《The Genius Female Forensic Pathologist, The Psychological Anatomist》


 Chapter 1: The Cat Pregnant Woman Case: The Woman with a Cat in Her Womb

    <h4>Chapter 1</h4>


    Meow, meow~


    As dawn broke, the sky gradually turned a pearly white, and the piercing sound of a cat''s cry echoed intermittently from next door.


    At first listen, it almost sounded like a baby wailing at the top of its lungs.


    Meow, meow~


    The sound grew increasingly shrill and miserable.


    Was it that annoying pregnant woman next door torturing a cat? But she didn''t even own a cat!


    Mu Mian got up and walked to the neighboring apartment. Just as she was about to knock, she noticed the door was ajar.


    "Ms. Li, please stop making noise, and kindly keep your cat quiet too!"


    There was no response, only the cat''s continued cries, mixed with the faint sound of sharp ws scratching against something. In the silent early morning, it felt somewhat spine-chilling.


    A familiar scent wafted faintly through the air.


    The metallic smell of fresh blood.


    "Is anyone there?"


    The voice echoed in the hallway.


    In the dim light filtering through the cream-coloredce curtains, she could see the pregnant woman lying on the wooden floor.


    The floor had already been stained a dark red with blood.


    Her expression was contorted, her body twisted in an unnatural position. Her mouth was tightly sealed with ck duct tape, and her hands were bound behind her back with rope.


    Meow, meow~


    The pitiful cat''s cries wereing from inside her round, slightly quivering belly.


    Her stomach bulged and pulsed, the centipede-like wound stitches on it trembling as something inside struggled to break free.


    Woo~ Woo~


    The wail of police sirens shattered the early morning tranquility of Ziweili Residential Area.


    Ziweili was a middle-ss neighborhood in the old town of Jiangzhou City. While property prices were quite high, the infrastructure was outdated. Some buildings didn''t even have elevators installed, let alone security cameras.


    Theplex was arranged with four units per building, two households per unit. The crime scene was in Room 541, Unit 3, Building 8.


    The closedyout of theplex meant there were no onlookers gathered at the crime scene. It was eerily quiet.


    Several police officers pushed open the door. The first thing they saw was the woman lying in a pool of blood. Her face was contorted, her bloodshot eyes bulging, as if she had endured immense suffering before death.


    The woman''s top was pulled up, revealing her cut-open belly. Her internal organs were fully exposed, as if savaged by a ferocious beast. The everted flesh was covered in scratch marks.


    Next to the corpsey a toolbox containing a full set of dissection instruments. The scissors and scalpel were stained with blood.


    The furniture and items in the room were neatly arranged, with no signs of a struggle.


    On the fabric sofa curled a small figure. Her entire body was scrunched up into a ball. She wore bloodstained stic gloves on her hands and a white fluffy pajama with SpongeBob SquarePants prints, spattered with blood stains. In her arms, she cradled a blood-covered kitten. On her feet were disposable shoe covers.


    Meow~


    Hearing the noise, the little cat with a notched ear struggled slightly and let out a cry.


    "Didn''t the caller say there was only one victim?" Zhang approached the sofa, about to check the "body" when suddenly, he found himself staring into a pair of jet-ck eyes.


    Zhang stumbled back several steps in fright. "Ah, it''se back to life!"


    The other officers rolled their eyes at him. "Zhang Xiaoqiang, what are you yelling about? Can''t you see that''s a living person?"


    Zhang watched in disbelief as the "corpse" sat up. Her movements were slow, pausing after each action as if she needed to gather strength for the next.


    Zhang asked confusedly, "Who are you?"


    She nced at them briefly before quickly averting her gaze, looking down at the cat in her arms. "Hello, I''m the one who called the police. My name is Mu Mian."


    All the officers present stared at Mu Mian in surprise.


    She looked like a high school student, with shoulder-length short hair and a small stature. Her skin was deathly pale, and her expression was nk. The blood-stained white pajamas made her look like a killer from a horror movie, and a mentally unstable one at that.


    "Miss Mu, you''re incredibly brave to sleep at a crime scene!" Zhang was utterly baffled. "What if the killer hade back? It''s too dangerous." Though she looked more like the killer herself.


    Mu Mian didn''t respond to him. She kept her head down and continued her statement mechanically:


    "This morning at 4:21 AM, I was awakened by the sound of my neighbor''s cat. At 4:35 AM, I came over to knock on my neighbor''s door¡ªthe victim''s door. The door wasn''t closed, so I nced inside and found my neighbor lying on the floor..."


    Her voice sounded like it was generated by AI, t and emotionless.


    Zhang couldn''t help whispering to Wang, who was crouched on the ground collecting footprints:


    "Wang, do you think she''s lying? Advisor Lin said that when witnesses or suspects recall case details, they usually follow emotional cues and start with the most important parts. But she''s narrating in chronological order, and with such precise times. It''s very likely she prepared this in advance."


    Wang nodded in agreement and whispered back, "I think her mental state is off too. Look, she can''t even make eye contact with us. She must be feeling guilty. We should take her back to the station and let Captain Fang''s team question her."


    Mu Mian seemed not to hear their whispered conversation and continued her mechanical narration of the events:


    "I heard the cat''s criesing from her stomach. At that time, the corpse still had some warmth¡ªabout 34.5¡ãC. Within 10 hours after death, the body temperature drops by 1¡ãC per hour. Although it''s early spring, we''re having a cold snap, and there''s no air conditioning in the room. So we need to use winter data, with a coefficient of about 0.7. Roughly estimated, her time of death should be between 3:30 and 4:00 AM..."


    Zhang pointed at the victim''s stomach, his mouth agape. "Wait, what did you say? Where did you say the cat''s cries wereing from?"


    Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines as they looked at the victim''s mutted abdomen, all thinking of something terrifying.


    "At 4:37 AM, I dialed the emergency number. At 4:39 AM, I put on gloves and used scissors to cut open the stitches on the victim''s stomach, rescuing this poor little kitten. I recorded the entire process on video. I tried my best to protect the crime scene. If you need it, I can send you the video."


    Finally finished, Mu Mian let out a sigh of relief.


    These people were so rude, constantly interrupting her. Fortunately, she had strong resistance to interference and was able to describe the course of events fluently and clearly.


    Meow~ The dirty little cat meowed loudly, as if agreeing with her words.


    Zhang repeated incredulously, "You''re saying the killer stuffed a cat into the victim''s stomach?"


    "Could it be that the killer, not satisfied with just murdering the victim, stuffed a cat inside to further desecrate the corpse?"


    Amidst their shock, those present began to discuss the killer''s motive.


    "It wasn''t to desecrate the corpse," Mu Mian corrected, looking at the victim. "She was still alive at that time."


    "Still alive?"


    "She''s right." Old Qin, the forensic expert, had already conducted a preliminary examination of the victim''s body.


    He exined, "The victim was about 8 months pregnant. The killer removed the fetus along with the centa from the victim''s womb, then stuffed a live animal into her uterus before stitching up her belly."


    Old Qin nced at Mu Mian and the kitten in her arms, then used tweezers to extract a cat hair from the victim''s abdominal cavity.


    "It must have been a cat. Look, most of the wounds on the inner abdomen show vital reaction, which proves the victim endured immense torture while still alive."


    Mu Mian nced at Old Qin, then quickly averted her gaze, muttering softly, "The cause of death was hypovolemic shock."


    "That''s correct." Old Qin suddenly felt that this Mu Mian looked familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.


    Zhang eximed, "My God, how cruel can the killer be?"


    Mu Mian agreed, "Yes. But his killing method is very creative."


    Creative... Zhang felt a chill run down his spine. How deranged must the killer be to stuff a live cat into a pregnant woman''s belly?


    Zhang turned to Mu Mian and asked puzzledly, "What about the victim''s baby? When you cut open the victim''s stomach, didn''t you see the baby inside?"


    "The killer took it away," Mu Mian said, her eyelids drooping as she struggled against sleep. "Maybe they ate it, kept it as a souvenir, or threw it away. You should ask the killer about that."


    "How perverted!"


    "I''ve told you all the information I know," Mu Mian ced the cat in Zhang''s arms. "I need to go to work now. It''s my first day on the job, and I can''t bete."


    Zhang''s expression was somewhat troubled. "But you can''t leave now. You need toe back to the police station with us to give a statement."


    "Is it to the City Police Bureau?" she asked.


    "Yes."


    Mu Mian thought for a moment, then conceded, "Alright."


    Zhang had expected to have to "pressure" her a bit to get her to cooperate properly. He didn''t anticipate she would be so agreeable.


    "It''s on my way anyway," Mu Mian shed him a stiff smile, her tone carrying a hint of excitement.


    Zhang shuddered.


    This girl looked quite cute, but when she smiled, why was it so eerie? Her smile was rigid, resembling the forced grin of a puppet doll from a horror movie.


    Moreover, why did she seem so happy about going to the police station?

 Chapter 2: Case of Human Cat Litter: Can You Donate Your Body to Me

    <h4>Chapter 2</h4>


    The police conducted a thorough search of Room 541. This apartment was likely the scene of the first crime.


    There were no signs of forced entry on the door lock, and no suspicious traces were found inside. Only the victim''s fingerprints were discovered in the apartment.


    The deceased was Li Yan, 28 years old, unmarried, without a steady job, living alone, and 8 months pregnant.


    Squeak~


    A very soft sound of the door opening came from behind, and Mu Mian, who was sprawled on the table, immediately opened her eyes.


    She wasn''t sure how long she had been in this quiet interrogation room, but fortunately, she had managed to get a rare good sleep.


    She decided to renovate her bedroom, modeling it after this interrogation room. Maybe then she could sleep this soundly every night.


    The door was pushed open, and two people walked in.


    The first person Mu Mian saw was the talkative young police officer from this morning. Behind him was a tall man wearing a ck leather jacket, with sharp features and a fierce expression.


    Mu Mian had seen his photo before; he was Fang Rui, the leader of the Special Crime Unit. Her eyes lit up slightly. This man had an excellent physique, with well-proportioned muscle lines, originally very suitable to be a human specimen.


    Mu Mian stared at him intently, her burning gaze like a sharp scalpel. In her mind, she had already begun to dissect him, separating all the organs and muscles from his body¡ªit would make a perfect skeleton.


    Mu Mian liked bones. She had already collected many beautiful bones, but this was the first time she had seen such a perfect human skeleton.


    What a pity, she thought, that this was a living person, and he would probably live for a very long time.


    Zhang noticed that Mu Mian''s previous dejection had disappeared and was a bit surprised.


    Why had Mu Mian''s empty eyes suddenly be so bright and focused? Zhang nced at Fang Rui again, wondering if it was their boss''s good looks that had captivated her.


    Ignoring Mu Mian''s intense gaze, Fang Rui pulled out a chair and sat opposite her, forcing Mu Mian to meet his eyes.


    Although she had practiced for many years, Mu Mian still found it difficult to maintain eye contact with others.


    "Hello."


    Mu Mian forced herself to look into his eyes, thinking this would make her expression appear more sincere.


    "May I ask if you''d be willing to donate your body to me after you die? I would take very good care of it..."


    The air seemed to freeze for a moment.


    Fang Rui''s expression showed a hint of bewilderment, but he quickly adjusted back to his cold, expressionless mode.


    If it weren''t for the fact that this was an interrogation room and Zhang was sitting beside him, he would have very much liked to pick Mu Mian up and throw her out.


    She looked so small, he could lift her with one hand.


    "Miss Mu, please understand that this is an interrogation room. Be serious!" Zhang tapped the table, quickly interrupting Mu Mian''s words, afraid she might say something even stranger.


    Zhang cautiously nced at Fang Rui, who remainedposed.


    As expected of their boss, having seen many things, his emotions were quite stable. There were quite a few girls who pursued Fang Rui, and many who desired his body, but this was the first time Zhang had seen someone coveting his corpse.


    Mu Mian corrected Zhang, "I was asking very seriously."


    "..."


    "Then I''ll answer you very seriously," Fang Rui refused, "I currently have no ns to donate my body."


    "Alright." Mu Mian slowly shifted her gaze,nding on Zhang.


    Zhang immediately red at her fiercely, about to prevent Mu Mian from setting her sights on his body, when he heard Mu Mian say softly, "Weren''t you going to take notes?"


    So... had he been overthinking?


    "Your name?" Zhang opened his notebook.


    "Mu Mian."


    "Age?"


    "I''ll be 25 in 106 days."


    "No need to be so specific. How was your rtionship with the deceased?"


    "Not good."


    Zhang''s pen paused slightly, "Can you borate on that?"


    "I don''t understand her interpersonal rtionships," Mu Mian thought for a moment, then frankly said, "Her rtionships seemed veryplicated, beyond myprehension."


    Zhang''s eyes lit up: "For example?"


    "She wasn''t married, but she was pregnant. Her boyfriend was someone else''s husband. Her child might not be her boyfriend''s..."


    Zhang was speechless. All these rtionships could be summed up as "the deceased was having an affair." How was thatplicated?


    Zhang continued asking, "Did you see anyone enter your neighbor''s housest night, or hear any unusual sounds from next door?"


    "Not before I fell asleep."


    Mu Mian lowered her head and stared at the table surface. This table had seen some years; its surface was peeling in ces, looking pitted and uneven. She felt inexplicably irritated.


    She emphasized, "I went to sleep at ten. I''m used to going to bed early."


    "What about after you fell asleep?" Fang Rui suddenly interjected into their conversation.


    Mu Mian looked up at him for a moment, then quickly averted her gaze, shrinking her head into her scarf like a quail.


    Silence, a long silence.


    Fang Rui asked, "Is this question difficult to answer?" His tone was calm, not at all aggressive.


    Mu Mian''s lips moved, and with an expression of "trying hard to conceal something, but not seeding very well," she exined slowly:


    "It''s very difficult for people to notice outside sounds after they fall asleep. That''smon sense."


    "Just now you were sleeping deeply, but our soft door opening still woke you up. This proves that you''re very sensitive to sound. You dislike noise, don''t you?"


    When she heard the word "noise," Mu Mian unconsciously nodded in agreement with his words. She really did hate noise.


    "The soundproofing in your apartmentplex isn''t very good. Many residents reported hearing noises from the deceased''s apartmentst night."


    Fang Rui''s fingers lightly tapped the table, as if tapping on Mu Mian''s psychological defenses. "So why didn''t you, as the deceased''s neighbor who is sensitive to sound, hear those noisesst night?"


    The soundproofing in that apartmentplex was very poor. Even if the killer had been as quiet as possible while dissecting the victim in the room, it would have been impossible not to hear any sound at all.


    Zhang and his team had interviewed the residents above and below the deceased''s apartment. They all mentioned that around 2 AMst night, they had heard the sound of objects being dragged across the floor from Room 541. But because the deceased often made noise in the middle of the night and had a bad temper, they didn''t go toin.


    Yet Mu Mian said she hadn''t heard any soundsst night. It was obvious that Mu Mian might be lying.


    "Miss Mu, what were you doingst night? Is there something you''re ufortable talking about?"


    Mu Mian''s fingers traced the scratches on the table surface. She wanted to hide the scratches, but doing so only made them more apparent.


    Just when Fang Rui thought Mu Mian wasn''t going to speak, she suddenly looked at him and said, "I''m not the killer."


    "I believe you."


    Mu Mian smiled at him, "Thank you for your trust."


    Zhang looked at their conversation in confusion, wondering if he had missed something. Why did he suddenly not understand what was going on?


    "But how can you prove you''re not the killer?"


    Mu Mian quickly wiped the smile off her face. She didn''t intend to speak anymore. She could prove it, but doing so would reveal her secret. So she decided to remain silent.


    At this moment, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.


    The person knocking was Officer Chen, who was in charge of personnel. She looked at Zhang, "Captain Fang, sorry to interrupt you."


    "Sister Chen, what''s the matter?"


    "The chief held a wee party for the new colleague who joined today. The new forensic pathologist, Dr. Mu, said she was trapped here and asked me to rescue her. I don''t quite understand what she meant; I think she might be lost. So I wanted to ask if you''ve seen here by?"


    "We don''t have any Dr. Mu here."


    "Strange, she said she was right here and asked me toe find her around 9 o''clock."


    Fang Rui pointed at Mu Mian, who was sitting obediently across from them: "I think she''s the Dr. Mu you''re looking for."


    Zhang stared at Mu Mian with wide eyes, "You''re actually a forensic pathologist?" Wouldn''t that make her professionally qualified to kill someone?


    "I," Mu Mian raised her hand high, "I''m here."


    Officer Chen frowned slightly. Didn''t the chief just say he had recruited a top talent? Howe it''s a young girl? She couldn''t still be in college, could she?


    Fang Rui said, "Officer Chen, don''t new employees need to undergo a physical examination? Why don''t you take her for one first?"


    "Alright." Officer Chen agreed casually, then thought, didn''t she already have a physical before being hired? But this young girl did look a bit sickly, so it might be necessary to check her again.


    Fang Rui insisted, "Take her now, please."


    Officer Chen nced at Mu Mian''s dazed state and said, "Alright then, the hospital is just next door anyway."


    Mu Mian''s smile stiffened. She looked at Fang Rui very seriously, then casually averted her gaze.


    After Mu Mian left, Zhang asked curiously, "Boss, why do you keep pressing that question? Maybe she was just really tired yesterday and slept deeply?"


    Zhang felt that this question wasn''t particrly helpful for solving the case.


    "I just want to confirm my suspicions," Fang Rui replied, his gaze fixed on Mu Mian''s retreating figure with an inscrutable expression.


    Zhang furrowed his brow. Their boss rarely focused so intently on anyone¡ªexcept for the most vicious criminals in prison.


    So¡ª


    "Boss, you''re not suspecting she has a split personality, are you?" Zhang had a sudden realization. He spected, "Is it like this? After Mu Mian fell asleep yesterday, her other personality emerged and killed the victim. And her current personality has no memory of what happenedst night.


    No wonder she''s so tired today. It''s probably because she was exhausted from killing someonest night. Plus, she''s a forensic expert, so she should be skilled at killing and dissecting."


    Zhang felt his deduction was brilliant, logically sound, and entirely usible. He felt he hadn''t let down the police academy''s careful training.


    However, he saw Fang Rui looking at him with a puzzled expression.


    Zhang began to lose confidence. "Boss, did I say something wrong?"


    Fang Rui said, "Very imaginative." His tone shifted slightly, "Why don''t you quit and be a novelist?"


    Zhang: "..." That was certainly impossible. He had worked so hard to be a civil servant!

 Chapter 3: Case of the Cat Embryo Man: Psychological Test

    <h4>Chapter 3</h4>


    The Jiangzhou City Police Department had recruited many new talents this year through their talent introduction program. To show their importance to these new hires, the department specifically held a simple wee party for them.


    Because most of the positions were for police technical roles with low physical requirements, this batch of new recruits was generally quite slim and weak-looking.


    Even so, Mu Mian stood out prominently among them.


    She was like a solitary ind, having almost zero interaction with others.


    "Fang Rui, Consultant Lin, what do you think of this forensic expert Mu?"


    Chief Wang Yong and Fang Rui stood outside the hall, watching Mu Mian through the window.


    Next to them stood a young man named Lin Sen, a criminal psychology expert. He frowned slightly as he observed Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian was staring nkly at a fake tree,pletely out of ce in the lively environment.


    "Chief, is she really a forensic expert?" Zhang, who was passing by with some documents, couldn''t help but chime in when he heard Wang Yong talking about Mu Mian. "I doubt she''s even graduated from university. Did she get in through the back door?"


    Wang Yong nced at Zhang, who immediately shut up, but his eyes still sparkled with gossip.


    Fang Rui reprimanded him, "Go deliver your documents!"


    "These documents aren''t urgent," Zhang muttered under his breath. "Chief, is this forensic expert Mu really the talent you headhunted?"


    "Indeed she is. Several police departments werepeting for her, but luckily I acted fast and got her first," Chief Wang boasted proudly, then handed Mu Mian''s file to Fang Rui. "Take a look at her resume. She''s a Ph.D., you know."


    In recent years, Jiangzhou City had experienced several serial killing cases. Wang Yong had established a Special Crime Unit specifically to investigate such cases.


    However, he was having trouble choosing the right members for the team. The older detectives, though experienced, were still using outdated methods to solve cases and often found themselves at a loss when faced with unusual cases.


    So he wanted to select some new blood to join this special unit.


    Mu Mian was one of the talents he had his eye on.


    Fang Rui casually flipped through Mu Mian''s resume:


    Mu Mian, 25 years old, graduated from S University with a major in Clinical Medicine, holding two Ph.D. degrees in Neuroscience and Pathology...


    Fang Rui''s gaze fell on the self-introduction page:


    "After dissecting my first corpse at the age of twelve (an adorable little squirrel ttened by a car wheel), I was determined to be a forensic expert. As of the day you received this resume (February 10th), I have dissected 103 human corpses: 58 ck, 35 White, 5 Asian. (Notice that 5 are missing? This proves you''ve read my resume carefully. I''ll tell you why they weren''t included once you hire me). This clearly shows how much I need this job to increase my understanding of the internal structure of my fellow countrymen''s bodies..."


    Fang Rui''s mouth twitched slightly. This self-introduction was indeed quite strange.


    But then again, Mu Mian was strange in every aspect. This resume suited her personality perfectly.


    Chief Wang said, "We''ve pretty much selected all the members for our Special Crime Unit, except for a forensic expert. Old Qin would have been the best choice, but unfortunately, he''s retiring next month. This Mu Mian is the one I''m most satisfied with among the new recruits."


    Fang Rui nced at Mu Mian again. Her gaze had finally left that aesthetically unpleasing stic tree, only to fixate on a pot of fake flowers.


    He really couldn''t understand what the Chief found satisfying about this young girl. She was like a little robot, and a malfunctioning one at that. Was it because of her impressive academic credentials?


    Fang Rui said with dissatisfaction, "Chief, I don''t ept her joining our Special Crime Unit!"


    "Why not?"


    "Because she''s got her eye on the boss''s..." Zhang was about to exin for Fang Rui but was silenced by his re.


    "She doesn''t look like she''ll be easy to manage," Fang Rui rubbed his brow. "I can''t handle a team member like that."


    "But she looks quite obedient."


    "Looking obedient is useless. She''s not here to be looked at. Choose someone else!" Fang Rui insisted.


    "I don''t agree with her joining either," Lin Sen chimed in.


    "Why? Because she looks young and you think she''s incapable? Or are you discriminating against women?"


    Lin Sen exined, "She''s likely an autistic individual."


    Wang Yong frowned, "That''s impossible, right? Aren''t autistic people unable to take care of themselves? She looks quite..."


    Wang Yong didn''t finish his sentence. Just by observing Mu Mian a little more closely, one could notice that she seemed to never make eye contact with others.


    "She avoids eye contact, has difficultymunicating with others, and exhibits stereotypical behaviors," Lin Sen exined. "She might be a high-functioning autistic individual who has recovered well. But even so, she probably can''t work normally. So I don''t rmend hiring her."


    "Lin Sen, are you sure she''s autistic?" Fang Rui was a bit surprised. "I''ve never seen an autistic person who talks so much!"


    Lin Sen gave him a cold look.


    Wang Yong was also skeptical of Lin Sen''s judgment.


    "When we selected new recruits, we did an initial psychological screening... Look at page seven of the file, there are test results."


    Lin Sen turned to page seven, which contained a psychological test report:


    Subject: Mu Mian


    [Mental Health Dimension:


    Scale: SCL-90


    Scores for each indicator (scores over 2 require attention):


    Somatization: 1.34; Obsessive-Compulsive: 1.82; Interpersonal Sensitivity: 1.41; Depression: 1.02; Anxiety: 1.29; Hostility: 1.54; Phobic Anxiety: 1.13; Paranoid Ideation: 1.01; Psychoticism: 1.21; Additional Items: 1.32.


    Mental State Evaluation: All indicators normal, no symptoms of depression or anxiety... High level of mental health.]


    [Personality Dimension:


    Scale: Big Five Personality


    Scores for each indicator:


    Openness: 48 (High); Conscientiousness: 45 (High); Extraversion: 43 (High); Agreeableness: 49 (High); Neuroticism: 19 (Low)


    Personality Evaluation: Extroverted, helpful, reliable, emotionally stable, skilled at independent thinking.]


    [Ability Dimension:


    Scale: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale


    IQ Test Score: 186.


    Ability Evaluation: Intelligence at an exceptionally high level.]


    Lin Sen said, "ording to this psychological test result, this forensic expert Mu is an extroverted, helpful, friendly genius. Do you think this describes her?"


    Wang Yong looked at Mu Mian and remained silent for a while. "I still believe we shouldn''t be prejudiced against autistic individuals. We should give her a chance to prove her abilities, shouldn''t we?"


    The wee partysted exactly 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 17 seconds.


    Mu Mian found it excruciating. She desperately wanted to rush to the autopsy room and continue dissecting her unfortunate neighbor.


    She had been too tired this morning and only got halfway through the autopsy before falling asleep from exhaustion.


    There was no dispute about the cause of death, but the method of death was so unique.


    So Mu Mian was eager to figure out how the killer hade up with such a creative method of murder.


    She even thought that if she were the killer, she could have done it more perfectly. She could have made the kitten stay quietly in the victim''s belly, then be "born" like a baby.


    Mu Mian vividly imagined the scene in her mind:


    Apanied by a series of meows, an adorable kitten crawls out of a human woman''s body.


    "ording to our department''s tradition, all new recruits need toplete a psychological test. Please follow me to theputer room toplete the test," Officer Chen''s voice interrupted Mu Mian''s fantasy.


    Mu Mian looked at her, momentarily stunned.


    Another psychological test?


    Mu Mian felt a bit irritated. She disliked psychological tests and despised those self-righteous psychological experts even more.

 Chapter 4: The Cat Pregnancy Case: Is She a Genius

    <h4>Chapter 4</h4>


    "This test will take about half an hour. Please patientlyplete the questions on yourputers," Officer Chen briefly introduced the content of the test before letting everyone begin.


    At first, there were standard self-assessment scale questions. Everyone clicked through them listlessly, selecting the "correct" answers that were obvious at a nce.


    Later, some images and meaningless words appeared.


    People started whispering to each other: "How is this different from previous psychological tests? What are these images and word groups testing us for?"


    "Do we just need to press the F and J keys? What happens if we press the wrong one? They won''t fire us right after we''ve just been hired, will they?"


    "This is a variation of the Implicit Association Test, used to assess our cognitive tendencies," Mu Mian kindly exined to those around her. "It''s based on a neuralwork model which assumes information is stored in a series of nodes connected by neural pathways organized hierarchically ording to semantic rtionships. Therefore, by measuring the distance between two concepts along these neural connections, we can measure the association between them..."


    The people sitting next to her gave her strange looks.


    Mu Mian stopped her exnation.


    The social guide said not to force knowledge onto others, even if they particrlyck mon sense."


    One of them asked, "What specific aspects does it test?"


    "Whether we have violent tendencies; if our worldview is positive or negative; sexual orientation... things like that. This psychological paradigm is used to test our subconscious cognitive tendencies, so it doesn''t let us easily perceive the purpose of the test."


    "So there''s no way to fake this kind of test?"


    Mu Mian paused for a moment, then said quietly, "The real indicator of the test is the difference in reaction times. An average person can''t perceive the purpose of the test and choose answers that don''t align with their cognition within a few seconds. It requires a very high level of brain processing power."


    "..." They couldn''t understand at all!


    As they progressed further into the test, everyone became more focused because they had no idea what these questions were testing.


    Mu Mian also became increasingly concentrated, but when she saw a series of questions about social norms, she couldn''t help but wonder:


    Was this psychological test specifically designed for her? But why would they need to test her? She had been acting perfectly normal!


    As soon as the test ended, Mu Mian''s results appeared on the psychological testing system''s backend.


    "Are her test results satisfactory?" Fang Rui looked at the mass of data, feeling a headacheing on. "Exin it to me inyman''s terms, no theory please."


    "The test subject is extroverted, has a positive outlook, dislikes violence, is kind and enthusiastic, emotionally stable, and has strong social skills," Lin Sen shrugged. "Pretty much the same as the previous test results."


    "Didn''t you say these test results couldn''t be faked?"


    Fang Rui couldn''t associate any of these descriptors with Mu Mian. In fact, Mu Mian seemed to be theplete opposite of what these words described.


    "I said it''s very difficult to fake, not impossible," Lin Sen said. "Clearly, this Dr. Mu is trying hard to conceal her psychological issues. And she''s quite sessful at it¡ªif you don''t observe her in person, that is."


    Lin Sen paused, then continued, "I don''t object to her joining us."


    "You''ve changed your stance so quickly? Just because she passed your unreliable test?" Fang Rui was somewhat surprised.


    Lin Sen pointed to the IQ score section on the screen, "A genius like me needs a genius colleague to work with."


    "..."


    Fang Rui had to admit that Lin Sen had a talent for criminal psychology, which was why he could tolerate this egomaniac. But right now, he still very much wanted to throw Lin Sen out.


    Afterpleting the psychological test, Mu Mian reported to the forensic department. By the time all the formalities were done, it was time to leave work.


    Two other new forensic doctors had joined along with Mu Mian, a man and a woman. The man was called Zhang Xiaolin, and the woman was Chen Xue.


    Chen Xue was outgoing, and since she had interned there for half a year, she got along well with everyone. After work, she enthusiastically invited everyone out for dinner.


    Mu Mian, ufortable with eating withrge groups, declined Chen Xue''s invitation.


    Outside the City Police Bureau, Mu Mian stood by the roadside, using her phone to call a taxi.


    It was rush hour, and Mu Mian had particrly high standards for drivers, so she stood in the cold wind for over an hour but still couldn''t get a ride.


    When Zhang drove by, he saw Mu Mian huddled in her scarf, looking pitifully at the traffic.


    "Boss, since we''re heading to the crime scene anyway, should we give Dr. Mu a lift?" Zhang turned his head to look at Fang Rui in the back seat. "She seems lost."


    "Whatever."


    Zhang pulled up next to Mu Mian. "Dr. Mu, want a ride with us?"


    "No!" Mu Mian refused without hesitation.


    "Why not?" Zhang was puzzled. Was she refusing a free ride?


    Mu Mian nced at his car¡ªa ck, somewhat old and poorly maintained vehicle of an unknown brand with low safety ratings. She then eyed the tires¡ªseverely worn, and the bumper was dented.


    There was absolutely no safety guarantee in riding in such a car.


    But the social guide said not to directly point out others'' shorings, so she asked tactfully, "Have you passed your driving test?"


    "Of course I have. How could I drive without a license?"


    The hint failed. Mu Mian began to ponder how to more tactfully refuse his unreasonable offer to give her a ride.


    Zhang also caught on and turned to Fang Rui in the back seat, incredulous. "Boss, she... what does she mean? Is she questioning my driving skills?"


    Fang Rui got out of the car and walked to the driver''s side, telling Zhang to sit in the back. "I''ll drive."


    Seeing that Fang Rui was now driving, Mu Mian promptly got into the front passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.


    Zhang watched in disbelief as Mu Mian got in the car. This Dr. Mu was so hypocritical! His boss was the truly unsafe driver. The car''s sorry state wasrgely thanks to Fang Rui.


    However, he didn''t dare say it out loud and silently took the me.


    It was now the evening rush hour, and the main roads were severely congested. Feeling bored, Zhang tried to make conversation.


    "Dr. Mu, what did you think of today''s psychological test? It was specially..."


    "Zhang, you talk too much," Fang Rui interrupted coldly.


    Zhang quickly made a zipping motion across his mouth.


    Mu Mian, however, felt her heart stop and her breath catch. She stared nkly at Fang Rui.


    Had her secret been discovered so quickly?


    Rumor had it that Fang Rui was a famous detective with keen observational skills. Had he seen through her disguise at a nce?


    This man not only had a perfect skeletal structure but also a brilliant mind¡ªsuch a brain would be worth studying as a specimen.


    At this thought, Mu Mian felt a bit dejected. How could she legally obtain his body?

 Chapter 5: Case of Cat Embryo: Cat Abuse

    <h4>Chapter 5</h4>


    Perhaps Mu Mian''s gaze was too intense, as Fang Rui turned his head to look at her. "This is a tradition in our City Police Bureau. All new employees have to take a psychological test. It''s not targeting anyone specifically."


    "May I ask if I passed your psychological test?" Mu Mian inquired.


    "What do you think?" Fang Rui countered.


    "I should have passed," Mu Mian replied confidently. She had read all the psychology books on her sister''s bookshelf by the time she was 12, and since then, she could pass any psychological test.


    "You''re quite confident," Fang Rui remarked.


    Although Mu Mian''s ability to read facial expressions was rather weak, she had a feeling that Fang Rui''s smile hinted that he already knew she was an autistic patient. Otherwise, there would have been no need to specifically have her take such a psychological test.


    Mu Mian quickly regained herposure. She took out a bank card she had prepared earlier from her pocket and handed it to Fang Rui.


    Fang Rui looked at her in surprise. Every action of this forensic pathologist Mu was unexpected.


    "This is all the money I have. It''s yours," she said.


    "Why are you giving this to me?" Fang Rui asked, puzzled.


    "You should know why," Mu Mian replied, mindful of Zhang''s presence in the car and not wanting to make her "bribery" attempt too obvious.


    Fang Rui frowned, his expression stiffening. "You''re not nning to buy my corpse with money, are you?"


    Fang Rui wanted to kick Mu Mian out of the car immediately, but considering she was an autistic patient, he could only suppress his anger.


    Mu Mian''s eyes widened, her tone somewhat excited, "Oh, so it''s possible to buy it with money?"


    A momentter, she lowered her head dejectedly and said, "But I''m very poor now, I only have this much money."


    More than Fang Rui''s corpse, she now wanted to protect her secret¡ªshe didn''t want others to know she was an autistic patient because that would mean she''d be fired. She really needed this job right now.


    "Absolutely not!" Fang Rui snapped, "Don''t even think about it! From now on, you''re not allowed to mention the word ''corpse'' in front of me!"


    Fang Rui was a staunch materialist, but nobody would like the feeling of having someone covet their corpse while they were still alive.


    "Alright," Mu Mian conceded. Having been interrupted like this, she didn''t know how to steer the conversation back to asking Fang Rui to keep her secret. She''d have to find another opportunity to "bribe" him in private.


    After dropping Mu Mian off at home, Fang Rui and Zhang first questioned Old Chen, the security guard of the residentialplex.


    Zhang handed Ms. Li''s photo to Old Chen. "Uncle, do you recognize this person?"


    "Of course," Old Chen nced at the photo, "Isn''t this Ms. Li from Building 8, Unit 3? How could I not know her!"


    "Has she made any enemies recently?"


    "This Ms. Li is a notorious shrew in ourplex! She has an extremely bad temper, and there are countless people who''ve had conflicts with her. Put it this way, delivery men would rather paypensation or get fired than deliver packages or takeout to her home. Oh, and she''s also a mistress. Her boyfriend''s wife even posted notices at the entrance of ourplex... Wait, the person you carried away this morning wasn''t her, was it?"


    Fang Rui interrupted him, "Don''t make baseless usations."


    Old Chen suddenly seemed possessed by the spirit of a detective, excitedly saying, "Officer, you don''t need to investigate this case. The killer must be that youngdy from Room 542, Unit 3, Building 8. Her name is Mu... Mu something."


    "Mu Mian," Zhang said with a start. "Why do you think she''s the killer?"


    "Everyone in theplex knows. This youngdy isn''t right in the head."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "She moved in three months ago. She''s very strange. At first, she didn''t speak, but she smiled at everyone. However, her smile was extremely stiff, as if someone was forcing her to smile. We thought she was mute and tried to take care of her, but when it came to Ms. Li, she spoke more sharply than anyone else."


    Fang Rui seemed to understand what Mu Mian was doing. She was trying hard to disguise herself as a normal person, but this only made her appear stranger.


    Realizing this, Fang Rui felt guilty for arbitrarily refusing to let Mu Mian join the Special Crime Unit earlier.


    "Later, Old Liu from our property management went to fix the plumbing in her apartment and saw a wall full of bones hanging there, all sorts of shapes... She even threatened to turn Ms. Li into a specimen and hang her on her wall as a mural."


    Fang Rui was speechless. This indeed sounded like something Mu Mian would do, considering she asked him about donating his body the first time they met.


    His fleeting sense of guilt vanished instantly.


    Fang Rui then showed Old Chen the photo of the cat.


    "Uncle, do you recognize this cat?"


    "How could I possibly recognize it?" Old Chen nced at it, immediately stating he hadn''t seen it before.


    But then he looked more closely, muttering, "This cat is so skinny, it must be a stray, right? There are plenty of stray cats around ourplex, they all look the same. But this one is a bit too thin. In theory, we have several cat lovers in ourplex who feed them cat food every day, it shouldn''t be this skinny!"


    Fang Rui immediately seized on the key point in his words: "Where do these stray cats mainly gather?"


    "In the small park next to ourplex," Old Chen pointed to a nearby square. "There are quite a few stray cats and dogs lurking in the bushes over there. We can''t drive them away, and we can''t kill them, so we just let them stay there."


    "When do these cat lovers usually feed the cats?"


    "Generally early in the morning or at dusk, mainly because that''s when they have free time. You know what, the cat food those strays eat is even better than what some pets get. No wonder they refuse to leave."


    "Alright, if you remember any clues, please contact us immediately."


    "Ah, I remember now, this Ms. Li once beat a cat to death, it looked a bit like this one..."


    Zhang and Fang Rui exchanged a nce. This Ms. Li had a history of animal cruelty?


    Fang Rui and Zhang grabbed a quick bite for dinner and then went to investigate around the park.


    It was unseasonably cold for spring, and the park was nearly empty at night. They asked several people, but no one had seen this cat or encountered any of the people who feed the strays. They decided they would have toe back another day to continue their investigation.

 Chapter 6: The Cat Embryo Case: He Wanted the Deceased to Give Birth to a Live Cat

    <h4>Chapter 6</h4>


    Mu Mian and another girl, Chen Xue, were temporarily assigned as assistants to Forensic Doctor Qin to familiarize themselves with the work procedures.


    Chen Xue had a sweet appearance and was very enthusiastic. She had graduated from the local medical university and had interned at the City Police Bureau earlier in the year, so everyone in the forensics department knew her. All morning, she kept talking to Forensic Doctor Qin and even bought coffee for all her colleagues in the forensics department.


    Chen Xue was a very popr girl.


    Mu Mian felt somewhat irritated. ording to social guidelines, Chen Xue''s behavior was normal and could help build rtionships with other colleagues. However, Mu Mian couldn''t interact with others as enthusiastically as Chen Xue did. She could only offer a polite smile to everyone she encountered.


    However, the responses she received were strange looks.


    Mu Mian had seen too many such looks before. She could only conclude that it was some kind of social behavior signal from "normal humans" that she couldn''t understand yet.


    "Mian Mian, have you heard? One of us will be transferred to the Special Crime Unit," Chen Xue said.


    Mu Mian shook her head, "I haven''t heard. Is it important?" Mu Mian didn''t mind where she was assigned as long as she could keep her job.


    "Did youe here in Captain Fang''s car this morning?" Chen Xue pretended to be making casual conversation, but her expression was somewhat tense. "Did you know Captain Fang before? You two seemed quite familiar."


    "He gave me a ride since we were going the same way. I didn''t know him before, and we''re not very close," Mu Mian thought for a moment and added, "He doesn''t seem to like me. He''s never smiled at me."


    "I see..."


    Chen Xue breathed a sigh of relief and was about to continue probing when Forensic Doctor Qin interrupted their chat.


    "Little Mu, you were the one who reported the case in Ziweili, right? Come with me to the case analysis meetingter."


    Mu Mian happily replied, "Okay."


    "Forensic Doctor Qin, may I apply toe along too?" Chen Xue asked. "I''d like to learn as well."


    "Alright, Little Xue cane too."


    On the way to the conference room, Chen Xue continued chatting with Mu Mian: "Mian Mian, were you the one who reported that case about the pregnant woman being tortured with a cat? You werete for the wee ceremony yesterday, was it because of the case?"


    "Yes, the deceased was my neighbor. I was the first to discover her body."


    "What a coincidence." Chen Xue looked at Mu Mian with aplex expression.


    Originally, Chen Xue''s position at the City Police Bureau was assured, but Mu Mian was a variable. Mu Mian''s resume was impressive. She had heard internal news that the City Police Bureau only needed one forensic doctor, and the other two would be sent to various local branches after training at the City Police Bureau.


    Mu Mian couldn''t quite read Chen Xue''s expression. It might have been sadness, or perhaps envy.


    Mu Mian could onlyfort her: "Chen Xue, you don''t need to envy me for encountering such a special corpse. It''s all about luck, and I''ve always been particrly lucky in this aspect."


    Chen Xue: "..." What normal person would consider encountering such a horrifying corpse as lucky?


    She suddenly felt that staying might not be so difficult after all.


    This Mu Mian didn''t seem very smart.


    At the case analysis meeting.


    The spacious conference room was full of people. Mu Mian sat in the back row with Forensic Doctor Qin and Chen Xue.


    By this time, the meeting had already begun.


    On the electronic screen was a photo of the deceased in life - she had a sexy figure and long, wine-red curly hair. Next to it was her autopsy photo.


    The deceased was named Li Yan, twenty-eight years old, unmarried, and lived alone.


    This case was originally being investigated by the Special Crime Unit led by Fang Rui, but considering the severity of the case and the urgency to solve it, it was transferred to the more experienced Major Crime Unit, with Fang Rui''s team assisting in the investigation.


    The head of the Major Crime Unit was Chen Dongyang. He briefly introduced the case: "Li Yan, a local, 28 years old this year, frencer, worked as a shopping guide in a mall half a year ago. She was unmarried but eight months pregnant. ording to the investigation, the father of the child is her former colleague - Zhu Minghui, the manager of a luxury goods store. At the time of the incident, he was at a drinking party and has an alibi."


    Forensic Doctor Qin distributed the autopsy report to everyone and began to report the autopsy findings:


    "A small amount of anesthetic was detected in the deceased''s body; there were several bruises on her elbows and wrists, likely caused by intense struggle. Four cuts were made on the abdomen, two of which were very shallow, test cuts. The killer opened the deceased''s abdomen, cut open the uterus, and removed the entire centa. Then he put a live kitten into the deceased''s uterus and sutured the belly."


    Forensic Doctor Qin pulled up an autopsy photo on the electronic screen: the deceased''s abdominal cavity was opened, and the internal organs were covered with w marks.


    "The incisions on the deceased''s body are very uneven. Judging from the size of the incisions, the murder weapon was likely a Swiss Army knife. The wound sutures are crooked, and there are two test cuts, which indirectly proves that the killer might not be skilled in dissection and probably isn''t a medical professional. We also found some stic film in the deceased''s abdominal cavity, on which we also detected traces of anesthetic."


    Forensic Doctor Qin said, "That''s all we found from the autopsy."


    Everyone took a deep breath.


    Someone spected, "This killer must have really hated the victim. Could the killer be Zhu Minghui''s wife?"


    "We''ve already ruled out her suspicion. On the night of the incident, her son was hospitalized, and she stayed in the hospital all night. She had no time tomit the crime."


    Zhang couldn''t help but brainstorm, "Have you guys seen ''The Legend of Zhen Huan''? There''s a cat torture in it, right? They put people in a bag full of live cats and let them be wed to death. Ah, could the killer have gotten inspiration from this TV series?"


    Li rolled his eyes at him, "You might as well say the inspiration came from the story of ''The Racoon for the Prince''."


    "Oh right, the killer took away the victim''s fetus. Could they really be reenacting ''The Racoon for the Prince''? But in the TV series, they switched babies to fight for the throne. What''s the killer''s purpose?"


    "An 8-month-old fetus, if delivered through surgery, could it survive? Could the killer''s purpose really be to switch the victim''s child?"


    Everyone was discussing animatedly, and the conference room suddenly became noisy.


    The air was densely packed with different voices. Mu Mian felt irritated and wanted to cover her ears to block out their voices.


    But she was worried that others would notice her abnormality, so she could only lower her head and draw in her notebook, trying to shift her attention elsewhere.


    However, the noise became even more amplified.


    "The killer designed a surgery. He wanted the deceased to give birth to a cat," Mu Mian suddenly stood up and said with certainty, "A living cat."


    The previously noisy conference room instantly fell into dead silence.

 Chapter 7: The Cat Embryo Case: Flaws in Your Reasoning

    <h4>Chapter 7</h4>


    After a moment of silence, everyone turned to look at Mu Mian.


    Feeling the weight of their gazes, Mu Mian''s scalp tingled. She wanted to flee from the room.


    Fang Rui came to her rescue: "Dr. Mu, why do you think that?"


    Fang Rui''s voice seemed to have a magical quality, making Mu Mian feel less agitated.


    "Theoretically, it''s possible," Mu Mian said, not directly answering his question. "If you create an artificial centa, add enough oxygen, ce an anesthetized cat inside, rece the deceased''s centa with it, then inject the pregnant woman with sufficient oxytocin while maintaining the deceased''s strength, she could give birth to the cat."


    Mu Mian held up a drawing to cover her face. "Like this. In fact, this is what he attempted, but his design was too crude, and he failed. So he''s likely to try again until he seeds."


    Mu Mian''s drawing was simple yet impactful¡ªit depicted a pregnant woman with her abdomen cut open, inside whichy a small cat wrapped in a spherical object. The image was both harmonious and eerie.


    Forensic Doctor Qin interrupted, "But the toxicology report didn''t find any traces of oxytocin in the deceased."


    "That''s why he failed!"


    The conference room fell into a brief silence.


    Mu Mian''s theory was too absurd,pletely unfounded. How could there be a killer who wanted someone to give birth to a cat? It made no sense.


    Unless the killer was a psychopath!


    Everyone couldn''t help but look at Mu Mian, wondering if this was the killer''s idea or Mu Mian''s.


    "Captain Chen, Mu Mian is a suspect in this case. Why is she allowed to participate in our case analysis meeting?" one of the police officers suddenly said. "Many residents in the apartmentplex reported that Mu Mian behaved strangely and had arguments with the deceased. She''s also a forensic expert skilled in dissection. She''s currently one of the suspects."


    Forensic Doctor Qin looked a bit displeased. "She''s the one who reported the case, and there''s no evidence proving she''s the killer."


    "But there''s no evidence proving her innocence either. ording to procedure, she shouldn''t be involved in this case, right?"


    Fang Rui interrupted, "I can prove that Mu Mian is not the killer!"


    "Detective Fang, all the current evidence points to Mu Mian as the prime suspect. How can you prove she''s not the killer?"


    "This is Mu Mian''s blood test report," Fang Rui transferred a document to the conference roomputer and opened it. "The sample was taken yesterday at 9:35 AM. The report shows arge amount of sleeping pillponents in her blood."


    Zhang suddenly understood why Fang Rui had insisted on Mu Mian getting a medical examination yesterday. It was for this test.


    "And this proves she''s not the killer?"


    Fang Rui exined, "Based on the metabolism of the sleeping pills in her system, we can deduce that during the time of the murder, she was in a state of deep unconsciousness. She had no ability tomit the crime."


    "Ah, no wonder she looked so drowsy that day. The drug effects hadn''t worn off!" Zhang chimed in. "I can testify that when we arrived at the crime scene yesterday, she looked like she hadn''t fully woken up."


    Zhang felt that Mu Mian''s previous strange behavior now had a reasonable exnation: her stiff behavior and speech were due to autism; her overallck of energy was because she had taken sleeping pills the night before.


    Zhang wondered, "Could the killer have drugged her? If so, the killer must know Mu Mian quite well."


    "No, this dosage far exceeds the normal amount. And she''s a forensic expert, she wouldn''t have failed to notice this condition," Forensic Doctor Qin frowned. "Little Mu, you''re so young, how could you..."


    For a normal person, this dosage would be close to lethal, yet Mu Mian was fine. It''s very likely that she had been taking this medication long-term and had developed a strong tolerance.


    Mu Mian lowered her head, staring at the wood grain on the table,pletely zoned out, as if the topic they were discussing had nothing to do with her.


    The social guide said that when faced with questions you can''t answer, it''s appropriate to lie a little. But she hadn''t learned how to lie yet, so she could only remain silent.


    "You probably couldn''t sleep due to nervousness about your new job, so you took sleeping pills to help you sleep," Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian, helpfully exining on her behalf. "It''s normal for people to experience this, isn''t it?"


    Mu Mian finally snapped back to reality. She looked at Fang Rui in surprise and nodded, "Yes. Most people feel nervous and have trouble sleeping when entering a new environment."


    The person who had questioned Mu Mian fell silent. Mu Mian''s suspicion was temporarily cleared.


    But because of his interruption, everyone chose to selectively ignore Mu Mian''s earlier spection and returned to the motive of revenge killing.


    Captain Chen believed that the killer had used such a novel method to conceal their true motive for murder, thereby misleading the police investigation.


    So he summarized, "We''ll approach this from the following angles: First, investigate the deceased''s social rtionships. Second, search the garbage bins near the apartmentplex to find the infant''s body that the killer took away. Third, review all surveince footage from theplex during the time of the incident to see if we can identify any suspicious individuals. Let''s implement these steps immediately."


    After the meeting ended, Mu Mian caught up with Fang Rui as he was about to leave. He was walking with Lin Sen, and the two seemed to be discussing something.


    Mu Mian remembered Chen Xue mentioning that this Lin Sen was a criminal psychology expert who could even read minds, and was extremely capable. Many of the cases Fang Rui had handled were solved with Lin Sen''s assistance.


    Mu Mian nced at Lin Sen, using her eyes to hint that he should leave, but Lin Sen thought she was greeting him and obliviously stood there, even returning a smile.


    Mu Mian decided to be more direct: "Consultant Lin, can you read minds?"


    Hearing Mu Mian''s words, Lin Sen looked bewildered, "You... are you asking me?"


    Seeing that he still hadn''t left, Mu Mian was disappointed: "Well, you can''t." Otherwise, he should have been able to hear her thoughts and obediently walk away.


    Lin Sen''s mouth twitched. Although Mu Mian''s expression showed no malice, he still felt that she was tantly mocking him.


    Who said that psychology experts must be able to read minds!


    However, Lin Sen could see that Mu Mian seemed to want to speak to Fang Rui alone, but having just been mocked by her, he stubbornly refused to leave.


    Seeing this, Mu Mian could only try to ignore his presence and said to Fang Rui, "Detective Fang, your evidence earlier doesn''tpletely prove my innocence."


    Fang Rui responded with little interest, "It doesn''t matter, as long as they believe it."


    Mu Mian continued to exin, "You overlooked one factor: drug tolerance."


    "Even if I took arge amount of sleeping pills, I might still have been capable of action because I''ve developed a strong tolerance to that medication. If I really wanted to kill my annoying neighbor, I probably could have seeded. But I wouldn''t choose this method. Because Ick imagination, I couldn''te up with such a creative way of killing."


    Fang Rui countered, "So what? Are you trying to prove to me that youck imagination?"


    Mu Mian looked at him sincerely, "I just wanted to point out that your earlier reasoning has a significant w."


    "Are you the killer?" Fang Rui''s blood pressure shot up, as he struggled to resist the urge to pick Mu Mian up and throw her out.


    Why had he done all this if not to quickly clear her of suspicion?


    He had kindly helped her out of a difficult situation, and she had the audacity to criticize his reasoning for not being rigorous enough!


    Mu Mian shook her head, "Of course not!"


    "Then you should say thank you to me."


    "Alright. Thank you." After expressing her gratitude, Mu Mian looked hesitantly at Lin Sen again, and seeing that he still had no intention of leaving, she regretfully departed.


    "I didn''t expect you to have so much patience with this Dr. Mu," Lin Sen teased. "It seems you''re nning to have her join the Special Crime Unit."


    "We''ll see," Fang Rui changed the subject. "I think Mu Mian''s analysis makes some sense. Could the killer really have wanted the pregnant woman to give birth to a live cat? I previously investigated and found that the deceased had a history of cat abuse. She had killed a cat. Is the killer trying to make the deceased''s child pay for that cat''s life? If so, the killer might believe in the concept of karmic retribution."


    Lin Sen countered, "But his actions are also a form of cruelty to cats. If the killer''s intention was to punish those who abuse cats, why would he resort to such a cruel method towards cats himself?"


    Fang Rui pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Logically, this type of home invasion murder should be easy to solve. I never expected the killer to be so well-hidden."


    "I suspect we''re dealing with a serial killer," Lin Sen''s expression turned serious. "This type of criminal generally selects targets based on their own criminal fantasies, which introduces a certain element of randomness. That''s why it''s so difficult for us to catch them using conventional investigative methods."


    Lin Sen paused for a moment before continuing, "With only one victim so far, I can''t create a criminal profile yet."

 Chapter 8: The Cat Embryo Case: Has the Real Culprit Been Captured

    <h4>Chapter 8</h4>


    Fang Rui and Zhang arrived at the edge of the square early in the morning.


    There were quite a few elderly people doing their morning exercises, creating a bustling and lively atmosphere. However, Fang Rui immediately spotted Mu Mian among the crowd.


    She was still wearing a thick scarf, her entire body huddled within it, staring nkly at the trees in the flower bed.


    Zhang followed Fang Rui''s gaze and also saw Mu Mian.


    "Dr. Mu, what are you doing standing here? Morning exercises?" Zhang was a bit surprised, as Mu Mian didn''t seem like someone who enjoyed physical activity.


    "I''m waiting for a car."


    "They don''t allow parking here. How could you possibly be waiting for a car here? You should be standing by the roadside to wait."


    Mu Mian nced at Fang Rui, then averted her gaze. "I''ve found it now."


    Zhang felt puzzled, "Where''s the car? I don''t see any."


    "You can wait for us in the car," Fang Rui handed Mu Mian the keys, "Zhang and I still have a task toplete."


    Zhang suddenly understood. So Mu Mian wanted to hitch a ride with them. But how did she know they would being here this morning? No, wait, how did the boss know she was waiting for them?


    Zhang felt like he was being left out!


    Mu Mian didn''t take the keys. "I''ll go investigate with you. I''m very familiar with this area. When I first moved here, I would patrol the surroundings of the neighborhood every day. Although I''ve reduced it to once a week now, it shouldn''t affect anything."


    Zhang listened in astonishment. Was Mu Mian a former secret agent? Or had she offended someone? Why on earth would she need to patrol her living environment every day?


    Fang Rui had recently been studying up on autism, and he knew that many individuals with autism are very averse to unfamiliar environments. They need to familiarize themselves with their surroundings repeatedly to adapt. So he wasn''t surprised by Mu Mian''s behavior.


    "Do you know who might be knowledgeable about the stray cats around here?"


    "Her," Mu Mian pointed to a girl crouching at the edge of thewn, "ording to my statistics, she feeds the stray cats here most frequently."


    The girl was young, with sweet features, and several skinny kittens were clustered around her feet.


    "Hello, I''m Zhang Qiang from the City Police Bureau. We''d like your cooperation in our investigation," Zhang showed his badge. "Have you seen this cat before?" He showed the photo to the girl.


    The girl''s name was Bai Jing, a recent college graduate who worked as a social worker in the neighborhood. She first looked at Mu Mian with a slightly surprised expression, then took the photo. After examining it carefully for a moment, she said, "Yes, I know this cat. I used to feed it."


    Bai Jing pointed at the photo, "Look at its ear, there''s a small piece missing. I used to feed it sausages often. But I haven''t seen it muchtely."


    "How long has it been since youst saw it?"


    "About four or five days."


    "Are there many people who feed cats around here?"


    "Quite a few. There''s a university town nearby, and many studentse here to feed cats. Many people in our neighborhood asionally feed them too."


    "Do you all know each other?"


    "Most of the regr cat feeders know each other. We have a group chat with many cat-loving friends like me."


    "Can you add us to this group?"


    "Sure." Bai Jing opened her phone and added Fang Rui and Zhang to the group. "This group is mainly for discussing cat care tips, nothing special."


    "Among the people who feed cats with you, has anyone been behaving unusuallytely?"


    "I don''t think so. We only chat briefly when feeding cats, so we don''t really know each other that well. Oh, I just remembered, there''s someone in our neighborhood whoes to feed cats every morning, and he uses really expensive cat food. That''s why I remember him so clearly. I think his name is Zhu..."


    Bai Jing seemed to have trouble recalling, but she quickly called out to a passing delivery man, "Chen Hui,e here for a second."


    The delivery man named Chen Hui stopped his scooter. He was tall, slightly chubby, with fair skin, wearing a pair of stiff ck-framed sses, but had a smile on his face.


    "Bai Jing, what''s up?"


    "That guy who used to feed cats with us, the one who liked to feed imported cat food, what''s his name? The one surnamed Zhu, who always wore blue shirts?"


    "Zhu Yaming," Chen Hui immediately said the man''s name.


    Zhang quickly jotted down the name.


    Fang Rui then asked if they knew Li Yan.


    Upon hearing this name, both Bai Jing and Chen Hui showed expressions of disgust. Bai Jing angrily said, "She''s a crazy woman, always losing her mind and causing trouble for anyone she encounters!"


    She pointed to a nearby bush, "Right there, she almost kicked a stray cat to death, just because the cat rubbed against her. Such an evil woman, she''ll surely get hereuppance."


    "What happened to the little cat?"


    "A kind person took it to the vet and got it treated, and then adopted it. Oh, I think that person was Zhu Yaming."


    Fang Rui asked, "Do many people know about this incident?"


    "Quite a few. It happened on a weekend, and many people saw her abusing the cat. Someone even uploaded a video of it online."


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation." After finishing the questions, Fang Rui was about to leave when he noticed Mu Mian staring intently at the delivery man, Chen Hui.


    Chen Hui also felt Mu Mian''s gaze and scratched his head awkwardly, "Miss Mu, there''s still no international package from your sister today. If there is one, I''ll contact you immediately."


    Mu Mian''s expression became a bit dejected, "She used to send me the medical journal I needed on time. She wouldn''t forget."


    Zhang said, "Why don''t you give your sister a call and ask?"


    Mu Mian lowered her head and remained silent.


    Chen Hui helped exin, "Miss Mu had a falling out with her sister, so she refuses to contact her sister proactively."


    Fang Rui was a bit surprised; this delivery man named Chen Hui seemed to know quite a bit about Mu Mian.


    Once they got in the car, Fang Rui indulged in some rare gossip: "Are you close with that Chen Hui?"


    "Not really. He''s a good person because he was the first one to respond to my smile after I moved here."


    "Is he your friend?"


    "No, I don''t have friends," Mu Mian was still in low spirits, "I''m very troublesome, no one wants to be my friend."


    Her sister was her therapist, one of the few people who could ept her unconditionally, but now it seemed even her sister had abandoned her.


    Mu Mian felt a bit defeated and somewhat regretted arguing with her sister.


    Back at the bureau, Fang Rui immediately asked Zhang and his team to investigate Zhu Yaming.


    In less than half a day, Zhang had uncovered Zhu Yaming''s situation: "Boss, this Zhu Yaming works at a foreign tradepany. His financial situation used to be quite good, but he lost a lot of money in the stock market in recent years. His wife divorced him, and he had to sell his house, so he had to move back in with his parents. He''s known to be petty, and his reputation in the neighborhood isn''t great, but he hasn''t done anything particrly bad or has any criminal record. His neighbors mentioned that he seems to havee into some money recently and has be quitevish."


    Zhang paused, then continued, "Oh, and he''s also a pet blogger. He was the one who uploaded the video of Li Yan abusing the cat online, which made him briefly famous."


    "Let''s go talk to him," Fang Rui said.


    Fang Rui and Zhang arrived at Zhu Yaming''s home. When his parents saw the police at their door, they immediately became nervous. Zhu''s father asked in a low voice, "Officers, are you here because our Xiao Ming has done something illegal?"


    Zhang reassured them, "Uncle, Auntie, don''t be nervous. We''re just here to gather some information. Please just answer our questions truthfully."


    "I... we''ll certainly cooperate fully. Please, have a seat," Zhu''s father exchanged a nce with his wife, then said urgently, "You old woman, why aren''t you making tea? Quick, go to Yaming''s room and bring out that imported red tea he brought back to serve the officers."


    Zhang quickly waved his hand, "Uncle, there''s no need to be so formal. We don''t need tea. We just want to ask Zhu Yaming a few questions. At this time, he should be getting off work soon, right?"


    Zhu''s mother stood frozen, unsure whether to go or stay, looking extremely awkward.


    Seeing this, Zhu''s father started berating her, "You useless old woman, you can''t even make tea properly! You stay here and entertain the officers, I''ll go find the tea! Useless old thing!" With that, he strode into the room on the left.


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged nces, both noticing that the behavior of the elderly couple seemed rather peculiar.


    Fang Rui smiled and, pretending to make a casual joke, said, "I''ve only heard that foreign coffee tastes good. I wonder if foreign tea might also be better than what we have here?"


    The mother, who was arranging a fruit tter, suddenly changed her expression upon hearing this and dropped the te she was holding onto the floor.


    Sensing that something was amiss, Fang Rui and Zhang immediately rushed into the room, only to find the father pouring water over aptop.


    As a bottle of mineral water was emptied onto it, theptop was effectively ruined.


    At that moment, the mother outside the room suddenly shouted, "Yaming, run! There are police in the house!"


    Fang Rui and Zhang immediately gave chase, quickly apprehending a middle-aged man at the stairwell. He was wearing a shirt and sses, looking rather schrly and refined.

 Chapter 9: The Cat Pregnancy Case: A New Victim

    <h4>Chapter 9</h4>


    "Let me go! I haven''t done anything wrong, why are you arresting me?" Zhu Yaming struggled, twisting his body.


    "If you haven''t done anything wrong, why were you running? Come on, let''s have a chat back at the station," Fang Rui said as he handcuffed him. He noticed several scratch marks on the back of Zhu''s hands. Though they had scabbed over, they were clearly made by ws.


    Zhang followed Fang Rui''s gaze and also spotted the scratches. He eximed, "Boss, look! There are cat w marks on his hands. He might be the culprit!"


    "Officer, that''s nder! These scars are from when my girlfriend scratched me during a fight, not from a cat," Zhu Yaming immediately retorted, but a flicker of panic shed in his eyes.


    Fang Rui, not interested in his excuses, patted Zhu''s shoulder. "No worries, I''ll have the forensic team examine itter to determine the true origin of these wounds."


    Zhu Yaming''s face instantly turned pale.


    In the interrogation room, Zhu Yaming hunched in his chair, his forehead beaded with sweat, though he struggled to maintain aposed expression.


    Fang Rui slid the test results across the table to him. "The forensic report is in. The expert says the scratches on your hands were indeed made by a cat, and they''re recent. Care to exin?"


    "Officer, I''m sorry. I lied. The scratches are from a cat. I was feeding some strays when one of them scratched me. You were so intimidating earlier, I thought I might be involved in some major case, so I panicked and lied."


    "Oh, so you lied because you were nervous? I wonder if your nervousness made you conceal anything else?"


    "No, I really haven''t done anything illegal."


    "Nothing illegal? Well, maybe you''ll start telling the truth once our Technical Department recovers the data from yourputer hard drive."


    "I..."


    Fang Rui tapped the table, his tone growing impatient. "Forget it. I won''t waste time interrogating you. Once we''ve gathered all the evidence, you can exin yourself to the judge!"


    "I''ll talk. I''ll tell you everything. Animal cruelty isn''t illegal, right? It''s my own cat, my private property. I can treat it however I want, can''t I?"


    Fang Rui raised an eyebrow. "You''re just admitting to animal cruelty?"


    "I also recorded videos of it."


    Fang Rui''s gaze urged him to continue.


    "And I uploaded the videos to foreign websites. I made quite a bit of money from it."


    The Technical Department quickly recovered the data from Zhu Yaming''sputer. Fang Rui watched a short clip. In the video, a faceless man viciously stabbed a kitten''s head with a high heel''s stiletto. Within moments, the kitten was beaten to a bloody pulp. This wasn''t just animal cruelty; it was utterly depraved!


    Although they hadn''t caught the real killer, they had uncovered a sadistic animal abuser. Fang Rui felt it wasn''t aplete waste of effort.


    After working for over ten days straight, Mu Mian gradually adapted to her new job.


    The investigation into the case had made no progress. The police hadn''t found the fetus taken by the killer, nor could they identify any suspects based on the avable clues.


    The case had reached a deadlock.


    Mu Mian left her apartmentplex as usual but noticed arge crowd gathered near the nearby square.


    "My God, that woman secretly gave birth to a cat in the bathroom! It was this big," someone said, gesturing with their hands. "It''s terrifying!"


    "Don''t be ridiculous. How could a person give birth to a cat? You can''t just make up stories like that."


    "Uncle Chen saw it with his own eyes. The woman died fromplications while giving birth to that cat. There are even photos!"


    "Stop spreading rumors! You''ll get arrested for that. The killer murdered the pregnant woman and then dumped a dead cat on her body!"


    Mu Mian overheard their whispered conversations and suddenly had an ominous feeling.


    "Excuse me, could you let me through?" Mu Mian called out to the crowd, but no one paid her any attention, remaining tightly packed. Mu Mian grew anxious. She disliked touching others, so she couldn''t push her way through the dense crowd.


    "Mu Mian, why are you standing there in a daze?" Fang Rui spotted Mu Mian from a distance and called out to her.


    "Is there another victim?"


    "See for yourself." Fang Rui cleared a path through the onlookers and led Mu Mian to the crime scene¡ªan abandoned public toilet.


    Yellow police tape cordoned off the toilet entrance, with officers already maintaining order and keeping the crowd at bay.


    The toilet had been abandoned for a long time. It was dimly lit, and the air was thick with an unpleasant odor. Mu Mian entered and saw the victim wearing a loose maternity dress, but her belly was deted like a popped balloon. The victim''s face was pale, her hands bound behind her back.


    An IV line was inserted into the back of her left hand, connected to an empty drip bottle. It seemed the killer had attempted to maintain the victim''s vital signs through an intravenous drip.


    "Forensic Mu,e take a look at this," Zhang greeted Mu Mian. "The victim is another pregnant woman, and she, she..."


    Forensic Doctor Qin and his team hadn''t arrived yet, so no autopsy had been performed on the victim.


    Mu Mian put on the gloves Zhang handed her. She gently lifted the victim''s nightgown, nced briefly, then carefully rearranged the woman''s clothes before quietly finishing Zhang''s sentence: "She seems to have actually given birth to a cat."


    Between the victim''s legs was a small red ball, quietly curled up there. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly a blood-covered kitten.


    The kitten was no longer breathing.


    "The killer has refined his method this time," Mu Mian said, looking at Fang Rui, "but he still failed."


    Failure meant he was likely to try again.


    In less than an hour, the case had gone viral online.


    The first witness to discover the body had taken photos and videos of the deceased and posted them on social media. As the victim had been a minor inte celebrity with a considerable following, these images and videos spread rapidly online and became a hot topic.


    Details of Li Yan''s previous case had also been leaked. With such brutal and bizarre cases urring one after another in the same neighborhood, panic had set in among the residents.


    Meanwhile, some inte users who enjoyed stirring up trouble had given the killer a nickname: the Cat Fetus Man.


    The fermentation of public opinion brought this case under intense scrutiny.

 Chapter 10: Case of the Catkin: New Clues

    <h4>Chapter 10</h4>


    In the autopsy room.


    Forensic Doctor Qin had already ced the body on the autopsy table and was about to begin examining its external features when he felt a burning gaze upon him.


    He turned his head to see Mu Mian looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes.


    He suddenly paused and said to Mu Mian, "Little Mu, why don''t you examine this body? Xiao Xue, you''ll be her assistant and help her out."


    Chen Xue, who was also interning there, had a slight change in expression but replied, "Alright."


    Mu Mian first examined the external features of the body. The deceased had quite a few abrasions, which Mu Mian photographed and documented in order, measuring the length of each wound with a ruler.


    At first, Forensic Doctor Qin was impressed by how meticulous and serious Mu Mian was despite her young age. However, when Mu Mian spent half an hour just examining the superficial external wounds, he began to think she was being overly thorough.


    "Little Mu, the purpose of our autopsy is to determine the cause of death. There''s no need to record those minor wounds in such detail."


    "But every wound could be rted to the cause of death," Mu Mian replied earnestly. "If we don''t examine each one, we might overlook important details."


    Forensic Doctor Qin found himself unable to argue with Mu Mian, especially when faced with her serious, intense gaze.


    But how could that frostbite scar on the deceased''s leg possibly be rted to the cause of death? Was it really necessary to record its size so meticulously?


    When it came time for the actual dissection, Mu Mian''s speed increased. She skillfully opened the deceased''s abdominal cavity, which had quite a few scratch marks inside, but it wasn''t as bloody and mangled as the previous victim.


    Mu Mian examined the deceased''s internal organs and took samples.


    Now all that remained was to wait for the toxicology report.


    However, Mu Mian and Forensic Doctor Qin were already able to determine that this victim''s cause of death was likely the same as the first victim''s.


    After finishing the autopsy on the second victim, Mu Mian asked, "Dr. Qin, can I also examine Cat No. 2?"


    "Cat No. 2? Oh, you mean the cat found at the crime scene today. There''s no need to waste time dissecting it, right? We already know the cat''s cause of death was asphyxiation, probably due to its head beingpressed during a difficult birth."


    Mu Mian persisted, "I promise I''ll finish quickly."


    Forensic Doctor Qin thought it was a good thing that young people were willing to do extra work, so he said, "Alright then, carry on. I''ll go write up the report first."


    Seeing that Forensic Doctor Qin had left, Chen Xue tactfully asked Mu Mian if there was anything else she needed help with.


    Mu Mian shook her head, so Chen Xue left as well.


    Before leaving, she saw Mu Mian enthusiastically dissecting the small cat, her eyes full of light, aplete change from her usual lethargic state.


    What a strange person, Chen Xue thought, shaking her head. Although Mu Mian''s dissection skills were very proficient and her work meticulous, she was better suited for research than forensics. Mu Mian was too fixated on unnecessary details.


    When Mu Mian finished the dissection, restored the cat''s body, and stitched it back up, she suddenly realized how hungry she was. She nced at the clock on the wall: it was already past 1 PM.


    She hurried to the cafeteria to eat, but unsurprisingly, the cafeteria staff had already cleared away the food.


    Mu Mian was at a loss. She was very hungry and needed to eat, but her social guidebook didn''t tell her how to handle this situation.


    "Dr. Mu, why are you still here after lunch?"


    Mu Mian saw Zhang and Fang Rui approaching. Zhang greeted her.


    Fang Rui nced at her and then looked away in disgust. He just couldn''t understand why Mu Mian was always spacing out.


    Mu Mian didn''t respond. Not having eaten on time made her anxious, and she didn''t have the energy for social interaction at the moment.


    Zhang walked up to the cafeteria window. Before he could speak, the auntie who was cleaning inside handed him several lunch boxes, a warm smile on her face.


    "Xiao Zhang, it''s a good thing you messaged me on WeChat to save some food for you. Otherwise, you would''ve missed out on today''s braised pork."


    "That''s right, good thing I was quick-thinking. Otherwise, I''d be stuck with takeout for lunch today."


    "That youngdy over there doesn''t seem to have eaten either. You and Captain Fang probably can''t finish all this food. Why don''t you share some with her?"


    Zhang had a sudden realization and turned to Mu Mian, "Dr. Mu, so you haven''t eaten yet? Come on, let''s eat together. We can discuss the case while we''re at it."


    Mu Mian wanted to refuse because, apart from her family, she had never eaten with anyone else. But her growling stomach made the decision for her.


    "Dr. Mu, you don''t have any dietary restrictions, do you?"


    Zhang opened the lunch boxes one by one, intending to share some of the delicious braised pork with Mu Mian as a friendly gesture towards his new colleague.


    "I''m not picky about food," Mu Mian said. She pointed at the dishes in the lunch boxes, "I just don''t eat this kind of sticky, fatty meat, or carrots cut into cubes, or cooked cucumbers."


    Zhang''s expression turned awkward. "Oh... well, then there''s nothing here you can eat."


    What a troublesome person! Fang Rui didn''t bother to humor her. He scooped a bowl of white rice, poured some braised pork sauce over it, and handed it to Mu Mian. "Here, eat this!"


    Mu Mian didn''t say anything. She took the bowl and started eating silently.


    Zhang was bewildered. So Mu Mian only likes to eat in rice?


    Halfway through the meal, Zhang couldn''t keep quiet any longer. "Dr. Mu, did you find anything during the autopsy?"


    Mu Mian put down her chopsticks and said seriously, "This killer is likely a doctor with clinical experience, or at least used to be one. And he really likes cats."


    Zhang eximed, "How do you know he''s a doctor?"


    "How can you prove he likes cats?" Fang Rui had also suspected the killer might be a doctor. Although the killer''s dissection skills were terrible, the fact that he could stuff a cat into the victim''s uterus proved he had at least some medical knowledge. So he was more interested in Mu Mian''s second conclusion.


    "Do you want to know the answer?" Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui, excitement in her eyes. "If you agree to do one thing for me, I''ll share it with you right now."


    "I''m not going to donate my body to you!"


    The light in Mu Mian''s eyes instantly went out, and the rice in her bowl no longer seemed appetizing.


    She took out her phone and showed Fang Rui some photos. "Is this enough proof?"

 Chapter 11: Case of Cat Embryo People: Devotees Obsessed with Mother’s Womb

    <h4>Chapter 11</h4>


    The case received high-level attention, and the bureau established the 317 special task force, now led by Fang Rui as the team leader, with the mandate to apprehend the killer within seven days.


    Fang Rui''s pressure suddenly increased.


    As the meeting began, Fang Rui briefly introduced the victim''s situation.


    Since the victim was an inte celebrity, various information had already been exposed byizens.


    The police quickly investigated and identified the victim as Lu Yaoyao, who was once a streamer in the dance section of a certain tform. A few months ago, she was exposed for being a mistress and frantically insulting and doxxingizens. Combined with her pregnancy preventing her from livestreaming dance performances, her career took a major hit, and she hadn''t been streaming much for a long time, causing her poprity to plummet.


    Fang Rui pointed to the information of the two victims on the screen and summarized:


    "The two victims have very obviousmonalities: both were mistresses; both were pregnant women around eight months along, and they were carrying illegitimate children. This should be the killer''s criteria for selecting victims.


    From the current investigation, there is no ovep in the social circles of the two victims, and they did not know each other previously.


    Although the body of the second victim, Lu Yaoyao, appeared in the Ziweili Residential Area, she usually resided in the Lijing Residential Complex in the city center, more than 20 kilometers away from the crime scene."


    Forensic Doctor Qin also reported on the autopsy findings:


    "The modus operandi in the second case is almost identical to the previous one, with the cause of death still being hypovolemic shock."


    Forensic Doctor Qin continued: "However, the killer seems to have learned from the first experience. He used hemostatic drugs to reduce the victim''s blood loss. At the same time, we detected an abnormally high concentration of oxytocin in her body, suggesting she was likely injected with arge amount of oxytocin before death."


    "The test results for the liquid in the IV bag havee back. It''s a regr glucose solution, probably used to maintain the victim''s strength."


    After hearing this, the others turned to look at Mu Mian. Could it really be as Mu Mian had said, that the killer intended to have the victim give birth to a live cat?


    Feeling the gaze of everyone, Mu Mian thought it was her turn to speak. She stood up and said seriously, "The killer is likely a doctor with clinical experience, or at least used to be one."


    Forensic Doctor Qin immediately refuted, "That''s unlikely! The incisions on the victim''s body are crooked and uneven, with several tentative cuts. The suturing technique is also very crude. This doesn''t seem like the work of someone with a medical background."


    Mu Mian inserted her USB drive into the device, and two photos of the abdominal wounds on the corpses appeared on the screen.


    "The curved shapes of these two incisions are almost identical, and both victims have three tentative cuts on their abdomens."


    "What does that prove?" someone questioned.


    Forensic Doctor Qin quickly understood Mu Mian''s point. "Tentative cuts ur when the killer is nervous or unable to urately locate the incision point. For them to be so consistent in both cases, along with the consistent angle of the crooked incisions, suggests that the killer isn''t incapable of dissection, but is deliberately disguising their skill."


    Seeing that she had convinced everyone, Mu Mian brought up several images of the kitten''s corpse, showing its body, paws, and a cut-open stomach.


    Pointing to the stomach photo, Mu Mian said, "I analyzed the food in the stomach of kitten number 2. It consists of granr cat food and some kind of minced meat, which I suspect is canned cat food."


    She then pointed to the cat''s paw, "The ws of kitten number 2 have been carefully and evenly trimmed. Despite being a stray cat, it has no parasites, and I detected deworming medication in its fur, suggesting it had been recently dewormed. In conclusion, this cat received very good treatment before its death."


    "How does this help us solve the case?" someone questioned.


    "This proves that the killer is very knowledgeable about cats and may have experience in raising them."


    Everyone fell silent. This made the killer''s motive seem even more bizarre. The killer likes cats, yet stuffs them into the victims'' bellies. The purpose became iprehensible.


    Even if it was as Mu Mian had previously suggested, that the killer wanted the victim to give birth to a live cat, what would be the significance of doing so? Cats are already alive, so why make them be born again?


    Mu Mian didn''t look at everyone''s reactions. After finishing her report, she returned to her seat.


    She wasn''t interested in analyzing the killer''s motive, nor did she care much about whether the killer would be caught. She simply enjoyed uncovering the secrets hidden in the victims'' bodies.


    Fang Rui quickly found a direction:


    "Although the two victims'' social circles don''t ovep, they are both pregnant women, so their travel routes likely intersect. We should focus on investigating whether they visited the same obstetrics and gynecology hospitals, maternity stores, and other such ces.


    Wang, Li, check what brands the cat food and canned cat food are, and see if there''s any breakthrough there.


    The killer might be a doctor, so screen the major hospitals to see if any doctors have shown unusual behavior recently."


    While the police investigation was in full swing, discussions about the case were also intense online. Suddenly, thements of inte celebrity psychological consultant Professor Bai spread across thework.


    He gave the killer a nickname: the Cat Fetus Man, and used psychoanalytic theory to provide a detailed interpretation of the killer''s psychological motives¡ªthe killer has an Oedipusplex, using this cruel method of killing to attract his mother''s attention and to take revenge on the mother who abused him.


    Based on the victims'' personalities, he deduced that the killer has a mother with a vtile temper and extremely strong controlling tendencies. Therefore, the killer is likely physically weak, timid and introverted, with a history of animal abuse.


    Finally, Professor Bai contemptuously described the killer as a "pervert obsessed with the maternal womb."

 Chapter 12: Case of the Cat-Fetus People: Criminal Profile

    <h4>Chapter 12</h4>


    "A depraved person obsessed with the womb... I think this professor''s analysis makes some sense," Zhang said as he yed Professor Bai''s video during the morning meeting.


    "No matter how reasonable the analysis is, it''s useless if it doesn''t help us catch the killer!" an old policemanined. "It''s all just for show, trying to attract attention."


    Fang Rui felt irritated. The professor''sments were undoubtedly a provocation to the killer. This could potentially stimte the killer to strike again or take some action to retaliate against Professor Bai.


    "That''s true. I''ve heard this Professor Bai isn''t such a good person himself. He not only has a history of academic fraud," Zhang perked up at the chance to gossip, "but it''s said he''s had unclear rtionships with quite a few female students. He''s even going through a divorce because of his infidelity. What a person of poor character!"


    Fang Rui instructed, "Old Chen, take two people and keep a close watch on this Professor Bai for the next few days. Prevent any idents from happening to him."


    "Ah, these people just create more trouble for us!"


    Fang Rui turned to Lin Sen, "Consultant Lin, can you profile the killer now?"


    But Lin Sen looked towards Mu Mian instead: "Medical Examiner Mu, why do you think the killer designed a surgery to make those pregnant women give birth to a cat?"


    Mu Mian, who had been absentmindedly drawing, looked up at Lin Sen in confusion when she heard her name called.


    After a few seconds, she spoke softly, "To answer that question is very simple."


    Everyone in the meeting room turned their gaze towards Mu Mian.


    Only Fang Rui remained calm, sipping his water.


    "We just need to catch the killer, interrogate him harshly, and make him tell us the answer!"


    "..."


    Lin Sen handed Mu Mian two pieces of paper: "Medical Examiner Mu, could you please draw the crime scenes of the two murders for me?"


    Lin Sen had noticed that Mu Mian wasn''t particrly skilled at analyzing criminal psychology, but her thinking was pure, allowing her to objectively interpret the information left by the killer at the crime scenes.


    "Alright."


    Mu Mian had been forced to take various psychological tests since childhood, one of which was a drawing test, so her drawing skills were excellent and she could draw very quickly.


    Although her photorealistic style of drawing was a major obstacle for psychological experts trying to analyze her mind, it now vividly recreated the bloody crime scenes, even more impactful than photographs.


    "We may have been looking at this from the wrong angle before. We''ve been focusing on the victims and the cats, but what if we shift our perspective to the children..."


    Fang Rui asked, "You think the killer''s real targets are the children in the victims'' wombs?"


    Lin Sen continued his analysis, "From the children''s perspective, both victims were unfit mothers. They had unstable marriages, were easily angered, and had poor interpersonal rtionships. All of this suggests their children wouldn''t have had happy childhoods."


    Fang Rui pondered for a moment, "So, the killer likely had an unhappy childhood and is using his own mother as a temte to select targets?"


    "Yes. The killer probably imagines himself as a savior. He hopes those unhappy children can be born as cats instead. For some reason, he believes being a cat would be happier than being human."


    Zhang eximed, "How is that possible?"


    Lin Sen exined, "The killer''s desire to kill stems from an abnormal need system and a long-term, distorted fantasy that continues to develop. This kind of fantasy is difficult for normal people to understand or empathize with."


    "This killer belongs to a special category of serial killers that we generally call ''mercy angels.'' This type of killer usually murders victims with the purpose of saving them or releasing them from suffering. This type of serial killer is likely to be a medical professional."


    Lin Sen provided a psychological profile of the killer:


    "The killer is male, around 25-35 years old, has worked in the medical field, likely in obstetrics and gynecology, but has recently stopped working or resigned for some reason.


    He grew up in a single-parent family. His mother was the other woman in an affair, had a vtile temper, and may have frequently abused him, resulting in a very unhappy childhood. His family likely kept cats. His mother probably passed away within thest year, causing him to have a mental breakdown."


    Fang Rui quickly discovered that both victims had prenatal check-ups at the same hospital, but they had different attending physicians and their check-up times didn''t ovep, so there was no connection between them.


    Fang Rui and Zhang immediately went to investigate at Anqi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.


    The hospital was very cooperative, quickly producing the prenatal records of both victims and bringing in the two attending physicians to assist with the investigation.


    "Lu Yaoyao initially had her prenatal check-ups at the Provincial Hospital. Why did she suddenly switch to your hospital five months ago?" Fang Rui quickly spotted the discrepancy.


    Lu Yaoyao''s attending physicianughed awkwardly, "Maybe she felt our private hospital offered better service."


    "Please answer truthfully!"


    "Lu Yaoyao came to our hospital wanting an abortion. Our hospital is known for its expertise in this area. The surgery was even scheduled, but she changed her mindter. Perhaps she felt our hospital''s service was better, so she continued her prenatal care with us."


    "Did Li Yan also consider having an abortion?"


    "Yes! I remember her very clearly. She kept scheduling abortion procedures and then canceling them. This happened several times."


    "Why did they want abortions?"


    "How would we know?"


    "You''re doctors. Don''t you ask why they want to terminate their pregnancies?" Fang Rui stared at the two doctors. "Please answer honestly."


    "Well... it might be because they were carrying girls. They both wanted to have sons, but when they found out they were having daughters, they wanted to abort. Later, for some reason, they both changed their minds."


    The doctor, seeming to remember something, hastily added, "Our hospital didn''t disclose the gender of the fetuses. I don''t know how they found out."


    Fang Rui requested a list of all medical staff from the hospital, including those who had left in recent years.


    After verifying one by one, most of the people on the list had alibis. The small portion without alibis were still being investigated.


    "Boss, why do you think they suddenly decided not to abort? Could the killer''s mother have also favored boys over girls? Could the killer be a woman?" Zhang followed behind Fang Rui, chattering like a sparrow.


    Fang Rui interrupted Zhang''s rambling: "I suspect the killer persuaded them to change their minds, which means the killer is likely a medical professional from this hospital. We need to screen the people on the list again."

 Chapter 13: The Cat Embryo Human Case: Light in the Darkness

    <h4>Chapter 13</h4>


    Mu Mian noticed that Fang Rui had been very busytely, as she hadn''t seen him for several days, and even Zhang was nowhere to be found.


    The forensics department, however, was quite idle, so today she left work on time and then spent two hours trying to hail a cab that met her requirements.


    When she arrived at the residentialplex, Mu Mian saw a delivery van parked by the roadside. The courier, Chen Hui, was humming a cheerful tune while loading parcels into the delivery lockers.


    "Excuse me, do I have any international packages today?"


    "Miss Mu, I''m afraid not. There haven''t been any packages for you recently."


    "Are you sure there''s nothing?"


    "No, there isn''t. I wouldn''t lie to you. If there were any, I''d contact you right away."


    "Alright then."


    Mu Mian nced at him, then quickly averted her gaze.


    At that moment, the sound of an argument could be heard from nearby.


    "Bai Jing, are you the one spreading those rumors online? Are you trying to ruin my reputation? If my name is tarnished, do you think you''ll be better off as my daughter? Can''t you think straight?"


    A middle-aged man was gripping Bai Jing''s arm, emotionally using her.


    Mu Mian recognized the man; he was the inte-famous professor who had referred to the killer as a "cat fetus person."


    So he knew Bai Jing.


    "Bai Jing, I''m talking to you. What kind of attitude is this? My divorce from your mother is between her and me. Why are you getting involved? I''m warning you, you''d better behave yourself!"


    "I''ve told you, I didn''t do it! I have nothing to do with you now, so stop harassing me!"


    p! Professor Bai struck Bai Jing hard across the face. "Is this how you talk to your father? Don''t you have any manners?"


    Bai Jing looked at him with cold eyes. "That''s right. I don''t have a family anymore, so where would I learn manners?"


    Chen Hui dropped the package he was holding and ran over, forcefully pushing Professor Bai away and standing between him and Bai Jing.


    "Chen Hui, this is none of your business. Stay out of it."


    "Is this your boyfriend? Bai Jing, look at how low you''ve sunk. It''s bad enough that you''re working in this dump, but now you''re dating this bottom-feeder. Don''t ever tell anyone you''re my daughter in the future. I''d be too ashamed!"


    Chen Hui raised his fist, ready to punch Professor Bai, but Bai Jing held him back tightly. "Chen Hui, don''t do anything rash. It''s not worth it to fight with someone like him. Let''s just ignore him!"


    "Bai Jing, I''m warning you onest time. Delete those rumors you''ve been spreading online, or you can forget about getting a penny of my money!" Professor Bai cursed a few more times before driving away in his car.


    The crowd of onlookers buzzed with discussion.


    Bai Jing copsed on the ground, covering her face and sobbing uncontrobly. "Why do I have to have a father like this..."


    Chen Hui patted Bai Jing''s back,forting her silently.


    Mu Mian was shocked. In her understanding, parents were supposed to love their children unconditionally. Just like her adoptive parents loved her sister.


    She remembered her sister''s words: "Mu Mian, have you ever considered that your mother might not want to be found?"


    Mu Mian took out a tissue and handed it to Bai Jing.


    Both Bai Jing and Chen Hui were surprised. They hesitated for a moment before Bai Jing epted the tissue. "Mu Mian, thank you!"


    Mu Mian didn''t respond to them and turned to go home.


    Fang Rui had pulled an all-nighter and only managed to doze off at his desk as dawn was breaking.


    "Captain Fang, we''ve investigated Anqi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital. Only a few doctors'' situations are uncertain," Zhang reported. "Shen Yuanyuan and Zhang Linyang went to work at hospitals in the north and haven''t been back to the city for nearly half a year. Chen Jian, Li Qiang, and Ye Wenwen are said to have gone abroad for further studies, but we haven''t been able to contact them yet, so we''re not sure if they''ve returned recently."


    "Chen Jian? Is that his real name?" Fang Rui frowned as he flipped through Chen Jian''s file.


    "Boss, you also think this name is strange, right? I suspected it was a fake name at first, so I quickly checked his identity information. It turns out that''s really his name. Man, his parents must have been heartless to give their child such a name."


    Fang Rui looked at Chen Jian''s photo, feeling oddly familiar with the person.


    In Chen Jian''s file, only his mother''s information was filled in the parents'' section, while the father''s section was nk.


    "Find out where he is now."


    "Boss, do you suspect him?" Zhang suddenly had a revtion. "Chen Jian''s parents must have really hated him to give him such an insulting name. Doesn''t this match the profiler''s description?"


    The police quickly found out Chen Jian''s whereabouts.


    It turned out that Chen Jian hadn''t gone abroad to study. Half a year ago, he had been treated at a psychiatric hospital in the city. After that, he never contacted his former friends or colleagues again. There were no records of transactions on his bank card, and his ID card hadn''t been used either.


    The house he lived in was rented, and thendlord reported that he had moved out half a year ago. The house now had new tenants.


    Chen Jian had suddenly vanished without a trace.


    Fang Rui had nned to work overtime again tonight, but when he saw Mu Mian standing by the roadside lost in thought, he decided to drive her home first.


    "Why don''t you rent a ce nearby?" Fang Rui couldn''t help but suggest.


    "That''s a good idea," Mu Mian thought Fang Rui''s suggestion was excellent. This way, she wouldn''t have to get up early or take unsafe taxis.


    But she quickly became dejected: "But I don''t have money to rent a ce."


    "Didn''t you have plenty of money when you wanted to buy my corpsest time? Did you spend it all in less than two weeks?" Fang Rui was surprised; Mu Mian didn''t seem like the type to splurge.


    "I didn''t spend it."


    "Then where did the money go?"


    Mu Mian wanted to change the subject, but she wasn''t good at lying, so she had to be honest: "I was scammed!"


    Fang Rui was shocked. He couldn''t believe someone with Mu Mian''s intelligence could be scammed, but then again, it wasn''t impossible.


    "I wanted to find my long-lost mother, so I posted online looking for her. Someone contacted me, saying she was my mother, but that she had been in a car ident and needed arge sum of money for treatment. So I transferred all my money to her."


    Mu Mian''s tone was a bit dejected, "After she received the money, she never contacted me again. Chen Xue told me I had been scammed."


    After her parents'' divorce, Mu Mian never saw her mother again. She had returned to China this time specifically to find her mother, even having a big fight with her sister over it.


    "Why didn''t you report it to the police?"


    "Why should I report it?" Mu Mian looked confused. "Even though she''s not my mother, she was in a car ident and really needed the money."


    "Is it possible that she wasn''t in a car ident at all?" Fang Rui looked at her incredulously. "That person might not even be a woman. Can you trust what a scammer says?"


    Mu Mian was dumbfounded. Her social guide hadn''t told her that lies could be nested within lies.


    "How much money did you lose?" Fang Rui pulled over to the side of the road and took out his phone, intending to make a call. "I''ll contact the anti-fraud department and see if they can help you recover it."


    "Five hundred and thirty-one yuan and ny cents."


    "You were only scammed out of five hundred yuan?"


    "Yes. I''m very poor now."


    This was... too poor.


    "Forget it, it''s not even enough to file a case!" Fang Rui sighed in relief. "Don''t trust people so easily. There are too many scammers these days. Be careful, or you might end up being sold without even realizing it."


    "I''ve already learned my lesson."


    After dropping Mu Mian off at the entrance of the residentialplex, Fang Rui nned to canvas the neighborhood and ask residents if they had seen Chen Jian.


    Old Chen, the security guard, looked at the photo and shook his head. "Never seen him. Not to brag, but I remember everyone I''ve ever seen. I haven''t seen this young man before, so he probably hasn''t been to ourplex."


    "Alright, thank you. If you remember anything, make sure to contact me."


    Mu Mian nced at the photo and felt strangely familiar with the person, but when she tried to recall, she couldn''t ce him.


    "Do you know this person?"


    "I''m not sure. My memory is very good, so if I had seen him before, I wouldn''t forget. Maybe some feature of his was familiar to me, that''s why he seems familiar."


    Just then, Mu Mian''s phone rang.


    She received an email from her sister:


    Little Mian, I noticed that your bank ount bnce was low, so I''ve transferred some money to you. I''ve also mailed you this month''s new issues of NATNED and NEJM. Please keep an eye out for them.


    Looking at the email, Mu Mian finally had a definitive answer to a question that had been troubling her.


    "Fang, don''t you think this person looks like Chen Hui?" she asked.


    "Chen Hui? You mean the delivery guy?" Fang Rui tried to recall Chen Hui''s appearance.


    In the photo, Chen Jian was very thin. He wore a T-shirt, had anky build, and looked very much like a student, but with a depressed and gloomy demeanor.


    Chen Hui, on the other hand, was much heavier, with arge body and round face. He looked like an ordinary delivery worker who had been in the job for years, and his personality seemed outgoing and gentle.


    The two men had no simrities in appearance or demeanor. At first nce, they looked likepletely different people.


    "Fang, do you remember how you helped clear my name?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Yes, I do," Fang Rui replied.


    "Actually, what I was taking back then wasn''t sleeping pills. It was a medication to reduce anxiety associated with autism. It contained sedatives, so it also had a good sleep-inducing effect."


    "I had guessed as much."


    "I only need to take this medication when I''m in a state of intense anxiety. For example, when entering a new environment or when a routine is disrupted. At that time, my sister suddenly stopped sending me the medical journals I wanted to read. I thought she was going to abandon me, and I fell into an anxious state. That''s why I needed arge amount of medication to help me sleep."


    "Are you saying the killer knew you were using this medication?" Fang Rui inquired.


    "I just called my sister, and she said she had been sending me magazines every week, and my end shows they were signed for. Obviously, someone deliberately created conditions to make me take that medication."


    "Because you''re sensitive to noise, if the killer hadmitted the crime next door, you would have certainly noticed," Fang Rui analyzed. "Looking at it this way, Chen Hui does seem very suspicious."


    "They both have a ck mole on the left corner of their mouth," Mu Mian pointed at the photo. "The size and position are exactly the same."


    Fang Rui took out his phone to contact Zhang and the others toe over.


    "I won''t go with you to catch the killer," Mu Mian said softly. "It''s a very dangerous thing to do!"

 Chapter 14: The Cat Embryo Case: Hostage

    <h4>Chapter 14</h4>


    Police cars approached from different directions, stopping at the base of the building. Curious onlookers peered down from their windows to observe themotion.


    Fang Rui quickly led his team to Chen Hui''s apartment, kicking the door open with one forceful blow.


    The room was pitch ck and eerily quiet. A strong scent of incense permeated the air, mingled with a faint but unmistakable odor of decay.


    There was no one inside.


    With a sharp click, Fang Rui flipped on the lights.


    Zhang sighed, "Chief Fang, you don''t think that guy''s already fled, do you?"


    "Chief,e quick! You need to see this," someone called out in rm. "Good God, what are these things?"


    "Stop being so jumpy. How bad could it possibly be¡ª"


    The voice trailed off as everyone stood frozen, stunned by the horrifying sight before them:


    On the left side of the living room stood an enormous metal rack. Arranged on it were rows upon rows of transparent ss jars of varying sizes. Each jar contained an infant.


    Some held shapeless masses of flesh, others embryos beginning to take form, and still others fetuses with discernible limbs... All suspended in formaldehyde solution.


    Fang Rui did a quick count¡ªthere were at least forty or fifty jars.


    "Dear Lord, how many children did he kill?"


    "This is beyond cruel!"


    Lin Sen examined the infant specimens on the shelves. Each jar bore abel with a date and number.


    The earliest date was from three years ago.


    "I don''t think he killed all these infants himself," Lin Sen exined. "He''s an obstetrician. These are likely fetal remains he collected during his work."


    The police searched the entire apartment but found no trace of Chen Hui. The ce was immacte, with no signs of a struggle.


    Fang Rui and his team staked out Chen Hui''s home for hours, but there was no sign of him.


    Just then, an officer on surveince outside theplex called in: "Boss, we''ve spotted Chen Hui. He''s in Building 8 of theplex. He''s taken a hostage and is heading for the roof..."


    Mu Mian nced down at the scalpel pressed against her throat, recalling Chen Xue''s words.


    "Mian, your Leo sign is in retrograde this month. You need to be careful¡ªyou might have some bad luck."


    Indeed... very bad luck!


    She had simply been heading home after work as usual, never expecting to encounter Chen Hui at the third-floor stairwellnding and end up as his hostage.


    "Move faster!" Chen Hui had a ck backpack slung over his shoulder, bulging with its contents.


    He shoved Mu Mian hard, causing her to stumble. If she hadn''t grabbed the railing, she would have fallen.


    "The correct escape route should be downstairs. The roof is upstairs¡ªyou''ll have nowhere to go once you''re up there," Mu Mian couldn''t help but advise. "Plus, I''m a bit afraid of heights!"


    Chen Hui ignored Mu Mian''s suggestion and dragged her upstairs.


    When they reached the sixth floor, Mu Mian sensed something was different. The sixth floor had always been vacant, with a persistent musty odor in the hallway. But today, the smell was off.


    Mu Mian habitually scanned her surroundings repeatedly to ensure her living environment was safe. She had already inspected this building 101 times, so she was certain the hallway smell was different from thest time she''d been there.


    "Hurry up!"


    The roof ess was on the sixth floor. The door was unlocked. Chen Hui kicked it open forcefully. Outside was pitch ck, and a gust of cold wind rushed in, instantly tousling Mu Mian''s short hair.


    "Are you nning tomit suicide? Could we perhaps choose a different method? This way is rather unsightly. Also, I have severe acrophobia."


    Chen Hui pressed the scalpel against Mu Mian''s neck, muttering incoherently, "For you, this is a dead end. For me, it might be a rebirth."


    Mu Mian made a sour face. "I don''t want to die right now!"


    Chen Hui reacted as if he''d heard a joke, asking in confusion:


    "Why don''t you want to die? Isn''t it exhausting for someone like you to live in this world? You try so hard to disguise yourself as normal, desperately trying to please others, but they still look at you strangely. They mock you, even ostracize you. Don''t you feel hopeless?"


    As he spoke, his tone grew increasingly agitated. His hand began to shake, waving the sharp scalpel and leaving several thin, long cuts on Mu Mian''s neck.


    Mu Mian''s eyes widened. She protested softly, "I''m a normal person now. My sister said so, and she''s an excellent psychotherapist. She loves me very much, so I can''t die. It would make her very sad."


    "She''s lying to you, you fool! Your sister surely sees you as a burden. She''d be happier if you were dead."


    Mu Mian''s gaze instantly dimmed. Her lips moved, but she swallowed the words she was about to say.


    Her sister''s friend had once said something simr¡ªthat because of caring for Mu Mian, her sister had lost both her career and her love life.


    "No one loves you!" Chen Hui looked at her with pity. "Let me help you find release."


    The moment Chen Hui first saw Mu Mian, he knew they were the same¡ªboth outcasts, rejected by society.


    He had wanted to befriend Mu Mian, to ease her loneliness, but she had sided with the police instead.


    "Can we at least choose a different method of death? My brain has significant research value, and it would be damaged if I fell. So please don''t let me die from falling. Don''t stab me either, because I''ve already pledged to donate my internal organs. If you damage them, they can''t be given to others who need them. Strangtion won''t work either¡ªI hate the feeling of suffocation..."


    "Shut up! Say one more word and I''ll stab you a few times before throwing you off!"


    Mu Mian immediately closed her mouth.


    Just then, they heard soft footsteps behind them. Chen Hui saw that Fang Rui had led his team to the roof.


    As Fang Rui burst onto the roof, he saw Chen Hui holding the scalpel to Mu Mian''s throat. Mu Mian, however, seemed lost in thought, her expression remarkably calm.


    "Stay back! All of you, back off! Don''te any closer!" Chen Hui immediately dragged Mu Mian to the edge of the roof. "Come any closer, and I''ll push her off."


    The roof''s edge had no railing¡ªone small push, and Mu Mian would fall.


    "Alright, we''re backing up. Don''t harm the hostage." Fang Rui signaled his team to retreat a few steps.


    "Keep backing up!"


    The sensation of hanging in midair snapped Mu Mian back to reality. Suddenly, as if she''d had an epiphany, she asked, "Chen Hui, were you talking about yourself earlier?"


    "What?"


    "No one loves you!" Mu Mian said. "You''re the outsider. You can''t fit into this world. You''re the one who feels hopeless!"


    "Shut up! You''re the unloved waste. Someone like you shouldn''t be alive. I''ll help you find peace!" Chen Hui''s emotions red. Just as he was about to push Mu Mian off the roof, he heard someone say to him:


    "Chen Hui, your mother loves you."

 Chapter 15: Case of the Cat Human: It’s Not Over Yet

    <h4>Chapter 15</h4>


    The voice was soft yet firm, almost drowned out by the howling wind, but it reached Chen Hui''s ears clearly.


    Chen Hui''s body froze.


    "No, my mother doesn''t love me! She can''t possibly love me!"


    Chen Hui''s attention was immediately drawn to Lin Sen. His expression was angry, his eyes bloodshot, as he shouted hysterically:


    "If I didn''t exist, she would be happier. She hates me, I ruined her life!"


    "Chen Hui, your mother does love you, she just doesn''t know how to express it."


    Lin Sen approached Chen Hui step by step.


    "Did she ever hold your hand and take you to the amusement park?"


    Chen Hui instinctively wanted to deny it, but he couldn''t control the image that floated into his mind¡ªhis mother taking him on a merry-go-round, a warm scene he had imagined countless times but knew could never have happened.


    "Did she ever hold an umbre for you on rainy days?"


    "Did she always like to tell you bedtime stories?"


    Tears fell unconsciously as countless images shed through Chen Hui''s mind, the painful reality intertwining with the beautiful scenes he had imagined.


    "Mom... Mom..." Chen Hui held his head, trying to collect more memories of his mother in his mind.


    Did his mother love him?


    Fang Rui cautiously approached Chen Hui. Just as he was about to reach out and pull Mu Mian away, Chen Hui suddenly regained hisposure and pressed the knife against Mu Mian''s neck again. "Step back, all of you!"


    He looked at Lin Sen and said coldly, "Are you a hypnotist? Don''t waste your effort, hypnosis doesn''t work on me."


    Lin Sen was slightly stunned. He rarely failed.


    "Because I''ve hypnotized myself countless times, but I still can''t find any trace of my mother''s love in my memories," Chen Hui''s expression was tragic, "No one loves me..."


    "I can''t find any trace of my mother''s love either," Mu Mian suddenly started crying too, "My mother doesn''t love me either, she abandoned me!"


    Chen Hui was startled by this. He steadied his emotions and realized it was Mu Mian speaking.


    "My sister says it''s not our fault. Some mothers just don''t love their children." But Mu Mian cried even harder.


    "It''s not... our fault?" Chen Hui muttered.


    No one had ever said this to him in all these years. Everyone around him, his grandparents, his uncle, including his mother, had repeatedly med him, used him, as if his very existence was the biggest mistake.


    He tried hard to study, tried hard to meet their demands, but still no one would love him.


    "Of course not. We were so young then, what could we have done wrong?" Mu Mian''s tone was firm, as if trying to convince Chen Hui, and also herself.


    Chen Hui''s gaze searched around for something, a bit urgently, "It''s my fault, I wasn''t good, that''s why my mother doesn''t like me..."


    At this moment, the bell for the end of evening self-study rang from the nearby school.


    "Mu Mian, I''m luckier than you, I know how to make my mother love me!"


    Chen Hui suddenly showed a strange smile. He let go of Mu Mian and leaped down from the building.


    Mu Mian almost fell with him, but fortunately, Fang Rui grabbed her hand in time and pulled her into his arms. Chen Hui, however, fell straight down.


    At the moment of impact, Chen Hui showed a relieved smile.


    If I be a cute little cat, would Mom like me a bit more?


    This thought had been rooted in Chen Hui''s mind for a long time.


    His mother hated him, beating him every time she saw him, or using him to extort money from his biological father.


    His mother had said many times that if he didn''t exist in this world, she would be very happy.


    However, his mother was very good to the pet cat at home. She would groom its fur, feed it the best cat food, hug it while sleeping, and talk to it affectionately.


    Chen Hui had always wished in his heart that it would be so good if he could be a cat.


    As he grew up, by chance, he became an obstetrician and was assigned to perform abortions for pregnant women. Every day, he had to send away many children. They were so small, some hadn''t even had the chance to grow eyes to see this world before their lives were taken away.


    Those children were unfortunate because they were unwanted children who lost their lives; but they were also lucky because they didn''t have to face a world full of malice in their long lives ahead.


    They wouldn''t have to repeat his miserable life like he did.


    No one in this world loved him.


    Including his mother.


    In the next life, he''d be a little kitten. Whether raised in a warm home or wandering the streets, even if he was ugly, missing an ear, or had a broken leg, there would still be passersby who would feed him ham sausages, people who would call him cute.


    No one would dislike a little kitten.


    With a loud thud, Chen Hui fell heavily to the ground. His backpack also burst open, dropping out a transparent ss jar.


    Blood flowed from his mouth and nose, staining his smile red.


    "Isn''t that little Chen? Why did he jump off the building? Quick, call an ambnce!" The crowd of onlookers immediately gathered around.


    Old Chen, the security guard, also squeezed into the crowd, muttering, "Isn''t that little Chen the criminal who killed using cats? Impossible, how could such a kind young man be a criminal?"


    "That''s right, did the police make a mistake? Little Chen is such a kind-hearted boy."


    "You never really know a person, who would have thought that the honest and simple little Chen was this kind of person."


    "Aiya, from now on we shouldn''t let courierse to our doors anymore, who knows what they might do!"


    "That''s right, now that the economy is bad, people easily be perverted, everyone should be careful!"


    Bai Jing squeezed through the crowd. When she saw Chen Hui''s body on the ground, she rushed over: "Chen Hui, what happened to you? Didn''t you tell me you would live on bravely? How could you leave first..."


    She turned to the surrounding crowd, "Please, someone call an ambnce quickly!"


    The police on the rooftop also had a sense of unreality.


    "Chen Hui died just like that, he got off too easy!"


    Fang Rui didn''t even bother to look at Chen Hui who had fallen. He was holding Mu Mian, who had turned pale, seemingly shocked into a daze.


    He gently patted Mu Mian''s face, "Forensic Mu, are you alright?"


    Mu Mian came to her senses and suddenly started crying again, "Wuwu..."


    "Even if your mother doesn''t love you, you don''t need to cry like this. Stop the tears!"


    Fang Rui was at a loss, he hadn''t expected Mu Mian to cry uncontrobly. She didn''t seem like an emotionally expressive person.


    "Just now... I was so scared. It''s so high, I almost fell down too."


    "So you''re crying because you were scared?"


    "Yes, I''m afraid of heights. I don''t know if my mother loves me or not, I was lying to him earlier!"


    "Not bad, you''ve mastered the skill of lying."


    "It was a white lie," Mu Mian corrected.


    Mu Mian''s limbs were limp, her whole body dizzy. She remembered there was something important and gestured to Fang Rui: "Six... six..."


    "Has she been shocked into confusion?" Fang Rui looked at Lin Sen, "Do people talk nonsense after being stimted?"


    However, Mu Mian had already fainted. Fang Rui quickly had someone take Mu Mian to the hospital.


    Lin Sen stood on the rooftop, looking down at Chen Hui lying in a pool of blood, and the broken ss jar.


    The ss shards reflected a dazzling light.


    Chen Hui didn''t jump off the building immediately, but negotiated with them for a while before resolutelymitting suicide. Was he waiting for some opportunity?


    Zhang sighed, "My goodness, this case is finally over! Let''s wrap it up! I need to rest for a few days!"


    Others also chimed in. They had been working day and night for the past few days and were exhausted.


    "Wait a minute," Lin Sen poured cold water on the crowd preparing to celebrate, "It might not be over yet."


    "No way, isn''t Chen Hui the killer? Did we catch the wrong person?"


    "There might be another victim."


    "That can''t be, there haven''t been any pregnant women reported missing recently!"


    "That''s right, the killer is dead, where would a victime from?"


    "He didn''t want those children to be reborn as cats. He longed to be a cat and be reborn himself," Lin Sen spoke softly, "He didn''t jump tomit suicide, but to... be reborn."


    At this moment, Fang Rui''s phone rang.


    "Fang Rui, we''ve received a report that a pregnant woman named Zhang Xueling has gone missing. She''s been out of contact for two days now," the voice on the phone sounded panicked. "Do you remember Professor Bai, the one who insulted the killer before? It seems this pregnant woman might be his lover!"

