False evidence

Chapter 282 Illusory Image (9)

How do you know Zhu Wanlin?

It seems I've never mentioned Zhu Wanlin to her.

Xie Xiaohuan bit her lip and ran back into the house.

When she came out, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the diary in her hand.

I took the diary and turned to the last page with content.

It reads:
— December 25, light rain; Qingyang Mountain 80018, Zhu Wanlin's feud was settled.

I examined the handwriting and asked Jie Xiaohuan, "Did you write this?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about my mom just now, so I looked through my diary, and then..."

Gao He had already seen the contents of the diary. "Qingyang Mountain seems to be a place name. What does 80018 mean?"

I touched the jade pendant on my chest through my clothes, returned the diary to Xie Xiaohuan, and stood up to say to Gao He:
“I know where it is. If you’re free, let’s go together.”

Four hours later, Gao and I drove to a coastal city.

Gao He asked me, "How did you know about Qingyang Mountain Wharf? Have you been here before?"

“I’ve never been here.” I shook my head. “I just know. Also, don’t ask me about the diary. I can’t explain it clearly even if I wanted to.

The truth is, Zhu Wanlin's soul is still inside the white fish.

Upon reading the contents of the diary, I immediately understood through his consciousness that Qingyang Mountain was a fishing boat dock.

"Fine! I won't ask. I know you don't want to lie to me."

Gao He pointed the way, "I've checked. Zhu Wanlin's company is in the seafood business. It's quite reasonable for the fake Zhu Wanlin to want to use his identity to run away on a fishing boat."

"We'll only know the truth once we find the person."

I took out my phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, this is Sanqi."

"How did you get my number? Did Wan Lin tell you?"

"What is this?" Fang Jun asked on the other end of the phone.

“Your husband has passed away. Captain Gao gave me this number. I'm calling you to ask you something—which pier does bus 80018 stop at?”

“Deep-sea fishing vessels usually dock at No. 8 Qingyangshan Pier,” Fang Yun said. “According to the schedule, vessel No. 80018 should set sail tomorrow.”

"Thank you."

After hanging up the phone, I told Gao He to drive directly to Pier 8 of Qingyang Mountain.

"When did I give you Fang Yun's number?" Gao He turned the steering wheel and stared straight ahead.

"How I know her number isn't important. The point is, Zhu Wanlin, this 'second-generation fisherman,' only cares about eating, drinking, and having fun after taking over the business. He's a hands-off boss. There are some things you can't get by asking him directly. On the other hand, his wife works diligently to manage all the business for him and knows everything about shipping."

Gao He raised an eyebrow: "If that's the case, the theory that the fake Zhu Wanlin ran away using a fishing boat doesn't seem very plausible, does it?"

I said, "That's impossible. But have you considered how a fake Zhu Wanlin could be on a cruise ship?"

Gao shook his head: "I'm not familiar with cruise ship management systems abroad."

"This isn't a matter of domestic or international; it's simply a matter of having one more person or one less person."

As I pondered, I slowly said, "Foreign cruise ships may be very open, but they certainly won't be lax in passenger management."

If the fake Zhu Wanlin boarded the ship as a tourist from our country, and there is no record of him disembarking, the relevant departments should have received a notification.

But what if he is a foreigner, or boarded the ship as a crew member...?

The former wouldn't be reported to our country; the latter seems insignificant in South Asian countries, and might even be internally 'digested' by the shipping sector.

Gao He slapped the steering wheel: "Then he must have a seaman's certificate! Only then can he legally board the ship!"

It was already afternoon when they arrived at Qingyangshan Pier No. 8. Gao He used his identity to drive directly into the port area.

By this time, it was past the departure time for the ocean-going fishing boats, and the huge dock was quiet; we hadn't seen many people along the way.

From a distance, I saw a white Land Rover parked on the side of the road and hurriedly told Gao to pull over.

"What's going on?"

"That Land Rover belongs to Hou Lei!"

This message was naturally passed on to me by Zhu Wanlin.

Gao He's eyes darted around. "He's Zhu Wanlin's best friend and also in the seafood business, though his company is much smaller than Zhu Wanlin's."

I took the iron fan out of my bag and put it in my pocket. The two of us got out of the car together and quickly found the fishing vessel No. 80018 along the dock.

I went up the rope ladder to the deck, but I didn't see anyone.

Gao and Di said in a low voice, "The ship is so big, it's not easy to find."

I thought for a moment and said, "It just so happens that we were in the same ward, and he heard us talking about his detention, which made him feel guilty and he ran away."

Otherwise, given Zhu Wanlin's status, if he went through divorce proceedings with Fang Yun and sold the fixed assets, he could have obtained a large sum of money.

The duck that was about to be eaten flew away; if it were me, I would definitely be very disappointed. Let's assume I'm a seaman, and I'm only on watch on the ship before setting sail.

In this cold weather, with no work to do, he's probably just stuck in the cabin feeling gloomy!

"Nonsense, with such a big ship and so many cabins, how would you know where he is?"

"Tsk, I've never been a seaman, but I think that no matter how senior a seaman is, his status will never be high once he's on a new ship. Also, there are four words—a guilty conscience needs no accuser. Once the ship sets sail tomorrow, I'll be completely safe. Just to be on the safe side, I'd rather stay in my cabin as a low-ranking crew member and do nothing."

As they were talking, they had already reached the steps.

The two went down the ladder. Because it was the day before they were to set sail, the lower cabins were dimly lit with only small lights at intervals, and it was raining outside.

I pressed my ear against the wall to listen, then pointed ahead.

The two walked forward down the corridor, and halfway there, my ears suddenly twitched in surprise.

Before I could react, a door next to me suddenly opened!
As I turned my head, I came face to face with the person coming out of the door.

Before the other person could speak, she grabbed his hair and slammed him hard against the door frame.

Gao He stepped back, pushed me aside, looked at the guy who had been knocked unconscious, glared at him, and said in a low voice:
"Are you out of your mind? He's not 'Zhu Wanlin'! Even if he were, you can't just start a fight like that!"

“He’s not the fake Zhu Wanlin, but I recognize him! Do you remember those two lackeys who made me drink that beverage after get off work and then picked a fight with me at the food stall? This kid is one of them!”

As I spoke, I kicked him in the head again.

Before Gao He could speak again, I whispered:
"Whether he's a driver or an assistant, he can't be following a fake Zhu Wanlin!"

Gao He looked at the man: "He is Hou Lei's driver."

I nodded, signaling him to keep walking.

They hadn't walked far when they heard voices coming from inside a door.

Gao and I exchanged a glance, then pressed our ears against the door.

One person said, "You're overthinking it! So what if the police have his blood sample? Once you and Fang Yun are divorced, who will suspect you? Who would force you to take a DNA test for no reason?"

“His wife is already suspicious of me!” another person said. “That day, Fang Yun asked me to go home to get some things, and I found that I didn’t need any of them! She hadn’t put them away at all!”

She must have discovered something and deliberately sent me away so she could talk to Captain Gao in the same ward! The police aren't stupid; once they become suspicious, they'll have plenty of excuses to get me tested!

The person who had spoken earlier paused for a moment before speaking:

"So what? Even if the DNA is different, do they have a way to prove you're not Zhu Wanlin? Don't be silly. Don't say you're worrying unnecessarily. Even if they do the tests, how different could you be from Zhu Wanlin? You're brothers, you're twins!"

(End of this chapter)