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

Chapter 326 Going Abroad
Wang Shufen said that around the beginning of this year, before the New Year, Huang Yanli and Zheng Guangming had a big fight, and Huang Yanli even smashed a tea set worth more than 2,000 yuan.

The reason seems to be that Zheng Guangming hired a new secretary who is only 23 years old.

Huang Yanli was unaware of this matter until one day after shopping, she passed by the company and went in for a look, only to find the two of them having an affair.

Huang Yanli had a big argument with Zheng Guangming because of this, and demanded that Zheng Guangming fire that little vixen immediately.

It got quite heated at the time, and even Zheng Guangming's eldest son came over to try and break up the fight.

"Where did this secretary come from?" Zhou Yi asked.

"From what I heard, it seems that Zheng Guangming went on a business trip, hooked up with her at some nightclub, and then brought her back directly."

The old man is still full of energy; money and power really are the best aphrodisiacs. Most of the women he hooks up with at nightclubs are prostitutes, yet he brings them back to keep as his secretary—they must have some extraordinary qualities.

"Was that secretary fired later?" Zhou Yi asked.

Wang Shufen said, "He was definitely fired, otherwise Huang Yanli wouldn't have agreed. She's no pushover either. I don't know if Zheng Guangming took her in after he fired her, but he's been coming home much less often since then. He must have gone to see that little vixen."

"There's another question. Doesn't Zheng Guangming's eldest son, Zheng Tianlan, live in the villa on Shangtang Road?"

“They used to live together, but then I don’t know why, his eldest son’s family moved out.”

Do you know where his eldest son lives?

Wang Shufen shook her head: "It shouldn't be too far, but I don't know exactly where I live. I'm just a nanny, and I've never been there."

"Before you were fired, did anything unusual happen in the Zheng family?"

“What do you mean by abnormal?” Wang Shufen asked back.

"For example, Huang Yanli or Zheng Tianlan, has anyone had a particularly heated argument with Zheng Guangming?"

Wang Shufen thought for a moment and shook her head: "No..."

"you sure?"

"Hmm, I don't remember having any."

Generally speaking, given the complex family dynamics in Zheng Guangming's family, the most likely person to kill him would be his wife or eldest son.

The reason is simple: for the sake of family property.

Money has always been one of the primary motives for crime.

Even if it's for the sake of family property, one wouldn't easily resort to murder to silence witnesses; there are usually other factors that lead to the decision to kill.

The absence of arguments either indicates a lack of motivation or suggests that someone is very calculating.

"By the way, what's the relationship between Huang Yanli and Zheng Tianlan?"

Wang Shufen blurted out, "That's great."

This answer was unexpected for Zhou Yi. Normally, Huang Yanli, the stepmother, was a year younger than Zheng Tianlan and had given birth to his younger brother. In the drama of fighting for inheritance in a wealthy family, even if they were not exactly at odds, they would at least be outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.

"Are you sure?" Zhou Yi asked.

"What's there to be uncertain about? Anyway, the two kids are very close, like siblings."

The two children she mentioned were Huang Yanli's five-year-old son and Zheng Tianlan's three-year-old daughter.

At this age, they are usually siblings, but if they are relatives on both sides, then uncle and niece is also normal, after all, the concept of generational hierarchy is always quite mysterious.

"Does Huang Yanli have a cell phone?" Zhou Yi asked.

"What is a cell phone?" Wang Shufen asked.

“It’s a mobile phone, a ‘big brother’ phone,” Zhou Yi said, pulling out his own. “Like this one.”

"Yes." Wang Shufen nodded.

"What's the number? You should know that, right?"

"It's written on the calendar on our wall."

Zhou Yi stood up and glared at him, saying, "Why didn't you say so earlier? You made us have to make this trip."

Wang Shufen said aggrievedly, "I didn't know."

Seeing the two get up to leave, she quickly asked, "Can we leave too?"

Although she admitted to stealing, there were no witnesses or physical evidence, no one called the police, and the matter had already been settled privately, so it is generally not pursued further.

But her son definitely won't be able to leave.

"Follow the police station's instructions," Zhou Yi said, then turned and left with Xia Yu.

The two drove to Wang Shufen's house again. Amidst the mess, they found a number on the calendar on the wall with a yellow character written next to it.

Zhou Yi looked at the almost bare house and felt no sympathy whatsoever.

He took out his mobile phone and dialed the number.

It took quite a while before the call was connected.

A woman on the phone asked, "Hello, who is this?"

"Excuse me, are you Ms. Huang Yanli?"

"Well, I am."

"This is the Criminal Investigation Division of the Anyuan City Public Security Bureau. We need to ask you some questions. Where are you now?"

"Criminal Investigation Division? Police?" The voice on the other end sounded somewhat suspicious. "Yes, we are police officers. My surname is Zhou."

After a slight pause, the person on the other end replied, "I'm at my mom's house."

