Chapter 89: An Important Witness

About slightly more than 10 minutes, Bai Muchuan’s car appeared in the street next to the hospital.

He didn’t drive a police car but drove the one in his house. When the car window wound down, he smiled casually at her, and she felt as if a feeling of breeze had brushed past her.

“What are you doing here?” Bai Muchuan was indeed a detective; he would grasp the key of the problem in just an attempt.

Xiang Wan had an awkward smile and pointed to the hospital not too far away. “I brought my mom there earlier.”

“Hur!” An expression of displeasure flickered across Bai Muchuan’s face. “Instead of telling me the address of the hospital directly, you let me navigate to such a narrow street? Teacher Xiang, are you guilty of something?”

Guilty? Why am I guilty?

She did not want Bai Muchuan to run into Cheng Zheng, that was all.

Xiang Wan felt that her headache might get worse if she continued to haggle. “Captain Bai, we should talk about what’s more important, right?”

Bai Muchuan swept a glare at her. “Get on!”

Phew! He did not ask any more questions, Xiang Wan felt relieved.

Xiang Wan opened the door and sat inside. She noticed that besides Tang Yuanchu sitting behind at the back passenger seat, there was another man beside him who seemed to be in his thirties.

He had an elegant, upright posture. He looked mature and dignified, belonging to the type of man who carried an aura even without speaking a word.

Xiang Wan already had an answer for the identity of the man even before Bai Muchuan introduced him.

He was Bai Munian, Bai Muchuan’s elder cousin also, the owner of “The Palace” who had a stroke of bad luck.

“This is my elder cousin!” Bai Muchuan pointed at Bai Munian.

Next, he glanced at Xiang Wan and introduced, “This is the tough lady whom I’ve mentioned before, the one who dared to challenge me! The soon-to-be great author, Xiang Wan.”

“…”

Well, only he is capable of such an introduction , Xiang Wan thought.

It’s so Bai Muchuan, full of his personal style.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Bai.”

“The pleasure is mine!” Bai Munian’s smile was warm.

Xiang Wan noticed that he was the same as Bai Muchuan as well. He had a disposition that made people comfortable as if there were no barriers to get along with them; it was easy for one to let down their guard and could communicate more effectively with each other.

…

While on the way, they discussed about their earlier trip to “The Palace”.

Tang Yuanchu thought of something and asked Xiang Wan out of curiosity, “Teacher Xiang, that day you mentioned about the possible thoughts of Sun Shangli before she committed suicide. Today when I looked at the goddess statue, I also feel that the statue has a mocking expression that makes people displeased at the same time…”

“I think so too. Actually, that statue is wonderfully made, and it has a lifelike expression.”

Xiang Wan was very happy to have someone agreeing to her hypothesis.

However, the next moment, Tang Yuanchu had a thought. “So, I’m thinking, could the murderer mix Tan Ziyang’s body parts into the statue as well? We’ve examined the statue earlier, the status is made of cement and it’s hollow…”

This is a bold thought!

Xiang Wan turned to look at Tang Yuanchu.

She slowly narrowed her eyes as the sunlight from outside was rather glaring.

After contemplating for a while, she shook her head. “I think the chances of that happening is low.”

“Why?” Tang Yuanchu seemed to like to discuss that with her.

“The goddess statue represents Sun Shangli. The one who killed Tan Ziyang had sealed his human tissues on the wall on the fifth floor where one could see the exact mocking face of the statue at that location. That could prove he did not like the relationship between Tan Ziyang and Sun Shangli. Think about it this way, he was so full of hatred that he actually killed a man. Why would he want to put Tan Ziyang’s bones inside Sun Shangli’s statue?”

Uh!

Tang Yuanchu nodded his head.

If the bones were placed inside, wouldn’t that mean the two of them merged into one?

That sure doesn’t make sense! Tang Yuanchu thought.

“Teacher Xiang is sure meticulous. So, according to your deduction, won’t Huo Shan become the prime suspect?”

“From the way things are going, he is the prime suspect.” Xiang Wan furrowed her brows. “But, after meeting him on the day of interrogation, he did not look like a man who dared to kill someone…”

“What kind of person would kill someone?” Tang Yuanchu asked.

“There two types of personality for the murderer in this case.”

So sure?

Her show of confidence made Bai Muchuan, who was beside her, took a look at her.

Xiang Wan stayed calmed and analyzed the case. Her eyes were as if flashing with light. “The first possibility, he has a strong antisocial personality where he is full of hatred toward the society. He has no sympathy for the dead and indulged in killing, treating it as a game or as means to exact revenge on society. He kills to feed his soul with the life of another. If that’s really the case, this murder case will not be an isolated one… And this is actually the worst scenario that I hope it won’t happen.”

Not sure why, but when she came to this point, she felt her heart contracted suddenly for a moment.

A strong sense of premonition of reality made her nerves jump. She somehow felt that this premonition of hers was closer to the truth.

