My Lovely Wife is a Forensic Doctor - Chapter 169
Chapter 169 A Chance Encounter
“Yihan? Why are you here?” Astonished, Mu Yu stared at Xin Yihan who had appeared behind her.
“I’m here to get breakfast.” He looked at her with a smile. But his house was a twenty-minute drive from the breakfast place.
“Xiaotian loves the custard bun and red date soy milk from here. Are you here to buy breakfast for Young Master Qin?” Xin Yihan saw her taking the two portions of exceptionally hearty breakfast, and he gave her a look with conflicted emotions.
“No, no, I’m buying for my colleagues.” Knowing that Xin Yihan was concerned about her, she was worried that she’d give off a wrong expression of mistreatment by the Qin Family. Xin Yihan checked his watch and asked doubtfully, “Are you going to work this early?”
“I’m not going to work. It happened that some acquaintances of mine passed away. Their burial is today and I planned to pay a visit. I’m bringing breakfast for my colleagues on the way,” Mu Yu glossed over the details of Luo Mingan and Kiki.
“Oh. Then…”
Mu Yu’s phone buzzed and it was a call from Rong Jian. “Excuse me,” she interrupted Xin Yihan and took the call. “Chief Rong?”
“Yu, it’s too cold today, so we decided not to meet in the Bureau. I will head to the crematorium with Xiaofan and the others. You don’t have to come here. Just meet us at the entrance of Tai Cemetery at 8.30 a.m.”
“Oh. Chief Rong, where are you now? Have you had breakfast?”
“I’m almost arriving at the crematorium. I left my place in a hurry and forgot to get breakfast. It’s okay. I’ll have it later. That’s all for now. I have something going on.”
“Hey, Chief Rong…” He had already hung up and she had no choice but to put down her phone.
“What happened?” Xin Yihan asked her with concern.
“My supervisor said that the meeting at the Bureau was canceled and asked that I wait for them at the entrance of Tai Cemetery at 8.30 am.”
Xin Yihan checked his watch. “It’s not even 7 am yet. It only takes about half an hour to Tai Cemetery from here.”
“Yeah. I am thinking if I should meet them at the crematorium.” Mu Yu waved the paper bag in her hand. “I bought breakfast for Chief Rong and Madam Feng.”
“Young mistress, I think that Chief Rong must have intentionally stopped you from going to the crematorium. That place is super eerie and unlucky especially in this weather. If you bump into an aggrieved soul, it’d be even more haunting. I’m scared that you’d have nightmares later,” Huang Bo advised her earnestly.
“Haunting? You’re too superstitious.” Mu Yu chuckled. “I’m a forensic doctor and don’t believe in those stuff.”
“Young mistress, this has nothing to do with being superstitious. Some phenomena are hard to explain. Anyway, I advise you not to go.” Huang Bo was serious about it. Mu Yu stared at him speechlessly.
Since the time when Rong Jian and the others decided to bury Luo Mingan and Kiki themselves, Qin Xiaozhi and Qin Jinhuan had been brainwashing her against participating, telling her not to join the event because it was unlucky. They’d rather spend money to arrange the burial. Mu Yu replied that they were too superstitious and therefore she did not take their advice, insisting on sending Luo Mingan and Kiki on their journey. At the end, Qin Xiaozhi and Qin Jinhuan could not persuade her and had to let her do as she wished.
At that moment, she totally believed that Rong Jian had intentionally barred her from going to the crematorium under Qin Xiaozhi and Qin Jinhuan’s orders. She even suspected that at the Tai Cemetery later, the two men from the Qin Family would think of other ways to stop her from entering. She did not expect that their approval of her participation was just a plot to gain time.
Even so, Mu Yu did not blame them and was instead touched by their efforts. She knew that they were concerned about the trauma that Luo Mingan left on her and was worried that today’s burial would trigger her. What they didn’t know was that she had almost overcome her trauma. Today’s burial was also a way to put an end to the memory that was deeply etched in her mind.
