Chapter 27: The Case of the Headless Female Corpse (15)

Ma Lin produced another document. "You signed the papers to donate your organs and remains a year ago. You wouldn't go back on your word, would you?"

Li Ping smiled faintly. "Rest assured. I won't go back on it. It is a voluntary donation."

The meeting was brief; both sides spoke only four sentences each.

Gu Ye scratched his head. "Captain Zhou, Li Ping wants to know about his younger sister, and he might be trying to atone for his sins by donating his organs after death. That doesn't seem to be a problem, right?"

Zhou Lin shook his head. "No! We never sent anyone to persuade Li Ping. Yet, the moment this Ma Lin arrived, Li Ping suddenly confessed to his crimes?"

"Perhaps what Ma Lin said touched a nerve," Gu Ye suggested, thinking the matter was not that complex.

"Gu Ye, if you were asking about organ and remains donations signed a year ago, how would you phrase the question?" Zhou Lin countered.

Gu Ye blurted out, "Logically, you would ask, 'Do you have any regrets?'"

"The big guy is starting to use his brain; that’s a great improvement!" Zhou Lin praised him. "We would normally ask if you have any regrets, not use a leading question like, 'You wouldn't regret it, would you?'"

Gu Ye was stunned. Captain Zhou’s attention to detail was terrifyingly sharp.

"There is something fishy between them, Captain, but that can't be used as evidence!"

Zhou Lin went to see Li Ping anyway. He stood outside the iron bars, his presence imposing and stern. "Who are you taking the fall for?"

Li Ping stood calmly by the bars. "I had thought Captain Zhou’s reputation as a master detective was well-deserved. Who knew the Captain had such a vivid imagination? Do you think this is a television drama? Full of twists and turns? In real-life crime, it’s just a case of heat-of-the-moment murder followed by an attempt to evade the law, destroying the evidence so the police wouldn't find it. Even if I were caught, I still harbored the wishful thinking that you wouldn't find enough evidence to convict me."

Zhou Lin’s gaze was piercing. "Li Shu has been receiving treatment at Changjing City First People's Hospital for seven years. Why was her surgery last year performed at an expensive private hospital?"

Li Ping’s lips curled into a smile. "Private hospitals have better medical skills and service. I wanted to give my sister the best surgery possible. Captain, you don't have a sister; you wouldn't understand!"

His smile was warm, filled with both relief and happiness.

"Captain Zhou, I plead guilty. If you have the time, I ask that you please pay a visit to the orphanage to check on my sister."

Zhou Lin stared at Li Ping in silence, never looking away.

Li Ping bowed his head, lost in thought. After a long while, Zhou Lin nodded and turned to leave.

***

Gu Ye hurried after him. "Captain, you should head home and spend time with Xiaoman!"

"You go ahead. I need to stop by Director Zhang's office," Zhou Lin signaled to him.

Director Zhang Chao was preparing to leave when he saw Zhou Lin enter with a grave expression. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Director Zhang, I suspect there are still loopholes in the Li Ping murder and dismemberment case," Zhou Lin frowned.

Zhang Chao stopped in his tracks. "Where are the loopholes?"

Zhou Lin was direct. "Is it possible he is taking the fall for someone else, or that there is a mastermind? Li Ping may have committed the murder, but the dismemberment was definitely his doing. He takes the fall, and someone helps his sister get surgery!"

"This case has high profile implications, Zhou Lin. Who is he taking the fall for?" Zhang Chao’s face darkened instantly. "Do you have evidence?"

"I don't have evidence," Zhou Lin said, rubbing his forehead. "If this is a scheme, someone has made it seamless."

Zhang Chao was intimately familiar with the case. "You’re making this deduction just because Ma Lin visited Li Ping today?"

"If he hadn't come, I wouldn't have suspected anything. Ma Lin might have come to pressure Li Ping, or worse, threaten him using Li Shu!" Zhou Lin narrowed his eyes.

Zhang Chao crossed his arms. "Are you suspecting a connection to Zhou Zhengkun? Because Tang Hong likes the fourth young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Kai? And the private hospital is owned by Zhou Zhengkun. But are these just coincidences? Zhou Zhengkun’s hospital agreed to perform the surgery on Li Shu, so Li Ping takes the fall for the Zhou family. But Zhu Yan and Zhou Kai have no connection."

"Director Zhang, you’ve forgotten one key figure—" Zhou Lin’s eyes turned sharp. "That is Cheng Lu. Cheng Lu once worked at the Zhou family's Kunhai Group."

Ten years ago, Zhou Zhengkun still worked for the family business, but he embezzled funds for gray-market ventures and even illegal activities. When Zhou Lin's father discovered this, the brothers had a falling out.

Zhou Zhengkun split from the family company and founded the Kunhai Group. No one understood the character of his second uncle’s family better than Zhou Lin.

Since the Li Ping case had become entangled with Zhou Zhengkun, Zhou Lin had to be extra cautious.

Zhang Chao fell into deep thought. After a while, he said, "Zhou Lin, police work is based on evidence! Right now, there is no evidence pointing to Zhou Zhengkun’s family. We are handling this case according to the law. Don't waste your energy on this angle for now. Even if there are issues later, they will be addressed in other cases. Go home and take care of your daughter!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Lin nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he received a call from his father.

"Zhou Lin, Xiaoman has a fever. We are taking her to the First People's Hospital now."

"I’m on my way."

Zhou Lin walked out, grabbing his car keys as he headed for the door.

***

He reached Changjing City First People's Hospital at top speed.

Zhou Zhenghong carried Xiaoman into the pediatric emergency department, with the grandmother following closely behind.

"Dad, let me carry her," Zhou Lin said, taking her from him.

As soon as he saw him, Zhou Zhenghong complained, "Xiaoman must have been frightened today at the medical school after touching all those human skulls; that’s why she has a fever. Zhou Lin, it’s all because of your detective work that Xiaoman is sick."

Zhou Lin didn't argue. Xiaoman was delirious with fever, nestling into Zhou Lin’s arms. "Grandpa, it's just that my body isn't strong enough. It’s not because of Dad’s work."

"Even with a fever, she’s still defending him!" Zhou Zhenghong was speechless.

In the winter night, the north wind howled outside, and a long queue had formed in front of the pediatric clinic.

Xu Ming, the head of the pediatric department, rushed over personally, and the Zhou family was led to the director’s office.

"Chairman Zhou, Madam Zhou, Second Young Master, come this way!" Xu Ming greeted them.

"I’m sorry to call you in at night, Xu Ming. Thank you," Zhou Zhenghong said, leveraging his connections for his granddaughter.

Xu Ming smiled slightly. "You are too polite, Chairman. I used to follow my mentor to treat the eldest and second young masters. Now that my mentor has retired, I will continue to be a good doctor. What are the child's symptoms?"

Zhou Zhenghong immediately replied, "We went to a crowded place this morning. She was fine this afternoon, but after dinner, her face turned a bit red. I felt her forehead and it was hot. Her grandmother took her temperature and it was 39.5 degrees. She took fever medication once, but she is in good spirits, just complaining of a headache."

Xu Ming checked her throat and took a sample. "Go get a blood test and check for influenza. The flu in Changjing is quite severe lately; the elderly and children are particularly vulnerable."

"Thank you, Doctor Grandpa!" Xiaoman said in a tiny, milky voice.

"What a good little girl," Xu Ming said, adjusting his glasses.

"Thank you, Uncle Xu." Zhou Lin carried Xiaoman toward the blood draw room.

Looking down, he saw the little girl’s eyes were red, and the iron-willed man instantly softened. "Is it very uncomfortable, Xiaoman?"