Chapter 150: Deepening Suspicion, a Shattered Deduction

At the school gate, Su Yuqing emerged this time with an expectant, searching gaze.

When she spotted Chen Mo’s figure standing among the crowd, her face immediately lit up, and she quickened her pace toward him.

This time, the two said nothing more. They shared a knowing smile and turned to head home.

On the way, Chen Mo suddenly brought something up. "By the way, Yuqing..."

"Hm?" Su Yuqing looked at Chen Mo, her curiosity piqued.

"Does your stepfather have a brother who looks exactly like him?"

Though she was curious why Chen Mo would ask, Su Yuqing answered directly, "Yes, he does. Why?"

"It’s nothing. I just remembered seeing someone who looked a lot like your stepfather standing next to him at the hospital last night," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"That’s Uncle Li Tie. He’s a great person. Whenever he comes over, he buys me and Mingyu tasty snacks and fun toys."

"But a lot of the time, he does it behind my mom and Uncle Li Gang’s backs, because he’s afraid they’d be unhappy if they found out."

Chen Mo saw a look of pure happiness on Su Yuqing’s face as she recalled Li Tie.

Clearly, he had made a good impression on her.

But that was only natural.

Under Li Fengzhi’s strict control, Su Yuqing had many desires forcibly suppressed from a young age.

Her desire for tasty food, for fun toys, for beautiful things.

And Li Tie’s appearance, to a certain extent, helped her release some of those suppressed desires.

It also allowed her to relax and feel a sense of joy during those fleeting moments.

However, even though Li Tie’s actions had benefited Su Yuqing, once Chen Mo had designated him as a prime suspect, everything became part of a presumption of guilt.

’In Chen Mo’s eyes, the positive things Su Yuqing mentioned—like Li Tie buying her snacks and toys—were purely to build trust, paving the way for his future crimes.’

He had absolutely no trust in Li Tie right now.

’Still, Li Tie was smart enough to avoid suspicion. Every time he bought Su Yuqing snacks and toys, he also brought along his own nephew, Li Mingyu.’

’Otherwise, if he’d ignored his own nephew to dote on his step-niece, people would have immediately seen his ulterior motives.’

Seeing the happy look on Su Yuqing’s face as she spoke of Li Tie, Chen Mo couldn’t bring himself to shatter her fond image of him. Instead, he continued, "Does this Uncle Li Tie visit your home often?"

"Very rarely. He usually lives in his village. He only stays in the city for a few days if he has business here," Su Yuqing said after a moment’s thought.

Then she added happily, "The first thing he does every time he comes to the city is buy snacks and toys for me and Mingyu. He’s a really great uncle."

"So when was the last time he came to the city?" Chen Mo asked quickly.

"Recently?" Su Yuqing thought for a moment. "It was Thursday. He came by last Thursday to bring some snacks for me and Mingyu. He stayed for a few hours, played games with Mingyu for a bit, and then left."

After she finished, Su Yuqing looked at Chen Mo curiously. Even if she was a bit slow on the uptake, she was starting to find this strange.

Chen Mo was, after all, asking about someone he had no connection with.

She couldn’t figure out why.

’Is it just because he looks so much like Uncle Li Gang? Is he just curious about them being identical?’

"Last Thursday!?"

Hearing that, everything clicked into place for Chen Mo.

’Su Yuqing’s attack happened last Friday night, during the rain.’

’Li Tie came to the city on Thursday. That means he had the opportunity to act on Friday night.’

’There was just one problem. Li Tie lived in the village year-round. How would he know the layout of the city’s surveillance cameras?’

’How did he so expertly avoid all the cameras to reach that blind spot, attempt to rape her, and then try to kill her when he was nearly discovered by a passerby?’

’It was very strange.’

Even if Chen Mo was working from a presumption of guilt, his reasoning couldn’t progress unless he solved these issues.

His reasoning had hit a wall. Chen Mo needed more clues.

He looked at Su Yuqing, wondering how much more she knew about Li Tie.

"What’s wrong? Why do you keep asking about Uncle Li Tie?" Su Yuqing couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and looked at Chen Mo in confusion.

"Seeing him reminded me of something, so I asked a few questions to see if he might be someone I know," Chen Mo said, trying to laugh it off.

Then he continued, "You said he comes into the city every few months. Where does he usually stay?"

"He runs a small factory in his village, and he has a warehouse near the old district. When he’s in the city, he stays there," Su Yuqing said after some thought.

’Another piece connected.’

’The thread he’d just lost was instantly reconnected.’

’Normally, someone who lived in a village wouldn’t be familiar with the city’s surveillance network.’

’Especially not in the old district, an area he’d rarely visit.’

’But if Li Tie had a warehouse near the old district, it was possible he was quite familiar with the area.’

’However, the route from her home to the old district was still covered by plenty of cameras.’

’Just being familiar with the old district probably wasn’t enough.’

"You said he runs a factory. What does it make?" Chen Mo asked immediately.

"Just a small one, something to do with security doors," Su Yuqing said, recalling. "I heard he has a lot of customers in the city. Sometimes he comes here more often because he’s gotten a new job."

’So he has both the means and the need to travel all over the city.’

Chen Mo mulled this over. Li Tie’s stock as a suspect was rising fast in his mind.

He was not only a person of interest but also met some of the prerequisites for committing the crime, making it hard not to see him as increasingly suspicious.

The initial question of how a villager like Li Tie could be so familiar with the city was now completely resolved.

’But now there’s an even bigger problem. In this timeline, he hasn’t committed the crime yet. How can I prove he has malicious intent?’

’Actually, that part wouldn’t be too hard.’

’If he really is the culprit, his interest in Su Yuqing couldn’t have been a sudden whim.’

’He must have been thinking about it for a long time.’

’Otherwise, how could he have deliberately avoided all the cameras while following Su Yuqing over such a long distance?’

’If that’s the case, then he must have harbored inappropriate feelings for Su Yuqing all along.’

’By focusing on that, it should be easy to force him to show his hand.’

’Recalling the look Li Tie gave him last night, Chen Mo knew it wouldn’t be hard to bait the hook and lure him in.’

But just as he zeroed in on Li Tie, a massive question suddenly flashed through Chen Mo’s mind.

The thought made him freeze in place, stopping dead in his tracks.

Because this one question had the potential to make all his deductions dissolve into nothing.