SFTD -Chapter 7 The Man in the Bathtub (Final)

Xu Biao burst out laughing on the other end of the phone.

“You guessed right—the murder weapon was a utility knife.
I honestly don’t know whether to praise this woman for being smart or call her obsessive.
After killing him, she actually took the weapon home with her.”

Zhou Hai frowned slightly.

“You actually found the weapon in her house? That doesn’t match her level of intelligence.”

“Exactly!
But talk about bad luck. Liu Qiang hid the knife inside the urn on the family altar on the second floor—her mother’s ashes were inside.
If it weren’t for Dashuai’s nose”—the police dog—“we’d still be searching blindly.

Oh, right!
Along with the utility knife, we also found those matching rings belonging to the victim and Liu Qiang.”

Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes slightly. If the dog could smell it, then there had to be blood on it.

“So there was blood on the knife?”

“Bingo. Blood all over the blade and handle. The evidence in this case is rock solid now.
Come on, let’s play a game. Guess what color the utility knife was.”

Zhou Hai replied irritably, “Quit messing around and hurry back with the evidence.”

“You’re scared of guessing wrong? Come on, just try!”

Zhou Hai pondered for a moment. Suddenly, the image of the rings from the photo flashed through his mind.

“Yellow.”

Xu Biao shot to his feet in shock on the other end of the line.

“Holy crap! You’re not human. How the hell did you guess that? Did you install surveillance cameras or something…?”

Zhou Hai couldn’t be bothered to keep listening to his rambling and simply hung up.

Not long afterward, inside the interrogation room, Liu Qiang confessed to everything.

Liu Qiang.
Thirty-six years old.
Graduated from West China Medical University with a degree in pharmaceutical sciences, one year older than the victim.

Right after graduation, under pressure from her family, she married a man surnamed Yu who was twelve years older than her.

Before this, she and Peng Yuhua had only crossed paths once during an overseas company trip organized by Kaihua Real Estate.

They truly became acquainted two years earlier after running into each other at her best friend’s pet hospital.

Peng Yuhua was tall, handsome, humorous, and exceptionally skilled at charming women.

Although Liu Qiang’s husband was successful in business, neither his appearance nor his conversational skills could compare to Peng Yuhua’s.

Moreover, when Liu Qiang married Yu, he was already middle-aged. She had never really experienced romance before.

Within just a few days, Liu Qiang realized she had fallen in love with Peng Yuhua.

One thing led to another, and the two soon entered into a physical relationship.

With Liu Qiang supporting him behind the scenes, Peng Yuhua was quickly promoted to vice president.

But success inflated his ego. More and more women surrounded him, and he eventually maintained no fewer than twelve regular lovers.

During the height of their affair, Peng Yuhua made countless romantic promises to Liu Qiang.

He repeatedly swore that he would marry no one but her, and that the moment she divorced, they would immediately get married.

Liu Qiang treasured every passionate promise he whispered to her, and the relationship continued for over a year.

Then, one night a month earlier, Liu Qiang went to Peng Yuhua’s apartment without informing him beforehand.

She simply wanted to surprise him.

She had already filed for divorce, and she had even caught her husband having an affair, ensuring she would receive a large settlement.

But the moment she entered the apartment, she saw a pair of red high heels casually tossed on the floor by the entrance.

Strangely calm, Liu Qiang silently walked barefoot deeper into the apartment.

The bedroom door was slightly open.

Inside, Peng Yuhua and a famous local model from Dongnan City were engaged in roleplay.

The woman, wearing a nurse’s cap, had her hands tied behind her back and was kneeling before him.

Peng Yuhua excitedly grabbed her head and forced it downward while panting and roaring in pleasure.

The scene before her turned Liu Qiang ice-cold.
She felt as though her feelings had been utterly defiled.

She didn’t rush in screaming.
Nor did she interrupt their frenzy.

The thick scent of hormones made her nauseous.
She only wanted to escape.

Liu Qiang quietly turned and left.

Afterward, she hired a private investigator.

Only then did she discover that Peng Yuhua hadn’t remained unmarried because he was waiting for her. He simply hadn’t had enough fun yet. At the same time, he was dating over twenty women.

Liu Qiang broke down completely.

Her seemingly honest but unfaithful aging husband had already been a man full of lustful intentions.

And now Peng Yuhua—the man she had devoted all her emotions to—was even worse.

At that moment, she realized the only person she could truly rely on in this world was herself.

And if she couldn’t have Peng Yuhua completely, then no one else would either.

