Chapter 945: Deadlocked, let

"I was investigated at the time."

As Lin Tingting spoke, tears began to fall.

"It clearly had nothing to do with me; who could have known such a thing would happen~"

She was truly terrified. Lowering her head, she raised a hand to cover her mouth, struggling to hold back her sobs.

If it were just a matter of money, it would be easy to handle, but now that someone was dead, she was truly afraid that they would interrogate her based on her family background again.

"Like this, you ask first."

Lai Shanchuan stood up and whispered to Li Xuewu first: "I'm going to find Director Zheng to discuss this, and also see how the other teams' operational arrangements are going."

After speaking, he patted Li Xuewu on the arm, gestured toward the weeping Lin Tingting, and went out.

It was true that everyone had been investigated; especially due to Lin Tingting's family background, the investigation here had been very thorough.

Lai Shanchuan himself was very clear that calling her in for questioning today wouldn't yield anything.

She had been under surveillance for the past few months, but there had been no abnormal behavior, let alone any motive or opportunity to commit the crime.

Rather than wasting time here, it was better to let Li Xuewu finish the formalities as quickly as possible so he could move on to the next person.

Lin Tingting was crying, and he felt it was more appropriate to leave the space for the two of them to talk; it might help relieve her pressure, and who knows, she might remember something.

Li Xuewu watched Lai Shanchuan leave and glanced at the recorder sitting in the corner.

Seeing Lin Tingting crying more and more sorrowfully, he didn't know if he should continue questioning.

"Why don't you take a break?"

He beckoned to the recorder, gestured toward the teacup in front of him, and then pointed at Lin Tingting.

The recorder glanced at her, walked to the tea cabinet at the door, poured a cup of hot water, and brought it over.

"Thank you."

Lin Tingting took the teacup, thanked the recorder, and watched them walk back to the corner before turning her gaze back to Li Xuewu.

"Just ask; I will definitely cooperate with all questions."

"Drink some water first."

Li Xuewu looked her over and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you. The last time was when I went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy cigarettes."

"Mm."

Seeing Li Xuewu making small talk, Lin Tingting responded softly, sniffled, and held the teacup to drink the hot water.

"Those friends of yours come by quite often. The ones who are on good terms with Director Ma seem to include truck drivers."

"Mm, they live right in our neighborhood."

Li Xuewu nodded and explained, "Biaozi, the one with the big fat face, went on a long trip to the Northeast to get busy. Now Guodong is managing the work here."

"Oh, I was wondering why I hadn't seen that fatty."

Lin Tingting raised a hand to wipe away her tears, sniffled again, and composed her emotions.

"Are you still living here?"

She pursed her lips, set down the teacup, and looked at Li Xuewu, as if comparing him to how he used to be.

It was the same face, the same voice, the same appearance as when she first met him.

A year. They had known each other for a full year. When Li Xuewu first came to the shop to buy a bicycle, that devil-may-care attitude was her first impression of him.

And then... and then... fate played a cruel trick.

"No, I rarely come by anymore."

Li Xuewu smiled slightly and said, "I used to be able to come here and stay for a day or two every week, but later my wife became pregnant, so it hasn't been convenient."

"Oh~ yes, indeed."

Hearing this, Lin Tingting lowered her head slightly, adjusted the hair by her ear unnaturally, and said softly, "It is indeed inconvenient."

"Shall I continue asking?"

Li Xuewu tapped the materials in his hand with a pencil and said, "How is Zhang Shuqin's popularity at her workplace?"

"Does she have any particularly close friends, or any social connections she's on particularly bad terms with?"

"Close friends..."

Lin Tingting's emotions were under control now. Following Li Xuewu's train of thought, she said slowly, "She's a very good person, with a very cheerful personality..."

"Social connections..."

"I'm not too sure."

Lin Tingting frowned slightly and said, "Her family's circumstances are very good, and her personality is good too. I haven't heard of her having any friction with anyone."

"Mm, you said her family's circumstances are good."

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Are you familiar with this situation?"

"I have a rough idea; she has mentioned it."

Lin Tingting said, "We know her salary: 37.5 yuan. Her husband is a key member of a drama troupe, earning about 55 yuan."

