Lu Qingqing mused that the murderer's motive for hiding Wen Feixue's identity was likely to make the public believe she was still alive.
What potential benefit could Wen Feixue being alive offer the killer?
A scapegoat!
As long as the insulin theft case was exposed, Yue Bo would be the first suspect. If Yue Bo and Wen Feixue both disappeared, the police would conclude they had fled in fear of retribution.
Therefore, the killer needed to conceal Wen Feixue's identity.
With this thought, Lu Qingqing devised a plan in her mind, which left Hu Jia repeatedly amazed.
Lu Qingqing called it "luring the snake out of its hole," an approach that went against the grain.
According to her plan, since the identity of the female corpse by the river had not yet been revealed to the public, the police could collaborate with Wen Feixue's brother, Wen Fei, to stage a grand performance.
If Wen Fei were to spread the news that he had been notified by the police to identify the female corpse by the river, and claim that this corpse was connected to the hospital theft case, the killer, in an effort to conceal the corpse's identity, might very well take a reckless risk.
They would undoubtedly employ some means or create clues to fabricate the illusion that Wen Feixue was still alive.
At that point, whoever revealed their true colors would be the killer.
Upon hearing Lu Qingqing's plan, Hu Jia once again marveled at the woman's intelligence.
"Our Qingqing is a true detective; her mind simply gears up, and she figures out the crucial points, even formulating such a meticulous plan." Hu Jia praised her enthusiastically, almost making Lu Qingqing blush.
"Are you mocking me? If you hadn't been the first to notice the difference between the two burnings, I wouldn't have thought of this. When it comes to intelligence, who can compare to you?" Lu Qingqing said with a sigh, "I told you not to help, but in the end, I still benefited from your assistance."
Hu Jia disagreed, "That's not quite right. I merely couldn't control my expression and you noticed; it was you who truly unraveled this mystery. Did I say a single word? No!" Hu Jia ruffled Lu Qingqing's hair, "Ideas are sparked by inspiration; you have to admit you're smart. If it were someone else, like that Tong Meng, I might have practically put the words in her mouth, and she still wouldn't have grasped it."
Lu Qingqing chuckled. Praising me is fine, but must you put others down like this?
However, since it was Tong Meng being disparaged, fine, I'll forgive you.
...
Li Han had been enjoying himself these past two days, working diligently not only at his job but in all aspects.
Through his dedicated efforts, he finally discovered that Yue Bo always stayed at a hotel called "Ke Lai" whenever he came to Chengdu.
The hotel staff checked the check-in records for the past year and found that Yue Bo always checked in alone. However, a visitor named "Huang Jin" would visit him each time.
Who was Huang Jin?
Upon inquiry, he seemed to be a businessman.
"He comes to Chengdu every two months, and all he does is meet this Huang Jin. What's more, Huang Jin is also a man," Tong Meng couldn't fathom the connection.
"So he must have other unspeakable secrets for coming to Chengdu," Li Han said. Yue Bo always booked his room in advance, but this time, the hotel hadn't received any reservation calls from him, meaning Yue Bo had no intention of coming to Chengdu at all.
In other words, Yue Bo had lied to Wen Feixue.
A person who clearly wasn't coming to Chengdu, yet left word that he was, then went missing halfway, and whose wife was framed.
"Therefore, I suspect that Yue Bo has likely met the same fate. And the reason for his demise might be related to his trip to Chengdu," Li Han said. To unravel this mystery, they needed to find Huang Jin.
Tong Meng leaned into Li Han's embrace, "You're so kind. If it weren't for you, I would have come all this way for nothing."
Li Han looked at Tong Meng with satisfaction, "Silly girl, we're partners. If you win, I win."
...
"Did you hear? That female corpse seems to be the wife of a high-ranking official, and they say she was quite dignified. Most likely, her husband offended someone he shouldn't have, leading to retaliation."
"Don't spread rumors. My brother-in-law told me she was a woman of the night. Think about it, red high heels, wearing stockings – what respectable woman dresses like that?"
"You're so old-fashioned, and you still don't admit it. Young ladies from wealthy families dress like this now; it's called being fashionable, understand?"
"Fashionable? That's degeneracy!"
As they chatted enthusiastically, the group quickly shifted from the female corpse's identity to her attire. Controversy fueled gossip, so in the following days, people could be heard discussing the case in every corner of the city.
"Stop arguing. It seems she was from an ordinary family. I heard the woman was going to be a bridesmaid that day, which is why she dressed so elaborately."
"And who told you that?"
"Many people are spreading the word that it's a woman surnamed Wen, and her brother has even been contacted by the police to identify the body."
"Oh, that's truly pitiful."
"Yes, her brother doesn't believe it's his sister. He thinks the police made a mistake but can't find a reason to refute it."
"Oh, oh, I heard that too. And the Wen family's daughter and son-in-law are both missing. I heard the Wen family's son-in-law works at the rehabilitation hospital, and the hospital was robbed a while ago."
"Are you implying? That the son-in-law is the thief?"
"Hey, I never said that."
"..."
These words soon spread. Some people listened and forgot, while others listened and kept them in mind.
As expected, two days later, Wen Fei delivered some news.
He said his wife had received a letter.
At first glance, the letter appeared to be from Yue Bo.
The content was simple and easy to understand: "Brother, Sister-in-law, greetings. My sister and I need to go into hiding for a while due to the hospital matter. We will return when things have calmed down. During this period, no matter who comes to your home to inquire, do not say anything rash, especially to people from our workplace; avoid speaking about it altogether. Burn this letter as soon as you have read it. Do not worry, do not search for us."
Lu Qingqing unfolded the letter and scanned it rapidly. Her expression turned serious, but a sharp glint appeared in her eyes, indicating her suspicion was correct.
The killer, having heard the rumors, wanted to solidify them. This letter not only told Wen Fei that his sister was alive but also conveyed another message: the person who stole the insulin was your brother-in-law, me.
If Wen Fei were unaware of the truth, he might indeed be deceived.
Unfortunately, this was a trap all along. This letter gave Lu Qingqing and her team hope of solving the case.
That evening, Lu Qingqing, Guan Jinsong, and Ouyang Wen were preparing to hold a case analysis meeting. Hu Jia shamelessly insisted on attending but was unceremoniously kicked out by Lu Qingqing.
Hu Jia did not get angry. After being expelled from the office, he shed his earlier flippant demeanor and hurried away, blending into the night.
Everyone had been investigating the case during this time, except for Hu Jia.
Everyone assumed he was unaccustomed to his current role, unable to accept the transition from the Special Operations Team to the Criminal Investigation Team, and unable to accept Lu Qingqing's decision not to be the leader of the second group.
But in reality, Hu Jia had been investigating one person during this period.
That person was Yang Shaoquan, who might very well know the third line of the four verses.