 Chapter 16: The Cat Embryo Human Case: Psychological Manipulation

    <h4>Chapter 16</h4>


    The police conducted a search around Chen Hui''s residence but found no trace of the pregnant woman, nor any clues.


    Time was ticking away second by second.


    Fang Rui felt increasingly restless and asked the meditating Lin Sen in the car, "Where could Chen Hui be hiding the pregnant woman?"


    Holding the drawing made by Mu Mian, Lin Sen muttered, "If I were Chen Hui, and I wanted to be reborn as a cat, I would..."


    "If he were to be reborn, he would definitely choose a zodiac date, at an auspicious ce."


    "Rebirth means returning to the starting point. Time...location... where was his birth location?" Lin Sen abruptly asked, "Where was Chen Hui born?"


    Fang Rui immediately understood Lin Sen''s intention, "Good, I''ll have someone look it up right away."


    Rebirth, to return to the time and ce of birth.


    Time can''t be turned back, but we might return to the ce.


    However, connecting it to Chen Hui''s birthce is extremely difficult due to the long time span, and theycked the necessary time to look for it carefully.


    Then Fang Rui received a call, "Captain Fang, the forensic investigator Mu says, go check the sixth floor of the previously mentioned building. She says the environment there has changed and wants your assistance."


    Fang Rui and Lin Sen exchanged nces, intuition told them that the pregnant woman might be there.


    Fang Rui and his team searched the entire floor, ultimately discovering a pregnant woman in the room at the very back.


    The pregnant woman was still breathing but seemed to have received arge dose of anaesthetic, lying calmly on the bed. Two bottles of medicine were hanging beside the bed, being injected into her body through the drip tube, preserving her life.


    Fang Rui promptly got the pregnant woman onto an ambnce.


    Because she was sent to the hospital in a timely manner, the doctors were able to sessfully extract the dead cat from inside the pregnant woman through surgery. The pregnant woman¡¯s life was saved, but her uterus was severely damaged, and it seemed she would never be able to conceive again.


    "Eh, it''s all because of that Professor Bai, if not for his video shaming the criminal online, this girl wouldn¡¯t have been targeted," Zhang, couldn¡¯t help but sigh, "Also, it¡¯s her own fault, of all things, she had to be a third party."


    Reminded by Zhang, Fang Rui suddenly thought of something.


    "Zhang, check for me, does this Professor Bai have a daughter?"


    "Why do you want to check this?"


    "Just go check!"


    The police conducted a thorough search of Chen Hui''s house and found 132 jars containing preserved fetal embryos. These embryos had been specially processed and had not dposed.


    Fang Rui found a number of mystical books on Chen Hui¡¯s bedside, all rted to the reincarnation of the soul.


    Among them was a crime novel. In the novel, to attract media attention, the criminal stuffed live cats into the stomachs of pregnant women. Chen Hui had scribbled notes throughout this book. It seemed to have acted as a reference for his crime.


    There were many bottles filled withmon medications for treating schizophrenia in Chen Hui¡¯s drawer.


    In the drawer, there was a diary, carefully detailing Chen Hui''s criminal ns, and how his mind twisted step by step, eventually fostering the malevolent idea of being reborn as a cat.


    Fang Rui quickly discerned Chen Hui''s process of crime.


    Originally, Chen Hui was an obstetrician-gynecologist. Half a year ago, he was fired due to frequent mistakes in his work. It was at this time he was diagnosed with schizophrenia but did not seek hospital treatment.


    Three months ago, he started implementing his rebirth n.


    He applied for a job as a delivery man, taking advantage of his work pretext to enter the home of his first victim, Li Yan, andmit a crime.


    Using the excuse of parcel collection, he tricked the second victim, Lu Yaoyao, to his delivery van, drugged her, and transported her to the crime scene in the same van.


    Thanks to his deliveryman''s identity, he managed to avoid police investigation several times.


    His diary presented the entire process of the crime, clear as daylight.


    "Boss, Professor Bai does indeed have a daughter," Zhang paused for a moment, creating suspense. "We know this person. Can you guess who it is?"


    "Bai Jing!"


    "You guessed it. Bai Jing is from the psychology department of A University. Half a year ago, she applied to be a social worker in the Ziweili Residential Area. Her psychology studies were wasted; she didn''t see that Chen Hui was a psychopath."


    A suspicion was growing in Fang Rui''s mind, but he had no evidence to support it.


    The next morning, the sunshine was bright and cheerful.


    Early in the morning, Fang Rui drove to Ziweili Residential Area. As soon as he arrived at the za, he spotted Mu Mian standing near the flower beds.


    She was still lost in thought.


    "Forensic Mu, are you waiting for a ride again?" Fang Rui approached her and asked teasingly.


    "Waiting for you."


    As she spoke, Mu Mian looked again towards thewn not far away, where Bai Jing was feeding a cat.


    "I once thought she was a good person," Mu Mian murmured. "After I arrived here, she was the second person to return my smile."


    "And what do you think now?"


    "I''m not sure." Mu Mian''s voice was somewhat low. "The first one to respond to my smile was Chen Hui, but he doesn''t seem like a good person."


    Feeling their gaze, Bai Jing put down the cat food and walked towards them.


    "Officer Fang, congrattions on cracking this serial murder case!" Bai Jing smiled at them, her tone suddenly turn somber. "I can''t quite believe it... The kind-hearted Chen Hui would do something like this!"


    "Miss Bai studies psychology. Didn''t you notice anything abnormal about his mental state?"


    "A lot of psychological diseases aretent. Without in-depth interaction, they are hard to detect. Everyone in the residential area had dealings with Chen Hui, but no one noticed that there was anything wrong with him. This shows that his symptoms were not obvious."


    Bai Jing mocked herself, "What''s more, if my professional knowledge was good, how could I not find a job and ended up working as amunity service worker here?"


    "Your father is a university professor, can''t he find a job for you?"


    As soon as her father was mentioned, Bai Jing''s facial expression became stiff for a moment.


    "My mother has already divorced that man. Please do not associate me with him."


    "Do you hate your father?"


    Bai Jing''s eyes were filled with defensiveness: "Officer Fang, what are you trying to ask, exactly?"


    "Is it really a coincidence that the third victim was your father''s mistress?"


    "Of course it''s not a coincidence. It was he who first posted a video online to provoke Chen Hui. Someone who studies psychology, yet doesn''t understand how to respect people, it''sughable!"


    On Bai Jing''s face, there was little expression. "This is his retribution, and the retribution of that woman for being a mistress, isn''t it?"


    "Miss Bai, were these books you showed to Chen Hui?"


    "Do you mean the coloring book? That''s a gift I gave to Chen Hui," Bai Jing responded, "Chen Hui sometimes has trouble controlling his emotions. I gave it to him to help him regte."


    "I''m talking about the books on mysticism."


    "No. Chen Hui and I are not interested in mysticism."


    "You used those books on mysticism, and that novel to lure Chen Hui intomitting these crimes, didn''t you?"


    "Do you suspect me?" Bai Jing sounded somewhat incredulous, "Do you suspect that I caused Chen Hui to be like this?"


    Bai Jing became agitated instantly, her voice choked up, tears flowing uncontrobly down her cheeks.


    "Believe it or not, Chen Hui was a good friend of mine. Recently, I''ve been feeling a lot of regret... If I had been better at my major, if I had been more intelligent, could I have seen the pain he was hiding behind his bright smile? Could I have pulled him out from the muck of his dysfunctional family..."


    Mu Mian quietly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Bai Jing, "Even if you had noticed, you couldn''t have helped him because psychological counseling is not effective for mental illness. You should have taken him to the hospital..."


    Fang Rui signaled Mu Mian with his eyes to keep quiet.


    Mu Mian protested with a sense of grievance, "I wasforting her."


    "..."


    Rather than respond to them, Bai Jing focused on hermenting. "Chen Hui was a beam of sunlight in my life. After I graduated from a prestigious school and couldn''t find a job, and had to settle for a job paying just a few thousand, it was him whoforted me, it was him who took me to feed the stray cats."


    "In fact, if it weren''t for Chen Hui, I would have jumped off that building,¡± pointing towards a building at a distance, Bai Jing stated, "I stood there several times. It was Chen Hui who saved me."


    "He told me that life is precious. Just like these stray cats; they have nothing, but they continue to live freely."


    Fang Rui promptly advised her, "Miss Bai, in your current state, you should consider seeing a psychiatrist."


    "Don''t worry, I won''tmit suicide. Only those who are mentally fragile choose to escape reality through suicide. Besides, these stray cats still need me."


    Seeing her in such a state, Fang Rui realized that he wasn''t going to get anything useful out of Bai Jing.


    Although one could deduce from the results that Bai Jing benefitted, there was currently no evidence pointing towards Bai Jing having any dealings with the case.


    Even if it was discovered that Bai Jing had a close rtionship with Chen Hui, it wouldn''t prove anything, much less charge Bai Jing with any crime.


    "Officer Fang, you don''t need me for anything else, do you?" Bai Jing wiped her tears, slowly regaining herposure, "I need to go to work. I work hard to earn a living and feed these little ones.¡±


    Watching Bai Jing walk away, Fang Rui turned to look at Mu Mian, "Mu Mian, do you think she manipted Chen Hui tomit the crimes?"


    "It doesn''t seem like she has the ability to do so."


    "That''s true. She is just an ordinary psychology graduate. She shouldn''t have the ability to manipte Chen Hui intomitting crimes," someonemented.


    "But my older sister said that people''s self-awareness is fragile. Sometimes a simple psychological suggestion can interfere with others'' choices," another person interjected.


    "Even if Chen Huimitted crimes under her influence, we can''t catch her. We can''t say that Bai Jing used psychological suggestion to control Chen Hui intomitting all these murders," came a counter-argument.


    Fang Rui felt helpless. If Bai Jing really used psychological suggestions to mould Chen Hui into a serial killer, then Bai Jing is truly terrifying.


    "Although I can''t quite figure out whether her expressions are real or feigned, I think Chen Hui must have been the sunshine in her life. She wouldn''t intentionally extinguish it," someone hypothesized.


    "Only Bai Jing would know if she did lead Chen Hui astray," someone else pointed out.


    Mu Mian turned to Fang Rui, asking, "Why did you keep my secret?"


    "What?"


    "You know that I have autism, don''t you? But I was never fired. Is it you who kept the secret for me?"


    Fang Rui paused, "Was this really a secret? Can''t everyone see it?"


    Changing the subject, Fang Rui suggested, "Let''s go eat. I''m treating."


    "I should be treating you. I appreciate you keeping my secret," Mu Mian insisted.


    After walking a few steps, Fang Rui turned to give Mu Mian a warm smile.


    "Mu Mian, you don''t have to pretend to be normal," he told her.


    A smile...this was the third person to smile at her since she arrived.


    In that moment, Mu Mian''s heart felt as if it was touched by sunshine, warmly illuminating her.


    It was a satisfaction felt from being epted.


    "Because, your secret might not be a secret anymore," he added.


    Stunned, like she was struck by lightning, Mu Mian stared at him. "Who did you tell?"


    She had perfectly masked herself, how could anyone see through her?


    "Consultant Lin discovered it. Zhang was there too at that time. You probably don''t know, but there''s nothing that he can keep to himself. Once he knows, the whole department will know," Fang Rui exined.


    Mu Mian felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She had meticulously hidden her true self for nearly a month. Was all her effort in vain? She had thought she hid it so well.


    "Mu Mian, just be yourself from now on. You don''t need to pretend to be seen as normal," he reassured her.


    Can she really be herself?


    "Captain Fang," Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui earnestly, "would you donate your body to me?"


    "No! I''ve told you not to bring up that again!"


    It seems that being herself is still out of reach...

 Chapter 17: The Cat Child Case: The Unloved Child

    <h4>Chapter 17</h4>


    After Chen Hui''s case was closed, the police station became much more rxed.


    Mu Mian made significant contributions in the process of solving the case, leading to his formal promotion and official entry into the Special Crime Unit, and Chen Xue became Mu Mian''s assistant.


    The Special Crime Unit held a weing ceremony for Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian met many familiar faces. They were all friendly towards him, after all, as soon as he arrived at the city bureau, he helped them solve a major murder case.


    Mu Mian''s impression changed from an entric forensic doctor to apetent case solver.


    "Mu Mian, write a self-criticism, and reflect well on why a forensic doctor like you could be taken hostage by the killer." Fang Rui''s words broke the previous friendly atmosphere, "Submit it to me before work ends."


    "Alright."


    Fang Rui received Mu Mian''s self-criticism, which was very earnestly written, with deeply profound self-analysis. Just as he was about to fold it up, he caught sight of the conclusion:


    All the above reasons are not the root cause of why I was taken hostage by the killer. The real reason is: I''ve been unluckytely, or in Chen Xue''s words, my luck has been bad! People of the Leo zodiac sign will be very unlucky recently!


    Seeing Mu Mian space out in front of theputer, Chen Xue patted her, "Mian Mian, why are you wasting time and effort on DNA tests for these babies? It''s meaningless."


    "Chen Xue, I want to help these fetuses find their mothers."


    "Their mothers had them aborted, they didn''t want them anymore, what good would finding their parents do? They won''t take this jar back, they might even resent it for bringing bad luck."


    "Were they... also abandoned by their mothers?" Mu Mian looked at the clumps of flesh floating in ss jars, seeming somewhat perplexed.


    "Of course!" Chen Xue felt that today''s Mu Mian was a bit different. She was usually spaced-out, expressionless, but today she seems particrly down.


    Mu Mian hung her head, "Why don''t they want them? These embryos look healthy, they could have been normal children."


    Mu Mian had always thought that it was only the disabled children who were abandoned by their mothers, like those in the orphanage who were sick, or physically handicapped, or autistic...


    "There are many reasons, it could be an unnned pregnancy orck of resources to raise them... In any case, their mothers won''t want to see them again."


    Chen Xue took a sip of her coffee, "So let''s send these embryos to the funeral parlor asap. Otherwise, it''s bad luck to keep them here."


    Mu Mian remained silent.


    "I know you feel sympathetic towards these embryos. How about we give these embryos names, so they would have left some traces of existence in this world."


    "I already named them."


    Only then did Chen Xue notice that there werebels stuck on the jars:


    BB1, BB2...


    "Do these names carry any special meaning?"


    "This one is called Baby No.1, this one is called Baby No.2, and so on."


    Chen Xue facepalmed. Mu Mian did show kindness, but not too thoughtfully.


    Mu Mian continued searching for the parents of these children in the police department''s gene bank.


    But she found nothing.


    Mu Mian became somewhat frustrated.


    She tried to match the genes of the victims with those of these children. But the result showed no match.


    Mu Mian frowned, weren''t the jars marked with the death date of the deceased supposed to contain their children?


    Chen Hui''s house had been thoroughly searched, all the jars had been brought to the office, and Mu Mian had collected all the DNA data. However, the DNA of the infants in those jars did not match that of the three victims.


    So, where had Chen Hui hidden the fully formed fetuses inside the stomachs of these three victims?


    Why did he hide them?


    Mu Mian pulled out the files of the three victims again and discovered that they had all had pregnancy check-ups at the Anqi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, where Chen Hui worked.


    "Mu Mian, Zhang Qiang says there is a dinner tonight. Will you go?"


    Chen Xue''s voice disrupted Mu Mian¡¯s pondering, and suddenly she felt that the truth of the matter wasn''t that important.


    Those children were all unwanted, who would care about where their bodies were?


    "Can I... not go?"


    "Of course not! As a neer to the workce, it is essential to go to the dinner!"


    "Okay."


    The dinner ended well past ten in the evening.


    When Mu Mian returned home and was about to open the door, she noticed that the keyhole was shifted by 5 degrees - someone had broken into her house, and they had used a key.


    As Mu Mian contemted whether to call the police, the door suddenly opened from the inside.


    "Mu Mian, it''s been a long time." A beautiful woman emerged from inside, holding out her arms to hug Mu Mian.


    "Shen Xiyin."


    Mu Mian was slightly taken aback upon seeing Shen Xiyin, with her voice slightly choked.


    Shen Xiyin was the daughter of her foster parents and also Mu Mian''s therapist. Mu Mian had grown up abroad as her parents had gotten divorced and her father had died, her father''s colleague had adopted her.


    Shen Xiyin released Mu Mian and gave a gentle smile, "You didn''t push me away this time, it seems like living independently has brought about some changes in you."


    "We haven''t seen each other in a long time, so we can hug." Mu Mian hated physical contact with others; it was already hard enough for her to not push her away.


    "How did you get injured on your neck?" Shen Xiyin noticed the scar on Mu Mian''s neck.


    "Zhang says, it''s a badge of honor." Mu Mian''s voice carried a hint of pride.


    "A badge?"


    "It is the badge left by my confrontation with a ruthless criminal."


    Mu Mian briefly described the course of events, of course, she hid the part about her acrophobia causing her to faint, and then embellished the part about how she escaped from Chen Hui.


    Mu Mian found that she could already skillfully tell small white lies.


    "Your work seems quite dangerous."


    Shen Xiyin had already found Mu Mian a very good job, working as a researcher at a university, which was stable and required no social interaction. But Mu Mian had secretly quit.


    "Not dangerous. Chen Xue says I am the only forensic pathologist in the office who was taken hostage by a murderer. This shows how safe this job really is."


    "But you got hurt."


    "That''s because I¡¯m unlucky, otherwise known as going through a retrograde period. But don¡¯t worry, Chen Xue says that Leo''s retrograde period is already over, my luck for the next few months will be very good."


    Shen Xiyin realized, Mu Mian had changed a lot.


    Mu Mian took several notebooks from the desk, "I have recorded all the peculiar things that have been happening recently in my self-observation diary."


    Shen Xiyin flipped through Mu Mian''s observation diary. As with previous entries, they were descriptions of events viewed objectively, with little subjective emotional experience.


    When she read about Mu Mian''s interest in the body of her deceased coworker and realized she had even nned how to study the corpse, Shen Xiyin seemed a bit exasperated, "How have you been getting along with your colleagues?"


    "I don''t know. Most of my colleagues don''t talk to me much. Maybe not so good, they don''t smile at me," Mu Mian slumped into the sofa, sounding extremely dejected, "I''ve been interacting with them ording to the social guidelines, but it seems like I still messed up."


    "But they were okay with you hitching a ride. And you became a regr in just a month," Shen Xiyin encouraged, "This shows that your social skills have improved a lot."


    "Really?" Mu Mian''s mood immediately lifted, "Sister Xiyin, am I a normal person now?"


    She had asked this question countless times since childhood.


    Mu Mian was diagnosed with autism when she was just three years old. At that time, many top autism experts predicted: Mu Mian would have a low IQ, might not even developnguage skills, and wouldck emotion.


    When Mu Mian still couldn''t speak at the age of six, all the therapists gave up on teaching hernguage skills.


    However, only Shen Xiyin didn''t give up. She was just a high school student at the time, not understandingplicated techniques. She could only repeat simple words and phrases in front of Mu Mian over and over again, even if Mu Mian didn''t respond.


    Amazingly, Mu Mian eventually spoke her first word. Now, she could basicallymunicate with others without any problems.


    The journey was lengthy and challenging.


    Shen Xiyin knew very well that it was a miracle for Mu Mian to have recovered to this extent.


    Mu Mian could never be a "normal" person.


    No matter how much training she went through, she would never have the emotions of a ''normal'' person.


    "Little Mian, you''re a genius. Geniuses are always a bit different from others."


    "I still want to be a normal person like you."


    Mu Mian had always admired Shen Xiyin. Her sister had loving parents, many friends, didn''t have to hide in the corner all by herself, and was never a burden to anyone.


    Shen Xiyin understood why Mu Mian wanted to be normal¡ªMu Mian stubbornly believed that if her autism was cured, her mother woulde back for her.


    "I''m sorry, Little Mian, it''s my fault. I shouldn''t have hidden your mother''s photos. You have the right to find your mother."


    Half a year ago, Mu Mian found her mother''s marriage license and a stack of photos in Shen Xiyin''s room. In one of them, her mother was holding a baby, her eyes full of affection.


    This photo overturned Mu Mian''s opinion of her mother¡ªan unfeeling woman who abandoned her autistic child. It led to a fierce argument between Mu Mian and Shen Xiyin, and Mu Mian ran away from home.


    Mu Mian suddenly interrupted her, "I don¡¯t want to look for her anymore."


    "Why?" Shen Xiyin was somewhat surprised, "Didn''t you return to China to find your mother?"


    Mu Mian thought of Chen Hui, whomitted so many evil deeds, just to gain illusory love and eptance.


    "Here is your photo," Mu Mian took out the picture with her mother from the pocket of her clothes, took a reluctant nce at it, then handed it to Shen Xiyin, "I think you are right. I shouldn''t disturb her current life, nor should I let her disturb mine."


    Shen Xiyin was surprised by Mu Mian''s shift. In fact, she was not eager for Mu Mian to see that woman, as it might be a heavy blow to Mu Mian.


    "Mu Mian, let''s move. The sound instion here is not good, and it''s too far from where you work," Shen Xiyin closed Mu Mian''s diary. "I have already bought a house near your city bureau, let''s move there in the next few days."


    "Are you also staying here?" Mu Mian was somewhat surprised, "What about your job?"


    "I have a senior sister who opened a psychological clinic, she wants me to return to China to help her, I have agreed."


    Seeing that Mu Mian''s mood was low, Shen Xiyin added, "Mu Mian, you are not a burden to me, you are my family. No matter what happens, I will not abandon you."


    Shen Xiyin knew that Mu Mian had a great sense of insecurity, so she always repeatedly told Mu Mian that there were people who would steadfastly love her.


    "And neither will I!"


    Shen Xiyin somewhat hoped Mu Mian could abandon her, as then Mu Mian would be able to be an independent person.

 Chapter 18: Cloud of Suspicion: Was He Murdered

    <h4>Chapter 18</h4>


    Fang Rui took advantage of his time off and had a good rest at home for several days. But when he opened the door, he saw Mu Mian squatting in front of his house, her eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.


    "Mu Mian, why are you squatting in front of my house? Looking for a loan?" Fang Rui frowned at her.


    "Fang Rui?" Upon seeing Fang Rui, Mu Mian looked surprised, "What a coincidence, so you also live here!"


    "What are you doing?"


    "Eliminating potential threats. The good news is, the danger alert has now been cleared!"


    Mu Mian''s new home almost perfectly met her requirements: quiet surroundings, no blind spots for surveince, and close to her workce.


    The only thing that worried her was her unseen neighbor.


    Fang Rui looked at the peeling door. Except for being a bit run-down, it seemed nothing special.


    He asked in confusion, "What risks? Someone is nning to break into my room?"


    "I thought my neighbor was a violent adult male. But now I see it''s just you, I feel more at ease."


    "Why would you think I''m violent?"


    "During my inspection around the new house, I noticed that the neighbor''s doorknob was loose and the bottom of the door frame had lots of shoe prints¡ªevidence of frequent violent treatment."


    "..."


    "So, I deduced that the upant could be a quick-tempered, violence-prone danger."


    Mu Mian exined gravely, not noticing Fang Rui''s rapidly darkening face.


    "You''re pretty unlucky then, to have a dangerous neighbor like me."


    "Not unlucky at all!"


    With Fang Rui there, she felt her safety was secured. She wouldn''t have to worry about being captured by a murderer and taken to the rooftop for chills anymore.


    "Congrattions, you''ve got a very dependable neighbor." Mu Mian pointed at herself, beginning to enumerate her own virtues, "I won''t make any noise, won''t litter; if you fall ill, I''ll be the first one to take you to the hospital."


    "You sure you won''t be squatting by my bed, waiting for me to pass away and then steal my body?"


    Fang Rui imagined the scenario in his head and felt it quite humorous. Mu Mian being so tiny, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to move his corpse.


    "Stealing bodies is illegal!" Mu Mian corrected him.


    "¡­You sure respectful of thew."


    "I will take you to the hospital first, then stay by your sickbed, get the body donation document from you before you die. Don''t worry, I''ll take good care of your body..."


    "..." Why did he even bring up this subject?


    At this point, Fang Rui''s phone rang. Mu Mian tried to avoid it, but saw Fang Rui put his hand on her shoulder, his expression bing serious.


    "Call the firefighters for a fire! The fire department reported it? Give me the address."


    "The vi area on the outskirts of the city. Boss, I''ve already sent you the coordinates on your phone, hurry up!"


    "Mu Mian, your vacation is over." After finishing the call, Fang Rui turned to Mu Mian, "There''s a new case, we''ll go straight to the scene."


    "Let''s go immediately!" Mu Mian''s eyes instantly lit up.


    Fang Rui was speechless, why was Mu Mian so interested in dead bodies?


    By the time Fang Rui and Mu Mian arrived at the scene, the fire had already been extinguished. Zhang and his team also made it to the scene of the homicide.


    The once lush greenwn was burnt bare, strewn with a variety of objects and shards of ss.


    Mu Mian paused in her steps as she felt like she stepped on something. Something soft was prickling her feet. She looked down and was startled to find a charred severed finger.


    Mu Mian put on her gloves and picked it up for closer inspection.


    The finger had a silver ring on it. The ring was uniquely shaped and irregr, much like a M?bius strip.


    The ring''s silver sheen glimmered under the sunlight.


    "What on earth are you holding, Doctor Mu?" Zhang suddenly eximed, "Is that a broken finger?"


    Everyone turned their attention towards Mu Mian.


    "I picked it up from the ground." she said, putting the finger with the ring into an evidence bag.


    "The impact of the st shredded the victim¡¯s body, you all mighte across many body parts."


    Mu Mian further exined: "So be careful not to step on the body parts. Also, please mark the spots where you find the remains.¡±


    "My God, I used to think it was just drama in those war stories, but it seems even minor explosions can shatter bodies!" eximed Zhang.


    Fang Rui gave Zhang a look, "Do you want to check out the state of this building? Can you call this a minor explosion?"


    The mansion¡¯s owner, Ye Zeming, was a renowned sculpture artist in the city. He enjoyed a surge in his worth as his works sold at high prices over the recent years.


    The targeted vi was his workshop, stocked with inmmable materials such as paints, varnishes, and ster, which aggravated the fire. The vi had been reduced to its frame, even thewn outside was left scorched and explosions urred in several parts inside the house.


    The floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor werepletely shattered with a part of the roof copsed too. The ce was inplete disarray.


    The body of the deceased was buried under shards of ss and bricks. The body had scattered into several pieces, and due to the prolonged exposure to the fire, the remains had turned charred ck, emitting a revolting smell.


    "Oh God, this smell is unbearable! I guess I won''t be having barbecued meat for at least half a month!"mented Zhang.


    Someone immediately responded, "Oh, please. The first time you saw a corpse, you dered to quit meat forever, and look at you now, eating more than any of us.¡±


    Old Zhang, the captain of the fire brigade, knew Fang Rui. On his arrival, Old Zhang quickly briefed him about the situation on site.


    "Captain Fang, we believe the victim''s fragmented body is due to the st. This building was filled with explosive materials, which on meeting a spark ignited an explosion. But the victim¡¯s sister insists he was murdered and demands an investigation."


    Fang Rui asked: "Have we identified the point of the fire''s origin and where the explosion urred?"


    "The building was filled withbustible materials, pinpointing the exact location where the fire started is proving difficult, we are still investigating."


    Mu Mian, wearing gloves, started collecting the remains of the deceased.


    With the help of Zhang and others, Mu Mian quickly gathered the deceased''s torso and limbs.


    The upper half of the body was rtivelyplete, but the portion below the thighs had mostly been sted into fragments. Many of the soft tissues, including the reproductive parts, were still missing.


    Preliminarily, all these fragments were believed to belong to a single deceased individual.


    The face of the deceased was carbonized and covered in ashes. Therefore, the appearance was not identifiable.


    But from the pelvic part of the corpse, it could be concluded that the deceased was an adult male.


    "Fang Rui, he was already deceased before the fire broke out. This could be a murder case!" Mu Mian turned to Fang Rui and said.


    Old Zhang doubted Mu Mian''s expertise, seeing as she seemed young and freshly out of college.


    He retorted, "It''s not possible! Ye Zeming''s sister saw him at the scene of the fire. How could he have died before the fire?"


    "There are no signs of life response on the burns and the severed body parts, which indicates that the deceased was already dead when the fire and explosion urred. In fact, the time of death was at least two to three hours before the fire broke out."


    As Mu Mian exined, she continued to scrutinize the breakage on the body parts.


    She frowned in puzzlement: the rupture sites of these fragments were too smooth, neither explosion-induced nor caused by a cutting tool, the wounds were strange.


    Moreover, body fragments in previous explosion cases would often have soft tissues separated from the skeleton, torn apart. However, these fragments were rtively intact, as if a sculpture had fallen and shattered.


    Old Zhang stubbornly imed, "Multiple witnesses saw the victim at the window on a phone call before the fire. The victim''s sister also affirmed that she saw her brother at the scene of the fire. She was thest person to see him alive."


    "What they saw might not be the deceased."


    "What?"


    "What those eyewitnesses saw was a living Ye Zeming."


    Fang Rui asked, "Mu Mian, are you suspecting that the deceased is not Ye Zeming?"


    "Let''s start with a DNA test on the body. Does Ye Zeming have any close rtives?"

 Chapter 19: Mystery of Shattered Corpse: Love Triangle

    <h4>Chapter 19</h4>


    Ye Zeming has a sister named Ye Zeling, twenty-seven years old, a dance drama actress. She was the first to discover the fire and called the fire brigade.


    When Fang Rui and Zhang located her, she was outside the police cordon, engaged in a fight with another woman, and several policewomen were intervening to separate them.


    The beaten woman was the former girlfriend of the deceased, named Lin Lan.


    "You damn woman, why are you here? Did you start this fire? Did you kill my brother? I knew it, you could not let go of my brother."


    Ye Zeling yanked Lin Lan''s hair forcefully, cursing like a shrew. Her crude behavior heavily contrasts with her beautiful appearance.


    "Zeling, your brother called me here."


    Lin Lan''s hair was disheveled, and there were several scratches on her body, but her tone was still gentle, looking at Ye Zeling as if looking at a naughty child.


    "Nonsense! Impossible! My brother assured me that he would never see you again, why would he call you? You''re lying!" Ye Zeling became increasingly hysterical, her fierce eyes seeming to want to tear Lin Lan apart.


    "Your brother said he wanted to see me onest time."


    "Shut up! You''re fantasizing again that my brother likes you. My brother hates you, you wicked woman, he would never see you!"


    Lin Lan started to argue back, "Your brother called me anyway. You are not your brother. How would you know he doesn''t want to see me?"


    "Shut up! I just know. My brother says you''re a whore!"


    Seeing Fang Rui and Zhange over, Ye Zeling immediately felt bolstered.


    "Officer, the fire was definitely set by this woman. She''s the murderer! My brother dumped her, and she held a grudge, she killed my brother!"


    "We will thoroughly investigate this case. Miss Ye, please return to the station for questioning with me," said the officer.


    "Good, officer, I will fully cooperate. You must catch my brother''s murderer!" Ye Zeling spoke as she unleashed a venomous re on Lin Lan.


    Zhang corrected her, "I''m younger than you, you can just call me Officer Zhang," emphasizing on ''Officer''.


    Zhang then looked at Lin Lan, saying, "You shoulde to the station for questioning as well."


    "Okay, I will cooperate with your investigation," Lin Lan replied defiantly, mocking Ye Zeling with a smirk.


    Just then, two policemen emerged, carrying a body bag.


    "Is that my brother''s body?" Ye Zeling threw herself onto the body bag, sobbing uncontrobly, "Bro, how could you just die like this? How am I supposed to live without you?"


    Everyone present was a bit stunned - the siblings'' bond was incredibly strong.


    Fang Rui turned to look at Lin Lan. Lin Lan was staring at Ye Zeling, disgust written on her face, but she quickly managed to squeeze out a few tears, feigning grief.


    "Can I ride in the same car as my brother?" Ye Zeling did not let go of the body bag, "I want to be with my brother."


    Mu Mian was taken aback, it was her first time seeing someone so enamored with a corpse. Despite the body being shattered beyond recognition and the stench of flesh charred by fire, Ye Zeling couldn''t let go.


    She really loved it!


    Mu Mian wanted to befriend her.


    She switched her gaze to Fang Rui, lost in thought.


    Sensing the intense gaze from Mu Mian, Fang Rui couldn''t help but ask, "What''s the matter, Doctor Mu?"


    "If your corpse were to be shattered like that, I definitely wouldn''t embrace it. However, I would try to piece you back together!"


    "...Should I say thank you?" He added one more unnecessary question.


    "You''re wee."


    Despite Ye Zeling''s persistence, Fang Rui relented and let her ride in the car with the deceased.


    "If you''re not afraid, go ahead and ride in this car."


    "This is my brother''s body, why would I be afraid! I would like to ride in this car!"


    Mu Mian warned her: "Just don''t open the bag. I haven''t finished piecing the body together yet. I suggest you wait for me to finish before viewing his remains!"


    Ye Zeling stared at Mu Mian with her shiny,rge eyes, "What do you mean?"


    "The body of the deceased has been blown to pieces." Mu Mian kindly informed, "Don''t worry, I will do my best to put him back together. I am rather good at jigsaws."


    What then followed was the sound of sirens apanying Ye Zeling''s loud wails the entire way, causing headaches for everyone in hearing range.


    As Ye Zeling had had a mental breakdown, Fang Rui and Zhang had no choice but to first take a statement from Lin Lan.


    Lin Lan was a pastry chef in her thirties. She was not as pretty as Ye Zeling, but had a unique charm of tranquillity and timelessness, and her voice was gentle.


    "Miss Lin, what is your rtionship with Ye Zeming?"


    "Zeming is my ex-boyfriend." Lin Lan lowered her eyelids, her tone somewhat deste, "Now, I guess we have no rtionship. We broke up six months ago."


    "Why did you break up?"


    "Isn''t the answer obvious?" Lin Lanughed at herself, "Once he gained prosperity, he went about damaging rtionships. After Zeming became an art master with a worth of millions, he thought me beneath him, a mere humble pastry chef, and dumped me."


    Zhang asked, "Do you hold grudges against him?"


    "How could I not! When he was in difficulty, penniless, I was the one who took care of him. However, once I was useless to him, he kicked me out, spreading rumors that I was a gold digger and had left him for money before he made a name.


    Ahh, but what good is resentment? When we broke up, he gave me a huge sum of money, we settled the score. Life has to go on, you can''t be immersed in painful memories all the time."


    Lin Lan''s voice was calm, she seemed void of any emotions towards Ye Zeming. There was no emotional fluctuation when she mentioned him.


    Fang Rui asked, "Considering your bitter fallout, why did he call you this morning?"


    "He told me he was leaving the country and wanted to see me onest time before he left, to apologise. Initially, I refused but he said he had something important to return to me. I had no choice but to agree."


    "What is it?"


    "He didn''t tell me. But I guessed it was the cross that my grandmother gave me, I lost it at his ce, couldn''t find it, I thought he had found it and wanted to return it to me."


    Suddenly, something came into Lin Lan''s mind, she pulled out her phone, "This is a recording of our phone call. You might want to listen."


    Fang Rui yed the recording aloud. Indeed, the contents of the call matched what Lin Lan had described.


    "Miss Lin, do you habitually record your calls?" Fang casually asked.


    "In our line of work, we constantly need tomunicate with customers. Some clients are indecisive, if we don''t record, it will lead to endless disputes at billing. So, I have set my phone to automatically record all iing calls."


    "Was the rtionship between Ye Zeling and the deceased good?"


    "Pretty good. Their mother left home when Zeling was two, and their father passed away early. It was Zeming who brought up Zeling. Hence, their sibling bond is exceptionally strong."


    Lin Lan gave a self-mocking smile, "So good that they might be a bit exclusive. Therefore, she despises me, has prejudices against me. She always says I am after her brother''s money, but when I was with Zeming, I was the one supporting her and her brother."


    "You mentioned earlier that the deceased told you he was going abroad, do you know why?"


    "Perhaps...for love."


    "Love?"


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. But he once told me that he seemed to have found his true love. The reason he broke up with me was because he wanted to be with his true love.¡±


    Fang Rui asked, "Miss Lin, do Ye Zeming siblings have any other rtives?"


    "Other rtives? They have an uncle, but they don''t get in touch frequently. But Zeming told me that their father had an affair and illegitimate child outside, this was the reason for their parents'' divorce."


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation. If you have any clues, please contact me."


    Leaving the interrogation room, Zhang immediatelyined, "Boss, don''t you think there is something twisted about the rtionship between the sister and the deceased? They don''t behave like the typical siblings."


    Fang Rui corrected him, "At this point, it is not confirmed whether the deceased is Ye Zeming."


    "Who else can it be! Just now, Lin Lan mentioned that Ye Zeming had a true love. Given Ye Zeling''s obsessive property towards her brother, wouldn¡¯t she have gone crazy and ended up killing her brother if she found out about this true love? Can the murderer be Ye Zeling?"


    "Following your logic, shouldn''t she have killed the true love of her brother first?"


    "Yeah, boss, you thought about it moreprehensively! Shall I go and dig more at the fire scene, see if I can find the body of the deceased''s true love?"


    "You go!"


    Zhang ran off in a puff of smoke.


    The world quieted down in an instant for Fang Rui.

 Chapter 20: Cloud of Suspicion: Sibling Affair

    <h4>Chapter 20</h4>


    At the entrance of the autopsy room.


    "I won''t let you touch my brother''s body. No one can touch it!" Ye Zeling clung tightly to the body bag, her eyes darting around warily. She threatened to scratch anyone who darede close. "Get away! All of you, get away! Don''t you dare disturb me and my brother."


    Mu Mian looked at the scratch marks on the back of her hand, feeling like she had just earned a new badge in her professional career. She might well be the first forensic pathologist in the Jiangzhou City Police Department to be scratched by a victim''s family member.


    "Miss Ye, if you keep holding onto the body like this, how can we help you catch your brother''s killer?" a female police officer approached cautiously, trying to soothe her. "Why don''t you let go of your brother''s body first ande with me to the rest area? Okay?"


    "No! Don''t think I don''t know. An autopsy means you''ll cut my brother open. I won''t let you get away with it."


    "But your brother''s body has already been blown apart and burned by the fire," Mu Mian carefully reminded her. "Cutting it open won''t make much difference now, since the body is already damaged."


    "Ah! I don''t want to hear you talk! Go away! Go away!"


    The female police officer was Li Lan, the department''s psychological counselor. She red at Mu Mian, signaling with her eyes for Mu Mian to step back and stop agitating the deceased''s family member.


    Mu Mian quietly retreated to the back, but her eyes remained fixed on the body bag Ye Zeling was holding. She desperately wanted to autopsy this body. She was curious to know what exactly the body had endured to result in such shattered wounds.


    "Miss Ye, please try to calm down. Your brother would want to rest now. If you keep crying and making a fuss, I''m sure it would make him sad," Li Lan gently patted Ye Zeling''s shoulder. "Can you let us move your brother''s body inside first?"


    Ye Zeling seemed to be listening. Her grip on the body bag slowly loosened. But when she looked up and saw Mu Mian staring intently at her brother''s body, she immediately tightened her hold again.


    "No! You''re lying! You just want to autopsy my brother''s body!"


    Mu Mian sighed inwardly. If this dragged on any longer, it would be dark soon. Once night fell, the timid Chen Xue wouldn''t want to work overtime with her, and she''d have to autopsy the body alone.


    "Mian, what''s going on here?"


    Mu Mian turned around to find her sister, Shen Xiyin, speaking.


    "Sister Xiyin, why are you here?"


    "Professor Jiang invited us to dinner today. I''m here to pick you up. Professor Jiang is a top expert in autism in the country, and she''s also a good friend of Dad''s. She''s been wanting to meet you."


    Mu Mian didn''t really want to go. Those useless experts always repeated the same boring, tedious procedures. But she didn''t want to make things difficult for her sister.


    Shen Xiyin changed the subject, "What''s happening here? What''s wrong with that girl?"


    "She''s in shock. She needs immediate psychological crisis intervention," Mu Mian quietly exined the situation, adding at the end, "I really want to autopsy that body right now!"


    Shen Xiyin walked over to Ye Zeling, crouching down to meet her eyes:


    "Miss Ye, I know the news of your brother''s death is very upsetting for you. I also know that you don''t really want to stop the police from autopsying the body. You just don''t want to believe that your brother is really gone, isn''t that right?"


    Tears rolled down Ye Zeling''s cheeks in big drops.


    "Your brother loved you so much. He would want to see you being brave and strong. You want to put your brother''s mind at ease too, don''t you?"


    "If my brother loved me, why did he leave me?" Ye Zeling burst into tears. "Without my brother, how am I supposed to live on my own?"


    "You love your brother very much too. For your brother''s sake, you can be braver and stronger."


    "I..."


    Ye Zeling hugged Shen Xiyin. "My brother said he would take care of me for life. How could he lie to me!"


    Shen Xiyin patted her shoulder gently. "Your brother didn''t lie to you. He loved you very much. Nothing can change the fact that he loved you. He will always live on in your memories."


    Ye Zeling cried for a long time. When she was finally exhausted from crying, her emotions stabilized.


    Li Lan looked at Shen Xiyin with admiration. Li Lan felt that what she had said wasn''t much different from Shen Xiyin''s words, so why was the effect so different?


    Shen Xiyin exined: "People go through four stages when epting death: denial and shock, anger and resistance, pain and grief, eptance and adjustment. Miss Ye''s situation is a bit special. She witnessed her brother''s death with her own eyes, so she can''t deny the fact. That''s why her resistance is stronger."


    Li Lan asked, "Are you a professional psychological counselor?"


    "Not exactly. I''m a psychiatrist. Most of the cases I handle are neurotic patients with psychological abnormalities."


    "No wonder you''re so good at this. Neurotic patients are much harder to deal with."


    Shen Xiyin advised, "Miss Ye''s condition requires immediate psychological crisis intervention. Someone needs to watch her 24 hours a day. Her emotional state is very fragile right now."


    Li Lan nodded, "Mm, I understand."


    Mu Mian quickly had someone help move the body into the autopsy room. Just as she was about to go change her clothes, Shen Xiyin called out to her, "Mian, it''s already after work hours. We need to go meet Professor Jiang first."


    Mu Mian''s gaze reluctantly left the body bag as she replied in a disappointed tone, "Alright. Let''s go quickly then. I need to work overtime tonight!"


    As they were about to reach the exit, Mu Mian saw Fang Rui and Lin Sen returning from outside. She greeted them, "Good evening, Captain Fang, Consultant Lin!"


    Shen Xiyin looked at Fang Rui. This name left a deep impression on her, as it appeared most frequently in Mu Mian''s self-observation diary. She knew that Fang Rui held a special ce in Mu Mian''s heart.


    When she saw Lin Sen, her brows furrowed slightly before quickly returning to a polite smile.


    "Captain Fang, hello. I''m Mian''s sister. Thank you so much for taking care of her."


    "Hello." For some reason, Fang Rui felt that Mu Mian was acting very strangely today, constantly making eye contact with him as if pleading for help.


    But Shen Xiyin was her sister, so why would Mu Mian need to ask for help?


    Shen Xiyin then turned to Lin Sen, a smile on her face: "Lin Sen, long time no see. How have you been?"


    The air suddenly froze.


    Lin Sen stared at Shen Xiyin for a full five seconds before coldly averting his gaze and walking away without a word.


    Fang Rui was surprised. Although Lin Sen was known for being arrogant and sharp-tongued, he usually maintained basic politeness. Why would hepletely ignore Shen Xiyin today? And it seemed they knew each other. Had something happened between them?


    Mu Mian''s eyes were blinking frantically, trying to get Fang Rui to notice her distress signal and rescue her from her sister using the overtime work excuse. But to no avail.


    "Sister, let''s go! We need to hurry to dinner! Quick!"


    "Alright." Shen Xiyin said to Fang Rui, "Captain Fang, I''ll take my sister to dinner now. Let''s chat more another day when we have time."


    After Mu Mian and her sister left, Fang Rui went upstairs and found Lin Sen standing on the second floor, watching Shen Xiyin leave.


    "What happened between you and Mu Mian''s sister? She greeted you, but youpletely ignored her. Don''t tell me she''s your ex-girlfriend?"


    Lin Sen turned his head, looking coldly at Fang Rui.


    "Even if she is an ex, you shouldn''t treat her so coldly," Fang Rui advised. "You''re not getting any younger. If you keep being so cold to everyone, you''ll never find someone."


    Fang Rui and Lin Sen were childhood friends who grew up together. Lin Sen had always been cold and aloof, not very fond of socializing, but he still had many friends and many girls pursuing him. However, Lin Sen never seemed to take an interest in anyone.


    Fang Rui always thought it was because Lin Sen was too picky and couldn''t find anyone good enough.


    "You don''t have a partner either!" Lin Sen retorted.


    "That''s because I''ve dedicated myself to the noble cause of fighting crime. I''m so busy every day, where would I find time for romance!"


    Lin Sen remained silent. Just as Fang Rui was starting to wonder if Lin Sen had caught autism from Mu Mian, he finally spoke:


    "She was the one who broke up with me first. She said she never wanted to see me again. But just now she appeared in front of me, called my name, and asked how I''ve been, as if nothing ever happened."


    Fang Rui couldn''t help but pry, "Why did you two break up?"


    Fang Rui guessed that Lin Sen must have met Shen Xiyin while studying abroad.


    "I don''t know. She said she doesn''t love me. But I can''t ept that reason."


    "..."


    Fang Rui hadn''t expected Lin Sen to be such a hopeless romantic!


    "Fang Rui, do you think she broke up with me because of Mu Mian? Maybe she gave up our love to take care of her autistic sister."


    Fang Rui couldn''t help but remind him, "First, you need to be sure if there was any love between you two."


    "Let''s assume there was."


    How pathetic... Too pathetic! He even needed to assume whether the other person had loved him or not. Fang Rui started to feel a bit sorry for Lin Sen.


    "I don''t think it''s because of Mu Mian."


    "Why not?"


    "If she had asked you to help her take care of her autistic sister, you would have agreed without a second thought, right?"


    "Of course!"


    "Then she probably really doesn''t love you," Fang Rui patted his shoulder. "Hey, you can''t force love, you know!"

 Chapter 21: Mystery of Shattered Bodies: Emotions Unremembered

    <h4>Chapter 21</h4>


    Due to traffic dys, Mu Mian and Shen Xiyin arrived at the restaurant to find that Professor Jiang had already been waiting for them for quite some time.


    Professor Jiang was a kindly olddy with graying hair and sses. Upon seeing Mu Mian, she greeted her first:


    "Hello, Mu Mian. It''s wonderful to finally meet you. You''re just as lovely as your photo."


    "Hello, Professor Jiang. It''s nice to meet you too. You look just as professional as your photo," Mu Mian forced herself to make eye contact with Professor Jiang, stretching her lips into a smile, trying to act like a normal person.


    "Mu Mian, there''s no need to be nervous. We''re just here to have a meal. I won''t be conducting any behavioral assessments."


    "I''m not nervous."


    Professor Jiang exchanged pleasantries with Shen Xiyin for a moment, then turned to Mu Mian and cautiously probed, "Mu Mian, would you like to see your mother..."


    Mu Mian, focused intently on the menu, hadn''t clearly heard what Professor Jiang was saying.


    "Professor Jiang," Shen Xiyin handed the menu to her, forcibly interrupting, "What would you like to eat?"


    Professor Jiang gave Shen Xiyin a disapproving look but swallowed the question she was about to ask.


    They were at a Western restaurant. Shen Xiyin ordered a seafood risotto for Mu Mian and a steak for herself.


    "I''d like another seafood risotto to go!" Mu Mian told the waiter.


    Shen Xiyin looked at Mu Mian, puzzled. "Are you that hungry today?"


    "I have a friend who often forgets to eat dinner on time. I thought I''d bring him something to eat."


    After the food arrived, Shen Xiyin and Professor Jiang began discussing work-rted matters.


    Mu Mian first picked out all the shrimp and carrots from her te and put them into the takeaway box.


    "Mu Mian, wasn''t that meant for your friend? How can you put the food you don''t like in there?" Although Mu Mian had been picky with food before, she never had the habit of putting food into other people''s bowls.


    "He won''t mind. He likes these things. Last time, he ate all the carrots from the te."


    Shen Xiyin was a bit surprised. Mu Mian was a person with strong boundaries, but this friend she spoke of seemed to have already been ced within the circle Mu Mian had drawn for herself.


    Over the past six months, Mu Mian''s social skills had improved greatly.


    Having finished picking through her food, Mu Mian began to eat quickly. "Sister, don''t talk to me. You''ll affect my eating speed."


    Professor Jiang asked, confused, "Mu Mian, are you in a hurry? You''re eating so fast."


    "There''s a corpse waiting for me. It''s urgent, I need to get back quickly."


    Professor Jiang''s expression froze for a moment before she regained her smile. "You''re a forensic pathologist now?"


    "Yes! And a very excellent one at that."


    "I can see that, because you''re so dedicated to your work."


    "Your logic is wed. Not all dedicated forensic pathologists are excellent ones. Chen Xue is also very dedicated, but she''s not an excellent forensic pathologist."


    "..."


    Mu Mian finished her meal quickly. She refused Shen Xiyin''s offer to drive her home and took a taxi instead.


    After Mu Mian left, Professor Jiang watched her retreating figure and couldn''t help but remark:


    "It''s been neen years, hasn''t it? Thest time I saw Mu Mian, she was only six years old. Back then, we all thought she might live in her own world forever. I never expected her to change so much. If I didn''t observe carefully, I wouldn''t even be able to tell she''s an autistic patient."


    Professor Jiang still remembered her first encounter with Mu Mian. Mu Mian was very quiet, like a soulless puppet. No matter how people talked to her, she wouldn''t react at all, focusing intently on the patterns on the floor.


    She conducted a series of tests on Mu Mian, and the results were terrible. Mu Mian''s intelligence level was extremely low, hernguage development was stagnant, and she had severe sensory integration disorder. It was a case where post-natal intervention seemed impossible.


    At that time, they all gave up on intervention therapy for Mu Mian. Only Shen Xiyin didn''t give up.


    Shen Xiyin smiled and said, "Professor Jiang, you''re exaggerating. Mu Mian''s symptoms are still very obvious. Her behavioral logic is very different from normal people."


    "But her current state is what many families with autistic members dream of. She can basically live independently now, right?"


    "Yes, she''s been living independently for the past six months."


    Professor Jiang was a bit shocked. It was rare for autistic patients to live independently without a caregiver. Although Mu Mian had no problems with daily living skills, it was clear from their conversation that she had severe social difficulties.


    "Mu Mian''s emotional disorder is still very serious. Her memory is excellent, but she can hardly remember emotions. Her emotions are just perceptions of the present moment, and it''s very difficult for her to extract them from memories again. Professor Jiang, is there any way to improve this situation?"


    Shen Xiyin knew that the root of Mu Mian''s social difficulties was that she couldn''t judge other people''s emotions or empathize with them.


    "Many autistic patients have this problem. It might be rted to the developmental state of their brains. It''s very difficult to improve through post-natal training."


    "I see." Shen Xiyin wasn''t surprised by her answer. She had brought Mu Mian to meet Professor Jiang today just to catch up.


    "So, are you nning to settle down in China?"


    "It''s uncertain. But for now, we might stay in China. My father left an inheritance that I need to deal with. Once I''ve handled that, I''ll take Mu Mian back."


    "I met Mu Mian''s mother a few days ago. She''s doing quite well now. Don''t you want to take Mu Mian to see her? I think she would be willing to take care of Mu Mian, and you could rx a bit."


    "There''s no need! I begged her before to see Mu Mian, I even promised her arge sum of money, but she still refused toe see Mu Mian." Shen Xiyin calmly cut the steak on her te. "So I won''t let Mu Mian see her."


    Professor Jiang noticed that Shen Xiyin had changed a lot. During her university days, Shen Xiyin was like a little sun, lively and expressive. Since her parents died in a car ident, she had be much moreposed, but she had lost that sense of lightness.


    She seemed to be carrying a lot of pressure.


    "Xiyin, what responsibility and obligation do you have to take care of Mu Mian? What about your own life? Your career? Your supervisor is very angry. He''s cultivated you carefully for so many years, and now you''vee back to China to work in an unknown clinic. You''re throwing away your career! You should return Mu Mian to her mother, let her mother take care of her. It would be good for you and for Mu Mian!"


    Professor Jiang became increasingly agitated as she spoke.


    She was good friends with Shen Xiyin''s parents and knew Shen Xiyin''s supervisor. She felt that Shen Xiyin was being too emotional, giving up such a good job opportunity for Mu Mian, a sister with no blood rtion.


    "Xiyin, if you go back now and apologize to your supervisor, withdraw that resignation letter, there''s still a chance to salvage everything."


    "He should learn to respect my choices. My career aspiration is simple: I just want to fulfill my sister''s wish and help her be a normal person."


    Shen Xiyin didn''t understand why everyone thought Mu Mian was holding her back. In fact, it wasn''t the case. She resigned not just to take care of Mu Mian, but more for herself.


    Mu Mian was her family, and also an achievement in her professional career!


    "You''re too naive! That''s impossible!" Professor Jiang sighed.


    Shen Xiyin remembered many years ago when they had told her the same thing: you''re too naive, Mu Mian will be a speechless idiot all her life.


    "Professor Jiang, as therapists, we shouldn''t easily say something is impossible."


    "Ah, we advised you back then that you should hand Mu Mian over to other therapists. She''s both your patient and your sister. This dual rtionship means you can no longer make rational judgments."

 Chapter 22: Murder Mystery: Crime of Passion

    <h4>Chapter 22</h4>


    As Mu Mian passed by Fang Rui''s office, she noticed his light was still on.


    He was indeed working overtime, as expected.


    Mu Mian knocked on the door and then walked in.


    "This is for you!" Mu Mian handed him the lunchbox.


    Fang Rui was somewhat surprised. He hadn''t expected Mu Mian to bring him food.


    "Thank you."


    Fang Rui opened the lunchbox to find a seafood rice dish, generously filled with shrimp and carrots.


    "Dr. Mu, what about me? I''m sitting right here, and you don''t even say hello?" Zhang looked at Mu Mian with a hurt expression.


    He noticed that Mu Mian hadpletely different attitudes towards him and Fang Rui.


    "Officer Zhang, good evening!"


    "Mu Mian, you''ve wounded me. We''re such close friends, yet when you bring food, you only bring it for the boss and not for me. Tsk tsk, you''re not being a good friend at all!"


    Mu Mian was already ustomed to Zhang''s exaggerated way of speaking. She exined, "Because you''ve already eaten!"


    Unable to refute! Zhang had just returned from fieldwork and had already eaten a hearty meal outside.


    "But I could eat another portion!"


    "You''re allergic to seafood. Even if I had brought you seafood rice, you couldn''t eat it."


    Zhang felt a bit touched that Mu Mian remembered his seafood allergy.


    But still¡ª


    "So that restaurant doesn''t have any other dishes? They only serve seafood rice?"


    "Of course not. But if you don''t eat seafood, I wouldn''t be able to pick out the shrimp and carrots I don''t like and put them in the lunchbox."


    "Haha, that''s so like you!" Zhang immediately felt better.


    Fang Rui was speechless. So Mu Mian had put all the food she didn''t like into his bowl? No wonder it was so full!


    He had felt touched for nothing!


    While listening to Zhang''s gossip, Mu Mian kept sneaking nces at Fang Rui eating.


    Her actions were so obvious that Zhang first gaped in surprise for a moment, then quietly asked Mu Mian, "Dr. Mu, have you finally realized how handsome our boss is?"


    "..."


    Fang Rui closed the lunchbox and said to Mu Mian, "Let''s go!"


    "Where to?"


    "Didn''t you want me to help you?"


    Mu Mian was a bit surprised but nodded, "Yes, I need a brave assistant right now!"


    "Assistant? I can do that too! Dr. Mu, why didn''t you ask me for help? I''m free right now!"


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian both looked at Zhang. Fang Rui said helplessly, "Aren''t you afraid of having nightmares tonight?"


    Zhang watched their retreating figures, feeling that something was off. Something shed through his mind, but regrettably, it passed too quickly for him to grasp.


    Mu Mian and Fang Rui ced the body parts one by one on the autopsy table. The upper half was mostly reassembled, but the lower half was more severely fragmented, with many parts missing.


    Fang Rui noticed that Mu Mian was indeed skilled at puzzles. She could tell where many small body fragments should be ced with just a nce.


    Mu Mian frowned as she looked at the body, "It''s strange, this body is too easy to reassemble!"


    "Is it easy? I''ve been looking for a while and still don''t know where this piece should go," Fang Rui said, holding a small piece of flesh. He suppressed his nausea and handed it to Mu Mian.


    "I once reconstructed a body that had been run over by a train. That time, I spent a very long time on it, a full five hours."


    "You''ve been working on this for quite a while too. Look, it''s already past 2 AM. That''s about five hours as well."


    Mu Mian nced at Fang Rui''s watch, realizing it had indeed been a long time. She was a bit surprised, "Has my perception of time gone wrong? I thought it hadn''t been that long. Well, let''s go home and sleep for now, and continue tomorrow!"


    "First, tell me what''s different about this body?"


    "This body seems like a ceramic sculpture that fell to the ground and shattered into this state."


    "Isn''t it normal for a body to be blown apart by an explosion?"


    "Explosion injuries are mainly caused by shock waves, high temperatures, or explosive projectiles. From what we can see of this body, the most obvious injury pattern is st injury.


    The explosion''s shock wave would create multiple st and stretching forces that would tear the body apart.


    Because the force is uneven, the severed ends should be very irregr, and there should be arge amount of soft tissue separation. But the severed ends of this body are very neat. Even the victim''s clothing is strange; it doesn''t look like it was torn by impact force, but more like it shattered.


    Fearing Fang Rui might not understand, Mu Mian gave another example: "This body should have been torn apart like a piece of cloth, but instead, it shattered like a piece of ss."


    "You suspect the body''s fragmentation wasn''t caused by the explosion?"


    "No, it should have been caused by the explosion. It''s just that this body gives me the feeling that at the time of the explosion, it was in a very brittle state."


    "How can a body be brittle?"


    "I''ve never encountered this situation before. I need to research it further."


    At this moment, Mu Mian noticed that the victim''s left hand was tightly clenched, seemingly hiding something inside.


    "There''s a piece of paper in the victim''s hand."


    Mu Mian had to use considerable force to extract a small piece of paper from the hand. The paper was very small, about the size of a thumb, with its edges burned away.


    On the paper was written:


    Unrecorded 18:9


    The text was handwritten in ck ink, with very neat handwriting.


    "Is this a message the victim left for us? It looks like some kind of code."


    Fang Rui looked at it for a while, unable to understand the information on the note. He put the paper into an evidence bag: "What was the victim trying to tell us?"


    Mu Mian corrected him: "It could also be something the killer left for us. This seems to be a page number and chapter from a book. However, it doesn''t seem that such a book exists."


    Fang Rui took off his gloves and searched for this string of text on his phone, but found no results. There was also no book called "Unrecorded."


    "There''s another strange thing. We haven''t found the victim''s genitals at the crime scene yet. ording to the direction of the shock wave''s force, it should have appeared on thewn, but we haven''t found it."


    Fang Rui remembered Ye Zeming''splicated romantic rtionships and couldn''t help but form a hypothesis: "Could this be a crime of passion?"


    "A crime of passion?"


    Mu Mian suddenly remembered something. She found the severed finger and handed it to Fang Rui to look at.


    "The victim was wearing a ring with a special shape. This shape looks very much like a M?bius strip, which could symbolize eternal time. Could this be a couple''s ring?"


    Fang Rui took off the ring and found two letters engraved on the inside:


    M&L


    M stands for Ye Zeming, but who does L represent?

 Chapter 23: Murder Mystery: Displaced Time

    <h4>Chapter 23</h4>


    The next day, after receiving counseling from a professional psychologist, Ye Zeling''s condition had improved significantly.


    Fang Rui and Zhang took her statement.


    Ye Zeling was already twenty-seven years old, but her mental maturity seemedcking. Not only did she speak in a childish, coquettish voice, but hernguage was also disorganized and illogical.


    Before Zhang could even begin questioning, Ye Zeling, with puffy eyes, started using: "It was Lin Lan who killed my brother! Lin Lan is an extremely vicious woman. My brother..."


    "Miss Ye, please calm down first," Zhang interrupted her endlessment. "Answer only what I ask, and don''t over-borate. Do you understand?"


    "Okay."


    "Did you report the fire?"


    "That morning, I received a call from my brother, so I came over to see him. As soon as I entered the vi''s gate, I saw my brother standing by the window. I was about to greet him when I saw the entire vi catch fire. In no time, my brother was engulfed in mes."


    "Are you sure it was your brother you saw?"


    "It should... be. Although I didn''t see clearly, it was my brother. I wouldn''t mistake him," Ye Zeling tried hard to recall the scene. "It was my brother. I couldn''t have been wrong. He even waved at me."


    Fang Rui asked, "Why do you think your brother was murdered?"


    "My brother''s vi was equipped with the most advanced fire prevention system. Even if a fire broke out, the intelligent system would automatically extinguish it. How could such a severe fire ur? Someone must have deliberately set the fire! It must have been Lin Lan. She knew theyout of my brother''s house very well. She must have disabled the system in advance!"


    Zhang reminded her, "But Lin Lan has an alibi. When the fire urred, she was involved in a traffic ident. The traffic police can verify this. Don''t make baseless usations in the future. It''s nder and damages Lin Lan''s reputation!"


    "The murderer isn''t Lin Lan...?"


    "How was your brother''s rtionship with Lin Lan? How did they break up?"


    "My brother didn''t like Lin Lan, but that bitch was like a leech, always clinging to my brother. She was just after my brother''s money. That woman is extremely vicious. She even killed my favorite pet dog. Wah, that was my favorite Teddy..."


    "Why did they break up?"


    "My brother didn''t love her, so he dumped her. A woman like her doesn''t deserve my brother!"


    Zhang continued to ask, "Did your brother have any new girlfriends after breaking up with Lin Lan?"


    Ye Zeling''s expression changed momentarily, and she immediately denied it: "No, my brother said he would never have another girlfriend. The harm that evil woman Lin Lan caused him was too great. He would never fall in love with another woman!"


    Fang Rui asked, "Miss Ye, besides Ye Zeming, do you have any other siblings?"


    "Why do you ask that? I only have this one brother. Where would other siblingse from?"


    "Your father seems to have had an illegitimate child. Did you know about this?"


    "An illegitimate child? Impossible! My father passed away when I was very young. How could he possibly have other children?" Ye Zeling seemed to realize something. "Did Lin Lan say this? She''s apulsive liar. There''s not a word of truth from her mouth. Don''t believe her!"


    After Ye Zeling left, Fang Rui fell into deep thought. Both Ye Zeling and Lin Lan had received calls from the deceased, and both were asked toe to his house. Was this a coincidence?


    "Has the deceased''s phone been found?"


    "Yes, it''s in the evidence bag. However, the entire phone was badly burned in the fire. The data inside might not be recoverable."


    "Ask the Technical Department to check it and see if there are any clues."


    "Understood!"


    Case analysis meeting.


    The DNA test results of the deceased hade out, indicating that the deceased was rted to Ye Zeling.


    Zhang briefly introduced the case:


    "The deceased is named Ye Zeming, 33 years old, and worked as a sculptor. The fire urred around 9:30 this morning. The first person to discover the fire was the deceased''s sister, Ye Zeling.


    ording to Ye Zeling''s description, she first received a call from her brother, then went to her brother''s vi to see him, only to find the entire vi on fire. An explosion urred shortly after."


    Zhang continued, "Around 9 AM this morning, the deceased''s neighbor saw him making a phone call by the window. The deceased''s ex-girlfriend also received a call from him around 9 AM, proving that the deceased was still alive at that time. Therefore, the time of death should be between 9 AM and 10 AM."


    Mu Mian interrupted, "If the deceased is Ye Zeming, he should have already been dead at that time. It''s impossible for him to make phone calls to the outside world."


    "But there''s a phone recording as evidence. We''ve let Ye Zeming''s sister listen to it, and she''s certain that it''s her brother''s voice."


    Mu Mian interrupted again, "Does Ye Zeling have any other male rtives? Around thirty to thirty-five years old?"


    "Dr. Mu, why do you ask that?"


    "If the deceased is Ye Zeming, he couldn''t have been alive at 9 AM on the day of the incident!"


    Mu Mian exined, "The burns and limb fractures on the deceased''s body show no vital reaction, proving that the deceased was already dead when the fire and explosion urred.


    When a person has just died, the cells still have vitality, so the wounds would still show bleeding, blood clotting, and other vital reactions. But his wounds show none of these, proving that the deceased had been dead for at least three hours before the fire urred."


    Everyone was shocked. The forensic autopsy results contradicted the information they had gathered from their investigation.


    Chen Xue analyzed, "Could it be that the immense force of the explosion caused the deceased to die rapidly, and the high-temperature burning resulted in no vital reactions in the wounds?"


    "But the deceased didn''t die from traumatic shock caused by limb separation.


    Preliminary judgment suggests that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation. We can''t determine exactly how the asphyxiation urred at this point, but we can at least prove that it''s unrted to the fire and explosion. This is because no soot was found in the deceased''s nasal cavity, throat, or lungs.


    Furthermore, we found a wound on the back of the deceased''s head in the ipital area. There were bleeding points at the wound site, indicating that the wound was inflicted while the deceased was still alive."


    The people present fell silent for a moment. They had initially thought this was just an ordinary ident, but if someone had deliberately staged the fire scene, then this was a murder case.


    Zhang asked, "But how do we exin that several people saw Ye Zeming before the fire?"


    Mu Mian said, "Either there''s a problem with the deceased''s identity, or there''s a problem with their eyes."


    "Now that the deceased''s identity has been confirmed, and he''s rted to Ye Zeling, he must be Ye Zeming. Could it be that all those witnesses had a collective hallucination? Did they see a fake Ye Zeming?"


    Fang Rui interrupted, "Having a blood rtion doesn''t necessarily mean he''s Ye Zeming. Lin Lan mentioned that Ye Zeling has a half-brother. We can''t be certain that the deceased is Ye Zeming."


    Mu Mian agreed, "That''s right. The DNA test can only prove that they''re rted. Ye Zeming''s house has beenpletely burned down, so we can''t find any uncontaminated DNA samples from his home."


    Zhang had a sudden idea, "We could look at Lin Lan''s house. She''s the deceased''s ex-girlfriend. She must have some of his personal belongings at her ce. There might be his hair or skin cells on them."


    "But we can''t confirm whether the samples we obtain are Ye Zeming''s."


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian, "Dr. Mu, do you have a way to confirm the deceased''s identity?"


    "Of course!" Mu Mian opened a photo showing the deceased''s oral cavity. "I discovered that his lower left wisdom tooth had been extracted. The root of that tooth is close to the nerve, so a CT scan of the oral cavity is necessary to extract a tooth in that position."


    Mu Mian continued, "If the deceased is Ye Zeming, he must have a record of tooth extraction, and we should be able to obtain his dental X-rays topare with the deceased''s teeth. The shape of human teeth is unique and can be used to prove the deceased''s identity."

 Chapter 24: Mutilated Corpse Mystery: Coincidence

    <h4>Chapter 24</h4>


    Through Ye Zeling, Fang Rui and the others quickly learned about the dental clinic where Ye Zeming had his tooth extracted.


    "My brother had his wisdom tooth removed about six months ago, I believe it was at a private clinic called Huikang Dental Clinic in the city center. I actually apanied him there at the time."


    Mu Mian went with Fang Rui to visit the dental clinic.


    "Mr. Ye Zeming was indeed our client. Our visitor records show that he came to our clinic six months ago to have his wisdom tooth extracted," confirmed the receptionist.


    Mu Mian inquired, "Do you have his medical records on file?"


    "We should. Mr. Ye is one of our VIP clients, so we keep all of his reports and generate a personal file for him."


    The nurse at the front desk opened the system, intending to retrieve Ye Zeming''s file, but after searching for quite some time, she couldn''t find it.


    She apologized with a regretful expression, "I''m sorry, but Mr. Ye''s file has been deleted. This usually happens at the client''s request. Some clients are particrly concerned about their privacy and ask us to remove their records."


    Mu Mian persisted, "Don''t you have any backups?"


    The receptionist shook her head, "No, if a client requests deletion, we remove the backups as well."


    "What about the dental CT scans? Are there no backups of those in the system either?"


    "No, we delete those periodically to free up system memory."


    "I see," Mu Mian said, feeling a bit dejected. "It''s going to be much harder to prove his identity now."


    Fang Rui also felt that this case had too many coincidences. Both Ye Zeling and Lin Lan happened to receive calls from the deceased, and several neighbors just happened to see Ye Zeming standing by the window¡ªall of these seemed to emphasize that the person who died in the fire was indeed Ye Zeming.


    But now the dental records that could prove the deceased''s identity had conveniently been deleted.


    This lead had hit a dead end. Mu Mian could only fall back on the next best option: going to Ye Zeling and Lin Lan''s homes to find Ye Zeming''s personal belongings. Fortunately, both of their homes still retained traces of Ye Zeming''s life.


    Mu Mian quickly collected numerous DNA samples, and afterparison, all the DNA belonged to the same person. So the deceased was very likely Ye Zeming.


    This method ofparison still had significant ws, but Mu Mian had no other evidence to verify with.


    Early the next morning, instead of going to the City Police Bureau, Mu Mian took a taxi directly to Ye Zeming''s vi.


    Mu Mian lifted the police tape and had just stepped onto thewn when she saw what appeared to be a person standing on the second floor. The clothing looked like Fang Rui''s, but the build didn''t quite match.


    At that moment, Mu Mian received a phone call from Zhang: "Dr. Mu, look at the second floor. Do you see the boss?"


    "You mean that person on the second floor? That''s not Fang Rui!" Mu Mian''s tone was certain.


    "Ah, I knew you''d be able to tell," Zhang said, then turned to mutter to the others, "This doesn''t count! I told you this test wouldn''t work on Dr. Mu!"


    Mu Mian went straight to the second floor. She saw a familiar-looking police officer wearing Fang Rui''s clothes, apparently impersonating him. Fang Rui himself was standing right next to him.


    "Aside from Dr. Mu, who''s a special case, no one else realized that the boss was being impersonated by Jian Guo. So if someone were to wear Ye Zeming''s clothes and stand on the second floor, passersby might also think it was Ye Zeming," Zhang excitedly concluded. "This could prove that on the morning of the explosion, what the neighbors and Ye Zeling saw might not have been the deceased, but rather the killer in disguise."


    Mu Mian couldn''t help but pour cold water on his enthusiasm: "Ye Zeling loves her brother so much. Are you sure she would make such a mistake?"


    "..."


    The viplex where the deceased lived was an upscale neighborhood that ced a high value on privacy. This resulted in very few public surveince cameras within theplex, with most cameras being installed by the homeowners themselves. The only surveince cameras were at the entrance to the neighborhood.


    The vi area was nestled against a mountain and bordered by a forest, in a secluded environment. This meant that if the killer didn''t use the main entrance but instead came through the forest to enter the vi, they could avoid the surveince cameras.


    There were cameras installed around the deceased''s vi, but the surveince footage wasn''t backed up to the cloud and was instead saved on the deceased''sputer. The massive fire had destroyed all the electronic devices in the deceased''s home, and the technicians had no way to recover the data.


    This added significant difficulty to the investigation.


    There were still a few technicians at the scene, working to determine the cause of the explosion.


    The entire second floor of the vi was open-n, serving as the deceased''s studio. It was filled with his artworks, as well asrge quantities of paint, varnish, and ster powder. After the intense fire and explosion, the ce was inplete disarray. The floor was covered with debris.


    Fang Rui asked, "Has the center of the explosion been determined?"


    "We''ve pretty much pinpointed it. The explosive force radiated outward, with the epicenter as its focal point. The distance objects were thrown corrtes with their proximity to the epicenter. In other words, the closer to the center, the shorter the distance objects were thrown. Based on the distribution of body parts, we can determine that the epicenter was the workbench behind where the deceased was standing."


    The deceased''s workbench faced the floor-to-ceiling windows, measuring three meters long and two meters wide, upying a considerable area. The workbench was made of high-quality pear wood, now reduced to a pile of charcoal by the fire.


    Technician Feng said, "However, we didn''t detect any explosive residue here. Our initial guess is that the explosion was caused by therge number of aerosol paint cans stored in the house, which exploded under high temperatures. We also found arge amount of paint thinner in the air, which might have rapidly evaporated and umted, leading to a degration when it encountered a source of ignition."


    Fang Rui asked, "Are you suggesting the explosion might have been idental?"


    "At this point, we can''t prove it was deliberate. There were too many mmable and explosive items stored here. Once they encountered an open me, an explosion was highly likely."


    Feng pointed to the left side of the workbench: "The carbonization is most severe here, so this should be where the fire started. We also detected elerants in this area. From thebustion products, it''s likely to be paint. We''ve sent samples for physicochemical analysis, and we should be able to determine the specific elerant soon."


    Captain Fang, wearing gloves, rummaged through the pile of debris. The ground was covered with various charred objects, broken ster fragments, utility knives, an old-fashioned rm clock, batteries... Fang Rui noticed the burnt-out battery, picked it up to examine it for a moment, then ced it in an evidence bag.


    "What''s this?"


    Mu Mian had originallye to look for body fragments, but she discovered something strange.


    Fang Rui and the others all turned to look at Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian was holding a small piece of charcoal, ck and unremarkable. From its shape, it appeared to be a wooden clothespin that had been burned by the fire.


    "Dr. Mu, isn''t that just a wooden clothespin used for hanging socks?" Zhang nced at it, his tone disappointed. He had thought Mu Mian had found something important.


    Fang Rui took the clothespin and examined it carefully. The front end of the clothespin had two thumbtacks nailed to the upper and lower sides respectively, with the two thumbtacks touching each other and wire wrapped around them.


    Mu Mian exined, "The burnt material on the clothespin appears to be glue. It likely had something attached to it."


    Fang Rui remembered the battery from earlier. He took it out and ced it on the clothespin.


    "If there were two wires, this could make a simple ignition device," Mu Mian said quietly. "A closed circuit would cause a short circuit, generating heat that could ignite mmable materials. This kind of device is quite simple, something an ordinary person could probably make."


    Everyone present was startled by this revtion. It meant that the killer might have been able to start the fire remotely. This invalidated all the previously established alibis.


    The technicians conducted another sweep of the vi and quickly made a new discovery.


    "This vi was equipped with an intelligent fire suppression system. In the event of a fire, this system would immediately sound an rm and spray water to extinguish the mes. However, we found that the electrical system of this setup had been tampered with."


    This discovery proved that the vi fire was not an ident, but a deliberate act of arson.


    Mu Mian searched the crime scene for a long time and found some more fragments of the body. However, she still couldn''t find the deceased''s genitals.


    Based on the angle between the epicenter and the body parts on the ground, it was possible to deduce where the severed limbs should have been. The positions of the other body parts generally matched Mu Mian''s predictions, but she just couldn''t find this particr part.


    Therefore, Mu Mian spected that it was highly likely that the evidence had either been taken away by the murderer or destroyed by them.

 Chapter 25: Murder Mystery: Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 25</h4>


    Fang Rui and his team quickly reconstructed the ignition device found at the fire scene:


    They glued a 5V battery to the upper end of a wooden clothespin. On the inside of the gripping part of the clothespin, they nailed two thumbtacks, one on top and one on the bottom, separated by a piece of stiff paper. The positive and negative terminals of the battery were connected to two wires, with the ends of the wires wrapped around the two thumbtacks.


    "Can this little device really start a fire?" Zhang looked at the ordinary-looking clothespin on the ground. The device was so simple that even an elementary school student could make it.


    Fang Rui removed the paper, causing the entire circuit to short circuit. The high temperature quickly ignited the elerant ced nearby.


    "It can actually start a fire?" Zhang eximed in surprise. "But the killer would have to pull out the paper strip to ignite it. How is that any different from lighting a match?"


    "This ignition device should have another part that controls when the circuit is connected," Fang Rui said.


    Fang Rui recalled the old-fashioned rm clock he had seen at the explosion site. He found a simr one in the adjacent office. He drilled a hole in the paper strip, tied a string to it, and attached the other end to the rm clock.


    When the rm clock vibrated, the paper strip was quickly pulled out of the clothespin. Without the paper as an instor, the circuit connected and short-circuited, igniting the elerant once again.


    "This way, the killer doesn''t even need to be present at the fire scene. They just need to set the rm clock time to achieve ignition!" Zhang eximed.


    Fang Rui took out the rm clock found at the crime scene from the evidence box. The clock had been damaged by the explosion, with the time frozen at 9:30.


    Mu Mian realized she had encountered a major problem. She seemed unable to determine the victim''s exact time of death.


    Mu Mian and Chen Xue separated the food from the victim''s stomach and ced it in a container.


    "Mian, the food in the victim''s stomach is barely digested," Chen Xue analyzed. "We found undigested green cake and coffee in his stomach. Based on the degree of digestion of the stomach contents, the victim died within an hour after finishing breakfast."


    The high-temperature burns had damaged the victim''s body, making it impossible for them to determine the time of death based on body temperature and rigor mortis. Fortunately, the victim had just eaten before dying, so they could estimate the time of death by examining the degree of digestion of the food in the victim''s stomach.


    "Based on the reaction of the wounds on the body, I estimate that the victim died at least three hours before the fire started, which would be before 6:30 in the morning, possibly even earlier. However, analyzing the degree of digestion of the stomach contents suggests that the time of death should be between 8:30 and 9:00. The death times we''ve deduced using these two methods don''t match up."


    Chen Xue cautiously said, "Could it be that the high-temperature burns and the impact of the explosion altered the body''s condition, leading you to make an incorrect judgment? This is a special case, so it''s understandable if the assessment is off."


    Mu Mian frowned. Had she made a mistake in her judgment?


    Chen Xue continued, "If the victim''s time of death was between 8:30 and 9:00 on the day of the incident, that would also align with the witnesses'' statements. They could indeed have seen the victim alive at that time. So it''s possible that the killer first murdered the victim at the crime scene and then set the fire to destroy the body and evidence."


    But then why would the killer design a remote ignition device? Usually, such a device is designed to create an alibi.


    Mu Mian felt Chen Xue''s reasoning wasn''t rigorous.


    Mu Mian looked at the pile of sticky green food, furrowing her brow. After death, the food in the stomach would continue to digest. Although estimating the time of death based on the degree of stomach content digestion couldn''t be very precise, the margin of error shouldn''t be thisrge.


    Was there something preventing the victim''s stomach from digesting?


    In fact, Mu Mian had a theory, but unfortunately, there was no evidence to verify her idea at the moment.


    Fang Rui and his team reviewed the surveince footage from the fire scene. After careful examination, they quickly identified a suspicious person¡ªthe victim''s apprentice, Liu Jiale.


    Liu Jiale was thirty-one years old and had repeatedly shed with the victim. They had even ended up at the police station due to a physical altercation.


    The surveince video from the vi area showed that over the past two weeks, Liu Jiale had followed Ye Zeming in his car several times, behaving suspiciously. However, in the past week, the surveince at the entrance of themunity hadn''t captured Liu Jiale entering the vi.


    The victim''s neighbor had once seen Liu Jiale sneaking into Ye Zeming''s house through a window. He reported it to the police, who were about to file a case, but Ye Zeming vouched for Liu Jiale, saying he had allowed Liu Jiale to enter and that he climbed through the window only because he didn''t have a key. In the end, the police dropped the administrative penalty against Liu Jiale.


    Staff at Ye Zeming''s studio reported that the rtionship between Ye Zeming and Liu Jiale was strange. Liu Jiale would often argue with Ye Zeming one-sidedly, but Ye Zeming always patiently coaxed him and even spent a lot of money on Liu Jiale.


    Fang Rui suddenly thought of the engraving on the couple''s ring: M&L.


    Liu Jiale''s name could also be abbreviated as L.


    However, Liu Jiale had disappeared.


    Liu Jiale lived in a cheap rental apartment in an urban vige. The building was dpidated, and he lived on the top floor with an artist friend.


    His roommate was an art student who made a living by setting up a street stall to draw portraits. Liu Jiale sold sculptures next to his stall, and that''s how they got to know each other. Later, when Liu Jiale had aplete falling out with Ye Zeming, his roommate took him in.


    Liu Jiale''s roommate had rainbow-colored hair and looked disheveled with sunken eyes. He appeared nervous when he saw the police.


    "Officers, has Jiale done something wrong? Jiale is a good person; he wouldn''tmit a crime."


    There were still some of Liu Jiale''s belongings in the room, mostly paints and some finished sculptures. Although Fang Rui and Zhang weren''t art experts, they could tell that Liu Jiale''s works were artistic. The shapes and colorbinations were abstract yet had a harmonious beauty.


    There was a self-portrait of Liu Jiale on his bed. He had an ordinary appearance, but there was a decadent air unique to artists that gave him a mncholic quality.


    "When was thest time you saw Liu Jiale?"


    "Last Thursday. Jiale suddenly came back in a panic at noon that day. He told me he was going to stay with his cousin in another city. He hurriedly grabbed a few clothes, packed his backpack, and left. He hasn''t been back since then. His phone is also unreachable."


    The fire urred on June 12th, andst Thursday was June 8th. This meant that Liu Jiale had disappeared before the fire happened.


    "Do you know the address of Liu Jiale''s cousin?"


    "No, I don''t! I even doubt he has a cousin at all. Jiale grew up in a single-parent family and had very few rtives. I only heard him mention his mother."


    "Do you have his mother''s contact information?"


    "No. His mother passed away seven years ago. He was in college at the time. After that, he lost his motivation, let himself go, and dropped out of school to pursue art."


    Fang Rui asked, "Do you know Liu Jiale''s master?"


    "You mean that famous sculptor, Ye Zeming? I''ve met him a few times. He''s a nice person. Every time he saw Liu Jiale, he would give him money and repeatedly urged him to return to the studio. But Jiale always refused. Jiale said he didn''t like the oppressive atmosphere of the studio and preferred a free creative environment!"


    Liu Jiale didn''t have many friends in Jiangzhou City, nor did he have any rtives, so the police couldn''t immediately find his whereabouts.


    Surveince cameras near the rental apartment showed Liu Jiale carrying a ck backpack, looking very nervous, his eyes darting around. Later, he disappeared into a blind spot in the surveince coverage.


    Based on his ID number, there were no records of him purchasing bus, train, or ne tickets, but it couldn''t be ruled out that he left Jiangzhou City by private car.

 Chapter 26: Mystery of the Dismembered Body: Doppelg?nger

    <h4>Chapter 26</h4>


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to the police station again to inquire about the dispute between Liu Jiale and Ye Zeming.


    "Liu Jiale assaulted Ye Zeming, and during the scuffle, Ye Zeming''s left leg was fractured. We were originally going to ce Liu Jiale under criminal detention, but Ye Zeming imed he fell on his own and didn''t want to press charges against Liu Jiale. The two eventually reached a settlement."


    Fang Rui asked, "Why did Liu Jiale assault Ye Zeming?"


    "It seems to have been about money. Liu Jiale said Ye Zeming had promised him five million yuan, but Ye Zeming hadn''t given it to him. He was desperate for the money, so he used force to try to get it from Ye Zeming!"


    Fang Rui then asked the police officer for the original statement from that time.


    After leaving the police station, Zhang asked, puzzled, "I heard Ye Zeming has assets worth over 100 million yuan, and he even owns arge vi. Is it possible he couldn''te up with five million?"


    Fang Rui was equally confused: "And why would he need to give Liu Jiale money? He seems to be very afraid of Liu Jiale. Zhang, go investigate Ye Zeming''s transfer records."


    To their surprise, Ye Zeming wasn''t as wealthy as rumors suggested. In fact, he was deeply in debt.


    He originally owned two apartments and a vi, but half a year ago, all these properties had been mortgaged. Even so, Ye Zeming still owed the bank over ten million yuan in loans.


    Zhang had a sudden realization: "No wonder Lin Lan said he was nning to go abroad recently. Could he be nning to flee from his debts? Boss, do you think it''s possible that the deceased isn''t Ye Zeming, but someone else?"


    Fang Rui was also shocked. Ye Zeming was an artist, and even if he spent money like water, how could he have umted so much external debt?


    The bank staff helped them check Ye Zeming''s bank transactions. There were severalrge transfers, all to overseas ounts, which had since been closed.


    "All that money transferred overseas... Could Ye Zeming have fallen victim to a tel fraud? Or was he gambling? Otherwise, how could there be suchrge transfers?"


    Fang Rui then had Zhang investigate Ye Zeming''s insurance purchases.


    "Chief Fang, your guess was right. Ye Zeming did indeed purchase insurance. Half a year ago, he bought three personal ident insurance policies, all with high payouts. One policy''s beneficiary is named Lin Lan, and the other two are for someone named Ye Zeling. He also insured his vi, with Ye Zeling as the beneficiary for that as well."


    Zhang couldn''t help but exim, "Boss, if it weren''t for the DNA test results showing that the deceased is indeed Ye Zeming, I would suspect he might be faking his own death for insurance fraud."


    Fang Rui had originally suspected this was a crime of passion, but now he too began to doubt whether the deceased was really Ye Zeming.


    Mu Mian had been working overtime for many days in a row. When Fang Rui arrived at the autopsy room, he found Mu Mian had scattered the body parts, as if ying a jigsaw puzzle, trying to reassemble them.


    Mu Mian was somewhat agitated, disliking this state of being unable to solve the problem.


    "Dr. Mu, do you have any other ways to confirm the identity of the deceased?" Fang Rui''s words pulled Mu Mian back to reality from her reverie.


    "The testimony from the deceased''s neighbor, the deceased''s sister''s statement, and the phone recordings all confirm that the deceased was alive around 9 PM on the day of the incident. But I also trust your autopsy conclusions. The two are contradictory, so I can only question whether the deceased is really Ye Zeming."


    Mu Mian was somewhat surprised: "You believe me?"


    "Of course."


    Mu Mian felt less agitated now.


    "But proving whether the deceased is Ye Zeming or not is difficult. The fire has burned away his external features, and the only dental records that could prove his identity have been deleted."


    "The deceased had an apprentice named Liu Jiale, who has now disappeared. I''m even starting to wonder if the body at the fire scene might be Liu Jiale?"


    Fang Rui handed Mu Mian a photo: a picture of Liu Jiale and Ye Zeming together. From the photo, although Liu Jiale and Ye Zeming looked different, their height and build were very simr.


    Moreover, Liu Jiale grew up in a single-parent family, and his hometown was also in Yuan''an County, the same ce as Ye Zeming and his sister''s hometown. He could very well be the illegitimate son of Ye Zeming''s father that Lin Lan had mentioned earlier.


    The face of the body at the fire scene had been burned beyond recognition by the mes. If it weren''t for the DNA test proving that the deceased was rted to Ye Zeling, he would have suspected that the body was the missing Liu Jiale.


    "Mu Mian, is there any other way to determine if the deceased is Ye Zeming? Ye Zeming owed a lot of debt, and he also bought several insurance policies. We can''t rule out the possibility of him faking his death for insurance fraud."


    Although the DNA samples taken from Ye Zeling and Lin Lan''s homes matched the deceased''s DNA, if the killer really had a n to fake death, they could have easily reced the DNA samples in advance.


    "I''ll do my best."


    Mu Mian had almost finished reassembling the body. As she was about to ce the shattered soft tissue into the left lower leg, she noticed a surgical scar on the deceased''s knee. She cut open the deceased''s knee and found a titanium alloy bone pin in the joint.


    "Fang Rui, I have a way to prove whether this person is Ye Zeming or not." Mu Mian stared at the bone pin, a look of excitement on her face.


    Fang Rui followed Mu Mian''s gaze and saw only a metal-like pin in the deceased''s joint, which must have been used to fix a broken joint.


    "What''s this?"


    Mu Mian carefully removed the bone pin and ced it in an evidence bag.


    "Fang Rui, let''s go to the hospital now."


    "Which hospital?"


    "I don''t know. We''ll check them one by one."


    Mu Mian quickly tidied up the autopsy room and pushed the body back into the freezer.


    Outside the City Police Bureau, the night was dark, with barely any stars visible. The once bustling city now had only a few lights still on.


    When Fang Rui parked the car at their residentialplex, Mu Mian was surprised: "Aren''t we going to the hospital?"


    "Mu Mian, doctors need to sleep too."


    "But..."


    "Good night!"


    The answer was right in front of them, yet they had to wait until tomorrow to uncover it. Mu Mian didn''t know how Fang Rui could sleep, but she certainly couldn''t. She didn''t close her eyes all night and was waiting outside Fang Rui''s door early the next morning.


    When Fang Rui opened the door, he saw Mu Mian with dark circles under her eyes. Her short hair was messy, and she looked disheveled, but her eyes were bright and alert.


    "Fang Rui, let''s go!"


    Mu Mian''s original strategy was to inquire at hospitals one by one. But Fang Rui remembered that the earlier dispute between Liu Jiale and Ye Zeming at the police station was because Ye Zeming''s leg had been injured. So he went directly to the First Affiliated Hospital of the City.


    "This is a titanium alloy bone pin. From the serial number on it, it should be from our hospital. You should ask at the orthopedics department."


    Mu Mian then found the head of the orthopedics department.


    "This type of titanium alloy bone pin is used to fix bones after a fracture. This one is from our hospital; it has our hospital''s specific coding on it."


    "Is it possible to find the user of this titanium alloy bone pin based on this code?"


    "Of course!"


    The nurse on duty quickly helped retrieve the medical records of the user.

 Chapter 27: Murder Mystery: Green Cake

    <h4>Chapter 27</h4>


    The sun zed overhead as Mu Mian sat listlessly in the passenger seat.


    She had reviewed the medical file countless times, but those three ring characters remained unchanged: Ye Zeming.


    To their surprise, the deceased was indeed Ye Zeming.


    "It''s alright, at least we''ve eliminated one incorrect answer. Since the victim is Ye Zeming, the missing Liu Jiale bes very suspicious. If we find Liu Jiale, we might uncover more clues."


    Just then, Fang Rui received a phone call.


    "Boss, we''ve found a trace of Liu Jiale. His mobile payment app shows he made a purchase at a convenience store in the East City district. The store''s security camera captured footage of a man who looks like him!"


    "Have you located him then?"


    "Not yet. Nearby cameras caught him too, but there aren''t many in the area. He disappeared in a blind spot. We''re currently searching for his whereabouts."


    The search for Liu Jiale wasn''t going smoothly. The East City district was an old area, surrounded by urban viges with many illegally renovated rental units, making it difficult to pinpoint Liu Jiale''s location.


    After work, Fang Rui took the initiative to wait for Mu Mian to go home. He realized that ever since Mu Mian moved in next door, he had been forced to take on the responsibility of driving her around.


    And Mu Mian seemed quite content to enjoy this arrangement.


    "Fang Rui, I want to buy a cake!"


    "I thought you didn''t eat sweets?"


    "It''s my sister''s birthday in a few days. I want to order a beautiful cake for her."


    "Alright, I''ll take you!"


    Fang Rui remembered Lin Sen''s lovesick state and decided to gather some information about Shen Xiyin for him.


    "Mu Mian, does your sister have a boyfriend right now?"


    Mu Mian was taken aback by the question. She looked at Fang Rui for a few seconds, then averted her gaze. "Probably not. I''m not entirely sure."


    In truth, Mu Mian didn''t know much about Shen Xiyin''s private life, or rather, she didn''t care.


    Ever since their adoptive parents died in a car ident, Shen Xiyin had be very busy. Not only did she have to manage her own work and handle their adoptive parents'' estate, but she also had to take care of Mu Mian''s daily needs. As a result, Mu Mian spent much less time with her.


    But Mu Mian believed her sister probably didn''t have a boyfriend, otherwise she would have told her.


    "Doesn''t she introduce you to her friends?"


    "She does. She has many friends, both men and women. They even give me gifts. But I''m not interested in them. I just focus on eating whenever I go out with them."


    Shen Xiyin''s friends were all very friendly to Mu Mian, but Mu Mian didn''t like how they always looked at her with pity in their eyes, as if confirming that she wasn''t a normal person.


    She didn''t need anyone''s sympathy or pity.


    "Has your sister ever told you who she likes?"


    "Yes! Her favorite psychologist is Piaget, and her favorite writer is Camus."


    "..."


    Mu Mian found it strange that Fang Rui was suddenly interested in her sister. Could it be that he liked Shen Xiyin?


    "Fang Rui, do you like my sister?" Mu Mian''s tone was somewhat excited. If Fang Rui married her sister, then when Fang Rui died, she could ask her sister to give her his body.


    Her sister surely wouldn''t refuse.


    Fang Rui immediately rified: "I don''t like your sister."


    Mu Mian looked a bit disappointed, "Are you sure you don''t want to like her? My sister is very aplished. She''s kind, and she''s also wealthy."


    "I''m sorry, but I won''t like her." Fang Rui felt a lump in his throat, making him a bit ufortable. "I was asking for Lin Sen. He likes your sister!"


    "But I don''t want Consultant Lin''s body. He can''t even read minds, his brain has no research value."


    "..."


    Fang Rui suddenlyughed, almost forgetting that Mu Mian was autistic. She seemed to have no idea what "liking" someone meant.


    Fang Rui drove Mu Mian to the nearest cake shop. Upon entering, he realized that this shop was owned by Lin Lan.


    Lin Lan was momentarily surprised to see Fang Rui and Mu Mian, but quicklyposed herself. She smiled and said, "Officer Fang, do you have any more questions for me?"


    Mu Mian replied, "I want to order a very beautiful cake!"


    Lin Lan gave Fang Rui a teasing look: "Officer Fang, is this your girlfriend? She''s very cute."


    Fang Rui wanted to rify, but Mu Mian spoke first: "Please don''t call me cute. That''s for describing small animals and children."


    After rifying this point, Mu Mian wanted to further rify that she wasn''t Fang Rui''s girlfriend, but Lin Lan interrupted: "Officer Fang, your girlfriend is very humorous."


    Humorous... No one had ever used that word to describe her before. Mu Mian liked this word. Because humorous people tend to be more popr.


    "Thank you for thepliment."


    "..."


    Lin Lan sighed. How could such a handsome man like Officer Fang end up with such a silly girlfriend?


    The shop specialized in custom wedding fondant cakes, focusing on beautiful designs but with average taste.


    The disy cases were filled with many beautifully crafted desserts.


    On the left, there was a special disy with a sign that read "Thursday Special." Inside was a stunning velvet cake. The cake was green, dotted with chocte chips and powdered sugar.


    Mu Mian stared at it for a long time, then asked, "Is this cake matcha vored?" Mu Mian detected a fresh nt scent from the cake.


    "No, it''s not."


    "The green color is very unique."


    "It''s not made with food coloring. I used pandan leaf juice to dye it, which gives the cake a special nt fragrance."


    "Did you design this yourself? It''s very special!" Mu Mian seemed to really like the color.


    "Yes, I designed many of the cakes here myself. They''re not only beautiful but also delicious." Pleased with the customer''s approval, Lin Lan cut a small piece and handed it to Mu Mian. "Here, try it for free."


    "Can you pack it for me?" Mu Mian wasn''t interested in the taste of the cake; she was just attracted by the green color.


    "..."


    Lin Lan gave Mu Mian a strange look, then packed the piece of cake for her. "It''s best to eat it on the same day. This type of cake doesn''t taste good if left overnight."


    "Is this cake only sold on Thursdays?"


    "Yes. Our shop offers a special cake each day of the week. This velvet cake is only avable on Thursdays."


    Mu Mian''s attention seemed to bepletely captured by the green cake, showing little interest in the other cakes.


    "Mu Mian, you can''t give your sister a green cake!" Fang Rui couldn''t help but remind her.


    "I know." Mu Mian''s eyes showed some regret; she thought the green color was quite beautiful.


    Mu Mian continued to carefully select a cake design while Fang Rui inquired about Ye Zeming from Lin Lan.


    "Miss Lin, do you know about Ye Zeming''s financial situation?"


    "Not really. The Ye siblings guarded against me like I was a thief. He never told me how much money he made. But he hasn''t earned much in recent years. His famous works are all from before, and he hasn''tpleted any works in the past year, so he probably doesn''t have much ie."


    "Did he have a history of online gambling?"


    "Online gambling? I don''t think so! When we were together, he didn''t have any bad habits. After we broke up, I don''t know. But strangely, a while ago, Zeming asked me if I could lend him some money. I was nning to open a branch store at the time, so I didn''t lend him any."


    Fang Rui continued, "Do you know Liu Jiale?"


    "Yes, I do. Jiale was Zeming''s apprentice, and they had a good rtionship. Jiale was even Zeling''s boyfriend at one point, but they broke upter. After that, Jiale and Zeming''s rtionship also became strained, seemingly due to differences in creative ideas. Zeming has a bit of a temper and sometimes acts without consideration for others'' feelings, easily offending people."


    Mentioning Liu Jiale, Lin Lan''s expression softened a bit, "Jiale is a very talented artist. His future achievements might even surpass Zeming''s. But Zeming was too harsh on him, always suppressing him, causing him to lose some confidence. This might be the main reason for their falling out."


    After a long selection process, Mu Mian finally chose a cake with a rose and Little Prince theme.


    Lin Lan asked, "Miss Mu, when would you like to pick up the cake?"


    "Sunday morning."


    "I''m sorry, our shop isn''t open on Sunday mornings. I have to attend church service on Sundays. Could youe on Saturday evening instead? I''ll wait for you no matter howte!"


    "Saturday it is, then."


    "Thank you so much for understanding. Here''s your receipt. Remember to bring it with you when youe to pick up the cake." Lin Lan wrote out the receipt and handed it to Mu Mian.


    As Mu Mian took the receipt, she noticed several books on Lin Lan''s desk. Judging by the titles on their spines, most were detective novels. On top of the pile was a Bible, its embossed golden title somewhat faded, evidence of frequent use.


    Suddenly, Mu Mian remembered the code on the small piece of paper:


    Deuteronomy 18:9


    Lin Lan seemed to sense Mu Mian''s gaze. She casually ced the receipt book on top of the Bible, covering its title.


    Mu Mian asked, "May I take a look at that book? I''d like to write a blessing from the Bible on the cake, but I''ve forgotten the exact words. I''d like to check it."

 Chapter 28: Murder Mystery: Secrets on the Note

    <h4>Chapter 28</h4>


    Lin Lan hesitated for a moment before handing the book to Mu Mian. "Do you believe in God too?"


    Mu Mian didn''t answer her question. Instead, she quickly flipped through the book, stopping at a page and ncing at it briefly. The page was intact.


    "Never mind, here''s your book back. I don''t want to add any text to the cake anymore," Mu Mian said, returning the book to Lin Lan. She then left the cake shop, leaving Lin Lan puzzled.


    Once in the car, Mu Mian turned to Fang Rui and said, "Fang Rui, I know what the words on that small piece of paper mean now."


    "You mean the note found in the victim''s hand?"


    "Yes. That string of characters was iplete. Theplete version should be: Leviticus 18:9. Leviticus is one of the books in the Bible, and 18:9 corresponds to this passage." Mu Mian recited, "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father''s daughter or your mother''s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home."


    Fang Rui summarized, "So the killer left this note to tell us that the victim had a special rtionship with his own sister?"


    Fang Rui was shocked, but then he recalled Ye Zeling''s unusual reactions and realized that the rtionship between the Ye siblings did indeed seem abnormal.


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian immediately drove to find Ye Zeling.


    Due to Ye Zeling''s fragile mental state, the police had assigned a female officer to protect her closely to prevent any potential incidents.


    Ye Zeling''s home was in an upscale neighborhood in the city center. The apartment, registered under Ye Zeming''s name, was beautifully decorated.


    "Captain Fang, you''re here to see Ye Zeling?" The female police officer seemed surprised to see Fang Rui.


    "Yes."


    Upon seeing Fang Rui, Ye Zeling ran over, her emotions high. "Officer Fang, have you found my brother''s killer?"


    As she turned her head, she spotted Mu Mian and her expression instantly changed to one of hostility. "Get away from me! I don''t want to see you!"


    Mu Mian, however, smiled at her, seeing Ye Zeling as a kindred spirit who shared her fascination with corpses.


    "Miss Ye, what was your rtionship with Liu Jiale?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Jiale was my brother''s apprentice. They had known each other for many years and used to be very close. Since none of us had parents, my brother and I considered him family."


    "But Liu Jiale had several recent conflicts with your brother. Why was that?"


    Ye Zeling''s expression changed slightly, but she quickly tried to cover it up.


    "Because Jiale changed. He met some new friends outside, and his creative vision no longer aligned with my brother''s. So he wanted to leave my brother''s studio. But my brother felt that Jiale was family, and he didn''t want to let him mix with those people, afraid he''d eventually go astray."


    "Is that the only reason?"


    "It''s the main reason."


    "Was Liu Jiale your ex-boyfriend?"


    "Of course not. Jiale and I were just friends. He was the most talented student in my brother''s studio. I often visited the studio, and that''s how we got to know each other. He did confess his feelings for me, but I didn''t like him that way. I had someone else I liked at the time."


    Fang Rui looked at her and asked, "Was the person you liked your brother?"


    "My brother is my family. Isn''t it normal for me to like him?" Ye Zeling awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression bing unnatural.


    Mu Mian, observing Ye Zeling''s fingers as she touched her hair, asked bluntly, "Did you have a sexual rtionship with him?"


    Ye Zeling''s face instantly turned red. Trembling with anger, she pointed at Mu Mian and shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting? How could I have a sexual rtionship with my brother? You''re spreading lies!"


    Mu Mian grasped Ye Zeling''s hand, pointing at her finger. "What''s this mark?"


    There was an irregr indentation on Ye Zeling''s middle finger, left by a ring.


    "It''s none of your business! This is my private matter!" Ye Zeling quickly pulled her hand away.


    "Did you wear a ring here? From this mark, we can deduce that the ring had an irregr shape. With such a unique indentation, it would be easy for us to recreate the shape of the ring."


    Ye Zeling''s expression changed again.


    Fang Rui said, "Your brother was also wearing a ring, with M&L engraved inside. Those are the initials of your names, aren''t they?"


    Ye Zeling''s face flushed with anger. "Shut up! Don''t talk nonsense! My rtionship with my brother was pure and innocent."


    "I can produce that ring. We canpare them and find out."


    "You..."


    Suddenly, Ye Zeling covered her face and burst into tears. "I just love my brother so much, is that wrong? Why can''t I love my brother..."


    Mu Mian and Fang Rui exchanged nces. If there was an inappropriate rtionship between Ye Zeming and his sister, then Lin Lan would be a strong suspect for the murder.


    "It''s not just wrong, it''s illegal," Mu Mian cautiously reminded her. "In our country, marriage between close rtives is forbidden."


    "Shut up! I love my brother. My brother is so exceptional, he''s mine alone. I won''t allow him to be good to anyone else! My brother had already promised me that he wouldn''t be with anyone else in the future, only with me..."


    Through Ye Zeling''s incoherent narrative, they learned the story of the Ye siblings.


    Originally, they had a normal sibling rtionship, but Ye Zeling became increasingly dependent on Ye Zeming and gradually developed inappropriate feelings. Later, when Ye Zeming broke up with Lin Lan, Ye Zeling seized the opportunity and became intimate with her brother.


    Afterwards, under Ye Zeling''s constant pursuit, they maintained this distorted rtionship until her brother''s death.


    After leaving Ye Zeling''s home, Mu Mian analyzed:


    "Lin Lan is a religious person. In the Bible, a rtionship between siblings is considered a grave sin, and a raging fire can cleanse the world of sin. This could be Lin Lan''s motive for murder."


    "But Lin Lan doesn''t have an alibi for the time of the crime. She was in a car ident that morning and was cooperating with the traffic police investigation until she received a call from Ye Zeming. Only then did she leave the vehicle management office. Moreover, the cameras at the entrance of the viplex didn''t capture her on film."


    Fang Rui had initially suspected Lin Lan as well, but she had an alibi. She had been going only between her shop and home for the past few days, and the neighborhood surveince cameras hadn''t captured her either.


    Mu Mian fell silent. This again raised the question of how to determine the exact time of the victim''s death.


    "Liu Jiale once had feelings for Ye Zeling. If he knew about the inappropriate rtionship between Ye Zeling and her brother, he would also have a motive. ording to our previous investigation, Liu Jiale and Ye Zeming had several arguments, which could very well have been about this. It''s possible that Liu Jiale was using this information to ckmail Ye Zeming for money."


    "Their rtionships are soplicated!" Mu Mian couldn''t understand suchplex emotions, though, to be fair, she couldn''t understand simple emotions either.

 Chapter 29: Murder Mystery: Victims, Perpetrators

    <h4>Chapter 29</h4>


    The next day, Mu Mian brought the small green cake to work.


    Chen Xue noticed the cake in Mu Mian''s hand and said with surprise, "Mian Mian, what a beautiful cake! Is it for me?"


    Mu Mian hesitated for a moment, quickly hiding the cake behind her back. She smiled apologetically, "I''m sorry, Chen Xue, it''s not for you. If you like it, I can buy you one next time."


    "Oh, I see. Did Fang get this cake for you? No wonder you''re so protective of it. Tsk tsk, Mu Mian, I never thought you''d prioritize romance over friendship," Chen Xue teased, leaning in closer.


    Chen Xue didn''t understand! Mu Mian found Chen Xue''s words strange, not quite grasping the meaning of each sentence.


    Mu Mian rified, "Fang Rui didn''t buy it. The bakery owner gave it to me. But Fang Rui did take me to the bakery."


    "Mian Mian, there''s been a lot of gossiptely. People are saying you and Fang are together. I''ve noticed you two have been inseparable recently. Are you really dating?" Chen Xue''s eyes sparkled with curiosity.


    Chen Xue had observed that Mu Mian''s gaze rarely lingered on living people, as she seemed uninterested in most things. However, whenever Fang Rui appeared, Mu Mian''s eyes would lock onto him with radar-like precision.


    After much observation, Chen Xue realized she had be invested in their potential rtionship.


    The interactions between Mu Mian and Fang Rui were intriguing. Often, only Fang Rui could understand Mu Mian''s train of thought. They shared a strange kind of chemistry. Moreover, Fang Rui disyed exceptional patience with Mu Mian.


    In the past, other female officers had pursued Fang Rui, but he had remained aloof. With Mu Mian, however, he was always amodating.


    Mu Mian nodded, "Together? Yes, we''ve been together recently."


    "Ah! I knew it! You really are involved with Fang!"


    "Chen Xue, your guess is incorrect. Fang Rui and I don''t have a leg."


    "...Wait, what do you think ''being together'' means?"


    "Frequently appearing in the same ce,muting to and from work at the same time. I''m often together with you too, aren''t I?" Mu Mian opened the cake box, took out a small piece, and ced it in a ss container.


    Chen Xue suddenly realized that Mu Mian might not have understood her meaning.


    "Mu Mian, don''t you like Fang?"


    Mu Mian turned to look at Chen Xue: "Your question is too vague. You should add more specific details. I suppose I do like Fang Rui. I really want to obtain his remains."


    "Remains? What do you want his remains for?" Chen Xue''s eyes widened in shock.


    So, every time Mu Mian''s eyes sparkled while looking at Fang Rui, was she seeing a corpse? Chen Xue suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Fang Rui.


    "For research, of course. I had initially nned to slice Fang Rui''s brain and preserve it, discarding the rest of the tissues and keeping only the skeleton. But I''ve changed my mind now. I want to immerse him in formaldehyde solution, so his remains won''t decay, and I can see him every day..."


    "You haven''t told Fang Rui about your n, have you?"


    "Of course not. I''m afraid if I did, Fang Rui might think I''m a pervert."


    "..." At least she''s self-aware!


    "Chen Xue, you have higher emotional intelligence. Do you know any way to make Fang Rui willingly donate his remains to me? It has to be through legal means. I''ve asked him many times before, but he always refuses. I''ve tried hinting at it, but that didn''t work either."


    "He just refused? He didn''t hit you?" Chen Xue couldn''t believe that Mu Mian had actually expressed her desire for Fang Rui''s remains, and multiple times at that.


    Mu Mian''s expression turned dejected: "He told me never to mention it again!"


    "Have you considered marrying Fang Rui? That way, when he dies, wouldn''t his remains be yours?" As soon as she said it, Chen Xue regretted it. She must have been infected by Mu Mian''s thinking; otherwise, how could she suggest such a morbid idea?


    Even more disturbing was Mu Mian''s response:


    "Chen Xue, I''ve actually thought of that method."


    "..."


    "But I can''t get married."


    "Why not?"


    Mu Mian didn''t answer that question.


    "Well, you could try to gain more favor with Fang. Maybe then he''d be willing to donate his remains to you." Chen Xue skipped over that topic and offered a new suggestion.


