SFTD -Chapter 302 Bride Who Fell from the Building (Part 11)

Hearing Zhou Hai’s words, Xu Jun also felt a bit puzzled. He raised his wrist to check the time and said:

“It’s already this late. I’ll go retrieve the surveillance footage from the Lijing Grand Hotel. No matter what time I find anything, I’ll send it directly to your email. I won’t come back again tonight. Let’s meet at our place tomorrow. After all, we can’t detain those three people for too long—I’ll have to release them for now.”

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Of course. Release them first, but keep someone watching them. Their accounting audit should also be finished tomorrow. Let me know when there’s a result.”

Xu Jun left.

Zhou Hai turned to Xiao Liang and waved his hand.

“Call Fengzi and tell him not to rush back. Any idea how Zhang Wenqi’s investigation is going?”

Xiao Liang pointed toward the Second Investigation Team office.

“I just saw Zhang Wenqi go back to the office. Seems like he didn’t find anything.”

Zhou Hai pressed his lips together.

“Tell him to carefully investigate the origin of the Great Orchid Lily. That might become a key breakthrough. You all can get off work early.”

Xiao Liang understood that Zhou Hai wanted some time alone. After all, this case was strange and shapeless—everything about it was tangled and confusing. He quickly agreed and left the room.

Zhou Hai sat in his chair and opened the interrogation videos of the three suspects. At that moment, his phone rang. Taking it out, he saw it was a call from Lu Zhengfei. Only then did he realize he had forgotten to inform him about the case. He quickly answered.

“Hello, Uncle Lu. I forgot to tell you I’m on a case again. I’ll be home late tonight.”

On the other end, Lu Zhengfei lowered his voice and said seriously: “I know. You mentioned it when you left. I’m calling because of something else—you know the fiancée Zhang Ziliang was originally going to marry, Zhang Huihui, right? I heard she jumped from a building this morning. I want to ask—is this case under your responsibility?”

Zhou Hai paused.

“I was there at the scene.”

Lu Zhengfei quickly explained: “Haizi, I’m not trying to interfere in your case. It’s just that Madam Zhang, the vice principal’s wife, just called me. She asked me to help inquire—since Zhang Huihui is dead, can the 300,000-plus yuan in betrothal gifts they originally paid be returned? After all, there’s no child involved now.”

Zhou Hai pressed his lips together tightly.

Zhang Huihui’s child was not Zhang Ziliang’s. In principle, the bride price could indeed be reclaimed, but it would have to go through legal channels. However, since the case was still under investigation, he couldn’t say much yet.

“Uncle Lu, tell her this: once the investigation is concluded, they can pursue it through legal means. But before the facts of the case are clarified, it’s best not to get involved.”

Lu Zhengfei immediately understood the unspoken meaning.

“Oh, I get it—it involves your investigation, right? No need to explain further. I’ll tell Madam Zhang right away.”

“Alright. You all eat first. Don’t wait for me. I’ll be back late.”

After hanging up, Zhou Hai turned back to the interrogation videos of the three people.

The first video was of Du Haipeng, 27 years old, a tall and muscular man. He was visibly resistant to police questioning, acting completely indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him. He showed great disdain toward his relationship with Zhang Huihui.

“Don’t call it boyfriend or anything like that. When I was with Zhang Huihui, she wasn’t married and I wasn’t either. It was consensual—we hooked up, that’s it. If even that makes me suspicious, then I have nothing to say.”

The officer asked again whether his company’s business had any connection with Zhang Huihui. Du Haipeng’s expression darkened further.

“That seems unrelated to the case, right? Business dealings—sure, there might be some connection.”

As for the three phone records, he casually said: “Just some small talk. She wanted to see me, even wanted me to marry her, but I didn’t plan to get married yet. That’s all.”

When asked whether he had gone to Zhang Huihui’s hotel room, Du Haipeng answered quite directly: “Yes. I went on the morning of her wedding with Zhang Ziliang. I just wanted to see if she had made up her mind, and I also gave her a gift.”

When the topic turned to the audit reports, Du Haipeng suddenly stood up.

“If you’re asking about that, I can’t answer. If you really suspect there’s any financial issue in our group, or any financial dealings with Zhang Huihui, you can hire an auditing firm to investigate, or contact our legal team. I have no obligation to cooperate.”

The second video was of Xu Mingcheng, 33 years old. He was good-looking, tall and lean, and even when not smiling, his face carried a faint sense of friendliness. When asked about his relationship with Zhang Huihui, his answer was very similar to Du Haipeng’s.

“Just friends. I used to pursue her, but after she decided to get married, we didn’t really stay in contact.”

When asked whether he had been to Lijing Grand Hotel between yesterday and this morning, and whether he had entered Zhang Huihui’s room, Xu Mingcheng smiled, shaking his leg while speaking to the police.

“I work in sales. I’m always out eating and drinking. I did go to Lijing Hotel these past two days—I even went to the fourth-floor bar last night and drank until late. Am I supposed to be suspicious for that? Just check the surveillance footage. Why make it so complicated?”

When it came to the audit reports, Xu Mingcheng shook his head and spread his hands, looking completely puzzled.

“We’re a legitimate company. I’m just a sales manager. How would I have access to financial reports? You’re making this too difficult. If you really think I’m the killer or involved in the case, then don’t bother asking—just arrest me.”

The third person was Li Hongyi from the Bank of Communications, 35 years old, deputy director of the credit department at the East City branch in Southeast City. He could be described as the most outstanding among the three in appearance, speech, and temperament.

When asked about his relationship with Zhang Huihui, Li Hongyi smiled slightly and raised his head.

“At my age, I’ve really seen it all. I don’t lack women around me, but suitable ones for marriage are rare. Zhang Huihui was one of the candidates—she had good family background and good looks. It’s just that she had too many male friends, so our relationship was average. Somewhere between friends and lovers.”

The young officer paused and asked whether there had been any physical relationship between them. Li Hongyi laughed in disbelief.

“Do I really need to answer that in such detail? Fine, yes. If it feels good, why not sleep together? It’s consensual—what’s the problem?”

When asked about the audit reports, Li Hongyi shrugged.

“As for the rest, I don’t know. That’s their business. What does it have to do with me?”

The young officer slammed the table in frustration.

“Answer properly! Have you been to Zhang Huihui’s hotel room?”

“Yes. I went on Sunday night. She wanted to marry me and even threatened me, saying she was pregnant with my child. But that’s unlikely. How could I marry such an ‘open’ woman as my wife?”

Zhou Hai stared at the screenshots of the three interrogation videos, narrowing his eyes.

Who exactly was the last person to enter Zhang Huihui’s hotel room?