Chapter 142

Seeing Fang Rui continuously observing Zhang Mingyuan, Zhang Mingli tried to defend her cousin: "Officer, I'm sorry, my cousin is young and doesn't know better. Please don't take offense."

Fang Rui asked, "Young? How old is he?"

"Twenty-five."

"He's not much younger than you then," Fang Rui retorted casually.

"We were born on the same day. I was born a few minutes earlier. When we were little, everyone called us dragon-phoenix twins," Zhang Mingli tried to ease the tension.

Officer Zhang also observed the siblings and suddenly realized why Fang Rui had asked about their age. He exchanged a glance with Fang Rui, who gave him a subtle signal. Officer Zhang nodded, indicating he understood the instruction.

"Miss Zhang, where is your uncle? We'd like to ask him some questions."

"He and my aunt went for a walk. They'll be back soon. Please have a seat."

"Alright."

Zhang Mingyuan, currently unemployed and preparing for the civil service exam, was somewhat intimidated by Fang Rui, so he kept asking Officer Zhang various questions.

"Brother Strong, is police work very tough? Is the pay good? What are the benefits like? How many tens of thousands can you make in a year?"

Officer Zhang responded perfunctorily while eyeing his thick hair, and when Zhang Mingyuan wasn't paying attention, quickly and precisely plucked a few strands of his hair.

"Ouch! What the hell are you doing? That hurts!"

"Sorry, sorry, I saw a white hair and wanted to help you remove it. It's gone now," Officer Zhang said jokingly.

"How could I have white hair? Where was it?"

"I threw it away," Officer Zhang said, standing up with his fist closed. "I need to use the bathroom. Where is it?"

"Over there."

About five minutes later, Zhang Taotao returned with his wife Wang Yuanfang. His wife was plump with a smile on her face, appearing to be an easy-going person.

Upon seeing Fang Rui and his colleague, Zhang Taotao frowned and said disapprovingly, "Why do you keep coming to question Mingli? She has nothing to do with that case. She was just a child then. How could she possibly be a murderer?"

"How do you know Zhang Mingli was a child when the incident occurred?" Fang Rui questioned.

"Mingli told me."

Zhang Mingli frowned. She had only told her uncle that the police had found a body, but hadn't mentioned what condition it was in. Why did her uncle know so much about it?

"What we told Miss Zhang was that the deceased had been dead for at least ten years. At that time, Miss Zhang would have been fourteen or fifteen - not exactly a child, right?"

"Officers, aren't you just arguing semantics? How is fourteen or fifteen not still a child? Mingli is twenty-five now, and she's still a child in my eyes," Zhang Taotao explained calmly.

Wang Yuanfang chimed in, "Officers, if you have any questions in the future, you can ask us outside. Coming to our home so often affects our reputation. You police should consider us ordinary citizens too."

Fang Rui asked directly, "Mr. Zhang, according to our investigation, the second month after Zhang Mingli's father Li Bao ran away with his lover, your sister was admitted to the hospital for schizophrenia. We'd like to know how her assets were handled?"

Zhang Mingli also looked at Zhang Taotao. She had asked similar questions before, but her uncle always said that her beast of a father had taken all the assets when he left.

"That beast Li Bao took all the money and ran. What inheritance? I even advanced the money for my sister's medical expenses."

"But Li Qiang said he gave you two hundred thousand yuan gradually to take care of Zhang Mingli and her mother. How did that become money you advanced? Mr. Zhang, we've already investigated the bank withdrawal records," Fang Rui decided to test him, "Your brother-in-law's bankbook shows..."

Zhang Taotao raised his voice, interrupting Fang Rui, and said to his son, "Mingyuan, go out with your sister to buy some fruit and snacks. We don't have anything to serve our guests. Mingli, go with Mingyuan."

"Dad, can't Zhang Mingli go by herself?"

"Just go when I tell you to. Why so many questions?"

Zhang Mingli guessed that her uncle wanted to get rid of her. Her aunt had once told her that her uncle and aunt weren't good people, they just leeched off relatives. Her aunt had passed away, her mother had passed away, and her uncle was her only remaining relative. Even if she knew her uncle might have seized things that belonged to her, she couldn't bring herself to confront him.

"Mingyuan, let's go."

After they left, Zhang Taotao said to Fang Rui and his colleague disapprovingly, "Officers, this is our family matter. You have no right to interfere in our family affairs."

"We may not have jurisdiction over your family matters, but we have the right to investigate the whereabouts of a murder victim's assets."

"You're saying the deceased is my brother-in-law? Impossible..." Zhang Taotao exaggeratedly opened his mouth in surprise.

Fang Rui said, "Mr. Zhang, shouldn't you first explain to us why you didn't recognize your sister and brother-in-law's former home?"

"I... that house was sold by my brother-in-law. It was so long ago, and I didn't visit their home often, so it's normal that I didn't recognize it."

"Then you know Wang Dadong, right?" Fang Rui looked at his wife. "You couldn't possibly not know your cousin? Your cousin has already confessed everything."

Wang Yuanfang became flustered, looking helplessly at her husband. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

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"That house was transferred to me by my sister. Once it was transferred to me, it became mine. I can put it under whoever's name I want and sell it to whoever I want!" Zhang Taotao remained composed. "Go ahead and investigate all you want!"

Zhang Taotao took out a property transfer agreement and threw it on the table. "Look, this transfer document was written by my sister herself, and we had it notarized in court. Everything was legal and proper."

Fang Rui noticed the date on the agreement was the week before Zhang Mingli's mother entered the psychiatric hospital.

Fang Rui said, "Legal and proper? How can you prove Zhang Mingli's mother was mentally sound at that time? You know that any contract signed by a schizophrenia patient is invalid, right?"

Zhang Taotao's face paled. He berated, "You police should just focus on solving cases. Why are you meddling in my family affairs?"

"Upholding legal justice is also part of our job. Mr. Zhang, we will advise Miss Zhang Mingli to sue you to recover her rightful property."

When money became involved, Zhang Taotao's emotions became unstable. He cursed, "Didn't Zhang Mingli's crazy mother's treatment cost money? Didn't Zhang Mingli need living expenses? What's wrong with me taking one house?"

"Just one house?" Fang Rui questioned.

"Are you police taking out your frustration on an ordinary citizen because you can't solve the case? Let me tell you, I am Zhang Huanhuan's brother and Zhang Mingli's uncle. Their assets are mine! She won't dare sue me. If she dares to sue me, I'll break her legs!"

Officer Zhang walked behind him, observing for a long time until he finally spotted a short hair that had fallen on his clothes. When no one was paying attention, he secretly picked up the hair and wrapped it in a tissue.