    How could she let the rtionship she had just started shipping end badly?


    "Do you know how to gain favor?"


    Chen Xue grinned at her and then forwarded several files: "I think these novels would be perfect for you. You should study them carefully."


    Mu Mian felt that Chen Xue might not be entirely reliable, but she agreed to read the files when she had time.


    Fang Rui and his team had spent a long time finally pinpointing Liu Jiale''s approximate location. He had rented a house in the urban vige of the East City district.


    Just as Fang Rui was about to go bring Liu Jiale in for questioning, he received a phone call:


    "Fang, it''s terrible! Someone tried to kill Ye Zeling! The attacker has been subdued, but he seems to be mentally unstable."


    When Fang Rui arrived at the scene, he saw that the female officer protecting Ye Zeling had been shed with a knife, her entire right arm covered in blood. Ye Zeling was unharmed, but she appeared to be in shock.


    The assant was pinned to the ground by several concerned citizens.


    "Ye Zeling, pay up! Your brother swindled my money, you have to pay it back for him! If you don''t pay, I''ll stab you to death!" The criminal was still struggling, ring at Ye Zeling with murderous intent, as if he might lunge at her at any moment.


    Zhang eximed, "Boss, isn''t that Liu Jiale?"


    Liu Jiale looked like a vagrant, with long beard and hair, disheveled and wearing tattered clothes. His eyes were sunken, and his overall mental state appeared to be in terrible condition.


    Fang Rui brought them all back to the station.


    Ye Zeling was emotionally distraught, continuously crying and pleading, "I don''t know why Liu Jiale wanted to kill me! We don''t have any conflicts, we used to be good friends. My brother was so kind to him, how could he have swindled his money? He''s lying!"


    "ording to our investigation, it seems your brother owed a lot of money. Do you know why he was in debt?" Fang Rui asked.


    Ye Zeling vehemently denied it: "Impossible! My brother couldn''t possibly be in debt!" But her tone didn''t sound very confident.


    Fang Rui then took Liu Jiale''s statement.


    Liu Jiale had calmed down by then: "Officer, I wasn''t trying to kill Ye Zeling. I just wanted to scare her into paying me back. Her brother is dead, so all his money is hers now. She should repay me!"


    "We haven''t released the investigation results yet. How are you so certain that the deceased at the fire scene was him?"


    Liu Jiale hesitated for a moment, then replied, "It was in the news. They said Ye Zeming had died and reminded everyone about fire safety."


    "How much money did Ye Zeming borrow from you, and why did he need to borrow from you?"


    "Six months ago, he got addicted to online gambling and lost a lot of money. At first, he could manage by selling his artworks, butter when he couldn''t sell them anymore, he turned to me. He said if I gave him all my money, he''d let Zeling marry me. But he lied to me. Not only did he not repay me, but he also made Zeling ignore me!"


    "Then why did you go into hiding?"


    Liu Jiale looked bewildered: "Hiding? I didn''t hide!"


    "Why did you lie to your roommate about going to stay with your cousin?"


    "I did intend to go to the Northeast to find my cousin, but I didn''t have enough money for the ne ticket. I could only rent a ce in the urban vige and continue with my artwork. I''ve been working on a piece these past few days that I can enter into apetition!"


    "If that''s the case, why did you suddenly attack Ye Zeling instead of focusing on your work?"


    "I saw in the news that Ye Zeming had also bought ident insurance, so Ye Zeling would get argepensation. I went to ask her for the money, but she refused to acknowledge the debt and used me of ndering her brother! I got angry and tried to stab her, but I ended up stabbing someone else by mistake."


    Fang Rui asked, "If you were just going to ask her forpensation, why did you bring a knife?"


    Liu Jiale fell silent.


    "Is Ye Zeling your girlfriend?"


    "No, I''ve been pursuing her, but she never epted my confession. She said she would only be with me after I became famous. Later, I realized she had been lying to me all along. She would never like me. Because..."


    "Because she likes her brother?"


    Liu Jiale''s eyes widened suddenly: "How did you know that?"


    "Did you attack Ye Zeling in the street because you couldn''t ept this fact?"


    "No! I just wanted money!" Liu Jiale''s fingers kept fidgeting with the cross he wore on his chest. He seemed a bit nervous, his hand trembling slightly.


    "Where were you on the day of the fire, which was June 12th?"

 Chapter 30: Mystery of Dismembered Body: Surveillance Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 30</h4>


    "Officers, do you suspect that I killed Ye Zeming?" Liu Jiale suddenly became agitated. "If I wanted to kill him, wouldn''t I have done it long ago? Why would I set fire to the house? Why do you suspect me? I''m an innocent, upstanding citizen..."


    Fang Rui interrupted him: "Upstanding citizen? Just a moment ago, you tried to harm Ye Zeling."


    "I..." Liu Jiale lost his confidence for a moment, but he quickly recovered, saying, "That day, I was at the city library reading books for inspiration. I was there from 7 AM until 5 PM, staying inside the whole time. I even ate a sandwich there for lunch. You can check the security footage. There''s no way I could be the murderer!"


    Fang Rui had someone retrieve the library''s security footage. Whether by coincidence or not, Liu Jiale''s reading spot was directly in view of the camera, which captured his actions clearly.


    Liu Jiale entered the library at 7:05 AM. He found a few art books and then sat down to read. He was very focused on his reading, only leaving his seat once to use the restroom.


    When Liu Jiale saw Fang Rui and Zhang return, he disyed a smug smile. "Officers, have you proven my innocence now? Can I go home? I''m just a bit short of finishing my sculpture, and I need to get back toplete it as soon as possible."


    Zhang was irritated by his smug expression, but they indeed had no evidence linking Liu Jiale to Ye Zeming''s case.


    Fang Rui gave him a cold look. "I''m sorry, but you can''t leave yet."


    "You''re not trying to frame me, are you? This is a society governed by the rule ofw. You can''t detain me without cause."


    "Yes, this is indeed a society governed byw, which is why assaulting a police officer is a crime! We need to detain you first. Once the hospital provides a report on the injuries, we''ll decide whether to press charges against you!"


    Liu Jiale''s smug smile instantly crumbled.


    As soon as they left the interrogation room, Zhang analyzed, "Chief Fang, I think this Liu Jiale is the killer. Look at that smug smile of his, he''s so arrogant he might as well confess to being the murderer. Plus, the library camera was pointed right at him. He must have done that on purpose to create an alibi."


    However, Fang Rui found Liu Jiale''s sudden attack on Ye Zeling strange. Even if Liu Jiale was desperate for money, there was no need to resort to such extreme measures to get it.


    Fang Rui returned to his office to find Mu Mian sitting in his chair, waiting for him.


    "Fang Rui, I dere that from now on, green is my lucky color," Mu Mian said excitedly, her face clearly saying: Ask me why.


    Fang Rui obliged, "Why?"


    "I''ve reached a conclusion. It''s not entirely rigorous, but I think it could help with your investigation," Mu Mian handed Fang Rui a report. "The victim likely died on a Thursday."


    Fang Rui recalled the green cake that had piqued Mu Mian''s interest. The sign next to that cake seemed to say it was a Thursday special.


    "Because of that green cake?"


    "Yes. We found partially digested green cake in the victim''s stomach. At the time, I thought the color was unusual, not like matcha or food coloring. But I couldn''t pinpoint what was special about it. Then I saw that green velvet cake at Lin Lan''s Shop. I''vepared them, and the ingredients are the same."


    The fire urred on June 12th, which was a Monday.


    "This cake is only sold on Thursdays, but the fire happened on a Monday. Logically, the victim shouldn''t have been able to eat that cake on a Monday."


    Mu Mian continued to exin: "So I reasonably suspect that the victim''s actual time of death was likely the previous Thursday, which would be June 8th."


    Fang Rui suddenly remembered that Liu Jiale had disappeared on June 8th.


    "Of course, this reasoning isn''t entirely rigorous. That''s why I''m only telling you."


    If the victim''s time of death was moved earlier, many people''s alibis would be invalidated.


    "Dr. Mu, you''re so biased. You discover a clue and only tell the boss, not us," Zhang suddenly chimed in.


    Mu Mian was startled. When had Zhang appeared?


    "I was here when you said the first word."


    "..."


    Zhang analyzed, "Dr. Mu, ording to your reasoning, if the victim had been dead for several days, the body should have dposed, right? Shouldn''t you have noticed that immediately during the autopsy?"


    "Yes, and this leads to another of my not-so-rigorous conclusions," Mu Mian sighed. "I suspect that after killing the victim, the murderer immediately froze the body. By using extremely low temperatures, they prevented changes in the body''s condition. Then they used the fire to destroy the body''s surface features, interfering with the forensic examination."


    "The body was likely still frozen when the explosion urred. That''s why I felt the body was as fragile as a sculpture at the time."


    Mu Mian felt her analysis was correct, but there was no concrete evidence to prove her deductions. Unfortunately, by the time she performed the autopsy, the body parts had already been frozen once in the morgue refrigerator.


    Mu Mian then thought of Ye Zeling, ming her for dying the examination by clinging to the body.


    Zhang listened in astonishment. "This killer is incredibly clever!"


    But Zhang quickly noticed another issue: "Then how do we exin that several people received phone calls from Ye Zeming? The tech department analyzed the call recordings and confirmed they were real human voices, not synthesized."


    Fang Rui instructed Zhang, "Zhang, go check Ye Zeming''s electricity bills. See if there have been any fluctuations in power usage recently."


    "On it!"


    The investigation results came back quickly. Ye Zeming''s power usage had spiked abnormally on June 8th and remained at that elevated level for the following days.


    Fang Rui recalled that when they examined the scene, they found a freezer in the st area, which was used to elerate the setting of ster molds.


    All of this indirectly supported Mu Mian''s deductions. Ye Zeming was likely murdered on June 8th, and the killer staged the fire and explosion on June 12th in an attempt to destroy evidence.


    Fang Rui went to the security office of the viplex to retrieve surveince footage from around June 8th.


    The video showed that on June 8th, Ye Zeling first drove to Ye Zeming''s house, then Liu Jiale arrived by taxi. Later, Ye Zeling left in her car, followed shortly by Liu Jiale, who nervously left the viplex and took a taxi at the entrance.


    Fang Rui first questioned Ye Zeling.


    "Miss Ye, do you remember what you did on June 8th?"


    "June 8th? I can''t quite recall. I''m busy every day, how can I remember what happened on a specific day?"


    "Your theaterpany said you took a day off. Don''t you remember why you took that day off?"


    "Oh, that day. I took time off to visit my brother. He said he was sick, so I specifically took a day off to check on him."


    "Did you see Liu Jiale that day?"


    "Yes, I did. He came to my brother''s house, quite angry. My brother didn''t want me involved in their business, so he asked me to leave first."


    "After June 8th, did you see your brother?"


    "Yes, I talked to my brother on the phone every day. On the morning of the day he died, I even received a call from him..."


    "I mean, did you see your brother in person, not just talk on the phone?"


    "No, I didn''t. Our theaterpany was about to have a performance, so I was rehearsing every day and didn''t have time to meet with my brother. He was supposed to have dinner with me, but I was kept for rehearsal, so we didn''t get to meet. If I had known my brother would die, I would have gone to see him even if it meant missing the performance..."


    Ye Zeling seemed to be on the verge of an emotional breakdown.


    "I''m sorry, I''m having trouble controlling my emotions. Could you give me a moment to calm down?"


    Fang Rui then interrogated Liu Jiale again.


    Fang Rui yed the surveince video showing Liu Jiale hurriedly leaving Ye Zeming''s vi.


    "Mr. Liu, do you remember when this happened?"


    "I don''t remember. The video is a bit blurry. Is that even me in there?"


    Fang Rui paused the video, freezing the frame on Liu Jiale''s panic-stricken face.


    "Does this jog your memory now?" he asked.


    "Yes, I did go to see Ye Zeming that day. I was pressuring him to pay me back, but he threatened me, saying he knew a lot of people in the underworld. He warned that if I kept bothering him, he''d kill me and dump my body in the sea to feed the fish.


    I was so terrified that I ran away immediately. After that, I didn''t dare to ask him for the money again. Officer, do you think it''s possible that those gangsters Ye Zeming knew might have killed him? He owed so much money, surely many people wanted him dead!"


    "Did you see Ye Zeming again after that incident?"


    "No, I was too scared to approach him. However, I did try calling him once. He answered, but only to hurl more abuse at me. After that, I didn''t dare to call him again."

 Chapter 31: Murder Mystery: Breakthrough

    <h4>Chapter 31</h4>


    Although Liu Jiale was highly suspicious, there was no direct evidence yet proving that he had killed Ye Zeming.


    However, Fang Rui discovered that after June 8th, none of them had seen Ye Zeming, but several people close to him had all received phone calls from him, seemingly at random.


    It appeared that the killer was trying to create the illusion that Ye Zeming was still alive through these call records.


    In the conference room, Fang Rui yed the phone recording again.


    [Ye Zeming: Lin Lan, are you busy today?


    Lin Lan: I''m watching the shop now. What do you need?


    Ye Zeming: Lin Lan, I''m going to emigrate abroad in a few days. Can youe see me onest time?


    Lin Lan: That''s not necessary! I don''t think we need a farewell given our rtionship.


    Ye Zeming: Didn''t you leave something important at my cest time? I found it for you,e pick it up!


    Lin Lan: Why don''t you just mail it to me?


    Ye Zeming: If you don''te, I''ll throw it in the trash.


    Lin Lan: I''lle right away, you...]


    The call was disconnected.


    Zhang said, "The tone sounds natural, Ye Zeming speaks fluently. This recording doesn''t sound like it was spliced together."


    Wang from the technical department said, "Audio analysis shows that Ye Zeming''s voice is not synthesized or pre-recorded. It''s a real human voice."


    "But Ye Zeming was already dead at this time, so how could he make a phone call?"


    "May I request to listen to it again?" Mu Mian asked.


    Fang Rui yed it once more for Mu Mian.


    "At 19 seconds, I heard a car horn. At 31 seconds, I heard the voice announcement of a bus - it''s the B31 bus route, and the stop is Yunzhai Station..."


    Wang said, "We''ve already isted the background noise, there''s nothing special." He then yed the isted background sounds, which were not very clear but matched what Mu Mian had described.


    Mu Mian continued her analysis: "Lin Lan said she was watching the shop. But the B31 bus route doesn''t pass by her cake shop."


    Zhang and the others immediately checked the map on their phones. Lin Lan''s shop was in the North City District, while the B31 bus connected the East-West City District, indeed not passing by Lin Lan''s cake shop.


    Zhang looked at Mu Mian in surprise: "Dr. Mu, do you memorize bus routes in your spare time?"


    "Is that something you need to memorize? Can''t you just remember it after seeing it once?" Mu Mian had an exceptional memory since childhood, almost able to remember everything she saw.


    Fang Rui asked, "You suspect Lin Lan is lying?"


    "That bus announcement should havee from Ye Zeming''s end. The person faking the recording was probably driving, and their route ovepped with this bus route."


    Fang Rui quickly retrieved surveince footage near the Yunzhai Station bus stop.


    After careful screening, one of the cameras caught Ye Zeling''s car. The footage clearly showed Ye Zeling''s face as she was holding a phone, seemingly talking to someone.


    The surveince video showed it was 9:04 AM on June 12th. This was exactly the time when Ye Zeming had called Lin Lan.


    Fang Rui quickly investigated further and found that Ye Zeling had been part of the anime club in university. She was skilled at voice acting and could imitate many voice actors'' tones.


    This almost proved that Ye Zeling was the one who faked the phone call recording.


    Fang Rui called Ye Zeling back in for questioning once again.


    Ye Zeling, confused, asked, "Detective Fang, have you caught the person who killed my brother?"


    Fang Rui handed her a photograph. In the photo, Ye Zeling was making a phone call.


    "Miss Ye, does this scene look familiar to you?"


    Ye Zeling nced at it, her expression changing slightly, but she tried to remainposed, "This photo shows me making a phone call. What''s so special about that? Don''t you all make phone calls?"


    "Miss Ye, what were you doing at 9:04 AM on June 12th, the day of the fire?"


    Ye Zeling adjusted her posture, "How could I remember that precisely? I only remember that I was driving to my brother''s house around 9 AM that morning."


    "Did you make a phone call on the way?"


    "Yes, I did."


    "But when we checked your phone records, you didn''t make any calls that day. You used your brother''s SIM card to call Lin Lan, didn''t you?"


    Ye Zeling vehemently denied it: "No, why would I call that bitch Lin Lan?"


    "Miss Ye, you''d better tell the truth. We already have evidence of your crime."


    "I..." Ye Zeling covered her face and began to sob uncontrobly. "It was Liu Jiale who forced me! He identally killed my brother, and I saw it. Then he threatened me, making me help him cover it up. He knew I was good at imitating voices, so he made me call my brother''s friends and colleagues to create the illusion that my brother was still alive!"


    Fang Rui exchanged a nce with Zhang. ording to the surveince video, Liu Jiale had left after Ye Zeling, so it was very likely that Liu Jiale was also involved in this case.


    "Jiale said my brother was already dead, and if I didn''t help him, he would go to jail. Liu Jiale was like another brother to me, I couldn''t not help him! Plus, Jiale said if I went to the police, he would spread rumors to the media about my rtionship with my brother, ruining both our reputations. I had no choice, I could only help him cover up the truth..."


    Ye Zeling broke down crying hysterically.


    Fang Rui waited for her emotions to calm a bit before asking her to recount the details of the incident.


    "That day, my brother said he was sick and asked me toe see him. Shortly after I arrived, Liu Jiale also came. He and my brother were discussing something in the second-floor studio while I was washing fruit downstairs. Just as I was about to go upstairs, I heard a scream.


    My brother had been pushed by Liu Jiale and hit his head on a sculpture on the table. There was blood all over his head. Then I realized my brother wasn''t breathing! Liu Jiale had identally killed my brother. I was going to call the police, but Liu Jiale wouldn''t let me.


    He was very panicked at first, but then he said we should freeze my brother''s body first and find a way to dispose of itter. Initially, he nned to cut the body into small pieces and hide them inside sculptures, but that was too risky. Later, he found out that my brother had bought ident insurance for the vi. So he thought of setting a fire to burn down the vi. This way, he could destroy the evidence and I could get arge insurance payout.


    I don''t know about the other details. He just made me imitate my brother''s voice to make phone calls and act in front of the police. He didn''t tell me anything else."


    Fang Rui then interrogated Liu Jiale.


    At first, Liu Jiale was confident, seemingly certain that the police couldn''t find any evidence. But when Fang Rui told him that Ye Zeling had already confessed, his expression changed dramatically.


    Liu Jiale''s body tensed, but he feigned nonchnce, saying contemptuously, "I''m innocent! Do you have any evidence that I killed him? If not, even if a judge convicts me, I''ll appeal to the media!"


    Fang Rui showed Liu Jiale the chain of evidence regarding Ye Zeling faking Ye Zeming''s voice to create call records.


    Liu Jiale''s eyes turned red as he shouted, "What did you do to Zeling? Why is she falsely using me?"


    "Based on the surveince footage and Ye Zeling''s confession, we can basically convict you now. Are you sure you still want to deny it?"


    Liu Jiale gritted his teeth and said, "Ye Zeming was scum who deserved to die! Even if God knew what I did, He wouldn''t consider me guilty!"


    Fang Rui interrupted him: "I don''t know how God would judge, but why don''t you tell us what happened first."


    "Do you know how disgusting Ye Zeming was? He was so perverted that he raped his own sister! You think he''s some kind of artist? He''s just scum! None of his works were his own. At first, he relied on Lin Lan - those famous pieces were allpleted by her. Later, he started stealing my work.


    Six months ago, he got addicted to gambling and lost all his money.


    That day I went to his house, he said he had no money to pay me back, but he offered to let me sleep with Zeling to settle the debt! I was furious, so I pushed him. He fell to the ground, hit his head on the edge of the workbench, bled a lot, and then stopped breathing."


    Liu Jiale became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his saliva droplets almost spraying across the interrogation room table onto their faces.


    Fang Rui asked, "You''re saying you pushed the deceased once, his head hit the workbench, and then he died?"

 Chapter 32: Murder Mystery: You Are Not the Killer

    <h4>Chapter 32</h4>


    Liu Jiale licked his dry lips and grinned, "Ye Zeming got what he deserved for all his evil deeds. How else could he have died from such a light bump?"


    "Are you sure he hit the workbench?" Fang Rui repeated.


    "Is that important? I killed him, I admit it. Judge me however you want, just stop interrogating me!"


    Fang Rui paused the questioning and left the room to find Mu Mian.


    "Mu Mian, you mentioned earlier that the victim had a wound on his head that was inflicted before death. How was that wound caused?"


    Mu Mian retrieved the autopsy report and turned to the photo of the wound.


    "It''s an impact injury. Based on the shape of the wound, the object should have been oval-shaped. I suspect it was a sculpture. Unfortunately, I couldn''t find the murder weapon at the crime scene."


    "Is there any possibility it was caused by hitting the edge of the workbench?"


    "Unlikely. If it had hit the edge of the workbench, the wound shape wouldn''t be oval."


    "Thank you. Liu Jiale is lying. It''s very likely that Ye Zeling killed him, and Liu Jiale is taking the me for her!" Fang Rui patted Mu Mian''s head and left with the report.


    Mu Mian was stunned for a moment, then reminded Fang Rui unhappily, "Patting heads stunts growth. Also, the victim..."


    But Fang Rui had already left.


    He really is an impatient person! But Mu Mian knew Fang Rui woulde back to see herter.


    When Fang Rui returned to the interrogation room, Liu Jiale had already entered a state of refusing to answer any questions.


    Fang Rui''s eyes fixed on Liu Jiale, "The one who killed the victim wasn''t you, but Ye Zeling, right?"


    "What does this have to do with Zeling? I killed him, I confess! What more do you want?"


    "Then please answer again, how did Ye Zeming die?"


    "I told you, I was very angry at the time, so I pushed him. He hit the workbench and died shortly after!"


    "But our forensic results don''t show that," Fang Rui took out the autopsy report and showed Liu Jiale the photo. "This wound was clearly caused by hitting the floor. You don''t even know how the victim died, are you sure you killed him?"


    Liu Jiale immediately defended himself, "I was too panicked at the time, I remembered wrong. Now I recall, his head hit the floor, making a very crisp sound."


    "I just lied to you. Actually, it was caused by hitting a sculpture," Fang Rui said to Liu Jiale. "You don''t know the details of the case at all. The killer isn''t you, you''re just trying to take the me for Ye Zeling, aren''t you?"


    "I''m the killer, I killed him! Am I an idiot? How could I possibly take the me for that bitch Ye Zeling! I hate her so much I could kill her too!"


    Zhang couldn''t help but feel some sympathy for Liu Jiale. Being this devoted to someone who doesn''t care about you is too pathetic.


    "Ye Zeling doesn''t like you, she likes her brother," Zhang couldn''t help but remind him. "Even if you take the me for Ye Zeling, she won''t like you!"


    Liu Jiale clenched his fists in anger but remained silent, seemingly confident that the police couldn''t prove whether it was Ye Zeling or him who pushed Ye Zeming down.


    Fang Rui said, "Liu Jiale, your n was perfect, but do you know why we still guessed the truth? It''s because of Ye Zeling. She insisted that the victim was murdered, she insisted that we investigate."


    Liu Jiale''s eyes widened instantly, as if struck by lightning, and he froze.


    "Why do you think she did that?"


    Liu Jiale still didn''t speak.


    "If your n had seeded, you both would have been innocent, and Ye Zeling would have been ckmailed by you with this incident. She would have been under your control for the rest of her life. On the contrary, if the case was solved, you would definitely take the me for her voluntarily. This way, Ye Zeling could sessfully escape punishment and have a free life."


    "No, you''re talking nonsense, Zeling wouldn''t do this to me!"


    Fang Rui continued to attack his psyche: "It seems Ye Zeling is much smarter than you. Her n is what you''d call a perfect crime."


    Liu Jiale was on the verge of a mental breakdown, but he still defended Ye Zeling: "Zeling didn''t mean to, she identally pushed her brother, who knew it would turn out like this. She onlymitted manughter."


    "Then why did you create the fire and explosion?"


    "It was all my idea. We were too panicked at the time. Later when we calmed down, we were blinded by the huge benefits.


    Ye Zeming had bought insurance for himself, with Zeling as the beneficiary. But if the insurancepany found out that Zeling killed Ye Zeming, she wouldn''t get a penny ofpensation. And there would be no way to repay the debts Ye Zeming owed!


    We created the fire to ensure Ye Zeming''s body would be discovered quickly, so the insurancepany would pay us thepensation."


    Liu Jiale detailed the process of the crime:


    When Ye Zeling discovered that her brother was addicted to gambling and owed huge debts, shepletely broke down. She lost her temper with her brother, and when Ye Zeming tried tofort her, she pushed him away forcefully. Unexpectedly, he lost his bnce and crashed into a huge sculpture on the table.


    Ye Zeling left the vi in a panic but encountered Liu Jiale, who hade to collect debts, outside the vi. Seeing Ye Zeling in a state of panic, Liu Jiale asked her what happened. After learning that Ye Zeling had identally killed Ye Zeming, Liu Jiale immediately said he would help Ye Zeling handle the situation.


    Liu Jiale loved reading detective novels, so his mind quickly came up with many ways to dispose of the body.


    He originally nned to cut the body into small pieces and hide them inside a batch of ster sculptures. He first cut off Ye Zeming''s genitals with a knife, and out of anger, he smashed them with a hammer. But when he saw the bloody wound, he became scared and didn''t dare to dismember Ye Zeming further.


    But then he thought of an even more clever method.


    First, he and Ye Zeling put Ye Zeming''s body in a freezer and set it to the lowest temperature. This way, the body wouldn''t dpose, and the forensic experts wouldn''t be able to determine exactly which day Ye Zeming died.


    He had Ye Zeling imitate Ye Zeming''s voice and call Ye Zeming''s colleagues and friends every day, creating the illusion that Ye Zeming was still alive.


    In the early hours of the day of the incident, he ced the frozen Ye Zeming near a window. From that position, one could vaguely make out that it was Ye Zeming, but couldn''t see the details clearly. This further reinforced the illusion that Ye Zeming died on June 12th.


    Then he left the vi and deliberately found a spot directly facing a camera in the library, giving himself a solid alibi.


    The reason he deliberately left his previous residence and went into hiding was to add anotheryer of protection. If the police discovered the truth, he could more easily take the me for Ye Zeling. He loved Ye Zeling so much that he didn''t want her to be harmed in any way.


    On June 12th, he set up the fire-starting device and deliberately piled up many paint cans and turpentine near the workbench. He closed all the windows so that when the fire started, it might cause an explosion, further damaging the body.


    ording to his n, the firefighters would treat it as an ordinary fire. Even if someone became suspicious, the body would have been burned, making it difficult for the police to determine if the body had been frozen, let alone pinpoint the exact time of death.


    But an unexpected situation arose. The police investigating the case were very capable, and they unraveled the truth bit by bit.


    Ye Zeling learned from the female officer protecting her that the police had confirmed Ye Zeming was murdered and had made significant progress in the investigation.


    Ye Zeling told him this. He immediately nned a staged attack on Ye Zeling in the street, so the police investigation would shift focus to him. If the truth came out, he could reasonably take the me for Ye Zeling.


    His n was perfect, ensuring that Ye Zeling would definitely escape punishment. He never expected that the one who would make his n fail would be Ye Zeling, the very person he had been trying to protect.


    Liu Jiale''s face turned ashen. He knew Ye Zeling didn''t love him, but he never imagined she could be so vicious. Indeed, both siblings were demons.

 Chapter 33: Murderous Suspicion: The Third Person

    <h4>Chapter 33</h4>


    Ye Zeling also quickly confessed to her crime. Having killed her most beloved brother with her own hands had been tormenting her heart. So before Fang Rui and his team could even begin to interrogate her, Ye Zeling had already provided a detailed ount of how the crime took ce.


    Her statement wasrgely consistent with Liu Jiale''s ount.


    Fang Rui remembered something and asked, "Miss Ye, did you two put that small piece of paper in the victim''s hand?"


    "What paper?"


    Fang Rui felt that there were still some unresolved questions in this case.


    However, everyone else was already basking in the joy of solving the case.


    Zhang eximed, "Ah! This case is finally solved. I can''t believe Ye Zeling''s acting was so good, she almost had me fooled!"


    "I know, right? She was crying so heartbrokenly while hugging her brother''s body. Who could have imagined that she was the killer herself! Though she''s quite unfortunate. If she had honestly turned herself in, she might have only been charged with manughter. Now that she''s made everything soplicated, she''ll definitely get a longer sentence."


    "Aren''t you forgetting that she''s a dance drama performer? I felt something was off about her at the time. Normal people don''t cry like that."


    "Then why didn''t you say something at the time? If you had, we would have solved the case immediately!"


    "Well... we didn''t have any evidence then!"


    "I have to say, the boss and Dr. Mu are really impressive. If we were investigating this case, we might have just thought it was an ordinary fire."


    Everyone was eager to celebrate solving the big case, but Fang Rui wasn''t as happy as they were.


    Because he remembered Mu Mian saying that the cause of death was mechanical asphyxia. Although brain damage could also cause asphyxia, Mu Mian hadn''t emphasized it at the time, which suggested that the wound wasn''t the fatal injury.


    And then there was that small piece of paper. Both Ye Zeling and Liu Jiale said they didn''t put it there, which meant there was likely a third person at the crime scene!


    When Fang Rui found Mu Mian, she was drawing in her office.


    Mu Mian had weekly drawing assignments as part of her autism intervention therapy. She had been busy with the case all week and hadn''t had time toplete it, but now she finally had time to catch up on her homework.


    Seeing Fang Rui, Mu Mian put down her brush, "Fang Rui, I wanted to tell you earlier that I think Lin Lan is the real killer, but you left immediately."


    Fang Rui smiled at Mu Mian. What a coincidence, he also suspected Lin Lan was the killer.


    Mu Mian took out the now shriveled but still beautifully colored green cake from her drawer, "This is the evidence. Although it''s not very rigorous as evidence."


    "We found out that Lin Lan also went to that vi on the morning of June 8th. This further proves that she was likely present at the time of the crime."


    Lin Lan had entered the vi by taxi, sitting in the back seat and avoiding the surveince cameras the entire time, so she wasn''t discovered in the first round of investigation.


    After finding this discrepancy, Fang Rui questioned the taxi drivers one by one again, and one taxi driver confirmed that Lin Lan had taken his car to enter the vi area that morning.


    Fang Rui took his team to arrest Lin Lan.


    Lin Lan was cleaning the shelves, which had already been emptied of cakes, leaving only some molds. But Lin Lan was still cleaning very meticulously.


    Fang Rui asked directly, "Miss Lin, you were also in the room when Ye Zeling and Ye Zeming had their argument, weren''t you?"


    Lin Lan''s expression was very calm. Fang Rui thought she would deny it, but she confessed, "Yes, I was there that day. I was hiding behind the shelf."


    "When Ye Zeming hit the sculpture, he wasn''t dead yet. At that time, Ye Zeling ran out in a panic, and you took advantage of this opportunity to kill Ye Zeming. When Ye Zeling and Liu Jiale came back in, Ye Zeming was already dead, so they mistakenly thought Ye Zeling had killed him, right?"


    "Yes." Lin Lan looked at her cake shop reluctantly, then extended her hands to Fang Rui, saying softly, "I confess. My faith does not allow me to lie, let alonemit crimes."


    Fang Rui handcuffed her and took her back to the police station.


    Lin Lan was probably the most cooperative criminal Fang Rui had ever seen. Before he could even ask, she volunteered the details of what happened:


    "That day I heard Zeming was sick, so I brought him some medicine and cake. When I got there, I found out he wasn''t sick at all, he just used this excuse to lure me there and ask me to lend him money. I was very angry, but I loved him so much that I still decided to lend him the money.


    Then Zeling arrived.


    Zeming didn''t want us to meet because Zeling was very hostile towards me, so he asked me to hide and wait until Zeling left beforeing out.


    The siblings had a fierce argument, and during their quarrel, I learned about the sordid rtionship between them. At that moment, my world copsed.


    Can you understand that kind of despair? I was raised with the purest faith, only to fall in love with such a scumbag. How ironic!


    Later, Ye Zeling identally pushed Zeming, and his head hit a statue, causing a lot of bleeding. Ye Zeling was frightened, thinking she had identally killed her brother, so she ran out of the vi in a panic.


    At this point, I walked over to Zeming and found that he was still breathing, he wasn''t dead. He opened his eyes wide, seemingly wanting to ask me for help. But I didn''t save him. I took a pillow and smothered him to death.


    I think God will forgive me. I was punishing a demon, notmitting a crime."


    "You know what happened after that. When Ye Zeling went out, she met Liu Jiale. Liu Jiale loved her so much that when he found out about this, his first instinct was to cover up the truth. He engineered a fire, intending to destroy all traces of evidence.


    Haha, but they never thought that the person who actually killed Ye Zeming was me."


    Lin Lan sighed, "If only I hadn''t left that note, you probably wouldn''t have discovered that there was another person at the crime scene. But I don''t regret it. Ye Zeling isn''t a good person either, and I wanted to expose her dirty secret with her brother.


    I hoped that the big fire would cleanse his filthy, sinful soul."


    Fang Rui said, "We suspected you not just because of the note, but also because of that green velvet cake."


    "The cake?" Lin Lan gave a bitter smile, "No wonder your girlfriend was so interested in that piece of cake. So she suspected me even then. I was careless. I saw her looking so naive, I thought she really just liked the cake. I didn''t expect she was trying to get information out of me!"


    "She''s very smart."


    Coming out of the interrogation room, Zhang gossiped, "Girl...friend? Boss, aren''t you single? Where did you get a girlfriend?"


    Fang Rui red at him, "Don''t go spreading rumors, this is just a misunderstanding."


    "She was talking about Dr. Mu, right? Boss, be honest, are you dating Mu Mian?"


    "Why would you have such a misconception? Mu Mian and I are diligently solving cases, what are you doing, imagining some romance novel? Are you tired of your job and want to quit?"


    Fang Rui was a bit exasperated. He and Mu Mian had been working day and night to solve the case, where would they find time for dating?


    "Tsk tsk, Boss, you used to call her Dr. Mu, but look now, you''re calling her by her first name!"


    "Is there a difference?" Fang Rui hadn''t paid attention to these details. Names were justbels to him.


    "You should use someone''s title when working, it''smon sense." Zhang imitated Mu Mian''s tone.


    "..."


    "Boss, don''t you feel that you treat Dr. Mu very specially?"


    "I treat everyone who can help me solve cases specially. Mu Mian is a genius at solving cases, of course I have to treat her well, don''t I?"


    Zhang felt a bit disappointed. So the boss only valued Dr. Mu for her case-solving abilities. Dr. Mu really misced her affections. But then again, it seemed Mu Mian wasn''t interested in Fang Rui as a person either, but rather in his future corpse.


    Strangelypatible!


    "Zhang Qiang!" Chen Xue patted Zhang''s shoulder, "What are you muttering about again?"


    "Ah, don''t call my full name! And why are you shouting so loud!" Zhang saw that no one was around and whispered to Chen Xue, "Chen Xue, the CP you''re shipping is purely your imagination! The boss doesn''t like Dr. Mu at all!"


    "That''s not important, it doesn''t matter," Chen Xue''s eyes gleamed, "The boss is a Libra, and Dr. Mu is a Leo. These two zodiac signs are perfect for each other. They''ll definitely end up together!"


    Zhang looked at Chen Xue helplessly. He had thought he was the most unreliable one here, but to his surprise, Chen Xue, who usually appeared clever and quick-witted, turned out to be just as unreliable.

 Chapter 34: Wishing You Time

    <h4>Chapter 34</h4>


    The three testimonies matched uppletely, and the case was finally closed.


    When Ye Zeling learned that the killer of Ye Zeming was Lin Lan, she was first shocked, then fell into a state of frenzy: "I knew it, I didn''t kill my brother. Thank goodness, I didn''t kill my brother..."


    Liu Jiale, on the other hand, was utterly shocked when he found out. He could hardly believe that Lin Lan would kill someone.


    In his heart, Lin Lan was like an angel, always amodating Ye Zeming and the others, and alwaysforting him when he was oppressed. How could such a kind person kill someone?


    He was desperate to see Lin Lan while in detention, almost suicidal in his attempts.


    Although Lin Lan was wearing a yellow prison uniform, her expression was calm, and she still exuded an aura of tranquility.


    Liu Jiale grabbed Lin Lan''s hand and said urgently, "Sister Lin Lan, the police made a mistake, right? They got it wrong. The one who killed that scumbag Ye Zeming was clearly Ye Zeling. Why are you taking the me for her?"


    "Jiale, they didn''t make a mistake. I killed Ye Zeming."


    "...Why?"


    "Jiale, although your actions obstructed the police investigation, you probably won''t be sentenced to more than a few years. After you get out of prison, stay away from Ye Zeling, don''t love her anymore. You should n for your own life now. Don''t be like me, who lost everything for love and betrayed my own beliefs in the end."


    Liu Jiale''s eyes were somewhat bewildered. "I... I don''t know if I can do that."


    "You must do it. Don''t love someone who doesn''t love themselves!" Lin Lan''s gaze was determined. "It''s toote for me, but you still have a chance."


    Liu Jiale was in tears.


    "Jiale, don''te to see me anymore. I''ll be fine in here."


    Lin Lan was a person with her own beliefs. Even in prison, she could still live out the rest of her days calmly.


    After work, Fang Rui didn''t n to go home with Mu Mian. They had been together a lottely, evenmuting together, which could easily lead to misunderstandings. He didn''t want rumors to affect their purely professional rtionship.


    But when he saw Mu Mian standing at the entrance, quietly waiting for a ride, Fang Rui hesitated.


    As he was hesitating, a car stopped beside Mu Mian.


    "Dr. Mu, need a ride?"


    It was Lin Sen speaking. He had driven by the City Police Bureau, originally intending to ask Fang Rui out for dinner, but changed his mind when he saw Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian quickly analyzed the situation in her head: Lin Sen''s car was well-maintained and looked very safe, and Lin Sen was an emotionally stable person who probably wouldn''t get road rage¡ªit should be quite safe to ride with him.


    More importantly, Mu Mian wanted to get home quickly to prepare a birthday surprise for her sister.


    "Thank you," Mu Mian said as she got into the back seat.


    Fang Rui watched Lin Sen''s car leave, feeling perplexed. Since when had that selfish and cold guy be so kind-hearted? Could it be that Lin Sen was trying an indirect approach, using Mu Mian to get closer to her sister?


    Love really does make people blind! Fang Rui couldn''t help but sigh.


    Zhang, seeing Fang Rui staring wistfully as Lin Sen''s car drove away, also sighed, "Consultant Lin is quite a catch too. I wonder if Dr. Mu might develop feelings for him instead?"


    Fang Rui gave him a withering look. "Don''t you have work to do?"


    If it weren''t for Zhang constantly whispering in his ear, would he have been affected by those rumors? And now the culprit had the audacity to appear before him.


    "Consultant Lin also has a smart brain. I wonder if Dr. Mu might be interested in his body too?" Chen Xue chimed in out of nowhere, ying off Zhang''sment.


    Fang Rui retorted, "You''re overthinking it. Consultant Lin can''t read minds, so Dr. Mu wouldn''t find his brain worth researching. Mu Mian wouldn''t be interested in Lin Sen''s love-addled brain!"


    "...No wonder you''re not worried!" Chen Xue muttered under her breath.


    "Yeah, we were so worried for you just now."


    "You two..." Fang Rui suddenly scrutinized them both.


    Chen Xue and Zhang felt uneasy under his gaze.


    Zhang''s voice trembled, "Boss, what''s wrong?"


    "You two have been acting strangetely, always sticking together. You''re not dating, are you?"


    "Boss, don''t spread rumors! Chen Xue and I are just friends, nothing more."


    "Oh."


    Chen Xue also hurried to rify: "Captain Fang, Zhang and I are just bros!" They just liked to ship couples together, that''s all.


    At this moment, Wang passed by and, seeing Zhang and Chen Xue both blushing furiously, asked in confusion, "Captain Fang, what''s wrong with these two? Howe Zhang, with his thick skin, is blushing?"


    "Don''t know, maybe they''re dating!" Fang Rui dropped this bomb and walked away without looking back, leaving the three of them shocked.


    Zhang said, "We''re not dating."


    Chen Xue added, "We''re just friends."


    Wang, who was passing by, chuckled, "Oh... I see, I understand!"


    Within minutes, the gossip about Chen Xue and Zhang''s romance spread throughout the entire City Police Bureau.


    Zhang and Chen Xue were on the verge of tears. This was definitely Fang Rui''s revenge on them!


    Shen Xiyin was returning home after work when she happened to see Mu Mian getting out of Lin Sen''s car.


    She was a bit surprised. In Mu Mian''s observation diary, Lin Sen''s name had only appeared once. Mu Mian and Lin Sen weren''t close.


    "Sister."


    "Lin Sen, thank you for bringing my sister home."


    Lin Sen didn''t respond to Shen Xiyin, but he didn''t leave either. He just looked at her.


    Mu Mian,pletely oblivious to the undercurrents between them, looked at Shen Xiyin, then at Lin Sen, and curiously asked, "Consultant Lin, Sister, are youmunicating through mind reading?"


    "..."


    "But I can''t read minds, so I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''ll be very bored standing here. Can youmunicate verbally? I promise I''ll keep it a secret. I won''t tell Fang Rui what you talked about."


    Shen Xiyin said to Mu Mian, "Mian, can you go home first?"


    "Okay. But Sister,e home soon, okay?" Mu Mian wasn''t interested in their secret.


    After Mu Mian left, Shen Xiyin said to Lin Sen, "Lin Sen, we can be friends, can''t we?"


    Lin Sen ignored her. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one.


    "I don''t need friends."


    Shen Xiyin sighed. She knew Lin Sen was a stubborn person, but wasn''t she also obsessive in her own way? Once she had decided to break up back then, she wouldn''t start over with Lin Sen.


    Lin Sen took a drag on his cigarette, his tone softening a bit, "You came back to the country to investigate the truth about your parents'' car ident, didn''t you?"


    Shen Xiyin''s mother was a renowned neurosurgeon, and her father was a senior researcher at a pharmaceuticalpany. They died in a car ident. The police found that the car involved in the ident had been tampered with, but they never caught the culprit.


    Lin Sen had participated in the investigation of this case at the time. They had identified a suspect, but that person had immigrated back to their home country.


    Shen Xiyin''s smile gradually faded, and she struggled to control her emotions, "Please don''t tell Mu Mian about this. I can handle my parents'' matter on my own."


    "Shen Xiyin, I can help you! I''ll take care of Mu Mian with you, I''ll help you investigate the truth about your parents'' ident. Can we get back together?"


    "Lin Sen, we can''t."


    When Shen Xiyin returned home, she found the house pitch dark. Just as she was puzzled, Mu Mian came out of the room holding a cake.


    "Sister, happy birthday!"


    Shen Xiyin was surprised and touched. This was the first time Mu Mian had taken the initiative to celebrate her birthday.


    "I originally ordered a very pretty cake with lots of beautiful flowers on it, but the bakery owner was arrested. Guess who discovered she was the murderer?"


    "You."


    "Yes, but Fang Rui also guessed she was the killer." Mu Mian remembered Lin Sen and asked, "Fang Rui said Consultant Lin likes you very much. Do you like him?"


    "Once upon a time, very much."


    "Will you marry him then?"


    "No," Shen Xiyin said, "I won''t marry anyone."


    "Then Consultant Lin is so pitiful. He likes you, but you won''t marry him. He''ll be all alone and very lonely."


    "He''ll fall in love with another girl in the future," Shen Xiyin sighed. "I''m not getting married, why don''t you think I''m pitiful?"


    "Sister, you have me. I''ll always be with you."


    Shen Xiyin smiled.


    Mu Mian turned on the small speaker, which yed the birthday song. "Sister, hurry and blow out the candles to make a wish," she said.


    Shen Xiyin made her wish and blew out the candles.


    "This is my gift for you," Mu Mian handed Shen Xiyin an exquisite gift box, urging, "Open it quickly and take a look."


    "It''s beautiful. I love it," Shen Xiyin said as she opened it. Inside the box was an hourss, simple in design, with soft white sand inside transparent ss.


    "After Mom and Dad passed away, you''ve been so busy all the time. I feel like you''re very tired. So I''m giving you an hourss. Chen Xue said it can represent time. Sister, I wish you to have time!"


    Shen Xiyin hadn''t cried when their parents died, but at this moment, she suddenly found it hard to control her emotions.


    It turned out that Mu Mian could sense her feelings. It''s just that before, Mu Mian hadn''t learned how to express it.


    Mu Mian stretched out her arms and said to Shen Xiyin, "Sister, I can allow you to hug me now."


    "Mu Mian, thank you!"


    "You''re wee."


    Mu Mian was very happy. She felt that she had finally done something that made her sister happy.


    She decided that when Fang Rui''s birthday came, she would also give him a cake and an hourss. That way, Fang Rui would surely be so moved that he''d immediately agree to donate his body to her.

 Chapter 35: Reverse Judgment: Voluntary or Coerced

    <h4>Chapter 35</h4>


    Mu Mian had just arrived at the office when she overheard Zhang and Chen Xue gossiping about their rumored romance.


    She was somewhat surprised, but also found it reasonable - they both loved to talk, so they must get along well.


    When Chen Xue saw even Mu Mian''s expression of having stumbled upon juicy gossip, she knew that rumors truly don''t stop with the wise!


    "Mian Mian, you have to believe me, I''m not dating Zhang," Chen Xue said.


    Mu Mian''s gaze was a bit bewildered as she asked in confusion, "But you seem so happy when you''re with Officer Zhang!"


    "...Do I?" Chen Xue questioned.


    "When you talk to me, you smile like this." Mu Mian stiffly imitated a "caught betweenughter and tears" expression.


    "I smile sweetly at you, and your imitation looks nothing like it!" Chen Xue protested.


    "When you smile at Officer Zhang, your mouth stretches really wide. That''s how the female lead smiles at the male lead in movies," Mu Mian said, imitating a big, heartyugh.


    One part of the autism intervention program involved having autistic patients watch therapist-selected movies and write their impressions afterwards.


    Mu Mian''s movie list included several romance films. Though she watched them many times without understanding, she did remember the female lead''s smile.


    Smiling, being one of the more outward and positive emotions, was also the emotion Mu Mian could identify most easily.


    Chen Xue fell into self-doubt: Could her pure collegial rtionship with Zhang really have changed without her noticing?


    After solving the arson case involving Ye Zeming, the Special Crime Unit had been rtively idle for a while.


    "Fang Rui, there''s a case I find rather tricky. Could your Special Crime Unit take it over?" Captain Li from the neighboring Criminal Investigation Unit approached Fang Rui. "I think only your team can handle it!"


    Fang Rui asked, "What kind of case?"


    "A rape case. The victim is an inte celebrity, so it''s causing quite a stir. We need to solve it quickly. But it''splicated and not easy to investigate."


    Without hesitation, Fang Rui asked for all the case files.


    Fang Rui saw the suspect''s name: Lin Qianjie, son of Jiangzhou City''s wealthiest man. No wonder Captain Li was in such a hurry to pass the case to him - he clearly didn''t want to invite trouble.


    Zhang tried desperately to signal Fang Rui with his eyes, but failed to stop him from taking the case.


    "Boss, are you crazy? Captain Li is obviously trying to dump this on us! Even if we solve it, we won''t get much credit. But if we can''t uncover the truth, or if the truth doesn''t match public spection, we''ll be crucified!" Zhang eximed.


    Fang Rui paused in his steps. "Zhang, we became police officers to uphold justice, not for promotions or money."


    Zhang fell silent. Fang Rui had the right to say such things. Both of Fang Rui''s parents were in politics, and his family members all held high positions. If Fang Rui hadn''t insisted on bing a police officer, he could have had an even brighter future.


    "But we can''t take every case thates our way," Zhang said, stifling a bored yawn. "A case like this isn''tplex. There''s no challenge to it."


    The victim was named Lu Tian, a beauty blogger on a certain tform. On the day of the incident, Lin Qianjie had entered Lu Tian''s home under the pretext of discussing a business coboration and then raped her.


    The forensic doctor had already examined Lu Tian. Semen was extracted from her vagina and confirmed to be Lin Qianjie''s.


    Lu Tian had many defensive wounds on her body, indirectly proving that she had been forced into sexual intercourse with Lin Qianjie against her will.


    Lin Qianjie had already been brought to the interrogation room.


    Lin Qianjie was somewhat good-looking, but had a sleazy air about him. There was a bruise at the corner of his mouth where Lu Tian had hit him with a vase while resisting.


    He wore a gaudy shirt, slouched sideways in his chair with his legs crossed, looking arrogant. No matter what he was asked, he kept saying that he had the right to remain silent until hiswyer arrived.


    When he saw Fang Rui enter, he was taken aback for a moment and instinctively sat up straighter. But the contemptuous smile remained on his face.


    "Well, if it isn''t my old ssmate Fang Rui? Look at you now, what''s the point of being a lowly cop? Why don''t youe work for me as a bodyguard? I''ll pay you tens of thousands a month, that''s way more than you make as a cop, right?"


    Fang Rui raised his eyes and gave him a cool look. "Are you sure about that?"


    "Ohe on, I was just joking," Lin Qianjie immediately backed down. He knew very well that if Fang Rui wasn''t wearing that police uniform, he would have already beaten him up.


    Lin Qianjie and Fang Rui were ssmates from elementary school through high school. Fang Rui, who despised evil, had always disliked Lin Qianjie and had beaten him up quite often.


    "Fang Rui, you don''t need to investigate this case. Lu Tian and I are a couple. I didn''t rape her at all. She''s just upset with me and that''s why she called the police on me. If you don''t believe me, go check - I have plenty of witnesses and evidence!"


    Fang Rui cut him off, "Answer only what I ask. Please don''t over-exin!"


    "Don''t be so serious. It''s not like I''m a real rapist!" Lin Qianjie protested.


    Fang Rui looked at him coldly.


    "Alright, alright, go ahead and ask. I''ll answer everything truthfully," Lin Qianjie conceded.


    "Describe the situation on the day of the incident."


    Lin Qianjie exined, "That day I had secured a brand promotion deal for Lu Tian, so I went to her ce to give her the good news.


    We were already a couple, you know, and I have pretty high sexual needs, so naturally, things led to us having sex.


    Who would have thought Lu Tian would pull this trick, actually using me of rape? I''m being framed here!"


    "If she was willing, why does she have defensive wounds on her body?" Fang Rui questioned.


    "Come on, women are like that. They say no with their mouths, but they actually mean yes. It''s just forey!" Lin Qianjie nced at Zhang, then looked back at Fang Rui. "You two are both single, how would you understand these things?"


    "You say you were dating her. Do you have any evidence?"


    Lin Qianjie leaned back, a very confident smile on his face.


    "There''s plenty of evidence. Mywyer is already collecting it, and he''ll bring it over to you soon. Fang Rui, you don''t need to investigate this case. Mywyer will submit all the evidence to you, and you can just write up the case closure report."


    Just as Lin Qianjie finished speaking, hiswyer arrived to bail him out.


    Lin Qianjie''swyer was named Wang Li, the most famous criminalwyer in the city.


    Rumor had it that he had never lost a case. He even dared to defend murder cases with a not guilty plea, and still won. However, he generally only took cases for wealthy clients because his fees were exceptionally high.


    "Officer Fang, I believe these materials can prove that my client and Ms. Lu were in a rtionship," Lawyer Wang, dressed in a ck suit with gold-rimmed sses perched on his nose, looked very professional as he handed Fang Rui a file folder.


    Fang Rui took the folder, which was quite heavy, filled with photographs.


    All the photos were of Lin Qianjie and Lu Tian together - some of them on a yacht during a sea trip, some of them entering and leaving an apartmentplex together, and some of them wearing matching outfits.


    The photos covered many different scenarios, but the main subjects were always Lin Qianjie and Lu Tian. In the photos, Lu Tian''s expressions looked natural, not as if she had been coerced into taking them.


    "Officer Fang, take your time to look through these. I''ll take my client home now," Wang Li said, having quicklypleted the bail procedures. He was in a hurry to get Lin Qianjie out.


    Lin Qianjie raised his chin at Fang Rui provocatively. "Officer Fang, I''m leaving now!"


    A middle-aged woman with a refined air was waiting for him in the hallway.


    When Lin Qianjie saw her, his whole demeanor became nervous. He shuffled over slowly and called out, "Mom, why are you here?"


    The woman was Lin Qianjie''s stepmother, Jiang Yun. Without a word, she pped him across the face. "You''re a disgrace!"


    Lin Qianjie''s fists clenched tightly, but he didn''t dare to talk back. Instead, he put on a cating smile and said, "I was set up by that woman this time. It won''t happen again."


    Mu Mian came out of the office just in time to see Jiang Yun. She froze in ce.


    This woman looked almost identical to the mother in the photograph.


    Could she... be her mother?

 Chapter 36: Reversal of Judgment: Adverse Testimony

    <h4>Chapter 36</h4>


    Jiang Yun left with Lin Qianjie and Lawyer Wang, brushing past Mu Mian as they went.


    Mu Mian froze, unsure whether to call out to her or if this woman could possibly be her mother. She had always imagined her mother as a poor, struggling woman who couldn''t afford to visit her abroad despite working hard. In her mind, her mother wore tattered clothes and had a face lined with wrinkles... but this woman looked nothing like that.


    If she was her mother, why hadn''t shee to see her when she seemed so wealthy?


    "Mu Mian, daydreaming again?" Fang Rui tapped her shoulder. "Save that for the office, or you''ll affect our City Police Bureau''s image."


    Mu Mian forced a smile worse than crying. "Got it."


    "Did something happen?" Fang Rui rarely saw Mu Mian looking so upset.


    Mu Mian shook her head. She was fine, she just needed to revise the mental image of her mother in her mind.


    "Fang Rui, I''m okay now," Mu Mian smiled again, this time genuinely.


    Fang Rui had the tech team verify the authenticity of the photos. They reported that none showed signs of digital maniption and appeared to be genuine.


    Fang Rui and the police psychologist Li Lan took Lu Tian''s statement together.


    Lu Tian, 27 years old, was strikingly beautiful with ssical features. But sitting in the interview room, she looked haggard, her pretty phoenix eyes swollen from crying.


    Li Lan asked gently, "Miss Lu, what is your rtionship with Lin Qianjie?"


    "He''s a friend of my best friend. I guess we''re friends too."


    "But he says you two are in a romantic rtionship," Li Lan said carefully, not wanting to upset the fragile-looking Lu Tian.


    "He''s lying! I don''t like him at all, and he''s never confessed to me. We''re just normal friends. He''s making this up to avoid punishment. He must be lying to save himself."


    "Miss Lu, please calm down. Why did you let him into your home on the night of the incident?"


    Lu Tian kept wiping away tears. "I''ve said this many times. He told me he had arranged an advertising deal for me and came over to discuss the details. My best friend was there at first, but she left after getting a phone call. We were in the middle of discussing contract details, so I couldn''t just kick him out. I had no idea he would drag me into the bedroom and force himself on me."


    Each recollection was deeply traumatic for Lu Tian. She was already emotionally fragile, and this retelling pushed her further towards a breakdown. She began crying uncontrobly.


    Fang Rui produced a photo of her with Lin Qianjie. "Miss Lu, how do you exin this picture?"


    The photo showed Lu Tian and Lin Qianjie posing together, Lu Tian smiling sweetly with a blue ocean in the background. They looked very intimate.


    "This photo was taken with my best friend and Lin Qianjie. Why is it just the two of us now? My friend should be there too!" Lu Tian looked at the photo in shock. "This must be fake. I''ve never taken a photo like this with him alone."


    Fang Rui pointed out, "But there are many such photos in different settings."


    "Impossible! I''ve never taken photos alone with Lin Qianjie. In this one, we''re wearing matching clothes because we were at a charity event. Many people wore the same shirt. This photo has been altered - we took it with arge group..."


    Lu Tian had a somewhat usible exnation for each photo. But faced with so many pictures, her excuses seemed weak.


    Fang Ruitched onto a key figure in her story - her best friend.


    His instincts told him Lu Tian wasn''t lying.


    Fang Rui knew Lin Qianjie fairly well. Lin had been constantly dating girls since middle school and led a chaotic personal life. He was unscrupulous and had a history of deceiving girls. This was why Fang Rui used to beat him up so often!


    "Boss, you don''t think Lu Tian is actually lying, do you?" Zhang held up his phone. "A cleaner from Lu Tian''s apartmentplex posted online saying she''d seen Lin Qianjie leaving Lu Tian''s ce multiple times. Some female employees from Lin Qianjie''spany also imed they saw Lu Tian passionately kissing him in his office..."


    After reporting to the police, Lu Tian had posted about the incident online, fearing the police might favor Lin Qianjie.


    As a popr social media influencer, her story spread quickly. Public opinion initially sided with Lu Tian. But when her "intimate photos" with Lin Qianjie appeared online, along with the efforts of Lin Qianjie''s paid inte trolls, public sentiment rapidly turned against her.


    "Have Li Lan stay with her 24/7. Her mental state is already fragile. If she sees thesements, she might even attempt suicide."


    "Boss, do you really think Lu Tian was raped?" Zhang was starting to waver in the face of so much evidence. While Lin Qianjie didn''t seem like a good person, did that necessarily mean the seemingly weak and pitiful Lu Tian was innocent?


    "Let''s find her best friend first. Maybe we can get some leads from her."


    Lu Tian''s best friend was named Wang Xiaoya, a sales assistant at a luxury goods store.


    When Fang Rui and Zhang arrived at the store, they saw Lawyer Wang just leaving.


    Lawyer Wang noticed Fang Rui and greeted him before driving away.


    "Boss, we''re toote. Thatwyer Wang probably already bought off Wang Xiaoya."


    When they entered, Wang Xiaoya was touching up her makeup.


    After learning why they were there, she continued applying foundation: "Ask what you need to quickly. Don''t make mete for work."


    Zhang was indignant: "Miss Wang, your best friend went through such a traumatic experience, and you''re worried about makeup?"


    "What''s that supposed to mean? I didn''t stop doing my makeup even at my father''s funeral," Wang Xiaoya rolled her eyes at Zhang. "What''s wrong with putting on makeup? Is it a crime?"


    Fang Rui asked, "Were you at Lu Tian''s ce on the night of July 20th?"


    Wang Xiaoya''s eyes lit up when she saw Fang Rui. She flipped her hair, "Officer, do you have a girlfriend?"


    "Please answer my question."


    "Fine, no need to be so harsh! Yes, I was at Lu Tian''s that night, but they seemed to be having a great conversation, so I felt like a third wheel and made an excuse to leave."


    "You say they were chatting happily?"


    "Of course."


    "Are Lu Tian and Lin Qianjie in a rtionship?"


    "I can''t say for sure. Lin Qianjie changes girlfriends all the time, who knows what their rtionship is? But Lin Qianjie seemed to really like Lu Tian. And Lu Tian took advantage of that to get a lot of benefits from him."


    Fang Rui showed her the stack of photos: "Were you present when these were taken?"


    "I was there for this one on the yacht. I don''t remember when this one was taken. I don''t think I was there for this one with the matching outfits." Wang Xiaoya cooperatively exined each photo.


    "I don''t know why Lu Tian is making such a fuss. This should be a good thing, I can''t understand why she reported it to the police! I suspect she might be mentally ill. She''s not quite right in the head, always going to see psychologists."


    "A good thing?" Zhang was stunned. "How is this good?"


    "Lin Qianjie runs an influencer managementpany. Lu Tian hooking up with him means she''ll have no shortage of resources in the future. If Lin Qianjie marries her, she''ll be a rich man''s wife! So many people would kill for that kind of luck, but she goes and offends her meal ticket!"


    Fang Rui realized they wouldn''t get any useful information from Wang Xiaoya.


    "Officer, is that all you''re going to ask?" Wang Xiaoya looked at Fang Rui, seeming reluctant to let him go. "Why don''t you leave me your number? If I remember anything, I''ll contact you right away."


    Fang Rui gave Zhang a look, and Zhang quickly wrote down a phone number for Wang Xiaoya.


    Wang Xiaoya took the paper with obvious disappointment.


    As soon as Zhang exited the luxury boutique, he quickly took a deep breath of fresh air. "My goodness," he eximed, "that woman''s perfume was so overpowering it nearly suffocated me."

 Chapter 37: Reversal of Judgment: Settlement

    <h4>Chapter 37</h4>


    Chen Xue and a few others, including Wang, were outraged when they heard about this case. They werepletely on Lu Tian''s side. Lu Tian had a delicate, pitiful appearance that evoked sympathy, while Lin Qianjie, judging by his looks, seemed every bit the spoiled rich kid.


    "Is there really nothing we can do to help Lu Tian?" Chen Xue was furious. "Even if Lu Tian was dating Lin Qianjie, does that give him the right to force her into a sexual rtionship?"


    "Chen Xue, that''s not quite right. If they were actually in a rtionship, it''s a different situation. Isn''t it normal for couples to be intimate?" someone countered.


    Chen Xue grew even more indignant: "As long as the woman doesn''t consent, it''s rape! Otherwise, why would marital rape be a crime?"


    Mu Mian, irritated by their heated debate, turned and said, "This Lin Qianjie is not a good person!"


    "Mu Mian, isn''t that obvious and beyond dispute?"


    Mu Mian continued, "He''s been involved in this kind ofwsuit more than once. One of the victims not only lost her case but was also sued by Lin Qianjie for defamation. In the end, that girlmitted suicide by jumping off a building."


    "How do you know all this?"


    "I found it on theputer."


    Chen Xue immediately rushed to Mu Mian''sputer. On the screen was a court verdict: The Jiangzhou City East City District Court dismissed Shen Yuanyuan''s rapewsuit against Lin Qianjie due to insufficient evidence...


    Mu Mian switched to another webpage, which was a news report.


    Shen Yuanyuan had suffered from cyberbullying because of this incident, and she also had to pay Lin Qianjie a huge amount inpensation, or she might have faced jail time. Under this double pressure of mental and financial strain, Shen Yuanyuan jumped to her death.


    The media had extensively covered Shen Yuanyuan''s loss in court, but very few outlets reported on her suicide. Only some independent bloggers had spread the news voluntarily, so it didn''t reach a wide audience.


    Chen Xue was terrified after reading this. If they couldn''t help Lu Tian, she might very well be the next Shen Yuanyuan.


    When Fang Rui and Zhang returned, Chen Xue showed them the news about Shen Yuanyuan:


    Shen Yuanyuan was a graduate student who had met Lin Qianjie through a friend, and they had attended gatherings together. Later, at one of these gatherings, Lin Qianjie raped Shen Yuanyuan.


    The subsequent developments were simr to Lu Tian''s case. Shen Yuanyuan also sued Lin Qianjie for rape, but Lin Qianjie used a wealth of evidence to prove that Shen Yuanyuan was his girlfriend.


    Hiswyer also provided chat records suggesting that Shen Yuanyuan had attempted ckmail. In the end, not only did Shen Yuanyuan lose the case, but she also had to pay a huge amount inpensation.


    Zhang felt a chill run down his spine. "This Lin Qianjie is a habitual offender!"


    Fang Rui felt a headacheing on. In the current situation, unless they could obtain direct evidence of Lin Qianjie raping Lu Tian, there was no way Lu Tian could win thiswsuit.


    The next morning, Lin Qianjie and his defensewyer proposed a private mediation with Lu Tian.


    The mediation was to take ce in a private room at a restaurant.


    Lu Tian hadn''t hired awyer. She was apanied by Nie Yan, the prosecutor in charge of the case.


    It wasn''t that Lu Tian couldn''t afford awyer, but otherwyers in Jiangzhou City were unwilling to defend her. They coldly told her that she had no chance of winning thiswsuit.


    That''s when Nie Yan actively sought her out. Rape cases are criminal cases, usually prosecuted by the procuratorate to the people''s court. Most prosecutors didn''t want to take on this case, but Nie Yan voluntarily applied to be responsible for it.


    When Nie Yan learned that Lin Qianjie and his team had arranged a private settlement meeting with Lu Tian, she feared Lu Tian might be taken advantage of and decided to apany her.


    Lin Qianjie recognized Nie Yan. When he saw her, he shed a smug smile: "If it isn''t Prosecutor Nie. Didn''t you have enough of losingst time?"


    Nie Yan ignored him and went straight into the private room.


    Lin Qianjie turned to Wang Li and said, "Let''s not settle with that bitch anymore. Let''s sue her for defamation, just likest time!"


    Wang Li''s expression was serious. He pushed up his sses and said, "Miss Jiang said it would be better if we reached a settlement."


    Lin Qianjie immediately fell silent.


    Lawyer Wang poured Lu Tian a cup of tea and got straight to the point: "Miss Lu, if you''re willing to withdraw thewsuit and publicly apologize to my client online, my client is willing to pay you one million yuan as a breakup fee!"


    Lu Tian didn''t hesitate and immediately refused: "I don''t want money. I want Lin Qianjie, that scumbag, to face legal punishment!"


    Lin Qianjie sat leisurely with his legs crossed,pletely unfazed by Lu Tian''s curse.


    "We''re willing to settle with you not because we''re afraid of losing thewsuit, but because we don''t want to make a big fuss and affect my client''s reputation," Lawyer Wang said. He took a sip of tea, his smile fading and a hint of malice shing in his eyes. "Miss Lu, I advise you to think carefully. You only get one chance."


    "I''ve thought it through very clearly. I won''tpromise," Lu Tian said. Though she looked fragile, her will was strong. On the day she was hurt, she had sworn to make Lin Qianjie pay for his crimes.


    Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open. Two elderly people walked in: Lu Tian''s parents. They were farmers with little worldly experience, and they timidly greeted Lin Qianjie and Lawyer Wang.


    "Lawyer Wang, our Tian Tian will sign the settlement agreement. We''ll persuade her," Lu Tian''s mother said.


    Lu Tian''s mother held her daughter''s hand and said earnestly, "Tian Tian, just settle with him, okay? Let''s drop thewsuit. How can ordinary people like us win a case like this?"


    "Dad, Mom, didn''t you say you would support me? I won''t settle with him!" Lu Tian protested.


    "We can''t win this case. Tian Tian, listen to your mother. Just settle with them," Lu Tian''s mother hugged her daughter, her tone urgent. "They''ve agreed to give us one million yuan. With that money, your brother can buy a house in the city..."


    Lu Tian''s father even knelt down before her. "Tian Tian, please settle."


    "Mom... Dad... why are you forcing me?"


    Lu Tian choked up, feeling as if she had fallen into an endless darkness. Her best friend had betrayed her, and now even her beloved parents were betraying her. She felt like aplete failure in life.


    Lawyer Wang was satisfied with this scene. He took out a contract that had been prepared in advance and handed it to Lu Tian.


    "Miss Lu, please sign. Once you sign, we''ll immediately transfer the one million yuan to your ount."


    Lin Qianjie also watched the scene with a mocking look. In his mind, there was nothing money couldn''t solve. If it didn''t work, it just meant not enough money had been offered.


    "Tian Tian, sign it, quick, sign it!" Lu Tian''s father hurriedly brought the contract and pen to Lu Tian, urging her to sign. "That kind of thing isn''t a big deal. You cane back to the countryside with us afterward, and we''ll definitely find you a good match. He won''t mind these things."


    Lu Tian''s mother chimed in, "Yes, Tian Tian, don''t be stubborn. Out of this million, we''ll give you 200,000 yuan. You can use it to start a business!"


    Lu Tian was on the verge of a mental breakdown, crying uncontrobly. She felt as if she were drowning, unable to grasp onto anything.


    "Lawyer Wang, a rape case isn''t something that can be withdrawn just like that. If Lu Tian signs this contract, aren''t you going to turn around and sue her for ckmail next?" Nie Yan snatched away the contract, saying angrily.


    "Prosecutor Nie, you''re interfering too much. You should respect Miss Lu''s own choice," Lawyer Wang retorted.


    Nie Yan turned to Lu Tian and promised, "Lu Tian, if you don''t want to settle, I will definitely help you win this case!"


    Nie Yan''s words gave Lu Tian a chance to breathe. Lu Tian looked at Nie Yan eagerly: "I don''t want to settle. I don''t want to!"


    "Then we won''t settle," Nie Yan affirmed.


    "Madam Prosecutor, haven''t you learned your lesson yet? Wasn''t yourst defeat embarrassing enough?" Lawyer Wang taunted Nie Yan. "Do you think you''re helping her? You''re actually harming her! If you had let that Miss Shen agree to withdraw the case, she wouldn''t have jumped to her death. Do you want to see Miss Lumit suicide in front of you too?"


    Nie Yan was so angry her hands were shaking. She red fiercely at Lin Qianjie and Lawyer Wang. "Those who do evil will eventually face retribution!"


    Lu Tian grasped Nie Yan''s hand. "Nie Yan, I trust you. Let''s go!"


    Nie Yan led Lu Tian out of the private room, with Lu Tian''s parents'' pleading voices still echoing behind them: "Tiantian, why are you being so stubborn? This is a million yuan we''re talking about! How can you just refuse it like that?"


    "Tiantian, please listen to your father just this once. I''m on my knees begging you!"


    Lu Tian ignored her parents. From the moment they had tried to force her to sign, she had decided to sever ties with them.


    "Nie Yan, aren''t you afraid of offending them by helping me like this? Lin Qianjie''s family is very powerful. Won''t they retaliate against you?"


    Nie Yan looked at Lu Tian, and through her, saw another fragile yet determined girl.


    Nie Yan said, "I don''t want to see another girl like you. I want to bring Lin Qianjie to justice."


    Nie Yan had previously handled Shen Yuanyuan''s case. She had lost thatwsuit, which had also cost Shen Yuanyuan her life. She didn''t want to see the tragedy repeat itself.


    Lin Qianjie watched Lu Tian leave, then turned to Lawyer Wang and said, "Since they refuse to drink to our toast, let''s make them drink a forfeit. This time, I''m not only going to sue that Lu Tian, I''m also going to ruin Nie Yan''s reputation!"


    Lawyer Wang gave Lin Qianjie a sidelong nce: "Miss Jiang only asked me to help you win thiswsuit. She didn''t ask me to do anything else."


    "Don''t worry, your work won''t go unrewarded. I''ll give you another sum of money."


    Lawyer Wang smiled with satisfaction, "That Nie Yan has crossed me several times. I''ve been wanting to teach her a lesson for a long time. Rest assured, this time I''ll put an end to her career for good."

 Chapter 38: Reversal of Judgment: Seizing the Initiative

    <h4>Chapter 38</h4>


    Fang Rui nned to go to Lu Tian''s house with Zhang to see if they could find any clues. But as soon as he left the office, he saw Mu Mian blocking his way.


    "Fang Rui, can Ie with you to investigate the case?" she asked.


    "Why?" Fang Rui was a bit surprised. In his impression, Mu Mian wasn''t very interested in investigating cases; she was only interested in corpses.


    Mu Mian nced back at Chen Xue, then looked at Fang Rui again. "For justice!"


    "..."


    As it happened, Zhang had gone out on duty, so Fang Rui directly took Mu Mian to Lu Tian''s house.


    Lu Tian lived in the Wenyuan Residential Complex in the East City district. The security in theplex was quite good. Lu Tian lived in Building 6, Room 603.


    Nie Yan opened the door. Lu Tian had been in a very bad emotional state recently, so Nie Yan was with her almost 24 hours a day, fearing she might do something rash.


    Nie Yan was pleasantly surprised to see Fang Rui. "Officer Fang? It''s been a while since west met. Are you investigating this case?"


    "Yes. Nie Yan, are you in charge of Lu Tian''s case?"


    "That''s right. Are you here to see Lu Tian? She just took her medication and is asleep now. She''ll probably wake up in a while."


    Nie Yan used to specialize in handling criminal cases and was an excellent prosecutor, so she often had work handovers with Fang Rui and his team. Through these interactions, the two of them got to know each other.


    Later, Nie Yan was marginalized in the prosecutor''s office and was mainly responsible for small cases, so she had fewer interactions with Fang Rui.


    "Fang Rui, seeing that you''re investigating this case, I suddenly feel confident. I''m sure we can find evidence to prove Lin Qianjie''s guilt," Nie Yan said happily.


    Fang Rui and Nie Yan continued to exchange pleasantries, blocking Mu Mian''s path and making her a bit irritated. So she chimed in, "And me too!"


    Only then did Nie Yan notice that there was a young girl behind Fang Rui.


    "This is Prosecutor Nie Yan," Fang Rui turned to smile at Mu Mian, then introduced her to Nie Yan, "Nie Yan, this is Mu Mian, our new forensic expert at the City Police Bureau."


    "Hello, Forensic Expert Mu!" Nie Yan extended her hand towards Mu Mian.


    "Hello."


    Mu Mian looked at Nie Yan''s fair hand, which she didn''t know how many bacteria it harbored, and felt conflicted. She didn''t want to shake hands with this Prosecutor Nie. So she looked at the ceiling.


    "Sorry, I don''t like shaking hands."


    Nie Yan withdrew her hand, feeling that this Forensic Expert Mu didn''t seem to like her very much.


    The location of the rape case was Lu Tian''s room. Her room faced south, with arge window that let in plenty of light when the curtains weren''t drawn.


    After the rape urred, Lu Tian hadn''t entered the room, preserving the crime scene.


    The entire room was in disarray. The pillow had fallen to the floor, there were pieces of a broken vase on the ground, and the nket was messy, indicating that Lu Tian had put up a fierce struggle at the time.


    Looking out from the window, Mu Mian could see the balconies of the building opposite. The distance between the two buildings wasn''t very far. With good eyesight, one could see the TV screen in the living room across the way.


    The apartment directly across from them on the eighth floor was watching SpongeBob SquarePants.


    Mu Mian wanted to see more clearly, so she leaned out of the window to look. She was very curious about the flowers on the balcony of the ninth floor opposite, so she leaned out a bit further.


    The feeling of suspension suddenly reminded her that she was afraid of heights!


    Fang Rui had been discussing the case with Nie Yan. He caught sight of Mu Mian''s dangerous action from the corner of his eye and immediately ran over to pull her back.


    "Mu Mian, don''t you know how dangerous that is! Don''t you have a fear of heights? Why are you leaning out of the window? This is the sixth floor. If you fall, you''ll die!" Fang Rui was furious with Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian was startled and couldn''t help but point out, "I wouldn''t have fallen. I only had a quarter of my body out. ording to the principle of leverage, I wouldn''t have fallen..."


    Seeing Fang Rui''s face getting darker, she quickly changed her tune, "Fang Rui, thank you for saving me!"


    "If you do this again, I won''t bring you out to investigate cases next time."


    Mu Mian felt a bit wronged. It was Fang Rui who was making a big deal out of nothing; she hadn''t done anything very dangerous.


    She still valued her life very much. She wanted to live for a very long time, so she could dissect Fang Rui''s body after he died.


    "What did you want to see?"


    "The balcony over there."


    Fang Rui followed Mu Mian''s gaze to the living room on the eighth floor of the opposite building. From this angle, they could see that the TV in the living room was ying a cartoon, which appeared to be SpongeBob SquarePants.


    Fang Rui almostughed in exasperation, "Mu Mian, you made such a dangerous move just to watch SpongeBob SquarePants? Can''t you watch it on your phone?"


    Mu Mian wanted to argue, but seeing that Nie Yan was still standing nearby, she could only acquiesce.


    Nie Yan felt that the current Fang Rui was very different. She had dealt with Fang Rui before, and although he was very good at social niceties, he was skilled at controlling his emotions and often gave people a sense of detachment.


    But he was very different with Mu Mian.


    Fang Rui suddenly realized that the buildings in this residentialplex were quite close together, which didn''t provide much privacy. The residents in the opposite building might also be able to see what was happening on Lu Tian''s side.


    "Were the curtains not drawn at the time of the incident?" Fang Rui turned to ask Lu Tian.


    Lu Tian said, "I''m not sure. That day he suddenly pulled me into the room. I don''t remember clearly. But I didn''t touch the curtains afterwards, so they probably weren''t drawn."


    Nie Yan immediately understood Fang Rui''s meaning - the residents in the opposite building might have seen what happened. Nie Yan immediately ran out to investigate.


    Mu Mian watched Nie Yan''s hastily departing figure and sighed, "Fang Rui, next time don''t reveal the clues. Look, she''s beaten us to it."


    "She''s Lu Tian''s prosecutor. She''s on our side."


    "Shouldn''t we be neutral?"


    Fang Rui was taken aback. Perhaps because Lin Qianjie had so much negative history, he had subconsciously sided with Lu Tian. But Lu Tian could also be the one lying.


    "It''s okay, those residents haven''t returned from work yet, so her trip will be in vain," Fang Rui said. "We''ll go interview those residents after dark."


    Fang Rui then questioned the security guard downstairs.


    The security guard was a man from the Northwest, with arge build. He spoke with an ent: "Miss Lu and Mr. Lin were definitely a couple. We often saw them entering and leaving theplex together."


    "Are you saying that Lin Qianjie also lives in thisplex?"


    "Yes, Mr. Lin lives on the eighth floor. But Sister Wang said that when she was cleaning early in the morning, she saw Mr. Lining out of her apartment several times. They were probably living together."


    Fang Rui then found the cleaningdy, Sister Wang. She was in her fifties and looked quite kind.


    "Mr. Lin moved inst month. I remember him clearly because as soon as he moved in, he gave me a big red envelope with several hundred yuan. He was very generous. He and Miss Lu had a very good rtionship. Once when I was cleaning the corridor, I saw himing out of Miss Lu''s apartment. It was at 6:30 in the morning, they couldn''t have been discussing work at that time, right?


    Oh, Miss Lu is too bad. She was clearly in a rtionship with Mr. Lin, but she used him of rape. She probably didn''t get the money she wanted, so she turned on him. Young girls these days are so wicked."


    "Have you seen theme out of the apartment together?"


    "No, I haven''t!"


    "Thank you for your cooperation."


    Fang Rui felt that this cleaningdy probably wasn''t lying, but why would Lin Qianjiee out of Lu Tian''s apartment?


    Could Lu Tian be lying?


    As night fell, lights began toe on in the residentialplex.


    "Based on the distance between the two buildings and the height of Lu Tian''s window, the residents who can see into Lu Tian''s room are those on the fourth to twelfth floors," Mu Mian said, drawing a proportional sketch of the two buildings on paper. "The residents on the left side can''t see into Lu Tian''s room due to the angle. So we only need to question sixteen households."


    "Mm-hmm."


    Most of the residents were cooperative. Upon learning of Fang Rui''s purpose, they all said they hadn''t seen anything.


    "Why are you here again? Didn''t you ask usst night?" one residentined.


    "Someone came to ask youst night?" Fang Rui inquired.


    "Yes, he said he was the prosecutor in charge of Miss Lu''s case."


    Fang Rui frowned. Nie Yan had only gone to question these residents this afternoon. How could someone haveest night?


    "It was a man in a suit, wearing sses."


    It was Lawyer Wang! Fang Rui knew that someone had beaten him to it again. Even if there were eyewitnesses, it was very likely that Lawyer Wang had already bought them off.


    Sure enough, as Fang Rui went door to door asking questions, most people cooperatively imed they hadn''t seen anything.


    By the time he had finished questioning all the residents, it was already ten o''clock at night.


    They had walked so much that day that Mu Mian felt her legs cramping. She was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep.


    Fang Rui said, "Let''s go back!"


    As they reached the ground floor, Mu Mian suddenly said, "Fang Rui, I wasn''t really watching SpongeBob this afternoon."


    "Mm, I know."


    "No, you don''t. I was looking at the balcony on the ninth floor. I saw a red dot from a camera on that balcony. There''s a good chance a camera has been installed there."


    Fang Rui looked up at the balcony on the ninth floor. The owner of that apartment seemed to be away, as the entire ce was dark. The balcony was filled with various nts, some with beautiful flowers blooming, and some with vines.


    Among the greenery, there was a faint red dot, but it wasn''t clear what it was.


    Fang Rui went to find the residentialplex''s security guard again. The guard knew that resident because he had given the guard several pots of orchids and always greeted him whening and going.


    "Uncle, my girlfriend wants to buy some orchids from the resident on the ninth floor of that building. Do you have their contact information?" Fang Rui made up an excuse, fearing that this security guard might have also been bought off by Lawyer Wang.


    "The flowers at his ce are indeed beautiful, but he might not want to sell them. His phone number... Oh, I can''t just give you residents'' contact information. You''ll have to find him yourself."


    "Do you know when he''ll be back?"


    "He left on a business trip a few days ago and should be back tomorrow. How about this: give me your phone number, and when he returns, I''ll ask him to contact you. But whether he''ll sell the flowers or not, I can''t say."


    After getting the information from the security guard, Fang Rui returned to the car to find Mu Mian already asleep.


    Looking at the dark circles under Mu Mian''s eyes, Fang Rui smiled helplessly. He didn''t know why Mu Mian had suddenly be so invested in this case, but he was certain that Mu Mian had been acting a bit strange these past few days.


    Mu Mian wasn''t usually the type of person who was passionate about upholding justice.

 Chapter 39: Reversal of Judgment: Videos in the Recycle Bin

    <h4>Chapter 39</h4>


    The next day at noon, Fang Rui suddenly received a call from themunity security guard.


    "That young man has returned, but he says he''s not selling his flowers, and he refuses to contact you."


    "Alright, thank you."


    Fang Rui and Zhang immediately drove to the residentialplex.


    "Boss, what did you do with Mu Forensic Doctor yesterday? Look how tired she is, she has no energy at work today."


    "Investigating the case!"


    "Boss, haven''t you noticed that I''m still the more useful assistant? At least I have good stamina and neverin about being tired!"


    Fang Rui gave Zhang a side-eye, "She''s quieter than you!"


    "When Mu Forensic Doctor isn''t quiet, her destructive power is much stronger than mine," Zhang grumbled.


    "Her evidence-gathering ability is better than yours."


    "..."


    The resident who grew flowers was named Yu Haibo. After learning of Fang Rui''s intentions, he hesitated, "I''m sorry, I can''t give you the surveince footage."


    "Why not?"


    "It''s not that I don''t want to cooperate with you, but the camera on my balcony is only used to film my flowers. It probably didn''t capture any other residents, so even if I gave it to you, it wouldn''t be of any use."


    Zhang pleaded, "We only need the surveince footage from July 20th. Even if it''s useless, please give it to us. What if there''s some clue? We really need this video!"


    "I''m sorry, I can''t provide it!" Yu Haibo made a gesture of seeing them out, "Officers, I need to rest, so I won''t be entertaining you any longer."


    "We won''t disclose your personal information," Fang Rui said. "You won''t need to cooperate with any subsequent court appearances either. You just need to give us the footage."


    After hesitating for a long time, Yu Haibo finally told the truth: "I really only installed the camera to film my nts, but if I give you the surveince footage, and it happens to have captured something it shouldn''t have, my reputation would be ruined. What would others think of me? I''m a university professor, if people found out, I could very well be seen as a peeping tom."


    "Mr. Yu, we will keep it confidential for you..."


    Yu Haibo interrupted Zhang, "Officer, it''s not that I don''t want to help you. Firstly, my surveince probably didn''t capture any relevant content, and secondly, even if it did capture something, the court would definitely require me to testify, and if I don''t testify, this evidence would likely be invalid, so it wouldn''t be of any use to you even if you had it. So, you''d better look for other evidence!"


    "Mr. Yu, please consider the case of Shen Yuanyuan... If you don''t help, Miss Lu could very well be the next Shen Yuanyuan..."


    "I''m sorry, I can''t help you. I will delete this footage immediately, so don''te looking for me again!" Yu Haibo''s tone was very firm. He wanted to be a kind person, but everything he had now had note easily, and he didn''t want to face any risks.


    Fang Rui knew it would be very difficult to change his mind, and he didn''t want to morally coerce Yu Haibo. He said to Zhang, "Zhang, let''s go!"


    The surveince installed on the balcony was private property, and if the owner refused to provide it, the police couldn''t force him to, unless Fang Rui and his team could prove that the camera had captured Lu Tian''s situation.


    After leaving theplex, Zhang kept looking back, "Boss, are we really not going to try to persuade him again? This is the most promising evidence."


    "We can only look for other evidence now."


    Back at the office, Chen Xue immediately ran over to ask about the result: "Zhang, did you get the footage?"


    Zhang dejectedly replied, "No! The owner refused to hand over the footage."


    Mu Mian, who had been napping on her desk, sighed upon hearing Zhang''s words, "Then Prosecutor Nie will most likely lose this case." Mu Mian then looked at Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, do you want to gofort her?"


    Zhang and Chen Xue both looked at Fang Rui: "Captain Fang, why do you need tofort Prosecutor Nie? And who is Prosecutor Nie?"


    Mu Mian exined, "Prosecutor Nie is the public prosecutor for Lu Tian''s rape case. She''s also Fang Rui''s friend."


    "You just continue your nap!" Fang Rui pushed Mu Mian''s head back onto the desk. He rified to Zhang and Chen Xue, "The person Mu Mian is talking about is Nie Yan. Zhang, you know her too."


    "Ah, I remember now. That prosecutor is amazing at investigating cases. And she has a strong sense of justice. I''ve always thought she should be a police officer; she''s wasting her talents in the prosecutor''s office."


    Zhang then turned to whisper to Chen Xue: "She seems to have a crush on the boss, but unfortunately, the boss never picked up on her hints, so they never got together. The CP you''re shipping is in danger."


    Chen Xue''s internal rm bells started ringing. She looked at Mu Mian, who was carefreely napping, and felt exasperated.


    Mu Mian, your man is about to be snatched away, and you can still sleep!


    She wanted to shake Mu Mian awake, but she felt a cold gaze on her.


    "Chen Xue, don''t disturb Mu Mian''s sleep! She needs to rest well," Fang Rui warned quietly.


    "..." She had worried for nothing.


    When Nie Yan learned from Fang Rui that Yu Haibo''s surveince might have captured the incident, she also tried to contact Yu Haibo many times, but he refused to provide the footage and stated that he had already deleted it, asking Nie Yan not to harass him anymore.


    Nie Yan handed Yu Haibo a newspaper with a report on Shen Yuanyuan''s case: "Mr. Yu, this is a news report about the victim in another case. If you don''t help, Lin Qianjie might target other girls. Please reconsider!"


    Yu Haibo took the newspaper, but he still refused to hand over the surveince video to Nie Yan.


    With Lu Tian''s case about to go to trial, the police still hadn''t found new evidence, and the current evidence all seemed to indicate that Lin Qianjie and Lu Tian were in a rtionship, which didn''t constitute rape.


    Although Chen Xue wasn''t directly involved, she was more anxious than anyone. She buzzed around Mu Mian like a fly.


    "Mian Mian, clever and cute Mian Mian, use that smart brain of yours and think of a way to help Lu Tian!"


    She didn''t dare to bother Fang Rui, so she could only pester Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian heaved a heavy sigh.


    Half an hourter, Mu Mian sent Fang Rui and Chen Xue a surveince video file named "Evidence."


    "Mu Mian, where did you get this video?" Fang Rui asked, holding his phone.


    Chen Xue opened the video. It was about five minutes long. In the video, Lin Qianjie was constantly using violence to control Lu Tian, while Lu Tian was continuously resisting, but unsessfully.


    "Mian Mian, where did this videoe from? This is solid evidence! Lin Qianjie clearlymitted rape!"


    Mu Mian looked up at Fang Rui, "Downloaded from Mr. Yu''sputer."


    Chen Xue eximed in surprise, "You hacked into Yu Haibo''sputer? You even have hacking skills?"


    Mu Mian shook her head, "I don''t have those skills, that would be illegal."


    Chen Xue breathed a sigh of relief. Good, Mu Mian understands thew!


    "So I paid my hacker friend to help me hack into Mr. Yu''sputer. We found this video in hisputer''s recycle bin. My hacker friend helped me download it and sent it to me."


    Mu Mian''s tone was proud, "Now we have evidence to prove that Lin Qianjie is a rapist!"


    "Mu Mian, this footage was obtained through illegal means. We can''t use it in court," Fang Rui reminded her. "You can''t do things like this in the future, understand?"


    "But I bought this video, it''s not illegal!" Seeing Fang Rui''s expression wasn''t very pleased, Mu Mian nodded, "I understand. Fang Rui, I promise, I won''t casually hire hackers to hack other people''sputers in the future."


    Fang Rui patiently exined to her, "The judge will definitely ask about the source of the video. If we can''t provide that, this evidence will likely not be epted, and we might get into trouble."


    "Alright."


    Fang Rui asked, "Was the video already edited when you hacked into theputer?"


    "Yes," Mu Mian said. "But it was in the recycle bin. It had been deleted."


    This video was probably edited by Yu Haibo himself, and the fact that he edited it shows that he had considered testifying. But he then deleted the video, which means he ultimately chose not to testify.


    Fang Rui thought for a moment and said, "Can your friend put this video back on hisputer desktop? Preferably in an easily noticeable ce, in a conspicuous format. It would be even better if it could automatically y at random intervals."

 Chapter 40: Reversal of Judgment: Obtaining Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 40</h4>


    Mu Mian opened her eyes wide and looked at Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, you didn''t let me hire a hacker earlier. Are you teaching me to do bad things now?"


    Chen Xue was also surprised. How could the usually upright Captain Fang be instigating Mu Mian to break thew?


    Fang Rui patted Mu Mian''s head and corrected her: "Mu Mian,puter viruses are verymon. This ismon knowledge. It''s Mr. Yu''sputer that got a virus, what does that have to do with us?"


    Mu Mian nodded, "I see. Getting a virus isn''t illegal!"


    You don''t understand at all! Chen Xue just realized that Fang Rui could be a bit slyly mischievous.


    "Mian Mian, ask your friend to add some creepy music," Chen Xue said. "It will help set the mood."


    "No problem." Mu Mian looked at them again, "Do you have any other requests? Tell me all at once, otherwise if you add requirementster, it''ll cost more money."


    Mu Mian immediately contacted her hacker friend using her encrypted email and told him her requirements.


    The hacker said he could do it, but it would cost double.


    Mu Mian sent him the money right away.


    The hacker replied that he would strike when Yu Haibo was workingte at night on his PowerPoint, as that would have the best effect.


    Chen Xue eximed in surprise: "Mu Mian, you''re so impressive, you even know a hacker friend?"


    "We met in an online mental health support group. He became my friend because I was the only one willing to y air chess with him."


    "What''s air chess?"


    "There''s no chessboard or pieces, you have to remember the positions of your moves and your opponent''s moves in your head. It''s really fun. Want me to y with you? But with you, we might only be able to y tic-tac-toe."


    "No thanks!"


    Chen Xue was speechless. Mu Mian''s friends were just as strange as her. She asked again: "How much did you pay to hire him?"


    Mu Mian held up five fingers.


    "Fifty thousand?"


    Mu Mian shook her head.


    "Five hundred thousand?"


    Mu Mian continued shaking her head, "Fifty US dors. He said Mr. Yu''sputer didn''t even have a firewall, so he got in easily. It wasn''t technically challenging at all. But he still charged me because he was afraid if he didn''t, I''d ask him for favors all the time!"


    "Do you often ask him to hackputers for you?"


    "Of course not. Including this time, it''s only been twice."


    "Whoseputer did you hackst time?" Chen Xue nced at Fang Rui, who had returned to his seat, and whispered, "It wasn''t Captain Fang''s, was it?"


    Mu Mian nodded guiltily, "Yes. I wanted to know what Fang Rui likes." She added: "But he doesn''t have any hobbies. Hisputer only has work files. His inner world is quite barren."


    "..." Who still usesputers for entertainment these days? Doesn''t everyone y on their phones now? But Chen Xue didn''t dare remind Mu Mian, afraid she might hack Fang Rui''s phone next.


    Late that night, Yu Haibo opened hisputer, intending to y a game to rx. Suddenly hisputer froze, and eerie music began to y.


    Just as he was about to shut it down, his screen suddenly split into many small frames, each ying the video of Lu Tian being raped. Apanied by fancy special effects, these frames started rotating in a mesmerizing way.


    He tried to turn off theputer, but couldn''t. He was sweating profusely from anxiety.


    Ten minutester, hisputer finally returned to normal. The video file he had deleted now reappeared prominently on the desktop. The file kept shing, impossible to ignore.


    He sessfully lost sleep that night.


    The next morning, when he turned on hisputer, the same thing happened again.


    He didn''t hesitate any longer. He sent the video to Nie Yan, indicating that he would testify in court if needed.


    On the day of the trial, the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly.


    Fang Rui, Mu Mian, Zhang, Chen Xue, and others also went to the courthouse. Rape cases are usually not open to the public, but they were the investigating officers who handled the case, so they could attend.


    They had learned from Mu Mian''s hacker friend that Yu Haibo had sent the surveince video to Nie Yan. So they all came to see Lin Qianjie go to jail.


    "Fang Rui, thank you all foring to support us," Nie Yan greeted them when she saw Fang Rui and the others.


    Lu Tian had put on makeup today and was wearing a white chiffon maxi dress. She looked spirited and didn''t seem nervous at all. She appeared rxed, as if certain of her victory.


    "Mr. Yu sent me the surveince video and agreed to testify," Nie Yan said, holding up a USB drive, her face full of confidence. "We''re sure to win this case!"


    The video had been sent just two hours before the trial. Nie Yan hurried to submit it as new evidence. This normally wouldn''t follow proper procedure, but luckily the court clerk knew her and bent the rules a bit to allow her to submit it sessfully. Otherwise, she would have had to wait until the next hearing to submit it.


    After everyone had arrived in court, the presiding judge dered the trial open, and Lin Qianjie was brought to the defendant''s seat. His expression was casual and nonchnt, as if he were at a bar rather than in court.


    After the judge went through the routine questioning of Lin Qianjie, prosecutor Nie Yan read out the indictment.


    Lin Qianjie''s defensewyer, Wang Li, immediately began his defense: "The charges in the indictment are unfounded. My client and the intiff were in a romantic rtionship. Prior to this, they had already been intimate multiple times.


    On the night in question, my client and the intiff were alone together, and ovee by passion, they engaged in consensual rtions.


    Because my client did not promise to marry the intiff, she is falsely using my client of forcing her. This is a malicious usation by the intiff.


    I have already submitted the relevant evidence to the court."


    The judge had already reviewed the evidence provided by Wang Li. He turned to Nie Yan: "Prosecutor, do you have any objections to these photographs?"


    "Yes!" Nie Yan held up one of the photos, showing Lu Tian and Lin Qianjie wearing matching outfits. "Don''t the two people in this photo appear to be wearing couple outfits?"


    Nie Yan then produced a group photo, "But this clothing was actually a T-shirt for a certain event. Everyone in this photo is wearing the same shirt."


    "The angles of these photos are all very strange. For example, in this one, neither the intiff nor the defendant is facing the camera directly, which doesn''t match our usual photo-taking habits. It''s reasonable to assume that this was originally a group photo, but to capture just these two people alone, they had to shoot from this awkward angle." Nie Yan went on to exin the other photos.


    She concluded by saying: "The defensewyer is attempting to mislead everyone with these photos, creating a false impression that the victim and the defendant were dating."


    Wang Li then called other witnesses to the stand.


    The first to testify was Lin Qianjie''s female secretary.


    "Our boss was definitely dating Miss Lu. That day, Miss Lu went into our boss''s office. Our boss came out midway to give me some tasks, and I saw lipstick marks on the corner of his mouth. They must have been kissing, otherwise how would our boss have lipstick on his face?"


    "When did this happen?"


    "July 15th."


    Nie Yan smiled, "The victim had lip inmmation in early July, so she hadn''t been using lipstick for most of that month. So how could the lipstick marks on your boss''s face have anything to do with the victim?"


    "I..."


    "Objection! This is leading the witness," Wang Li interrupted Nie Yan''s questioning.


    "Objection sustained. Prosecutor, please present relevant evidence," the judge said.


    "The victim mentioned having lip inmmation in her livestream video. She livestreams every day, and she hasn''t been wearing lipstick in her recent videos."


    The next to testify was the janitor from Lu Tian''s apartmentplex: "I saw Mr. Lin leaving Miss Lu''s apartment."


    Nie Yan asked, "How many times did you see this?"


    "Two or three times?"


    "You usually clean the hallways between 5 and 7 in the morning. So you saw Mr. Lin in the morning each time?" Nie Yan inquired.


    "Yes."


    "If the defendant and the victim were in a rtionship, why would he leave my client''s home so early in the morning?" Nie Yan looked at the judge, "The victim once lost a key. I suspect this key was picked up by the defendant. He used the key to sneak into the victim''s home and create the false impression that he was living with the victim."


    Nie Yan systematically refuted each piece of evidence presented by the defensewyer.


    However, these rebuttals weren''t strong enough, causing the case to fall into a "Rashomon" situation where neither side could definitively prove the truth or falsehood of the events.


    "Your Honor, I have submitted a new piece of evidence, a surveince video," Nie Yan said.

 Chapter 41: Reversal of Judgment: Changes

    <h4>Chapter 41</h4>


    "Objection! This video was not included in the list of evidence provided by the prosecutor before the trial," Wang Li said.


    The presiding judge hesitated. ording to procedure, this was irregr - such evidence should be submitted at the next hearing. However, exceptions could be made on a case-by-case basis. If the evidence had a crucial impact on the trial, he as the judge could use his discretion to make a ruling.


    Nie Yan said, "Your Honor, this evidence will have a critical impact on the case. I only obtained it just before the trial, so I couldn''t submit it in advance. Please consider allowing it."


    The judge yed the video in court.


    In the video, Lin Qianjie forcibly restrained Lu Tian, who was struggling and repeatedly trying to resist without sess, until Lin Qianjie finally had his way with her.


    Though not high definition, the faces were clearly visible. This recording was enough to convict Lin Qianjie.


    Seeing the video, Lawyer Wang frowned slightly. "Objection! Your Honor, I question the authenticity of this video and request a recess."


    "The court will fully consider the defense counsel''s opinion," said the judge. "We will now take a 30-minute recess before reconvening."


    As soon as the recess began, Lin Qianjie berated hiswyer: "Is this how you handle things? Why do they have video footage? Why didn''t you buy it off them? You''re so ipetent - I''ll never hire you again!"


    "Shut up!" Lawyer Wang snapped impatiently. "Can''t you keep your cool? I told you, we won''t lose this case, period! If you don''t want to go to jail, keep your mouth shut and don''t say anything you shouldn''t!"


    Wang Li was furious at his client''s idiocy. Committing a crime was bad enough, but how could he let someone record it on video?


    Lin Qianjieughed bitterly. "You''re telling me to shut up? Get this straight - I''m the one paying you. How dare you yell at me?"


    "Mr. Lin, you''re not the one who hired me. Miss Jiang is," Lawyer Wang reminded him.


    Lin Qianjie immediately backed down.


    Lawyer Wang nced at the smiling Nie Yan and Lu Tian, a hint of viciousness shing in his eyes. "Let them enjoy their moment. They won''t be smiling for long."


    He hadn''t nned to be too harsh on Lu Tian before, but now they were asking for it.


    Across the crowd, Fang Rui observed Lawyer Wang, noting the cold, snake-like gleam in his eyes.


    Thiswyer likely had more dirty tricks up his sleeve.


    "Fang Rui, it''s all thanks to you for telling me that security camera might have caught the incident. Otherwise, we''d have a hard time winning this case. I''ll have to treat you to a nice dinner when it''s over."


    "I''m the one who found the camera," Mu Mian emphasized.


    Nie Yan turned to Mu Mian. "Then I owe you a big meal, Dr. Mu."


    "Great, I''ll send you my list of dietary restrictions beforehand. I''m not a picky eater."


    "..."


    The 30 minutes passed quickly. Mu Mian went to the restroom, and when she returned, she noticed the woman who resembled her mother sitting in a corner.


    After some consideration, Mu Mian walked over and sat down in the empty seat beside her.


    Once all relevant parties had arrived, the court reconvened.


    The technical experts had confirmed the video''s authenticity. Its contents clearly showed that Lin Qianjie was indeed forcing himself on Lu Tian when the incident urred.


    At this point, Wang Li adjusted his sses and said, "Your Honor, I request that a new witness be allowed to testify."


    The judge felt a headacheing on. Why did everyone insist on presenting new evidence during the trial? Was it so difficult to give advance notice?


    "Your Honor, this witness''s testimony will also have a critical impact on the case," Wang Li said confidently.


    After conferring with the other judges, the presiding judge granted Wang Li''s request.


    Lu Tian''s mother walked gravely to the witness stand. She nced at her daughter in the intiff''s seat, a flicker of guilt passing through her aged eyes before she quickly looked away.


    When Lu Tian saw her mother appear, it was as if she''d been struck. Why was her mother testifying as a witness for Lin Qianjie?


    Nie Yan frowned. Why would Wang Li call Lu Tian''s mother to testify? How could this help refute the rape charges against Lin Qianjie?


    "Witness, please state your identity," the judge instructed.


    "Wang Guixiang. I am Lu Tian''s mother," she replied.


    "Witness, do you understand your obligation to testify truthfully to this court? If you give false testimony or deliberately conceal facts, you will face legal consequences," the judge reminded her, following procedure.


    "I understand. Lawyer Wang exined everything to me."


    Wang Li turned to Wang Guixiang and began questioning: "Mrs. Wang, what is the rtionship between your daughter Lu Tian and my client Lin Qianjie?"


    "They were dating."


    "Do you have any evidence to support this?"


    "My daughter told me several times on the phone that she had a boyfriend. She said his name was Lin Qianjie, that his family was very wealthy, and that we''d soon be living a better life. Her father can confirm this as well."


    Lu Tian red furiously at her mother, shouting hysterically, "I never said any of that! Why are you lying?! Mom, I''m your daughter - how can you nder me like this..."


    "intiff, please remain calm!" the judge interrupted Lu Tian''s tearful outburst.


    "Tian-tian, it''s precisely because you''re my daughter that I can''t stand by and watch you make mistakes and falsely use others! We must live with a clear conscience and not do bad things!"


    Lawyer Wang asked, "Mrs. Wang, based on your understanding of your daughter, why do you think she would falsely use my client?"


    "Objection! Spection!" Nie Yan interjected.


    "Overruled. The witness may continue," said the judge.


    "Tian-tian has mental health issues. Her moods are extremely unstable - she can be happy in the morning and throwing tantrums by afternoon. She''s been seeing psychologists for years without improvement."


    "Did the doctors diagnose her condition?"


    "I believe it was schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder. Tian-tian has frequently imed men were raping her before.


    Oh, it''s our fault really. When Tian-tian was young, a rtive of ours molested her. Since it was family, we didn''t report it to the police. Tian-tian was severely traumatized - she almostmitted suicide by eating rat poison. Luckily we discovered it in time.


    We didn''t know any better back then and didn''t take her to see a psychologist. This is how she turned out as she grew up."


    "Has she falsely used others before?"


    "In college, she had a boyfriend. The boy kissed her once, and she insisted on reporting him to the police for rape. Fortunately, we stopped her, or that poor boy''s reputation would have been ruined."


    Lu Tian shrieked in denial: "These are all lies! None of this ever happened. Mom, why are you making up these stories?"


    Nie Yan challenged: "If you say Lu Tian reported it, where''s the police report?"


    "There isn''t one - we stopped Tian-tian from filing the report. But you can contact that boy; I can give you his information."


    Lu Tian''s face changed slightly. In college, she had been sexually harassed by a male student, but he was never her boyfriend. How did her mother know about this?


    Nie Yan realized the male student was likely someone who had pursued Lu Tian. After being rejected, he might have spread rumors about her being his girlfriend. And many people tend to believe such rumors.


    Wang Li stared at Lu Tian, enunciating each word: "Miss Lu, are you also denying that you''ve seen psychologists?"


    "I..." Lu Tian couldn''t refute this point. She did have bipr disorder and was indeed taking medication regrly.


    "Your Honor, I request a psychiatric evaluation of the intiff. I suspect the intiff may have had an episode during intimate rtions with my client, which could exin the resistance we saw in the security footage."


    After conferring with the other judges, the presiding judge granted Wang Li''s request.


    "The court will fully consider the defense counsel''s opinion," said the judge. "We will now adjourn and reconvene at ater date, which will be notified in writing."


    As the trial concluded, Lu Tian copsed in the intiff''s seat, as if she had endured mental torture.


    She had always known her parents favored boys over girls and that her mother didn''t love her that much, but she had deluded herself into believing her mother cared for her at least a little.


    Even on that day when her parents forced her to sign the settlement agreement, Lu Tian still held a glimmer of hope for them, defending them in her heart as simply being afraid of poverty, desperately in need of money.


    But every word her mother just uttered in the courtroom felt like sharp swords, piercing Lu Tian to her core.


    At this moment, she had only one thought: to die. Just die and leave this godforsaken world.


    "Lu Tian, don''t be afraid. You still have me," Nie Yan tightly embraced Lu Tian, her voice trembling. "It''s okay. Even if your mother has betrayed you, you still have me. We can win this!"


    Nie Yan was stunned by Wang Li''s brutal attack. She hadn''t expected Wang Li to approach the defense from this angle.


    Now that Lu Tian had just endured so much, and given her existing emotional issues, if they were to conduct a psychiatric evaluation on her at this point, they would have no chance of winning.


    More importantly, Lu Tian''s mother''s words were a fatal blow to Lu Tian!


    Lu Tian was like a soulless puppet, allowing Nie Yan to hold her without any reaction. She felt utterly exhausted,cking even the strength to blink.


    Lin Qianjie strutted around like a victorious rooster, his face beaming with glee. He came over to observe Lu Tian''s expression, leering at her with a lecherous grin.


    "Tsk, tsk. I told you to settle with me quietly, but you wouldn''t listen. Now it''s toote. Let me tell you, you''re going to lose this case for sure.


    This is just the beginning. I''m going to have you locked up in a mental hospital. Haha! That way, no one will be able to rape you anymore. Though, looking as crazy as you do now, even if someone offered you for free, no one would touch you. They''d be afraid you''d go berserk and attack them!"

 Chapter 42: Reversal of Judgment: Can You Hug Me

    <h4>Chapter 42</h4>


    Lu Tian watched his smug expression, her nails digging deep into her palms. Blood seeped from her clenched fists, bringing her a moment of rity.


    Suddenly, she felt a surge of strength. A voice in her head told her not to give up, she must not give up! How could she surrender her life when this scumbag hadn''t been punished yet?


    Fang Rui rolled his eyes at Lin Qianjie, "You haven''t won the case yet. What are you so pleased about?"


    Lin Qianjie put his arm around Lawyer Wang, his tone boastful, "With Lawyer Wang here, how could I possibly lose? Fang Rui, remember toe to my victory party. I''ll treat you to something nice."


    "Mr. Lin, Miss Jiang wants us to return," Lawyer Wang shrugged off his hand, his tone cold.


    "Alright, I know."


    "Nie Yan, we can''t lose!" Lu Tian stared intently at Nie Yan. "I''ll take my medication properly, I''ll control my emotions well. I won''t let those experts diagnose me as insane. We cannot lose!"


    Lu Tian wasn''t doing this for herself. Her life was already ruined. She just didn''t want scum like Lin Qianjie to harm another innocent girl.


    Let the tragedy end with her.


    Nie Yan, however, wasn''t so confident anymore. Mental assessments weren''t as easy to distinguish between true and false as other physical evidence. In other words, if Lawyer Wang had bribed those experts, even if they provided false assessment reports, they would have no way to refute them.


    Mu Mian seemed to have shut out all external sounds, focusing entirely on the painting in her hands.


    Jiang Yun felt that the girl sitting next to her was strange. She seemed to want to talk to her, but always hesitated.


    Mu Mian finally thought of an opening line, "Hello. Do you recognize the person in this painting?"


    Mu Mian handed her freshlypleted painting to Jiang Yun, her tone probing.


    The paper showed a loving mother holding a small infant. Mu Mian had perfectly recreated the photograph with delicate brushstrokes.


    Jiang Yun took the painting and looked at it. Her expression froze. The memories she had suppressed came flooding back into her mind like a tidal wave.


    She coldly looked at Mu Mian: "Who are you? What''s your rtionship with Mu Mian?"


    Mu Mian didn''t speak. She didn''t know whether to reveal herself to her mother. Her mother''s expression didn''t seem joyful, it even looked... disgusted.


    Why would a mother be disgusted by her own child?


    Jiang Yun continued, "You''re from the Shen family, aren''t you? Didn''t I already tell you not to bother me? Whether that child Mu Mian is dead or alive has nothing to do with me. I won''t go see her. If you want money, I can give you arge sum, but on the condition that you stop harassing me..."


    "Why... don''t you want to see her?" Mu Mian felt her mind was in chaos.


