Chapter 168: The Plastic Surgery Clinic (1/2)

The three of us exchanged looks. It seemed that I’d stumbled upon a gold mine here.

“Does Xu Xiaohui’s death have anything to do with plastic surgery?” asked Wu Li in confusion. “But she’s such a natural beauty! Someone like her wouldn’t need plastic surgery, would she?”

“What’s the name of the plastic surgeon?” I asked.

“His name is Kong Hui,” Wu Li replied. “We met him at the reunion party. When we learned that he’s now a plastic surgeon with his own practice—lots of people were excited and wanted to get their face done with him. Actually, he gave me his business card too. Hold on, I’ll get it for you.”

Wu Li fumbled in her purse for the card and handed it to us. The card read “Aili Plastic Surgery—Dr. Kong Hui.” I recalled that the name of the clinic was one of the five clinics on Xiaotao’s list. This made Kong Hui much more suspicious now.

On one hand, I was excited to find a clue that led to the suspect so quickly, but on the other hand, it was so easy and straightforward that I couldn’t help but suspect that something was wrong.

“What is the relationship between Kong Hui and Xu Xiaohui like?” Xiaotao asked.

“Relationship?” Wu Li smiled. “Well, you see, when we were in high school, Kong Hui was really unpopular. He was short, dark-skinned, poor, and I even heard rumors about his father being a prisoner in a labor camp. But fast forward to the present and things are drastically different! He’s a very successful plastic surgeon, he drives an expensive BMW, and I think he had something done to his face too because he looks handsome now! That man ages like wine! I even joked with Xiaohui how she must’ve regretted rejecting him when he tried to woo her back then!”

“What did you say?” Xiaotao was stunned.

“Oh, it’s all ancient history now!” Wu Li sipped her coffee. “Back when we were in high school, Kong Hui would write dozens of love letters to Xiaohui. Once, on Valentine's Day, he stood in the middle of a circle of lit candles near our dorm and confessed his feelings to her. But it was past curfew then, and I don’t know who did it, but someone poured a basin of cold water on him from upstairs, and Kong Hui just stood there soaked to the bone! He never talked to Xiaohui ever since.”

“Did the two ever get back in touch with each other after the reunion party?” asked Xiaotao.

“I… I don’t know!” Wu Li’s tone suddenly changed. “Officer, you’re not suspecting Kong Hui to be responsible for Xiaohui’s death, are you?”

“Do you have anything to do with her death, then, Miss Wu?” Xiaotao shot back.

“No, absolutely not!” Wu Li denied vehemently. Her face had gotten pale. “I’m a good friend of hers! I’d never do anything to harm her!”

“Then stop making random guesses,” replied Xiaotao with a thin smile, “and do not spread any gossip about the case to anyone else, understood?”

Xiaotao wanted to intimidate her a bit just to prevent her from leaking any information about the case, but in fact it was clear to us that Wu Li was innocent and had nothing to do with Xiaohui’s death.

After we said goodbye to Wu Li, the four of us headed straight to Kong Hui’s plastic surgery clinic. When we asked for him at the front desk, we were informed that Dr. Kong was still performing surgery. We waited for half an hour, then a patient with bandages around her head was wheeled out of the operation room, and a man in a white lab coat walked out behind her.

“Nothing scares me more than plastic surgery!” cried Dali.

“Shut up, idiot!” hissed Xiaotao. She then went up to the man in white coat and said, “Are you Dr. Kong?”

The man nodded, then looked Xiaotao up and down. “Are you here for plastic surgery or liposuction?” he asked.

“Neither,” answered Xiaotao, showing him her badge. I observed his expressions closely and saw that his pupils shrank ever so slightly. This man could be very suspicious indeed.

Then Xiaotao asked him several questions in a row: Did he know a woman named Xu Xiaohui? Did they talk when they met at the reunion party on November third?

Kong Hui smiled. “I haven’t seen her in ten years. I met her at the party, of course, but we merely said a few words and that was it. It was just a small talk anyway.”

The man was calm, but his hands still betrayed him. As he answered the questions, the veins on his hand kept popping. This indicated accelerating blood flow which usually happened when one was in a state of distress.

“What was your schedule like from November 6th to November 13th?” Xiaotao asked again.

“Nothing out of the ordinary,” he answered. “I travel from home to work in the morning and then back home again in the evening. What is this about, officer? What happened to Xu Xiaohui?”

Xiaotao was about to answer him, but I interrupted her, “She was in danger, but she was rescued and her conditions are stable now!”

“You mean she was hit by a car?” Kong Hui asked, his pupils dilated.