Chapter Sixty: Calculations

“We can’t accept this. Investigating Wang Yuluo’s case is our duty—it’s what we’re supposed to do,” Ning Shuyi quickly declined.

“No, no, you must take it! It’s just a small token from our family!” Wang Yuluo’s aunt became even more insistent, pressing the gift into Ning Shuyi’s hands. “What happened to my niece was like a bolt from the blue for our whole family. My brother couldn’t bear such a blow and fell ill right away.

Every day I have to take meals to him in the hospital and look after my own household too. Then my cousin suddenly has such a terrible accident—my daughter is deeply affected and listless. I’m worried she might end up having problems herself. There’s so much to take care of inside and out, otherwise I would’ve come to express our thanks sooner!”

“We appreciate your kindness, but please take your things back,” Ning Shuyi insisted. When the woman mentioned her own daughter, Ning couldn’t help but recall how, the other day, Yu Mengpeng had proactively asked Huo Yan for his WeChat and been politely rebuffed. She snapped out of her thoughts and asked, “What happened to Wang Yuluo’s father’s health?”

“It’s nothing new, just his old ailments acting up.” Wang Yuluo’s aunt sighed. “He used to drink a lot while doing business, talking deals over alcohol—his blood pressure’s high, and his heart’s not great.

After what happened to Yuluo, he barely held it together at the police station, but once he got home, he collapsed. We called an ambulance and sent him to the hospital. The doctor said his blood pressure was dangerously high and he had to be hospitalized and medicated, or else he might have a stroke at any moment.

He’s been on medication these past days, but it’s not working very well. He’s preoccupied and can’t find peace—one moment thinking it was just an accident, the next convinced it’s impossible for a grown woman to simply vanish after going to a movie, that someone must have hurt her.

He broods like this day after day—how could he possibly get better?”

“So what brings you here today?” Ning Shuyi sensed there was more to the aunt’s words.

Wang Yuluo’s aunt wet her lips, looking awkward and conflicted. “I know it’s not really proper for me to say this, but our family’s situation is what it is. No one could have foreseen what happened to Yuluo, but the dead can’t come back to life, and those still alive have to keep going.

No matter if what happened to Yuluo was an accident or someone’s malice, it doesn’t change the outcome. I just hope, whatever the conclusion, you can give us an answer as soon as possible.”

“What kind of answer are you hoping for?” Ning Shuyi countered.

Wang Yuluo’s aunt froze. “A definitive answer, of course! Otherwise, every day everyone in our family is on edge, especially my brother. His own child suffered this—he’s in agony, torturing himself with endless thoughts! If there’s a conclusion—if someone did harm, you’ll catch them; if it was an accident, then my brother can accept reality and stop blaming himself or letting his mind run wild!”

“I understand how you feel, but I’m sorry, at this point we truly can’t draw any conclusions yet.” Ning Shuyi nodded to show she understood. “We’re trying our best every day to uncover the truth. The samples have already been sent to the bureau, but there’s a queue.”

“A queue? Can’t you move us up the list? This is a life at stake—how can it not be urgent?” Wang Yuluo’s aunt pressed eagerly. “Or, if it takes money to expedite things, our family is willing to pay whatever’s needed!”

“It’s not about money,” Ning Shuyi replied, half exasperated, half amused. “Cases sent to the bureau are all complex or serious—everyone considers their case urgent. Every department is sending cases in. If everyone could jump the queue, no one would wait their turn.

Please rest assured, we haven’t stopped working. We’re not just waiting for the forensic results. We’re pursuing all angles—whichever side yields progress that can define the case, we’ll notify the family immediately.”

“But—I just don’t understand. My niece was just a young woman, she didn’t interact with many people. Those who liked her, those who didn’t—it’s all obvious. How complicated could it be? Why does it take so long to investigate?”

Wang Yuluo’s aunt clung to Ning Shuyi, voicing her anxiety in a constant stream of complaints. Just then, a taxi pulled up to the curb. As soon as it stopped, Yu Mengpeng jumped out, clearly having made arrangements in advance—the taxi didn’t leave, but waited by the roadside.

She hurried over to her mother, seized her by the arm, and scolded, “Mom, what are you doing? The police are just doing their jobs—why are you making trouble? Leave professional matters to the professionals. We just need to wait for news at home! I explained it to you clearly, so why do you never listen?”

Seeing her daughter arrive, Wang Yuluo’s aunt looked aggrieved. “I—I’m just anxious! The way things are at home, your uncle in the hospital, the medications not really working... I’m just so worried, I don’t know what else to do!”

Yu Mengpeng didn’t respond to her mother, but instead gave Ning Shuyi an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Officer Ning! My mother means well, but her good intentions often cause trouble. Thank you for all your hard work! I’ll take her home now and keep her from disturbing you further!”

As she spoke, she glanced instinctively at Huo Yan, still embarrassed about what had happened the other day, and quickly looked away. She hustled her mother back into the taxi, which merged into traffic and gradually disappeared from view.

Huo Yan looked at Ning Shuyi, who was still gazing after the taxi, thoughtful. He stood by in silence until she came back to herself, and together they headed off to take Zhang Jiawen’s statement.

“Do you think Yu Mengpeng knows her parents coaxed a property worth over two million out of her uncle and cousin?” Ning Shuyi asked as they walked.

Huo Yan shook his head. “Hard to say. If she understood her mother’s calculations, she probably wouldn’t resist getting her accounting certification.”

Ning Shuyi couldn’t help but laugh—she’d thought the same thing. Wang Yuluo’s aunt, for all her simple, devoted appearance, was bold and decisive when it came to profiting from her brother and niece.

While tacitly allowing or even encouraging her niece to neglect her studies under the guise of preparing for graduate school (when in fact she was out playing every day), she’d pressed her own daughter to focus solely on the accounting exam, not to find a job. Her intentions were obvious enough that even the deaf could hear them—except, perhaps, for Yu Mengpeng, who’d forced herself to close her ears.