Chapter 160: The Close Bond Between Sisters (1/2)

“But why would a girl like Chu Yan want to kill a triad boss?” wondered Xiaotao. “Could she actually be a professional assassin? That’s a bit too far-fetched, isn’t it?”

“We’ll have to investigate her father’s background,” I said. “We’ve already found the prime suspect. I’m sure we’ll reach the truth of the matter soon enough.”

The next day, Xiaotao called me and told me that they’d found Chu Yan’s father and that he’d soon be brought in for questioning. Dali and I rushed to the police station. When we arrived, Xiaotao was already waiting with Chu Yan’s father in the interrogation room. The man was bespectacled and seemed gentle-mannered. After taking a seat, I perused through the information that the police had gathered about the man. He was highly educated, and he used to work in a scientific research institution before turning to business. He was now a self-made entrepreneur.

“Let’s start, Mr. Chu,” said Xiaotao.

Chu Yan’s father cleared his throat and began, “My daughter is a pitiful child. She was born with this strange disease, and the doctor told me that she would not live much longer than twenty years. Her mother was also frail and sick, and she died when my daughter was little. I scoured the world for a cure to my daughter’s disease, but to no avail. She has always been on medication all her life. Swallowing pills and getting injections are like normal daily activities for her. Still, she never complained and soldiered on. I’ve shed many tears when I think of the fates of my wife and daughter, but I managed to stay strong because my daughter has always comforted me and stayed by my side.”

“She disappeared a few days ago,” he continued, “and I was worried sick. I couldn’t do anything else but spent my every waking moment looking for her. I even ordered the employees of my company to help me. Thankfully, you brought her home safely. I’m sure what she did could be counted as self-defense, right? How could a girl who’s stayed at home all her life ever have any connection with the underworld?”

I scrutinized the man’s expressions and found out that he had been telling the truth.

“Does Chu Yan have any friends?” I asked him.

He shook his head. “She never goes out of the house. She never went to school either due to her condition. The only person from the outside world that she interacted with would be her tutor.”

“Is the tutor a man or a woman?”

“She’s a female college student,” he replied. “She was very kind and friendly to my daughter. They were practically sisters. But later something happened and she had to go back to her family, so she couldn’t be my daughter’s tutor anymore. My daughter was very sad when she found out.”

When he spoke of the tutor, he subconsciously adjusted his glasses. It was obvious that he was hiding something from us.

I gave Xiaotao a signal, and she asked him if he’d like to have another cup of tea. He thanked her.

“Can you tell us more about this tutor?” she asked.

“I’ve always been very busy at work every day,” he replied. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about her…”

I noticed that he had gotten a little nervous.

“Tell us what you know, then!” I demanded.

“Well… The girl’s name is Xiao Lanlan. I heard that her family is very poor, so she has to work while she studies to pay for her tuition. Although I hired her as a tutor, she did more than teach my daughter to read and write. She took very good care of her as if they were sisters. Both my daughter and I are very grateful to her, and I paid her quite handsomely too.”

By that point, his micro-expressions betrayed him. I knew he wasn’t telling the truth, but he wasn’t a suspect, so there was no way that I could pressure him. Xiaotao and I exchanged a look, and Xiaotao said, “Okay, thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Chu. You can go back now.”

“Um… What will happen to my daughter?” he asked Xiaotao nervously.

“That’s up to the court, not us.”

“She’s physically frail,” he said. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for her to be detained in jail…”

“Don’t worry about that,” Xiaotao assured him. “This is a special case. She’ll be allowed to stay home before the trial.”

“Thank you very much, Officer!”

As soon as he left, Xiaotao immediately asked her officers to track down Xiao Lanlan. Eventually, they did find a university student in Nanjiang City who matched the descriptions, but the girl was already dead!

We headed to the hospital where Xiao Lanlan died. The doctor checked her medical records and informed us that she died of intracranial hemorrhage. She could have been rescued, but she arrived too late. In fact, she took her last breath in the ambulance.

“Intracranial hemorrhage,” I mumbled. “Was it an impact to the head?”