Murder Call

Later on, Zhou Ziming got together with Liu Yun. 

Nothing changed because of Uncle Zhou’s departure; everyone continued living well as usual.

Wan Shu let out a cold laugh, “Sometimes I still dream of Uncle Zhou, but it doesn’t make me as sad as it used to. Maybe it’s because everyone is moving forward, and Uncle Zhou has become a part of the past. 

The night we parted ways with Uncle Zhou, I had a bad feeling, but I didn’t know that would be the last time I’d see him. Have you ever felt the sudden disappearance of a loved one? You think they’re dead, but you hope they’re still alive somewhere in the world. 

Maybe because I shed too many tears after Uncle Zhou left, I haven’t cried in the past two years. Today is an exception… 

I swore to become a good lawyer, to bring all the bad guys around me to justice, and bring Uncle Zhou back!”

Mo Lin was silent for a moment. He could feel that every word Wan Shu said was true. Without experiencing such torment and pain, one wouldn’t have such a deep understanding.

“When did Zhou Ziming and Liu Yun get together?” Mo Lin suddenly changed the subject.

Perhaps because the topic shifted so abruptly, Wan Shu was taken aback, “May 20th last year.”

Mo Lin: “Why do you remember it so clearly?”

Wan Shu’s eyes darkened, “Because that day… was 520…”

Wan Shu seemed to want to say something but swallowed it back.

“Why did they break up?”

“It seems because Liu Yun’s illness flared up. After she was kidnapped back then, she became a bit strange, going crazy when stimulated. Two months ago, my uncle took her to a wine party, and something happened. When they returned, she was acting weird. Later, Zhou Ziming came to see her, and they argued in the room. Liu Yun got really angry that day, and they broke up afterward.”

“After that, my uncle called a psychologist to see her. The psychologist said she had suffered a great blow and needed guidance, so my uncle called me back home. 

When her mental state improved, my uncle wanted me to accompany her abroad to relax. I refused; I was busy with a pile of unfinished schoolwork. 

I always thought Liu Yun went abroad for a trip, but unexpectedly, she died.”

“Kidnapping, murder, body disposal, it sounds bold.” Mo Lin rubbed his temples, “When you kicked open the door, were there any signs of disturbance at the scene?”

Wan Shu shook her head, “No.”

“That’s interesting. Someone returned to the house afterward, arranged the scene, and moved the body. If it was Zhou Wen who returned, he wouldn’t leave evidence to incriminate himself. 

So I lean towards the idea that the body was moved by the perpetrator. The perpetrator, not feeling assured about the crime scene, returned to the scene… and this perpetrator should know Zhou Wen, otherwise, why arrange the scene according to Zhou Wen’s characteristics, even using a trident?”

Wan Shu: “I actually thought about that too. I told my uncle, and he thought it was his subordinates who kidnapped Liu Yun, so he replaced all his people.”

Mo Lin chuckled, “So, Liu Quan didn’t dig deeper but just replaced everyone?”

Wan Shu nodded, “My uncle said such dangerous people couldn’t stay around him. He had already spent his money and just wanted peace.”

Hearing this, Mo Lin understood, “If you had been willing to say these things earlier, maybe the outcome wouldn’t be what it is now.”

Wan Shu lowered her head, “I was really scared back then.”

“Afraid of being dragged into a murder case, so you kept it a secret. I understand that. Why aren’t you afraid now?” Mo Lin asked.

“I’ve missed Uncle Zhou so much these past two years, and it’s been tormenting me inside.” Wan Shu took a deep breath, “Saying everything today actually made me feel a lot lighter. I hope you can catch the perpetrator and clear Uncle Zhou’s name!”

When Mo Lin came out of the interrogation room, he found a group of people gathered outside, their faces filled with surprise, shock, or confusion.

“Teacher Mo, should we expand the investigation to include the people who worked for Liu Quan two years ago?” Wang Yue asked.

Mo Lin smiled, “You’re right, but with so many personnel changes and the time that’s passed, it’s not easy to investigate.”

At that moment, Wang Yue received a call.

The black SUV he had someone check on had results. Surveillance from the second-hand car market showed Liu Quan’s car had been parked there the whole time and hadn’t been driven out in recent days.

Could it be that the black SUV caught on surveillance was a cloned car?

Wang Yue was so frustrated he nearly exploded on the spot, “Damn!”

Mo Lin, however, calmly said, “Bring Ding Gao over.”

“Ding Gao? What does a car dealer know?” Wang Yue was puzzled.

“If he doesn’t come, this game can’t continue.” Mo Lin said with a smile.

Wang Yue and Li Meng exchanged confused glances, having no idea what Mo Lin was talking about.

Fifteen minutes later, Ding Gao was brought to the interrogation room.

Because of his past in prison, Ding Gao became very timid the moment he walked into the police station. He answered the criminal police’s questions politely, and when Li Meng coughed, he straightened up in fear.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent Interrogation Room No. 5, Wang Yue was pounding the table in agitation, “Why didn’t you tell us about the kidnapping case from two years ago? Why did you hide such an important clue?”

Liu Quan’s expression changed repeatedly, “How did you know?”

“Wan Shu has already confessed. Liu Yun was kidnapped two years ago, and the perpetrator back then is the same one who killed Xia Yin!”

