Chapter 526: Visits

Translator: Azza

Editor: Conspiracing

Chen Shi was observing his actions and expressions on the side and felt like this man wasn’t lying.

Lin Dongxue continued to ask, "Listening to her colleagues, you two were planning a divorce and wanted to divide your property. Something about the house. Is this the case?"

Li Xiang was silent for a moment, "So, it seems that she really intends to divorce. Even her colleagues know... Haoo, some people are really not suited to be together. We’ve only been married for four years, but as long as we meet, we would always argue. This also relates to us living separately. She’s usually in Long'an while I stay here. We only get together on our holidays. We’ve been married for four years and our time together may not be as much as some couples who’ve been together for a month. The house right? It’s the house here that we bought together. She may want to split the money after selling it."

Chen Shi noticed that his eyes flickered when he said the last sentence and questioned, "Is this the only property under your names?"

"We only have this one. Why would I lie to you?"

"Well, we will verify this information later."

Li Xiang suddenly panicked. "Wait a minute. I will add that there’s indeed only one house under our names, which is the one I live in now, but there’s another house in her name. It’s just... Just... Part of the money used to buy it is mine."

"What exactly is the situation?"

"The house was bought here because she worked here previously. At the time, we were still in love. She said that she wanted to buy the house as a wedding house. Her and I each paid half of the money. I was also the one to pay off the mortgage. You could say that I have the majority of the ownership, but the property title is under her name, which is legally counted as her pre-marital property. When we quarreled, she said that the house would belong to her when we divorced. I told her that I had paid for it and that she’d have to return the money to me. I don’t know how many times we’ve quarreled over this matter. The woman is too scheming. If I’d had known, I wouldn’t have just written her name on the title back then.”

"What about the house you live in now?"

"That’s the new house my parents got after their old one was demolished. Because it was close to my work, they let us live in it for now. The original house’s location was a bit out of the way and it took over two hours to get to work from there, so I rented it out. It’s still being rented now!"

Lin Dongxue quickly recorded the information down. After asking the addresses of the two houses, she asked, "Where were you last night?"

Li Xiang was a bit startled. "Do you suspect me?"

"Just investigating."

"I was playing games at home."

"Can someone prove that?"

"My buddy Zhang Rui was also at my house. We played until 11:00, and then went to bed."

Chen Shi interjected, "What game were you playing?"

"’Zhilang’. It’s a single player game."

"The new one?"

"Yes, you know about it!" Li Xiang showed an expression like he found someone who had the same hobby as him. In fact, Chen Shi had only heard about it from Xu Xiaodong. Xu Xiaodong was tortured by this game a while ago and often mentioned it.

Chen Shi said, "I remember this is not a game played by two people."

"It's not that two people are playing together, but it doesn't mean that two people can't play it. Both Zhang Rui and I love to play single player games, so after I bought this disc, I called him to the house. We’d drink a glass of alcohol and switch to the other player if we died. It was really fun and we played until 11:00.”

Chen Shi nodded and asked for the contact information of this buddy, which would be convenient for verification later.

Before leaving, Li Xiang said, "I think there’s an 80% chance that my wife went to see her lover. You have to contact her and tell her to come back quickly. Hai, I can't continue to pass days like this... Right, are you able to bring Haha back to me?"

"The dog is in the bureau right now. You can come to Long’an or we can come over afterwards.”

"Okay, remember to inform me in advance."

After saying goodbye to Li Xiang, Lin Dongxue asked, "How was it? Do you think this man is suspicious?"

Chen Shi said, "His reaction is a bit flustered but it doesn’t seem like he’s lying. He seems to be a character who isn’t very good at dealing with strangers."

"The wife's monthly income is over 10,000 yuan and competitive. She should be a strong and independent woman. Her husband is a bit nerdy and introverted. It’s no wonder this couple can’t live together. I don’t know how they met in the first place.” Lin Dongxue said with emotion.

"People will always be attracted to the traits that they don't have. When they get it, they find that it’s not what they want."

It was still early, so the two discussed where to pass the time. At this time, Lin Qiupu called."We checked the traffic surveillance footage and found no suspicious vehicles or people. We carefully searched the surrounding areas again and came up with nothing. What’s happening on that side?”

"Everything is calm!" Chen Shi said, "Are there any clues we need to check?"

"Lin Hui contacted a number many times before her disappearance. This man is called Lu Hao. He’s a barber and lives in Lieyang."

"What’s the address?"

The two went to the barber shop where Lu Hao was located. It turned out that Lu Hao didn’t go to work today. They called him and a soft voice answered, saying he was at home.

At around 5:00, the two rushed to Lu Hao's residence. Lu Hao had been waiting for them at the door. He was very thin and his skin was very white. He was wearing shorts and a pink t-shirt. His dyed hair stood up like a chicken comb.

Lin Dongxue secretly compared him to herself. The boy's skin was fairer than hers. When they approached him, he smelled of cologne.

Lu Hao looked delicate and pretty. He was an effeminate boy, but Lin Dongxue didn’t like this type of man. This person is most likely Lin Hui’s lover, right?

"Hello!" Lu Hao reached out and shook hands with them. His hands were thin and tender and he was very weak. "What have you come to find me for?"

"What is your relationship with Lin Hui?" Chen Shi asked straightforwardly.

"Ordinary friends!"

"How did you come to know each other?"

"We went to driving school together. Since we got older, we often arrange to go out together and play.”

"What does going out and playing refer to?"

"Aiya, what are you guys thinking of? We’re really just ordinary friends. I know she’s married, and I also have a girlfriend. It’s just that after a haircut, we’d go out to eat and such."

Chen Shi didn't believe this. As a married young woman with a busy career, he didn't think she would take the time to meet an ordinary heterosexual friend.

"Do you know she’s missing?"

"No way!" Lu Hao covered his mouth. "Why is she missing? Where at?"

"We’re here to investigate this matter. We found that she made four calls to you before she disappeared. Have you met?"

"No... No!"

Chen Shi sneered. He wasn’t being honest. He asked, "What did you talk about over the phone?"

"She’s been in a bad mood recently. She’s been arguing with her husband, so she’d vent to me over the phone while I tried to console her.”

"Okay, wait a moment!"

Chen Shi called Lin Qiupu and asked him to send a screenshot of the call records on Lin Hui’s mobile phone. During this period, Lu Hao was a bit nervous and kept biting his fingers.

Chen Shi subsequently looked at the call log. "The first call was from 8:04PM to 8:05PM on September 8th and the second call was from 8:23PM, which lasted only 30 seconds. The third call was at 8:40PM, which lasted thirty seconds. Finally, the last call was from you, at 8:00 on the evening of September 10th, but she didn't answer it. Based on the length and frequency, it didn’t seem like you were chatting. It’s more like you two were getting ready to meet each other and were confirming each other’s location. What do you think?”