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

Chapter 556 The moonlight is so beautiful tonight
The windows inside the house were all half open, so there was no strange smell of stuffy air like when I came to see the house that day.

Zhou Yi showed Ding Chunmei around, and finally pointed to the two bedrooms and said, "You can sleep in the second bedroom. The second bedroom is a little smaller, but you'll feel safer there."

Ding Chunmei asked curiously, "Is there such a saying?"

"Yes, in psychology this should be called the boundary effect, which means that clear boundaries can bring people a sense of security. For example, if you are standing in a room, you will definitely feel safer standing in the corner than standing in the center, because the walls are clear boundaries, which provide people with enough psychological security."

"Officer Zhou, you seem to know a lot of things."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Let's put our things in the room first, and then we'll eat."

On the small dining table in the living room, there were two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and two boxed meals.

Zhou Yi and Ding Chunmei sat facing each other. Zhou Yi broke apart a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her.

"Officer Zhou, this house must be expensive, right?"

Zhou Yi placed a bottle of Jianlibao in front of her and said, "Ding Chunmei, I reminded you last time to call me by my name, otherwise it will seem too strange."

"Okay, I got it. How much is the rent for this place? I'll pay you in a bit."

Ding Chunmei knew that if it weren't for protecting herself, Zhou Yi wouldn't have needed to rent a place, so she felt it was only right that she should pay for it.

"This place is pretty cheap. The landlord lives across the hall, and he's a really nice guy. It's 120 a month, so we can split it in half."

"No, no, I should pay for this."

"Alright, it's settled then. We'll split it in half. You don't need to insist anymore. If you really want to thank me, just treat me to a nice meal after you've gotten justice for Li Chong."

When Zhou Yi mentioned Li Chong, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit heavy.

Zhou Yi opened a Jianlibao can, raised it, and said, "A toast to Li Chong."

Ding Chunmei's eyes were filled with mixed emotions. She raised her drink and said, "To my senior brother."

The two bottles of Jianlibao gently bumped together, the short, sharp sound lasting less than a second in reality.

However, in the intersection of past and present lives, this collision is like a rallying cry that suddenly sounds, its echoes resounding and deafening!

While eating, Zhou Yi remembered the keys, so he gave the bunch of keys with small pendants to Ding Chunmei.

Zhou Yi examined the pendant; it was just a very ordinary little plastic pendant. These days, at least in China, it's not possible to use such high-tech technology, and most things still have to be done manually.

"The landlord lives across the hall. She's a young woman, about my age, named Bai Lin. Both her parents have passed away. She seems unmarried and says she's a music teacher at a nearby middle school. She seems nice, at least for now, and the rent is quite reasonable."

He didn't intend to tell Ding Chunmei about Bai Lin's past punishment for prostitution.

As for the strange things he sensed from Bai Lin, he didn't intend to say anything, so as not to add unnecessary psychological burden to Ding Chunmei.

"She's so young, and her parents have already passed away. It seems she's had a tough life," Ding Chunmei said sadly.

"Anyway, given our current situation, we should try to minimize contact with her to avoid dragging innocent people into this."

"Yes, I know."

Although Zhou Yi was wary of Bai Lin, these words came from the bottom of his heart.

Renting Bai Lin's house was a complete coincidence, and it was a coincidence that I initiated myself.

Therefore, there is no possibility that one's own design could exist.

The heavy rain at that time, the fruit shop where they took shelter from the rain, and the conversation between the fruit shop owner and Bai Lin.

These are all objective facts; it's impossible for anyone to lure him into a trap step by step like in a Hollywood movie.

Therefore, Bai Lin is a complete outsider and should not be implicated because of him and Ding Chunmei.

As for Bai Lin's strange behavior, Zhou Yi believes it is related to her past experience of prostitution at the art school.

"Zhou...Zhou Yi, how should we investigate our senior brother's matter next?"

Upon hearing Ding Chunmei's question, Zhou Yi said, "Let me think about it and organize my thoughts."

Ding Chunmei nodded, not daring to disturb Zhou Yi who was deep in thought, and even tried to be careful with the sound of chewing her food.

