The Truth in the Shadows

After leaving the detention center, Zhao Tiemin furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "Do you think what Zhang Chao said at the end was trustworthy?"

Yan Liang smiled lightly, his tone casual. "Who knows? Let's investigate based on what he said."

"Investigate based on what he said?" Zhao Tiemin stopped in his tracks, staring at him in disbelief. "He's the prime suspect himself. He's definitely trying to mislead us!"

"He's not misleading us," Yan Liang shook his head. "Since the killer wasn't Zhang Chao, to find the murderer, we have to start by looking at the victim, Jiang Yang. He didn't mention it, but we would have done this investigation anyway."

Zhao Tiemin muttered to himself, "Seems like you and Director Gao are on the same page."

Yan Liang raised an eyebrow, curious. "Director Gao thinks the same?"

"Yes," Zhao Tiemin replied. "Director Gao said Zhang Chao has been evading the truth and hasn't given us a clear answer. We can't get any answers from him. Since that's the case, why don't we drop Zhang Chao for now and treat this case like an unsolved murder from months ago? The first step of the investigation, by protocol, is to look into the victim's relationships."

Yan Liang paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Looks like great minds think alike. Zhang Chao mentioned Jiang Yang's belongings and communication records, so I'll head to the crime scene first."

"The crime scene?" Zhao Tiemin frowned. "After I took over the case, I sent people there right away. We didn't find any new clues. Although the house is still empty and hasn't been rented out, Zhang Chao's wife cleaned it, so any traces left would have already been destroyed."

"Is that so…" Yan Liang frowned, wondering aloud, "I wonder if Jiang Yang's belongings have been completely thrown away."

"I'm not sure. If you want to go, I can arrange for someone to take you there right now."

Yan Liang nodded. "How about Lin Qi comes with me? I don't know the others on your team."

Lin Qi was one of Zhao Tiemin's trusted subordinates, and Yan Liang had worked with him on a few cases before.

"Alright, I'll send someone from the technical team with you as well."

"No need. Lin Qi will do."

"No technical team?" Zhao Tiemin asked, puzzled. "You two don't specialize in micro-evidence collection. It's been so long, and the place has already been cleaned. What could we possibly find?"

"I'm not looking for physical evidence," Yan Liang said confidently.

Lin Qi drove Yan Liang to the crime scene, arriving there by night. The house was located in an old community built in the early '90s, not very big—about 60 square meters. The entrance led to a small living room, with two bedrooms connected to a small balcony. From the doorway, one could see the entire layout of the house.

Lin Qi switched on the living room light.

The walls were painted white, though most of the paint had chipped off. The floor was covered with dark grey synthetic marble, typical of the '90s, making the room feel even darker. At night, knowing it was the crime scene, there was an eerie chill in the air. The furniture was simple—an old cloth sofa, a wooden bed frame, a yellow bookshelf, and some household appliances.

Lin Qi pointed to a spot in the living room. "Zhang Chao later confessed that when he entered, he found the suitcase here. When he opened it, he found Jiang Yang's body inside."

Yan Liang glanced over, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy. He turned to ask, "Where did he originally say he killed Jiang Yang?"

"On the balcony."

"Let's go take a look."

Yan Liang and Lin Qi crossed the bedroom and stepped onto the balcony. Just as Yan Liang reached out to turn on the light, he caught a glimpse of a white face—almost a meter away. A woman in black with long hair locked eyes with them.

They both jumped back, startled, and shouted, "Who are you?!"

"You must be the police," the woman calmly switched on the light, her tone soft and composed. Under the light, she looked nothing like the ghostly image they had first imagined—she was, in fact, quite beautiful.

Appearing late at night in this old house, they immediately guessed this must be Zhang Chao's wife.

Yan Liang had reviewed the case materials and remembered she was several years younger than Zhang Chao, around 35 or 36, though she looked much younger than her age.