"They don't have children yet, so they are quite well-off in terms of spending, much better than the average family."

"Is her spending high?"

Li Xuewu emphasized, "You all work at the supply and marketing cooperative and come into contact with many goods. Are you familiar with this aspect?"

"Mm, actually, personally speaking, I'm also quite capable of spending money."

Lin Tingting said somewhat embarrassedly, "Maybe it's because we see others buying so many things; there are times when we can't control ourselves either."

"The day we went to Wangfujing to shop, it was actually because the styles and designs in the shop weren't to our liking. She also had the intention to buy shoes, so we just got together."

"Did you seek her out, or did she seek you out?"

Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Did you arrange it, or was it a spur-of-the-moment decision? What were you planning to buy?"

"It was Sister Liu and I who brought it up at the front desk. I said the shoe styles in the shop weren't good-looking, and Sister Liu said Wangfujing had new styles."

Lin Tingting explained earnestly, "Just as we were talking, she entered the shop from the back. After hearing a few words, she said she also wanted to buy clothes and shoes and asked to go with me."

"Knowing I was on a half-day shift, she said she had to go withdraw money today and asked me to go with her so she'd have company."

"We agreed during lunch: withdraw money first, then go to the mall, then come back together, but..."

"Why not go to the mall first and then come back to withdraw money?"

Li Xuewu frowned and said, "Whether from the perspective of convenience or safety, shouldn't you have withdrawn it after coming back?"

"Mm, I only realized something was wrong later; I didn't think of it at the time."

Lin Tingting looked at Li Xuewu dejectedly and said, "That was one of the reasons I was suspected earlier, but at the time I was single-mindedly thinking about going to the mall; I really didn't think of that point."

"What about the process of withdrawing money? Was there anything abnormal?"

Li Xuewu nodded and asked, "Did she have any special behavior, or say anything to you, or was she missing or carrying anything extra?"

"No, it was just withdrawing money."

Lin Tingting said, "I was standing at the door and didn't go in because I had to watch the bicycles. We left together after she came out."

"What about the bags? How many bags did she bring?"

Li Xuewu glanced at the materials in his hand and asked, "You should know that she took out 50,000 yuan at the time; that's a lot."

"Yes, I only heard about that later too."

Lin Tingting said distressingly, "But I really didn't pay attention to that at the time. She must have carried two bags. When riding the bicycle, one was in the front basket, and one was tied to the back."

"50,000 yuan, surely it wouldn't take that much, right?"

Li Xuewu frowned and asked, "How big were the two bags? Did she tell you what was in them?"

"No, no. One was the document bag she carried, and the other was..."

Lin Tingting frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "It should have been a small luggage bag, very small. I really didn't pay attention to that; maybe she brought it herself."

"What happened after withdrawing the money?"

Li Xuewu continued to ask, "Were the two of you together the whole time until you reached Wangfujing? Did she and those two bags disappear for a period of time?"

"Yes, we were together. It wasn't too cold then, so we were talking while riding the bicycles."

Lin Tingting replied, "I can be certain that she and the bags were there until we separated."

"And then, when you reached the entrance, she said she had something to do. Was there any special behavior?"

Li Xuewu tapped his pencil and said, "Think carefully now. You had an appointment; there must have been a reason for her to suddenly change her mind, right?"

"I just can't think of it~"

Lin Tingting covered her face with both hands and said sadly, "We were right at the mall entrance. We had both gotten off our bicycles when she suddenly told me she had something to take care of and asked me to go shop first, saying she would come later."

"Nothing unusual?"

Li Xuewu prompted her, "Did you meet any acquaintances, or see anything, or hear anything?"

"I really don't remember."

Lin Tingting's tone was a bit anxious, and she said helplessly, "It's been over two months. Everything I could say was said during the investigation at the time. If you ask me now, it might all be things I've imagined later."

"What about later?"

Li Xuewu asked, "You didn't ask her what she was going to do, and just went to shop by yourself, and then went home?"

"Yes, the receipts for the things I bought at the mall are still with you. Someone can prove I was shopping, and someone saw when I got home."

