HH Chapter 30

Zhang Deli glanced towards the door. “The curtains in that room were all drawn. The victim was tied to a chair, struggling and begging for mercy. A big ‘L’ was painted on the wall. We all thought it was another one of their crimes. With so much public attention, we couldn’t determine the victim’s exact location and were almost driven crazy.”

“Guess what happened next?” Zhang Deli relaxed into his chair, smiling. “Back then, Pei Qinghuai was just a young kid who barged into the police team saying he wanted to find the person in charge of this case.”

“He found the location?” Cheng Ye asked.

Zhang Deli recalled, “He did. He found it by listening to the sounds. But just as we were about to move out, he told me that this time it was just a copycat case, a self-directed act.”

“And it turned out to be true. His reasoning was odd, but we had no choice but to believe it.”

Just as he finished speaking, Pei Qinghuai walked back in, looking at Zhang Deli and Cheng Ye. “The test results are out. There’s LSD in it. They’ve made their move.”

Cheng Ye and Zhang Deli’s expressions stiffened. Zhang Deli immediately stood up. “We must take this case very seriously. I’ll report this to the higher-ups right away.”

“Yes, sir!” Cheng Ye and Pei Qinghuai responded in unison.

---

Meanwhile, Fang Yuan and Jiang Fei had just parked in front of Li He’s company. Jiang Fei was holding a notebook. “Do you think Li He is in the office?”

“You don’t get it,” Fang Yuan sneered. “A guy like him, fooling around outside, going home is the last thing he’d do.”

Jiang Fei grinned. “Oh, so you’ve got experience in this, huh?”

Fang Yuan rolled his eyes at him. “Been a few days since I gave you a beating, huh? Forgotten that I’m a Sanda champion?”

At the mention of “Sanda champion,” Jiang Fei quickly took a few steps back. “I don’t dare, I don’t dare. Can’t beat you, but I can hide.”

As they chatted, they were stopped at the front desk. “Hello, gentlemen, do you have an appointment?”

Fang Yuan stood in front of Jiang Fei, using his body to block others’ view as he flashed his badge. “We need you to contact your boss, Li He.”

The receptionist glanced at the badge and quickly made a call. “The boss is in a meeting. I’ll take you to his office to wait.”

Fang Yuan and Jiang Fei exchanged a look and followed her. In the elevator, Fang Yuan casually asked, “How does your boss treat you guys?”

The receptionist hesitated, turning to look at Fang Yuan, who smiled and said, “Just curious.”

“Our boss is nice to us. Sometimes he takes us out for meals and stuff,” she said, then quickly added, “Only a few times, for team-building.”

Fang Yuan nodded. “No need to be nervous. Just asking.”

She led them to Li He’s office. “Wait here, please. He’ll be here shortly.”

“Thank you.” Fang Yuan smiled.

Once inside, Jiang Fei started to whistle. “Wow, rich people sure live differently. All high-end stuff.”

He bent down to examine a cup on the table. “Hey, Fang Yuan, look at this cup. Worth over ten thousand, more than several months of our salary.”

Fang Yuan was about to lecture Jiang Fei when the office door opened. “Good afternoon, officers. Make yourselves at home.”

Li He picked up his cup and sat across from Fang Yuan. “What can I do for you, officers?”

Fang Yuan didn’t beat around the bush and pushed a photo of Chen Yuxin towards Li He. “Do you know her?”

Li He froze mid-drink, his gaze shifting away. “No.”

“The surveillance shows you entered a snack street with her early on June 14th. Still saying you don’t know her?” Jiang Fei interjected. “Need me to show you the footage?”

Li He frowned, placing his cup down, and crossed his legs. “I know her. Is my wife making you investigate me? How much do you need? Name your price.”

Fang Yuan slapped the table. “Show some respect. We suspect you’re involved in a murder case. Come with us.”

He pulled out the warrant and placed it before Li He. Panic flashed in Li He’s eyes. “I haven’t gone anywhere these days. You can ask my colleagues. They can vouch for me. What murder case? I know nothing about it.”

“Keep playing dumb.” Fang Yuan pursed his lips. “Don’t know that Chen Yuxin is dead?”

Li He went cold as a statue. “You said Yuxin is dead?”

Fang Yuan smirked. “Still acting? Let’s chat more at the station.”

---

Following Zhang Deli’s report, the higher-ups took the case seriously, forming a special team for the 327 case. They all knew that once one case appeared, it wouldn’t stop.

Pei Qinghuai sat in the meeting room, speaking calmly. “A new counterattack begins.”

“Teacher Pei,” Cheng Ye addressed him.

Pei Qinghuai looked at him, puzzled, while Cheng Ye’s smile deepened. “Time for a new title.”

“Officer Pei.”

Pei Qinghuai chuckled. “Would you never call me Officer Pei if this case hadn’t resurfaced?”

“Of course not!” Cheng Ye quickly defended, leaning closer. “Look how well we work together.”

“Captain Cheng! We brought him in. Jiang Fei is interrogating him now.” Fang Yuan announced, pushing open the meeting room door.

“I’ll head over. You all continue.” Cheng Ye said.

“Got it, Captain.”

As Fang Yuan left, Cheng Ye turned back to Pei Qinghuai. “They haven’t faced a major case yet. Officer Pei, you’ll have to guide them.”

Pei Qinghuai smirked. He would have shared his knowledge regardless, but seeing Cheng Ye’s earnest expression, he couldn’t resist teasing. “Stop calling me Officer Pei. It gives me goosebumps.”

“So you agree?” Cheng Ye blinked.

“You still don’t see me as a comrade, treating me like a superior?” Pei Qinghuai said, holding back laughter.

Cheng Ye grinned, throwing an arm around Pei Qinghuai’s shoulders. “Thanks a lot, Officer Pei.”