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

Chapter 323 Villa and Mansion
Zhou Yi was slightly taken aback. Had he changed his mind so quickly?

But Pan Hongjie's next words made him realize that he had been overthinking things.

"I have a rather difficult task for you."

"Investigate Zheng Guangming's line?" Zhou Yi asked.

“You’re so smart. We should have enough manpower to arrest Jiang Wei; one or two more won’t make a difference. But we have to hurry up with Zheng Guangming’s case. We need to confirm the victim’s identity and find the murderer. Even if the murderer isn’t caught right away, at least we’ll have a clear understanding of the case, which will be enough to give our superiors an explanation, don’t you think?”

Pan Hongjie said sincerely, "I don't trust anyone else to handle this matter."

"Hey," Zhou Yi thought to himself, "they're already confiding in me so quickly. It seems the pressure has really hit its limit."

"Captain Pan, don't worry, leave it to me."

"You can choose whoever you want to cooperate with."

"I'd recommend Officer Xia; I'm more familiar with him."

“Okay, I’ll talk to him in a bit and have him cooperate with you throughout the process. If you encounter any difficulties during the investigation, just let me know,” Pan Hongjie said, patting his chest.

"By the way, Captain Pan, don't you guys have mobile phones?" Zhou Yi asked.

Pan Hongjie said apologetically, "The bureau has limited funds, so we usually use this." He then took out a pager with a Chinese character display.

Zhou Yi thought to himself, "If it weren't for Qian Hongxing's donation, we would also be using this. The office expenses in a small city in the 1990s were truly frustrating."

"Oh right, I was just saying that when I got back, but I almost forgot. Come check out our cafeteria," Pan Hongjie said enthusiastically.

As they left the cafeteria, Pan Hongjie asked, "The head chef's wife is from Sichuan and Chongqing, so his cooking tends to be quite spicy. I wonder if you can handle the spiciness?"

"It's alright, barely," Zhou Yi thought to himself, adding that the food from the restaurant last night was still more to his liking.

"Captain Pan, I'd like to investigate Zheng Guangming's information and background as thoroughly as possible. I'm wondering if there will be any problems?"

"What do you mean by 'more specific'?"

“We now suspect that Fu Daqing and Li Youqiang were murdered by hired killers. Zheng Guangming is a wealthy man with complicated relationships with women. The person who wanted to kill him would have only two motives: either they have a grudge against him or they want money. That will inevitably involve investigating Zheng Guangming's family background and social connections. What are your opinions, Captain Pan, on how to handle this?”

A local big boss is bound to be involved in many aspects. Since you asked me to investigate, you have to tell me first what the scope of the investigation should be. Otherwise, if we find something we shouldn't or offend someone, it will be embarrassing later.

The real embarrassment isn't for me, it's for you guys. I'm just going to pack my bags and leave.

Pan Hongjie understood the implication and touched his chin, looking somewhat conflicted.

After a moment, he said, "Zhou Yi, let's focus on the murder case itself first. If anything unexpected happens, let me know and I'll report it to the leadership so they can make a decision."

Zhou Yi nodded: "Captain Pan, I understand, don't worry."

"Xia, you must fully cooperate with Zhou Yi. If he needs to investigate something you're not familiar with, you should actively carry it out," Pan Hongjie said solemnly.

Xia Yu nodded repeatedly, just like a chick.

Soon, Xia Yu, following Zhou Yi's instructions, found all the information related to Zheng Guangming.

Household registration information, family relationships, business registration information, etc.

Zhou Yi flipped through the documents, and after a while Xia Yu asked, "Officer Zhou, are we still going to Zheng Guangming's company or home today?"

"I'll go to the company tomorrow; they'll probably all be off work by now, and not everyone will be there. I have to go home, but Zheng Guangming owns quite a few properties. I wonder where he usually lives."

"What's your registered address?" Xia Yu asked.

"No, the registered address is just a certain village, which is obviously where he lived before he became rich. If all else fails, we'll have to go to each of them one by one."

Xia Yu seemed to suddenly remember something, "Officer Zhou, please wait a moment."

Then he started rummaging through drawers and cabinets, and after a while, he took out a newspaper and gave it to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi took it and saw that it was a local newspaper, with some content printed on it using crude ink printing technology.

The front page headline was actually an interview with Zheng Guangming, the local aquaculture tycoon.

This kind of report is clearly bought by businessmen themselves to boast about themselves.

The full-page report included several pictures, the first and largest of which was a photo of Zheng Guangming himself. He was a slightly overweight middle-aged man wearing a sharp black suit, a burgundy tie, and sporting a slicked-back hairstyle similar to that of Wan Ziliang, looking very spirited.

“Look here,” Xia Yu said, pointing to a photo in the lower right corner.

It was a photo of a villa, with the caption "Mr. Zheng Guangming's mansion on Shangtang Road".

"Well done, Officer Xia, let's go," Zhou Yi said.

A police car drove out of the Anyuan City Public Security Bureau gate, its headlights casting two beams of light that pierced the night.

