Hewei Restaurant
Around noon, the members of Team Two met up at the restaurant. They combined lunch with a case briefing—killing two birds with one stone.
The five of them booked a private room on the second floor by the window. With the air conditioning on and the door closed, drinking tea in there was even more comfortable than being in the office.
"Don't be shy, everyone. Order whatever you like. Today's my treat," Zhao Ming declared, thumping his chest with bravado.
Everyone had worked together long enough to know Zhao Ming pretty well by now.
Though he was the youngest of the group, his family was wealthy. He was a proper "second-generation rich kid," so no one held back.
Zeng Ping ordered dry-fried pork intestines.
Han Bin got grilled lamb chops.
Tian Li wanted stir-fried greens.
Li Hui went with spicy hot pot (Mao Xue Wang).
Zhao Ming added a seafood stew and a meatball soup.
Finally, they also ordered six bowls of noodles, five bowls of rice, and a plate of dumplings.
"Zhao Ming, that one dish of yours costs more than all of ours combined," Zeng Ping chuckled.
"You guys have been working hard these past few days. Eat something good to recharge," Zhao Ming said. Truthfully, he was craving it too—he'd barely eaten properly while they were so busy.
"Zhao Ming, what do your folks do? You seem pretty loaded," Li Hui asked, full of curiosity.
"Not much. We got a few apartments after a demolition payout, and my parents run a small business," Zhao Ming replied nonchalantly.
"Ohh…"
Everyone nodded in understanding.
"With that kind of money, why'd you become a cop? Should've just joined the family business," Li Hui joked.
"There's a long story behind that. Back when I was in high school—" Zhao Ming was just getting into it when Zeng Ping cut him off.
"That's enough. Save the small talk for another time. Let's focus on the case for now."
"Han Bin, Li Hui, didn't you guys have a lead?"
"I'll tell it!" Li Hui was visibly excited. "Captain Zeng, Binzi and I followed Yu Wei today. Guess what—she got into a taxi—"
"You're dragging it out too long. Han Bin, you explain," Zeng Ping interrupted.
"We collected fingerprints and compared them to those on the computer. It's a perfect match," Han Bin said concisely.
Clap!
Zeng Ping slapped the table. "That seals it."
"If the prints match, that proves Yu Wei used the computer and likely saw the voyeur video. That makes her a suspect. Should we apply for an arrest warrant?" Tian Li asked.
"Of course we should—but…" Zeng Ping rubbed his chin, hesitating.
"Captain, the fingerprint match is a big breakthrough. What's the hold-up?" Zhao Ming asked, puzzled.
"It is a good lead, but… it's been three days since the first incident. We arrested Yu Hefeng right in front of her. She's likely on guard and may have destroyed the evidence. Even if we detain her, without solid proof, it'll be hard to prosecute," Zeng Ping explained.
Han Bin took a sip of tea and nodded. "Captain Zeng is right. This case is tricky. There's no DNA or extra fingerprints left behind. The only physical evidence we might have are the videos, photos, envelopes, and USB drives."
"Binzi, you spent all yesterday morning reviewing those photos and videos. Find anything?" Li Hui asked.
Han Bin put down his teacup. "I did find something, and I think it can serve as key evidence."
"What did you find?" Tian Li had watched the footage too and was curious.
"The blackmail photos were taken from the video content."
"I noticed that too—they look like screenshots," Tian Li said.
"Not screenshots," Han Bin corrected her. "They were photos taken of the computer screen."
"What's the difference? They're still blackmail photos," Zhao Ming asked as he poured tea for everyone.
"If they were screenshots, they could have just been saved to a USB drive—no fingerprints, and the USB could easily be destroyed. That wouldn't leave us much to work with," Han Bin explained.
"But if they were photos, that changes things. What do people use to take photos these days?"
"Phones, obviously. Who uses cameras anymore except photography nerds?" Li Hui replied.
"Exactly. Phone photos have unique angles, lighting, and qualities—each one is distinct. If we can find the blackmail photo on Yu Wei's phone, we'll have direct evidence linking her to the crime," Han Bin said.
"Take notes, Tian Li. That's what I call professional work," Zeng Ping praised him.
Tian Li gave a wry smile. Tasks like this—anything technical—were usually handled by Han Bin. She was assigned this case mainly because the photos were considered more straightforward.
Team Two was small, but their division of labor was clear. Tian Li's strengths weren't in technical work.
Despite being a woman, she was tough and always willing to do the grunt work—getting signatures from superiors, official stamps, printing reports, collecting files, managing custody paperwork, picking up court rulings, etc.
Tian Li and Zhao Ming did most of the legwork, with Li Hui helping out occasionally.
When Han Bin first joined the Criminal Investigation Unit, he did his fair share of errands. But thanks to his forensic expertise, Team Leader Zeng Ping had taken notice and freed him from that role.
When a case was hard, Han Bin took point. When there was no case, Han Bin got to rest.
He was happy with this arrangement—it was like gaming. You need a good support team so the carry can shine.
Knock knock.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
The waiter came in with the food.
Three dishes were served first: stir-fried greens, dry-fried pork intestines, and grilled lamb chops.
Zeng Ping picked up a piece of pork intestine and gave it a taste. "That's the flavor. Fried until crispy—that texture is perfect. Now all it needs is half a bottle of Erguotou liquor—heavenly."
"Captain, when we're done with this case, let's all have a few drinks together," Li Hui suggested—he enjoyed a drink when off duty.
Zeng Ping smiled. Once the waiter left, they went back to the case.
"Photos on her phone could be a key piece of evidence. But even that alone doesn't completely prove she's the blackmailer," Zeng Ping noted.
Li Hui thought for a moment. "Yu Wei took a taxi this morning. If she went to Anyang Apartments on the day the letter was delivered, she probably took a cab then too. We could show her photo to the taxi company—maybe we'll find a lead."
"Good thinking. If we can prove she was at the scene, the chain of evidence becomes much stronger," Zeng Ping agreed.
"Captain, if I remember correctly, Yu Hefeng's home only had one computer," Han Bin added.
"So?" Zeng Ping asked.
"Well, the blackmail letter and photos were copied to a USB drive, which typically requires a computer. She may have used Yu Hefeng's computer to create the first letter and transfer the photos. But the second letter was delivered after Yu Hefeng was arrested and his computer confiscated—so where did she make that one?"
"Her boyfriend's place?" Li Hui guessed.
"I think young people prefer internet cafés," Zhao Ming offered a different theory.
"What, you saying I'm old?" Li Hui shot back.
"Stay on topic," Zeng Ping interrupted. "This isn't something she'd want her boyfriend to know about. Internet café is more likely."
"Internet cafés have surveillance cameras. If she went there to write the second letter, she might've been caught on video," Zhao Ming said. Even though he had a computer at home, he still sometimes went to internet cafés with friends, so he knew the environment well.
Zeng Ping thought it over. "Let's split up the work again. Han Bin and Li Hui, check with the taxi company."
"Zhao Ming and Tian Li, investigate the internet cafés near Yu Wei's home."
"I'll return to HQ this afternoon and report to Captain Zheng. I'll also apply for search and arrest warrants."
"Yes, sir!"
(End of Chapter)