After a moment, Zhou Yi looked up and said, "This is the current situation."

"First of all, there are several key points regarding the murder of Li Chong."

"First, I'm already trying to use my connections to get access to the files on Li Chong's fall case so I can understand the specific details of the police investigation at the time, especially what Qi Dongqiang mentioned."

Zhou Yi asked, "Ding Chunmei, Li Chong... he shouldn't have a girlfriend, right?"

Ding Chunmei nodded firmly: "I haven't heard that my senior has a girlfriend, and... if he really does have a girlfriend, he would definitely tell me."

"are you sure?"

Ding Chunmei bit her lip and nodded.

“At the beginning of the year, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, my senior called me.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi quickly asked, "Was there any clue in the phone call?"

"It was just... a New Year's greeting, and then he said... the moon is really beautiful tonight."

Upon hearing the last six words, Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat.

Ding Chunmei's eyes reddened, and her voice choked as she said, "I was so stupid back then. I even looked outside and laughed at him, wondering where the moon was."

Ding Chunmei said with a smile through her tears, "I only found out what that meant later."

Zhou Yi was helpless and speechless.

This couple's story is both heartbreaking in both lifetimes.

"In short, let me see the case file first. I don't believe what Qi Dongqiang said either."

Although Zhou Yi said so, the fact that Qi Dongqiang dared to say it so openly means that this statement is not unfounded.

Since they can kill someone and stage the scene, it's not impossible that they could also give Li Chong a reason to commit suicide because he was "troubled by love".

This includes the alcohol detected in Yun Yao.

"Then there's the second thing. I've already asked the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy on Li Chong. The forensic doctor confirmed that, based solely on the autopsy findings, it's impossible to effectively determine the nature of Li Chong's fall. However, one thing is rather suspicious: the forensic doctor detected a significant amount of alcohol in his blood, and it's said that many empty beer cans were also found on the roof."

Ding Chunmei asked incredulously, "Drinking?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "At least that's how it appears on the surface."

"Impossible. My senior brother is a very rational person. He would never do something like drowning his sorrows in alcohol."

"The law is based on evidence and objective facts; subjective judgments can only be used as a reference."

"I see."

Zhou Yi continued, "The third thing is to find a way to secretly contact Li Chong's family. By the way, do you know anything about his family situation?"

“He came from the southwest, and his family lived in a remote town. His parents were both bricklayers who built houses for others. His father had an accident when he was sixteen…” Ding Chunmei said, then suddenly stopped.

Her expression was one of astonishment, as if she had realized something terrible.

"He accidentally fell from the building and hit his head...and died."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi finally understood why she had reacted that way earlier.

Li Chong's father died from a fall, and Li Chong also died from a fall.

That sounds like a curse.

"He has three children. He is the second oldest, with an older sister and a younger sister. His mother raised all three of them with great difficulty. His older sister got married before he went to university, and her child is already in junior high school. His younger sister is also in university, and she should be a junior now. He pays for her tuition and living expenses."

Ding Chunmei spoke fluently, as if she were talking about her own family, indicating that Li Chong had told her everything about his family.

Sigh, if either of those two had been less reserved, at least they wouldn't have left with such a huge regret.

"Have you met his family?" Zhou Yi asked.

"I've met his sister."

Do you have their contact information?

Ding Chunmei shook her head.

Zhou Yi said, "Let's talk about it after I get the case file."

After Li Chong's death was ruled a suicide, the Wuguang police will definitely notify his family to come and collect his body and belongings.

If we can't reach Ding Chunmei, then we'll resort to official channels.

"This is the current status of the case itself."

"Then there's the newspaper, and the person who followed you that day. I've already started investigating them, but we'll have to wait and see. Anyway, with the newspaper, try to keep a low profile and be careful, especially with Qi Dongqiang and Jin Huanyan."

“I understand. But if that’s the case, then there’s nothing I can do?” Ding Chunmei asked, still feeling resentful.

"Don't rush, there's one more crucial thing that I can only rely on you for."

Upon hearing this, Ding Chunmei immediately perked up: "What is it?" "Find the document that Li Chong hid!"

