Chapter 482: Do You Know This Is Actually A Character Flaw?

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Who the hell did Qi Youxuan think he was to act like a boss and command them?

“Ha ha, I’m truly worried that your questions were incomplete,” mocked Qi Youxuan.

How about that?

Rage consumed Xing Jiadong instantly. “Our leader asked the questions personally, so what do you mean by that? Are you saying that our leader is incapable?”

Qi Youxuan blinked and glanced at Jiang Yuecheng while pointing at Xing Jiadong. “Is he your subordinate? Does he have complaints about you? He’s disobeying direct orders and trying to drive a wedge between us. I don’t know about you but I’m not going to tolerate this nonsense. I can’t possibly allow the existence of a subordinate who always tries to disagree with his superior without focusing his attention on solving crimes. Am I right, Zhang Mingming?”

“…” Jiang Yuecheng failed to muster a reply.

Zhang Ming hissed through gritted teeth. “Delete the extra Ming!”

“What the hell are you talking about? You’re the one trying to drive a wedge between us. Sergeant, that’s not what I meant just now. I—” Xing Jiadong was getting anxious.

“I understand. Take the video recording. I want to know if Mr. Qi can find anything else to add on,” replied Jiang Yuecheng calmly.

Xing Jiadong glared at Qi Youxuan before walking away.

In the meantime, Qi Youxuan walked toward the whiteboard and started scribbling without wasting any time.

“Zheng Wentao went missing on Tuesday on the same day Zheng Xiaorui left her school, but the counselor received her leave application through a phone call only on Thursday. There are six messy stab wounds on Zheng Wentao’s chest but the intention was to kill. The first two stab wounds are shallow, which means the assailant was panicking during the assault without actually wanting to kill him, but there was another fear that was more intense and forced her to kill him. After stabbing him twice as a test round, the assailant straight away delivered a killing blow and ended his life since he was already at his last gasp and hopeless for survival,” said Qi Youxuan who was writing on the whiteboard while holding the forensic report in his other hand.

“Thus, the third stab wound was much deeper and actually took his life away, but the assailant wasn’t sure about this and delivered three more stabs for assurance. Judging from the wounds, the dagger was delivered in a straight path into his chest.” Qi Youxuan, immersed completely in his own train of thoughts, seemed to have forgotten that he was not alone and continued his gesticulation. “If she was holding the dagger with one hand, the stab wounds would be slanted to a certain degree. Using the right hand, for example, the wounds would be slightly slanted to the right.”

“Thus, the assailant was actually holding the dagger with both hands and stabbed downward, and that was the reason why the wounds were straight.” Qi Youxuan held his hands together while talking to himself. “The assailant who murdered Zheng Wentao is a female aged between eighteen to twenty years old, with the height between one hundred sixty to one hundred and sixty-five centimeters.”

“How can you be so sure that the dagger was delivered in a downward motion? You can actually do it with one hand if the dagger is delivered in an upward motion,” said Xing Jiadong, who returned with the video recording but had completely forgotten about it after listening to Qi Youxuan’s explanation, obviously unconvinced.

Qi Youxuan pouted disdainfully. “Don’t forget, according to the forensic report, there are ligature marks on all of the victim’s limbs. His limbs were tied at that time, so how could he even stand firmly when someone assaulted him? Besides, there are multiple serious flagellation wounds on his body and he had prolonged fasting during that period. Do you think you can stand firmly under such circumstances?”

Qi Youxuan stared at Xing Jiadong with contempt. “Even if you can, will you run when someone is chasing you with a dagger? When your feet are tied and you can only jump away from danger, how many steps can you take before falling down in the end? Besides, the victim is a seventy-two-year-old man. Other than that, the forensic report clearly stated that there were no signs of struggle before the victim died, which meant he had already accepted his fate, so how would he stand up and attempt to escape?”

“Then how did you know about the assailant’s height?” asked the skeptical Xing Jiadong out of curiosity instead of causing trouble on purpose.

“Different heights will use different strengths to strike downward. I’ve calculated the approximate height of the assailant based on the depth of the wounds. I’ve studied this art before and it’s perfectly normal that you don’t know about this with your intelligence,” answered Qi Youxuan while waving the forensic report in his hand.

Then, Qi Youxuan threw the forensic report on the table and said, “Tut-tut, judging by your intelligence alone, no wonder the clearance rate is so low.”

“You—” The exasperated Xing Jiadong wanted to retaliate but failed to find any supporting reason. He was getting annoyed and dispirited after Qi Youxuan glanced at him scornfully. “How about the age?”

“I suspect that the assailant who killed Zheng Wentao was Zheng Xiaorui, so it’s reasonable to narrow the age group to this, and it makes me look professional at the same time.” Qi Youxuan stared at Zhang Ming with raised eyebrows. “Did I look professional just now?”