According to the newspaper, this mansion located on Shangtang Road can be described as extremely luxurious.

Italian chandeliers, Spanish imperial marble, Mediterranean wool carpets—it all looks incredibly luxurious, like something out of aristocratic fashion, but in reality, it's filled with the feel of a nouveau riche.

Zhou Yi sneered, "Since when did the Mediterranean region start raising sheep?"

Xia Yu, who was driving, was taken aback: "What do you mean, Officer Zhou?"

"It's alright. This guy looks impressive, but he's actually just a nouveau riche." Judging from the previous information and the report, Zheng Guangming's apparent family situation is not complicated.

Zheng Guangming is exactly fifty years old this year. Before he was thirty-seven, he was just an ordinary small vendor who made a living by killing and selling chickens.

He is widowed. His first wife passed away from illness when he was thirty years old. They had a son, Zheng Tianlan, who is twenty-eight years old this year.

Zheng Tianlan got married relatively early, but she didn't have a daughter until two years ago.

Zheng Tianlan also works at his own company, listed as general manager, while Zheng Guangming is the chairman.

It is a typical family business.

Zheng Guangming also has a young son who is only five years old this year. He was born to his current wife, Huang Yanli.

Huang Yanli is only 27 years old this year. She was only 21 when she married Zheng Guangming. There is a 23-year age gap between them.

This broadened Zhou Yi's horizons. After all, it was the 1990s, and people like Qian Hongxing and Yao Yuling, who were more than ten years apart in age, were already the subject of gossip.

This kind of age gap of over twenty years is really like stabbing someone in the butt with a knife.

Moreover, despite having a young wife at home, this Mr. Zheng died in another woman's bed, because the deceased woman was even younger.

This further highlights Qian Hongxing's remarkable qualities as a businessman.

Even with such professional criminals as Long Zhiqiang's gang, no dirt could be found on him. The only dirt on him was that he used some unscrupulous means to steal Yao Yuling away from her.

However, Zheng Guangming's actions are indeed a true reflection of many people who suddenly become rich.

Zhou Yi understands human nature too well; human nature is the most vulnerable thing to being tested.

After the vehicle entered Shangtang Road, Xia Yu pointed ahead and said, "It's not far ahead. That biggest and most luxurious villa is Zheng Guangming's house."

Zhou Yi looked around the road and saw that it wasn't a collective villa area, but rather a large number of self-built villas surrounded by walls.

Soon, a five-story villa appeared in front of them, exactly the same as the one in the newspaper photo.

Strangely, the villa was completely dark, with not a single light on.

Xia Yu parked the car outside the imposing courtyard wall. The two got out of the car and looked inside through the metal European-style gate. The entire courtyard was dark.

Zhou Yi walked around the courtyard wall but found no signs of illegal trespassing.

Back at the main gate, Xia Yu called out, but there was no response from inside.

Zhou Yi squatted down and examined the hinge where the bottom of the large iron gate connected to the wall; it was already covered with a layer of dust.

“No need to shout anymore, no one has lived here for at least half a month,” Zhou Yi said, standing up. “Let’s ask the neighbors.”

Xia Yu nodded, and the two went their separate ways to visit nearby neighbors to find out what was going on.

More than half an hour later, the two met at the gate of Zheng's villa and discussed the situation.

Based on feedback from neighbors, it can be basically confirmed that the Zheng family villa has been uninhabited for about a month, and they don't know exactly where the people went.

However, Xia Yu obtained a rather important piece of information: the Zheng family had a nanny named Wang Shufen who had worked for them for several years, and she might be quite familiar with the Zheng family's situation.

Looking at the empty villa, Xia Yu asked Zhou Yi what to do next.

Zhou Yi said that he probably wouldn't be able to find anyone today and would have to try again tomorrow.

However, there are a few things he needs to do to go back to the bureau and check: information about Zheng's nanny, Wang Shufen, as well as the contact information of Zheng Guangming's current wife, Huang Yanli, and his son, Zheng Tianlan.

Zheng Guangming has been missing for over a month; surely his wife, son, and entire family couldn't have vanished into thin air as well?

The fact that the place was deserted without anyone noticing is really quite suspicious.

I won't go back to the station. It's getting late, and I'm planning to go home and rest early.

However, Zhou Yi did not go directly back to the hotel, but instead went to the small restaurant where he had dinner the day before.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi, the owner greeted him warmly, "Oh, you're here! What would you like to eat today?"

"I've already eaten today, and I wanted to ask you about something."

"What is it? Just tell me."

"Regarding that little girl named Lele from yesterday, do you know anyone who is close to her father? I'd like to know some details."

Upon hearing this, the shop owner hurriedly asked, "Officer, are you trying to find this child's father?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "A person can't just disappear like that, especially since the child is still so young."

The boss gave a thumbs-up and said, "It's this kid's good fortune to have a policeman like you."

"Now that I've encountered this situation, I can't just ignore it."

"I do know someone who works at the same chicken farm as him. Wait a minute, I'll give him a call and see if he's home right now."

(End of this chapter)