Lin Tingting broke down and started crying again, saying, "Is it because of my family's situation that this matter has to be pinned on me?"

"Calm down. If it were really being pinned on you, it wouldn't be by having me handle the case, right?"

Li Xuewu stood up, walked in front of her, took her teacup, handed it to her, and said, "What is, is; what isn't, isn't. What kind of place do you think this is?"

"Really?"

Lin Tingting looked up at him, her face tear-stained. She didn't have a good impression of this place, but she believed Li Xuewu's previous words.

That was probably it. If they really wanted her to take the fall, they wouldn't have asked Li Xuewu to do it.

She didn't trust the people here, but she still believed Li Xuewu wouldn't harm her.

"Drink some water."

Li Xuewu placed the teacup in her hand and gestured, without offering too much explanation.

As an investigator, he couldn't give guarantees, nor could he reveal the details of the case; he could only emphasize the impartiality of the investigation team.

Lin Tingting didn't need further assurance from him. Seeing him so calm, her own heart settled down.

Li Xuewu stood to the side, watching her compose her emotions. There was a brief silence in the office.

"I... have I caused you trouble?"

Lin Tingting suddenly thought of Li Xuewu's small actions when she first entered the door and began to worry about him.

"No, and even if there were, it wasn't caused by you."

Li Xuewu smiled, looked at her, and asked, "Why did you cut your hair short? You look much sharper than before."

"Yes, it's been cut for a long time."

Lin Tingting lowered her head and took a sip of hot water, unable to stop a sob. She had cried so sorrowfully just now that she was short of breath.

"Are you... are you still working in the security section of the rolling mill?"

"Mm, still in security."

Li Xuewu said with a smile, "I have no other skills, I'm young, and my temper is stubborn. With a bunch of old fogies blocking the way above, where else can I go? Just muddling through for a living."

"Mm~~"

Lin Tingting was amused by him and struggled to cover her mouth. Her raised eyes still had tears in them, but she couldn't help but chide him, "You still like to talk nonsense with a straight face!"

After speaking, fearing Li Xuewu wouldn't admit it, she gestured toward the door and said, "The section chief is already very impressive; that person just now called you 'Regiment Commander Li'~"

"Hey~ just calling it out for fun."

Li Xuewu smiled and said, "They're just mocking me, saying I'm too utilitarian and only thinking about getting ahead."

"It's good to get ahead."

Lin Tingting pursed her lips, looked at Li Xuewu, and said earnestly, "You are smart and capable, young, and good at making friends. Once your work as section chief is solid, you'll definitely advance sooner or later."

Li Xuewu didn't react much to these words, but the recorder in the corner looked at Lin Tingting with surprise, unable to stop their mouth from twitching.

"Then I'll take your kind words; I'll work hard."

Li Xuewu had just finished smiling and responding when Lai Shanchuan pushed the door open and entered.

He first glanced at the recorder in the corner, then looked at Li Xuewu and the others, and asked with a smile, "Yo, are you finished asking?"

"Mm, finished."

Li Xuewu walked back to the desk and joked, "If you hadn't come back, I would have gone back to work."

"You can't leave; things aren't finished here yet."

Lai Shanchuan looked at Lin Tingting's state, didn't ask about the results of the questioning, but gestured outside the door and said, "The comrades from the credit union are here. Come with me to take a look."

"Okay."

Li Xuewu agreed, nodded at Lin Tingting with a smile, and then walked out first.

Lai Shanchuan gestured toward Lin Tingting for the recorder and then followed Li Xuewu out the door.

It was fine while Li Xuewu was there, but watching him leave, Lin Tingting's heart tightened again.

The recorder walked up to her, showed her the interrogation record, and asked her to verify it was correct before signing and pressing her fingerprint.

Lin Tingting looked nervously at the interrogation record. Seeing that it was all the content she had said, her tightened heart relaxed slightly.

After signing and pressing her fingerprint, she sat there waiting for a long time without seeing the recorder speak, so she asked carefully, "Then... what else do I need to do?"

"You can go back."

The recorder glanced at her, their tone no longer as icy as before.

While tidying up the records, they urged, "If you remember any new content, or have any new discoveries, remember to notify us in time."

