Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Following the location marked by Wang Heizi, the group conducted an investigation in that area and soon made a discovery.

"This place has been deliberately destroyed."

Tang Qingqing squatted down, observing the ground.

This area was covered with weeds, some as tall as half a person. If someone were crouching or lying within them, passersby would not be able to see them clearly.

In the center, there was a clear patch where the weeds had been flattened, with many footprints, making the scene chaotic.

Wang Heizi ran over from nearby and said, "If you walk south for five minutes, you'll reach the river. The river is narrow but the water flows rapidly."

Gao Pengyue looked at the messy footprints on the ground and frowned, "The scene has already been disturbed. How can we find any clues?"

Wang Heizi laughed, "You're underestimating our Sister Qing! Just wait and see."

Even in the complex scene of a fire, Tang Qingqing could find the arsonist's footprints. This scene was much simpler.

Tang Qingqing ignored them and continued to examine the ground closely. The ground was a mess, covered with chaotic footprints everywhere.

"There have been quite a few people here."

Tang Qingqing also found ashes from a campfire nearby, indicating that someone had once had a picnic here.

"The day after Zhou Xiaoling was murdered, Shen Hexian brought a group of unmarried young men and women here for a picnic. It seemed more like a matchmaking event."

Tang Qingqing: "How many people came?"

"It was quite a large group, about thirty to forty people. Not just employees from the Machinery Plant, but also from other affiliated units. Several couples formed."

"Shen Hexian isn't responsible for union work, so why did she organize such an event?"

"Their workshop recently received praise from the factory. She wanted to celebrate. Someone suggested combining it with a matchmaking event. There were many single men in the workshop, so this was a good opportunity to invite female workers from other departments to help solve their personal issues."

Shen Hexian proposed a picnic outing, which created a lively atmosphere, making everyone feel less awkward.

This kind of atmosphere was indeed better than formal matchmaking events, allowing young people to relax and get to know each other better.

The success of the matchmaking event also earned Shen Hexian praise.

In the factory, production tasks were important, but so were the personal lives of the workers.

Tang Qingqing looked at the ground and said, "If this really is the first crime scene, then they put a lot of thought into it."

Wang Heizi: "Can we investigate?"

"Let's see first."

"I have another piece of insider information."

"What is it?"

"Do you know why Shen Hexian is so eager to open a branch factory?"

"Why?"

"If the branch factory opens, there's a high chance that Shen Hexian will become its director."

Tang Qingqing wasn't too surprised. Although the factory was public property, having a father who was a director provided more opportunities than ordinary people.

Currently, Shen Hexian's work performance was excellent, and her promotion was natural.

"Even without the branch factory, she might still become the director of the Machinery Plant, right?"

Wang Heizi waved his index finger, "That's not necessarily true. There are three deputy directors below Director Shen. When one of the deputies retired, everyone thought she would be promoted. But Director Shen strongly opposed it and promoted someone else."

Tang Qingqing was unaware of these details.

"Is Director Shen trying to avoid suspicion?"

Wang Heizi shrugged, "Who knows? Some say he holds traditional views and believes women can't be leaders."

Tang Qingqing frowned, "He's a Party member, yet he has such thoughts!"

"I've only heard this; whether it's true is hard to verify. You'd have to ask him to know for sure."

Tang Qingqing felt something was off, "There seems to be more to your words."

"The Machinery Plant has many people and rumors spread easily. It's hard to tell what's true and what's not. If Director Shen discriminates against women, one of the three deputy directors is female. Though she wasn't promoted by him, she hasn't faced gender discrimination in her work."

"Furthermore, if he truly discriminated, he wouldn't appoint Shen Hexian, a workshop director, to lead the new factory. There are three deputy directors and several other workshop directors of the same level. Managing a new factory is no less demanding than an old one. Why would he assign someone he doesn't trust? That would be contradictory."

Tang Qingqing nodded, "It sounds like you're defending Shen Hexian."

"I don't believe in so many coincidences," Wang Heizi said, "but Shen Hexian is a woman, and logically, she couldn't do this alone. This makes me wonder if she has an accomplice."

"Let's look for clues first. Coincidences aren't impossible."

Tang Qingqing popped two candies into her mouth, one to chew and one to suck on, then started examining the scene again.

