HH Chapter 6

“Alright.” Yan Ya nodded, looking at the screen in front.

“Based on further examination, the time of death was determined to be two days ago, on the morning of June 2nd. The marks of binding on the body were made postmortem, likely used to weigh the body down. However, it started raining that evening, causing the river’s water level to rise. The rope kept rubbing against the rocks and eventually came loose, causing the body to drift downstream.”

“Look at this knife wound in the middle of the victim’s lower abdomen,” Yan Ya illustrated with gestures. “This is the most forceful wound on the torso, and the cut is horizontal.”

Pei Qinghuai, sitting in the back, glanced at the slides and then looked down, flipping through the victim’s file. Yan Ya brought up another photo and said, “Although the victim has many knife wounds, only the deepest wound in the middle was inflicted while he was alive. The rest were postmortem. The cause of death was a heavy blow to the head.”

“Hiss…” Chen Xiaonuan gasped. “What kind of deep-seated hatred would cause this?”

“What about the murder weapon?” Cheng Ye asked.

Yan Ya responded, “This type of knife is quite common, similar to a fruit knife, and can be bought anywhere.”

Cheng Ye looked at Fang Yuan, “Was the murder weapon found at the scene?”

Fang Yuan shook his head, “Not yet.”

“Do it as soon as possible,” Cheng Ye instructed firmly. “Erbao, report your findings.”

Zhang Yibao acknowledged and began to speak.

“The victim’s name was Tian Mingwei, 43 years old, unemployed, with a complex social background. He had conflicts with many people and was involved in gambling and prostitution. According to Fang Yuan’s investigation, Tian Mingwei also had a history of domestic violence. His wife, Li Xiaoyan, left him a year after they married and never came back.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaonuan and Fang Yuan looked uneasy. “A domestic abuser… do you think this could be an act of revenge?” Fang Yuan asked.

“After all these years? Isn’t it a bit late for revenge?” Chen Xiaonuan replied.

Zhang Yibao added, “Oh, by the way, Li Xiaoyan recently returned and is working at a fish farm in the east. They have a daughter named Tian Yunxin, who is currently studying at Wencheng University in this city.”

Cheng Ye knocked on the table, “Don’t jump to conclusions!” He paused, “After the meeting, Chen Xiaonuan, you take a team to contact Li Xiaoyan. Jiang Fei, go to the places Tian Mingwei frequented and ask around.”

“What about me?” Fang Yuan asked eagerly, looking at Cheng Ye.

“Come with me to the scene, and then we’ll visit Tian Mingwei’s home,” Cheng Ye said, his gaze falling on Pei Qinghuai sitting in the distance. “What about you? Any thoughts?”

All eyes turned to Pei Qinghuai as Cheng Ye slowly asked the question. Pei Qinghuai put down the file he was holding and smiled at Cheng Ye, “Nothing for now.”

Cheng Ye suppressed a laugh and closed his notebook, “Let’s move out.”

“Yes, sir!”

As Cheng Ye walked to the door, he glanced back to see Pei Qinghuai still sitting and going through the files, while Zhang Yibao eagerly approached Pei Qinghuai.

“Professor Pei, can I get your autograph? I really admire you,” Zhang Yibao said, holding his laptop and looking at Pei Qinghuai with hopeful eyes.

“Of course,” Pei Qinghuai replied, meeting Zhang Yibao’s gaze. Just as he took out a pen, Cheng Ye interrupted, “Zhang Yibao, don’t you have anything else to do? Have you finished reviewing the surveillance footage? Go notify the family to identify the body.”

Zhang Yibao’s hands froze mid-air and then he pulled them back, dejectedly replying, “Yes, Captain Cheng.”

At this moment, Cheng Ye smiled at Pei Qinghuai, “Sorry for the interruption.”