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

Chapter 328: Write down the phone number

Zhou Yi said, "Then please give us the driver's information so we can verify the situation."

"I only know his name is Feng Qiang. I usually call him Xiao Feng. You might have to ask Tian Lan for more specific information."

"Zheng Tianlan? Doesn't he usually live with you?"

"Yes, his father is quite controlling and micromanages. The father and son sometimes argue over trivial matters, and eventually Tianlan and his family of three moved out."

"Then please give us his contact number and address, Officer Xia, so that Ms. Huang can write them down herself," Zhou Yi said.

Xia Yu, who was taking notes, nodded and handed over the pen and notebook in his hand.

Huang Yanli took it and finished writing it in no time.

Just as she was about to hand the notebook back, Zhou Yi spoke up again: "Could you please write down Zheng Guangming's mobile phone number as well? We need to check his call records."

"Okay, just a moment."

Huang Yanli lowered her head and started writing again. After she finished, she handed the copy over.

Xia Yu was about to reach out to take it when Zhou Yi reached out first.

Zhou Yi took the notebook and looked at it. The handwriting was mediocre and didn't match her face.

The top part lists Zheng Tianlan's mobile phone number and residential address, while the bottom part lists Zheng Guangming's number.

However, the last few digits of Zheng Guangming's number showed signs of alteration, and the strokes were not very smooth.

Zhou Yi remained calm, handed the notebook to Xia Yu, and continued to ask, "Ms. Huang, could you please recount the specific events of March 16th, such as what time Zheng Guangming left, where he went, and who took him there? The more details the better."

"Let me think... it's been a while."

"No rush, think about it slowly."

"On March 16th, he should have left home around 2 PM. Tianlan drove him to the train station because Anyuan doesn't have an airport, so he had to stay overnight in the provincial capital first, then take a flight to Haicheng the next day, and then transfer to a flight abroad."

"Then I arrived at my parents' house around 4 p.m., and went back twice to get clothes for my son and such, and I've been there ever since."

Judging from Huang Yanli's description alone, the process was very simple, and she did not deliver the package to Zheng Guangming. From her perspective, the information she knew seemed to be very limited.

It seems that Zheng Tianlan should be the one who knows more about the matter.

But if that's the case, the problem becomes a bit complicated.

Originally, Zheng Tianlan and Huang Yanli were both suspects in Zheng Guangming's death, their motive being a fight over the family property.

The meaning of "competition" is that the two are on opposite sides; either Huang Yanli hired someone to kill, or Zheng Tianlan hired someone to kill.

However, based on the information we have learned and observed so far, this possibility seems to have become somewhat small.

First of all, the fact that Zheng Guangming went abroad is not just Huang Yanli's opinion. Although the driver's sudden departure before that was somewhat suspicious, and the red car that was lent to some unknown friend was also not quite normal.

But if it was Zheng Tianlan who took Zheng Guangming to the station that day, it means that at least both sides knew about the trip abroad.

Either the fact that the person went abroad is true, but then the identity of the deceased doesn't match up. How could someone who boarded a train to leave the country be inexplicably buried on a mountain?

Either... Zheng Tianlan and Huang Yanli are both lying.

In other words, there is a possibility that they conspired to hire someone to kill Zheng Guangming.

When Zhou Yi asked Huang Yanli to write down the phone numbers of the father and son, he noticed that Huang Yanli seemed to be more familiar with Zheng Tianlan's information than Zheng Guangming.

He wrote Zheng Tianlan's phone number and address with fluent strokes, completing the task in one go.

When writing Zheng Guangming's number, he clearly hesitated for a moment, and even made a mistake and corrected it.

She might not be able to memorize Zheng Guangming's phone number, after all, she admitted that she married Zheng Guangming because he was rich, it was a marriage of transactional nature.

It's normal that she can't remember. The law doesn't require her to remember, and the police won't suspect her of murder just because she can't remember.

But she clearly remembered information about a stepson who was a year older than her, which was quite interesting.

The nanny, Wang Shufen, had previously said that the two had a very harmonious relationship, especially the two children.

At the time, Zhou Yi didn't pay much attention, but now he's starting to suspect something: could there be some kind of improper relationship between Huang Yanli and Zheng Tianlan?

After all, if it really is a conspiracy to hire someone to commit murder, there needs to be a motive.

It's utterly unreasonable that a stepmother and stepson would conspire to hire someone to kill their husband and father just for money.

Although we don't know how much money Zheng Guangming's family has, judging from the number of properties and cars they own, they have everything they need for their daily lives.

Money is unlikely to be the motive for a conspiracy to murder, so it must be an emotional dispute.

Compared to Zheng Guangming, Zheng Tianlan, who is the same age, is definitely more likely to spark a connection with Huang Yanli.

Even if we assume that Huang Yanli wants money, it's for her and her son's livelihood for the rest of their lives. Getting Zheng Tianlan on her side is all that's needed.

