Chapter 27: Pregnant?

When Zhou Yi stepped back into Zhang Xinli’s home, he was met with a starkly different scene. Wu Yongcheng stood in the living room, Chen Yan held two evidence bags, and several other officers were meticulously searching the premises.

"Awake?"

"Sorry, Captain Wu. I don't know how I managed to fall asleep."

"Small matter. Police are human, not machines."

"What’s the situation now?"

Wu Yongcheng gestured toward the evidence bags in Chen Yan’s hands. "We found clothing that appears to have been worn during the crime, as well as a pair of shoes that match the footprints found at the scene. But just as you suspected, they’ve both been cleaned. Whether we can extract any of the victim's blood from them is still up in the air."

Zhou Yi took the bags from Chen Yan. One contained a pair of men’s Warrior-brand sneakers. Both the surface and the soles had been scrubbed; the frayed texture on the fabric suggested they had been vigorously attacked with a brush. The other bag was heavy, containing a set of men’s dark gray clothes. They were still damp, clearly hidden away before they could dry after being washed.

"These clothes and shoes belong to Wang Youfu," Zhou Yi murmured. "Combined with that suicide note written in blood he had on him when he jumped, it seems someone is dead set on framing him as the killer."

"How is Wang Youfu doing?"

Qiao Jiali replied, "Still in emergency surgery. He landed head-first, so it’s unclear if he’ll survive."

Wu Yongcheng added, "If he doesn't make it, based on the current evidence, he will likely be the only suspect we can point to."

"And Zhang Xinli?"

"She’s already been taken to the station. Once we finish searching here, we’ll head back to interrogate her."

Seeing the bloodshot eyes of Wu and Chen, Zhou Yi said, "Captain Wu, Brother Yan, why don't you two go rest in the car? Qiao and I can handle things here."

Wu nodded. "That works. Search thoroughly. Biao hasn't found anything on his end yet; if we can't find the murder weapon here, this case will be a nightmare to close."

Zhou Yi understood. A pair of shoes matching the footprints wasn't enough to secure a conviction. Coupled with Wang Youfu’s "suicide out of guilt," the case would likely be closed prematurely. Criminal investigations aren't just simple math; they are influenced by judicial pressures, public opinion, and sometimes the personal whims of superiors.

"Don't worry, Captain. I'll dig three feet under if I have to, but I’ll find that weapon."

After Wu and Chen left, Zhou Yi quickly surveyed the apartment's layout: two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom.

The south-facing room was the master bedroom, roughly ten square meters, furnished with a large wardrobe, a double bed, and a vanity. The north-facing room was the guest bedroom, less than eight square meters, containing a single bed, a wardrobe, and a desk.

Zhou Yi checked the wardrobes and nightstands, confirming his earlier suspicions. Zhang Xinli’s belongings were all in the master bedroom; notably, one side of the nightstand was empty, while the other was filled with her lingerie. Wang Youfu’s things were confined entirely to the small room.

This was hardly the home of a couple married for only a month. Even a couple on the verge of divorce wouldn't keep their lives this strictly segregated. Could Wang Youfu really be so submissive as to accept such treatment? And why did Zhang Xinli marry him? To spite Zhu Xuejun? That was possible, but there was no need for a real marriage; a fake one would have sufficed, and Wang Youfu would surely have agreed. Besides, a real marriage would only cut off her path to being with Zhu Xuejun.

Unless…

"Qiao, have you found any of Zhang Xinli’s medical records?"

"Medical records? What are you looking for?"

"I suspect Zhang Xinli might be pregnant."

Qiao Jiali paused. "Pregnant? Whose is it?"

"Likely Zhu Xuejun’s, but I suspect she lied to Wang Youfu and told him the child is his."

Qiao immediately understood. If Wang Youfu believed Zhang was carrying his child, he would have the motive to take the fall for her. She had been shocked enough by Wu’s mention of Zhou Yi’s "premonition" regarding the suicide. Now, this new theory filled the logical void of why Wang had suddenly jumped to his death.

"I’ll check right away." The focus had been on the weapon until now.

Zhou Yi walked into the bathroom. Looking at the small space, he imagined Zhang Xinli late at night, washing the bloodied clothes and shoes in the tub. She was a cautious person; she would have used basin after basin of water, adding disinfectant, scrubbing repeatedly until every trace of blood was gone.

It was a time-consuming and exhausting process. Even if they slept in separate rooms, Wang Youfu shouldn't have been able to sleep through it. This left two possibilities. First, Wang discovered her actions and, out of a twisted, obsessive love, chose to help her cover it up, eventually committing suicide to take the blame. But that was unlikely; they hadn't seen any signs of such depth or duplicity in Wang’s personality.

The second possibility was more likely: Wang Youfu hadn't noticed a thing. This fit Zhang’s cautious nature—she knew Wang better than they did, and she wouldn't have risked him finding out.

Zhou Yi suddenly realized: what if Wang hadn't covered for her at all? In his mind, his wife had never left the house because they had slept in the same bed, and she was still sound asleep when he woke up.

Wang Youfu had likely been drugged—probably with an anesthetic, as sleeping pills would be too slow. This explained why he looked so unwell and had asked for leave to go home.

She had to get back to the hospital entrance before Du Xiaolin finished her shift to track her and strike. Hospitals kept strict records of anesthetics; that shouldn't be hard to trace.

All the details were falling into place. The final, critical piece was the murder weapon.

"Zhou Yi, we found an ultrasound report!" Qiao Jiali called out.

Zhou Yi ran over and took the paper.

"Nine weeks pregnant... twins?"