Chapter 484: There Is No Reason for the Woman I Love to Protect Me in Turn

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Jiang Yuecheng had everyone split up. Wei Muran and Zhang Ming moved south along the village, while Qi Youxuan quickly followed. They found an abandoned factory not far from the village. The gate to the factory yard was locked. The iron railings, chains, and padlocks on the door were all rusted.

Qi Youxuan looked at the padlock without touching it, then pointed and said, “These padlocks were opened recently and frequently by someone. There’s rust between the chains.”

Qi Youxuan removed his handkerchief from his trouser pocket and gently wiped between the chains. Sure enough, the handkerchief was stained with a brownish powdery substance.

“However, the padlock is clean, as well as the part of the chain toward where the padlock is. Someone frequently touched these.” Qi Youxuan pointed to the lock. It was obvious even to the naked eye.

“The village chief said the factory has been abandoned for two years, but there’s a caretaker who has the key,” said Zhang Ming. He took out his cell phone and called Xing Jiadong. “Jiadong, find the village chief. Have him bring the factory caretaker to the factory.”

They later notified Jiang Yuecheng and he quickly headed to the factory.

Shortly after, Xing Jiadong brought the village chief. Accompanying them was a man in his fifties with grey hair, wearing an unbuttoned dark blue cotton jacket, exposing a white undershirt.

“He said he lost the keys,” said Xing Jiadong disgruntledly as he glared at the caretaker.

“What’s going on?” Zhang Ming looked suspiciously at the caretaker.

The terrified caretaker waved his hands frantically, “Officer, you can’t suspect me. I’m an honest and law-abiding person. I’ve never done anything bad. At most, I’m just a cheapskate. I lost the keys three months ago. Although the factory had ceased operations, it originally was a chemical plant, so, they still had to keep an eye on it. I was paid eight hundred Yuan a month until they fully cleared out the place. In fact, the clearing work was completed three months ago. The factory is to be demolished and the land sold. I was responsible for bringing the interested parties to look at the place prior to it being sold. I was afraid if they found out that I had lost the keys, they would fire me and I would lose eight hundred Yuan a month just like that.”

“How did you lose the key? Think hard, otherwise, you’ll be brought to the police station for questioning. You’ll be the main suspect,” said Zhang Ming. Zhao Yiyang had already called for a locksmith.

The caretaker was so terrified that he choked and almost cried. “Officer… officer, I’m innocent… I wouldn’t dare… Officer.”

“Then think hard,” said Zhao Yiyang in a serious tone.

“I… I remember now. Three months ago, a company sent a representative to inspect the land. They didn’t plan to demolish the factory and said that if it was suitable, they would also purchase the factory. The original owner was delighted. The factory itself can be worth a lot. The representative asked me to unlock the door and inspected the place. After sending him off, I didn’t bother to see if the key was still there. A few days later, I planned to drop by and realized that the key was gone. I… I dared not tell anyone.”

Everyone there smelt something fishy. Zhang Ming said immediately, “Give us the contact information of the company that contacted you that time, as well as the contact information of the original owner of the factory.”

“Aye…” The caretaker retrieved his cell phone and gave Zhang Ming the numbers.

The locksmith arrived and pried open the padlocks. Jiang Yuecheng had his men set up police lines outside, and then lead them inside.

The factory had been abandoned for two years and no one has ever cleaned it. There was a thick layer of dust on the ground and there were no lights. It was bright outside, but pitch-dark inside. Everyone raised their flashlights, and the dust in the air was even more apparent under the beams of light.

There was also a smell of mildew in the air. Wei Muran subconsciously leaned against Qi Youxuan, quietly tugged on Qi Youxuan’s arm, and whispered, “Am I imagining it? Or do I faintly smell blood?”

“You’re not imagining it,” Qi Youxuan said calmly, “I smell it too. This way.”

Qi Youxuan unconsciously moved to the front and led the way. Wei Muran realized that he had not received any training whatsoever. Fearing that he would not be able to avoid any impending danger, she hurried towards him and moved to shield him.