She decided to make him belong solely to her.

Under the pretense of traveling, Liu Qiang disappeared for over twenty days.

Though Peng Yuhua was a womanizer, he genuinely liked Liu Qiang.

After learning the date of her return, he arranged to meet her on June 9th.

Liu Qiang carefully selected a sharp utility knife.

She hid ketamine powder that her husband had stashed at home inside the heart-shaped pendant hanging around her neck, and she dressed up deliberately for the occasion.

That night, she arrived as promised.

After a candlelit dinner came a frenzy of passion after their long separation. Liu Qiang personally poured Peng Yuhua a glass of red wine mixed with ketamine.

Later, she suggested they continue in the bathroom, and Peng Yuhua eagerly agreed.

Her unusual enthusiasm drove him wild.

Sitting in the bathtub, Peng Yuhua had completely lowered his guard. He enjoyed Liu Qiang’s touch while drifting in the euphoric haze of the drug.

At that moment, Liu Qiang pulled the knife from the pocket of her nightgown.

She stabbed him directly in the chest.

Peng Yuhua merely slowly raised his arms, staring in shock at Liu Qiang and the wound on his chest.

As the knife was pulled free, his body slid into the bathtub, and his eyes closed forever.

When Liu Qiang noticed she had injured her own hand, she quickly found a pair of latex gloves in the bathroom and put them on.

She turned on the faucet above the bathtub and meticulously cleaned the entire apartment.

Returning to the bathroom, she washed away all traces of blood, plugged the bathtub drain, placed Annie’s two long hairs at the bottom of the tub, and turned on the cold water.

She didn’t kill Peng Yuhua’s golden retriever.
After all, the dog had been the matchmaker between them.

Nor did she take the victim’s phone.

Because the two of them had always communicated by leaving sticky notes on the outer wall of the pet hospital. Peng Yuhua claimed it was romantic and wouldn’t interfere with Liu Qiang’s married life.

After hearing the confession, Liang Honggang let out a long sigh.

“Sigh… This woman really had terrible luck with men. Both of them were scumbags.”

Zhou Hai shook his head slightly.

“Her possessiveness had already surpassed the limits of normal cognition.

This is a psychological disorder.

She married immediately after graduation, became a full-time housewife, and never had children.

Her entire life became confined, isolated within her own little world.

So she believed love was supposed to be pure.

But Peng Yuhua shattered the pure love she had finally managed to find.

She killed him because she wanted to possess him completely.”

The door opened.

Xu Biao walked in carrying the investigation kit and set it on the table.

Along with it came Zhou Hai’s car keys, tossed down carelessly.

With a face full of gossip-driven curiosity, Xu Biao wiped away sweat and asked,

“So? Did she confess?”

“The physical evidence has been sent for DNA testing?”

Xu Biao nodded.

“Don’t even mention it. While you guys were sitting here enjoying the air conditioning, I was starving and roasting alive.

I followed the investigators to the suspect’s house collecting evidence, then drove all the way back to the center to submit samples, and got caught in rush hour traffic on the way back.

What kind of hellish weather is this? It’s already after seven and still thirty-five degrees!”

Zhou Hai glanced coldly at the car keys on the table.

“You’re reimbursing the gas money. That was private vehicle usage for official business.”

One sentence instantly sealed away all of Xu Biao’s gossiping enthusiasm.

He looked at Zhou Hai with a miserable expression.

“Haizi!
Brother Hai!
Forensic Zhou!

You studied abroad!
You’re basically rich!
Don’t be so stingy! You know how hard it is to get Director Pang to approve reimbursements.

No way. Beat me to death and I still won’t do it!”

Zhou Hai rolled his eyes at him.

“The case is over. Let’s head back.”

Xu Biao’s chubby face scrunched together.

“What happened to the victim’s golden retriever?”

All three men fell silent.

No one spoke again.

The man was dead.
Somewhere overseas, an elderly couple could only hold onto the dog as a reminder of their son.

Standing downstairs beneath the blazing sun, Zhou Hai suddenly stopped walking.

Xu Biao and Xiao Liang nearly crashed into him from behind.

“You’re buying me dinner.”

“Huh?!”

Xu Biao froze, not quite processing it.

“Either reimburse the gas money or buy dinner. Pick one.”

Xu Biao curled his lips and gritted his teeth.

“Fine. Dinner then.

But let me make this clear beforehand—we are not going to a five-star hotel.

And the meal budget cannot exceed two hundred yuan.

Otherwise, I’d rather pay for the gas!”