Chapter 10: The Vanished Woman (3)

Meng Siqi and Zhao Leiting exchanged awkward glances, momentarily at a loss for words.

Teng Fei, however, remained unfazed and said calmly, “Last night, I contacted the hospital to check on my sister’s condition, so I was already aware in advance.”

That wasn’t surprising. What puzzled Meng Siqi was why Teng Fei hadn’t exposed them right away. She had put in quite the effort playing her role.

Zhao Leiting simply pulled out his badge. “That’s right, we’re officers from the city’s public security bureau.”

Teng Fei nodded slightly, a faint yet enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

Zhao Leiting asked, “Since you already know our identities, would you be willing to provide more details?”

Teng Fei glanced at his watch unhurriedly. “Apologies, I need to get back. As you know, my sister’s health isn’t in the best condition.”

With that, he stood up.

Meng Siqi and Zhao Leiting had no reason to stop him.

Just then, a salesman in a suit approached, holding what appeared to be brochures. He addressed Teng Fei, “Sir, I’m from an insurance company—”

Teng Fei’s expression darkened instantly. Clearly in a hurry, he reached out and waved the man away. “Go, go, go!”

“Oh, okay…” The salesman was easygoing and quickly turned toward Zhao Leiting instead.

Once Teng Fei left, the two officers returned to the bureau to report their findings. By the time they finished, it was already the end of the workday.

Meng Siqi packed up her things and headed home.

Her mother, Ye Xiuhui, hadn’t brought up any matchmaking recently, so she had been going back home more often. After all, it wasn’t convenient for a young woman to sleep in the office, and it was never a restful sleep anyway.

As soon as she stepped inside, she saw Ye Xiuhui sitting on the couch, chatting on the phone and cracking sunflower seeds, laughing as she spoke.

The moment Ye Xiuhui spotted her, she spat out a seed shell and called out, “Come over here and pour me a glass of water.”

It was clear that the housekeeper, Aunt Chang, wasn’t home.

Meng Siqi wasn’t one to spoil her mother. She walked over, picked up the glass, and casually said, “Just so you know, these hands of mine touched a corpse today. It was highly decomposed—”

Ye Xiuhui’s smile froze instantly, as if she had been struck by a sudden chill.

Her voice even trembled slightly. “Put it down. Put the glass down!”

“Oh, okay.” Realizing her joke had gone too far, Meng Siqi obediently set the glass back down.

“Go away, stay far away from me!” Ye Xiuhui’s face was filled with disgust.

As Meng Siqi headed upstairs, she overheard her mother complaining on the phone, “This girl is just impossible. My cup is expensive! What a waste to throw it away…”

Meng Siqi pretended not to hear.

She went to her bedroom, lay on the bed, and rested for a while.

Then she picked up a book on criminal psychology. Since her knowledge in this area was still lacking, she needed to catch up. She was completely engrossed in it.

The next morning, Meng Siqi left for work on time.

At breakfast, she walked to the dining table, and Aunt Chang asked, “Siqi, do you want porridge or soy milk?”

“Aunt Chang, where’s my mom?” Meng Siqi noticed that Ye Xiuhui wasn’t in the dining room.

“She went out for breakfast,” the housekeeper replied.

Out for breakfast? Meng Siqi sensed something unusual. Ye Xiuhui had always disliked eating outside, believing it to be unsanitary. It seemed like her words from yesterday had left an impact.

She quickly finished her meal and rushed to catch the bus. At her usual stop, there were never any available seats, so she held onto a handrail with one hand and leaned against the metal pole for balance.

As she gazed out of the window, an advertisement at a nearby bus stop caught her eye—it was a life insurance advertisement.

For some reason, Teng Fei’s image flashed through her mind. She recalled his expression when he saw the insurance salesman yesterday. Normally composed, his face had suddenly changed, showing a clear sense of rejection, much like the way Ye Xiuhui had reacted to her the night before.

Having recently been reading Criminal Psychology, Meng Siqi suddenly wondered—was Teng Fei afraid of something, just like Ye Xiuhui had been afraid of the corpse she mentioned? If Ye Xiuhui’s fear stemmed from the mention of a decaying body, then what was Teng Fei afraid of? Was it the insurance salesman himself or the mere mention of insurance?

