Free Web NovelChapter 310: Chapter 304: Could it be that Li Fang didn’t die in a car accident?_1
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I’m not surprised. This Li Fang’s family must have been very wealthy, even among the top in Hai’an City at the time. After all, our country had just started delving into knee replacement surgery in the 1980s.
Moreover, the requirements for age were very strict back then. She underwent the surgery when she was in third or fourth grade and took a year off from school. I suspect that her surgery wasn’t performed domestically, considering the difficulty in finding an appropriate joint for her age."
Li Libo from the traffic police team was full of admiration and kept nodding towards Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao.
"It seems that everyone has their own expertise, and you’re indeed more professional. This is the record from that time. Li Fang’s father was the chairman of Qindao Haichanglong International Trading Co., Ltd. To be honest, I didn’t even know what that meant back then, but I heard he was among the first batch of people who went into trading after the economic reform and opening up."
Xu Dayuan tapped the table as he looked at the traffic accident assessment report.
"With a wealthy background and herself being a planning chief at a planning bureau, she was a girl with a promising future. To come alone to such a secluded bridge late at night and rush towards the side of the road without any apparent reason, and her death... it had a huge impact on Mr. and Mrs. Li."
Tao Zhenshan nodded. He had just contacted Li Fang’s sister.
"Yes, not long after her death, Li Fang’s parents also died of illness. I heard that their business was taken over by someone else. I thought it was some small family-run restaurant, but if we go by the scale of their strength, wouldn’t that mean the trading company was also very substantial?"
The more they delved into the matter, the more complex it became, and Xu Dayuan’s brows furrowed tighter.
"Whose property is the Li family’s trading company now?"
Zhang Chunbo and Li Libo looked at each other and shook their heads.
"We don’t know, I haven’t paid much attention to these details. We should ask Li Fang’s sister about that."
Tao Zhenshan immediately called Li Fang’s sister and asked her about it. She was clearly very familiar with all of this.
"My father’s Qindao Haichanglong Trading Company, along with several subsidiary industrial processing companies, is now run by Zhu Kelin. He was a trade manager my father promoted. He took the company for himself by using some of the company’s external debts.
I don’t understand business, so I could only watch helplessly as the company was devoured. And now these subsidiaries and the trading company have formed a group. The name is still Haichanglong, but its main business has shifted from industrial to real estate development, acquiring many plots of land."
Tao Zhenshan hung up the phone, scratched his head, flipped open his notebook, and saw a familiar name. He was also taken aback and lifted his notebook to show everyone.
"Wait a second, why does the name Zhu Kelin sound so familiar? Wasn’t I asked to contact Cui Yushang’s sister, Cui Yufen, who was adopted by her aunt’s family and changed her name to Zhu Yufen? Her aunt’s husband is called Zhu Kelin. Could this be a coincidence of names?"
As soon as he finished speaking, they all took out their police devices to search. After comparing the national ID numbers, they confirmed it was the same person, which left everyone in a daze.
Mr. Zhao came closer and raised his hand, saying:
"I’m a bit confused now; the relationships here are so tangled. Let’s try to make sense of it all. Zheng Chuguang, Yu Guangyao, and Zhang Qiujiang were schoolmates, yearmates, and neighbors from the same community. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Back in primary school, perhaps due to their involvement, Cui Yushang was killed. His death led to the ruin of his family, leaving only a sister who was taken in by her uncle.
This uncle obtained the property of Li Fang’s parents through improper means. But Li Fang had stood up for Cui Yushang on numerous occasions, one of the few people with a sense of justice.
The cause of Li Fang’s death is still unknown, but the timing and location are highly suspicious, especially since Zheng Chuguang, the No. 1 deceased, was found dead at the same place where Li Fang had her incident."
"And all three victims were involved in industries related to planning and construction in one way or another. They died similarly, and after their deaths, evidence of their bribery, shoddy workmanship, substandard products, and corruption was revealed. Is that right?"
Xu Dayuan nodded in agreement.
"This summary is accurate. However, based on this analysis, the murderer must have personally experienced or witnessed Cui Yushang’s death, as well as the bullying, and held a grudge against these three. Therefore, he must have had a similar experience.
As for Li Fang’s death, I need to know what these three deceased were doing at the same time Li Fang had her accident. Did they have any connection with Li Fang, as Mr. Zhao mentioned, their deaths all occurred after her incident."
Zhang Chunbo stood up eagerly to make a statement.
"I’ll go and investigate right now."
Xu Dayuan raised his hand to stop him and gestured to Tao Zhenshan.
"Let’s reorganize our team, along with local investigators. You, Liu Yufei, and Chunbo will each lead a group and start the investigations. Also, expedite the arrival of the three classmates who are supposed to come this afternoon. For the one who is out of town, get him to try to come back by this afternoon if possible."
Tao Zhenshan and Zhang Chunbo hurried off, while Li Libo, who was pointing at himself without speaking, was already addressed by Xu Dayuan:
"Captain Li, could you please find the original records of the traffic accident involving Li Fang? I need a detailed autopsy report. Send it over to Director Zhou for a thorough review; the more comprehensive it is, the better. After all, memories can be inaccurate after so many years."
