Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 263 Mysterious Man
Following the key directions proposed by Zhou Yi, everyone involved in the investigation of this case took a photocopy of Tang Xue's photo and went to Donghai Community and its surrounding areas to conduct interviews and investigations.

When a case investigation hits a bottleneck, we have to go back to the most basic methods: the three basic approaches!

Even the most brilliant reasoning skills are nothing but castles in the air.

Judicial procedures only consider a complete chain of evidence.

Shi Tao assigned tasks for the visits, and Zhou Yi said that besides witnesses, the identity of the child's father is still unclear.

Huang Chen is actually the prime suspect, but based on the current investigation, the two may have only had some borderline behavior.

Another suspect is the tutor named Hu Weihua. Zhou Yi first went to Yao Fenfang's house and found the notebook she mentioned.

Sure enough, the document was filled with detailed records of every expense in the mother and daughter's lives, from social obligations to buying a single scallion. It was clear from the words that they lived a rather frugal life.

The document contained Hu Weihua's phone number, the amount paid for tutoring, and clearly marked the date of each tutoring session.

Judging from the price, it is indeed not cheap, so it's no wonder that Yao Fenfang said she couldn't afford it.

Zhou Yi dialed the number listed above. An elderly woman answered the phone, and there were sounds of children crying in the background.

The number belonged to Hu Weihua's family; the old lady said it was Hu Weihua's mother, and he was still at work at the school at this hour.

Zhou Yi casually asked how old the child was, and the old lady smiled and said that he was fourteen months old and very mischievous.

Zhou Yi had some doubts. Hu Weihua's child was just over a year old, which meant that when he tutored Tang Xue, the child had just been born, his wife was probably still breastfeeding on maternity leave, and his mother was helping to take care of the child.

In such an environment, whether it's consensual or forced, there's no possibility of a relationship occurring.

He was much less wary of Teacher Hu, but he still had to ask the questions.

Since he and Shi Tao had taken the two of them away directly when they came to Yao Fenfang's house before, they did not participate in the on-site investigation.

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi walked around the room to see if there were any other clues.

Zhou Yi entered Tang Xue's bedroom, which was small and could only fit a bed, a single wardrobe, and a desk.

The walls were covered with posters of Hong Kong and Taiwanese stars, and the drawers contained a pile of contemporary music magazines and many cassette tapes.

Zhou Yi opened a thick notebook, which contained lyrics written in colorful pens, along with many drawings.

It's clear that this is probably Tang Xue's emotional support, given her withdrawn personality.

Aside from that, there's nothing particularly special about it.

Zhou Yi stood in the bedroom and looked around. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he caught a glimpse of an earphone wire peeking out from under the blanket on the headboard.

He lifted the blanket on the bed and found a silver Sony Walkman.

He had seen this Walkman before; his cousin Zhao Min had one exactly the same.

But he remembered that this thing was not cheap. Zhao Min's cost more than a thousand yuan, and even her aunt was reluctant to spend the money. It was her uncle who decided to buy it because he doted on his daughter.

Based on Yao Fenfang's salary level, this Walkman would cost her at least half a year's salary.

My aunt's family is much better off; they only bought it for her when she went to high school so she could study.

This thing is simply not something that Tang Xue's family can afford.

Moreover, there was no such expense recorded in Yao Fenfang's ledger, so it was even less likely that Tang Xue's father would have made such an expense.

Then there's only one possibility: the child's father.

While it's possible that the male classmate gave Tang Xue his Walkman, Zhou Yi felt it was more likely that the man was an adult male with a certain economic foundation.

When Zhou Yi told Qiao Jiali about his Walkman and his thoughts, Qiao Jiali's expression became serious: "Tang Xue wouldn't be selling her body to make money, would she?"

"I feel... it's not quite like it. Judging from how much she values ​​that bracelet, it should be a romantic reaction. But if the other person is an adult, it's very likely not a normal relationship."

"You suspect that tutor?"

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and replied, "It's hard to say, we'll have to ask to find out."

So the two drove to Nanming No. 2 Middle School, where Hu Weihua worked. Since Hu Weihua was still teaching, they first learned about the situation from the school leaders.

School leaders highly praised Hu Weihua's teaching skills, saying that he was conscientious, diligent and pragmatic, not only caring about students but also having a strong spirit of research, and was deeply trusted by students and parents.

When asked about his personal situation, the school leaders expressed some regret that Mr. Hu's physical appearance was slightly less attractive, which led to him getting married relatively late.

He was 35 when he married his current wife through an introduction from a colleague at school. Fortunately, not long after their marriage, they announced his pregnancy, and last year he gave birth to a lovely boy. This matches what Yao Fenfang said about Hu Weihua being about the same age as her, as well as the information Zhou Yi obtained from calling his family.