The bus soon arrived near the police station. With these lingering thoughts, Meng Siqi stepped into the office.

Lost in thought, she remained silent until Zhao Leiting waved a hand in front of her face. “Siqi, what’s on your mind?”

“Zhao Leiting, I think something is off about Teng Fei.”

“What do you mean?”

Meng Siqi hesitated before saying, “His reaction to insurance seemed very unusual.”

Zhao Leiting raised an eyebrow. “Is this one of those famous women’s intuition?” He smirked. “Or do you actually have a lead?”

“I’m not sure, but something about it doesn’t sit right with me.”

Zhao Leiting nodded thoughtfully. “Alright, let’s mention it to Captain Han. We can’t overlook any suspicious details.”

Coincidentally, Tang Xiaochuan was at the bank handling some paperwork that morning. Han Changlin called him and asked him to check into Teng Fei’s insurance records.

Later that morning, Tang Xiaochuan hurried to Han Changlin’s desk with a stack of papers. “Captain Han, there’s definitely something suspicious about Teng Fei’s insurance policies.”

The team gathered around as Tang Xiaochuan held up a copy of a life insurance document. “This is the policy Teng Fei took out for himself. He listed himself as the beneficiary for most of the coverage. However, for the accidental death benefit, the designated beneficiary is his sister, Teng Rong.”

There was nothing inherently wrong with a brother naming his sister as a beneficiary. Han Changlin examined the document but remained silent.

Tang Xiaochuan then picked up another insurance form. “This is the policy Teng Fei took out for Liu Yuwei. It’s almost identical to his own. The key detail is, her accidental death beneficiary is also Teng Rong.”

Zhao Leiting frowned. “Why would Liu Yuwei’s accidental death benefit go to Teng Rong?”

Tang Xiaochuan responded, “On my way here, I was thinking—could this be Teng Fei’s motive for murder?”

If his sister required expensive medical treatment, could Teng Fei have planned Liu Yuwei’s death to claim the insurance payout for her treatment?

The thought was horrifying.

A chill ran down Meng Siqi’s spine. It was hard to reconcile Teng Fei’s refined demeanor with such a cold-blooded scheme.

Everyone fell into a heavy silence. This discovery was a major breakthrough in the case. All eyes turned to Meng Siqi. Han Changlin nodded approvingly. “Old Feng, your apprentice is impressive. This is an important lead.”

Feng Shaomin cleared his throat, his expression noticeably less stern than usual. He even seemed somewhat relieved.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Meng Siqi muttered, “Honestly, it was mostly luck.”

Zhao Leiting grinned. “Luck? Nah, we’re the elite team here!”

Tang Xiaochuan laughed. “Zhao Leiting, you’re really full of yourself.”

“What? Am I wrong?” Zhao Leiting shot back.

While they bantered, Feng Shaomin calmly pointed out, “However, Teng Fei is an outdoor sports enthusiast. Buying insurance for himself is reasonable. It’s also possible that, due to his habits, he purchased a similar policy for his fiancée without any malicious intent.”

Tang Xiaochuan nodded. “Brother Feng, I had the same thought at first. Given his outdoor activities, getting insured makes sense. But now the issue is that the beneficiary for accidental death is actually Teng Rong.”

Feng Shaomin remained cautious. “That’s my concern as well. Liu Yuwei grew up in an orphanage and had no immediate family. It’s entirely possible she chose to name Teng Fei’s sister as her beneficiary. The insurance company likely verified this at the time.”

His statement made the team reconsider Teng Fei’s potential motive.

After a moment, Han Changlin spoke.“I think you all make valid points, but there are still too many unanswered questions regarding this insurance policy. I believe we should bring Teng Fei in for questioning. Also, we found some details about his financial situation yesterday, which he needs to clarify as well.”

The team split up to handle different tasks. By the afternoon, Teng Fei was in the interrogation room.

Contrary to expectations, he did not appear anxious. Instead, he remained composed, as if nothing was amiss. Before answering any questions, he took a sip of water, then casually greeted Meng Siqi with a faint smile. “Miss Zheng.”

