[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-chasing-the-criminal-case":3,"chapter-chasing-the-criminal-case-chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-211":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Chasing the Criminal Case",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2328979,4554,"Chapter 211","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-211",211,"\u003Cp>By 8 a.m. the next day, Gu Changzheng was already seated in the Criminal Investigation Unit office of the branch bureau; after hours of questioning, canvassing, and scene inspection the night before, though no one who had met Lou Zhen had been found, all evidence pointed to her death being a homicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finally got home and collapsed into bed, unfortunately, it was another night of abysmal sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faces of his late wife Fang Jie and his master Lu Haoxuan kept flashing in his mind, keeping him awake all night; so when dawn barely broke, he got up, ran several laps around the park outside his compound, and wolfed down a bowl of noodles before heading to the bureau early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his insistence, Deputy Director Gao Ye of the branch bureau agreed to form a special task force and gave him one week to uncover the truth—otherwise, the case would be closed as suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng remained confident in his judgment; Gao Ye had traced the last number that called Lou Zhen, and telecom records confirmed the owner was Zhang Zhiyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh!” Gu Changzheng chuckled inwardly: “Could it really be that kid?” He simply couldn’t accept it—not the fact that Lou Zhen was dead, but this absurd, tangled relationship. Still, he reminded himself: everything depended on Zheng’s DNA test results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, it was time to meet that young Zhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>———\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a spacious office at Junhe Hospital’s administrative wing, Zhang Zhiyuan, as director of the administrative office, had just finished a hospital meeting. He had barely stepped into his office when he saw two strangers sitting in the reception area. He was puzzled—until his male secretary, Xiao Sun, entered carrying two cups of hot tea. Seeing Zhang Zhiyuan, Xiao Sun said: “Director Zhang, these two say they’re friends of your father and want to speak with you, so I let them wait here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone at the hospital had heard about Zhang Yifei’s case. Though Gu Changzheng and Luo Fei hadn’t revealed their identities, their demeanor and attire unmistakably marked them as insiders, and since they claimed to be friends of the former director, Xiao Sun assumed they were there about the old director. Someone as shrewd as Xiao Sun knew exactly what to do—he immediately seated them in Zhang Zhiyuan’s office to wait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan grunted, glanced at them, and didn’t recognize either. When the room was finally alone, Gu Changzheng pulled out his police ID: “Zhang Zhiyuan, we’re from the Criminal Investigation Unit of Jiangdong Public Security Bureau. I’m Gu. We’re here to ask you some questions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan showed no surprise. He sat calmly across from Gu Changzheng and said flatly: “Ask what you need to ask.” His demeanor suggested he assumed they were still here about his father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng smiled slightly and cut straight to the point: “Mr. Zhang, do you know Lou Zhen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan’s expression remained indifferent: “I know her. Of course I know her.” But the tone carried a hint of contempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She fell to her death last night at the Tianyang Hotel in Yinzuo Square. We’ve confirmed the last call she received was from you,” Gu Changzheng said bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan didn’t flinch. He adjusted his glasses: “So? Calling her isn’t illegal. Whether she jumped or not—what’s that got to do with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zhang, we haven’t said Lou Zhen’s death is connected to you. We’re here because she received your call right before she died—we just want to understand the circumstances,” Gu Changzheng said, dropping the bomb first, then softening his tone. Zhang Zhiyuan, unsettled by his own harshness, felt a twinge of embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cleared his throat awkwardly: “Officer Gu, ask whatever you want—I’ll answer honestly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng smiled, picked up his cup, and sipped tea. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Zhang. So—around 5:30 p.m. yesterday, you called Lou Zhen, correct? What did you talk about? What’s your relationship with her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan leaned back. “Yes, I called her. But I doubt it has anything to do with her jumping. You should know her relationship with my father.” His face darkened slightly, then the awkwardness vanished. He continued: “It’s no secret—my father was obsessed with her. He even defied the police for her. You know all this. Now, because of her, my father’s reputation is ruined. He’s barely behind bars, and she’s already running around with other men. Frankly, I’ve confronted her multiple times—trying to recover the money my father gave her over the years. It’s the least I can do to salvage something for the Zhang family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Changzheng quickly weighed his words, but kept his face neutral. Luo Fei grew angry and opened his mouth—until Gu Changzheng spoke: “Oh? Your father and her—what exactly?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan nodded. “Yes. After my father brought her to Zizhen, though they never got married, they lived as husband and wife. He abandoned his wife and child for her, even joined that damn cult just to be with her. Once he finally had her, he devoted himself entirely—kept her like a treasure all these years, even her mysterious grandson. All he wanted was a quiet life with her. Who knew? That woman—she—!” He trailed off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan hesitated. Gu Changzheng knew he was holding back something shameful about Lou Zhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He changed the subject: “You didn’t grow up living with your father, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Zhiyuan sighed deeply. “No. After my parents divorced, I lived with my mother. In 2003, she died of SARS. Only then did I come to live with my father. I’d just graduated college—he’d just settled here. He got me a job at the hospital. That’s when I first met Lou Zhen—the woman who made my father abandon his wife and child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From your tone, you and Lou Zhen—your stepmother—didn’t get along,” Gu Changzheng said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh. I thought, now that my mother was gone, my father was my only family. No matter what, he gave me life. I wanted to be with him, care for him in his old age. So I tried to respect his choices. But then something happened—I couldn’t bear it. Still, for my father’s sake, I held my tongue.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1028,"2026-06-20T19:35:31.675Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5d3dc793c95e8eb9b2431eba1c4f14332cebacd466d33ce5f1554c38024e67e6","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-212","chasing-the-criminal-case-chapter-210",276,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchasing-the-criminal-case-cover.jpg"]