    Although her adoptive parents treated her well, cherishing her like a precious and fragile piece of porcin, that wasn''t loving a child. They were just caring for and looking after an autistic patient.


    Her entire understanding of mothers came from beautiful fairy tales, so she couldn''tprehend the current situation. Of course, she also couldn''t fully understand fairy tales.


    "She''s the nightmare of my life. I can''t ept having a child who''s like an idiot." Jiang Yun pinched the bridge of her nose, trying hard to stop herself from remembering the past. "You''ve all raised her for so many years, just keep raising her. Whye find me now?"


    So that''s how it is...


    Mu Mian looked at Jiang Yun, trying hard to maintain eye contact. In those cold eyes, Mu Mian saw a pitiful reflection of herself.


    Her sister was right. Not all mothers love their children. Only mothers in storybooks do that.


    Jiang Yun also carefully examined the strange girl before her. The girl''s features seemed familiar, and she wanted to ask if she was Mu Mian, but she thought it impossible.


    Mu Mian should be a mentally deficient girl. She shouldn''t be able to speak, shouldn''t be able to paint, and certainly shouldn''t be appearing before her.


    Mu Mian might even be dead already. A child like that wouldn''t live long, and shouldn''t live too long.


    "Alright," Mu Mian snatched her painting back from Jiang Yun''s hand. She tried to speak in a calm tone, "I promise you, she won''t bother you."


    Jiang Yun looked at her empty palm and demanded, "Who are you really?"


    Mu Mian didn''t answer.


    By now, the court hearing had ended. Jiang Yun nced at Mu Mian once more, then put on her sunsses and left with her assistant.


    Mu Mian felt an overwhelming sadness engulf her. But she couldn''t describe that feeling. She couldn''t even cry. Her mind just went nk, as if all her memories had been erased.


    "Mu Mian, you''re spacing out again!" Fang Rui had been searching for a while before he found Mu Mian sitting dazed in a corner. She looked very different from usual.


    At that moment, Mu Mian looked very lonely, as if encased in a ss dome with only herself inside.


    Suddenly, the memories rushed back into Mu Mian''s mind. Even though she had once again modified the part about her mother in her mental schema, she still couldn''t suppress the overwhelming sadness.


    "Fang Rui, I''m very sad. I needfort," Mu Mian opened her arms towards Fang Rui, "Can you... give me a hug?"


    Fang Rui nced around. Most people were heading out. He didn''t really want to embrace someone in public, even if it was Mu Mian.


    But Mu Mian looked so fragile right now.


    Fang Rui sighed and hugged Mu Mian. "Did you meet your mother?" He saw the painting in Mu Mian''s hand and could guess what had happened.


    "Yes, she''spletely different from what I imagined. She doesn''t like me. It''s okay though. Some mothers just don''t love their children. That''smon sense."


    Mu Mian realized she didn''t love her mother that much either. She had just been deluded by the imaginary mother figure she had created, which embodied Mu Mian''s desire to be loved as a normal person.


    When she actually met her mother, the illusion shattered, which is why she felt so sad.


    Because it meant she could never experience the emotions a normal person should have.


    Feeling the warm touch, Mu Mian suddenly felt the wave of sadness recede. But another strange and fresh emotion surged forth. Mu Mian wasn''t sure what it was, but it upied her mind, making her feel happier than ever before.


    At this moment, Mu Mian wanted Fang Rui''s body more than ever.


    Mu Mian reluctantly let go of Fang Rui.


    Fang Rui reached out and stroked Mu Mian''s head, messing up her short hair,forting her, "Mu Mian, it''s okay if she doesn''t like you. There are still many people who will love you."


    Fang Rui decided to be even nicer to Mu Mian in the future. She seemed to be in great need of love.


    "I know many people love me. But Fang Rui, you can''t ruffle my hair like that. It''s too much like petting a cat or dog. I really don''t like it!" Mu Mian reached up to fix her hair.


    Even though her adoptive parents and sister didn''t treat her as a normal person, their love was genuine. Even the psychologists she disliked had given her a lot of love. So Mu Mian''s upbringing wasn''tcking in love.


    "If you really like touching my head that much, I can allow it, but you have to donate your body to me."


    "...I can see you''re not so upset anymore. Let''s head back then!"


    Mu Mian followed Fang Rui out. When they saw Nie Yan and Lu Tian waiting at the courthouse entrance, Mu Mian finally remembered to ask about the trial results: "Prosecutor Nie, did you win the case?"


    "No. The court is temporarily adjourned. Both sides need to provide more evidence. The other party has requested a psychiatric evaluation for Lu Tian."


    "Do you want to give Prosecutor Nie a hug then?"


    Fang Rui replied irritably, "Why would I hug her?" Fang Rui really wanted to open up Mu Mian''s brain and see what on earth she was thinking all day.


    "She''s your friend. She didn''t win the case. Shouldn''t youfort her?"


    "I''ve alreadyforted her verbally. Adults don''t use hugs tofort each other."


    Mu Mian tilted her head, "But you hugged me just now."


    "..." Where had that fragile Mu Mian from earlier gone? Was Mu Mian''s emotional recovery ability this strong?


    Chen Xue had excellent hearing. She immediately came over and asked, "Mian Mian, what were you just saying? I thought I heard the word ''hug''."


    "It''s not that difficult to mislead mental health specialists and psychologists into making an incorrect diagnosis," Mu Mian said, changing the subject. "Faking an illness or pretending to be healthy are both rtively simple. Which one does Lu Tian need to do? I can teach her."

 Chapter 43: Reversal of Judgment: Gender Dysphoria

    <h4>Chapter 43</h4>


    "Mu Mian, not everyone can easily manipte psychological test results like you," Fang Rui interrupted Mu Mian, "and your act wasn''t convincing either. Lin Consultant saw through it with just one look."


    Mu Mian lowered her head guiltily.


    Although she always managed to pass the psychologists'' scale assessments, she would inevitably slip up during the behavioral evaluation stage.


    That''s why, for a time, she strongly believed in the existence of mind-reading. Those psychological experts could see through her disguise with just one nce.


    It turned out the truth was that her disguise simply wasn''t good enough!


    Lu Tian confessed, "Nie Yan, I am indeed seeing a psychologist. I have bipr disorder. Will this affect the trial oue?"


    Nie Yan asked, "Who is your psychologist? We can consult with her."


    "Her name is Shen Xiyin. She''s an excellent psychologist, and since I started treatment with her, my emotional issues have been under control. She should be able to testify for me in court."


    "She''s my sister," Mu Mian said proudly. "She''s an outstanding psychotherapist. She can definitely help you."


    Fang Rui reminded them, "The problem now is that Wang Li may have bribed those experts to provide false assessment results."


    Mu Mian objected, "But falsifying evidence is illegal! Would those experts really break thew?"


    They all fell silent, with no one providing an answer to Mu Mian.


    The second court hearing arrived quickly. Zhang was out on field duty, and Chen Xue was too afraid of a negative oue to attend, so this time it was just Fang Rui and Mu Mian who went to court.


    Four psychiatric experts and two psychologists from the Judicial Appraisal Center separately evaluated Lu Tian''s mental state. The six of them reached a unified assessment result and provided a detailed analysis:


    Lu Tian suffers from dissociative conversion disorder (also known as hysteria, or colloquially, multiple personality disorder).


    The patient cannot recall important past events¡ªshe has forgotten about being molested as a child and falsely using her ex-boyfriend of rape.


    Delusions¡ªshe has repeatedly told her parents that someone raped and molested her.


    Recent memory loss¡ªshe frequently forgets intermittently that she and Lin Qianjie are in a rtionship, leading to her suddenly attacking Lin Qianjie during their intimate moments, which is the content seen in the video.


    Sudden purposeless wandering and physical rigidity¡ªobserved during the diagnostic process.


    Nie Yan looked at this report and found itughable. The basis for these experts'' diagnosis was actually the words of Lu Tian''s parents. Even she, as ayperson, could see how unprofessional this diagnostic report was.


    Nie Yan also called in their own expert witness.


    "Witness, your identity?" the presiding judge asked.


    "I am Lu Tian''s psychologist, Shen Xiyin," Shen Xiyin replied.


    Nie Yan asked, "Dr. Shen, do you agree with this psychiatric assessment report?"


    "I do not. Lu Tian does not have dissociative conversion disorder. Her personality is very stable, and she hasn''t shown any memory problems," Shen Xiyin said. "Her real issue is bipr affective disorder,monly known as manic depression. This is an emotional problem that doesn''t significantly affect our memory capacity."


    Wang Li asked, "Dr. Shen, are you questioning the diagnostic results of these experts?"


    "Mental and psychological issues are not like other physical illnesses with clear pathological bases. They are usually implicit and require long-term follow-up observation to reach urate conclusions.


    The assessment results emphasize that Miss Lu has memory problems, so additional memory tests should have been conducted to prove that emotions can affect Miss Lu''s memory. However, no such tests were performed during the assessment. Therefore, I question the rigor of this assessment result.


    Furthermore, I have doubts about the qualifications of these experts. Is it possible to provide more credential information?"


    Shen Xiyin''s voice was gentle, but her rebuttal was well-reasoned and substantiated.


    Wang Li frowned, seeing that this psychologist was very professional, so he changed the subject, "If we follow your diagnosis, and Miss Lu has bipr affective disorder, would this affect her behavior?"


    "...Yes, it would."


    Wang Li said, "Please exin bipr affective disorder to us."


    "Bipr affective disorder is a serious mental health condition. Clinically, patients may experience periods of extremely low mood, showing symptoms of depression, followed by periods of extremely elevated mood.


    These manic and depressive episodes cycle, with some people experiencing highs or lows every six months, others every month, and in severe cases, multiple times within a week or even days."


    "Does this sound simr to the symptoms of dissociative conversion disorder?"


    "Not at all. They are unrted."


    "So, the patient''s behavioral patterns are very different in these two emotional states, correct?"


    Shen Xiyin looked at Wang Li for a long time before answering, "Yes."


    "Is it possible for her to suddenly disy aggressive behavior?"


    "If she''s in a manic phase, aggressive behavior is possible."


    "Your Honor, the expert witness''s diagnosis also proves that the intiff''s emotions are very unstable. When in a manic state, she may exhibit inexplicable aggressive behavior. I reasonably suspect that on the day of the incident, the defendant suddenly had an episode, which is why she assaulted my client."


    Wang Li also called to testify a male ssmate who had harassed Lu Tian in college, "Lu Tian was originally dating me, all my buddies can attest to this, but when I tried to kiss her, she hit me and used me of harassment. Your Honor, Lu Tian must have some mental illness that prevents her from epting intimate rtionships."


    Wang Li said, "Your Honor, my client is an ordinary person whocks understanding of mental illnesses. He thought it was normal for couples to engage in intimate rtions and didn''t realize that the intiff''s resistance at the time was due to a disease re-up. He thought she was just being shy."


    After a long wait, the verdict was finally announced. The presiding judge dered in court, "...Due to insufficient evidence, the intiff Lu Tian''s rapewsuit against Lin Qianjie is dismissed. Lin Qianjie is found not guilty and released in court..."


    Lu Tian calmly listened to the judge''s verdict, then turned to Nie Yan with a smile, "Prosecutor Nie, we really couldn''t win after all. But thank you, thank you for staying with me throughout."


    Perhaps because she had anticipated the oue, or maybe because the antidepressants she had taken in advance had taken effect, Lu Tian didn''t feel as upset. At least she had bravely fought against the darkness, and even though she lost, it was an honorable defeat!


    Nie Yan struggled to hold back her tears. She had lost again, this time to power and influence.


    Thew she had studied had failed to uphold justice. On the contrary, her sense of justice had been crushed by Wang Li using legal weapons.


    She had lost not just a case, but also her faith in thew and the once unshakeable dream she had held.


    She tightly gripped Lu Tian''s hand and said chokingly, "Lu Tian, promise me you''ll keep living well, okay?"


    Lu Tian nodded and said firmly, "Yes, I will." If not for herself, then for Nie Yan''s sake, she had to live on. She couldn''t let Nie Yan have another psychological trauma.


    Lin Qianjie watched them crying miserably, his lips curling into a smile. He turned to Wang Li and said, "Lawyer Wang, well done! I''ll hire you again next time."


    "You''re nning on a next time?" Wang Li red at him coldly, "If it weren''t for Miss Jiang''s sake, do you think I would have handled this kind of case for you? Keep a low profile. Next time, you won''t be so lucky."


    With that, Wang Li left.


    Lin Qianjie rolled his eyes at Wang Li''s back, but his attention was quickly drawn to Shen Xiyin. He had been attracted to this beautiful and gentle psychologist earlier in the courtroom.

 Chapter 44: Reversal of Judgment: Defeated yet Glorious

    <h4>Chapter 44</h4>


    Lin Qianjie caught up with Shen Xiyin in the parking lot. "Dr. Shen, please wait a moment."


    Shen Xiyin saw him and a look of disgust shed across her face, but she quickly put on a professional smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"


    "Dr. Shen, I think I have some psychological issues. I often feel empty inside. Do you have time to talk with me?" Lin Qianjie ced his hand on his heart, feigning a sad and vulnerable expression.


    "I have time right now," Shen Xiyin raised an eyebrow, her gaze suddenly turning cold. "You like to choose women with weak personalities because you think they''re easier to control. This is because you''ve been oppressed for a long time, and can only gain a sense of control by oppressing those weaker than you."


    Lin Qianjie was taken aback. Shen Xiyin looked so gentle, and her voice was pleasant, but her words were like knives, cruelly stabbing into his heart.


    "I''m not like what you''re saying, Dr. Shen. You don''t know me well enough. Why don''t you give me your contact information so we can get to know each other better sometime?" Lin Qianjie said shamelessly.


    "I wasn''t entirely urate before. Even when you choose the most vulnerable girls, you stillck the confidence to control them, so you prefer forceful methods. I even suspect that your sexual performance iscking, and you attempt to use rape as a way to prevent those girls from noticing your inadequacies. Have you ever received positive feedback from a girl regarding your sexual performance?"


    "Shut up! You''re not a real psychologist, you''re just a fraud!" Lin Qianjie exploded, his veins popping out in anger.


    Shen Xiyin raised an eyebrow and said, "Your sexual dysfunction is likely caused by psychological factors. You do indeed need to see a psychologist. However, I don''t specialize in that kind of treatment. Would you like me to rmend a doctor?"


    Lin Qianjie instinctively wanted to argue, but he controlled his expression and instead said sleazily, "Why don''t you find out for yourself how good I am?"


    "Are you sure?" Shen Xiyin looked at Lin Qianjie as if he were trash, her beautiful eyes intensely intimidating. "I''m not like those weak girls. I enjoy turning people into my ythings. Are you sure you want to y with me?"


    "You... aren''t you a psychologist? Why are you so perverted?"


    "Are you scared already? I''m a psychologist, which is why I''m so good at controlling others. Once you be my toy, you''ll understand what true perversion is. Want to try?" Shen Xiyin stared at him. "I''m very interested in you right now."


    Lin Qianjie backed away a few steps in fear. Shen Xiyin''s expression reminded him of his stepmother, that hateful and terrifying woman.


    His original evil intentions towards Shen Xiyin hadpletely vanished. This kind of woman was definitely not someone he could handle!


    "Sister." Mu Mian saw that Shen Xiyin was being bothered by Lin Qianjie and quickly called out to her.


    Hearing Mu Mian''s voice from behind, Shen Xiyin swiftly switched back to her gentle expression. Lin Qianjie was startled by how quickly she changed her demeanor.


    "Mr. Lin, consider this psychological consultation free of charge. Next time youe to me for a consultation, I''ll have to charge you." Shen Xiyin suddenly lowered her voice to a whisper, "Of course, you can be my toy for free!"


    "What rotten luck to run into someone like you today!" Lin Qianjie red at Shen Xiyin before quickly getting into his car.


    Shen Xiyin saw Mu Mian standing with Fang Rui. She was a bit surprised - wasn''t Mu Mian a forensic pathologist? Why was she at the courthouse?


    If that was the case, had Mu Mian already met that woman? She had been careless; she should have taken Mu Mian to see her mother directly. At least then she could have controlled the situation and minimized the hurt Mu Mian might experience.


    "Sister, Lin Qianjie is a bad person. You''d better stay away from him," Mu Mian warned in a low voice.


    Shen Xiyin smiled at her, "Don''t worry, he probably won''t show up in front of me again. I''m a psychologist, after all. I''ve seen all kinds of disturbed patients. Someone like him is easy for me to handle."


    Mu Mian turned to Fang Rui and said, "Yes, my sister is a very capable psychologist."


    Fang Rui addressed Shen Xiyin, "Dr. Shen, Lu Tian''s mental state isn''t good. Please pay extra attention to her condition."


    "I''ve already increased Lu Tian''s medication dosage. If she takes her medicine on time, she should be able to control her emotions," Shen Xiyin sighed and continued, "More than Lu Tian, I''m worried about Prosecutor Nie. She hasn''t fully recovered from her previous psychological trauma, and now she''s suffered a new one. Moreover, she''s very resistant to psychological treatment. Her situation could be quite serious."


    Shen Xiyin had previously suggested that Nie Yan undergo psychological treatment. Her emotional state wasn''t much better than Lu Tian''s. But Nie Yan had refused.


    Fang Rui asked, "What should we do then?"


    "For the next few days, have her family pay close attention to her, to prevent her from hurting others or herself. People always need an outlet for their emotions."


    Nie Yan''s parents wouldn''t arrive until tomorrow. Fang Rui had originally nned to have Li Lan closely protect Nie Yan and Lu Tian, but Chen Xue volunteered to go to Nie Yan''s house to both monitor and protect Nie Yan and Lu Tian.


    She also invited Mu Mian along, with a very sound reason: Mu Mian had good medical skills, so if they attempted suicide, she could provide immediate first aid.


    Chen Xue was a naturally friendly person, and it didn''t take long for her to be quite familiar with Lu Tian and Nie Yan. She was great at livening up the atmosphere. She had bought a lot of groceries and prepared a hot pot.


    Nie Yan and Lu Tian were infected by her mood, and the group gathered around the table for hot pot.


    Mu Mian just stared at the hot pot on the table, sinking into a depressed state.


    There wasn''t a single dish on the table that she liked. And why were they eating hot pot in the middle of summer?


    "Dr. Mu, why aren''t you eating?" Nie Yan used the serving chopsticks to ce a piece of meat in Mu Mian''s bowl. "It''s delicious, try it."


    Mu Mian looked at the unidentifiable piece of meat with a disgusted expression. She didn''t want to eat this questionable product.


    Chen Xue didn''t coddle Mu Mian. She dipped the meat in sesame sauce and stuffed it into Mu Mian''s mouth. "Mian Mian, chew it."


    Mu Mian chewed, and it was quite tasty. She picked up some more meat and started eating quietly.


    "Mian Mian, you need to be brave and try new things!"


    So Mu Mian bravely ate a chili pepper from the hot pot base.


    Mu Mian nearly cried from the spiciness!


    Indeed, she shouldn''t try things so recklessly.


    Mu Mian didn''t touch her chopsticks again.


    Chen Xue had also brought several cases of beer and said to Lu Tian and Nie Yan, "Let''s drink until we can''t anymore!"


    She then whispered to Mu Mian, "Watch me get them drunk. Once they''re drunk, they won''t be able to overthink things."


    "What if you get drunk first?" Mu Mian was a bit worried. If Chen Xue drank herself into a stupor, she wouldn''t be able to stop both of them frommitting suicide at the same time.


    "Impossible! I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."


    The three of them drank can after can, and Nie Yan started to open up: "I feel so useless. I studiedw for so many years, but I can''t do anything. I''m just a waste!"


    Lu Tian encouraged her, "No, you''re just too stupid, always choosing cases that no one else wants to take. You''re very brave, you''re the best prosecutor, a champion of justice!"


    "Yes, I will be the best prosecutor!" Nie Yan felt like crying, but she couldn''t shed any tears.


    She had watched helplessly as Shen Yuanyuan jumped to her death right in front of her, unable to do anything. Even if she could do it all over again, she still wouldn''t win.


    If ipetence were a crime, she would be guilty of the worst offense!


    Chen Xue joined in the shouting: "I''ll be an excellent forensic pathologist in the future too!"


    Lu Tian clinked sses with them: "We may be defeated, but we''re still glorious!"


    Mu Mian watched this lively atmosphere with confusion. She couldn''t quite understand their behavior, but she didn''t feel excluded either.


    "Dr. Mu, what''s your dream?" Nie Yan asked.


    Mu Mian opened her mouth to speak, but Chen Xue answered for her: "She wants Fang''s corpse. Haha, Mian Mian''s brain works differently from ours, her thoughts are always unique."


    Mu Mian nodded, "Yes." But she had many dreams.


    Nie Yan''s expression was a bit startled, but she quickly smiled and said to Mu Mian, "Keep it up, if you work hard enough, you''ll soon have the right to dispose of Fang Rui''s body."


    "Really?"


    Nie Yan and Chen Xue exchanged a nce, and both burst outughing.


    "Why are you allughing?" Mu Mian asked, confused.


    "Mu Mian, I wish you happiness!" Nie Yan raised her ss towards Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian found her behavior strange. "I''ve always been happy," she said.


    Nie Yan then raised her ss to Chen Xue and Lu Tian: "I wish you both happiness!"


    Chen Xue and Lu Tian were already drunk, and they responded with silly grins: "Everyone will be happy!"


    Nie Yan had a high alcohol tolerance and had drunk many cans without getting drunk. She opened another can, but Mu Mian tried to stop her, saying, "You shouldn''t drink any more. You could get alcohol poisoning."


    "This is just beer. There''s hardly any alcohol. I could drink a dozen more without any problem."


    Mu Mian held onto the beer bottles, refusing to let go.


    At that moment, Nie Yan''s phone lit up. She nced at the message, and her expression froze for an instant. Then, smiling, she said, "Alright, I''ll stop drinking."

 Chapter 45: Reversal of Judgment: Murder Case Emerges

    <h4>Chapter 45</h4>


    Mu Mian felt that Nie Yan''s expression was a bitplex. She couldn''t read it, which made her feel irritated.


    "Justice is something that needs to be pursued and sought after. Because we can''t achieve a perfect reality of justice, we must strive for it. Justice isn''t a result, but a process," Mu Mianforted her.


    "That quote is from n Dershowitz. He defended Simpson, who killed his wife, and also defended the pedophile billionaire Epstein. Are you trying tofort me with the words of such an infamous shyster?" Nie Yan couldn''t help butugh. She found Mu Mian to be a very interesting person.


    "See, even someone like that believes in justice. It shows that upholding justice isn''t a foolish thing," Mu Mian said.


    "Haha, your logic forforting people is so strange. But thank you, my good friend. I do feelforted. Now I''m going to sleep. Good night."


    "Nie Yan, are we... friends now?"


    Nie Yan didn''t answer Mu Mian. She was already asleep, leaning on the sofa.


    Mu Mian felt a bit happy. She quickly wrote in her self-observation diary: Today I was very lucky, I made a friend. She thought for a moment, then crossed out the "a" and changed it to "two".


    Lu Tian should probably count as her friend too.


    Mu Mian covered them both with nkets. She didn''t sleep, instead looking at the night sky and boredly counting stars.


    She didn''t actually believe much in the existence of justice. Justice was just a concept created to maintain order and stability, just likews were only tools. But Nie Yan viewed it as incredibly noble.


    After counting to the 130th star, Mu Mian finally couldn''t stay awake and fell asleep.


    She only slept for a few minutes before suddenly waking up startled. She looked towards the sofa, and sure enough, Nie Yan was gone.


    Mu Mian searched everywhere. When she pushed open the bathroom door, she saw a bathtub full of bloody water. Nie Yan''s left wrist artery had been cut, and blood had stained the entire bathtub red.


    Mu Mian woke up Chen Xue, telling her to quickly call an ambnce, while she pressed on Nie Yan''s wrist to stop the bleeding.


    At the same time, she pondered a question - Nie Yan seemed to have beenforted earlier, so why did she attempt suicide?


    She should have given Nie Yan a hug... Indeed, she still wasn''t good atforting others.


    Because it was discovered in time, Nie Yan''s life wasn''t in danger. She just needed to have her wound bandaged.


    "The patient didn''t lose too much blood. Just make sure she gets plenty of supplements in the near future," the doctor instructed, then couldn''t help butment, "This wound isn''t even that deep. And look at how well it''s bandaged, even better than we would have done it. There wasn''t really any need to bring her here!"


    When Nie Yan woke up, she apologized to everyone: "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean tomit suicide. I don''t know what came over me. When the emotions hit, I just couldn''t control myself. I won''t do this again."


    Originally, Nie Yan hadn''t intended tomit suicide. But then she received a message from her superior saying she had been fired for epting bribes. Unable to process it in the moment, she cut her wrist.


    Mu Mian reminded her: "Prosecutor Nie, you likely have depression. It''s very difficult to recover on your own. You need to see a psychiatrist. Medication can be very effective."


    Mu Mian handed her Shen Xiyin''s business card.


    "Alright, I''ll go see one after I''m discharged," Nie Yan said, taking the card and casually tucking it under her pillow.


    Seeing her dismissive attitude, Mu Mian felt a bit angry. "I''m giving you very serious advice. We''re friends, and I hope I''ll be able to see you again in the future."


    "I promise I''ll go see a psychiatrist! I''m not lying to you! But," Nie Yan pointed at her bandaged wrist, "you can''t expect me to go right now, can you? I need to let my hand heal first!"


    "You must go after you''re discharged!" Mu Mian emphasized again.


    "I know, I know."


    When Nie Yan''s parents heard the news, they quickly came to the hospital. Both were high school teachers. Though they looked stern, they were very good to Nie Yan.


    They didn''t question her about the reason for her suicide attempt. Her mother gave her a hug and encouraged her: "Nie Yan, we saw the news. We''re very proud to have a daughter like you."


    Nie Yan hugged her parents and burst into tears.


    "Mom, I don''t want to work inw anymore. I want to go home with you," Nie Yan tightly hugged her parents, "I''ll be a teacher like you!"


    "That''s fine. Even if you don''t work at all, that''s okay too. Whatever you want to do, we''ll support you. But we hope you''ve really thought this through, and that you''re not just giving up on your dreams because of a setback, trying to avoid difficulties."


    Seeing that Nie Yan''s parents hade to take care of her, Mu Mian and Chen Xue left the hospital.


    The sky was just beginning to brighten, with a fiery red sun slowly rising on the horizon.


    "Another beautiful day!" Chen Xue yawned, admiring the sun rising from the horizon. She took photos while eximing, "It''s so beautiful. Just for this gorgeous sunrise, it''s worth living well!"


    "Chen Xue, the sunrise isn''t beautiful at all! It''s too ring," Mu Mian grumbled, with dark circles under her eyes.


    She had only slept for five minutesst night, and she had also pondered a lot of meaningless questions, leaving her exhausted and sleepy. She had gone through an extremely awful night.


    "Mian Mian, you look so tired. Are you going to take the day off?"


    "Yes! I''m going to sleep for a whole day."


    Chen Xue drove Mu Mian home. When they were almost at the entrance to the residentialplex, Mu Mian''s phone rang. She declined the call and continued napping. Then Chen Xue''s phone rang.


    "Chen Xue, there''s been a homicide case, two victims!" It was Zhang speaking. "Is Dr. Mu with you? Come directly to the dock. I''ve sent you the location."


    Before Chen Xue could reply, he had already hung up.


    "Mu Mian, you..." Chen Xue turned her head towards Mu Mian, about to ask if she still wanted to take the day off, when she saw Mu Mian staring at her with bright eyes.


    "Chen Xue, drive to the dock quickly. Hurry, don''t let them mess up my corpses."


    "Weren''t you just feeling very sleepy?" Chen Xue was shocked at how quickly Mu Mian''s energy had recovered.


    "I can manage. I''ve gone five days without sleep before, and even then, my thinking speed wasn''t affected."


    "Why would you go five days without sleep?"


    Mu Mian didn''t answer. She looked out the window and eximed: "Chen Xue, the scenery here is so beautiful!"


    "If you don''t want to talk about it, that''s fine. But there''s nothing outside the window except traffic. Where''s the beautiful scenery? Mu Mian, your way of changing the subject is really clumsy."


    Jiangzhou City was a coastal city with a long shoreline and beautiful seaside views.


    The location of the homicide was a small yacht. When the incident urred, the yacht had already set sail, with four passengers on board having a party.


    During the party, two of them suddenly started convulsing and foaming at the mouth, bing unresponsive shortly after. The remaining two immediately steered the yacht back to the dock and called the police.


    When Mu Mian and Chen Xue arrived at the yacht, Fang Rui and his team were already examining the scene.


    There were two bodies on the floor, one male and one female.


    "The victim is actually Lin Qianjie?" Chen Xue recognized the victim and eximed while nudging the body with her foot, "Wasn''t he alive and kicking just yesterday?"


    Mu Mian said disapprovingly: "Chen Xue, stop stepping on the corpse."


    "Sorry, my foot slipped."

 Chapter 46: Reversal of Judgment: Poisonous Murder

    <h4>Chapter 46</h4>


    "We were also surprised," Zhang said quietly. "The female victim''s name is Wang Xiaoya. She was Lu Tian''s best friend. What a coincidence that these two ended up dead!"


    "The killer definitely can''t be Lu Tian or Prosecutor Nie. Yesterday, Mu Mian and I were watching them closely the entire time. In the middle of the night, Nie Yan even attempted suicide. Thankfully, Mu Forensic Doctor discovered it in time, otherwise Nie Yan would have lost her life," Chen Xue immediately cleared Lu Tian and Nie Yan of suspicion.


    "We weren''t suspecting them anyway!" Zhang said. "There were only four people on the yacht at the time. Two are dead, so one of the two survivors must be the killer."


    Mu Mian examined the two corpses. Both victims had white foam around their mouths and their skin had turned bluish.


    "They were poisoned, likely by some kind of neurotoxin," Mu Mian carefully inspected the bodies'' surfaces. "No external injuries. No obvious needle marks, so we can tentatively rule out injectable drugs. We''ll need to run toxicology tests to determine the specific poison used."


    Fang Rui turned to one of the people who reported the incident, "You didn''t use any illegal drugsst night, did you?"


    The person he addressed was Chen Dongdong, Lin Qianjie''s assistant andckey, who often participated in Lin Qianjie''s misdeeds.


    "No... of course not," Chen Dongdong''s expression was evasive. "I definitely didn''t use anything. If you don''t believe me, you can take me for a urine test."


    "You''d better not have!"


    Mu Mian took samples of all the food on the yacht. There were several opened bottles of alcohol and some sses with alcohol residue on the table. She packaged them as-is, nning to take them back for toxicology testing.


    "What''s this?" Zhang pried open the bedside drawer in the yacht''s cabin and discovered a bottle of pills. The bottle was white with abel in English that Zhang couldn''t quite understand.


    Mu Mian hadn''t seen this medication before, but she could read the ingredient list. "Based on the ingredients, it might be some kind of erectile dysfunction medication. Let''s take it back for analysis!"


    Mu Mian opened the bottle and poured some out. It contained small white pills. The bottle was only about a quarter full, suggesting the user had been taking this medication for some time.


    After Mu Mian finished collecting samples, Fang Rui and his team had alsopleted their crime scene investigation. They hadn''t found any useful clues on the yacht and were preparing to leave.


    "Is this Qianjie''s body?" A cold female voice came from outside the yacht.


    Fang Rui walked out to see the speaker was Jiang Yun, Lin Qianjie''s stepmother.


    She was wearing a ck suit dress, looking polished and businesslike. She looked at Lin Qianjie''s body with a slight frown but showed no trace of sorrow, her expression cold and detached.


    Jiang Yun knew Fang Rui and addressed him directly: "Fang Rui, are you in charge of this case?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "There''s no need for you to investigate this case. I want to take this body away and find the killer myself!" Jiang Yun''s tone was aggressive.


    Due to the police''s obvious bias towards Lu Tian in the previous rape case, she didn''t trust that Fang Rui and his team would take this case seriously.


    Fang Rui refused, "I''m sorry, but we''ve already taken over this case. ording to procedure, you can''t take the body away."


    "I''m the deceased''s family member. I have the right to handle his body."


    "We''ll return the victim''s remains to you after the case is closed," Mu Mian suddenly spoke up. "But not now. Please trust us. We''ll solve this case as quickly as possible."


    Although Mu Mian was wearing a mask, Jiang Yun still recognized her as the girl she had encountered in the gallery that day.


    Jiang Yun looked Mu Mian up and down, her tone arrogant, "You''re a forensic expert? You look extremely unprofessional! Why should I trust that you can find the real culprit?"


    "Are you afraid we won''t find the real killer, or are you worried we''ll discover your son was using illegal substances and tarnish your family''s reputation?" Fang Rui stepped in front of Mu Mian, cutting off Jiang Yun''s words. "We''re investigating this case, and that''s final!"


    At that moment, Chen Xue held up a toothpick and asked Mu Mian, "Mu Mian, should we take this back for toxicology testing?"


    "Yes, we should! Chen Xue, you''re bing more attentive to details."


    Mu Mian... Upon hearing this name, Jiang Yun froze. She scrutinized Mu Mian carefully. She should have recognized her; this was her child after all!


    She approached Mu Mian and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you... Mu Mian?"


    Mu Mian didn''t answer her. Instead, she said to Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, I''ve finished collecting samples. Let''s head back!"


    "Alright!"


    "Mu Mian, I''m..." Jiang Yun grabbed Mu Mian''s hand, but halfway through her sentence, she couldn''t continue.


    She had said such vicious things that day, and she had never visited Mu Mian. What right did she have to acknowledge her daughter now?


    "Ms. Jiang, please don''t interfere with our work," Mu Mian gently removed her hand. "We''re very busy."


    Jiang Yun stood there, stunned.


    She had finally heard her daughter speak, but she had addressed her as "Ms. Jiang."


    After Mu Mian and her team had driven away, the assistant cautiously asked, "Ms. Jiang, shouldn''t we be heading back now?"


    She had worked for Jiang Yun for many years, but she had never seen Jiang Yun disy such a guilty and despairing expression. Jiang Yun had always been a cold-blooded woman.


    "Yes, let''s go back," Jiang Yunposed herself, reminding her assistant, "If the police discover that Qianjie was using illegal drugs, make sure to suppress the news immediately."


    "I understand. I''ll have someone keep an eye on the situation."


    In the autopsy room, Chen Xue kept ncing at Mu Mian. She suspected that Jiang Yun might be the mother Mu Mian had been searching for, but she didn''t know how to bring it up.


    "Chen Xue, Ms. Jiang is my biological mother," Mu Mian said as she cut open Lin Qianjie''s stomach. A strong smell of alcohol wafted out. His stomach was nearly empty, with hardly any food residue.


    It seemed likely that the poison had been in the alcohol.


    "Then why didn''t you acknowledge her?" Chen Xue was puzzled. "Haven''t you always wanted to meet your mother?"


    "Yes. So now that I''ve seen her, I won''t want to anymore."


    Mu Mian collected a sample of the deceased''s heart blood for toxicology testing.


    "But she''s very wealthy. If you acknowledged her, you''d suddenly be rich," Chen Xue remarked. "Then you wouldn''t have to work anymore and could spend money freely."


    "I enjoy working, and I don''t like excessive spending," Mu Mian paused, looking at Chen Xue. "Besides, I''m already quite wealthy now."


    "...Are you referring to your few hundred dors of savings that were scammed away? Or our meager sries?"


    "Of course not! My sister has a lot of money, and I can use as much as I want."


    Chen Xue had met Mu Mian''s sister. She was beautiful and elegant, and judging from her clothes and car, she was indeed very wealthy.


    "That Ms. Jiang doesn''t seem like a good person. You''re better off staying away from her. Look at how she raised Lin Qianjie - he turned out to be such a scoundrel! It''s fortunate that she didn''t raise you, otherwise you might have be a bloodthirsty forensic expert!"


    "I don''t like blood; I prefer bones. I might have be a thief instead, stealing mummies from museums or corpses from ancient tombs."


    "..." Chen Xue was speechless. Even if Mu Mian had turned to the dark side, she wouldn''t have been very destructive.

 Chapter 47: Reversal of Judgment: Poisoning Methods

    <h4>Chapter 47</h4>


    The next day, the toxicology results came in.


    Mu Mian reported: "The poison found in the victim''s body is tetramethylene disulfone tetramine,monly known as tetramine. It''s a colorless, odorless, highly toxic powder. The lethal dose for humans is only 7 to 10 milligrams.


    Symptoms of poisoning include tonic and clonic convulsions, loss of consciousness, foaming at the mouth, cyanosis, resembling status epilepticus, and may be apanied by psychiatric symptoms. In severe cases, convulsions ur almost continuously, even leading to opisthotonus.


    We also detected some undissolved soil in the poisoned wine ss, likely impurities from the tetramine."


    Zhang asked puzzledly, "Hasn''t tetramine beenpletely banned from production and sale for many years? How could the killer obtain such a poison?"


    "Tetramethylene disulfone tetramine is very stable. It won''t dpose even after decades," Mu Mian exined. "It could be from earlier production."


    Fang Rui frowned, "In that case, it''ll be difficult to investigate the source of the poison."


    Mu Mian continued, "Although both Lin Qianjie and Wang Xiaoya were poisoned, Lin Qianjie''s poisoning was more severe, while Wang Xiaoya''s was milder. If medical treatment had been timely, Wang Xiaoya might have had a chance of survival.


    There were four wine sses at the crime scene. We detected tetramine in one ss, but not in the other three. The wine in all four sses was the same type.


    No poison was detected in the wine bottle found at the scene, nor in any other food or containers. This suggests the poison was likely added directly to the ss."


    Fang Rui said, "It seems the killer had a specific poisoning target. They probably didn''t intend to poison everyone, otherwise they would have put the poison in the wine bottle."


    Mu Mian then showed the medicine bottle: "The pills in the bottle are erectile dysfunction medication. Only Lin Qianjie''s fingerprints were found on the bottle, so it likely belonged to him. We didn''t detect any tetramine in it, and the medication doesn''t seem to have been tampered with."


    Zhang eximed, "No way, Lin Qianjie had performance issues? How could he still rape those girls?"


    Chen Xue gave Zhang a stern look, "It''s erectile dysfunction medication. He just had some difficulties, notplete impotence. Maybe his insecurity about this led to his psychological issues, causing him to rape innocent girls."


    "He''s such a pervert! He''s so rich, why didn''t he just get treatment instead of attacking innocent girls?"


    On the night of the incident, there were four people on the yacht: the deceased Lin Qianjie and Wang Xiaoya; and the reporters Chen Dongdong and Xu Qin.


    Chen Dongdong was Lin Qianjie''s assistant. He was in a rtionship with Wang Xiaoya, and it was because of him that Wang Xiaoya was able to board the yacht that night.


    Xu Qin was Lin Qianjie''s new girlfriend. They had been together for about half a year, constantly breaking up and getting back together, but never managing to separate for good.


    At the time, Lin Qianjie had just won awsuit. He originally wanted to throw a big celebration, but his stepmother had cut off his credit card and ordered him to keep a low profile. Angered by this, Lin Qianjie took his yacht out to sea. He often did this in the past.


    Fang Rui decided to take Chen Dongdong''s statement first. Mu Mian said she wanted to join, as she had some questions for them.


    Fang Rui first asked Chen Dongdong to recount the incident.


    Chen Dongdong recalled, "We were all drinking at the time. Mr. Lin was in a bad mood, so he drank a bit too much. We were drinking with him. But halfway through, Mr. Lin suddenly copsed. He was convulsing, foaming at the mouth. It was terrifying.


    A whileter, Xiaoya also copsed. She was convulsing just like Mr. Lin. I called out to her, but she didn''t respond.


    Xu Qin and I were scared to death. We thought we might be next, but after waiting for a long time, nothing happened to us. I quickly steered the yacht back to the dock and called the police."


    "Did Lin Qianjie and Wang Xiaoya drink from the same ss?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Well... they..." Chen Dongdong looked ufortable and stammered, "We were ying a game. Xiaoya lost, and her punishment was to feed Mr. Lin wine with her mouth. Does that count as drinking from the same ss?"


    "Whose ss was it?"


    "Mr. Lin''s."


    Mu Mian and Fang Rui exchanged a nce: it seemed the killer''s real target was Lin Qianjie. Wang Xiaoya''s death by poisoning was likely due to that silly game.


    "Was everyone drinking the same wine?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Yes, Jamaican rum," Chen Dongdong said. "It''s Mr. Lin''s favorite. We were just drinking along with him."


    "Did he have a habit of taking medication?"


    "Not that I know of."


    "Are you sure?" Mu Mian took out the bottle found at the crime scene. "Then what''s this?"


    "I... I don''t know."


    Fang Rui crossed his arms. "You know providing false testimony is punishable byw, right?"


    "It should be erectile dysfunction medication. I bought it for him from abroad. It works very well," Chen Dongdong immediately confessed. "He was a bit insecure about that aspect, so he liked using those pills."


    "Did he take any that night?" Mu Mian asked.


    "I don''t think so. Mr. Lin wasn''t in a good mood that night, he wasn''t in the mood. He probably didn''t take any."


    Fang Rui asked, "How did Xu Qin and Lin Qianjie meet? Were they close?"


    "Wang Xiaoya introduced them. Xu Qin is an art teacher at a tutoring center. She has an artistic air about her, and she''s quite good at pleasing people, so Mr. Lin liked her a lot. But Mr. Lin had many girlfriends, she was just one of them."


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian then took Xu Qin''s statement.


    Xu Qin was very beautiful, but she seemed timid, speaking with a stutter, "I don''t know what happened either. Qianjie and Xiaoya suddenly copsed, convulsing all over. It looked terrifying, just like an epileptic seizure."


    Fang Rui asked, "How did you meet Lin Qianjie?"


    "Xiaoya introduced us. I used to work part-time at Xiaoya''s shop, and we became friends. Later, she introduced me to Lin Qianjie. I quite liked him, so we started dating."


    Mu Mian asked, "Who poured Lin Qianjie''s wine that night?"


    "Most of the time, it was Wang Xiaoya. She was very enthusiastic towards Qianjie. She even used the game as an excuse to forcibly kiss Qianjie," Xu Qin said. "Officer, could Wang Xiaoya have been the one who poisoned him?"


    "Why do you suspect her?"


    "You might think Wang Xiaoya is carefree, but she actually values rtionships quite a lot. She used to be very close with Lu Tian, often dining and shopping together. After what happened to Lu Tian, she must have harbored resentment towards Qianjie. After all, she bears some responsibility for what happened."


    Fang Rui then asked, "What was Lin Qianjie''s rtionship with Chen Dongdong like?"


    "I''m not sure about that. But I don''t think anyone would willingly be someone else''sckey. He must have some resentment towards Qianjie. Plus, Qianjie often lent him money. If Qianjie died, he wouldn''t have to repay those loans."


    "What about you, Miss Xu? How would you describe your rtionship with Lin Qianjie?"


    "Me? I don''t love him, nor do I hate him. I''m with him for his money. I certainly wouldn''t want him dead. Where else would I find such a generous sugar daddy?"


    After leaving the interrogation room, Fang Rui asked Mu Mian, "Who do you think might have poisoned him?"


    "They all seem suspicious. We need to figure out how the killer administered the poison first," Mu Mian said.


    Fang Rui remembered the white medicine bottle and analyzed, "Could the killer have disguised the poison as erectile dysfunction medication and put it in the bottle? Lin Qianjie might have had a habit of putting the medication in his wine. That night, he might have put a poisoned pill in his drink."


    "If the medication was in capsule form, that could be possible. But Lin Qianjie''s erectile dysfunction medication wasn''t encapsted. If a poison pill was mixed in with the other pills, it would have left traces in the bottle. We would have been able to detect it."


    Fang Rui spected further, "What if the poison pill was coated with normal erectile dysfunction medication on the outside, but contained tetramine on the inside?"

 Chapter 48: Reversal of Judgment: The Shen Yuanyuan Case

    <h4>Chapter 48</h4>


    "Fang Rui, I think you have a bit of a criminal talent! But," Mu Mian objected, "we didn''t detect any of those aphrodisiacponents in Lin Qianjie''s body. That possibility has been ruled out."


    Fang Rui felt that the possibility of Chen Dongdong poisoning Lin was low. He had a close rtionship with Lin Qianjie, and if he really wanted to poison him, he could have easily chosen a time when he wasn''t present, allowing Lin Qianjie to die from the poison.


    Moreover, Wang Xiaoya was his girlfriend. If he only wanted to poison Lin Qianjie, he could have easily prevented Wang Xiaoya from drinking the poisoned wine.


    In that case, Xu Qin became highly suspicious.


    Fang Rui focused his investigation on Xu Qin.


    "Boss, this Xu Qin and Shen Yuanyuan were actually from the same high school," Zhang said, holding up a photo. "This is their graduation photo. They were in the same ss for all three years of high school, and from the photo, it looks like they were quite close."


    The photo showed three girls, all smiling happily.


    The third girl in the photo was called Shen Meilin. She didn''t go to college after high school, but she also worked in Jiangzhou City, so she maintained contact with Shen Yuanyuan. When Shen Yuanyuan was involved in thewsuit earlier, she had been by her side the whole time.


    Shen Meilin worked as a waitress in a restaurant.


    "Ah, I should have stayed by Yuanyuan''s side," Shen Meilin sighed. "After thatwsuit failed, Yuanyuan developed severe depression. At that time, Prosecutor Nie, who was in charge of Yuanyuan''s case, and I stayed with Yuanyuan for many days. Later, Yuanyuan pulled herself together and even found a job. We thought her illness had improved and she was starting to live again. We never expected her to suddenlymit suicide by jumping off a building!"


    Fang Rui took out the group photo and asked, "What about Xu Qin? How did she react after Shen Yuanyuan''s suicide?"


    "What reaction could that gold-digger have? What happened to Yuanyuan was her fault. If she hadn''t introduced Yuanyuan to Lin Qianjie, would Yuanyuan have met such a tragic fate? She''s viciously cruel! At that time, she even tried to introduce me to Lin Qianjie. Thankfully, that scumbag wasn''t interested in me. Xu Qin, that bitch, I curse her every time I see her!"


    Shen Meilin became increasingly agitated as she spoke. She and Shen Yuanyuan were from the same vige and had grown up together, sharing a very close bond.


    "What was the rtionship between Xu Qin and Shen Yuanyuan like?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Very good! Originally, Yuanyuan and I were inseparable best friends, but after Xu Qin came along, I became the third wheel in this friendship. That''s why I''m so angry. Yuanyuan trusted her so much, but she knew about Lin Qianjie''s crimes and still refused to testify in court, causing Yuanyuan to lose thewsuit."


    Shen Meilin sighed, "Yuanyuan hated her even on her deathbed, which is why she specifically called her to the bottom of the building and jumped to her death right in front of her eyes. If she had any conscience left, she probably wouldn''t be able to sleep for the rest of her life."


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation."


    On the drive back, Zhang analyzed, "Boss, do you think the killer could be Xu Qin? If she and Shen Yuanyuan were really good friends, she must have harbored hatred towards Lin Qianjie. On the day of the incident, Lin Qianjie had just won anotherwsuit. Maybe that triggered Xu Qin, and she couldn''t help but poison Lin Qianjie."


    Fang Rui thought Zhang''s analysis made some sense. When they had previously taken Xu Qin''s statement, she had spoken about Wang Xiaoya with disdain and mentioned that Wang Xiaoya would feel guilty about what happened to Lu Tian. Could this have been a projection of her own feelings?


    "Let''s go talk to Xu Qin again!" Fang Rui said.


    Xu Qin had studied art and was now teaching children to paint at a tutoring center. When Fang Rui found her, she was guiding a child in coloring.


    Xu Qin led Fang Rui to her office.


    "Detective Fang, Officer Zhang, please have some tea!" Xu Qin poured two cups of tea for Fang Rui and Zhang, then sat down on the sofa.


    Fang Rui didn''t drink the tea. He noticed a sketchbook on the table and casually picked it up to flip through it.


    The drawings were in color, but the lines were very blurry. They didn''t look like paintings, more like colors randomly smeared on paper. Although Fang Rui didn''t understand psychology, he could tell from these drawings that the mental state of the person who drew them was not very good.


    He took out his phone and photographed them, nning to ask Mu Mian to take a lookter. Mu Mian had long been receiving art therapy and should be familiar with these things.


    "Miss Xu, did you draw these?" Fang Rui asked casually, pretending to be curious. "They''re quite unique!"


    "Yes," Xu Qin nervously snatched the sketchbook and stuffed it into a drawer. "I''ve been obsessed with modernist painting stylestely. These are just some casual drawings, very abstract. That''s the style of modernism."


    Seeing that Fang Rui hadn''t drunk the tea, Zhang didn''t dare to drink his cup either. He was afraid Xu Qin might have poisoned the tea and kill them both.


    Zhang asked, "Miss Xu, do you remember Shen Yuanyuan?"


    Upon hearing this name, Xu Qin froze. She cautiously asked, "What does this case have to do with Yuanyuan? Yuanyuan''s parents are farmers, they couldn''t possibly have poisoned Lin Qianjie. Please don''t harass her parents, they''re already miserable enough having to bury their child."


    Fang Rui asked, "Do you feel guilty about Shen Yuanyuan''s death?"


    "Why should I feel guilty? I wasn''t the one who raped Yuanyuan, nor did I push her off the building. Why don''t you me Lin Qianjie? Why me me? I had no choice, I didn''t want things to turn out like this..." Xu Qin lost control of her emotions, tears continuously flowing from the corners of her eyes. "Yuanyuan''s death wasn''t caused by me!"


    Zhang asked, "Then don''t you hate Lin Qianjie? He caused the death of your best friend, yet you still associated with him. Aren''t you afraid that Shen Yuanyuan won''t rest in peace?"


    Xu Qin''s mind shed back to Shen Yuanyuan''s bloody, mangled body and those wide-open eyes. These scenes had be her inescapable nightmares.


    Her mental state was on the verge of copse, and she struggled to defend herself: "This society is all about survival of the fittest. Even thew couldn''t do anything to him, what could I do? If I had helped Yuanyuan, I might have been the one who ended up dead!"


    Xu Qin finally realized Fang Rui''s intention. "Detective, I didn''t poison Lin Qianjie. It wasn''t me!"


    "If it wasn''t you, then it must be Chen Dongdong," Fang Rui said. "Was there anything suspicious about him on the night of the incident?"


    "Wang Xiaoya liked Lin Qianjie, she was always trying to seduce him. No man can tolerate being cheated on."


    Xu Qin continued, "He also knows many people in the ck market and often buys illegal goods. It would be easy for him to buy poison. I think he''s the killer!"


    Xu Qin recalled, "Before we went to the dock that day, I saw Wang Xiaoya arguing with Chen Dongdong, and it was quite heated. Could it be that Chen Dongdong intended to poison Wang Xiaoya? Maybe Lin Qianjie identally drank that ss of wine by mistake, and that''s why he was poisoned too? Detective Fang, you should investigate Chen Dongdong thoroughly, he might just be the killer!"


    It was already dark when they left the tutoring center where Xu Qin worked.


    "Boss, looking at the motives, both Chen Dongdong and Xu Qin had reasons tomit the crime. They also had the opportunity to do so, but it''s difficult to prove which one of them is the killer. If the poison was directly added to the ss, it would be hard to find any evidence."


    The lead on the source of the poison couldn''t be pursued further either. Tetramethylene disulfotetramine didn''t have a clear sales channel, making it difficult to trace its origin.


    When Fang Rui returned to the police station, he found Mu Mian still working overtime. She was hunched over her desk, which was covered with papers. She seemed to be solving calction problems.


    Fang Rui ced his phone in front of Mu Mian, showing Xu Qin''s drawings. "Mu Mian, these drawings are very strange. Can they reflect the artist''s psychological issues? Like antisocial personality disorder or something?"


    Mu Mian nced at the jumbled colors and thought for a moment before saying, "ording to the principles of drawing tests, the artist is likely suffering from depression. She needs psychological treatment."


    "These drawings were done by Xu Qin. I thought they might indicate that she had strong aggressive tendencies. Now it seems she''s less likely to be the killer."


    "But many poisoners don''t exhibit aggressive tendencies. The perpetrators in these types of cases are usually women who can''t seek revenge through violent means, so they resort to poisoning instead," Mu Mian said as she continued her calctions on the paper.


    "What are you calcting?"


    "Liquid concentration," Mu Mian replied. "I''ve just finished."


    Fang Rui took a look, but the paper was full of forms he couldn''t quite understand.


    "What''s the point of calcting this?"


    Mu Mian drew four sses of wine on the paper,beling one as poisoned wine while leaving the other three unmarked. Pointing at the poisoned ss, Mu Mian exined, "I conducted aponent analysis of the four sses of wine. This poisoned ss contains an additionalponent of rodenticide, but all otherponents are the same as the other three sses. However, their alcohol concentrations differ significantly."


    "The poisoned ss has added rodenticide, so it would definitely affect the alcohol concentration. Are you suspecting that the murderer put a lot of poison in it?"


    Mu Mian sighed, thinking that Fang Rui was being a bit slow.


    "Mu Mian, just tell me the correct answer directly." Fang Rui couldn''t help but ruffle Mu Mian''s hair. "And don''t you dare think I''m stupid in your mind!"


    Mu Mian exined, "This indicates that the poisoned wine has been diluted."

 Chapter 49: Reversal of Judgment: Case Replay

    <h4>Chapter 49</h4>


    Fang Rui decided to reenact the case. He called Chen Dongdong and Xu Qin to describe the incident again, while he and Zhang yed the roles of the deceased Lin Qianjie and Wang Xiaoya.


    "We were sitting around this table, in this order: Lin, me, Wang Xiaoya, and Xu Qin," Chen Dongdong recalled.


    Fang Rui and the others sat down ording to this arrangement.


    "At first, Xu Qin went to get four sses, then I went to the liquor cab and got a few bottles of rum. After the alcohol arrived, I poured the first round for everyone," Chen Dongdong said. "Later, Xiaoya took the bottle and kept enthusiastically pouring drinks for us. We continued drinking until about 11 o''clock."


    "Did the seating positions change at all?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, they did. Later, we yed a dice game where the person with the highest roll could make the person with the lowest roll do something. Xiaoya rolled the lowest, and Xu Qin the highest. Xu Qin made Xiaoya feed Lin alcohol mouth-to-mouth," Chen Dongdong described. "During the feeding, Xu Qin and Xiaoya switched ces."


    Fang Rui looked at Xu Qin, "Wasn''t Lin Qianjie your boyfriend? Why did you make Wang Xiaoya feed him alcohol?"


    "When Wang Xiaoya was pouring drinks, she was practically clinging to Lin Qianjie. Since she was so eager to get something going with Lin Qianjie, I figured I''d just let her," Xu Qin shrugged and said.


    Fang Rui asked Chen Dongdong again, "Did Wang Xiaoya use Lin Qianjie''s ss to feed him directly?"


    Chen Dongdong shook his head, "At first, Xiaoya took a sip from her own ss, then fed it to Lin. Lin probably thought this way of drinking was interesting, so he picked up his ss and fed Xiaoya a sip too."


    "Did anything unusual happen after that? Like someone leaving?"


    "Yes, Xu Qin went out for a bit."


    "I went to the bathroom," Xu Qin quickly exined.


    Chen Dongdong continued, "Afterwards, we kept drinking together. We didn''t continue the game because Lin was in a bad mood. Shortly after, Lin copsed on the ground, convulsing. Less than a minuteter, Xiaoya fell too. About ten minutester, we realized they had both stopped breathing."


    After simting the entire process, Fang Rui realized that the most likely person to have poisoned them was actually Wang Xiaoya. She poured the drinks and even kissed Lin Qianjie, making her the most probable suspect.


    But paradoxically, Wang Xiaoya herself had died.


    "Boss, could it be that Wang Xiaoya wanted to die together with Lin Qianjie? Maybe the poisoned ss wasn''t Lin Qianjie''s, but Wang Xiaoya''s? This way, she could kill Lin Qianjie and also make hisckeys suspects, causing them to turn on each other?" Zhang spected.


    Fang Rui thought this was unlikely, given that Wang Xiaoya probably wasn''t clever enough to devise such a scheme.


    "Don''t you remember Mu Mian saying that Wang Xiaoya''s poisoning was less severe? If that poisoned ss was her own, she should have been more heavily poisoned. That poisoned ss must have been Lin Qianjie''s."


    "Then the murderer must be Xu Qin! She deliberately made Wang Xiaoya feed Lin Qianjie, so she could kill two birds with one stone and poison both of them at once," Zhang continued to guess.


    "If the killer wanted to kill Wang Xiaoya too, they could have just poisoned her ss directly. Why go through such a roundabout way? The killer also couldn''t be sure that Lin Qianjie would finish his own drink before feeding Wang Xiaoya."


    After watching their reenactment, Mu Mian realized that it was unlikely the poison was administered by any of the four people present. If the killer had added rat poison powder to the ss, it would have been quickly discovered; if they had added a liquid, it would have been impossible to do so discreetly.


    Fang Rui helped Mu Mian with the search and asked, "Mu Mian, do you think it''s possible the killer wasn''t among them?"


    "That''s highly likely," Mu Mian said confidently. "In poisoning cases, the killer rarely stays at the crime scene waiting to be arrested by the police."


    "Then how could the killer have poisoned them so precisely?"


    "The killer probably took advantage of some habit of the victims," Mu Mian said. "A very specific habit."


    "Are you saying that the method of poisoning is still rted to that bottle of aphrodisiac?" Fang Rui guessed.


    "Why are you all so focused on that aphrodisiac bottle? It''s just an ordinary medicine."


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian and asked, "Mu Mian, do you know how the killer administered the poison?"


    Mu Mian didn''t answer. She pointed at the refrigerator on the yacht that held food, "Fang Rui, can you help me bring all of this back? Everything inside, including the refrigerator."


    Fang Rui remembered Mu Mian saying yesterday that the poisoned drink had been diluted, and he suddenly understood what Mu Mian wanted to verify.


    Mu Mian thought for a moment and added, "Fang Rui, even if we figure out how the killer administered the poison, we might still have trouble catching them. Because we may not be able to find evidence to arrest her."


    When Mu Mian returned to the station, Chen Xue was on a video call with someone.


    "Look, Mian Mian is back. She just went out on duty," Chen Xue said to the person on the phone, turning to pat Mu Mian.


    "Dr. Mu, long time no see!" It was Lu Tian on the other end of the video. Her emotional state seemed much improved.


    She was currently traveling abroad, with a background of azure sea - the scenery was beautiful.


    "Lu Tian, it''s been a while," Mu Mian greeted her.


    "The scenery here is really beautiful. Next time I''ll bring you all here!" Lu Tian noticed that Mu Mian looked busy and asked, "Dr. Mu, what are you busy with? Why aren''t you chatting with me?"


    Chen Xue exined, "We''re investigating a poisoning case! I told you about it, remember? That scumbag Lin Qianjie was poisoned to death. We''re working on this case now. Who knows which good Samaritan poisoned him. You have no idea, when I saw he was dead, I almostughed out loud."


    "Have you caught the killer yet?"


    "Not so fast! We have no leads at all right now. Oh, I''ve got to go now, I need to get back to work."


    After hanging up, Chen Xue saw Mu Mian looking at her seriously. Chen Xue asked, "Mian Mian, what''s wrong?"


    "Chen Xue, we need to keep our work confidential."


    "Ohe on, Lu Tian couldn''t possibly be the killer," Chen Xue thought Mu Mian was being overly cautious.


    "It''s not impossible! This is a poisoning case." Mu Mian opened the freezerpartment of the refrigerator. The ice tray that should have been full of ice cubes was empty.


    "Mian Mian, have you forgotten? That night, we were all drinking together. Lu Tian can''t be in two ces at once, how could she possibly kill Lin Qianjie?"


    Mu Mian didn''t say anything. She took the empty ice tray to run toxicology tests.


    "Mian Mian, you don''t really suspect Lu Tian, do you?"


    "The current situation is that anyone who has been on Lin Qianjie''s yacht is a suspect," Mu Mian exined. "I''m not just suspecting her. I only trust evidence."

 Chapter 50: Reversal of Judgment: The Familiar Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 50</h4>


    When the toxicology results for the ice box came back, it was already 7 PM.


    Mu Mian nced at the report, then closed it. The results were as she had expected.


    Mu Mian returned to her office and saw that Fang Rui was also workingte. She handed the report to Fang Rui, saying, "Fang Rui, I know how the killer administered the poison."


    "This killer is quite clever, using such a discreet method to poison the victim."


    "Using ice cubes to deliver poison is amon technique in detective novels. It''s simple and doesn''t leave many traces," Mu Mian continued. "I just ran a toxicology test on that ice box and detected traces of tetramethylenedisulfotetramine. The killer used this box to make poisoned ice cubes."


    "So the killer likely prepared the poisoned ice cubes in advance and kept them in the freezer," Fang Rui analyzed. "On the day of the incident, Lin Qianjie happened to use one of those poisoned ice cubes, which led to his death by poisoning. But how did the killer ensure Lin Qianjie would definitely use that particr ice cube?"


    Fang Rui soon got the answer from Chen Dongdong.


    "Mr. Lin liked to add ice cubes to his drinks, but this particr liquor is meant to be enjoyed for its kick, so the rest of us don''t like adding ice," Chen Dongdong exined. "Mr. Lin was image-conscious, but he couldn''t hold his liquor well, so he could only reduce the alcohol content this way. We all knew about this, but no one dared to call him out on it."


    "Did he add ice cubes to his drink on the night of the incident?"


    "Of course he did! Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been able to drink more than a few sses of that strong liquor."


    Fang Rui was speechless. Lin Qianjie really was a man who cared too much about his image.


    Although they had cracked the killer''s poisoning method, this actually made the case moreplex.


    Firstly, Lin Qianjie''s yacht was docked at the marina, so it wouldn''t be difficult to sneak aboard, and Lin Qianjie himself had brought many friends on board before. Secondly, there were too many people who harbored hatred towards Lin Qianjie to investigate them all.


    Jiang Yun and the Lin family kept pressuring them about the progress of the investigation. They even hired thugs to beat Chen Dongdong half to death, trying to extract information about the poisoner from him.


    Fang Rui had no choice but to assign people to protect Chen Dongdong in the hospital to prevent any further incidents.


    As Mu Mian passed by Director Wang''s office, she overheard Jiang Yunining inside about their slow progress and demanding a change in the investigating team.


    Director Wang, troubled by her persistence, had to ask Captain Li, who was previously in charge of this case, to assist with the investigation again.


    Mu Mian thought Jiang Yun was terrifying, just like the wicked stepmother in fairy tales.


    "Mu Mian."


    Mu Mian was about to return to her office when Jiang Yun called out to her. "Mu Mian, I''m your mother. You have my photo, you should still remember me, right?"


    Jiang Yun''s face wore an expectant expression.


    "I don''t know you!" Mu Mian said calmly. "My mother is already dead. But she was very good to me, and she will always live in my memories."


    Mu Mian was referring to her adoptive mother, a very gentle woman.


    "Is it Shen Xiyin who''s not letting you acknowledge me?" Jiang Yun grabbed Mu Mian''s arm, her tone bing urgent. "Shen Xiyin isn''t as good as you think. Their family''s motives for adopting you weren''t pure either. They didn''t adopt you because they liked you, but to im your father''s inheritance. Mu Mian,e back to your mother."


    Mu Mian''s eyes widened. She didn''t understand why Jiang Yun would say such things.


    Her adoptive parents had spent a great deal of money and effort to treat her autism. If they were only after her father''s inheritance, they could have simply abandoned her at an orphanage and left her to fend for herself.


    Fang Rui, who had been summoned to the director''s office, happened to witness this scene. He pulled Mu Mian behind him and addressed Jiang Yun, "Ms. Jiang, if you''re dissatisfied with our investigation efficiency, you can file aint directly. Please don''t manhandle our staff!"


    "Fang Rui, she''s my daughter. I was just catching up with her."


    "But Mu Mian doesn''t want to catch up with you!"


    Mu Mian nodded, "Fang Rui, I don''t know her. I want to go back to work."


    "Alright, you can go!"


    Jiang Yun red at Fang Rui, displeased. "Mind your own business! I''m Mu Mian''s mother. It''s not your ce as an outsider to interfere in our affairs!"


    "Mu Mian was once a victim of a tel fraud. The scammer imed to be her mother, and she transferred all her money to them. She used to look forward to meeting her mother, but when she finally met you, you hurt her deeply."


    Jiang Yun''s eyes reddened. She deeply regretted saying those things to Mu Mian back then.


    "Ms. Jiang, if you truly have even a shred of love for this daughter, please stop hurting her."


    The director informed Fang Rui about increasing manpower for the investigation, with Captain Li assisting him. Fang Rui guessed that Jiang Yun must have been applying pressure again.


    "Fang Rui, what rotten luck. This case hasnded in myp again."


    Fang Rui shrugged helplessly, "We could actually use some help in investigating the victim''s social connections. It''s great that you can assist!"


    Fang Rui obtained a list from Chen Dongdong of everyone who had been on the yacht in the past month, including cleaning staff. There were twenty-five people in total, and to their surprise, Lu Tian was one of them.


    Zhang looked at Lu Tian''s name and eximed, "My goodness, could the poisoner be Lu Tian? No one hates Lin Qianjie more than her right now, right?"


    Lu Tian had been on the yacht on July 19th, the day before she was raped by Lin Qianjie.


    "No way, it can''t be Lu Tian. Lu Tian was raped by Lin Qianjie on July 20th. She hadn''t even been raped at that point, so what motive would she have had to kill Lin Qianjie?" Chen Xue argued, "She couldn''t have killed him for no reason, could she?"


    Fang Rui suddenly realized that there were some questionable points about Lu Tian''s rape case. For instance, even if Lin Qianjie had deliberately created an opportunity to meet Lu Tian, how could they have taken so many photos together if Lu Tian wasn''t cooperating?


    Moreover, Lin Qianjie and Lu Tian were chatting in the living room that night. Why would Lin Qianjie drag Lu Tian into the bedroom to rape her instead of doing it right there in the living room?


    Fang Rui also recalled what Lu Tian''s mother had said in court. If what she said was true, then...


    As they were leaving work, Mu Mian and Chen Xue saw Lu Tian standing at the entrance of the City Police Bureau, seemingly waiting for someone. She greeted them warmly when she saw them: "Dr. Mu, Dr. Chen."


    "Tiantian, are you back from your trip?" Chen Xue was happy to see Lu Tian. After spending time together, they had be quite close. "How was your trip abroad? I''d love to go too, but I can''t afford it!"


    "I brought gifts for you." Lu Tian handed Chen Xue a gift bag containing postcards and a souvenir made from a conch shell.


    Chen Xue loved it.


    Lu Tian then gave Mu Mian a gift box, "Dr. Shen said you especially enjoy unwrapping gifts, so I put your present in a box. I hope you like it."


    Mu Mian opened the box to find a colorful wind chime made of seashells.


    "It''s beautiful. I love it," Mu Mian said, carefully closing the box and cradling it.


    "Tiantian,e on, let''s go eat. I''ll treat you to hot pot," Chen Xue said, putting her arm around Lu Tian. She was d to see Lu Tian moving past her trauma.


    "Sure! I haven''t had hot pot in ages."


    The thought of hot pot made Mu Mian a bit glum. Thest time she had bravely tried it, she had developed a fever and suffered from toothache for days. She didn''t want to eat hot pot.


    "Chen Xue, Lu Tian, I can''t join you for hot pot. I need to go home. Goodbye!" Mu Mian''s refusal was quite direct.


    "Alright then, we''ll go on our own." Chen Xue waved goodbye to Mu Mian and drove off with Lu Tian.


    Mu Mian waited for a while and soon saw Fang Rui''s caring out. She got in, holding her gift box.


    "Who gave you that gift?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Lu Tian," Mu Mian replied. "She went on a beach vacation. She gave me a very pretty seashell wind chime. I really like it."


    "When did you and Chen Xue be so close with her?"


    Mu Mian looked a bit sad as she turned to Fang Rui, "If Lu Tian turns out to be the one who poisoned Lin Qianjie, can we not arrest her?"

 Chapter 51: Reversal of Verdict: The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 51</h4>


    "Mu Mian, everyone should be responsible for their own actions. If shemitted a crime, she should face legal judgment," Fang Rui said, looking at the crowded traffic. "However, our immediate priority is to find evidence first."


    "Lin Qianjie alsomitted a crime, but he escaped legal punishment," Mu Mian argued. "Lu Tian is a good person. She was forced intomitting a crime!"


    Fang Rui noticed the red light, stopped the car, then looked at Mu Mian: "This shows the limitations of thew, and we need to work hard to improve it. Any tragic experience is not an excuse formitting a crime. If Lu Tian reallymitted a crime, then she should be held responsible for her actions."


    "But that''s so unfair!"


    "Mu Mian, there''s no absolute fairness in this world."


    Back home, Mu Mian hung the seashell wind chime by the inner window. When the wind blew, the shells made a crisp sound.


    So noisy!


    After a while, Mu Mian put it away again, storing it in a box.


    The next day, Fang Rui and Zhang once again found Shen Yuanyuan''s best friend, Shen Meilin.


    "Officer Fang, what can I do for you?" Shen Meilin asked. "We''ve told you everything about Yuanyuan. Please don''t keeping to find me; it''s affecting my work."


    "Did Shen Yuanyuan have any other close friends?"


    "She had quite a few friends. Which one are you asking about?"


    Fang Rui took out Lu Tian''s photo and handed it to Shen Meilin. "Did Shen Yuanyuan know this girl?"


    "Isn''t this Lu Tian?" Shen Meilin recognized the person in the photo immediately. "She was Yuanyuan''s good friend."


    "How did they meet?"


    "They met in a small psychological support group about six months ago. The people in that group all had various psychological issues. They often held gatherings privately tofort each other, and it was quite effective.


    After Yuanyuan was raped by Lin Qianjie, she developed PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), so she joined this group to seek sce. Later, she met Lu Tian in this group. Lu Tian was especially kind, often inviting Yuanyuan out and giving her gifts."


    Shen Meilin remembered something and took out her phone. "This is a photo of Yuanyuan and Lu Tian together."


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged a nce. It seemed that Lu Tian was likely seeking revenge for Shen Yuanyuan.


    "Later, when Yuanyuan''swsuit failed, she couldn''t bear the stress andmitted suicide. Lu Tian even gave her parents some money to help them buy a good burial plot for Yuanyuan."


    "Can you send me this photo?"


    "Sure."


    After leaving the restaurant where Shen Meilin worked, Zhang''s thoughts were still in disarray.


    "Boss, if Lu Tian knew Shen Yuanyuan six months ago, how could she still fall into Lin Qianjie''s trap? Could Lu Tian have deliberately set up Lin Qianjie to rape her?"


    Fang Rui analyzed, "Lu Tian''s n might have been in two parts: if the rape charge stood, then Lin Qianjie would face legal judgment; if he managed to escape punishment likest time, then he would face Lu Tian''s judgment."


    "But why would Lu Tian help Shen Yuanyuan? They were just friends. Is it worthmitting a crime for a friend you''ve just met?" Zhang asked, puzzled.


    "Do you remember what Lu Tian''s mother said in court? She said Lu Tian was molested as a child," Fang Rui paused. "Shen Yuanyuan''s case might have triggered her, so she wanted to seek justice for Shen Yuanyuan, and also for her younger self."


    Fang Rui immediately called Lu Tian to the interrogation room.


    Lu Tian was still wearing the white dress she had worn during the trial. Her expression was calm, not at all like a criminal awaiting trial.


    "Miss Lu, you know Shen Yuanyuan, don''t you?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, I met her in a psychological support group. I''ve always had bipr disorder, so I often participate in such support groups. It helps me manage my emotions and also allows me to help others."


    Fang Rui continued, "Miss Lu, since you knew Shen Yuanyuan, you must have known what kind of person Lin Qianjie was and what methods he used. So why did you still go to various events with him?"


    "For money!" Lu Tian answered. "I needed money. You should know about my family background. We''re very poor, and I have parents and a younger brother depending on me, so I need to earn money. I thought with Yuanyuan''s experience as a lesson, I could avoid such things happening, but I underestimated my judgment."


    Zhang interrupted, "Miss Lu, do you think this reason is convincing?"


    "I could be after his money, but that doesn''t mean he can force me to do things I don''t want to do."


    Fang Rui said, "On July 19th, you followed Wang Xiaoya onto the yacht. When they weren''t paying attention, you put rat poison in the ice tray.


    On July 20th, you deliberately provoked Lin Qianjie to rape you and tricked him into the room because you knew there was a camera installed on the balcony of the opposite building that could capture what was happening in your room. You also deliberately made a lot of noise while resisting.


    After losing the trial, you immediately went abroad for a vacation to create an alibi for yourself.


    Miss Lu, am I correct in my analysis?"


    "Officer Fang, your story is very imaginative," Lu Tian''s face showed a mocking smile. "But do you solve cases by making up stories? Though maybe that''s how all you judicial personnel work. Lin Qianjie also got away by making up a story,beling me as mentally ill, and was acquitted."


    "We''re already collecting evidence," Zhang retorted. "Any crime will leave traces. If you confess now, it will be considered a voluntary surrender, and the judge will give you a reduced sentence."


    Lu Tian sneered, "So you have no evidence. I''m sorry, but before mywyer arrives, I have the right to remain silent."


    Fang Rui also knew that the chain of evidence was notplete, but judging from Lu Tian''s attitude, she was undoubtedly the culprit.


    Lu Tian''swyer arrived at the station quickly.


    "Isn''t Nie Yan a prosecutor? How did she be Lu Tian''swyer?" Chen Xue was a bit surprised.


    After Lu Tian''s case ended, Nie Yan was framed for epting bribes and was dismissed from the prosecutor''s office. Before joining the prosecutor''s office, Nie Yan had been a criminal defensewyer. After being dismissed, she joined a smallw firm and returned to being awyer.


    Mu Mian looked at Nie Yan in front of her and felt she was so unfamiliar. The previous Nie Yan, although she didn''t smile much, had a light in her eyes. But now, Nie Yan''s expression was cold, reminding her of Lin Qianjie''s defensewyer.


    "Officer Fang, you have no evidence to prove that my client is rted to Lin Qianjie''s poisoning case. Summoning her here privately is a vition of procedure. We have the right to file aint against you!" Nie Yan''s tone was a bit aggressive.


    Fang Rui exined, "This is not a summons. We just asked her toe here to understand some situations."


    "Then why are you detaining my client?"


    "We''re not detaining her. We''ll let her go after we finish talking."


    "Can my client leave now?"


    "...Yes!"


    Nie Yan left the city bureau with Lu Tian.


    After get


    ting in the car, Nie Yan held Lu Tian''s hand, "Lu Tian, don''t be afraid!"


    "Sister Nie Yan, they''ve guessed the truth. They''ll soon find evidence to incriminate me! But it doesn''t matter. Exchanging my life for that scumbag Lin Qianjie''s is very worthwhile. And Wang Xiaoya died too, we''ve gained."


    "Lu Tian, do you trust my abilities?" Nie Yan looked at Lu Tian.


    Lu Tian said without hesitation, "I trust you."


    "Then you should believe that you will be found not guilty." Nie Yan hugged Lu Tian. "Lu Tian, no matter what evidence they find, you must not admit that you put the poison. You must deny it, firmly deny it. Leave the rest to me."


    "Alright, Nie Yan, thank you!"


    Lu Tian looked at the azure sky, the sunlight felt piercing to her eyes. Perhaps this world is very dark, but there will always be someone to be the light that illuminates this world.


    She was willing tomit a crime for Shen Yuanyuan, and Nie Yan was also willing to do anything for her. Only girls would selflessly help other girls!

 Chapter 52: Reversal of Judgment: Decisive Evidence

    <h4>Chapter 52</h4>


    After Nie Yan and herpanions left, Fang Rui and his team held a brief case analysis meeting.


    "There are no fingerprints on the ice box, so we can''t prove that Lu Tian ever touched it. There''s no surveince on the yacht either, so video evidence is impossible..." Zhang muttered, "We have no way to prove that Lu Tian was the one who poisoned them!"


    "Lu Tian must have had some container or packaging for the poison when she brought it onto the yacht," Mu Mian said. "But since the yacht was out at sea, she would have thrown it overboard, letting the evidence sink to the bottom of the ocean."


    Everyone fell silent.


    Although they had figured out the poisoning method and deduced who the culprit was, they couldn''t find any evidence to incriminate the perpetrator.


    Fang Rui said, "Can we start by investigating the source of the poison? Lu Tian is from a rural area. Would they have any special channels to buy rat poison?"


    Zhang''s eyes lit up, "That makes sense!"


    After the meeting, Fang Rui had originally nned to go to Lu Tian''s rural hometown with Zhang, but Mu Mian beat him to it, saying, "Can I go with you? I know quite a bit about poisons."


    "Sure."


    Lu Tian''s hometown was far away. It took nearly four hours of driving to reach the entrance of their vige.


    The vige was mostly popted by elderly people, with few young residents. Fang Rui bought a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of water at a small shop at the vige entrance, then started chatting with the shopkeeper.


    "Shopkeeper, I heard there''s an inte celebrity from your vige. Do you know her?"


    "Inte celebrity? How could we have one in a ce like this?" The shopkeeper suddenly pped his forehead and said, "Come to think of it, we actually do! It''s that girl from the Lu family. I heard she makes quite a bit of money. But the way she makes money is a bit vulgar!"


    "How is it vulgar?"


    "Well, she dresses up all fancy and makes videos every day. Lots of men like her. But this child has always been pretty since she was little. Otherwise, her uncle wouldn''t have..." The shopkeeper suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.


    "Shopkeeper, being an inte celebrity is a legitimate job now. You shouldn''t judge them with prejudice," Fang Rui guessed what he was about to say - Lu Tian had likely been molested by her uncle when she was young.


    "Everyone in the vige says so. Even her mother scolds her for being improper. It''s not just me saying this."


    Fang Rui decided not to continue this topic. "Shopkeeper, do you know where I can buy rat poison? I have a lot of rats at home and want to get rid of them."


    "Yes, I have some right here!" The shopkeeper took out several rat glue traps. "These work really well. Do you want to buy some?"


    "I''m looking for rat poison, the really strong kind."


    "We don''t have that. The government doesn''t allow the sale of those. It''s illegal!"


    "Do you know where I could buy some?" Fang Rui offered the shopkeeper a cigarette.


    "You probably can''t buy it anywhere now. It''s not avable anywhere!" The shopkeeper lit the cigarette and took a puff before continuing, "About ten or fifteen years ago, there was a chemical factory in the next vige that produced rat poison. But then the government banned its production, right? It''s probably not avable anymore."


    "Did anyone from your vige work at that chemical factory?"


    "Many did. That Lu family girl I mentioned earlier actually identally ate some rat poison when she was little. Luckily it was discovered early, and they made her drink a bowl of manure water to make her vomit it out. Otherwise, she would have died."


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian exchanged a nce. The poison Lu Tian identally ingested back then was very likely to have been the same rat poison they were investigating.


    "Shopkeeper, thank you. You can keep this pack of cigarettes!"


    "Aren''t you going to smoke them yourself?"


    "I don''t smoke!"


    The shopkeeperughed, thinking this person was quite strange to buy cigarettes without smoking.


    Lu Tian''s family home was a two-story old-style building. The house was dpidated, with the surface lime corroded away, exposing the bricks underneath.


    The courtyard wasn''t paved with cement and looked uneven and potholed.


    Fang Rui found it strange. Given Lu Tian''s ie, her parents shouldn''t be living in such a rundown house. However, Lu Tian probably hated her parents and likely wouldn''t spend money on them even if she earned a lot.


    Lu''s Mother looked confused when she saw Fang Rui at the door, not recognizing him. "Who are you? What are you doing at my house?"


    "We''re from the police station. We suspect you have a highly toxic rat poison called tetramine in your home," Mu Mian looked at Lu''s Mother with a serious expression. "Please hand it over immediately, or you''ll face legal consequences."


    Lu''s Mother looked utterly bewildered. "What tetramine? Where would we have such a thing? Who told you this?" She suddenly walked to the gate, put her hands on her hips, and shouted towards the entrance, "Which one of you gossips has been making false reports? Where would we get such a toxic substance?"


    Mu Mian took out her phone and yed a video recording. The background was a courtroom, where Lu''s Mother was testifying that Lu Tian had been molested by a rtive when she was young and had once attempted suicide by eating rat poison.


    "I... I did say that. What''s the problem?" Lu''s Mother stammered.


    "Do you still have any rat poison at home?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Rat poison? Are you here to collect it?" Lu''s Mother suddenly realized. "We do have a small packet, it''s been here for over ten years."


    "Can you find it and give it to us?"


    Lu''s Mother went into a storage room filled with various items. As soon as the door opened, dust particles floated in the air.


    "Auntie, just tell me where it is, and I''ll get it myself," Fang Rui put on gloves, then said to Mu Mian, "Mu Mian, you take photos of the evidence from the side."


    "Alright."


    Lu''s Mother pointed to a dust-covered box on top of a cab.


    Fang Rui was about to take it down when Mu Mian stopped him, "Fang Rui, there are handprints on the box. Don''t disturb them."


    "I see them."


    Fang Rui first photographed the two faint handprints on the box, then carefully lifted the box down, avoiding the prints.


    The box was about half a meter long, not very big, but it was full of various items, including expired pesticides and different nt seeds.


    Lu''s Mother pointed to a yellow paper package and said, "That''s the rat poison. It''s been over ten years, I don''t know if it''s expired. I never dared to throw it away carelessly, afraid it might poison someone else''s chickens or ducks."


    While all the other items were covered in dust, the yellow paper package was clean, clearly indicating that someone had recently opened it and taken something out.


    "Has Lu Tian been home recently?"


    "She hasn''t been back for a while," Lu''s Mother sighed. "This child hates me to death. But I had no choice. If I didn''t testify, thatwyer would have sent my son to jail. He''s my only son. I had to testify."


    "When was thest time she came home?"


    "I think it was in July, July 12th. She suddenly came back that day, didn''t even stay overnight. She just packed some things and left. I don''t even know why she came back."


    "Auntie, we need to take this box with us."


    "Go ahead and take it!"


    It was already 10 PM when Fang Rui drove back to the city. Mu Mian had been sleeping soundly but was woken up by the voice prompt at the highway toll station.


    Mu Mian perked up a bit, "Fang Rui, let''s go back to the station when we get back. I want to run a toxicology test on the substances inside."


    "Mu Mian, it''s already 10 PM." Fang Rui couldn''t understand why Mu Mian was so eager to work. She had been exhausted earlier, but now she was suddenly full of energy.


    "But I''m not tired. I feel very awake now."


    "I''m very tired!"


    Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui for a moment before deciding topromise, "Alright, but you have to get up early tomorrow!"


    "..."

 Chapter 53: Reversal of Verdict: Innocence Defense

    <h4>Chapter 53</h4>


    The next day, Mu Mian had her sister drop her off at work early. She bought a beautiful cake and a cup of hot cocoa for Chen Xue.


    Mu Mian thought Chen Xue might need some sweets to lift her mood after the events that were likely to upset her today.


    When Chen Xue arrived at the office, Mu Mian had already sent all the items for toxicology testing, and now they were just waiting for the results.


    "Mu Mian, were you out burglingst night? Look at those dark circles under your eyes. You didn''t sleep at all, did you?" Chen Xue stared at Mu Mian for a moment, thenmented, "If you were a bit rounder, you could cosy as a panda."


    "This is for you!" Mu Mian handed Chen Xue the breakfast she had bought.


    "How did you know I hadn''t eaten breakfast? You''re so thoughtful!"


    "Chen Xue," Mu Mian''s expression turned serious, "We may have found evidence proving Lu Tian''s crime."


    To Mu Mian''s surprise, Chen Xue didn''t seem upset or angry. She just kept taking bites of her bread, stuffing it into her mouth.


    "I knew you and Captain Fang would find evidence," Chen Xue said. "That''s good. At least this case can finally be solved."


    "Shouldn''t you be condemning us?" Mu Mian felt a bit frustrated, unable to read Chen Xue''s expression.


    "We''rew enforcement officers. Our job is to solve cases and catch criminals. If Lu Tianmitted a crime, we should arrest her. Although I sympathize with Lu Tian, I won''t cover for her."


    "Chen Xue, even if Lu Tianmitted a crime, she''s still our friend," Mu Mian consoled her.


    "Mian Mian, she won''t consider us friends anymore. Ah, it''s really the irony of fate. We couldn''t bring a criminal like Lin Qianjie to justice, but now we have to arrest Lu Tian, the victim, with our own hands."


    The toxicology results came back quickly. The yellow paper package indeed contained tetramethylenedisulfotetramine, a potent rodenticide.


    The poison was mixed with some soil, and there was also soil in the poisoned wine at the crime scene. The impurities in the poison solution were the same, strongly suggesting it was the same batch of poison.


    The palm print on the wooden box was also extracted. Based on the size of the palm print and the length of the fingers, it could be preliminarily determined that the print belonged to an adult female.


    Fang Rui brought Lu Tian in for questioning again. This time, Nie Yan apanied her.


    Nie Yan''s gaze towards Fang Rui and Mu Mian was ice-cold, as if using them of aiding evil.


    Fang Rui had Wang from the technical department take Lu Tian''s palm print andpare it with the one on the wooden box. The results showed that the two prints belonged to the same person.


    Now they could almost convict Lu Tian.


    But Fang Rui still decided to give Lu Tian a chance to confess.


    In the interrogation room, Fang Rui and Captain Li questioned Lu Tian together.


    "Lu Tian, do you still want to deny it?" Fang Rui ced a photo of the wooden box in front of Lu Tian. "The poison was taken from this box, wasn''t it?"


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "You''re very aware of anti-detection techniques. You wore gloves to handle the poison, but you forgot that the box was covered in dust, and your palm print was left on it." Fang Rui ced another photo of the palm print in front of Lu Tian. "This can prove that you opened that box."


    "So what? Am I not allowed to touch things in my own home?" Lu Tian retorted.


    "We also have your mother''s testimony. All this evidence together forms aplete chain of evidence, enough to convict you!"


    Lu Tian looked at Fang Rui. "I didn''t do any of this. I don''t know anything."


    No matter what Fang Rui and Captain Li said after that, Lu Tian kept saying she didn''t know, adamantly refusing to admit anything. Towards the end, Lu Tian started to ramble incoherently.


    "You''re all bad people, you''re framing me! You''re all bad people, go away! Nie Yan, save me, I''m so scared..."


    The current evidence had already formed aplete chain. There were even photos proving that Lu Tian had been on that yacht. Her denial was useless. But to close the case, they needed to get Lu Tian''s confession and signed admission of guilt.


    Fang Rui suggested that Lu Tian see a psychologist first, but Captain Li insisted that with theplete chain of evidence, they would definitely get a confession. After he and his assistant interrogated Lu Tian for eight hours, they finally got her confession, and Lu Tian signed an admission of guilt. The case was officially closed.


    After the case was closed, the prosecutor''s office quickly filed public charges against Lu Tian, using her of intentional homicide.


    On the day of the trial, Mu Mian thought for a long time and decided to go to court to observe. Chen Xue refused to go with her, not wanting to witness Lu Tian being judged. Mu Mian could only ask Fang Rui to apany her.


    The public gallery was full of people. Mu Mian saw Jiang Yun sitting in a corner of the gallery, still wearing sunsses, her expression cold, showing no sign of having just experienced the loss of a child.


    Lu Tian stood in the dock as the defendant, looking haggard and vacant. Nie Yan stood beside her, her gaze determined.


    Not long ago, the two of them had also stood together, fighting a losing battle in court. Only now, they had changed from intiffs to defendants, from victims to perpetrators.


    After the prosecutor finished reading the indictment, he thought the rest would be a mere formality, since Lu Tian''s guilt was a foregone conclusion. His voice was monotonous, and the lengthy indictment was making people drowsy.


    The prosecutor said, "Defendant, do you have any objections to the charges in the indictment?"


    "I didn''t kill anyone!"


    The prosecutor''s face changed slightly. He said, "But the evidence provided by the police proves that you are the murderer, and you also gave a confession and signed an admission of guilt."


    "They subjected me to mental torture and forced me to confess. They even forced my hand to sign that admission of guilt." Lu Tian stood straight, "I didn''t kill anyone. I don''t know what happened. I was framed!"


    The presiding judge warned, "Defendant, the court reminds you that retracting your confession in court may increase your sentence."


    "Your Honor, I really didn''t kill anyone. Someone controlled me to do it. It wasn''t me. It was someone else."


    The audience in the gallery started to murmur, everyone wondering if the defendant had gone insane. She looked like a madwoman.


    Nie Yan said, "Your Honor, my client suffers from dissociative conversion disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder. She has just experienced severe psychological trauma, her memory is confused, and in this situation, she may be experiencing intermittent amnesia."


    The judge was a bit angry. He reminded, "Counsel, the court is a very serious ce. Please don''t make up stories."


    "Your Honor, I have provided a psychiatric evaluation report. This report was jointly issued by four psychiatric experts and two psychological experts from the judicial center. This report is highly authoritative," Nie Yan emphasized the word ''authoritative'' and continued, "The report confirms that my client indeed suffers from dissociative conversion disorder."


    "My client is apletely mentally ill person. At the time of the incident, she was in a state where she could not recognize or control her own actions. Therefore, I request a not guilty plea for my client on grounds of insanity!"


    The prosecutor argued, "Even if the defendant suffers from dissociative conversion disorder, she is only intermittently mentally ill. How can you prove that she was in an unconscious state when she administered the poison?"


    "Prosecutor, it''s you who believes she is intermittently mentally ill. The burden of proof lies with the one who makes the im. So, you need to provide evidence to prove that my client was in a clear state of mind when she administered the poison." Nie Yan held up the evaluation report in her hand. "This report can prove that my client is mentally ill, her mental state is extremely unstable, and she cannot control her own actions."


    The judge announced a recess to reassess Lu Tian''s mental state before reconvening for a retrial.


    Fang Rui stopped Nie Yan, "Nie Yan, you know very well that Lu Tian doesn''t have dissociative conversion disorder at all. Having Lu Tian fake illness is illegal, and..."


    "Fang Rui, I''m not the one saying she''s ill. It''s those psychiatric experts who say she''s ill," Nie Yan interrupted Fang Rui. "I''m just presenting that authoritative report."


    "You could use this to help reduce Lu Tian''s sentence."


    "Thew is not fit to judge Lu Tian," Nie Yan''s lips curled into a mocking smile. "Lu Tian asked me to ask you all, now that you know the whole truth, do you really think she''s guilty?"


    Lu Tian felt that this world was deeply unfair. As a child, she had been molested by her own uncle, but no one sought justice for her. Not a single person condemned that beast. Instead, the neighbors constantly slut-shamed her, saying it was her fault for being too pretty, which led to her being molested.


    Shen Yuanyuan was raped by Lin Qianjie, and no one stood up for her justice either. Countless strangers hurled the most vicious insults at Shen Yuanyuan, ultimately driving her tomit suicide by jumping off a building.


    Was shemitting a crime? She was merely avenging her childhood self, as well as seeking vengeance for the helpless Shen Yuanyuan who had jumped to her death.


    She had tried to let thew judge scum like Lin Qianjie, but reality proved that it wouldn''t work. So the only option left was to let that scumbag face her judgment.


    Fang Rui didn''t know how to answer this question.


    Nie Yan gave them a cold look, then left the courthouse.

 Chapter 54: Reversal of Judgment: The Bright Ending

    <h4>Chapter 54</h4>


    "Fang Rui, we can''t stop Lin Qianjie''swyer from getting him acquitted, and we can''t stop Nie Yan from getting Lu Tian off the hook," Mu Mian consoled him. "It''s fair. All we can do is reveal the truth."


    "Mu Mian, you don''t understand. Sometimes prison is actually the safest ce," Fang Rui sighed. "Do you think the Lin Family will let Lu Tian go? Only those with power and influence can exploit legal loopholes. Nie Yan is still too naive."


    Mu Mian indeed didn''t understand. She thought the world was soplicated. Why were therews if so many people didn''t obey them? Was it really that hard to follow the rules?


    But she quickly figured it out. If there were no criminals, she and Fang Rui would be out of a job. Being unemployed meant no sry, no money to spend, and nothing to do every day. How boring and painful that would be.


    "Alright, don''t think about suchplex issues," Fang Rui patted Mu Mian''s head. "Otherwise your brain might short-circuit again."


    "Fang Rui, my brain is perfectly normal. It won''t short-circuit."


    The Judicial Appraisal Center organized a team of experts to conduct aprehensive diagnosis of Lu Tian. They eventually issued a written report confirming that Lu Tian indeed suffered from dissociative conversion disorder.


    One expert even scanned Lu Tian''s brain and found organic changes, further corroborating that Lu Tian had a mental illness.


    Shen Xiyin was also part of the expert team. She had raised objections, but they weren''t epted.


    Previously, their Judicial Appraisal Center had already issued a report stating that Lu Tian suffered from dissociative conversion disorder. If they were to issue another report now saying Lu Tian didn''t have this condition, their center''s reputation would be ruined.


    So Lu Tian had to be sick!


    The Lin Family had also intervened, but theyter gave up.


    If Lu Tian went to prison, there was little they could do. But if Lu Tian entered a mental hospital, they would have plenty of ways to make her life a living hell!


    Lin Qianjie had been killed by Lu Tian, and they didn''t want Lu Tian to simply serve time in prison. That would be too easy for her.


    Under the influence of various factors, the court finally made its ruling: "...As the defendant is a person withplete mental illness andcks civil capacity, this court rules that the defendant Lu Tian''s charge of intentional homicide does not stand... Lu Tian needs to be confined for life in Jiangzhou City''s Qingshan Mental Hospital..."


    Upon hearing the verdict, Nie Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She felt incredibly ted; she had finally won a case!


    As Nie Yan was leaving the courthouse, she saw Fang Rui and Mu Mian waiting for her at the entrance.


    "Fang Rui, Mu Mian, if you''re here to condemn me, please leave! If you''re here to congratte me on winning this case, then you''re wee to join my celebration party."


    Fang Rui sighed, "Nie Yan, you used to despise such despicable tactics."


    "Fang Rui, justice belongs to the victors. I won this case, so I represent justice," Nie Yan''s tone carried a hint of arrogance and self-satisfaction. "In the pursuit of justice, it''s okay to use some tactics. I''ll use despicable means to reach a bright oue."


    Nie Yan looked up at the azure sky, feeling only that the sunlight was too harsh. She seemed to have finally be the kind of person she used to hate the most.


    But so what? Those in power could manipte thew to exonerate themselves, so why couldn''t she manipte thew to save a poor girl who shouldn''t be guilty?


    Thew was no longer sacred in her heart; justice would only belong to the victors.


    "Is the oue really bright? Lu Tian will have to live in a mental hospital from now on. That''s a terrifying ce. In prison, people aren''t free, but at least their minds are free. But in a mental hospital, people are not free, and neither are their minds. Moreover, the Lin Family won''t let Lu Tian off. Nie Yan, you know very well what Lu Tian is about to face," Fang Rui reminded her. "The only winner is you!"


    Nie Yan''s body stiffened.


    Shen Xiyin had also warned Nie Yan not to pursue a not guilty plea, because the consequence would be Lu Tian being confined to a mental hospital for life, a fate worse than prison.


    She had suggested that Nie Yan could use Lu Tian''s mental illness to apply for a reduced sentence. But Nie Yan had refused. She even prevented others from seeing Lu Tian.


    Was it really just about getting Lu Tian acquitted? Nie Yan found herself unable to answer this question.


    Nie Yan quickly regained her smile, "It wasn''t me who put her in a mental hospital, it was you. If you hadn''t insisted on uncovering the truth, Lu Tian wouldn''t have been prosecuted. You should be the ones feeling guilty! Doesn''t a scumbag like Lin Qianjie deserve to die? Why did you have to catch the killer? Couldn''t you have been ipetent just one more time?"


    "A tragic experience is not an excuse for crime," Fang Rui retorted. "If youmit a crime, you should face the consequences."


    "What about Lin Qianjie then? What consequences did he face?"


    Fang Rui didn''t know how to answer this question. The world was inherently unfair; for the same act, different people had to pay different prices.


    Nie Yan was too extreme. Previously, she had been too righteous, too believing in justice. When her sense of justice crumbled, she swung to the other extreme.


    "He was poisoned to death," Mu Mian answered softly. "That''s the price he paid for his misdeeds. If he hadn''t exploited legal loopholes, he would have only served a few years in prison and could have quicklye out to continue his wrongdoings."


    This time it was Nie Yan who was left speechless. Mu Mian didn''t understand anything; her thinking was too simple. She couldn''tprehend thisplex world at all.


    Fang Rui tried to console Nie Yan, "Your current mindset is problematic. You need to adjust it."


    "Mu Forensic Doctor, Police Officer Fang, I hope we won''t meet again," Nie Yan''s tone carried a hint of sadness. "I''m now a criminal defensewyer. I think if we meet again, we''ll be opponents. I don''t want to face opponents like you. But if we do meet, I''ll still win!"


    Fang Rui watched Nie Yan''s retreating figure, feeling a bit regretful. Nie Yan had once been an excellent prosecutor.


    At this moment, he suddenly found himself being hugged tightly by Mu Mian.


    Fang Rui looked down at Mu Mian, "What''s wrong?"


    "I feel like you''re very sad. But I don''t know how tofort you," Mu Mian sighed. "I''m not good atforting people."


    Mu Mian remembered the night they drank together. It was Nie Yan''s darkest moment, but she still said she would be the best prosecutor.


    Nie Yan ultimately couldn''t realize her dream.


    When did Nie Yan change? Maybe it was when she lost case after case to Lin Qianjie''swyer, or maybe it was the night she attempted suicide. She didn''t kill herself, but she killed her naive self and adopted a new persona to face thisplex world.


    "I''m just a bit regretful, but this is Nie Yan''s own choice. I think that passionate Prosecutor Nie will forever remain in our memories."


    Those who gaze into the abyss must also be wary of being swallowed by it.


    "Fang Rui, did you get over your sadness so quickly?" Mu Mian''s tone was a bit disappointed. She felt that hugging Fang Rui was quite nice, and she didn''t expect him to beforted so quickly.


    "Do you want me to keep being sad about Nie Yan?"


    "Of course not. I don''t want to see you sad," Mu Mian reluctantly let go of his embrace.


    She suddenly thought of a serious question: if Fang Rui died, she would only be able to hug a cold corpse. She didn''t like hugging corpses. She seemed to not want his remains as much now.


    Mu Mian immediately pushed this strange thought out of her mind. How could she not want Fang Rui''s remains? Had her brain really short-circuited from overthinking?


    "Fang Rui, I''ve lost another friend," Mu Mian mumbled dejectedly. "I finally made two friends, and now they''re both gone. Sigh, making friends is so hard. Fang Rui, I''m so sad."


    "Do you want me to hug you tofort you?"


    "If you sign this, I won''t be sad anymore." Mu Mian quickly pulled out a donation agreement from her bag and handed the pen to Fang Rui. "Just sign it, write ''Fang Rui'' right here."


    "Mu Mian, it seems you''re not sad anymore," Fang Rui stuffed the agreement back into Mu Mian''s bag. "Let''s go, we''re heading back."


    Mu Mian was dumbfounded. Shepromised, saying, "Fang Rui, then just give me a hug. That way I won''t feel so bad."


    "Sorry, but that offer of a hug has been rescinded. You don''t needforting now!"


    Mu Mian''s face fell, looking like a bitter gourd. Indeed, one shouldn''t be too greedy in life.


    After winning this court case, Nie Yan''s fame skyrocketed overnight. Suddenly, many parties involved in criminal cases sought her out as their defense attorney. She began a brilliant new chapter in her career in this fresh field.


    However, she never went to see Lu Tian again.

 Chapter 55: Meeting an Old Friend

    <h4>Chapter 55</h4>


    After experiencing various twists and turns, the poisoning case of Lin Qianjie and Wang Xiaoya finally came to an end.


    During the weekend holiday, Mu Mian apanied Shen Xiyin to a very high-end sanatorium. This sanatorium integrated medical care and nursing, housing many wealthy people with health issues.


    "Mian, we''ll be meeting Aunt shortly," Shen Xiyin handed the lily bouquet to Mu Mian, "Remember to give her these flowers when you see her."


    Mu Mian had heard about this Aunt Shen Min. Reportedly, she had gotten pregnant before marriage, then ran away with the child and eloped with that man, never returning to see the Shen family again. Shen''s father despised this sister; he would get angry at anyone who mentioned Shen Min.


    "Alright, but why should I give them to her?" Mu Mian asked curiously.


    Shen Xiyin''s tone was somewhat dejected, "She might not like me very much."


    Mu Mian was a bit surprised. Why would Aunt dislike her sister? No one could dislike her sister!


    The nurse seemed to recognize Shen Xiyin and smiled warmly, "Miss Shen, are you here to see Mrs. Shen again? Her condition has improved recently. She''s sunbathing on thewn outside now. Let me take you to her."


    "Alright, thank you, Nurse Li."


    Mu Mian walked into the sanatorium''s garden and saw an elegant woman sitting in a wheelchair reading a book. The sunlight fell on her face, giving her a soft appearance.


    The woman looked very much like Shen Xiyin, so Mu Mian recognized her at once. She must be Aunt Shen Min.


    "Sister, is her leg injured?"


    Shen Xiyin shook her head and sighed, "Her legs are healthy. Aunt has Alzheimer''s disease. Sometimes she forgets she can walk. Her memory is very confused now; she often forgets many things."


    "She doesn''t look very old. Why does she have Alzheimer''s?"


    Shen Xiyin looked at Shen Min''s not-so-aged face, as if seeing her own future through her.


    "She just turned sixty this year. It might be hereditary; our Eldest Uncle also developed this disease." Shen Xiyin''s voice was so soft that Mu Mian could barely hear her.


    "Does she still remember Dad?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Probably not. She''s forgotten many things. She even forgot her own name. She only remembers her daughter."


    Mu Mian walked up to Shen Min and handed her the flowers, "Aunt, it''s nice to meet you."


    Feeling the sunlight blocked, Shen Min looked up displeased. She looked at Mu Mian as if seeing someone else through her: "Miao Miao? Is that you, Miao Miao?"


    "My name is Mu Mian, not Miao Miao," Mu Mian corrected, stuffing the flowers into Shen Min''s arms. "These flowers are for you. I hope they brighten your day."


    Shen Min''s eyes were a bit bewildered. She hugged the flowers, murmuring, "Where has my Miao Miao gone? Why doesn''t shee to see me?"


    Mu Mian felt sympathy for her. "Is Miao Miao your daughter? What does she look like?"


    Shen Min pointed to the book in her hand for Mu Mian to see. Mu Mian then realized it wasn''t a book, but a thick photo album. The open page showed a photo of a girl in a police uniform.


    The girl was very young and pretty, making a peace sign with her fingers and smiling brightly.


    "Is she a police officer? I think I can help you find her and ask her toe see you." Mu Mian made a mental note of the police badge number, deciding to help Aunt find her daughter when she got back.


    Shen Min''s eyes suddenly lit up, "Really? Mu Mian, can you help me find my daughter?"


    However, Shen Xiyin held Mu Mian back, signaling her not to promise this.


    Shen Min didn''t wait for Mu Mian''s response and wrote beside the photo: Mu Mian promised to help me find Miao Miao.


    After writing, she turned to the next page and continued looking at her daughter''s photos. The entire album was filled with her daughter''s pictures, from childhood to adulthood, capturing different moments. Each photo was apanied by lengthy notes. This was how she prevented herself from forgetting her daughter.


    Mu Mian thought this Miao Miao girl was so lucky to have a mother who loved her so much. But why was she so heartless, refusing to visit her own mother?


    Through those notes, Shen Min seemed to gradually recover some memories: "My Miao Miao was so obedient, why won''t shee to see me? Has someone kidnapped her?"


    Her gaze began to search around, and when she saw Shen Xiyin, she became agitated: "Get out! You''re Shen Min, you hurt my daughter, get out!"


    "Aunt, I''m Shen Xiyin." Shen Xiyin knew she was having another episode.


    "Shen Min, you killed my Miao Miao!" Shen Min seemed to remember something and burst into tears, "My Miao Miao is dead, you killed her, it was you!"


    She tried to attack Shen Xiyin like a madwoman. Nearby medical staff quickly came over to give Shen Min a sedative and then took her back to her room.


    "Sister, did Aunt''s daughter die?" Mu Mian picked up the photo album that had fallen to the ground and flipped through it casually. "Was she killed by bad people? Was the bad person Aunt herself?"


    Mu Mian suddenly felt the situation was quiteplex.


    "Yes, Miao Miao died," Shen Xiyin nodded, "But she died of illness a few years ago. Aunt was deeply shocked and felt very guilty, thinking she hadn''t taken good care of her daughter. This has also elerated her condition."


    "That''s so sad! She must have loved her daughter very much." Mu Mian envied this Miao Miao. If she died, Jiang Yun probably wouldn''t even buy her an urn, let alone remember her.


    But her sister would buy her the most beautiful and expensive urn, and choose the most scenic cemetery for her. Thinking of this, Mu Mian didn''t envy Miao Miao as much anymore, because Miao Miao had died so young.


    Shen Xiyin sighed, "I thought if we came to keep herpany and talk to her, it might improve her condition. I didn''t expect it would upset her instead. Her condition is getting worse. Last time I visited her, her emotions weren''t this unstable."


    "Then maybe I shoulde see her alone next time. She seems to like me," Mu Mian suggested.


    "Yes, she liked you a lot when you were very little."


    "She''s met me before?" Mu Mian searched her memory. "But I don''t remember meeting her."


    "You were just a baby then. Later, Aunt had a falling out with Dad, and she never came back. Dad also forbade us from mentioning her."


    As they were about to leave, the nurse called out to them, "Miss Shen, remember I told youst time about a gentleman who''s been taking care of your aunt? He''s here today too. He''s in the Dean''s office discussing medical cooperation. Would you like to meet him?"


    "I''ll sit here and wait for him."


    Time ticked by slowly. Just as Shen Xiyin was losing patience and about to leave, the person appeared before them.


    "Senior Yi Nian? Howe you''re here?" Mu Mian looked surprised to see him. "Weren''t you missing? I thought you might have been killed by kidnappers."

 Chapter 56: Madman

    <h4>Chapter 56</h4>


    "Mu Mian, long time no see. Can''t you wish me well for once? Why did you think I was kidnapped?" Jiang Yinian reached out to pat Mu Mian''s head, but she dodged.


    "You know I don''t like people touching my head, not even my sister, and especially not you," Mu Mian reminded him. "I don''t want to end up bald like Xiao Bai."


    Xiao Bai was an adorable little squirrel Mu Mian once had. It was so cute that everyone in her father''sb kept petting it, until its head becamepletely bald.


    Jiang Yinian used to be Shen''s father''s most favored student, almost certainly destined to be the future sessor of hisb. That''s why he often visited the Shen family, and gradually got to know Mu Mian.


    Back then, Mu Mian didn''t like talking much and rarely paid attention to others.


    Unlike Shen Xiyin who always went along with Mu Mian, Jiang Yinian often did disruptive things, like deliberately knocking down Mu Mian''s block towers, adding colors to Mu Mian''s finished drawings, and even hiding Mu Mian''s beloved animal specimens, making her search everywhere.


    At first, Mu Mian hated him, but gradually she got used to his behavior and even started to enjoy this confrontational interaction. It made Mu Mian feel like she was being treated as a normal person.


    "Senior Jiang, you really disappeared for a long time. You used toe y with me every week, but ever since my dad passed away, you suddenly vanished. I couldn''t even reach you by phone. Senior Fabien said you were kidnapped by bandits and they''d kill you if they didn''t get ransom money. I didn''t have money then and couldn''t borrow any. I didn''t want to sell my specimen collection either, so I could only let you be killed. Seeing you alive now, I think Senior Fabien must have been lying to me."


    At that time, Mu Mian wasn''t very good at detecting lies. But now she could. She decided to call Senior Fabienter and give him a good scolding.


    "Mu Mian, I''m sorry. I left in a hurry and didn''t have time to say goodbye," Jiang Yinian apologized to Mu Mian, but his eyes were fixed on Shen Xiyin.


    Mu Mian shrugged, "It''s fine with me. But my sister is very angry. She doesn''t even want to hear your name. You left in such a hurry, how could you not even attend my father''s funeral? He liked you the most. It''s a good thing ghosts don''t exist in this world, otherwise, my father''s ghost would havee out to scold you."


    Jiang Yinian looked at Shen Xiyin, "Xiyin, you have to believe me, what happened to your parents has nothing to do with..."


    Shen Xiyin interrupted him. She stood in front of Mu Mian, "I don''t know why you''re taking care of my aunt, but please don''te anymore! She doesn''t need your care!"


