Chapter 281 166: Case Filed! [Ghost Messenger Case!]

The bailiffs came up again, practiced in their movements, and led Liu Li away.

"Tsk, this fucking case is really something else."

Li Jianye grumbled under his breath.

He'd never imagined that in a crime of passion, the mistress and the husband could be the same person...

In a way, the guy hadn't even cheated.

Of course, Zhao Shui wasn't concerned about that. He hesitated for a moment before asking:

"What's going on with Liu Li?"

"Nothing much. She just couldn't accept it. And no, I don't mean she couldn't accept how twisted it was."

"She couldn't accept the fact that from the very beginning, Qin Zhong never cared about her."

Xu Huo said casually. He then paused for a moment and stood up.

He added, "What broke Liu Li was never the wedding dress."

"It was that Qin Zhong, from start to finish, only ever saw her as a tool to escape the nagging of his family elders."

"Yes, in Liu Li's eyes, if there hadn't been a mistress, maybe she could have spent the rest of her life with Qin Zhong, even if he showed very little emotion."

"But this video completely demolished the walls she had built up in her heart."

People always love to find excuses.

Excuses for success, excuses for failure, excuses for happiness.

And likewise, excuses for weakness.

It's like when you have your first crush. Facing the person you like, you always wonder, 'Did I not do well enough? Is it because I'm not good enough? Do I just need to try a little harder?'

But that's not how it really is.

The reality is simple.

No matter how much of a chameleon you are, if someone doesn't like you, they just don't. Why would there be any other reason?

Words can seem so weightless, yet they have the power to kill a person's deepest aspirations.

It might not seem like much, but the psychological blow to an individual can be fatal.

"Alright, wrap this case up as soon as possible."

Xu Huo had already stood up and didn't linger to chat.

He headed for the door, speaking as he walked.

"If anything else unusual comes up with the case, you can contact me. As for now... remember to transfer the money to my account."

"Oh, and you can consider the info from the hotel owner a freebie."

With that, he walked out of the interrogation room, leaving only Li Jianye and Zhao Shui behind.

He had driven his own car, so he didn't need to leave with them.

Zhao Shui and Li Jianye stared at each other in dismay, then sighed in unison.

Their eyes had certainly been opened.

One video had taught them that a man's hips... could be so flexible!

But the image left them feeling completely stunned, as if an atomic bomb had gone off in their brains.

Until...

"RING RING RING~"

A cell phone began to ring.

Li Jianye instinctively pulled his out and glanced at the caller ID: Boss.

'This is... Chu Linhai!?'

He pressed the button to answer.

The moment the call connected, a voice came from the other end.

"Hello? Xiao Li, what's the status of the case?"

It was Chu Linhai's voice. He seemed quite interested in the results of spending money to solve the case.

Li Jianye hadn't reported on the matter yet.

Firstly, it was late. Secondly, the case was unusual; they had the killer, but lacked a solid chain of evidence.

The City Bureau only cared if the killer was caught; the evidence was for the prosecutor and the courts. So, instead of reporting to Chu Linhai immediately, he had first brought Liu Li in to confirm things by her reaction.

"This case..."

Li Jianye was at a loss, his brow furrowed. He didn't quite know how to explain it.

"Is the case solved or not!?" Chu Linhai demanded.

"It's solved. Very quickly, actually. We have a video clue that will help the police close the case, but I don't know how to explain it..."

"A video?" Chu Linhai's voice held a hint of confusion.

"Yes, a video..."

Li Jianye trailed off. He instinctively glanced at Zhao Shui.

In that instant, they both saw the mischievous glint in each other's eyes.

'This video... we can't be the only ones to see it, can we?'

'Surely, we can't be the only two to suffer this mental scarring!?'

Sure enough, Chu Linhai's next words were music to his ears.

"A video? That's simple."

"If it's a video, then it's meant to be watched."

"Xiao Li, you and Xiao Zhao come back now. I'll watch the video myself and file the paperwork to close the case at the same time."

Chu Linhai said, completely unfazed.

"Boss, are you sure? This video is a little... you know..."

Li Jianye's heart skipped a beat, but he suppressed his excitement.

"What 'you know'? We're veteran detectives with decades of experience. Show some composure!"

Chu Linhai's tone was tinged with dissatisfaction.

"I've been on the job for nearly thirty years. What kind of crime scene haven't I been to?"

"What kind of dismembered corpse haven't I personally pieced back together!?"

"It's just a crime of passion."

"A mere video isn't going to scare me!"

Hearing this, Li Jianye and Zhao Shui paused. By a tacit understanding, neither of them replied.

"Just bring it back!" Chu Linhai said.

"Yes, sir!"

...

...

Chu Linhai was a highly capable man.

He was an army veteran who had killed in the line of duty and earned numerous commendations. After leaving the military, he worked his way up to the position of Bureau Chief.

He considered himself to have seen his fair share of deviants and to know the depths of human depravity.

But...

「January 2nd, 11:00 AM.」

In his office at the Jiangsan City Bureau, Chu Linhai was lost in deep thought.

"Take it away! Take it away!"

"Get it away from me now!"

Chu Linhai looked at Li Jianye beside him with a pained expression, his eyes filled with speechless exasperation.

Right now, his eyes were burning, as if someone had replaced his eye drops with chili oil.

Heaven knows what he just saw!

"Boss, so the case can be closed now, right?"

Li Jianye felt a great sense of relief, but he didn't let it show on his face.