The 80s Female Detective's Guide to Self-Preservation [Criminal Investigation] - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Xia Qiuyuan asked: “How would you evaluate Rong Zhiyan?”

Lu Jingming paused, looking down in thought before meeting her gaze again. “I’m not very familiar with her, so I can’t provide an evaluation. Everyone knew Fu Ze was playing both sides at the factory, but no one had hard evidence—it was all hearsay. There’s no point in offending the Factory Director’s daughter for a stranger, is there? Besides, everyone said Rong Zhiyan had a ‘bad background.’ Who knew if those times would return?”

“If someone got involved with her by whistleblowing and things went south later, what then?” Lu Jingming spoke with an air of self-righteousness.

However, Hou Ming and the others could hear that he was dodging the core of the question.

“I asked for your evaluation of Rong Zhiyan, not how ‘everyone’ treated her. Nor did anyone ask if you told her about her husband’s affair.” Xia Qiuyuan rubbed the prominent bone of her wrist against the rough paper of her notebook. The rhythmic scritch-scratch sounded particularly sharp in the sudden silence of the interrogation room.

“Do you know what we usually call this behavior?”

Lu Jingming remained silent.

“Trying to hide by making things more obvious,” Qiuyuan smiled. “When people want to cover up the truth, they become talkative. They talk in circles, trying to pull the conversation away from the center. Now, answer my question: How do you evaluate Rong Zhiyan?”

Lu Jingming lowered his head, refusing to speak.

Xia Qiuyuan and Hou Ming were patient. Their definition of the relationship between Lu Jingming and Rong Zhiyan had shifted; it certainly wasn’t “unfamiliar.” Given that both had effectively surrendered at the same time, Qiuyuan suspected a joint operation—a long-planned, meticulously calculated scheme. Whoever had masterminded it possessed incredible patience and endurance.

“She… she’s good,” Lu Jingming finally said. “In the dormitory, everyone called her ‘Engineer Fu’s wife’ or ‘that Fu woman.’ It was as if, after marrying Fu Ze, she became his property—no name, no story of her own. On the surface, everyone was polite and thought she was a good person. But when Fu Juan bullied her, not one person stood up for her. Even Fu Ze, her own husband, only ‘mediated’ by taking his mother’s side.”

Lu Jingming reflexively moved his hands under the table, twisting a corner of his shirt to soothe his growing anxiety. He seemed lost in thought, stopping mid-sentence.

After a long moment, he pulled himself back and said coldly: “Fu Juan hated that she gave birth to a daughter, believing she had cut off the Fu family line. She was always forcing Rong Zhiyan to take ‘medicine.’ Everyone in the dormitory knew; that thick smell of herbs hung over the whole building. The room the factory assigned me was diagonally across from theirs. The smell made me sick. I even had a fight with Fu Juan over it before I killed Fu Ze. You can go ask if you don’t believe me.”

“Fu Juan slandered me, saying I was having an affair with Rong Zhiyan. I hated her for that and always wanted to kill her. It’s just that right after I stabbed Fu Ze, it wasn’t the best time. I’ve been holding it in until now.”

Hou Ming frowned. He could tell Lu Jingming’s tone had shifted significantly. He balled his hand into a fist, pressing it to his lips, and exchanged a look with Qiuyuan. He raised an eyebrow.

Qiuyuan tapped the table—I know.

Hou Ming pouted slightly and nodded. Fine, he thought, after all that thinking, I’m still not as fast as a single person’s intuition.

From Lu Jingming’s contradictory statements, it was clear he had an emotional connection with Rong Zhiyan. Whether it was mutual or one-sided, questioning him further would only yield one result: him insisting he was the sole killer of both victims to protect her.

Qiuyuan nudged Hou Ming with her elbow and wrote one word in her notebook: “Switch.”

“Alright, we understand. Let’s call it a day for now.” Hou Ming stood up, his chair screeching against the floor. He leaned in to whisper to Qiuyuan as they walked out, rubbing his stiff neck. “Did we notify Rong Zhiyan’s family yet? Have Guangqi check who should come down. Since we’re currently operating on a ‘presumption of guilt,’ even if… well, even if a ‘killer’ jumps out to claim it, we still have to maintain our suspicions.”

