Chapter 154: Chapter 153 Alarm_1
The case was closed.
It was transferred to the prosecuting authority at the fastest speed. Mr. Zhao, who was reliable, asked Xu Dayuan what would happen to Wang Wenjing and Chen Chunxi in this 7.4 case.
Xu Dayuan said Wang Wenjing was the mastermind, an undeniable fact. However, Chen Chunxi knocked Zhang Guanglei unconscious, staged the car accident, and then hit Sun Manqing to cover up the evidence. The sentences for the two wouldn’t be much different.
As for Wang Mengmeng, it depended on how the judge would rule. She had cooperated, so at the very least she wasn’t completely unaware.
July 11, 2011
Early in the morning, Mr. Zhao took Zhou Ning to the backyard of the technical department.
Zhou Ning had looked at the car. If he wasn’t complaining about the price, then he didn’t like the style. They had been going back and forth for two weekends already, and Mr. Zhao was reluctant to accompany him anymore. Although Zhou Ning now had enough money on hand to afford a car, he still couldn’t bring himself to spend it.
The two got out of the car, still arguing, when another car followed them in.
Mr. Zhao nodded towards the direction of the car with a tilt of his chin, making a clicking sound with his mouth.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, you should buy this car. I think you can afford it with those tech stocks you have. If you buy it, I’ll even be your free chauffeur."
Zhou Ning glanced over, a slate gray and blue sedan parked next to them, its streamlined body looking very upscale. He took a quick look at the parking space sign but didn’t immediately recognize the car.
"This logo looks like a zongzi, no wait, is that two overlapping ’M’s inside a triangle?"
As he was speaking, the car door opened, and a beautiful woman in black stepped out. The moment she took off her sunglasses, Mr. Zhao poked Zhou Ning’s lower back repeatedly, but he didn’t need such a reminder to realize who the woman was.
Last time at the front desk, he had seen her fight with Chai Ruhua and her son. Although she wasn’t very old, her fighting ability was quite impressive.
The woman was Yu Meili, and her purpose for being there, given her attire, went without saying.
Yu Meili held up her phone and dialed a number, then spoke politely:
"Mr. Pang, I’ve arrived."
Mr. Zhao pulled Zhou Ning, and the two walked inside the building, just in time to meet Mr. Pang. He raised his hand to stop Zhou Ning.
"Doctor Zhou, good that you’re here. Yu Meili has come to collect the ’Autopsy Report Notification’ and the death certificate. However, as for the cause of death, could you explain it to her? After all, Sun Manqing was also one of the victims of the 7.4 case."
Zhou Ning nodded, and Mr. Pang waved to Yu Meili, leading everyone to the third-floor office.
Once everyone was seated, Mr. Zhao brought in some bottled water, and Yu Meili then spoke:
"When you called me on Friday, Doctor Zhou, I was signing a contract, so I couldn’t come over right away. Sorry about that!"
Mr. Pang waved his hand, smiling as he said:
"No problem, like I told you, within ten days would be fine. This file is related to Sun Manqing’s autopsy. The insurance company will need it too. Take good care of it. As for the body, you can contact the funeral home, and they will provide that service."
"Can I ask about his cause of death? Was it just a traffic accident?"
Mr. Pang shook his head and pointed to Zhou Ning.
"It wasn’t merely a traffic accident. Let Doctor Zhou explain to you. This chain of car crashes is connected to a criminal case."
Yu Meili looked at Zhou Ning, who explained:
"I think you know that the first victim of that chain of car accidents was your former husband, Zhang Guanglei. He didn’t die in an accident. The killer knocked him unconscious and staged the traffic accident during the fog. Sun Manqing had met with Zhang Guanglei before the incident."
"They happened to meet while having breakfast and talked for a while. When the killer followed Zhang Guanglei, Sun Manqing saw it and wanted to warn him but was interrupted by a phone call. He rushed to take a closer look and got into a rear-end collision.
"However, he didn’t die at that moment. The killer crashed into the driver’s side of his car to take away both Sun Manqing and Zhang Guanglei’s phones, preventing him from calling the police. It was only after that the multiple car pile-up happened."
Yu Meili covered her mouth, tears flowing down her cheeks without a sound, as if the floodgates had opened.
Zhou Ning swallowed the rest of what he was going to say. If Sun Manqing hadn’t rushed to check, maybe he wouldn’t have been involved, but saying so would only add to Yu Meili’s guilt.
None of the three said words of comfort, because this wasn’t sadness that could be avoided with consolation.
After an undefined period, Yu Meili clutched the file bag in her hand and took a deep breath. Her tear-stained face was also wiped clean.
"Thank you all. It’s good to have the truth restored. He was a good person. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to check. Alright, I’ll be leaving now," she said as she stood up and gave a bow to the three of them.
He then turned and walked away, and Mr. Zhao went to the window, constantly shaking his head.
"This woman is so strong-willed... Hey? Quick, come look! The ex-wife is here again!"
Following Mr. Zhao’s shout, Zhou Ning and Mr. Pang had already gathered at the window, and sure enough, Chai Ruhua had arrived with Sun Yannian, and Mr. Chai also rushed in front of Yu Meili and slapped her across the face.
