Good and Evil Chapter 119: One Husband, Two Lovers

After speaking with Shi Dehua for a while, Xu Lang returned to the public security substation.

Xu Lang told Ning Yanran everything he had learned from Shi Dehua. After listening, Ning Yanran looked at him and asked, “Is what Shi Dehua said really true? Could he have seen you take that watch from him today and, worried that the truth would come out, sought you out in advance to clear himself of suspicion?”

Xu Lang nodded. “That possibility cannot be ruled out. If he really is involved in this case, there would have been no reason for him to drag someone named Zhao Dewen into it.”

“Tell me what you think,” Ning Yanran said.

“First of all, Shi Dehua is a lawyer who cares only about profit. His reputation in the legal profession is mixed, but one thing cannot be denied: he is genuinely formidable in court. No matter how much people curse him in private, someone like him still cares deeply about his reputation. Once his reputation was ruined, no one would hire him to handle their cases anymore. Although that Rolex is extremely valuable, he had no reason to kill someone over a watch.

“Second, according to Shi Dehua, Zhao Dewen is also a wealthy man. Once a rich person’s business grows large enough, trouble is inevitable, especially lawsuits. Shi Dehua is a well-known lawyer. If Zhao Dewen truly had nothing to do with this case, Shi Dehua would have had no reason to implicate him. Otherwise, once we investigated everything and discovered that Zhao Dewen had nothing to do with the case, how could Shi Dehua continue to make a living in the legal profession? You should know that in today’s society, no information remains absolutely confidential. Zhao Dewen is a wealthy man. If he learned that the police were investigating him because of Shi Dehua, he would certainly make trouble for Shi Dehua later.”

After hearing Xu Lang’s analysis, Ning Yanran nodded, deeply convinced. She looked at him and said, “Then should we summon Zhao Dewen for questioning?”

Xu Lang thought for a moment. “Let’s wait a little longer. We’ll decide once the appraisal results for the Rolex come back. For now, investigate Zhao Dewen and find out whether he really had an improper relationship with Yan Wanyi.”

Since Xu Lang had said so, Ning Yanran proceeded accordingly.

Two days later, after conducting a comprehensive investigation, the police finally determined the origin of the watch.

The Rolex had indeed been given to Shi Dehua by Yan Wanyi. However, it was also the very watch that had gone missing after Han Xingchang’s death. Brand-name watches of this kind generally have a serial number engraved inside them. After a customer purchases one, the sales clerk records the buyer’s information together with the watch’s serial number. This was not difficult to investigate. During the earlier Song Yongde case, the police had even determined the victim’s exact time of death through a wristwatch.

At this stage of the investigation, it was clear that the victim’s wife, Yan Wanyi, had a substantial connection to the case. The police therefore summoned her to the public security substation once again.

This time, Xu Lang and the others did not question Yan Wanyi in an interview room. Instead, they took her directly to the interrogation room.

There, Xu Lang did not waste time beating around the bush or making small talk. He immediately asked, “How did the Rolex that disappeared on the day Han Xingchang was murdered end up in Shi Dehua’s possession?”

At first, Yan Wanyi tried to argue that the watch on Shi Dehua’s wrist was not the one that had gone missing from Han Xingchang, but one she had purchased herself. However, once Xu Lang and the others produced the appraisal report and the sales records from the Rolex dealership, Yan Wanyi admitted that the watch had indeed belonged to Han Xingchang.

Although she acknowledged that the watch was Han Xingchang’s, she insisted that Han Xingchang had given it to her himself, rather than her stealing it after his death.

In response to Yan Wanyi’s evasions, the police located several people who had visited Han Xingchang’s home that night. After detailed questioning, they reached a conclusion: on the night Han Xingchang died, while they were dining at his home, they had all seen a Rolex on his wrist. Han Xingchang had purchased the watch two years earlier and had worn it almost constantly ever since.

Among the people who had visited Han Xingchang that night, two had also purchased Rolex watches themselves. They had bought them on Han Xingchang’s recommendation, so they remembered the matter very clearly.

With their testimony before her, Yan Wanyi admitted that the watch she had given Shi Dehua was Han Xingchang’s. However, she denied removing it from Han Xingchang’s corpse. Instead, she claimed that after the gathering ended that night, Han Xingchang had wanted to take a shower and handed her the watch himself. She had casually placed it in the spare bedroom. Later, the two of them had gotten into a fierce argument, after which criminals had broken into the house and murdered Han Xingchang in the bedroom. Only afterward had she discovered that Han Xingchang’s watch had not been lost, and she had then given it to her lover, Shi Dehua.

Xu Lang and the others knew at once that Yan Wanyi had fabricated the entire story. Unfortunately, they had no evidence proving that she was lying. More than a month had passed since Han Xingchang’s death, and Shi Dehua had received the watch over half a month earlier. Any fingerprints or traces of biological material on it had long since been covered or destroyed by Shi Dehua, making it impossible to determine whether Han Xingchang had given the watch to Yan Wanyi shortly before his death or whether she had taken it after he died.