"Ah? Oh, okay."

Lin Tingting widened her eyes, surprised by the change in their attitude, and also surprised by how she was being handled.

However, hearing them say this, she stood up, took her bag, and walked outside.

"By the way."

Just as Lin Tingting opened the door and prepared to go out, the clerk's voice came from behind.

"What?"

"A reminder for you."

Seeing her turn back in surprise, the clerk paused and said, "The person who questioned you just now was the former deputy section chief of the security section of our branch bureau."

"He is now the deputy political commissar and deputy regiment commander of the Third Guard Regiment, and also the deputy section chief of the security section of the rolling mill."

"Ah?"

Hearing their words, Lin Tingting was stunned for a moment, looking at the clerk, not knowing how to react.

The clerk glanced at her, didn't pay any more attention, and continued tidying the documents in their hand.

This reminder had the meaning of telling her to respect the leader, the meaning of dispelling her doubts about the impartiality of the handling here, and even more so, a hint about who she should go to for protection in this case.

Sometimes, this is the style of speech for officials in public offices. A cold face is because they are wearing this uniform, and this occasion requires them to remain serious.

They have to maintain their identity and image, and also maintain their work and honor.

But even if they are serious, they are also serving the people. Just like Li Xuewu not saying any words of guarantee, the clerk could also see the general situation.

So they reminded her somewhat obscurely how to handle this matter.

Since there is someone you are familiar with handling the case, and they have told you the other party's identity, how to do it is your own business.

Flexibility means you have to change your thinking first before people can make things work for you.

There is an AED defibrillator on the ambulance; if you want to use it, you can go get it yourself. People have already said they don't know, yet you still shove your phone in their face, saying they won't let you use it. I don't know if you're anxious to save someone or anxious to uphold justice.

For public officials, some things require you to take the initiative to understand and take the initiative to be flexible.

You go to the hall to handle business, and they tell you that the legal representative's signature is needed, pointing at the signature column to remind you of the legal representative's signature.

You insist that the legal representative is abroad and can't come back. Did they ask the legal representative to come? Did they say they had to watch the legal representative sign in person?

You go out and sign a name yourself and bring it back; they certainly can't say it doesn't count because you signed it yourself, they have to watch the legal representative sign, right?

If you insist on justice and truth, then they can only execute according to the most standardized system.

Flexibility does not equal making mistakes, and it is even less a reason to violate regulations or ignore loopholes.

When Li Xuewu was questioning the two credit union personnel, he didn't have the good face he had just now.

Han Luyao, deputy director of the credit union.

Du Xiaoyan, accountant and cashier of the credit union.

Li Xuewu looked at Du Xiaoyan's watch and attire, raised his eyebrows, and said to Lai Shanchuan, "It really is the credit union that has money; the clothing fabric is better than ours."

Accountant Du Xiaoyan's expression changed slightly, and she looked at her leader beside her with a frown.

Deputy Director Han Luyao took the initiative to explain that Du Xiaoyan's salary was sufficient, her husband also worked, the couple were both employees, there were no old people above and no children below, so their living conditions were naturally good.

Lai Shanchuan looked at the two without speaking, and was noncommittal about Han Luyao's explanation.

Today was mainly to ask Li Xuewu to go over the relevant personnel. The credit union's problems were not their concern, and it had nothing to do with this case, so he couldn't be bothered to speak.

Li Xuewu was not from the Discipline Inspection Commission, nor was he a leader of the credit union, so he wouldn't be meddling in other people's business.

Saying this was to create a certain psychological pressure on the two, facilitating the subsequent questioning.

"Explain the process of the case."

"Okay."

Du Xiaoyan looked at Han Luyao, and seeing her leader gesture to her, she nodded and agreed.

"That day I was on duty at the counter..."

The process of the case was very simple and very brief, after all, it was just checking the slip, signing, withdrawing money, and counting money.

Just past 1:30 PM, Zhang Shuqin arrived at the credit union entrance with a colleague. Because the credit union was closed for lunch, Du Xiaoyan hadn't fallen asleep yet when she knocked, so she remembered it very clearly.

They were all connected, so Du Xiaoyan didn't complain about the other party coming to handle withdrawal business at noon, but instead laughed and joked a few times.

