Chapter 275

Qi Fei couldn't help but be suspicious: "When was the last time you contacted her?"

"It was three days ago. I asked her when she was coming back to her hometown, and she said the shop was busy and she couldn't get away." Huang Xuewen said as he took out his phone and opened the WeChat chat history.

Qi Fei scrolled up and sure enough, every few days, Huang Ruifen would contact Huang Xuewen, but the context of the conversation was always that she was helping out at the Sheng family's recycling station: "Hmm? Recently, all the video requests you sent her were rejected?"

"Ah, yes. Look, she said the baby was sleeping and she was afraid of waking him." Huang Xuewen said.

Qi Fei couldn't help but frown tightly and continued to scroll up: "The things she sent you recently have a lot of typos."

"What typos? I was even wondering why Afen kept sending me characters. There were many I didn't recognize, and I had to ask Axiang to help me look at them. This girl has been acting strange lately, and I've been worried since she hasn't replied to messages for the past two days." Huang Xuewen panicked, "Could something have happened to Afen?"

Qi Fei looked at the father and son and asked the younger Huang Ruixiang: "What about you? Has Huang Ruifen contacted you during this time?"

Huang Ruixiang, who had been silent, heard this, mumbled, and didn't speak, only shaking his head.

Huang Xuewen hurriedly explained: "My son is honest and shy; please don't mind him."

Qi Fei sized up Huang Ruixiang. He looked to be nearly thirty. Being honest was understandable, but being shy didn't quite fit the worldliness expected at that age.

Seeing Qi Fei's insistence on asking, Huang Ruixiang finally spoke, his voice very small: "I don't really contact my sister."

"You feel guilty." Behind Qi Fei, Zhong Kui, leaning against the desk in a pale purple cheongsam, said, her sharp eyes looking at Huang Ruixiang.

Seeing such a beautiful woman suddenly staring at him, Huang Ruixiang actually shuddered, and his lowered head went even lower.

Zhong Kui walked up to Huang Ruixiang as if making trouble, aggressive: "What are you feeling guilty about? Did you do something to let Huang Ruifen down, which is why you're embarrassed to contact her?"

Huang Xuewen blocked Huang Ruixiang protectively and said irritably to Zhong Kui: "This is my family's business. Where did you come from, woman? I can tell at a glance you're not a decent person."

Zhong Kui wasn't angry; instead, she laughed: "Oh, I'm sorry. It seems you're the ones who did something to let Huang Ruifen down?"

"Nothing of the sort. It's just that Afen married into that family for her brother's sake. That doesn't count for anything. It's just that Axiang is kind and feels sorry for his sister." Huang Xuewen acted like Huang Ruixiang's spokesperson.

"Oh, no wonder. I saw in the data that Huang Ruifen is only 19, which means she gave birth at 18. So, marrying so early was forced." Zhong Kui glanced at Huang Ruixiang, "Also, being so introverted, it wouldn't be easy to find a wife."

Qi Fei didn't understand Zhong Kui's intention either and whispered to her: "This doesn't have anything to do with the case, right?"

"A young, first-time mother has gone missing alone with an eight-month-old child. At the very least, shouldn't we understand whether her married life was happy?" Zhong Kui said loudly, not giving him any face, and then looked at Huang Xuewen, "Did your daughter ever tell you about her situation at the Sheng family?" As she spoke, she took Huang Xuewen's phone from Qi Fei's hand and scrolled up, "You have several late-night calls, basically all over an hour long. What did you talk about? It couldn't just be Huang Ruifen looking for you to chat in the middle of the night because she couldn't sleep, right?"

Huang Xuewen didn't cover anything up: "That's nothing. Which couple doesn't argue? Afen is delicate. What's wrong with me, as her father, comforting her a few words in the middle of the night? Everyone in the village knows I spoil Afen. Originally, as the old saying goes, a married daughter is like spilled water; we shouldn't be interfering in Afen's affairs anymore."

"Tianbao is a rough man, just like us. It's nothing for a man to have a bit of a temper. Ruifen just couldn't stand it. I came here this time because I was worried that Ruifen had run away in a fit of temper. Speaking of which, I can't contact Tianbao either. Have you found him?"

Just as they were talking, the phone in Zhong Kui's hand rang.

This was Huang Xuewen's phone, and the caller ID showed: "In-law".

Zhong Kui put it on speakerphone. As soon as the call was connected, Zhang Yingdi's hysterical voice came through: "Why isn't Ruifen answering the phone? Tianbao has had an accident, sob sob sob!" As she spoke, she had already lost control of her emotions and was wailing.

Huang Xuewen was a bit at a loss and shouted at the phone: "Tian, Tianbao, what happened? I was just about to ask you, why is Afen missing?"

Upon hearing this, the other side suddenly became aggressive: "Did your daughter release that toxic gas?! My son is dead! He was killed by that vicious girl from your family!"

These words caught Huang Xuewen off guard: "Why are you falsely accusing people? I should be the one asking you for my daughter!"

Seeing that the two sides were about to argue pointlessly, Zhong Kui cut off the call and then told Huang Xuewen without hesitation: "Sheng Tianbao is already dead."

Huang Xuewen's dry mouth was half-open, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Who, who is dead?"

"Sheng Tianbao, your son-in-law." Zhong Kui repeated coldly.

"When did this happen?"

"Three days ago."

"Ah, the same day my daughter went missing?" Huang Xuewen said it unintentionally, but Qi Fei, who was on the side, thought of something and immediately gave Wu Shanqiu a few instructions.

Wu Shanqiu left the office immediately after hearing this and returned a moment later. She was holding a phone sealed in a transparent evidence bag.

Qi Fei opened the phone and looked at it carefully. Suddenly, he raised his head: "Tell me exactly what your daughter said about Sheng Tianbao before she went missing."

Huang Xuewen saw his serious expression and became even more uneasy. He swallowed and stammered as he recalled: "Just like before, she said Tianbao hit her. I said it was nothing for a young couple to bicker; her mother and I also fought when we were young. She cried and said she shouldn't have been married off to the Sheng family and wanted a divorce. I got anxious when I heard that and scolded her a few times, saying how could the village tolerate a divorced woman, and that she had food and clothes following Tianbao, so she was too ungrateful. But Afen said Tianbao was hitting her to death, so I said I would come to Nancheng to see her when I was free from farm work and have a good talk with Tianbao."

"She said Sheng Tianbao hit her, not that the two of them were fighting. You are too good at replacing concepts." Zhong Kui couldn't listen anymore, "Looking at it this way, Sheng Tianbao often hit Huang Ruifen. The calls she made to you in the middle of the night were for help, and this is what you said to her?"

Unexpectedly, the angriest person present wasn't Zhong Kui. Huang Ruixiang, who had been silent, suddenly pushed Huang Xuewen: "How are you going to talk to your son-in-law? We took so much money from them that we can't even stand up straight!"

"You ungrateful wretch, your sister did this for you!" Huang Xuewen reached out and slapped Huang Ruixiang.

"You did it for your own face! I don't have a wife, and you can't hold your heads up!" Huang Ruixiang shouted, covering his face.

"Stop arguing." Qi Fei held the phone in the evidence bag, "Huang Ruifen's disappearance is related to Sheng Tianbao."