Since Yan Wanyi refused to speak honestly, and everything she did say consisted of lies, the police had no choice but to detain her temporarily at the station.

At the same time that Xu Lang and the others finished questioning Yan Wanyi, the police also brought Zhao Dewen to the station. Of course, he was not being detained; they merely wanted to question him as a matter of routine.

According to Zhao Dewen, he and Yan Wanyi had indeed been involved in an improper relationship, but theirs was purely an affair between lovers. Zhao Dewen was around the same age as Han Xingchang, only two years younger. He had long since married and established a family, with a son and a daughter. His wife was also a formidable businesswoman and served as vice president of Zhao Dewen’s company.

The reason Zhao Dewen had become involved with Yan Wanyi was that she was young and beautiful, and she was very skilled at seducing men—especially with those alluring, foxlike eyes. Anyone caught by her gaze felt as if an electric current had passed through him, leaving him tingling all over.

Zhao Dewen had met Yan Wanyi at a drinking party. The moment he first saw her, he was captivated by her eyes. After the gathering ended, the two exchanged contact information.

What happened afterward was much as Xu Lang and the others had imagined. Once they had each other’s contact details, they naturally began communicating; as they kept in touch, their relationship naturally grew closer. At first, Zhao Dewen had thought Yan Wanyi would be difficult to win over. Unexpectedly, during their conversations, he discovered that she was an extremely open-minded woman. The realization delighted him. He began showering her with sweet words while inviting her out, and Yan Wanyi did not refuse. She quickly accepted his invitations.

In the beginning, their dates consisted merely of meals, tea, and shopping. Whenever Zhao Dewen tried to take things further, Yan Wanyi rejected him. Rather than finding this strange, Zhao Dewen only grew more attracted to her.

At this point, Ning Yanran could not help remarking, “Men are all worthless. They enjoy being tormented.”

Xu Lang was speechless, his face filled with helpless innocence. One sentence had condemned every man alive, and he did not know what to say.

Although Ning Yanran’s statement was too sweeping and not entirely accurate, it was not completely wrong either. After seeing Yan Wanyi behave this way, Zhao Dewen began asking her out frequently, buying her gifts, and trying to make her happy. Perhaps sincerity could eventually move even stone, because after they had been seeing each other for roughly two months, Zhao Dewen invited Yan Wanyi to sit with him in his hotel room after dinner one evening.

He had expected her to refuse. To his surprise, she agreed, which filled him with delight.

The two entered the hotel room. A man and a woman alone together, surrounded by warm-colored lights and the intoxicating aroma of red wine— that night, they crossed the line and became lovers. From then on, they were completely involved with each other.

Compared with many other affairs and illicit relationships, Zhao Dewen and Yan Wanyi’s arrangement was relatively simple. Zhao Dewen liked her, was willing to spend money on her, indulge her, and keep her company, but he could never divorce his wife. As for Yan Wanyi, being with Zhao Dewen gave her not only material satisfaction, but also emotional and physical fulfillment. In the end, each was simply taking what the other had to offer.

From Zhao Dewen’s perspective, Han Xingchang’s death had been a complete accident. After Han Xingchang died, Yan Wanyi approached him and asked him to help obtain Han Xingchang’s inheritance. Zhao Dewen did not refuse. In fact, Han Xingchang’s death was beneficial to him: without Han Xingchang around, it would be easier for him to meet with Yan Wanyi in secret. However, that alone was not enough to establish that Zhao Dewen had killed Han Xingchang.

Moreover, according to the police investigation, on the night Han Xingchang was murdered, Zhao Dewen had been drinking at a bar. Many people there could testify that he had remained at the bar, giving him a complete alibi. Thus, after questioning him about his relationship with Yan Wanyi, the police allowed Zhao Dewen to leave.

At the same time, the police investigated Shi Dehua as well. On the night Han Xingchang died, Shi Dehua had been working late at his firm. He had been defending a criminal charged with intentional assault. Several other people had also been working late at the law office, and there were both witnesses and surveillance footage. All of it proved that Shi Dehua had had no opportunity to commit the crime.

The investigation had once again reached an impasse. Although everyone knew that Yan Wanyi was suspicious, they simply could not find any evidence.

If Han Xingchang had not been killed by Yan Wanyi, Shi Dehua, or even Yan Wanyi’s lover Zhao Dewen, then who was the murderer?

Xu Lang thought of the attic in Han Xingchang’s home. During their investigation, the police had discovered signs that someone had lived there for a long time—and that the person had been a man. Yet they had no clue who he was. They had found no fingerprints, footprints, or traces of biological material in the attic. Before leaving, the man had carefully cleaned and cleared the entire area. Clearly, he possessed highly developed counter-investigative skills.

