Chen Wei and I knocked on Liu Hu's door.

Liu Hu's wife obviously recognized Chen Wei and gave him a cold glance.

"Officer Chen, what brings you here?"

"There's something I need to ask you about Liu Hu's case."

"Come in then."

Liu Hu's wife let us into the house with a stern face.

Once inside, she turned her back on us and busied herself with taking care of her two-to-three-year-old daughter.

Chen Wei didn't mind and glanced around the room before asking,

"Who did Liu Hu usually associate with? Did he have any enemies?"

"I don't know about his affairs." Liu Hu's wife curled her lips and then added sarcastically, "Even if he had enemies, so what? In the end, he got killed, and they judged it as self-defense, not even a penny in compensation!"

I could hear the resentment in Liu Hu's wife's voice.

Chen Wei had told me that a few days ago, after the city bureau's announcement, Liu Hu's wife had caused a scene there.

But the case had already been concluded, and with no public support, her protest didn't make much of a ripple.

It's actually understandable; her husband was hacked to death, and the perpetrator was deemed to have acted in "self-defense."

She not only received no compensation but also had to bear the stigma that her husband "deserved to die."

It's really pitiful for a widow and her orphaned child.

Despite her harsh words, Chen Wei didn't seem to care. Looking around the room's decor, he said,

"Liu Hu's death might not have been an accident, but murder."

"Really?"

Liu Hu's wife turned her head, showing a glimmer of surprise.

But she quickly realized her mistake, her surprise turning to anger.

Though her expression changed swiftly, I caught a glimpse of it.

Chen Wei, however, seemed oblivious and nodded,

"That's right. We're here today to investigate."

Though her face remained unchanged, Liu Hu's wife's eyes lit up.

Her responses to our questions became much more enthusiastic compared to the beginning.

From Liu Hu's wife, we learned that Liu Hu had recently been close to someone named "Brother Long."

Recently, Liu Hu often quarreled with "Brother Long" over the phone. It seemed Liu Hu had some dirt on him and was threatening him.

As for Brother Long's real name, she had no idea.

Her words matched a certain recording we had.

After leaving Liu Hu's house, I said to Chen Wei, "Liu Hu's wife seems suspicious."

"I noticed too. She seems very concerned about whether her husband was murdered."

Chen Wei immediately ordered his subordinates to thoroughly investigate Liu Hu's wife.

Soon, the investigation into Liu Hu's wife yielded results.

A few months ago, Liu Hu's wife had bought an accidental death insurance policy for him, naming herself as the beneficiary.

If Liu Hu died in an accident, like a car crash, during the policy period, the insurance company would pay her a large sum of money.

These accidents included murder.

However, provoking someone to the point that they kill in "self-defense" was not covered by the insurance.

Chen Wei and I exchanged glances, suddenly understanding.

No wonder Liu Hu's wife had repeatedly caused a scene at the bureau, demanding the case be classified as "intentional homicide."

Because only then could she claim the insurance.

Now it was clear there were issues with Liu Hu's case. Could it be that Liu Hu's wife had conspired with "Brother Long" to murder Liu Hu for the insurance payout?

But without the result of Old Wu's autopsy, we couldn't determine Liu Hu's cause of death and couldn't make any arrests.

Chen Wei had to assign people to keep an eye on Liu Hu's wife.

At the same time, we needed to investigate Brother Long's real identity and whereabouts.

If Liu Hu was indeed murdered, Brother Long was clearly involved.

However, all of this depended on the premise that Liu Hu was "murdered."

Therefore, Liu Hu's cause of death needed to be determined as soon as possible.