109 Consequences

Han Bin smiled and continued, “But Wang Deli said he came to your house for drinks at nine last night.”

“That’s not true. I was watching TV at home last night. No outsiders came over at all,” Tao Zhuang replied.

“Do you have any proof?”

“We have a dog at home. Whenever a stranger comes, the dog barks. The neighbors all know this. Last night, the dog was very quiet. The neighbors can vouch for me.”

“That’s quite an unusual kind of evidence,” Li Hui chuckled.

“Right, I just remembered—I even took the dog for a walk after nine. If Wang Deli had come over, how could I have gone out then? That wouldn’t be polite,” Tao Zhuang added.

“Then why did Wang Deli say he went to your house for drinks last night?” Han Bin pressed.

“I’m not sure about the details,” Tao Zhuang hesitated, glanced at the body camera, then said, “He called me at eight this morning, asking me to help cover for him.”

“Explain clearly—what do you mean by ‘cover for him’? Who are you covering for?”

“He said the police might check on his whereabouts last night and wanted me to help him come up with a story—saying he was drinking at my place. I wasn’t even awake then, I just mumbled an agreement without thinking. I didn’t mean to deceive the police,” Tao Zhuang hurriedly explained.

Han Bin pointed at the body camera. “Don’t panic. The record will speak for itself.”

“Y-yes.”

“Did Wang Deli tell you where he went last night?”

“No.”

“Why did he ask you to lie? There must be a reason.”

“I asked him. He said he’d tell me in person at work on Monday. We’re colleagues. I was soft-hearted at the time…” Tao Zhuang sighed deeply. He hadn’t expected things to escalate this far.

When Wang Deli first contacted him, he only mentioned the police might ask questions—just a possibility. They got along well, and Wang Deli had been treating him to drinks quite often recently. Tao Zhuang didn’t want to lose face, so he agreed.

Though he regretted it afterward, since they were colleagues, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse by phone. No one expected things to snowball like this, and now he couldn’t cover for it anymore.

His friend couldn’t be helped, and he nearly got himself into trouble.

“You and Wang Deli are colleagues and should know each other well. Has he acted strangely lately?” Han Bin asked.

“Nothing unusual. Just that he seems to have more cash recently and often treats us colleagues to meals,” Tao Zhuang said.

“Does he have any side businesses aside from work?”

“Not that I’ve heard.”

“Alright, that’s enough for today’s statement. If we need anything else, we’ll contact you,” Han Bin closed his notebook.

“Phew…” Tao Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief. “Officer, what exactly did Wang Deli do?”

“Mind your own business. Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t,” Han Bin said.

“Understood.”

Tao Zhuang nodded and handed Han Bin a cigarette. “Officer, thank you so much. If it weren’t for your warning, I might have made a mistake.”

Recalling what he had said on his phone, Tao Zhuang felt a chill run down his spine. If he had said the same during the statement, he might already be in handcuffs.

---

Han Bin took a drag on his cigarette. “You need to learn to say no in the future.”

“You’re right. That’s my flaw. I exhaust myself, and others don’t even appreciate it,” Tao Zhuang said with a bitter smile.

After watching Tao Zhuang leave, Han Bin smiled and said, “Captain Zeng, I’ve finished my statement. Still no news from your side?”

“I just called. Wang Dongfang’s phone is off,” Zeng Ping lit a cigarette, took a couple of deep puffs.

He had just warned Han Bin and Li Hui not to slack off and to take statements from suspects immediately. Now, the person he needed to question hadn’t shown up.

Talk about being slapped in the face.

“Captain Zeng.”

At that moment, Tian Li and Li Hui returned, relieving Zeng Ping’s awkwardness.

“How’s the surveillance check going?”

“This complex only has cameras at the front and back gates. The front one happened to be broken. We ran through a street of shops before finding footage of Wang Deli,” Tian Li complained.

“Any leads?”

“I copied the footage. Here, take a look,” Tian Li handed over a USB drive.

“How am I supposed to watch this? I don’t have a computer now,” Zeng Ping shrugged helplessly.

Zhao Ming climbed into the car and shortly pulled out a tablet. “Here you go.”

“You could’ve said so earlier instead of hiding it,” Zeng Ping said.

“I was just worried you might think I was playing around secretly,” Zhao Ming replied.

“If you have time to sneak in some fun, that’s your skill,” Zeng Ping said with a mock scolding, then opened the tablet and plugged in the USB.

He sat in the second row of the car, with Han Bin and Li Hui gathering around.

“I’ll find it,” Zhao Ming took the tablet, skillfully opened the video and found footage from around six o’clock.

After a moment, a man appeared on the screen—about forty years old, carrying a bag—none other than the victim, Wang Deli.

“Wang Deli walks steadily; he doesn’t look drunk at all,” Han Bin remarked.

Zhao Ming froze the video on a clearer image. “Look, Wang Deli’s complexion is normal—very different from when we saw him.”

“But during the statement, Wang Deli definitely smelled of alcohol,” Li Hui muttered.

“People can drink anytime. Maybe we poured him half a bottle before we arrived,” Han Bin guessed.

“Nice. First they report a false alarm, then when we show up, they say the police made a mistake, but in reality, they’re forging evidence to help the suspect cover up the crime. This couple is something else,” Zeng Ping said.

Han Bin stepped out of the car, stretched lazily. “Captain Zeng, let’s arrest them.”

“What charge? False reporting?” Tian Li asked.

“Their case is worse than false reporting. They’re basically mocking us,” Li Hui said indignantly.

“Arrest them on suspicion of obstructing justice,” Zeng Ping said coldly.

---

“Should we report to Captain Zheng?”

“Just summon them orally first, then bring them to the station.”

“Crack crack…”

Zhao Ming cracked his knuckles. “Alright, let’s roll.”

…

Led by Zeng Ping, the group returned to Unit 301, Building 4, Apartment 3.

“Knock knock,” Han Bin knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“Criminal Investigation Team. Open up.”

“Creak…”

Xie Rong opened the door and glanced at Han Bin and the others. “Officers, why are you back again?”

“Where’s your son?” Zeng Ping reminded her.

“He should be back soon,” Xie Rong replied dismissively.

“And your husband?”

Zeng Ping barged inside and saw Wang Deli sitting on the sofa.

“Officer,” Wang Deli stood to greet them.

Zeng Ping pointed at his watch. “Didn't you say your son would be back soon? I’ve been waiting for an hour.”

“You know the traffic on our Qindao is bad. It must be jammed at this hour.”

“Call him.”

Wang Deli sighed. “His phone’s dead. I can’t reach him.”

“Wang Deli, are you still playing games with us?” Zeng Ping challenged.

“No, no. How about this? There’s nothing going on here. Why don’t you officers go back first? When my son has time, I’ll have him come to the station for a statement,” Wang Deli said.

“Wang Deli, I’ve given you and your wife one more chance—you chose not to cherish it.”

“Officer, what do you mean?” Xie Rong looked worried.

Zeng Ping was furious. “I suspect you of obstructing justice. Please come to the station to assist with the investigation.”