This point was confirmed by Han Luyao, who was on duty the same day and resting in the office; the two were laughing and joking very loudly.

Du Xiaoyan handled the withdrawal business according to the withdrawal slip and procedural materials provided by Zhang Shuqin, and helped the other party pack the money.

According to the transcript she provided, the withdrawal slip and procedural materials had no problems at the time, and the withdrawal amount Zhang Shuqin had reserved over the phone was indeed 50,000 yuan.

All procedures were completed, and Zhang Shuqin left at 1:50 PM.

Very accurate, because Du Xiaoyan checked the time, intending to go back to rest.

"However, the supply and marketing cooperative came to look for us the next day, saying the withdrawal was 5,000 yuan, not 50,000 yuan."

Du Xiaoyan said, "I am very certain that what Zhang Shuqin told me was 50,000 yuan, the withdrawal procedure was for 50,000 yuan, and the money I took was also 50,000 yuan."

"It was the seal on the procedure that was tampered with."

Han Luyao explained, "It's very difficult to distinguish; the size and specifications are exactly the same."

"Indeed, we also discovered this point when comparing."

Lai Shanchuan nodded and said, "So at the time, we determined that Zhang Shuqin, who was more familiar with the seals, had made a fake seal and forged the withdrawal procedure."

Li Xuewu scratched his face, frowned, and asked, "If we're talking about being familiar with seals, isn't the credit union also very familiar?"

"This..."

Han Luyao looked at Lai Shanchuan somewhat embarrassedly, then said helplessly, "If you put it that way, we have seal patterns for many units here."

"Exactly, we wouldn't take the initiative to send her money!"

Du Xiaoyan still remembered Li Xuewu's evaluation of her attire just now, and couldn't help but speak up: "If it were all like this, our credit union wouldn't need to open; it would go bust in two days."

"Mm, this is also a possibility."

Lai Shanchuan smoothed things over, saying, "We are also doing it for the sake of handling the case, divergent thinking, going over every possibility we can think of."

"But it can't be too outrageous."

Du Xiaoyan glanced at Li Xuewu's side and said to Lai Shanchuan, "Director Lai, the money was swindled away, and I've been disciplined. Director Han is also implicated because of me."

"Mm, mm, okay, I know."

Lai Shanchuan nodded and comforted, "We know all of this; isn't this effort being made to solve this case?"

While speaking, he introduced Li Xuewu's identity to the two, and also said that this was an investigation expert from the ministry.

Han Luyao's expression was a bit subtle, but the accountant looked at Li Xuewu with some suspicion.

He was really too young, and his speech was all over the place, and he was overly focused on her attire.

Li Xuewu didn't pay attention to her, but was thinking while comparing her narrative with their previous transcripts in the case materials.

This case was too damn weird and complicated. He couldn't think of Zhang Shuqin's motive and reason for committing the crime. What on earth did she want to do?

These 50,000 yuan were of course a huge sum; he only spent 5,000 yuan to buy the big mansion for the club.

According to the purchasing power at this time, 50,000 yuan could really allow one to live a carefree life for a lifetime.

However, would Zhang Shuqin abandon her husband, abandon her work, abandon her life, and take this 50,000 yuan to live a life of hiding?

Cash at this time would be just a piece of waste paper outside; it had no exchange capability. This was the reason why Lai Shanchuan said the letter about going to Hong Kong was nonsense.

"You said Zhang Shuqin came with a colleague. Do you know her colleague? Did the other party follow her into the room?"

"No, I don't know her."

"Why handle her withdrawal business during the lunch break?"

"Because Zhang Shuqin often comes, so we were familiar, and there was a telephone appointment."

"Why could you handle her withdrawal business alone?"

"Because during the lunch break, two people are on duty. One person takes the whole shift off, and the other handles business if there is any, and can rest if there isn't."

"Did anyone else know the content of your conversation when you were on the phone?"

"I was alone in the finance room, I'm not clear about her side."

"How many bags did Zhang Shuqin bring, and how was the money packed?"

"She brought one bag, but it didn't fit, so I lent her my bag."

