SFTD -Chapter 109 Where Did the Tadpoles Go? (Part 6)

Zhou Hai glanced at Xu Biao, then brushed aside the chubby hand blocking his way and quickened his pace to follow Captain Huang.

“It’s just a guess, but keep this cup safe.”

As he spoke, Zhou Hai shifted his coat draped over his arm and, using latex gloves as a barrier, lifted a coffee cup and waved it toward Xu Biao.

Xu Biao looked at him in disbelief, then quickly pulled out an evidence bag from his pocket, sealed the cup inside, and stuffed it into his backpack. He scanned the surroundings—no one seemed to be paying attention.

“Damn, Hai, you’re getting good at this! When did you even move that fast? I didn’t see a thing. Wait… you took the cup to get Liu Dong’s fingerprints and DNA, right? So you suspect Liu Dong?”

Zhou Hai shrugged. “I didn’t say I suspect him. If my guess is right, Zhang Miaomiao’s new boyfriend is Liu Dong. We’ll know after a comparison.”

They walked toward the front desk. By then, Captain Huang’s team had already arrived on the 18th floor. Miss Mi, who had received a call from Liu Dong earlier, was a bit nervous but knew she had to cooperate.

Captain Huang tapped her desk. “Next, please take my people through every office, especially Zhang Miaomiao’s assistant and the staff in her office.”

“O-okay!” she replied quickly.

She led everyone into the office area. Officers entered each room to take statements. Xu Biao followed the deputy team leader to question another lawyer from Zhang Miaomiao’s office.

Zhang Miaomiao’s assistant was brought into a separate room. Zhou Hai and Captain Huang sat inside. The male assistant sat across from them, visibly nervous, fidgeting and rubbing his fingers against his pants.

“Don’t be nervous. We’re from the Dongcheng Criminal Police Team. What’s your name? How long have you been working as Zhang Miaomiao’s assistant?”

“Zhang Liangyu. I’ve been her assistant for over a year.”

“Is Zhang Miaomiao easy to work with?”

The assistant glanced up at the dark-skinned officer. “At first she seemed very strict, but as long as you completed her tasks on time, it was fine.”

Zhou Hai looked at his tightly pressed knees. “Zhang Miaomiao died this morning. We suspect she was murdered and are investigating. So don’t try to hide anything. There are no secrets in front of us. Just now, you were nervous—when people lie, their legs tremble, which is why your knees were pressed together. Don’t tell me you have no complaints. I want the truth, or you’ll be listed as a suspect. Understand? Now tell me what you were doing between 7:30 and 8:30 this morning.”

Every word from Zhou Hai felt like a blade of frost. Zhang Liangyu’s face instantly fell. He ran a hand through his hair hard.

“What? Are you suspecting me?”

“I think no one on this floor likes her. She was harsh, emotionless, cold, even neurotic and unpredictable. At work, she demanded everyone be as driven as she was. But I needed to stay at Yunding Law Firm. I had to work for her for two years—otherwise everything would be zero. Do you understand what it feels like to have your fate in someone else’s hands? I could only endure it. Just endure it without daring to resist!”

“Answer the question,” Zhou Hai said coldly.

Zhang Liangyu exhaled heavily, checked his phone, and opened a fitness app showing recorded time and location data.

“I live on the border between Pudong and the city area. I leave at 7 a.m. It takes me one hour and twenty minutes by bus to get here. I grab breakfast and arrive half an hour early. I prepare Zhang’s schedule, and I also collect her case files in advance, or she gets angry. I don’t get home until at least midnight every day.”

Such an intense workload made even listening to it feel exhausting. Zhou Hai could tell he wasn’t lying.

He continued, “Who is Zhang Miaomiao’s boyfriend?”

Zhang Liangyu hesitated and avoided Zhou Hai’s gaze.

“Li Liqun.”

“I didn’t ask about her ex. Who is her current boyfriend? Or the man she’s sexually involved with?”

Zhang Liangyu knew he couldn’t avoid it. This wasn’t even a secret—everyone knew. He spread his hands.

“Liu Dong, Liu from our firm. They’ve been together for a while. Everyone on this floor knows it.”

“However, Li Liqun often comes to harass her. Even calling the police or security doesn’t stop him—he keeps bothering her.”

Captain Huang asked a few more questions, and Zhang Liangyu answered quickly.

Zhou Hai looked around the office. Zhang Miaomiao’s office was extremely tidy—she was clearly a meticulous person. But his gaze suddenly stopped at a cabinet, where a corner of red fabric was visible.

He walked over and opened it. Inside was part of her personal storage area, and hanging there was a luxurious wine-red dress covered in shimmering beads and sequins—clearly extremely expensive.

Wearing gloves, Zhou Hai lifted it out.

“Does Zhang often attend evening banquets?”

Zhang Liangyu shook his head. “Her schedule was extremely tight. Even she worked nonstop. She wore that dress at the New Year’s party. She probably didn’t have time to take it home, so she left it here.”

Zhou Hai held up the brand label for Captain Huang to see.

“Oh—Dolce & Gabbana. A dress like this costs at least as much as a mid-range car. Even if she was wealthy, she probably wouldn’t spend that much just to dress up.”

Zhang Liangyu shrugged. “I don’t remember exactly which day before New Year’s Eve it was. When I arrived in the morning, I saw a huge gift box on Zhang’s desk. There was a tag on it, but no sender listed.”

Captain Huang and Zhou Hai exchanged a look and stood up.

“Thanks for your cooperation. We’ll contact you again if needed.”

Xu Biao was already waiting at the door and took Zhang Liangyu’s fingerprints and DNA.

“Fengzi called you but you didn’t answer. They’ve found the site where the victim fell into the river and are searching the scene and reviewing surveillance.”

Captain Huang slammed the table in excitement. “Great! Let’s go take a look now.”

Xu Biao glanced at the offices around them—there were still many officers taking statements.

“What about here?”

“Let them finish slowly,” Huang said.

“Xiao Shi, send Zhang Liangyu’s and Liu Dong’s DNA and fingerprints to the lab. Give them to Sister Zeng. Tell her it’s part of the 1.19 drowning case—she’ll know what to do.”

Zhou Hai suddenly raised an eyebrow. “Xu Biao, notify all divisions—any future case handled by any team, the testing fees will be covered by the respective division.”

Xu Biao grinned at Captain Huang. “I think that’s a great plan. Captain Huang, ready to fund us?”

Huang’s face darkened completely. “You two are teaming up against me, huh? I’m poor! Let’s go!”

As they walked toward the door, Zhou Hai suddenly stopped and looked at them.

“In China, how much does a top-tier lawyer like Zhang Miaomiao earn?”

Captain Huang shook his head. “Not sure, but after six or seven years, enough to buy an apartment and a car. In this city, at least half a million a year.”

Xu Biao shrugged and pointed at the dress. “A dress worth as much as a luxury car, just tossed casually in the office… I’d guess she earns over a million a year.”

Then he sighed. “But Hai, tell me—what exactly did Zhang Miaomiao see in Liu Dong? Money? Looks? Status? Why doesn’t a rich, beautiful woman like that ever get tangled up with me?”