I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 75 Funeral
That night.

Inside a private room at a private restaurant in Qingchang.

Ji Bowei poured Wu Bin half a glass of wine, and the two had a small get-together and drank to their hearts' content.

Han Ling had just joined the branch office, and the conversation mainly revolved around him.

“You have a good eye for people. He’s definitely not as simple as he seems.” Ji Bowei’s voice rang out. “If it weren’t for Han Ling this time, the case would have gone wrong in my hands.”

The two clinked glasses, and Wu Bin spoke up: "There is no indication of any cooperation in the murder. All the evidence points to the suspect, and the suspect himself has confessed. The confession and the clues correspond one by one without any contradictions. It is understandable if there is a mistake."

Who could have imagined that the suspect would willingly take the blame for someone else? Who could have imagined that Li Hui would target Hou Jiarou?

Ji Bowei took a sip and put down his cup: "But Han Ling thought of it. In his eyes, there is no such thing as kinship. He treats everyone equally."

I'm very curious about how he did it. Was it because he was an orphan? Lacking family affection?

Wu Bin: "Maybe so. Without family, one cannot empathize, so he believes that Li Hui could very well have killed Hou Jiarou."

Ji Bowei: "It is both an advantage and a disadvantage. His inability to empathize can lead to a lack of trust and affect cooperation among colleagues. On the other hand, his emotional closed-off nature may also make it difficult for him to understand the victims in some cases, thus missing important clues."

Furthermore, overly unconventional thinking isn't necessarily a good thing; it lacks rigor and carries the risk of misjudgment.

Wu Bin touched the cup in front of him and said softly, "I need a criminal police officer like this. Let him train well in the branch office and give him important responsibilities when he deserves them."

"Need anything?" Ji Bowei seized on the key phrase. "Chief Wu, are there any cases?"

Wu Bin shook his head: "No, come on, let's drink, but only a little today."

Ji Bowei asked no further questions.

He understood Wu Bin; the word "nothing" could have two meanings: either it truly didn't exist, or it couldn't be said.

The two clinked glasses.

"Something interesting happened today." Putting down his wine glass, Ji Bowei chatted casually, "Han Ling's girlfriend came to see him. She's very beautiful. Also, Lin Rong from the Economic Investigation Department came by, also looking for Han Ling. I didn't realize this guy was so popular with women."

Wu Bin picked up the cigarette pack on the table and said with a smile, "I heard from my friends in the Economic Crime Investigation Department that Han Ling saved Lin Rong during an operation to assist in an arrest. It's normal for the two of them to have more contact."

For young people, relationships are a very important part of life.

There was gossip before that Han Ling liked Lin Rong and pursued her throughout college. How come he's changed his mind so quickly?

Ji Bowei accepted the cigarette offered by the other party: "I don't know, that's their private matter."

Wu Bin lit a cigarette and asked, "You just said it was very beautiful, how beautiful?"

Ji Bowen made a quick comparison in his mind and replied, "Prettier than Lin Rong."

"Huh?" Wu Bin was taken aback. "Prettier than Lin Rong? Why would she be interested in Han Ling?"

Ji Bowei laughed: "Han Ling is charming on her own, Wu Zhi, you're such a gossip."

Wu Bin: "No, that's not it. A girl who's even prettier than Lin Rong is completely beyond the level of ordinary people. She can make a living and earn money based on her looks. Under normal circumstances, she shouldn't have any interaction with a lowly policeman. What does she do?"

Ji Bowei: "I heard he's a doctor."

Wu Bin: "Oh."

……

April 23, 2010, Thursday, after the rain.

The Rooster clashes with the West, making it auspicious for weddings, transactions, business openings, setting up beds, and burials, but inauspicious for praying for blessings.

Huaiyan Town is administratively under the jurisdiction of Gu'an District of Qingchang City. The entire town is nestled against the mountains and is located in the northernmost part of Gu'an District.

The northernmost village in Huaiyan Town is Weijiazhuang Village, which is located at the foot of Tiezhu Mountain, near a lake.

It's situated by the mountains and water.

The village is small, with only 56 households and a population of two to three hundred. It is considered a medium-sized village. Geographically isolated from the city, it is relatively poor.

A funeral was held in Weijiazhuang Village today.

The ceremony and process of sending the cremated body to its final burial site is the most crucial part of the funeral procession.