This is the key to everything!

As long as this material is found, Zhou Yi will expose it, no matter how huge the hole is behind it!

Ding Chunmei said with difficulty, "But I don't have a clue about this at all. I've been thinking about it for two nights, and I don't know where to start."

Not to mention Ding Chunmei, who had been thinking about it for two nights, Zhou Yi had also been thinking about it for a long time.

It's highly unlikely that Li Chong would hide the items at his workplace or in his rented apartment; the most probable scenario is that he entrusted them to family members or his most trusted friends.

But doing so would mean putting family or friends in danger, something Li Chong couldn't possibly have been unaware of.

So Zhou Yi thought about it and concluded that the most likely possibility was that Li Chong had hidden this thing somewhere, perhaps buried at some coordinate.

He then subtly told his family or friends about the clues, and Ding Chunmei, with whom he had been corresponding for a long time, was the perfect candidate.

As soon as Zhou Yi explained his idea, Ding Chunmei immediately understood.

"You mean, my senior brother might have hidden clues in the letter he wrote to me?"

"Yes! If I want to hide something, the best way is to leave no trace. But if I want to convey a message while also concealing it, the best way is to hide a few words within a large pile of words. So the most likely possibility right now is the letters he wrote to you. You keep those letters with you, right?"

Ding Chunmei said, "No."

This startled Zhou Yi, but thinking back to when she went to her rented apartment the day before yesterday, she hadn't seemed particularly anxious.

"These letters are still in Hongcheng." Ding Chunmei's words relieved Zhou Yi.

"is it safe?"

"I put all the letters in a bag and asked Sasha to keep them for me."

"Song Shasha?"

"Hmm. How about I go back to Hongcheng tomorrow to pick it up?" Ding Chunmei asked.

Zhou Yi immediately objected, saying, "No, it would be dangerous to do that."

"Should I have Sasha send the things over?"

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, I'll have someone go to Song Shasha's place to pick it up. Anyway, my colleagues in Hongcheng are all free recently. I'll have them do a trace examination on all the letters to see if there's any possibility of using hidden ink, and then make copies of all the letters. I'll leave the originals with the Hongcheng Public Security Bureau and have them fax me the copies."

"Okay, I'll call Sasha tomorrow."

“No need.” Zhou Yi said, putting her phone on the table. “You can use my phone to call her now. I remember they’ll call people from the duty room downstairs in their graduate student dormitory.”

"I've just finished eating, I'm going to the balcony for a smoke." He said, getting up and walking towards the balcony.

Zhou Yi went to the balcony in the living room, opened the window wide, and then leaned against the window frame to light a cigarette.

The cool breeze of the summer night, accompanied by the flickering red glow of the cigarette butt, dispelled the stuffiness in the air. Zhou Yi looked at the lights of thousands of homes in the community and enjoyed this rare moment of leisure.

He turned his head and looked to his left, and found that light was shining from the balcony of Bai Lin's house next door.

It seems the landlord has returned. I'll give her the rent I've prepared later, so she won't have to meet with Ding Chunmei alone tomorrow since I won't be there for the weekend.

"I've finished my call with Sasha," Ding Chunmei said. "Do you want anything else to eat? If not, I'll pack up my things."

"I'm not eating anymore, thank you for your hard work." Zhou Yi had just finished his cigarette and turned to walk into the house, intending to throw the cigarette butt into the food scraps.

Just seconds after he left the balcony, a head popped out from the balcony of Bai Lin's house next door.

He has short hair and is a man.

The man first looked out the window, then turned to look at Zhou Yi.

After his gaze lingered for a few seconds, the person looked away again.

Zhou Yi picked up his phone from the table, thinking he should call Ni Jianrong first and ask him to investigate Jin Huanyan more thoroughly.

Zhou Yi recalled that the woman surnamed Jin on the list written by Ding Chunmei should be around thirty years old.

Then we need to investigate the relationship between Qi Dongqiang and Jin Huanyan in particular. When it comes to murder, it's not something that can be done by a simple superior-subordinate relationship.

They have to be in the same boat, either having a romantic relationship or a business relationship.