Wang Heizi couldn't help much in such situations. Despite being with Tang Qingqing for a long time, he still couldn't figure out the intricacies of the chaotic scene.

Of course, this was because his interests lay elsewhere.

Wang Heizi left Tao Dazhuang behind and went off to do something else.

Tang Qingqing spent two days investigating the scene. She would set out before dawn and return after dark, each time using hot towels to soothe her sore neck.

Hard work pays off, and on the third day, Tang Qingqing finally made a discovery.

She circled a footprint with lime and then extended lines from it in both directions—one leading to the river, the other ending at a fire pit.

"Is there something wrong with these footprints?" Gao Pengyue squatted down and noticed that many of the footprints overlapped.

Tang Qingqing handed her notebook to Gao Pengyue. The top page showed overlapping shoe prints identical to those on the ground, while below them were individual prints.

The drawings were simple but detailed, marked with data and symbols that Gao Pengyue couldn't understand.

"A—this is Shen Hexian's shoe print." Tang Qingqing pointed to one of the footprints with a pen.

Gao Pengyue flipped through the pages, puzzled. "What do the labels 'heavy' and 'light' mean?"

"Shen Hexian stepped in this area at different times. Although she wore the same shoes, the depth of the prints varied. 'Heavy' indicates she was carrying a load, which we estimate to be around eighty pounds."

Gao Pengyue's eyes lit up. "The victim weighed about eighty pounds!"

"The footprints extend all the way to the river. This area seems to have been the center of the picnic, with numerous overlapping prints. Similar traces can be found elsewhere, but they were easily overlooked due to the confusion."

Shen Hexian left many traces, making it easy to miss what she wanted to conceal.

If Tang Qingqing hadn't been extremely patient and experienced, she might have missed it too.

"If I'm not mistaken, this fire pit is where the victim was harmed."

Gao Pengyue was incredulous. "Are you already certain it was Shen Hexian?"

"She definitely has issues. The more she does, the more mistakes she makes." Tang Qingqing stated confidently.

"One's mood affects their steps. When someone is happy or troubled, their strides differ. Walking with purpose is also distinct from walking without any concerns."

Even the calmest and smartest person cannot remain indifferent to their actions.

Gao Pengyue looked skeptical. There was a significant problem with this theory.

"But the victim was raped and murdered. Shen Hexian is a woman. What could her motive be?"

Tang Qingqing wasn't sure about this point either. She could only deduce that Shen Hexian had meticulously tried to cover her tracks.

Shen Hexian was very meticulous and cautious, but her excessive caution drew attention instead.

The picnic and outing were primarily for young men and women to meet. Typically, organizers wouldn't interfere much, allowing the young people to interact freely.

Shen Hexian was overly active, appearing everywhere, raising suspicions about her motives.

Over the past few days, Tang Qingqing observed not just this area but also other places Shen Hexian frequented, noticing significant differences.

Despite trying to hide her tracks, her subconscious guided her behavior, revealing her priorities.

Now that Tang Qingqing had identified Shen Hexian's weighted footprints, she was certain there was an issue.

Whether Shen Hexian was the killer of Zhou Xiaoling still needed further investigation.

Tang Qingqing brought this clue to Qin Sa, who frowned upon hearing her description.

"The forensic report is also out."

Previously, it was just a preliminary examination; now it was a full autopsy report.

"No semen was found in the victim's vagina. Logically, the perpetrator is either a psychopath who enjoys tormenting women or physically incapable."

Tang Qingqing: "But it could also be a woman."

"Yes," Qin Sa nodded. "But such cases are rare, so we tend to assume it's a man due to societal habits."

Zhou Xiaoling died from mechanical asphyxiation, meaning she was strangled to death.

This requires significant strength, leading to the assumption that it was done by a man.

In reality, a strong woman could also accomplish this.

Initially, everyone assumed the perpetrator was male, especially given the rape aspect.

During the investigation and interviews, the focus was primarily on adult males.

Without Tang Qingqing's clue, Qin Sa might have continued looking for a man with unusual sexual preferences or a physically incapable man.

"We were careless, forgetting that women could also be capable."

Qin Sa was genuinely grateful. "Thank you for providing this clue. Otherwise, we might have spent several more nights stuck in our fixed mindset."

"If this lead is correct, Shen Hexian is the killer of Zhou Xiaoling. But why did she do it?"