"Then please give me your address, and my colleague and I will come to find you."

"May I ask what it is?"

Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's related to your husband, Zheng Guangming."

"Old Zheng?" the person on the other end said, puzzled. "Wasn't he abroad on a business trip?"

Huang Yanli's casual remark exploded in Zhou Yi's ears like a thunderclap.

"Go abroad? When did you go?"

“He left on March 16th. After he left, it was too lonely at home with just me and my son, so I took my son and went to live with my mother.”

Zhou Yi said solemnly, "Ms. Huang, please tell me the address, and we'll be right there."

After going downstairs, the two got into the car, and Xia Yu drove to the address given by Huang Yanli.

Zhou Yi fell into deep thought: Was Huang Yanli telling the truth?

If so, then Zheng Guangming should have left Anyuan on March 16th.

Going abroad in 1997 was a very complicated matter. Not to mention the visa issue, even just taking a plane was troublesome.

Apart from a few major coastal cities, there are basically no international flights in inland areas, and even many provincial capitals only have airports with domestic routes.

Therefore, if Zheng Guangming wants to go abroad, he has to fly to a first-tier city first, and then transfer to an international flight. Moreover, if he is going to a country across the ocean, the flight time is also quite long.

Mobile phones were an even bigger problem; domestic numbers couldn't be used, and there were no mobile internet or other functions.

Overseas calls could only be made from landlines, and the cost was extremely high. So, it was common for many people who went abroad to work to make a phone call every two or three months, and they wrote letters more often because it was cheaper.

Of course, this amount of money is nothing to Zheng Guangming.

Zhou Yi didn't ask for details. He didn't want to inquire over the phone; he needed to ask Huang Yanli in person and see her reaction.

If Zheng Guangming really went abroad, then who is the body found in Xiaoqiushan Park?

There's no manpower available right now, and checking immigration records isn't quick either, so asking Huang Yanli is the fastest option.

About half an hour later, the police car stopped in front of a three-story self-built house in the suburbs.

Although it is far less luxurious and grand than Zheng Guangming's villa, this small building is still much more impressive than the surrounding buildings, and judging from its style and texture, it should have been built recently.

In front of the small building was an iron wall. Inside, it was described as a small garden, but it looked more like a vegetable garden. An older woman wearing a straw hat was bending over and working.

As soon as Zhou Yi and Xia Yu got out of the car, a woman in a long dress walked out of the main entrance of the small building.

The woman had a curvaceous figure, delicate features, and wore light makeup. She was dressed in a light pink long dress, with a large scarf draped over her shoulders bearing the logo of a luxury brand, and adorned with gold and silver jewelry.

Indeed, the wealthy are not affected by time or place. The woman's elegant and noble temperament will not seem out of place even 20 years later.

"Is this Officer Zhou?" the woman asked, standing on the steps.

The two walked over, showed their identification, and said, "Are you Ms. Huang Yanli? I am Zhou Yi, and this is my colleague Xia Yu. Let's find a convenient place to talk; we have some questions we'd like to ask you."

"Please come with me, let's talk in the study on the second floor," Huang Yanli said, then spoke in dialect to the old woman working in the vegetable garden.

The woman responded, put down her work, dusted herself off, and went inside.

Xia Yu whispered, "She asked her mother to look after the child."

Zhou Yi was slightly surprised. He had thought the woman was their maid, but it turned out she was his mother.

Judging from her mother's appearance, she was clearly a simple and honest peasant woman, which was hard to reconcile with the air of a noblewoman like Huang Yanli.

Zhou Yi had a rough idea of ​​what was going on. It was the story of a girl from an ordinary family who defied fate by relying on her natural beauty.

No wonder the house is new; with such a wealthy son-in-law, how could he not build a magnificent new house?

However, the father-in-law may not be as old as the son-in-law.

The two followed Huang Yanli upstairs to a study.

The study is very large, with a row of large mahogany bookshelves at the back, filled with the Four Books and Five Classics. However, judging from their pristine condition, they were probably left unused after being bought.

On the desk to the side, there were many children's crayons and some white paper covered with doodles.

"I'm sorry, these are all my son's things," Huang Yanli said, tidying up briefly.

Then he invited the two to sit down and asked them if they wanted tea.

Zhou Yi waved his hand and said no need, we can just ask a few questions.

"Okay, then you can ask."

Zhou Yi nodded and asked, "Ms. Huang, you said on the phone earlier that your husband, Zheng Guangming, left Anyuan for the country on the morning of March 16th, is that right?"

"Well, to be precise, it's leaving Anyuan for Haicheng, because only Haicheng has flights to overseas destinations."

This information is consistent with Zhou Yi's previous prediction, and there is no logical problem with it.

If Huang Yanli directly said she went abroad, it would seem fake. With her elegant and noble appearance, how could she not know the procedures for going abroad? It's not like she's going to the market to buy vegetables.

Which country exactly is he going to?

(End of this chapter)