    "Professor Shen always thought about this sister of his when he was alive. He mentioned her to me many times," Jiang Yinian exined. "Coincidentally, her daughter is my cousin''s wife. My cousin and his wife have passed away, so I have the responsibility and obligation to take care of Aunt Shen."


    Shen Xiyin sneered, "Don''t you find this reason ridiculous? You don''t even respect my father, and you expect me to believe you''re kindheartedly taking care of his sister? Do you think you''re the type of person who would suddenly be so benevolent? Although I don''t know your purpose, please stay away from my family."


    "We used to be such good friends, why won''t you believe me? I would never do anything to harm you or Mu Mian." Jiang Yinian''s eyes looked hurt, and with his handsome features, his vulnerable expression made him look very innocent.


    Mu Mian found it strange. Her sister and Jiang Yinian used to have a great rtionship and never argued. Why did her sister hate him so much now?


    Mu Mian suddenly remembered that when her parents died, her sister always prevented her from seeing the bodies. Could it be that they didn''t die in a car ident?


    It seemed like her sister was hiding many things from her.


    "Mu Mian, let''s go home."


    On the way back, Mu Mian felt the atmosphere in the car was very tense. This was the first time she had seen her sister so angry. Shen Xiyin had extremely strong control over her emotions and had almost never lost herposure in front of Mu Mian.


    "Sister, didn''t Mom and Dad die in a car ident?" Mu Mian asked.


    Shen Xiyin didn''t answer this question, "Mian, if you see that man in the future, stay far away from him, okay?"


    Mu Mian nodded, then asked in confusion, "Why? Senior Jiang is a good person."


    "He''s very dangerous, he''s a madman," Shen Xiyin exined. "He might hurt you."


    "He seems normal. Why would he want to hurt me?"


    "Maybe because he hates Dad for firing him and publicly humiliating him. He might be holding a grudge and wanting to take revenge on us."


    "But we''re friends with him. He was always nice to me before," Mu Mian felt Shen Xiyin''s judgment was wrong. "Besides, Fang Rui will protect me."


    "Mian, some people are nice to you for a reason. Beneath their kind exterior, they harbor great malice. We need to stay away from these people."


    Mu Mian didn''t quite understand, but she agreed anyway. She now had friends like Chen Xue and Fang Rui, so losing one friend didn''t matter much.


    "Mian, don''t think too much about it. I can handle those things myself."


    "Okay. If you can''t handle it, I''ll help you." Mu Mian had great faith in her sister''s abilities. As long as her sister wanted to do something, she could do anything well.


    Just as they arrived downstairs, Mu Mian saw an uninvited guest waiting for them.


    Mu Mian cautiously looked at Shen Xiyin. She felt her sister was a bit unlucky today, encountering people she didn''t like.


    "Mu Mian, Mom''s here to see you." Jiang Yun saw Mu Mian and immediately came forward. She changed her previous cold attitude and started to appeal to emotions, "Look, what did Mom bring for you? A gift!"


    Mu Mian was unhappy. It turned out she was unlucky too.


    Jiang Yun handed the exquisite gift box to Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian took a look. The box was pink, and the ribbon on the box was another shade of pink. She hated pink the most.


    "Miss Shen, can I talk to Mu Mian alone?" Jiang Yun said to Shen Xiyin. She felt Shen Xiyin was controlling Mu Mian, making her distance herself from Jiang Yun.


    Mu Mian directly refused, "Ms. Jiang, I have nothing to talk about with you."


    "Mu Mian, don''t call me Ms. Jiang. Call me Mom, okay?" Jiang Yun frowned at Mu Mian. "It makes Mom very sad when you do that."


    "No!" Mu Mian looked down at her toes. "The reason I wanted to find you before was because I thought you were living in poverty. If that was the case, I could give you some money to make your life a bit better. I never intended to reconnect with you. Now you''re very rich and living well, so I''m relieved. I don''t want to see you anymore in the future."


    "Mu Mian, I''m your mother. You can''t treat me like this," Jiang Yun held Mu Mian''s hand. "Can you give Mom a chance? Mom wants to make it up to you."


    Mu Mian jerked her hand away as if electrocuted. "Ms. Jiang, I thought I made myself clear. I don''t want to see you."


    "Mu Mian, Mom had her reasons for doing what she did before. Mom loves you. Won''t youe back to Mom?"


    Mu Mian shook her head. She couldn''t understand why Jiang Yun, who used to despise her, suddenly became so full of maternal love. Did she have some special purpose?


    But that didn''t matter. Just like Jiang Yun didn''t matter to her at all!


    "Sister, let''s go home," Mu Mian tugged at Shen Xiyin''s hand. "I''m very hungry. I need to eat."


    "Mian, you go back first. There are sandwiches in the fridge you can eat. I want to talk with her for a bit."


    "Don''t talk to her for too long," Mu Mian whispered to Shen Xiyin. "She''s a bad person. But don''t be afraid. If she hurts you, I''ll have Fang Rui arrest her."


    "Don''t worry, she can''t hurt us."


    "But she''s powerful and influential. We can''t fight against her," Mu Mian made a sour face. "We only have money."


    Through Lu Tian''swsuit, Mu Mian deeply realized that there were many people in this world who didn''t obey thew and wouldn''t be punished.


    "Mian, aren''t you very hungry?"


    "Yes, I''m going back to eat sandwiches now."


    Jiang Yun heard their conversation clearly. She felt a bit dejected, realizing that in Mu Mian''s heart, she had already been defined as a bad woman.


    Jiang Yun suppressed her emotions and handed Shen Xiyin a business card. "Miss Shen, I''ve established a foundation specifically to help children with autism. I''d like you to manage it. Would you be willing to work for the foundation?"


    "I''m not in need of a job, and I''ve only treated one autistic patient, Mu Mian. I won''t be treating any other autistic patients," Shen Xiyin didn''t take her card. "If you have something to say, just say it. I''m very busy and don''t have time to listen to you beat around the bush."


    "If you don''t want this job, I can give you arge sum of money. You can name any amount, as long as you give Mu Mian back to me..."


    "Give her back to you?" Shen Xiyin scoffed. "You''ve ignored Mu Mian all these years. Later, when I found you and asked you to see Mu Mian, you refused. Why are you suddenly so concerned about Mu Mian now?"


    Jiang Yun''s face showed embarrassment, but she emphasized, "Miss Shen, whether you believe it or not, I love Mu Mian. I refused to see her before because I hated her father. Seeing Mu Mian would remind me of those painful things from the past."


    Shen Xiyin interrupted her, "I''m not interested in the story between you and Uncle Mu. As far as I know, you were the one who had an affair, and you were the one who abandoned Uncle Mu and Mu Mian."


    "He''s ndering me!" Jiang Yun''s tone suddenly rose. "Xiyin, you were young then. You couldn''t understand adult matters. I truly love Mu Mian, and I want to make it up to her."


    "Mrs. Jiang, what you want isn''t Mu Mian, is it? You just want those experts to study Mu Mian. You want to know why she was able to recover, don''t you?"

 Chapter 57: The Abandoned Gift

    <h4>Chapter 57</h4>


    Jiang Yun''s expression stiffened, but she still defended herself, "Miss Shen, don''t think so badly of me. I want my daughter back. Is that too much to ask?"


    "You have a son named Lin Qianyan with your current husband. He''s also autistic."


    "How do you know that?"


    Jiang Yun was shocked. Shen Xiyin had investigated her. They had kept Lin Qianyan''s autism a secret, and almost no one outside knew about it. She realized she had underestimated Shen Xiyin.


    Shen Xiyin sneered, "You know very well that they have autism because of your gic defect, so all the children you give birth to are autistic. You''re the one who caused Mu Mian''s autism, and you cruelly abandoned her. Yet I don''t see any guilt on your face. You''re truly a cold-blooded woman."


    With her true motives exposed, Jiang Yun dropped her pretense. "Miss Shen, since you know about Qianyan''s condition, can you help him?"


    "What do you think autism treatment is? A surgery? Or just taking a few pills to get better? It''s a long and arduous process, involving countless training sessions and interventions, requiring immense patience and love. A cold-hearted person like you wouldn''t understand."


    "Miss Shen, I''m not here to negotiate. I''m Mu Mian''s biological mother. I have the responsibility and obligation to take care of her. If we go to court, I think you''d lose!"


    "Mu Mian is an adult. She has the right to choose who she lives with. Do you think she''d choose you?" Shen Xiyin paused, then mockingly added, "Or do you also want to have Mu Mian diagnosed as mentally ill so you can get custody of her?"


    "I wouldn''t use such dirty tactics. However, I have many ways to make youpromise. Xiyin, have you forgotten? I used to be good friends with your parents. I know a thing or two about their affairs."


    Shen Xiyin''s smile instantly vanished, her eyes turning cold. "Of course you know. Jiang Yinian is your nephew, and you''re currently funding hisb. You sent him to my father back then, didn''t you?"


    "No, that''s not true. I didn''t orchestrate this. He''s my brother''s illegitimate son. I only found out about him a few years ago. And your father''s car ident wasn''t Yinian''s doing. He didn''t steal your father''s research materials either. Yinian suddenly returned to the country after your father''s ident because his mother had passed away. He came back for the funeral. Someone is framing him! Xiyin, you have too many misunderstandings about us."


    Jiang Yun patted Shen Xiyin''s shoulder, "I''ve watched you grow up. You should trust your aunt''s character. You should investigate others. There were so many people in your father''sb, they''re all suspects."


    "I know your kind too well. People like you would do anything to achieve your goals," Shen Xiyin struggled to control her emotions.


    "Xiyin, so you should agree to my request and give Mu Mian back to me," Jiang Yun''s tone carried a threat.


    Shen Xiyin hesitated for a moment, then took out a document from her bag and handed it to Jiang Yun. "This is Michelle''s information. She''s the most authoritative expert in the field of autism. She was my teacher. I can help you contact her to provide intervention therapy for your son."


    "Is she the therapist who cured Mu Mian? So she can cure Qianyan''s autism too?" Jiang Yun''s tone was eager.


    Shen Xiyin found itughable. So Jiang Yun didn''t hate autistic children, she just didn''t love Mu Mian.


    As Jiang Yun reached for the document, Shen Xiyin pulled it back. "I can help you, but you need to agree to two conditions first."


    "What conditions?"


    Shen Xiyin spoke slowly and clearly: "First, you and Jiang Yinian will never appear in front of Mu Mian again. You can''t disturb Mu Mian and my aunt''s life. Second, you make the Lin Family leave Lu Tian alone."


    "I don''t quite understand the second condition. Why are you helping Lu Tian?"


    "Lu Tian is my patient, and she''s also Mu Mian''s friend. I hope you can leave her alone. Actually, with Lin Qianjie dead, you''re the biggest beneficiary, aren''t you? Or rather, Lin Qianjie''s current fate was orchestrated by you. You indulged his misconduct, suppressed him, and turned him into a psychologically unstable wreck. This way, he posed no threat to you and waspletely under your control."


    "I can agree to these two conditions. I can even have the hospital give Lu Tian preferential treatment. You''re right, I deliberately ruined Lin Qianjie. Now that he''s dead, the Lin Family''s property belongs entirely to my Qianyan." Jiang Yun no longer tried to hide from Shen Xiyin, feeling she had Shen Xiyinpletely in her grasp.


    "Michelle will being next week for a conference. I''ll bring her to see you then."


    "Can she cure Qianyan?"


    "Mrs. Jiang, autism can''t be cured, only the symptoms can be improved. But she''ll do her best to help you."


    "Good, I hope we can cooperate pleasantly."


    "Here''s a friendly reminder: you''d better stay away from that lunatic Jiang Yinian. You can''t control him."


    "How can Yinian be a lunatic? He''s a medical genius, the pride of our family, and your father''s most satisfactory student." Jiang Yun was very fond of this nephew. The new drugs he had developed over the years had earned her a lot of money.


    As Jiang Yun was leaving, Shen Xiyin called out to her, "Give me that gift box. I''ll give it to Mu Mian for you."


    Jiang Yun looked surprised, "Didn''t you tell me not to disturb Mu Mian''s life?"


    "If this gift box remains unopened, Mu Mian will always wonder about it. But once it''s opened, Mu Mian will know that inside is just an expensive item without any genuine sentiment," Shen Xiyin said, "Just like her feelings towards you - once she sees you, the illusion is shattered."


    "Miss Shen, this is a gift I carefully selected," Jiang Yun defended herself. "Is it because you''ve been brainwashing Mu Mian, telling her I don''t love her, that she has that attitude towards me?"


    "Isn''t it a fact that you don''t love her? Or have you acted for so long that you actually believe you''re a caring mother?"


    Jiang Yun was left speechless. She did feel guilty about Mu Mian, but that little guilt was nothingpared to her love for power and status.


    When Shen Xiyin entered, Mu Mian was reading a book, though not very attentively. As soon as Shen Xiyin came in, Mu Mian fixed her gaze on the gift box in her hand.


    "Sister, I don''t want her gift," Mu Mian hid her face behind the book, trying not to look at the box.


    Shen Xiyin pushed the gift box into Mu Mian''s hands, "Open it. Otherwise, you''ll be thinking about it and unable to sleep for days."


    "Alright, I just really want to know what''s inside. You know I have OCD. When I see a gift box, I just want to open it."


    "Mm-hmm, go ahead and open it."


    Mu Mian carefully untied the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a pink handbag.


    Mu Mian opened the bag, but it was empty.


    "Sister, there''s no gift, no card. Did she forget to put the gift inside?" Mu Mian searched every corner of the bag but still couldn''t find what she was hoping for.


    "I think the bag is the gift," Shen Xiyin reminded her.


    "I hate pink!" Mu Mian was very unhappy. "This bag is so small, it can''t hold anything. Why would she give me this? She''s terrible at giving gifts."


    Shen Xiyin was also at a loss. Was this really the gift Jiang Yun had carefully chosen? There was no sincerity at all.


    "You don''t like it?"


    "No, I don''t!"


    Shen Xiyin suggested, "Then throw it away. Don''t let useless things take up space."


    "That makes sense. It''s really ugly!" Mu Mian threw the bag along with the box into the trash can and went back to her book.


    "Mu Mian, you don''t need to worry about Lu Tian anymore. I have a friend working at that hospital. He promised me he''d take good care of her. The Lin Family won''t harm her either."


    "Sister, how did you manage that?"


    "Whatever you want, sister will always try her best to get it for you."


    Mu Mian''s eyes lit up, "Then can you get Fang Rui to donate his body to me?"


    "Some things you need to work for yourself, you know."


    "Alright, I''m going to tell Fang Rui and the others this good news."


    Fang Rui was at his parents'' house when he received Mu Mian''s call.


    "Fang Rui, my sister has dealt with those evil forces. She said Lu Tian will be well taken care of in the mental hospital," Mu Mian said proudly. "My sister is amazing, isn''t she?"


    "Mm-hmm."


    After hanging up the phone, Fang Rui heard his mother say, "Fang Rui, have you made up your mind? As long as you agree to go on the blind date, I''ll help you settle things with the Lin Family and make them leave Lu Tian alone."


    Fang Rui grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "I''m sorry, but that deal is off now. Mom, you don''t need to make me dinner. I have something to take care of, so I''m heading back."


    "Fang Rui, you little rascal. Youe running home calling ''Mom, Mom'' when you need something, but you won''t even stay for a meal when you don''t. Hey, are you really not going to eat? I cooked myself, won''t you at least try it?"


    "Mom, goodbye! Save all those delicious dishes for Dad, he loves them. I won''t intrude on your romantic time together." Fang Rui quickly made his escape.


    Mom''s cooking... was quite unptable.

 Chapter 58: Ghost House Mystery: Terror Experience

    <h4>Chapter 58</h4>


    That morning, the police received a report of a murder at an escape room in a downtown shopping mall.


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian drove to the mall.


    The escape room was called "Poe''s Cottage," located on the fourth floor of the mall.


    Last month, this ce was chosen as a filming location for a popr variety show, which made it suddenly famous. Many young people liked to choose it as a team-building venue. The customer flow increased dramatically.


    The owner of the store was wealthy and rented an entire floor for the venue. The exterior decoration style was Gothic horror, and as soon as one reached the fourth floor, they could feel a terrifying and chilling atmosphere that sent shivers down one''s spine.


    "Officers, you''re finally here." The store manager hurried over when he saw the police arrive. The manager''s name was Wang Huajian, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing ck-framed sses. He looked very anxious at the moment.


    "Where was the body found? Please take us there."


    "Inside the escape room, the body was discovered in the hidden level called ''Bride and Groom Collection Room''."


    The manager led them inside while exining the situation, "We rarely go to that room normally. We didn''t expect someone to hang themselves in there. Fortunately, it was discovered in time. If it had been found anyter, the body would probably have started to decay and smell."


    After discovering the body, the manager immediately sealed off the scene, both to protect the site and prevent the news from spreading, which could affect their store''s reputation.


    The room the manager was taking them to was part of a scenario called "Escape from the Mental Hospital," which was their most popr escape room.


    yers need to find various clues and props to deduce the correct escape route. Along the way, they encounter many horrifying scenes, such as a blood-sttered operating room, a collection room full of human organs, a gallows room hung with corpses... During the game, people dressed as ghosts or mental patients wielding chainsaws would attack the yers.


    "Ah! What''s this thing?" Zhang identally touched a bone hanging on the wall, and suddenly a human head dropped from the ceiling, hitting Zhang in the face. Zhang looked up, his eyes meeting a pair of pale eyes with a blue glow.


    "You need to be careful, don''t touch things randomly. There are many small traps here. They''re not dangerous, just a bit scary," the manager warned.


    These traps needed to be manually turned off, which was troublesome, so even though a murder had urred, the manager still hadn''t stopped those mechanisms.


    He was thinking that once the police removed the body, he would continue business as usual. The store had quite arge customer flow, and even though it was a weekday, there were still quite a few yersing to y.


    Mu Mian curiously touched the human head. She found that the face was made of silicone, with very realistic features that looked real at first nce. It felt cold and soft to the touch, quite pleasant to feel.


    "Dr. Mu, don''t just touch it, help me get it away!" Zhang was on the verge of tears. The head was right in his face, and he didn''t dare to touch it or move, stuck in an awkward position.


    Chen Xue silently helped him remove it.


    "Zhang, don''t be afraid. Stay behind me, I''ll protect you!" Chen Xue said to Zhang.


    "Okay!" Zhang clung to Chen Xue''s arm, trembling.


    Wang from the tech department was also shaking, "Chen Xue, I''m scared too. What kind of ce is this?"


    "Wang, you''re a man, be brave!" Chen Xue encouraged Wang.


    "..." Wang was speechless. Chen Xue was so biased. Why was it okay for Zhang not to be brave? Well, who could me him for being single?


    Mu Mian picked up a corpse from the ground, pinching its scarred hand to show Zhang and Wang, "These corpses are all fake! Feel them, human skin can''t possibly be this stic. Why are you afraid of something fake?"


    "Ah, Dr. Mu, take it away, take it away quickly!" Zhang shrank behind Chen Xue, tightly hugging her arm, "It''s not that I''m a coward, it''s just that this ce triggers my fear of certain things that shouldn''t exist after the founding of the country! I''m not afraid when encountering real corpses."


    Chen Xue said to Mu Mian, "Mian Mian, stop scaring Zhang. He''s timid."


    "Alright." Mu Mian put the prop corpse back in its ce.


    Mu Mian then looked at Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, are you scared? If you''re afraid, you can hide behind me. I''m not afraid of these things. I''ll protect you."


    "Not really scared." Fang Rui was a firm materialist, and besides, he had been forced to watch horror movies with his mother since childhood, so he was already immune to these startling horror scenes.


    "Okay." Mu Mian''s tone was somewhat disappointed, "You''re quite brave."


    The hidden level was in the innermost part of the escape room, considered the final scene.


    The further they went, the more horrifying the scenes became. The air conditioning on the wall asionally blew cold air, giving a feeling of chilly gusts. The props inside were made extremely realistically, providing a fully immersive experience.


    Chen Xue was also starting to struggle, holding hands with Zhang as they walked carefully, afraid of triggering any traps or having strange human organs or bizarrely shaped creatures suddenly jump out.


    This wasn''t an escape room at all; it was practically a haunted house! It required courage rather than intelligence!


    "You seem a bit timid," the manager said, noticing Zhang and the others trembling in fear. He tried to lighten the mood, "We''ve already turned off many of the traps now, and we''ve turned on more lights. The people pretending to be ghosts aren''ting out either, so it''s not as scary anymore. If you have time another day, you shoulde and experience it!"


    "No, thanks." If it weren''t for solving the case, they would nevere to this man-made haunted ce again!


    Mu Mian looked at Chen Xue, who was practically hugging Zhang now, and couldn''t help but remind her, "Chen Xue, you''re a forensic expert. You''re not afraid of real corpses, why are you scared of fake ones?"


    "Because real corpses don''t sway back and forth, they don''t suddenly grab my leg, and they don''t make scary noises," Chen Xue said, shaking.


    "Chen Xue, don''t be afraid, I''ll protect you!" Zhang said in a weak voice.


    "...You''d better protect yourself first," Wangmented sourly.


    Is it really that scary? Mu Mian tilted her head to look at Fang Rui: "Fang Rui, if you feel scared, you can hold my hand. I won''t make fun of you for being timid."


    "I''m not very scared!"


    "Really not scared?"


    "...Really." Fang Rui couldn''t understand why Mu Mian looked so disappointed that he wasn''t afraid.


    Fang Rui had been observing the structure of the escape room. He found that this theme focused on horror, with the deduction part being quite simple. yers just needed to keep walking forward to easily find the exit ¡ª provided they were brave enough.


    Although they had only walked for a few short minutes, it felt like the longest few minutes of Zhang and the others'' lives. Meanwhile, Mu Mian had spent an incredibly exciting few minutes. She never knew there were such fun ces.


    She decided that on her next day off, she would spend an entire day here.


    The manager stopped at a room. The room was decorated like a bridal chamber, with a skeleton bride standing by the door, wearing a beautiful wedding dress and a crown on her head. Its hollow eyes were staring intently at them.


    "The key to triggering this hidden level, ''Bride and Groom Collection Room,'' is to hug this skeleton bride," the manager said, pointing at the skeleton bride. "Many yers don''t think of this, so very few discover this hidden level. Isn''t this design clever?"


    Mu Mian''s eyes lit up as she looked at the skeleton bride, "Can I hug it?"


    Fang Rui held Mu Mian back, stopping her action, "It''s been hugged by many people. It''s covered in bacteria."


    "Alright then."


    The manager went over and hugged the bride. With a whoosh, the ck wallpaper painted with fluorescent skulls was pushed up, revealing an electronic screen.


    A string of numbers appeared on the electronic screen: 1,12.35.914.2741.81; () Please find the pattern in this string of numbers, deduce the next number ording to the pattern, and fill it in the brackets.


    "Just a moment, I need to find the password," the manager took out a piece of paper from his pocket with many strings of numbers written on it. "This puzzle appears randomly, there are many questions, and I can''t remember all the passwords. Let me find it."


    The store manager seemed very anxious. As a result, the more frantic he became, the harder it was for him to find the password.


    Mu Mian put on her gloves and typed the numbers on the screen: 122.243.

 Chapter 59: Ghost House Mystery: The Hanging Body

    <h4>Chapter 59</h4>


    With a whoosh, a door appeared on the wall directly opposite the bride, and it slowly opened.


    The Shop Manager looked at Mu Mian with shock, "Have you seen our shop''s walkthrough? How did you know the password?"


    "It''s a simple numerical reasoning problem. The numbers are divided into two parts, the decimal part is a geometric sequence with amon ratio of three. The integer part is also a sequence, where the differences between adjacent numbers form a new sequence, which is again a geometric sequence with amon ratio of three," Mu Mian exined earnestly.


    The manager was dumbfounded, feeling dizzy just hearing her exnation. How could this be called simple?


    Zhang and the others were no longer surprised, as Mu Mian''s mental processing ability was on a different level from theirs.


    "Is this touchscreen cleaned regrly?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, about once a week. We haven''t had the chance to clean it this week, as the discovery of the corpse disrupted our work schedule."


    Fang Rui turned to Wang, "Wang, collect fingerprints from the touchscreen."


    To enter this hidden level, the killer would have had to input the password, so they might have left fingerprints on the screen. Of course, it was also possible that the killer had worn gloves while entering the password.


    "Yes, boss!"


    The Shop Manager led them into the hidden level.


    The room was dark. The manager felt for an eyeball on the wall, and suddenly the room lit up with a pale green light, revealing numerous prop corpses dressed as brides or grooms.


    The corpses appeared in male-female pairs, all with wound makeup on their faces. Some were hung on the walls, others suspended from the ceiling. Above their heads hung several empty nooses, as if waiting for new victims to be hung.


    "These are all prop corpses," the Shop Manager said, pointing to a male corpse dressed as a groom hanging above their heads. "Except for that one. It''s a real corpse, and we don''t know how it got up there."


    The corpse was suspended by a noose made of thick hemp rope. The deceased''s face was pale, and his red tongue was slightly protruding. Combined with his bloody and horrific makeup, the sight was extremely eerie.


    He wore a blood-stained ck suit with a corsage on his chest. At first nce, there was no difference between him and the other prop corpses.


    "Today, when our staff came in here to clean, they found an extra groom prop. At first, they thought some thoughtless yer had moved it from another scene, which wasn''t umon. yers often did such inconsiderate things.


    Later, while cleaning the floor, the corpse''s shoe touched their face, and that''s when they realized the corpse was wearing AJs. They immediately knew something was wrong - who would put brand-name shoes on a prop corpse? When they touched it, they realized it was a real corpse. We called the police right away," the Shop Manager described how they discovered the body.


    "Was the corpse in this state when you found it?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Yes. We know some basics about crime scene preservation, so we didn''t touch the body and immediately sealed off the scene."


    Fang Rui asked, "Do you recognize this person? Is he a regr at your shop?"


    The manager immediately shook his head, "I don''t recognize him. His face is in this state, how could anyone tell who he is?"


    The corpse was hanging quite high, and it would be troublesome to take down. Just as Fang Rui was about to ask the manager for adder, the manager said, "The rope''s height can be controlled by a mechanism. By sliding the mechanism, it can go up or down. Do you want to lower the body?"


    "Yes."


    There were many skeleton hands on the wall. The manager found the one directly opposite the corpse and slid the ring on the skeleton hand outward. The corpse slowly began to descend, soon reaching the ground.


    "This is another small mechanism. If yers touch the rings on these skeletons, the hanging corpses will rise or fall," the manager exined, adding, "Isn''t this design creative? It''s unique to our shop!"


    "..." Zhang was speechless, seeing that the manager was quite pleased with their terrifying and inconsiderate mechanisms.


    The lighting wasn''t very good, so Mu Mian could only roughly examine the body.


    The deceased''s face was pale, with a deep ligature mark on the neck. The mark was located between the hyoid bone and the thyroid cartge, deepest near the throat and gradually bing shallower on both sides.


    The corneas were highly cloudy, with ck spots on the sclera. The oral mucosa and conjunctiva showed signs of autolysis, and the abdomen was swollen due to dposition. The livor mortis was approaching the fixation stage. From these characteristics, it could be deduced that the victim had been dead for 18-20 hours.


    "The time of death should be between 3 and 5 PM yesterday," Mu Mian frowned, saying, "The cause of death appears to be hanging."


    "Hanging? You mean hemitted suicide?" the Shop Manager eximed, "Good heavens, why would hee to my shop tomit suicide? Isn''t this bad for my business? He could have died anywhere, why here?"


    "Hanging doesn''t necessarily mean suicide," Mu Mian corrected him. "Hanging is death caused by asphyxiation due to the pressure of gravity on the neck. Inyman''s terms, he was hanged. There are two possibilities: he hanged himself, or someone vertically suspended him."


    "That seems unlikely. It''s not easy to hang a living person. Shouldn''t a murderer strangle their victim?" The manager had some knowledge about murder cases.


    Mu Mian exined, "We can distinguish between strangtion and hanging by the pattern of the ligature mark. In hanging, the victim''s own weight acts vertically on the neck, so the force is uneven, resulting in a ligature mark that varies in depth and has gaps.


    In strangtion, external mechanical force is applied to the neck. Since the neck is roughly circr, the force is more evenly distributed, resulting in a more consistent depth of the ligature mark.


    Moreover, in most strangtion cases, the ligature marks intersect.


    This corpse''s ligature mark is inconsistent in depth, and the face is pale, which can prove that he died from hanging. If he had been strangled, his face would be purplish-red. Like those prop corpses hanging up there. Your prop corpses aren''t very professionally made."


    The shop owner fell silent.


    Fang Rui examined the room for a while. He reached out and moved the ring on a skeleton hand. When he slid it outward, the rope would descend, the distance corrting with how far he slid the ring. When he slid the ring inward, the rope slowly ascended, the distance again rted to how far he slid the ring.


    Looking at the empty noose, he suddenly seemed to understand the killer''s method.


    He turned to Mu Mian, "Could the killer have first knocked out the victim, then put the noose around his neck, slid the ring to make the rope slowly rise, and let the victim be hanged to death? Did he use this method to try to make it look like suicide?"


    "But he was able to crack the password at the entrance. Although that password isn''t veryplex, the fact that he solved it proves he''s not a stupid person. How could he naively think this would disguise it as suicide? That idea is too foolish."


    "..." Fang Rui felt he had been indirectly insulted. Was he also stupid for suggesting this theory?


    "Fang Rui, you''re very smart, don''t doubt yourself," Mu Mianforted him.


    "..."


    There were no surveince cameras inside this room, but cameras were installed at the entrance and exit of the escape room, and they were functional. Fang Rui took the surveince footage from the past month.


    Back at the police station, Mu Mian cleaned off the heavy makeup on the deceased''s face, revealing his clean, fairplexion. The victim had average looks with heavy dark circles under his eyes, indicating he might have been a night owl.


    Apart from the abrasions on his neck, there were no other external injuries on his body, and no signs of struggle. This suggested he hadn''t resisted before death.


    The victim wore a suit on the outside, with a long-sleeved sweatshirt and blue jeans underneath. The suit jacket was directly put on over his other clothes. His inner clothing was neat, without any twisting that would indicate a struggle.


    Mu Mian also took a blood sample from the victim for toxicology screening.


    Fang Rui found a mobile phone in the victim''s pocket, and they quickly identified the deceased.


    The deceased was named Liu Xiaonian, a 24-year-old unemployed individual who lived with his parents and relied on them for financial support. Liu Xiaonian was also an enthusiast of escape room games.

 Chapter 60: Mystery of the Haunted House: The Room Enthusiast

    <h4>Chapter 60</h4>


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to Liu Xiaonian''s home to gather information.


    Liu Xiaonian''s parents were both middle school teachers - his mother taught Chinesenguage and his father taught physics. They lived in an old residentialpound for teaching staff.


    Seeing Fang Rui and Zhang at their door, Liu''s father''s expression was not very weing, while his mother anxiously asked, "Officers, my Xiaonian couldn''t possibly havemitted a crime. He''s just been a bit listlesstely, but he''s a good boy. He couldn''t have done anything wrong."


    Zhang carefully said, "Auntie, Uncle, please prepare yourselves. Liu Xiaonian has passed away. We suspect he was murdered, so we''re here to learn more about his situation."


    "That good-for-nothing is dead?" Liu''s father was stunned at first, then flew into a rage. "Good riddance! A waste of space like him, a parasite - it''s better he''s dead. Now we can finally be rid of him!"


    "Old man, what are you saying? Xiaonian is dead and you''re still cursing him. So what if he didn''t have a job? Our pension was enough to support him. Why do you always have to scold him like this?" Liu''s mother retorted.


    "Hmph, it''s all your fault. You spoiled him rotten. Go ahead and keep defending him."


    "It''s all my fault, is that what you want to hear? Fine, it''s all my fault!" Liu''s mother broke down sobbing. "My poor Xiaonian, how could you bear to leave your mother all alone?"


    Liu''s father looked at her. He wanted to get her some tissues, but in the end, he left the living room and went into the study, mming the door shut behind him.


    "Auntie, please try to stay calm," Zhang said, handing her some tissues and gently patting her back tofort her.


    "Officers, my husband just has a sharp tongue. He doesn''t mean what he says. Please don''t take offense," Liu''s mother said as she graduallyposed herself. Then she asked, "How did Xiaonian die?"


    "He was found hanged in an escape room."


    "Escape room... again with the escape rooms. Oh, my poor Xiaonian, how did you get so trapped that you couldn''t escape?" Liu''s mother wailed. "It''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have indulged him. I shouldn''t have given him money."


    "Auntie, what do you mean by that?" Zhang handed Liu''s mother more tissues. "What''s wrong with escape rooms?"


    "Ah, those escape rooms ruined my Xiaonian. He used to be such a good student, got into a great university. In his senior year, escape rooms suddenly became popr, and he fell in love with them. After that, he was obsessed, even skipping sses. He''s 24 now, won''t look for a job, won''t date, doesn''t even talk to people. All he does is y escape rooms all day. He''spletely wasted his life."


    "Did he have conflicts with anyone?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I don''t think so. Xiaonian was introverted. He usually didn''t get into conflicts with others." Liu''s mother thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "There was one time Xiaonian came home with an injured lip, like someone had hit him. I asked him what happened, but he wouldn''t tell me."


    "When was this? Where had he gone out to?"


    "I think it was September 5th. I remember because it was the day before my husband''s birthday. He asked me for a few hundred yuan that day, definitely to y escape rooms again. He wasn''t interested in anything else."


    "Can we take a look at his room?"


    "Of course. I''ll show you the way."


    Liu Xiaonian''s room was very dark, with thick curtains blocking the windows. Without the lights on, it was almost impossible to see anything.


    When the lights came on, Fang Rui saw an extremely tidy room, seemingly only in ck and white. The bedsheets were white, while the wardrobe and curtains were ck, covered with various strange symbols. It felt oppressive to be in such a room.


    On Liu Xiaonian''s desk was a row of books, many about code-breaking, including professional cryptography textbooks and some novels. In his drawer was arge stack of blueprints that looked like architectural designs.


    Fang Rui picked up one of the blueprints to look at it. It seemed familiar, with ayout simr to the scene he had seen in the escape room. The date written in the corner was January 15th.


    He looked at another one, which depicted the scene from the "Newlyweds'' Collection Room,"plete with annotations for various mechanisms and how to activate them. This one was dated February 21st.


    "Zhang, when did that ''Edgar An Poe''s Cottage'' ce open?" Fang Rui asked.


    "It''s a new ce, opened around June, I think. It became an overnight sensation because it was chosen as a filming location for a variety show right after opening."


    Fang Rui frowned. "Then why was Liu Xiaonian able to draw theyout of one of its scenes on February 21st?"


    "Could Liu Xiaonian have been the designer of those rooms?" Zhang spected. "Could it be that the people from that shop did it? They giarized Liu Xiaonian''s designs and didn''t want to pay, so they killed him to silence him?"


    Fang Rui found a student ID in Liu Xiaonian''s drawer, which showed that he had majored in Civil Engineering. This made it usible that Liu Xiaonian could indeed draw architectural designs.


    "Auntie, can we take these drawings with us?" Fang Rui asked Liu''s mother. "We''ll return them to you once the case is closed."


    "Yes, take them," Liu''s mother said. Then she asked, "Officers, what about my son''s body? Can I bring him home?"


    "I''m afraid that''s not possible. We can only release the body for cremation after the case is closed," Zhang said carefully.


    "Can I at least see him?"


    "Of course. You cane with us in our car. We can take you there on our way back."


    "Thank you, thank you so much!"


    At that moment, the study door suddenly opened, and Liu''s father came out. Fang Rui thought he seemed to have aged a bit.


    Liu''s father''s expression was still stern as he said to Fang Rui, "I''lle too. My wife doesn''t handle these things well. If she faints, it''ll just cause more trouble for you."


    Fang Rui took them back to the police station. Mu Mian had alreadypleted the autopsy and sewn up the body, so she graciously allowed them to view it.


    "My son! Mama won''t scold you anymore, just open your eyes and look at Mama," Liu''s mother cried, throwing herself onto Liu Xiaonian''s body. "Whatever you want to do, Mama will support you. Don''t leave Mama!"


    Liu''s father''s expression was more restrained. He stood at the door of the autopsy room, looking at Liu Xiaonian''s body from afar.


    He regretted being so harsh on his son. He should have been more patient. Even if Xiaonian was useless, he was still his child.


    Thinking this, he could no longer control his emotions and also embraced Liu Xiaonian''s body, crying.


    The autopsy results came out quickly. Mu Mian reported the findings at the next morning''s meeting.


    "The cause of death was hanging. Time of death was between 3 PM and 5 PM on September 18th. There were no signs of struggle on the body," Mu Mian paused, then continued, "We also detected sleeping pills in his system."


    "Sleeping pills? Could the killer have drugged the victim first, then dressed him up like a prop corpse and hung him in the escape room?" Zhang spected.


    Everyone agreed that this was currently the most usible theory.


    Li reported his findings from reviewing the surveince footage: "On September 18th at 3:11 PM, Liu Xiaonian entered the shop. At 3:14 PM, he entered the ''Escape from the Mental Hospital'' room alone. After that, he wasn''t seen on any cameras. It seems he never came out after going in."


    Li had already edited the video to show only the footage with Liu Xiaonian. The surveince showed Liu Xiaonian entering the shop with a ck backpack, looking gloomy. Shortly after, he appeared at the entrance to the escape room, still carrying his bag and looking unhappy.


    "I''ve extracted the faces of everyone who entered that room before and after this time frame," Li opened a folder containing image files. "There were about 47 people who entered that room."


    "The fingerprint analysis results are also in. We found twelve sets of fingerprints, four belonging to the shop''s employees, one to Liu Xiaonian. The other seven are unknown."


    "Then this case seems straightforward," Zhang leaned back, confidently saying, "We just need to investigate these people, find out who knew Liu Xiaonian, who had conflicts with him, and that person is likely to be the killer!"


    After hearing Zhang''s deduction, Mu Mian nudged Fang Rui''s arm. When Fang Rui looked at her, Mu Mian drew a square shape with her hand, then added several circles on top of it.


    Seeing this, Fang Rui smiled helplessly.


    Chen Xue caught a glimpse of Mu Mian''s little gesture and said disapprovingly, "Mian Mian, you can''t keep doing this, only sharing clues with Captain Fang. There are many other people sitting here too, you know?"

 Chapter 61: Ghost House Mystery: Design Plagiarism

    <h4>Chapter 61</h4>


    After being caught by Chen Xue, Mu Mian guiltily looked at the ceiling, avoiding their using gazes.


    Zhang chimed in, "That''s right, what is it that we can''t hear? Or does Forensic Specialist Mu think we won''t understand?"


    "Zhang, are you sure you want to hear?" Fang Rui looked at Zhang helplessly, "I think it''s better if you don''t know."


    "Of course I do! Tell me, tell me." Zhang found it strange that the boss singled him out. He suddenly had an ominous feeling.


    "Mu Mian told me that your deduction just now was like a."


    Zhang''s face lit up, "Is she praising my deduction for being rigorous and tightly knit?"


    Fang Rui continued, "Full of holes."


    Zhang looked at Mu Mian with a hurt expression, "Forensic Specialist Mu, you''ve wounded me!"


    "It wouldn''t have hurt if you hadn''t asked," Mu Mian also looked aggrieved, "You insisted on knowing."


    "I feel so bad... Well, help me patch up the holes then." Zhang was used to it by now; his deductions always seemed to miss the correct answer.


    Why was this happening? He wasn''t that stupid, and he had quite an imagination.


    Mu Mian reminded him, "There are many other possibilities. For example, the killer could be a psychopath randomly selecting victims, which would make it impossible to identify the killer through personal connections..."


    After the meeting, Fang Rui decided to revisit the shop. He had some questions for the Shop Manager.


    When Mu Mian found out, she excitedly expressed her desire to go there to look for clues as well.


    "Forensic Specialist Mu, hasn''t the cause of death been determined? What other clues are you looking for?" Zhang looked at Mu Mian''s excited face, feeling that things weren''t so simple.


    Mu Mian didn''t answer this question, instead turning to Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, drive faster."


    Once they arrived at the shop, Mu Mian said to Fang Rui and Zhang, "Fang Rui, you guys go take statements. I''ll go to the escape room first to look for clues. Take your time asking questions. I''ll wait for you in the room."


    The Shop Manager said worriedly, "But without me guiding you, it might take you half a day to solve the puzzles. You''d better wait for me to take you..."


    Before he could finish, Mu Mian had already cheerfully walked away.


    "It''s fine, she''ll probably be faster on her own than if you were guiding her," Fang Rui said with a smile.


    "..." The Shop Manager was a bit speechless, but remembering Mu Mian''s speed in decoding, he thought Fang Rui might have a point.


    This youngdy was very clever.


    "Boss, won''t Forensic Specialist Mu be scared all alone? That ce is terrifying!" Zhang eximed.


    "Are you sure she''d be afraid?" Fang Rui and the Shop Manager looked at Zhang simultaneously, and Zhang suddenly felt his concern might be unnecessary.


    Fang Rui turned to the Shop Manager and asked, "Do you know Liu Xiaonian?"


    "Who''s Liu Xiaonian? I don''t know him. We receive dozens of yers every day in our shop. With such arge customer flow, how could I possibly remember every yer''s name?"


    Fang Rui interrupted him, "I only asked about the name. If you don''t know him, how did you know he was once a yer in your shop?"


    The Shop Manager''s expression changed. He exined, "Oh, I instinctively assumed you were asking about a yer. My mistake, I spoke too quickly. I really don''t know any Liu Xiaonian."


    Fang Rui handed him Liu Xiaonian''s photo, "Are you sure you don''t know him?"


    "I don''t know him."


    "Didn''t you beat him up? How could you not know him?" Fang Rui asked. Actually, he wasn''t sure if Liu Xiaonian''s injuries were from them, so he was just bluffing the Shop Manager.


    Unexpectedly, the Shop Manager instantly broke into a cold sweat. He confessed, "Officer Fang, I lied earlier. I do know him. He caused trouble in our shop before, and our staff beat him up and kicked him out. I was nervous earlier, so I lied."


    After discovering the body, the Shop Manager immediately had the staff check the surveince videos. Through the entrance and exit footage, they identified the deceased as Liu Xiaonian. Because of their previous conflict, the Shop Manager was worried the police would suspect them, so he lied.


    "Why did he cause trouble?"


    "Well... um..." The Shop Manager hesitated, but seeing Fang Rui staring at him, he finally admitted, "He thought our escape room design was garbage, that the experience was like shit. He was very dissatisfied, so he caused trouble."


    "Is that the only reason?"


    "It is. I''m not lying this time."


    Fang Rui felt that this Shop Manager was full of lies. He took out Liu Xiaonian''s design sketches and handed them to the Shop Manager, "Your shop opened in June, so why did Liu Xiaonian draw these design sketches for your escape room in January?"


    After looking at the sketches, the Shop Manager still tried to argue, "Well... escape rooms all follow simr patterns. It''s normal for designs to ovep!"


    Fang Rui pulled out one sketch, "This one shows a mechanism that''s identical to the scene setup in your ''Bride and Groom Collection Room'', with the same mechanism design and even the same way to trigger it. You call this a design ovep? Isn''t this direct copying?"


    Seeing that he couldn''t hide it anymore, the Shop Manager wiped the sweat from his forehead and confessed, "Some elements of our escape room were copied frompetitors. The ''Bride and Groom Collection Room'' was giarized from another design, but definitely not from Liu Xiaonian''s. I''m not lying about this. We beat him upst time because he was cursing loudly in our shop, affecting our reputation."


    Fearing that Fang Rui wouldn''t believe him, the Shop Manager added, "That shop was called ''Lost Ind'', and it''s already closed down. Last month, their boss sued us, we paid arge sum inpensation, and then got their authorization. If you don''t believe me, you can check the court judgment online, it''s been made public."


    "If he thought your shop''s experience was so bad, why did hee to y again this time?"


    The Shop Manager looked exasperated, "We don''t know either! We had already cklisted him, but that day he was received by a new employee who didn''t recognize him, so he was let in. We''re just unlucky to encounter such a situation."


    So how did Liu Xiaonian have those design sketches? And what was his connection to the shop called "Lost Ind"?


    Fang Rui decided to go to the escape room to find Mu Mian first.


    Zhang initially refused to go, but he had no choice but to sumb to Fang Rui''s pressure. Perhaps because he had been through it once before, Zhang found it less terrifying this time.


    Zhang touched the decorations on the wall, feeling they had a nice texture, but noticed Fang Rui observing him.


    "Chen Xue isn''t here, and your courage seems to have grown. Weren''t you scared to death yesterday?"


    Zhang''s face reddened, "Boss..."


    "You''re quite clever, kid." Fang Rui looked at Zhang with newfound respect, surprised at Zhang''s little tricks when it came to romance.


    "..."


    Under the Shop Manager''s guidance, they quickly arrived at the hidden level.


    Zhang saw Mu Mian standing in front of the skeleton Bride, touching it here and there, looking extremely happy.


    "Forensic Specialist Mu, why are you standing here? Can''t you get into the escape room?"


    Zhang''s sudden voice startled Mu Mian. She quickly concealed her burning gaze and exined, "You finished taking statements so quickly?"


    Fang Rui looked at the resin skeleton, strongly suspecting that Mu Mian had fallen in love with the skeleton Bride, just like she had inexplicably fallen in love with his corpse.


    Mu Mian pressed the Bride''s chest and said to the Shop Manager, "The mechanism is in the chest. You don''t actually need to hug it to trigger the mechanism."


    Hearing this, the Shop Manager''s face became somewhat unnatural.

 Chapter 62: Mystery of the Haunted House: The Skeleton Gift

    <h4>Chapter 62</h4>


    The store manager had other matters to attend to, so he left after Fang Rui and Mu Mian entered the crime scene.


    "Dr. Mu, you''re not really here to look for clues, are you? You just like this ce, don''t you? Have you fallen for that skeleton bride?" Zhang teased, exposing Mu Mian''s little scheme.


    Mu Mian averted her gaze guiltily but insisted, "I''m here to find clues. Haven''t you noticed? When he entered this escape room, he was carrying a bag, but when we found his body, the bag was missing. Aren''t you curious about why the bag disappeared?"


    Fang Rui remembered seeing Liu Xiaonian carrying a bulky ck bag in the surveince footage, but they hadn''t found it at the scene.


    "Could the killer have taken it?" Zhang spected. "Maybe the killer murdered him to steal whatever was in the victim''s bag?"


    Fang Rui and Zhang spent the entire morning searching the locked room, examining every prop and corpse, but they couldn''t find the victim''s missing bag.


    "It seems the killer really did take it," Zhang sighed.


    Meanwhile, Mu Mian was ying with the nooses, even putting her neck through one to experience the feeling of hanging.


    Seeing this, Fang Rui quickly pulled Mu Mian away.


    "Mu Mian, that''s dangerous. You might identally trigger a mechanism and hang yourself," Fang Rui warned her exasperatedly.


    "I won''t be that unlucky. Chen Xue said us Leos would be very lucky this month."


    Unable to find the victim''s ck bag, they had to leave the store. As they left, Mu Mian kept looking back, making Zhang suspect that her soul had been captivated by the skeleton bride.


    That ce was so eerie, could it really be haunted by something?


    It was already noon, and everyone was hungry, so they ate at the restaurant downstairs.


    Fang Rui finished eating quickly and told Mu Mian and Zhang, "Take your time. I''m going to buy something."


    "Boss, go ahead. I''ll keep a close eye on Dr. Mu and make sure she doesn''t get lost," Zhang said.


    Mu Mian looked at Zhang with a hurt expression. "I have a very good memory. I''ve never gotten lost before."


    "Oh, the point is that I''ll protect you. Understand?"


    "Then next time, please just say the main point."


    "..."


    A little whileter, Fang Rui called Zhang, telling them to meet him in the underground parking lot after they finished eating.


    As Mu Mian and Zhang walked to the parking lot, Mu Mian spotted Fang Rui carrying the skeleton bride from afar. Her pupils dted in excitement.


    "Boss, why did you take that thing down?" Zhang asked.


    The skeleton bride was about Zhang''s height, made of resin, and not too heavy. Fang Rui brought the skeleton bride to Mu Mian and said, "Mu Mian, this is for you."


    "This is a gift for me?" Mu Mian felt as if she''d been hit by an enormous surprise.


    Mu Mian was stunned. It wasn''t her birthday or any special asion, yet Fang Rui had given her a gift, and it was the very thing she wanted most today: this beautiful skeleton bride.


    Chen Xue was right; Leos really were going to be lucky this month!


    Zhang was also dumbfounded. He seriously doubted whether the boss had been influenced by Mu Mian. Who gives a skeleton as a gift? But he didn''t dare to criticize, because Mu Mian might actually like it!


    "You don''t like it?" Fang Rui frowned. Then why had Mu Mian been staring at it earlier? Had he guessed wrong?


    "I like it, I love it so much!" Mu Mian hugged the skeleton, her face full of emotion. "Fang Rui, how did you manage to buy it? I asked the staff if I could buy it, and they said no. They even said I didn''t look like I could afford it. I told them I was very rich, but they didn''t believe me..."


    "I''m d you like it."


    In truth, it wasn''t that difficult to buy. Since a murder had urred in that escape room, the manager nned to renovate it and was selling off all the props at a discount to rece them with new ones.


    So when Fang Rui offered to pay double the price for the skeleton bride, the manager immediately agreed and even offered to throw in the original coffin. Fang Rui declined.


    He''d rather not have such an inauspicious package. He didn''t want to be seen carrying a coffin around; it was already drawing enough attention just carrying the bride.


    "I like it, I really, really, really like it," Mu Mian said excitedly. "Fang Rui, I really, really, really like you right now too. Thank you, you''re so wonderful. I hereby dere that you''re now ranked first on my list of best friends."


    Fang Rui''s expression became a bit awkward. He knew that Mu Mian''s "like" for him was equivalent to her liking the skeleton bride, but he still felt there should be some difference between the two types of "like."


    "Boss wasn''t ranked first before?" Zhang asked in surprise.


    "Chen Xue said she had to be first. But not anymore. Even if she cries in front of me, it won''t work. Now Fang Rui must be first."


    "What rank am I?" Zhang asked curiously.


    "Fourth."


    "That high up?" Zhang felt a bit touched. "How many friends do you have in total?"


    "I have many friends, exactly four."


    "..."


    "Officer Zhang, you''re very important to me too. You''re the funniest person I''ve ever met."


    "Oh, stop praising me to my face." Zhang''s heart suddenly blossomed with joy.


    They were driving an SUV today, which could barely fit the bride. Mu Mian hugged it the whole way, extremely excited.


    Back at the police station, Mu Mian carried the bride, deliberately taking the longest route back to the office.


    Along the way, many people greeted her and asked, "Dr. Mu, what''s that? Is it evidence you''ve collected?"


    Mu Mian would then answer, "It''s not evidence. It''s a gift, a gift from Fang Rui. It''s the first gift he''s ever given me."


    Then they would look at Fang Rui with an expression Mu Mian couldn''t understand: "Fang Rui, is this what you give to a girl? You should have asked me for advice on gift-giving, I''m quite good at it."


    Mu Mian corrected them: "He''s very good at giving gifts. I absolutely love this gift."


    They all looked shocked. Fang Rui just shrugged helplessly at them.


    "Chen Xue, look, this is the gift Fang Rui gave me. I love it so much," Mu Mian said excitedly as she carried the skeleton bride into the office. "It''s the first gift he''s ever given me."


    "I already know," Chen Xue said, holding up her phone. She had already heard about it in the group chat, where someone had even posted pictures. She nced at the horrifying-looking skeleton bride andmented, "It''s very pretty."


    "I was originally going to put it in my room, but since you like it so much too, I''ll keep it here in the office, right next to my desk. That way, when you''re tired from work, you can look up and see it."


    "...Alright."


    "I''m going to buy some pretty clothes for it online, and I''ll get some maintenance equipment to take good care of it," Mu Mian said excitedly.


    Fang Rui and Zhang showed the photos to Liu Xiaonian''s parents, but they weren''t clear about Liu Xiaonian''s social circle. They only knew that Liu Xiaonian had almost no friends.


    Fang Rui could only open Liu Xiaonian''s phone and find the person he contacted most frequently.


    That friend was also an escape room enthusiast named Li Bin. He used to team up with Liu Xiaonian to y escape rooms often, and they were good partners.


    Upon hearing the news of Liu Xiaonian''s death, he found it hard to believe. "Are you sure you haven''t made a mistake? Xiaonian was severely socially anxious and had no enemies. How could he be murdered? Are you really the police? You''re not scammers trying to con me out of money, are you?"


    Zhang showed him their credentials and Liu Xiaonian''s post-mortem photo.


    Only then did he slowly ept the news of Liu Xiaonian''s death. He choked up as he said, "I really can''t understand. How could someone like Xiaonian, with severe social anxiety and a people-pleasing personality, be murdered?"

 Chapter 63: Ghost House Mystery: High-End Player

    <h4>Chapter 63</h4>


    Fang Rui showed the photos to Li Bin, "Among these people, who is acquainted with Liu Xiaonian?"


    Li Bin examined them carefully, scrutinizing each photo before finally pulling out a few: "These people know Liu Xiaonian."


    Fang Rui looked through the selected photos. One was of the manager of the escape room, three were of employees from that store, and one was of a passerby whose identity they hadn''t yet determined.


    "Do you know who this person is?" Fang Rui asked, pointing to the photo of the passerby.


    "His name is Wang Yang. He used to run an escape room too. Xiaonian and I were regrs at his ce. But his store went bankrupt a few months ago."


    "What was the name of that store?" Fang Rui inquired.


    "It was called ''Lost Ind.'' It was quite popr once. Xiaonian and I loved going there. Later, ''Poe''s Cottage'' became famous through a TV show and started a price war, drastically cutting prices. These underhanded tactics forced many escape rooms out of business." Li Bin frowned, "But it''s strange, why would Wang Yang and Xiaonian go to that store?"


    Fang Rui remembered the manager mentioning this store name that morning. Could Liu Xiaonian have sold his designs to this ''Lost Ind'' store?


    "Why is it strange?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Xiaonian, Wang Yang, and I are high-end escape room yers. We usually wouldn''t stoop to visiting that kind of ce." Li Bin sneered, "I can understand Xiaonian going there, but why would Wang Yang go too? I don''t get it. Their tastes have really gone downhill."


    "What''s wrong with that store?" Fang Rui probed.


    "It''s very low-brow. The charm of escape rooms should be in solving puzzles, not in horror. If you want a scary thrill, why not just go to a haunted house? That ce has a lot of hype, with ads everywhere, but the experience is utter crap. The worst part is, it''s driving out the good businesses. Several quality escape rooms have shut down because of it. That''s how Wang Yang''s store went under. Ugh, we won''t be able to enjoy good escape rooms anymore."


    "Do you know where Wang Yang lives now?"


    "Not really sure," Li Bin pondered, then added, "But after he went bankrupt, he was drowning in debt and couldn''t afford rent. He''s been staying with his sister. She runs a shop nearby. I can take you there."


    On the way to the shop, Fang Rui asked, "How did Liu Xiaonian know the manager of ''Poe''s Cottage''?"


    "Two weeks ago, we went to y there. We thought the experience was terrible and demanded a refund. They thought we were causing trouble, so the manager had his staff throw us out. We almost got into a fight."


    Li Bin sighed, "They even hurt Xiaonian. We were going to call the police, but they refunded our money, so we didn''t."


    Li Bin suddenly had a thought, "Officer, do you think it''s possible that those employees conspired to murder Xiaonian? Maybe they resented him for giving them a bad review, so they killed him?"


    "Do you think a store would kill someone over one bad review?" Fang Rui said.


    "Xiaonian''s review was pretty harsh. He even hired inte trolls to badmouth the store online." Li Bin looked a bit embarrassed and exined, "But that ce really deserved it."


    Fang Rui thought Liu Xiaonian''s hatred for that store seemed excessive, almost iprehensible. He remembered the design sketches he''d seen at Liu Xiaonian''s home. "Why did Liu Xiaonian hate that store so much? Was it because they giarized his designs?"


    "Because the experience was terrible!" Li Bin looked surprised, "giarize Xiaonian''s designs? That''s highly unlikely. Although Xiaonian was good at solving puzzles, I''ve seen his room designs before, and I have to say, they were extremely uncreative! No one would want to steal those designs."


    Fang Rui found this odd. Where did those design sketches in Liu Xiaonian''s housee from then?


    Wang Yang''s sister lived in an urban vige where she ran a fried noodle shop.


    When Li Bin brought them there, Wang Yang waszily helping his sister wash vegetables while she nagged him: "Can''t you wash vegetables more carefully? How can you not even do this small task properly? Don''t look at me like that. You''re not a boss anymore. I''ve helped pay off so many of your debts, can''t I say a word or two to you?"


    Wang Yang looked unkempt, with a scruffy beard and long, greasy, unkempt hair. He appearedpletely dejected.


    "Mr. Wang... I mean, Brother Wang," Li Bin quickly corrected himself as he greeted Wang Yang, "Could we borrow a moment of your time? These two police officers have some questions for you."


    Wang Yang''s sister immediately became flustered. She looked at Wang Yang, "You haven''t done anything illegal, have you? If you''ve lost money in business, I can help pay it back, but if you''ve broken thew, don''t expect me to bail you out. If you''ve done something bad, go turn yourself in right away! You hear me?"


    "Sis, I haven''t done anything," Wang Yang''s expression was somewhat helpless.


    Fang Rui exined on his behalf: "We''re just here to gather some information. There''s no need to worry."


    "Oh, that''s good, that''s good!" Wang Yang''s sister breathed a sigh of relief and enthusiastically invited them into the shop. "Officers, pleasee in and have a seat. Ask whatever you need to ask. Our Wang Yang will cooperate fully."


    Wang Yang''s sister was very hospitable, pouring hot tea for each of them.


    Fang Rui asked, "Do you know Liu Xiaonian?"


    "Yes, I do. He was a regr at our store and we got along well. We''re friends, I suppose. We have a group chat where we often organize various escape room activities."


    Li Bin looked at Wang Yang with a sad expression, "Brother Wang, Xiaonian is dead."


    Wang Yang was shocked: "How did he die? That''s impossible! How could he be dead? I saw him just a few days ago."


    Fang Rui asked, "What were you doing on September 18th?"


    "The 18th? That morning I was washing dishes at my sister''s shop. I broke a te and cut my hand on the broken pieces. In the afternoon, my sister told me to rest." Wang Yang lowered his voice, "I went to y an escape room in the afternoon. Please don''t tell my sister. She doesn''t allow me to y those anymore, and I promised her I wouldn''t. If she finds out, she''ll kill me."


    Li Bin said, "Brother Wang, you shouldn''t go to that kind of ce anyway. What''s the point of ying there?"


    "But it''s the only ce nearby to y! And they had a half-price discount that Monday. The temptation was too great!" Wang Yang''s tone was resigned, "I feel ashamed too, but I just couldn''t resist the urge to y. I have to admit, that ce has an intense immersive experience. It''s quite thrilling."


    "Brother Wang, we y escape rooms for the mental challenge, not for thrills!"


    "What time did you go?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I arrived there around 4 PM and yed until evening before going home," Wang Yang answered.


    His statement matched what the surveince footage had captured.


    "Liu Xiaonian also went to that store that day. Didn''t you arrange to go together?"


    "Xiaonian went too?" Wang Yang looked shocked, "That''s impossible! Xiaonian said that ce was garbage. How could he go there? Anyone else might go, but not him!"


    Fang Rui looked at him, "You also thought that ce was garbage, but you still went."

 Chapter 64: The Haunted House Mystery: Suspect

    <h4>Chapter 64</h4>


    "That''s different! Xiaonian told us he would never go to that store, even if it killed him," Wang Yang argued. "As for me, I didn''t just go to y, I went to investigate."


    Li Bin chimed in, "Yes, I can testify to that. Xiaonian said he hated that store and wouldn''t go there even if it meant his death."


    "What were you investigating?" Fang Rui asked.


    Wang Yang took a sip of tea, instantly bing energized,pletelycking the dejected air he had while washing vegetables earlier.


    "Previously, Xiaonian told me that store had giarized my store''s design, so I sued them in court. A few days ago, we reached a settlement. Their boss was very forting and agreed topensate me three million yuan. My goodness, three million! With this money, I can not only clear my debts but also open a new store."


    "Brother Wang, you''re going to open another store? We support you!" Li Bin said excitedly. "I can provide you with creative ideas when the timees."


    "Sounds great!"


    Fang Rui seized on the key point of his statement: "Was it Liu Xiaonian who told you that store had copied your design?"


    "Yes. I had been to that store before and yed that scenario, but I didn''t trigger the hidden mechanism, so I didn''t know about the design in that secret room. Later, Xiaonian sent me photos, and that''s when I realized they had made a one-to-one copy of my store''s design. This was all thanks to Xiaonian."


    "Who designed that secret room?"


    "I did! All the mechanisms in there were my ideas, though my friends helped with some creative input," Wang Yang said proudly. "However, that store did make some changes. They altered how the mechanism is triggered. They made it very vulgar - you have to touch the skeleton bride''s chest to trigger the mechanism. Tsk tsk, doing such obscene things, it''s disgusting and lowbrow!"


    Fang Rui was speechless. No wonder the store manager''s face looked unnatural when Mu Mian mentioned the location of the mechanism.


    "Did you trigger that hidden level? Did you enter the ''Bride and Groom Collection Room''?" Fang Rui continued to ask.


    "I triggered it, but I didn''t go in. The password was too difficult; I couldn''t crack it," Wang Yang''s face reddened slightly. "The password in my store wasn''t nearly that hard."


    Having asked most of what he wanted to know, as they were about to leave, Fang Rui gave Zhang a look and then nced at Wang Yang''s cup.


    Zhang understood immediately. He said to Wang Yang''s sister, "Sis, where''s the bathroom? I need to use it."


    "It''s over there."


    "Boss, I''ll go to the bathroom first. You guys wait for me outside."


    While Wang Yang went back to washing vegetables and his sister was preparing seasonings for the evening, Zhang put on gloves and, when they weren''t looking, slipped Wang Yang''s cup into an evidence bag.


    This cup had Wang Yang''s fingerprints on it, which could bepared with the fingerprints on the disy screen.


    After leaving Wang Yang''s sister''s store, Fang Rui turned to Li Bin: "What do you think of the rtionship between Wang Yang and Liu Xiaonian?"


    "What do you mean? You''re not suspecting Brother Wang, are you? That''s impossible! Brother Wang is exceptionally good to all of us. Every time he updates a scenario, he invites us to y for free and even treats us to snacks. You''ve probably noticed that Xiaonian doesn''t have friends. Among all of us, besides me, Brother Wang was the kindest to him."


    "Did Liu Xiaonian know about Wang Yang winning thewsuit?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I don''t think so. I only found out about it today. Thiswsuit was very difficult. Brother Wang was so poor he couldn''t even afford awyer. Later, he had to swear to his sister that he would never touch escape rooms again before she gave him some money. None of us thought he could win the case, let alone that the boss would be so generous and pay such arge amount without even haggling."


    After Li Bin left, Zhang spected, "Boss, could it be that Wang Yang didn''t want to share the three million with Liu Xiaonian, so he killed him? It can''t be such a coincidence that both of them appeared in that store at the same time, right?"


    Fang Rui also found it too coincidental, and he couldn''t understand why Wang Yang insisted the room was his own design when the design drawings were clearly made by Liu Xiaonian.


    Fang Rui returned to the station. As he passed by Mu Mian''s office, he nced in and saw the skeleton bride standing coldly next to Mu Mian. He found it oddly eye-catching and thought it looked very unaesthetic in that position.


    Mu Mian was writing a report. She would look up at the skeleton bride every few lines, then lower her head and continue writing happily.


    It was seriously affecting work efficiency!


    "Boss, look at you. Of all the things you could have given her, you had to choose this," Zhangmented from the side. "Mu Mian doesn''t even pay attention to us anymore. Chen Xue says Mu Mian doesn''t listen to her now, she''s too focused on choosing brushes for it."


    "Brushes?"


    "Are those the forensic doctor''s maintenance tools?"


    "..."


    Fang Rui then had Li pull up all the surveince footage rted to Wang Yang.


    The footage showed Wang Yang arriving at the store at 4:03 PM that day. He was wearing a baseball cap and a mask, looking around vigntly. At 4:12 PM, he entered the scenario and didn''te out until after 6 PM, sneaking out like a thief. It definitely looked suspicious.


    "Boss, look at him. He must have a guilty conscience. This guy''s acting skills are really good. We were almost fooled by him," Zhang eximed. When they were talking to Wang Yang at his sister''s store, Zhang had thought he was a good person.


    "Boss, the fingerprints on this cup match one of the fingerprints on the screen. That Wang Yang guy must have entered the password on the screen," Wang from the fingerprintparison team quickly reported their results. He detected that one of the fingerprints matched Wang Yang''s.


    Fang Rui felt it was necessary to summon Wang Yang for a chat.


    But he remembered what Mu Mian had said: if the killer could crack that numerical password, they shouldn''t be too stupid, so why would they leave such obvious evidence as fingerprints?


    The next day, Fang Rui invited Wang Yang to the station to give a statement.


    When Wang Yang saw Fang Rui and Zhang, he spoke urgently: "Officer Fang, why did you call me here? I''ve told you everything I know. Did you call me here because you have more questions?"


    "Can you help us crack these passwords?" Fang Rui handed him a piece of paper with all the numerical reasoning questions that would appear in that hidden level.


    Wang Yang nced at it and frowned, "So many? Let me see."


    "No rush, take your time."


    Wang Yang found it strange why they asked him to do math problems at the police station. He wasn''t a math student. Nevertheless, he worked on them seriously, only to find that he seemed quite poor at math.


    He was sweating profusely with anxiety. After half an hour, he had only solved two problems.


    Zhang quietly graded his answers against the correct ones and whispered to Fang Rui, "He worked for an hour and only did two problems, both wrong."


    Wang Yang''s face was bright red. He defended himself, "I''ve never been good at math since I was young. If it were other types of reasoning problems, like graphical reasoning or logical reasoning, I''d be much better..."


    Fang Rui frowned. If Wang Yang couldn''t solve a single problem, could it be that he really hadn''t entered that hidden room?


    Fang Rui took out the stack of design drawings made by Liu Xiaonian. "Mr. Wang, you said all the rooms in your store were designed by you. How do you exin these design drawings?"

 Chapter 65: The Haunted House Mystery: Foreign Object in the Chest Cavity

    <h4>Chapter 65</h4>


    Wang Yang took the design drawings and slowly examined them, frowning. "Who drew these designs? Why do they look so simr to the ones in my shop? These scenes are all from escape rooms we''veunched before."


    "Look at this ''Newlyweds'' Collection Room'' design. I remember your shopunched it on April 5th, but this drawing is dated February 21st, earlier than your shop. How do you exin that?" Fang Rui asked.


    "What''s there to exin? Are you using me of giarism? Tell me who drew this, and I''ll confront them face-to-face. All the mechanisms and prop cements in this scene were designed by me. I hired a professional designer to draw the ns, and he can testify. I couldn''t have giarized!"


    Fang Rui said, "That person can''t confront you because he''s already dead, hanged in that escape room."


    "Are you saying Liu Xiaonian drew this design?" Wang Yang''s face instantly turned pale. "No, I didn''t copy his design. I don''t know how he got this drawing. The date must be fake, it has to be!"


    "This design was drawn with a pen. Our technicians can roughly determine when it was drawn through technical analysis."


    Fang Rui suddenly found it odd. Usually, design drawings need revisions, so they''re drawn in pencil. Why was this one done in pen?


    Was Liu Xiaonian a genius who could perfect a design drawing in one go?


    "I... I don''t know how to exin it," Wang Yang stammered, then quickly added, "I described all my ideas in the group chat. Could he have recreated my escape room design from that?"


    "What would be his purpose in doing that?" Zhang countered, "Was he just bored?"


    "How would I know?" Wang Yang shrank back, looking wronged.


    "Why would Liu Xiaonian tell you about the giarism? Was it because he was also a creator, and you killed him to avoid sharing the three million with him?" Zhang questioned.


    "No! Xiaonian and I were friends, that''s why he told me about this. And I''ve said, this design was my idea, it has nothing to do with Xiaonian! Nothing!" Wang Yang grew increasingly angry. "I didn''t kill anyone! You can''t wrongly use me!"


    "Did you enter that hidden escape room?"


    "No! I told you, I couldn''t crack the password, so I couldn''t get in," Wang Yang exined. "But I did try entering a password once."


    "Why were you so flustered when you came out of the escape room?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Oh, I saw the shop owner when I came out. You know I''m in awsuit with them, and it''s very unpleasant. If he knew I snuck into his shop to y, wouldn''t heugh at me? So I was hiding from him!"


    Without evidence to prove Wang Yang was the killer, Fang Rui let him go.


    "Boss, this Wang Yang is such a good liar. Even with evidence right in front of him, he won''t admit to giarism," Zhangined. "People like him are the worst, taking credit for others'' work and then killing the original creator. Hey, how can we find evidence to convict him?"


    Fang Rui thought of the suit on the victim''s body and said, "Check his shopping records to see if he bought a simr suit. Also check on the party poppers."


    "Ah, boss, you''re so smart!"


    The suit had no particr style and was made of poor-quality fabric, the kind you could buy for a hundred yuan. A whitebel was sewn onto the cor, showing the fabricposition and brand.


    Although the brand wasn''t famous, it wasn''t a knockoff. It had its own online store and fixed offline sales channels - in themercial street next to Jiangzhou City''s farmers'' market.


    Seeing Fang Rui and his team investigating the suit, Mu Mian shared her observation: "Fang Rui, that suit fit the victim well. And the clothes underneath weren''t very wrinkled. Usually, if you forcibly dress someone, the clothes underneath would be all crumpled."


    "You suspect it was someone he knew?" Fang Rui asked. This increased the suspicion on Wang Yang, who knew Liu Xiaonian so well.


    Fang Rui first obtained the past six months'' sales records from the online store''s salesperson, focusing on orders shipped to Jiangzhou City. However, Wang Yang''s name wasn''t on the list.


    He and Zhang then took thebel and went from store to store looking for the same suit. They finally found a shop that sold it, close to both Wang Yang''s escape room and his sister''s fried noodle shop.


    "Boss, do you sell many of these suits?"


    "This one? Not many. Usually, there aren''t many buyers. We have to wait until graduation season when college students need to find jobs. Those who can''t afford expensive suitse here. They''re very cheap but look smart."


    Fang Rui showed her Wang Yang''s photo. "Boss, do you know this man?"


    "Yes, that''s Boss Wang. He''s been quite unluckytely. His shop closed down, and he''s in a lot of debt."


    "Has he bought a suit from you?"


    "No. Although he''s a boss, he''s not particr about his appearance. He wouldn''t buy a suit. And don''t be fooled by him owning a shop, he''s always been broke. He kept his shop running by borrowing money!"


    Fang Rui thought for a moment and asked, "What about his family? Has anyone bought this suit? Like his brother-inw?"


    "Ah! Come to think of it, his brother-inw might have bought one. He''s in sales and bought a suit here before. It was this brand."


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged nces, thinking Wang Yang might have stolen his brother-inw''s suit.


    To be thorough, Fang Rui asked another question, "What size suit did his brother-inw buy?"


    "XL, thergest size. His brother-inw is a big guy, he can only fit that size."


    "..."


    Fang Rui and Zhang visited a few more stores, all confirming that Wang Yang hadn''t bought that suit.


    "Boss, this lead seems to be a dead end," Zhang sighed. "How can we find evidence to catch Wang Yang?"


    "Zhang, there''s no evidence proving Wang Yang is the killer yet. Don''t jump to conclusions," Fang Rui reminded him.


    Two more days passed without progress on the case.


    Meanwhile, "Edgar An Poe''s Cottage" escape room was facing bacsh. Online rumors spread about someone being hanged there, with conspiracy theories suggesting the victim died by identally triggering a mechanism. The shop received many negative reviews, damaging its reputation and leaving it deserted.


    Early in the morning, Mu Mian arrived at the office carrying several parcels. She opened one to reveal a delicate small brush. Another contained a wizard''s robe and a wand made from a radius bone.


    Mu Mian thought the skeleton bride''s outfit wasn''t very attractive and wanted to change its clothes.


    The skeleton bride''s dress wasced up and difficult to remove. Mu Mian tried for a while but got tired, so she asked Fang Rui for help.


    "Fang Rui, quick, help me take off its clothes."


    "Okay." Fang Rui found a pair of scissors and cut the dress to pieces. Freed from the bulky bridal gown, the skeleton soon revealed its thin, slender frame.


    "Fang Rui, you''re so violent!" Mu Mianined, but quickly praised him, "Your method is brilliant, solving the problem instantly. Fang Rui, you''re so smart!"


    At that moment, Mu Mian and Fang Rui simultaneously noticed a ck fabric object inside the skeleton''s ribcage.


    "What''s this?"

 Chapter 66: Haunted House Mystery: Blank Secret Letter

    <h4>Chapter 66</h4>


    The ck object was lodged firmly in the skeleton''s chest cavity. Fang Rui had to exert some effort to remove it from the ribcage.


    "Fang Rui, be careful! Don''t break it," Mu Mian watched nervously. "Fang Rui, you''re being too careless! You''ve broken one of its ribs. Oh no, you''ve broken another one!"


    "I''m sorry, Mu Mian. I didn''t mean to. Since it''s damaged now, why don''t we just throw it away?" Fang Rui felt that the skeleton''s presence was seriously affecting Mu Mian''s work efficiency, and he needed to set things right.


    "It''s okay, I''ll glue it back togetherter. I''m going to dress it up anyway, so the damage won''t be visible." But Mu Mian still felt heartbroken. After all, this was the first gift Fang Rui had given her!


    Fang Rui extracted the ck object, and they discovered it was a ck backpack. A hexagram pendant hung from the zipper.


    The bag was t, containing only a book and a pen, with nothing else inside.


    "This looks like the bag Liu Xiaonian had when he disappeared," Mu Mian said. "Look, it has the same hexagram pendant. So it was hidden here all along. But in the video, it looked full. Why is it so t now?"


    "Someone must have taken the contents out."


    Earlier, Fang Rui and his team had searched the skeleton bride, but they had only looked at the lower half. They hadn''t imagined that the victim''s backpack would be hidden in the skeleton''s chest cavity.


    Fang Rui found it strange. Why would the killer hide the bag inside this skeleton bride? Wouldn''t it have been safer to take it out and dispose of it?


    Or was he afraid of being caught on camera carrying the bag? But the bag wasn''t very thick; it could have been easily concealed under clothing to avoid detection.


    Fang Rui suddenly had a very oundish theory. He wanted to share it with Mu Mian, but she was sadly stroking the broken rib of the skeleton,pletely ignoring him.


    Mu Mian found some glue in the cab and carefully glued the rib back. She even considered buying paint to cover up the crack, but it was work hours, and she couldn''t leave.


    Mu Mian dressed the skeleton in a ck wizard''s robe and put a wizard''s hat on it.


    The skeleton''s joints were movable, so Mu Mian adjusted the angle of its hand to hold a magic wand made from a radius bone.


    In an instant, it transformed from a beautiful bride into a cold, evil wizard. Mu Mian was very satisfied with its new appearance.


    "Mu Mian, what are you doing... Wow, it looks so cool now!" Chen Xue couldn''t help but exim. "Is it an evil wizard now?"


    "Yes, it''s a necromancer. It can turn corpses and bones into minions to fight for it. When I was little, my dream was to be a necromancer so I could summon many undead to be my friends. Ah, it''s a pity there''s no magic in this world."


    As a child, Mu Mian wasn''t so scientifically minded and was even obsessed with studying magic. It was only after her magical worldview copsed that she became passionately in love with science. Because, in a sense, science is modern-day magic.


    "So that''s why you became a forensic scientist?" Chen Xue asked.


    Mu Mian didn''t answer her because she noticed that her necromancer''s wand-holding pose looked unnatural, so she adjusted the position of its fingers again.


    Chen Xue was exasperated. Ever since Mu Mian got this thing, she had lost interest in socializing and barely talked to her anymore.


    Chen Xue suddenly had a wicked thought. She desperately wanted to steal this skeleton wizard and throw it in the trash!


    Fang Rui examined the ck backpack. It wasn''t damaged and contained only a book and a pen.


    The book was a recently popr detective novel, "The Home Where I Died Before." Fang Rui flipped through it casually and found two nk envelopes inside. The envelopes had no writing on them and seemed to have been used as bookmarks.


    But the envelopes were thick, as if they contained something. Fang Rui opened one of the envelopes and found only a folded white paper inside. He opened the other envelope and found the same thing - a folded white paper.


    It was strange. Why put a nk piece of paper in an empty envelope? Fang Rui put the paper back in the envelope and ced it in an evidence bag.


    Fang Rui checked thepartments of the backpack and found nothing. But suddenly, he noticed some red substance stuck to the inner lining of the bag, which looked like paint or lipstick marks.


    It seemed his guess was correct.


    Fang Rui went to find Wang Yang again and asked him to send him the design sketches drawn by the designer.


    Afterparing the two sketches, Fang Rui noticed some differences.


    The most obvious difference was that in the designer''s sketch, the bride and groom appeared as a pair, while in Liu Xiaonian''s sketch, there was an additional lone groom, just like at the crime scene.


    "Zhang, take this bag to the Technical Department and have them analyze what this red substance is," Fang Rui said to Zhang.


    "Alright." Zhang looked at the red marks that resembled bloodstains. "This looks like makeup, probably lipstick or eyeshadow or something like that."


    At that moment, Fang Rui saw that Lin Sen hade to work.


    "Consultant Lin, weren''t you borrowed by the neighboring city to solve a case?" Zhang was a bit surprised to see him. "Did the case end so quickly? That''s incredibly efficient!"


    A serial killing case had urred in the neighboring city, where the killer had abducted young girls and cruelly steamed them. The case had remained unsolved, so the bureau chief had generously lent Lin Sen to help solve it.


    "Mm-hmm."


    Fang Rui looked at Lin Sen for a moment. "Has your heartbreak healed as well?"


    "..."


    "What heartbreak?" Zhang immediately became curious. "Consultant Lin was dumped? My goodness, who would dump Consultant Lin? They must have no taste!"


    "Zhang, quickly take this bag for analysis. Let me know the results as soon as they''re out," Fang Rui sent Zhang away.


    "Alright."


    Fang Rui told Lin Sen the details of the case and then shared his spections.


    "Do you think my deduction is reasonable?"


    "Very reasonable."


    Fang Rui asked, "But don''t you think it''s far-fetched? I can''t figure out what his motive could be for doing this."


    "Could it be that you''re overthinking it?"


    Fang Rui took out the two nk envelopes again: "These two letters couldn''t be meant for us, could they? But there''s not a single word on them. What was his purpose in leaving these two letters?"


    Although Lin Sen didn''t know Liu Xiaonian very well, he had a general idea of his personality. Lin Sen said, "This is probably a puzzle that we need to solve."


    "How do we solve it?"


    "I''m sorry, but I''m currently suffering from severe heartbreak and don''t have the energy to help you solve puzzles."


    "... Lin Sen, do you have to be so petty? I was just teasing you earlier, I didn''t mean to mock you."


    Lin Sen gave him a cold nce, "I''m sorry, but right now I''m just a petty, heartbroken person."


    "Fine, I''ll go find Mu Mianter. She''s much smarter than you!"


    "Are you sure she has time to pay attention to you right now?"


    "..."

 Chapter 67: Mystery of the Haunted House: A One-Star Review at the Cost of Life

    <h4>Chapter 67</h4>


    Fang Rui found the shipping record of that suit from the online store. He discovered that a user named "Year After Year Abundance" had bought a size L suit, and this person''s delivery address was the same residentialpound where Liu Xiaonian lived.


    "Boss, do you think this ''Year After Year Abundance'' could be Liu Xiaonian?" Zhang asked in shock. "Did he buy the suit himself? Could he be into Cosy in escape rooms?"


    During the case analysis meeting, Fang Rui presented his deduction: "I suspect there''s no murderer in this case. The victim hanged himself."


    Wang objected, "Wait, boss, you''re saying hemitted suicide by hanging? How is that possible? Dr. Mu detected sleeping pills in his system. No one would drug themselves before hanging, right?"


    "Exactly. And he was wearing a blood-stained suit. He couldn''t have put that on himself, could he?"


    "Even if he wanted tomit suicide, why would he go to such a creepy ce? What was the point?"


    However, Mu Mian eagerly raised her hand, "I support Fang Rui''s theory. If this were truly a murder case, the killer wouldn''t have dressed the victim as a horror groom because that would automatically make us suspect murder. It''spletely unnecessary. But if we think about it in reverse, if the victimmitted suicide, this setup would easily disguise it as a murder."


    Mu Mian had always felt that whoever killed the victim must have been very intelligent and wouldn''t make such a foolish mistake. Unless they deliberately wanted the case to be treated as a murder.


    Fang Rui turned to Mu Mian: "Mu Mian, when did you start suspecting it was suicide?"


    "When I first saw the body. I felt then that the mechanism was very suitable for suicide. After activating it, the noose rises very slowly. He would have had plenty of time to walk over and put his neck in it. Of course, if he wanted to change his mind, he would have had a few seconds to do so."


    "Why didn''t you tell me this at the time?" Fang Rui asked, somewhat exasperated.


    "I didn''t have any evidence. I was afraid of misleading you."


    "Boss, we still don''t have any concrete evidence now! These are just our spections," Wang pointed out.


    Fang Rui said, "Do you remember the bag Liu Xiaonian was carrying in the surveince video?"


    "Yes, it was ck."


    "We found that ck bag inside the chest cavity of the skeleton bride, and it only contained a book. It looked quite t," Fang Rui reyed the video on the screen. "But in the surveince footage, that bag was bulging, full of things. I suspect that when Liu Xiaonian went in, the bag he was carrying contained that suit."


    Fang Rui continued, "We found red substances in the bag. The tech team has already tested it, and it''s a type of theatrical makeup pigment, the same as the one on the suit. Moreover, Liu Xiaonian had purchased this suit online. All of this suggests that Liu Xiaonian made the bloody suit himself and brought it in."


    "And he put it on himself," Mu Mian added. "His inner clothes weren''t wrinkled, which indirectly proves that he most likely put on the clothes himself. Because even if he were unconscious, it would be very difficult for someone else to dress him without wrinkling his inner clothes."


    "But how do we exin the sleeping pills?" Chen Xue asked. "Why were sleeping pills detected in the victim''s system?"


    "Liu Xiaonian had sleep issues. His parents confirmed that he had seen a doctor at the hospital, and the doctor had prescribed him sleeping pills," Fang Rui added.


    All the evidence pieced together almost conclusively proved that Liu Xiaonian had hanged himself.


    "But what about the motive?" Zhang asked. "What could be his motive for going to that escape room tomit suicide?"


    Everyone fell silent for a moment.


    "Maybe to give the store a bad review," Lin Sen said quietly.


    "Lin, consultant, that''s too far-fetched. Who would hang themselves in a store just to give it a bad review?" Chen Xue found this guess too oundish.


    Lin Sen continued, "Giving the store a bad review is just the surface reason. The deeper reason is that escape rooms were the most important thing in his life, the meaning that kept him going. But that store tarnished the most sacred thing in his heart, so he was willing to use his life to take revenge on that store."


    The current physical evidence was almost enough to prove that Liu Xiaonian hadmitted suicide.


    Fang Rui then remembered the two nk envelopes. He took them and went to find Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian was seriously brushing non-existent dust off the skeleton.


    Fang Rui felt that this skeleton was seriously interfering with Mu Mian''s work. She had never cked off at work before!


    It seemed necessary to make this skeleton disappear.


    "Fang Rui, were you looking for me?"


    "Mu Mian, is there any way to make words disappear from paper?" Fang Rui asked. His instinct told him that there should be words on those two envelopes, words that would tell them the reason for the victim''s suicide.


    "There are many ways! We can write with colorless phenolphthalein, and once it dries, the words will disappear. We can also use lemon juice or vinegar..." Mu Mian listed many methods. "But to make the words appear again, we''d have to try many different methods."


    "Can you see if there are any words on these two envelopes?" Fang Rui handed the envelopes to Mu Mian.


    "No problem."


    Mu Mian had been very lucky recently. She only tried one method before making the words on the envelopes appear.


    Mu Mian discovered that the words on the envelopes were written with colorless phenolphthalein. They just needed to apply an alkaline solution to make the words visible.


    The words on the first envelope read: Congrattions on solving my suicide puzzle. Please read the letter inside for answers.


    The other envelope read: To Dad.


    Using the same method, Mu Mian revealed the words on the white paper inside the first envelope.


    [To the clever police officer (sir or madam):


    Congrattions, you have sessfully solved my suicide puzzle. Your prize is that you will now know the whole truth about my suicide.


    I''ve wanted tomit suicide since high school. But I didn''t. Because suicide is a cowardly way to die, not only does it not garner sympathy, but it also invites criticism. I didn''t want to be a topic of gossip.


    So, I thought about disguising my death as a murder. This way, people would sympathize with me, mourn for me, rather than mock me for being weak. I considered many ways to kill myself but never went through with any of them. Maybe I was still afraid of death.


    I had initially nned tomit suicide at the "Lost Ind" escape room. I even drew up the blueprints. But Eldest Brother Wang was too kind to me. He never mocked my hobbies or called me useless. So I didn''t want to die anymore. I felt that life was still pretty good.


    Unexpectedly, just when I wanted to live on, "Poe''s Cabin" ruined my life!


    Now, I suppose no one dares to patronize that store anymore? Is it about to go out of business? Haha, that''s the effect I wanted to achieve.


    Before entering the escape room that day, I put on a suit simr to the prop corpse outside. Then I stuffed the bag containing my clothes into the chest cavity of the skeleton bride. I figured you wouldn''t search there immediately. I couldn''t let you find this bag easily, otherwise you would quickly determine the case as a suicide, and then it wouldn''t have the devastating impact on that store.


    I took sleeping pills before I died. This way, you definitely wouldn''t ssify this case as a suicide.


    I even deliberately left the blueprints in the drawer. Based on the dates on the blueprints, you would think that the store owner or Eldest Brother Wang killed me to cover up their giarism. This would provide a motive for the murderer.


    But in fact, those blueprints were what I used to design my death. The dates are real, but the content of the blueprints was drawn based on Eldest Brother Wang''s descriptions in the group chat. If you observe carefully, you''ll notice that there''s the same little figure in each design sketch - that''s me.


    At that time, I wanted tomit suicide in that escape room. I never thought I would eventually fulfill my wish.


    I learned from Eldest Brother Wang''s Weibo ount post that he had deliberately injured his hand that morning, in order to ask for leave from his sister in the afternoon to y an escape room at that store. So I chose tomit suicide that day, adding another suspect and making the case moreplex. Of course, if you investigate further, you''ll find that Eldest Brother Wang couldn''t be the murderer.


    In the end, you can onlye to one conclusion: Imitted suicide. By then, you''ll surely find various pieces of evidence proving that I took my own life. But that store will have its reputation ruined because of this murder case, and no one will dare to y there anymore.


    You might not understand what escape rooms mean to me. They are the most important thing in my life, my spiritual pir, my only joy in living. But that store destroyed it; it shattered the crystal of my life. I can''t go on living.


    So I want to destroy it. Even at the cost of my own life.


    You mightugh at me, thinking that I don''t value my life at all. But it doesn''t matter, I''m just a useless person who''s ridiculed and wastes food while alive anyway.


    Please help me deliver another letter to my father. It''s fine if you don''t give it to him, just throw it away then. He probably wouldn''t read it anyway.


    That''s all. This worthless person is leaving this world now. I''m going to explore another world, if it exists.¡¿


    Everyone was speechless after reading this letter. So Liu Xiaonian really did hang himself in the escape room to take revenge on that store.


    However, this Liu Xiaonian was quite clever, designing such aplex case that led the police investigation in the direction he wanted.


    Mu Mian asked, "Do we need to reveal the contents of the letter for his father?"

 Chapter 68: Ghost House Mystery: Letter to Father

    <h4>Chapter 68</h4>


    Fang Rui and Zhang visited Liu Xiaonian''s home again.


    Upon learning the true reason for Liu Xiaonian''s death, Liu Xiaonian''s Mother wasn''t surprised, as if she had guessed it all along.


    Liu Xiaonian''s Mother sighed, "Poor Xiaonian, he lived such a hard life! Ah, it''s our fault. We were too concerned about saving face back then, always pushing him to study, never giving him a happy childhood. It''s all our fault."


    Liu''s father, however, was shocked: "How could hemit suicide? He had such thick skin. No matter how much I scolded him, he never reacted. How could someone like himmit suicide?"


    "Old man, are you still refusing to admit your mistakes? If we hadn''t always used oppressive education methods, would Xiaonian have ended up like this? He suffered from depression, do you know that? He had no energy to go out and work, no ability to socialize. This isn''t his fault, it''s ours. We killed him!"


    Liu''s father was left speechless by this rebuke.


    Fang Rui handed the letter to his parents, "This is what Liu Xiaonian asked us to give you."


    "Is this Xiaonian''s suicide note?"


    "It should be."


    Liu Xiaonian''s Mother''s eyes welled up with tears again as she tremblingly took the letter.


    At first, Liu''s father stubbornly refused to look at the letter, but when Liu Xiaonian''s Mother took out the paper, he turned to look.


    "Oh my, why are there no words?"


    Just as Fang Rui was about to tell them how to make the words appear, Liu''s father said, "These words were written with colorless phenolphthalein. When it dries, the words disappear. To make them reappear, you need to apply an alkaline solution. I taught this to Xiaonian when he was little. We used to do small experiments together back then."


    Liu''s father broke down in tears.


    [Dear Dad,


    By the time you see this letter, I will have been gone for many days. I don''t know if you''ll be sad for me. I both hope you will be and hope you won''t be. See, I''ve always been such a contradictory person.


    I wonder if you thought of my childhood when you saw this nk paper. You must have remembered, otherwise you might not have been able to see these words.


    When I was little, you always did various small experiments with me, telling me all sorts of interesting facts. It was then that I fell in love with solving mysteries and exploring the unknown.


    But as I grew up, your expectations for me became higher and higher. I had to work very, very hard to meet your demands. In others'' eyes, I was both a top student and a dull, uninteresting study machine. I had no dreams of my own, no hobbies, and wasn''t even allowed to have happiness.


    I know you love me, but your love was too heavy. Dad, I''m not your appendage. I hope you can understand that my glory won''t be your glory, and likewise, my shame won''t be your shame. We are separate individuals.


    Later, I finally found my own hobby. You might think I was wasting my life on trivial pursuits, but I was truly happy when ying escape rooms. It took me back to my childhood, when we used to explore various problems together. I loved that feeling of excitement when finding the answer.


    Dad, I''m leaving this letter not to make you understand me, nor to make you feel guilty. I just want to tell you that the time you saw as a period of degradation was actually the happiest time of my life. During that time, I was truly alive.


    Dad, please apologize to Mom for me. She really is the best mother in the world. If there''s a next life, I hope I can still be her child. In the next life, I''ll work hard to be her pride. There''s no chance in this life anymore.


    Dad, Mom, you don''t need to miss me. Just forget about me. Please scatter my ashes in the sea. I hope the waves can take me to far, far away ces. I want to see more unknown worlds.]


    Tears kept falling onto the paper, slowly blurring it. But no matter how much they regretted, time couldn''t be turned back, and the dead could never return.


    "Edgar An Poe''s Cabin" reopened after a few days,unching a brand new scenario. They invited some local inte celebrities for free experiences.


    They even used the "someone hanged themselves here" incident as a selling point to upgrade the horror factor of the escape room. It quickly became popr again.


    The young people who went there to y didn''t care much whether someone had died there or not. They even felt it made the experience more thrilling.


    After learning the truth about Liu Xiaonian''s suicide, Wang Yang and Li Bin both cried their hearts out. Only they could understand why Liu Xiaonian would take his own life.


    Wang Yang decided not to open an escape room business anymore. After paying off his debts, he used the remaining money for a down payment on a house and decided to join his brother-inw in sales. He felt he should live a more practical life now.

 Chapter 69: Confiscated

    <h4>Chapter 69</h4>


    Ever since she got that skeleton, Mu Mian stopped clinging to Fang Rui. The first thing she did every day before work was to take out her maintenance equipment: a delicate brush, and carefully clean the non-existent dust on the skeleton.


    "Mian Mian, there''s no dust up there, what are you brushing?" Chen Xue looked at Mu Mian in disbelief.


    "I''m taking good care of it."


    Seeing her like this, Chen Xue suddenly envisioned the noble treatment Fang Rui''s remains would receive. She even wondered if Mu Mian was treating it as a substitute for Fang Rui''s body?


    Every time Fang Rui entered Mu Mian''s office, he would see that skeleton. Although it had changed into a new set of clothes, Fang Rui still found it an eyesore. The thing was too ugly.


    Whenever he saw Mu Mian brushing that skeleton, he had a strong urge to tear it apart.


    Fang Rui somewhat regretted giving Mu Mian this gift. The skeleton was seriously affecting Mu Mian''s work state.


    This couldn''t go on, he had to nip Mu Mian''s bad habit of cking off at work in the bud!


    "Boss, look at you, you could have given anything, but you gave her this. Now Mu Mian doesn''t even pay attention to you anymore," Zhang was making snarkyments on the side, "Hey, now you''re not even as good as a skeleton."


    Fang Rui red at him, "Zhang Xiaoqiang, are you very free?"


    "Boss, if you and that skeleton fell into the water at the same time, who do you think Comrade Mu Mian would save?" Zhang asked that ssic question.


    "Mu Mian can''t swim," Fang Rui thought Mu Mian might save the skeleton. But Mu Mian couldn''t swim. The result would be that he''d still have to fish out Mu Mian and her precious skeleton, which was annoying just to think about.


    "But don''t worry, Boss. The clever Zhang has a good idea." Zhang had a "go on, ask me, ask me" smug little expression.


    "If you want to say it, just say it quickly."


    Zhang eagerly shared his great n.


    He didn''t like that skeleton either. Every time he went in to find Chen Xue, he felt like that skeleton was staring at him, giving him the creeps.


    He had wanted to do something about that skeleton for a long time.


    The next day, when Mu Mian opened her office door and took out her little brush from the cab as usual, she was surprised to find that the skeleton was gone.


    The magic wand made from the radius boney lonely on the ground.


    Damn it, how dare a thief steal something from a police station! He''s too brazen!


    Mu Mian was both sad and angry. She quickly sent a message in therge group chat.


    Mu Mian: Something terrible happened, a thief broke into my office and stole the gift Fang Rui gave me, a very beautiful resin skeleton. It was wearing a lich wizard''s clothes, it was so cool. I need help, everyone please help me catch the thief quickly.


    Zhang: Maybe it really turned into a lich wizard and burrowed into the ground?


    Mu Mian: Officer Zhang, there''s no magic in this world. Besides, lich wizards can only summon corpses and skeleton minions from the ground, they can''t burrow into the soil themselves. They would suffocate. Only earth mages can burrow around in the soil.


    Zhang: ......


    Director Wang Yong: Little Mu, I confiscated your skeleton. The higher-ups areing for an inspection soon, and having such a thing in your office would seriously affect our city bureau''s image.


    Mu Mian: Director, but it''s not ugly.


    Wang of Technical Department: My money tree isn''t ugly either, it''s beautifully green, but it was also confiscated, saying I was engaging in feudal superstition. It''s just called a money tree, it''s not like it can actually make me rich.


    Old Zhang: My little pixiu was confiscated too, it''s just gold-colored, not made of real gold, but they had to say I was unting my wealth. I''m so poor I''m jingling, what wealth could I possibly unt!


    Director Wang Yong: ......


    Director Wang Yong: You two have a lot of grievances, huh? Do you need me to do some ideological work with you?


    Mu Mian was dumbfounded, so she wasn''t the only unlucky one! But that was the first gift Fang Rui had given her! Mu Mian decided to try one more time.


    Mu Mian: Director, can you please give it back to me? I promise I won''t bring it to the bureau. [Pitiful.jpg]


    Director Wang Yong: Little Mu, I''m sorry, if you had said something earlier it would have been fine. It''s already been taken away by the garbage collectors. It''s probably been buried in thendfill by now, I can''t give it back to you.


    In the corridor, Wang and Old Zhang looked helplessly at Zhang as he returned their phones to them. "Thanks for the help, brothers."


    Wang felt a bit guilty: "Don''t you think this is going too far? Forensic Mu looks really upset, she genuinely liked that creepy thing."


    "Didn''t you find that creepy thing scary?" Zhang asked in return.


    "Uh... a bit. One night when I was working overtime, I passed by Forensic Mu''s office and identally nced inside. My god, it scared me to death. Zhang, you did very well! I didn''t expect you to be so useful this time."


    "Haven''t I always been useful? It''s just that the boss and others are too smart, overshadowing my brilliance."


    "Hmm... you''re very funny."


    When Fang Rui entered Mu Mian''s office, he saw her hugging the magic wand made from the radius bone, looking very dejected.


    Fang Rui held his head, damn it, he forgot to take away that bone!


    "Fang Rui, the first gift you gave me was confiscated by the director. It was taken to the garbage station, and can never be found again." Mu Mian''s voice was tearful.


    Seeing her like this, Fang Rui somewhat regretted listening to Zhang''s bad idea. He thought, if worstes to worst, he could just go down to the storage room and bring that skeleton back to Mu Mian.


    "Fang Rui, I''m sorry, I didn''t protect the gift you gave me well." Mu Mian felt overwhelmed by immense sadness. Fang Rui had finally given her a gift, and it was confiscated.


    "You care about it because it was a gift from me?" Fang Rui was a bit surprised. He thought Mu Mian just liked that skeleton.


    "Of course, it was the first gift you gave me, I took very good care of it, maintaining it every day," Mu Mian said, "I used to have many resin skeleton models like that at home, my dad even gave me a real one, but all of thembined weren''t as good as the one you gave me."


    "I see... Then I''ll give you other gifts in the future." Fang Rui patted her head.


    Mu Mian''s eyes immediately lit up, "Really?"


    "Yes. But I can''t give you this anymore. That skeleton gift wasn''t good at all, because every time I saw it, I felt very scared. I think it''s quite good that it was confiscated."


    "But you weren''t afraid of those prop corpses in that escape room store."


    "They were just corpses, this was a skeleton, there''s a difference."


    "Okay. So you''re afraid of skeletons." Mu Mian felt regretful, bones were so beautiful, yet Fang Rui was afraid of them. She decided not to let Fang Rui see her carefully collected bone specimens in the future.


    She was afraid Fang Rui would be scared to death.


    "Fang Rui, next time you give me a gift, can you give me a body donation agreement?" Mu Mian carefully negotiated with him, "That would make me happy for many years."


    Fang Rui neither refused nor agreed, he asked, "You''re not sad anymore now?"


    "Not sad. If I had known you didn''t like it, I wouldn''t have taken such good care of it," Mu Mian cheered up again, "You don''t know, maintaining it every day was very tiring for me. I was so tired I had no energy for socializing."


    "...Do you care that much about the gifts I give you?"


    So Mu Mian liked that skeleton because it was a gift from him.


    "Of course. I cherish every gift I receive. Sister says every gift should be treated well." Mu Mian thought of Jiang Yun and quickly added, "Except for that pink little bag, it was too ugly, I couldn''t keep it."


    "Who gave it to you?"


    "Miss Jiang gave it to me. She''s the worst gift-giver I''ve ever met." Mu Mian sighed, "You can''t even imagine how ugly that pink bag was."


    "......"


    Chen Xue noticed that Mu Mian, who had just looked like the sky was falling, had fully recovered after just a short conversation with Fang Rui.


    "Mu Mian, your lich wizard was confiscated, and you were only sad for such a short while?" Chen Xue felt a bit sorry for the skeleton lying in the storage room among a pile of misceneous items.


    Mu Mian''s love was too short-lived, it didn''t even need time to erode, it was gone in an instant.


    "Fang Rui has agreed to give me a different gift. I asked him to give me a body donation form, and he didn''t refuse," Mu Mian said with a slightly smug expression.


    "But he didn''t agree either!" Chen Xue had heard their entire conversation clearly, as they hadn''t paid any attention to her presence in the office.


    "That''s true, so I still need to work on it," Mu Mian replied.


    "Well, keep at it then," Chen Xue encouraged.

 Chapter 70: Couple Butchers: Show Affection, Die Fast

    <h4>Chapter 70</h4>


    Recently, due to a typhoon makingndfall, Jiangzhou City has been experiencing continuous rain and overcast weather. Since yesterday evening, a fine drizzle has been falling incessantly from the sky, making the streets wet and slippery after nightfall.


    At the end of a quiet residential area, in an empty abandoned warehouse: Light spills out from a window, and in the thick, damp air, someone is hiding in the shadows...


    "Hello, are you awake?" A harsh mechanical voice rings out, "Let''s y a game."


    "Who are you? No, no... don''t kill us... please..." The girl, realizing her surroundings, tries to shrink back in terror, but she''s firmly fixed to the chair, her hands and feet bound with rope, even her head immobilized by a cold metal frame,pletely unable to move.


    Her suddenly dted pupils reflect a young man in a white short-sleeved shirt - her boyfriend. His hands and feet are simrly bound with rope, sitting in a chair. He''s now slowly opening his eyes.


    "Jie, are you alright?"


    "Waa, Ah Chen, what''s going on, how did we end up here?"


    The young man named Ah Chen struggles violently, "Who are you? Do you want money? We''ll give it to you, if it''s not enough, I can call my parents and ask for more."


    "Don''t you want to y my game?"


    The constant buzzing of electricity makes the girl''s scalp tingle.


    "No, we''ll y! If... if we win, will you... will you let us go?"


    "Of course, if you win, I''ll let you go," a hint of amusement creeps into the distorted voice, "Now, let''s go over the rules of the game..."


    The wail of police sirens breaks the tranquility of Jiangzhou University. Soon, the small woods outside the north gate of Jiangzhou University are cordoned off with yellow police tape.


    Jiangzhou University is located in the suburbs and covers arge area. Outside the school gates is arge wooded area, nted with various vegetation, lush and green, with beautiful scenery.


    There''s also a beautiful artificialke by the woods, so many people from outside the school oftene there for leisure.


    At this moment, the edge of the woods is crowded with students, all discussing among themselves.


    "Did you hear? A young couplemitted suicide together in these woods. The girl was apparently the beauty queen of the School of Literature."


    "From the School of Literature?"


    "Oh my god, weren''t they that famous lovey-dovey couple on campus? Why would they follow the ancients and die together?"


    "Don''t talk nonsense, this isn''t a suicide pact, they were robbed by criminals. Oh, it''s not right to gossip about the dead!"


    "That''s not right, what kind of robber kills people and then digs a hole to bury the bodies? It must be murder! Maybe the killer is a psychopath who specifically targets couples who like to show off their love."


    "All you couples out there should tone it down a bit recently. Be careful, or you might be the killer''s next target."


    "Come on, stop fear-mongering. I think you single dogs are just spreading rumors because you''re jealous of people in rtionships."


    The onlooking students crowd against the police line, all standing on tiptoes to get a better view. Many have taken out their phones to take pictures.


    They can see two bodies lying side by side in the muddy pit. The mud obscures their features, but they''re wearing matching red hoodies. Their hands are tightly sped together, each holding a vibrant red rose in their other hand.


    The bodies were found in a grove of golden rain trees. The trees are covered in clusters of light purple spherical fruits, looking like beautiful flowers adorning the branches. The ground is also covered in fallen flowers and fruits, giving the scene a romantic beauty.


    If one could ignore the pale faces of the deceased, the scene would almost be romantically tragic.


    The woods are dense, the ground covered in fallen flowers and fruits. With the heavy rain the night before, the ground is saturated, squelching underfoot. Mu Mian very much dislikes this sensation.


    Zhang points at the two bodies in the pit and says, "We have two victims, one male and one female. This morning, a sanitation worker passing through the woods slipped and noticed a tuft of hair sticking out from the fallen leaves. He felt something was off and quickly brushed away the soilyer, discovering a male corpse. He immediately called the police. During the excavation process, we found another female corpse next to the male..."


    Zhang continues to brief on the case, "Student IDs found at the scene show that the girl is named Wang Jie, a sophomore from the School of Literature; the boy is Zhang Shuochen, a junior from the School of Law. They were a couple..."


    It''s been raining recently, with a particrly heavy downpourst night. The rain has washed away any traces around the dump site, and the police haven''t found any suspicious footprints or tire tracks in the vicinity.


    The wooded area covers several acres, with no surveince at the entrances or exits.


    The victims'' clothes are intact, both wearing red couple hoodies, as if they had been carefully dressed.


    The victims'' IDs, phones, and valuables haven''t been taken. It seems the killer wasn''t after money.


    Mu Mian conducts a preliminary examination of the external features of both bodies. Both victims show severe corneal clouding, obvious autolysis, and have developed putrefaction blisters.


    "Initial assessment suggests the victims have been dead for 2-3 days. The exact time of death will require further analysis," Mu Mian says.


    Both victims have slight abrasions on their wrists and ankles, likely caused by rope bindings; the male victim has a bruise on his jaw and back, possibly from resisting; both victims have an oval-shaped wound on their arms. However, Mu Mian doesn''t find any fatal injuries on their bodies.


    "Mu Mian, could they have died from suffocation?" Chen Xue looks at the pit and spectes, "The victims'' bodies don''t have severe external injuries, nor signs of poisoning. Could the killer have buried them alive?"


    The killer didn''t bury the bodies very deep, and the recent continuous heavy rain had washed away some of the soil, which is how the sanitation worker who came to clean the woods discovered them.


    "It doesn''t seem likely," Mu Mian looks at the oval-shaped wounds, a theory forming in her mind, "They might have died from electrocution."


    "Electrocution?"


    "The victims have an oval-shaped wound on their arms, 8mm in diameter, yellowish-brown in color, with a small opening andrger base, depressed center and raised edges, like a volcano crater. This is typical of an electrical burn mark," Mu Mian exins, "However, we''ll need to conduct a thorough autopsy on the victims to confirm the cause of death."


    "Why would the killer electrocute the victims?" Chen Xue finds it hard toprehend. Usually, electrocution deaths are idental, it''s rare for a killer to deliberately electrocute victims.


    Moreover, if the killer really did use electrocution to kill the victims, they could have easily disguised it as an idental electrocution, which would be less likely to arouse police suspicion.


    Mu Mian doesn''t answer her question, as her attention is drawn to a gtinous substance on the female victim''s scalp. She checks the male victim''s hair and finds the same substance on his scalp as well.


    Zhang spectes, "Could it be that the killer was jealous of the two victims, so they tortured them with electrocution? There used to be an interrogation method that used electric shocks to question suspects."


    Chen Xue thinks Zhang''s analysis makes sense: "That''s very possible! In any case, this killer must really hate people who show off their love!"


    Looking at the two victims, Fang Rui suddenly recalls an unsolved major case. Half a year ago, there were two couple murders in Linzhou City, but the killer was never caught.

 Chapter 71: The Couple Butchers: An Old Case

    <h4>Chapter 71</h4>


    Upon returning to the bureau, Fang Rui retrieved the case files for the Linzhou City incident from the archives room.


    The crime had urred six months ago, with the victims'' bodies discovered in a wastnd near an industrial zone.


    At the time, someone had purchased the wastnd intending to build a warehouse. However, during excavation, bodies were suddenly unearthed from beneath the ground. Four corpses were found at once, shocking the entire Linzhou City.


    The four bodies were buried in two separate locations. Initially, the construction crew only uncovered one grave, but after the police conducted a thorough excavation of the entire wastnd, they discovered another pair of bodies in a corner of the area.


    In the first grave were two victims, a married couple - one male and one female.


    Victim 1: Chen Meiqin, female, 45 years old, seamstress at a furniture factory; Time of death: April-May 2018; Crime scene: Wastnd near the factory area on Changfeng Street, Baixi District, Linzhou City; Scene investigation: Body severely dposed, no apparent wounds found upon examination, cause of death unknown.


    Victim 2: Zhang Mingqiang, male, 47 years old, carpenter at a furniture factory; Time of death: April-May 2018; Crime scene: Wastnd near the factory area on Changfeng Street, Baixi District, Linzhou City; Scene investigation: No apparent wounds found upon examination, body severely dposed, no obvious injuries detected, cause of death unknown.


    The couple had been married for 25 years and had a good rtionship. Both victims were known to be kind-hearted and had simple social connections. As a result, the police investigation into the victims'' social circles did not yield any suspects. Additionally, due to the severe dposition of the bodies, it was impossible to determine the exact time of death, so the case remained unsolved.


