Belief does not negate existence.
At any rate, the current situation was that Tong Hua was indeed dead.
Lu Qingqing had examined the body, concluding death by asphyxiation.
“No need to overthink it, it was definitely staged as a suicide,” Hu Jia rarely stated anything so definitively, likely due to the deceased being Tong Hua.
“Therefore, we need to have a chat with Tong Meng,” Lu Qingqing didn't find Hu Jia's hasty conclusion problematic.
All she wanted now was to find Tong Meng and understand what had truly happened.
Upon hearing Lu Qingqing’s suggestion to find Tong Meng, Bai Nian chimed in, “Uh, Miss Tong is in the conference room.”
Tong Meng was here?
Lu Qingqing considered it; it made sense. Her own brother was gone, so it would be odd for her sister not to be present.
Seeing Hu Jia and Lu Qingqing enter, Tong Meng wiped away tears. “Captain Lu, Captain Hu, why would my brother do something so impulsive? He made mistakes, yes, but if he had just honestly served his time, he would have eventually been released.”
Lu Qingqing gave a cold laugh. “We haven't even reached a formal conclusion yet, and you've already declared your brother's death a suicide.”
Tong Meng blinked. “Wasn’t it suicide? Everyone here told me it was.”
Lu Qingqing, too weary to watch her feigned surprise, pressed on. “You visited Tong Hua this afternoon. Why? What did you talk about?”
“Are you suspecting me?” Tong Meng's eyes widened.
“Stop pretending to be inexperienced. It only makes me think all those years of detective work you did were for nothing,” Hu Jia, a master of putting people in their place, delivered a blow that nearly made Tong Meng gasp for breath.
Indeed, as police officers, they had to question everyone related to a murder case, regardless of kinship.
Tong Meng's surprise was overdone.
“We did meet, after all, we are siblings. I hadn't heard from him in days, and I was worried. But we didn't discuss much, just our recent lives. I even encouraged him to be a good person,” Tong Meng replied.
“Did he mention anything unusual, or express any suicidal thoughts?” Lu Qingqing asked.
“Anything unusual? No, not really.” Tong Meng tilted her head as if recalling. “But he did say he didn't want to stay here anymore, that he had no freedom. He'd rather die than not enjoy the freedom to breathe.”
After saying this, Tong Meng covered her mouth in apparent surprise. “Oh dear! Could he have really committed suicide for freedom?” She then began to blame herself. “It’s all my fault. If only I had sensed his psychological distress earlier, I would have guided him. I shouldn’t have said things that might have provoked him.”
“Provoked him?”
“Yes, I told him he never did anything good, only bad deeds, and that it was embarrassing. I also told him he might be stuck in prison for ten or eight years.”
Lu Qingqing was speechless. While Tong Meng appeared to be offering a final explanation for Tong Hua's death, her words consistently pointed towards suicide.
Provocation? Ten or eight years?
Wasn’t this entire narrative designed to convince everyone that Tong Hua had psychological issues?
Not getting the expected outcome from Tong Meng was, as anticipated.
…
After Tong Meng left, Lu Qingqing nudged Hu Jia. “We're meeting with Sixth Master tomorrow, and Tong Hua dies today. Do you think there’s a connection?”
“Probably not. Does Tong Hua really have the ability to directly interact with the leader of the Dao Ren?” Hu Jia clearly thought Lu Qingqing was being overly sensitive.
Hearing Hu Jia’s words, Lu Qingqing also felt she might be being overly cautious. Perhaps the other party had wanted to get rid of Tong Hua for a while, and this was just a coincidence.
“But regardless, their killing Tong Hua proves that Tong Hua knew some crucial information. Looking at Tong Meng's expression just now, even though she pretended to be heartbroken, I didn’t see any pain in her eyes.”
Hu Jia pondered, if Tong Hua knew secrets, would Tong Meng know them too?
…
At the City Police Bureau, in Qiao Huali’s office, Tong Meng received another hug from Qiao Huali.
“You have a death in the family, and you’re smiling so happily. It’s written all over your face that something is amiss,” Qiao Huali teased Tong Meng. What sister would be beaming with joy when her own brother had just died?
Tong Meng sighed. “He’s gone now, can’t the living still smile?” As she spoke, she pinched Qiao Huali’s waist. “Of all the times to make your move, you choose today, right after I visited him. Those two flies are already suspecting me.”
Qiao Huali pecked Tong Meng. “It was my oversight. Come, another kiss, as my apology.”
Tong Meng pushed Qiao Huali away. “Who needs your apology? If you really cared about me, you’d let me go with you tomorrow, wouldn’t you?”
“You want to go?” Qiao Huali was taken aback, then realized. “You mean, go with Hu Jia?”
“Exactly! I want to see the world, too.” Tong Meng traced circles on Qiao Huali’s palm. “If anything comes up, I can help. Even if I can’t help, I can cause some trouble. Besides, I’ll be on Hu Jia’s side, so if I notice anything amiss, I can give you a signal.”
Qiao Huali considered. “Well, that’s one way of looking at it, but they probably won’t agree.”
Qiao Huali was somewhat bewildered by Tong Meng’s request. Going to the scene wouldn’t benefit her in any way, and it might only solidify the suspicion that she was involved with the Dao Ren.
“Oh, come on, you’re the deputy chief,” Tong Meng cooed.
“But my authority as deputy chief holds no weight with them.” Qiao Huali knew that even if he insisted on Hu Jia bringing Tong Meng, Hu Jia would likely refuse with a dismissive glance.
“Then I have a plan,” Tong Meng said, sitting up straight when she heard this.
“What plan?” Qiao Huali asked curiously.
“Go early. I have legs, don’t I? At worst, if they find me, I’ll say you sent me, and you can cover for me later,” Tong Meng said with a smile.
Qiao Huali narrowed his eyes. Tong Meng was truly invested in this matter. Could she have some ulterior motive?
However, after much thought, he couldn't pinpoint any specific motive for Tong Meng. Perhaps she genuinely wanted to see the world.
Seeing Qiao Huali agree, Tong Meng was overjoyed.
Heh heh.
See the world?
See what world?
I just want to see that metal box.
Ever since Tong Meng had kept the stolen key, she had been pondering what secret it might hold. Tomorrow, that box would fall into Qiao Huali's hands. If she didn’t find out what the box looked like beforehand, how would she ever steal and investigate its contents later?
…
That evening, Tong Hua's autopsy report was transmitted back to the city bureau. After further examination by the forensic pathologist, it was confirmed that Tong Hua had indeed died from mechanical asphyxiation, reinforcing Lu Qingqing’s initial findings.
Simultaneously, Guan Jinsong and his team returned.
From the information they brought back, Tong Hua’s death appeared to be a suicide.
This was because Tong Hua's detention cell contained numerous books about death, and several fellow inmates reported that Tong Hua’s moods were unpredictable, and he often muttered phrases like "Just die," or "If I can't get out, I'll just die."
Clearly, Tong Hua had shown suicidal tendencies.
Now, both the autopsy and the witness testimonies pointed towards Tong Hua most likely having taken his own life, leaving Hu Jia somewhat conflicted.
Should they just close the case?