On September 15, the father-of-two reportedly left home in the morning; and when he returned, he found the screen of his smartphone cracked.
Outraged, the man thought his wife, who had complained about his addiction to smartphones, had broken his handset.
However, Ningxia TV reported that Chen smashed the mobile phone onto the floor during a fight with her husband.
In the afternoon, the dead body of Chen was found by Su's father, who immediately called police.
Officers said the victim had been repeatedly struck in the head by a blunt object, leading to her death.
A bloodstained wooden stick was found at the murder scene.
Chen's husband was identified as the main suspect after neighbours reported seeing him fleeing from the house and heading towards a nearby forest.
Police carried out a city-wide manhunt on September 15.
In the evening, Su was arrested at a store in Yinchuan city.
Su admitted he had beaten his wife to death using a wooden stick as she slept.
The man is currently detained. Police are continuing to investigate.