Perhaps out of concern for Mr. Chai’s age, Yu Meili stepped back and then rushed to the front of the car, clutching her cell phone as if she was making a call.
Mr. Pang had already run out, summoning the duty guards to intervene, after all, this was the backyard of the municipal bureau; to take action here was nothing short of brazen.
As expected, when the guards came out and yelled at Mr. Chai, the old man stopped charging forward.
"Police hitting people, you’re quite bold. Do you think just because you’re old, you won’t be dealt with? What do you think this place is?"
A tirade followed, and Mr. Chai stiffened his neck, his actions much like Sun Yannian’s. It seemed Sun Yannian hadn’t taken after his father but had learned all his bad habits from this old man.
"Don’t try to scare me; I’m old and not afraid of your intimidation. This vixen seduced my son-in-law, made him abandon his wife and child, and ultimately caused his untimely death. If I don’t hit her, I might as well save it for New Year."
As he spoke, Mr. Chai tried to go after her again but was directly apprehended by the approaching police.
"You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. I’m telling you to stop, but you keep charging. Are you showing contempt for the police? This is a society ruled by law. I’m standing here to stop you from committing violence, yet you don’t cease. Do you know the consequences of showing contempt for the police?"
Chai Ruhua immediately charged forward, butting her head against the chest of the police officer, then she fell to the ground, beating the pavement while crying with snot and tears streaming down her face.
"What sins have I committed? Sun Manqing is dead, and this vixen wants to kick us out and even demands we pay for her car. Her father runs such a big company, with factories and all. Once the father dies, the son inherits, what’s there to argue about?
This damned vixen, she claims that the company is operating at a deficit and that she’s the legal representative. Sun Manqing’s estate comprises only debts, no assets, even the house we live in, the car we drive, are all Yu Meili’s."
Yu Meili covered her mouth, holding up her cell phone as if filming, and intermittently covered her ears as if she was also on a call using her earphones.
Noticing such behavior, Zhou Ning hesitated slightly and pulled Mr. Zhao back, stopping him from moving forward.
She had received a slap and hadn’t panicked, but calmly collected all the documents and then started filming the call. Evidently, she was well-prepared for the actions of the three, and this entire drama was triggered by her deliberate maneuvering.
The police were at a loss, as a woman on the ground clung to one officer’s leg, throwing a tantrum while wailing and playing the martyr. The officer, embarrassed, did not know how to react when two cars arrived at that moment.
One was a police car, and the other a luxury sedan from which quite a few people alighted rapidly. The officers from the police car looked around.
"What’s going on, who called the police?"
Yu Meili raised her hand.
"I called. Chai Ruhua, her father, and her son cornered me and she hit me. I believe there are surveillance cameras in this courtyard, and these two officers are witnesses."
The officer who had been grabbed around the leg nodded. For the first time in his life, he had become a witness, a shift in role that felt quite unique.
"The old man slapped her and wanted to continue his assault, but I stopped him, otherwise, it would have been three against one."
The police separated everyone and glanced at Chai Ruhua on the ground.
"Stand up and speak."
At that moment, two men dressed in shirts and ties came down from the other car and jogged over to Yu Meili’s side. She tossed her cell phone to them.
"I recorded a video; everything Chai Ruhua said is on here, show it to the police."
The man nodded, played the video on the phone, and handed it to the officers who had responded to the 110 call. After watching it, several officers seemed somewhat confused, but an attorney quickly handed over several documents.
"The deceased, Sun Manqing, was the husband of Ms. Yu Meili, and they had been married for fourteen months. Here’s a copy of their marriage certificate. Before their marriage, they had made a notarized property agreement. Here’s a copy of the notarized document; you can retrieve the original from the notary office.
Sun Manqing had a debt of 17.48 million before the marriage as evidenced here; all fixed assets were sold off, and the remaining cash of over two hundred thousand was stolen by Ms. Chai Ruhua, as per the police report from that time.
After the marriage, Ms. Yu Meili invested 30 million into Mr. Sun Manqing’s company to restart operations. All external debts now total 4.21 million. Regarding the property and vehicles that Ms. Chai Ruhua and her family are using, they are all part of Ms. Yu Meili’s premarital assets.
Officer, please look, these are the relevant property documents and vehicle registration information. They came to Qindao for Mr. Chai’s medical treatment, and Yu Meili lent them the house to stay in. She did not expect them to try to take over the property and claim Sun Manqing’s assets.
Just wondering, how much of Sun Manqing’s debts is Ms. Chai Ruhua willing to take over? Now that the police are here and everything is out in the open, why don’t we clarify and sign the relevant paperwork to proceed with everything?"
Being so well-prepared, it was clear that Yu Meili had planned this. Among the second generation of wealth, to maintain assets without shrinkage and even come out ahead, it’s not just luck. Yu Meili is a case in point.
She had thought of all possibilities and prevented loss to her assets. Even if Sun Yannian inherited a portion of the estate, it would only be about the amount covered by the car insurance payout, while the core assets remained unscathed.
Zhou Ning patted Mr. Zhao, and the two turned and left. Such a drama revealed the ugliest side of human nature; Zhou Ning did not enjoy watching it, as he still had his own troubles to deal with.