Shen Hexian was over a decade older than her future sister-in-law, and there were no known conflicts between them. Why would she kill her?

"When we conducted the initial investigation, we suspected Shen Hexian, but dismissed her because she is a woman and her husband and son had perfect alibis on the day of the murder."

Thinking back, Qin Sa felt like hitting herself. Experience can be misleading!

If they hadn't assumed the perpetrator was male, they wouldn't have wasted so much time.

"What happened?"

At first, Tang Qingqing didn't pay much attention to Shen Hexian, merely knowing of her existence.

Had she not noticed something amiss during the site inspection, she wouldn't have suspected her.

If there were no suspects, Tang Qingqing might not have been able to discern the differences in the chaotic footprints.

After all, the scene had been severely tampered with, and the footprints of those carrying loads were fragmented. She could only find clues with a specific purpose, but without a target, it would be difficult to distinguish anything.

"Shen Hexian has indeed been having some conflicts with her family recently, and she's also quite unhappy with her sister-in-law, Zhou Xiaoling. The cause is that wedding room."

"The wedding room?"

Tang Qingqing remembered this house. Since Zhou Xiaoling hadn't formally married into the family, the couple hadn't officially moved in together.

Zhou Xiaoling didn't have space at her own home, so the Shen family arranged for her to stay in their future bridal suite.

She mostly lived there, occasionally returning home to help take care of the children or when there was something they needed from her.

"Shen Hexian's family of four still lives in a one-bedroom apartment. They have a son and a daughter. When the children were younger, it was manageable, but now that they're older, it's getting cramped."

In those days, the factory allocated housing, but one had to wait for it. It wasn't like you got a house as soon as you joined the factory; everyone had to queue up.

Every time houses were allocated, it was the most exciting period. Housing was one of the most pressing concerns for everyone.

Although the Machinery Plant was doing well, the number of people was also high, and there were never enough houses to go around. Many workers' families squeezed into small spaces.

For Shen Hexian to live in a one-bedroom apartment was already considered good, especially since it wasn't a flat but a small villa.

However, for her, it wasn't enough.

"She applied for a new house this time but didn't get the qualification to switch."

Tang Qingqing immediately understood. "Does she think Shen Hewei took her spot?"

Regardless of title or length of service, Shen Hewei ranked lower than Shen Hexian, yet he got a two-bedroom apartment. To her, this was indeed unfair.

"Yes, and she even had a big argument with the family over it."

"But what does this have to do with Zhou Xiaoling? Even if Zhou Xiaoling benefited, there would still be others. Killing Zhou Xiaoling won't solve the problem."

Qin Sa watched her quietly, and Tang Qingqing quickly realized.

By deliberately committing murder in this way, she not only eliminated Zhou Xiaoling but also framed Shen Hewei.

"This, this is too vicious!"

Without delay, Qin Sa called for someone to head to the Machinery Plant to arrest Shen Hexian.

As Tang Qingqing walked out of the Public Security Bureau's office hall, Wang Heizi and Tao Dazhuang, who had disappeared, were squatting under a nearby tree.

Seeing her come out, they hurriedly approached.

"How did it go? Is it really Shen Hexian?"

Tang Qingqing explained the situation, leaving Wang Heizi stunned.

"You can do that?"

He had never thought women could do such things to other women. He wanted to ask how it was done but glanced at Tang Qingqing and swallowed his question.

Being an innocent young man, many things were still unclear to him. Thus, encountering such a situation left him utterly confused.

Tang Qingqing sighed. "What does she gain from this? It's just a house."

Housing was indeed important, but Shen Hexian had a promising future. Sacrificing it for a house was not worth it.

She wasn't homeless; her family of four living in a one-bedroom apartment was better than many others.

Many families often had three generations crammed into one room, barely able to move around.

She was capable and could still get a bigger house after a few more years of hard work. There was no need to rush.

Leaving aside Zhou Xiaoling, Shen Hewei was her own brother!

Tang Qingqing disliked Tang Xingwang but never thought of killing him.

Wang Heizi pondered for a moment. "I think she wants more than just a house."

"What do you mean?"

"If Shen Hewei is convicted of murder, what do you think will happen?"

"What will happen?"