Women usually face a rough patch around 30, but she seemed to defy this trend, maintaining flawless skin and a figure that suggested she had aged gracefully. Both men couldn't help but take a second glance. It was no wonder Zhang Chao treated her so well; after all, she was significantly younger and a beauty. Their marriage seemed enviable.

The woman moved gracefully, introducing herself. "I'm Zhang Chao's wife. The police called me and said they needed to revisit the scene, so if I had time, I should come by to prevent any valuable items from being lost or damaged."

Yan Liang looked around the room, asking, "Are there any valuable items left here?"

There was nothing in sight except a stack of items that looked like clothes racks and miscellaneous objects behind her.

The woman waved her hand. "There's nothing valuable. Feel free to look around. I came here just to see how the investigation into my husband's case is progressing."

Lin Qi coughed and gave a formal response, "The case is still under investigation. As you know, your husband was caught at the subway station with the suitcase, which is hard to explain. There are many doubts that need to be verified. If you have any leads, it would help the investigation."

"I see." The woman replied lazily, almost as if she didn't care too much about her husband's predicament. She turned and walked into the living room.

Yan Liang watched her back and followed her inside.

She invited them to sit, but her expression was neutral, giving no hint of concern about Zhang Chao's case.

Yan Liang studied her face for a few seconds before asking, "Do you believe your husband is innocent?"

"I don't know. I'm confused about the whole thing."

"Has he never told you anything?"

"No." She answered quickly.

Yan Liang pondered her response for a moment before changing the subject. "What do you know about Jiang Yang?"

"You must know too. He was a terrible person. He was my husband's student and friend, but he tricked us out of 300,000. I told Zhang Chao repeatedly that he shouldn't trust Jiang Yang to change his ways and lend him money, but he was so generous, sigh." She seemed to harbor resentment toward both Zhang Chao and Jiang Yang.

Yan Liang frowned. "Did Jiang Yang have any enemies?"

"I don't know much. I heard his relationships were complicated. Zhang Chao probably knows more about that."

Yan Liang rubbed his forehead. It seemed like he wouldn't get much more out of her, so he asked the question that had been on his mind since he arrived. "Are Jiang Yang's belongings still here?"

"Most of them have been thrown away. At first, I didn't touch anything, thinking his family might come by to collect his things. Later, only his ex-wife came with the police, but she didn't take anything. I came by alone afterward, and when I looked around, some of his personal items gave me a strange feeling. I got your permission to throw away his towels, toothbrushes, cups, and clothes. Now, all that's left are the books on the shelf. Some were my husband's, and some might have been Jiang Yang's. I'm not sure."

"Books?" Yan Liang stood up and walked over to the shelf. There were three rows of books, most of them law-related, neatly arranged. The top two rows contained large legal textbooks, while the bottom row held some scattered legal materials.

He pulled out a green booklet from the far right. It was titled "People's Republic of China Prosecutor Law," and since Jiang Yang had once been a prosecutor, this booklet likely belonged to him.

However, Yan Liang immediately noticed the booklet was very new, printed in January of this year. Jiang Yang had stopped being a prosecutor years ago. Why would he still buy a booklet on the Prosecutor Law?

Yan Liang thought for a moment before flipping it open. As he opened the first page, an A4 sheet of paper, folded, slipped out. He picked it up—it was a photocopy of an ID card. The name on it was "Hou Guiping," and the booklet's cover had "Hou Guiping" written in pen, followed by three exclamation marks.

Yan Liang tucked the booklet away and showed it to the woman. "Take a look at this handwriting. Is it your husband's or Jiang Yang's?"

The woman took the booklet, turned away to examine it under the light, avoiding their gaze. Her chest rose and fell slightly, and after a deep breath, she handed the booklet back to Yan Liang. "It should be Jiang Yang's. This isn't my husband's handwriting."

Yan Liang nodded, then asked, "Who is Hou Guiping? Do you know him?"

The woman's expression remained flat as she answered, "Jiang Yang's university classmate, also Zhang Chao's student. He's a bit… stubborn."