Chapter 1034: How Many Left?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It wasn’t long before more police arrived on the scene, together with ambulances and fire trucks. Under the command of the police, they cleared up the mess.
Cheng Lingfei’s case had been investigated by Zhao Yu and Miao Ying, but the nature of their jobs was different. This meant that they could only hand the case over to the police. As the vice-captain of the Special Investigation Group, Miao Ying could only provide background support.
Furthermore, Cheng Lingfei’s case involved the barn fire, so a different investigating unit rushed to the scene, and Miao Ying had to help them with the case.
Logically speaking, Miao Ying’s priority should have been revealing everything to her superiors. After all, Cheng Lingfei’s case did involve a massive crime syndicate. The issue had escalated, and she had to be careful how she dealt with the consequences. Furthermore, she had to tell her superiors about Zhao Yu’s revival as soon as possible to prevent further complications.
But Miao Ying couldn’t care less about this at the moment. She left the reporting to the other police officers and followed Zhao Yu to the car Cheng Lingfei was in. At this point, she was only concerned about the Rural Cooperatives Homicide Case from 13 years ago! The moment they reached the police car, they waved away the other police officers and medical staff and prepared to interrogate Cheng Lingfei on the spot.
Zhao Yu thought that it was the perfect time to interrogate Cheng Lingfei. As the saying goes, there are many dreams in one night. Who knew what this shrewd woman would do once she reached the police station. She could affect future interrogations! He intended to strike while the iron was hot and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Zhao Yu was good at reading the room, and he knew that when Cheng Lingfei saw him and Miao Ying appear, she would know what they wanted. Instead of making her agitated, he waved calmly at her and said, “Cheng Lingfei, your child is safe. Don’t forget what you promised me earlier.”
Cheng Lingfei let out a cough. She was in a completely different state from the usual cold and serious charade she put up. Her mind was weak, her hair was a mess and she no longer looked like a princess. All she had was a blank, expressionless face. Seeing her cough, Miao Ying passed her a bottle of water.
The handcuffed Cheng Lingfei had no intention of drinking and placed the bottle beside her, resting her head on the back of the seat. “Actually… I wanted to answer your fifth question before, but…”
Zhao Yu immediately understood what she meant. This time, instead of stealing the spotlight, he decided to keep quiet.
“But,” Cheng Lingfei continued, “my subordinates came in too quickly! I just…didn’t want them to know. After all, this secret has been kept for so long. Although they probably knew Yang Zebiao was my husband, they didn’t know the entire truth, nor did they dare to ask. I didn’t want them to know about my past either…”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu’s and Miao Ying’s eyes met. Cheng Lingfei was preparing to tell the truth.
“I’m guessing because you guys found me so suddenly, there’s no way you could have done a thorough check on me, right?” Cheng Lingfei asked as she stared numbly at the roof. “Even if you did, it wouldn’t have been detailed.”
“Solving cases is interesting. If you can’t find the suspect, you’re perpetually confused, but the minute you have a suspect and as long as you dig a little, everything reveals itself. In that sense, all my preventive measures were for naught.”
Although Cheng Lingfei was emotionless when she said this, Zhao Yu and Miao Ying felt something from her words.
“You wouldn’t have expected this, but I began to handle firearms when I was only 8!” Cheng Lingfei said candidly. “Many people don’t know this. Even Wu Fangfang doesn’t know this for certain!”
Zhao Yu and Miao Ying didn’t think Cheng Lingfei would lead with such a statement and were speechless. What did she mean by handling firearms when she was 8?
“Don’t misunderstand!” Cheng Lingfei smiled. “It’s the shooting club! I joined the Gao Lanqi shooting club and began training when I was 8. I was even able to represent Gao Lanqi at a sports meet when I was 13. But because I was so young, I only managed to participate in group events and didn’t win.”
Oh? Zhao Yu frowned. He had read through Cheng Lingfei’s file but saw no mention of this. The information they had on her was definitely lacking.
“I joined the shooting team for three reasons,” Cheng Lingfei recalled as she closed her eyes. “First, at that time I was myopic, and someone said shooting can cure myopia, so I chose shooting. Secondly, the coach liked me and said I was a natural. Lastly, at that time my family was quarreling all the time, and dad arranged for me to practice shooting to avoid the fighting!”
Zhao Yu had heard that Gao Lanqi’s shooting team was famous in the country, and they had even trained several Olympic champions. Shooting had always been Gao Lanqi’s forte, and the way they trained their youths was excellent. But why would Cheng Lingfei talk about this? Could it be…
“At that time, I didn’t think too much about it. I thought shooting and playing the cello were things that made me happy. My mum disapproved and under her insistence, I had to give it up! My mum thought I was spending too much time practicing shooting, and it was disrupting my studies and cello practice. Also, a girl playing with guns would ruin her image. Basically, she didn’t want me to practice! So, you guys must now understand why I’m familiar with guns, yes?”
Zhao Yu let out a soft hum.
“Hmph!” Cheng Lingfei snorted out of habit, regaining her spirit. “That b*stard Wang Xuejun bullied my mum and caused her to have an abortion. Twice! Zhao Meng is scum as well. Long ago, at a dinner, he humiliated my mother and me in public! Xie Mengqin was a toxic woman, always using underhand means to suppress my father’s barn. If it wasn’t for her, my dad wouldn’t have died so early…”
Hearing Cheng Lingfei’s words, Zhao Yu instantly felt goosebumps and a chill ran down his spine. Wang Xuejin, Zhao Meng, and Xie Mengqin: weren’t they all the victims of the Rural Cooperatives Homicide Case? That meant…
“Other than that, those three had one common trait,” Cheng Lingfei raised her head and said eerily. “They called me an illegitimate child, a b*stard kid, and even scolded my mother for being shameless. So, Officer Zhao, Officer Miao! Right from the start, the police have been investigating the wrong lead!” Cheng Lingfei’s eyes were filled with hatred as she gritted her teeth. “The Rural Cooperatives Homicide Case was only the start! You can go and search. How many of those who scolded me are still alive now?!”