“We must solve criminal cases seriously. How can you make guesses without evidence?” Xing Jiadong was exhilarated that he finally caught the flaw in Qi Youxuan’s explanation.

“Who said that I was making a guess? This age group is the result of my analysis. Your brain can’t process this simple issue so don’t waste my time by asking for an explanation. I rather utilize the time in solving this case. Play the recording for me.” Qi Youxuan rolled his eyes in utter annoyance. Pulling out a chair, he stopped halfway before he sat down and waved at Wei Muran. “Mumu, come and have a seat.”

“…” Wei Muran was extremely stressed, especially after Qi Youxuan attracted all the loathe and yet treated her solicitously. She started to feel butterflies in her stomach when all the gazes were fixed on her.

Even so, Qi Youxuan was grinning while resting his hands on the back of the chair. Subconsciously, Wei Muran did not wish to embarrass him in front of the crowd, so she walked toward him under the intense pressure.

Qi Youxuan smiled happily at his Mumu’s consideration and understanding.

“Can’t you do it yourself? You’re the one requesting for it, not us,” replied Xing Jiadong, unwilling to comply.

“I’m the brain, and since you can’t brain, might as well be the brawn. Otherwise, why do we even need you?” Qi Youxuan pouted and taunted Xing Jiadong.

Xing Jiadong’s cheeks were flushed red due to embarrassment and anger, but words of protest failed to come out of his mouth. He started doubting his own intelligence for some inexplicable reason ever since Qi Youxuan’s arrival.

However, he would feel embarrassed without attempting a refutation. Fortunately, someone came to save the day.

“You guys are still working on the case? It’s twelve o’clock right now, aren’t you guys hungry? You can’t just ignore your lunch too.” Bai Mo appeared at the doorstep.

Jiang Yuecheng peeked at the time. “My mistake. Let’s order food delivery so that we can have our lunch while discussing the case. Stop your bickering and let’s focus on the case, especially about Zheng Xiaorui’s disappearance. We must find her as soon as possible, regardless of whether she’s involved or not.”

“I’ll order for food delivery, you guys can continue your discussion.” It was very considerate for Bai Mo to offer her assistance. She took out her phone and started searching for food delivery’s phone number while moving toward Jiang Yuecheng without making her intention obvious.

As Bai Mo was still searching for the phone number, someone yelled at the doorstep, “Mr. Qi, your food is delivered.”

They turned around and saw a waiter in Dynasty’s uniform holding a huge insulated lunch bag at the doorstep.

The waiter walked into the office, opened the insulated lunch bag and took the lunch boxes out of the bag.

Qi Youxuan rested his elbow on the table with his face on his palm and stared at Wei Muran. “Mumu, I’ve ordered lunch for you and these are your favorites. Eat quickly while they’re still warm.”

Bai Mo hung up the call and shifted her gaze between Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran before asking with a polite smile, “Muran, is he your boyfriend?”

Wei Muran peeked at Qi Youxuan before answering reluctantly and softly, “No.”

Qi Youxuan lifted his gaze and noticed Jiang Yuecheng letting out a sigh of relief. Annoyance flashed through his squinted eyes before he shifted his gaze on the silent Wei Muran, whose ears became the shade of ripe strawberries.

Youning once mentioned that Qi Youxuan was too close with Wei Muran especially when they had known each other since childhood. Even though Qi Youxuan announced that he would marry Wei Muran once they grew up, she merely considered it as a joke and did not take it seriously. He desperately needed a chance to let Wei Muran know that he was being serious about this marriage. Otherwise, there was no way on Earth she would believe him if he repeated his intention constantly in her presence.

Qi Youxuan was born with an active personality, and thus his words would sound insincere as time went by.

The same happened when Qi Youxuan was at home too. His grandparents would assume that he was merely joking even though he was actually being serious.

Thus, when he complained to Youning in distress, Youning placed her hand on her waist and pointed at him. “Do you know this is actually a character flaw? Take a look at Wen Xu. He took everything seriously since he was young, and everyone would believe his words even though he doesn’t speak much. Trust me when I say that they’ll believe him even when he says that a pig is flying. Brother, that’s his charisma!”

“…” Qi Youxuan was left speechless.

An active person like Qi Youxuan who was able to make friends was considered a character flaw, but Wen Xu who always wore a flat and cold expression was considered a charismatic person?

“You can’t possibly help an outsider in an exaggerated way!” yelled Qi Youxuan in annoyance.

“Anyway, you need to strike directly at her heart in order to succeed. This issue requires a careful and long-term plan.” Qi Youning waved her hand as if wanting to shoo Qi Youxuan away.

“I’ve been planning this for the past twenty-three years!” said Qi Youxuan unwillingly.