Du Xiaoyan frowned and said, "As for how the money was packed, I don't remember clearly. I was busy chatting at the time and didn't pay attention to how much was in each."

"This isn't right~"

Li Xuewu's pencil tapped the materials in his hand and said, "Why isn't there a transcript registration about the ownership of the bags here?"

"You didn't ask at the time either."

Du Xiaoyan said helplessly, "That bag was brought back for me from another place by my husband. It was a bag used to pack clothes for washing while on duty here."

"Is your personal relationship very good?"

Li Xuewu frowned slightly and looked at Du Xiaoyan's expression, wanting to see her answer.

Du Xiaoyan nodded frankly and explained, "It can be considered quite good. She often comes to handle business, for several years now. We've been in contact a lot, so we became familiar."

"Later, after chatting more, I found out my husband is from the same hometown as her, and our homes aren't far apart, so we can talk."

"Actually, I also know Zhang Shuqin, and the relationship is quite good. She knows everyone in our office, and she is very popular."

Han Luyao interjected from the side, "How should I put it? She is cheerful and generous, knows how to behave, and knows how to do things. Sometimes when she comes to handle business, she even brings us some peanuts and melon seeds from the supply and marketing cooperative."

Li Xuewu nodded. It could be seen that Han Luyao was protecting his subordinate. This was nothing; he was the same way himself, protecting his own.

However, what they said did match Lin Tingting's transcript. It seemed this Zhang Shuqin was a social butterfly.

Actually, he hated encountering such people the most when handling cases. Their social connections were extremely complex, making it the hardest to sort out his train of thought.

Seeing someone, they could chat; chatting, they could get along; getting along, they were friends. This kind of behavior was too bad!

Mm, couldn't the relationship between people be simpler?

Couldn't they learn from him? Look at how pure Li Xuewu's social connections are, right?

"Do you have any other mutual friends with Zhang Shuqin?"

"No."

Du Xiaoyan replied: "Both our families are dual-income households. We aren't neighbors, nor are we colleagues. We only contact each other when there's actual business to discuss. Our relationship isn't as close as you think."

"Mm, you can even tell what I'm thinking?"

Li Xuewu smiled, looked her over, and continued to ask, "You just said your husband is from the same hometown as her. Did you know each other before? Where does he work?"

"He is from the same hometown, but we only got to know each other through me."

Du Xiaoyan clearly had opinions and emotions about Li Xuewu's questioning, but she still cooperated fully: "My husband is a purchaser at the Lianying Factory, running business outside all year round, often able to bring back local specialties."

"Oh, right."

When she spoke to this point, she specifically added, "She got to know my husband because she saw the hair clip I was wearing and begged me to ask where I bought it."

"At the time, I said it was brought back from Modu by my husband, so she begged me to remember to have my husband bring her one the next time he went to Modu."

"Later, whenever she saw something fashionable, she would ask. Because she came often and often brought things, I couldn't refuse, and after a few times, we all got to know each other."

"Why? Do you need to question my husband?"

Du Xiaoyan raised her eyebrows and said, "If he also needs to come for an investigation, I will call him."

"Comrade Xiaoyan's husband often goes on business trips."

Han Luyao helped explain, "He is out of town right now and will only be back in a while."

Li Xuewu smiled and looked at the temperamental Du Xiaoyan without speaking. The eight major personnel of this era are all amazing.

Especially the credit union, especially the women; their tempers are all big.

Lai Shanchuan stood up again to smooth things over, saying with a smile that it didn't matter, he was just asking.

After returning to Zheng Fuhua's office upstairs, he lit a cigarette with Lai Shanchuan, and only then began to report the results to Director Zheng.

"I finally understand Director Lai's headache."

Li Xuewu smiled bitterly, leaned back on the sofa, shook his head slightly, and said, "I'm young and have little experience, so I really can't understand the thinking of the parties involved."

"Old comrades all say that cases have traces to follow, but the one we've encountered is really~"

Lai Shanchuan smoked distressingly, also shaking his head and sighing slightly.

"Having traces to follow is no problem; it must be that we haven't grasped the fundamental problem yet."

