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

Chapter 333 I support you

So far, three people have been identified as victims in this case: Li Youqiang, Zheng Guangming, and Bai Xiuxiu.

Based on the clues and speculations currently available, none of the three deceased were entirely innocent.

Zheng Guangming, this nouveau riche, appears glamorous on the surface, but in reality, he is utterly despicable.

Although Bai Xiuxiu's identity is currently unknown, it is obvious that she is not a kind person.

No, in fact, none of the main people involved in the case are good people.

Fu Daqing, Jiang Wei, Huang Yanli, and Zheng Tianlan in front of them each have their own evils; none of them are good people.

This really opened Zhou Yi's eyes; Anyuan City was truly a place where hidden talents resided.

Zhou Yi pointed at Zheng Tianlan and said, "Even if you didn't call the police at the time because you wanted to see Zheng Guangming die and wanted Bai Xiuxiu and her accomplices to kill him, why didn't you call the police afterwards? According to you, you learned the 'truth' from Huang Yanli on March 17th, and it's been more than a month since then. Tell me, why didn't you call the police?"

"I……"

"Moreover, not only did you and Huang Yanli not report it to the police, but you also deliberately fabricated the illusion that Zheng Guangming went abroad for inspection. Even when we came to find you today, you still used the excuse that Zheng Guangming had broken his leg and was injured abroad to deceive us."

Zhou Yi slammed his fist on the table and angrily demanded, "You did this because there was no kidnapping and murder at all. Did you and Huang Yanli conspire to kill Zheng Guangming?"

"A conspiracy?" Zheng Tianlan was clearly taken aback, then shouted anxiously, "No, I... how could I possibly kill my father? I wouldn't dare even if you beat me to death!"

"Then explain why you didn't call the police? Why did you create the illusion that Zheng Guangming went abroad for an inspection tour?"

Zheng Tianlan was so anxious that she scratched her head, but she didn't say anything, as if she had some great secret that was hard to tell.

"Heh, since you won't speak, then I will," Zhou Yi asked coldly. "Did you choose the name Zheng Tianyu, or did Huang Yanli choose it?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Tianlan stared at Zhou Yi in disbelief, her mouth agape.

"You took them, didn't you? I noticed today that there are quite a few books on your office bookshelf, and they're not very neatly arranged, which means you often take them out to read. You must love reading."

The police officer in charge of taking the statement found Zhou Yi's words strange and couldn't figure out how they were related to the case. After hesitating for a moment, he still wrote them down.

"Zheng Tianlan, Zheng Tianyu, what nice names."

"Have you ever heard of the idiom 'jade is born in Lantian'?" Zhou Yi asked with a smile.

Zheng Tianlan shook her head stiffly, but the expression on her face was no longer concealed.

"Never heard of it? No way, your cultural level is not high enough. Let me explain it to you. The idiom 'Lantian Shengyu' is used to describe a virtuous father who has a virtuous son."

"I don't know how well-educated Zheng Guangming is, but if he knew this idiom, do you think he would still name his two sons Tianlan and Tianyu?"

Zheng Tianlan's face turned ashen, and she stood there dumbfounded.

Zhou Yi sneered, "I must say, you're quite cultured. You must read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms quite often."

Zheng Tianyu's name was on the household registration file, but Zhou Yi hadn't paid much attention to it when he looked at the information before, because what could a child have to do with the case?

It wasn't until the ill-mannered child ran out at Huang Yanli's parents' house that Zhou Yi began to have some doubts.

Zhou Yi asked a question seemingly unintentionally, but actually with a hidden agenda.

Who named the child?
Huang Yanli's answer was also very interesting.

She didn't say that it was Zheng Guangming who took it.

She didn't say that it was her husband who named her.

Instead, she replied that it was the child's father who named him.

This answer gave Zhou Yi some inspiration.

This reminded him of a rather interesting idiom.

And they began to re-examine the relationship between Huang Yanli and Zheng Tianlan.

After all, someone had some ulterior motives behind Zheng Tianyu's name.

Now, Zheng Tianlan's reaction confirms Zhou Yi's guess.

Zhou Yi said, "Zheng Tianyu is not your younger brother, but your son with Huang Yanli, right?"

Zheng Tianlan nodded slowly, her eyes red.

The police officer taking a statement nearby couldn't help but purse his lips. This is big news. If it weren't for his duty, he would really like to go out and chat with someone about it.

The home of the local tycoon was in such a mess that it was an eye-opener.

However, sooner or later the whole of Anyuan City will know about this. This kind of gossip is enough for the people of Anyuan to talk about for years.

Zhou Yi calmly said, "Tell me in detail about your specific relationship with Huang Yanli."

Zheng Tianlan suddenly gritted her teeth and said, "Lili was originally my woman! It was my father who raped her! It was my father who took her away!"

A fierce rage ignited in the eyes of the timid Zheng Tianlan.

……

Zheng Tianlan said that he and Huang Yanli were high school classmates, and he had a crush on Huang Yanli when they were in high school.

Back then, she was the prettiest girl in her class, and had a lot of suitors.

