Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

Liu Mei's tears fell more and more as she continued, "When I first heard these rumors, I was extremely angry and felt very wronged. I wanted to explain, but no one believed me at all. Those people would only exaggerate and spread rumors. Yongbao didn't believe me at first either. He even comforted me, saying that he believed in my character and told me not to pay attention to other people's gossip. But as time went on, more and more people said it, and Yongbao also began to doubt me. Conflicts started to arise between us, and we often argued because of these rumors."

“Yongbao is introverted and concerned about his image. He can’t stand the villagers pointing fingers at him or gossiping about him behind his back. Every time he goes out, he feels like people are talking about him and laughing at him. He becomes more and more self-conscious and silent, sometimes not saying a word all day. Half a year ago, he heard some villagers talking about me and Zhang Laibin behind my back on the road in the village. They even mocked him for being ‘cuckolded.’ Yongbao immediately got into a fight with them. After returning home, he locked himself in his room and cried for a long time.”

“From that day on, Yongbao made up his mind to go out and work. He said he wanted to leave the village, lay low for a while, and once he had earned enough money, he would bring me, my elderly mother, and the children to the city. He would never come back to the village and would never have to listen to those rumors again. I tried to persuade him not to be impulsive and that the rumors would eventually subside, but he was determined and wouldn’t listen to me no matter how I tried to persuade him.”

"After he went out to work, he would call me occasionally at first to ask about the family, but every time we called, we would argue about the rumors. He always suspected me and didn't trust me, saying that I was still in contact with Zhang Laibin in the village. I felt very wronged, and over time, I stopped calling or texting him. Gradually, we lost contact. I thought that after he stayed away for a while, his anger would subside and he would come back. I never expected that he would never come back and would be harmed by someone..."

At this point, Liu Mei could no longer control her emotions and broke down in tears. Her guilt, regret, and grief were intertwined, a truly moving sight. Wang Shuai and his team members did not interrupt her but quietly stayed with her until she calmed down a bit before continuing to ask for more details.

"Sister Liu, don't be too sad," Wang Shuai comforted her gently. "Think back carefully about Zhang Laibin. What kind of person is he usually? What is his personality and temper like? Does he have any violent tendencies? Has he ever had any conflicts with Yongbao? Has he ever threatened Yongbao or you?"

Liu Mei wiped away her tears, thought carefully for a moment, and said, "Zhang Laibin is a rather irritable and impulsive person. He is usually lazy and likes to drink. After drinking, he is prone to causing trouble. Sometimes he will get into arguments and fights with people in the village. Many people in the village are afraid of him and do not want to associate with him. Although he has never had a formal confrontation with Yongbao, once, Yongbao heard people in the village talking about me and him. He happened to run into Zhang Laibin, glared at him, and said something very nasty. Although Zhang Laibin did not retaliate at the time, his eyes were fierce, and he said to Yongbao menacingly, 'You better not mess with me, or you'll regret it.' I was right there and saw it all clearly. I even advised Yongbao to leave quickly and not to lower himself to his level."

“Also, after Yongbao went out to work, Zhang Laibin did come to see me a few times,” Liu Mei’s voice lowered again, and a look of guilt appeared on her face. “Every time he came to see me, he told me not to care about what other people were saying, and that he would protect me and ask me to divorce Yongbao and be with him. I refused him then and called him shameless, and told him not to come to see me again. He was very angry then and threatened me that if I didn’t agree to him, he would make our ‘affair’ known to everyone, and make me and my family unable to hold our heads up in the village. I was very scared, so I didn’t dare to offend him again, and I didn’t dare to tell anyone else about it. I could only hide from him in secret.”

“He also said that Yongbao, that coward, wouldn’t dare come back and couldn’t protect me. Only he could protect me,” Liu Mei continued. “I remember that just a few days before Yongbao’s accident, Zhang Laibin came to see me. He brought up the matter of me divorcing Yongbao again. I refused him again, and he became extremely violent. He even shoved me and said viciously, ‘Don’t push your luck. I’ll give you a few more days to think about it. If you still don’t agree, I’ll kill Yongbao so you’ll never see him again. Then you’ll have no choice but to marry me.’ I was terrified at the time, thinking he was just joking. I never expected him to actually do it. He really killed Yongbao…”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuai suddenly understood, and all the doubts instantly connected. Zhang Laibin had a rumored affair with Liu Mei, had repeatedly harassed her, and after being rejected, harbored resentment towards Li Yongbao, even threatening to kill him, thus possessing a clear motive. Moreover, Zhang Laibin had a volatile temper and violent tendencies, providing the subjective conditions for committing the crime. More importantly, his height and build closely matched the suspect's characteristics deduced from the crime scene investigation, as well as the suspicious male characteristics described by the convenience store owner—Liu Mei described Zhang Laibin as approximately 178 cm tall, of medium build, with short hair, often wearing a black jacket and dark pants, and having a habit of wearing a mask, especially when wandering around the village and not wanting to be recognized. Although he spoke with a local accent, he spoke quickly and sometimes deliberately imitated a southern accent, which perfectly matched the suspicious male characteristics described by the convenience store owner: "southern accent, wearing a mask, medium height and build."

More importantly, Zhang Laibin is a villager from Lijia'ao Village, familiar with the surrounding environment, and knows of an abandoned farmhouse in Lucao Gou Village that is rarely visited, making it an ideal location for the crime. Furthermore, he is unemployed, has flexible hours, and ample time to commit the crime. He had no clear alibi for the time of the victim's death three nights prior, giving him ample opportunity to commit the crime and flee the scene. All these clues point to Zhang Laibin as the prime suspect in this case!

Wang Shuai immediately realized the urgency of the situation. Zhang Laibin was volatile and impulsive, and had already committed murder. If he learned that the police suspected him, he might flee to avoid punishment, or even commit another crime, harming Liu Mei and her family. Therefore, without hesitation, Wang Shuai immediately took out his phone and dialed Lu Chuan, reporting in detail his findings, including the rumors and entanglements between Liu Mei and Zhang Laibin, Zhang Laibin's threats against Li Yongbao, and relevant clues such as Zhang Laibin's physical characteristics and motives. He requested Lu Chuan to immediately deploy police forces to arrest Zhang Laibin. (End of Chapter)