    The second grave contained two female corpses, also severely dposed but not to the extent of the first two victims. Subsequent investigation revealed that these two female victims were in a same-sex rtionship and had been dating for two years with a stable rtionship.


    Victim 3: Zhang Yawen, female, 28 years old, foreign trade representative; Time of death: Septemberte October 2018; Crime scene: Wastnd near the factory area on Changfeng Street, Baixi District, Linzhou City; Scene investigation: Victim''s hand clutched a withered flower stem, body severely dposed, no apparent injuries found upon examination, cause of death unknown.


    Victim 4: Tian Xin, female, 24 years old, ountant; Time of death: Septemberte October 2018; Crime scene: Wastnd near the factory area on Changfeng Street, Baixi District, Linzhou City; Scene investigation: Victim''s hand clutched a withered flower stem, body severely dposed, multiple stab wounds on chest and abdomen, suspected cause of death due to massive blood loss from aortic rupture.


    All four bodies were discovered at the same location, but the time of death for each couple differed.


    All four victims lived and worked in the vicinity of the industrial zone. However, upon investigation, the police found no connection between the two couples, nor did they have any mutual acquaintances. The case made no progress, and the killer remains atrge to this day.


    "Boss, look at these two victims holding withered flower stems in their hands. Could they be roses too?" Zhang, having finished reviewing the case files, also felt that the Linzhou case bore simrities to the one they encountered today. "Could the perpetrator of these cases be the same person?"


    Fang Rui''s instincts told him that these cases were definitely connected.


    However, the Linzhou case was not under their jurisdiction. Reopening the investigation for the Linzhou case would require the bureau chief to negotiate with the Linzhou authorities. Therefore, Fang Rui decided not to merge the investigations for now and to focus on investigating the Jiangzhou University case independently.


    The victims'' identities were quickly confirmed through their student IDs: Wang Jie, a sophomore from the School of Literature, and Zhang Shuochen, a junior from the School of Law. Seven days ago, both victims had requested leave from school, iming they needed to visit the hospital, and thenpletely lost contact.


    Fang Rui immediately sought out Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen''s roommates and teachers to inquire about the situation.


    He first questioned Wang Jie''s roommates. Wang Jie lived in a four-person dormitory, and her counselor had called all three of her roommates to the office.


    "Wang Jie was a very kind girl. She could be a bit of a princess sometimes, but she had a warm heart and often helped us," said Chen Linlin, Wang Jie''s roommate. "Last Wednesday, she told us she was going to attend an event with her boyfriend, and we haven''t been able to contact her since."


    Fang Rui noticed that when Wang Jie''s roommates learned of her death, their expressions showed only shock, not sadness. It seemed that Wang Jie might not have been as kind and friendly as Chen Linlin described, and their roommate rtionship didn''t appear to be good.


    "Do you know what kind of event it was?" Fang Rui asked.


    "We''re not really sure. Jie said it was an event only couples could attend, and we single dogs could only envy them. But she didn''t say where the event was being held or what it was about," Chen Linlin said, pursing her lips. "Maybe there wasn''t any event at all. She might have just gone out to y with her boyfriend and didn''t want to tell us."


    "During the seven days she was on leave, she didn''t contact you at all?"


    "No. After she left the dorm, we never heard from her again. Last Friday, I even sent her a WeChat message asking her to pay the electricity bill, but she didn''t reply to us either."


    "Didn''t you find it strange that she was out of contact for so many days? Didn''t you try to reach out to her and ask about her situation?" Zhang asked, puzzled. Wang Jie''s roommates seemed too indifferent!


    "Don''t me us!" Li Ran, another of Wang Jie''s roommates, retorted indignantly. "We didn''t dare to pry into her business. If we asked too much, she might have thought we were interested in her boyfriend and were using her to get information about him. It''s ridiculous, Wang Jie treated that garbage boyfriend of hers like a treasure!"


    "Li Ran, don''t talk about Wang Jie like that. She''s passed away," Jiang Yujue quietly reminded her.


    "Huh, look at you ying the good person!"


    Fang Rui asked, "How was Wang Jie''s rtionship with her boyfriend?"


    "Very good! Jie''s boyfriend treated her extremely well, catering to her every whim," Chen Linlin''s tone was full of envy. "They were the model couple of our university, even featured in our school''s promotional video."


    "Always showing off their love online, it''s so fake. You guys still think it''s sweet. You''ve had too much artificial sweetener, everything looks sweet to you!" Li Ran chimed in sarcastically from the side.


    Fang Rui turned to Li Ran: "Li, do you think their rtionship wasn''t good?"


    "I didn''t say that. What does their rtionship have to do with me?" Li Ran awkwardly averted her gaze, impatiently running her fingers through her short hair. She turned to the counselor and said, "Counselor, I have some urgent business to attend to. Can I leave now?"


    The counselor looked at Fang Rui hesitantly, and Fang Rui nodded to indicate she could go.


    After Li Ran left, Fang Rui asked the remaining two, "Was Li''s rtionship with Wang Jie particrly bad?"


    "Well, their personalities just didn''t mesh. Li Ran is more tomboyish, and she couldn''t stand Wang Jie''s princess attitude. Wang Jie also didn''t like Li Ran''s boyish ways, so they always rubbed each other the wrong way," Chen Linlin paused. "Also, Li Ran might have had feelings for Zhang Shuochen. They were high school ssmates, both from Linzhou No.1 High School next door, and used to be quite close. So that made the conflict even worse."


    Zhang was speechless. How had this turned into a plot from a teen drama?


    "Did they know anyone outside of school?" Fang Rui asked.


    Chen Linlin thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don''t know. Wang Jie was hardly ever in the dorm, so we don''t know who she might have known."


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation!"

 Chapter 72: The Couple Butchers: Mysterious Couple Activities

    <h4>Chapter 72</h4>


    Fang Rui went to Zhang Shuochen''s dormitory again to question his roommates. Zhang Shuochen lived in a six-person dorm, and when his roommates heard about his death, they all appeared very upset. One roommate even broke down crying.


    "Shuochen was fine when he took leave to attend an event. How did he suddenly pass away?" someone sighed.


    Fang Rui asked, "Do you know what event he went to participate in?"


    "Oh, it was because of that clingy girlfriend of his. She insisted on dragging him to some couples'' event. If Shuochen had just stayed at school, he wouldn''t have ended up dead."


    "Do you know what kind of event it was?"


    "Shuochen said the organizers wouldn''t let them reveal the event details. It was supposed to be kept secret. I felt it wasn''t some proper event, being all mysterious like that. Shouldn''t normal events try to get likes on social media to increase their influence? But this one told participants to keep quiet about it. I advised Shuochen not to go at the time, and he agreed at first, but then he went with his girlfriend anyway," Zhang Shuochen''s dorm leader exined.


    Fang Rui continued, "How was Zhang Shuochen''s rtionship with Wang Jie?"


    "Pretty good. Shuochen had a very good temper and always went along with his drama queen girlfriend. They had their conflicts, but they''d make up within two days every time," Zhang Shuochen''s roommate said. "They even opened a joint ount to show off their rtionship, and it has quite a lot of followers."


    "Can you show us the ount?"


    "Sure, just search for ''Little Wang and Little Zhang''s Happy Life'' in this app. Yes, that''s the one with their picture as the profile image. It''s all lovey-dovey content, nothing special."


    Fang Rui briefly looked at the video titles and could see that the two were very much in love. They posted videos of everything from eating meals to taking walks, just to show off.


    There were manyments under their videos. Thement section was very harmonious, with most people saying how sweet they were or expressing envy.


    "How long has it been since Zhang Shuochenst contacted you?" Fang Rui asked.


    "A week. We tried calling him during this time, but no one answered. He''s done this before; whenever he''s with Wang Jie, he often goes off the grid, so we didn''t think much of it. Ah, if only we had reported him missing to the police. Who could have imagined he''d be gone just like that..."


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation."


    "Boss, they all mentioned that event. Could Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen''s deaths be rted to it?" Zhang spected. "But there haven''t been any major events specifically for couples in Jiangzhou City recently!"


    "It might have been privately organized. These kinds of events need to be reported in advance. Can we check if there are any rted activities?" Fang Rui paused, then added, "However, I suspect the killer might have used this as an excuse to lure them out."


    "This killer seems to hate couples so much. Could they have just gone through a breakup and are now jealous of these lovey-dovey couples?"


    At this moment, Fang Rui suddenly stopped in his tracks.


    "Boss, what''s wrong?" Zhang followed his line of sight and saw Bai Jing approaching.


    Zhang greeted Bai Jing warmly, "Miss Bai, what are you doing here?"


    "Officer Zhang, Officer Fang, what a coincidence to meet you again," Bai Jing said, holding a few books in her arms. "I got into graduate school, so I''m back at the university to continue my studies."


    "That''s amazing! You managed to get into grad school in less than half a year?" Zhang marveled. He had felt sorry for Bai Jing before, thinking a graduate from a prestigious university ended up as amunity worker in a residential area. He hadn''t expected she was just preparing for her graduate school entrance exams.


    "I took the exam at the end ofst year and had an interview in April. I didn''t expect to actually get in," Bai Jing smiled happily. "And I''ve also found a part-time job as an assistant in a psychology clinic."


    Fang Rui looked at Bai Jing, "Miss Bai, what about those stray cats? Aren''t you taking care of them anymore?"


    "This ce isn''t far from that residential area. I can still go feed the cats every day. I won''t forget my promise." Bai Jing nced at her phone. "Teacher Shen is urging me to attend her group meeting. I have to go now. Goodbye, Officer Fang, Officer Zhang!"


    "Goodbye, Bai Jing!" Zhang waved at her.


    Fang Rui''s suspicions about Bai Jing deepened. The time she started working as amunity worker in that residential area coincided with when Chen Hui began his episodes. And after Chen Hui''s case was closed, Bai Jing quickly resigned from that job. These coincidences seemed too convenient.


    But if Bai Jing only wanted to take revenge on her father, she should have had many other ways to do so. Why would she choose to cultivate Chen Hui into a serial killer, using such an unpredictable method for revenge? Fang Rui found himself unable to identify Bai Jing''s true motive for doing so.


    "Boss, what''s wrong? You seem to have some hostility towards Bai Jing," Zhang asked, confused. He had a good impression of Bai Jing and believed that girls who liked to feed stray cats were generally kind-hearted.


    "It''s nothing. Let''s head back!" Fang Rui said.


    Back at the station, Fang Rui examined Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen''s phones. Zhang Shuochen''s phone interface was very simple, with only daily-use apps installed. Opening his chat software, it was also straightforward. Apart from his roommates and parents, the person he contacted most frequently was Wang Jie.


    Moreover, in his friends list, besides his mother, Wang Jie was the only female contact.


    Fang Rui went through his chat history with Wang Jie, which was full of sickeningly sweet exchanges like "baby" and "I love you." Nothing out of the ordinary. Fang Rui also couldn''t find any chat records with the person in charge of the couples'' event.


    Fang Rui then checked Wang Jie''s phone. Her wallpaper was extremely gaudy, and she had downloaded many strange apps. Fang Rui opened her chat software to find a long list of conversations.


    Fang Rui''s eyes hurt from reading her chat records, and he couldn''t find the person who invited them to participate in the couples'' event.


    "Boss, this Wang Jie is a social media monster, a queen of small talk. Look at how many chat records she has," Zhang, who had been forced to take on the task of searching through the chat records, said as he went through them one by one. "How can she chat so much?"


    Li rolled his eyes at Zhang in exasperation: "Don''t you know there''s something called a search function? You just need to enter keywords in the chat records, and you can quickly find what you''re looking for."


    Zhang retorted, "What if they used code words? It''s not good to rely too much on technology. If you don''t carefully read every chat record, you might miss important clues!"


    Li felt a pang of guilt at Zhang''s words. It was his mistake for trying to take shortcuts. He was at fault!


    "Li, what was that thing you just mentioned?" Zhang mumbled. "Howe when I enter the keyword ''couples event,'' it shows no results?"


    "...That''s the limitation of technology! You''ll have to slowly go through the chat records manually."


    Zhang went through all the chat records again but couldn''t find the mysterious person who invited Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen to participate in the couples'' event.

 Chapter 73: Couple Butchers: Electric Torture Killing

    <h4>Chapter 73</h4>


    The autopsy report came out quickly, and Mu Mian reported at the morning meeting:


    "Based on the dposition characteristics of the bodies, we estimate the time of death to be about 2-3 days ago, between October 27th and October 28th.


    We found electric current marks and skin metallization on the arms of both victims, indicating their deaths were rted to electrocution, but the exact causes differ.


    The male victim died from cardiac arrest. The strong electric current passing through his heart disrupted its normal rhythm, leading to sudden cardiac arrest. The female victim died from organ failure. As the current passed through her body, it damaged her internal tissues and organs, resulting in pulmonary edema and pulmonary hemorrhage.


    We found abrasions on both victims'' wrists and ankles, likely caused by rope bindings. It''s reasonable to assume that the killer tied up the victims'' hands and feet before electrocuting them.


    The skin around the electric current marks is yellowish-brown, indicating that the electrodes in contact with the skin were made of copper."


    After hearing Mu Mian''s report, everyone fell into a brief silence.


    "My God, was this killer really torturing this couple? Electrocuting people to death, how deranged!" someone eximed.


    Fang Rui then briefed everyone on a case that urred in Linzhou City: "A simr case happened in our neighboring city. The killer also specifically targeted couples, but was never caught."


    After reviewing the case files, everyone drew a sharp breath.


    "Captain Fang, the wastnd where the bodies were found is right on the edge of our city, very close. Could that killer have already fled to our Jiangzhou City?" an older officer asked.


    Mu Mian looked at the case file. Because the bodies were severely dposed when discovered, the forensic pathologist at the time only left a vague autopsy report, and the cause of death wasn''t determined.


    Mu Mian noticed that the victim named Tian Xin was special, as her autopsy report mentioned her cause of death: multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen, suspected to have died from massive bleeding due to aortic rupture; while the causes of death for the other three victims were unclear.


    "But this victim named Tian Xin has a different cause of death," Mu Mian raised her question, "She didn''t die from electrocution. She was stabbed multiple times and died from massive blood loss."


    "Could the killers in these two cases be different people?" Zhang questioned, "Otherwise, why would he change his killing method?"


    "It''s possible that something unexpected happened during the crime," Mu Mian added, "For example, he might have lost control of this victim, or some other reason."


    Fang Rui thought for a moment and said, "Let''s notbine these two cases for now. We''ll investigate the case of Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen independently."


    Mu Mian was very interested in the bodies from the Linzhou case. She kept pestering Fang Rui to take her to the neighboring city to examine those bodies.


    "Fang Rui, hurry up and drive me to Linzhou. I''ve checked the map, it only takes three hours to get there."


    "Mu Mian, you probably won''t be able to autopsy those bodies anymore."


    "Why not? The case hasn''t been solved, and the killer hasn''t been caught. Haven''t they kept the bodies frozen?" Mu Mian felt very disappointed, thinking there should have been many clues on those bodies.


    "The bodies have already been imed by their families and cremated."


    "They''re so unprofessional!"


    Mu Mian was upset about this all day. At lunch, she ate with Chen Xue in the cafeteria, and Zhang also came over with his tray.


    "Dr. Mu, what''s wrong with you today? Why are you so unhappy?"


    Mu Mian kept her head down, eating. She didn''t want to socialize right now.


    "Someone cremated the bodies she wanted to examine, so she''s very upset!" Chen Xue shrugged and exined helplessly.


    "Oh, don''t worry, I''ve alreadye up with a great n that will definitely make the killer turn himself in!" Zhang said mysteriously.


    Chen Xue interrupted him disapprovingly, "Zhang, although I don''t know what your n is, I can already tell from your sleazy expression that it''s probably a bad idea."


    "Chen Xue..." Zhang looked at her pitifully, with an expression that said "let me speak quickly."


    Chen Xue sighed, "Fine, go ahead. I promise I won''t criticize you!"


    "This killer must be a psychopath who hates seeing couples show affection, right?"


    "Isn''t that obvious? Get to the point!"


    Zhang put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "We can find a very loving couple to show affection on TV, every day. This way, the killer will definitely be unable to resisting out to kill that couple. We just need to wait for him to take the bait!"


    "This idea is actually not bad."


    "Right? I think it''s best to coborate with inte celebrities. They can ride the wave of poprity, and we can catch the killer. It''s a win-win situation," Zhang added.


    Mu Mian thought they were too noisy. She couldn''t help but pour cold water on their idea: "What if they die?"


    "..."


    Zhang quickly modified his strategy: "What if people from our department pretend to be a couple? This way, if the killer targets us, we''ll have the ability to fight back."


    "But who should we choose?"


    Mu Mian looked at Chen Xue, then at Zhang. She felt that Chen Xue had been acting strangetely, like now, ying along with Zhang, and earlier when Chen Xue was smiling stupidly at the corpse for no reason¡ªChen Xue had been very abnormal recently!


    Zhang saw Mu Mian looking at them with a deep expression and thought she was rmending him and Chen Xue. He said reluctantly, "You want me and Chen Xue to show affection?"


    Chen Xue blushed, "We might not be suitable, right? If we show affection, the killer probably won''t get angry, but might find it funny instead?"


    "We can use fewer words and more eye contact. Maybe we can really provoke the killer that way," Zhang said seriously, "We can learn from Wang Jie and see how she shows affection."


    "But how can we make sure the killer sees us showing affection?"


    "We can also open an ount like Wang Jie and her boyfriend did. We''ll call it ''The Beautiful Life of the Little Forensic Pathologist and the Little Police Officer''."


    "Great idea!" Chen Xue nodded in agreement, and then they started enthusiastically discussing the details of their n.


    Mu Mian suddenly realized she had been isted by the two of them.


    She wanted to say something to increase her participation, but was interrupted each time. She could only stare nkly as they shamelessly nned their so-called killer-baiting scheme, which actually had no practical value.


    "Mu Mian, why did you stop eating?" Chen Xue noticed Mu Mian leaving glumly with her tray and asked.


    "I''m full!"


    Chen Xue wanted to say something more to Mu Mian, but was quickly pulled back into discussing their n with Zhang.


    Mu Mian returned to her office, feeling dejected. She had lost the bodies she really wanted to examine, and Chen Xue not only didn''tfort her but also isted her along with Zhang. She was very unhappy now!


    "This is for you!" Fang Rui handed Mu Mian a USB drive, "It contains autopsy photos and videos of the four victims. I had a hard time getting it from our colleagues in the neighboring city."


    "Fang Rui, thank you!" Mu Mian suddenly cheered up and immediately opened herputer to look at the photos.


    "Where''s Chen Xue?" Fang Rui found it strange. Chen Xue used to stick close to Mu Mian, buttely she had been disappearing every day.


    "She''s with Zhang," Mu Mian answered distractedly, "They''re discussing the details of their killer-baiting n. It''s boring. I didn''t want to listen, so I came back."


    "You mean you didn''t understand it, right?"


    Mu Mian turned to look at Fang Rui, her expression a bit unhappy, but she nodded: "Yes! They want to lure out the killer by showing affection. This n is too impractical."


    "Why do you think it''s impractical?" Fang Rui also thought Zhang''s idea was quite far-fetched.


    "They''re not a real couple, how could they possibly fool the killer?" Mu Mian exined while watching the autopsy video, "The killer is after real couples, so he must be able to tell what kind of couple is genuine. Fake couples like Zhang and Chen Xue would be exposed immediately!"


    "Haven''t you noticed that Zhang and Chen Xue are secretly dating?"


    Mu Mian paused the video and looked at Fang Rui in confusion: "Impossible!"


    "Why?"


    "If they''re dating, why didn''t they tell me?" Mu Mian was a bit upset. "I can keep a secret, I wouldn''t tell anyone else."


    "Maybe they think some things don''t need to be said out loud because everyone can see it."


    "I didn''t see it!"


    "That''s a good thing. This way, you don''t have to endure their public disys of affection every day," Fang Rui consoled her. "I''m already fed up with Zhang. Last weekend, he called me in the middle of the night asking what clothes he should wear. How would I know about that? See, you don''t have to deal with these kinds of troubles."


    "Then I''ll just keep pretending I don''t know."


    Mu Mian''s words suddenly reminded Fang Rui of something. If the killer was indeed specifically targeting couples, what criteria did they use to select these couples? And how did they learn about these couples in the first ce?


    "Fang Rui, look at the teeth of these three victims. They''re rose-colored."

 Chapter 74: Couple Butchers: Aphrodite

    <h4>Chapter 74</h4>


    "Rose-colored? Do you mean livor mortis? You suspect they died from asphyxiation?" Fang Rui asked in surprise.


    Mu Mian shook her head, her eyes filled with disappointment. Ah, Fang Ruicked some basic forensic knowledge.


    "Mu Mian, I''m not a forensic expert. It''s normal that I don''t know certain things," Fang Rui felt that Mu Mian must be secretly criticizing him in her mind again.


    "Yes, it''s livor mortis, but it doesn''t only appear on bodies that died from asphyxiation," Mu Mian exined. "It can also ur in cases of death by electrocution, hypovolemic shock, and others. So, those three victims could have died from electrocution as well."


    Livor mortis can be used to determine the cause of death in highly dposed bodies. Generally, bodies that died from asphyxiation are more likely to show livor mortis.


    Fang Rui decided to report this situation to the bureau chief, and if necessary, they could investigate the cases together.


    By checking the surveince cameras around the school, the police discovered that Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen had left the school by taxi on the afternoon of October 24th, heading to a shopping mall. However, they didn''t enter the mall but instead walked towards the parking lot, eventually disappearing from the camera''s view.


    Fang Rui questioned the mall''s security guards and relevant personnel, who all stated that they hadn''t nned any activities recently. The mall''s surveince videos also didn''t capture Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen.


    They couldn''t find the mysterious person who invited Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen to participate in the activity, nor could they find any information about the couple''s activity.


    "Boss, the tech department says that Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen''s chat records from the past few months haven''t been deleted, but strangely, we can''t find any record rted to that couple''s activity," Zhang said after sifting through the chat records again, his eyes hurting from the effort.


    Chen Xue handed Zhang a bottle of eye drops, then took Wang Jie''s phone and started helping with the search.


    Mu Mian was studying the autopsy report from the Lin Zhou case when she heard Zhang''sint. She suggested, "Have you checked herputer? Maybe that person contacted them via email. Some email services don''t require real-name registration, making it convenient to hide one''s identity."


    "Mu Mian, you don''t understand our country''s situation. We rarely use email," Chen Xue said. After thinking for a moment, she added, "However, when I was in college, I often yed games on myputer. Could it be that the killer met and contacted them through a game?"


    They went to ask Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen''s roommates for theirputers.


    Li from the tech department checked Wang Jie''sputer usage records and browser history, quickly finding a website called "Love Museum."


    Upon entering the site, a pop-up appeared:


    Dear user, congrattions! You have been selected by our website. You will have the opportunity to participate in our website''s couplepatibility contest. If you make it to the finals, you''ll have a chance to win the grand prize of a seven-day European tour. Click here for details.


    After clicking the link, the page redirected to another interface asking users to leave their personal information, including the couple''s names, contact information, and email address.


    Fang Rui filled in the information as prompted, but after submitting, the page showed a 404 error, indicating that the submission failed.


    "Although this website''s design looks nice, its functionality is very chaotic. It''s easy to crash if you click around randomly," Li exined. "This is probably a phishing website."


    "Can we trace the personal information of the website creator?" Fang Rui asked.


    "The server for this website is overseas. It''s using a public server, so it''s difficult for us to trace the IP of the user who created this website."


    Fang Rui then had Li check Wang Jie''s email, and they quickly found an email in her inbox.


    The sender was called "Aphrodite," and the email content was:


    Miss Wang, congrattions to you and your boyfriend for being selected by our website to participate in the "Couple Compatibility Challenge." The top three couples will win a seven-day, five-day, and three-day European tour respectively, with amodation and travel expenses covered by us. Fourth to tenth ce will receive a 10,000 yuan cash prize. If you agree to participate, pleasee to the Guodu Building between 3 PM and 5:30 PM on October 24th for on-site registration.


    Please check the attachment forpetition details.


    The attachment was a file that detailed the specifics of thepetition.


    "This is obviously fake. How could Wang Jie fall for it?" Li couldn''t help but criticize.


    "Aren''t there plenty of college students who get scammed these days?" Zhang retorted. "The neighboring anti-fraud department receives calls from college students every day. These students are inexperienced and easy to deceive."


    Fang Rui asked, "Li, can you trace the user information of this email?"


    "No, this email hasn''t been verified with real-name authentication," Zhang shook his head. "We can''t trace the IP address either. This is an encrypted email service. They use nested addresses to prevent us from tracing the final IP address. It''s amon method for anonymizing information."


    Fang Rui opened the page requiring personal information again and entered Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen''s information, randomly filling in the email and contact details. Surprisingly, the information was submitted sessfully.


    "Detective Fang, this must be intentionally designed. It only shows a sessful submission if you enter specific names in the couple''s name field. If the information is incorrect, it will show a page error," Li analyzed. "Could this website have been specifically designed for Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen?"


    Although they hadn''t obtained the killer''s information, the fact that the killer could design a website and knew how to use encrypted email to evade police investigation suggested that they had a high IQ and education level.


    Fang Rui couldn''t help but wonder if the killer might be a teacher from the school.


    But then he thought about the Lin Zhou case. All four victims there worked in a factory. If the killer had a high level of education, how would they havee into contact with those working-ss people?


    "Mu Mian, does your hacker friend have a way to help us trace the IP address of the website creator?"


    "I''m not sure, I''ll ask him."


    Fang Rui then asked, "Tell him to name his price, I''ll reimburse youter."


    Mu Mian''s hacker friend replied quickly. Mu Mian happily said, "He''s not charging me money this time."


    "No money? Then what does he want? It''s not a body donation form, is it?"


    "Of course not, he''s not interested in your body. He wants a photo of us together. I told him I made a really, really good friend, but he doesn''t believe me. He says he needs to see a photo to believe it." Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui, "So we need to take a photo that shows our friendship."


    Mu Mian took a photo with Fang Rui and sent it over.


    The other side quickly replied to Mu Mian.


    "He helped us trace it. The IP of the website creator is from Jiangzhou University. They used aputer in the school''sputer room, so we can''t pinpoint which specificputer it was," Mu Mian added. "And heplimented me, saying I made a very handsome friend."


    "Shouldn''t that be apliment for me?"


    "You''re right! Hisnguage skills have improved. He can nowpliment two people at once." Mu Mian felt gratified. Her friend used to speak in a way that no one could understand, except for Mu Mian who couldprehend his strange speaking logic.


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to question the faculty and students of Jiangzhou University again. Some people reported that a while ago, the link to this website frequently appeared in their student group chats. After it was reported, it stopped appearing.

 Chapter 75: Couple Butchers: Aren’t You Going to Fight for It

    <h4>Chapter 75</h4>


    As Fang Rui returned home from fieldwork, it was almost dark. He had just parked his car in the parking lot and was about to open the door when he saw a woman holding it shut, trapping him inside.


    "Mom, why are you here again?" Fang Rui felt a headacheing on.


    As a slightly older unmarried young man, he faced the same intense pressure to get married as all single youth. His pressure mainly came from his mother, Mrs. Lu Jianhua.


    Fang Rui currently had no ns to marry, as he dislikedplications. He felt that if he got married, he''d have to deal with a bunch of trivial family matters and wouldn''t be able to focus properly on his work. He was at the age where he should be concentrating on his career.


    "What do you mean ''again''? Do you dislike seeing me that much?" Lu Jianhua wore a fashionable coat, her hair permed into small curls. When she got angry, the curls seemed to quiver along with her.


    "How could I dare to dislike you? Come on, let''s go upstairs and sit. I''ll order some takeout for you." Fang Rui took the fruit from Lu Jianhua''s hands. "Mom, you know I don''t like fruit. Why did you buy so much? It must have been heavy to carry."


    Mrs. Lu red at Fang Rui, "Who said this was for you? It''s for the female colleagues at your bureau!"


    "..."


    Lu Jianhua scolded him, exasperated, "Just look at yourself! There are so many pretty girls at your bureau, howe you can''t find a girlfriend? What a waste of the good looks I gave you, all show and no substance! Look at young Zhang, he''s got a girlfriend at such a young age. And look at you, almost thirty and still single! I''m worried sick about you."


    Fang Rui had always been a worry-free child. When his ssmates were having puppy love affairs and getting into fights, Fang Rui studied hard, only asionally getting into fights, which he always managed to win.


    In high school, he suddenly decided he wanted to be a police officer and threw himself into physical training. After graduating from the police academy, he worked at a local police station for two years before quickly being transferred to the City Police Bureau. Lu Jianhua had always thought her son was quite outstanding, until Fang Rui was almost thirty and had never been in a rtionship.


    In her circle of mothers, having a son without a girlfriend was something to be ashamed of.


    "Lin Sen is over thirty and doesn''t have a girlfriend either. Why don''t you pressure him to find one? You''re his godmother after all. Go find one for him first," Fang Rui decided to throw Lin Sen under the bus to divert the conflict.


    "What kind of job does Lin Sen have? He''s a criminal psychology expert, how impressive. What about your job? With your work intensity, it''s already not bad if you can find anyone at all. How can youpare yourself to Lin Sen? He''s single because he chooses to be, not because he can''t find anyone..."


    Fang Rui decided to remain silent.


    As they reached the elevator, he saw Mu Mian waiting there, holding arge stack of delivery boxes. The boxes were piled so high that they obscured her face.


    He wanted to help Mu Mian carry some, but she turned her head to look at the numbers on the elevator, pretending not to know him.


    "This weekend, you must go on a blind date! Don''t tell me you have an unsolved case. Even if it''s raining knives, you have to go." Mrs. Lu finally revealed her true purpose.


    Mu Mian heard this and was somewhat surprised. She nced at Fang Rui, then averted her gaze and continued watching the changing numbers on the elevator.


    Suddenly, Mu Mian thought of a terrifying possibility: if Fang Rui got married, even if she had a body donation agreement, she might not be able to get his body. His spouse would certainly not want to give his body to her.


    "Mom, I''m really not lying to you. We''re dealing with a big case right now." Fang Rui took out his phone and showed Lu Jianhua the news. "See? The ''Couple Butcher,'' specifically targeting couples. I''m busy with the case, how could I have time for blind dates?"


    "That girl saw your photo and she''s quite satisfied with you. You just need to squeeze out a tiny bit of time. If it really doesn''t work, I''ll bring her to your office and you can have the date after you finish work."


    Fang Rui was speechless. He guessed that Zhang''s lovey-dovey posts on social media must have stimted his mother. She had never been this forceful before.


    After they got into the elevator, seeing that Fang Rui didn''t respond, Lu Jianhua scolded again, "Fang Rui, did you hear me?"


    "I won''t go! Because¡ª"


    Fang Rui took most of the delivery boxes from Mu Mian''s hands. He gave Mu Mian a meaningful look, then said to Lu Jianhua, "I already have a girlfriend!"


    "Impossible, how could you possibly find a girlfriend on your own?" Lu Jianhua was shocked. Although she liked to pressure him about marriage, she was just following the usual routine. She wasn''t mentally prepared for Fang Rui to actually have a girlfriend.


    Fang Rui pointed at Mu Mian, "Mom, this is my girlfriend, Mu Mian."


    Mu Mian finally deciphered Fang Rui''s eye signal.


    Originally, she had no experience in pretending to be a couple, but recently Zhang and Chen Xue had been constantly disying affection in front of her, so her knowledge in this area had improved dramatically.


    "Yes, I am Fang Rui''s girlfriend. Auntie, it''s nice to meet you for the first time," Mu Mian smiled at Lu Jianhua.


    "Hmm, hello."


    Lu Jianhua looked at Mu Mian, examining her closely. This girl looked quite young, with a silly and cute appearance, not very smart, probably obedient and well-behaved.


    But she felt that Mu Mian and her son didn''t look like a couple at all. What kind of girlfriend doesn''t greet her boyfriend?


    Mu Mian also realized this, so she patched up their lie, "Auntie, I had a fight with him. I don''t want to talk to him right now."


    "..." Then why were you two making eyes at each other in front of me? Lu Jianhua felt that these two didn''t seem like a couple, but more like secret agents meeting for a rendezvous.


    By this time, the elevator had reached their floor.


    Lu Jianhua btedly realized that Mu Mian lived on the same floor as Fang Rui.


    "You two... you''re not living together, are you?" Mrs. Lu was shocked. Fang Rui had actually brought someone to live with him? Things were moving too fast!


    Mu Mian shook her head, "We''re not living together. I''m his neighbor."


    "Oh, thene over and chat with auntie for a bit. I happen to have some things I''d like to ask you." Mrs. Lu suspected that Fang Rui had colluded with this girl to pretend to be a couple to fool her, but she had no proof.


    No matter, if they wanted to put on an act, she would y along and see who slipped up first.


    Mu Mian had always been curious about Fang Rui''s home, so she excitedly agreed to the invitation: "Sure."


    Fang Rui''s home was different from what Mu Mian had imagined. The decor was very simple, with little furniture. It wasn''t particrly tidy, with instant noodles and biscuits piled on the table.


    Seeing Mu Mian curiously examining the room, Lu Jianhua asked, "Little Mu, is this your first time at Fang Rui''s ce?"


    "Yes, my sister said I shouldn''t casually go to other people''s homes, not even Fang Rui''s."


    What strict upbringing!


    Lu Jianhua took out her car keys and handed them to Fang Rui, "Oh my, I think I left my phone in the car. Fang Rui, can you go get it for me?"


    "Mom, don''t give Mu Mian a hard time." Fang Rui could see the bulge of the phone in her pocket. But he couldn''t call her out on it, so he had to take the keys and leave.


    "How can you talk to me like that? You''re making me sound like an evil mother-inw."


    Before leaving, Fang Rui gave Mu Mian a look, signaling her to act well and not give them away. But Fang Rui felt it was probably going to fall apart anyway.


    Mu Mian confidently gave him an OK sign. Her lying skills had improved greatly, and she could easily handle something as small as pretending to be Fang Rui''s girlfriend.


    Fang Rui sighed. It was definitely going to fall apart!


    He must have had a brain freeze earlier to ask Mu Mian to pretend to be his girlfriend. It must be because Zhang had been constantly talking about his killer-baiting n in front of him, causing him to make this rash decision to have Mu Mian pose as his girlfriend.


    Lu Jianhua took two bottles of water from the fridge, handed one to Mu Mian, and asked, "How long have you been with Fang Rui?"


    "Not very long." Mu Mian hadn''t coordinated this answer with Fang Rui, so she kept it vague.


    "Why do you like him?"


    "Because I like his corpse, no, I mean his body."


    "...You mean his physique, right? Your Chinese isn''t very good, is it?" Lu Jianhua thought this girl''s academic performance probably wasn''t great. If they had children in the future, she as the grandmother would have to take charge of their studies.


    Mu Mian nodded, "Yes, I grew up abroad, so I never studied Chinese."


    "Little Mu, you might not know about our family situation. I don''t think you''re suitable for my son." Lu Jianhua put on a stern face, ying the role of the evil mother-inw.


    Mrs. Lu had been semi-retired for several years, and with nothing to do each day, she became obsessed with watching Chinese TV dramas about mother-inw conflicts. However, much to her dismay, Fang Rui had not yet found a partner, so she never had the chance to be a mother-inw, let alone the viinous type often portrayed in those TV shows.


    Today, she was determined to interrogate Mu Mian, and decided to put on her best "evil mother-inw" act to intimidate her.


    "Why aren''t you suitable?" Mu Mian looked at her, puzzled. "I''m a forensic pathologist, he''s a police officer, we make an excellent team. Besides, I''m highly aplished. I have two doctoral degrees, a high IQ, and my sister says I''m a genius."


    Feeling these reasons weren''tpelling enough, Mu Mian added, "I''m also very wealthy. I have lots and lots of money. I''m not talking about my meager sry or my practically non-existent savings, but the substantial inheritance my adoptive parents left me."


    Lu Jianhua was stunned for a moment. Could Fang Rui and Mu Mian actually be dating? This young woman seemed to be quite fond of her son. She even appeared desperate enough to want tovish money on Fang Rui.


    "It doesn''t matter why! I won''t allow you to marry my son!" Lu Jianhua, not yet satisfied with her evil mother-inw act, continued her performance.


    She wanted to know just how much Mu Mian loved her son.


    "That''s fine, I don''t n on getting married anyway," Mu Mian said nonchntly. Her sister''s friend had once mentioned that people with autism shouldn''t get married.


    "Uh... aren''t you going to fight for it at all?"


    It seemed she didn''t love him that much after all.

 Chapter 76: Couple Butchers: Corruption

    <h4>Chapter 76</h4>


    Mu Mian looked at her sincerely, "Auntie, if I try hard, will you let me marry Fang Rui?"


    "Of course not!"


    Mu Mian blinked, "Then I won''t try. You won''t agree anyway. Trying is exhausting."


    Mrs. Lu realized she had underestimated Mu Mian. She didn''t seem very smart, but her mind worked quite fast.


    "Mu Mian, I won''t beat around the bush with you. Name your price. How much money will it take for you to leave my son?"


    Mu Mian found her question strange and reminded her, "Auntie, have you forgotten? I have a lot of money myself. I don''t need money from others."


    "..."


    "Auntie, I can leave your son. But can you agree to one condition for me?" Mu Mian looked at her with bright eyes.


    "What condition?" Lu Jianhua asked and immediately regretted it, wondering how Mu Mian had turned the tables on her.


    "After Fang Rui dies, will you give me his remains? If so, I promise to leave him and never date him again." Mu Mian looked at her cautiously, "Can you agree to this condition?"


    Fang Rui''s mother had the right to dispose of his remains, so as long as his mother agreed, she could still get Fang Rui''s body. Even if Fang Rui married someone else, she could still obtain it. Chen Xue had said that a daughter-inw could never defeat a mother-inw.


    "You only want his remains, that''s enough?"


    "Yes. You won''t agree to anything else."


    "...Do you love him that much?" Lu Jianhua looked at Mu Mian in shock. Goodness, this young girl waspletely love-brained! Unable to have her son in life, she wanted to possess his remains after death.


    Mu Mian didn''t understand how she had reached this conclusion, but she nodded anyway.


    "Mu Mian, don''t worry, Auntie won''t separate you two! Feel free to date Fang Rui. If anyone tries to stop you, I''ll fight them myself."


    Mrs. Lu muttered to herself, "Who would have thought, with Fang Rui''s aloof personality, he could make a young girl love him so desperately. It seems our ancestral graves must be emitting auspicious smoke."


    Mu Mian stared at her nkly,pletely unaware of what had happened.


    Was it really so difficult to donate Fang Rui''s remains to her? Mrs. Lu would ratherpromise and let her marry Fang Rui than give her his remains.


    Mu Mian sighed, wondering if Fang Rui''s marriage was less important than his remains.


    When Fang Rui returned with takeout, he saw them getting along harmoniously. Mrs. Lu was chatting enthusiastically with Mu Mian, who looked like a startled rabbit, unable to escape and tiredly responding.


    "Fang Rui, I need to go home for dinner," Mu Mian said upon seeing Fang Rui, as if she''d found a savior. Mrs. Lu was too enthusiastic, and Mu Mian had never met someone like her before, so she didn''t know how to interact.


    "Okay."


    Mu Mian then said to Lu Jianhua, "Goodbye, Auntie!"


    "Let''s have dinner together another day. Oh, take these fruits with you."


    "Thank you, Auntie." Mu Mian took the fruits to the door, then turned back and said, "Auntie, although ourmunication wasn''t very smooth, I still like you very much."


    Mu Mian actually quite liked enthusiastic people, as it meant she didn''t have to work hard to socialize and could get along well with them. Of course, if they were too enthusiastic, she needed time to adjust.


    "Haha, everyone who meets me says that. Mu Mian, you''re very cute too, and Auntie enjoys chatting with you. It''s just that your Chinese isn''t very good, you need to work on it."


    "..." Fang Rui could probably guess why.


    After Mu Mian left, Lu Jianhua patted Fang Rui''s shoulder, "You and little Mu were just pretending to be a couple earlier, right? Don''t deny it, I know you too well."


    "Then I won''t go on blind dates! I''m very busy with work." Fang Rui knew they would be exposed.


    "No more blind dates, we won''t arrange any more! Just date Mu Mian, she''s absolutely in love with you. I think you''ll never find anyone who loves you more than her in your lifetime."


    Fang Rui frowned. Mu Mian was in love with him? That was impossible! Mu Mian only loved his remains.


    But seeing his mother''s expression of "shipping them," he couldn''t help but wonder if Mu Mian''s feelings for him had changed. Like Zhang and Chen Xue?


    Mu Mian''s acting was so poor, if it were fake, how could his sharp mother not see through it?


    At that moment, Fang Rui received a text message from Mu Mian:


    [Fang Rui, wasn''t my acting great? Did I manage to fool your mom? Congrattions, you don''t have to go on blind dates anymore. But I never want to pretend to be your girlfriend again, it''s so tiring! My brain almost short-circuited.]


    Fang Rui smiled helplessly.


    The next morning, Fang Rui was called to the Director''s office.


    Because the modus operandi of this case was extremely simr to a case in neighboring Linzhou City, the Director hadmunicated with the person in charge there and decided to investigate the two cases jointly.


    Linzhou City took this case very seriously and formed a special task force overnight, led by their Criminal Investigation Team Leader Sun Guangtian, toe and assist Fang Rui''s team in solving the case.


    "Fang Rui, they say they''reing to assist us, but you know, Old Sun has more experience than you, and he''s been investigating that case for over half a year. He knows the killer better than you do, so the investigation will still be led by them, understand?" the Director advised earnestly.


    "I understand! Don''t worry, I promise to cooperate well with them to solve the case." Although Fang Rui was upset about losing the lead on the case, he wasn''t petty and would cooperate as needed.


    The Director observed Fang Rui for a moment, "Fang Rui, judging by your expression, you seem a bit unconvinced."


    "How could I be unconvinced! My bad mood is because my mom nagged me for half the day yesterday, so I didn''t sleep well." Fang Rui exined. He really hadn''t slept wellst night, as he kept wondering if Mu Mian might have developed feelings for him as a person, beyond just his remains.


    "Old Sun has a bit of a temper, so don''t provoke him!" The Director was quite confident in Fang Rui but still couldn''t help reminding him.


    "I promise I won''t argue with him!" Fang Rui took the opportunity to ask for a favor, "Director, I''ve written an application to purchase a batch of insted shoes and gloves. Could you approve it?"


    "What do you need those for? You''re not electricians, do you really need such things?"


    "Both victims were electrocuted. I suspect the killer might have a stun gun or simr dangerous items. I''m worried about risks during the arrest and want to take precautions."


    The Director nodded approvingly, "Alright, I''ll definitely approve this. Not bad, you''re thinking ahead now, much more steady than before."


    "That''s all thanks to your good teaching, Director."


    "Stop ttering me. If you want anything else, say it all at once."


    "Director, you promised to allocate funds to buy an imported autopsy electric saw for Mu Mian. You haven''t forgotten, have you?"


    "I haven''t forgotten, but isn''t that the Forensic Department''s business? Why are you concerned about it?"


    "Mu Mian is under my management now."


    "The process is underway. You won''t be shortchanged!" The Director found it strange. Fang Rui used to dislike Mu Mian, but now he was saying "she''s under my management"?


    "Please remember to follow up on it! The process is moving too slowly."


    "..."


    Upon learning that Linzhou City would send a special task force, Zhang and the others all looked dejected. This was originally their case, but with the task forceing, they would be mere assistants.


    "Everyone, don''t have negative emotions. When the expert team arrives, smile brightly and be enthusiastic. Also, make sure all the materials are organized to give to them," Fang Rui advised patiently.


    Mu Mian nodded and gave Fang Rui an OK gesture. The others weren''t so obedient.


    "Boss, this case is ours!" Li still felt resentful.


    "That''s right! We''ll have to take orders from them, it''s so unfair," Zhang grumbled.


    "The case is still ours, we''ll continue investigating. Now we just have some criminal investigation experts helping us, understand?"

 Chapter 77: Couple Butchers: Task Force

    <h4>Chapter 77</h4>


    When Sun Guangtian arrived with the special investigation team, Fang Rui also led his people to greet them at the entrance.


    The members of the special team were all renowned criminal investigation experts from Linzhou City, including the experienced Forensic Doctor Cheng, criminal psychology expert Professor Qi, and forensic trace expert Wang Qiang.


    Sun Guangtian was a middle-aged man in his forties, with a stern expression on his face.


    His deputy was Fang Rui''s ssmate from the police academy, so as soon as he saw Fang Rui, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Fang Rui, long time no see!"


    "Song Haiyang, you''ve gotten fatter!"


    Fang Rui then greeted Sun Guangtian: "Captain Sun, I''ve heard so much about you. My mentor used to tell me about your exploits all the time. I''m finally meeting you today. I hope we can work well together."


    "Hmm." Sun Guangtian''s expression remained cold.


    "Our director said to invite the experts to the reception room to rest first," Zhang said, "Please, this way everyone."


    "We haven''t solved the case yet, what rest? Always focusing on these unnecessary formalities. Let''s have a meeting first to sync up on the progress of the investigation." Sun Guangtian interrupted Zhang.


    The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.


    The forensic experts also felt ufortable, knowing Sun Guangtian''s domineering personality, and didn''t dare to voice any objections.


    Wang, Li, and the others felt that Captain Sun was trying to assert his authority on their turf, and their expressions turned sour.


    Only Mu Mian kept forcing a bright smile.


    Zhang looked helplessly at Fang Rui, and seeing him nod, Zhang said, "Then let''s go directly to the conference room for the meeting."


    Sun Guangtian nced at the people Fang Rui had brought, all looking quite young. Their faces all showed defiance, indicating they wouldn''t cooperate well.


    His piercing gaze fell on Mu Mian; this young girl was smiling brightly, but she didn''t look very intelligent.


    Mu Mian''s face was tired from smiling. Feeling Sun Guangtian''s gaze, she quickly forced her smile again.


    Song Haiyang pulled Fang Rui aside and exined quietly, "Fang Rui, don''t misunderstand. Captain Sun has a peculiar temper, but he''s actually a good person."


    "I know that. My mentor used toin to me about his nasty temper all the time." Fang Rui shrugged helplessly.


    The conference room was packed. Fang Rui had Zhang distribute case files to each expert, including autopsy results and the clues they had gathered so far.


    "The cause of death for these two victims was actually electrocution?" Forensic Doctor Cheng frowned as he looked at the autopsy report. "How could it be electrocution? Where are the victims'' bodies? I need to perform a new autopsy."


    "I wrote that report. Do you think there''s a problem somewhere? I can exin it to you," Mu Mian, who happened to be sitting next to him, spoke up.


    Forensic Doctor Cheng, a kindly old man with a balding head, looked at Mu Mian in surprise. He had a strong impression of her because she was the one smiling most brightly among that group of young people earlier. He hadn''t expected her to be a forensic doctor.


    "Your report is very detailed. I don''t have any questions about it. But I''d like to examine the bodies again to see if there are any new clues," Forensic Doctor Cheng sighed. "You know, the bodies from the two previous cases were severely dposed, and I couldn''t find any useful clues."


    "Yes, you were quite unlucky. Unlike me, I saw fresh bodies, so I found many useful clues," Mu Mian said with a hint of pride in her voice.


    "..."


    "After the meeting, I can take you to the autopsy room. I can be your assistant," Mu Mian remembered Fang Rui''s directive: cooperate well with these experts and smile brightly at them.


    "Thank you, youngdy."


    "Please call me Dr. Mu," Mu Mian corrected him.


    "Alright, thank you, Dr. Mu."


    "You''re wee!"


    While Mu Mian and Forensic Doctor Cheng were getting along well, the atmosphere between Fang Rui and Sun Guangtian was tense.


    "You didn''t find any clues at the crime scene? It was a forest, didn''t you find any footprints or simr traces?" Sun Guangtian looked at Fang Rui''s report, his tone very dissatisfied. "Why did you focus your investigation on the victims'' chat records? This is a serial killing case. How can you possibly track down the killer by investigating the victims'' social rtionships?"


    "It had been raining heavily in Jiangzhou for days. All traces in the forest were washed away. The body was only discovered because the rain had washed away the topyer of soil," Zhang retorted.


    "Our investigation of the victims'' chat records wasn''t fruitless either. We at least know that the killer created a phishing website. He used that site to contact the two victims and lured them out under the pretense of participating in an activity," Li also argued.


    "So has your case made any progress?"


    "We were about to, but then you guys..."


    Fang Rui interrupted Zhang and the others, "Captain Sun, what do you think we should investigate first?"


    Sun Guangtian ignored Fang Rui and instead pointed at Mu Mian, his tone sharp: "And that young girl, how can you still smile with such a serious case? Can''t you be more serious during work hours?"


    Suddenly singled out, Mu Mian was stunned for a moment, then became flustered. She looked helplessly at Fang Rui, not knowing what she had done wrong or why Captain Sun was so angry with her.


    It was Fang Rui who had told her to smile brightly.


    Besides, people die tragically in this world every day. Does that mean she can never smile?


    "Mu Mian, it''s okay. He''s not talking about you."


    Fang Rui turned to Sun Guangtian, "Captain Sun, I''ve always respected you as a senior, but there''s no need for you to try to assert your authority over us like this. If you think our investigation approach is problematic, then you can investigate ording to your own methods."


    "Of course we''ll investigate ording to my arrangements."


    Fang Rui interrupted him: "We''ll also continue investigating ording to our own approach. I think it''s better if we investigate separately. Mu Mian, Zhang, you guyse with me."


    Seeing the situation, Song Haiyang tried to ease the tension: "Fang Rui, don''t be rash. Let''s talk this through."


    "It''s fine. You investigate your way, and if you need any information or assistance from our personnel, we''ll be generous in sharing with you."


    Fang Rui knew that even if he was willing to cooperate with Captain Sun, Sun might not appreciate them anyway. It was better for them to investigate on their own. After all, everyone had different investigative approaches, and forcing them to work together might actually affect efficiency.


    As for the director, worst case scenario, he''d get a scolding.


    Outside the conference room, Mu Mian looked cautiously at Fang Rui: "Fang Rui, did I mess something up?"


    This was the first time Mu Mian had seen Fang Rui so angry.


    "He was targeting me, it has nothing to do with you," Fang Rui patted Mu Mian''s head. "I don''t think they need our cooperation anyway."


    Because of the confrontation with Sun Guangtian, Fang Rui was severely reprimanded by the director, but the director also felt that it wasn''t entirely Fang Rui''s fault.


    He knew this kid Fang Rui well; he was good at handling interpersonal rtionships and generally wouldn''t fall out with others unless they went too far.


    "Since that''s the case, you just investigate ording to your own approach. I''ll transfer people from other teams to assist them," the director was still protective of his own.


    "Thank you, Director."


    Director Wang then had a talk with Sun Guangtian. They were college ssmates, and Sun Guangtian''s case-solving ability was much stronger than his. He had be the director, while Sun Guangtian hadn''t been promoted,rgely due to his temperament.


    "Old Sun, why are you picking fights with a bunch of young people? It looks bad to create such a scene."


    "I was just worried I couldn''t keep them in line, so I wanted to show them who''s boss. Wasn''t Fang Rui supposed to be quite level-headed? His mentor used to praise him in front of me all the time. Why is his temper so bad now, exploding at the slightest provocation?"


    "What did you say to him?"


    "Nothing much. I just said their investigation approach was problematic, and I scolded a young girl. Then Fang Rui blew up and started arguing with me. This kid''s mentality isn''t stable enough yet, he still needs more tempering."


    "I see why now. Haha, this kid, he''s hiding it deep."


    "Why? Don''t tell me that young girl is his girlfriend? Why didn''t you say so earlier? If I had known, I would have picked someone else to scold."


    "Old Sun, you need to control your temper. For this case, you might not be able to solve it without their help!"


    "That''s impossible! No one understands that killer better than I do. If I can''t catch him, there''s no way Fang Rui and his team can!" Sun Guangtian dered with unwavering confidence.

 Chapter 78: Couple Butchers: Testing Love

    <h4>Chapter 78</h4>


    Stimted by Sun Guangtian''s challenge, everyone''s enthusiasm for solving the case actually increased.


    Fang Rui called a new case analysis meeting and distributed the materials brought from Linzhou for everyone to review.


    The case files they had seen beforecked many details, but this material included a more thorough investigation process.


    "Boss, those two couples from Linzhou also had a social media ount to show off their love," Zhang said in surprise. "But they had very few followers, and their videos didn''t get many views."


    "But the first pair of victims were quite old. The killer probably couldn''t have contacted them through the inte," Li pointed out.


    "Lin Sen, can you create a criminal profile of the killer now?" Fang Rui asked.


    Lin Sen closed the folder and looked at Mu Mian: "Dr. Mu, was there a difference in the intensity of electric shocks received by the two victims?"


    "Yes. The male victim likely only suffered one electric shock, but it was extremely strong, causing cardiac arrest. The female victim, on the contrary, endured multiple shocks. Each shock wasn''t very strong, but they still affected her organs, leading to organ failure," Mu Mian exined.


    "I suspect he''s conducting a test," Lin Sen analyzed. "He might be trying to test these victims'' love, and the electric shocks are punishment for failing the test."


    After Lin Sen finished speaking, everyone fell silent.


    "Is it simr to a lie detector test? Get shocked for lying, but no shock if you tell the truth?" Zhang spected. "But that doesn''t make sense either. Why was the male victim only shocked once, but with the highest intensity?"


    "The shock intensity might be a variable. He might have set up a gradient for shock intensity, with different behavioral oues corresponding to different shock intensities," Mu Mian said. "It''s like conducting an experiment. For instance, Milgram''s obedience experiment used shock intensity as a variable. I suspect he''s copying the logic of this ssic psychology experiment."


    Mu Mian''s words reminded Lin Sen, who frowned and said: "Themon point among these three couples is that they were all very loving partners; but their ages, marital status, and education levels varied greatly. There was even a same-sex couple among them. He seems to be collecting different types of couples."


    Fang Rui asked, "So why is he testing their love? Is he trying to prove the existence of love, or prove that love doesn''t exist?"


    Lin Sen shrugged helplessly, "I can''t answer these questions yet."


    "Could the killer have designed a device simr to a lie detector? He uses this device to test those couples. All those couples failed his test, so they all died," Fang Rui guessed.


    "Not necessarily all of them failed. Do you remember the victim named Tian Xin? She was stabbed to death," Lin Sen analyzed. "I suspect she passed the killer''s test. But for some reason, the killer still didn''t spare her."


    Although they had initially analyzed the killer''s motive, they still had no leads on how to catch him.


    Fang Rui remembered that Mu Mian''s hacker friend had discovered that theputer used to set up the website was from theputerb, so could the killer be from aputer-rted major?


    Another case urred in Linzhou, while this case happened in Jiangzhou City, which could suggest that the killer likely had a job transfer in the past two years.


    Job transfers among faculty at Jiangzhou University were rtively rare, and the school quickly provided a list that met Fang Rui''s requirements. There were more than a dozen people on the list, which wasn''t many, but still troublesome to investigate.


    Fang Rui soon focused on one person: Zhou Junwei. He was a lecturer in the Computer Science department who had resigned from the neighboring Linzhou Institute of Technology a year ago and joined Jiangzhou University. He was thirty-one years old this year and currently single and living alone.


    Coincidentally, he had taken extended leave from the university during the week of the incident, citing attendance at a friend''s wedding as the reason.


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to Jiangzhou University again. Zhou Junwei had a ss in the morning, teaching VB programming to freshmen. Fang Rui and Zhang sat in the back row to listen to his lecture.


    Zhou Junwei wore a blue and ck checkered shirt, his hair a bit long, half-covering his eyes, making him look lethargic. He lectured with a straight face, his voice monotonous, making people drowsy.


    The students in the ssroom were either ying with their phones or chatting; almost no one was listening to his lecture. Zhou Junwei didn''t seem to care, continuing to recite dry knowledge like a robot.


    After ss, Fang Rui called out to Zhou Junwei: "Professor Zhou."


    Zhou Junwei turned around. Seeing Fang Rui, some emotion flickered in his eyes as he asked, "You''re not one of my students, are you? Do you need something?"


    "We''re from the city police," Zhang showed his badge, "We have some questions for you."


    "Alright, go ahead and ask."


    "Professor Zhou, is itplicated to create a website?"


    "That depends on what kind of website you need. If it''s a simple website, even first-year students can create one. It''s quite easy."


    "Where were youst Wednesday, October 24th?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Why are you asking me this question? That''s my privacy, you don''t have the right to inquire about that, do you?" Zhou Junwei looked at Fang Rui warily.


    "We''ve discovered a fraudulent website, and I suspect it''s rted to you because the IP was traced to your officeputer. So please cooperate with our investigation," Fang Rui lied, not telling him the real reason.


    "I don''t have time for such things. From October 22nd to 30th, I was on leave. I went to a northern city to attend my friend''s wedding. The 24th was actually his wedding day," Zhou Junwei said. "If you don''t believe me, you can investigate. Someone must have used my officeputer. There are surveince cameras in my office, you can check those."


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged a nce. Could it be such a coincidence that he was away from Jiangzhou City during the exact time frame of the incident?


    Zhang scrutinized Zhou Junwei for a moment, then suddenly reached out towards him. Zhou Junwei seemed to be startled, quickly stepping back. If it weren''t for the podium behind him, he might have fallen.


    "Oh, Professor Zhou, there was an insect on your clothes," Zhang grabbed a small flying insect from his shoulder and crushed it. "I''ve caught it for you."


    "...Thank you."


    After leaving the ssroom, Zhang muttered, "Boss, that Zhou Junwei is strange. He''s a grown man, but he has pierced ears."


    "Is that so strange? Aren''t there quite a few men with pierced ears these days? It''s nothing special, is it?"


    "He was also wearing perfume! When I tried to touch his shoulder, he reacted so strongly," Zhang thought for a moment, but still voiced his suspicion, "Could this Zhou Junwei be gay? I have a cousin who''s gay, and he''s a bit like him."


    "It''s possible. But what does that have to do with our case?" Fang Rui said, "Let''s investigate his alibi first."


    "Alright."


    Based on Zhou Junwei''s ID information, they found that Zhou Junwei had flown to Dongcheng in the north at 7 am on the 22nd, and then returned to Jiangzhou City on a flight at 10 pm on the 29th. During this period, his ID hadn''t been used to purchase any other tickets.


    Dongcheng is over two thousand kilometers away from Jiangzhou City, making it impractical for him to travel back and forth by car or taxi.


    Fang Rui also contacted Zhou Junwei''s friend, who said that Zhou Junwei had stayed in Dongcheng the entire time, never leaving in between. The hotel he stayed at could also confirm that he had been residing in Dongcheng for those days.


    "Boss, it looks like this lead has also hit a dead end," Zhang sighed. "His alibi is too solid."


    "It''s okay, we''ve at least eliminated one option," Fang Rui still felt that Zhou Junwei was very suspicious, but he had no evidence. So he decided to adjust the direction of the investigation.

 Chapter 79: Couple Butchers: Brainwave

    <h4>Chapter 79</h4>


    Mu Mian got along very well with Forensic Doctor Cheng. With Mu Mian''s assistance, Forensic Doctor Cheng performed another autopsy on the body and reached the same conclusion as Mu Mian.


    "Forensic Doctor Cheng, did you find this kind of dry, gtinous substance on the four bodies you autopsied?" Mu Mian took a dandruff-like object from the deceased''s scalp, "Like this?"


    "What is this?" Forensic Doctor Cheng examined it carefully for a moment, then muttered, "This seems to be some kind of gel, in its dried state. When the bodies were discovered, there was sand and mud in their hair. We cleaned it, but my assistant did the cleaning work, so I''m not sure if there was any."


    "I see." Mu Mian was a bit disappointed. How she wished she could have autopsied those four dposed bodies herself. She was certain she would have found some clues.


    "Why did you let them cremate those four bodies?" Mu Mian asked, displeased.


    "The families came to my office every day, crying and making a fuss, demanding to cremate the bodies. I had no choice!" Forensic Doctor Cheng held out his hand, showing several healed scars on the back, "Look, they even scratched my hand trying to snatch the bodies away."


    "What a coincidence, I''ve been scratched by a victim''s family member too," Mu Mian showed her own scar from Ye Zeling''s scratch, "But my scar isn''t as deep as yours. I only have three marks, you have four."


    Chen Xue, who was recording the autopsy, felt speechless. Why were they talking about such things? They were evenparing their scars.


    "Yes, being a forensic doctor can be quite dangerous."


    Once the conversation started, Forensic Doctor Cheng began sharing his experiences with Mu Mian, such as how to avoid upational exposure when dealing with AIDS-infected bodies, the need to wear gas masks when autopsying highly dposed bodies to avoid poisoning, and how to dodge attacks from victims'' family members...


    Mu Mian frequently showed expressions of "Wow, I learned something new again!"


    "Did you notice that three of the four bodies from Linzhou had rose-colored teeth?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Yes, I did. But that alone can''t determine the exact cause of death. We can only guess that the deceased went through a process of suffocation."


    "I suspect those three victims also died from electric shock."


    "Your guess is very reasonable. Indeed, there have been cases where electrocution victims showed rose-colored teeth," Forensic Doctor Cheng agreed.


    After the autopsy, Forensic Doctor Cheng left the autopsy room.


    Chen Xue whispered, "Mian Mian, you shouldn''t tell Forensic Doctor Cheng all the clues. He''s on Captain Sun''s side. We''re inpetition now."


    "Why? I was just having an academic exchange with him. We had a very pleasant discussion," Mu Mian replied. Although she had a lot of theoretical knowledge, she didn''t have as much practical experience as Forensic Doctor Cheng. She felt she had learned a lot.


    For instance, she learned that if a victim''s family member tries to attack a forensic doctor, one should immediately crouch down, protect their head, and shout for help. This way, they''re less likely to get injured if they do get hit.


    "Um... never mind." Chen Xue decided it was better not to force those workce rules on Mu Mian. After all, as long as the case gets solved, does it really matter who solves it?


    No, it actually does matter a lot!


    During lunch, Mu Mian noticed that Zhang looked dejected, and Chen Xue seemed down as well.


    Today''s lunch was Kung Pao Chicken. Mu Mian secretly transferred the carrots, cucumbers, and peanuts from her bowl to Fang Rui''s, then scooped all the chicken pieces Fang Rui didn''t like into her own bowl.


    Fang Rui was already used to her little maneuvers and waited patiently for her to finish before starting to eat.


    When Mu Mian began to use her chopsticks, Zhang and Chen Xue were still looking unhappy.


    Mu Mian finally realized she should say something.


    "Officer Zhang, Chen Xue, why are you unhappy?"


    "Ah, we''ve been working hard these past few days for nothing. We thought we had found a suspect, but it turns out he has an alibi." Zhang sighed heavily and lowered his voice, "What''s worse, I heard that Captain Sun''s team has made progress and seems to have found a suspect."


    "Don''t worry, I''ve found a clue too," Mu Mian said confidently, tilting her head up.


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian, "Did the autopsy reveal anything new?"


    "Let''s eat first. I''ll report to you when the resultse out this afternoon. Today''s Kung Pao Chicken is delicious."


    Chen Xue nced at the bowl full of chicken in front of Mu Mian, then at the vegetable medley in Fang Rui''s bowl, and couldn''t help but say, "Um... what''s in your bowl can only be called ''chicken pieces''."


    "..."


    At around 3 PM, the test results finally came out. Fang Rui called another case analysis meeting.


    "I suspect the killer is conducting an experiment," Mu Mian held up her drawing, "He''s likely doing an experiment about love."


    The drawing showed two people sitting opposite each other, with electrodes attached to their arms, connected to long wires. Most importantly, their heads were covered. They were wearing ck caps with many holes, each hole connected to a ck wire.


    "Are those ck caps electrode caps?" Lin Sen was a bit surprised, "Are you saying that while testing these couples, he''s also collecting their brain wave data?"


    "Their hair shows signs of being washed, and the same shampoo was used. It was probably the killer who washed it," Mu Mian exined, "But I still found small amounts of a gtinous substance on their scalps. After testing, it turned out to be dried conductive gel."


    "Conductive gel? What''s that?"


    Everyone looked confused. Only Lin Sen knew what Mu Mian was talking about. EEG equipment is the mostmon equipment in psychologybs.


    "When conducting EEG experiments, to reduce scalp resistance, arge amount of conductive gel is applied to the scalp where the electrodes are connected," Mu Mian exined, "That substance is very difficult to clean off. You have to wash your hair for a very long time, and even then, you can''t get it all off."


    Li asked curiously, "Dr. Mu, do you often do these experiments? You seem very experienced."


    "I''ve never been the experimenter for EEG tests. But I''ve often been a subject. My dad says I''m a genius and my brain is very valuable for research. So I''m often his research subject," Mu Mian said, sounding a bit proud.


    Everyone was speechless. No wonder Mu Mian was so fond of studying the human body - it was a family tradition.


    Lin Sen said, "Professional EEG equipment is very expensive. Usually, only universitybs or hospitals would purchase them. We can start investigating through the purchasing channels for EEG equipment."


    "Based on the distribution of the conductive gel residue, I deduce that his electrode cap has 20 leads, meaning only 20 electrode pads. Such equipment is too outdated and should have been phased out. Thetest equipment has 128 leads. So I suspect he''s using equipment discarded bybs," Mu Mian continued.


    Lin Sen frowned, "That makes it harder to trace."


    Mu Mian continued, "But fortunately, based on theponent analysis, the conductive gel used on the victims should be an imported brand. Moreover, it''s not sold separately, only provided to customers who purchase their EEG equipment. The brand of that equipment is called NeurOne."


    "Does this equipment have a distributor in China?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, it does. It only has one distributor in China, which belongs to the Jiangmiao Group."

 Chapter 80: Lovers Butcher: Jiang Miao Group

    <h4>Chapter 80</h4>


    Jiangmiao Group is thergest medical enterprise in Jiangzhou City, owning three private hospitals, a high-end nursing home, and a pharmaceuticalpany. It is also the authorized dealer for many imported brand-name medical equipment and holds numerous medical-rted patents.


    Mu Mian voluntarily applied to investigate the sales situation of the brain wave equipment with Fang Rui, as she felt she was quite knowledgeable about these medical devices.


    To save time, Fang Rui and Mu Mian went directly to the headquarters of this group. The receptionist was very polite and immediately contacted the sales manager after learning of their intentions.


    "I''m sorry, but this involves customer privacy. We can''t provide our sales ledger to you," the sales manager said politely but firmly refused to provide the information.


    The sales ledger is apany''s core confidential information and isn''t directly rted to the case investigation, so they have the right to refuse to provide it.


    "You can delete the prices and customer contact information," Fang Rui said. "This information will only be used for solving the case and won''t be leaked."


    "Sorry, we can''t provide that."


    Mu Mian asked, "The sales of the NeurOne brain wave equipment probably haven''t been good in recent years, especially the 20-lead ones, right? There shouldn''t be many buyers. Now schools doing research probably prefer near-infrared devices, as they collect data more stably and don''t require brain wave gel, which is more convenient."


    "Yes, you seem quite knowledgeable," the sales manager said. "We haven''t sold this equipment in the past two years."


    Mu Mian asked, "Is it only universities without much funding that buy it?"


    "That''s right."


    "Has anyone purchased it privately?" Fang Rui inquired.


    "No. Our users are mainly universities or hospitals in nearby provinces and cities. Who would buy this thing for personal use? One device costs over a hundred thousand yuan, and it takes up a lot of space."


    "Can you give me the sales records?" Mu Mian persisted, asking once more.


    "No!"


    As he refused to provide the sales information, Mu Mian and Fang Rui prepared to leave. Even if they forced them to provide it, they would probably only offer fake sales records.


    "Mu Mian, what are you doing here?" Jiang Yinian was surprised to see Mu Mian.


    Jiangmiao Group was established by his cousin, and after his cousin''s death, he inherited all of his assets. Jiang Yinian usually doesn''t manage the group''s affairs, preferring to focus on research in hisboratory.


    Today, he came because someone reported that a high-level executive in the group was embezzling and epting bribes, so he had toe to deal with it. He didn''t expect to encounter Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian was stunned for a moment when she saw Jiang Yinian, then silently shrank behind Fang Rui, looking at him warily.


    Fang Rui sensed Mu Mian''s unusual behavior and turned to ask, "Mu Mian, do you know him? He didn''t bully you in school, did he?"


    Fang Rui didn''t like the way Jiang Yinian looked at Mu Mian. It wasn''t like looking at a familiar friend, but more like looking at a pet he had raised.


    "He was my father''s student. But he had a falling out with my father, and my sister said he might hurt me, so Fang Rui, you need to protect me!"


    Jiang Yinian overheard Mu Mian''s conversation with Fang Rui, and his expression seemed hurt. "Mu Mian, how could I ever hurt you? Don''t you remember? You said yourself that I was your best friend!"


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian, confused. Didn''t she say she had no friends? How did a best friend suddenly appear?


    "Senior Yinian, I never said that. I only said you were ranked first on my friend list, and at that time, you were my only friend," Mu Mian rified. "My friend list is frequently adjusted. You''re no longer number one now."


    "Mu Mian, there''s some misunderstanding between your sister and me. I hope it doesn''t affect our rtionship. I was once your only friend, wasn''t I? You should trust me."


    "My sister wouldn''t lie to me!" Mu Mian carefully considered. Even if her sister was wrong, it didn''t matter; she would only lose a friend. But if her sister was right and she didn''t listen to her, she might lose her life.


    She didn''t want to die right now, so she decided to stay away from Jiang Yinian.


    "That''s not necessarily true. Mu Mian, haven''t you noticed that you don''t know your sister at all? Your sister is hiding many things from you. She''s ndering me only because she''s afraid I''ll tell you the truth."


    "It''s not very ethical to drive a wedge between sisters like that," Fang Rui interrupted.


    "Who are you? What right do you have to interfere in my conversation with Mu Mian?"


    Mu Mian didn''t want to get entangled with Jiang Yinian anymore. She tugged on Fang Rui''s hand, "Fang Rui, let''s go back."


    "Alright."


    Jiang Yinian turned to the sales manager, "What did they want from you?"


    "They wanted to check the sales records of the NeurOne brain wave equipment. This is ourpany''s confidential information and involves customer privacy, so we can''t provide it to them."


    "Mu Mian, didn''t you want that sales record? I''ll have them give it to you."


    "Yes, thank you. Please have them give us the list quickly," Mu Mian didn''t hesitate, after all, it was Jiang Yinian who volunteered to help her.


    The sales manager looked troubled, "Mr. Jiang, but¡ª"


    "I don''t want to repeat myself."


    The sales manager immediately went to print those documents.


    "Mu Mian, would you like to work in myboratory?" Jiang Yinian looked at Mu Mian. "I''ve moved Professor Shen''sb to China. You can do any research you want there."


    "I really like my current job." Mu Mian didn''t like the current Jiang Yinian; she felt he was very unfamiliar. She suddenly realized that since her adoptive parents passed away, many people around her had changed.


    Senior ALisa said it was because everyone had grown up after experiencing the ident. Perhaps Senior ALisa was also lying to her.


    "Mu Mian, don''t you remember? We spent many happy times in theb."


    Fang Rui felt that this Jiang Yinian''s words were strange. Mu Mian clearly didn''t want to engage with him, so why was he so eager to reminisce with her?


    "Yes, but back then, Dad was also in theb, along with Senior Fabien, Senior Alisa, and my little squirrel... The squirrel died, and Dad died too. I don''t want to go back to that ce. I prefer my current job." Mu Mian''s voice was a bit low.


    Jiang Yinian fell silent, his expression bing serious, as if he too had sunk into great sorrow.


    He quicklyposed himself, "Mu Mian, they''ll give you that sales list in a moment. I won''t stay here with you. Goodbye, Mu Mian!"


    Mu Mian didn''t say goodbye to him.


    After Jiang Yinian left, Fang Rui asked, "Did he also use you as a test subject before, to study your brain?"


    "Of course. Everyone in theb liked to observe my brain. Who told me to be a genius? I always let them look for free. They were also willing to show me their brain scans, but I wasn''t interested in their brains. But Fang Rui, I''m very interested in your brain. Fang Rui, could you..."


    "Mu Mian, stay away from him in the future."


    Fang Rui finally understood why Jiang Yinian''s gaze was so strange. He looked at Mu Mian as if she were a little white mouse that had escaped his control. No wonder Shen Xiyin told Mu Mian to stay away from him.


    Fang Rui even suspected that Mu Mian had always been a little white mouse in thatboratory, being observed and studied by those people. They were likely conducting some kind of autism research, and Mu Mian, having been in that environment for a long time, couldn''t detect anything abnormal. She even enjoyed the feeling of being studied.


    "I understand. My sister said the same thing. I''ve already removed him from my friend list."


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian looked through the sales records and found that the buyers of this equipment were mostly schools, and all purchases were made seven or eight years ago.


    Fang Rui noticed that the Psychology Department of Jiangzhou University had bought two such devices ten years ago.


    "The psychologyb at Jiangzhou University doesn''t have these two devices," Mu Mian said.

 Chapter 81: Couple Butchers: Suspect Apprehended

    <h4>Chapter 81</h4>


    "How do you know that?" Fang Rui asked.


    "My sister is now a lecturer in the Psychology Department at Jiangzhou University. The department head told my sister that the school needed a teacher for psychotherapy, so my sister took on a part-time job there. She''s working hard to earn money to support me," Mu Mian exined. "A while ago, my sister took me to visit that school, and I secretly went to see theirboratory. Theirb is so shabby, they''re really poor."


    After lunch, Fang Rui and Mu Mian drove to Jiangzhou University again.


    With Shen Xiyin''s help, they quickly learned about the whereabouts of those two pieces of equipment. A couple of years ago, the department reced a batch of psychological experiment equipment, and those two old devices were sold as scrap.


    Fang Rui then asked theb manager about the conductive paste, "Since you''ve reced the equipment, why is yourb still using the previous brand of conductive paste?"


    "Well... this one works well. The quality of domestic conductive paste is not good, its ability to reduce resistance is weak, and it can easily lead to invalid experimental data."


    Seeing the manager''s embarrassed expression, Fang Rui suspected there might be something fishy going on. Could it be that they were taking kickbacks from medicalpanies, so they kept purchasing expensive imported products?


    "Who''s in charge of purchasing equipment for yourb? We''d like to ask them some questions."


    "Director Zhou is responsible for procurement."


    "His surname is Zhou?" Fang Rui suddenly remembered the suspect Zhou Junwei he had investigated earlier. He asked, "Does this Director Zhou have a son named Zhou Junwei?"


    "Yes, he does. His son is also a lecturer at our school. If it weren''t for old Zhou''s connections, how could his son get a teaching job at our school?" The manager revealed a contemptuous expression. Although he himself was also there due to connections, he just couldn''t stand Director Zhou''s useless son.


    "Could you please take us to see Director Zhou? I have some questions for him."


    Director Zhou was in his fifties, wore sses, and looked refined, but when he saw Fang Rui and the others, his expression was a bit impatient. "If you have any questions, ask quickly. I''m very busy!"


    "You purchased two NeurOne EEG devices ten years ago. Where are those two devices now?"


    "Sold. Those two devices were already scrapped, so we sold them as waste," Director Zhou replied impatiently.


    "Which recycling station did you sell them to?"


    "How would I remember that? Even if I told you, you might not be able to find that recycling station."


    "How do you know we can''t find it? Please tell us which recycling station you sold them to. The owner would surely remember purchasing suchrge equipment."


    Director Zhou had already lost his patience. He said to the manager, "Can''t you handle these trivial matters without bothering me? Deal with them, I''m leaving."


    "Director Zhou, I think it''s better if you tell me the truth. Otherwise, if we continue investigating, who knows what else we might uncover. Like the matter of you taking kickbacks," Fang Rui called out to stop him.


    Director Zhou''s face instantly turned pale. He asked the manager to leave first, then said to Fang Rui, "Those two devices were sold off by me. My son helped me sell them, for several thousand yuan. As for who the buyer was, I''m not sure."


    "Zhou Junwei helped you sell them?"


    "Yes. Do you know my son?"


    "Did he volunteer to help you sell them?"


    "Yes, he said his ssmate''s school wanted to buy them. So I let him take the equipment away."


    "Alright. Thank you for your cooperation." Fang Rui felt that Zhou Junwei was likely the culprit. But strangely, he had an alibi.


    Just as they were leaving the Psychology Department office, Fang Rui saw Zhou Junwei staring intently at him and Mu Mian from the stairs not far away.


    Noticing Fang Rui looking at him, Zhou Junwei smiled at them, then went upstairs and left.


    Zhou Junwei''s smile made Fang Rui feel very ufortable. It seemed to be mocking, yet also challenging, his eyes seemed to say: You can''t catch me.


    Fang Rui investigated Zhou Junwei''s background further. He was a local from Jiangzhou City. In high school, he had sexually harassed male ssmates and was persuaded to leave the school. He was then sent to study in Linzhou for high school andter attended university there as well.


    He originally studied medicine in university, but changed his major toputer science in the second semester of his freshman year.


    Fang Rui assigned the experienced Old Zhang to keep a 24-hour watch on him. Although there was no evidence yet to prove he was the killer, keeping a close eye on him could prevent him frommitting another crime.


    Back at the police station, Fang Rui received a text message from Captain Li:


    "Fang Rui, save me! Why is this old geezer Sun Guangtian so difficult to deal with? It''s been three days, I haven''t been home for three whole days, my wife even suspects I''m having an affair. Find an excuse to get me out of this special task force, please."


    Fang Rui poured himself a ss of water, but before he could drink it, Zhang rushed over, "Boss, Captain Sun and his team have caught the killer!"


    "Who''s the suspect?" Fang Rui asked calmly, taking a sip of water. "Do they have evidence?"


    "The suspect is a sanitation worker in his fifties. Captain Sun reviewed arge amount of surveince footage and finally discovered a vehicle suspected of transporting the victim''s body, which led them to identify the suspect."


    Fang Rui quickly got the details of their investigation from Song Haiyang. It was pretty much as Zhang had described.


    Captain Sun discovered through surveince that the sanitation workers at the entrance of Jiangzhou University cleaned at fixed times: once a day, between 8 PM and 10 PM.


    There were surveince cameras at the university entrance and at an intersection 2000 meters away from the school gate, but the area between these two cameras was a blind spot, and the entrance to that grove happened to be within this blind spot.


    On the evening of the 28th, an electric tricycle garbage truck appeared in the intersection camera at 6:11 PM, but it didn''t appear at the school gate until 8:43 PM. Then the sanitation worker got off to clean.


    Captain Sun keenly noticed that in the intersection camera footage, there were no dead leaves or light purple fruits stuck to the wheels of the vehicle, but in the school gate camera footage, these things were stuck to the wheels¡ªproving that the vehicle had been to that Chinese pistache grove during the time it was out of sight.


    The truck bed of the garbage vehicle was fully enclosed, so it wasn''t possible to see if anything was hidden inside.


    Captain Sun identified the suspect through that vehicle.


    Fang Rui thought Captain Sun''s analysis made sense, but how could a sanitation workere up with such aplex method of murder?


    "Haiyang, can I join you in interrogating the suspect?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Well... I can''t make that decision. It''s up to Captain Sun."


    Fang Rui brought a bag of bubble tea andte-night snacks to the special task force''s office.


    The team members had dark circles under their eyes and messy hair, probably from not resting for many days. Sun Guangtian''s dark circles were even more severe; Fang Rui suspected he hadn''t closed his eyes for days.


    When Captain Li saw Fang Rui arrive, he instantly saw him as a savior. His eyes silentlyined about Sun Guangtian''s torment.


    Captain Li thought Fang Rui was smart for having argued with Sun Guangtian early on and escaping his clutches. Unlike him, who was now firmly in Sun''s grasp, being twisted and turned at will.


    Fang Rui distributed the food to everyone. They all put down their work, and the atmosphere became more rxed.


    Sun Guangtian gave Fang Rui a cool nce. This kid sure knows how to win people over.


    Fang Rui handed Sun Guangtian a cup of bubble tea, "Captain Sun, you should take care of your health too. It''s not good to stay upte so often."


    "I don''t drink this stuff! Are you implying I''m old, kid?"


    "Even young people can''t handle this kind of all-nighter."


    The young officers in the office nodded frantically. Captain Li was even more moved to tears, thinking Fang Rui was truly his good brother, daring to confront Sun Guangtian just to bail him out.


    Sun Guangtian pulled out a half-empty pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took one out and offered another to Fang Rui, "Have one, it''ll help you stay alert."


    "Sorry, I don''t smoke."


    "That''s a good habit. Smoking should be kept to a minimum." Sun Guangtian put the cigarettes back in his pocket. "So, what do you want from me?"


    "Captain Sun, can I join you in interrogating the suspect?"


    Sun Guangtian smiled at Fang Rui, "Don''t tell me you''ve hit a dead end in your investigation and you''re here looking for inspiration?"


    "I suspect that this suspect isn''t the real killer," Fang Rui said.


    Sun Guangtian exhaled a smoke ring and said, "Alright, you cane with me to interrogate him."

 Chapter 82: Couple Butchers: A Couple

    <h4>Chapter 82</h4>


    In the interrogation room, sanitation worker Zhang Guofeng sat nervously on the chair, his eyes darting around, looking guilty as if he had done something wrong.


    Sun Guangtian frowned when he saw him.


    He exchanged a nce with Fang Rui, and they both had the same thought: this man couldn''t be the killer. A serial killer''s psychological fortitude couldn''t be this poor!


    "Where were you between 6 PM and 8 PM on the 28th?" Sun Guangtian asked.


    "I was resting at home that day."


    "Are you sure?"


    "Ah, no, I wasn''t off that day, I was on shift. I went to clean outside Jiangzhou University''s gate."


    "You''d better tell the truth." Sun Guangtian''s tone was a bit impatient.


    Zhang Guofeng looked aggrieved: "I am telling the truth. I''m an honest person, why would I lie? I haven''t done anything wrong!"


    "Your vehicle arrived near the school just after 6 PM, but you didn''t start cleaning at the school gate until after 8 PM. What were you doing during that time?"


    "I..." Zhang Guofeng hemmed and hawed for a while, finallying up with an excuse, "I went to the bathroom. I had an upset stomach that day, so I relieved myself in the woods."


    "Where exactly? Take us there now."


    "I... I forgot."


    Seeing his face turn red, Sun Guangtian said, "Just be honest. Were you gambling or visiting a prostitute?"


    Zhang Guofeng''s voice rose a few pitches: "What prostitute? How can it be called prostitution if I''m visiting my old me?"


    "Old me?"


    "My wife is extremely strict, so I can only meet my old me under the pretense of going out to clean. Otherwise, she''d beat me to death."


    Zhang Guofeng shrank his neck, "I usually leave early with the garbage truck, then park it at the edge of the small forest. Then I cut through the woods and take a shortcut to my lover''s house. I don''t dare drive directly to her ce, afraid someone might see my vehicle parked under her building and tell my wife. That day I went to her house, she can vouch for me."


    "Does anyone else have the keys to that three-wheeled vehicle?" Sun Guangtian asked.


    "I''m the only one with the keys."


    "Do you often go for these trysts?"


    "What do you mean trysts? I just go there for massages. I go about two or three times a month. Sometimes five or six times when it''s more frequent."


    "Does anyone know about this habit of yours?"


    "Nobody knows! Otherwise, my wife would beat me to death. I always sneak off to see her secretly."


    Sun Guangtian contacted Zhang Guofeng''s secret lover, who confirmed that during that time period, Zhang Guofeng was indeed with her.


    Surveince cameras near her house also proved that Zhang Guofeng had jogged all the way to her ce. So he didn''t have time to dig a hole and bury a body.


    His suspicion was temporarily cleared.


    After the interrogation, it was already past 11 PM.


    Song Haiyang and his team were frustrated that the suspect they had worked so hard to find turned out not to be the killer. They had been reviewing surveince footage day and night, only to have it turn out to be a false lead.


    Someoneined, "I haven''t closed my eyes for days, I''m exhausted, and we didn''t find anything."


    "Exactly, we''re human, not machines. We need rest!"


    Sun Guangtian''s face turned ashen. He told everyone, "You all go home and rest."


    Everyone immediately packed up and left.


    Only Sun Guangtian and Fang Rui remained in the office. He leaned against the window and started smoking again.


    Fang Rui saw his state and wanted tofort him, but was interrupted: "Fang Rui, you''re not staying behind to watch me make a fool of myself, are you?"


    "Of course not. This is how investigations go. Often you might investigate for half a month and find nothing. Then suddenly you might get a lead and catch the criminal."


    Fang Rui felt that Sun Guangtian was under a lot of pressure, possibly because the case had been unsolved for over half a year, so he was eager to catch the killer.


    "I don''t need yourfort!" Sun Guangtian cut off Fang Rui''s words, "You think this lead is dead? No, I think that vehicle is definitely suspicious. I suspect someone is using Zhang Guofeng to avoid surveince cameras. They must know Zhang Guofeng. If we keep investigating, we''ll definitely find a clue!"


    "..."


    He discovered that after Zhang Guofeng left home, a man wearing a helmet followed him on an electric bike. The man was young, wearing sportswear, looking like a college student. Near the school, he took off his helmet, and the surveince camera captured his face.


    There were often college students riding electric bikes around the school area, so initially, Sun Guangtian didn''t notice anything unusual about this person.


    This man was Zhang Guofeng''s son, Zhang Ming, 31 years old, working as an animal trainer at a nearby zoo.


    He originally worked at a zoo in Linzhou, but suddenly quit and returned to Jiangzhou City a year ago. The zoo where he worked in Linzhou was also close to the wastnd where the bodies were buried.


    Sun Guangtian felt that this person should be the killer.


    However, he currently had no evidence of Zhang Ming''s crimes, so he didn''t bring him to the police station for questioning. Instead, he assigned an experienced detective to follow him to prevent him frommitting another crime.


    Sun Guangtian sent people to investigate the zoo in Linzhou to see if they could find any clues; he himself went to Zhang Guofeng''s home while Zhang Ming was at work to search their house.


    He examined Zhang Ming''s shoes one by one and found that one pair of sneakers had a faint purple stain on the white sole. The shoes had been washed very clean, with no visible dirt, which made the purple stain stand out.


    This could very likely be the color that stained his shoes when he stepped on purple fruits in that forest.


    "Boss, Sun Guangtian has found another suspect," Zhang updated with thetest information, "He''s the son of that sanitation worker, Zhang Ming. Sun Guangtian suspects that the son used his father to transport the bodies, then secretly took the vehicle to bury the bodies while his father was having his affair."


    Fang Rui inquired about the situation from Song Haiyang again. Fang Rui felt that although Zhang Ming was very suspicious, his education level was low. How could he design an experiment to collect brain wave data? And how did he obtain the brain wave equipment?


    "It seems Zhou Junwei might not be the killer after all!" Zhang sighed, "Could our investigation approach be wrong?"


    Mu Mian said, "Maybe the person who designed the experiment and the person who carried it out are not the same? When we conduct experiments, we need assistants. It''s very difficult for one person toplete aplex experiment."


    "Dr. Mu, since the killer targets couples, he should be single, right? Otherwise, how would he be psychologically twisted due to hating couples?" Zhang asked.


    Li chimed in, "That''s right, if he had a partner, he probably wouldn''t be psychologically disturbed."


    "Could we be trapped in a psychological blind spot? Zhang, do you remember you once said that Zhou Junwei might be gay? He and Zhang Ming left Linzhou and returned to Jiangzhou City almost at the same time. Could they be a couple?"


    If it was a couplemitting the crimes together, everything would make sense.


    "Boss, but Zhang Ming works at a zoo, and Zhou Junwei is a university professor. How could these twopletely different people be a couple? The gap in their social status is too big."


    Fang Rui thought for a moment and said, "They''re about the same age. Could they have been middle school or high school ssmates?"


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to investigate at Zhou Junwei''s high school. Zhou Junwei was in Jiangzhou City


    Teacher Chen was a man in his fifties, looking very stern and serious. When mentioning Zhou Junwei, his face showed an expression of disgust.


    "I have a deep impression of Zhou Junwei as a student. His academic performance was good, but he had psychological problems, a bit perverted. He often harassed their ss monitor Chen Yuan''an, and even tried to molest him once."

 Chapter 83: Couple Butchers: New Victims

    <h4>Chapter 83</h4>


    "Is Chen Yuan''an currently in Dongzhou, and did he recently get married?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, how do you know?" Teacher Chen was a bit surprised. "He should be doing well now, right? He was my most promising student."


    "Zhou Junwei attended Chen Yuan''an''s wedding. If what you''re saying is true, how could he have been invited to the wedding?" Fang Rui noticed a hole in his story.


    "How would I know? I guess Zhou Junwei probably insisted on going, uninvited. That guy is very abnormal."


    Zhang couldn''t help but correct him: "Teacher Chen, you''re an educator after all. It''s not right to criticize your students like this. What era are we living in? Homosexuality has been dessified as a mental illness for over a decade. It''s not good to discriminate like this."


    Zhang''s cousin had been bullied by ssmates and teachers for being gay. Fortunately, his cousin was mentally strong and wasn''t crushed by public opinion. Instead, he got into a good university andter studied abroad.


    "He also abused small animals," Teacher Chen retorted. "What normal student would dissect a live rabbit in the ssroom? Someone like him will eventually harm society."


    Zhang fell silent. That was indeed a bit too abnormal.


    "At that time, wasn''t Zhou Junwei dating the ss monitor?" Fang Rui asked.


    Teacher Chen raised his voice: "Of course not. Chen Yuan''an personally reported to me that Zhou Junwei had sexually harassed him. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have asked his parents to send him to a correction school for behavioral modification."


    Fang Rui suspected that it was probably the ss monitor''s betrayal that twisted Zhou Junwei''s psychology.


    "Do you know Zhang Ming?" Fang Rui continued to ask.


    "Zhang Ming?" Teacher Chen squinted, thought for a moment, then said, "I think he was in the same grade as Zhou Junwei. He was also a problem student. He was addicted to online games, always skipping sses, with terrible grades. He had been asked to leave school several times, but his mother kept making a fuss at the school, so he wasn''t expelled. I heard that to get money for inte cafes, he chased his father with a knife for several blocks. The matter even ended up at the police station. This student will probably be a parasite on society too."


    "Did theyter transfer to Linzhou City?"


    "I don''t know. In the second semester of their second year of high school, Zhang Ming and Zhou Junwei were sent to a behavioral correction school. Zhou Junwei needed to change his abnormal sexual orientation and his morbid behavior of killing small animals, while Zhang Ming needed to ovee his inte addiction. After the behavioral correction, Zhou Junwei seems to have transferred to a high school in Linzhou City. I don''t know about Zhang Ming, he might have dropped out. Zhang Ming''s parents didn''t care much about him."


    "What was the name of that behavioral correction school?"


    "Green Sprout Psychological Correction School. It''s been closed for many years now."


    After leaving the school, Fang Rui searched for information about this school online.


    "My God, boss, this is too cruel," Zhang was also reading rted reports. "Was this a legitimate school? They actually shocked students with electricity and fed them disgusting things. They called this aversion therapy? Could it be that Zhang Ming and Zhou Junwei became psychologically disturbed because of the abuse at this school?"


    After reading those reports, Fang Rui also felt that this school was extremely cruel. The school was run like a military camp, with students only allowed in but not out, and parents were not allowed to visit. Arge number of inte-addicted teenagers and students with behavioral problems were sent to this school for correction.


    Most of the teachers there had no professional qualifications. Under the guise of psychological treatment, they abused students through electric shocks and forcing them to eat disgusting food, forcibly trying to correct students'' bad behaviors.


    Although this method achieved some results, such as many inte-addicted teenagers never wanting to touch aputer again after being sent to this school, many of these students developed severe psychological disorders, and some evenmitted suicide.


    Later, a brave undercover journalist exposed the atrocities of this school, which led to its closure and legal punishment for the relevant personnel.


    Zhang said, "Boss, it seems the killers must be Zhang Ming and Zhou Junwei. Zhou Junweies up with the ideas, and Zhang Ming is responsible for kidnapping the victims and disposing of the bodies."


    Back at the bureau, Fang Rui immediately went to the task force''s office, intending to report his findings to Captain Sun.


    Sun Guangtian was arranging for Song Haiyang to bring Zhang Ming in for a thorough interrogation.


    "Captain Sun, we suspect there are two killers..."


    Sun Guangtian interrupted him: "Wait until I finish interrogating Zhang Ming, then you can report to me."


    At this moment, Fang Rui suddenly received a call from the dispatcher.


    "Captain Fang, it''s not good. Two students from Jiangzhou Institute of Technology have been missing for a day. Because they are also a couple, their counselor is worried they might have been taken by the ''Couple Killer'' that''s been spreading online, so they quickly reported it to the police."


    Sun Guangtian paused upon hearing the phone conversation. What''s going on? Zhang Ming was already under his surveince, how could he kidnap a couple?


    Fang Rui contacted Old Zhang, who was tailing Zhou Junwei. Old Zhang reported that Zhou Junwei hadn''t shown any unusual behavior in the past few days, so it was impossible for him to have kidnapped a couple.


    Sun Guangtian also quickly contacted the officer tailing Zhang Ming, who stated that Zhang Ming had been going to and from work on time and returning home on time in the evenings. It seemed impossible for him to have kidnapped a couple right under their noses.


    Fang Rui, Sun Guangtian, Zhang, and the others went to Jiangzhou Institute of Technology to investigate. This school was very close to Jiangzhou University.


    The missing student couple was named Qin Lan and Li Dongguang. They had left in the morning yesterday and hadn''t returned since. They hadn''t asked for leave, nor had they told their roommates where they were going. Their phones were unreachable, and all their social media ounts were unresponsive. They werepletely out of contact.


    Fang Rui checked the school''s surveince footage. Like Wang Jie and Zhang Shuochen, they had also gotten into a taxi at the school gate. Based on the taxi''s license te number, they found the driver.


    "I remember these two college students. They weren''t quite right in the head. They asked me to take them to the foot of a mountain, then they just walked off with their backpacks. It was in the middle of nowhere, I don''t know what they were going to do there."


    "Didn''t they say what they were going to do?"


    "No. They were on their phones the whole time. They didn''t talk. I even asked, but they ignored me, so I stopped trying to chat with them."


    Fang Rui felt a headacheing on. Both suspects were under their surveince, so how did this couple go missing? Could there be a copycat killer?


    They had no choice but to allocate arge amount of police force to this missing persons case. The police even sent out arge number of personnel to search the mountains, determined to find this couple.


    They couldn''t allow any more victims! Otherwise, many people would be held ountable.


    After a busy day with no results, Fang Rui returned to the police station around 10 PM. He found that Mu Mian hadn''t left work yet and was having an academic discussion with Forensic Doctor Cheng. Fang Rui noticed that the two of them seemed to be getting along well.


    Seeing Fang Rui, Mu Mian yawned and said to Forensic Doctor Cheng, "Doctor Cheng, I''m tired. I''m going home to sleep."


    "Alright, goodbye." Forensic Doctor Cheng nced at Fang Rui with an "I understand" expression.


    Fang Rui had originally nned to stay and work overtime, but seeing Mu Mian, he decided to send her home first and thene back to work.


    He wouldn''t be able to sleep anyway until they found that couple.


    Fang Rui drove Mu Mian home. As they were passing through a secluded stretch of road, his phone rang. He asked Mu Mian to answer it for him.


    On the other end was Captain Li. Usually calm in temperament, his tone was now angry:


    "Fang Rui, we found that couple. I''m about to explode with anger. Guess where they were? They were camping on the mountaintop! Think of how much police resources we wasted. We asked them why they didn''t answer their phones, and guess what they said? They said they wanted to quietly enjoy the beauty of nature, so they put their phones on airne mode. My God, what a waste! They even had the audacity to say we were making a big deal out of nothing. If someone hadn''t held me back, I would have given them a good thrashing!"


    "It''s good that they''ve been found," Fang Rui sighed in relief. "Take everyone out for ate-night snack. Everyone must be tired and hungry after being so busy."


    "Absolutely!"


    Mu Mian hung up the phone for Fang Rui.


    At this moment, the right front tire suddenly blew out. Fang Rui pulled over to the side of the road and got out to check.


    The tire had been punctured by a broken bottle. As Fang Rui pulled out the shard of green ss, he found it strange. How could there be broken bottle pieces on a main road?

 Chapter 84: Couple Butchers: Kidnapped

    <h4>Chapter 84</h4>


    At that moment, Fang Rui sensed someone approaching from behind. He pretended to continue inspecting the tire, and when the person got close, Fang Rui grabbed their hand and twisted, executing a shoulder throw.


    The personnded heavily on the ground, struggling to get up. Fang Rui pinned him down, took out handcuffs from his waist, and cuffed him.


    "It''s you?" Fang Rui finally recognized the attacker as Zhou Junwei. "We were just about to arrest you, but I didn''t expect you to walk right into our trap."


    Mu Mian noticed themotion and got out of the car, then she saw another man lunging at Fang Rui from behind.


    Fang Rui recognized him as Zhang Ming. Fang Rui and Zhang Ming engaged in closebat, but Zhang Ming was no match for Fang Rui. He was quickly kicked to the ground. Fang Rui grabbed Zhang Ming''s cor, intending to handcuff him together with Zhou Junwei.


    "Fang Rui, watch out!"


    Fang Rui suddenly felt something pierce his thigh, and an icy liquid entered his veins. His whole body became paralyzed, and he quickly lost consciousness.


    "Junwei, are you alright?" Zhang Ming found the handcuff key in Fang Rui''s pocket and unlocked the cuffs on Zhou Junwei''s wrists. "He''s quite a fighter, good thing we prepared the tranquilizer. It''s meant for animals, very potent. He won''t wake up for a while."


    An hour earlier, they had used the same tranquilizer to take down the police officer who was tailing them.


    "Why couldn''t you beat him? Now we have to wait for him to wake up. I don''t know if we have enough time."


    Mu Mian watched helplessly as Fang Rui copsed. She couldn''t do anything. But she also couldn''t run away - if she did, they would surely kill Fang Rui. Besides, she wouldn''t be able to escape anyway.


    It had been raining for the past few days, leaving the ground covered with damp soil. Mu Mian secretly used her toe to write a few letters in the dirt. She also quietly dropped the bone pendant her sister had given her on the ground.


    Zhou Junwei felt like his internal organs had been shattered. It took him a while to recover. He looked at Mu Mian and said to Zhang Ming, "Zhang Ming, grab that girl. Don''t let her run away."


    "She won''t run. The person she loves is still here," Zhang Ming''s voice was low. "She won''t leave him behind."


    Zhang Ming walked up to Fang Rui, ring at him viciously. He raised his foot, intending to break Fang Rui''s ribs to avenge Zhou Junwei.


    "You can''t hurt Fang Rui. You want us to participate in that couple experiment, don''t you?" Mu Mian stepped forward. "If Fang Rui is injured now, he definitely won''t be able to cooperate with your experiment. The police are already onto you, you don''t have much time left to conduct this experiment."


    Zhang Ming lowered his foot. He looked at Mu Mian, seeing panic in her eyes. He thought Mu Mian must really love Officer Fang.


    Zhou Junwei said, "Do you think it''s an experiment? I prefer to call it a game."


    "Your game is very creative," Mu Mianplimented.


    "Do you want to y my game? I want to see what love is like for someone with autism," Zhou Junwei''s lips twisted into a sinister smile. "I''ve seen many people''s love stories, but none were interesting. I hope you won''t disappoint me."


    Zhou Junwei had seen Mu Mian at school before. She was Professor Shen''s sister, an autistic person with a brain defect like him. He felt it was unfair. Why could Mu Mian have love?


    "I don''t have love yet."


    "You don''t? Then you''ll be killed immediately!" Zhou Junwei said ominously. Behind him, Zhang Ming pulled out a sharp knife, seemingly ready to finish off Mu Mian.


    "I do have love. I love Fang Rui very much," Mu Mian quickly corrected herself. She asked, "If I win your game, will you let us go?"


    "Of course, if you win the game, I''ll let you go."


    "Your statement is problematic. It should be ''let you both go''. You need to release both me and Fang Rui at the same time." Mu Mian caught his verbal trap.


    Zhou Junwei''s smile froze. After a moment, he agreed, "Fine."


    "I think someone who cane up with such a creative game wouldn''t lie to an autistic person, right?" Mu Mian sought confirmation again. "You won''t deceive me, will you?"


    "If you win, I promise I''ll let Officer Fang leave with you."


    Mu Mian extended her hand towards them. "I''ll cooperate with your game, but you must not harm Fang Rui. I love him very much. If he gets hurt, I won''t y your game. Then you''ll never know what love is like for someone with autism."


    "You''ll be safe until the game begins," Zhou Junwei gave Zhang Ming a look. Zhang Ming took out the tranquilizer gun and injected Mu Mian''s arm.


    The cold liquid entered Mu Mian''s veins, making her feel drowsy. She slowly closed her eyes.


    But Mu Mian didn''t fall unconscious. She had a high tolerance for anesthetics.


    Zhang Ming brought over a silver van. They first carried Fang Rui to the back seat, then lifted Mu Mian in as well. Without even cleaning up the scene, they quickly drove away.


    "Junwei, do you really have to kill them? We''ve already killed so many people. Why don''t we turn ourselves in?" Zhang Ming suddenly said. "I''m so tired. Let''s run away, go abroad, or hide in some remote mountain where no one will find us for the rest of our lives."


    "Zhang Ming, we''ve already killed so many people. What difference does two more make?" Zhou Junwei''s expression was cold. "No matter how many more we kill, the punishment will be the same."


    "But they''re police officers. It''s different," Zhang Ming seemed hesitant. "Let''s let them go. We can still escape now. Or we could use them as hostages to bargain with the police to let us go."


    "It''s no different. If you don''t want to help me, then get out of the car. I can finish the rest by myself," Zhou Junwei coldly looked at Zhang Ming. He thought Zhang Ming was too useless. If he hadn''t been desperate for help, he wouldn''t have let Zhang Ming be the executor of his game.


    "Junwei, I''ll help you," Zhang Ming conceded. "Even if it means going to hell, I''ll go with you. Whatever it is, I''ll help you. You know I love you very much."


    "Zhang Ming, how can you prove your love for me?"


    "I''ve killed so many people for you. Isn''t that enough to prove my love?" Zhang Ming''s expression was crestfallen.


    "No, it''s not. I can''t see it. Unless you tell me what your love for me looks like," Zhou Junwei focused on driving, his expression somewhat cold. "I can''t feel love, so I only believe in what I can see."

 Chapter 85: Couple Butchers: Rescue

    <h4>Chapter 85</h4>


    It was past 11 PM, and Shen Xiyin hadn''t seen Mu Mian return home, nor had she received any text messages from her. She tried calling, but no one answered.


    Suddenly, she had an ominous feeling. Mu Mian always came home on time, and even if she workedte, she would be home before 11. If she couldn''t make it back in time, Mu Mian would always send a text to let her know.


    Shen Xiyin tried calling Fang Rui, but he didn''t answer either.


    Her instincts told her that something had happened to Mu Mian and the others.


    Shen Xiyin dialed a number she hadn''t called in a long time.


    "What is it?" The voice on the other end was cold.


    "Lin Sen, do you know where Mu Mian went?"


    "Forensic Pathologist Mu? Didn''t she leave work? I saw her get into Fang Rui''s car. Hasn''t she made it home yet?"


    "No."


    "Don''t worry, I''ll call Fang Rui." Even over the phone, Lin Sen could sense Shen Xiyin''s panic.


    "Captain Fang''s phone isn''t going through either."


    "Are you at home now? I''ll drive over to find you. We''ll talk when we meet."


    On his way to Shen Xiyin''s house, Lin Sen suddenly spotted Fang Rui''s car. He pulled over and found that Fang Rui''s car door was open, the right tire was t, and there were ss shards scattered a few meters behind the car.


    He instantly realized that someone had deliberately used ss shards to force Fang Rui''s car to stop. Fang Rui and the others were likely in trouble. He immediately contacted Zhang and the team.


    Lin Sen found it strange. Given Fang Rui''s skills, he shouldn''t have been so easily captured by criminals. What exactly had happened?


    Fortunately, there was no blood at the scene, so Fang Rui and the others might not have been injured.


    Sun Guangtian and Captain Li, who had just finished ate-night snack, quickly rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.


    Shen Xiyin had also taken a taxi to arrive. She looked very flustered. Seeing Lin Sen, she anxiously asked, "Lin Sen, did the serial killer who murders couples kidnap Mu Mian and Fang Rui?"


    "It''s possible."


    "Lin Sen, you must help me rescue Mu Mian. I can''t lose her."


    Seeing her like this, Lin Sen suddenly felt a bit jealous of Mu Mian. When she had broken up with him, she had been so calm, but now she was in such a panic. Mu Mian must be much more important to her than he ever was.


    Lin Senforted her, "Shen Xiyin, I won''t let anything happen to them."


    "Lin Sen, I''ve already lost so many important things. I have almost nothing left. Mu Mian is the only important person I have. I really can''t lose her too." Shen Xiyin was on the verge of a mental breakdown. "Lin Sen, you must help me save Mu Mian."


    "The killer must have mistaken Mu Mian and Fang Rui for a couple. He won''t kill them so quickly." Lin Sen reassured her, "As long as we find the two culprits before he makes his move, they''ll be safe."


    Shen Xiyin controlled her emotions and began searching for clues around the car. Mu Mian was very clever; she must have left some clues.


    Soon, she found Mu Mian''s bone pendant on the ground. Shen Xiyin also saw three letters scrawled on the ground: SOS.


    "Lin Sen, this is my sister''s favorite pendant. She always keeps it in her pocket. She left us a distress signal. She must be in danger." Shen Xiyin began to panic again, "Will Mu Mian die?"


    Lin Sen embraced her, "No, they''re very smart. They''ll surely find a way to save themselves. We need to stay calm now and find the killer as quickly as possible."


    Shen Xiyin tried hard to control her emotions, but she still couldn''t ovee the fear. She was too afraid of losing Mu Mian. Since losing her parents, Mu Mian had be her biggest reason to keep living. She couldn''t imagine what her life would be like if Mu Mian died.


    "Shen Xiyin, you still have me. No matter what happens, I''ll always be by your side."


    Lin Sen''s words gave Shen Xiyin courage.


    Perhaps she could still have Lin Sen, no matter what she became.


    Lin Sen addressed the group, "Given Fang Rui''s skills, he wouldn''t be easily subdued. Unless the perpetrator used special methods, like an electric shock or a tranquilizer dart. In that case, Fang Rui would certainly need some time to regain consciousness.


    The killer abducted them to test their love, so he''ll wait until Fang Rui wakes up before conducting his test. The time Fang Rui is unconscious is our window for rescue."


    Zhang said, "It''s unlikely to be an electric shock. The boss has been prepared for that. He wears insted shoes on missions, so ordinary electric shocks shouldn''t affect him."


    Shen Xiyin said, "Then the killer must have used a fast-acting sedative to control them. Mu Mian has a high tolerance for sedatives. She must have taken the opportunity to leave us clues."


    Lin Sen held Shen Xiyin''s hand, offering support. Shen Xiyin squeezed his hand back.


    Sun Guangtian also assigned tasks to the team. "Li and Old Zhang, quickly check the nearby surveince cameras to see if you can find any suspicious vehicles. Song Haiyang and Zhang, each of you take a team to search the areas around Zhang Ming and Zhou Junwei''s homes. We must be quick; we need to find them as soon as possible."


    Everyone sprang into action.


    Li and his team quickly found an unusual vehicle from the surveince footage¡ªa silver van. The intersection camera caught this van passing through a few minutes before Fang Rui''s car, but it only appeared in another surveince video about thirteen minutester. At normal driving speed, the journey between the two cameras should only take three minutes.


    This van kept taking small roads and constantly changing direction, trying to prevent the police from tracking its route. Later, it entered a section of road without surveince cameras and never reappeared in the traffic monitoring system.


    Time ticked by minute by minute, and as the sun rose, it was already daylight. But they still hadn''t tracked down where the van had gone.


    They didn''t have much time left.


    Lin Sen said, "I have a way that might buy us some more time. But we''ll need the bureau chief''s help."

 Chapter 86: Couple Butchers: The Optimal Solution

    <h4>Chapter 86</h4>


    When Fang Rui woke up, he saw Mu Mian sitting across from him, her hands and feet bound, with a ck electrode cap on her head.


    As his consciousness gradually cleared, he realized he was simrly restrained, likely wearing the same strange device on his head.


    Those ck wires were connected to electroencephalogram equipment.


    They were confined in a warehouse made of sheet metal, dimly lit, with sunlight filtering through high windows indicating it was now morning.


