Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
From the arts school, Zhao Yu didn’t drive, but instead walked toward Lan Shuping’s house, along the route where Lan Shuping’s daughter usually headed for school. On the way, Zhao Yu looked at the situation nearby carefully.
He felt that the mysterious kidnapper could have kidnapped her successfully, because he had first done his homework well. He obviously had trailed and observes her, at the very least. So, with this in mind, if they were to rewatch the surveillance video again, they might be able to find a new clue.
He immediately called Mao Wei to remind him about that angle. But, Mao Wei told Zhao Yu that they had already gotten all the surveillance videos, including the ones within the housing area, and that they were already checking them.
After putting down the phone, Zhao Yu decided to visit Lan Shuping’s residency. Even if he couldn’t find clues about the kidnapping case there, he could at least do a background check on Lan Shuping, to see if he could possibly be linked to the apartment murder case.
Lan Shuping’s residence was the two story building located right in the middle of the housing estate, which was the best location in the entire area. When Zhao Yu arrived, Zhang Yaohui and Lan Bo were there!
In order to not cause a scene, the two of them were stationed there, assuming the undercover identities of Lan Shuping’s sworn brothers. They had set up audio monitoring equipment, just in case the kidnapper called, and they were also there to protect Lan Shuping’s family, in secret, of course.
Lan Shuping’s house was a four-bedroom luxurious residency, about two hundred square meters large. And, although there were many relatives living there, it wasn’t crowded.
Knowing their child had been kidnapped, the whole family was naturally anxious and worried. The relatives were waiting anxiously, while they were taking care of Lan Shuping’s wife and parents.
Zhao Yu had just entered, and he could already feel that the atmosphere at the scene was odd. Almost no one spoke, and everyone hung their heads and shoulders low. It was a quite depressing and lethargic setting.
Very quickly, Zhao Yu understood. As it turned out, as the police wanted to detain a high level of confidentiality, they didn’t tell them the truth, specifically, that Lan Shuping’s turning himself in was just for show. So, when they found out that Lan Shuping was a murderer, they naturally felt double the damage, resulting in their current states of sagging morale.
Among all of them, only Lan Shuping’s wife, Gao Ting, knew of these covert insights. But, in order to save her daughter, she could only keep this secret from her relatives, at least for now.
Under Zhang Yaohui’s guidance, Zhao Yu finally saw Gao Ting in her child’s bedroom. After opening the bedroom door, he saw that Gao Ting was sitting by her child’s bed, wiping her tears, and carrying her child’s watch in her hand.
Zhang Yaohui introduced Zhao Yu to Gao Ting softly, then quickly left the room. Gao Ting was beautiful and decently dressed. She looked very proper, and was a very elegant lady.
“Leader, thank you for your hard work!” As she saw Zhao Yu’s arrival, Gao Ting quickly stood up to greet him. But, due to her long period of oppression, she stood up rather wobbly.
“Take a seat, and please sit while we talk! Mm…” Zhao Yu looked down at the child’s watch in Gao Ting’s hands. He was wondering if he should ask the questions that he had prepared.
“Oh…” Gao Ting thought that Zhao Yu was referring to the watch, and so she quickly explained, “My daughter is clumsy. She forgot to wear her phone watch yesterday, when she went for class! The watch has a GPS function. It’d be great… if she had just been wearing it…”
Then, Gao Ting’s tears fell uncontrollably.
“Mm…” Zhao Yu creased his eyebrows, and stopped when he was going to speak. He looked around and asked, “Is this your daughter’s room? There are so many drawings…”
The walls in the bedroom were covered with many of her child’s drawings, and also her certificates. Those drawings were all innocent and freehand. Although the strokes were simple, they were filled with childish delight.
“Yeah!” Gao Ting explained. “My daughter really likes drawing. She would draw whatever she thought about. Sometimes, even when she was eating, she would be constantly drawing! So, her bedroom has always looked like this. It’s just like her little workshop!”
Zhao Yu looked at the drawings on the wall, and complemented sincerely, “The drawings look great!”
“Mm…” Gao Ting finally calmed down, as she asked Zhao Yu, “Leader, I wonder….. since you came today, do you have any updates?”
“Oh…” Zhao Yu saw that the timing of the situation was right, and he quickly got down to business, saying, “I’m here because I have some questions to ask you!”
“Go ahead!” Gao Ting said, waiting sincerely.
“I’d like to know…” Zhao Yu said solemnly, “Did Lan Shuping tell you about Liu Jiao, in the past?”
“Oh! About this!” Gao Ting had her eyebrows tightly knit, as she answered, “He brought her up a few times, but not many! He only told me about the three of them forming a group that was amazing, and if it hadn’t been for Liu Jiao’s accident, the three of them would’ve achieved a great result!”
“Then….. How about their relationship?” Zhao Yu asked again, “Has your husband mentioned anything to you? Feng Kuo and Liu Jiao were a couple, so why would Feng Kuo want to kill Liu Jiao?”
“About this…” Gao Ting recalled, “he didn’t say much directly! But, there was once, when he had too much to drink, that he cried, and called for Liu Jiao! I feel that my husband might have liked Liu Jiao before!”
She continued, admitting, “Of course, I was upset. But I can’t be jealous of a dead woman, right? So, I didn’t bring it up again, after that.”
“How about Feng Kuo?” Zhao Yu asked again.
“I’m not sure,” Gao Ting said. “I’m guessing that my husband might be holding grudges against this person!”
“Oh…” Zhao Yu thought and asked, “Then… can you show me Teacher Lan’s photos from the past? During his university days, perhaps? And, did he keep anything, like a diary or that sort, that could reflect what happened in his youth?”
“This…” Gao Ting creased her eyebrows, and suddenly realized something. She asked solemnly in a hurry, “Police officer, why do you need all these things? I know my husband’s temperament the best out of anyone, and he wouldn’t carry out a murder! Although he is an extrovert, he is very timid. It’s impossible that it’s him!”
“That’s not what I meant,” Zhao Yu assured her. “I just want to understand the situation of the three of them better through the photos!”
Zhao Yu explained, as best he could, that there might be another person who was the murderer. If there was, it must be someone that was involved with them!
“No!” Gao Ting said sadly, after hearing his logic. “Police officer, there aren’t any of such things! Ever since Lan and I were married, I have never seen his photos from university! I reckon that, because of Liu Jiao’s death, his university memories and youthhood have left a bad taste in his mouth. So, he didn’t want to keep the memories! Those memories only brought pain! Why would he keep the photos?”
“Then… okay!” Zhao Yu looked around the room and told Gao Ting, “If you find anything related to ten tears back, please inform me. Don’t belittle these things, as they might be the keys to getting your daughter home safe, earlier!”
“Okay… Okay…” bringing up her daughter, Gao Ting’s eyes again welled up with tears…
…
After leaving Lan Shuping’s house, Zhao Yu walked towards where he had parked his car. He thought about the conversation earlier with Gao Ting.
From Gao Ting’s angle, Lan Shuping didn’t look like a murderer. If he couldn’t let go of Liu Jiao for so many years, there wasn’t any reason for him to kill her back then!
Just like his wife had said, even if he were to kill someone, he would kill Feng Kuo, but not Liu Jiao, who he deeply loved.
It’s not Feng Kuo, and not Lan Shuping…
So, who would it be…
Was there really someone else who was the murderer?”
Tsk tsk…..
Zhao Yu thought about it, and when he got to his car, he suddenly remembered, if I can’t find Lan Shuping’s information and photos from back then, why not take another angle?
Besides Lan Shuping, there’s another place that I can find it, right?