zhan, after years in the business world, had tangled connections on both sides of the law.”
“He enlisted Lei, a local underworld boss, to find all sorts of beautiful women—specifically to cater to Mr. Jin’s tastes.”
“These dealings, of course, could never see the light of day. Dong Zhan couldn’t appear directly, so Zeng Chen became the key link in this sordid chain.”
“Zeng Chen was originally a small-time leader under Lei. As Xiangdong Group grew, he rose along with it, transforming into Dong Zhan’s most trusted secretary.”
“So, the other woman who was murdered with similar methods…” Chen Yu caught the critical point that Yan Zheng hadn’t yet spoken aloud.
“She was one of Mr. Jin’s playthings.” Yan Zheng’s tone was icy.
“Lei delivered her to him. They say she later became pregnant with Mr. Jin’s child.”
“Not long after, she was found murdered, in the same gruesome fashion as Liu Gang’s wife, just ten days apart.”
Chen Yu had already caught wind of this from the blonde woman at the bar the previous night.
But he hadn’t expected the bloody scandal behind all this to be so closely tied to Luo Xiangdong’s commercial empire and these powerful figures who could stir up storms with a flick of their wrists.
“From your expression, you don’t seem surprised?” Yan Zheng’s gaze was sharp, fixed unwaveringly on Chen Yu.
“Heh, I’d heard a little, but not as much as you know, Captain Yan.” Chen Yu smiled sheepishly. “I suppose what you’ve told me now counts as an ‘exclusive inside story,’ doesn’t it?”
“Haha, you really are a sly one!” For once, Yan Zheng smiled. “You’re right—the other three detective contestants in my squad only got the official briefing. They never heard any of this.”
He paused deliberately, his eyes gleaming with amusement.
“But there’s something else—something none of them, nor anyone on the outside, could possibly know!”
Chen Yu’s heart tightened.
Perhaps this information wasn’t directly related to Luo Xiangdong’s disappearance. But the side mission issued by the system in his mind—uncovering the truth behind Liu Gang’s wife’s murder fifteen years ago—made him crave every related detail.
Yan Zheng saw Chen Yu fall silent, his eyes flickering as if weighing something. He seemed to be deliberately keeping Chen Yu in suspense, perhaps as payback for his ‘outrageous’ behavior on the show.
Chen Yu ignored it and suddenly asked, “Captain Yan, I heard Zeng Chen once harassed Liu Hong?”
“You brat!” This time, Yan Zheng was genuinely startled. “Where are you getting your information? Even you know about that?”
“Just rumors, that’s all.” Chen Yu laughed it off. “Captain Yan, why don’t you tell me more?”
“It’s nothing complicated.” Yan Zheng waved his hand. “Zeng Chen is a lecher at heart. Seeing Liu Hong still attractive, he couldn’t help himself.”
“Using the excuse of delivering her ‘compensation’ every month, he made lewd remarks more than once and even tried to force himself on her.”
“Of course, he didn’t succeed. Liu Hong isn’t someone you can push around—she called the police on the spot.”
“Oh…” Chen Yu drew out the syllable, meeting Yan Zheng’s gaze in the rearview mirror, a hint of a smile at his lips. “I’m guessing the ‘absolute secret’ you’ve been dangling before me has something to do directly with Liu Hong herself?”
“Well—?” Now Yan Zheng looked genuinely taken aback. “How did you figure that out?”
“Captain Yan, when you mentioned Liu Hong calling the police just now, the slight change in your tone didn’t escape me.” Chen Yu’s lips curled in a faint smile, though he felt little true satisfaction at having guessed right.
Four years at the police academy had honed his powers of observation to the bone.
This instinct had been forged in countless simulated interrogations and field exercises.
Yan Zheng regarded Chen Yu for a long moment, but found he couldn’t see through this crafty young man.
“Alright, I’ll give you that. Sharp as a tack.”
“But aren’t you curious? Liu Hong and Luo Xiangdong have been married almost ten years—why don’t they have any children?”
“Luo Xiangdong… is he impotent?” Chen Yu joked half-seriously.
Yan Zheng shot him a fierce glare, clearly displeased at such levity in this situation.
“You already heard the explanation from Liu Hong and Liu Gang yesterday, didn’t you?”
“They said Liu Gang’s wife’s tragic death left the whole family with deep psychological trauma, so they put off having children,” Chen Yu recalled.
“Hmph. Do you believe that?” Yan Zheng snorted coldly.
Chen Yu countered, “Is that reason important to Luo Xiangdong’s disappearance?”
“For the case itself, perhaps not the most crucial point,” Yan Zheng said, enunciating each word.
“But for those two gruesome murders, it’s vital!”
He stared hard at Chen Yu.
“There’s something you’d never expect.”
“Back then, the first person who almost fell victim to the same gutting…”
“…was Liu Hong!”
“What?!” Chen Yu’s hands jerked on the steering wheel. The special duty vehicle’s tires screeched against the pavement—he nearly lost control.
A dull roar erupted in his mind, leaving it blank for an instant.
“To be precise, the killer did target her—but failed!” Yan Zheng quickly clarified, a hint of lingering fear in his tone.
“It was Liu Hong’s narrow escape, followed by Liu Gang’s wife’s murder, that made Luo Xiangdong and Liu Hong give up on having children altogether.”
“No… That doesn’t add up!” Chen Yu snapped back to himself. “It completely contradicts the previous pattern of the killer’s behavior!”
“The two later victims had this in common: young women, pregnant, and both connected to Luo Xiangdong’s personal or business network!”
“But Liu Hong…”
Chen Yu’s words trailed off, as a lightning bolt of realization struck him.
“Could it be… was Liu Hong also pregnant back then?”
He blurted out.
“No.” Yan Zheng shook his head slowly, his eyes equally troubled. “That’s what’s always puzzled me most about this case.”
He gazed at the cityscape rushing past the car window, his expression complex, finally waving his hand dismissively.
“Let’s leave it for now. For the moment, your priority is to crack the Luo Xiangdong case.”
Chen Yu nodded slightly, deep thought flickering in his eyes.
He slammed on the brakes.
The car came to a steady stop in a place he knew all too well.
They had arrived at their destination.