"We can only investigate if Liang Zhongshu had any close female friends before his death."
Without a frontal view of this woman, it's uncertain how likely it would be to identify her based solely on a physical description screenshot. However, we didn't give up. We first contacted Liang Zhongshu's elder brother, then his sister, but without any success. Later, we found the cleaning lady, Meng Yingqing. Upon seeing the photograph, Meng Yingqing said, "This woman? I've seen her at Mr. Liang's house several times before. They seemed quite close!"
I asked, "Do you remember her physical features? Why was she visiting Mr. Liang?"
"She was probably there to learn. That woman used to be Mr. Liang's student. But I could tell, well, they seemed to have that kind of relationship. Given how outstanding Mr. Liang is, and being single now, it's quite normal."
I asked Meng Yingqing to describe the woman's specific physical characteristics. I drew her portrait using sketches and asked for her identification. She became very emotional and said, "Yes, it's this woman. She's not much to look at, but they say she knows a lot about forensic medicine."
"Thank you for your cooperation, Aunt Meng. We'll contact you again if needed!"
"It's no problem. I'm actually quite concerned about Mr. Liang's case. If I were a few years younger, I might have even wanted a relationship with a man like him!" Meng Yingqing then showed a somewhat infatuated expression. Goodness, this aunt is quite something.
I ignored her. As I left her house, I had already taken photos of the sketch and sent them to He Xin immediately.
Her work efficiency is remarkable. As soon as I arrived, she asked me to come over. I stared at the screen and saw a profile for a woman named Zhou Henling. She is 35 years old and a forensic investigator at the Gaogang City Police Bureau, with over ten years of experience. Recently, we saw her on surveillance multiple times near the neighborhood where Mr. Liang lived. This woman, as Meng Yingqing said, had an unusual relationship with Mr. Liang.
We found some information indicating that Zhou Henling graduated from the Guangming City Forensic Medicine Academy, the same one Zhang Keying attended. It was then that Zhou Henling met Mr. Liang.
Based on the current situation, we could summon Zhou Henling at any time.
However, before doing so, I asked Xiahou to go back to the academy to gather more information. After he returned and reported, some old professors recalled certain things. There were indeed rumors about Zhou Henling and Liang Zhongshu being together back then. It was said that Liang Zhongshu's wife was particularly upset about this matter at the time, and later fell ill.
"It seems this Mr. Liang isn't the gentleman everyone imagined."
"People always have their flaws; no one can be perfect."
"Really? Are you also that kind of person?"
"Of course not. Yu Ning, where are you going with this?"
"Hmph, He Sheng, I don't care. If one day you dare to do that to me, I'll pinch those two things below your waist and feed them to the dogs!"
"Uh..." Liu Yu Ning's words made me tremble all over. That area reflexively sent waves of pain.
My dear lady, there are other people here. Can't you be more careful with your words?
As a result, everyone around couldn't help but stifle laughter. Even the usually stern Xiao Yuande showed a look of "I can endure it, but I can't hold back." This made me even more embarrassed. Liu Yu Ning, however, acted as if nothing had happened and continued to stare at the computer.
Now it was time to summon Zhou Henling.
When she was called in, she asked us curiously what was happening. From her reaction, she seemed unaware that Liang Zhongshu had met with an accident.
I showed her the crime scene photos and told her, "Your teacher is dead."
"What? Is this Liang Zhongshu?"
"That's right. The reason we asked you to come is because we discovered your relationship with him is not simple."
"We, we are just teacher and student..." Even as Zhou Henling said these words, she felt embarrassed.
I coughed and said, "You were in frequent contact, and you were together with him even before you graduated. Can you lie without using your brain?"
Utterly ashamed by my words, Zhou Henling finally stopped hiding. "Yes, I was involved with Mr. Liang, and it's been going on for many years. But he was truly good to me, and I admired his knowledge. He is the professor I've ever met who has the most research in forensic medicine. I just like people who are knowledgeable and have depth."
"You say that so matter-of-factly. If it weren't for you back then, his wife probably wouldn't have..."
"That was a long time ago. We both regretted it back then, but it's not entirely our fault. What era is it now? This kind of thing doesn't only happen to her. She's too dramatic..."
"You think that's being dramatic? You personally broke up someone's family!"
"Uh, what kind of talk is that? It's just that she doesn't have my charm..."
"Look at what you're saying. And you still claim to be a forensic investigator? Let me tell you, I used to be a forensic investigator too, but I never thought of such sordid things!"
"You are that... Detective He?"
"That's right. Zhou Henling, I advise you to be honest with us. We discovered you leaving his home before Mr. Liang's accident. How do you explain that?"
"What?" Zhou Henling paused for a moment, then quickly said, "Are you referring to last night around 9 PM?"
"Yes. What was your business with him?"
"I, alas, actually Mr. Liang's health wasn't good anymore. Recently, I've been..."
"What have you been doing recently? Don't tell me you wanted to..."
"That's right. I don't want to follow this old man anymore because I'm getting married. I've found a new boyfriend at our police station. So, I went to Mr. Liang's that day to break up with him. He didn't seem to react much at the time, and he even said it was as it should be. He felt he owed me too much over the years, and I should find someone and live a normal life again."
"He knew you were getting married?"
"Yes, he wasn't angry and seemed to be granting me his blessing. So, his death has nothing to do with me. My presence at his home was purely coincidental! Besides, he died much later. I left after 9 PM!"
Zhou Henling explained self-righteously. What she said was true, but for the specific details, I still needed to confirm with her fiancé and review some surveillance footage. I then asked a few more questions, which Zhou Henling answered one by one. Her reactions were normal. I left the interrogation room and asked Xiahou to go find Zhou Henling's fiancé.