In the darkness, he grasped her by the hand and heard him whisper gently, “There is no reason for the woman I love to protect me in turn. If you’re hurt, it’s my failure.”

After he spoke, she was pushed behind him.

In the dark, Wei Muran felt her face sweltering as if there was hot steam coming out of her ears. Her mind was a hazy, and void of any cognitive ability.

However, she did not pull away and allowed Qi Youxuan to lead her by the hand, sweltering ears and all. She had not even considered if anyone was watching.

Zhang Ming saw everything from the start, smiled sneakily, and directed his flashlight elsewhere. Jiang Yuecheng’s expression was stagnant for a moment, then looked away.

Wei Muran followed along and suddenly felt a scratch on her palm. She felt a slight tingling sensation from the palm of her hand.

“Qi Youxuan!” said Wei Muran warningly through gritted teeth.

“Don’t move, we’re here.” Qi Youxuan’s voice sounded serious, so she did as he said. Her hand was being squeezed again by him, and his thumb rubbed back and forth teasingly against the back of her hand.

Wei Muran wanted to jerk her hand back but was already in too deep. He held on too tightly.

“There’s blood,” said Qi Youxuan suddenly.

He directed his flashlight toward the wall, there was blood where the wall met the ground. “The blood hasn’t dried!” said Qi Youxuan as he approached.

Jiang Yuecheng reacted quickly and immediately informed his men outside via walkie-talkie, “The person just left, search the perimeter!”

The others continued their inspection with Qi Youxuan. Wearing white gloves, Zhao Yiyang picked up a piece of rope, “There’s blood on this rope.”

Qi Youxuan crouched down suddenly, “Does anyone have a clean handkerchief?”

Jiang Yuecheng and Wei Muran both presented a handkerchief at the same time. The others did not even have paper napkins on them.

Qi Youxuan was amazed. Jiang Yuecheng still had this habit. He looked at the handkerchief handed over by Wei Muran, skipped over it, and took the one from Jiang Yuecheng.

Wei Muran pouted and put hers away unhappily.

Qi Youxuan threw her a glance and stifled a smile, “What we have here might be the stuff that comes out after men and women are done doing it. You wouldn’t want to get it on your handkerchief. You’ll have to get rid of it later.”

Wei Muran suddenly felt uncomfortable and did not retaliate. She watched as Qi Youxuan put on his gloves, then using Jiang Yuecheng’s handkerchief, collected the liquid from the ground, and put it in the bag.

“…” Jiang Yuecheng watched his handkerchief being used to collect the liquid and felt uncomfortable.

“Why didn’t you use your own handkerchief,” asked Jiang Yuecheng through gritted teeth.

“Oh, it was already stained with rust. Won’t it affect the forensic test results?” said Qi Youxuan extra seriously.

Jiang Yuecheng, “…”

Jiang Yuecheng’s walkie-talkie crackled, “Sergeant Jiang, we didn’t find anyone.”

“Roger that. Let’s head back. Bring the caretaker along,” said Jiang Yuecheng.

….

Back at the station, Zhao Yiyang and Xing Jiadong continued to question the caretaker regarding the representative who came to inspect the factory three months ago.

Qi Youxuan stood in front of the whiteboard holding a marker, talking and jotting down notes. “Zheng Wentao and Zheng Xiaorui were kidnapped by the same person, but the substance we found in Zheng Xiaorui is unlikely from the kidnapper. Both victims had no other external injuries other than severe whipping scars. The factory was dirty but certain areas were clean, leaving obvious tracks.

Qi Youxuan pointed to a photograph and said, “Here, a chair was placed here previously. The kidnapper is obsessed with cleanliness, therefore the person that raped Zheng Xiaorui was not the kidnapper. It could be that he hired someone to rape Zheng Xiaorui, or had an accomplice, or kidnapped another person and forced him to rape Zheng Xiaorui. I’m leaning towards the latter possibility.”

“People who are obsessed with cleanliness are usually controlling in nature. When Zheng Wentao was killed, he didn’t get his hands dirty; rather, he had Zheng Xiaorui kill her own grandfather. As for Zheng Xiaorui, he didn’t do it himself either. He had someone else rape and kill her. A person of this nature would not team up with others.”