“She merely assumed that it was a joke made during childhood, so how could she believe you? You’re a smart person, but why are you acting like an idiot in this matter?” Qi Youning rolled her eyes in response.

Qi Youxuan was staring at Wei Muran’s reddened cheeks again while figuring out a plan to strike directly at her heart when Zhang Ming took a laptop and started playing the video recording.

Qi Youxuan only ordered two lunch sets and Wei Muran was well aware of his attitude, but she found it embarrassing to eat in front of the crowd. Moreover, she could not share her meal with the rest as well.

Jiang Yuecheng smiled after noticing Wei Muran’s dilemma. “You can have your lunch first. Don’t worry about us; we’ve ordered our lunch and they’ll be delivered soon.”

Qi Youxuan cleared his throat loudly all of a sudden. “Watch the video first.”

Wei Muran was enjoying her lunch while watching the video, but after noticing the immobile Qi Youxuan with his lunch box closed, she poked at him silently and said, “You can watch the video while eating at the same time.”

However, Qi Youxuan opened his mouth unexpectedly. “Ah—”

“…” Wei Muran was at a loss for words.

Wei Muran stomped on Qi Youxuan’s foot stealthily through gritted teeth without using much strength, but Qi Youxuan yelled painfully in an exaggerated way before opening his mouth again. “I’m focusing on the video. Ah—”

Wei Muran was reluctant to comply after realizing Qi Youxuan’s deliberate intention. Then, an idea formed in her mind. She took a piece of broccoli and stuck it into his mouth.

Qi Youxuan detested vegetables—especially carrot, bell pepper, broccoli and so on—since he was young. Naturally, there would be no greens in his lunch box at present.

On the other hand, Wei Muran was not a picky eater, so it was extremely easy to prepare meals for her as she could basically eat anything.

Sure enough, Qi Youxuan almost puked after tasting the broccoli in his mouth.

Qi Youxuan fought the urge to spit the broccoli out of his mouth since Wei Muran was the one feeding him just now. He turned around and stared grudgingly at her, pouting his mouth in the most pathetic way possible. Then, his gaze rested on the chopstick in her hand. She used it before feeding a piece of broccoli to him. Somehow, the broccoli did not taste so bad after all.

They…they were exchanging saliva just now!

Exactly like how they licked the same lollipop together when they were young!

Wei Muran failed to notice Qi Youxuan’s delighted expression and smiled devilishly, which fueled the desire in his heart. If it was not for the fact that they were not alone, he would definitely catch Wei Muran and feed the broccoli back to her.

Bai Mo ignored Jiang Yuecheng’s darkened expression and smiled. “You guys are so close together. Those who don’t know you will assume that you’re both in a relationship.”

Wei Muran peeked at Qi Youxuan with a reddened face. Qi Youxuan fought the urge to answer that he wanted to be Wei Muran’s boyfriend out of worry that it might become a countereffect and she may not believe him in the end.

“Don’t raise this issue anymore since Muran had already denied it. We’re colleagues, so don’t make the situation awkward in the future,” said Jiang Yuecheng who was paying attention to Wei Muran’s reaction without noticing Bai Mo’s stiffened expression.

“It’s only temporarily,” replied Qi Youxuan coldly.

Wei Muran was taken aback and glanced at Qi Youxuan since he seldom spoke with such tone.

“I see that you’re constantly talking. Are you even watching the video? Did you find anything wrong?” mocked Xing Jiadong.

After swallowing some rice and meat, Qi Youxuan pushed the lunch box away and said, “That elderly lady was lying.”

“When did you notice this?” asked Xing Jiadong. His expression changed immediately but remained unconvinced.

“No one will look right into your eyes when he’s lying unless he’s aware of this and tries to avoid this mistake on purpose. It’s extremely difficult, and only a trained person can do it. Obviously, Zhao Peishu doesn’t possess such ability. She was stunned momentarily when the sergeant asked if Zheng Wentao had incurred any enmity with anyone.” Qi Youxuan pressed the keyboard with his long fingers to skip the video backward before pausing it again.

“She was thinking if Zheng Wentao had incurred any enmity with anyone at that time, which is normal, but after that—” Qi Youxuan played the video for less than a second before pausing it immediately and enlarged the image at the same time. “Her pupils were drifting to the right upper corners when she denied it. This is the most obvious sign of deception, but why was she lying? Did she recall something that may be related to Zheng Wentao’s death? If she suspected that whatever she recalled had something to do with Zheng Wentao’s death, why didn’t she say it?”

Qi Youxuan leaned backward and added, “I need to question Zhao Peishu personally.”

Jiang Yuecheng failed to hide his surprise and nodded with a heartfelt admiration for the first time before asking the others, “Did you find anything about Zheng Xiaorui’s boyfriend?”

Right on cue, Zhao Yiyang came into the office and answered, “Yes. He’s studying a financial course at University C. He has classes in the evening that’s taught by a strict lecturer, so he won’t skip the classes later.”