    Fang Rui noticed a table to his left with aptop on it, the screen disying Zhou Junwei''s cold face.


    "Detective Fang, you''re finally awake?" Zhou Junwei revealed an eerie smile, "I''ve been waiting for you for quite a while."


    "What do you want?"


    "Isn''t it obvious? I want you to y a game. Because I want to know what love is like for people with autism. I hope you can satisfy my curiosity, otherwise your fate might be rather tragic."


    Fang Rui understood that Zhou Junwei must have mistakenly assumed he and Mu Mian were a couple.


    "Dr. Mu, are you still pretending to be asleep?" Zhou Junwei looked at Mu Mian, "We gave you a much smaller dose of anestheticpared to Detective Fang. He''s already awake, so you must have been awake for a while, right? Or do you need me to wake you up with an electric shock?"


    "That won''t be necessary. I''m already awake," Mu Mian quickly replied. She had originally intended to feign sleep to buy some time, but her ruse had been discovered.


    "You already know the purpose of your invitation here. Now, let me exin the rules of the game. It''s a very simple game. There''s a red button beside each of you. The game consists of four rounds. In each round, the person who presses the button first gets to make a choice: shock yourself or shock your lover. If neither of you presses the button or if you press it simultaneously, both of you will receive the shock for that round.


    The voltage intensity for each round is randomly determined. I''ve set up six voltage levels: 30V, 36V, 40V, 220V, 300V, and 450V. They will appear randomly in each round of the game."


    After hearing the rules, Fang Rui suddenly realized that this game could only end with one person surviving or both dying.


    "You should understand the rules now. Let''s start the game," Zhou Junwei announced. "This is the first round. You have one minute to press the button and make your choice. You have plenty of time, so think it through."


    As soon as Zhou Junwei finished speaking, Fang Rui resolutely pressed the button.


    "Detective Fang, you didn''t even take a moment to think?" Zhou Junwei was a bit surprised. "In this game, other participants usually hesitate and struggle for a while before the cold-hearted one makes the selfish choice first."


    Mu Mian stared at Fang Rui in shock. She knew what the optimal solution to this game was, and she also knew what Fang Rui intended to do.


    Fang Rui said, "I choose to shock myself."


    The countdown on the screen disappeared, reced by the voltage value: 30V.


    "Detective Fang, you''re very lucky. In the first round, you''ve drawn the lowest voltage. You won''t be harmed this time."


    The second round began, with the countdown for pressing the button and making a choice reduced to 20 seconds.


    Fang Rui had his hand practically on the button, so he was again quicker to press it.


    "I still choose to shock myself."


    This time, the screen disyed a voltage of 40V. Simultaneously, Fang Rui''s body began to tremble slightly, his face contorting in pain, which he struggled to suppress.


    "Detective Fang, did you feel the pain of the electric shock? I hope you won''t make such a hasty decision in the next round."


    "Fang Rui, why do you keep choosing to shock yourself?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Mu Mian, if only one of us can survive, I want it to be you," Fang Rui smiled at her.


    "But why? Fang Rui, you''re so young, you surely don''t want to die. Why are you giving me the chance to live?" Mu Mian couldn''t understand.


    Why indeed? Fang Rui thought it might be because he had fallen in love with Mu Mian.


    When did he fall for her?


    Fang Rui wasn''t sure. At first, he thought Mu Mian was a genius, and he was kind to her to help solve cases more effectively.


    Butter, his feelings changed.


    Perhaps it was when he repeatedly saw Mu Mian carefully disguising herself, thinking she was doing a good job, that he found her both amusing and pitiful, unable to resist the urge to indulge her true self.


    Maybe it was when Mu Mian was racking her brains trying to obtain his corpse. Sometimes he couldn''t help but think, why not just agree? But then he felt he couldn''t, because if he did, he would no longer be important to her.


    Or perhaps it was when he gave her that skeleton bride. That day, Mu Mian said she liked him very, very, very much. At that moment, he felt an uncontroble happiness, even though he knew Mu Mian''s "like" was no different from her fondness for the skeleton bride.


    "The third round is starting," Zhou Junwei reminded them.


    "Mu Mian, don''t press that button," Fang Rui said to her. "I promised I would protect you."


    "No!"


    But Fang Rui was still faster in pressing the button.


    This round''s voltage was 300V. Fang Rui convulsed violently for a while, nearly losing consciousness.


    Zhou Junwei''s tone became a bit excited: "The fourth round is about to begin. This time you only have five seconds to make your choice."


    Before the game even started, Mu Mian had her hand pressed firmly on the button.


    The optimal solution to this game was for only one person to survive, and now the best oue would be for Fang Rui to endure thest shock, with Mu Mian being the one to live.


    But Mu Mian couldn''t think rationally now. She felt she had to do something, even if it meant she would die.


    Mu Mian silently apologized to her sister. She had promised her sister she would always be there for her, but now she might not be able to keep that promise.


    The screen disyed the voltage: 30V.


    The expected shock didn''te.


    "Dr. Mu, congrattions on winning this game. You''ve survived," Zhou Junwei said, sighing as he looked at the unconscious Fang Rui. "Unfortunately, you''ve lost your lover."


    Mu Mian didn''t respond to Zhou Junwei.


    She stared nkly at the motionless Fang Rui.


    Rationally, Mu Mian knew she should be happy because she had finally obtained Fang Rui''s body¡ªhe had died in a homicide, and as a forensic pathologist, she could follow the procedure to autopsy his corpse.


    But grief washed over her like a tidal wave, drowning her. She felt as if she were suffocating, unable to breathe.


    Mu Mian''s mind went nk, feeling detached from reality, with one message screaming in her ears: Fang Rui was dead.


    There would be no one to tell her she could be her true self anymore; no one who happened to like the foods she disliked and was willing to eat them; no one to give her rides to and from work... Without Fang Rui, arge part of her life was missing.


    She had obtained Fang Rui''s body, but lost a piece of her life''s puzzle that could never be reced.


    With a ng, the iron door opened from the outside. Bright sunlight shone into Mu Mian''s eyes, giving her a sense of disorientation.


    Zhou Junwei and Zhang Ming walked in.

 Chapter 87: Couple Butchers: Fantasize About You

    <h4>Chapter 87</h4>


    Zhou Junwei looked at Mu Mian''s nk expression and suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction.


    They were the same kind of people after all. They couldn''t have emotions. Now that Mu Mian had lost the person she loved most, she would never be able to experience the most passionate love again. This was fair.


    Zhou Junwei excitedly said, "Dr. Mu, you''ve won. I promised you that if you won my game, I would let you go. Now you can leave with Police Officer Fang''s body. I''ll keep my promise and let you both go."


    Mu Mian stared at them expressionlessly. In her mind, she imagined a scene of torture. She would lock Zhou Junwei in a specially made cage, where every part could potentially deliver an electric shock. The shocks wouldn''t be fatal, but they would cause extreme pain. Zhou Junwei would live in constant fear and agony.


    As for Zhang Ming, he would be forced to watch Zhou Junwei''s torment from outside the cage. He wouldn''t even be able to close his eyes, forced to witness this cruelty and endure mental torture.


    Mu Mian regained some of her rationality. She became clearly aware again that Fang Rui was dead.


    "Dr. Mu, you were very clever to find the ''optimal solution'' logically. But you didn''t love each other enough. If neither of you had pressed the button, the voltage would have remained at 30V. Both of you enduring the shock together would have been the best solution to this game. Unfortunately, I''ve tested so many couples, and not one has found the right method."


    Zhou Junwei continued, "But Dr. Mu, you should thank me. Look, I helped you test how much Police Officer Fang loved you."


    Zhang Ming walked over to Fang Rui''s side, intending to untie the ropes on his body to return his corpse to Mu Mian. He had just bent down to undo the ropes when he realized they were already loose. Before he could be surprised, he felt a punch to his abdomen.


    Zhang Ming felt as if his internal organs had been shattered, and he let out a painful groan.


    A rope tightened around his hands, and in no time, his hands were tied behind his back, and he was thrown heavily to the ground.


    Everything happened so quickly that Zhou Junwei and Mu Mian just stared in shock.


    Mu Mian felt as if fireworks were exploding in her brain. Fang Rui... had somehowe back to life. But dead people can''te back to life. Had something gone wrong? Was it her mind?


    "You... why didn''t you die from electrocution?" Zhou Junwei asked in astonishment. "Were you pretending to be dead earlier? How did you escape the electric shock..."


    Fang Rui didn''t answer his questions. Instead, he beat Zhou Junwei up and then tied him together with Zhang Ming.


    Zhou Junwei looked at the strange shoes on Fang Rui''s feet and finally found the answer - Fang Rui was wearing insted shoes. Then he noticed that the indicator light on the device that should have been on was actually off - there had been a power outage in the warehouse.


    "You were lying to me! You weren''t sacrificing yourself for love at all. What I saw wasn''t love. You''re a fraud!" Zhou Junwei flew into a rage, struggling violently to break free from the ropes.


    Fang Rui walked over to Mu Mian, untied her ropes, and removed the ck electrode cap from her head.


    Mu Mian stared at him nkly. Was this a hallucination? Had she started having visions of Fang Rui so soon after his death because she missed him so much?


    "Mu Mian, is this really the time to be spacing out?"


    Mu Mian thought she must be seriously ill if this imaginary figure had started talking to her.


    Fang Rui sighed and pulled Mu Mian into an embrace. "Mu Mian, it''s all over now. We''re safe."


    The warm touch made Mu Mian''s mind a little clearer. She thought her hallucination must be very advanced to have both tactile sensation and temperature.


    Mu Mian couldn''t help but speak to this imaginary figure: "Fang Rui, don''t be afraid. I won''t seek treatment, so you can stay with me forever as a hallucination."


    Fang Rui finally realized something was wrong with Mu Mian. He patted her face gently. "Mu Mian, I''m not dead. I was just pretending earlier to trick them. You haven''t gone into shock, have you? You can touch me to see if I''m real."


    Mu Mian rested her head against Fang Rui''s chest, feeling his strong heartbeat - a sign that Fang Rui was still alive.


    "You''re... still alive?"


    "Dr. Mu, you''re being very unprofessional. Can''t you tell the difference between a dead person and a living one?"


    "Fang Rui, my brain short-circuited earlier. It was thinking so slowly. I was so scared. I thought you had died, and that I would never see you again."


    "But I''m alive now, aren''t I? Come on, don''t be sad. How about this - I''ll give you my body donation agreementter. That should make you feel better, right?"


    "Fang Rui, stop talking. You''re being noisy." For some reason, Mu Mian felt irritated. She had always wanted to have Fang Rui''s body, but now that she was finally going to get it, why didn''t she want it anymore?


    Perhaps it was because she now wanted Fang Rui to live, to live for a very long time. She didn''t want Fang Rui to die.


    Mu Mian suddenly realized she didn''t want Fang Rui''s body as much as she thought she did.


    At that moment, the sound of vehicles and faint footsteps came from outside the warehouse.


    Fang Rui let go of Mu Mian.


    When everyone rushed into the warehouse, expecting to see a tense and thrilling scene, they were surprised to find that Fang Rui and Mu Mian had already sessfully escaped and were waiting for their support.


    Zhang burst into tears of joy. "Boss, Dr. Mu, I knew you''d be alright."


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.


    "Mian," Shen Xiyin ran over and hugged Mu Mian, "I''m so d you''re okay. You scared your big sister to death."


    Mu Mian hugged Shen Xiyin back.


    "Sister, I''m sorry. I didn''t want to be kidnapped by the criminals either, it was just really bad luck. Fang Rui could have protected me, but these two were too despicable. They ambushed Fang Rui, otherwise they wouldn''t have been able to overpower him. They almost killed Fang Rui and nearly drove me insane. If Fang Rui had died, I would have had to imagine a Fang Rui to keep mepany."


    Shen Xiyin was stunned. She hadn''t realized how important Fang Rui was to Mu Mian.


    The others who heard Mu Mian''s words were also shocked. They all looked at Fang Rui with knowing nces.


    Mu Mian noticed her sister''splex expression and thought Shen Xiyin was unhappy. So she tried tofort her: "Sister, if you died, I would imagine a version of you to keep mepany too. No, I''d have to imagine two of you - one to deal with all my problems and work hard to make money to support me."


    Everyone was speechless. So for every person who died, Mu Mian would imagine a recement. They really couldn''t keep up with Mu Mian''s train of thought.

 Chapter 88: The Couple Butchers: Hypocritical Love

    <h4>Chapter 88</h4>


    On the way back, Zhang vividly described to Mu Mian and Fang Rui the process of rescuing them.


    "At first, we spotted the suspicious vehicle, a silver van, but it disappeared into a blind spot in the surveince. When we tracked it down again, the driver had been switched. You have no idea how cunning Zhou Junwei and his aplices were. They called for a substitute driver and had him drive the car to the suburbs. We spent half a day investigating and almost came up empty-handed. Fortunately, Captain Sun had assigned very detailed tasks, so when one lead went cold, we had others to follow up on."


    "We finally managed to pinpoint an abandoned, unfinished warehouse area. It was full of makeshift shelters made of sheet metal. We were dumbfounded: if we had to search them one by one, you would have surely perished by then. Luckily, Miss Shen and Lin Consultant found a small crumpled paper on the ground. When we unfolded it, it had the words ''corpse'' written on it."


    Zhang paused for a moment, "We knew this must be a clue left by Forensic Pathologist Mu. We followed the path and found several more small paper balls, with the words ''Fang Rui'', ''I voluntarily'', ''donate'' written on them in sequence. Following these paper clues, we finally found you, but¡ª"


    Mu Mian looked at the ground sheepishly, pretending not to hear Zhang''s teasing. She urged, "Officer Zhang, please go tell Chen Xue that I''m alright now."


    "I''ve already told her," Zhang continued, "Forensic Pathologist Mu, I can''t believe you carry a body donation agreement with you... Who carries that kind of thing around? But it''s a good thing you did, otherwise we wouldn''t have had props to leave clues for us."


    Zhang imagined Mu Mian secretly crumpling paper balls and found it a bit amusing.


    Fang Rui, who was driving, warned Zhang, "Zhang Qiang, I''m the victim here and I have noints, so what are you grumbling about?"


    "Boss, please don''t use my full name!"


    Zhang felt something was off. The boss used to favor Mu Mian before, but not so tantly.


    Could it be that after being tormented by that psycho Zhou Junwei, Fang Rui finally realized he had fallen for Forensic Pathologist Mu?


    "Boss, you guys managed to escape sessfully this time, thanks to Lin Consultant and the Bureau Chief. You should really thank them properly."


    Zhang waited for Fang Rui to ask why, but Fang Rui ignored his words and instead said to Mu Mian, "Mu Mian, my heart is fine, you don''t need to check it every ten minutes."


    "It''s safer to check. Although you were wearing insting shoes, what if some electric current still passed through your body?" Mu Mian felt Fang Rui''s heart area, and only withdrew her hand after confirming its beating frequency was normal.


    Zhang couldn''t help but try to make his presence known: "Zhou Junwei couldn''t possibly have electrocuted you guys. Lin Consultant asked the Bureau Chief for help, who in turn asked the powerpany for assistance, and they cut off electricity to the entire North City District for half an hour. So, Boss, you''ll be fine, you weren''t actually electrocuted at all."


    Fang Rui had a sudden realization. He had wondered how these hundred-yuan insting shoes could be of such good quality that they could protect him from such high voltage without any difort. It turned out there was no electricity at all.


    Fang Rui suddenly remembered that when he regained consciousness, he noticed the equipment didn''t have any red lights on. He had found it strange at the time, but now he realized they simply hadn''t been activated.


    Zhou Junwei''sptop and that button didn''t need to be connected to a power source, and at the time, Zhou Junwei''s attention was focused on Mu Mian and him, which is why he didn''t notice the power was already cut.


    It seems they owe Lin Sen a big thank you.


    However, he had just seen Lin Sen and Shen Xiyin leave in the same car. If he wasn''t mistaken, Lin Sen should be the one thanking them instead. If Mu Mian hadn''t been kidnapped, their rtionship would probably have remained stagnant forever¡ªlike throwing something into a still pond, causing a slight ripple, but ultimately returning to calmness.


    "Forensic Pathologist Mu, you almost got the Boss''s corpse. How did that feel? More excited or more sad?"


    "Officer Zhang, please be quiet, you''re very noisy!" Mu Mianined, "Don''t mention the word ''corpse'' in front of me anymore. Chen Xue says it''s very unlucky."


    "Didn''t Chen Xue tell you that a long, long time ago?"


    Goodness, is this still the same Forensic Pathologist Mu? Shouldn''t she be excited at the mention of corpses? Could Zhou Junwei''s electric shock experiment have altered her thinking? Did he somehow remove Mu Mian''s love for corpses?


    Fang Rui was also a bit surprised. He felt that Mu Mian finally cared a bit about him as a person, rather than just his potential corpse.


    After returning to the bureau, Fang Rui and Sun Guangtian took statements from Zhou Junwei and Zhang Ming.


    Although there was already evidence proving that Zhang Ming hadmitted murder and disposed of bodies, they weren''t very clear on some details of the case. They also needed to determine who was the main culprit and who was the aplice.


    They interrogated Zhang Ming first.


    "I did everything. I liked Zhou Junwei, so I dragged him into this and forced him to help me." Zhang Ming voluntarily took all the me upon himself.


    "You''re saying you''re the mastermind?" Sun Guangtian asked.


    "Yes. I nned all the cases. I came up with the killing methods too. Zhou Junwei is gay, and he currently has a respectable job. His parents are both university professors and wouldn''t allow their son to be gay, so I used this to manipte him, make him have a rtionship with me, and help me do things."


    Zhang Ming began to confess his crimes voluntarily.


    "When I was in Linzhou, I met Zhou Junwei and fell in love with him. But he didn''t like me, so I kept pestering him. Later, I discovered that it wasn''t that Zhou Junwei didn''t like me, he just didn''t dare admit he was gay.


    To prove the falsity of heterosexual love, I kidnapped the first couple. They worked in the factory area next to the zoo where I worked, and they were a particrly loving married couple. But I knew their love was just a facade. So I made them y that game, watching them reveal their ugly sides as they tried to avoid electric shocks, ming and cursing each other. I sessfully made Zhou Junwei despise heterosexuality."


    Zhang Ming licked his dry lips and continued his confession, "I kidnapped the second couple to prove the beauty of homosexual love. The second couple loved each other very much and had ovee societal obstacles to be together. I thought they would pass the game. Zhang Yawen loved Tian Xin so much that she never pressed the button, passively waiting for Tian Xin to make a choice. Tian Xin chose to shock Zhang Yawen all four times."


    Zhang Ming showed a disdainful smile: "A traitor like Tian Xin who betrayed her lover doesn''t deserve to live. So I took out a sharp knife and stabbed her to death, one stab at a time. Each stab avoided vital areas; I wanted her to die slowly, to avenge the devoted Zhang Yawen."


    "Kidnapping the third couple was to prove to Zhou Junwei that love during student years is the most childish andughable. Because Zhou Junwei''s first love got married and invited him, Zhou Junwei was upset and started reminiscing about his youth.


    I felt I needed to stop him from continuing to reminisce. I wanted to kill that immature feeling.


    So I kidnapped a couple known for their public disys of affection at Jiangzhou University. They were the most ridiculous when ying this game, they seemed to truly treat it as a game,peting with each other for the chance to choose. In the end, they died by each other''s choices. Zhou Junwei finally let go of his nostalgia for youth."


    Zhang Ming continued to confess: "As for how I disposed of the bodies, you should be quite clear about that already. Although my game revealed the hypocrisy and ridiculousness of their love, I still dressed them in couple outfits and ced roses symbolizing love in their hands, continuing to maintain the illusion of their love. I suppose this was my reward to them for ying my game."


    Fang Rui asked, "Was the game your idea too?"


    "Of course it was. Why do you look so surprised? You think someone like me, who dropped out of high school, couldn''te up with such a sophisticated game?" Zhang Ming''s face showed a mocking smile, "The inte is so advanced now, you can learn anything by yourself. You don''t need to be so shocked."


    Fang Rui caught his slip: "Why did you use brainputer interface equipment to collect the victims'' brain wave data?"

 Chapter 89: The Couple Butchers: Case Closed

    <h4>Chapter 89</h4>


    Zhang Ming was taken aback, then exined, "I''m collecting love, all kinds of love. The brain is the source of all human emotions, so the brain will present the most authentic state of our emotions. Those brain wave data are their love."


    "Since you say the game was designed by you," Fang Rui ced aptop in front of Zhang Ming, "then write out the program for your game, the one where clicking a button randomly generates voltages. That should be simple, right?"


    Zhang Ming''s face changed dramatically, and fine sweat began to form on his forehead. He tried hard to suppress the strong feeling of nausea. But when he put his hands on the keyboard, he suddenly vomited, ruining Zhang''s newly acquiredptop.


    Zhang looked crestfallen: "Boss, myputer..."


    "Look on the bright side, you''ll soon get a newputer," Fang Rui consoled him.


    "..." He wasn''t really someone who always craved new things.


    After Zhang Ming''s nausea subsided, he quickly tried to cover up: "I was previously treated for inte addiction at a Behavioral Correction School. Aversion therapy made me physiologically averse toputers, so I can''t use them now. That''s why I forced Zhou Junwei to design the program for me. He''s studied this and is very professional."


    Fang Rui and Sun Guangtian took another statement from Zhou Junwei.


    "Everything was done under Zhang Ming''s coercion," Zhou Junwei used. "I''m gay, but I don''t like Zhang Ming, yet he kept pestering me relentlessly. Later he threatened me, saying if I didn''t help him, he''d reveal that I''m gay. This would not only cost me my job but also ruin my reputation. I had no choice but to help him."


    "But murder is a crime, far more serious than a ruined reputation, isn''t it?"


    "At first, he didn''t intend to kill. Later, when he didn''t get the results he wanted, he started killing. After killing one couple, he couldn''t stop. Targeting Dr. Mu and Officer Fang was also Zhang Ming''s idea. That day he came to the school to find me and happened to meet Dr. Mu, and he became interested in autism. Later, when he saw that Officer Fang and Dr. Mu were a couple, he became curious about what love is like for people with autism."


    Zhang Ming took responsibility for all the crimes, while Zhou Junwei insisted that Zhang Ming had coerced him intomitting the crimes and that he wasn''t the main culprit.


    Currently, there was sufficient evidence, and although the case could be closed without confessions, the distinction between principal and essory offenders was always aplex issue. In this situation, the judge might not necessarily agree that Zhou Junwei was the principal offender.


    Fang Rui held a brief meeting to report this situation to everyone and asked Lin Sen if there was any way to drive a wedge between them, make them turn on each other, and rify who the real mastermind was.


    Mu Mian pulled a small bone from her pocket: "This is a voice recorder. I secretly recorded their conversation in the car."


    After everyone listened, they were certain that Zhou Junwei was the principal offender. Zhou Junwei seemed to have an emotional disorder, unable to feel emotions. Zhang Ming, on the other hand, was his loyal follower, willing to do anything for Zhou Junwei.


    "It''s a pity that the recording can''t be used as evidence," Mu Mian sighed. "I originally wanted to record video, but they would have seen me. I could only record audio."


    Lin Sen looked at Mu Mian, his voice softer than usual: "Dr. Mu, do you want to get revenge on Zhou Junwei?"


    "Very much so, but murder is illegal. Keeping someone in a cage and electrocuting them is also illegal," Mu Mian sighed.


    "But attacking someone psychologically isn''t illegal."


    Mu Mian''s eyes lit up: "Consultant Lin, please borate."


    Fang Rui looked at Lin Sen, thinking that in the future, he shouldn''t casually tease him. Those who study psychology are not to be trifled with.


    Zhou Junwei was once again brought to the interrogation room.


    This time, Mu Mian and Lin Sen were interrogating him.


    Seeing Mu Mian, Zhou Junwei''s face darkened. He felt that Mu Mian and Fang Rui had acted together to fool him.


    Mu Mian smiled slightly at him, thenunched into a merciless critique of Zhou Junwei.


    "Mr. Zhou, your gamecks any creativity. The electric shock test part giarizes the experimental logic of Milgram''s experiment. Although you made your own innovations, I''m sorry to say that the part you innovated destroyed the essence of the experimental logic.


    The EEG part is even worse. You even put the electrode cap on me crooked. I even doubt if you understand what EEG equipment is for. You certainly can''t interpret EEG data."


    Zhou Junwei looked at Mu Mian angrily and shouted, "Shut up! I won''t allow you to insult this game."


    "See, you only dare to call it a game. Because you know yourself that your design has no scientific basis, no logic. If you want to study love, you need to first define love, then propose your experimental hypothesis, choose the variables you want to study, control for irrelevant variables..."


    "Get her out of here! Get her out!" Zhou Junwei became extremely agitated. "I won''t allow you to insult my design."


    "Hmph, I haven''t even started insulting you yet, I''m just telling the truth."


    Lin Sen looked at Mu Mian, a bit helpless. Mu Mian''s words had no aggression, just pure sincerity. But this was precisely what broke Zhou Junwei''s defenses, probably because what Mu Mian said was true.


    "Mr. Zhou, why are you so agitated? Are you the designer of this game?" Lin Sen asked.


    Zhou Junwei knew they were using reverse psychology to provoke him and gradually regained hisposure.


    "Zhang Ming''s things are mine. Can''t I defend him?"


    Lin Sen looked at Zhou Junwei, "Mr. Zhou, do you think this case will go down in history?"


    "Of course it will. Such a creative method and motive for murder will definitely make it into criminology textbooks." Zhou Junwei was very satisfied with the case he hadmitted.


    "Yes. But the protagonist of this case will be Zhang Ming. The perverted one people will curse will be him, and the one called a crime artist will also be him. And you, I estimate, will only be recorded as Zhang Ming''s aplice. Are you content with that?"


    Zhou Junwei''s face changed dramatically. He wouldn''t allow his most proud design to be Zhang Ming''s, even if it would reduce his crime.


    Lin Sen said, "All of this is clearly your achievement, why give the chance for fame to Zhang Ming?"


    "I want to see Officer Fang. I confess." Zhou Junwei didn''t want to see Lin Sen anymore. Although he knew Lin Sen was deliberately provoking him, he couldn''t help but fall for it.


    Facing Fang Rui and Sun Guangtian again, Zhou Junwei confessed the truth.


    "I am the mastermind behind this series of cases. Zhang Ming was just my assistant," Zhou Junwei stated. "I wanted to know what love is, so I captured those people and made them y my game. Their results were very unsatisfactory to me, so I had Zhang Ming kill them."


    Zhou Junwei said, "I can''t feel emotions, so I needed to observe their love through their EEG data. I didn''t intend to kill at first, but they didn''t take my game seriously. Later, I started to incorporate the electric shock element, which could both create a dangerous situation to amplify their love and punish those who didn''t respect love."


    Zhou Junwei described the process of the crime, which was simr to Zhang Ming''s description. Only the motive for the crime was different.


    With this, the case finally came to a close, and Zhou Junwei and Zhang Ming would soon face legal punishment.

 Chapter 90: Couple Butchers: Deprived Emotions (Side Story)

    <h4>Chapter 90</h4>


    Zhang Ming had once wondered if he would have be a normal person, living a normal life, if he hadn''t met Zhou Junwei. But he realized there was no such possibility. It was precisely because he was abnormal that he met Zhou Junwei in that hellish Behavior Correction Room.


    After Zhang Ming chased his father with a knife for several blocks, he wasbeled with many tags: "inte-addicted youth", "antisocial personality", "unfilial son", "social outcast". Then he was sent to that Behavioral Correction School.


    That''s where he met Zhou Junwei.


    Zhou Junwei was so different from the others. While everyone else was sent there to ovee inte addiction, gambling addiction, or violent behavior - having harmed their families and society to some degree - Zhou Junwei was the only one sent there to correct his sexual orientation. He seemedpletely harmless.


    In that era, people had a very low eptance of homosexuality. So Zhou Junwei was isted. Everyone was afraid of being liked by Zhou Junwei and bing another homosexual.


    Zhou Junwei was a very unlikable person, even the therapists didn''t like him. Because the treatment on him yielded no results - no matter how much they electrocuted Zhou Junwei, there was no correction effect.


    Zhang Ming was puzzled. If Zhou Junwei just said he wouldn''t like men anymore, or showed disgust at those male photos, those people would stop electrocuting him. But Zhou Junwei refused to give in.


    One day, Zhang Ming was assigned to clean the treatment room. He saw Zhou Junwei on the floor, his lips pale, his muscles still trembling even though the electrocution had stopped long ago. He was in great pain.


    Zhang Ming couldn''t help but ask, "Zhou Junwei, why don''t you pretend you''ve been cured?"


    "Because my brain is free. I''m free to love anyone, anything," Zhou Junwei gave a weak smile, "No one can deprive me of my right to love. I can''t surrender to them."


    Zhang Ming found Zhou Junwei interesting. He looked so thin and small, yet his willpower was so strong.


    "This isn''t surrendering, it''s strategy. We pretend to be cured, so we can get out. We''ll bebeled as ''normal people''," Zhang Ming reminded him.


    "And then what after we get out? Do we keep pretending? For how long? If we keep pretending forever, doesn''t that mean we''ve actually been cured by them? Are we still ourselves then?"


    Zhang Ming was stunned by the series of questions. He wasn''t that smart and never thought about suchplex issues.


    "Zhou Junwei, I don''t know either. Sometimes I wonder if I''m just pretending, or if I''ve really been cured," Zhang Ming suddenly realized he hadn''t touched aputer for many days. He felt sick just looking atputers.


    Zhou Junwei recognized Zhang Ming. He was a notorious problem student in the school, rumored to have chased his father with a knife all over the street for money to go online. Zhou Junwei was a bit scared of him.


    "Zhou Junwei, you dissected a rabbit in the ssroom, you must be very brave. Why are you afraid of me?"


    "I didn''t dissect that rabbit. It was Chen Yuan''an who did it. He was curious if a rabbit''s internal organs looked the same as in the biology textbook. I didn''t want him to be seen as a psychopath, so I took the me. I love small animals, I wouldn''t hurt them. Actually, I''d like to work in a zoo. I think the animal world would be simpler. But my dad wouldn''t agree. He wants me to be a doctor."


    "Eh, rumors are terrifying. You must have heard rumors about me too. But they''re also false. I chased my dad with a knife because I saw him bringing a woman home, having an affair in our house. I was furious, so I chased him with a knife. Sometimes I really wanted to kill him.


    Later, my dad felt the truth would make him lose face, so he spread the rumor that I was chasing him for inte cafe money. I tried hard to rify, but no one believed me, including my mom. They all thought I was a loser addicted to online games. Funny, isn''t it?"


    Zhang Ming continued, "My inte addiction is also fake. I didn''t go to inte cafes to y games, I went to learnputer skills. I want to be a hacker when I grow up. But I can''t get into college, so I can only learn by myself in inte cafes. I want to live in the virtual world in the future. The real world is tooplicated and boring."


    Zhou Junwei looked at Zhang Ming with surprise. He suddenly felt they were of the same kind. Because of their introverted personalities, everyone assumed the worst about them. When in fact, they had done nothing wrong.


    "Zhou Junwei, be my friend. I don''t seem to have any friends."


    "Okay. Zhang Ming, you''re my friend from now on. You''re my only friend."


    Zhang Ming was quitefortable in this correction school. He didn''t have inte addiction to begin with, and he was good at pretending. Whenever those psychologists treated him, he would vomit or show pain, so they would quickly end the treatment.


    They were very satisfied with Zhang Ming''s treatment results.


    Zhou Junwei wasn''t so lucky. The therapists had tried almost every method, but they still couldn''t change Zhou Junwei''s cognition. Zhou Junwei would still be interested in male photos, and he would still say he liked men.


    Zhou Junwei didn''t want to pretend he was cured. He wasn''t sick, he didn''t need to be cured.


    "Looks like we need to bring out our trump card," Zhang Ming overheard those therapists say viciously, "No behavior is beyond correction once they enter our ce."


    Zhang Ming made a n to escape from the correction school. He even drew a map and stole the principal''s gold watch and all the cash in the drawer from the office. He nned to escape with Zhou Junwei that night.


    But he was one step toote.


    That night, Zhou Junwei was taken away. Zhang Ming didn''t know what those people did to Zhou Junwei, and Zhou Junwei wouldn''t say. Zhou Junwei had a new scar on his forehead, and from that day on, Zhou Junwei changed. He no longer liked men, but he didn''t like women either. He wouldn''t like anyone or anything.


    Zhou Junwei was finally cured, but he seemed to have lost his emotions.


    He remembered everything, remembered Zhang Ming was his friend, remembered his parents, even remembered he once loved Chen Yuan''an, but he didn''t know what love felt like. He couldn''t experience emotions, he couldn''t even recall emotions.


    Later, Zhang Ming recovered and left the correction school. His parents didn''t want to take care of him, so he went to do odd jobs, living day by day. But he never touchedputers again, and forgot about his dream of bing a hacker.


    After drifting for a few years, he went to work at a zoo. He remembered Zhou Junwei liked animals, but now Zhou Junwei couldn''t like anything anymore. Zhang Ming felt he could like animals on Zhou Junwei''s behalf.


    Shortly after Zhang Ming left, Zhou Junwei also recovered. His parents were relieved that their son had finally be normal, and much more likable than before. Zhou Junwei could face anything calmly and would say things that adults liked to hear. He had finally learned to pretend, as Zhang Ming had said.


    He studied in a new school, got good grades, and was admitted to a decent university. At first, he followed his father''s arrangement and chose clinical medicine as his major, but he would vomit uncontrobly at the sight of bloody scenes and couldn''tplete the anatomy course.


    So he chose to change his major. He didn''t know what major he should study because he didn''t like anything. But he thought of Zhang Ming, his only friend. He remembered Zhang Ming wanted to be a hacker, but Zhang Ming didn''t like to touchputers anymore. Zhou Junwei thought, well, let''s studyputer science then.


    Zhou Junwei couldn''t like anything, but he still remembered he once liked animals. One day he went to the zoo to see animals, recalling the feelings he had for animals in his memory, and then he met Zhang Ming again.


    Zhang Ming had changed a lot. He had be an animal trainer at the zoo, got along well with his colleagues, and looked nothing like the gloomy teenager he once was. Zhou Junwei thought it was good that Zhang Ming had be a normal person in everyone''s eyes.


    Zhang Ming was very happy to see him. Even though Zhang Ming now had many friends, he still cared about Zhou Junwei the most.


    After reconnecting, Zhang Ming frequently sought him out. They would do many things together.


    Later, Zhang Ming told him that he had fallen in love with him.


    Zhou Junwei was perplexed; he didn''t know what love felt like. He used to not care about whether he could feel emotions, but now he suddenly wanted to know what it felt like.


    He began watching a lot of romantic movies, reading love stories, and would go out to the streets to observe couples on dates. He even started spying on couples during intimate moments. He desperately wanted to understand what love was.


    But the more he observed, the more confused he became. He still couldn''t grasp what love looked like - people''s expressions, bodynguage, elerated heartbeats... all these things rted to love were unstable.


    Later, he finally found an answer. The human brain is the source of all emotions, so if he wanted to see what love looked like, he could only do so by observing people''s brains.


    So he designed a game. He set up dangerous situations to induce and amplify couples'' love, then observed what changes urred in their brains.


    At first, he recruited arge number of couples to participate in this game under the guise of a sociological experiment. He collected a lot of brain wave data from the couples. However, during the game, those couples were not serious at all. They didn''t respect his game and instead engaged in various mockeries and jokes.


    He decided he needed to enhance the immersive experience of this game.


    He chose...


    They loved each other so much, but during the game, in order to fight for the chance to survive, they attacked each other, venting years of resentment towards their partners. This wasn''t the result he wanted, so he directly used the highest level of voltage he had set up to electrocute them to death.


    Later, Zhou Junwei became curious about what same-sex love would look like.


    Zhou Junwei originally wanted to find a gay male couple. But after observing for a long time, he found that most gay men didn''t have fixed partners, and they seemed to care more about physical needs than emotional ones.


    Later, on his way to the zoo, Zhou Junwei encountered a lesbian couple. They looked very much in love. But that was only how it appeared.


    Zhang Yawen was willing to sacrifice herself for her partner, giving her the choice; Tian Xin, however, chose to electrocute her partner to death in order to seize the chance to survive.


    It turned out that love could also be one-sided.


    Just like how Zhang Ming felt about him.


    Zhou Junwei stabbed Tian Xin to death with a knife. After killing them, Zhou Junwei stopped his frenzied actions. He felt that the love he had seen wasn''t beautiful, and he didn''t want to see any more. Perhaps, not being able to feel love wasn''t such a regrettable thing after all.


    Later, Chen Yuan''an was getting married. He apologized to Zhou Junwei, saying he had hurt him when they were younger and hoped he could forgive him.


    Zhou Junwei remembered that he had once liked Chen Yuan''an.


    He wanted to y that game again.


    Zhang Ming loved him very much and was willing to do anything for him.


    This time, their luck was very bad. The bodies were buried too shallow, and with the heavy rain washing over them, the police quickly discovered the corpses.


    Zhou Junwei wasn''t actually afraid of being caught by the police. When he saw Mu Mian at school again, he felt that he wanted to y that game one more time.


    He had seen Mu Mian at school before; she was Teacher Shen''s sister, an autistic person. He knew she was also someone with a deficient brain, and he thought she would be like him, unable to feel any emotions.


    When he saw Mu Mian again, he realized he was wrong. She came to the school with Police Officer Fang. Their interactions reminded him of the love movies he had watched.


    So even autistic people could have love.


    He really wanted to see what Mu Mian''s love would look like.


    When he saw that Police Officer Fang was willing to exchange his own death for Mu Mian''s life, he felt a bit envious of Mu Mian. Why could she have love?


    At this moment, he heard Zhang Ming say to him: "Zhou Junwei, I would also die for you without hesitation."


    Zhou Junwei remembered that he seemed to have love too, but he just couldn''t feel it. If he could like anything, he thought, he would love Zhang Ming.


    But he could never love anyone.


    So, Zhang Ming was just a tool he used to kill people.


    On the day he was sent to prison, Zhang Ming saw Zhou Junwei for thest time.


    If he could, Zhang Ming would want to go back to the day before Zhou Junwei was taken away. He would take Zhou Junwei and escape from that Behavioral Correction School, go anywhere they wanted. Zhou Junwei could like anyone or anything.


    At that time, Zhou Junwei would have liked Zhang Ming, and they would have walked hand in hand on the streets.

 Chapter 91: I Want to Become Strong

    <h4>Chapter 91</h4>


    After Fang Rui realized he liked Mu Mian, he decided to confess directly. He didn''t want to y games with hints and ambiguity, because Mu Mian might not pick up on his signals at all.


    The next day, Fang Rui waited outside Mu Mian''s door as usual to go to work together.


    Mu Mian opened the door, carrying a huge luggage bag, stumbling as she walked out. She nearly fell over.


    Fang Rui steadied her. "Mu Mian, I like you," he said, his voice a bit nervous.


    "Fang Rui, thank you for liking me. I like you too. I''m so tired right now. If you could help me get this bag into the car, I''d like you even more." Mu Mian put the bag on the ground and took a few deep breaths to recover. The bag was so heavy!


    Fang Rui felt a bit helpless. His first confession had failed so miserably; Mu Mian might not have even realized he was confessing.


    "Why are you bringing so much stuff? Mu Mian, you''re going to work, not on vacation." Fang Rui picked up the bag. It was quite heavy, and from the bulging shape, it seemed to contain a variety of items.


    "Self-defense tools. Better safe than sorry."


    Self-defense tools? Fang Rui paused. He opened the bag to find various restricted items: a stun gun, hammer, machete, chainsaw, electric drill, anti-wolf spray, several bottles of unknown substances...


    Seeing Fang Rui open her emergency kit, Mu Mian looked a bit embarrassed. She had originally thought Fang Rui could protect her, but she realized that as a bodyguard, he had significant limitations. So she had to rely on herself.


    Fang Rui read the disdain in Mu Mian''s expression and quickly rified, "Mu Mian, that time was an ident. They ambushed me. Otherwise, even if there were ten of them, I could have taken them on."


    "Fang Rui, I believe you would protect me, and I know you''re great at fighting. But sorry, I''m afraid there might be more... idents in the future," Mu Mian tried to phrase it delicately. "Fighting isn''t just about brute force; sometimes you need to use your brain too."


    "Mu Mian, you think I don''t have a brain?"


    "No, I''m just worried the bad guys are too cunning," Mu Mian consoled Fang Rui. "Chen Xue says nowadays criminals are very clever. Their brains work exceptionally well when ites tomitting crimes, making them hard to guard against."


    Fang Rui was irritated by herck of trust. He reached out and messed up Mu Mian''s hair.


    "Fang Rui, I want to be able to protect you too."


    Fang Rui was stunned. Had he be so important to Mu Mian that she wanted to protect him?


    "Protect my sister, Chen Xue, Zhang..." Mu Mian looked at him earnestly with her disheveled hair. "I don''t want to helplessly watch bad guys take you away and not be able to do anything. That feeling is awful."


    Fang Rui smiled wryly. He was important enough to be listed alongside Zhang. But he quickly let it go, because he was also listed alongside Shen Xiyin, and even came before her.


    Mu Mian clenched her fists and said passionately, "Fang Rui, I want to be strong!"


    "That''s a good idea. How about I teach you some self-defense techniques?"


    "No." Mu Mian instantly deted like a punctured balloon. "Fang Rui, I''m not physically coordinated. I can''t learn those things. You''llugh at me if I can''t learn. Besides, learning self-defense is so tiring. I don''t want to learn; I just want to take shortcuts. Can I use physical power-ups to get stronger?"


    Fang Rui was speechless. Mu Mian had the desire to get stronger butcked the motivation to act on it. However, given Mu Mian''s small frame, not resisting would probably be safer than resisting if she encountered criminals.


    "But you can''t have so many power-ups," Fang Rui pointed at the bag full of dangerous tools. "You have decision paralysis. Criminals won''t give you time to choose a suitable weapon."


    In the end, Mu Mian only brought one self-defense item - the anti-wolf spray. Her reasoning was sound: it was small, cute, easy to carry, discreet, and required no physical effort to use.


    After the couple murder case was closed, it was time for the special task force to return home.


    The Director held a farewell party for them.


    The party was held in a small auditorium with a few tables set up, offering barbecue, snacks, and milk tea. It was simple, but thanks to the social butterflies Zhang and Wang, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.


    The Director had intended to say a few words, but he was interrupted by Sun Guangtian after just two sentences.


    "Old Wang, stop speaking so pompously and wasting time. Just get to the point."


    Zhang and the others were stunned. Captain Sun... dared to interrupt the Director? The Director hated being interrupted the most. It turned out that when Sun Guangtian first arrived, he wasn''t targeting them specifically; he just liked to challenge people.


    Surprisingly, the Director didn''t seem upset. After all, he had gotten used to Sun Guangtian''s provocations during their college years. The Director simply announced the start of the farewell party.


    Everyone ate, drank, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.


    Forensic Doctor Cheng handed Mu Mian a simple, elegant notebook. "Little Forensic Doctor Mu, I didn''t have much to do these past few days, so I wrote down my years of experience in this notebook. I''m giving it to you now, hoping it will be helpful."


    "Thank you for the gift. I love it. I promise I''ll read it carefully." Mu Mian was delighted to receive the gift.


    She really liked Forensic Doctor Cheng because he reminded her of her father. Her father had also patiently taught her knowledge, even when she didn''t need such detailed instruction. She could understand most things after reading them once, but she still liked hearing her father exin them again. asionally, when it came to topics her father excelled in, she would pretend not to understand, so her father would first frown, then happily exin it to her again.


    Mu Mian hadn''t thought about her father for a long time, but Forensic Doctor Cheng''s presence awakened that part of her memory.


    "Little Forensic Doctor Mu, you''re an excellent forensic doctor. I have high hopes for your career development."


    "Thank you for thepliment. I''ll be even better."


    Forensic Doctor Cheng nced at Fang Rui, who was talking to Sun Guangtian not far away, and whispered to Mu Mian, "Captain Fang is very outstanding. If you like him, you should act quickly. A youngdy from our task force has taken a liking to him and even asked your Director to help introduce them."


    Mu Mian didn''t quite understand his meaning. She agreed that Fang Rui was outstanding, and she liked him very much, but she didn''t understand why she needed to chase after Fang Rui - he wasn''t going to run away. And why did it matter to her if someone else liked Fang Rui? Why tell her this? Did they want her to help persuade Fang Rui to go on a blind date?


    Aliali: 6720f5192bffb2b7bc4c09c9


    Mu Mian''s expression turned serious. "I''m sorry, I can''t help. Fang Rui doesn''t like blind dates. I can''t force him."


    "Little Forensic Doctor Mu, let me have that notebook back for a moment. I just remembered I left out some things." Forensic Doctor Cheng realized he had written too little about social skills and rtionships. He should expand the section on dating experience.


    Sun Guangtian stood by the window smoking, out of ce in the lively, harmonious atmosphere.


    "Captain Sun, you should smoke less. It''s bad for your health," Fang Rui reminded him.


    "I know, but I''m too old to quit now," Sun Guangtian extinguished his cigarette. "Don''t learn from me, kid."


    Looking at Fang Rui, Sun Guangtian was reminded of his younger self - motivated and full of a sense of justice.


    "Old Wang kept praising you to me before. I thought he was exaggerating. Your investigative skills are indeed quite good." Sun Guangtian patted Fang Rui''s shoulder. "Apologize to your girlfriend for me. I didn''t mean to be harsh to her that day."


    "Mm."


    Sun Guangtian was a bit surprised. "So Forensic Doctor Mu really is your girlfriend? I thought they were just spreading rumors."


    Fang Rui smiled at him. "Not yet. But I think she will be soon."

 Chapter 92: Lost Her: Blood Curse

    <h4>Chapter 92</h4>


    Perhaps due to the approaching New Year, the crime rate had recently plummeted, and the Special Crime Unit hadn''t received a case in over half a month.


    On this day, the bureau chief called Fang Rui and Captain Li from the neighboring Criminal Investigation Unit Two into his office, assigning them a special task with a grave tone.


    The chief''s expression was very serious: "I have a case for you two to investigate, but the investigation must be keptpletely confidential from outsiders, understand? Not even our internal staff can know about it."


    Captain Li frowned and asked, "Chief, has something happened to some big shot?"


    Fang Rui thought this was unlikely, because if a VIP was involved, they would surely set up a special task force for the investigation. The fact that the chief hadn''t asked Mu Mian to investigate with him proved there was no deceased victim. Seeing the chief still beating around the bush without getting to the point, it probably wasn''t an urgent case either.


    "Do you know Su Momo?" the chief asked.


    Captain Li replied, "No... Is she some female leader?"


    Fang Rui thought for a moment, there shouldn''t be any such big shot in Jiangzhou City.


    "She''s not a leader, she''s our city''s big money-maker," the chief said, pping a newspaper down in front of Fang Rui and Captain Li.


    The newspaper headline read: Su Momo Boosts Jiangzhou City''s Tourism Revenue by 1.7 Billion in Half a Month.


    Fang Rui thought she must be some female entrepreneur. Only after carefully reading the news did he realize that Su Momo was a famous actress who had starred in many hit dramas. She had recently filmed a popr idol drama called "Secrets of the Deep Sea," which was a massive hit. The drama''s real locations were shot in Jiangzhou City, consequently causing the city''s tourism industry to explode, raking in countless profits.


    "Our city is about to host arge-scale tourism festival, and the tourism bureau has invited Su Momo to shoot a promotional video. However, during the filming process, a cursed doll was suddenly discovered in her hotel room. Your task is to find out who ced that cursed doll there. Before finding that person, you also need to ensure her safety."


    Su Momo was staying at the Jiangzhou International Hotel. This was thergest five-star hotel in Jiangzhou City, with excellent security measures and strong privacy, making it a favorite among many celebrities.


    She originally stayed in suite 808 on the eighth floor, but after discovering the terrifying cursed doll, she was frightened and moved to suite 606.


    The hotel manager first took Fang Rui and Captain Li to the eighth floor, exining the situation: "Last night around 10 PM, Miss Su returned from work and was about to go to bed. When she lifted the nket, she saw that horrifying doll, and the nket was covered in blood."


    Seeing the room number, Captain Li couldn''t help butment, "Su Momo seems very superstitious about numerology, look at this room number, how auspicious."


    "Miss Su is actually very nice, she never acts like a diva and doesn''t have many demands for her living conditions. It''s her assistant who''s troublesome, always having a bunch of requirements when booking hotels, insisting that room numbers must include 8 or 6, and can''t have 1, 4, or 7. What right does a mere assistant have to act so high and mighty? Once, she even gave Miss Su attitude. Well, it''s only because Miss Su is so kind that she wasn''t fired..."


    The hotel suite was very spacious, with three rooms and a kitchen. Su Momo stayed in the room with windows facing south. Her room had arge floor-to-ceiling window, and standing by it, one could see the blue ocean.


    "After discovering the cursed doll, we immediately sealed off this room to preserve the scene as much as possible."


    Fang Rui saw that the middle of the bed sheet had been dyed dark red with blood, and a blood-stained cotton dolly on it.


    The doll was about the size of a palm, not looking particrly scary. It had delicate features and smooth hair, wearing pretty clothes. At first nce, the doll looked very much like Su Momo.


    It was covered in needle holes, with a red thread sewn into a scar on its hand. It looked exactly like a scar left after a wrist-cutting suicide attempt. On its chest, the name "Su Momo" was embroidered crookedly.


    The doll seemed to have been soaked in blood, bing stiff after drying, with a strong stench. However, the blood didn''t look like human blood, appearing darker in color.


    Fang Rui put on gloves and felt the doll. Besides the clumped cotton inside, there seemed to be something else. He put the doll in an evidence bag, nning to ask Mu Mian to help examine whether the blood on it was human.


    Fang Rui also checked the doors and windows but found no signs of forced entry.


    The room was carpeted with white plush, and no suspicious footprints were found on it.


    Fang Rui and Captain Li then went to the sixth floor to take Su Momo''s statement.


    The door was opened by a very beautiful girl. Seeing her wearing thetest designer coat worth over a hundred thousand yuan, Captain Li almost thought she was Su Momo. But her face didn''t quite match.


    Seeing Fang Rui and his colleague, she frowned slightly, looking at them warily, "Who are you?"


    Fang Rui and Captain Li showed their badges and exined why they were there.


    Her expression remained impatient, "You can tell me whatever it is. Momo isn''t avable to see visitors."


    "Yaying, I called them here," Su Momo said from inside. "Please let them in."


    Fang Rui and Captain Li entered the room to see Su Momo half-lying on the sofa. She was wearing thick, fluffy pajamas, no makeup, with her hair casually tied up. Her looks could only be described as pretty in a girl-next-door way, not stunning, and not even as beautiful as the girl who had opened the door.


    She was watching TV with her legs crossed, holding arge bag of chips, not looking at all like someone who had just experienced a fright.


    "Hello, officers. I''m Su Momo," she said, pointing to the beautiful girl. "This is my assistant, Liu Yaying."


    Captain Li thought that if their identities were swapped, it would look more reasonable. Obviously, Liu Yaying''s attire and appearance were more like a celebrity''s, while Su Momo looked more like a small-time assistant.


    "Officers, please, you must help me catch the person who cursed me!" Su Momo excitedly threw the chip bag onto the coffee table, rubbing her fingers to get rid of the chip crumbs stuck to them.


    "Of all the curses they could choose, they cursed me tomit suicide by cutting my wrists. Me, Su Momo, with my money and career, how could I possiblymit suicide! So you must help me find that person. I want to ask the one who cursed me, why be so vicious!"


    Fang Rui asked, "When you were staying in 808, besides the hotel staff, who else had a keycard to your room?"


    "Myself, Yaying, and my life assistant Qi Fang, the three of us all had keycards," Su Momo said, then added after thinking, "They''re both my own people, they couldn''t possibly do such a thing. I suspect that one of the hotel staff is my anti-fan, and they took advantage of their work to sneak into my room and deliberately ce this doll to upset me."


    "Did you stay in that room the night beforest?"


    Su Momo nodded, "Yes, I stayed in that room the night beforest, but I didn''t notice anything unusual."


    There was a surveince camera in the hallway outside room 808, facing directly at the room door. Fang Rui retrieved the surveince video from the day of the incident.


    That morning around 7:30, Su Momo, assistant Liu Yaying, and life assistant Qi Fang all left the hotel suite together. At 10:43 PM, Su Momo and Qi Fang returned to the hotel. Shortly after, Qi Fang ran out of the suite screaming, then the hotel manager appeared in the surveince footage.


    Due to Su Momo''s special status, her room was not cleaned by hotel staff, but by her life assistant Qi Fang.


    In other words, that day, apart from the three of them, no outsiders had entered the room.

 Chapter 93: She Disappeared: Best Friend or Frenemy

    <h4>Chapter 93</h4>


    Fang Rui returned to the police station with the cursed doll and the hotel corridor surveince footage. Meanwhile, Captain Li stayed at the hotel to protect Su Momo''s safety.


    Fang Rui first went to Mu Mian''s office to find her.


    Mu Mian was studying the forensic manual given to her by Forensic Doctor Cheng. Mu Mian found the technical parts easy to understand, but she struggled with the sections on interpersonal rtionships. She still couldn''tprehendplex human interactions.


    "Fang Rui, where did you go today? I haven''t seen you all day. Did you secretly go investigate a case?" Mu Mian leaned in and sniffed around Fang Rui, "It''s the smell of blood, some kind of animal blood, not very fresh."


    "You have quite the keen nose." Fang Rui handed the evidence bag containing the cursed doll to Mu Mian, "I also don''t think it''s human blood. Mu Mian, can you help examine what kind of blood is on this doll?"


    "Fang Rui, you really did go investigate a case. Was there no victim? Why didn''t you take me along?" Mu Mian was a bit displeased.


    "It''s a small case. But the chief said it needs to be kept confidential."


    "Alright then."


    Mu Mian put on gloves and carefully examined the blood stains on the cursed doll. She used an anti-human hemoglobin colloidal test paper, which came back negative, confirming that the blood on the doll was indeed not human.


    "This is some kind of animal blood. Based on its smell, color, and consistency, we can rule out pig blood, duck blood, sheep blood, and chicken blood, but to determine exactly what kind of blood it is, we''ll need to analyze itsponents. I suspect it might be dog blood."


    Mu Mian squeezed the doll, feeling that the cotton inside had clumped together, bing hard. She also felt something strange inside, long and slightly stic when squeezed.


    Curious about what was inside, Mu Mian turned to Fang Rui and asked, "Can I open up this doll to examine it? I feel there''s something unusual inside."


    "Go ahead, I was nning to open it up and see what''s inside anyway."


    Mu Mian carefully cut open the doll along its seams and removed the clumped cotton inside. There was a yellowish-brown, elongated piece of flesh, wrinkled, about 10cm long and three fingers wide.


    Mu Mian picked it up with tweezers for closer inspection, "This looks like a fetus, judging by its size, it''s probably about three months old."


    "Are you sure it''s a human fetus?" Fang Rui thought of Chen Hui''s case, wondering if there could be a connection between the two cases.


    "Yes, and it''s been dried."


    Mu Mian also found a yellow paper ball wedged in the cotton, soaked in blood and crumpled. Strange characters were outlined in gold on the paper.


    "These characters are very odd, I''ve never seen them before. They don''t seem to follow any pattern, so they''re probably not a code. They might be some kind of mystical symbols, possibly rted to religion." Mu Mian felt these weren''t letters, but more like some kind of symbols.


    Mu Mian wasn''t interested in mystical things and rarely read about such topics, so she couldn''t identify what the symbols were.


    Fang Rui guessed, "This must be a talisman with spells written on it."


    Thebination of a talisman and a dried fetus strongly resembled some kind of ck magic. Fang Rui suspected that whoever made this cursed doll wasn''t just trying to scare Su Momo, but actually believed the curse could work.


    So the question was, why would the perpetrator want to curse Su Momo tomit suicide by slitting her wrists?


    Fang Rui thought of Su Momo''s assistant, who seemed very superstitious. Could she be involved in this?


    Fang Rui watched all the video footage of Su Momo since she checked into the hotel. Su Momo was often out early and backte, rarely staying in the hotel during the day. Her life assistant, Qi Fang, was always by her side, while Liu Yaying''s schedule was more flexible, allowing her to move about freely most of the time.


    Fang Rui noticed some suspicious points. Su Momo and her assistant Liu Yaying had a strange rtionship. When they talked, they seemed to get along very well. But whenever Su Momo turned her back, Liu Yaying''s expression would instantly change, ring at Su Momo with intense hatred.


    Liu Yaying seemed to despise Su Momo.


    Yet Su Momo treated Liu Yaying extremely well, even giving her expensive gifts from brand sponsors, nearly offending the sponsors in the process.


    On the first day Su Momo checked in, she was carrying a spotted dog. The dog could be seen walking in the corridor on the second and third days. But after the fourth day, the dog was never seen again in the surveince footage.


    Fang Rui focused his investigation on the rtionship between Su Momo and Liu Yaying.


    They were both students in the acting department at Film University, in the same year but different sses. They had been close friends since their freshman year.


    During their university years, Liu Yaying far surpassed Su Momo in both looks and acting ability. In every performance showcase, Liu Yaying always yed the lead role, while Su Momo could only get minor roles with few lines.


    In their senior year, Liu Yaying started dating a rich second-generation heir and lost interest in acting, turning down many roles. She passed on a TV drama script she didn''t think much of to Su Momo, and rmended Su Momo to the director for the unpopr lead role.


    Unexpectedly, the low-budget TV drama became a hit, and Su Momo rose from being an extra to instant stardom.


    Liu Yaying''s fortunes, however, took a sharp downturn. Her wealthy boyfriend quickly tired of her and abandoned her while she was pregnant. She also offended industry insiders by breaking contracts and was essentially cklisted. These consecutive blows left Liu Yaying physically and mentally exhausted, nearly driving her to attempt suicide by slitting her wrists.


    Later, Su Momo, grateful for Liu Yaying''s help in the past, hired the destitute Liu Yaying as her assistant and provided her with various forms of financial support. This gradually helped Liu Yaying emerge from the shadows of her past and regain her spirit.


    Fang Rui found Liu Yaying very suspicious. She had a strong motive for the crime.


    Fang Rui reviewed all surveince footage featuring Liu Yaying. He noticed that the day before the cursed doll appeared, Liu Yaying was carrying an LV bag that was bulging oddly, as if concealing some living creature.


    Fang Rui went back to Jiangzhou International Hotel. He first questioned Su Momo: "Miss Su, do you know where your spotted dog is?"


    "You mean Bugu? Its hind legs were injured, so it was sent to the pet hospital for surgery." Mentioning her beloved dog, Su Momo''s expression turned sad, "It ran out and got cut by some ss, so I had Yaying take it to the hospital."


    "Can we inquire about your dog''s condition at the hospital?"


    "You''ll have to ask Yaying about that. She''s the one who contacted the pet hospital, only she has their information."


    Fang Rui and Captain Li found Liu Yaying for questioning.


    "Miss Liu, how would you describe your rtionship with Su Momo?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Momo and I are best friends. We''ve known each other since freshman year and are very close."


    "Are you sure your rtionship is that good?"


    Fang Rui produced a stack of photos showing Liu Yaying rolling her eyes at Su Momo, ring at her fiercely, and even making a choking gesture behind her back...


    The numerous photos all pointed to one conclusion: Liu Yaying harbored intense hatred towards Su Momo.

 Chapter 94: The Vanished: Do You Want an Autograph

    <h4>Chapter 94</h4>


    "No, that''s not it. The expression on my face wasn''t because I hated Momo, but because I was angry. I didn''t want her to follow in my..." Liu Yaying thought of something and swallowed the words she was about to say.


    "Miss Liu, where is the spotted dog?" Fang Rui asked.


    "It''s receiving treatment at the pet hospital."


    "Could you please contact the doctor? We have some questions for him."


    Liu Yaying stammered, "Well... the vet is very busy. I''ll contact him after he gets off work."


    Captain Li saw through her lie and exposed her, "You''ve already killed that dog, haven''t you? You used its blood to soak that cursed doll. The dog isn''t at the pet hospital at all, so you can''t make that call."


    "No, Bugu isn''t dead. I gave it away. That person left Jiangzhou City, and I can''t contact her anymore."


    Fang Rui asked, "You made that cursed doll, didn''t you?"


    Liu Yaying immediately shook her head in denial, "That''s not a cursed doll, it''s... I didn''t put it on Momo''s bed. I don''t know how it ended up there."


    "There was a dried fetus corpse inside that doll," Fang Rui looked at Liu Yaying, deciding to bluff her, "Is that fetus from your abortion?"


    "No, it''s not," Liu Yaying''s face instantly turned pale, "That doll has nothing to do with me."


    She was obviously lying.


    Fang Rui said, "Then please cooperate with us for a DNA test. If that fetal corpse matches your DNA, then you can''t deny your connection to this cursed doll."


    "I didn''t make it, I really didn''t put it on Momo''s bed."


    Fang Rui caught the loophole in her words, "Are you admitting that you made this doll?"


    "I admit it, I had a master make it for me, but it''s not a cursed doll, it''s... it''s for holding my child''s soul. I don''t know why it appeared in Momo''s room."


    "If it''s for holding your child''s soul, why was the doll made to look like Su Momo?" Fang Rui felt her story was full of holes.


    "I..."


    Captain Li didn''t want to hear Liu Yaying lie anymore, he interrupted her defense, "Miss Liu, intimidating others with a cursed doll is also against thew. We need to detain you first."


    "Can you not tell Momo about this..." Liu Yaying looked at them pitifully, "I don''t want to lose Momo as a friend."


    "Of course not. Whether you go to jail or not depends on whether Miss Su will pursue legal action against you. We must inform her of this. Besides, if you consider Su Momo a friend, why would you do something to hurt her? Is this what friends do?" Captain Li said angrily.


    Liu Yaying''s face turned even paler. She tried to defend herself but ultimately gave up.


    Fang Rui conducted a DNA test between the fetal corpse and Liu Yaying, and the results showed a blood rtion.


    This basically confirmed that Liu Yaying had made the cursed doll.


    When Su Momo heard that the person who cursed her had been found, she wrapped herself up tightly, wore sunsses, and secretly came to the police station. Her life assistant, Qi Fang, also came with her.


    "Why is it you?" The moment she saw Liu Yaying, Su Momo was stunned as if struck by lightning, "Yaying, why did it have to be you? I''ve been so good to you, why would you do this?"


    Liu Yaying''s lips quivered, her face full of struggle. She seemed to want to exin, but perhaps feeling she couldn''t, she remained silent.


    "Liu Yaying, exin yourself! Give me a reason why you did this."


    "Momo, I have no exnation. I can''t exin."


    Su Momo''s tears kept flowing, ruining her makeup.


    "Liu Yaying, tell me why you did that. Why did you curse me tomit suicide by cutting my wrists? You know my mother died by cutting her wrists, you know how much of a shock this is to me, why would you curse me like this?"


    Su Momo became increasingly hysterical, "Liu Yaying, we were best friends, we apanied each other through the toughest times. You took care of me when I was sick. Now that we''ve finally started living good lives, why did you betray me?"


    "I didn''t curse you tomit suicide, that doll was..."


    "Enough, Liu Yaying, I''ve had enough of you! Let''s end our friendship here. I won''t pursue legal action against you this time, I''ll bail you out. But you''re fired, you''re no longer my employee, and no longer my friend. Take care of yourself from now on."


    "Momo..."


    Su Momo left without looking back. Qi Fang nced at Liu Yaying, who was also in tears, and smiled at her, "Sister Yaying, don''t worry, I''ll take good care of Momo from now on."


    "Qi Fang, Momo''s health isn''t good. Remember to have her checked regrly, please take extra care of her."


    "I will. You don''t need to worry about her anymore. Sister Yaying, you need to worry about yourself now."


    Su Momo practically ran out, and at the corner of the corridor, she bumped into Chen Xue.


    Chen Xue rubbed her sore shoulder, and when she realized who had bumped into her, her face lit up with joy, "Are you... Su Momo?"


    Su Momo stopped crying and denied it, "I''m not."


    "But... you... oh, I understand. I''m sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else."


    Seeing that Chen Xue was so understanding, Su Momo said, "Give me your notebook and pen."


    "What?"


    "You recognized me even though I''m all wrapped up like this, you must be a die-hard fan. You want an autograph, right? I''ll sign for you."


    "Mian, quick, get the pen and notebook!"


    Mu Mian thought Chen Xue needed to record an autopsy for another forensic scientist. They hadn''t had any cases recently and were often borrowed by other departments. When they had nothing to do, they asionally helped the neighboring traffic police department with autopsies ¡ª of course, these were all voluntarily requested by Mu Mian. She even begged others to let her examine their corpses.


    Mu Mian brought Chen Xue her autopsy record book.


    Chen Xue was stunned. How could she let her favorite idol sign on this? But then she thought, why not?


    "You''re female forensic scientists? That''s amazing," Su Momo praised them after learning their profession, "I happen to have a role where I y a forensic scientist, could you give me some pointers?" Su Momo looked at Chen Xue, "Little fan, let''s add each other on WeChat."


    Chen Xue nodded frantically, her hands shaking throughout the entire process of adding contacts.


    "Um, little fan, are you sure you want me to sign here?" Su Momo looked at the notebook, somewhat hesitant.


    Chen Xue nodded vigorously.


    "Alright then." Su Momo thought for a moment, then signed her name in the victim''s name column. Su Momo''s handwriting was beautiful, each stroke powerful, unlike the mboyant signatures of other celebrities.


    Mu Mian noticed a long scar on the inside of her right wrist, seemingly a knife wound. The scar was covered by her diamond watch, but it was visible when she raised her hand.


    Mu Mian was surprised. Had she attempted suicide by cutting her wrists?


    Chen Xue, having obtained the autograph, was overjoyed. As expected of her favorite idol, she was so unique.


    Su Momo noticed Mu Mian staring at her and thought Mu Mian was also a fan, "Would you like an autograph too?"


    Mu Mian nodded excitedly.


    Just as Su Momo was about to ask Mu Mian where she wanted the signature, Mu Mian took Chen Xue''s record book, flipped to a nk page, found the victim column, and quickly signed her own name.


    "..."


    Mu Mian praised her, "This is the first time I''ve seen someone sign their own name in the victim column. I couldn''t resist signing one too."


    "...I just randomly picked a spot to sign."


    Long after Su Momo had left, Chen Xue was still standing there, clutching her autograph in a daze.


    Mu Mian stood with her. Recently, there had been no corpses for Mu Mian to examine, so she was very bored. Sometimes she would join Chen Xue in doing boring and meaningless things that made Chen Xue happy, like watching "Secrets of the Deep Sea" together.


    "Mu Mian, what are you doing?" Fang Rui saw the two in the corridor and asked, puzzled.


    "Fang Rui, I want to know what Chen Xue is looking at," Mu Mian rubbed her eyes, "But I can''t see anything. Do you know what she''s looking at?"


    "No idea."


    It seems they''ve been too idletely, to the point of developing problems.


    Fang Rui reported the investigation results of the cursed doll to the bureau chief. This matter was considered satisfactorily resolved. However, the chief was still uneasy and assigned Captain Li and Fang Rui to protect Su Momo until she finished filming that promotional video.


    "Fang Rui, you look quite displeased with my arrangement!"


    Captain Li tried to ease the tension: "Fang Rui, this task is too simple. We just need to follow her around. It''s not like anyone''s going to assassinate her."


    The bureau chief and Fang Rui simultaneously turned to look at Captain Li.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing. Let''s just hope your jinxing words don''te true this time."

 Chapter 95: The Vanished: A Murder Case Without a Corpse

    <h4>Chapter 95</h4>


    Fang Rui and Captain Li had been following Su Momo on set for three days, and finally, the promotional video was finished, marking the end of their bodyguard duty.


    Before leaving, Su Momo insisted on giving each of them a signed poster. They weren''t interested in such things and were about to refuse, but Su Momo forced them to ept, threatening toin to the Director if they didn''t.


    "Officers, I am a big star after all. You don''t have to be so disrespectful," she said.


    Fang Rui initially wanted to throw it away but felt it would be disrespectful. He decided to take it back, thinking he could use it to cover a patch of peeling paint on the wall in the forensics office, adding a touch of decoration.


    Back at the station, Mu Mian approached Fang Rui and sniffed him carefully. "No smell of blood. But there''s a faint scent of perfume. I''ve smelled this on Chen Xue''s idol before. Fang Rui, is your case rted to her?"


    Fang Rui sniffed his own clothes but couldn''t smell any perfume. He had no idea how Mu Mian could detect it. He figured it must have rubbed off on him from being on set for so long.


    "Yes, you''re right, but that case is over now. We caught the person who made the curse doll," Fang Rui said, handing the poster to Mu Mian. "Doesn''t Chen Xue like Su Momo? Why don''t you give her this autograph?"


    "Your gift is toote. Chen Xue already has her autograph," Mu Mian said, taking the poster and ncing at it. She still thought the signature in her autopsy record book looked better.


    "..." So, did Su Momo give out autographs to everyone she met?


    "Fang Rui, you shouldn''t keep secrets from me next time. See, I always find out in the end," Mu Mian said smugly. "Your ability to keep secrets is a bitcking."


    "The Director insisted I keep it confidential. I don''t even know why it needed to be a secret," Fang Rui noticed Mu Mian''s heavy dark circles and asked, "Mu Mian, there haven''t been any casestely. Why are you still staying upte? You''re not lying awake thinking about corpses, are you?"


    "That was a few days ago. I''m not thinking about corpses now. I''ve been studying the ulttely. I realized Ickmon knowledge in that area and need to learn. I''ve read many books, but I can''t understand their logic, so I''ve been losing sleep. You can''t imagine how many strange ck magic practices exist in this world, and how many people believe in them."


    "Any results?" Fang Rui thought of the talisman paper. Mu Mian must have felt frustrated about not being able to decipher its secret, which sparked her interest in the subject.


    "Of course. That talisman is a type of Thai ck magic, usually used with fetal mummies. It absorbs the good luck of people around it through the fetus''s yin energy, allowing the user to reach peak luck in a short time."


    Fang Rui frowned, "You mean that doll isn''t a curse doll, but instead brings good luck to its owner?"


    "Yes. But the doll had extra needle holes and dog blood on it. Proper ck magic practices don''t include these things, nor do they embroider names on the dolls. It needs to be nourished with its owner''s blood. After multiple tests, I detected human blood in the fabric of the doll''s head. It must have been nourished for some time."


    Fang Rui suddenly realized something. Could the person who made the doll and the one who ced it in the room be different people?


    "So, we shouldn''t call it a curse doll," Mu Mian corrected Fang Rui.


    Mu Mian gave the poster Fang Rui had given her to Chen Xue.


    "Mian Mian, this poster is a limited edition, very hard to buy, and it even has an autograph! How much did you spend on this? Mian Mian, I love you so much. I''ve decided to keep youpany during overtime every day from now on."


    "Don''t forget, okay? I''ve already recorded it," Mu Mian took out her bone-shaped voice recorder. She decided to hide the truth so Chen Xue would voluntarily keep herpany during overtime.


    Just as Fang Rui was debating whether to reinvestigate the curse doll case, his phone rang.


    "Captain Fang, we''ve received a report of a suspected homicide in a dressing room at Jiangzhou TV Station..."


    Fang Rui and his team immediately rushed to the crime scene.


    Jiangzhou TV Station was holding its first rehearsal for the New Year''s Eve concert. The station had spent a fortune inviting arge number of popr stars and veteran artists to boost ratings and advertising revenue. The entrance of the TV station was crowded with fans of various celebrities, and Fang Rui''s team had to struggle a bit to squeeze through.


    The waiting area and various corridors were also packed with people.


    To speed up the makeup process and avoid disturbing the artists, the TV station provided independent dressing rooms for high-profile celebrities.


    The entire makeup area had no surveince cameras. The outermost area was a public makeup room where extras crowded to apply their makeup. Further in, there were several rooms side by side, assigned as dressing rooms for higher-status artists. The dressing room where the incident urred was the innermost one.


    As soon as they entered the dressing room, they were hit by a strong smell of blood.


    The scene was chaotic. The makeup table had been shifted, various cosmetics were scattered on the floor, and the clothes rack had fallen over, with expensive gowns on it stained with blood.


    There was arge amount of blood in the room. Near the dressing table, there was a pool of blood on the floor, with darker edges and a lighter center. There were also small stter patterns of blood on the floor and walls.


    "Preliminary judgment suggests this is human blood," Mu Mian said, collecting blood samples from various parts of the blood pool, as well as from the stter patterns on the walls and floor, nning to conduct DNA tests back at theb.


    Mu Mian searched for a long time but couldn''t find a body. However, if all the blood on the floor belonged to one person, that person would be in grave danger.


    "There''s at least 500-600 milliliters of blood on the floor. We must find the injured person, or they''ll likely be in critical condition," Chen Xue said.


    "Boss, it''s strange. If someone was injured, where could they have gone? If they''re already dead, why did the killer remove the body? Wouldn''t it be easy to get caught transporting a body in such a crowded ce?" Zhang asked, puzzled.


    Zhang had voiced everyone''s confusion.


    The person who reported the case was Zhang Dawei, the program''s director. He described how he discovered the crime scene.


    "Around 4 PM, I came to the dressing room to discuss program details with Su Momo. I knocked on the door for a long time and called Su Momo many times, but there was no answer. I called her assistant, who had gone out to buy her milk tea and didn''t know the situation either.


    I felt something was wrong and quickly tried to break down the door. It turned out the door wasn''t locked, and I fell to the ground. My hand felt something wet, and when I looked closely, I saw arge bloodstain on the floor. So I immediately called the police."


    Fang Rui asked, "Is this dressing room assigned to Su Momo?"


    "Yes. This dressing room was specifically for her use."


    Fang Rui remembered the curse doll, which was also covered in blood. Could the killer have left that doll as a murder announcement?


    If the killer intended tomit murder, where had Su Momo''s body gone?


    Fang Rui turned to Zhang Dawei, "Has anyone been able to contact Su Momo?"


    "No one can reach her. Her manager has called her many times, but the calls still don''t go through. We fear she might be dead. We don''t know where the killer might have hidden her body."


    Just then, a phone rang in the room, ying a Japanese song. Fang Rui and his team followed the sound and found a phone under the leg of the makeup table.


    The phone was vibrating, with the caller ID showing: "Heartless Manager Sister Sun."


    "This Sister Sun is Su Momo''s manager," Zhang Dawei said. "This should be Su Momo''s phone. I remember her phone case was also red with the words ''Get Rich'' written on it, very simr to this one."

 Chapter 96: The Vanished: A Prank

    <h4>Chapter 96</h4>


    Fang Rui answered the phone, and the person on the other end said angrily, "Su Momo, you finally picked up. It''s just singing a song at the New Year''s Eve g, why are you hiding and not answering your phone? Can you stop being so childish? Do you remember how you became famous? Without me, you''re nothing!"


    The voice on the phone belonged to Su Momo''s agent, Sun Qin, who was extremely frustrated at the moment. Su Momo was at the peak of her poprity, and any negative news would undoubtedly affect her career.


    "Hello, we''re the police. We suspect that Su Momo has gone missing. Pleasee down to assist with our investigation."


    "She''s missing? Don''t worry, she''s probably just hiding to avoid performing at the event. She''s done this before. She''lle back on her own in a few days." Sun Qin paused, then added, "Officers, I''m sorry you''ve wasted a trip. I hope you can keep this confidential and not let this information leak out."


    Fang Rui reminded her, "We found arge amount of blood in her dressing room. I think it would be better if you came down."


    "Blood? What''s going on? She hasn''t reallye to harm, has she?"


    "We''re still investigating."


    "I''m sorry, I''m out of town and can''t get there right away. But I''m booking a flight now and will fly over as soon as possible."


    At that moment, Su Momo''s assistant Qi Fang returned with bubble tea. When she saw the blood all over the floor, the drink fell from her hands with a st.


    "What happened?" Qi Fang asked quietly, her lips trembling as she looked at the blood on the floor. "Who''s hurt? It''s not Momo, is it?"


    Fang Rui turned to Qi Fang, "We''re not sure yet. Miss Qi, we have some questions for you."


    Fang Rui suspected that Qi Fang might be the one who ced the cursed doll, as only three people had entered that room. If it wasn''t Liu Yaying, then Qi Fang was the most suspicious.


    By getting rid of Liu Yaying, Qi Fang would have a chance to be favored, otherwise she would always be overshadowed by Liu Yaying.


    "Alright, go ahead and ask," Qi Fang replied cooperatively.


    Qi Fang was average-looking with many freckles on her face, but she had a pleasant voice and seemed very gentle.


    "What time did you arrive at this dressing room?"


    "A little after three. We were worried about traffic, so we left half an hour early, but there was no traffic jam, so we arrived more than an hour ahead of schedule. The makeup artist we booked wasn''t due until 4:30, so Momo was bored and asked me to go out and buy her some bubble tea.


    I could havee back quickly, but then I received a message from Momo. She asked me to go to I-PINK to buy her a brownie. That store is far from the TV station, so I had to take a taxi there."


    "What time did you receive the message?"


    "Just a moment, let me check the chat history," Qi Fang hurriedly opened her phone and looked. "4:16 PM."


    "Do you know Su Momo''s phone password?"


    "Well..." Qi Fang hesitated for a moment, "Yes. Sometimes when Momo is filming, she asks me to keep her phone for her."


    Qi Fang helped unlock Su Momo''s phone. It had many game and video apps downloaded, and the wallpaper was an anime cartoon.


    The chat history on her social media apps had been cleared, with the most recent message being from her agent at 4:45 PM.


    The earliest message was around 4:31 PM, when Qi Fang sent her a photo asking if she could substitute another cake since the brownie was sold out. But Su Momo hadn''t replied.


    Fang Rui also checked her call log, which had also been deleted. The list only showed dozens of missed calls from Zhang Dawei, Qi Fang, and Sun Qin. The earliest missed call was at 4:35 PM.


    After taking Qi Fang''s statement, Fang Rui questioned people in the public dressing area if they had noticed anything unusual.


    As Zhang was leaving, he identally stepped on the spilled bubble tea. While wiping his shoe with a tissue, he noticed the tea was ice cold.


    "Boss, that Qi Fang might be lying. The bubble tea in her hand was freezing cold. Chen Xue often drinks that brand, and it can only be made hot. The tea being so cold doesn''t seem like it was just bought," Zhang muttered.


    "Go ask her where she bought the bubble tea and verify the information."


    "Got it."


    Fang Rui questioned the performers in the public dressing area.


    One dancer said, "I''m a fan of Su Momo. I was nning to ask for her autograph, but when I got to her dressing room door, I heard people arguing inside. It sounded like Su Momo and another woman."


    Another backup dancer added, "That woman might have been Su Momo''s former assistant Liu Yaying. I saw her go into that dressing room. At first, Su Momo didn''t want to let her in, but she kept begging, so Su Momo let her in."


    Fang Rui asked, "Are you sure the person you saw was Su Momo?"


    Fang Rui suspected this might be a prank. Su Momo might have deliberately set up this scene to confuse everyone and make them think she had been harmed. The motive could be to scare her agent or to avoid performing at the New Year''s Eve g.


    "Of course it was. I''m Su Momo''s die-hard fan. Even if she was in disguise, I''d recognize her. I couldn''t possibly be mistaken."


    "Around what time did Liu Yaying go in?"


    "Close to 4 PM, because it was almost our turn to go on stage. We started rehearsing at 4:05 PM."


    An assistant from the dressing room next to Su Momo''s said, "When I first arrived, I saw a man lurking suspiciously outside Su Momo''s dressing room. As soon as I approached, he slipped away. I didn''t get a clear look at his face. He was wearing a ck jacket and was rather short."


    "After Su Momo entered the dressing room, did any of you see here out?"


    "No, I don''t think so. We didn''t see her leave."


    The police suppressed the news of Su Momo''s disappearance, but with so many people at the scene, many backup dancers and extras learned about it. Various rumors immediately spread like wildfire online.


    #SuMomoMysterious Death#


    #SuMomoMissing#


    #SuMomoMurderedByAssistant,BodyVanished#


    #SuMomoFilmWorksMontage#


    Several hashtags quickly topped the trending list, and several major media tforms focusing on celebrity gossip crashed.


    Someizens spected that Su Momo hadmitted suicide due to work pressure and frequent cyberbullying by anti-fans. Others guessed that she had been killed by her unscrupulous agent, who had also seized all her assets. Even more oundishly, some said Su Momo wasn''t dead at all, but had faked her death to escape herpany''s control...


    The current focus of the investigation was to first determine whose blood it was. Could the injured person be Su Momo?


    Mu Mian and Chen Xue went to Su Momo''s room to collect DNA samples.


    Chen Xue felt very heavy-hearted. Just the day before, she had been chatting with her idol, and now Su Momo''s fate was unknown.


    "Mian, do you think Su Momo is already dead?" Chen Xue sighed.


    "If that blood belongs to Su Momo and was shed in a short period of time, then she''s most likely dead," Mu Mian said, then realizing she might have been too blunt, addedfortingly, "Chen Xue, everyone dies eventually. Don''t be too sad. You can find another celebrity to follow."


    "If Captain Fang''s corpse disappeared, would you find another corpse to like?" Chen Xue suddenly realized that since being kidnapped, Mu Mian had never mentioned the word "corpse" again.

 Chapter 97: The Vanished Her: Good Person

    <h4>Chapter 97</h4>


    "Chen Xue, don''t say such unlucky things! Fang Rui won''t be gone, I can protect him. Besides, I couldn''t find a more perfect corpse than him, he''s already the most perfect," Mu Mian said.


    Chen Xue thought that Fang Rui and Mu Mian''s rtionship had made significant progress, but judging from Mu Mian''s attitude, she didn''t seem to have noticed this change in herself.


    Chen Xue said, "Mian Mian, I won''t like any other celebrities either."


    Mu Mian seemed to understand the irreceability of Su Momo as an idol for Chen Xue.


    Su Momo''s room had many traces of her life. There was fallen hair on the bed, which, judging from the color and texture, should be hers; there was also hair on theb; minute oral epithelial tissue was detected on the toothbrush; and there were cut fingernails in the trash can. Mu Mian collected all of these as samples for DNA testing.


    The police also notified Su Momo''s father, informing him that Su Momo was missing. At first, Su''s Father appeared very indifferent, saying that Su Momo''s life or death had nothing to do with him. Later, when he learned that DNA testing was required and that Su Momo might already be dead, he immediately changed his tune, saying he would definitely cooperate with the police''s work.


    "Officers, you must find my daughter''s body as soon as possible!" Su''s Father choked out a few dry sobs, but his voice was still full of vigor and devoid of emotion. "My poor daughter, I want her to rest in peace quickly. Officers, you must notify me immediately if you have any news."


    Fang Rui corrected him, "Mr. Su, we haven''t confirmed whether your daughter is dead or not yet."


    "In any case, you must notify me first if there''s any news! By the way, how will my daughter''s assets be handled? I''m her biological father, I have the right to dispose of her inheritance, right? That manager of hers is very bad and extremely cunning, she hurt me terribly before. I''m worried she might swindle away all of my daughter''s inheritance..."


    Fang Rui was speechless. Su Momo''s father didn''t care about his daughter''s life at all, only her property.


    He specifically investigated Su Momo''s father. When Su Momo was in high school, Su''s Father had absconded with the family''s wealth and eloped with his mistress. Su Momo''s mother couldn''t handle the shock, developed mental problems, and soon aftermitted suicide by slitting her wrists at home.


    After Su Momo became famous, Su''s Father shamelessly came back asking for money. When he didn''t get it, he threatened to spread rumors and smear Su Momo as unfilial. Later, it was Su Momo''s manager who used tough measures to warn Su''s Father, and he never dared to trouble Su Momo again.


    Fang Rui somewhat regretted contacting Su''s Father. If something really happened to Su Momo, letting such a scumbag get the inheritance would be too infuriating.


    Fang Rui quickly found out that his worry was unnecessary. Su Momo''swyer said she had made a will. 60% of her estate would be donated to charity organizations, 20% would be given to Liu Yaying, 10% would be given to her manager Sun Qin''s daughter Sun Miaomiao, and the remaining 10% would be set up as a fund to regrly send money to the rural schools she had been supporting.


    Even though Su Momo had fallen out with Liu Yaying, she still hadn''t told herwyer to modify the will.


    Fang Rui asked Li to retrieve the surveince footage from near the crime scene.


    To protect privacy and prevent unauthorized filming, there were no cameras installed in the entire makeup area. However, there was a camera installed at the entrance of the makeup area - a long corridor.


    The camera faced the corridor entrance, and anyone entering this corridor would have their face captured by the camera.


    Fang Rui and his team obtained the surveince footage from the day of the incident.


    The footage showed that around 3:21 PM, a woman who was wrapped up tightly and suspected to be Su Momo appeared in the frame. She was apanied by Qi Fang and two bodyguards wearing ck jackets.


    The woman was wearing a gray coat, a mask, and a baseball cap, with her eyes hidden behindrge sunsses. If you only looked at her face, it was hard to tell who this person was.


    So Fang Rui asked Su Momo''s manager and assistant to help identify her.


    "This is Momo," Su Momo''s manager Sun Qin said confidently. "This coat is a limited edition from V brand, and in China, only Momo, as the brand ambassador, has this coat. The appearance and figure are very simr. And look at her wrist, that diamond watch is Momo''s favorite watch. Unless she''s filming, she never takes it off."


    Qi Fang also agreed: "Sister Momo was wearing these clothes when she went out. And there''s me and two bodyguards beside her, it must be her in the surveince footage."


    The surveince showed Su Momo entering the makeup area, but it didn''t capture her leaving.


    This meant that Su Momo was either still in the makeup area, or had already been taken out by the killer in some way.


    Fang Rui led a team to conduct a thorough search of the entire makeup area, but they didn''t find Su Momo or any suspicious traces.


    Logically, an injured person moving around would inevitably leave traces.


    It would also be difficult for the killer to move a corpse out without attracting attention from others.


    The next afternoon, the DNA test results came out.


    "The blood found at the scene belongs to the same person, and it''s highly likely to be Su Momo''s," Mu Mian said.


    The samples found from Su Momo''s home belonged to the same person, and those samples matched the blood samples collected from the scene, belonging to the same person. Moreover, Su Momo''s father''s DNA sample also matched the blood samples collected from the scene, showing a parent-child rtionship. These could prove that the blood at the scene was very likely Su Momo''s.


    Mu Mian continued: "Based on the analysis of the blood pool area and blood viscosity, there was about 800-900 milliliters of blood at the scene."


    "This amount of blood loss is definitely life-threatening. It''s been a day now, if Su Momo didn''t receive treatment, she should be dead by now," Chen Xue analyzed, her expression a bit sad. "But where could Su Momo''s body be? Why would the killer go to such lengths to hide the body?"


    Mu Mian reconstructed the crime scene situation on the whiteboard:


    A person was lying t on the ground, both of her wrists were cut, and blood flowed out forming a pool.


    Mu Mian reported: "Based on the blood situation at the scene, she was lying t on the ground, the arteries on both wrists were cut open, and blood flowed out from the wounds on both hands."


    Looking at Mu Mian''s drawing, Fang Rui suddenly remembered that cursed doll. That cursed doll was also covered in blood, with a scar on each wrist.


    "Fang Rui, doesn''t this way of dying seem a bit simr to that doll?" Mu Mian reminded.


    Everyone looked at Fang Rui and Mu Mian. Chen Xue asked curiously, "What doll?"


    The matter of Su Momo definitely couldn''t be kept secret anymore, so Fang Rui decided to tell everyone: "Previously, someone ced a cursed doll covered in dog blood on Su Momo''s bed. The chief thought she might be in danger, so he sent Captain Li and me to investigate."

 Chapter 98: The Vanishing Her: The Scumbag

    <h4>Chapter 98</h4>


    Mu Mian clicked on the screen, opening a folder filled with photos of that rag doll. She opened one of them, and when everyone saw it, they all gasped.


    The doll looked almost identical to Su Momo, with ck and red bloodstains making it look eerie and terrifying. It wasid t on the ground, very simr to the corpse Mu Mian had drawn.


    Zhang analyzed, "So did the killer murder based on this cursed doll? Or did they leave the cursed doll as a death notice, telling us that they would kill in this manner?"


    Fang Rui said, "Captain Li and I had already found the person who made this doll. She''s Su Momo''s assistant, Liu Yaying. But Mu Mian and I have uncovered some new leads, and we suspect that someone else ced the doll there."


    "But Liu Yaying also went to that makeup room yesterday afternoon. Could it be such a coincidence? What was she doing there?"


    Fang Rui decided to bring Liu Yaying in for questioning. However, they discovered that Liu Yaying had also disappeared. Her phone was unreachable, no one was at her home, and all her social media ounts were unresponsive.


    The makeup area''s surveince footage showed her leaving at 4:15 PM yesterday. From her back view, she didn''t seem to be in good spirits, keeping her head down the entire time and asionally wiping tears with her hand.


    Concerned for her safety, Fang Rui asked Old Zhang and his team to investigate Liu Yaying''s whereabouts.


    The most important task now was to find Su Momo or her body.


    Mu Mian found it strange that the killer tried to stage the crime scene as a wrist-cutting suicide, yet hid Su Momo''s body. These two actions seemed very contradictory. Mu Mian couldn''t figure out the killer''s motive for doing this.


    The technical department recovered Su Momo''s deleted chat history.


    "Boss, why didn''t the killer just take the phone away and destroy it? Doesn''t the killer know that deleted messages can be recovered?" Li thought this killer wasn''t very smart.


    Fang Rui had the same question. He even suspected that the killer intentionally left the phone behind, wanting them to investigate certain information.


    Fang Rui looked through Su Momo''s phone and found that she frequently chatted with someone saved as "Egg Melon Kid."


    From the chat content, it appeared they were a couple of over three years who were recently breaking up. The reason was that the man was cheating with several women simultaneously. Su Momo had even threatened him, saying she had evidence of his infidelity and wanted to expose him, ruining his reputation.


    The man initially begged her not to expose him, butter he started threatening Su Momo, saying if she dared to expose him, she wouldn''t have a good time either.


    The technical department also recovered arge number of photos and a deleted audio recording.


    The photos were of Su Momo and a man together. They looked very intimate. This person was likely Su Momo''s boyfriend.


    The content of the audio recording was as follows:


    [Su Momo: Liang Guangyu, what exactly is your rtionship with Li Yushan? Why did shee to our home and sleep in our bed? Don''t you even have money for a hotel room?


    Liang Guangyu: Momo baby, I''m sorry, I, I was drunk that day, I don''t know what happened.


    Su Momo: Shut up, don''t call me that anymore, it makes me sick. What about that model? Was she also someone you brought back when you were drunk? You like drinking so much, why haven''t you drunk yourself to death!


    Liang Guangyu: Momo baby, I love you, I love you so, so much. What would you do if I drank myself to death? I don''t like those women, I was just ying around with them. You''re too busy, you don''t have time to apany me. I was just too lonely, that''s why I made mistakes. I just made the mistake that all men in the world would make.


    Su Momo: Get lost! If you cheated, just admit it like a man. Don''t try to me it on me, you''re so impressive. To be honest, I don''t care much about your cheating, I''ve wanted to dump a useless scumbag like you for a long time. But you actually slept with Liu Yaying, if I wasn''t curious about why Liu Yaying wanted to curse me, I wouldn''t even have known about this. You two, a scumbag man and a cheap woman, I must have been blind to be so good to you both.


    Liang Guangyu, I already have all the evidence of your cheating, just you wait, I''m going to ruin your reputation.


    Liang Guangyu: Momo baby, don''t be so impulsive! Please forgive me. Don''t expose me, what about my career? What about your career? We''ll both suffer reputation damage.


    Liang Guangyu: Su Momo, if you dare to expose me, I''ll drag you down with me! If you push me too far, I''m capable of anything!


    Liang Guangyu: Su Momo, you can''t afford to mess with my managementpany, you''d better keep your mouth shut!]


    After listening to the recording, Zhang said, "This Liang Guangyu used to be a top celebrity. He and Su Momo once starred in a popr xianxia drama together, and many people shipped them as a couple. Who would have thought they actually got together? And even more surprising that Liang Guangyu turned out to be such a scumbag."


    Li said, "This Liang Guangyu also cheated with Liu Yaying. What''s going on, why is Liu Yaying involved again?"


    They then looked through Su Momo''s chat history with Liu Yaying.


    Two days before Su Momo''s disappearance, she suddenly sent Liu Yaying this message:


    Su Momo: Liu Yaying, you''re something else, you''ve really done it! You could sleep with anyone, but you had to sleep with Liang Guangyu. You knew how much I loved him, yet you did this to me. I''ve been so good to you both, and this is how you repay me?


    Liu Yaying replied: Momo, he didn''t just sleep with me, you know. That bed in your house has seen plenty of other women. That''s what you get for falling in love with such a scumbag!


    Then Liu Yaying sent Su Momo many photos. The photos were very clear, mostly bedroom shots of Liang Guangyu with different women.


    She also sent Su Momo screenshots of some chat records, showing that Liang Guangyu not only hired escorts but also flirted with underage fans.


    If these pieces of evidence were exposed, Liang Guangyu''s entertainment career would likely be over.


    Zhang analyzed, "Liang Guangyu also went to Jiangzhou TV Station for rehearsal that day. Could this case be rted to him? Did he do it together with Liu Yaying?"


    Fang Rui decided to find Liang Guangyu to understand the situation.


    Liang Guangyu was still in Jiangzhou City for the New Year''s Eve g recording and was staying at the Jiangzhou International Hotel. His room number was 603, on the same floor as Su Momo.


    Fang Rui had already exined the situation to his manager in advance. His manager was initially uncooperative and refused tomunicate, but quickly changed her tune after learning that Fang Rui and his team had obtained arge amount of evidence of Liang Guangyu''s infidelity.


    "Pleasee directly to the hotel for the record. Guangyu''s identity is quite special, going to a ce like the police station would cause controversy. Please be amodating ande to the hotel, we promise to cooperate with your investigation."


    As soon as Fang Rui arrived at the hotel, the hotel manager fromst time was already waiting for them at the entrance.


    "Originally, Mr. Liang was staying on the 8th floor, but we found a fly in his room, so we changed his room to the 6th floor at his request," the hotel manager said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere with small talk.


    "When did he change rooms?"


    "Six days ago, the same day the scary doll was found in Su Momo''s room. Our hotel was particrly unlucky that day, suddenly receivingints from two VIP guests."

 Chapter 99: Her Disappearance: The Fermentation of Public Opinion

    <h4>Chapter 99</h4>


    When they arrived at room 603, Liang Guangyu''s agent Li Hui quickly ushered them in.


    Liang Guangyu was pacing restlessly around the room. Upon seeing Fang Rui and his team, he immediately said, "Officers, you absolutely must not release those photos to the public! You have to keep this confidential for me, otherwise mywyer will sue you for defamation."


    "Liang Guangyu, shut up!" Li Hui was about to cry from this man''s stupidity. The police had so much evidence, and he still wanted to sue them for defamation? Was he trying to get the police to expose all his dirtyundry? Liang Guangyu''s brain seemed to have been squeezed by a door, as dull as a pig. If it weren''t for his handsome face, she would have stopped representing him long ago.


    "Mr. Liang, what is your rtionship with Su Momo?"


    "Just friends..." Seeing Fang Rui frown, Liang Guangyu quickly confessed, "No, she''s my ex-girlfriend. We dated for two or three years, but she suddenly broke up with me a couple of days ago."


    Liang Guangyu irritably ran his fingers through his hair. "Officers, haven''t you already figured everything out? Is there really a need to keep asking?"


    "What is your rtionship with Liu Yaying?"


    "You mean Su Momo''s assistant? I just slept with her once, but she kept pestering me and even tried to force me to break up with Momo. She''s mentally unstable, there''s something wrong with her head."


    "Where were you yesterday between 4 and 5 PM?"


    "I was in the makeup room. My makeup artist and assistant can confirm that. I have nothing to do with Momo''s death. I didn''t kill her."


    Zhang retorted, "We never said Su Momo was dead."


    "But with all that blood on the ground, how could she not be dead?" Upon hearing the news of Su Momo''s death, Liang Guangyu breathed a sigh of relief, but Li Hui poured cold water on him. If Su Momo was really dead, once the police investigated, their secrets would be exposed instead. Liang Guangyu instantly became as startled as a frightened bird.


    Zhang reminded him, "Mr. Liang, we''ve found that you may be involved in prostitution. My colleagues will contact youter, and we hope you''ll honestly confess to your crimes."


    Prostitution was a matter for the vice squad next door, so Fang Rui had already transferred the evidence to his colleagues.


    Liang Guangyu''s face instantly turned ashen. Li Hui also realized that Liang Guangyu probably couldn''t be saved.


    After questioning Liang Guangyu, Fang Rui and Zhang left. When they reached the hotel lobby, they found the entrance crowded with reporters. The hotel security was trying hard to maintain order, but many reporters were still pushing in with their cameras.


    "Is Liang Guangyu staying at this hotel?"


    "Is he really with Su Momo?"


    "Is Su Momo''s disappearance rted to him?"


    Although Liang Guangyu himself wasn''t present, the reporters were still pestering the hotel staff for information.


    Fang Rui frowned. How did the reporters know about Liang Guangyu and Su Momo''s rtionship? He opened his phone and received a notification:


    ording to inside sources from the police, Su Momo''s disappearance is suspected to be rted to Liang Guangyu. Su Momo had been dating Liang Guangyu for three years, but Liang Guangyu had cheated on her multiple times and was also suspected of hooking up and flirting with female fans...


    The article also included photos of Liang Guangyu''s infidelity.


    Fang Rui found that Liang Guangyu was dominating the trending topics on various tforms:


    #Yu-Mo CP is actually real#


    #Yu-Mo CP videoption#


    #Liang Guangyu Su Momo audio recording#


    #Momo baby I''m sorry#


    #Liang Guangyu juggling multiple women#


    #Liang Guangyu the big yer#


    Multiple trending topics about Liang Guangyu quickly dominated the charts. At first, Liang Guangyu''spany hired arge number of inte trolls to try to suppress the negative news with dating rumors, and his fans also tried hard to clean up thement sections. It worked well initially. However, due to the high interest in Su Momo''s disappearance, curious onlookers quickly pushed #Liang Guangyu scumbag# to the top of the trending list.


    Mostizens believed that Su Momo''s disappearance must be rted to Liang Guangyu. They thought it was very likely that Liang Guangyu had killed her to cover up his misdeeds.


    Fang Rui looked at Zhang.


    Zhang immediately denied it, "Boss, it wasn''t me who leaked it. Although Chen Xue is Su Momo''s fan and she hates Liang Guangyu, we still separate our personal and professional lives. We would never leak case details to the public."


    "I didn''t say it was you. I''m asking you to investigate and see where the information source came from. You''re better at investigating gossip news."


    "Then don''t look at me like you''re interrogating a suspect." Zhang felt very wronged.


    Fang Rui felt that this situation wasn''t so simple. Although the news about Liang Guangyu was explosive, talent agencies usually monitor their artists'' public opinion. If it was a small-scale exposure, Liang Guangyu''spany would definitely be able to control the narrative. But for this situation to escte so quickly, there must be someone pulling strings behind the scenes.


    As public opinion fermented, Liang Guangyu became a scumbag reviled by thousands.


    Dozens of Liang Guangyu''s female fans gathered at the police station entrance with signs, making a big fuss. They imed the police were irresponsible and had released false information, damaging their brother''s reputation. They demanded that the case officerse out and make a statement to clear their brother''s name.


    The chief ordered people to disperse the fans. But they were a group of young girls who were very emotional, and not only were they not dispersed, but the people sent to disperse them were scratched.


    "The police officer who leaked the information must be fired! We want to file aint against the police for unfairw enforcement."


    "The public security organs should keep the investigation process strictly confidential. Why was evidence from the investigation leaked? We must be given an exnation."


    "Please have the relevant personnel rify the rumors for Liang Guangyu and restore his innocence."


    Mu Mian went out to pick up a package and saw therge-scale protest at the entrance.


    She found it a bit noisy and thought about getting the packageter, but the package contained her favorite medical journal.


    Mu Mian ultimately couldn''t resist the temptation.


    She carefully tried to avoid them, nning to slip through the edge of the crowd and the gap in the iron gate.


    But then someone said something, and the crowd became agitated. A girl pushed forward forcefully, and Mu Mian lost her bnce, hitting her head on the iron gate.


    Fresh blood slowly trickled down Mu Mian''s forehead.


    Mu Mian was very angry. She said to the girl, "You pushed me. You need to apologize."


    The girl saw Mu Mian''s appearance and was startled. Blood kept flowing from Mu Mian''s wound, and her face was covered in blood.


    "You... you..."


    Others who saw Mu Mian in this state were also shocked and started to leave. After all, shouting a few words at the police station entrance was nothing, as thew doesn''t punish the masses, but if someone died, they could go to jail.


    The blood flowed into Mu Mian''s mouth. It tasted salty, and only then did she realize she had a wound on her head.


    It hurt a little.


    Fang Rui had just returned from outside and saw Mu Mian standing at the entrance, her face covered in blood.


    "Mu Mian, who hurt you like this?" Fang Rui quickly ran to Mu Mian''s side. "Are you okay? Why is there so much blood?"


    "I''m fine, the wound isn''t serious, it''s just a scrape. But I have a blood clotting disorder, so it takes longer to stop bleeding." Mu Mian''s expression was very calm. She pressed a tissue to her wound and was about to go back to put on a band-aid.


    Fang Rui picked up Mu Mian. "We''re going to the hospital."


    Mu Mian protested, "Fang Rui, I''m really fine. I don''t want to go to the hospital. The wound is so small, I can treat it myself."


    The hospital was nearby, and Fang Rui ignored Mu Mian''s protests, carrying her towards the hospital.


    "Fang Rui, I don''t want to go to the hospital. Look, the wound is already clotting."


    "Fang Rui, are you deaf? Can''t you hear me talking?"


    "Fang Rui, I''m afraid of heights. Don''t carry me so high."


    Fang Rui finally reacted and adjusted his hold on her.


    Mu Mian finally realized that Fang Rui was angry. But she didn''t know why he was angry. She was the one who got hurt, shouldn''t she be the one who''s angry?


    Zhang anxiously followed behind Fang Rui, thinking Mu Mian was seriously injured.


    "Officer Zhang, could you please help me pick up my package? I''ll send you the pickup code. Please bring my journal to the hospital, otherwise I''ll be very bored."


    "...Alright." Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. If Mu Mian still had the energy to read journals, her injury probably wasn''t too serious.

 Chapter 100: The Vanishing Her: A New Suicide

    <h4>Chapter 100</h4>


    The nurse cleaned Mu Mian''s wound and found it was very small, just a minor abrasion. She nced at the sweating Fang Rui, feeling a bit exasperated. Was it necessary to be so anxious over such a minor injury?


    "Can I choose a SpongeBob bandage?" Mu Mian asked with a frown.


    "No, only the pediatric department has cartoon bandages."


    "Fine. You should offer more choices. This white bandage is depressing."


    "We''ll take that into consideration. But no patientes to the ER just to get a bandage."


    "Nurse, is that all you''re going to do for her?" Fang Rui looked at the bandage disapprovingly. "She''s badly hurt, and you''re just putting on a bandage?"


    "What else? It''s just a small scratch. If her blood clotting wasn''t slightly impaired, causing slower healing, this wound would have healed on its own without needing a bandage."


    Mu Mian paused while flipping through a medical journal, nodding in agreement. She quietlyined to the nurse, "That''s what I said too, but Fang Rui wouldn''t believe me. He reallycks basic medical knowledge."


    The nurse couldn''t help but smile, "It''s because your boyfriend cares about you so much. He''s afraid something might happen to you."


    Mu Mian, focused on the journal, forgot to correct the nurse''s assumption. She was at an interesting part and couldn''t multitask.


    The nurse turned to Fang Rui and asked, "How did your girlfriend get injured?"


    Fang Rui was busy searching "Can minor bumps cause concussions?" and didn''t respond to the nurse.


    Zhang, who was standing nearby, exined, "Liang Guangyu''s fans were causing trouble at our door and bumped into her."


    The nurse became angry upon hearing this. "That scumbag Liang Guangyu is bad enough, but his fans are just as disgusting. Su Momo is such a kind girl, how did she end up with such a jerk? I hope she wasn''t really kidnapped by that scumbag Liang Guangyu. I hope the police find her soon."


    Zhang excitedly asked, "Are you a fan of Su Momo too?"


    "Yes, I absolutely adore Su Momo. Her career is so inspiring. Can you imagine, before she became famous, she worked as an extra for three years, even ying corpses? When she was broke, she lived in a crowded room in an urban vige.


    She''s actually from our Jiangzhou City, but her father ran off with the family''s money, leaving her mother with a huge debt. At such a young age, she had to pay off debts, yet she still pursued her dream of being an actress...


    Finally, she got a leading role and became famous overnight. Even after bing famous, she remained dedicated to her craft and did a lot of charity work. She''s very down-to-earth... I saw her at the hospital not long ago, but unfortunately didn''t get her autograph. A nurse from another department did though..."


    "Su Momo really has had it tough!" Zhang eximed.


    "Yes, I''m surprised she has male fans too."


    "I''m not her fan, my girlfriend is. She loves Su Momo."


    "Your girlfriend has great taste."


    "Of course, that''s why she''s with me."


    "..."


    Fang Rui realized that Su Momo''s fans seemed to be everywhere. Was she really that famous?


    Fang Rui asked, "Did Su Momoe to the hospital for treatment?"


    "I think so, but I''m not sure what for exactly."


    "Which department did she go to?"


    "I believe it was Endocrinology."


    Fang Rui signaled Zhang to go find out exactly what illness Su Momo had.


    Still worried about Mu Mian''s injury, Fang Rui called for Dr. Li, the best neurosurgeon in the hospital and his uncle. Dr. Li was doing rounds and would need some time to arrive.


    While waiting for Dr. Li, Fang Rui discussed the case with Mu Mian, "Mu Mian, do you think Su Momo might still be alive?"


    "Anything is possible until we find a body! We only found blood at the scene. If someone had received a bone marrow transnt from Su Momo, their blood DNA could match hers; or if someone collected small amounts of her blood daily and saved it up... Even people who lose over 100 of blood can survive for 12 hours without treatment if they''re lucky." Mu Mian proposed several possibilities.


    "We can rule out thatst possibility. The person who lost 100 of blood had drunk arge amount of water beforehand, diluting their blood. The blood found at the crime scene wasn''t diluted," Mu Mian added.


    "So Su Momo might have faked her death?" Fang Rui analyzed, "Her purpose might be to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend, to ruin his reputation."


    Mu Mian questioned, "But couldn''t she just expose her ex-boyfriend directly to ruin his reputation?"


    Fang Rui thought Mu Mian had a point. With Su Momo''s poprity, if she exposed him online, even Liang Guangyu''s powerful agency couldn''t suppress the news.


    So why did Su Momo or her body disappear? Where could she be?


    They waited a while before Dr. Li arrived. He was in his fifties with thick, fluffy hair reminiscent of Einstein. He smiled kindly at Mu Mian.


    Dr. Li turned to Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, your mother told me all about your girlfr-"


    Fang Rui interrupted him, "Dr. Li, please examine her wound quickly."


    Dr. Li red at Fang Rui, "What''s with calling me Dr. Li? Can''t even greet your uncle properly? You''re being ridiculous!"


    "It''smon sense to use professional titles at work," Mu Mian whispered.


    "..."


    Dr. Li carefully examined Mu Mian''s wound, "Fang Rui, you can take her home now."


    "Doesn''t she need a brain CT and MRI?"


    "No need."


    "Let''s do them anyway," Fang Rui insisted.


    "Fang Rui, who''s the doctor here, you or me? I''ve been doing this for years. Can''t I even assess an injury properly?" Dr. Li felt irritated at having his professional ability questioned.


    Fang Rui finally rxed. He asked the nurse for some medicine and bandages, and re-dressed Mu Mian''s wound himself.


    Mu Mian touched the thick bandage on her head andined, "Fang Rui, this bandage makes me look stupid."


    "You bumped into a door while picking up a package. Aren''t you already stupid?"


    "I object! That just proves I''m unlucky. This year has been terrible. I keep getting caught by criminals, and now I''ve hit my head."


    "...You are quite unlucky."


    Mu Mian was soon discharged. Zhang had gathered information and was waiting for them at the hospital entrance.


    "Captain Fang, Su Momo dide to the hospital. She had some severe endocrine disorders causing skin inmmation. She was supposed to be hospitalized, but she didn''t have time, so the doctor just prescribed some medication," Zhang paused, "But she still needs to do blood tests every few days. Her assistant, Qi Fang, brings the blood samples."


