Chapter 11 Big Shot

"What kind of image did Wu Meifang portray when she talked about her life at home?" Ning Shuyi asked.

"She claimed that after graduating from college, she landed a fantastic job with a high salary and effortless duties, so her life was going wonderfully. She also said her boyfriend was an exceptionally capable man—wealthy and talented—who doted on her constantly and showered her with gifts."

Wu Meifang's sister-in-law replied, "Whenever she came home, she would often bring my mother-in-law skincare products and things like that, claiming her boyfriend bought them for her and that she couldn't possibly use them all, so she brought them back for her mother. She would also bring back cartons of cigarettes for my father-in-law, saying they were a filial gesture from her boyfriend.

"Those skincare products were high-end brands sold at major department store counters, easily costing several hundred per bottle, and the cigarettes were always top-tier, expensive varieties, sometimes even imported foreign brands.

"As for herself, everything she wore and used was designer. While they weren't those ultra-luxury brands costing ten or twenty thousand you see online, they were definitely in the one-to-two-thousand range per piece. Every single bag she carried cost at least thirty-five hundred minimum, and she had a ton of them. Every time she came home to the city to visit relatives, she hardly ever repeated a bag!

"The problem, however, is just how long has she even been out of college? She's a junior college graduate, and not from any remarkable major either. Many of her classmates struggled to find jobs and scrambled to upgrade their degrees, yet not only did she start working right away, but her spending immediately skyrocketed. It always felt a bit suspicious."

"Perhaps she just had better opportunities?" Ning Shuyi responded casually, seeming not to place too much emphasis on it. "Sometimes, personal ability, educational background, and sheer luck—the order in which these three play a role isn't set in stone."

Wu Meifang's sister-in-law shook her head, as if feeling her stance hadn't been made clear enough, and waved a hand. "It's not that I look down on my sister-in-law. Meifang was spoiled rotten at home since she was a little girl. She's not stupid; she was just lazy and lacked any serious drive!

"When my husband and I had just gotten married, she was still in high school. Her head teacher at the time said she lacked focus, because with her brain, had she just been willing to put in some effort and hard work, getting a regular undergraduate degree would have been entirely possible.

"When it came to choosing a university major, she refused to pick anything practical. She thought this one was too hard and that one was too tiring, and finally ended up choosing a jack-of-all-trades, dime-a-dozen major just so she could coast through, making it sound decent on paper.

"So if you tell me she managed to land a great job purely on her own merit, I'd find it hard to believe. That would require smoke rising from our ancestors' graves.

"Besides, which boss nowadays is a fool? There are certainly plenty of high-paying jobs, and undoubtedly plenty of relaxed ones, but a job that is both high-paying and effortless? That's no different than hiring a pampered mistress to serve and worship."

This comparison actually amused Ning Shuyi, who nodded and said, "On that point, I agree."

Wu Meifang's sister-in-law sighed and continued, "Furthermore, my sister-in-law's transformation from broke to wealthy didn't begin after she graduated and started working. Although my parents-in-law and my husband spoiled and pampered her, never being stingy with her living allowance, our family is only of modest means—no matter how generous they tried to be, their financial capacity had its limits.

"Her allowance back then was on par with everyone else's. It couldn't exceed what ordinary people had, but it matched the standard rate. At that time, everything she wore and used was very ordinary, mostly unbranded items bought online.

"Then, out of nowhere, by her sophomore or junior year, nice things started appearing on her person. My parents-in-law and my husband don't know quality and couldn't tell the difference; they just thought the items looked pretty. But I happen to know a thing or two about designer brands.

"I even asked her how she had the money to buy such nice things! She told me they were fake, high-end replicas. My parents-in-law believed her completely, and at first, I did too. But later on, something felt off—where on earth was she scavenging so many top-quality replicas?

"I privately reminded my husband to keep an eye on things, suggesting either my mother-in-law should have a talk with Meifang, or he, as her older brother, should warn her. The point was to make sure she didn't do anything foolish just to wear and use designer goods. After all, she's a young girl, and since her parents never raised her properly, she's a bit vain. What if, out in the flashy, complex world, the temptations proved too great for her self-control, and she took a crooked path just for some petty gains? Wouldn't her entire life be ruined?"

"Your husband probably wouldn't listen, right?" Ning Shuyi asked with an understanding nod. Judging from the reactions in the reception room just now, the answer to this question was self-evident.

"Exactly! The moment I brought it up, he hated hearing it. He insisted that I, the sister-in-law, had a twisted mindset and was deliberately projecting malicious thoughts onto his sister. He got upset with me and threw a temper tantrum.

"Hearing him talk like that made me feel so wronged and furious, and we ended up arguing quite a bit over it for a period of time. Eventually, I couldn't be bothered to talk to him anymore. After all, Wu Meifang carries the surname Wu; her parents and her brother all think she's wonderful, while I, the sister-in-law, am an outsider. What good would it do for me to say so many offensive things? People fight to preserve the Wu family's face, but any loss of face won't land on my head anyway. She's just my husband's sister, not a daughter I gave birth to, so there's truly no need for me to invite needless aggravation. After that, I stopped saying anything at all.

"Just now, when I saw that family starting up with that attitude again—I had merely said that every time she calls home, it's to assign us tasks, and I even phrased it quite tactfully—he was instantly displeased, snapped back at me, and rushed to defend his sister!

"He refuses to think about what kind of situation this is right now! He's completely unwilling to mention a single thing about the mess surrounding his sister; you can't talk about it, you can't ask about it. The moment you bring it up, his sister is portrayed as a model of flawless behavior and the ultimate paragon of womanhood!

"Sure, that preserves their pride, but how are you supposed to catch the killer then? Aren't you just leading the police astray?"

"So you suspect that what Wu Meifang told her family about having a good job, her income, and her expenses are all problematic? That she was lying?" Ning Shuyi asked.

Wu Meifang's sister-in-law nodded with absolute certainty. "Yes! I strongly suspect she wasn't up to any good out there, made dirty money, and came home to deceive her parents into believing she had a wonderful job, a massive salary, and a boyfriend who adored her to pieces.

"My parents-in-law are simply too vain. They never bothered to scrutinize whether the boasts and lies their daughter fed them made any sense. As long as she came home every time draped in designer goods and bringing gifts that made them look good in front of others, that was enough for them. I've never even seen them ask a single probing question about it.

"Any normal, honest person—would they hem and haw the moment you ask about the details of their job, or stall and dodge every time you mention wanting to meet their boyfriend?

"If you ask me, it's doubtful whether that job or that boyfriend even exists!"