"Do you think the factory director, who raised a murderer, would still feel comfortable in his position? A government official who can't manage his own child, how can he manage such a large factory?"

Tang Qingqing was even more confused. "But the factory director is her father. Bringing him down wouldn't benefit her. Besides, she's Shen Hewei's sister. If he's convicted of murder, her reputation will suffer too."

"She's already married... Don't glare at me, that's just reality. People think daughters aren't part of the family once they marry out. Even if she weren't married, Shen Hexian is male, and a brother and father bear different responsibilities."

Tang Qingqing still found it hard to believe. Every time she analyzed criminal psychology, she struggled emotionally.

This was murder—killing a living person. How heartless must one be to do such a thing?

Moreover, she wasn't acting out of passion, losing control in a fit of rage. This was premeditated and executed with cold calculation.

While both were murders, the psychological states were entirely different.

"Why involve Zhou Xiaoling in their family's internal conflicts!"

Tang Qingqing held back for a while before finally blurting out this remark.

"I just heard another rumor."

"What rumor?"

"The news from the Zhou family is that Zhou Xiaoling is pregnant."

Tang Qingqing stared in disbelief: "Isn't this nonsense? Zhou Xiaoling was still a maiden when she was murdered. Who's spreading such lies?"

"So it's a rumor. But if not for what happened, would you really think Zhou Xiaoling and Shen Hewei hadn't done anything?"

Tang Qingqing fell silent. She had been equally stunned when she learned that Zhou Xiaoling was still a maiden.

Especially when she heard how understanding Shen Hewei was, she found it even more surprising.

"Has this rumor reached Shen Hexian's ears?"

"Of course. Didn't Zhou Xiaoling's second sister-in-law work at the Machinery Plant? She used this as leverage to negotiate with Shen Hexian for a better position."

"That's just ridiculous."

"No, Shen Hexian believed it."

"Huh?"

"Didn't expect that, did you? Not only do we doubt Shen Hewei's integrity, but so does Shen Hexian and the Zhou family. They can't believe he resisted temptation when she was right there. They all think they must have done something, especially since Zhou Xiaoling lived in their marital home for so long and they even held a wedding banquet. It wouldn't be wrong if they had."

Wang Heizi looked around, his expression turning lecherous, and whispered:

"Do you think Shen Hewei might be impotent?"

Tang Qingqing glanced at him, "Do you want to find out?"

Wang Heizi nodded vigorously.

"If you want to know, why don't you try it yourself?"

Wang Heizi nearly choked on his saliva: "What nonsense are you spouting! Try it? Ugh, disgusting! What did I do to deserve this?"

Having finished her work, Tang Qingqing, with a clear conscience, took Wang Heizi and Tao Dazhuang to the cafeteria for a free meal.

Tao Dazhuang loved eating at the cafeteria because it was free and he could eat as much as he wanted.

So he was more than happy to accompany Tang Qingqing through wind and sun, earning his place to eat and drink freely.

Ever since he started hanging out with Wang Heizi, Tao Dazhuang never lacked food and grew even more robust, towering like a giant with bulging muscles, making him look intimidating.

Chef Li adored Tao Dazhuang, feeling a sense of pride in his culinary skills whenever he saw him.

While others ate quickly, often rushing, Tao Dazhuang truly enjoyed his meals. Watching him eat made Chef Li eat two extra bowls of rice.

Seeing the three of them enter, Chef Li knew the case must have made progress and greeted them warmly.

"I made fried sauce noodles today. How about a few bowls?"

Wang Heizi smiled, "Uncle Li, I've been craving your cooking!"

"The meat sauce I made today is especially good. You're in luck! The garlic is on the table; help yourselves!"

Whenever Tang Qingqing felt down due to the case, hearing Chef Li's cheerful voice lifted her spirits significantly.

However, today Chef Li seemed overly enthusiastic, piling an excessive amount of meat sauce on her noodles.

While the meat sauce was delicious, it was also salty. To balance it, Tang Qingqing ended up eating too much and felt full.

On their way back to school, they walked slowly instead of riding Wang Heizi's bicycle, worried she might get sick.

During the two days Wang Heizi was gone, he somehow acquired an old bicycle, which looked like it was cobbled together from parts of several bikes. Despite its appearance, it seemed sturdy and became his new mode of transportation.

"Did you put this bike together yourself?"

