Chapter 60 Still Alive

Ning Shuyi and her colleagues were already aware that Deng Qingrong had returned to Chang Rong's side in the past, but they had not expected that she went looking for a new partner while Chang Rong was still alive, and ultimately left with his valuables.

"So you went looking for her later?" Ning Shuyi asked.

Shen Zongde admitted this quite frankly. "Yes, I went looking for her! I just wanted an explanation! People at our age, how could someone just leave without a word? Furthermore, if she wanted to leave, I wouldn't stop her. She could take her own things! Including those items I bought for her voluntarily, she could take whatever she wanted. I am not that petty of a person! But what right did she have to take everything of value in my house that could be carried away—watches, cell phones, necklaces, rings, all of it!"

"As a result, it took a great deal of effort, piecing together fragments of information from things she used to say to me and things she had mentioned to others at the matchmaking corner, before I managed to figure out roughly where she lived. I didn't hold out much hope to begin with; figuring she had run off with my belongings, it was unlikely she would stay in the same place waiting for me to catch her. I had already prepared myself for the reality that I had simply run into an old swindler! But when I actually went looking and asked around, she had indeed moved away. However, the things her neighbors told me made the chill go straight from my spine all the way down to my heels!

"It turned out that she had a son! Not only that, she even had a husband when she was with me, who only died later! Her former neighbors all said she was a wicked piece of work—refusing to pay for her previous husband's medical treatment, dumping her gravely ill husband onto her son, and running off herself! After hearing all that, I turned right around and came back. I didn't want to find her anymore! Consider it my own blindness for being fooled by the facade she put up, but also consider it my good fortune! Fortunately, she was greedy and wanted a share of my house before things went any further, which was why we had a falling out! If she had kept up the act and we had stayed together, living with such a malicious and wicked woman, who knows—one day when I fell ill, she might have seized the opportunity to take my life!"

Shen Zongde shuddered, seemingly frightened by his own association.

"Since Deng Qingrong stole things from your home, why didn't you call the police back then?" Ning Shuyi asked, feeling somewhat puzzled.

If Shen Zongde had reported the matter to the police at the time, perhaps when they first took on this case, their assessment of Deng Qingrong would have been much clearer, and they wouldn't have been so easily misled by the superficial appearances of the case.

Shen Zongde wore a bitter expression. "Child, what could I do? How could I go to the police with a matter like this? It's too humiliating! If word got out, people would talk: an old man, losing his mind in his twilight years, went out to find himself an older companion, only to run into an old swindler who made off with his money? Anyway, I calculated it: a watch, a little over two thousand yuan in cash, and two old cell phones. When added up, the loss wasn't so great that I couldn't bear it, so I let the matter drop. I simply didn't have the face to go to the police and repeat such a story."

"You don't need to think that way. Seeking a companion in your later years is not an unreasonable desire; it's completely normal," Ning Shuyi waved a hand. "You mentioned earlier that when Deng Qingrong came to your house, she locked all her personal belongings in a room and wouldn't allow anyone to enter or touch them?"

"Yes, yes, yes! She had a small travel suitcase, about this big!" Shen Zongde used his hands to gesture the size of a cabin luggage. "That suitcase had who knows how many locks hanging from it! The zipper tabs on the suitcase itself had a lock on them, it was bound with luggage straps several times over on the outside, and it was even secured with a large loop lock of the kind used for bicycles! After she came to my house, this suitcase was kept in that empty room of mine, and she even had to lock the door. Forget about going into the room to look at those things inside—I wasn't even allowed to ask about them. She was the only one who kept the keys to the door locks."

"Did you never ask her what was inside the suitcase?"

"I actually did get curious and inquired about it once, but she told me that what was inside was her life!" Shen Zongde shook his head. "She wouldn't let anyone ask, and she didn't allow anyone to bring it up! Aside from that suitcase, she never guarded anything else quite so tightly."

"Can you still remember the color and style of the suitcase?"

"I can! A small, black, square box with a particularly long pull handle. There was also a line of text on it, though the letters were mostly worn away. It was probably given away as a promotional item at some event, or distributed by some organization."

As Shen Zongde spoke, he gestured the shape of the suitcase once more. Looking at the size he traced out, Ning Shuyi tried hard to recall the scene at the crime scene.

Since Shen Zongde hadn't really brought much of substantial help with him on this trip, after he poured out all the grievances and dissatisfaction he had bottled up in his heart over the past few years in one breath, Huoyan escorted him downstairs and out of the building.

Taking advantage of this time, Ning Shuyi flipped through the photographs of the crime scene again to examine them carefully. When Huoyan returned, she was studying a photo of the master bedroom where Deng Qingrong had lived with intense focus.

"The suitcase Shen Zongde mentioned just now should originally have been stuffed right here," Ning Shuyi turned her head, saw Huoyan standing behind her, and pointed to the large wardrobe in the photograph. "Look at this!"

Huoyan took the photo and looked at the spot Ning Shuyi indicated. On a rather inconspicuous shelf inside the large wardrobe, there was indeed the outline of a circle of dust, showing clearly that something had once been placed there, and its size closely matched Shen Zongde's description.

"Do you suppose that if that suitcase, which left such a deep impression on Shen Zongde, was originally kept here, what might be inside it would be the five hundred thousand yuan compensation given by the factory back when Chang Rong was injured?" Ning Shuyi asked.

Huoyan nodded. "It's possible, though at a time like this, even if Chang Junchaos took that fifty hundred thousand, he wouldn't dare to go out and spend it. But this could very well constitute the foundation and courage for him to commit murder and go on the run."

"That's right. Even if he assumes a false identity, starting a new life still requires capital." Ning Shuyi couldn't help but yawn.

"Go get some rest first. If there's any news, they'll contact us," Huoyan said, looking at the increasingly dark circles under Ning Shuyi's eyes.

"Alright, you hurry up and find a duty room to close your eyes for a bit too!" Ning Shuyi didn't stand on ceremony. She was indeed far too tired—so tired she could barely hold on.

The two of them each found a duty room to catch up on sleep, skipping lunch altogether. After about two hours, they were jolted awake by a vital piece of news.

"You got the call too?" Ning Shuyi, who had splashed her face with cold water and hurried back to the office to find someone, ran into Huoyan in the corridor. It looked as though he was just about to come looking for her as well. "Li Wei's frequently used mobile phone has been turned on! Through technical positioning, it's definitely right around the area of the crime scene! While it's temporarily impossible to pinpoint a specific building, at least it proves that our recent speculations and deployments were correct! Chang Junchao is indeed still alive, and moreover, he hasn't left the vicinity of the crime scene!"