Meng Siqi did not respond. The interrogation was led by Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan, while Meng Siqi took notes.

Tang Xiaochuan wasted no time. “Teng Fei, do you know why you’ve been brought in today?”

“You suspect that I killed Yuwei,” Teng Fei stated without any noticeable emotion.

“Yes,” Tang Xiaochuan confirmed. “We need your full cooperation in this investigation. Please answer honestly. After meeting Liu Yuwei, did you take out a life insurance policy in her name? And why was the beneficiary of her accidental death coverage is Teng Rong?”

Teng Fei remained still for a moment. His previously calm demeanor showed slight tension. It was unclear whether he was nervous from being interrogated or if the mention of insurance had rattled him.

Suddenly, he tilted his head slightly, his gaze drifting across the table without focusing on anyone. His expression gradually changed from slightly tense to relaxed.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” he said.

“Why is the beneficiary Teng Rong? Don’t you think there’s something wrong with that?”

Teng Fei’s tone carried a hint of emotion. “What’s wrong with it? She had no family. I was her only relative. If she died, who else would she have chosen as the beneficiary?”

His explanation was exactly as Feng Shaomin had predicted. It made perfect sense. However, the team had come prepared. Tang Xiaochuan followed protocol and asked, “At the time, what was Liu Yuwei’s opinion on naming Teng Rong as the beneficiary? Did she say anything about it?”

Teng Fei seemed to think for a moment before replying, “I remember she said that if she really died, she hoped the money could be used for my sister’s treatment.”

His answer surprised everyone. Meng Siqi once again realized how terrifying Teng Fei’s analytical abilities were.

He spoke with complete sincerity as if he had no reason to lie because, in his mind, what he said was simply the truth.

After a moment of silence, Tang Xiaochuan did not press further on this question and instead asked, “Teng Fei, in February this year, you withdrew 10,000 yuan in cash from the bank. Where did that money go?”

“I didn’t spend it on anything. I used it for my sister’s treatment.”

“In late March, you withdrew another 70,000 yuan from Teng Rong’s bank account. Was this money from Liu Yuwei’s accidental death insurance payout?”

“Yes.” Teng Fei answered almost without thinking. It was such a logical sequence of events that he saw no need to deny it. Liu Yuwei had said that if she died, the insurance payout should be used for Teng Rong’s treatment.

“On April 10, hospital records show that your sister’s surgery cost 10,000 yuan. But in total, you withdrew 80,000 yuan. Can you explain where the remaining 70,000 yuan went?”

“I don’t understand. Is it illegal for a citizen to withdraw and spend their own money?”

“Please answer truthfully,” Feng Shaomin suddenly said coldly.

Teng Fei removed his glasses and rubbed his right eye with his fingertips. Then, in a slow voice, he said, “You should ask Doctor Song Ren’ai from the Deli Branch of Jinyang City Hospital.”

“Teng Rong’s attending physician? What about him?”

“At the time, my sister’s surgery cost more than 50,000 yuan, and I couldn’t come up with the full amount right away. So I approached Song Ren’ai. He told me to pay 10,000 yuan to the hospital and give him 30,000 yuan privately. He assured me that he would handle everything and that my sister’s surgery would go smoothly.”

Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan exchanged glances while Meng Siqi quickly noted down this information.

Following protocol, Tang Xiaochuan proceeded with the next question. “Teng Fei, can you describe in detail what happened on March 8 when you and Liu Yuwei were in Qindongzi Canyon? Did anyone see you two? Did anything unusual happen?”

“This is the map of Qindongzi Canyon. You can describe your route while marking it on the map,” Tang Xiaochuan said, pushing a prepared map in front of Teng Fei.

Teng Fei glanced at Tang Xiaochuan with an expression of mild amusement, as if finding his actions tiresome. Then, at a leisurely pace, he put his glasses back on and picked up a pen.

He casually drew a circle on a certain part of the map. “This is the entrance. I remember that day I bought a pack of cigarettes here, and then—”

“Wait, you bought cigarettes?” Tang Xiaochuan interrupted as if noticing something important. “Do you remember which store? What time was it?”