She blinked to compose herself and decided to bid farewell to Xin Yihan. “Yihan, I…”
“Yu, it’s best not to go to the crematorium,” Xin Yihan seemed to have read her mind and instantly interrupted her. “Since Chief Rong cares about you, you should not make things difficult for him.”
She could decipher the underlying context of his words, which led her to have second thoughts. After some thinking, she had a different idea and she handed the breakfast in her hand to Huang Bo. “I won’t go to the crematorium then. Help me pass the breakfast to Chief Rong and Madam Feng.”
“How will you go home then?” Huang Bo’s question exposed Qin Jinhuan’s plan behind it. Mu Yu noticed the slip and pouted secretly but she pretended to look cool as she glanced at Xin Yihan. “Yihan will send me home.”
“But President Xin…”
“If you keep talking, the food will turn cold. Just go.”
Huang Bo stole a glance at Xin Yihan, his eyes full of doubt. When he was rushed by Mu Yu who showed a hint of annoyance, he dared not force her against her will and left in his car to deliver the bag of breakfast.
“Let’s go.” Xin Yihan turned around but was called to a stop. Mu Yu said, “Yihan, you haven’t bought breakfast for Xiaotian.”
“I’ll send you home and return to buy the food.”
“Who told you that I’m going back home?” Mu Yu asked him as she turned off her phone. “You should deliver breakfast for Xiaotian before sending me to Tai Cemetery. Yihan, if you don’t have time, I can take a cab to Tai Cemetery.”
“I am free this morning. But aren’t you worried that you’d anger Young Master Qin?”
“I’ll explain to him later,” she replied and turned to the breakfast place owner to order food. “Custard bun, pan-fried dumplings, red date soy milk and salted soy milk. One portion each.”
Upon hearing her assurance, Xin Yihan did not comment further. With a smile, he looked on as she paid for the breakfast. The combination of pan-fried dumplings and salted soy milk was his favorite.
“By the way, Yihan, why has Xiaotian applied for such a long period of annual leave?” Mu Yu took the packaged food and followed him into the car. He started the engine as he asked her back, “Didn’t she tell you about the reason when you called her earlier?”
“She merely told me that she felt tired and needed to rest for some time to recalibrate. However, I feel that her behavior is odd from her usual work ethics.”
Xin Yihan laughed. “You think she’s lying to you? Why would she do that?”
“True. There’s no need for her to lie to me. I just feel a little perplexed.”
“If so, stop thinking about it. How’s life in the Qin Family been lately? I heard that the grandpa of the Qin Family has approved you as his granddaughter-in-law and is doting on you.”
“Yeah,” Mu Yu responded and proceeded to tell him the story of her long history with the Qin Family. At the end, she grinned widely at him. “Am I fated to be with him? What do you think?”
Xin Yihan chuckled. “You are indeed fated to be with him. If that’s your destiny, you’ll meet him at last. Yu, I could tell that grandpa and Qin Jinhuan are both taking good care of you. Why aren’t you listening to them and insisting on going to Tai Cemetery?”
“That’s because…” Mu Yu paused before answering, “Yihan, I have met that man.”
“Which man?”
“That man in my memory—the man whom I am too terrified to confront.”
Xin Yihan stepped on the brakes abruptly upon hearing that. He seemed unconvinced. “You mean the man who caused your nightmares?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you see that murderer? Wasn’t he dead?”
“Well, he wasn’t dead before but he is now.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Yihan, keep driving. I’ll explain to you slowly.” After Xin Yihan had restarted the car, Mu Yu concisely summarized the entire story of Luo Mingan and Kiki. She recounted their tragedy from their accidental attempts to shoulder the crime for each other to their deaths.
“So, that man was Zhao Yongli’s murderer who kept popping up in the online news portal these days? By the way, the news did mention that he had killed his wife ten years ago. I couldn’t piece the puzzle and link him back to you that time.” Xin Yihan was shocked. “But you just told me that he wasn’t Zhao Yongli’s murderer. Didn’t the police confirm him as the murderer? They even said that he confessed to the crime!”
