Chapter 149: Chapter 72: Suspense Rises Again (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Tickets, and Favorites)_2
This is not deliberately contradicting; when the police analyze a case, they can’t just assume things. They need to rely on factual logic. Every detail needs to withstand scrutiny.
So when Wang Yong refuted him, he was also preventing him from being misguided by preconceived notions.
"No, thinking like that is precisely wrong. I’ve seen many cases, and generally, in domestic violence situations, the best time for the victim to escape is often within the first year of marriage. During this period, there’s still a relative balance between the victim and the abuser, and the victim has the most courage to resist."
"But once this time passes, the victim’s fear of the abuser will increase day by day, eventually losing the courage and determination to resist and escape, succumbing to the other’s tyranny. This is also why many women suffer from domestic violence for over ten or twenty years but still don’t divorce."
"Of course, your concern isn’t entirely impossible. After all, everyone’s situation is different. It’s not impossible for Chen Chahua to suddenly come to her senses. But did you notice something? You said Chen Chahua and her uncle didn’t have much contact, so why, after leaving, did she make a call to her uncle? To me, it seems entirely unnecessary."
Luo Fei paused, then continued, "On the contrary, I feel like it’s the murderer deliberately trying to clear themselves by having Chen Chahua make such a call."
"Team leader, are you saying that Chen Chahua wasn’t dead at the time but was being controlled by Yang Dawei, who deliberately made her make this call, shifted the police’s attention, and then killed her?"
"Hmm, we can’t rule out this possibility, and I think there’s a very high chance."
Luo Fei said as he suddenly turned to look at Zhao Donglai. "Captain Zhao, actually, there’s another way to determine whether Chen Chahua is still alive."
"What method?"
"You can apply to the higher-ups to check Chen Chahua’s bank account activities over the years. If she’s still alive, there’s no way these would just disappear without a trace."
Of course, if Chen Chahua has changed her name and identity, there’s nothing we can do. But Chen Chahua isn’t a criminal; there’s no need to change her name and identity.
Zhao Donglai hesitated, remaining silent.
Luo Fei’s method could indeed confirm whether Chen Chahua was still alive.
But even though they’re police, they need to follow regulations.
The legitimate rights and interests of citizens should not be violated, especially when it involves property safety. Even they can’t just investigate arbitrarily unless there’s been a murder case, and even then, it’s uncertain whether their application would be approved.
Now, they don’t even know whether Chen Chahua is alive or dead. If they recklessly apply and it turns out to be true, that’s fine, but if it’s proven to be a misunderstanding, then it’s awkward.
Subsequently, Zhao Donglai said, "Alright, I happen to have an old classmate working in a bank; I’ll ask him to check for us."
"Once we get results that confirm our suspicions, I will truthfully report it to the higher-ups. You guys will take the credit. But right now, what’s most important is this case. I’ve just received a call from above asking about it, so Luo Fei, you need to hurry up!"
Luo Fei nodded but had some confusion, "Captain Zhao, apart from being a bit bizarre, this murder case is just an ordinary homicide. Why would it alarm the higher-ups?"
Compared to Jin Dayuan’s massacre case before, this murder is child’s play. Logically, the higher-ups shouldn’t be so concerned.
Not asking would have been better; asking made Zhao Donglai angry.
"Isn’t it because of the Ma Kai case before? After the report, the higher-ups suspect that our county’s public awareness work was not effective and identified the suspect as having physiological issues. Therefore, they imitated Ma Kai’s superstitions and committed the crime. As a result, the county ordered us to solve the case quickly."
Luo Fei understood.
Every year, each city, county, and district has performance appraisal tasks. If a place frequently has similar serious cases, the entire department’s appraisal in that area will be affected.
So, it’s no wonder the higher-ups are anxious this time.
Wang Yong also sarcastically retorted, "The higher-ups are unbelievable. They made conclusions without a thorough investigation. If so, what do they need us police for?"
"Don’t talk nonsense. If this case isn’t handled well, it will also affect us. Anyway, just do your best to investigate. It’s getting late; let’s all go back and rest. Be here earlier tomorrow."
"Okay, Captain Zhao, we’ll head back then."
After exiting Zhao Donglai’s office, on the way downstairs, Wang Yong asked Luo Fei about Xu Mingqing’s case.
As they walked and talked, they saw Yang Mei waiting at the door as usual when they reached downstairs.
Lately, the two have been commuting together, and everyone is used to it.
So when Wang Yong saw this, he immediately jokingly said, "Alright, team leader, I won’t disturb you guys. See you tomorrow."
Then, he waved to the two of them and considerately ran off by himself.
Luo Fei smiled as he walked toward Yang Mei, "Didn’t I tell you to go first? Why are you waiting for me again."
"I can’t sleep going home so early anyway. It’s better to wait for you and leave together."
Naturally, Luo Fei took her hand, and the two walked out, chatting and laughing.
"By the way, have Xu Mingqing’s family arrived?"
"They just called, said they are stuck in traffic, might take a while to get there. But I’ve already told Xiaoyue, she’s on duty tonight, and she’ll notify me immediately once there’s any news."
Saying that, the two got in the car.
Luo Fei automatically sat in the driver’s seat, taking on the role of the driver.
Initially, commuting with Yang Mei in her car was somewhat uncomfortable for him, feeling a bit like he was living off her.
But if he bought a car because of it, it wouldn’t be worthwhile, so he once subtly suggested that she needn’t drive him, as he could jog back each day for exercise.
Who knew that the next day after work, Yang Mei wouldn’t drive either, insisting on walking home with him.
However, Yang Mei’s home is at least ten minutes away by car from the squad, and walking would take at least half an hour. Leaving aside whether it was tiring, it wasn’t safe.
Luo Fei couldn’t bear to let her endure such hardship, so he compromised and agreed to ride in her car every day.
After a period, he got used to commuting in his girlfriend’s car and lost his initial resistance.
Before deciding to confess to Yang Mei, he was already aware of the gap in family background between them, which wasn’t something he could catch up with in the short term. If he couldn’t balance this disparity, it could lead to resentment in marriage later.
Moreover, having an excellent girlfriend means he should strive to improve himself and not wallow in self-pity.
He believed that given his abilities, he wouldn’t lead a mediocre life.
With this mindset, he finally adjusted his attitude.
At this moment, sitting in the front passenger seat, Yang Mei looked at him with some concern, "By the way, Luo Fei, since I backed out today, will Aunt be upset?"
They were supposed to dine at Luo Fei’s home today, but the case delayed them. She felt worried all afternoon about it.
Just as they were passing a traffic signal, Luo Fei slowed down and reassured her, "We did it for work, not intentionally. My mom isn’t petty like that."
"That’s good. I was afraid that I would leave a bad first impression on Aunt, and if she didn’t like me, I wouldn’t know what to do."
"Don’t worry, my mom isn’t unreasonable, besides, there’s me!"
"Okay."
Hearing Luo Fei’s words, Yang Mei felt sweetness in her heart, showing a shy smile on her face.