Half an hour later, Hu Weihua, who had finished class, was called over by the school leaders. When Zhou Yi and Qiao Jiali saw him in person, they understood why the principal had been so regretful earlier.

Hu Weihua is only 1.6 meters tall, slightly shorter than average, with an ordinary appearance and many acne scars on his face, which puts him at a disadvantage in terms of looks.

Especially with Tang Xue's room full of celebrity posters, Zhou Yi found it hard to connect a young girl who liked Hong Kong and Taiwan stars so much with this Teacher Hu in terms of their romantic relationship.

Although Hu Weihua's appearance is average, he speaks eloquently and his words immediately convey that he is a cultured person.

After learning that they had come for Tang Xue, he explained in detail how Yao Fenfang had been introduced to him for tutoring, and how he had tutored Tang Xue, including how many classes he taught each week, how long each class lasted, and the fees.

"To be honest, I don't usually give individual tutoring to students, but my wife had just given birth and our household expenses were a bit high, so I thought I'd earn some extra money. I'm actually quite ashamed of it," Hu Weihua said apologetically.

"Teacher Hu, where do you tutor Tang Xue?" Qiao Jiali asked.

"It's right in my living room, at the dining table. My house is a bit small, and there's no separate place for us. I was a little embarrassed, and I told Tang Xue's mother that it might be a bit noisy."

"Have you always stayed at your house? You've never been to Tang Xue's house?"

Hu Weihua shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, I made it clear to Tang Xue's mother from the beginning that I wouldn't come to her home. She agreed to that, so I agreed to tutor Tang Xue."

Hu Weihua was clever. He didn't ask them what had happened to Tang Xue, but seemed to have guessed something. He immediately added, "Because the tutoring is in the evening, my wife and my mother are at home. Tang Xue and I have never been alone together. Sometimes her mother brings her over, and her mother is there too."

Zhou Yi and Qiao Jiali nodded; Hu Weihua's meaning was already very clear.

No matter why you came to me, Tang Xue and I have a normal teacher-student relationship, and there are witnesses to prove it.

Zhou Yi and the others understood what he meant, so they stopped asking questions. After all, the investigation into this Teacher Hu was just a routine matter, and there were no clear clues pointing to him.

"Teacher Hu, did you notice anything unusual while you were tutoring Tang Xue?" Zhou Yi asked.

Hu Weihua thought for a moment and said, "There were no unusual circumstances, but there was one time when her father came to pick her up."

Zhou Yi and Qiao Jiali were startled, "Tang Jun?"

Didn't He Bin talk to Tang Jun and say that this man hadn't come to see his daughter for a long time?

Hu Weihua shook his head: "I don't know her name. Sometimes Tang Xue's mother works the night shift, so she drops her off and leaves. Tang Xue goes home by herself after her tutoring session. I had expressed my concerns before, but since it's not far away, her mother said it was fine."

“Then one time, Tang Xue’s mother was working the night shift, and I walked Tang Xue out after class. Oh, if she went home by herself, I would walk her to the entrance of the community.”

"Then she saw a car waiting for her across the street, driven by a rather tall man."

Zhou Yi asked, "How did you know that was her father?"

“I saw Tang Xue run over to that person happily as soon as she saw him, and even hugged him.” Hu Weihua had already keenly realized that something was wrong and said, “My instinct was that this was her father, and I didn’t think of anything else, after all, Tang Xue is a pretty quiet student.”

Zhou Yi was certain that the man driving the car was not Tang Jun. Tang Xue and Tang Jun had a terrible father-daughter relationship; how could they possibly hug each other happily upon meeting?

It seems that this mysterious man is the one who caused Tang Xue's pregnancy.

"Teacher Hu, did you get a clear look at the man's face or the license plate number at the time?"

"No. I saw her get into the car, and then I left."

Zhou Yi inquired about the time when the incident occurred.

Hu Weihua said he couldn't remember the exact date, but it was definitely around the end of May or the beginning of June. About two or three weeks later, before the final exams, Yao Fenfang said apologetically that she had some family matters to attend to and might have to take a break from tutoring. After that, she never saw Tang Xue again.

The two thanked him for his cooperation and then left the school.

“This man owns a car and can afford an expensive Walkman, which means he’s financially well-off,” Qiao Jiali analyzed after leaving the school. “But almost no one knows about this man, which means he was very cautious in his relationship with Tang Xue. Tang Xue herself probably doesn’t have this awareness, which means this man specifically instructed her to do so.”

"I suspect this man is likely a married man with a wife. The thing I hate most in my life is a man who is unfaithful to his wife!"

"Sister Qiao, I agree with your analysis. This man is definitely not someone who can be brought into the light!"

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, his cell phone rang. He answered it and heard that it was Shi Tao calling.

"Zhou Yi, I'm telling you, I've made a major discovery!"

"And guess who provided the information?"

"It's that mascot gatekeeper you were talking about!"

(End of this chapter)