Zheng Fuhua looked at the two of them, who looked like frosted eggplants, and reminded, "The mindset for handling cases is very important; many clues are in the details."

"Mm, tell me the results of the questioning."

Li Xuewu scratched his head and said, "The biggest doubt here for Lin Tingting might be that she didn't discover that the order of Zhang Shuqin withdrawing money and shopping was wrong. As for the others..."

"I also support this conclusion."

Lai Shanchuan nodded and said, "I think the breakthrough is not with Lin Tingting. She didn't have the conditions to know about this money in advance, let alone the ability to possess it."

"So there's no need to waste energy on her. I suggest retaining a certain amount of surveillance power, and the rest can be ignored."

"Mm, okay."

Zheng Fuhua smokes quite heavily; he was already smoking when they entered the room, and he lit another one the moment he finished the first.

"What about the credit union staff? How are they?"

This question was directed at Li Xuewu. They had all done and read the transcripts of these few people, but only Li Xuewu's psychological opinion was missing.

Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, "I didn't see any problems, and this newly discovered point about the money bag isn't worth studying either."

"We have to admit our mistake on this."

Lai Shanchuan took the initiative to say, "The previous investigation and transcripts were not detailed enough; there were loopholes."

He admitted his mistake in front of Zheng Fuhua. Li Xuewu didn't stop him; saying it now was just to help him pave the way.

Zheng Fuhua waved his hand without caring. This situation was very normal in the process of handling cases. There were often discrepancies in transcripts, and witnesses were people, not machines.

Tell me the conclusion; how should we investigate next?

"My opinion is still the money."

Li Xuewu took a puff of his cigarette, flicked the ash into the ashtray, frowned, and said, "Regardless of whether it's 5,000 or 50,000, take these two bags as the origin and change the investigation train of thought."

"You mean, don't focus on the relationship between people, and even less take Zhang Shuqin as the basic point of investigation, but unfold the investigation based on the relationship of monetary interests?"

Lai Shanchuan frowned and thought. Taking the two bags of money, 50,000 yuan, as the origin and radiating outward, who would all be involved?

"Right."

Li Xuewu sat up straight, looked at Zheng Fuhua, and said, "Exclude all possibilities. Whatever is left, no matter how unbelievable, is likely to be possible."

"So, if Zhang Shuqin's line is dead, we can only change the angle and continue investigating."

"Makes sense."

Lai Shanchuan thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "Having traces to follow doesn't hold up; it might be that the angle of looking at the problem is wrong. Changing an angle might reveal an opportunity."

"Two directions."

Li Xuewu looked at the two and said, "Continue investigating Zhang Shuqin's social connections, focusing on who knew about this money."

"Including news of her withdrawing money, habits, frequency, the route and direction after withdrawing money, and the decision to go shopping."

"Secondly, I suggest focusing on investigating Du Xiaoyan's husband."

Li Xuewu said with a serious face, tapped the desk, and reminded, "He runs around outside all year round. Investigate his business trip time and destination, and whether it has any relationship with the letters mailed back."

"We didn't think of this."

Lai Shanchuan frowned slightly and asked, "Did she say when her husband left just now?"

"No, there is no situation about her husband in the transcript."

Li Xuewu looked at Zheng Fuhua and explained, "If the investigation is unfolded with money as the origin, then Zhao Ziliang, who helped Zhang Shuqin purchase goods, has a connection."

"This..."

Lai Shanchuan hesitated for a moment, looked at Li Xuewu, and asked, "Do you think Du Xiaoyan has a problem?"

"Hehe, I already said psychology is not a lie detector."

Li Xuewu chuckled, flicked the ash, and said, "I can only judge the investigation to be done based on the process of questioning. I can't talk nonsense without evidence."

"Of course, the investigation determined this morning still needs to be done. The time interval is too long, and it's all shrouded in mist."

"Sigh~"

Lai Shanchuan sighed and said, "For this case, all the strength has been used. I'm really afraid there won't be a good result."

"Take it slow."

Li Xuewu took a puff of his cigarette, looked at the two of them with their worried faces, and said with a smile, "Why, have some tonight? I remember Director Zheng still owes me a meal here."