She described herself as an average-looking, average student with an introverted personality, and practically invisible. Zheng Tianlan said that her family's financial situation was just average at that time, and her father hadn't started his livestock farming business yet.

So even though he secretly loved Huang Yanli, he never expressed it and kept his feelings to himself.

Zhou Yi understood: Huang Yanli was Zheng Tianlan's ideal woman.

Moreover, she was the unattainable "white moonlight" (ideal love).

This was absolutely devastating for Zheng Tianlan, who was introverted and timid.

After graduating from high school, everyone went their separate ways.

In 1986, Zheng Guangming saw a newspaper article about a poor household in a certain area who became a chicken farming tycoon through the breeding business.

This inspired Zheng Guangming, so in his middle age, he resolutely decided to take out all his savings to start a business.

Then he earned his first pot of gold, and his business grew bigger and bigger after that.

However, Zheng Tianlan did not become more confident because his family became wealthy. He was already an adult when his family became rich, and he was even working in a factory at the time. It was Zheng Guangming who asked him to quit his job and come home to help.

By this time, his personality had already been formed, and he wouldn't get arrogant just because he had money.

However, once a person has money, even if they don't make a fortune themselves, some people will appear around them like wolves that have smelled blood.

Zheng Tianlan had a group of cronies who called him "Big Brother" and took him around to play, but in reality, they just ate and drank his food.

They call him "big brother" to his face and praise him to the heavens, but behind his back they call him an idiot.

One day in 1990, the gears of this family's fate began to turn.

Zheng Tianlan was dragged to a nightclub by his group of cronies, where he reunited with a figure who had once haunted his dreams: Huang Yanli.

Life is so realistic and ironic. The aloof goddess of our school days is now selling alcohol in a short skirt, shuttling between the burning gazes and shifty eyes of men, all for the sake of making a living.

When Huang Yanli came to their seats with several bottles of wine, promoting the drinks and calling out to the customers, Zheng Tianlan recognized her at a glance.

Zheng Tianlan stood up, asking with a mixture of excitement and doubt, "Do you work here?"

Under the flashing lights of the nightclub, Huang Yanli wore a professional smile: "I work part-time here, old classmate, won't you and your friends support me?"

The surrounding cronies started to jeer, and in a moment of impulsiveness, Zheng Tianlan took out all the money he had on him and said to Huang Yanli, "I'll buy all the alcohol you sell today. If you can't finish it, you can treat everyone to it."

Huang Yanli stared blankly at the stack of hundred-yuan bills in Zheng Tianlan's hand for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled and whispered in Zheng Tianlan's ear, "Wait for me to get off work, see you at the door."

After saying that, he kissed Zheng Tianlan on the cheek.

For Zheng Tianlan, this was tantamount to dropping a nuclear bomb on his heart.

His heart pounded all night.

After seeing off his cronies, he waited for an hour outside the nightclub, penniless, before finally seeing Huang Yanli come out.

But she was completely different from the one before. She was dressed in simple, plain clothes, with no exposed arms or legs, and her lipstick was gone.

She had her hair tied in a ponytail. When she saw Zheng Tianlan, she smiled and ran over quickly.

In Zheng Tianlan's eyes, she is still the girl who wore a school uniform and had a ponytail in high school.

Even though it was late at night, she was glowing white.

"Let's go, old classmate," Huang Yanli said with a smile.

Zheng Tianlan asked blankly, "Where...where are we going?"

"I'll treat you to a late-night snack. We haven't seen each other for so many years, let's catch up." With that, Huang Yanli naturally took his hand and walked forward.

Zheng Tianlan's mind went blank, buzzing.

Suddenly, Huang Yanli said "Wait a minute," then took out a handkerchief from her bag and wiped the lipstick mark she had left on his face.

She wiped herself very carefully and meticulously, and the faint fragrance wafted into Zheng Tianlan's nose, making Zheng Tianlan feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Like a thunderclap in August.

Then, Huang Yanli took him to a street food stall and ordered two portions of the cheapest fried rice. The two sat facing each other on low stools and chatted.

Zheng Tianlan said that she never knew Huang Yanli was so talkative.

She told him that after graduating from high school, things hadn't gone well for her. She went to work in a factory but was almost raped by the foreman. She changed jobs many times afterward, but none of them went well, so now she works part-time selling beer at night and takes an accounting course during the day to get certified.

Then she talked about her family situation. Her parents were in poor health and could only earn a little money by growing watermelons. She wanted to find a good job to ease the burden on her family.

As she spoke, overcome with emotion, she burst into tears.

When Huang Yanli cried, Zheng Tianlan felt as if her heart had been stabbed with a knife.

He grabbed Huang Yanli's hand and said seriously, "Don't go to nightclubs to sell alcohol anymore."

Huang Yanli pouted pitifully and said, "If I don't sell alcohol, what will I eat? Are you going to support me?"

Without a second's hesitation, Zheng Tianlan blurted out, "I'll take care of you! I'll take care of you!"

　Thanks to the user "卡面来打而已" for the 13 monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)