Life and Death Insurance – CH 006

Chapter 6

The hangover and the sudden serious problem made Ling Zhengzhong’s head throb even more. Facing the confident and eloquent Chu Feng, he couldn’t think of anything else to say in his defense, so he could only keep rubbing his temples.

Good heavens, why did such an unjust thing as fifteen strings of cash have to happen to him one day?

A knock came at the door, and a police officer entered, handing Chu Feng a file. Chu Feng opened it, read it, and placed it on the table, saying to Ling Zhengzhong, “Mr. Ling, it seems you’ll be staying at the police station for at least twenty-four hours.”

Ling Zhengzhong asked in surprise, “Why?”

Chu Feng pointed to the file in front of him.

“According to the testimony of Shen Meimei’s roommate, before six o’clock this morning, Shen Meimei received a phone call and rushed out. Because it was still early, her roommate casually asked a question, and Shen Meimei mentioned your name…”

“Ah…”

Ling Zhengzhong suddenly felt weak all over, almost collapsing.

“Officer Chu, I was still dreaming at home at six this morning. How could I call her? Didn’t you notice I’m still hungover? Besides, Shen Meimei only mentioned my name; she didn’t say I called her out!”

That damned woman—it was one thing for her to get into trouble, but why drag him into it?

“Mr. Ling, not only that, but there’s also some documentation proving that you took out a life insurance policy for the deceased at the beginning of last month, and the beneficiary is your name…”

“I paid for her insurance; what’s wrong with having my name as the beneficiary?”

Upon hearing this, Ling Zhengzhong finally couldn’t hold back any longer and roared, unleashing all his pent-up resentment.

“She said she needed to help a friend who works in insurance, so she asked me to buy her an insurance policy. So I bought one for her; it’s that simple. You don’t think I’d murder her for that little bit of insurance money, do you? With my current salary, would I need to do something so absurd? Why don’t you investigate her current boyfriend?”

“Mr. Ling, we’ll investigate all the details, but as a suspect in this case, we have the right to detain you for twenty-four hours!”

Ling Zhengzhong shouted angrily, “Are you kidding me? When you brought me here, you only… You said you were assisting with the investigation, but now you’ve changed your tune to suspect. Does that mean I’ll be a criminal in 24 hours? I don’t want to talk to you anymore. I have the right to my lawyer…”

“Mr. Ling, please be quiet. You can provide your lawyer’s contact number, and I’ll notify them for you.”

“Well, I really have to thank the police for their understanding,” Ling Zhengzhong said sarcastically. “However, I’d like to ask the smart officer, are there really criminals so foolish as to run someone over with their own car for a little insurance money and then abandon the vehicle and flee?”

Chu Feng smiled. “Actually, this question is easy to answer. Many criminals do this. Perhaps, Mr. Ling, you initially only wanted to chat with Shen Meimei while drunk, hoping to rekindle your old flame. Unfortunately, a disagreement arose, prompting you to have murderous intent. But after actually hitting someone, you panicked and fled the scene…”

“You bastard…”

Ling Zhengzhong, enraged by Chu Feng’s words, finally did something a civilized person shouldn’t do.

He swung his fist at Chu Feng’s face, but in the next second, he was slammed firmly onto the table.

Ling Zhengzhong was unable to move, but he kept yelling, “Bastard, if you’re so good at making up stories, why don’t you write novels? Are you cops incapable of catching real criminals, so you’re using me as a scapegoat?”

Chu Feng was clearly used to this kind of scene. He said calmly, “Mr. Ling, I was just giving an example. Why are you so angry?”

Ling Zhengzhong was about to shout again when two police officers entered the room. Chu Feng gestured for them to take Ling Zhengzhong away.

“Wait, wait…”

Suddenly, Ling Zhengzhong remembered something and exclaimed, “You just said Shen Meimei was in a car accident on Jinma Road at six o’clock, right? Even without traffic, it takes more than twenty minutes to get from Jinma Road to my apartment in the early morning. But someone can prove I was home at exactly six-thirty—an insurance salesman came to my house early this morning to sell insurance. I heard a clock chiming outside, and I glanced at the wall clock; it should have been six-thirty. It’s impossible for me to be home at six-thirty after hitting someone at six!!”

“Oh…”

Chu Feng frowned. This was unexpected. Going to someone’s house at six-thirty to sell insurance sounded a bit far-fetched, but if true, it could prove Ling Zhengzhong’s innocence.

Chu Feng had actually seen Ling Zhengzhong’s company image advertisements in the newspaper before. He was impeccably dressed, debonair, and projected the image of a very sophisticated and successful man. It was hard to imagine that such a person would commit murder over a breakup and an insurance payout. Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that Ling Zhengzhong’s actions were driven by a moment of drunken excitement and hatred.

“That little hamster!!”

The listless and clearly intoxicated man before him was indeed vastly different from the image Chu Feng had seen in the newspaper. His sudden remark further tarnished Chu Feng’s impression of him, and his face darkened.

“Mr. Ling, you should know the consequences of playing tricks on the police!”

“I did not!!”

Damn it, why couldn’t he remember the little hamster’s name? He remembered taking a business card; he was a bit drunk and had played with the hamster…

Then, where did he put the business card…? What kind of insurance company was it?

He remembered and returned the business card to the hamster, but he remembered the insurance company’s name…

“I remember now; it’s called Tianyun Insurance Company. That person told me he was an employee of Tianyun Insurance Company, male, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, but he looked only eighteen or nineteen. I didn’t take his business card at the time, so I can’t remember his name right now, but he said Manager Monkey introduced him. You can check; you’ll definitely be able to find it.”

“Tianyun? Mr. Ling, do you know how big Tianyun Insurance Company is? It has at least a thousand employees, several hundred in this city alone. And yet you’ve only provided information on a male in his twenties, Manager Monkey—just this little bit…”

“That’s why I asked you to investigate! I’m a taxpayer. How much tax do I pay to support you all every year? And now you say you can’t find it? What kind of work are you doing? I want to see my lawyer, Yang Yiqing. Go ask him directly if you have any questions!…”

Ling Zhengzhong, befitting his position as Development Engineering Manager, naturally exuded an intimidating aura. Even now, imprisoned in the police station, he showed no sign of weakness.