This also aligns with her demand that Zheng Guangming could have any kind of woman he wanted, but he couldn't have any illegitimate children.

As long as there are no illegitimate children, Zheng Guangming's money will eventually belong to his two sons. The younger son was born to Huang Yanli, so he can't escape it.

If she can win over Zheng Tianlan, then she will be in complete control of the Zheng family's vast wealth.

In this situation, the most likely reason for hiring someone to commit murder is that Zheng Guangming discovered the affair between the two.

But if that's really the case, then this woman is far from simple; her cunning and methods are beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Ms. Huang, what is your relationship with Zheng Tianlan like?" Zhou Yi asked.

Huang Yanli replied, "It's alright. His personality is a bit different from his father's. He's a more family-oriented and conservative person. Moving out is for the sake of his wife and daughter, after all, my husband is like this... sigh..."

"Another question is, which woman has Zheng Guangming been getting close to recently? For example, to the point of having an affair with her?"

This question is not unfounded; it is based on Zheng Guangming's actual situation.

The two corpses in Xiaoqiushan Park were wearing pajamas. Zheng Guangming was a wanderer, so it was impossible for him to carry pajamas with him. It was also unlikely that the women in brothels would be so considerate as to prepare pajamas for him.

Therefore, it is highly likely that he kept a mistress, and Zhou Yi suspects that it was the female secretary that Wang Shufen mentioned.

And that red Toyota was probably also given to this woman to drive.

Regardless of whether Zheng Guangming's trip abroad was true or not, at the very least, the two bodies couldn't have been buried together out of thin air.

If the male corpse is Zheng Guangming, then the female corpse must be a woman close to him, otherwise the blue pill could not have been found in her body.

Huang Yanli's expression was somewhat unpleasant. After a moment of silence, she said, "I... I'm not sure if it's true or not, but if it is, it can only be that woman named Bai Xiuxiu."

"Bai Xiuxiu? Could you be more specific?"

“That woman was brought back from the provincial capital by my husband at the end of last year. She was very young, only twenty-three years old. I don’t know what kind of bewitching potion this vixen gave him, but my husband actually hired her as his secretary. If I hadn’t found out by chance, I would never have known about this.”

“I had a huge fight with him about it, and that’s why he fired her. But afterwards, he started staying out all night much more often, and I knew he was keeping that vixen on the side, but unfortunately I had no proof.” Huang Yanli said this with a calm expression, but her hands, hidden under her clothes, were clenched into fists.

Although Zhou Yi didn't see the movement, he observed the changes in the muscle lines of her arms exposed outside her sleeves.

She may not have feelings for Zheng Guangming, but she truly hates Bai Xiuxiu.

This was probably the first time she felt threatened since marrying Zheng Guangming.

This could be a fairly sufficient motive for murder.

"How many times have you had contact with this Bai Xiuxiu?"

Huang Yanli hesitated for a moment before answering, "Just once, that time at my husband's company."

Zhou Yi felt something was wrong. If it was only once, why did he hesitate when answering?

Clearly, it was because her question had exceeded her expectations that she needed to think about it instead of answering instinctively.

"Officer Zhou, can you confirm that the person who died was my husband? Although I married him for money, he is still the father of my son. My son is only five years old, and I don't want him to lose his father at such a young age." As she spoke, Huang Yanli began to sob softly again, this time managing to squeeze out two tears.

"We don't know yet. We are still verifying the identity. If we confirm that the deceased is your husband, we will notify you to come and identify the body."

Zhou Yi stood up and said, "Thank you for your cooperation today. We may contact you again at any time to understand the situation, including possibly coming to the police station for questioning. We hope you can continue to cooperate. It is best not to leave Anyuan for a while. If there are any special circumstances, it is best to report to us. Officer Xia will give you a number."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu immediately wrote down the office phone number in his notebook, tore it off, and handed it to Huang Yanli.

Huang Yanli stood up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, took the gift, and nodded.

"I'll see you two off."

The three of them were walking downstairs when suddenly a little boy with a watermelon-shaped haircut ran over carrying a toy gun.

He opened fire on Zhou Yi, the red light on the high-quality toy gun flashing continuously, accompanied by the sound effects of gunfire.

As the boy fired the gun, he said, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you, you bad guy."

Huang Yanli was startled and quickly stopped the little boy, saying, "Xiaoyu, you can't be so rude. He's a guest."

The little boy was scolded by his mother, but he wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he made a face at Zhou Yi and ran away.

"I'm sorry, Officer Zhou, his father spoils him a lot. Please don't mind."

“It’s alright, he’s just a kid. What’s his name?” Zhou Yi asked.

“Zheng Tianyu, that’s the name his father gave him.”

Zhou Yi nodded and muttered, "Zheng Tianlan... Zheng Tianyu... are interesting..."

(End of this chapter)