“There was no sign of a break-in at Fu Juan’s. All evidence logically points to Rong Zhiyan. Our job is to rationalize the evidence and leads; whether she’s guilty or how she’s sentenced is for others to decide,” Qiuyuan said, patting Hou Ming on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go eat. I’m starving.”

“True. Either way, we caught two suspects and cleared two cases. Our solve rate is through the roof,” Hou Ming joked loudly. “I told you Puto Temple was lucky! I went with Sister Wei Min the other day, and look at that. That mountain climb was worth it. The jelly shop at the top…”

They chatted as they exited, completely ignoring Lu Jingming and his lingering thoughts. To Lu Jingming’s ears, the message was clear: The police were going to pin the Fu Ze case on him and the Fu Juan case on Rong Zhiyan.

Looking at the closing door, Lu Jingming panicked. “No! I’m the one who killed Fu Juan! It was me! Don’t you want to know how I did it? I can tell you!”

Qiuyuan and Hou Ming ignored him and shut the door. They didn’t go to interrogate Rong Zhiyan, nor did they go to eat. Instead, they reassembled Team One to cross-reference Lu Jingming’s testimony. They needed to separate truth from lies to determine Rong Zhiyan’s true role.

In the small meeting room, new notes appeared on the chalkboard.

“First, Lu Jingming killed Fu Ze because he stalked him and knew he met the Director’s daughter on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He knew Fu Ze took the back paths to air out the perfume scent. He waited there to teach him a lesson but lost control and stabbed him,” Qiuyuan summarized.

“Second, Lu Jingming and Rong Zhiyan have a close relationship. Fu Juan slandered them, which enraged Lu Jingming.” Qiuyuan paused, circling Rong Zhiyan’s name. “Or perhaps, it enraged Rong Zhiyan.”

“Third, Fu Juan’s death showed no signs of forced entry. The killer had a key and was familiar with the layout.”

Hou Ming added, “Lu Jingming said Fu Juan forced Rong Zhiyan to drink herbs daily. Combining that with the extra herbs found in the incense, I suspect those herbs came from… Rong Zhiyan’s old prescriptions.”

Xia Sui let out a small gasp. “But the doctor at the pharmacy said the mix contained excessive mugwort. Mugwort is forbidden for pregnant women as it stimulates uterine contractions. If Fu Juan wanted a grandson, why would she use that?”

“It doesn’t look like a health tonic; it looks like… a way to cause harm,” Sui whispered. No one gets pregnancy tonics from a random street doctor unless they want to end up in the underworld.

“But Fu Juan was an illiterate peasant,” Qin Yi countered. “Her behavior fits her character. Neighbors said she was a typical self-centered, ignorant woman. She listened to her husband, then her successful son. Her daughter-in-law was just a servant. Even if you told her the medicine was poisonous, she’d probably just call you ungrateful.”

Zhuo Yuanqing clicked his tongue and wagged a finger. “You youngsters who haven’t dealt with mother-in-law drama are too naive. After Fu Juan’s husband died, who was her only pillar? Fu Ze. In her mind, Fu Ze was supreme, then her. Do you really think Fu Ze didn’t know his mother was giving Rong Zhiyan potentially toxic folk medicine? He was a high school graduate and a researcher. He knew you can’t treat medicine like food.”

Zhuo Yuanqing stood up, took the pen from Qiuyuan, and drew a timeline.

1974: Fu Ze marries Rong Zhiyan.

1975: Rong Zhiyan gives birth to a daughter.

1976: The Rong family is politically rehabilitated. The property goes to her brother, Rong Yixing.

1977: Fu Ze dies.

“If Lu Jingming is telling the truth—that Fu Juan was forcing herbs on her and slandering her before he killed Fu Ze—then look at the overlap. In 1976-1977, Fu Ze is cheating, Fu Juan is feeding her toxins, and then Fu Ze dies.”

Zhuo Yuanqing tapped the board. “How can we say Fu Ze was ignorant of the ‘tonics’ his mother gave his wife? Perhaps he was the one pushing his mother to do it. Don’t forget, Fu Ze was a man who would do anything for wealth. He was no saint.”