Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 89 Borrowing Money
Chen Jin shuddered, his voice trembling, "Sister Wei, why does this sound so creepy?"

Wei Qingsong glanced at him helplessly and explained, "I was just giving an example. Think about it, if you just wanted to kill Sun Hao, you could have been more direct. But the murderer was like an executioner in an interrogation, making him kneel down, stripping him of his dignity, and repeatedly pushing his head into the water, making him wish he were dead."

"Tell me, what were the killer's thoughts during this long process of torturing Sun Hao so relentlessly?" Wei Qingsong asked, but then fell into deep thought.

The deceased passed by the library intersection at 2 a.m. and died between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. So, during that hour, was he being "interrogated" by the murderer?
"I don't know," Chen Jin replied blankly, then asked cautiously, "Sister Wei, do you already know?"

“I don’t know either,” Wei Qingsong answered confidently, then added with certainty, “The current clues are too fragmented. My initial guess is that the deceased was most likely killed in a revenge killing.”

"So, we need to focus our investigation on Sun Hao's interpersonal relationships," Chen Jin concluded from her words.

Lu Jingming glanced at him and said calmly, "Most murder cases are committed by acquaintances. Unraveling the mystery through interpersonal relationships is the only way to solve murder cases."

Xiao Song raised her hand again timidly and asked, "My teacher said something similar at school, but why?"

“It’s very simple. Murder is a complex criminal activity. Apart from those perverts who kill indiscriminately to take revenge on society, most murders have a motive behind them,” Wei Qingsong explained to him with great patience.

“From a psychological perspective, human behavior is driven by motives. So what is the motive for murder? It is nothing more than a conflict of interest, revenge, or the satisfaction of sexual desire. Foreign criminal psychologists have summarized criminal motives into three categories: greed, sexual desire, and aggression, and this is why.”

As if struck by lightning, Xiao Song suddenly understood, her eyes sparkling: "So that's how it is, I get it now. Sun Hao's death, first of all, ruled out the possibility of a sex crime, so it was most likely due to a conflict of interest and revenge."

Chen Jin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and clapped his hands, saying, "So, there's a high chance that Deng Hong committed murder. He and Sun Hao have a conflict of interest!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingming gave him a cold, brooding look, his eyes filled with a hint of disappointment.

Wei Qingsong shook his head and explained seriously, "It is indeed possible, but not very likely. Generally speaking, it is easy for debtors and creditors to have intense conflicts, but don't forget, Deng Hong is a rich second-generation. I don't think it's possible for him to kill someone for money."

She paused, then, as if thinking of something, added, "In comparison, I'm more concerned about what Sun Hao is going to do with the money he borrowed from Deng Hong."

He was just an ungraduated student, and his clothes at the time of his death were quite simple, unlike someone with bad spending habits.

Most notably, none of Sun Hao's friends knew where the money went.

The more unusual something is, the more attention it deserves.

Just then, a police officer knocked on the door and came in: "Captain Lu, Deng Hong is back."

As soon as Deng Hong arrived at the school gate, he was stopped and ended up in the college office in a daze.

He was worried because he thought he had violated school rules by staying out all night, but when he heard that the police had come to question him about Sun Hao's death, he calmed down.

Deng Hong has a composed appearance, but his posture and eyes still inadvertently reveal arrogance.

Lu Jingming didn't beat around the bush and asked directly, "Do you know Sun Hao?"

"Of course I know him, he still owes me money," Deng Hong replied crisply, without the slightest hesitation.

How much money does he owe you?

"Fifty thousand." Deng Hong's tone was casual and understated, as if he were saying "fifty" rather than "fifty thousand."

Lu Jingming's gaze sharpened slightly.

Fifty thousand is a huge sum of money for a student who has not yet graduated and has no stable income.

"Why did he borrow so much money from you?" Lu Jingming asked after a moment of silence.

"How would I know?" Deng Hong shrugged, dismissively saying, "He asked me for help, and I happened to have some, so I lent it to him."

Lu Jingming frowned slightly: "He asked you to borrow 50,000, and you didn't even ask him what he wanted to do with it?"

"It's just a small amount of money, there's no need to ask so many questions," Deng Hong said with a nonchalant smile.

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingsong promptly took over the conversation, slowly asking, "Since you said it was just a small amount of money, why did you go to Sun Hao's dormitory to look for him so many times?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Deng Hong's face as he sat up slightly straighter: "I've had some conflicts with my family recently, and I've also started dating a new girlfriend. My expenses have increased, and I don't have enough money, so I was thinking of urging him to help me out."

Then, he said with a serious expression, "But I don't need to kill him for such a small amount of money. If I want money, I can just ask my childhood friends anytime. It's just that I can't bring myself to do it."

Lu Jingming pondered for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "When did he ask you for money?"

"It seems to be the end of July," Deng Hong replied honestly after a moment's thought.

Lu Jingming noted down the time and then changed the subject, asking, "What kind of person is Sun Hao usually? Is he a big spender?"

Deng Hong thought for a moment and shook his head: "I met him at an internet cafe. He always carefully selects takeout, looking for the cheapest option. I guess he's thrifty when it comes to spending money."

"As for him as a person, well, he doesn't think before he speaks. Sometimes he offends people with a single sentence, and he's still happy about it. He seems a bit stupid. I wouldn't say I hate him, but I don't really like his speaking style either. Eight out of ten of his sentences are offensive, which is quite annoying."

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Lu Jingming's eyes, and he asked calmly, "Be more specific, give me an example."

Forced to recall unpleasant things, Deng Hong's lips curled down: "For example, I just got a new girlfriend, right? I posted her picture on my WeChat Moments, and that bastard came to me and said that my girlfriend looks like... a prostitute."

At the end, he paused for a moment, seemingly searching for the right word. It seemed that Sun Hao's original words must have been even more offensive.

Wei Qingsong frowned slightly. So, Sun Hao was indeed too sharp-tongued.

According to Deng Hong, he and Sun Hao weren't that close, so he took those harsh words as a joke. Sun Hao's emotional intelligence is truly worrying.

With his way of speaking, he's bound to offend countless people without even realizing it.

Xu Yuan also mentioned at the time that Sun Hao said he was "effeminate".

Hurtful words always come easily from his mouth, yet he doesn't see anything wrong with them.

Lu Jingming seemed to be deep in thought, and after a long while, he said, "One last question: Where were you between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. today? Can anyone testify to that?"

"At the hotel, with my girlfriend. I don't need to go into details, do I?" Deng Hong forced an awkward but polite smile.

Good morning~
Thank you to Xueji, Ding, and Xiamu is this cat for the donations.

Thank you to He Shunan and Dan Dan De Yanxian for the monthly tickets.

Thank you to "Strangers Do Not Disturb" for the donation and monthly pass, and thank you to "Yao Ya Ya Loves Meat" for the monthly pass and donation~
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(End of this chapter)