Chapter 19: The Case of the Headless Female Corpse (7)

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"Her name is Zhu Yan, from Jiang Province, 24 years old. She recently graduated with a master's degree in Biology from Changjing University. Her former advisor was Cheng Lu. A year ago, she interned at Kelly Biological Center, but after her internship ended, she resigned. No one knows her whereabouts."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Lin said, "Lin Nan, go to Changjing University and inquire about Zhu Yan. Gu Ye, we’ll interrogate Cheng Lu."

"Yes!" Lin Nan replied.

In the interrogation room.

Cheng Lu’s hands and feet were handcuffed, yet he remained arrogant. "I didn’t commit any crime. On what grounds are you detaining me?"

Zhou Lin showed him a photo of Zhu Yan. "Do you recognize her?"

Cheng Lu was indifferent. "She’s Zhu Yan, a former student of mine. But we had only a teacher-student relationship, nothing more."

Gu Ye’s voice was cold. "Cheng Lu, we’ve already found evidence. If you don’t confess honestly, it will only worsen your case."

Cheng Lu scoffed. "Fine! The animal cloning issue—I admit I broke the law and framed Wang Wen. I confess! But what does that have to do with Zhu Yan?"

Zhou Lin handed him a photo of a skull excavated beneath a pine in the forest. "Zhu Yan’s skull."

Cheng Lu’s face changed instantly. He struggled, the handcuffs rattling violently. "She’s dead? What does that have to do with me? I never harmed her."

Zhou Lin then showed another photo—a headless female corpse found in a clearing behind Kelly Biological Research Center.

Cheng Lu’s demeanor turned fierce. "I’ve only worked at Kelly for a year. I know nothing. Anyway, I didn’t kill her. If you want to find the murderer, don’t pin it on me! Maybe Wang Wen did it!"

Gu Ye slammed his fist on the table, furious. "You’re a mad dog, biting whoever you catch! Just wait—we will find the evidence!"

Xiaoman was such a sweet girl. Her mother’s fate remained unknown, and yet others kept slandering her.

"The police are insulting me. I want to file a complaint," Cheng Lu said, feeling justified.

Gu Ye clenched his fist, the sound sharp as a cracking branch. He hadn’t even struck yet.

Seeing Gu Ye’s imposing figure and tense fist, Cheng Lu trembled in fear.

Zhou Lin gestured for Gu Ye to step outside.

The two stood outside; Zhou Lin frowned. "Just scare him a little. Don’t break protocol over a scoundrel."

Gu Ye punched the wall. "I believe Zhu Yan’s death is deeply connected to him! Wang Wen’s fate is still unknown. If Xiaoman heard this, how devastated she would be."

Within their detective squad, though Zhou Lin was Xiaoman’s legal guardian, everyone regarded her as their own.

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Who would allow harm or insult to come to their daughter?

Zhou Lin glanced at the time. "Dinner time is near. I’ll go home to have a meal with the child. I’ll be back later."

Usually, when busy with cases, Zhou Lin wouldn’t return home for days, eating and sleeping at the station.

But now, with a daughter, no matter how busy, he made time to go home.

Driving back, he saw Xiaoman playing frisbee with Daofeng. The child and the dog ran to greet him.

Since Xiaoman arrived, even Daofeng had revived with new spirit.

"Dad’s home!" Xiaoman threw herself into his arms.

Daofeng circled Zhou Lin, wagging its usually proud tail.

This police dog had become despondent after its trainer, Wang Tao, was killed, indifferent to everyone.

Xiaoman’s presence had healed it.

Zhou Lin took out a children’s smartwatch and put it on Xiaoman. "From now on, no matter when, you can call dad."

"Wow! Thank you, Dad!" The pink watch was delicate and beautiful. Xiaoman had seen friends at kindergarten wearing similar ones.

At kindergarten, she envied those who could send voice messages or call their parents anytime.

The Tang family wasn’t unable to afford it; Tang Zheng simply refused to buy one for her.

More thoughtfully, Zhou Lin had entered Wang Wen’s phone number into Xiaoman’s watch.

Though that number had been unreachable for a year, it remained Xiaoman’s hope.

She wished that one day the call would connect, and she could find her mother.

Xiaoman thought her detective dad was an angel, knowing her suffering in this world and coming to save her.

Zhou Lin took Xiaoman to his room and gave her the tablet awarded to him by the station.

"Future young officer, this is for you! You can watch news, cartoons, or draw on it."

Xiaoman happily accepted it and saluted. "Xiaoman will live up to Dad’s expectations and strive to be a qualified little officer."

At dinner, the old lady noticed Zhou Lin had returned to eat with Xiaoman. Indeed, a man with a daughter was different.

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Before Zhou Lin finished his meal, Lin Nan reported progress, so he left immediately.

He headed straight to the Changjing University Research Institute. Lin Nan waited at the entrance and, seeing his car arrive, hurried over.

"Captain Zhou, Zhu Yan had an ex-boyfriend named Li Ping. A classmate saw a Mickey Mouse tattoo on his wrist. Here’s Li Ping’s photo! His height and build closely match the profile of the person who dumped the body."

Zhou Lin glanced at the file. "Li Ping is a pork vendor at a local market in Changjing. He and Zhu Yan were high school classmates. His parents died young from illness. He was admitted to Changjing University Medical School but couldn’t afford tuition, so he worked in the city and cared for his younger sister."

Jiang Qi, along with Gu Ye and Du Lang, also arrived in police vehicles.

"Captain Zhou, Li Ping’s sister has a congenital heart defect. She had surgery last year costing one million yuan. There’s no way he could have saved that much selling pork. I found a transfer of one million yuan from Zhu Yan’s account to Li Ping," Jiang Qi reported.

After he finished, Gu Ye looked at him. "How does a graduate student have so much money?"

Lin Nan cleared her throat. "Her classmates say she was involved with wealthy men, often skipping school but owning many luxury brands from head to toe."

Jiang Qi nodded. "There are two million yuan in her account. Besides the one million transferred to Li Ping, the other million is regularly sent to her parents in another province."

"So, Zhu Yan’s parents didn’t know their daughter was missing, let alone dead," Lin Nan sighed.

Zhou Lin ordered, "Everyone get in the cars. Let’s arrest Li Ping."

The two vehicles sped toward the nearby market. Li Ping cooperated and went with them to the station.

Sitting in the interrogation room, he calmly confessed.

"I killed Zhu Yan. She betrayed our love, often dating different rich kids. My sister needed money for surgery. I asked her for a loan; she mocked me. In a fit of rage, I killed her, dismembered the body, and transferred one million from her account. The rest I sent monthly to her parents for their support."

"You’re quite the ‘filial son’," Gu Ye sneered through clenched teeth.

Lin Nan entered quietly and whispered to Zhou Lin, "Captain, the forensic doctor just sent the results. The headless female corpse found behind Kelly Biological Center is not Zhu Yan."

In other words, there was another victim.

This case was growing more and more bewildering.