Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 65 Cooperation
The room was dimly lit. Zhang Ming pursed his lips, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent, his brows furrowed, as if he were contemplating some important life matter.

After an unknown amount of time, he picked up his teacup again, took a sip, and then let out a long sigh: "No matter how many times you ask, I didn't kill anyone. If you don't believe me, go ahead and investigate."

"As long as Mr. Zhang is willing to cooperate, we can always find out the truth." Seeing that his attitude had softened, Wei Qingsong's smile deepened.

She glanced down at the documents in her hand and asked, "Then, please try to recall where you were between 9 and 11 pm on February 6th, April 5th, August 22nd, and August 27th. Is there anyone who can testify for you?"

Zhang Ming looked a little confused, and after a long while he said with difficulty, "Officer, it's not that I don't want to cooperate with your question, but I'm not a supercomputer, how could I remember so much? February 6th... before Yu Fangfang died, you police asked me about it, and I said that I was sleeping that day, and no one was home."

"August 27th, was it the day before yesterday? I vaguely remember that night, I was eating crayfish at a food stall with some colleagues. You can ask them if you don't believe me, they can all testify."

Wei Qingsong immediately raised her eyes and looked at Bai Rushuang, who was standing silently in the corner. Bai Rushuang nodded in perfect unison with her and turned to leave.

She looked at Zhang Ming again and asked casually, "As far as I know, Mr. Zhang doesn't seem to have a girlfriend yet, right? Doesn't your family pressure you?"

Her tone was extremely casual, as if it were no different from casual conversation.

Zhang Ming wasn't as wary as before. Hearing this, he casually replied, "Not having a girlfriend isn't illegal. Besides, these days, dating is all about the market. Someone like me, who isn't good-looking and has no money, is just a defective product in the market."

As he spoke, he pointed at Lu Jingming with his chin and said, "If I looked like him, would I still be single? In the end, it's just that no one is interested in me."

Wei Qingsong followed his gaze and happened to meet Lu Jingming's eyes. She looked away, coughed lightly, composed herself, and said calmly, "Mr. Zhang, there's no need to belittle yourself. If you treat feelings like a business transaction, of course you won't get the results you want."

Zhang Ming shrugged nonchalantly: "You intellectuals speak in such refined language that I can't understand you. Anyway, I didn't kill anyone."

Wei Qingsong narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone languid, as if he were chatting casually: "Don't worry, our colleagues are already investigating and will definitely prove your innocence. By the way, Yu Fangfang is a shopaholic; she receives packages almost every day. Do you have much contact with her? What do you know about her?"

"I wouldn't say I know her very well. She's a notorious slut in that area. How many decent people can be in that line of work?" Zhang Ming's words were full of contempt and disdain.

Wei Qingsong paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Perhaps Yu Fangfang's character was indeed terrible, but that's no reason for her to be murdered at will. Besides, the other three victims all had legitimate jobs; how innocent were they?"

Zhang Ming couldn't help but take another sip of water, and sat up a little straighter: "I don't understand what you're saying. All I know is that she's secretly involved in prostitution, and that she's shrewish, petty, and has a bad relationship with her neighbors. I'm not the only one who's had conflicts with her."

"Oh?" Wei Qingsong raised an eyebrow and continued to press, "Could you elaborate?"

"Officer, well, let me make this clear first, I didn't inquire about it on purpose; it was all told to me by the client," Zhang Ming said very cautiously.

He then lowered his voice and said, "This Yu Fangfang actually has a regular customer, I think his name is Li Guangsen, a bus driver. He pursued Yu Fangfang for a long time, but Yu Fangfang never gave him a friendly look and even complained that he was disturbing her business."

"If you ask me, Li Guangsen might have killed Yu Fangfang out of love turned to hate, and then, driven by malice, he harmed those three girls in succession."

As if he had just revealed a secret, Zhang Ming raised an eyebrow triumphantly, looking as smug as a detective incarnate.

Judging from his reaction, he probably didn't know that the police had already investigated Li Guangsen.

Wei Qingsong's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked with a faint smile, "Is that so? Do you know the specifics?"

"Then I really don't know. I've seen Li Guangsen a few times when I was delivering packages. He has shifty eyes and doesn't look like a good person at all."

Zhang Ming said with certainty, "I also heard that he has been stalking and secretly photographing Yu Fangfang. He must be the murderer. You should arrest him right away."

"Why didn't you tell the police about this situation before?" Wei Qingsong's tone suddenly turned serious.

Zhang Ming nervously swallowed and quickly said in a serious tone, "I only found out about this later. I heard it from the security guard when I was delivering a package to her apartment complex. At that time, Yu Fangfang had been dead for more than a month. Besides, it's better to avoid trouble. This is just gossip from other people. I have no evidence. What if the police suspect me?"

Wei Qingsong glanced at him, her eyes clear and calm, but she didn't press him further.

"Okay, anyway, thank you for your cooperation. We will continue our investigation."

After ten days of continuous rain, the sun finally came out. The long-awaited sunshine, though thin, gently enveloped the city, casting a soft, dappled light.

Wei Qingsong and Lu Jingming leaned against the wall of the corridor side by side. She turned her head and asked, "What do you think?"

“Zhang Ming is an emotional person; his thoughts are written all over his face. I don’t think he’s lying,” Lu Jingming concluded calmly.

“You’re right, and when I deliberately asked him about his love life, he acted very naturally without giving anything away.”

"But he wasn't completely devoid of emotion; it's just that his emotions tended more towards self-deprecation than the intense hatred towards women portrayed in the profile. He even casually remarked that he was a second-rate product in the dating market, so I don't think it was him."

Wei Qingsong wholeheartedly agreed.

“If his alibi is thoroughly verified, then he is no longer a suspect.” Lu Jingming took out his phone, his slender fingers swiping lightly a few times to bring up Li Guangsen’s photo.

"Li Guangsen, male, 27 years old, was caught by security guards in Yu Fangfang's residential area and taken to the police station for secretly taking photos of Yu Fangfang. Moreover, he does not have a clear alibi."

Wei Qingsong's gaze fell lightly on the phone. The young man in the photo looked somewhat haggard, his eyes darting around, as if he wasn't used to having his picture taken.

"I've made another discovery," Lu Jingming said, swiping his phone a few times to bring up a picture.

The map was filled with a complex network of routes, and Wei Qingsong was initially puzzled, then exclaimed in surprise, "Is this a bus route map of Quyang County?"

The word "plagiarism" is too heavy a blow for a writer. I can calmly and humbly accept criticism of my plot logic and character design, and you can even call my writing elementary school level or say it's garbage—I think you're right! But!!! I really get angry when people say I plagiarized (▼皿▼#). Although I'm really bad at this, and I know I have many problems, I also have dignity!!! Please respect this novice!! If you think I plagiarized, then use a color palette to expose me, report me, and accuse me of plagiarism—I refuse to make accusations based on empty words!!

Thanks to Danyi and Kongye Butaiye for the monthly tickets.

Thank you, Xiao Guo, for the donation.

There's only one chapter today~ I'll make up for it tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)