“What about the second possibility?”

“The second possibility is the exact opposite. The murderer is not a daredevil, to the extent that he could be very low-profile, cautious and tries to gain approval from others. He’s also tolerant and is used to compromise with others. He is an honest man but often bullied. He may not only hold a grudge against Tan Ziyang, but more likely that he has accumulated a lot of unhappiness about society being unfair and unjust. When a person like this encountered something intolerable, he’ll easily lose control and kill.”

“Haha, your hypothesis is really interesting!” Tang Yuanchu gave a slap on the seat and swept a gaze at Bai Muchuan before chuckling again. “Teacher Xiang, if you’re right again this time, take me in as your disciple!”

“… Detective Tang, please don’t joke around like that! You guys are the experts!”

“Alright, alright, I won’t joke around. Hahaha!”

Inside the car, there was only Xiang Wan and Tang Yuanchu’s voices.

Bai Muchuan, who was driving, remained silent.

His elder cousin, Bai Munian, had a slight smile on his face as he glanced at the two of them.

…

Finally, the car stopped outside a primary school gate.

Xiang Wan looked at the name of the school outside the window but did not say anything although she was puzzled.

In the small security post of the school, there were two security guards chit chatting with each other with an electrical fan blowing at them.

As the weather was very hot and the security post was not air-conditioned, it was very stuffy inside.

Tang Yuanchu walked toward the security post and asked, “Excuse me, may I know who is Zhang Decheng?”

The slightly older security guard walked toward him, puzzled. “I’m Zhang Decheng. You are?”

Tang Yuanchu gave a friendly wave at him and smiled. “Could you come out for a while? I would like to ask you something.”

Zhang Decheng took a look at his colleague then turned to look at Tang Yuanchu’s fresh, young face before walking out of the security post.

When he came out, Tang Yuanchu pointed to their car and showed him his police officer badge. “We’re the detectives from the Hongjiang District. We would like to ask you some questions and would appreciate your kind cooperation.”

He had asked him to come out as he did not want to draw attention from others.

Under the glaring sun, Zhang Decheng appeared to be perplexed. “Alright, no problem.”

…

Zhang Decheng got inside the car and looked at the people in there. He was so nervous that perspiration started to form on his forehead.

He did not ask anything until Tang Yuanchu showed a photo of Tan Ziyang before him.

“Do you know this person?”

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“Erm…” Zhang Decheng looked at the photo and shook his head. “I don’t think I know him. Who is this?”

“His name is Tan Ziyang. Try to recall, do you really not know him?”

Zhang Decheng pondered for a moment but still shook his head. The doubt within his eyes did not seem to be fake.

Tang Yuanchu and Bai Muchuan exchanged glances with each other. “Well, try recalling when was it that you built ‘The Palace’ with Shan Tai Construction instead?”

Ah? Zhang Decheng was somewhat shocked. “How… how did you know?”

“You need not know this. Just tell us what you know.”

Zhang Decheng was very nervous before the detectives as even his voice sounded slightly quiverish.

“The construction of the ‘The Palace’, that’s quite a long time ago, right?”

“Six years!” Tang Yuanchu corrected him.

“I… at that time, I’m doing odd jobs at the construction site and I didn’t break any laws. In the end, I didn’t even get paid… Well, what do you want me to say?”

“Tell us why you didn’t get paid,” reminded Tang Yuanchu.

“Oh, I understand now. Is it because the black-hearted contractor has been caught?” Zhang Decheng was agitated at the mention of his pay. “I just know it, for doing this kind of dishonorable act, that son of a b*tch deserved to get shot!”

“Who’s this black-hearted contractor you mentioned?”

“Wu Hongliang!” Zhang Decheng thought for a moment. “That son of a b*tch… owes my pay, and haven’t paid me…”

“Tell us how it happened.”

“Let me recall!”

Zhang Decheng started to give an account:

“When the main part of ‘The Palace’ was completed, it was around end of December in the lunar calendar. Everyone wanted to get their pay so they could go back to their hometown for Lunar New Year, yet Wu Hongliang kept delaying our pay… That night, I drank some beer and called my wife where it ended in a quarrel. I got angrier as I thought about it, so I went to Wu Hongliang’s house to ask for my pay. Coincidentally, I happened to hear him and his wife quarreling…”

He puffed a sigh when he said this, then gritted his teeth as he continued in a regretful tone, “For a moment, my heart softened as Wu Hongliang was a nice person and treated his workers well. If I went up to ask for money directly, it’s equivalent to making others unhappy during Lunar New Year. Hence, I only listened in for a while and went away. In the end, the next day, I heard that that son of a b*tch had absconded with our hard-earned money! I never expected that because of my soft-heartedness, I would end up doing free work! Do you know how frustrated I am?”

People his age tend to nag more.

Most of what Zhang Decheng said was not crucial.

