Chapter 591 - 492: He Is the Most Suspicious

Chapter 591: Chapter 492: He Is the Most Suspicious

The breakthrough came from Cui Xuesong.

He had stayed behind at the precinct to take statements from the employees at Li Siyu’s company.

And just moments ago, he had confirmed something.

Someone had lied!

The full name of the company Li Siyu worked for was Shenghao Entertainment Culture Co., Ltd.

It had a registered capital of one million.

There were three shareholders.

The majority shareholder was the company’s owner, Wang Liang. According to him, the other two were business associates who were simply investors.

Excluding Wang Liang, the company had 34 employees.

The office was located in the New District Industrial Park, 3.7 kilometers from Orange Apartment.

The company wasn’t large, with 11 streamers of various types currently on its roster.

Seven of them, including Doniya and Li Siyu, were attractive female talent streamers.

The other four focused on game streaming and tech reviews.

They primarily focused on two types of platforms.

One was traditional streaming platforms like Douyu, and the other was emerging short-video platforms.

Then there were dedicated agents, like Li Siyu’s agent Zhu Wenjuan, who was in charge of the streamers’ daily schedules.

There were also scriptwriters, camera operators, makeup artists, editors, data analysts, and business development staff in the office.

Thirteen of the employees were male.

The preliminary examination indicated that Li Siyu had been strangled to death.

Strangling an adult woman to death is no easy feat.

Therefore, the suspicion fell more heavily on the men.

In the car, Liu Baoqing turned from the passenger seat. "Actually, right after the case broke, I had my eye on this Wang Liang."

"From the start, we were considering a crime of passion—the classic story of a mistress trying to force her way into the picture. If that was the case, the man involved would have to have some money, right?"

"In the entire company, I felt only Wang Liang fit the bill."

"This Wang Liang is married and has a son. And after asking around at the company, some people mentioned that Wang Liang and his wife don’t have a good relationship. Apparently, his wife would occasionally show up at the office to pick a fight."

"It’s unclear if they were heading for a divorce, but if Wang Liang was having an affair, he’d be the at-fault party in any asset division."

"So that constitutes a motive."

Shen Xin nodded slightly.

Clearly, Liu Baoqing had already considered the possibility of the killer being an acquaintance and the whole mistress-making-a-play scenario right after the case broke.

And he even had a suspect in mind.

"We asked Doniya and a few others who were close to Li Siyu. They all said she didn’t have many friends and her social life was quite simple. That also indirectly adds to the suspicion on Wang Liang."

"We questioned Wang Liang. His itinerary yesterday was working at the office in the morning, then meeting a client with someone from business development in the afternoon to discuss a marketing plan."

"They were supposed to have dinner together, but the client had something come up, so he went home by himself."

"He lives in Li Lake Garden but also owns a place in Vanke City Garden. He said his wife and child live at the Vanke City Garden apartment."

"So he was home alone yesterday. Then, a little after 8:00 PM, he got bored and drove out to go fishing."

"He didn’t get back until 11:00 PM."

At the mention of fishing, Shen Xin asked with a hint of amusement if by any chance he had gone fishing at Shitang Mountain Reservoir.

His home in Li Lake Garden wasn’t far from Shitang Mountain Reservoir.

Liu Baoqing caught his meaning and smiled, shaking his head. "Not quite. He said he went fishing by the river under Huating Bridge. Said he goes there often because there aren’t many people and you can catch big crucian carp."

"He claimed someone saw him there last night. Old Cui’s team is looking into it now."

"And what do you know? We were checking the parking garage’s entry and exit logs over here and got a match with his car."

"The guy lied. He didn’t go fishing at all yesterday. He went to Orange Apartment."

"He entered the north entrance of the Zone B parking garage at 8:26 PM and didn’t leave until 10:47 PM."

He had concealed his whereabouts and lied.

That sent the suspicion against him skyrocketing.

Liu Baoqing looked at Zhang Hancheng and said, "Zhang Zhi, Wang Liang coming to Orange Apartment... he must have been there to see Li Siyu."

"He stayed for over two hours. Their relationship was clearly not ordinary. They might have had a fight. For example, maybe Li Siyu threatened to expose him."

"He might have placated Li Siyu for the time being, but after going home, the idea of killing her took root, and he returned to Orange Apartment."

"And this time, he came with a plan. After killing Li Siyu, he set fire to the scene and used the chaos to steal the video recorder."

"Old Cui had people check on Wang Liang’s whereabouts. It’s been confirmed that after Wang Liang’s Mercedes returned to his residential complex, it didn’t leave again."

"But he could have taken a taxi. That would also conveniently avoid leaving another entry and exit record in the parking garage."

"Didn’t Odin track the scent to the parking garage before? It’s just a few steps from there to the main road. He could have easily hailed a cab to get away. It fits the escape route."

Shen Xin interrupted Liu Baoqing.

"Captain Liu, I re-ran the track with Celestial Skill. I’m certain the suspect got into a car inside the parking garage."

"If he had walked to the road to hail a cab, the scent trail wouldn’t have ended there."

This was the very point Shen Xin had been about to explain.

Liu Baoqing was taken aback. He asked Shen Xin if he was sure. "It’s only a few steps. Couldn’t there be some deviation?"

Shen Xin shook his head and said there wouldn’t be.

Liu Baoqing hesitated. "Then maybe he called a ride-hailing service and had the car drive into the garage."

"Or maybe he has another car? For example, he could have driven a company car."

"Besides, it’s just a few steps. Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"

’Just a few steps, and Celestial Skill is that certain?’

