(1) Body Parts

Cheng Liang was killed three days ago, even earlier than Cheng Li.

With both brothers murdered in such a short span, the investigation could no longer focus solely on Cheng Li’s case. The family’s situation became the new focal point.

The report on Cheng Liang’s murder soon reached the team. He had been killed at home—at around 2 o’clock in the morning three days ago three days ago, the killer broke into his private villa and murdered him. The next evening, his wife, Qi Xia, returned from her parents’ house and discovered his body.

“The colleagues handling Cheng Liang’s case have already investigated his social connections. He had offended quite a few people in business, though none to the point of a deadly feud. He also had a rather messy personal life—besides his legal wife, Qi Xia, he kept multiple mistresses and was involved with several massage parlor workers.”

“Wow, he really got around. Could it be that one of his mistresses silenced him?”

Tao Jiang said, “Cheng Liang was stabbed in the abdomen. He tried to resist before his death but was ultimately subdued by the killer. He was a tall, strong man—an average woman wouldn’t have been able to overpower him.”

Zhu Jianhua suddenly let out a chuckle. “Then it must’ve been a business enemy. The guy was a scumbag anyway—good riddance.”

No matter what kind of person the victim was, that kind of remark shouldn’t have come from an investigator. Shen Wanwan found herself growing curious about Zhu Jianhua.

She could tell he wasn’t specifically targeting Cheng Liang—rather, he just seemed to hold a general dissatisfaction toward everything.

The others were used to Zhu Jianhua’s attitude, but Cui Luo, who was sitting in front of him, turned around and tapped his thermos. “Careful, someone might report you.”

Zhu Jianhua leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. “Whoever wants to, go ahead. Tao Jiang loves filing complaints. Let him. Maybe I’ll finally get fired and go home to enjoy my life in peace.”

It was as if his words had flipped a switch—the office fell into an instant silence. Even the cicadas outside seemed to stop buzzing.

No one dared to breathe too loudly. A few people stole glances at Tao Jiang, while the rest lowered their heads, like students trying to avoid the teacher’s gaze during roll call.

Tao Jiang held the case file in one hand, his expression dark.

The tense atmosphere lasted several seconds. Only when Tao Jiang finally put the file down did the team let out quiet sighs of relief.

It was clear—there was some history between Tao Jiang and Zhu Jianhua.

Tao Jiang said, “There’s one detail you must pay attention to. The person who found the body parts today—Yang Chunling—was one of Cheng Liang’s mistresses.”

Cheng Li had been dismembered just days after his brother’s murder, and now, his body parts were found in his brother’s mistress’s home. How interesting.

If not for her connection to Cheng Liang, Yang Chunling might have been able to clear herself of suspicion. But now, there was no escaping it.

Cui Luo, still processing the revelation, suddenly recalled what Shen Wanwan had said earlier. “Captain Tao, Wanwan mentioned at Yang Chunling’s place that it was unlikely the body parts were thrown in from the window. Yang Chunling claimed she had no idea about them. Either she was lying and wasn’t home the whole time, or she was the killer, and dumping the body parts in her own home was just a cover-up.”

Tao Jiang’s already grim expression darkened further. His sharp gaze flicked to Shen Wanwan, making her shiver slightly.

She quickly forced a polite smile, doing her best to avoid getting dragged into the ongoing battle between Zhu Jianhua and Tao Jiang.

Tao Jiang let out a faint snort. Just from his tone, Shen Wanwan couldn’t tell if he was acknowledging her point or dismissing it. “Not bad.”

With Cheng Liang’s case now tied in, Shen Wanwan’s workload increased. She had to spend the entire day sorting through the details of his case and meeting with the key suspects.

As for the key figure, Yang Chunling, Tao Jiang personally took charge of the interrogation.

Tao Jiang was somewhat considerate, dividing everyone into two teams—one half staying behind to work overtime, while the other half went home to rest and would rotate the next day.

Since they were newcomers, Shen Wanwan and Xiang Dong were allowed to go home today, and even Cui Luo was sent away by Tao Jiang.

He read through the names of everyone present, except for Zhu Jianhua.

Zhu Jianhua, unfazed, grabbed his thermos and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he glanced at Xiang Dong’s densely packed notebook, then at Shen Wanwan, and smirked meaningfully. “The more you try to show off, the more you expose your weaknesses.”

From just their tone, it was clear—Shen Wanwan, while not exceptionally smart, was methodical and steady. Xiang Dong, on the other hand, was overly eager to prove himself, too impatient, and ended up overlooking key details.

Xiang Dong’s face darkened.

But Zhu Jianhua didn’t give him a chance to respond—he simply took his thermos and walked away.

Tao Jiang remained focused on organizing files, acting as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

After finishing his tasks, Cui Luo noticed Xiang Dong’s sour expression and said, “Old Zhu’s just like that—sharp-tongued. Don’t take it to heart.”

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Wanwan asked, “Brother Zhu and Captain Tao don’t seem to get along?”

“Shh.” Cui Luo glanced around cautiously before pulling Shen Wanwan and Xiang Dong outside into the courtyard. Only then did he continue, “‘Not getting along’ is putting it lightly. Those two are straight-up enemies—like fire and water.”

Xiang Dong’s expression was unreadable. “Captain Tao is at least serious about his work. And him? He does nothing and still enjoys a government paycheck.”

Obviously, he was still upset about Zhu Jianhua’s earlier comment.

But Shen Wanwan had a different perspective.

Although Zhu Jianhua had seemed completely uninvolved in the case discussion, he had responded to Captain Tao’s remarks with ease—he had obviously been paying close attention.

Cui Luo countered, “You just got here, so you don’t know. Old Zhu is actually really smart. He doesn’t ignore cases entirely. When we hit a dead end, we go to him. He knows exactly how far the case has progressed and even points us in the right direction.”

Whenever an investigation stalled, Tao Jiang would simply kick someone out of the office.

No orders were given, and the person never asked why. They just knew to go straight to Zhu Jianhua.

Both Tao Jiang and Zhu Jianhua were exceptional in their own ways, yet their mutual hostility was undeniable. It was puzzling.

Shen Wanwan asked, “Do they have personal grudges?”

Cui Luo nodded and lowered his voice. “Old Zhu had a younger brother, also in our unit. He went undercover on a mission and was missing for a long time. Evidence suggested he might have defected. At the time, Captain Tao believed he had betrayed us and investigated him as a suspect for a long time. But later, it turned out that he had been exposed and captured. In order to protect his comrades, he endured horrific torture without revealing a word. By the time his body was found… he was unrecognizable. It was brutal.”

From that moment on, Zhu Jianhua harbored an unshakable hatred toward Tao Jiang. The rift between them had never healed.

Shen Wanwan sighed. She could understand both Tao Jiang’s actions and Zhu Jianhua’s pain—it was impossible to judge who was right or wrong.

If she were in their shoes, would she have trusted her teammate? She didn’t know.

Xiang Dong, who had just been complaining about Zhu Jianhua, suddenly fell silent. He shot a sideways glance at Shen Wanwan, seemingly filled with unspoken words, but in the end, he said nothing.

Just then, a commotion erupted in the city bureau’s main hall.

Shen Wanwan turned her head and saw Yang Chunling bursting out, yelling angrily, “Who do you think you are?! What right do you have to hold me here?! Stay away from me!”