Wang Heizi was surprised: "How did you know?"

"Otherwise, it wouldn't be so ugly."

"Tang Qingqing, are you asking for a beating? This bike is awesome! One of a kind in the whole commune!"

Back in the classroom, Ning Pingying immediately approached Tang Qingqing.

"I heard the man's sister was arrested?"

Tang Qingqing was surprised by how fast the news spread: "Your sources are impressive!"

"The Zhou family went over there today and saw the man's sister being taken away by the police. They came back confused, talking about it nonstop. All the noise kept me from napping."

Ning Pingying yawned. She relied on her midday nap to cope with early mornings and late nights, but today she couldn't sleep due to the commotion.

When she listened, she was left baffled, wondering why the man's sister was arrested.

"We haven't fully investigated yet, so I can't reveal any details."

Ning Pingying was disappointed but not surprised, "Are you close to catching the murderer?"

After all this time, with no clue who killed Zhou Xiaoling, many parents started picking up their daughters after evening classes, fearing they might encounter the killer.

With the murderer still at large, everyone was on edge.

Due to the unsolved case, young girls rarely ventured out alone, fearing the worst.

As the weather turned colder, mornings were still dark when students headed to class. Some parents, worried about safety, began escorting their children to school.

"Almost there, you don't need to worry too much."

Tang Qingqing was now certain that the murderer was Shen Hexian. Therefore, ordinary girls didn't need to be overly anxious; this wasn't a case driven by lust, though it was still heinous, its societal impact wasn't as severe.

"That's good. You wouldn't know how my parents have been taking turns to pick me up and drop me off for school recently. They already work very hard, yet they still find time to take care of me. I don't want them to be too tired."

Tang Qingqing was also concerned about the progress, but she was now in her final year of junior high and would soon take the entrance exam.

Although her grades were excellent, she didn't dare to slack off.

Having missed so much school, it would definitely affect her, so she pushed aside all distractions and focused entirely on her studies.

Two days later, Tang Qingqing took advantage of the weekend break to visit the Public Security Bureau to inquire about the case.

Seeing her, Qin Sa smiled and waved.

"It's solved, and you've done great work again!"

"The murderer is Shen Hexian?"

"Yes, it's her! This person is incredibly cunning. Without you, this case might have remained unsolved."

Who could have thought that a woman could rape another woman? She had even managed to look innocent at first, leading everyone astray.

Moreover, when the body was discovered several days later, it had already started decomposing, making it easier to overlook details.

"She began planning this long ago and specifically investigated information about you. To avoid being caught, she staged the whole thing. Ironically, the more she did, the more suspicious it became."

Knowing that Tang Qingqing could track people through footprints, Shen Hexian deliberately frequented the area to blur Tang Qingqing's perception.

Not only that, she made sure many others were present, and used a bonfire to destroy the crime scene where Zhou Xiaoling was harmed, believing this would ensure no mistakes.

She chose that location precisely because it allowed her to appear there without arousing suspicion.

She could have stopped there, but upon hearing that Tang Qingqing was investigating the site, she panicked, worried about any overlooked footprints.

So she appeared there again, making it seem normal for her footprints to be present.

She also tried to mislead Tang Qingqing, directing attention towards Shen Hewei.

Little did she know that these actions only increased Tang Qingqing's suspicions.

"Why did she do this? It can't just be about the house, right?"

"She harbored deep resentment. The house was merely the catalyst. Upon closer inspection, she targeted not only her brother but also her father."

"Factory Director Shen?"

Qin Sa nodded. "She always believed that Factory Director Shen looked down on her because she was a daughter, treating her far more harshly than her brother. She had to climb from the bottom, doing all the tough jobs, while Shen Hewei enjoyed everything handed to him.

When the deputy factory director position was up for grabs, she was clearly the better candidate, yet someone less qualified got the job. She felt that if not for her father's bias, she wouldn't still be a workshop manager at thirty."

"Is being a workshop manager at thirty really that bad?"

Tang Qingqing found it hard to understand. According to books, becoming a workshop manager at thirty was impressive, especially in such a large factory.

The workshop Shen Hexian managed was crucial to the Machinery Plant, a core department.

"Of course not, for an ordinary family, it's a significant achievement. But it depends on who you compare yourself to. When Factory Director Shen was thirty, he was already the factory director."