Hearing this, Liu Quan’s expression froze.

Wang Yue knocked on the table with his knuckles, “Don’t forget this is the police station. You better be honest and not harbor any illusions!”

“Two years ago…” Liu Quan began to recall the events of that time, “Two years ago, Yun Yun was indeed kidnapped. The perpetrator demanded five million, threatening to kill her if we didn’t pay. They didn’t allow us to call the police; it was their demand. I had no choice, so I sent Zhou Wen with five million in cash to exchange for Yun Yun.”

Wang Yue: “And then? Where did Zhou Wen go?”

“I don’t know. Later, I thought about it carefully. It must have been those perpetrators who, to cover their tracks, made Zhou Wen a scapegoat! I don’t even know if he’s still alive!”

Wang Yue looked at Liu Quan with distrust, “After Liu Yun was rescued, why didn’t you call the police?”

“Call the police? Should I tell the police that both Yun Yun and Wan Shu were present at the time? If I did that, they’d become suspects.” Liu Quan was agitated, “At that time, Xia Yin’s body was discovered, and the police were after Zhou Wen, who was missing. I didn’t report it to protect the two kids!”

Wang Yue clenched his jaw, thinking: Someone risked their life to help you, and you just ignored it? That’s really something!

Thinking of this, Wang Yue was filled with anger, “Tell me about the details of the transaction with the perpetrators back then!”

Liu Quan began recounting the kidnapping process from back then, with a group of people listening intently at the interrogation room window.

For some reason, Gu Yuan felt this scene was like a storyteller and his audience, with the story full of thrills, and everyone listening intently.

He turned back and saw Mo Lin sitting alone in a chair, staring at the four surveillance screens from the interrogation room, lost in thought.

After being interrogated, Wan Shu sat there with her head down, Zhou Ziming was surprisingly calm, seemingly meditating out of boredom, Liu Quan was tearfully recounting Liu Yun’s kidnapping to Wang Yue, and Ding Gao was timidly answering Li Meng’s questions.

Gu Yuan sat down next to Mo Lin and watched the surveillance for a while. Suddenly, his phone vibrated twice. He picked it up to see a message from the lab.

The message content shocked him. The bloody clothes found downstairs at Zhou Ziming’s house had a problem; the bloodstains weren’t human blood.

He immediately relayed this information to Mo Lin.

Mo Lin’s expression froze upon hearing this result, his narrow eyes narrowing, seemingly filled with thoughts.

Gu Yuan didn’t know what Mo Lin was thinking. He only knew that the perpetrator had set up such a big game, likely to make the police re-examine the case from two years ago.

Now they were getting closer to the truth, but Gu Yuan didn’t see a relaxed expression on Mo Lin’s face.

Was the perpetrator doing this for Xia Yin? Or for Zhou Wen? Or was it for some other reason?

Gu Yuan had seen Xia Yin’s information. Xia Yin only had a disabled father named Xia Yong, who had been staying in a nursing home since Xia Yin’s death.

And Zhou Wen had lost his wife early, leaving behind a son, Zhou Ziming, and a daughter-like figure, Wan Shu.

Now both of them were in the police station, but both had alibis.

Zhou Ziming hadn’t lied; he indeed had no time to commit the crime on the night of the incident, as proven by surveillance along the way. As for Wan Shu, she was at school the whole time, with teachers and classmates as witnesses.

Who killed Liu Yun?

As Gu Yuan pondered, Mo Lin took out his phone and made a call, “Hello, help me check on someone named Xia Yong, 42 years old, at Zhongyuan Nursing Home…”

After the call, Mo Lin noticed someone watching him.

He put his phone back in his pocket, his expression relaxing, “Why are you staring at me? Are you captivated by my charm?”

Gu Yuan didn’t want to banter with Mo Lin; his mind was full of questions.

He opened Wan Shu’s social media moments, scrolling through her vibrant selfies.

Mo Lin glanced at Gu Yuan’s phone, “What are you looking at?”

“Checking Wan Shu’s recent life status.”

Gu Yuan’s long fingers quickly swiped through the photos. The photos weren’t anything special, the same face, almost identical poses, only the clothes changed.

Suddenly, Mo Lin tapped Gu Yuan’s arm lightly, “Go back to the one in the green clothes.”

Gu Yuan swiped back, “This one?”

Mo Lin took the phone, glanced at Wan Shu’s selfie, and handed the phone back to Gu Yuan.

When Gu Yuan took the phone back, he noticed a subtle smile on Mo Lin’s lips.

In that moment, Gu Yuan felt like Mo Lin had discovered something significant.

Mo Lin then turned to Meng Lan, “Give me Secretary Wen’s number!”

Gu Yuan took back his phone, stared at the photo for a few moments. It was an ordinary social media post, an ordinary selfie, and a close-up selfie with no visible background.

A lock of curly hair draped over her shoulder, revealing a piece of green fabric underneath.

The fabric’s folds were peculiar, not the usual and common folds. Gu Yuan stared at the photo, and a flash of insight crossed his mind.

The questions in Gu Yuan’s mind disappeared one by one, leaving only one answer.

Is the truth what he thought it was?

[Author’s Note]

Hahaha, is the truth what you all thought it was?