The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The Boat Was Smashed, Reporting an Illicit Affair

Han Xiaorui brought out a small stool and placed it in the yard. ”Officers, please sit. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

Ye Feng didn’t ask anything. He was responsible for matters of national security.

These cases fell under the jurisdiction of the local police as criminal matters. However, this incident involved Han Xiaorui, and it might provoke retaliation against her from hostile foreign agents operating within the country.

Especially with all the incidents happening around Han Xiaorui, Ye Feng grew even more vigilant.

Officer Li said gravely, ”We’re just here to gather information. We just came from Song the Second’s house. The forensic examination determined he was bitten to death by a sea snake.”

”Did you see Song the Second last night? Do you know anything about his whereabouts?”

Han Xiaorui answered, ”I didn’t see him, and I don’t know. In the middle of the night, someone came to my Peach Garden to spray it with a highly concentrated herbicide. They were bitten by a poisonous snake, so I called the police.”

”My neighbors, Mr. Ye, and his colleague were all there, so I’m sure you already know about it. After breakfast this morning, I went to the police station to give a statement. On my way back, after buying some daily necessities and groceries, I passed by Yu Lanlan’s house and only then learned that Song the Second had died in the middle of the night.”

”Ever since I came home from the docks last night, I haven’t been back, let alone boarded my boat. You can’t just say I killed Song the Second because he died near my boat!”

Officer Li reassured her, ”We are aware of this. We’re just here for a basic rundown of the situation. Han Xiaorui, please don’t worry.”

”We’re going to inspect your boat now. Will you cooperate?”

”Of course.” Han Xiaorui agreed. ”Just a moment, let me turn down the stove.”

A short while later, Han Xiaorui followed Officer Li, Ye Feng, and the others to the docks.

When they reached her berth, Han Xiaorui said, ”This is my boat. Huh? Sister-in-law Xiao Yu and I cleaned the boat yesterday. Why is there mud on the deck?”

Han Xiaorui didn’t dare to board. She took a closer look, and what she saw made her explode with fury. ”Who the hell smashed the lock on my cabin door? My boat! Officer Li, I want to report this! Someone vandalized my boat!”

”Be careful when you go on board. There might be fingerprints or footprints from the perpetrator. If I find out who damaged my boat, I’ll definitely press charges.”

Han Xiaorui was hopping mad. ’Damn it, so it really was Song the Second who came to mess with my stuff!’

’Even if Song the Second is dead, I’m going to make Yu Lanlan pay for this.’

Officer Li put on gloves and took out a camera. He photographed the footprints on the boat, collected fingerprints, and examined the damage inside Han Xiaorui’s cabin.

The dashboard was smashed!

After gathering the evidence, Officer Li looked at Han Xiaorui sympathetically.

’If nothing else turns up, it was probably Song the Second who came to wreck Han Xiaorui’s boat, and then he got bitten to death by a sea snake.’

’Someone from the Song Family is dead. I wonder if she’ll be able to get the money for the boat repairs back?’

It had rained lightly yesterday, so the perpetrator had mud on their feet. As a result, there were clear footprints in the cabin, but none of them belonged to Han Xiaorui.

This also indirectly proved that Han Xiaorui hadn’t been on the boat.

”Han Xiaorui, is there anything else you’d like to say?” Officer Li asked. If not, he would have her sign the statement.

’Han Xiaorui knew that no matter what, Yu Lanlan would hate her and try to cause trouble for her.’

’So, Han Xiaorui decided she should strike first and give Yu Lanlan some trouble of her own. After all, everything she was about to say was the truth, not a lie, so she had no qualms about it.’

”Yes, I do. But I’m the only one who saw this, so I have no proof. Last night, I couldn’t get a clear look at the two people who were vandalizing my Peach Garden. I went to take a closer look today. That man, Cao Lang, is Yu Lanlan’s lover.”

”I once saw Yu Lanlan go to the house Cao Lang rents near Seafood City, and I heard the sounds of their affair. I was alone, so I didn’t dare say anything.”

”I originally didn’t want to get involved in other people’s business, but now look what’s happened. Yu Lanlan’s husband smashes my boat, and her lover vandalizes my Peach Garden. Now that Song the Second is dead, she has the nerve to frame me for it.”

”I admit I had some issues with Song the Second, but it was just neighbors’ squabbles. I’d get hopping mad and yell a few curses, but it never reached the point of murder and arson.”

”If you ask me, Yu Lanlan and Cao Lang are more suspicious in Song the Second’s death. Maybe they’re a modern-day Pan Jinlian and Ximen Qing. Officer Li, you have to investigate this thoroughly.”

After hearing what Han Xiaorui said, Ye Feng, Officer Li, and the others were all dumbfounded.

’There was an affair like that going on?’

’The case just got more complicated!’

”Alright, we will definitely investigate,” Officer Li said quickly, snapping out of his daze.

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Then I’m counting on you. You have to catch the bad guys and not let them get away with it. By the way, Officer Li, can I call someone to come and fix my boat?”

”Not yet. After all, we have a new lead now. Until we can rule out homicide in Song the Second’s death, you can’t touch this boat for the time being.”

Han Xiaorui was stunned. ”Then... doesn’t that mean I can’t go fishing?”

”Well...” Officer Li thought for a moment. ”We’ll investigate this as quickly as we can. Please continue to cooperate.”

The other two police officers had already set up cordon signs around the boat that read ”KEEP OUT” to prevent people from getting close.

’What could Han Xiaorui say?’

’What else could she do but cooperate?’

Officer Li hurriedly led his men to Yu Lanlan’s house to investigate further. First, they had to determine if it was really a murder.

Seeing the disappointed look on Han Xiaorui’s face, Ye Feng looked down and smiled faintly. ”Was what you just said true or false?”

Han Xiaorui said confidently, ”Of course it’s true. I just didn’t expect that telling the truth would mean I can’t go fishing until the case is solved.”

’Thank goodness I made a lot of money yesterday, or else we’d have no money left at home!’

Ye Feng smiled. ”I’ll press them to handle the case as quickly as possible.”

’If I can’t go fishing, I’ll just go into the city tomorrow and set up my ornamental fish stall.’

”Thank you, Mr. Ye,” Han Xiaorui said gratefully, then walked home dejectedly.

Officer Li went to Song the Second’s house to take away his body.

It might involve a criminal offense, so the body couldn’t be kept at home. It had to be taken back for a more detailed autopsy.

”You... why are you taking my husband’s body away? Shouldn’t you be arresting Han Xiaorui?”

Officer Li replied, ”Han Xiaorui’s boat was vandalized. We just compared the shoe size and prints to the deceased’s shoes; they’re a perfect match. Furthermore, we also collected fingerprints from the boat. If we compare them and find Song the Second’s, we can basically confirm that he was the one who vandalized Han Xiaorui’s boat.”

”As for your claim that Han Xiaorui murdered Song the Second, we haven’t found any evidence. Moreover, Han Xiaorui didn’t go to the docks at all last night. We didn’t find her footprints on the boat, and there were no signs of a struggle.”

”We’ve also found some other leads and need to perform a further autopsy on Song the Second’s body. Please cooperate. Also, I have a few questions for you. Please answer them truthfully. Do you know Cao Lang? Are you close with him?”

Hearing Officer Li mention Cao Lang, Yu Lanlan’s pupils contracted slightly, and her eyes flickered with panic. ”I... I’m not familiar with him. I don’t know him!”

Officer Li was a veteran detective skilled in observation. He could tell from Yu Lanlan’s micro-expressions that something was off.

’Yu Lanlan was lying!’