Qi Youxuan tapped the desk softly with his pen. “Zheng Xiaorui caused Li Anqi to be raped and then commit suicide, but Zheng Wentao used his position to cover it up. So the murderer kidnapped Zheng Wentao and pitted his grandchild against him, threatening both their lives. If Zheng Xiaorui wanted to live, she must kill Zheng Wentao. Zheng Wentao must’ve felt that since he’s old, and if he must choose, he would’ve given his granddaughter a chance to live. So Zheng Xiaorui stabbed Zheng Wentao. That’s why the first two wounds were shallow. You can tell the attacker hesitated. After all, she was killing her own biological grandfather.”

“As for Zheng Xiaorui, she was raped and subsequently fell from a great height. This is the same as Li Anqi.” Qi Youxuan tapped his marker and turned back to the whiteboard and wrote, [The kidnapper is male, approximately twenty-five years old. Doesn’t have any distinctive features. Has myopia and wears glasses. He has obsessive-compulsive disorder and has small habitual movements that maybe he has not noticed himself.]

Qi Youxuan turned to Zhang Ming and asked, “You mentioned that there was no record of Li Anqi’s brother returning to China. At the time, who else was close to Li Anqi? The boy Zheng Xiaorui liked was very popular in school, which shows that Li Anqi must’ve been popular as well. She would’ve had many suitors. Check up on anyone close to Li Anqi at the time. Also…”

Qi Youxuan narrowed his eyes before continuing, “Gossip and rumors spread easily in high school. You can start from this angle. Take Zheng Xiaorui’s graduation photograph and check it out.”

“If the suspect is one of Zheng Xiaorui and Li Anqi’s classmates, the age approximate of twenty-five years old wouldn’t be a match,” said Zhang Ming.

“Did Li Anqi have a boyfriend at the time? It’s not uncommon for high school students to fall in love early,” asked Qi Youxuan.

“I’ll check.” Zhang Ming nodded and left.

Xing Jiadong and Zhao Yiyang returned. Zhao Yiyang handed over a composite sketch to Jiang Yuecheng. “This is the composite sketch of the suspect according to, Li Fusheng, the caretaker’s description.”

Jiang Yuecheng’s expression shifted. He then handed the sketch to Qi Youxuan. “This matches the description you just said.”

“Is Li Fusheng still there?” asked Qi Youxuan as he looked up.

“Yes, he is.” Zhao Yiyang noticed both Qi Youxuan and Jiang Yuecheng imposing expressions and felt tense.

Qi Youxuan nodded, “I’ll question him again.”

Surprisingly, Xing Jiadong did not make any rude quips. Zhao Yiyang followed Qi Youxuan into the interrogation room.

Li Fusheng saw the two of them enter. “Why can’t I leave? I really didn’t do anything,” he said anxiously and frantically.

“We know, but we still have some questions for you,” said Zhao Yiyang.

Qi Youxuan sat down opposite Li Fusheng and asked calmly, “Think carefully, the representative that came to you three months ago. Was there anything peculiar about his behavior? Any weird little details? Anything you think a normal person wouldn’t do. Did he make a fuss regarding anything? Was there anything he did that you secretly thought he was being overly particular?”

Li Fusheng was still confused initially, but after hearing Qi Youxuan’s words, he understood.

He nodded his head as he remembered. “There was something strange. He was a bit of a clean freak. There are many dirt roads in our village, especially the road leading to the old factory. He frowned as he walked. As soon as he reached the factory gate, he wiped his shoes with a handkerchief, then threw the handkerchief away. Then, he took out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and applied it on his hands.”

“So the gate was locked, right? He then took out another handkerchief and moved it along the chain.” Li Fusheng pouted his lips and said, “Not sure why he had so many handkerchiefs.”

“I accidentally touched him while unlocking the padlock, he immediately sprung away and shouted at me not to touch him,” snorted Li Fusheng. “As if I wanted to touch him?”