Just as the police were at a loss, Zhao Dewen came to the station again. This time, he wanted to see Yan Wanyi. Under normal regulations, he should not have been allowed to meet her, but Xu Lang felt that Zhao Dewen’s visit might allow them to obtain some clue from Yan Wanyi. He therefore permitted the meeting.

After they met, the two did not say much. As she was leaving, Yan Wanyi specifically instructed Zhao Dewen to go to her home and buy some vegetables, meat, and other food to put in the refrigerator.

Yan Wanyi had only been detained temporarily. Before the police found evidence, they could hold her for no more than forty-eight hours—only two days. Logically speaking, there had been no reason for her to ask Zhao Dewen to go to her home.

Moreover, the home she referred to was not the villa where Han Xingchang had died, but another property of hers: a villa in the Fengming Villa District.

After Han Xingchang’s death, Yan Wanyi had never returned to the Xishan Villa District. Instead, she moved into a five-star hotel. However, she did not remain there constantly. From time to time, she returned to the villa in Fengming. Whenever she did, she first went to a supermarket and bought large quantities of vegetables, meat, and other ingredients for cooking.

During the initial investigation, the police had not paid attention to this detail. But now, after being detained and meeting her lover Zhao Dewen, Yan Wanyi had said nothing else except to instruct him to go to her home—and to make sure he brought food. It was highly abnormal.

When Xu Lang learned of this, he immediately thought of one possibility: the person who had once hidden in the attic of the Xishan villa might now be staying in the Fengming villa.

With that thought, Xu Lang immediately found Ning Yanran and asked her to apply for a search warrant. He intended to search the Fengming villa.

At the same time, Xu Lang once again sought out Lü Xing and asked him to retrieve surveillance footage from the days following Han Xingchang’s death. Xu Lang did not believe that a living person could simply vanish and leave the heavily secured Xishan Villa District without anyone noticing.

After reviewing the surveillance footage, Xu Lang discovered that on the third day after Han Xingchang’s death, Yan Wanyi had driven back to the Xishan Villa District. She had remained there for more than three hours before driving away.

Upon making this discovery, Xu Lang immediately asked Lü Xing to use Yan Wanyi’s license plate number to determine where the car had gone after leaving Xishan.

After investigating, Lü Xing discovered that Yan Wanyi had not returned to the five-star hotel. Instead, she had driven to the Fengming villa. She stayed there for more than an hour before driving away. Half an hour later, she returned. According to the surveillance footage, after leaving the Fengming villa, Yan Wanyi had gone to a nearby supermarket, where she purchased a large quantity of food.

After driving back to the villa, Yan Wanyi remained there for less than half an hour before leaving again and returning to the five-star hotel.

The police also questioned the security guards at the Fengming residential compound and obtained another clue. Beginning on the third day after Han Xingchang’s death, Yan Wanyi had driven to the compound once. After that, she returned every three days. Each time, she stayed for no more than an hour or so before driving away.

With these findings, Xu Lang became increasingly certain that the person who had once hidden in the attic of the Xishan villa had been moved by Yan Wanyi and hidden in the Fengming villa.

Of course, this was still only Xu Lang’s deduction. Whether it was the truth or not would become clear once Ning Yanran obtained a search warrant and they searched the Fengming villa.

Several hours later, the search warrant was approved. Ning Yanran and Xu Lang brought it to the Fengming Villa District and went straight to the villa that had once belonged to Han Xingchang and was now registered in Yan Wanyi’s name.

After parking in front of the villa, Xu Lang got out and looked up at the building. He immediately noticed that it resembled the villa in Xishan. Aside from their similar architectural styles, the most important similarity was that this villa also had an attic.

Once everyone had gotten out of the vehicles, Xu Lang and the others entered the villa with their men. They first searched the ground and second floors but found no one inside. However, while searching the kitchen and refrigerator, they discovered signs that someone had been cooking there. Someone had used the kitchen shortly before their arrival, and almost all the food and vegetables in the refrigerator were gone.

Since Yan Wanyi had been living at a hotel for a long time, and there was neither a nanny nor a servant in the villa, who had been cooking there?

Could everything really be as Xu Lang had suspected?

But if so, why had they not found that person inside the villa?

Xu Lang stood in the stairwell on the second floor and pondered for a moment. Then he looked toward the staircase. Just like the villa in Xishan, this house also had an attic. The police had not searched it during their initial sweep.

With that thought, Xu Lang followed the stairs to the attic. He looked at the tightly closed door and reached out to push it. The door was locked.

It was not locked from the outside, but bolted from within. That meant someone was living inside.

Xu Lang turned to the officers beside him and said, “Break down the door.”

At his command, the officers, who had been prepared for this, immediately began smashing the door.

After only a few blows, Xu Lang and the others clearly heard a noise coming from inside the attic. Then, after the officers struck the door again, it finally swung open.