“Do you still not understand me? Luo Mingan confessed to the murder but only because he mistakenly thought that his daughter was the murderer. Therefore, he wanted to take the blame for her.”
“Oh. If he wasn’t the murderer, why would the police make that announcement? Wouldn’t that be deceiving the public?”
“The police did not deceive the public. Before the announcement was made, our Special Investigation Unit had some doubts about the identity of the real murderer. However, we could not find a direct evidence to prove that Luo Mingan did not commit the murder. The leadership in the Bureau ended up closing this case with the murder weapon and the confession that Luo Mingan provided. The truth is, he did not kill Zhao Yongli. Anyway, Chief Rong found the crucial clue only after the police announcement. Chief Rong…” When she realized that Xin Yihan was a member of the public, she immediately shut her mouth for confidentiality purposes.
After all, the leadership in the Bureau was in a hurry to close the case mainly because of the public attention on the two cases: the murder of Sun Meilan and Zhao Yongli. If her slip up just now was leaked to the public and led to a crisis of confidence in the police, she would be in deep trouble.
Noticing that Xin Yihan was looking at her, she hurriedly explained, “Yihan, I didn’t mean to say that you’re a blabbermouth.”
On the other hand, Xin Yihan gave her an understanding smile. “That’s fine. Don’t tell me if you’re not supposed to. I’m not that interested in the case at all, but I was puzzled by your words. In the police’s announcement, they made it clear that the murderer had elaborated on the murder process and even turned in the murder weapon. Were all of those fake?”
“No, those are not fake. Luo Mingan’s account matched the information from the traces that we found at the crime scene. The murder weapon handed in and the rope used in tying up the victim matched the wounds on the victim’s body as well. However, these murder weapons and aids were not bought before Zhao Yongli’s death. They were bought before Luo Mingan’s own death,” Mu Yu could not hold back from telling him everything. “In other words, the weapons he turned in were not the real ones used in the crime, just similar.”
“I’m confused by your explanation.” At the red light, he turned to question her, “You said that he was not the murderer, but he could elaborate on the process and turn in the similar weapons used. Perhaps, he was the real murderer; he had thrown away the weapons that he used in the murder. Later, when he wanted to prove himself as the murderer, he had to go buy some new ones.”
“We have eliminated that possibility.”
“How would you explain the fact that he could provide details on the murder process?”
“That’s because we suspect that he witnessed the murder. However, he mistakenly thought that it was his daughter who hired an assassin, so he did not tell on that real murderer until the very end for fear of implicating his daughter.” At this point, Mu Yu started telling him the most tragic events that Kiki’s family faced in their lives.
“Wow, that was indeed a rollercoaster ride,” Xin Yihan expressed his astonishment and his fury. “That Mr. Zhao was evil! He deserved to die! Oh, Yu, we’ve arrived at my place. Wait for me here. I’m going to send breakfast to Xiaotian.”
“Yihan, I’ll go with you. I haven’t seen her in quite a while.”
“You shouldn’t go with me. I fear that the both of you would have too much to talk about and ended up delaying your schedule. If you really missed her, you could call her or meet up some time later.”
Mu Yu agreed with him and stayed in the car. It didn’t take him long to return. While driving, he munched on his breakfast. When they arrived at the entrance of the Tai Cemetery, it was not even 8 am.
Due to the bad weather, not one soul could be seen at the entrance of the Tai Cemetery, making the place look even more dreary. Xin Yihan was reluctant to leave her alone, so he waited with her in the car. He sensed that she was a little fidgety, and he immediately started to make jokes in front of her to cheer her up like he always did in the past.
His strategy worked very well because she soon calmed down and waited for Rong Jian and the others with him.
At 8.30 am, Rong Jian and the others arrived on time by car. Mu Yu and Xin Yihan quickly got out of the car to greet the group.
“Why are you here?” Eve, who had been crying, looked very shocked at the sight of Xin Yihan.
