Animal Detective

Chapter 171: One Percent

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei frowned at the same time.

Zhu Yuchen clenched his fists and pursed his lips, his eyes wide and round. He looked exactly like a child who had been scolded by his parents—defiant but not daring to talk back, bottling up all his frustration.

The crucial part was what he had said.

For a child to say things like his mom should be arrested, that she was a bad woman.

Shen Xin couldn’t help but feel it was somewhat cruel.

’So much for "a mother’s love is best," huh?’

"Hey there, why do you say that?" Shen Xin asked, squatting down.

"She just is. She’s a bad woman."

Zhu Yuchen just repeated himself, his cheeks puffed with indignation.

As Shen Xin was about to say more, Ding Yuwei held up a hand to stop him. "Why don’t I ask him?" she whispered.

She figured that as a woman, she might have an easier time connecting with the child.

"No, it’s better if I do it."

Shen Xin waved her off. ’The kid’s already calling his mom a bad woman; he’s clearly hostile toward her.’

’Time for a man-to-man talk.’

Shen Xin sent Ding Yuwei to buy a couple of sodas. Once she was gone, he lightly tugged the boy’s sleeve insignia. "Nice, a little squad leader, huh? Does that mean you get really good grades in class?"

At the mention of this, Zhu Yuchen rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"I’m the discipline monitor. No one dares to disobey me," he said, clenching his fist.

’Trying to act tough, huh?’

Shen Xin chuckled to himself. "So if your grades aren’t great, does that mean you play too many video games? Do you play Honor of Kings? What’s your rank?"

Given his poor grades, the mention of video games did indeed make Zhu Yuchen perk up. He shot back a challenge, "Yeah, I play. Starlight rank. You?"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Shen Xin’s eyes before he changed his tune. "I’m a police officer. How could I catch bad guys if I was busy playing games all the time?"

"Tch. You’re just a noob," Zhu Yuchen said with disdain.

Shen Xin broke into a nervous sweat.

’Kids these days are something else. We weren’t this sharp back in my day.’

Feeling he had built enough rapport, Shen Xin finally asked, "Zhu Yuchen, can you tell me why you said your mom killed your dad? Who told you that?"

At the mention of his parents, Zhu Yuchen’s brows knitted together again. His eyes darted around before he said, "I can tell you, but you have to buy me a skin."

Shen Xin was speechless.

"Fine."

It was an unexpected expense, but Shen Xin nodded, accepting the loss and gesturing for him to start talking.

"Buy it for me first." Zhu Yuchen held out his hand, asking for the phone to log into his account.

’This little rascal has high standards.’

He shook Shen Xin’s arm, insisting on an Epic-tier skin.

"Can you talk now?"

Shen Xin asked after fulfilling the boy’s wish.

Zhu Yuchen, admiring his new skin, said, "My grandma told me. She said my mom was the one who killed my dad. She said my mom’s destiny was to bring my dad bad luck, that she’s a really bad person."

Shen Xin frowned.

The case file mentioned that Yang Huixia did not have a good relationship with her in-laws.

The classic mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law dynamic. That was normal enough.

’But for a grandmother to say something like that to her grandson... that’s not right.’

’His father is missing. His mother is all he has left.’

"Do you really think your mom is a bad person, too?" Shen Xin asked.

’The kid is eleven now, which means he was nine two years ago. He should have been old enough to have some judgment of his own.’

Zhu Yuchen said, "My mom’s always forcing me to do my homework. She yells at me when I don’t know how to do it. Even when I’ve already finished all my homework from school, she gives me even more to do. I just don’t like her."

"My dad was better. He’d always stop my mom and find chances to take me out to play. But they were always fighting, really nasty fights. One time, my mom was chopping up pig feed when they started arguing. She got so mad she came charging out with the cleaver, wanting to hack my dad."

"Anyway, I hate my mom. Hey, Officer, do you think she’s going through menopause or something?"

Zhu Yuchen turned his head and asked with a completely serious expression.

Shen Xin broke into another sweat. ’How old is this kid? How does he know about stuff like that?’

However, Zhu Yuchen’s words did confirm that the couple’s relationship was indeed not good.

