Song Rui’s leadership ability was no less than Zhuang Zhen's. With his guidance, everyone quickly found the direction of the investigation and began their respective inquiries. Shen Youquan also hurried to raise the money, even dragging many of his good friends out of bed to complain solemnly.
His actions indeed caused quite a stir, and many people didn't quite believe him, thinking he was drunk and joking, so they called Zong Huilu to confirm. Naturally, Zong Huilu pleaded with them, making everyone very embarrassed. This was a sum of fifty million. Without life-altering relationships, who would casually come up with such an amount ?
Raising the money did not go smoothly, which made Shen Youquan see through the true faces of many so-called "close friends." Two hours later, under the arrangement of the police, he changed cars and secretly arrived at the Southern District Sub-bureau. During this period, the officers who went out for inquiries and visits also returned, and it seemed that the case had some clues.
Song Rui posted a photo on the whiteboard and asked, "Mr. Shen, this photo was found on Zong Huilu's Weibo, where she was on vacation in Pattaya. Do you recognize the person in this photo?"
Shen Youquan stared at the photo carefully for a moment before asking blankly, "Which one do you mean?" It was a scenic photo taken through a glass window, with a golden beach and blue sea outside the window, crowded with holidaymakers, making it difficult to recognize their faces.
Song Rui pointed to the area where the light and shadows intersect, reminding him, "Look at the reflection, not outside the window."
Only then did Shen Youquan notice that the window actually reflected the figure of the photographer. Although it was indistinct, the graceful posture of the woman and the strong physique of the man could still be discerned. Unfortunately, the photo only captured their necks down, and their faces did not appear in the picture.
"This woman is Zong Huilu!" Shen Youquan affirmed, "Look, she has a mole on her collarbone, and I recognize that mole." Then he noticed more details, pointing to a sun tattoo on the man's left shoulder and said, "He is Long Chengsheng, my driver! No wonder when Zong Huilu went to Pattaya for vacation, Long Chengsheng also took a long vacation to go back to his hometown, it turns out they went there together!"
In fact, the police had already obtained the exact identities of the two people in the photo. They presented the photo to Shen Youquan to obtain his testimony.
Song Rui nodded without making any comment, completely ignoring the visibly agitated Shen Youquan. He continued, "Through retrieving the surveillance footage, we found that in the recent period, no suspicious vehicles or individuals were spotted around the kindergarten. The woman who abducted Shen Yurao and her vehicle never appeared near the kindergarten. Her posture was distinct, with a wide angle and a noticeable chin retraction when walking. Our tracking analysis experts couldn't have missed her presence. This situation clearly does not match the evidence we currently have."
Everyone tightened their grip on their pens, ready to record the key points.
"From Mr. Shen's account, we know the kidnapper conducted a detailed investigation on everyone in the Shen family. Since she decided to abduct the child from the kindergarten, she had made arrangements for the route and transfer vehicle in advance, so why did she not scout the kindergarten beforehand?"
"She might be very familiar with the environment around the kindergarten, so she didn't need to scout it," a policeman raised his hand and said.
Song Rui immediately nodded, "Yes, that's also my speculation. Look at this, this is the surveillance from the day of the abduction. The kidnapper drove into a blind spot in the free parking lot across from the kindergarten. Without scouting, how did she know that this angle was out of the surveillance camera's reach? Did she rely on luck?"
"Someone must have informed her, and this person is very familiar with the Yingcai Kindergarten and the Shen family," an officer analyzed.
Song Rui nodded, "All signs indicate that this should be an inside job. Without reconnaissance, the kidnapper obviously knew the kindergarten's dismissal time, knew about the blind spot in the parking lot surveillance, and knew about the financial situation of the Shen family. The fifty million was just right within Mr. Shen's capacity. So who is this acquaintance?"
Everyone looked at him with keen eyes.
The angry Shen Youquan immediately said, "It must be Long Chengsheng! He often replaces me to pick up the child from school, knows my financial situation well, and he's a compulsive gambler. In the past, when he lost at gambling, he would ask me for money. I lent him a lot without hesitation, but recently, for some reason, he suddenly asked for two million from me! I was really annoyed this time and felt that he was insatiable, so I didn't lend him the money and warned him that I would fire him! His motive is very strong, it must be him!"
Song Rui pushed up the frame of his glasses that were perched on his high nose, agreeing, "We already checked Long Chengsheng's financial situation. He lost a large sum of money at Oz Sea not long ago and got onto the casino's blacklist. It was an urgent time for him to make some money. His motive is indeed very strong. However," Song Rui glanced at Shen Youquan and said slowly, "your wife is equally suspicious."
"Zong Huilu? Impossible! She cares a lot for Shen Yurao," Shen Youquan instinctively refuted.
However, Song Rui directly stated, "Based on Mr. Shen's account, I found Zong Huilu's behavior to be highly unusual. First, even before the kidnapper made a ransom call, she very affirmatively told you that the child had been kidnapped. As a mother, it's strange for her to immediately assume the worst, isn't it? Second, she strongly opposed you reporting to the police. Of course, out of a mother's concern for her son, her opposition is reasonable. However, when you proposed selling properties and companies to raise the ransom, she fell silent. Why? As a distressed mother, she was not willing to report to the police, nor was she actively raising funds. Doesn't such behavior contradict each other? You could say she was selfish and unwilling to use her own money. But would this sharp contrast with her previous strong concern? Is she truly anxious or pretending? Isn't this obvious at first sight?"
After careful consideration, everyone nodded in agreement.
A female officer sincerely said, "If I were her, I would have sold everything I could and wouldn't just sit at home waiting for my husband to raise the money. Shouldn't we all cooperate and raise the money sooner? If the money is raised, the child could come back earlier. Isn't that good? She was anxious on one hand and did nothing on the other. This behavior is indeed very strange."