These things will leave traces.

After calling Ni Jianrong, I need to call Qiao Jiali and tell her to go see Song Shasha tomorrow.

Zhou Yi had a premonition that the key clue was hidden in the letter Li Chong wrote to Ding Chunmei.

He believed that Li Chong couldn't possibly be without a backup plan.

But the key lies in who can see through the mystery.

In the previous life, there was neither Zhou Yi nor Ding Chunmei.

Perhaps in the end, everything will be lost forever.

But this life is different. In this life, Ding Chunmei is still alive, and Zhou Yi is also there!
Ni Jianrong listened to Zhou Yi's advice without question, saying that there should be news in a few days. His voice was full of enthusiasm, clearly stimulated by the "major case" Zhou Yi mentioned.

It's hard to imagine that just a few months ago, this was a stern and unruly leader.

It's true that "circumstances create heroes."

Fortunately, Director Ni is a good person at heart.

Qiao Jiali was delighted to receive the call, and upon hearing that she needed help, she readily agreed without hesitation.

"Has our little detective from Hongcheng already turned Wu Guang upside down?" Qiao Jiali asked jokingly.

"Hey, Sister Qiao, you're making fun of me with that nickname again." The only person who called him that was Qiao Jiali. She called Zhou Yi that after solving Du Xiaolin's case. "Wu Guang does have a big case, but they're still in the early stages of investigating the victim's identity. I'm handling a small case of assault in the street right now."

"Huh? Doesn't Captain Cao know your capabilities? He's leaving you with big cases and making you handle small ones? No way, I have to talk to Captain Wu about this tomorrow. He can't look down on the people of Hongcheng like this."

Zhou Yi made a few joking remarks, asked about the situation of the others, and then told Qiao Jiali in detail what they were going to do.

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Jiali felt increasingly uneasy: "This kid, could he really be up to something big? No, I have to tell Captain Wu."

As he spoke, he dialed Wu Yongcheng's number.

After making those two phone calls, Zhou Yi looked at the trash in the corner, picked up his bunch of keys from the table, and called out to Ding Chunmei, who was in the room, "I'm going downstairs to throw away the trash. It's too hot, and food scraps will breed bugs overnight."

"okay."

Zhou Yi opened the door, but the motion-sensor light above his head didn't turn on, so he stomped his foot, and the light finally came on.

He glanced at the door across the hall, then closed it and went downstairs.

Whether it's morning or evening, almost everyone strolling around the neighborhood is elderly.

So Zhou Yi quickly got the location of the community's garbage station from the old man. Just from this, you can tell that this community is considered to be of good quality, at least in Wuguang. There are even aunties who specialize in handling the garbage at the station.

He has seen many old residential areas where there are usually just a few trash cans at a few locations, and the trash is disposed of periodically.

It's convenient, but the processing speed often can't keep up with the frequency of garbage generation.

The trash cans were naturally not properly supervised, so they ended up overflowing, with trash spilling out and littering everywhere.

Especially in summer, it quickly becomes unbearably smelly.

After throwing away the trash, there was a sink nearby, so Zhou Yi washed his hands and then walked back, shaking his cool hands.

Because he was not yet familiar with the environment and it was dark, he squinted as he walked to recognize the house numbers illuminated by the dim wall lamps.

Just as he was about to reach the entrance of Building 26, he saw a dark figure emerge from the stairwell and walk straight toward the main entrance.

Zhou Yi came from the other side, so the two almost missed each other.

Zhou Yi didn't notice at first and walked into the stairwell.

But as soon as he stepped inside, he came out again.

Then, standing at the entrance of the building, he frowned slightly as he watched the departing figure.

He felt that the figure looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place who it was.

Zhou Yi shook his head, feeling that he might be overreacting.

So he turned around and went upstairs.

Reaching the fourth floor, he took out his keys and was about to open the door.

But then they heard what sounded like people talking inside, which made them feel strange.

She quickly opened the door and saw Bai Lin standing in the brightly lit living room, dressed in a long white dress.

Bai Lin turned around, saw it was him, and immediately gave him a bright smile.

(End of this chapter)