The farm business was struggling, money was tight, and they had conflicting ideas about how to raise their child. On top of that, from what he’d gathered so far, Yang Huixia seemed to have a very strong-willed personality. It would have been a miracle if they *didn’t* fight.

After about the length of a video game match, the boy’s grandparents returned.

The pair were in their early sixties. The grandmother, Gou Jinlan, was still spry, walking with a swift, energetic stride as she carried a basket of groceries. The grandfather, Zhu Zhenyuan, however, was already somewhat stooped.

Seeing her grandson with a stranger, Gou Jinlan immediately rushed over.

She yanked her grandson behind her with one hand, while her other clutched a hoe, looking as if she was ready to bring it down on Shen Xin at any second. She then loudly demanded to know who he was.

Ding Yuwei, who had been observing from a distance, quickly ran over.

Shen Xin flashed his badge.

"What is there to say? My son was murdered by that bitch! Damn her! He was my only son, and she made me bury him with my own hands! You’re the police, why haven’t you arrested her? Make her pay for my son’s life!"

Gou Jinlan immediately started shouting.

Zhu Zhenyuan remained silent, not saying a word.

Shen Xin tried to communicate with her, asking for details about the time of the incident, but she couldn’t go more than a couple of sentences without cursing Yang Huixia, making any effective communication impossible.

Shen Xin gave Ding Yuwei a look, motioning for her to take over, before leading Zhu Zhenyuan outside to the courtyard by himself.

Gou Jinlan was a chatterbox; for every one thing Shen Xin said, she would say ten. With Zhu Zhenyuan, it was the complete opposite; Shen Xin could ask three questions and not get a single sentence in response.

He just pulled out a pack of Hongmei cigarettes, squatted on the ground, and started smoking by himself.

But what little he did say was more or less the same as what was in the case file: the couple was busy with the farm, and he didn’t know of any enemies they might have made.

From his tone, it didn’t seem like he thought Yang Huixia was the killer. Reading between the lines, he actually seemed to think his daughter-in-law was a decent person.

After some more questioning, Shen Xin didn’t press him further.

’Losing a son in his old age...’ It seemed the man was now just an empty shell.

Ding Yuwei came back out and gave Shen Xin a look of resignation. Clearly, she hadn’t gotten any useful information either.

"Well, Sir, we’ll be going now," Shen Xin said, preparing to leave.

Just then, Zhu Zhenyuan stood up and said suddenly, "Officer, it’s been two years. I have a feeling... I know my son is dead. But at least find his body, won’t you? So he can be laid to rest properly."

His face was deeply wrinkled and his eyelids drooped, but he stared intently at Shen Xin.

An uncomfortable feeling settled in Shen Xin’s heart. He nodded and led Ding Yuwei away.

Although Gou Jinlan insisted that Yang Huixia had killed Zhu Guishen, it was all just her own speculation, without a single useful clue.

"Here’s the plan: tomorrow, I’ll head to the park. You and Brother Xing can re-interview those employees from back then, and look into Zhu Guishen’s social connections again."

"Oh, and I think we should also look into Yang Huixia’s finances and her social circle."

There were too few leads to solve a cold case like this. Shen Xin still felt his best bet was to use his unique talent and start with the animals.

Ding Yuwei nodded, taking note. Then she suddenly sighed, "You know, I really feel for Yang Huixia. She has it so tough."

When Shen Xin looked at her, she explained, "Think about it. Everyone thinks she killed her husband. Even her own son believes it. Can you imagine how that must feel?"

Shen Xin fell silent.

It was true. For a mother, being misunderstood by her own child had to be the most heart-wrenching pain of all.

But he couldn’t completely rule out Yang Huixia as a suspect just yet.

Chen Chao had once told him that in ninety-nine percent of murder cases, the killer is someone close to the victim.

It was practically a rule of thumb, because there’s no such thing as hatred without a reason.

In a case like Zhu Guishen’s, there were only a handful of people in his immediate circle. They had all been investigated, and Yang Huixia was the only one with this many suspicious circumstances surrounding her.

Unless...

It was one of the remaining one percent. Like in the Xiao Hong case, it was a truly random murder, happening in a random place for a random reason.

At this thought, Shen Xin’s brow furrowed.

’Don’t tell me the Zhu Guishen case is another one of those one-percenters...’