Shen Youquan struggled to control the inner flames of anger and said with difficulty, "Dr. Song, if you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed Zong Huilu's abnormality at the time. My mind was too chaotic. Are you implying that this kidnapping is very likely planned by Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu? Is Long Chengsheng really Shen Yurao's father? How could he do this?"
Song Rui posted two photos on the whiteboard and said slowly, "Currently, we cannot confirm the true identity of the kidnapper, and everything is based on reasonable speculation based on the current evidence. But I should be able to answer your question, Mr. Shen."
Shen Youquan looked at the two photos and then froze solid. One was a recent artistic photo of Shen Yurao, and the other was definitely an old photo, slightly outdated in color. But the boy smiling at the camera shared an extremely similar appearance to Shen Yurao.
Shen Youquan stared at the two photos separated by decades, as if understanding something.
Song Rui confirmed his guess, "This is a childhood photo of Long Chengsheng, and isn't it very different from his current appearance?"
Indeed, the grown-up Long Chengsheng was taller, stronger, his skin darkened, and due to years of chewing betel nuts, his face had widened. He had turned into a complete tough guy. If it wasn't for the remnants left by the childhood photo, Shen Youquan would have never suspected the relationship between his son and Long Chengsheng.
"They have been tricking me all along! They are treating me like a fool!" Shen Youquan thought that the moment he received the paternity test result was the most painful, but little did he know how much more painful this moment would be. While he had been striving for the happiness of his family, his two most trusted people had worked behind his back, even bearing a wild offspring, making him help deceive, raise, support, and even neglect his own daughter. They were like a group of leeches, sucking his blood without restraint; like a group of bandits, secretly picking up the knife, preparing to cut his flesh.
Shen Youquan covered his face and slowly bowed down on the table, letting out a beast-like groan.
The members of the task force all averted their eyes, unable to bear watching him, but Song Rui spoke in a cold tone, "Mr. Shen, now is not the time for sorrow. Based on your account, as the biological parents of the child, Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu were not very anxious after the child was kidnapped. Instead, they repeatedly obstructed you from reporting to the police and strongly demanded that you sell assets to raise the ransom. Therefore, their suspicion is very high. Did Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu know that you came to the police station to report the case? If this case is indeed their doing, then I have strong reason to believe that their group has at least four people. Two are staying at the Shen family to monitor you; one is taking away and controlling the child; and one is making the ransom calls and taking the money. They have clear division of labor and a thorough plan, clearly well-prepared, so we need to be very careful. If Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu knew that you had reported to the police, they could just make a call or send a message, and their associates would immediately move the child or change their plans. At that time, the case will be more difficult to investigate, and the fate of the child will become uncertain."
Song Rui paused for a moment, and his tone became even colder, "Although Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu are Shen Yurao's biological parents, they are now at the Shen family, separated from the child, and those controlling the child have no blood relation with him. They won't care about his life or death. Those who could participate in the kidnapping are definitely not good people. If they know that you have reported to the police, they may tear up the ticket regardless of Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu’s feelings. The situation is very unfavorable for us!"
All the officers became tense, and they all turned to look at Shen Youquan.
Shen Youquan, however, said lightly, "You can rest assured about this. When I left, Van Garo repeatedly instructed me not to tell anyone at home about reporting to the police. Long Chengsheng and Zong Huilu still think I'm outside raising money."
Everyone simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Rui paused for a while before showing an uncommon smile, "I should have thought of that. Since it was Van Garo's suggestion for you to report to the police, he would certainly make all the arrangements for you."
Shen Youquan quickly nodded with gratitude and eagerness, "Yes, everything I am doing now is according to Mr. Fan's arrangement. The fact proves that every advice from him has been beneficial for me, helping me avoid one potential catastrophe after another that could have led to irreversible harm for the child. Mr. Fan is really amazing!"
When talking about Fan Jialuo, the atmosphere in the meeting room noticeably relaxed. Because of his predictions, everyone firmly believed that the child would definitely return safely, even though this belief was inexplicable and without basis.
Song Rui adjusted his glasses and finally said something completely unrelated to the case, "Mr. Shen is very lucky."
This was not the first time someone had said this to Shen Youquan. In fact, when the people at the police station learned about his connection with Fan Jialuo and the subsequent kidnapping case, they had all expressed the same admiration.
Shen Youquan's eyes turned red instantly, choking back his tears as he said, "Yes, I'm afraid all my luck in this lifetime has been used up on this occasion. I've encountered a benefactor. Of course, everyone here is my benefactor. I thank you all for your efforts to rescue Shen Yurao. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He continued to bow and express his gratitude, making everyone feel emotional. Although he was reluctant to give up the fifty million, after learning the child's background, he could still tirelessly work for the child, fulfilling his moral obligations to the fullest.
On the other hand, the contrast with the biological parents of the child was truly indescribable...
Realizing that he had digressed too much, Song Rui tapped his finger joints on the table and continued, "Currently, we have not obtained any evidence that Long Chengsheng and Zhong Huilu are the kidnappers. Their phones have no unusual calls, and their bank cards show no abnormal transactions. It is clear that they possess strong anti-detection methods. We need to find a way to probe them. Once we confirm that they are the masterminds, we can immediately carry out an arrest and subsequently inquire about the child's whereabouts. Mr. Shen, we need your cooperation."
Shen Youquan quickly assured, "What is your plan? I will follow your instructions!"
Song Rui was very satisfied with his cooperation and distributed the already prepared plan in written form to everyone. Each person received their "script" and diligently studied the lines and roles, working diligently until the early hours before driving to Shen's house.