Shu Ping's testimony was unreliable. This man, who was the first suspect ruled out by Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou, had now become the prime suspect. Xiao Lou suddenly remembered something and immediately took out Shu Ping's form from a stack of application forms to examine it carefully.
In the marital status section, it says "widowed," and in the children section, it says her daughter's name. The emergency contact is also her daughter. Her daughter's name is... Shu Xiaomeng.
Xiao Lou's spirits lifted.
The group of girlfriends in carriage number 4 were also called "X XiaoX".
It's quite common for girls to have names like "Xiao Xiao," which is considered a common name. But this group of best friends is very special. When Xiao Lou asked them why their names were so similar, one of the girls replied that it was because they grew up together.
So, could Shu Ping's daughter, Shu Xiaomeng, also be related to this group of girlfriends?
The case in carriage 6 is related to that in carriage 4— Jing Weiguang is a doctor who can explain the mechanism of insulin killing that the challengers might not understand; Yu Xinxin is a key witness in the timeline, exposing the lies of a group of elderly people in carriage 6; Shu Xiaomeng's name is very similar to that of the group of best friends, so it is unlikely to be a coincidence.
Yu Hanjiang carefully examined the information sheet. At the time, since Shu Ping's suspicion was quickly cleared, the two of them didn't care too much about her daughter. Now, it seems that her daughter is the key.
Xiao Lou said, "I'll go to carriage number 4 first to confirm if Shu Xiaomeng is a member of the group of best friends."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Okay, I'll wait for you here."
Xiao Lou turned and went to carriage number 4. In her group of girlfriends, the girl in seat 15A was reading a novel with her head down, the two girls in seats B and C were watching a TV series together with one earphone each, and the two girls in seats 15D and F were chatting, seemingly about how so-and-so had broken up with her boyfriend again.
Their conversation ended when Xiao Lou approached, and both of them looked at Xiao Lou.
One of the girls, Song Xiaoyu, mustered up her courage and asked, "Hello, what happened to bus number 6? Around 7 a.m., I thought I heard someone screaming."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "It's nothing, just an elderly person lost something and is looking for it." He quickly changed the subject, "By the way, do you know Shu Xiaomeng?"
Song Xiaoyu's eyes widened in surprise: "Huh? You know Sister Xiaomeng too?"
Sure enough. Shu Ping's daughter was also part of this group of girlfriends, but for some reason, she didn't come this time.
Xiao Lou continued to subtly probe with a gentle smile: "I don't know her, but there just happened to be an auntie named Shu Ping over in car number 6. She said her daughter's name is Shu Xiaomeng, and I noticed that the name sounds similar to yours, so I came to ask. I didn't expect you to actually know her."
The two people watching TV nearby looked up at this and exclaimed in surprise, "Aunt Shu is in car number 6? What a coincidence!"
Another person suggested, "Should we go see Aunt Shu? I've never met her before. Xiaomeng said her mother is very beautiful!"
"She's playing cards with some aunties, let's not disturb her." Xiao Lou made up a reason to stop her excited group of girlfriends, and continued to inquire casually, "By the way, are you friends with Xiaomeng too? Why didn't she come this time?"
Liu Xiaoyan, the most composed member of the group, explained: "Originally, I planned to buy six tickets for this concert, but Xiaomeng had a minor surgery recently and needed to recuperate at home. I noticed that she looked unwell and was in a bad mood, so I didn't force her."
Zhang Xiaoning, who was standing next to her, added, "If she hadn't been sick, she definitely would have gone. The singer performing this concert is her favorite artist, and it only happens once every three years. If she misses it, she'll have to wait another three years."
The girls next to them chimed in, "That's right, what a pity!" "It's okay, we'll record more videos to show her later."
Xiao Lou then asked, "Does she often mention her mother to you? Aunt Shu is indeed very beautiful."
The eldest sister, Liu Xiaoyan, said, "Yes, she has a very good relationship with her mother and they call each other every day. According to Xiaomeng, her mother dotes on her. She has always given her the best food and things since she was a child, and she even saved money to buy her a wedding house. We all envy her for having such a mother."
Xiao Lou casually asked, "And what about her father?"
Liu Xiaoyan said, "It seems like she's been gone for a long time, right? I've never heard her mention her."
Wu Xiaofei, who was standing next to her, said with a smile, "Why are you asking about Xiaomeng? Could it be that you saw her picture and have a crush on her?! Xiaomeng is really super pretty, and there's a long line of guys chasing after her."
Xiao Lou coughed awkwardly and asked, "Does she have a boyfriend now?"
Several girls immediately gave each other a look that said, "I understand, you're going to pursue Xiaomeng."
Wu Xiaofei said, "She just broke up three months ago. She really liked that guy and cried for a long time. I don't think you have a chance. Although you're quite handsome, our Xiaomeng is very loyal and hasn't gotten over her last relationship yet."
Xiao Lou was both amused and exasperated. She thanked them and turned back to carriage number 6.