The village path was shrouded in gloom as the funeral procession slowly made its way to the cemetery outside the village, accompanied by mournful dirges.

The relative at the front was dressed in mourning clothes, the white cloth strips around his waist swaying gently in the wind, and his sorrowful cries echoed around him.

Along the roadside, elderly people, women, and children who stayed behind in the village sat at their doorways, watching the procession move by.

The funeral procession was attended only by close relatives and friends; more precisely, only by those who had contributed to the funeral expenses. The deceased was named Cao Kexuan, twenty-one years old, a university student who died suddenly from an illness.

The death of their son by his father, a tragedy for the Cao family, plunged them into an atmosphere of despair.

The cemetery was a kilometer away, and the funeral procession took a full half hour to walk, moving very slowly.

At the very front were Cao Kexuan's parents, who, in their grief, could not walk fast.

We've arrived at the cemetery.

The crowd dispersed to watch.

Among the crowd, a brightly dressed young girl stood out from the rural people. Her eyes were red, and she stood there quietly, watching Cao Kexuan's ashes being placed into the coffin and the coffin being lowered into the pre-dug grave.

At that moment, the cries were deafening. Relatives rushed to the grave to try to stop them, but were pulled away by the silent bystanders.

Several people picked up shovels and began to scatter soil.

As time passed, the grave mound rose high, and family members knelt on the ground, cupping soil in their hands, leaving behind their final remembrance of their loved ones.

The girl watched this scene, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Her name was Zhu Yuntang. She was a local of Qingchang. Both her parents worked, and her family was well-off. She and the deceased, Cao Kexuan, were not only classmates but also lovers.

The two fell in love at first sight and had a deep affection for each other. Zhu Yuntang even visited Weijiazhuang Village during her sophomore year of college to meet and have a meal with Cao Kexuan's parents.

Everyone says graduation season is breakup season, but the two of them never thought that way.

They are full of hope for the future.

However, Zhu Yuntang never expected that her boyfriend would die so suddenly after only going home for the weekend.

Unexpected events can happen at any time, and misfortune can strike at any moment. When disaster befalls you, there is no other way but to endure it.

Recalling the moments she shared with her boyfriend during their school years, Zhu Yuntang broke down in tears.

People around looked over and sighed.

The village is small, and everyone knows what's going on.

Cao Kexuan from the Cao family was admitted to Qingchang University in the college entrance examination, which is equivalent to Weijiazhuang Village producing a "top scholar". Everyone is very envious and marvels at how the Cao family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke.

Later, Cao Kexuan brought home a girlfriend from the city; she was beautiful and came from a good family.

The fact that the girl came to the village with her boyfriend shows that she takes this relationship seriously, and the two are very likely to get married in the future.

They both graduated from Qingchang University and are both so outstanding; their families must be very happy.

It's such a pity that such a talented person died so young.

Seeing Zhu Yuntang lose control of her emotions, Cao Kexuan, Zhu Yuntang's cousin, came over to comfort her. Her eyes were also red. Everyone was very saddened by her cousin's death.

The funeral procession ended, and everyone prepared to return home.

At that moment, Zhu Yuntang's phone beeped with a text message notification. Wiping away her tears, she casually took it out, unlocked it, and saw Cao Kexuan's name.

Zhu Yuntang froze, then looked down to check the contents.

Don't cry, I'm still here.

"what!!!"

The screams attracted everyone's attention. Zhu Yuntang felt no joy upon seeing the text message from her boyfriend; instead, she felt fear and dread.

Cao Kexuan has been cremated, and his ashes are in front of us!

"W-what's wrong?" My cousin was startled and quickly asked.

Zhu Yuntang tossed her phone away as if it were a red-hot branding iron: "Kexuan! Kexuan just texted me!!"

"What?!" My cousin exclaimed in surprise, taking two steps back and instinctively moving away from the phone that had fallen to the ground.

At the funeral, before the mournful music had even stopped, Zhu Yuntang's words were truly shocking.

The surrounding villagers looked at each other in bewilderment. Most of them were not afraid. Their first reaction was that Zhu Yuntang had misread the situation or had gone mad from excessive grief.

The deceased has already been cremated, so how could they possibly send a text message?

Seeing countless eyes staring at her, Zhu Yuntang snapped out of her daze, took two steps forward, picked up her phone, and angrily shouted, "Whose prank is this? Step forward!!"

(End of this chapter)