“We’ll split up. Mr. Qi will meet Zhao Peishu while Muran—”

Qi Youxuan continued Jiang Yuecheng’s instruction. “She goes with me, as always.”

Jiang Yuecheng pursed his lips tightly without attempting to argue in this matter. “Yiyang, come with me to University C. Zhang Ming and Jiadong will investigate whether Zheng Wentao had incurred any enmity with anyone before or did anything that made him loathed.”

Their food was finally delivered at the same time, so Qi Youxuan dragged Wei Muran and said, “We’ll visit Zhao Peishu first.”

…

…

The duo had arrived at Zhao Peishu’s home. They could even hear Zhao Peishu’s voice when Wei Muran pressed the doorbell. “Who is it?”

The cover of the security door’s vision panel opened momentarily. Then, Wei Muran’s voice traveled across the anti-theft grills and gauze. “Hello, Aunt Zhao, we’re the police officers. We still have some questions to ask regarding Mr. Zheng.”

Tears started welling up in Zhao Peishu’s red-rimmed eyes as she opened the door. “Can’t you sympathize with me? I’ve finally managed to calm myself today and yet your sudden appearance and intention reminded me of my husband’s gruesome death again.”

“I’m terribly sorry, but we wish to solve this case at the earliest so that Mr. Zheng can rest in peace,” persuaded Wei Muran.

“We’ll spare you the sorrow if you could just tell us exactly what you knew for the first time,” replied Qi Youxuan coldly.

“What do you mean?” asked the teary-eyed Zhao Peishu after a brief moment of shock.

Obviously, Zhao Peishu did not welcome them, so Qi Youxuan straight away pulled Wei Muran into her house without waiting for her invitation and sat on the couch in a relaxed manner. After gazing around the house for some time, Qi Youxuan concluded that the Zheng family was rather wealthy and lived a decent life.

“We’re here to ask for confirmation. Did Zheng Wentao incur any enmity with anyone before?” asked Qi Youxuan.

Zhao Peishu tried to avert her gaze since she was totally unprepared for the sudden question and answered immediately, “No.”

“You’re lying. Your gaze aversion told me the truth,” replied Qi Youxuan harshly.

“How can you say so? I’m not lying. You can’t put the blame on me just because of your failure in solving this case,” Zhao Peishu wailed.

“You’re thwarting our investigation when your husband can’t even rest in peace. Do you think your action is appropriate?” Qi Youxuan mocked before continuing. “Zheng Wentao had indeed incurred enmity with someone, and justice wasn’t on your side. That incident had attracted lots of attention, and it was Zheng Wentao who tried his very best to solve it.”

Qi Youxuan then noticed the astonishment on Zhao Peishu’s face due to the assumption that Qi Youxuan had known everything.

Qi Youxuan’s expression remained flat and continued. “This incident was related to Zheng Xiaorui as well.”

“Then why did you ask me when you already knew about it?” exclaimed Zhao Peishu, but she shut her mouth the second she noticed the smirk on Qi Youxuan’s face.

“I didn’t know initially, but you can start talking now,” replied Qi Youxuan calmly.

…

…

Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran returned to the police station and heard Xing Jiadong’s annoying voice upon entering the office, “Hey, did you get any new information?”

Qi Youxuan ignored Xing Jiadong straight away. Thus, Wei Muran answered in order to prevent further bickering, “A female transfer student came to Zheng Xiaorui’s class when she was studying in the second year of high school two years ago. High school female students usually have a few reasons for arguments, and one of them is definitely due to men. Zheng Xiaorui had a crush on a male student, but he was interested in the transfer student instead. Zheng Xiaorui had quite a reputation in the university due to her family background. Zheng Wentao used to work in a higher job position and had promoted quite a few people, so he had a decent social network even after his retirement. Those who were promoted by him appreciated his help and would definitely lend a helping hand on any issue that was within their sensible limits.”

“Thus, Zheng Xiaorui had a few female followers and formed a small gang since then. They brought the transfer student to a deserted area and taught her a lesson before leaving, but an accident happened to the transfer student when she was on her way back. She was raped. After that, rumors about her sexual assault spread in the university for some reason and she jumped to her death after giving in to the intense pressure. The deceased’s family suspected that this was Zheng Xiaorui’s doing, so the argument began. However, due to the lack of evidence and the disappearance of the rapist, or rather the uncommitted search for the rapist due to Zheng Wentao’s request, the case was left unsettled in the end.”

“I’ve found it! I’ve found it!” The excited Zhao Yiyang entered the office. “I’ve found the secret that Zhao Peishu was trying to hide. Here goes—”

Zhao Yiyang blurted out the story that Wei Muran had mentioned just now without giving others a chance to interrupt.