“The lights weren’t working, so I used a flashlight. I kept hearing a clapping sound. The guy kept brushing his sleeves and clothes with his hands. Then out came the hand sanitizer, then the brushing again. When we exited the factory, he looked sick. I pitied him and so I wasn’t too hard on him. He was so obsessed with his cleanliness, I doubt he paid any attention to the condition of the factory.”

Qi Youxuan left with Zhao Yiyang after the questioning and released Li Fusheng.

Moments later, Zhang Ming came in with two photographs. “This is the class photo of Zheng Xiaorui’s graduation. There’s someone that matches your and Li Fusheng’s description.”

Zhang Ming pointed to a man sitting on the far left of the first row, then showed him a two-inch ID photograph. “His name is Dong Zhengfeng, originally from The First Experimental High School, and was Zheng Xiaorui and Li Anqi’s language teacher. When Li Anqi jumped off the building, he was right below and saw the whole thing as she landed in a pool of blood. According to a teacher who’s still teaching at the school, his first reaction was to try to catch Li Anqi. His hands and clothes were all covered in blood. Since then, Dong Zhengfeng seems to have developed an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He must wash his hands several times a day. When using chalk in class, he has to hold it with a handkerchief. This is considered a mental illness, so he went to see a psychiatrist but it seems that it didn’t help much. Coincidentally, after Zheng Xiaorui graduated, he also resigned. Based on what another teacher who was close to him said, he didn’t continue teaching after he resigned but instead joined a food company. That company did consider setting up a factory in Nanshan not long ago.”

“Find Dong Zhengfeng at once!” Jiang Yuecheng dared not waste a moment and left with his men to Dong Zhengfeng’s workplace. Wei Muran joined them but Qi Youxuan stayed behind.

The case was almost closed and he had to get his affairs in order.

…

Wei Muran figured that Dong Zhengfeng would have definitely escaped out of fear and would not willingly be captured.

Clearly, everyone else had the same thought. Jiang Yuecheng was especially shocked when he saw Dong Zhengfeng sitting at his office normally.

When they explained why they were there, Dong Zhengfeng was even more surprised but did not panic. More accurately, he looked puzzled. He felt like they must have made a mistake.

Wei Muran thought that Dong Zhengfeng was either an excellent actor, or he was really framed. However, she also believed in Qi Youxuan’s judgment. After seeing Dong Zhengfeng’s reaction, she felt that there was no way he was faking it.

Dong Zhengfeng did not resist and even cooperated fully with the police.

Qi Youxuan did not personally interrogate him, but only observed through the one-way mirror.

Dong Zhengfeng was not aware of the deaths of Zheng Wentao and Zheng Xiaorui and was even surprised.

“What can you tell?” Jiang Yuecheng stood next to Qi Youxuan.

Qi Youxuan frowned, “He’s not lying, but he did murder them.”

Jiang Yuecheng drew a blank. What was he saying?

“My deductions are never wrong, he’s the murderer.” Qi Youxuan narrowed his eyes then said, “However, his body language says that he’s not lying.”

Zhao Yiyang and Xing Jiadong could not get anything out of him. Jiang Yuecheng had no choice but to get a polygraph test.

Even on the polygraph, Dong Zhengfeng was calm and answered fluently. Jiang Yuecheng started to get impatient. “Mr. Qi, we can’t be wasting our efforts merely based on the fact that you think that your deductions are correct. At most, we can only detain him until the next morning. We’ll have to release him by then.”

Qi Youxuan frowned for a long time, then exclaimed, “It takes an hour and a half to get from Nanshan to his office. The blood at the factory was still wet, and there’s still another kidnap victim. He wouldn’t have enough time to get rid of that stuff. Check his car.”

Qi Youxuan observed Dong Zhengfeng through the one-way mirror and noticed that his feet were shuffling around uncomfortably.

“His shoes are dirty,” said Qi Youxuan. Jiang Yuecheng looked puzzled and did not know what he meant.

“There must be something on his shoes making him so uncomfortable,” explained Qi Youxuan.

Immediately, Jiang Yuecheng informed Zhao Yiyang and Xing Jiadong to remove Dong Zhengfeng’s shoes.

