They found a small roadside restaurant—modest in size, but clean and pleasantly quiet.
Lu Lie took a seat, crossed his legs, and accepted the menu from the waiter, carelessly ordering two dishes before handing it across the table to Zhou Chaochao. "Order what you like."
After making her selection, Zhou Chaochao passed the menu to the server with a gentle smile and a polite, "Thank you."
Then, she turned her gaze to Lu Lie, only to find him staring out the window, lost in thought, his face devoid of expression.
She was just about to speak—"Captain Lu"—when a smooth, melodic female voice sounded from behind.
"Lu Lie? What a coincidence to find you here."
The moment he heard his name, Lu Lie snapped out of his daze and looked toward the voice. Recognizing the woman, a flicker of impatience flashed across his eyes.
His tone was low and terse. "What do you want?"
The woman wore a fitted dress, her crimson lips and porcelain skin accentuated by the long, wavy curls cascading down her back—provocative and striking.
Zhou Chaochao cast her a few swift glances before looking away, recalling what Zhao Songge had once said. Her thoughts settled—so this must be Captain Lu's ex-girlfriend?
The woman curled her lips into a smile. "Nothing in particular. Can't I even say hello when I run into you?" Her eyes slid over to Zhou Chaochao with thinly veiled disdain. "Is this your girlfriend? Never thought someone like you could actually be tamed."
Bitterness edged her voice as she glared at Zhou Chaochao, scoffing with contempt. "So this is your type now?"
Zhou Chaochao's fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes. She glanced at Lu Lie uncertainly, wanting to explain something, but seeing the calm indifference in his expression, she swallowed the words.
Lu Lie didn't refute the woman's assumption. His reply was indifferent: "What I like is none of your concern."
The woman persisted. "You're really heartless. After all, we…"
She didn't get to finish—Lu Lie interrupted her.
"After all, what? We were classmates? Had one blind date?" His gaze sharpened. "Shen Man, we were never that close."
He looked at her for half a second, then turned to Zhou Chaochao, noting her lowered head and the stiffness in her posture.
He frowned, voice cold and cutting. "You've said hello. Anything else?"
From beginning to end, his attitude had been appalling. Shen Man, visibly agitated, leaned forward with her hands on the table, glaring at him.
"Lu Lie, why? Is it because I was with Jiang Zhong? Because I betrayed him? Is that why, all these years, you've refused to accept me?" Her eyes darted toward Zhou Chaochao. "Why couldn't it be me?"
Lu Lie scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "Why? Because I don't like you. It has nothing to do with who you were with or who you betrayed." His gaze narrowed as it swept over her. "Shen Man, the world doesn't bend to your will. You've confused desire with resentment for years. I suggest you find your place and stop thinking you're more important than you are."
As his words fell, their food arrived. Lu Lie picked up his chopsticks, glanced at Zhou Chaochao, and, seeing her still frozen, rapped the table lightly with his knuckles. "Hey, girl. Don't just sit there—eat."
Shen Man, utterly humiliated and seething, left the restaurant in her heels without touching a single bite.
With the noise gone, Lu Lie's mood visibly improved. He looked over and saw Zhou Chaochao mechanically picking at her rice.
He reached over with his chopsticks and placed some food on her plate. "Don't just eat rice."
She finally sat up straighter, eyes curious. "Captain Lu… who was that woman?"
Lu Lie snorted. "Zhou Chaochao, you're surprisingly interested in your superior's private life."
She set her chopsticks down and looked at him, her elegant eyes glinting with mischief. "Captain, I did help you just now. I think I've earned the right to know a little."
"At the very least," she added with a playful shrug, "I played along and helped you brush off someone you didn't want to see."
"What help?" Lu Lie scoffed, returning to his meal.
"I pretended to be your girlfriend!" she replied with a straight face. "She assumed I was, and I didn't correct her. That's why she left so quickly."
Lu Lie nearly choked on his food. He looked up at her, voice tinged with amusement. "So I owe you a thank-you now?"
Zhou Chaochao grinned, a charming dimple appearing on her cheek. "No need. Happy to oblige."