Zhang Hancheng raised a hand. "This is simple. Just have the police dog confirm Wang Liang’s scent."

Liu Baoqing paused, then said quickly, "Right, right, right. How could I be so muddled? We’ll know for sure once Celestial Skill and the others get a sniff."

The suspect was tracked by scent, after all.

If Wang Liang did it, one sniff would be enough to confirm it.

At that, Liu Baoqing said no more and urged the driver to speed up.

Shen Xin secretly glanced at Zhang Hancheng.

According to Liu Baoqing’s theory, the suspicion on Wang Liang was indeed very high.

He had the means to get involved with her, he had a possible motive, and most importantly, he was now the last person known to have seen Li Siyu, and he had lied about it.

Just as Liu Baoqing said, it was possible he left and then returned to commit the murder.

’But Zhang Hancheng’s reaction didn’t seem particularly excited.’

’They’ve identified a key suspect, and there’s hope of cracking the case. His reaction shouldn’t be this calm.’

’Now he was just frowning slightly, lost in thought. It felt like he had other ideas about this case.’

By the time they rushed back to the precinct, it was already 12:40.

Because he had lied, suspicion on Wang Liang had increased dramatically. His questioning had been moved from an office to an interrogation room.

Cui Xuesong was interrogating him personally.

He was practically spitting as he yelled, slamming down a photo of the parking garage log for him to see.

The license plate was clearly visible. It was his Mercedes S-Class.

The angle from the gate’s camera was decent, but because it was night, the fill light that illuminated the license plate caused a reflection on the front windshield. The driver inside wasn’t captured clearly.

But the car was, without a doubt, Wang Liang’s.

And even if the gate camera was crap, the road surveillance cameras were another story.

He had come from the south, heading north along Guan Nan Road, and made a left turn at the intersection.

The road surveillance footage was crystal clear: he was the one driving.

So, the fact that he went to Orange Apartment around 8:30 was indisputable. The evidence was irrefutable.

Wang Liang was forty-three, and tall at a little over 1.8 meters.

He was well-maintained, with fair skin and a side-parted hairstyle. He must have exercised regularly, as he had a lean, fit build.

His features were regular and well-proportioned.

Add in his successful career and wealth, and he was the type of man who was very much in demand.

Right now, under Cui Xuesong’s intense questioning, he looked a little flustered, insisting that he had only gone to see Li Siyu to discuss work and that their relationship was purely professional.

As Shen Xin walked in, he heard Cui Xuesong bellow, "Discussing work at her home? A man and a woman, alone, talking for two hours? Wang Liang, do you take us for fools?"

Shen Xin was privately amused, but he couldn’t help feeling a sense of unease.

’If Celestial Skill and the others confirm the scent belongs to Wang Liang, then this case is as good as solved.’

Wang Liang clenched his jaw and said nothing. Then he saw Shen Xin leading Celestial Skill and Odin and asked nervously what was going on.

Following procedure, and also to secure evidence, Shen Xin informed him that they would be using the police dogs to confirm his connection to the crime.

After speaking, Shen Xin quietly observed Wang Liang.

’There was definitely panic on his face, but it was mixed with more confusion and contemplation.’

Shen Xin’s heart sank slightly.

Wang Liang’s eyes darted around, and he even asked if he could refuse.

Cui Xuesong snapped, "Did you understand me? I’m informing you, not negotiating with you."

Wang Liang even shot back, "Then why bother telling me?"

Shen Xin said no more and led Celestial Skill and Odin forward.

In the adjacent observation room, Zhang Hancheng and the others were all present, watching with rapt attention.

Yang Zeran was there too, muttering to Zhao Tianxing that there was no need to watch; it was definitely him.

Li Siyu had joined the company back in ’14, then gotten plastic surgery and become so beautiful. Having an affair with the boss would be perfectly normal.

But in the next moment, Celestial Skill and Odin each barked twice.

"Holy shit, it’s not him?" Zhao Tianxing cried out in disbelief.

He knew that two barks meant a negative.

Shen Xin gently stroked Celestial Skill, asking if she was sure.

Celestial Skill moved closer to Wang Liang, sniffed him carefully, and again barked twice.

’It’s not him.’

She was certain.

Odin was the same.

Wang Liang asked nervously, "What does that mean?"

Shen Xin glanced at him, shot a look at Cui Xuesong, and they left the interrogation room together.

The observation room next door had erupted into chaos.

Liu Baoqing’s eyes were wide with disbelief. "How can that be? This guy lied and hid his whereabouts. He was our prime suspect."

His subordinates nodded in agreement.

Yang Zeran scratched his head fiercely. The moment Shen Xin entered, he asked if it was possible Celestial Skill and the others had made a mistake.

The perpetrator was an acquaintance who had only left Li Siyu’s home close to 11:00 PM.

Crucially, he had also lied and intentionally concealed his whereabouts.

His marriage was also in a bad state.

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a classic story of a mistress trying to force her way up, culminating in a crime of passion.

Shen Xin didn’t answer, his own brows knitting together.

’The scent source Celestial Skill and Odin tracked came from the security room. That was the scent of the suspect who stole the video recorder.’

’Since it wasn’t Wang Liang, his suspicion for murder was almost completely eliminated.’

’It’s not like he only committed the murder, and then someone else helped him steal the video recorder.’

’Besides, the time of the crime could also be narrowed down: sometime between 10:47 PM and 1:37 AM.’

’But if it wasn’t him, then who could it be?’

’Her top patron?’

’Or was it just a burglary that escalated to murder?’