Yu Hanjiang waited for him in the office. Xiao Lou briefly recounted the key information he had gathered: " Shu Xiaomeng is a member of the group of best friends and is close to these five people. She often mentions to her friends how much her mother loves her. Some time ago, she broke up with her boyfriend and had surgery and is recovering, so she didn't go to this concert."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "So it seems that Shu Ping's words were all made up. The claim that she introduced her daughter to Li Zhemin's son is completely untrue."
Xiao Lou said, "Besides, the girls said Shu Xiaomeng is super pretty and won't have trouble finding a good boyfriend. Shu Ping loves her daughter so much that even if Lao Li's son is rich, she won't push her daughter into a fire pit, after all, Lao Li's reputation at work is too bad."
The two exchanged a glance, and simultaneously considered the same possibility.
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, "My daughter is Shu Ping's Achilles' heel."
Xiao Lou nodded: "If Shu Ping really did commit murder, her motive is very likely related to her daughter who was not present."
After her husband's death, she raised her daughter alone, and her beautiful and outstanding daughter was her pride. If she simply had a grudge against Li Zhemin, she wouldn't have waited until now to take action. Perhaps it was something Li Zhemin did that hurt her daughter, which made her unable to bear it any longer and take up the knife.
What kind of connection will Li Zhemin have with her daughter?
Yu Hanjiang frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "This trip was organized by Li Zhemin's son. We've been focusing on the grudges of the elderly, but we've overlooked... their descendants may also have grudges!"
Xiao Lou was suddenly shocked: "That's right! The previous testimonies had already revealed this. Niu Dapeng's son was injured in the eye by Li Zhemin's son when he was in middle school. Maybe Shu Ping's daughter was also hurt by Li Zhemin's son? Her best friends said that she recently broke up... Could it be that Shu Xiaomeng broke up with Li Zhemin's son?"
Yu Hanjiang: "..."
Professor Xiao's conclusion is shocking, but it also has some merit.
He frowned and said, "Grandma Mei, Niu Dapeng, Zheng Weiguo, Liu Yuming, and Shu Ping, they all have something to hide, they implicate each other, and they lie a lot. But there are other people in the senior group, and maybe we can get some clues out of them. We need to interrogate them again."
Xiao Lou nodded in agreement.
Yu Hanjiang invited the three elderly ladies who lived with Shu Ping in room number 3 over to ask them questions one by one, focusing on their past experiences when they were young, as well as Shu Ping's husband and daughter.
The first old lady said, "When Xiaoping was young, she was the most beautiful woman in our unit. She was very talented and even studied dance. She's 60 years old now, but she looks like she's 40. She wears dresses every day and travels around with her daughter. She's so carefree."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "When she was younger, did she date any of the guys in your workplace?"
The old lady suddenly lowered her voice and gossiped, "We all thought she was dating Li Zhemin because back then, she and Li Zhemin ate together every day and were always together at the company. They were very close. Li Zhemin was good at making girls happy and even gave her a set of high-end cosmetics... But after the young lady came back, Li Zhemin suddenly got together with her again."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang were both taken aback, not expecting that Shu Ping and Li Zhemin had a past relationship!
Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice, " What's the relationship between Shu Ping and the young lady?"
The old lady said, "She's a very close friend. She and Ruirui have been playing together since they were little. She studied accounting and came directly to work in the company's finance department after graduation. It was the eldest daughter who recommended her. It's said that the eldest daughter went to pursue a master's degree, so she didn't return to the company for three years. When the eldest daughter came back, Shu Ping even organized a welcome banquet."
Yu Hanjiang asked, " Li Zhemin also attended the welcome banquet, right? That's how you met the boss's only daughter?"
The old lady nodded: "That's right, the whole company went."
Yu Hanjiang asked, " Are you aware of Li Zhemin's birthday celebration?"
The old lady recalled carefully for a moment and said, "I've heard some rumors. Li Zhemin invited many young men and women to his house for his birthday, and the eldest daughter was there too. After that birthday, Li Zhemin and the eldest daughter got together. At the time, some people who were close to Shu Ping even stood up for her, thinking that Li Zhemin only stopped seeing the eldest daughter because he was after her money. But Shu Ping just laughed and said that she and Li Zhemin were just ordinary friends and told us not to gossip. Then, Li Zhemin and the eldest daughter got married quickly, and Shu Ping attended the wedding and even gave Ruirui a very expensive set of jewelry as a wedding gift."
Xiao Lou took notes while thinking—
If his speculation is correct, Li Zhemin may have been attracted to Shu Ping's beauty and secretly dated her for a while. However, when a boss's only daughter suddenly appeared, he dumped Shu Ping and took advantage of his birthday to have a relationship with the young lady.
Shu Ping may have harbored resentment, but for the sake of her childhood best friend, or perhaps to keep her job, she swallowed her anger and clarified that she and Li Zhemin were just ordinary friends. She then attended her best friend's wedding with her ex-boyfriend with a smile.
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Who did she marry later?"