"So Shen Hexian thinks her father hindered her career to eventually pass the position to Shen Hewei?" Tang Qingqing found this unbelievable.

Even if Shen Hexian was exceptionally talented, no one would believe she achieved success without her father's influence.

Without Factory Director Shen, she would never have had the chance to enter the Machinery Plant, let alone excel.

Becoming a workshop manager at thirty wasn't bad at all!

Tang Qingqing thought that if this sentiment spread, many would want to beat her up.

This was the epitome of not appreciating one's blessings.

"She believes her father deliberately suppressed her to eventually hand over the position to Shen Hewei. If she were promoted, there would be no place for Shen Hewei."

Hearing this, Tang Qingqing felt something was off.

"That's not right. The Machinery Plant isn't their family's property; it's public. Are they trying to establish a hereditary system?"

While things were opening up, this mindset hadn't reached Red Star Commune.

There were no public-private partnerships; the Machinery Plant was a state-owned enterprise, not a private possession.

Appointments, especially at the factory director level, weren't solely decided by the factory. Even deputy factory directors needed organizational approval.

While the previous factory director played a crucial role in appointing successors, it wasn't absolute.

Everyone knew Shen Hewei was unfit, and workers wouldn't agree to entrusting the factory to him, nor would the organization.

"She said that in the past, it wasn't a concern, but things are different now. We can't view issues with old perspectives."

Qin Sa didn't fully grasp economic matters, but Shen Hexian talked about privatization and similar ideas.

Regardless of whether her views were correct, this woman had ambitious plans but chose the wrong path.

She could have been a role model for women, but instead, she pushed her sister-in-law into despair.

Tang Qingqing pursed her lips, guessing Shen Hexian's thoughts.

She must be among the most perceptive, sensing future changes and possibly planning to privatize the Machinery Plant.

In this way, the Machinery Plant would indeed belong to their Shen family from now on.

Although this idea seems like a pipe dream from today's perspective, there were indeed people in the future who managed to do exactly that and succeeded.

However, if one were to sacrifice their brother and father for an uncertain future, it would be extremely extreme.

Moreover, removing her father now would also be a significant loss for her.

However, if she had great confidence in her abilities and believed her father was a stumbling block, it wouldn't be surprising.

Just as Tang Qingqing had speculated, Shen Hexian did indeed feel that with her abilities, she shouldn't just be a workshop director; it was all because of her father holding her back.

She believed that her father was worried about her being too outstanding, fearing he couldn't control her in the future.

"I now understand why Director Shen held her back."

Regardless of her work capabilities, she was too extreme and radical. As her father, Director Shen likely wanted to temper her character.

But he didn't expect that not only did it fail, but it backfired.

Qin Sa: "You guessed right. Director Shen did say that. He said Shen Hexian is indeed very capable, but she is too eager for quick success and isn't suitable for a leadership role, so he kept her at the front lines to temper her."

"So she killed Zhou Xiaoling because she thought she was pregnant, fearing more resources would go to her brother, and then deliberately set up a scheme to frame her brother and remove her father?"

Qin Sa gave her a thumbs up: "Exactly."

Tang Qingqing looked grim: "She frequently visits the Shen family. Didn't she know the real situation between Shen Hewei and Zhou Xiaoling?"

"She didn't believe it." Qin Sa shrugged. "There were rumors outside, and during that time, Zhou Xiaoling often felt nauseous, so she suspected it."

Given this situation, even if Zhou Xiaoling hadn't been mistakenly thought to be pregnant, Shen Hexian would have taken action sooner or later.

Although Tang Qingqing had guessed some of these circumstances, when they were confirmed, she still couldn't help but sigh.

A young life had vanished due to someone's greed.

Some threats might have been imagined by the person themselves.

Wang Heizi had mentioned Director Shen before. Given his style of doing things, he was an old-school revolutionary, somewhat rigid but genuinely working for the benefit of the plant and its workers.

Many of the current leaders rose from the front lines, preferring practical work over empty talk.

The Machinery Plant's development to this day has much to do with him.

Shen Hexian's speculations might just be her own assumptions.

When Tang Qingqing walked out of the Public Security Bureau, she saw Director Shen, his wife, and Shen Hewei.

Director Shen's temples were gray, and his once broad and straight back had gradually become hunched due to the series of blows he had endured recently.

