Chapter 18: Truth Behind Su Xiao’s Murder

In the morning, the police station was already discussing yesterday’s robbery incident.

When it was time for lunch at noon, with the canteen closed for the weekend, they either had to order takeout or dine out.

Luo Fei was about to ask Zhang Haiyang and Liu Haiquan if they wanted to order takeout when Zhou Weimin cheerfully walked into the office and called out to them to join him for a meal.

Instead of going to a restaurant, the four of them opted for a roadside food stall.

They ordered four dishes and a soup: double-cooked pork, shredded pork with green peppers, tomato and scrambled eggs, dry-fried shredded potatoes, and a pickled vegetable soup with string beans; all common home-cooked dishes but undeniably delicious.

“Just now, Captain Zhao Dong from the Criminal Investigation Team called me. He said the case involving Su Xiao has been solved. Tang Hu, who murdered Su Xiao, has confessed everything. The case has been transferred to the prosecutor’s office. Zhao Dong called to inform me and to extend his gratitude to all of you,” Zhou Weimin said during the meal.

“Chief Zhou, how did they catch the killer? Was it the Jiangzhou City Criminal Investigation Team?” Zhang Haiyang asked eagerly upon hearing that Tang Hu had been apprehended, given that he had contributed to the case.

Zhou Weimin nodded. “Yes, Tang Hu employed some counter-surveillance tactics. He purchased a ticket to Jiangzhou City, but instead of taking a long-distance bus, he hired a taxi there. Jiangzhou City police end up empty-handed at the bus station.”

“But afterwards, Tang Hu either underestimated the situation or acted foolishly. He used his own ID to check into a hotel. Jiangzhou City police found Tang Hu’s hotel registration in their database and promptly arrested him at the hotel.”

Luo Fei then asked curiously, “Chief Zhou, now that Tang Hu has been handed over to the procuratorate, has he confessed to why and how he murdered her?”

Zhang Haiyang and Liu Haiquan were also fixated on Zhou Weimin with curiosity, eager to hear the story behind this homicide case.

“According to Tang Hu’s confession, he met Su Xiao online. After chatting for a while, they discovered they were both from Ningjiang County and lived in the same county town. So they agreed to meet.”

“They were quite pleased with each other upon their first meeting, and over the following period, they met several more times, enjoying each other’s company. In less than a month, they confirmed their relationship and became a couple.”

“At that time, Su Xiao was unaware that Tang Hu was already married and had children. As for Tang Hu himself, he was attracted to Su Xiao’s beauty and merely wanted to have a fling with her. According to his own words, he never intended a long-term relationship with Su Xiao.”

“This was related to Tang Hu’s identity. On the surface, Tang Hu appears to be the owner of Yumin Supermarket—young and wealthy. However, in reality, Tang Hu is the son-in-law; the actual owner of Yumin Supermarket is his wife. They had registered their assets before marriage, and Tang Hu had no shares whatsoever. To put it bluntly, Tang Hu is just an employee. If he were to leave his wife, he would have nothing left.”

“This is also why Tang Hu never considered a long-term relationship with Su Xiao. However, Su Xiao was unaware of these details. As their time together grew, Su Xiao became increasingly emotionally invested. Tang Hu wasn’t exceptional, but he had a handsome appearance and was nominally the owner of Yumin Supermarket. With his knack for charming women, Su Xiao fell deeply for him.”

“After about a year, Tang Hu grew tired of Su Xiao. Understanding the risks of continuing the relationship, he decided to end it. The day before Su Xiao’s incident, Tang Hu texted her on his phone, suggesting they break up.”

“What Tang Hu never anticipated was Su Xiao’s refusal to accept the breakup. At this point, Tang Hu couldn’t continue indulging her. He promptly blocked all communication with Su Xiao, intending for her to move on from his life.”

“What completely caught Tang Hu off guard, however, was Su Xiao’s deep affection for him. Upon discovering that Tang Hu had deleted all her contact information, Su Xiao went directly to the supermarket to find him. This action nearly scared Tang Hu to death. Knowing that if his wife discovered his affair, he would likely lose everything he had become accustomed to. Tang Hu, who had lived a life of luxury, could not accept such an outcome.”

“Fortunately, things didn’t escalate to the worst-case scenario. Upon seeing Su Xiao at the supermarket, Tang Hu immediately pulled her aside. It was broad daylight, and they were in full view of the public. To convince Su Xiao to leave, Tang Hu promised to visit her that evening and talk things through.”

“Around 1 a.m., after finishing his duties at the supermarket, Tang Hu told his wife he would be out with friends for drinks that night. Instead of heading straight to Lan Hua District to find Su Xiao, he spent a long time in his car contemplating how to approach her. He wondered what reasons he could give if Su Xiao refused to break up again.”

“Around 2 a.m., Tang Hu finally entered the district to meet Su Xiao. She had been waiting for him in her room. Upon entering, Tang Hu earnestly tried to persuade Su Xiao as he had planned in the car. He told her he was a fickle person and would definitely have other women in the future. He couldn’t provide happiness and joy to Su Xiao and hoped she would understand.”

“To Tang Hu’s surprise, Su Xiao interpreted his words as a sign of his integrity and insisted on being with him at all costs. This left Tang Hu extremely frustrated. Over the following hours, he exhausted all excuses and reasons, but Su Xiao still refused to break up.”

“At this point, Tang Hu, feeling extremely distressed, lit a cigarette. Seeing that nothing he said would persuade Su Xiao to agree to a breakup, he decided to tell her the truth. He realised that Su Xiao’s refusal to break up was likely because she thought he was a good man who was worth entrusting herself to, especially given his wealth. Tang Hu believed that if Su Xiao knew he was already married with children and had no money, she would surely leave him.”

“So Tang Hu told Su Xiao the truth, explaining that he was married with children and that Yumin Supermarket wasn’t his. Initially, Su Xiao thought Tang Hu was making up another excuse to break up with her. But the moment Tang Hu showed her family photos and marriage certificates on his phone, Su Xiao finally believed him.”

“At that moment, Su Xiao’s world collapsed. She couldn’t accept that the man she loved deeply was already married and had children—she couldn’t accept such a painful truth. Su Xiao broke down, yelling and blaming Tang Hu hysterically.”

“Her cries were so loud that Tang Hu feared they would attract attention. He tried to calm her down, but despite his efforts, Su Xiao continued to cry and yell at him. In desperation, Tang Hu covered Su Xiao’s mouth to silence her. As she struggled, Tang Hu held on, trying to calm her down and make her stop crying.”

“After about four or five minutes, when Su Xiao stopped struggling, Tang Hu thought she had calmed down. He released her, but to his horror, Su Xiao collapsed to the ground.”

“Tang Hu didn’t react immediately, thinking Su Xiao had collapsed on her own. It wasn’t until he saw Su Xiao lying there motionless that he realised something was wrong. Rushing to her side, Tang Hu checked on her and discovered she wasn’t breathing.”

“At that moment, Tang Hu’s mind went blank. He had never imagined himself capable of murder, believing such things only happened in movies and on television. It took him about half an hour to come to terms with what he had done. Overwhelmed by fear, Tang Hu panicked. Still young with his whole life ahead of him, he couldn’t bear the thought of ruining his future.”

“So Tang Hu forced himself to calm down and began to think. He felt that he couldn’t just do nothing; he had to save himself. After much consideration, he decided to stage Su Xiao’s death as a suicide. Carefully, he searched the room, removing all traces that could link him to the scene. Finally, he threw Su Xiao’s body out of the window before fleeing the scene.”

(End of Chapter)