Lu Lie's gaze darkened slightly. He said dryly, "High school classmate. Childhood friend's ex-girlfriend. That satisfy your curiosity?"
Zhou Chaochao drew out a long "oh."
"But Captain Lu," she added, "your words just now… were kind of brutal."
Lu Lie finished his meal and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What should I have said? 'For the rest of my life, I want nothing to do with her'?"
That would've been even harsher.
Zhou Chaochao fell silent.
Lu Lie glanced at her. "You finished eating?"
She nodded. "Yes."
He paid the bill and stood up. "Then let's go. We've got work to do."
She quickly pushed back her chair and followed him.
His stride was long and brisk. Zhou Chaochao had to hurry to keep up, and if she lost focus for even a moment, she'd fall far behind.
As they left the restaurant, Lu Lie's phone rang. He answered, voice curt. "Fatty, compile all the investigation data. I want it on my desk in five minutes."
Panting, Fatty replied, "Boss, it's already done. Zhao Songge and I expanded the search radius around the Jingxin Reptile Shop to a kilometer. There were no witnesses before or after the incident. Also, due to road construction, surveillance cameras on Huayuan Road near the shop were removed. We found nothing there. But Xiao Bingbing collected footage from nearby stores that might help."
Lu Lie narrowed his eyes. "If there's nothing more, stop digging. You and Zhao Songge go search the homes of Bai Wenwen and He Wenhui. Have Xiao Bingbing check the alibis of the three suspects. I want solid proof."
He glanced at his watch. "You've got three hours."
He hung up and turned to Zhou Chaochao. "Let's go."
"Captain Lu, are we heading back to the station?"
"Yeah. Let's get the car first."
They returned to the Yuehua neighborhood where the car was still parked. Just outside the complex, they spotted Bai Wenwen.
She was pacing anxiously, talking on the phone. Though Lu Lie couldn't hear her, her expression betrayed fear and panic.
It seemed their earlier confrontation had shaken her.
He watched her for a few seconds, then moved on.
"Captain Lu," Zhou Chaochao said urgently, "Bai Wenwen's on the phone, and she looks really worried. Something's off."
Lu Lie's expression didn't change. His voice was cold and composed. "I saw."
"Should we question her?"
"It'd only alert her."
Zhou Chaochao understood and fell silent.
Back at the Criminal Investigation Unit, Lu Lie went straight to the tech team. "Check all of Bai Wenwen's calls today. Bring the report to my office."
"Understood, Captain!" Xiao Yuan responded immediately.
By 4 p.m., the field teams returned with their findings, which were delivered to Lu Lie's office.
He Chuanhui, Chen Shengqiang, and Bai Wenwen all had solid alibis.
At the time of the incident, He Chuanhui had been teaching, Chen Shengqiang was playing cards at a teahouse, and Bai Wenwen was attending a yoga class. All were confirmed by surveillance footage.
The tech team had also found no phone records for Bai Wenwen that day—no calls made. In today's digital world, though, she could have used messaging apps. It wouldn't be hard to track.
What did surprise Lu Lie, however, was what Wang Xinyu uncovered: a massive accidental insurance policy in He Wenhui's home. The policy was taken out by He Wenhui, the insured was Bai Wenwen, and the beneficiary was He Wenhui himself.
It had been purchased a month prior.
In other words, if Bai Wenwen had died accidentally, He Wenhui would have received a huge payout.
But now, He Wenhui was the one who'd ended up dead.
It didn't add up.
Lu Lie held the policy in his hand, deep in thought, when a knock sounded at the door.
He put the paper down. "Come in."
Zhou Chaochao stepped in quickly, took a deep breath, and said, "Captain Lu, Chen Shengqiang just turned himself in."
Lu Lie was unfazed. He nodded. "Alright. Call Xiao Bingbing and we'll interrogate him."
But Zhou Chaochao continued, "Captain, wait—Bai Wenwen also turned herself in."
"What?" Lu Lie frowned. "She turned herself in too?"
Now that… was interesting.