Chapter 176 Official

Chapter 176: Official

Facing the young officer's serious and composed gaze, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and a bad feeling came over him.

He put on an awkward smile. "Officer Yue... what do you mean by that?"

"Even if it's just assisting the police with their investigation, there should be a time limit, right? Saying she can't leave for now—what exactly does that imply?"

Yue Lingchuan stood before him, his eyes slightly lowered, his voice cool. "Around 11 p.m. on the 3rd, a homicide occurred in Xingfu Community. The victim was a pregnant woman. After killing her, the perpetrator cut open her belly and forcibly removed the fetus, which was just over three months old."

He looked at him. "Based on our investigation, we’ve identified Tan Yuwei as the main suspect."

When Wu Yuehua heard about the perpetrator cutting open the victim’s belly and removing the fetus, his heart instantly sank with an inexplicable sense of dread. Then, hearing the latter part of Yue Lingchuan’s statement, he felt dizzy, and he stammered:

"This can’t be right, Officer Yue—"

He blurted out, "Could there be some misunderstanding? How could it be her? Sure, she's got her issues, but murder—"

Yue Lingchuan cut him off. "On the night of the incident, Tan Yuwei wasn’t at home."

Wu Yuehua’s voice caught in his throat.

Yue Lingchuan continued, "The next morning, your housekeeper woke up and found a pot of cooked meat soup in the kitchen, along with a knife and cutting board that hadn’t been fully cleaned."

"Tan Yuwei claimed she went to Dong Xuyuan’s house that night and that the meat she stewed was camel meat given to her by Dong Xuyuan."

"However, after questioning, Dong Xuyuan denied this."

Wu Yuehua’s eyes widened as a vague realization dawned on him, his face instantly turning ghostly white.

Yue Lingchuan watched him quietly, then said softly, "Our forensics got DNA from the knife. I estimate—" He glanced at his watch. "The results will be out in less than an hour."

"Would Chairman Wu like to wait together?"

Wu Yuehua looked up blankly, meeting the man’s calm, deep gaze. Recalling his words, he felt his heart tighten, an inexplicable wave of nausea rising in his throat.

·

The final hour dragged on painfully. Wei Zhengyi, Luo Kaiyang, and the others kept pacing, unable to sit still. Zhou Qiming tsked nonstop while spinning his pen, while Jiang Cheng stared at his computer, the cursor unmoving for a long time.

Shen Qingye sat at her desk, sipping soy milk and taking bites of her tea egg, enjoying every bite.

Wei Zhengyi wandered around the open space, watching her calm attitude, and couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you the least bit anxious?"

Shen Qingye glanced at him. "What’s the point of being anxious?"

She took a slow bite of her bean paste bun, her voice muffled. "Will my anxiety make the results come any faster?"

"Better take this chance to fill our stomachs now. Once the results are out, we’ll probably be busy all morning."

Wei Zhengyi figured she had a point. Tan Yuwei was clearly giving them the silent treatment, and they’d likely have a long haul ahead. Whether they’d even get lunch on time was uncertain—better to fill their stomachs first.

With that thought, he turned and walked over to Shen Qingye’s desk, rummaging through the pile of breakfast items before pulling out a bun. He tsked. "The boss is so thoughtful, going out of his way to buy breakfast because everyone would be hungry this early."

Luo Kaiyang also leaned in, sighing. "I’m starving too. The boss really has got our backs!"

Hearing this, Shen Qingye stopped drinking. Her sideways glance flicked toward Yue Lingchuan’s direction, meeting the man’s eyes.

She looked down, hiding the hint of a smile in her eyes, and slowly finished it.

Zhou Qiming glanced at their little exchange, then at the cluelessly cheerful Wei Zhengyi, and couldn't help but shake his head.

Wei Zhengyi, completely unaware that he was being seen as a fool, casually picked a bun from the bag and took a huge bite. His face instantly contorted:

"Meat bun?"

Yue Lingchuan looked over in surprise. "Hmm?"

"I only ordered vegetarian and sweet ones."

Wei Zhengyi's face turned pale, then green. The once-beloved taste of meat buns now coated his tongue, and he couldn't help but recall the pot found in Tan Yuwei's home—

The grease on the pot's walls, the meat scraps in the food trough—

*Guh*—

He lunged for the nearby trash can, gripping the edge of the table as he vomited explosively.

Everyone's eyes turned to him. Luo Kaiyang, who was holding a bun ready to take a bite, stared at Wei Zhengyi.

Imagining the taste of the meat bun, his throat convulsed, and his gut heaved—

The office erupted into pandemonium.

"The results are—" Captain Qin pushed the door open, about to speak, but paused at the scene inside. "What happened?"

"Bad food?"

Yue Lingchuan stepped forward, unfazed. "Nothing serious. Sensitive constitutions—they’ll need more training."

Wei Zhengyi, slumped in his chair, looked up with utter despair, the world spinning around him.

Ignoring their reactions, Yue Lingchuan asked, "The results are out?"

Captain Qin swept a glance around the room. "They are."

At his words, everyone turned toward him. Shen Qingye also stood and walked over.

Captain Qin shoved the file into Yue Lingchuan's hands. "We compared the DNA extracted from the bloodstain with Zhou Xiangyun's. The DNA match is 99.99%."

Yue Lingchuan stared at the printed report, his expression darkened.

A 99.99% match—the implication was unmistakable. They all understood what it meant.

He closed the file, exhaled deeply, and looked up. "Appreciate it. You've done well."

Captain Qin waved him off and turned to leave. "Just don’t rush me for results in the middle of the night next time."

Qin Yilang ambled back to the Forensic Team, relaxed, while the expressions in the office darkened further.

Even with prior suspicions, having everything confirmed was still a bitter pill to swallow.

Yue Lingchuan slowly turned, his gaze landing on Wu Yuehua in the corner.

The man, who had been silent the whole time, was now ghostly pale, his grip shaking as he held a cup.

He looked up shakily, his voice hoarse. "So... this result means... she really... ate...?"

He couldn’t finish the sentence. Yue Lingchuan cocked an eyebrow and lifted the document. "Would Chairman Wu like to see for himself?"

Wu Yuehua's face fluctuated between ashen and greenish. He squeezed his eyes shut, then, unable to hold back any longer, lunged for the trash can and vomited.

Yue Lingchuan started slightly as Wu Yuehua managed to choke out:

"...That morning, she brought me an insulated container... said it was soup she made... wanted me to drink it..."