His expression was pained, filled with regret.

Mrs. Shen, the factory director's wife, wasn't faring much better, her brows tightly furrowed and her body particularly frail, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Shen Hewei appeared much calmer; when he saw Tang Qingqing, he gave his parents a few words of instruction before walking toward her.

"Comrade Tang, thank you."

Tang Qingqing didn't know how to respond, so she remained silent.

"I believe you will find the murderer; I just didn't expect the truth to be so unbearable." Shen Hewei smiled bitterly.

Tang Qingqing pursed her lips, still not speaking.

"Xiaoling was a good girl; it's a pity her fate was so cruel."

Tang Qingqing's expression finally changed. "Her family... you can ignore them."

At the thought of potential civil compensation, Tang Qingqing felt uneasy.

Given the Zhou family's nature, they likely wouldn't let this go easily.

Based on their behavior during Shen Hewei's investigation, they would certainly not let it rest and would seek maximum benefit for themselves.

Civil compensation is mandated by law, and Tang Qingqing had no objections, but if they demanded additional compensation, she would be furious as an outsider.

The Zhou family was not entirely innocent in Zhou Xiaoling's murder.

Regardless of whether she was pregnant or not, their demands from Shen Hexian were only adding fuel to the fire.

While Tang Qingqing tried to remain professional at work, privately, she was already showing great restraint by not badmouthing the Zhou family to Shen Hewei.

Shen Hewei's eyes darkened. "Zhou Xiaoling didn't like them, but couldn't escape them. Now that she's gone, she can finally have peace."

"You... take care."

Shen Hewei gave her a faint smile. "Zhou Xiaoling was very happy to have a friend like you."

Tang Qingqing felt a sense of loss, thinking of the familiar figure and sweet smile, her eyes welling up with tears.

When the case was solved, it caused quite a stir.

Ning Pingying was stunned. "My goodness, who would have thought the murderer was her! Did you hear? Some people suspect that Shen Hewei's accident back then was also her doing!"

Tang Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "Really? Where did you hear that?"

"From my mom, but some say it's unlikely. It was investigated and deemed an accident. Who knows?"

"How was their relationship, between the siblings?"

"My mom said that she seemed fine usually, never heard anything bad about her. It's just that I've heard the sister has a very strong personality. She was always the leader among the kids in the courtyard, and if anyone was better than her, she would go beat them up. But after growing up, especially after becoming a leader, she became quite reasonable, and her personality improved. Who would have thought she'd do something like this!

Everyone speculates that there might be some issues with their family. They even found out that their grandfather's brother was crazy, and as their grandfather got older, his mind deteriorated. He used to be such a kind old man, but his temper became extremely bad."

"Really?"

"No doubt about it."

"What's the situation with the Zhou family now?"

Ning Pingying pursed her lips: "What else? They're overjoyed."

"Huh?"

"Before Shen Hewei was released, many people thought Zhou Xiaoling must have encountered trouble on the road and ran into a bad person. Although the Zhou family kept saying there was foul play, few believed them. They couldn't stir up much trouble.

Now, with the murderer being from the Shen family, they have a legitimate reason to act. Of course, they're happy."

Tang Qingqing felt herself starting to suffocate, "From now on, don't tell me anything about the Zhou family. I'm afraid I'll be angered to death."

Ning Pingying sighed, "At least you can cover your ears and pretend it doesn't exist. I'm their neighbor, and I'm truly frustrated."

"How can they be so shameless and not fear being looked down upon?"

"There's no way around it. They have a good reason for what they're doing. They're seeking justice for their daughter. Who can say anything about that?"

At this point, Ning Pingying rolled her eyes, "Some people even think that Zhou Xiaoling's death was worth it, as she wouldn't have brought this much benefit to the family while alive."

Tang Qingqing crossed her hands in an 'X' shape, "I can't listen to these words anymore; I'll start thinking there are no good people in the world."

"Oh, such people are rare; it's just that their voices are too piercing, so they stick in my mind."

Tang Qingqing refused to hear more of this and rubbed some menthol oil on her temples before diving back into her studies.

As the holidays approached, Tang Qingqing still heard news about the Zhou family—the Zhou family had been attacked! Everyone except the children was injured.

The attacker was none other than Shen Hewei.