Nevertheless, they still managed to catch something from it…

Wu Hongliang, the contractor of the concrete masonry works, had a fight with his wife the night before he absconded with the money.

“Did you know what both of them were quarreling about?”

“It’s not something I should say…”

Bai Muchuan suddenly turned around and ordered. “Say it!”

When Zhang Decheng looked at him, he seemed even more nervous.

“Well, this… I heard something like his wife committed adultery.” When Zhang Decheng revealed this information, his gaze landed on the photo that Tang Yuanchu was holding. “Detective, just now, you were saying his name was?”

“Tan Ziyang!”

“Right! It seems to be this name. I heard them mention this name while they’re quarreling…”

When Xiang Wan heard this, she seem to be suddenly enlightened.

At last, a clue!

Bai Muchuan exchanged glances with Tang Yuanchu, and he immediately showed another photo.

“Zheng Decheng, look at this person. Do you know her?”

It was a photo of a pale woman.

Xiang Wan knew the person in the photo. It was her fourth floor neighbor, Kong Xinqiong.

“… Yes, I know her.” Zhang Decheng looked at the photo twice, nervously. Then, he nodded his head heavily as if he had ascertained the identity of the woman. “She’s the wife of Wu Hongliang. During the construction, she would frequently visit the site. This pugnacious woman used to have Wu Hongliang at her beck and call. Back then, we used to call him a henpecked husband behind his back. However, there was a worker who claimed that Wu Hongliang had owed it to his wife for getting that subcontract job. Hence, he had no temper in front of his wife.”

The few of them exchanged glances with each other.

After a momentary silence, Bai Muchuan looked at Zhang Decheng coldly.

“When you were working on the site, what job were you in charge of?”

“Pouring of concrete!”

Zhang Decheng’s answer matched their findings totally.

“Think it over carefully, when you were doing your job, did you ever notice anything abnormal?”

Abnormal? Zhang Decheng shook his head.

After deliberating for a while, he shook his head again.

He stared at Bai Muchuan blankly. “Detective, did something happen?”

Bai Muchuan did not answer directly but retracted his gaze instead. “That’s all for today,” he said coldly. “Do not tell anyone what we asked you today. We’ll come look for you again if there’s a need. Do not leave Jin City for the time being.”

…

Tang Yuanchu drove the car when they left the school.

Bai Muchuan sat beside Xiang Wan and asked, “What are your views?”

“Wu Hongliang seems very suspicious.” Xiang Wan pouted. “But where is this person now? Kong Xinqiong has been renting a place by her own over the past few years. Nobody in the neighborhood knew she had a husband like that? And Huo Shan, how could he not know that a subcontractor had absconded with funds for a big project like this? Not only that, he couldn’t even supply us the name and details. This doesn’t make sense.”

When something didn’t make sense, then something was amiss.

There must be a reason why it didn’t make sense.

Bai Muchuan’s expression was somber. “Hm, continue.”

Xiang Wan pursed her lips. “Huo Shan has said that his wife and Tan Ziyang committed adultery, so he sent men to beat him up and chased him out of Jin City. Now, from what Zhang Decheng told us, Wu Hongliang, the concrete masonry subcontractor, had the a similar fate. His wife was also lovers with Tan Ziyang which caused Wu Hongliang to have a fight with his wife…”

After a pause, she narrowed her eyes and faced at Bai Muchuan.

“Captain Bai, do you think it’s possible for a man to engage in a scandalous relationship with two unfaithful women at the same time?”

“…” Bai Muchuan gave her a sidelong glance. “I’ve never done that. So, I won’t know.”

“In my opinion,” Xiang Wan put on a straight face, “before Sun Shangli committed suicide, when she had specially chosen that particular suite, she must have learnt of what happened to Tan Ziyang. That means, Sun Shangli had feelings for Tan Ziyang.”

“That doesn’t mean that Tan Ziyang had feelings for her in return.”

“Well, since both are married women, do you think Tan Ziyang would prefer a beautiful, youthful-looking, and well-endowed celebrity Sun Shangli, or the wife of a subcontractor, Kong Xinqiong?”

Bai Muchuan pondered for a while. “Hm, maybe he wanted to taste both carrot and green vegetables?”

“Full marks for your answer.” Xiang Wan gave him a thumbs up. “That makes sense, but then again, if Tan Ziyang is such a man, will Sun Shangli die for such a person?”

“So?”

“So, Kong Xinqiong’s lover might not be Tan Ziyang…”

Tang Yuanchu gasped when he heard that. All this while, he had been paying attention to what they were saying.

“If it’s not him, then who’s her lover?”

Xiang Wan gave a knowing smile. “The one who refused to say the truth must be the one who had a secret to hide.”

It was suddenly quiet inside the car.

The next moment, Bai Muchuan suddenly turned to Tang Yuanchu.

“Go back to the office and interrogate Huo Shan immediately.”

Tang Yuanchu was as if instantly energized when he heard that.

“Yes, Captain Bai!”