"Hahaha~"

Lai Shanchuan looked at Zheng Fuhua, smiled bitterly, gestured to his mouth, and said, "It's all fire blisters; even drinking water is difficult, let alone eating."

While speaking, he gestured to Zheng Fuhua, who was smoking hard opposite, and said, "Director Zheng is even more inflamed than me. In less than two months, almost ten cartons of cigarettes."

"Yo, you have to be moderate."

Li Xuewu looked at Zheng Fuhua and said, "Don't let the case not be finished, and you end up dying halfway."

"Inflamed, all inflamed."

Zheng Fuhua nodded, extinguished the cigarette butt in the ashtray, sighed long, and said, "But if the case can't be handled, what can be done? Just have a clear conscience."

The two's sighing made Li Xuewu have no mood to go to a restaurant. If they went out to eat at this time, they wouldn't be able to eat anyway.

So this meal was still owed by Zheng Fuhua, to be repaid when there was an opportunity.

However, Li Xuewu looked at Zheng Fuhua's appearance of smoking like eating cigarettes, not knowing if this meal would have to wait until eating at his funeral.

The command vehicle had just driven out of the branch bureau courtyard when it was stopped by Lin Tingting, who had been waiting at the entrance.

Han Jiankun frowned first, but after seeing clearly that it was a woman illuminated by the car lights, he withdrew his hand from the gun handle.

He was also used to it; at the branch bureau entrance, where would dangerous elements come from?

Li Xuewu was shaken by the car and came back to his senses. He looked forward and saw clearly who had stopped his car.

"Leader?"

"Mm, let her get in the car."

Hearing Han Jiankun's inquiry, Li Xuewu nodded and made arrangements.

Han Jiankun pushed the car door open, jumped out of the car, waved to the duty personnel who came out of the guard room behind him, signaling that there was nothing wrong here.

Then he walked to the front of the car, looked at the woman, and seeing that she didn't have anything else in her hand, he said that Li Xuewu invited her to get in the car.

The action of standing out to stop the car had consumed all of Lin Tingting's courage and boldness. Hearing Li Xuewu let her get in the car now, she hesitated again.

Han Jiankun glanced at her, walked to the side of the car door, and waited for her to come over.

Lin Tingting couldn't open her eyes because of the car lights and couldn't see the people in the car clearly. She squeezed her fingers and walked over.

Han Jiankun opened the car door for her, reminded her to watch her feet, and after she got into the car, he returned to the driver's seat.

In the back seat, Li Xuewu looked at Lin Tingting, who was lowering her head, and reached out to hold her tightly clenched fist, which was ice cold.

"Have you been waiting the whole time?"

Li Xuewu asked her, but didn't get an answer; she remained silent.

When Han Jiankun started the car, shaking her into sitting up straight, Li Xuewu felt her open her hand in panic.

The car had the heater on, but distant water couldn't quench near thirst. Li Xuewu touched her wrist, which was also cold.

Lin Tingting stubbornly wanted to pull her hand back, but caught by his large hand, she couldn't exert any strength at all.

"Find a restaurant; let's go eat hot pot."

Li Xuewu pulled her hand and placed it on the heater vent, while giving Han Jiankun an instruction.

Han Jiankun didn't respond, turned the steering wheel to change direction, and then stepped on the gas to drive forward.

It was a bit dark in the car, and Li Xuewu couldn't see Lin Tingting's expression, so he didn't speak.

For a moment, a silent atmosphere filled the entire carriage, making even a reticent person like Han Jiankun feel uncomfortable.

It seemed as if he were deliberately taking revenge on Li Xuewu; the hot pot restaurant he chose at random happened to be Donglaishun, where Li Xuewu had taken Lin Tingting to eat hot pot for the first time.

Actually, speaking of it, Han Jiankun was also wronged. The leader said he wanted to eat hot pot, so he naturally had to pick a good one.

In the East City area, a hot pot restaurant that was nearby and good to eat had to be Donglaishun.

He had already parked the car; could Li Xuewu tell him to change to another restaurant?

So when getting out of the car, Li Xuewu looked at the high signboard, then looked at Lin Tingting, who was lowering her head, and could only say that Han Jiankun, this driver, really had guts!