The old lady said, "It was with a doctor, and that doctor seemed to be abusing her! Anyway, after she got married, we always saw injuries on her body. She said they were from scrapes, but no one believed her. But it's not easy to ask about these things, because Shu Ping is very concerned about her reputation."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "When did her husband pass away?"
The old lady shook her head: "I don't know about that. She never mentions her husband at the company. By the way, you can ask Lao Jiang. She and Shu Ping are close. They play mahjong together every day after they retire. Maybe she knows more about it."
Yu Hanjiang took her back and asked her to call Aunt Jiang in.
As expected, the old lady Jiang knew the truth. She sighed and said, "Her husband was really a scoundrel. He would beat her when he was drunk. She endured it for a long time. About three years later, her husband died of stomach cancer. Someone introduced her to a potential partner, but she didn't plan to remarry."
Yu Hanjiang asked, " Is Shu Xiaomeng the daughter she had with this husband?"
The old woman shook her head: "No. She never had children; it seems there was something wrong with her health. After her husband died, she adopted a daughter from an orphanage."
Not many people know that her daughter took her surname. Her daughter is very smart and beautiful, got into a top university, has a good job after graduation, and is extremely filial to her. She's finally achieved some success.
Yu Hanjiang paused for a moment, then continued, "Does her daughter know Li Zhemin's son?"
The old lady thought for a moment and said, "We definitely didn't know each other when we were little. Li Zhemin lived in the west of the city, and she lived in the east of the city, which is a whole city away. The two children couldn't possibly go to school together... But whether we will know each other when we grow up, I don't know."
Yu Hanjiang added, "Did Aunt Shu mention that her daughter has a boyfriend?"
The old lady said, "Yes, about half a year ago, when she was playing mahjong with me, she often said that her daughter had a very outstanding boyfriend who was handsome and rich. When her daughter's boyfriend found out about her birthday, he gave his future mother-in-law a very expensive bag, which she carried every day and loved."
Yu Hanjiang continued, "Did she mention when her daughter broke up with her boyfriend?"
The old lady looked surprised: "How did you know?"
Yu Hanjiang did not answer, but said calmly, "Was it really mentioned?"
The old lady nodded regretfully: "Three months ago, I ran into her at the supermarket and she bought a lot of chicken, duck, fish and meat. I asked her why she bought so much food, and she happily said that her daughter was going to bring her boyfriend home to visit, and she had to prepare... But after the meeting, nothing came of it. The next day, I asked her how the boy was, and she said that the two of them were not suitable and broke up. I was wondering why they broke up so suddenly."
The old lady had a good relationship with Aunt Shu and told her all the gossip she knew.
At this point, things are gradually becoming clear.
Yu Hanjiang calmly analyzed the case: "There are two extremely key figures in this case who were not in the car."
"One is Li Zhemin's son, named Li Mo. The other is Shu Ping's daughter, Shu Xiaomeng."
"Perhaps the two young people were unaware of the deep-seated hatred between their parents, and met and fell in love by some chance. From the descriptions of the old lady and her group of girlfriends, we know that the man gave his girlfriend's mother a very expensive bag as a token of his sincerity on her birthday; and the woman cried for a long time at her girlfriend's friends' house after breaking up with the man—which shows that the two had a very good relationship."
Xiao Lou followed up, saying, "So, three months ago, when Li Mo visited his future mother-in-law, the meeting was a complete disaster?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: " Shu Ping was shocked to discover that the boyfriend her daughter was talking about was actually the son of Li Zhemin, who had abandoned her and harmed her best friend years ago! She definitely wouldn't agree to her daughter being with the son of such a scumbag. However, it's still uncertain whether the breakup between the two young people was Shu Ping's idea or Li Zhemin's deliberate attempt to separate them."
Yu Hanjiang stroked his chin, then changed the subject: "But what is certain is that the breakup of this young couple three months ago brought up a lot of past events. Perhaps it is because of this that Li Mo finally learned that his mother was his stepmother and that his biological mother was raped by his father."
Xiao Lou said, " Li Mo is able to run the company his father entrusted to him so successfully and also make money by investing in real estate. He is obviously a visionary and strategic young man. He will definitely not sit idly by and wait for his doom."
Xiao Lou paused for a few seconds, then continued, "Perhaps, after he returned, he quickly uncovered the truth of what happened back then, and may have even discovered that the deaths of his mother and grandfather were not simple? Coupled with other events, his disgust and hatred for his father reached its peak, and he became determined to eliminate Li Zhemin... So, he organized this trip."
Yu Hanjiang nodded in agreement with Xiao Lou's speculation.
The two came to the same conclusion, which is the most reasonable deduction based on the current clues.
No matter how awful Li Zhemin was, he was still Li Mo's father. Parricide is a heinous crime, so he didn't do it himself—he used someone else to do it.
He arranged for everyone who had a grudge against Li Zhemin to be in the same tour group.
If A doesn't act, B will. If B doesn't act, then C and D will.
Perhaps the moment Li Zhemin left home, he knew that his father's journey would be a train ride to hell.
They went, but never returned.