After Wu Zhiming emerged from the gym, drenched in sweat, over an hour had passed.
In that time, news of Song Jingsheng's murder had spread rapidly throughout Haixia City's upper echelons.
The entire high society of Haixia City was in uproar.
A figure of such immense prestige in Haixia City had been murdered in his own home, along with several family members. It was truly horrifying.
Haixia City had long enjoyed a reputation for excellent public safety, with no major incidents for many years.
It was reported that more than three people had been killed in this case, and the value of the jewelry stolen was beyond estimation.
To many, this was undoubtedly the work of a well-organized gang of thieves.
Upon learning of the case, Haixia City Police Department immediately sealed off all transportation out of the city, permitting exits only after thorough inspection and clearance.
Early in the morning, a special task force was assembled, led by the Chief of the Municipal Bureau. However, the operational lead was entrusted to Zhou Jianye, given his experience in criminal investigations.
Zhou Jianye arrived at the crime scene early to conduct his investigation.
Having served in the police for many years, it was the first time he had encountered such a horrifying scene.
Every victim had been killed instantly with a single blow, each bearing a deep, fatal wound across their necks.
All victims' major arteries had been severed, leaving blood stains everywhere.
The bodies were scattered across different rooms. From this, Zhou Jianye deduced that this wasn't merely a robbery gone wrong. Despite the jewelry stolen from Song Jingsheng's safe, only he had been killed in that room. The others had not.
This indicated to Zhou Jianye that the perpetrators could have avoided killing the others, yet they chose to do so.
Consequently, Zhou Jianye swiftly concluded that this might be a deliberate murder disguised as a robbery.
"Look into Song Jingsheng's recent relationships or any conflicts he might have had," Zhou Jianye instructed his subordinates.
Immediately, his team began investigating.
By noon, Zhou Jianye received a report.
"What? Are you saying Song Jingsheng had recent conflicts with Wu Zhiming?" Zhou Jianye frowned.
"Yes, Chief. During Song Jingsheng's 80th birthday celebration, he didn't invite Wu Zhiming. However, Wu Zhiming showed up with a gift and publicly embarrassed Song Jingsheng. It angered Song Jingsheng to the point where he almost had a heart attack. From this incident, it seems the biggest conflict recently was with Wu Zhiming. Besides this, we haven't found any evidence of conflicts with others," his subordinate reported.
"Wu Zhiming... This person seems to be everywhere," Zhou Jianye muttered, furrowing his brow.
"Chief, what should we do?" the subordinate asked.
"What can we do? Bring Wu Zhiming in for questioning at the station. Also, have Song Desheng come in," Zhou Jianye ordered.
"Yes, Chief."
At noon, Wu Zhiming was in his office, eating a lunchbox brought by Yao Jing.
Due to the current situation at home, Yao Jing had prepared the meal early in the morning and brought it to the company. It could be heated up in the cafeteria for lunch.
Yao Jing joined Wu Zhiming for lunch.
"I received a call from the property management. They've cleared the trash outside our house. Also, Liu Ning's house is now listed online for sale," Yao Jing said.
"Hmm," Wu Zhiming nodded, saying, "It's good that we're leaving. That house is not auspicious."
"I heard the cause of the fire was sewage from the trash leaking into the house, causing a short circuit," Yao Jing explained.
"I heard about that too. It doesn't really concern us much. Thankfully, the fire didn't spread to the whole building, or they would have had to compensate heavily," Wu Zhiming remarked.
"Was the sweet and sour fish I made today good?" Yao Jing asked.
"It was alright," Wu Zhiming nodded, then continued, "Have you decided on our honeymoon destination?"
"Honeymoon? That doesn't suit an old woman like me," Yao Jing shook her head.
Wu Zhiming smiled and looked at Yao Jing. "You still remember?"
Yao Jing didn't say anything. She bit into the sweet and sour fish as if she had a grudge against it.
"Let's go to Huanyu Province next door. In Huanyu Province, there's Huanyu City, which has one of the best beaches in the country. There are coconuts, enthusiastic grass skirt dances—perfect for a honeymoon," Wu Zhiming suggested.
"Have you already discussed this with Song Siqing?" Yao Jing frowned.
"No," Wu Zhiming shook his head.
"Last night, Song Siqing also said he wanted to go to Huanyu City. He said his top brother in the list is also from Huanyu City, and he has spent a lot of money to invite him to dinner, and he's arranged an offline meeting for fans." Yao Jing said.
"Well, our ideas are still the same. Huanyu City has good scenery and good climate. It's a good place for tourism. Let's just decide like this."
"That's settled then. Have a great time," Yao Jing said, rising to pack up the lunchbox.
"I haven't finished eating," Wu Zhiming remarked.
