"The cause of death of the deceased was internal bleeding caused by blunt force trauma. Are you still telling me he died from a fall?"

The autopsy report was slapped in front of Zhang Xiuting as Cao Gang shouted sternly.

Faced with the evidence in front of her, Zhang Xiuting no longer argued that her husband died from a fall. However, she remained silent about what happened at the time, just crying helplessly, making her look pitiful.

Seeing that he couldn't get any answers, Cao Gang had to start talking about the couple's relationship: "Your husband was 24 years older than you, yet you were willing to marry him. He must have been very good to you."

"Nonsense. If he was good to me, would he cheat?"

Sure enough, changing the topic made Zhang Xiuting's emotions fluctuate visibly. Cao Gang immediately intensified his words: "Then why did you marry him if he wasn't good to you?"

"I admit, when he was pursuing me, he was indeed very good to me, taking me out for meals, buying me clothes, taking me on trips. But less than half a year after we got married, everything changed. He started domestic violence, beating me all over. I have photos of his abuse on my phone."

Cao Gang took her phone and indeed found photos in the album of bruises on her head, arms, back, and thighs, along with a hospital diagnosis report dated three months ago.

"He not only abused me but also cheated, hanging out every day and often not coming home at night. Last night, he didn't come home. In the morning, I got a call saying he was caught in the act and was raped. They demanded a million for a private settlement. I am really desperate."

Zhang Xiuting cried sadly, not like she was lying. Anyone in her position might find it hard to accept.

"What happened next?"

Cao Gang continued to inquire, meanwhile verifying her words against the testimony given by Wang Yunmei as reported by Li Xiang and his colleagues to check for any inconsistencies.

"I went to that woman's house and immediately saw a fierce-looking man and a crying woman. My husband was tied to a chair by them. I asked him if he raped the girl. He dejectedly replied, 'Yes.' I broke down, rushed over, and hit him twice. But he was my husband, so I couldn't not save him. He was very scared of them reporting to the police. If they did, he might be kicked out by the board of directors, so I also agreed to the private settlement. I thought I was just there to help him get the money, but he asked me to cover the one million. Where would I get such money? I didn't even ask for a bride price when we got married, just for him to treat me well. Now, where am I supposed to get a million?"

"Isn't he the CEO of a listed company? How can he not have a million?"

Cao Gang was somewhat curious. A CEO of a listed company, no matter how poorly he's doing, should not be unable to come up with a million, right?

How many CEOs of A-share listed companies have an annual salary of less than a million?

"I had no money, so they thought my husband was deceiving them and beat him up again, asking where the money was. He said all his savings went to his ex-wife and son upon divorce, and he kept only some shares. Liquidating them would take time, so he hoped for some time. Hearing this, I was angry too and joined in hitting him."

Cao Gang found it unbelievable: "You mean all three of you beat him?"

"At that time, I was also furious. The more I thought, the angrier I got. I was in my first marriage; he was in his second, older than my father, and I didn't mind. I ignored my family's opposition and resolutely married him. But what about him? His heart was never with me: domestic violence, infidelity. He gave all his money to his ex-wife. Ultimately, I was nothing but a fool, having nothing. I just wanted to teach him a lesson at that time, never thinking he would die from the beating until he started bleeding from his nose and lost consciousness. I panicked and quickly called 120 for emergency rescue, not expecting him to die."

At this point, Zhang Xiuting broke down crying again. The basic outline of the case had been cleared, but some key details remained. Cao Gang continued to ask: "After you arrived and saw your husband tied to a chair, what was his condition? Were there any marks of violence on him?"

"Yes."

After the interrogation ended, Cao Gang immediately gathered everyone for a case analysis meeting:

"Everyone, tell your inquiry results first. Let's see if there are any questions."

"Go ahead."

The one responsible for interrogating Wang Yunmei's boyfriend was the instructor Su Jiayi. She placed the notes on the table and summarized simply: "The suspect is named Liu Shijie, 35 years old, an employee of a factory, in a relationship with Wang Yunmei. Last night, he was on a night shift and returned home to find a pair of men's leather shoes at the door. Suspecting his wife of infidelity, he was enraged and attempted to hit her, but was told that Cui Mao had raped her, which infuriated him further, and he started beating Cui Mao, threatening to report him to the police."

"Fearing exposure, Cui Mao proposed a one million private settlement, which Liu Shijie agreed to, so he asked Cui Mao to call his wife to handle it and gather money. During this, he asked Cui Mao to write a confession. Upon Zhang Xiuting's arrival, Cui Mao asked her to advance the one million but was refused, following which all three assaulted him."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.