Li Libo nodded.
"I will retrieve the file now and also look for my work diary from that time. That traffic accident was the first one I handled alone on duty, and I carefully recorded all the details."
Xu Dayuan patted his shoulder and smiled at Li Libo.
"Then I’ll wait for your news."
Li Libo left quickly, and Xu Dayuan and Mr. Zhao saw Zhou Ning looking at the whiteboard and followed suit.
"Did you find something?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I’ll go over the autopsy report; just make sure no one disturbs me."
Xu Dayuan waved to Mr. Zhao.
"Help Zhou Xiaozhou move the whiteboard and these materials to the office next door, and bring him some water and food. Everyone, come out and don’t disturb him."
Zhou Ning nodded to Bai Hua and went straight next door. Once everything was set down, Mr. Zhao hurried out, knowing that Zhou Xiaozhou wanted to analyze the case alone, without the disruption of a noisy, chattering crowd.
The room quieted down, and Zhou Ning approached the table, spreading out all the autopsy reports, comparing them part by part. Given the scant information available, although it was deduced that this was not the work of a single person from the first and third victims, there were virtually no other clues.
Focusing his mind, Zhou Ning started to summarize under each of the three victims on the whiteboard.
Time ticked by second by second, and the whiteboard filled up. As he looked at his analysis of the three victims, the picture became clearer to Zhou Ning.
...
March 12, 15:40
Inside the interview room.
The last person to return from out of town was Fang Guoying, a genuine Ludong man sitting across from Xu Dayuan. Xu Dayuan nodded and thanked him, having disrupted his work schedule by calling him back to Hai’an City ahead of schedule.
After the pleasantries, they got straight to the point.
"Fang Guoying, I asked you here to assist us with some information. I know you went to the Experimental Primary School. Do you remember Zheng Chuguang, Yu Guangyao, and Zhang Qiujiang?"
Fang Guoying didn’t hesitate and nodded slightly.
"I remember them, especially since these three were murdered. Those of us who kept in touch would mention it when we got together."
Satisfied with such a candid opening, Xu Dayuan continued.
"Do you know they used to bully Cui Yushang?"
Fang Guoying lifted his head, his hands still in his pockets, unchanged.
"I didn’t live in the Hongqi Road Community, but I heard those three were considered the local tyrants among the kids there; bullying a few kids was commonplace—stealing snacks, backpacks, or making a child cry. Back then, families had many children and the parents couldn’t always keep an eye on them, not like how precious kids are nowadays."
The response was moderate, without excessive condemnation, simply stating that these three were no saints and that anything excessive was possible with them.
"Were you with the group that went to Hulu Bay the day Cui Yushang had his accident?"
Fang Guoying nodded.
"I went, but I got there late. I was on duty at school that day, and those who went early were already fishing. I know what you’re going to ask; if I saw those three frightening Cui Yushang, right?"
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"Did you see it?"
"No, when I got there, Cui Yushang’s bike was trapped on the train tracks. We were shouting at him from behind, telling him to get up and run, not to worry about the bike.
But I was too far away. Those three were ahead of us, so as for what they said, I don’t know. I could only watch, horrified, as Cui Yushang was torn apart by the train, his leg twitching wildly on the rail."
Xu Dayuan pursed his lips, uncomfortable with asking someone to recall such an event.
"Sorry to bring this up, but we want to understand more details. I hope you can understand. Do you know Li Fang? She took a break from school after surgery on her leg and used crutches in the fifth grade. Didn’t those three bully her too? Was she there when Cui Yushang had his accident?"
Fang Guoying sighed heavily and looked at Xu Dayuan, nodding.
"She was there. The two of us were far behind, running desperately forward. But Li Fang couldn’t run well, and she even fell down. We were too young then to stop what happened."
Xu Dayuan stared into Fang Guoying’s eyes, asking quickly:
"Do you think Li Fang’s death has anything to do with these three?"
Fang Guoying paused, his face bearing a surprised expression, tilting his head slightly. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Li Fang died in a car accident, didn’t she? I went to the traffic police department at the time, and there was no dispute about the cause of death. It was due to a non-functioning streetlight and poor visibility, so she ran off the bridge. Could her death be related to them?"
"We are investigating. After all, the body of the first victim, Zheng Chuguang, was placed on the site of Li Fang’s accident, kneeling on the ground, as if seeking atonement."
Enlightened, Fang Guoying shook his head.
"I studied in Hushang City and worked there for a few years. I came back for Spring Festival in ’95 and found out about Li Fang’s accident. It was regrettable, and I even inquired about it."
With this much understood, there wasn’t much left to ask. Fang Guoying’s hands remained in his pockets, clearly self-protective, and his statements were impeccable.
Xu Dayuan stood up, politely had Fang Guoying escorted out, and, clutching his notebook, stepped out. Mr. Zhao came over.
"Boss, I didn’t catch everything. That’s pretty much the same as what Ai Qingsong said, right?"