"Go enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze in Huanyu City," Yao Jing replied as she finished packing and headed for the door.
Just as she reached the door, it swung open, and two police officers entered the office.
"Mr. Wu, please come with us. There's something we need your cooperation with for an investigation," one officer said.
"What's going on?" Yao Jing frowned.
"It's nothing," Wu Zhiming stood up, smiling. "I'll just go for a bit and be back."
"I'm coming too," Yao Jing set the lunchbox aside.
"You stay at the company. I'll be back soon. There's nothing to worry about," Wu Zhiming reassured her with a smile.
"Are you sure?" Yao Jing frowned.
"Yeah. Officer, I'll go with you," Wu Zhiming said, walking over to the two policemen.
"Keep an eye on things at the company, okay?" Wu Zhiming said.
"Yeah," Yao Jing nodded. "If you're not back in an hour, I'll go to the police station with the company's legal team to find you."
"Yeah."
Wu Zhiming left the office with the two police officers.
Since it was just for questioning, there were no handcuffs involved.
As soon as Wu Zhiming left the company, someone immediately reported this news to Shen Hongyue in Rongjin City.
"What? Wu Zhiming has been taken away by the police?" Shen Hongyue was also shocked when she received the news.
"Yes, Madam. Two police officers came and said they needed to understand the situation. Several people from Song Jingsheng's family were killed this morning, and it may be related to this," her subordinate replied.
"Song Jingsheng... Previously, Wu Zhiming caused a scene at Song Jingsheng's birthday celebration. This news has already spread to Rongjin City. I didn't expect that not long after, Song Jingsheng would be killed. Wu Zhiming is definitely considered a suspect. Interesting. Keep a close eye on this matter and report any updates to me immediately," Shen Hongyue instructed.
"Yes."
After hanging up, Shen Hongyue was in a good mood.
At that moment, one of her subordinates approached her.
"Miss, we've located the exact whereabouts of the driver's family from back then!" the subordinate said respectfully.
"Where are they?" Shen Hongyue's face darkened as she asked.
"In Huanyu City!"
"Huanyu City?!" Shen Hongyue squinted and said, "Arrange a few people to go to Huanyu City. Take that family to meet the driver!"
"Yes!"
Haixia City Police Station.
Wu Zhiming was escorted into Zhou Jianye's office.
After all, Wu Zhiming was a prominent figure in Haixia City, and without any evidence, the police wouldn't do anything to him.
"I have two matters," Zhou Jianye stood before Wu Zhiming, leaning against his chair, flipping through a folder as he spoke.
"Captain Zhou, please go ahead. I will answer truthfully to what I know," Wu Zhiming said earnestly.
"Firstly, regarding Yang Sandao's matter: When you succeeded as the family head, Yang Sandao appeared once, then disappeared. We have been trying to track down Yang Sandao, but all we found was the corpse of someone claiming to be Yang Sandao, alongside three animal corpses he had given you as a gift," Zhou Jianye said.
"Oh? Yang Sandao is dead?" Wu Zhiming asked in surprise.
Zhou Jianye looked at Wu Zhiming, trying to discern any flaws, but Wu Zhiming's expression was genuinely surprised, showing no signs of deception.
"We found Yang Sandao's body. He was dead. His neck was broken, and both hands were missing," Zhou Jianye said.
"Such a person deserves to die," Wu Zhiming remarked.
"Whether he deserved to die or not isn't for you to say—it's the law's call. What I want to ask is, why were the three animal corpses he previously gave you found near his body?" Zhou Jianye asked.
"Captain Zhou, are you considering those three animal corpses as gifts?" Wu Zhiming asked in surprise.
"Let's put it that way," Zhou Jianye said.
"I didn't even know Yang Sandao had died. As for why those three corpses were found near him, I have no idea. When he gave me those three corpses, I had them disposed of immediately because I saw it as a provocation. Whether those three corpses were eventually sent to the garbage dump or taken away by someone else, I don't know. Captain Zhou, are you suspecting that I have something to do with Yang Sandao's death?" Wu Zhiming furrowed his brow and asked.
"I don't rule out the possibility," Zhou Jianye said.
"I would have to be incredibly foolish to kill Yang Sandao and then place three animal corpses near him that could implicate me," Wu Zhiming laughed and asked.
"Perhaps it's a case of misdirection," Zhou Jianye said.
"That would be like pulling down one's pants to fart," Wu Zhiming said.
"Let's set that matter aside for now. The second matter: Tell me, where were you last night between 10 p.m. and midnight? Who were you with, and what were you doing?" Zhou Jianye asked.
"Last night, around 10 p.m., I left the company for a hotel. I stayed there the entire time, not going anywhere else," Wu Zhiming said calmly.