Chapter 21: The Lecherous Director

“Wow, Yan, your efficiency is impressive,” Zhou Yizhen genuinely praised.

“Chen Yan may not be as sharp as you, but his efficiency in handling matters is beyond doubt.”

“Wu, that’s not quite right. Everyone has their strengths. The detective team’s wisdom lies in teamwork, not in individual heroism.”

Wu Yongcheng chuckled at that. “Heh, you’ve actually got some sense now.”

The two chatted as they stepped out of the power supply office building.

According to the clues Chen Yan had uncovered, they were now headed to find the key figure who had altered Zhang Xinli’s fate.

Zhu Xuejun, director of the Gastroenterology Department at the Third City Hospital.

This man named Zhu had transferred 50,000 yuan into Zhang Xinli’s bank account within a week before she bought her house.

Once in the car, Zhou Yizhen asked, “Captain Wu, should we visit Liu Qi first to get some background? Her address is just two kilometers from here.”

“Sure, that’ll be a good chance to secretly inquire about who this Zhu Xuejun really is.”

Zhou Yizhen pressed the accelerator while Wu Yongcheng pulled out his pass.

They didn’t discuss Wang Youfu’s case further for now; it was still the investigation phase.

When it came to gathering evidence and interrogations, they would take action then.

Zhou Yizhen’s intuition told him it wouldn’t be long before that time came.

They found Liu Qi, a round-faced plump girl, who didn’t seem surprised to see them.

After all, the four girls rented a two-bedroom apartment together, and the girl sharing a room with Liu Qi was the night-shift nurse who had given Zhou Yizhen the tip earlier that morning.

The security department had indeed informed them about Du Xiaolin’s murder, but not to cooperate with the investigation—instead, it was a safety awareness briefing.

After the talk, they had to sign a pledge.

It stated that doctors and nurses leaving the hospital after the day shift must be accompanied by someone or travel in groups of two or more; otherwise, the hospital would bear no responsibility if something happened.

Zhou Yizhen inwardly cursed the hospital leadership. This wasn’t a safety briefing at all—it was a preemptive passing of the buck.

The girl Liu Qi called Maomao was surprised to see Zhou Yizhen and said she hadn’t expected him to be a real cop.

Zhou Yizhen smiled. “Why would cops pretend? That’s a crime on top of crime.”

He glanced at Wu Yongcheng, who promptly showed his badge, confirming both his identity and Zhou Yizhen’s words.

Following routine, they asked Liu Qi what time she arrived home last night and whether anyone could vouch for her.

Liu Qi quickly provided an alibi since all four roommates worked as nurses at the Third City Hospital.

One of them worked in the ward next door and shared a similar schedule with Liu Qi, so they went home together after shifts.

Moreover, there was a wonton shop downstairs that stayed open past 1 a.m., where they liked to eat after late shifts.

Wu Yongcheng verified this with the shop owner.

Thus, Liu Qi’s alibi was solid, further confirming Zhou Yizhen’s suspicion.

When Zhou Yizhen asked Liu Qi and Maomao about Zhu Xuejun, they only knew he was the director of Gastroenterology, in his forties, reputedly very authoritative—a flagship figure of the hospital.

But the two rarely saw him since they weren’t in the same department, only glimpsing him once at the hospital’s year-end meeting where Zhu spoke as a doctors’ representative.

Finding no useful information and ruling out Liu Qi’s involvement, the two were about to leave.

Suddenly, Liu Qi said, “Officer, Xiao Xiao used to work in the Gastroenterology ward. She should know Director Zhu.”

“Xiao Xiao?”

“Oh, she’s another roommate of ours, shares the same schedule as Maomao. She just went out to buy something, probably back soon.”

Wu Yongcheng checked the time, hesitating whether to wait.

The sound of a key turning in the lock came from the door, followed by a tall, delicate-looking girl entering with a bag of snacks.

“Xiao Xiao, you’re back. These two are police officers—they want to ask some questions.”

Xiao Xiao nodded at them. “Are you investigating the case of Du Xiaolin from the Emergency Department? I don’t know her. I only learned about her today from the security department.”

Wu Yongcheng said, “It’s unrelated to Du Xiaolin. We want to ask about someone else.”

“Who?”

“The director of your hospital’s Gastroenterology Department, Zhu Xuejun.”

Upon hearing the name, Xiao Xiao frowned deeply, clearly disgusted.

“Does he have something to do with Du Xiaolin’s death?”

“It’s just a routine inquiry. You know Zhu Xuejun, right?”

Xiao Xiao nodded.

“What kind of person is he?”

“Academically, he’s very accomplished—that’s a widely accepted fact. But…”

“But what?”

“But his character is terrible. He’s lecherous and sleazy—a hypocritical moralist.”

That statement immediately caught everyone’s attention in the room, especially the two young nurses, who instantly looked intrigued, ears perked up.

“Could you elaborate?”

Xiao Xiao asked nervously, “Officer, if I say this, will I be accused of slander or defamation?”

Zhou Yizhen quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, this isn’t a formal interrogation; we’re just gathering information. See, we haven’t even taken any notes.”

Technically, they should have, but since Chen Yan had left and neither Wu Yongcheng nor Zhou Yizhen had pen and paper, they let it go.

“Besides, if what you say is true, it’s not defamation.”

“Alright.” Xiao Xiao nodded. “Actually, many people in our department know about his antics, but since he’s the director, no one wants to offend him—after all, we all rely on this job to make a living.”

Wu Yongcheng said, “Young lady, I’m Wu Yongcheng, deputy captain of the city’s criminal investigation unit. If you get into trouble for what you say today, come find me. I’ll protect you. The law will protect you.”

With that assurance, Xiao Xiao relaxed and told them everything she knew.

“Zhu Xuejun appears to be an authoritative expert, usually stern and unsmiling. When we new hires joined the department, we were all afraid of him.”

“But actually, he’s very lecherous. He speaks gently and kindly to pretty female doctors and nurses.”

“When I first joined Gastroenterology, he was especially warm to me, often praising me in front of the whole department—but it was always for trivial things.”

“At first, I thought he was a kind-hearted elder and leader, but I gradually realized something was wrong.”

“He would use work as an excuse to make physical contact with me, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. His language became more and more lewd—telling dirty jokes, even praising my legs in front of others, saying it was a shame I didn’t wear stockings and high heels.”

Xiao Xiao blushed as she spoke.

“When I sensed something was wrong, I started avoiding him. But since he was the department director, he could call me over for any reason.”

“Then, once after publishing an academic paper, he treated the whole department to dinner.”

“After dinner, he found an excuse to keep me behind alone. Then, in the private room of the restaurant, he…”

Xiao Xiao suddenly covered her face and began sobbing.

“He tried to rape me.”