Dong Zhengfeng, who had been calm all along, suddenly resisted so much to prevent them from removing his shoes. Zhao Yiyang and Xing Jiadong tried to hold him down and he went berserk. “Don’t touch me! Filthy, don’t touch me!”

Xing Jiadong twisted his arm behind him and pinned his body to the desk—one hand clasped his arm, the other pressing his head tightly against the desk.

“Let me go.” Dong Zhengfeng’s voice changed suddenly. It was not frantic as before, it was calm, cold even. As if void of emotion.

Xing Jiadong could not see it, but Zhao Yiyang saw that Dong Zhengfeng’s facial expression changed.

“Unhand me. You don’t need to remove my shoes,” said Dong Zhengfeng. “I didn’t kill Zheng Wentao and Zheng Xiaorui, but I did have them murdered. You don’t need to investigate anymore. I confess.”

Xing Jiadong was so shocked that he let go of his grip. Looking at the coldness and ridicule on Dong Zhengfeng’s face, his heart turned cold.

“He’s timid. He doesn’t know what I did. You won’t get anything from him,” said Dong Zhengfeng mockingly.

“You …” Xing Jiadong looked at him in surprise.

“Multiple personality disorder.” The door burst open as Qi Youxuan’s voice was heard.

Jiang Yuecheng came in behind him and closed the door.

Dong Zhengfeng smiled and did not deny it.

“Does he know you exist?” asked Qi Youxuan.

“Perhaps. I suppose he knows. As soon as he is asleep, I will appear. Sometimes when his emotions are unstable, I will also appear. When he controls this body, I’m aware of his surroundings, but when I’m in control, he will not know what I do not wish him to know.

However, when I was in control, I did a lot of investigations regarding Zheng Wentao and Zheng Xiaorui, including the rapist. There were many photographs at home, and he found them one day. He burned them all and then pretended nothing was wrong. But I knew that he knew the truth. He’s just avoiding it.”

“Now that you have willingly confessed, you might as well tell us everything. Zheng Wentao and Zheng Xiaorui, why did you kill them?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.

“Didn’t you figure it out? Zheng Xiaorui caused Li Anqi to be raped and commit suicide. Zheng Xiaorui didn’t receive the punishment she deserved. Zheng Wentao connived and protected his granddaughter and justice was not served. Since the law was unable to punish them, I had to do it myself.”

“First, I had Zheng Wentao abducted, and then used him to draw Zheng Xiaorui out. I tortured them. I had them whip each other. Whoever whipped lightly will be beaten more severely by me. They wouldn’t dare hold back. Each strike was harder than the next.” Dong Zhengfeng had a crazed look in his eyes.

“When the two didn’t have an ounce of strength left, I threw them a knife. Whoever grabs the knife and kills the other can live.” Dong Zhengfeng sneered, “Zheng Wentao really loves his granddaughter. Zheng Xiaorui madly grabbed at the knife, but Zheng Wentao didn’t move an inch. It could be that he saw Zheng Xiaorui’s actions, and decided to let Zheng Xiaorui kill him.”

“Zheng Xiaorui was really cold-hearted and selfish. She could even take her own grandfather’s life. She was still afraid when she took the first two stabs, but from the third onwards, she became more and more crazed, almost unstoppable. One stab after another she plunged the knife into Zheng Wentao’s chest, and blood splattered on her face.”

Qi Youxuan twitched slightly. Bai Mo’s report also stated that Zheng Xiaorui had traces of Zheng Wentao’s blood on her.

“A coward like Zheng Xiaorui is afraid of death. She’s a beast who can even kill her biological grandfather to save her own. How can she be allowed to live? She’s a scourge to all. She tormented Li Anqi, and she killed her own grandfather. Who knows what she could do in the future? I pity Zheng Wentao, who raised such an ungrateful person. Zheng Xiaorui’s death is my contribution to the world.”

“She will now experience what she did to Li Anqi. I found the bastard who raped Li Anqi years ago and abducted him. He deserved it too. I personally flogged him to the point of despair. He dared not disobey me if he wanted to live. I had him rape Zheng Xiaorui, then had him push her off the roof of the factory.”