Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 660 Dawn (66)

When Yan Zhen and Jing Chen arrived at Qingjiang Road, the villa was already cordoned off.

Several police cars were parked outside the villa, and police officers and forensic doctors in protective suits were constantly going in and out.

Yan Zhen and Jing Chen identified themselves to the police officers guarding outside. Upon learning that they were relatives of the deceased, the officers set up a cordon and allowed them to enter.

Upon entering the villa, there was a swimming pool in the front yard, where a forensic doctor was taking samples of the water. A body covered with a white sheet was placed beside the pool.

Yan Zhen paused slightly.

A police officer stepped forward and introduced himself to Yan Zhen: "Hello, my surname is Zhang, and I am the police officer in charge of this case. Are you Yan Yi's daughter, Yan Zhen?"

Yan Zhen nodded: "Yes."

The police officer's gaze shifted to Jing Chen: "And who is this?"

“I am her guardian.”

Jing Chen quickly explained his relationship with Yan Zhen, and the police understood. They asked Yan Zhen, "Ms. Yan Zhen, is it convenient for you to go over and identify the body now?"

"can."

Her demeanor was too calm, showing no sign of sadness or tension, so Officer Zhang couldn't help but take another look at Yan Zhen.

Led by Officer Zhang, Yan Zhen walked to the body. A police officer lifted the white sheet, and Yan Yi's unseeing face came into Yan Zhen's view.

She frowned, then quickly looked away: "The deceased was my father, Yan Yi."

Yan Zhen learned the whole story about Yan Yi's death from Officer Zhang.

Yan Yi's body was discovered an hour earlier by a cleaning lady who came to clean the house. At the time, the body was face down in the swimming pool.

The cleaning lady called the police, and officers and forensic doctors arrived at the scene and found Yan Yi's wallet in the villa, preliminarily confirming his identity.

"The current cause of death is determined to be drowning, and the time of death was between 21 pm and 23 pm last night. However, whether there are any other contributing factors requires an autopsy to confirm," the police said. "We are currently contacting the deceased's spouse, Ms. Chu Huian."

Yan Zhen asked, "What did Ms. Chu say?"

"We can't get through to her on the phone, and officers have gone to her residence." The police officer's eyes were fixed on Yan Zhen. "Ms. Yan, the deceased was your father. What was his relationship with your mother like?"

After thinking for a few seconds, Yan Zhen clearly explained that Yan Yi and Chu Huian had been separated for many years due to marital discord and were preparing for divorce.

Officer Zhang then asked, "Were you with your mother, Ms. Chu Huian, between 21 PM and 23 PM last night?"

“No,” Yan Zhen said. “My brother and I are staying at the XX Hotel.”

"Stay at a hotel?"

“I had a fight with my mom a while ago. She kicked me, my brother, the nanny, and me out. My brother and I used to live in Haicheng. We don’t own any property in Yuncheng. To make it easier for me to go to school, my brother booked a suite in a hotel.”

Officer Zhang shifted his gaze from Yan Zhen to Jing Chen, scrutinizing him without any attempt to conceal his intentions.

Jingchen let him look her over.

Officer Zhang suddenly asked Jing Chen, "You just said that Miss Yan is your adopted sister. Would you mind telling me about how you adopted her?"

Before Jing Chen could answer, Yan Zhen asked, "What does this have to do with my father's death?"

"Understanding the deceased's family and network of relationships is also part of the investigation process."

Officer Zhang spoke tactfully, but Yan Zhen understood what he meant: until the case was solved, both she and Jing Chen were suspects.

Yan Zhen asked, "Should I say it or should my brother say it?"

Officer Zhang seemed surprised by her question, paused for a moment, and then said, "Go ahead."

“I was born in Yuncheng, but was stolen by my family’s nanny and driver and sent to a small mountain village in the north called Xiangjia Village. The nanny and driver replaced me with another baby girl.” As he said this, Yan Zhen rolled up his sleeves, revealing an old scar on his arm.

“I was abused by my adoptive mother from a young age. I was often hungry and cold, and I was beaten frequently. When I was seven years old, I injured my adoptive mother’s eye during a fight. Because I was afraid of being beaten to death by my adoptive mother, I chose to run away. When I ran to the county town, I met my brother. After he learned about my experience, he took me back to the south and adopted me.”

Officer Zhang keenly sensed something amiss and asked Jing Chen, "How old are you this year?"

"Eighteen years old."

“You are five years older than Yan Zhen. When Yan Zhen was seven, you were twelve. How could you, a southerner, have ended up in the north, met Yan Zhen, and adopted her by such a coincidence?”

Jing Chen sighed: "I went on a trip and planned to end my life in a remote place."

Officer Zhang asked in confusion, "Why?"

“The year before I adopted my sister, my parents died in a chemical plant explosion in Haicheng, and I became an orphan. At that time, I had nightmares every day and lived in a daze, so I wanted to die.”

Officer Zhang then asked, "Why would someone seeking suicide go to the north?"

“My parents promised me that if I got first place in my final exams, they would take me to the north to see the snow in winter.” Jing Chen’s voice lowered a few decibels. “Moreover, my parents died in a chemical plant explosion. This matter received a lot of attention. For more than three months, I was interviewed repeatedly by reporters from all over the country. The process of repeatedly reopening my wounds was extremely painful. I chose to go to the north to die. On the one hand, I wanted to see the snow before I died. On the other hand, I also hoped that after I died, I could be disposed of as an unidentified corpse and not appear on the TV news anymore.”

Out of professional instinct, Officer Zhang felt that this explanation was a bit strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"After adopting Yan Zhen, did you give up your suicidal thoughts?"

“Yes.” Jing Chen looked at Yan Zhen, his eyes softening involuntarily. “Back then, she was thin and small, severely malnourished, and couldn’t speak even at seven years old. She was covered in scars, but she had a strong will to survive. At that time, I only had one thought: to raise her.”

Officer Zhang pondered for a moment, then continued, "How did you get back to the Yan family's house?"

“My brother is an actor. He played a supporting role in a very popular drama. He filmed that drama during the summer vacation, and I was also on the set. I was in the behind-the-scenes footage. When the drama aired, I was on the trending topics several times. Chu Huian saw me on the trending topics,” Yan Zhen said. “As you can see, I look like Yan Yi, and our ages match, so Chu Huian came looking for me.”

Everything seemed reasonable, but Officer Zhang just felt that something was wrong.

He asked a few more questions, which Yan Zhen answered flawlessly.

With the information relayed back by the police officers who went to check the hotel's surveillance footage, Yan Zhen and Jing Chen had clear and unambiguous alibis for the time of the incident, which basically cleared them of suspicion, so Officer Zhang ended the questioning.

Just as the questioning ended, the police officer who went to look for Chu Huian called to say that Chu Huian was not at home.

"The security guards in the villa area said she left at 11:30 last night and hasn't returned yet. We checked the property surveillance footage, and it showed that she left the community by car at 11:37 PM. I have already identified Chu Huian's license plate number and phone number, and I've asked my colleagues in the technical department to help track her down."