    Zhang spected, "Boss, could Qi Fang have secretly collected Su Momo''s blood and poured it at the crime scene to fake her death?"


    "If that''s the case, couldn''t Mu Mian detect it?" Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian sighed, "If they just poured blood on the ground, we''d definitely spot the discrepancy. But if the perpetrator mimicked the blood flow pattern of a suicide, it would be much harder to distinguish. The blood spatter at the crime scene is consistent with what we''d expect from a wrist-cutting suicide."


    Mu Mian remembered the scars on Su Momo''s wrists. She didn''t seem like someone who wouldmit suicide. Why would she cut her wrists?


    When they returned to the station, Mu Mian heard a rumor.


    "Did you hear? Forensic Mu deliberately hit her head on the door to drive away those protesting fans. Her face was covered in blood."


    "Was it real blood? Not fake?"


    "Of course it was real! Why else would Captain Fang rush her to the hospital so anxiously?"


    "Not necessarily. Last time when Forensic Mu choked on water, Captain Fang was just as panicked..."


    Mu Mian wanted to rify that she had just lost her bnce and hit the door, not deliberately hurt herself to drive people away.


    Fang Rui stopped her, "Mu Mian, I think it''s better if you don''t rify."


    "Why not?"


    "Because the truth makes you look more foolish than the rumors they''ve made up."


    "..."


    Since they had discovered that Su Momo might have faked her death, finding out how she left the makeup area became crucial.


    Fang Rui remembered that one of the backup dancers had mentioned that Liu Yaying had visited the makeup room around 4 o''clock. Liu Yaying would certainly know whether the person in the makeup room at that time was Su Momo or not.


    But Liu Yaying had disappeared. Just as Fang Rui was about to call Old Zhang and his team to ask if they had found Liu Yaying, Old Zhang called him.


    "Chief Fang, we''ve found Liu Yaying. She''s in a rented apartment. She attempted suicide by slitting her wrists and lost a lot of blood, but she''s still alive. We''re about to take her to the hospital for emergency treatment."

 Chapter 101: The Vanished: The Last Will

    <h4>Chapter 101</h4>


    Fang Rui and his team immediately rushed to the rental apartment where Liu Yaying had attempted suicide.


    The apartment was in an urban vige, with very poor conditions. It was an illegally converted room, containing a small kitchen, bathroom, and balcony all crammed into one space. Each area was extremely tiny, with very poor lighting.


    Given Liu Yaying''s current ie, she shouldn''t have been living in such a ce.


    "She rented this ce a couple of days ago," Zhang said. "When she first graduated, she lived here with Su Momo for a while. After she became famous, she moved out, but Su Momo lived here for over three years."


    Liu Yaying had attempted suicide in the bathroom. There was a paper cutter on the floor, with bright red blood slowly flowing across the yellowed white tiles, eventually draining into the floor drain.


    Mu Mian examined the suicide scene and found nothing unusual. She collected blood samples from the floor, intending topare them with Su Momo''s.


    Fang Rui discovered a stack of money and a bank card on the desk, with a suicide note underneath.


    The handwriting was messy, with many tear stains visible:


    [I don''t know who will find this note, but please hand it over to the police when you do. The cash on the table is your reward for helping. Imitted suicide. My life was too painful. I caused the death of my best friend Su Momo. I''m guilty. I killed her, and I should pay for her life with mine.


    I have nothing left. There''s 100,000 yuan in this bank ount. The PIN is thest six digits of Momo''s ID number. Please ask the police to donate this money to charity in Su Momo''s name, to umte some good karma for her. She was such a good person; she deserves good things in return.


    Don''t notify my family to im my body. Even if you do, they won''te for me. After I''m cremated, my ashes can be thrown anywhere, even in a trash can. I don''t care. A rotten person like me deserves to go to hell and die a miserable death.]


    After reading it, Zhang eximed, "Boss, Liu Yaying says Su Momo is dead. How does she know for sure? Does she know where Su Momo''s body is?"


    "I think she might have seen the news and assumed Su Momo died from slitting her wrists. Liu Yaying probably feels that Su Momomitted suicide because her affair with Liang Guangyu was exposed, which pushed Su Momo over the edge," Fang Rui analyzed.


    Fang Rui increasingly felt that Su Momo might not be dead.


    So what exactly was she trying to do?


    And could she have an aplice?


    Fang Rui thought of Qi Fang. Zhang had previously suspected her because of the bubble tea incident, but surveince footage near the tea shop showed her buying tea after 4 PM, and the cake shop''s cameras also showed her buying a cake there just before 4 PM.


    Although Fang Rui suspected Qi Fang was behind the cursed doll incident, he had no evidence.


    Fang Rui found Liu Yaying''s phone on the desk.


    Li cracked her phone''s lock screen password.


    Fang Rui went through her phone and found she didn''t seem to have many friends. Her contacts list was short, and there were only brief conversations in her chat history. Judging from the timestamps, she probably hadn''t cleared her chat history.


    A contactbeled "Bugu''s New Owner Miss Zhang" caught Fang Rui''s attention.


    Miss Zhang''s profile picture was a selfie of a young woman. Herst message to Liu Yaying read: Liar! You promised to give me the puppy, but then you took it back. You big liar!


    Liu Yaying had replied: What''s wrong? I didn''t take Bugu back!


    The other party had already deleted Liu Yaying, and a red exmation mark appeared in the chat box.


    Fang Rui scrolled back through their chat history.


    The gist of their conversation was that Liu Yaying nned to give the spotted dog to Miss Zhang, exining that the dog''s owner was allergic to dog hair. Miss Zhang expressed her love for the puppy and promised to take good care of it. They reached an agreement, and Liu Yaying gave the puppy to Miss Zhang.


    They continued to stay in touch, mostly discussing how to care for the dog. Miss Zhang often sent photos of the dog to Liu Yaying.


    The day before the scary doll was found in Su Momo''s room, Miss Zhang used Liu Yaying of taking the puppy back.


    After reading the chat logs, Li analyzed, "Could it be that Qi Fang took the dog back, killed it, and then made the cursed doll to frame Liu Yaying?"


    "It''s possible."


    In the chat history, Miss Zhang had mentioned her home address. Liu Yaying had personally delivered the puppy and its belongings to her home.


    Fang Rui and Zhang found the ce, a middle-ss residentialplex. After learning of their purpose, Miss Zhang said, "A young woman came to take the dog back. She looked fierce and said she was the dog''s owner. She knew the dog''s name and all its information. I had no choice but to return the dog."


    "Did the woman have any distinguishing features?"


    "Features? Her appearance was quite ordinary... she had some freckles on her face," the girl recalled. "She was wearing a gray down jacket at the time, nothing special."


    "Was it her?" Fang Rui showed her a photo of Qi Fang.


    "Yes, that''s her! She was so fierce at the time, saying how could I steal someone else''s beloved dog. My goodness, I was so wronged. It was Miss Liu who told me the dog''s owner was allergic to dog hair and couldn''t keep it, so she gave it to me. But then she scolded me."


    "Alright, thank you for your cooperation!"


    After leaving Miss Zhang''s home, Zhang analyzed, "It seems Qi Fang is highly suspicious. She stole the dog, made the cursed doll, and pushed Liu Yaying out. Now Liu Yaying has attempted suicide: could Qi Fang be behind this too? Maybe Liu Yaying found out something, so Qi Fang had to silence her."


    "If she were the culprit, shouldn''t she have waited until Liu Yaying was dead before leaving?" Fang Rui countered. "And she would have taken Liu Yaying''s phone with her."


    "That''s true!"


    Good news came from the hospital: after several hours of emergency treatment, Liu Yaying was out of danger, but she was still in a deepa and unable to assist with the police investigation.


    Fang Rui decided to adjust the direction of the investigation.


    They had previously assumed that Su Momo was seriously injured and kidnapped, so when reviewing surveince footage, they focused on people carrying heavy objects.


    But if Su Momo wasn''t injured and could move freely, she could easily evade detection by changing clothes and disguising herself as an extra or backup dancer. The camera at the exit only captured people''s backs, not their faces.


    "Zhang, go to the TV station and investigate if any costumes for extras or dancers went missing on the day of the incident. Find out what style of clothes were lost."


    "Got it."


    The police had opened a case to investigate Liang Guangyu''s involvement in prostitution. With relevant evidence in hand, they had detained him.


    #LiangGuangyuEarnsSilverHandcuffs# once again topped the trending list.


    Liang Guangyu''s reputation was thoroughly ruined.

 Chapter 102: The Vanished: Disappeared Out of Thin Air

    <h4>Chapter 102</h4>


    The person in charge of the TV station investigated the costume situation of each program group and temporarily found no cases of missing costumes.


    The rehearsal started at 3 PM, so during the time period when Su Momo disappeared, most of the people who left the makeup area were wearing performance costumes. The remaining few in civilian clothes were artist assistants and makeup artists. The police have already found and verified the identities of all relevant personnel.


    There were many backup dancers wearing performance costumes, so it wasn''t possible to urately verify their identities. However, they all left in an orderly manner by group and knew each other, and so far no suspicious individuals have been found.


    The makeup area is an enclosed space with only one entrance and exit, and everyone must pass through the corridor with surveince cameras.


    ording to the police investigation, the person who entered around 3:30 PM was indeed Su Momo, as confirmed by her bodyguard and assistant. After the incident, the police immediately searched the entire makeup area but did not find Su Momo or her body.


    She seemed to have vanished into thin air in that area.


    At this moment, Su Momo''s agent Sun Qin called to urge progress on the case: "Officer, what are your investigation results? You need to tell us whether Su Momo is dead or alive. Now many of our advertisers and business partners areing to us wanting to terminate contracts. A TV drama that was already negotiated also wants to rece Su Momo. You must give me definitive information as soon as possible so I can carry out further work."


    "We will investigate as quickly as possible."


    "What do you mean ''as quickly as possible''? It''s been so many days, and you can''t even figure out if Su Momo is dead or alive. Your work efficiency is too poor! Please take this seriously and give us results quickly."


    "..."


    Clearly, Su Momo''s disappearance had already seriously impacted her career.


    "Boss, if Su Momo did this to get revenge on her ex-boyfriend, she''s already achieved her goal, so why hasn''t she reappeared? Could she really have been killed?" Zhang voiced everyone''s doubts.


    Fang Rui also found it strange. If Su Momo didn''t reappear soon, her entertainment career would truly be over.


    Could it be that she really didn''t care about her career anymore?


    Fang Rui reviewed the surveince video again.


    He discovered that Liu Yaying entered the makeup area around 3:30 PM, almost following right behind Su Momo. Then she left that corridor at about 4:05 PM.


    At around 4:10 PM, someone wearing Qi Fang''s clothes entered the makeup area carrying bubble tea, but in less than a minute, she ran out empty-handed, and her back was caught on the corridor''s surveince camera. She was walking very hurriedly.


    Fang Rui watched it many times, and judging from the figure and attire, this person did indeed appear to be Qi Fang.


    Bored with nothing to do, Mu Mian came to keep Fang Ruipany while watching the surveince videos.


    "Fang Rui, I''m very good at spot-the-difference games. Let me help you look," said Mu Mian, with a SpongeBob SquarePants bandage on her head.


    Fang Rui looked up and saw the yellow sponge grinning stupidly at him.


    Fang Rui gave his seat to Mu Mian.


    Mu Mian first watched the video of Su Momo and Qi Fang entering the corridor, then watched the segment of Qi Fang leaving alone.


    At first, Mu Mian didn''t notice any differences between the two Qi Fangs. Their clothing, appearance, and even walking posture were almost identical. Even their unconscious small movements were the same, such as both instinctively avoiding stepping on the mand patterns on the floor tiles.


    But suddenly Mu Mian noticed that the Qi Fang who was leaving had a scar on her right wrist.


    "Fang Rui, does Qi Fang also have a cut on her right wrist?"


    Fang Rui thought for a moment, not quite sure: "I don''t think so."


    "Su Momo has one on her right wrist, you know," Mu Mian reminded softly.


    Fang Rui opened the surveince videos from the bubble tea shop and cake shop again.


    The bubble tea shop''s surveince caught Qi Fang buying bubble tea there around 4:05 PM. The camera only captured her side profile and body, and her face wasn''t very clear, but at first nce, one would think it was Qi Fang.


    The cake shop''s surveince also captured Qi Fang, from about the same angle.


    Neither shop''s surveince ever captured Qi Fang''s full face. At the time, they didn''t suspect anything because they saw Qi Fang''s freckles in her side profile. Her height and body type also matched.


    Fang Rui analyzed: "Su Momo must have disguised herself as Qi Fang to leave the makeup area, while Qi Fang hid inside. No wonder Zhang said that cup of bubble tea was cold."


    Looking at it this way, Su Momo''s acting skills were really good. Her disguise was so convincing that even the detail-oriented Mu Mian almost couldn''t tell the difference.


    "If Qi Fang was hiding in the makeup area the whole time, why did the surveince camera capture her entering the makeup area with bubble tea again around 5 PM?" Mu Mian asked, puzzled.


    Fang Rui also found it strange. Qi Fang first went out to buy bubble tea, then came back, and then Su Momo left disguised as her. Logically, Qi Fang shouldn''t have been able to enter from outside again. But the person captured on camera around 5 PM showed Qi Fang''s face, and it was indeed her. This was also an important reason why they didn''t notice anything unusual in the surveince video at the time.


    That makeup area was an enclosed space with only one entrance and exit. It was impossible to enter or leave that ce without passing by this surveince camera.


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to Qi Fang''s home together.


    Like Su Momo, Qi Fang was a local. Because Su Momo had disappeared, Sun Qin felt that Qi Fang hadn''t taken good care of Su Momo, so she directly gave Qi Fang some money and fired her.


    Qi Fang''s home was in a residentialpound near the hospital. Her parents had divorced when she was young, and neither wanted to raise her, so she was fostered by her grandmother from childhood. Her grandmother was a doctor with decent financial conditions, and after she passed away, she gave the house allocated by the hospital to Qi Fang.


    Since Su Momo''s disappearance, Fang Rui had been having someone secretly keep an eye on her. She stayed at home every day, hardly going out except to take out the trash, and even had groceries delivered directly to her door by the supermarket. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    From Qi Fang''s neighbors, they learned that Qi Fang had been odd in personality since childhood, not very sociable, but very filial to her grandmother. After she graduated and came back, she suddenly seemed like a different person.


    "Hey, that granddaughter of Dr. Qi''s was really spoiled rotten by her. Can you believe a Chinese literature master''s graduate with such good qualifications would quit such a good job because of celebrity worship, idling away her days doing nothing productive!"


    Fang Rui asked, "She likes Su Momo very much?"


    "Who''s Su Momo? I don''t know which celebrity she''s chasing after. I heard from others that when her grandmother was still around, she stole money from her grandmother to buy celebrity photos. Those tiny pictures cost thousands of yuan each, and she didn''t even blink an eye when buying them. Tsk, who knows where she learned such bad behavior from, she used to be such an obedient child."


    "Yes, she used to be so sensible, saying she would take good care of her grandmother. But when her grandmother was seriously ill in bed, she went to a fan meeting instead of seeing her grandmother for thest time. If it weren''t for the fact that this house doesn''t have a property certificate, she probably would have sold the house to chase after celebrities!"


    Fang Rui felt their description didn''t quite match Qi Fang. She seemed quiet and gentle, and quite responsible in her work, not like someone so fanatical.


    Zhang muttered softly, "Boss, could this Qi Fang be a crazy fan of Su Momo?"


    Fang Rui knocked on the door, and someone inside said: "Just a moment, I''m washing dishes in the kitchen. Give me a minute."


    After a while, Qi Fang opened the door.


    Her home was very messy, with things piled up all over the floor, seemingly not cleaned for a while. There was also a lot of dust on the sofa. Shoes were randomly ced on the shoe rack in the entryway. Fang Rui found it strange - she appeared to live alone, so why were there two styles of shoes on the rack? Some shoes were very colorful, while others were gray and ck, with an old-fashioned style, like the pair Qi Fang was wearing.


    Fang Rui gave Zhang a look. Zhang had also noticed this oddity, and he immediately clutched his stomach and said to Qi Fang, "I''m sorry, my stomach suddenly hurts. May I use your bathroom?"

 Chapter 103: Gone Her: Brainless Fans

    <h4>Chapter 103</h4>


    Qi Fang hesitated, but seeing that Zhang was about to burst, she pointed in a direction and said, "The restroom is on the right."


    Zhang dashed into the bathroom.


    Qi Fang looked at Fang Rui, emotion shing in her eyes. "Officer Fang, have you found Momo?"


    "Not yet. We''re here because we have some questions for you."


    "What do you want to know? Go ahead and ask."


    "Where is Su Momo''s dog?"


    "Dog? You mean Bugu? You should ask Liu Yaying about that. She''s been taking care of Momo''s dog all along. I think she sent it to a pet hospital for treatment."


    "Miss Qi, we''ve already spoken to thedy who adopted the dog," Fang Rui stared at Qi Fang. "So you don''t need to keep making things up. Just tell us the truth."


    Qi Fang''s expression changed. She quickly defended herself, "I went to get Bugu back myself. Momo asked me to do it, and she told me not to tell Liu Yaying. Liu Yaying has a bad temper and is very strict with Momo. Momo just had a skin allergy, but Liu Yaying insisted it was caused by dog hair and sent the puppy away. I saw how unhappy Momo was, so I secretly checked Liu Yaying''s phone and found the dog."


    "Where is the dog now?"


    "I don''t know. Momo''s bodyguard took it away."


    "Which bodyguard? Take us to see him." Fang Rui noticed Qi Fang''s face turning pale as she seemed to be struggling to find an excuse. He asked, "You ced that cursed doll, didn''t you?"


    "Of course not. How could I curse Momo?" Qi Fang immediately defended herself, "Officer, you can''t use people without evidence!"


    "Then tell me where the dog went."


    "It died. I threw the body in the trash."


    "There are surveince cameras near your home and the hotel. Let''s go check the footage to see if you threw away the dog''s body."


    "I..." Qi Fang stiffened her neck, stammering for a while before finally saying, "I''m sorry, I can''t tell you."


    "That day, Su Momo was wearing clothes identical to yours, pretending to be you when she left the makeup area, right?" Seeing Qi Fang about to quibble again, Fang Rui pointed at her right wrist, "The second ''Qi Fang'' who left that area had a scar on her wrist, but you don''t have that scar. Are you still going to lie?"


    "I..."


    "Miss Qi, where exactly is Su Momo?" Fang Rui was almost out of patience.


    "I don''t know where Momo went either. She forced me to do all this. If I didn''t help her, she threatened to report me to the police. Momo already knew that I was the one who ced the cursed doll! I was too jealous of Liu Yaying. I was so good to Momo, helping her manage everything perfectly, and I tried my best to make her happy. But what did I get in return? Momo couldn''t see my efforts at all. She was always so nice to Liu Yaying but ignored me. And Liu Yaying always ordered me around like a servant!


    I could have endured it. I thought that if I kept being so good to Momo, she would eventually see my dedication. But then I discovered that Liu Yaying was actually with Liang Guangyu, and they had slept together many times. I didn''t dare tell Momo the truth, so I could only use this method to drive Liu Yaying away. This way, Momo wouldn''t be so heartbroken, and that scum Liu Yaying could stay away from Momo. Someone as good as Momo shouldn''t be treated like this!"


    Qi Fang became more and more agitated as she spoke, finally covering her face and bursting into tears.


    Fang Rui asked, "Why did Su Momo fake her death?"


    Qi Fang wiped her tears and said, "Momo''s n wasn''t to fake her death. She just wanted to escape from the New Year''s Eve performance. She''s done this often before. She doesn''t like singing, but her manager forces her to, so she asks me to help her escape. I don''t know why there was blood in the makeup room. Could it have been Liu Yaying? Maybe she wanted to ruin Momo''s career."


    "Liu Yaying attempted suicide by cutting her wrists."


    "Suicide? How could this happen? Who made that blood then?"


    Fang Rui asked, "Where did Su Momo go?"


    "I''m not sure. She might have gone to a small ind in the south for a vacation, or to the north to see ice sculptures, or to the west to see the desert. She has many ces she wants to visit, and I don''t know which one she chose. She hasn''t contacted me since leaving the makeup room. I''ve been trying to find her too."


    "Why didn''t you tell us the truth before?"


    "I was afraid it would affect Momo''s trip, so I didn''t dare tell you. Momo should be fine. She''s just hiding because she was deeply hurt by the betrayal of her best friend and boyfriend. She wants some quiet time. I didn''t want you to disturb her."


    Fang Rui looked at Qi Fang, "Come with us to the station to make a statement. We need to confirm a few things with you." For some reason, Fang Rui still didn''t quite believe Qi Fang.


    "Alright."


    "Why aren''t you moving?"


    "Officer Zhang is still in the bathroom. Let''s wait for him toe out before I go to the station with you." Qi Fang nced towards the bathroom and quickly looked away.


    Zhang came out soon after.


    They let Qi Fang get in the car first, then Zhang pulled Fang Rui aside and whispered, "Boss, I made a big discovery. There are two pairs of slippers in her bathroom, both women''s. The towels and toothbrushes are also in pairs. Someone else is living in that apartment with Qi Fang."


    "Hmm." Fang Rui had already guessed that Su Momo might have been staying at Qi Fang''s ce these past few days.


    "At first, I suspected Su Momo was living at Qi Fang''s. But I checked those slippers, they''re both old, and the towels don''t look new either. Su Momo wouldn''t wear old slippers or use old towels, would she?" Zhang analyzed.


    Fang Rui frowned. So where had Su Momo gone? She couldn''t use her own ID to buy tickets, so she shouldn''t be able to travel around freely.


    "Boss, I have another guess. Qi Fang seems to be a fan of Liang Guangyu. I saw a keychain hanging in her entryway, it''s merchandise from one of Liang Guangyu''s roles, worth over a thousand yuan. This merchandise is expensive and hard to get."


    Zhang continued, "There were also traces of posters on her wall, very fresh traces with poster fragments still left. She probably hurriedly tore them down and threw them in the trash just before we arrived. I saw the trash can was full of stic paper. She must be Liang Guangyu''s fan! And a die-hard one at that!"


    Chen Xue had been obsessed with celebrity chasing recently, and Zhang had apanied her, so he was very familiar with fan culture, including which celebrities were rivals, what kind of merchandise was avable, and so on.


    Fang Rui applied for a search warrant to investigate Qi Fang''s home.


    Just as Zhang had said, the trash can was full of freshly torn posters of Liang Guangyu, some even bearing his autograph. Combined with what Qi Fang''s neighbors said, the celebrity she had been obsessively following was indeed Liang Guangyu.


    Qi Fang''s apartment had three bedrooms and one living room. One room was used for storage, while the other two were upied. One of the rooms was very simply furnished, with just a bed and a quilt, and almost nothing else.


    The other room was covered in posters, all of Liang Guangyu. The desk was piled with magazines, all featuring Liang Guangyu''s recent photoshoots. There was even a special cab in the room, filled with various Liang Guangyu merchandise: plush dolls, badges, standees, photo books, and albums...


    All of this confirmed that Qi Fang was indeed a hardcore fan of Liang Guangyu.


    "Boss, do you think Qi Fang might have kidnapped or even killed Su Momo to cover up Liang Guangyu''s infidelity?" Zhang asked.

 Chapter 104: The Vanished Her: The Emergence

    <h4>Chapter 104</h4>


    The interrogation of Qi Fang was not going well. No matter how they questioned her, she adamantly insisted that she didn''t know where Su Momo had gone. She also denied kidnapping Su Momo.


    "I didn''t kidnap Momo. She forced me to help her leave the TV station. After she left, I couldn''t contact her anymore. I haven''tmitted any crime! You have no right to detain me. I want awyer!" Qi Fang protested.


    Su Momo''s manager, Sun Qin, also came to question Qi Fang: "Qi Fang, please, just tell me where Momo is. How much money do you want? I can give you anything. Is 200,000 yuan enough?"


    "Stop trying to insult people with money! Momo has gone to do what she wants to do. You''ve been forcing her to do things she doesn''t like, and she''s very unhappy!" Qi Fang shouted at Sun Qin. After shouting, she sat back down, smiling somewhat eerily, "Momo hates you all. She wants to be alone."


    Sun Qin was chilled by her smile. She felt that Qi Fang''s mental state was a bit unstable.


    Fang Rui and his team investigated Qi Fang''s properties, but she only owned this one apartment. They also investigated whether she had rented any houses. She had rented a house a year ago but moved out three months ago.


    Although there were personal items for two people in Qi Fang''s home, those items didn''t have Su Momo''s DNA on them. They also didn''t find any of Su Momo''s belongings during the search of Qi Fang''s home.


    Mu Mian discovered that the DNA from the two sets of personal items was different, belonging to two women, one of whom was Qi Fang. After some thought, shepared the two DNA samples and found that the two individuals were rted by blood.


    "Fang Rui, does Qi Fang have any sisters?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Sisters?" Fang Rui had a sudden realization. If Qi Fang had a sister, it would exin how the Qi Fang hidden in the makeup area could havee in from outside. The person who came in might not have been Qi Fang, but someone who looked very simr to her.


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to question Qi Fang''s neighbors again.


    "Qi Fang has a younger sister named Qi Fen. They were born a year apart and were very close as children. When their parents divorced, Qi Fen went with their father. Their father was azy good-for-nothing with mental issues, so Qi Fen probably suffered a lot."


    "Where did Qi Fen go with her father?"


    "I think they went to Linzhou City. We''re not sure, she hasn''te to see her sister in all these years."


    Fang Rui quickly investigated Qi Fen''s background.


    Qi Fen was from Linzhou. She dropped out of middle school and started working, initially in restaurants. Later, she grew tired of work and fell in love with cycling, traveling around on her bicycle.


    After meeting her boyfriend, she settled down for a while, living off him. A year ago, she assaulted her boyfriend and was kicked out.


    "The reason Qi Fen assaulted her ex-boyfriend was that he insulted Liang Guangyu," Zhang learned about the reason for Qi Fen''s detention from the local police station. "It seems that Qi Fen is the real obsessive fan of Liang Guangyu. Qi Fang might have helped her sister kidnap Su Momo."


    The most urgent matter now was to find Su Momo. ording to Qi Fen''s ex-boyfriend, Qi Fen''s mental state was very unstable, and she had violent tendencies. If Su Momo had indeed been kidnapped by her, she could be in grave danger.


    The surveince cameras near Qi Fang''s home hadn''t captured any sign of Su Momo, so she was likely not hidden in Qi Fang''s home.


    Fang Rui obtained Qi Fen''s phone number from her ex-boyfriend, and this number was still in use.


    The telmunicationspany could roughly locate a user''s position based on their phone number. At the police''s request, thepany helped locate Qi Fen''s current position¡ªin a cluster of abandoned buildings in the eastern suburbs.


    There were several buildings in that area, and it wasn''t possible to pinpoint the exact building based on the phone number. Fang Rui could only have everyone search quietly in different directions, trying not to alert Qi Fen.


    "Ah, boss, I stepped on something!" Zhang covered his mouth and pointed at his feet.


    He looked down and saw a pile of dog feces.


    Fang Rui nced at it and quickly looked away. Judging from the shape, it should have been from a small animal, which reminded Fang Rui of the spotted dog called Bugu.


    Was that little dog still alive? Had it also been kidnapped by Qi Fen?


    Fang Rui and his team searched several buildings but couldn''t find any trace of Qi Fen. Just as they thought the location might be wrong, Qi Fen appeared, walking from a patch of wastnd with grass seeds stuck to her clothes.


    At that moment, she noticed the pile of dog feces that Zhang had stepped in, and seeing the footprint, she instantly realized that the police had tracked her here. She immediately ran towards the nearby wastnd.


    Fang Rui and Zhang chased after her right away.


    Qi Fen, being a long-time cyclist, had excellent stamina. Moreover, she was familiar with the terrain and deliberately headed into the deep grass.


    Fang Rui told Zhang to continue the chase while he took a shortcut to block Qi Fen''s path.


    Qi Fen found herself surrounded.


    "Qi Fen, if you keep running, you''ll be suspected of resisting arrest, which will aggravate your crimes!" Zhang warned.


    Qi Fen thought Zhang looked weaker, so she ran towards him, but unexpectedly, Zhang caught her by the cor and quickly subdued her.


    "I didn''t expect you to be such a good runner!" Zhang handcuffed Qi Fen and started escorting her back. After a few steps, Zhang let out a painful cry.


    "Ah, my leg!"


    Zhang had stepped into an animal trap, and his entire leg was covered in blood.


    "I''m really having a crappy day, just my rotten luck!" Zhang wailed as he was sent to the hospital.


    Qi Fen refused to tell the police where Su Momo was. No matter what the police asked, she remained silent.


    Fang Rui and his team searched the entire area of abandoned buildings but still couldn''t find Su Momo.


    "Woof, woof, woof..."


    Following the sound, they found a spotted dog in the gap between two abandoned buildings. It looked very simr to Su Momo''s dog. Its head was tied with a stic rope, preventing it from leaving.


    Seeing people, it barked even more enthusiastically.


    Fang Rui and his team untied the rope for the little dog. The dog circled around them a few times, barked "woof woof" twice, and then ran forward on its short legs.


    "The dog might know where Su Momo is. Let''s follow it," Fang Rui said.


    The little dog would run a few steps and then look back, making sure Fang Rui and his team were following before continuing towards the wastnd.


    After walking for about twenty minutes, they reached a hillside.


    "Help... help..." A faint cry for help came from the hillside.


    They ran over and saw Su Momo tied to arge tree, her lips pale and her whole person looking very weak.


    "Wah... Finally, someone''s here. There were two Qi Fangs, they kidnapped me!" Su Momo cried, "They''re fans of Liang Guangyu and wanted to take revenge on me! They tied me here, wanting wild wolves to eat me alive. They''re so cruel! Wah..."


    Su Momo cried for a while and then fainted. Fang Rui and his team quickly carried her to the ambnce.


    In the interrogation room, Qi Fen initially refused to admit her crime.


    "Officer, I didn''t kidnap Su Momo. It was Su Momo who hired me to kidnap her. She gave me a pendant of Liang Guangyu, one that he had worn personally, very valuable. I couldn''t resist the temptation, that''s why I pretended to kidnap her."

 Chapter 105: The Vanished: The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 105</h4>


    "Where is that pendant now?"


    "In my pocket." Qi Fen felt her pocket, but only pulled out a crumpled tissue and a few coins. She exined embarrassedly, "I lost it."


    "You liked Liang Guangyu so much, how could you lose such a precious item?" Fang Rui caught the hole in her story.


    "I..."


    "Qi Fen, we already have evidence of your crime. Su Momo has also identified you as the kidnapper. You''d better tell the truth." Fang Rui pointed at the clock on the wall. "Liang Guangyu''swyer is working on his bail procedure. In ten minutes, he might pass by that corridor outside..."


    "Officer, the nature of kidnapping isn''t too serious, right? It''s at most one or two years in prison, isn''t it?"


    "Sentencing is up to the judge."


    Qi Fen kept ncing at the clock on the wall and began to ramble about what had happened:


    "My sister and I are both fans of Liang Guangyu. I really hated Su Momo. When I found out Su Momo was Liang Guangyu''s girlfriend, I wanted to get rid of her. But murder would get me the death penalty. So I thought about kidnapping her and having someone rape her to ruin her reputation.


    My sister didn''t agree with my n because she thought Su Momo was a good person and we shouldn''t hurt her. I had no choice but to listen to my sister, otherwise she wouldn''t give me money or support me anymore. Later, my sister told me that Su Momo had evidence of Liang Guangyu''s infidelity and was going to expose him! We definitely couldn''t let her ruin Liang Guangyu. So my sister agreed to help me kidnap her.


    Before kidnapping her, we had to get rid of Liu Yaying, otherwise she would always be with Su Momo and we couldn''t make our move. My sister knew about her curse doll, so we used that doll to frame Liu Yaying and get her fired. Later, my sister deliberately hinted to Su Momo that she could help her skip the New Year''s Eve performance, and Su Momo fell for it. After Su Momo snuck out, I lured her to a secluded ce, drugged her, and took her by car to that abandoned building to lock her up.


    I thought we''d keep her for a few days to teach her a lesson, so she wouldn''t leak the news about Liang Guangyu''s affair. Who knew the police would leak this information? You were so irresponsible!


    This morning, my sister told me that the police might have discovered what we did. I thought, since we''ve alreadymitted a crime, why not kill Su Momo. Killing someone with my own hands seemed too cruel, so I tied her to a tree on a deste mountain, leaving her to freeze to death or be eaten by wolves!"


    To fill the ten minutes, Qi Fen described the events in great detail.


    "Officer, can I go see Liang Guangyu now?"


    Qi Fen was escorted to the detention center. She passed by Liang Guangyu and excitedly said to him, "Liang Guangyu, I did something big for you. I kidnapped Su Momo for you. I almost killed her. See, I can do anything for you. Liang Guangyu, I love you..."


    Liang Guangyu felt disgusted. His face turned the color of pork liver as he hurriedly left with hiswyer.


    Upon learning that her sister had confessed, Qi Fang finally admitted to the crime as well.


    "I kidnapped Su Momo. My sister was just an aplice. We both like Liang Guangyu very much, and we couldn''t watch Su Momo expose him, so we kidnapped her. We originally nned to keep her for a few days and then release her, but things developed beyond our expectations. Suddenly there was blood in that dressing room, which led you to believe it was a homicide, and the situation got out of hand.


    Later we panicked and didn''t know what to do. We didn''t dare to kill her, but we were afraid she''d report us to the police if we let her go, so we just kept her locked up."


    Qi Fang''s ount of the incident was simr to her sister''s.


    "You didn''t put the blood in the dressing room?"


    "No, I didn''t. I was shocked when I discovered the blood. And when you said the blood was Su Momo''s, I waspletely stunned, not knowing what had happened."


    "Could your sister have done it?"


    "I don''t know. My sister and I acted separately."


    Fang Rui questioned Qi Fen again.


    "I put that blood there. I poured the blood on the floor to make it look like a suicide attempt by wrist-cutting. I wanted Liang Guangyu to think Su Momo was dead, so he wouldn''t have to worry about being exposed by her."


    "How did you obtain Su Momo''s blood?"


    "I won''t tell you."


    The two sisters, Qi Fang and Qi Fen, admitted to their crimes. The case was more or less solved.


    The news of Su Momo being found once again broke the inte.


    #SuMomoSessfullyRescued#


    #SuMomoKidnappedByAntiFan#


    #LiangGuangyusCrazyFansAreTerrible#


    #RationalFanBehavior#


    Su Momo nearly dominated the entire trending list.


    In the hospital, Su Momo was eating an apple with her legs crossed, reading a script.


    It was a script for a mystery film. Originally, she was cast as the third female lead, ying a forensic doctor, but after her kidnapping experience, the director changed his mind. He thought Su Momo would be perfect for the lead role, a character who also experiences a kidnapping. The director believed Su Momo''s real-life experience would enhance her performance, and they could use this angle to promote the film.


    Su Momo looked rxed, not at all like someone who had just been through a life-threatening kidnapping.


    The doctor had given Su Momo a full body check-up. Apart from rope marks on her wrists and ankles from being tied up, she had no other external injuries. She was in good health overall.


    From the corner of her eye, Su Momo spotted Fang Rui and Mu Mian. She adjusted her posture and smiled at them, "Officer Fang, Dr. Mu, what brings you to the hospital?"


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian were there to visit Zhang, and had passed by Su Momo''s room.


    Seeing Su Momo act so nonchnt, Fang Rui became even more convinced that there was more to her than met the eye.


    "Miss Su, you weren''t actually kidnapped, were you? You nned all this, didn''t you?" Fang Rui analyzed, "You used the Qi sisters."


    "Officer Fang, I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "Qi Fang said she didn''t pour the blood in the dressing room; Qi Fen admitted to it, but her story doesn''t match the facts. Did you make some kind of deal with Qi Fen, like giving her some of Liang Guangyu''s belongings, so she would willingly follow your n?"


    "Officer Fang, you can''t solve cases based on guesses alone. You need evidence," Su Momo looked up at Fang Rui, "Even if there was evidence, it''s not illegal for someone to arrange their own kidnapping, is it?"


    Fang Rui indeed had no evidence. All the evidence showed that the Qi sisters had kidnapped Su Momo, and they had confessed to the crime. It was possible that they had initially nned to kidnap Su Momo, but Su Momo had turned the tables on them, using their kidnapping to achieve her own goals.


    "It''s the police''s job to solve cases. You don''t need to know the whole truth, and you won''t be able to anyway." Su Momo''s tone was smug, but she waved the script in her hand and said with a smile, "That''s a line from the script. Did I scare you just now? Looks like my acting skills aren''t bad."


    "Miss Su, that curse doll wasn''t ced by Liu Yaying. She didn''t curse you," Fang Rui said. "Liu Yaying attempted suicide by cutting her wrists recently. She''s in this hospital. She''s not in a good state right now. If you have time, maybe you could go talk to her. I think there''s been a big misunderstanding between you two."


    Su Momo took a bite of her apple, her eyes still fixed on the script. "Thank you for telling me. I''ll visit her when I have time."


    After Fang Rui and Mu Mian left, her new assistant, Little Chen, came in and asked, "Sister Momo, do you want..."


    Su Momo corrected her irritably, "Please call me Miss Su."


    "Alright, Miss Su, would you like some bubble tea now? Both Sister Yaying and Sister Qi Fang mentioned that you like to drink bubble tea when you''re in a bad mood."


    "What makes you think I''m in a bad mood?"


    "I..."


    Su Momo finished the apple and threw the core in the trash bin. "Little Chen,e with me to see Liu Yaying. I need your help with something."

 Chapter 106: The Vanished: Perfect Revenge

    <h4>Chapter 106</h4>


    Su Momo went to Liu Yaying''s hospital room. She saw Liu Yaying sitting up in bed, leaning against her pillow, her face pale and expressionless as she stared out the window.


    When she saw Su Momo, Liu Yaying''s expression became agitated. She wanted to rush forward and hug Su Momo, but remembering what she had done, she nervously sat back down on the edge of the bed.


    Liu Yaying cried out, "Momo, that doll wasn''t a curse doll, it was meant to bring you good fortune. The master said it would bless your career with brilliance. The bloody doll that appearedter was someone trying to frame me."


    Su Momo didn''t say anything. She no longer cared about the truth of those matters.


    "I didn''t mean to send Bugu away. The doctor said you were allergic to dog hair, but you didn''t believe it. I had no choice but to secretly send it away without telling you."


    Su Momo removed herrge sunsses. "Yaying, all of that is in the past now."


    "Momo, I never meant to be with Liang Guangyu. I only slept with him to get evidence of his cheating for you. But you loved him so much, I was worried that even if you knew he cheated, you still wouldn''t break up with him. After all, you had once considered giving up your career for him. So I had no choice but to let you find out that I had slept with him, to make youpletely disillusioned with him..."


    Liu Yaying was crying messily.


    Tears also slowly rolled down from the corners of Su Momo''s eyes, but she couldn''t feel any sadness.


    She thought back to the times she had spent with Liu Yaying, difficult yet full of hope.


    None of it could be reimed now.


    Has anyone ever had a moment when they suddenly saw the true face of the world?


    Perhaps from watching too many idealistic TV dramas, people can be rather naive. The old Su Momo had always believed that if you were good to others, they would return that kindness to you. Though there were bad people in the world, she thought good people were still the majority.


    So even though she had suffered her father''s vicious betrayal, Su Momo still grew up to be a warm and kind person.


    Later, she read that suspense script. The female lead in the script also started out pure and kind, but everyone around her used and betrayed her. In the end, she had no choice but to grow up and take up a sharp knife to protect herself.


    Su Momo realized that she had been viewing the world through rose-colored sses before.


    She was just like that female lead, and the people surrounding her were all deceiving, using, and betraying her.


    The man she loved most was a cheating scumbag, just like her father. Liang Guangyu said he loved her, that his dream was to have a family with her. For this, Su Momo had nearly given up her own career and dreams to marry him. But that man was still in love with many other women.


    Her most trusted best friend hated and betrayed her. They had once lived together in the cheapest, dirtiest apartment, helping each other through the darkest moments of their lives. But Liu Yaying had slept with her boyfriend, put a curse on her, and done various underhanded things behind her back to smear her reputation.


    Her assistant, whom she thought was kindhearted, was secretly her anti-fan, going to great lengths to collect negative information about her, wanting to destroy her career and even nning to kidnap her.


    Her manager, who had struggled alongside her to build her career, had forgotten their original dreams and only wanted to make money now, forcing her to do things she didn''t like and take roles she didn''t want, binding her with all kinds of cold contracts.


    Even the "Star Home" charity she had always donated to was just using charity as a way to make money.


    Su Momo found that the beautiful world she saw had copsed.


    She wanted revenge on these bad people!


    She designed a perfect n, deciding to go along with Qi Fang''s scheme and let her "kidnap" herself.


    First, she had to reasonably fire Liu Yaying. She deliberately instructed Qi Fang to go to Liu Yaying''s room to let her see the doll. She knew that if Qi Fang wanted to kidnap her, she would have to get rid of Liu Yaying first. To Su Momo''s surprise, Qi Fang created a bloody curse incident.


    Su Momo then enriched her n.


    Su Momo deliberatelyined to Qi Fang that she didn''t want to perform in the show, and Qi Fang immediately said she could help her leave the TV station¡ªQi Fang was implementing her kidnapping n.


    Su Momo knew that she couldn''t just disappear, otherwise the police wouldn''t dig deeply into what had happened to her.


    That day, she infused her own blood into props, simting the blood spatter pattern of a wrist-cutting suicide. Then she poured the blood she had extracted in advance onto the floor, and eveny down in the pool of blood herself, simting the most realistic scene of a wrist-cutting suicide.


    Su Momo had seen what her mother looked like when shemitted suicide, and that scene was deeply imprinted in her mind. The first time she learned of Liang Guangyu''s infidelity, she had cut her own wrist with a knife, but quickly bandaged the wound herself. She would not repeat her mother''s fate.


    So she knew exactly what a wrist-cutting suicide scene would look like.


    Later, she sessfully disappeared from that makeup room. She knew it would immediately cause an uproar, and all those who had betrayed and hurt her would face retribution.


    Liang Guangyu would be ruined. Su Momo had already arranged for the press releases. The day after she disappeared, those self-media ounts would widely spread evidence of Liang Guangyu''s infidelity. With the massive attention from her disappearance, no one would be able to suppress this scandal.


    Liu Yaying would be seen as the other woman, cursed and condemned by everyone. She might worsen her depression out of guilt, and being so fragile, she might evenmit suicide. Someone like her was a waste of life anyway, so let her die.


    Sun Qin would suffer heavy losses.


    Qi Fang would go to prison for kidnapping.


    Even her beast of a father would face a small punishment. When he learned of her death, that scumbag would surely be overjoyed, thinking he could get arge inheritance. But he would soon learn that he would get nothing. This feeling of disappointment, of thinking he could get something but ending up with nothing, would torment him for the rest of his life.


    As for Su Momo herself, she would gain the sympathy of countlessizens. She could shake off many jobs she didn''t want to do, and might evennd the lead role in that suspense film she had been vying for, all because of this kidnapping experience.


    The n was nearly perfect, with the only unexpected element being Qi Fang''s sister, Qi Fen. Her sister was also a crazed fan of that scumbag Liang Guangyu, and she actually kidnapped her for real.


    Qi Fen was mentally unstable and nearly killed her several times.


    But it wasn''t a big problem. Su Momo bribed Qi Fen with Liang Guangyu''s limited edition merchandise. Su Momo told her that the kidnapping charge would only mean one or two years in prison. After she got out, Su Momo would give her arge number of Liang Guangyu''s personal items, including clothes he had worn and things he had used.


    Qi Fen was as brainless as her sister and agreed to follow her arrangements. She also promised not to reveal anything about Su Momo.


    She even taught Qi Fen how to face interrogation. She told Qi Fen not to admit to the crime at first, to make up some lies that were easy to see through, and then to confess when the police put pressure on her. This would seem more realistic.


    To make the rescue more authentic, she even had Qi Fen tie up Bugu in the abandoned building, so it could lead the police to find her.


    The oue was perfect. The bad people all received their punishment, while Su Momo remained the kind and beautiful person she had always been.


    "Momo, that''s wonderful, that''s wonderful, we''re still good friends."


    Liu Yaying''s voice brought Su Momo back to reality. Su Momo hugged her back, "Yaying, you''ll always be my good friend." Her face rested on Liu Yaying''s shoulder, wearing a sincere expression.


    Click, a camera sh went off outside the window.


    Su Momo released Liu Yaying and put on her sunsses. "Miss Liu, I wish you a speedy recovery."


    "Momo, you..."


    "Please call me Miss Su from now on."


    Liu Yaying looked at Su Momo''s cold expression, at a loss. She didn''t understand why Su Momo had suddenly be so unfamiliar.


    "Liu Yaying, admit it, all these years you''ve been jealous and resentful of me. You felt I stole your life."


    "I..." Liu Yaying couldn''t deny it, because she had indeed thought that way. But friendship had ovee those malicious thoughts.


    Su Momo handed her a card, "There''s 100,000 yuan on this. The password is thest six digits of your ID number. Liu Yaying, you''re on your own from now on."


    Leaving the hospital room, Little Chen immediately came up to her, "Miss Su, the photos have been taken. I captured the most touching moment."


    "Mm, well done." Su Momo nced at the photo, thinking her acting skills were quite exquisite. "Please call thewyer for me, I want to modify my will."


    The next day, the hashtag #Heartbreaking, Su Momo visits critically ill best friend# once again topped the trending topics.


    From that point on, Su Momo''s career in the entertainment industry shone brightly, but no one ever called her Momo again.

 Chapter 107: No Love

    <h4>Chapter 107</h4>


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian arrived at Zhang''s hospital room.


    "Everyone spread out a bit, don''t all crowd together. Zhang can barely breathe," Chen Xue waved away the heads clustered around the bed,ining, "Who brought those yellow chrysanthemums? That''s so inauspicious, take them away! And those lilies too, get rid of them. Zhang is allergic to lilies!"


    Zhang was well-liked, and his room was packed with colleagues who hade to visit. Even the new female ountant from the finance department had brought a bouquet of lilies.


    Everyone gathered around to examine Zhang''s wounds. Those who knew the truth were stifling theirughter, while the uninformed were whispering amongst themselves.


    "Bro, your leg doesn''t look like it was just from a fall. Why are there all these holes in it? What on earth happened?" Wang poked Zhang''s leg, making him howl in pain.


    Chen Xue angrily swatted Wang''s hand away. "He''s already in this state, and you''re still bullying him? What kind of friend are you?"


    "Come on, Zhang''s a tough guy. This is nothing for him," Wang sheepishly withdrew his hand.


    "Oh no, I forgot to buy pork trotters to make soup for Zhang. He needs to build up his strength," the female ountant looked distraught.


    "Little Shen, why are you worrying? Chen Xue is right here. She''s studying medicine, don''t you think she knows how to take care of Zhang? You''re always fretting over nothing."


    "But Chen Xue is a forensic pathologist. She specializes in corpses."


    "..."


    Zhang''s face turned bright red. He hadn''t dared tell everyone that he''d stepped in an animal trap. It would ruin his image.


    Mu Mian looked at the room full of flowers and gifts, suddenly realizing she hade empty-handed. Oh no, she''d forgotten to buy a present.


    Her gaze moved from the pile of gifts to the enormous, borate fruit basket Fang Rui was holding.


    Would it be okay to sneak a fruit or two from it?


    "Mu Mian, can you carry this?" Fang Rui handed the fruit basket to her.


    Mu Mian reminded him, "Aren''t you giving it yourself? It''ll be awkward without a gift."


    "It''s fine. My friendship with Zhang doesn''t need gifts to prove it."


    "That''s great then. I could really use a gift."


    Mu Mian excitedly took the basket, nearly toppling over with it. It was so heavy! In the end, she opted to hug it as she entered the room.


    Everyone watched as Mu Mian stumbled in, hugging a fruit basket half her height.


    Zhang was moved to tears. "Mu Mian, I''m so touched! You didn''t have toe, let alone bring such a huge fruit basket. Why so formal?"


    Then Zhang nced at Fang Rui''s empty hands, and his tears of gratitude dried up. The boss was so cold-hearted, not even bringing a small gift when he was bedridden.


    Seeing Zhang''s disappointed expression, Fang Rui was exasperated. Why did a grown man care so much about getting gifts? He wasn''t a child.


    The others also looked at Fang Rui''s empty hands and scolded him, "Captain Fang, you didn''t even help her carry it? How are you going to handle having a girlfriend in the future?"


    "I wanted to carry it myself," Mu Mian rified, seeing that Fang Rui was being misunderstood. "Fang Rui bought the fruit basket at the fruit shop downstairs. He got the most expensive one. I forgot to buy a gift, so Fang Rui let me give his gift so I wouldn''t be embarrassed."


    Everyone exchanged knowing looks. "Well, what''s his is yours, right? No need to be so particr about it."


    "Exactly!"


    Zhang was touched again. He felt honored that Fang Rui had bought him the most expensive fruit basket. He must really value him!


    Mu Mian frowned, not understanding why Fang Rui''s fruit basket would be considered hers. Did that mean his corpse would be hers too? But Mu Mian had already promised Fang Rui she wouldn''t let him donate his body, so she didn''t voice her confusion.


    "Officer Zhang, I heard you were injured by the culprit, but these wounds look strange. Did they attack you with a rake?" Mu Mian examined Zhang''s injuries closely. Worried that others might not know what a rake was, she exined, "You know, like in Journey to the West? Zhu Bajie''s weapon is a rake."


    Everyone suddenly burst outughing.


    "Hahaha, it really does look like Zhu Bajie took a swipe at him with his rake!"


    Mu Mian didn''t understand why everyone wasughing, so she justughed along.


    Zhang grumbled dejectedly, "Man, I must have stepped in dog poop that day to have such bad luck."


    Mu Mian pointed to the bandage on her head. "Hey, I''ve been having bad lucktely too."


    Everyone remembered the rumors about Mu Mian and couldn''t helpughing again.


    Fang Rui nced at Mu Mian, a bit helpless. Her wound had long since healed, but she loved SpongeBob SquarePants so much that she still wore that eye-catching bandage every day. Fang Rui had tried to remove it for her, but before long, Mu Mian would secretly put it back on.


    After making a ruckus in the room for a while longer, they wereined about by the elderly patient next door for being too noisy. Everyone had to leave, letting Chen Xue stay alone to look after Zhang.


    Before leaving, Mu Mian saw Chen Xue and Zhang chatting andughing together in the room, looking very happy.


    Mu Mian was puzzled. Zhang''s injuries were so severe, why was he still so cheerful? Chen Xue''s boyfriend was lying in a hospital bed, how could sheugh? Their emotional states were strange and couldn''t be exined by normal logic.


    Mu Mian recalled the forensic guide Forensic Doctor Cheng had written for her. He said that people in love have illogical emotions - their tears might express joy, theirughter might mask sorrow. Oveing hardships and setbacks might even deepen their love... Mu Mian thought love was soplicated!


    "What''s wrong, Mu Mian? Your eyebrows are all scrunched up like Crayon Shin-chan."


    "Fang Rui, I''m studying an emotion that normal humans possess - love," Mu Mian raised her chin, looking a bit proud. She thought Zhou Junwei''s experimental designcked creativity. She wanted to design a perfect experiment to study love.


    But before that, she needed to understand what love was.


    "Why study love?" Fang Rui''s heart suddenly sped up. Had Mu Mian finally realized that their rtionship was different from her other friendships?


    "Because normal people all have love. Zhang and Chen Xue have love, Forensic Doctor Cheng has love, even Wang found a nurse girlfriend. Even my hacker friend - a severe social phobic - has an adorable girlfriend..." Mu Mian listed the couples around her and sighed, "Except for me. I don''t have love. Because I''m not normal."


    Seeing Fang Rui''splicated expression, she carefully reminded him, "Fang Rui, you don''t seem to have love either."


    "I do have love," Fang Rui corrected her.


    Mu Mian tilted her head, looking confused. "But you don''t have a girlfriend."


    "That''s true, but people without girlfriends can still have love."


    "Okay," Mu Mian remembered poor Lin Consultant and warned Fang Rui, "But love without a girlfriend means you can''t get married. You''ll be lonely forever. Like Lin Consultant. You''ll be pitiful."


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian very seriously. "That''s why I have to work hard to make her fall in love with me."


    "Fang Rui, it''s okay if she can''t fall in love with you. I won''t get married either. My sister will die before me, so I''ll definitely end up alone in my old age. I can keep youpany then." Mu Mian smiled at Fang Rui.


    Fang Rui smiled too. It was okay if Mu Mian couldn''t fall in love with him, as long as she was willing to stay by his side forever.


    As they passed by the Jiangzhou Grand Hotel, Fang Rui saw police officers and security guards restraining a bruised and battered man.


    Fang Rui stopped the car and asked, "What happened?"


    "This guy snuck into the hotel to steal. He took a set of jewelry worth millions. We caught him red-handed."


    The man wailed, "I didn''t steal that jewelry! It was given to me by my daughter, Su Momo. I''m innocent! I''m not a thief! I can prove my identity. I really am the father of the famous star Su Momo. How can it be stealing if I''m taking my daughter''s things?"


    "The evidence is conclusive. We caught you in the act. No use denying it!"


    The police and security guards had already obtained proof of his theft and were taking him to the police car.


    Fang Rui suddenly realized that Su Momo had set up a perfect scheme. Everyone who had been unkind to Su Momo received their corresponding punishment.


    Su Momo wasn''t just seeking revenge on her boyfriend; she was exacting retribution on everyone.

 Chapter 108: Happy New Year

    <h4>Chapter 108</h4>


    After Su Momo recovered, she went to the police station to give her statement. She identified Qi Fang and Qi Fen sisters as her kidnappers, and her statement matched the sisters'' confessions. The case was considered closed.


    New Year''s Day was approaching quickly.


    This was Mu Mian''s first New Year in Jiangzhou City. Chen Xue and the others insisted on taking Mu Mian to the square for the New Year''s countdown. Even Zhang, who had a leg injury, came with his crutches.


    The square was very lively at night, with various colorful lights shing and beautiful, grand fireworks exploding in the sky.


    There were far too many people in the square. Sounds came from all directions, making Mu Mian tense. She frantically tried to avoid people who were getting too close to her.


    Fang Rui loosely embraced Mu Mian, shielding her from the surging crowd.


    "Mu Mian, let''s leave this ce."


    "But I promised Chen Xue and the others that we''d count down together."


    "Thene hide in my arms."


    "Okay."


    Mu Mian reached out and hugged Fang Rui''s waist, burying her head in his chest.


    Fang Rui was stunned for a moment.


    "Fang Rui, help cover my ears."


    "Alright."


    Nearby, Zhang winked at Chen Xue and whispered, "See? My method worked, didn''t it? They''re hugging now, aren''t they?"


    Zhang got cocky and nearly fell when he lost his bnce on his crutches, but fortunately, Chen Xue caught him.


    "Chen Xue, I''m steady now. You don''t need to hold me so tight."


    "I know."


    Wang also hugged his girlfriend, "Shu, I have social anxiety. There are so many people, I''m scared."


    "..."


    After the New Year''s countdown event, Fang Rui drove Mu Mian home.


    Through the car window, Mu Mian saw Shen Xiyin and Lin Sen walking hand in hand on the sidewalk. Colorful fireworks asionally exploded in the sky, illuminating the entire night and her sister''s radiant smile.


    It had been a long time since Mu Mian had seen her sister smile so happily. Her sister used to love smiling. When Mu Mian was still not very responsive to others, her sister would smile brightly at her every day.


    "Fang Rui," Mu Mian''s voice sounded a bit dejected.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I might have to face a lonely old age sooner than expected," Mu Mian sighed.


    Her sister''s friends had warned her before that one day her sister would start a family with someone else, and there would be no ce for her in that family. So she had to learn to be independent and take care of herself.


    Sigh, she might be all alone in the future. But Mu Mian didn''t like loneliness; she didn''t want to grow old alone. She thought that if worst came to worst, she could negotiate with her sister and Lin Sen to let her sleep on the floor in their new home. She would only take up a tiny bit of space and promised not to disturb them.


    Fang Rui also saw the couple outside the window. Not long ago, he had been mocking Lin Sen for his breakup, but unexpectedly, within just a few days, Lin Sen had won Shen Xiyin back.


    "Mu Mian, you won''t grow old alone. Didn''t you say you''d stay with me?"


    "Yes, but what if you get a girlfriend too? Normal people like you will all get married."


    "I can marry you in the future."


    Another huge firework exploded in the sky, illuminating the entire night.


    "That''s not possible. We autistic people can''t get married. My former therapist said so. This is what she told the parents of another autistic patient," Mu Mian imitated Ms. Mischel''s tone, "''If even you as parents can''t love her unconditionally, how can you expect another man to love her, take care of her, and not abandon her? You''re not fulfilling her love, you''re just trying to get rid of a burden.''"


    "She''s wrong."


    "Fang Rui, you should believe the therapist''s words. Ms. Mischel is the most authoritative autism therapist."


    When Mu Mian got home, she found that Shen Xiyin hadn''t returned yet. Mu Mian sat on the sofa, feeling a bit angry. Why didn''t her sister tell her she had a boyfriend?


    She was so tight-lipped, she wouldn''t have told anyone. Did her sister n to elope with Lin Sen and abandon her?


    Mu Mian saw that everyone was sending New Year''s greetings in the WeChat group. She also sent a carefully edited greeting, then decided to share this gossip she had discovered herself.


    Mu Mian: [Shocked.jpg] Let me tell you all a little secret, it seems Lin Sen has a girlfriend now. He won''t be growing old alone. Guess who his girlfriend is?


    Chen Xue: Remove the "it seems." Mian Mian, you actually think this is a secret? [Face palm.jpg]


    Zhang corrected her: Mu Mian, why are you still calling him Lin Sen? You should call him brother-inw now.


    Mu Mian: ... Why do you all know about this?


    Chen Xue: Comrade Mu Mian, you should reflect on why you didn''t know about this.


    Mu Mian: No one told me...


    Mu Mian: @Fang Rui Did you know too?


    Fang Rui: Yes.


    Zhang: Did this need to be told? Couldn''t you see it with your own eyes? Haven''t you noticed that Lin Sen has been smiling radiantly every day for over a month now, which seriously contradicts his usual cold demeanor?


    Lin Sen: @Mu Mian Yes, you should call me brother-inw from now on. @Zhang Please don''t excessively project yourself onto others. If you don''t know what this means, please open your browser and search for it.


    Mu Mian: Self-projection refers to the externalization of internal psychology, that is, judging others by oneself, projecting one''s own emotions, will, and characteristics onto others, imposing them on others, and believing that others are the same. So Officer Zhang''s strange smile over the past month can be described as radiant, huh?


    Wang: I think "licentious" might be a more fitting description. Hehe.


    Chen Xue: ...


    Zhang: ...


    Lin Sen sent severalrge red envelopes in the group chat, and then the word "Congrattions" flooded the screen.


    When Shen Xiyin returned home, she was carrying a huge gift box. The box was grass green, tied with beautiful ribbons and a bow.


    Mu Mian''s eyes lit up when she saw the gift, "Sister, is this a New Year''s gift for me? I see my name on the card on the box."


    "Yes. Mian, Happy New Year!"


    "Happy New Year."


    Mu Mian excitedly opened the box. Inside was a SpongeBob SquarePants themed Lego set, including SpongeBob and his pineapple house.


    "Sister, how did you know I wanted this gift?" Mu Mian liked SpongeBob because he always smiled sincerely at others, whether they were normal or not.


    Shen Xiyin nced at the SpongeBob band-aid on Mu Mian''s forehead, just smiled, and didn''t answer.


    Receiving a gift she liked made Mu Mian feel less angry.


    Shen Xiyin sat down on the sofa and said, "Mian, your sister has a boyfriend now. You know him, it''s Lin Sen."


    "I already knew that." Mu Mian eagerly started assembling her Lego set and curiously asked, "Sister, didn''t you say you wouldn''t marry Lin Sen? Why are you with him now? Are you going to get married?"


    Her sister''s friends often told her sister that she should get married. Mu Mian thought that for normal people, marriage must be a very important thing.


    If her sister was going to get married, she would happily congratte her, even if it meant she might be alone in the future.


    "Mian, I used to think the future was very important. If something was going to have a bad ending, it should be stopped in time and ended. But when you were kidnapped, I suddenly realized that the future is unpredictable and uncontroble. We never know what will happen tomorrow. All we have is the present. I''ve always wanted to be with him, so I reconciled with him."


    "Will you marry him?"


    "I don''t know. The future is uncertain, anything could happen. But one thing is certain, your sister won''t abandon you. No matter what happens, I''ll be with you until you no longer need me," Shen Xiyin''s voice was very firm.


    "Then you can''t lie to me, okay? Deceiving autistic patients is hical."


    Mu Mian breathed a sigh of relief. She had been very worried that if her sister married Lin Sen, she would be abandoned. Just like her hacker friend, whose mother got married and abandoned him. He was very lonely for a while and almost imagined another version of himself to talk to. Fortunately, heter had her as a friend.


    Mu Mian asked curiously, "Sister, so do you and Lin Sen have love now?"


    Shen Xiyin smiled, "Yes."


    Mu Mian''s face lit up with excitement, "Then can you and Lin Sen apany me to the psychologyb at Jiangzhou University?"


    Shen Xiyin frowned and asked in confusion, "Why do you want to go there?"


    "Sister, I want to study love too. I want to know how the brain of someone in love differs from a normal person''s brain. That way, I''ll know if I have love or not. Can you and Consultant Lin be my test subjects?"


    Mu Mian thought Zhou Junwei''s idea of studying love was good, but his methods were too extreme. So Mu Mian designed her own experiment to study love.


    "Love is a veryplex emotion. It can''t be urately defined by science, nor can it be quantified and studied. It''s abination of many emotional states. Xiao Mian, you can''t study love, you can only experience it."


    Mu Mian quickly finished assembling SpongeBob and started on the pineapple house. "But other emotions can be studied. Fear, happiness, sadness... these can all be researched. Love must be possible to study too! I think Zhou Junwei is right, all human emotionse from the brain, so by observing changes in the brain, we should be able to see love."


    "Xiao Mian, why are you suddenly so interested in love?"


    "You and Chen Xue both have love, and the forensic manual Forensic Doctor Cheng gave me has arge section describing love. It seems to be a very important thing. I think I should have it too. Zhou Junwei said that people with autism can have love," Mu Mian said. "But first, I need to know what the definition of love is, what standard needs to be met."


    "Xiao Mian, that''s not the right order. You need to experience love first, then you''ll know what it''s like," Shen Xiyin reminded her. "Before encountering love, no one can urately describe what it is."


    "Alright!" Mu Mian finished assembling the Lego set and took a photo. She gave up on the idea of studying love.


    Mu Mian sent a message to Fang Rui: [Photo attached] This is the New Year''s gift my sister gave me. Isn''t it pretty?


    Fang Rui: It''s very pretty, but don''t you think something''s missing?


    Mu Mian: What''s missing?


    Fang Rui: Mu Mian, Happy New Year.


    Outside, huge fireworks were bursting again, filling the sky with brilliant and dazzling flowers of light.

 Chapter 109: Flowers for Algernon

    <h4>Chapter 109</h4>


    The next day, when Mu Mian arrived at the office, she found several boxes piled on her desk.


    "Chen Xue, who put these things on my desk?" she asked.


    "I think it was Captain Fang. He brought them over early this morning," Chen Xue came over and nced at the boxes, shaking her head. "Geez, he really doesn''t know how to give gifts. He didn''t even wrap them."


    Mu Mian picked one up and looked closely. She realized they were several Lego sets, all SpongeBob SquarePants themed: Patrick Star and his rock house, Squidward and his r, the Krusty Krab and Mr. Krabs...


    Mu Mian finally understood what had been missing. The photo from yesterday was missing SpongeBob''s friends.


    Just like Mu Mian now, who was no longer the lonely Mu Mian she used to be. Besides her sister, she now had Fang Rui and many other friends.


    Mu Mian corrected Chen Xue, "Fang Rui is very good at giving gifts."


    After Su Momo''s disappearance case was closed, they had another quiet period.


    Before the Spring Festival, Zhang''s leg had finally recovered. Although the wound still hurt, he could basically walk now.


    In the past, Mu Mian didn''t celebrate the Spring Festival because it was just her and her sister at home, and they didn''t need to wait for anyone to reunite. But the Spring Festival atmosphere in China was very strong, so Shen Xiyin decided to bring their aunt Shen Min back from the nursing home to celebrate together.


    Mu Mian went to wait for Shen Xiyin at the psychology clinic where she worked, and then they would go pick up their aunt together.


    The receptionist recognized Mu Mian and told her to wait in the lounge area.


    "Chen, I''ve tidied up the sand tray room. Can I leave work early today? It''s my roommate''s birthday and we have a dinner party," Mu Mian heard Bai Jing say as she came out of the sand tray room.


    "You''re Xiyin''s assistant, you should ask her directly about these things."


    "Dr. Shen will definitely agree."


    "Then it''s fine."


    Feeling Mu Mian''s gaze, Bai Jing looked at her. "Mu Mian, what a coincidence. Are you here to see your sister?"


    Mu Mian found it strange that Bai Jing was her sister''s assistant. Wasn''t she a social worker in themunity?


    Just then, Shen Xiyin finished her work and came to find Mu Mian. When Bai Jing saw Shen Xiyin, she immediately went up and linked arms with her, saying coyly, "Dr. Shen, are you really noting to Qiao Wan''s birthday party? She really wants you to attend."


    Shen Xiyin calmly withdrew her arm. "I''m sorry, I don''t have time."


    "Alright, but you muste to my birthday party next time, okay?"


    "We''ll see when the timees."


    Bai Jing left the clinic with her bag.


    Seeing Mu Mian staring at Bai Jing''s back, Shen Xiyin asked, "Mian, do you know Bai Jing?"


    "I do." Mu Mian thought for a moment and decided to warn her sister. "She''s a dangerous person. Sister, you need to be careful around her."


    "Most of the people I deal with at work are dangerous individuals. It''s nothing unusual. Her dysfunctional family background has made her personality somewhat twisted and dark, but if someone is willing to guide her with care, she can be a normal person."


    Shen Xiyin had also noticed that Bai Jing''s personality had ws. She might have paranoid personality disorder, but Shen Xiyin was willing to give her a chance. The purpose of psychological therapy was to help those with defects to grow.


    Shen Xiyin drove Mu Mian to the high-end nursing home.


    "Mian, you go talk to Aunt first. I''ll go meet with her attending physician to understand her condition and see if we can bring her home for a while."


    Mu Mian nodded, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Okay."


    Shen Min was still sunbathing on thewn. She held a book in her hand but wasn''t reading it. Her gaze was empty, but not like that of a dementia patient. She looked more like a sage, quietly contemting something.


    "Aunt."


    "You''re blocking my sunlight." Feeling the sunlight being blocked, Shen Min''s gaze fell on Mu Mian, and she smiled. "Mu Mian, have you found my Momo?"


    Mu Mian was surprised that her aunt remembered her. But her aunt had forgotten that Momo was already dead.


    "I''m sorry, Aunt. I haven''t found Momo yet."


    "Momo is a police officer with strong counter-surveince abilities. It''s normal that you can''t find her. Spring Festival ising, and my Momo will definitelye to see me." Shen Min said to a nearby caregiver, "Nurse, can you help me get my photo album? I seem to have forgotten what Momo looks like. I need to refresh my memory."


    "Sure."


    Shen Min asked Mu Mian to sit down beside her. They sunbathed together for a while. Just when Mu Mian thought Shen Min wasn''t going to speak, she handed the book in her hand to Mu Mian. "This is for you."


    The book was titled "Flowers for Algernon."


    Mu Mian epted the book. "Thank you for the gift. I''ve already read this book. It''s a soft science fiction novel. I think the premise is quite unrealistic. There''s no surgery that can increase intelligence yet."


    The novel described a brain surgery that could increase intelligence. Algernon was a whiteb mouse that received the surgery and became as intelligent as a human. The male protagonist, Charlie Gordon, also underwent the surgery, gradually transforming from intellectually disabled to a genius. But this brought various troubles. He discovered how ugly and unbearable the real world was... He gained wisdom but also experienced various negative emotions.


    When Charlie''s intelligence peaked and began to decline, the experiment failed, and he eventually returned to his intellectually disabled state...


    Shen Min said to herself, "I can''t let Momo be smart."


    "Why can''t she be smart?"


    "Because she will die."


    Mu Mian was confused. She thought her aunt might be having an episode again.


    After saying this, Shen Min closed her eyes and continued sunbathing. Her expression was peaceful, as if she was quietly waiting for her Momo toe see her.


    Shen Xiyin watched Shen Min and Mu Mian from a distance. She didn''t dare to approach, fearing that if she did, her aunt would remember the cruel reality. Perhaps, letting her aunt live in a fantasy was a good thing.


    In the end, they didn''t bring Shen Min home. Her attending physician didn''t agree to let her leave the nursing home, worried that she might lose control of her behavior and do something destructive.


    On New Year''s Eve, Mu Mian thought the dinner would be like before, just her and her sister. But then the doorbell rang.


    Shen Xiyin was cutting vegetables and said to Mu Mian, "Mian, can you get the door?"


    Mu Mian opened the door to find Lin Sen standing there, holding arge bouquet of roses in one hand and a gift box in the other.


    Mu Mian was stunned. Why was Consultant Lin at their house on New Year''s Eve instead of staying at his own home?


    Lin Sen handed Mu Mian a gift box. "Mu Mian, this is for you."


    Mu Mian was delighted to receive the gift. She hugged it, smiling brightly. "Thank you, brother-inw."


    "You''re wee."


    Lin Sen saw Shen Xiyin in the kitchen and followed her in.


    "Xiyin, do you need any help?"


    "I think I do. You know I''m not very good at cooking," Shen Xiyin nced at Mu Mian, who was ying with her phone, and lowered her voice, "Mian only cares about the shape of the food, not the taste. So my cooking skills haven''t improved much over the years."


    "Then let me cook."


    "Alright, but I still need to cut the vegetables. Mian has strict requirements for the shape of various ingredients."


    "Okay."


    Mu Mian was updating thetest gossip in the group chat.


    Mu Mian: Shocked.jpg Do you know where Consultant Lin is right now?


    Chen Xue: At your house! Let''s skip this topic. Wang, didn''t you say you were going to send red envelopes? Hurry up.


    Wang: Oh, thework is bad. I can''t send the red envelopes.


    Mu Mian: Aren''t you all surprised?


    Zhang: Wang, howe yourwork isn''tgging when you''re grabbing red envelopes? Come on, send the red envelopes!


    Mu Mian private messaged Fang Rui: Fang Rui, why aren''t they interested in gossip anymore?


    Fang Rui: Maybe because they all have partners now...


    Mu Mian: You don''t have a partner. Why aren''t you curious about why Consultant Lin is spending New Year''s at my house?


    Fang Rui: After Lin Sen''s parents divorced, neither of them wanted him. He used to spend New Year''s alone, asionallying to my house. Now that he has a girlfriend, he''s definitely spending New Year''s at her ce.


    Lin Sen came out with dishes and saw Mu Mian looking at him sympathetically.


    "Mu Mian, what''s wrong?"


    "Brother-inw, you shoulde to our house for New Year''s from now on." Mu Mian thought for a moment, felt that this logic wasn''t rigorous, and added, "Or I''ll go to your and my sister''s new home for New Year''s."


    "Okay."


    Mu Mian thoroughly enjoyed this New Year''s Eve dinner. The presentation of the dishes perfectly matched her aesthetic taste, and the vors were much better than usual. Mu Mian found it strange: how could the taste change so dramatically with the same ingredients and cooking methods?


    If one could ignore the fact that Mr. Lin and her sister were constantlymunicating through mind-reading, isting her, this meal would have been perfect.


    Mu Mian thought that her sister''s friend might be wrong. Even if her sister had a new family, there would surely be a ce for her in it.


    After their thirty-fifth exchange of meaningful nces without speaking, Mu Mian silentlyined that it would be nice if this new family were a bit livelier.


    Mu Mian turned on the television to watch the Spring Festival G.


    Not long after, Mu Mian unplugged the TV.


    Good heavens, it was so noisy.


    The Spring Festival G... was just too awful to watch!

 Chapter 110: The Death of the Virgin: Dying with a Smile

    <h4>Chapter 110</h4>


    The Special Crime Unit had another quiet spell. They had been investigating only minor cases during this period.


    One morning, the police received a report of a homicide at "Star Home," a private welfare institution in the old town district.


    Fang Rui and his team followed the navigation for a while, turning onto a bumpy small road. After several twists and turns, they finally saw two small buildings.


    "Star Home" was located on the edge of the old town district, consisting of two three-story buildings and argewn. The entireplex was enclosed by high red brick walls, with the entrance being a ck iron gate. The gate had colorful paint writing: Star Home.


    The outer walls were covered with moss and vines, giving it a vibrant appearance.


    Outside the walls was arge wastnd, unpaved with cement. It had rained the previous day, leaving the ground full of puddles.


    "Boss, there are footprints by the wall," Wang pointed to the muddy area not far away, which had many messy footprints. He estimated, "That shoe print is at least size 42, looks like an adult male''s footprint."


    Fang Rui looked over and noticed mud on the wall as well, suggesting someone might have climbed over during the heavy rain.


    Wang quickly went to collect footprint samples with his equipment.


    "Officers, you''re finally here," Acting Director Chen Xinran greeted them at the door. She wore a ck long dress, had shoulder-length short hair, and a cross on her chest. She looked young, but was actually nearly fifty years old.


    "Where''s the deceased?"


    "The victim is our director Zhang Xuemei. She died in her office, stabbed multiple times in the chest," Chen Xinran said nervously. "There''s blood all over the floor, it''s terrifying."


    She steadied herself and continued, "Officers, I''ve locked that room and contained the news. I hope during your investigation, you won''t tell the other children about Director Zhang''s death. These children were very close to her, and they''ll need time to ept this. I n to have the teachers give them a lesson on the meaning of life first. Once they understand what death means, we''ll break the news to them."


    "We understand. We''ll keep it confidential from them throughout."


    Director Chen led Fang Rui and his team into the welfare home.


    The exterior walls were colorful, painted with many dreamy scenes: colorful whales swimming through clouds and stars, various colorful mushrooms waving on the ground, a giant wooden house filled with adorable children...


    The interior walls were also covered in paintings, with childish brushstrokescking clear lines but bold in color use. The content was imaginative and full of creativity, likely drawn by the children.


    Mu Mian quietly exined to everyone, "That whale is called Alice, also known as the 52-hertz whale. Whalesmunicate with each other through sound frequencies, usually between 15 to 25 hertz. This one''s voice is always around 50 hertz, meaning it can never contact itspanions. It''s the loneliest whale in the world."


    Mu Mian used to be like this lonely whale, unable to find the frequency to connect with the outside world. But her sister found her frequency and connected with her. She was no longer a lonely whale.


    Mu Mian once had someone create a 52-hertz sound. When her father took her to the beach, she put the recording in a drift bottle and secretly threw it into the sea. She hoped that the whale could hear this sound, so it wouldn''t be so lonely.


    "Yes, that''s why this whale can also represent autistic children," Chen Xinran observed Mu Mian for a moment and quickly realized that Mu Mian was also an autistic person. But Mu Mian was a fortunate autistic individual, at least able to work normally now.


    "Are all the residents here autistic?" Mu Mian asked.


    "Seven or eight years ago, yes. That''s why it''s called ''Star Home,'' because autistic individuals are also called star children. But now, with improved economic conditions and treatment options, it''s rare for parents to abandon autistic children. So we now ept all kinds of children, focusing on those with disabilities."


    At this moment, a handsome little boy came bouncing over. He said to Chen Xinran, "Mama Chen, why hasn''t Director Mama woken up yet? Woof, woof, h h h," the little boy''s neck twitched, and he made some strange noises. Then he scratched his forehead and continued, "Didn''t Director Mama say to sleep early and rise early? Woof, how can she lie, woof, and secretly sleep in? h h h."


    While speaking, the boy made faces and asionally let out strange noises, then continued talking.


    Chen Xinran crouched down and exined to the little boy, "Guoguo, Director Mama is sick. She needs to rest well, and you shouldn''t disturb her, okay?"


    "Okay. Mama Chen, I''ll tell the others not to disturb Director Mama''s rest," Guoguo nodded obediently. His neck twitched, but this time he tried hard to suppress his strange noises.


    Guoguo thought these uncles and aunties were here to donate money or goods, so he wanted to leave a good impression.


    Mu Mian looked at the little boy and asked, "Does he have Tourette''s syndrome?"


    Tourette''s syndrome (also known as Tic disorder)monly includes symptoms such as muscle spasms, involuntary movements, repetitive muttering, distorted movements, and facial muscle spasms.


    Chen Xinran nodded, "Yes. It''s also because of this that his parents abandoned him at the train station. Later, the police contacted our director, and she, being very kind-hearted, took him in. He''s a very smart and sensible child, with no intellectual problems, but because of this condition, he can''t attend school. We tried sending him to school before, but he was bullied by ssmates and teachers, so he had to drop out. The children here, for various reasons, can''t live normal children''s lives..."


    The institution housed over thirty children, ranging from three to twenty years old, all with various disabilities. At the moment, they were sitting on thewn, drawing or ying with toys, with several staff members apanying them.


    The murder case hadn''t affected their lives yet.


    "Sister Chen, it''s terrible, Yuanyuan is missing," volunteer teacher Li Min ran over, saying anxiously, "Could something have happened to him? He can''t speak, so he can''t call for help if he''s in danger..."


    Chen Xinran''s expression also became worried, "Yuanyuan likes to hide in closets, have you checked there?"


    "We have! We''ve searched the game room and rest area, but we can''t find Yuanyuan anywhere."


    "Don''t panic, go to the security room and check the surveince footage to see where Yuanyuan is."


    "Okay."


    Fang Rui asked, "Director Chen, do you need our help to search?"


    "It''s alright, Yuanyuan is an autistic child, and he often hides like this. Our ce isn''t that big, we''ll be able to find him quickly with the surveince footage."


    Zhang Xuemei''s office was on the second floor of the first building.


    Chen Xinran unlocked the door with a key. As soon as it opened, Mu Mian smelled the scent of blood, then saw a woman lying in a pool of blood, with a knife stuck in her chest.


    The woman''s face was pale due to excessive blood loss, but her wrinkled face wore a kind smile, as if she hadn''t been murdered but had died naturally.


    Zhang eximed, "This is too bizarre, why did she die with a smile?"

 Chapter 111: The Death of the Virgin: The Bloody Boy

    <h4>Chapter 111</h4>


    The office was small but filled with various items: arge bookshelf packed with fairy tale books and several dolls; a wooden filing cab; a brown desk with books on autism intervention and files for all the children.


    The room was tidy, with no signs of a struggle. However, the window was open, allowing rain to drift in and wet the wooden floor, leaving a puddle.


    Fang Rui walked over. There were no security bars on the window; anyone could climb in once the ss was opened. There was a bit of mud and half a footprint on the windowsill.


    Under the desk was a red, deted balloon.


    "Hmm, it might have been a burr," Chen Xinran said. "I''ve been urging the director to install security bars, but she refused to save money. She said she was so poor that even if thieves came, they could only steal some books. I wish I had insisted on installing them for her."


    "Director Chen, what did you do before?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I was an autism intervention teacher. About seven or eight years ago, I was a volunteer here, but as I spent more time with these children and grew attached to them, I decided to stay. I had a child before, but he passed away in an ident. I thought I could share the love I had for him with these poor children, and perhaps it would bring blessings to my child as well."


    Fang Rui noticed something seemed to be missing from the desk. There were two circr marks, as if something had been there for a long time, but now those objects were gone.


    "Director Chen, what used to be in these two spots?"


    "Here... I think there were two little pig dolls. Maybe a child gave them to her," Chen Xinran thought for a moment, then opened her phone and found a photo. "Look, like this. This photo was taken when Director Zhang was interviewed by a reporter."


    Fang Rui looked at the photo. The two dolls were about 20 centimeters tall, pink, and pig-shaped. Nothing special about them.


    If there really was a thief, why would they steal such ordinary dolls?


    Mu Mian noticed that the victim''s eyes were wide open, staring at a particr spot. Mu Miany down beside her, following the victim''s gaze, and saw the cab.


    "Mu Mian, the floor is so cold. Why are you lying down? You''ll catch a cold."


    Mu Mian reached out to Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, give me a hand."


    Fang Rui pulled Mu Mian up. Mu Mian walked to the cab and, wearing gloves, gently pulled open the cab door.


    With a creak, the old door opened.


    "Ah, there''s another victim?" Zhang eximed.


    A blood-covered little boy was revealed before them.


    The boy wore a sweatshirt with a rainbow horse print. He had pitch-ck, hollow eyes and looked like a frozen statue, showing no expression or movement.


    Mu Mian checked his breathing, "He''s alive, not a corpse." She briefly examined his body with her eyes, "No stab wounds, the blood isn''t his."


    "Yuan Yuan."


    The boy showed no reaction.


    Chen Xinran rushed over and hugged the boy, "Yuan Yuan, why are you here? Su Laoshi and the others have been looking for you for so long, they couldn''t find you anywhere. She was worried sick. Yuan Yuan, what''s wrong?"


    Mu Mian looked at Chen Xinran with disapproval, "Acting Director Chen, you''re contaminating potential evidence." Fearing she might sound cold-hearted, she added, "If you want to hug him, at least put on a raincoat and gloves first."


    "Yuan Yuan is probably in shock. He used to be non-verbal, but he would react when he saw me. Now he''spletely unresponsive, likely traumatized from witnessing the murder. We need to provide crisis intervention for him. I''m sorry, but I need to handle his situation first." Without waiting for Fang Rui and the others to agree, Chen Xinran ran out carrying Yuan Yuan.


    Zhang looked at the bloodstains in the cab and came up with a shocking theory: "Do you think it''s possible that Yuan Yuan stabbed the director? The director, not wanting to scare Yuan Yuan, maintained a smile even as she was being stabbed. She didn''t want to frighten him."


    Although Zhang''s guess was far-fetched, Wang and Chen Xue found it somewhat usible. How else could they exin why the victim died with a smile?


    "Following your logic, it''s also possible that the director knew Yuan Yuan was hiding in the cab, and she didn''t want to scare him, so she kept smiling even as the killer stabbed her, trying to reassure Yuan Yuan?" Fang Rui offered his own theory.


    "Ah, boss, your guess makes much more sense," Zhang said admiringly.


    Mu Mian sighed, "Eh."


    "Mu Mian, what''s wrong?" Fang Rui could tell from Mu Mian''s smug expression that she was silently critiquing something.


    "Your guesses are so heartwarming. Your kindness limits your thinking, preventing you from considering other possibilities."


    Fang Rui said resignedly, "Mu Mian, why don''t you just share your theory?"


    "I won''t. I only speak with evidence."


    "..."


    Mu Mian examined the body''s surface. The victim had been stabbed three times in the stomach and once in the chest. She also measured the body temperature, which was slightly higher than room temperature, about 25.2¡ãC.


    "The victim likely died between 10 and 11 PMst night," Mu Mian said.


    Fang Rui went to the security room to check the surveince footage.


    Old Liu, the security guard, was in his fifties, wearing a ck brand-name tracksuit and looking energetic. However, he walked with a noticeable limp.


    "Officer, was it Director Zhang who... ? I didn''t see here in this morning. Unless she was sick, she would always be here to have breakfast with the children," Old Liu said, his face full of concern.


    Old Liu didn''t know how to operate theputer, so he let Fang Rui ess the surveince footage himself. As Fang Rui worked, he casually chatted with Old Liu, "Uncle Liu, what kind of person was your director?"


    "Our director was a top-notch good person. She used to be very wealthy, owning a KTV business. She was quite the female entrepreneur in the 90s. But her child was diagnosed with autism, and she nearly went bankrupt trying to cure him. Her husband was a useless freeloader who ran away when things got tough. She persisted in treating her child alone, but in the end, she couldn''t save him. She lost sight of him for a moment, and he ran onto the road and was hit by a truck. Sigh, why don''t good people get rewarded?


    Afterwards, she established this welfare home, specifically for autistic orphans. Even children with parents who couldn''t afford to raise them, she would take in. She even spent money to learn about autism intervention, just to better care for these children.


    Later, Star Home became famous, and manypanies and kind-hearted individuals donated to us. The director used the extra money to set up a charitable foundation dedicated to helping autistic children with their treatment. She was even selected as a moral role model in Jiangzhou City a year ago..."


    Old Liu went on and on about Director Zhang''s achievements.


    "I was also taken in by her. I''ve had a deformed right foot since childhood and was abandoned by my parents. I grew up in an orphanage. As an adult, I couldn''t find stable work and could only wander around this area, doing odd jobs to scrape by. Director Zhang took pity on me and let me work as a security guard, paying me over a thousand yuan a month. It''s not much, but I get room and board here, so I hardly spend anything. She even bought me pension insurance, so when I retire, I can receive a few hundred yuan each month. She''s truly a great person. I hope heaven opens its eyes and rewards good people."


    Zhang listened with a moved expression and chimed in, "Indeed, why don''t good people get rewarded?"


    "Uncle Liu, why is the surveince footage from 8:05 PM yesterday to 9:17 AM today missing?" Fang Rui interrupted their conversation.

 Chapter 112: The Death of the Virgin: The Thief

    <h4>Chapter 112</h4>


    "Officer, I forgot to tell you. Last night, due to heavy rain, there was a power outage. It started around 8 PM and power wasn''t restored until after 7 AM this morning. The surveince cameras probably didn''t record anythingst night."


    Old Liu looked at Fang Rui and Zhang guiltily. "But I guarantee, no one broke inst night. I didn''t sleep at all because I was worried someone mighte to steal things during the ckout."


    The security room was clean and tidy, with a visitor log on the desk and neatly arranged folders. Earlier, when going downstairs, Fang Rui noticed that all the fire safety equipment in the building had inspection tags and had been regrly checked, with Old Liu as the inspector. It was clear that this security guard was very conscientious.


    Fang Rui noticed the dark circles under his eyes and felt he probably wasn''t lying.


    He was about to leave when he spotted a pair of brand-name sneakers under Old Liu''s bed, covered in mud.


    "Uncle Liu, did you go out after the rain?" Fang Rui asked.


    "No! My legs aren''t in good shape, so I don''t usually go outside."


    "Uncle Liu, what size shoes do you wear?"


    "Size 42. Why, do you have some shoes you don''t want to donate to me?" Old Liu asked excitedly. He rarely bought clothes, usually wearing discarded clothes from others to save money.


    Zhang said, "I also wear size 42. I have quite a few old shoes that aren''t worn out, just out of style. If you need them, I can bring them for you. It would be a shame to throw them away."


    "That would be great, thank you! I don''t mind. All my clothes and shoes are donated by kind people." Old Liu pointed to his tracksuit, boasting, "Some are even brand names, you know."


    Fang Rui pointed to the shoes under his bed and asked, "Can I borrow those shoes for a moment? One of my colleagues'' shoes broke."


    "Oh? Will they fit him?" Old Liu hesitated, but quickly added, "Sure, if your colleague doesn''t mind."


    Old Liu was about to grab the shoes, but Fang Rui beat him to it, picking them up.


    "Why is there so much mud on the soles? I don''t know when that got there. Let me clean them for you first," Old Liu said nervously, trying to grab the shoes.


    "No need, we don''t mind."


    Outside the security room, Fang Rui ced the shoes in an evidence bag.


    "Boss, do you think the footprints outside were made by these shoes?" Zhang asked.


    "Mm-hmm."


    Fang Rui took the shoes to find Wang outside the wall.


    There were many chaotic footprints near the wall, so Wang hadn''t finished collecting evidence. Judging from the size and pattern of the footprints, they seemed to belong to the same person.


    "Wang, what size are the footprints?" Fang Rui asked.


    "They appear to be size 42."


    Fang Rui carefully examined the right footprint, which was very even. Hepared the pattern of the footprint on the ground with the pattern on the shoes in his hand; they were identical.


    The footprint in the mud was very even. If Old Liu had stepped in the mud wearing these shoes, the right footprint should have been uneven, as Old Liu limped and his right foot tilted to the side. The footprint should have been deeper on the right and shallower on the left.


    "Boss, these footprints are strange," Wang analyzed. "Even if a normal person walked in well-fitting shoes, the footprints shouldn''t be this even. Most people have their own walking habits, which should cause different depths in different parts of the shoe print. But here, all these footprints are very even, indicating that the person was applying equal pressure across the entire shoe while walking."


    Zhang said, "Does this mean the person has t feet?"


    "...It''s not about whether the feet are t or not," Wang pointed to the footprints. "Look at these prints that are closer together; the person was probably walking faster. Shouldn''t the prints in the mud be shallower? And those prints that are further apart, shouldn''t they be deeper? But the depth is all the same, which doesn''t make sense."


    Fang Rui summarized, "Like someone deliberately made these prints?"


    "Exactly that feeling!"


    Zhang also caught on, "Boss, could someone have stolen Old Liu''s shoes to frame him?"


    Fang Rui walked around the wall again. He examined the mud on top of the wall; its color matched the mud at the base. Arge patch of moss at the wall''s base had been kicked off, exposing the bare wall. Nearby vines had also been trampled.


    However, the moss and vines higher up the wall were undisturbed.


    They also discovered an oval-shaped depression in the moss at calf height on the wall. There was a long skid mark on the ground.


    "Someone must have slipped and identally hit the wall, leaving that dent," Zhang said.


    "Judging by the size, it doesn''t look like it was made by an adult male''s knee," Wang analyzed.


    Fang Rui called the powerpany and learned that there had been no power outage in the areast night. Nearby residents also confirmed there had been no ckout.


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to check the electric meter again. It was normal, with no signs of tampering.


    "Who checked the electric meter at the time?" Fang Rui returned to the security room to ask Old Liu.


    "Sister Chen went to check. She said the power was out because of the heavy rain."


    "Which Sister Chen?"


    "Chen Xinran. Though the WeChat group just announced she''s now the acting director."


    Fang Rui went to examine the half shoe print on the windowsill again; its pattern matched Old Liu''s shoes.


    Chen Xinran was in the treatment room with some volunteers. Yuanyuan''s condition was terrible; he had no response other than blinking. But when Chen Xinran and the volunteers discussed his condition outside the door, Yuanyuan quickly crawled into the toy cab.


    "Yuanyuan, we''re Mama Chen and Teacher Li. Can you open the door, please?" Chen Xinran crouched down and patiently spoke to the little boy in the cab.


    Yuanyuan desperately held the cab door shut. They didn''t dare use too much force and could only call to Yuanyuan softly from outside.


    But Yuanyuan still held the cab tightly shut, not letting anyone open it.


    Chen Xinran stood up, supporting herself on her knees, and said to the volunteer Li Min, "Teacher Li, we can''t do anything about Yuanyuan''s condition. Please ask Teacher Jiang toe and see if she has any ideas."


    Li Min nodded, "I''ve already contacted her. She said she''de as soon as possible."


    Chen Xinran then turned to Fang Rui and his team: "Officer Fang, I was dealing with an urgent situation earlier and couldn''t properly receive you. I''m free now, shall we talk in my office?"


    Chen Xinran''s office was also small but elegantly decorated, with calligraphy paintings on the walls and orchids on the windowsill. Her windows didn''t have security bars.


    Zhang thought to himself that if a thief really wanted to steal something, they should start with this office.


    Chen Xinran poured rose tea for everyone.


    Fang Rui specifically asked Chen Xue toe along. He gave Chen Xue a look, and she winked in response. Holding her cup of tea, she walked to Chen Xinran''s side and pretended to identally spill tea on her skirt.


    "Oh, I''m so sorry, my hand cramped. Are you alright? Let me help you clean up." Chen Xue took out a tissue, appearing flustered as she wiped the skirt, but actually pulled up the skirt slightly, revealing Chen Xinran''s knee.


    Her right knee was bruised ck and blue, as if it had been hit.

 Chapter 113: The Death of the Madonna: Fatal Smile

    <h4>Chapter 113</h4>


    "Director Chen, pleasee with us. There are some things you need to exin to us. For example, why did you try to disguise the crime scene as a burry?" Fang Rui said.


    Chen Xinran''s face turned pale. She instinctively retorted, "Officer, what are you talking about? I called the police as soon as I saw the body. When would I have had time to stage the scene?"


    "How do you exin the injury on your knee?"


    "I fell when I was holding Yuanyuan earlier."


    "Where did you fall? Please show us. The surveince cameras are working again now. We can easily check the footage and find out what really happened."


    Chen Xinran gave up her attempts at deception and left with Fang Rui and his team. Before leaving, she appointed the volunteer Li Min as the acting director. Li Min was in her early thirties and was one of the more experienced staff members.


    "Li Min, please take good care of the children."


    "Where are you going, Chen? I can''t handle this alone. You muste back as soon as possible."


    "Alright, I''ll be back soon."


    Back at the police station, Chen Xinran confessed to her crime.


    "Officers, I really didn''t kill anyone! I don''t know how Director Zhang died!" Chen Xinran wrung her hands nervously. "I needed arge sum of money. I asked Director Zhang to lend it to me, but she refused. So I had the evil idea of sneaking into her office to steal money. It was raining heavilyst night, wasn''t it? When I was checking the electric meter, I suddenly thought, if I could trick them into a power outage, there would be no surveince, and I could enter her office to steal the money."


    "How did you know there was money in her office?" Fang Rui asked.


    "She''s loaded! What kind of person do you think our director is? A saint?" Chen Xinran sneered.


    Zhang replied, "The newspapers say she''s a selfless moral model. Although she has no children of her own, she''s a good mother to many orphans..."


    "Haha, only you would believe that! Do you know how much money kind-hearted people donate to our orphanage every year? The Jiangmiao Group alone donates millions every year. Where do you think that money goes?"


    Chen Xinran wore a mocking smile, "It all goes into Zhang Xuemei''s own pocket. She always brainwashes us with grand, empty words about charity and umting good karma, while paying us only two or three thousand a month. Meanwhile, she''s raking in the cash. I just asked to borrow a few tens of thousands for an emergency, and not only did she refuse, she even lectured me."


    "Are you saying she''s been embezzling funds all along?"


    "You''ve seen our orphanage, just two small buildings. The children''s living expenses aren''t that high. How much money could it possibly cost? Where did the rest of the money go? Obviously into her own pocket."


    Zhang said, "But we didn''t find any assets under her name, and there were only a few thousand yuan in her bank ount."


    "Young man, are you naive? If you embezzled millions, would you keep it in your own bank ount? You''d obviously convert it to cash and hide it. At the time, I suspected the money was hidden in her bookcase. She treasured that bookcase and wouldn''t let anyone touch it."


    "So, did you manage to steal any money?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Of course not! I searched her study with a shlight for over an hour. The bookcase was full of books, which I checked one by one, but I didn''t find a single cent. Her office was surprisingly bare, with nothing of value. I had searched her dormitory before, but found no money there either. I really can''t figure out where she hid all that money."


    Zhang said, "Could it be that she never embezzled any money at all?"


    Zhang had inspected Director Zhang''s dormitory. The clothes in her wardrobe were old, some even yellowed from washing, but clean and tidy. The quilt and bed sheets had several holes, which were covered with embroidered flowers. She even refused to throw away broken coat hangers. Would such a person embezzle public funds? Zhang thought of a corrupt official from a TV drama and realized it wasn''t impossible.


    "Was her office not locked at the time?"


    "No, her office was never locked. I thought she was very bold, not locking the office with so much illegal money inside. Now I think that money probably wasn''t in her office at all."


    "Please give us a full ount of what happened."


    "The orphanage lost power after 8 PMst night. While Old Liu was on his rounds, I stole his shoes and made many footprints outside the wall. I even damaged some vines and moss to make it look like a thief had climbed over. I also left footprints on the windowsill. After doing all this, I searched the study with a shlight for the illegal money. Around 10 PM, I heard movement downstairs, so I quickly slipped out of the office. Officers, I didn''t steal anything. My actions weren''t illegal, right?"


    Zhang reminded her, "There''s a charge called attempted theft. The specific sentence will be up to the judge."


    Chen Xinran''s face turned ashen.


    Fang Rui asked, "You said you heard somethingst night. What kind of sound was it?"


    "It sounded like Director Zhang''s footsteps, so I quickly left her office."


    "When did you discover she was dead?"


    "Around 7 AM this morning. She usually gets up very early, but this morning she hadn''t appeared for a long time, so I went to her office to look for her. That''s when I found her stabbed to death. I waspletely shocked."


    Fang Rui remembered the two missing stuffed pigs and asked, "Did you steal the stuffed pigs from her office?"


    "Why would I steal children''s toys? Those two pigs were so ugly, with their paint peeling off. What would I do with them? Probably some kid snuck in and took them."


    Chen Xinran couldn''t help but ask, "I made so many preparations. How did you figure out I was involved?"


    "You left too many clues. For example, those unnecessary footprints..."


    Before ending the interrogation, Fang Rui asked, "Why didn''t you get rid of Old Liu''s shoes?" It was foolish to try to frame Old Liu with footprints, given that he had a limp.


    "I did throw them away. I put them in the trash can. He''s the only male in the orphanage, so I could only steal his shoes."


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged a puzzled look. Why, then, had those shoes reappeared under Old Liu''s bed?


    At the next morning''s meeting, Mu Mian reported the autopsy results.


    "The time of death was the night beforest, between 10 PM and 11 PM on March 21st. The cause of death was excessive blood loss."


    "There was a hematoma with vital reaction on the ipital region of the victim''s head, which was likely caused by falling to the ground," Mu Mian disyed photos of the deceased on the screen. "There were four knife wounds on the victim''s body, all made by the same weapon - the fruit knife found in the victim''s chest. Based on the location of the stab wounds and the blood spatter pattern at the scene, we can deduce that when the killer stabbed the victim, she was lying t on the ground and didn''t resist."


    "Several fingerprints were found on the knife, all belonging to the same person. Judging from the size of the prints, they appear to be from a child," Wang said. "I suspect they might belong to the little boy found at the crime scene. However, I haven''t been able to obtain his fingerprints yet. The orphanage staff won''t let us see him, saying they''re afraid it might traumatize him."


    "Could Yuanyuan have killed the victim?"


    "But Yuanyuan is only eight years old. How could he overpower Director Zhang and stab her to death?"


    "Could Director Zhang have fallen and been knocked unconscious?"


    "We also detected an overdose of nitrous oxide in her system," Mu Mian interrupted their discussion. "This gas has a slightly sweet smell, mild anesthetic effects, and can causeughter. That''s why it''s also known asughing gas."

 Chapter 114: The Death of the Virgin: A Mother’s Guilt

    <h4>Chapter 114</h4>


    "Mu Mian, are you saying that the reason the deceased maintained a smile was because she was inhalingughing gas before she died?" Fang Rui asked.


    Nitrous oxide has many uses. It can be used as an anesthetic or as a propent for whipped cream. Although its production is regted, it''s not ssified as a drug and is rtively easy to obtain. In recent years, there have been several cases in Jiangzhou City of disability and death caused by inhalingughing gas, mainly among young people.


    "Yes. Her brain had already undergone pathological changes, so she had likely been addicted to it for some time," Mu Mian said. "This gas tricks the brain into producing a feeling of euphoria while causing the facial muscles to lose control, forming an eerie smile. The deceased maintained her smile because of this gas."


    Mu Mian continued, "The murder weapon was an ordinary fruit knife. These knives are verymon and sold in many department stores."


    Fang Rui remembered Chen Xinran mentioning that the deceased had particrly treasured that bookshelf. Could that be where she hid theughing gas?


    "Mu Mian,e with me to the deceased''s office. Let''s see if we can find where she hid theughing gas," Fang Rui said.


    "Alright."


    Fang Rui and the others returned to Director Zhang''s office.


    Mu Mian searched the office, and her gaze was quickly drawn to the red balloon under the desk.


    The balloon was somewhat deted and looked no different from an ordinary balloon. It had fallen under the desk.


    Mu Mian picked up the balloon and slowly brought it to her nose.


    Fang Rui, who had been searching the bookshelf, saw Mu Mian''s action and rushed over to cover her nose.


    "Fang Rui, I can''t breathe! I hate the feeling of suffocation."


    "Mu Mian, what were you trying to do?" Fang Rui was exasperated. Balloons are the main tool for inhalingughing gas, and it likely contained toxic gas. Mu Mian was really a handful!


    "I wanted to smell if it was cream-scented. Just a quick sniff, it wouldn''t be a problem. It was originally used as an anesthetic..." Seeing Fang Rui''s darkening expression, Mu Mian quickly changed her tune, "Alright, I''ll take it back for testing."


    Zhang quickly took out an evidence bag, letting Mu Mian put the balloon inside, and stated that he would keep it in his custody.


    "Officer Zhang, you don''t trust me at all!" Mu Mianined, "I''m a forensic expert, I wouldn''t put myself in danger!"


    Fang Rui began listing Mu Mian''s "glorious" deeds: "Last March, you were taken to the roof by Chen Hui;st June, you got your hand scratched by Ye Zeling; you were also kidnapped by Zhou Junwei..."


    Mu Mian sheepishly changed the subject: "Fang Rui, hurry up and collect evidence. Don''t ck off during work hours."


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian and said emphatically, "Mu Mian, you can''t do such dangerous things in the future, or I won''t bring you along on investigations next time!"


    "I didn''t do anything dangerous... Alright, I promise!" Mu Mian gave up arguing, "Fang Rui, don''t be angry anymore. When you''re angry, I feel like the air pressure here is so low, I can hardly breathe."


    "..."


    Zhang held his head in his hands. Mu Mian had even learned to make jokes, albeit cold ones!


    "Boss, there''s a fruit bowl over there," Zhang pointed to a bowl tucked away in the corner with several unpeeled apples. "Could the fruit knife used to kill the victim have been in that bowl before?"


    Fang Rui noticed that one of the apples had been half-peeled. The killer might have picked up the fruit knife from the bowl and stabbed the victim. It was likely a crime of passion.


    "Possible."


    The bookshelf was full of books, but Fang Rui''s attention was drawn to several angel figurines on the top shelf. The angels were made of stic, about a palm high, with white wings inserted in the back. The craftsmanship was crude, with unevenly applied paint.


    Fang Rui picked up one of them, feeling that the weight was off. This type of stic figurine shouldn''t be so heavy.


    He shook it and found that the figurine was hollow with an opening at the bottom. He pulled out the stic plug and two small silver canisters fell out.


    "Found it," Mu Mian came over, picked up one of the canisters, and said, "Laughing gas is usually stored in steel canisters like these."


    There were seven angel figurines in total, each hiding small canisters inside.


    They also found two notebooks disguised as books. The covers were fairy tales, but inside were handwritten pages. One was a diary, and the other seemed to be an ount book recording the orphanage''s ie and expenses.


    Fang Rui briefly flipped through the diary. Director Zhang used delicate words to describe her guilt and longing for her deceased son. She seemed to have never emerged from the shadow of her son''s death.


    Thetest diary entry was written on March 19th, two days before the incident. It read:


    "Today marks 9,495 days since my child passed away. I dreamed of him against night, he was covered in blood and waving at me. He asked me why I didn''t save him. I didn''t know how to answer him. I killed him. I could have saved him, but I was tired of those days of endless giving without any emotional return, tired of having to watch over him every moment. I had lost my own life, I was on the verge of breakdown.


    If he had grown up and I couldn''t move him anymore, couldn''t change his diapers, what would I have done? A child like that, not normal, living would only be suffering... As I hesitated, that car killed my child. My poor child. It''s mommy''s fault, mommy didn''t protect you! If mommy had another chance, I would rush to protect you without hesitation, even at the cost of my own life.


    Child, if you really hate mommy so much, then take me away. Mommy is living in too much pain."


    She mentioned multiple times in her diary:


    "The devil, it was the devil who tempted me.


    She told me this thing could make me happy, but it doesn''t. I''m still in pain. But I can''t get rid of it anymore. I''ve already made a deal with the devil. If falling and sinking can let me see my child again, I''m willing to continue dealing with the devil."


    From Director Zhang''s diary, it seems she started inhaling this gas a year and a half ago, and someone deliberately lured her into depending on it. But her diary didn''t name that person.


    Who could it be?


    Fang Rui then flipped through the ount book, which detailed every ie and expense clearly. Star Home received millions in corporate donations each year, but most of this money was donated through the foundation to other families with autistic or disabled children in need. From the ounts, the ie and expenses basically bnced out.


    Fang Rui spected that the killer might have been trying to control Director Zhang through this method to gain benefits.


    "Zhang, take this ount book and investigate to see if there are any issues with the ounts in it."


    "Alright."


    After leaving the director''s office, they passed by the treatment room.


    Several volunteers and an elderly woman with graying hair were standing in the treatment room, all looking very anxious.


    Seeing Fang Rui, Li Min came over and asked, "Officer Fang, where did Sister Chen go? Why hasn''t shee back yet? Yuan Yuan still refuses toe out of the cab. He hasn''t eaten or drunk anything for two days. If this continues, he''ll be dehydrated."


    They tried to open the cab, but as soon as they did, Yuan Yuan would burrow deeper inside, hitting the cab walls without stopping, constantly banging against the wooden boards. His resistance was very intense, and they couldn''t restrain him even with several people.


    "Hasn''t a therapiste?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Teacher Jiang is an experienced autism intervention specialist, but even she is at a loss now," Li Min sighed, pointing at the elderly woman. "Yuan Yuan''s condition was already quite severe, and now that he''s been traumatized, he''spletely out of control."


    Mu Mian recognized Teacher Jiang. She had dinner with her and her sisterst time.


    "Little Mian, long time no see. What are you doing here?" Teacher Jiang also saw Mu Mian and greeted her warmly.


    "Work."


    Mu Mian looked at the tightly closed cab, seeming to see a lonely and helpless soul hiding inside.


    "Can I give it a try?" Mu Mian said, "The 52-hertz whale is unable to hear the sounds of other whales, unless it encounters another whale that can produce a 52-hertz sound."

 Chapter 115: The Death of the Virgin: A Common Frequency

    <h4>Chapter 115</h4>


    Everyone had left, leaving only Mu Mian and Yuanyuan in the cab in the treatment room.


    Mu Mian tiptoed carefully to the cab and gently knocked on its door.


    There was no response from inside.


    Mu Mian patiently knocked again.


    Still no response.


    Mu Mian knocked for a long time until her hand grew tired. She thought that perhaps she and Yuanyuan were just not on the same wavelength.


    With a creak, the cab door opened.


    "Hello, may Ie in and visit your home?" Mu Mian asked, tilting her head.


    Yuanyuan looked at Mu Mian for a long time before finally nodding.


    Mu Mian crawled into the cab and closed the door behind her.


    The two of them were squeezed into the cramped space.


    It was pitch ck inside the cab, but for some people, a narrow, dark space is a source of security.


    Next to the treatment room was an observation room with a one-way mirror that allowed a view into the treatment room. Fang Rui watched as Mu Mian crawled into the cab, feeling a bit worried. He wasn''t sure if Yuanyuan was potentially aggressive, and if he were to harm Mu Mian, Fang Rui wouldn''t be able to rescue her in time. He also wasn''t certain if Mu Mian had ustrophobia.


    "No need to worry too much. I understand Yuanyuan''s condition; he has a very good temperament and isn''t aggressive," Teacher Jiang smiled at Fang Rui. "Are you Mu Mian''s boyfriend?"


    "Not yet, I''m just her colleague at the moment."


    "She relies on you a lot."


    Fang Rui asked, "Teacher Jiang, were you once Mu Mian''s therapist?"


    "Not exactly, although I did provide her with short-term treatment when she was very young. She had just been diagnosed with autism then, and she was like Yuanyuan is now: unable to speak and rarely responding to external stimuli. But she was very fortunate; her condition improved significantly." Teacher Jiang took out his phone, searched for a while, and found a photo. "I have a picture of Mu Mian when she was little. Would you like to see it?"


    Fang Rui looked at the photo for a while. The young Mu Mian was a miniature version of her current self, but little Mu Mian''s eyes were very vacant. She was quietly staring at the patterns on the floor, like a lifeless puppet.


    "Teacher Jiang, do you know Ms. Mischel?"


    "Yes, she was also one of Mu Mian''s therapists."


    "Why did she tell Mu Mian that people with autism can''t get married?"


    "Did she say that? That''s impossible. People with autism can definitely get married. I have a patient who did. However, rtively speaking, fewer of them do get married."


    About ten minutester, the cab door slowly opened, and Mu Mian came out holding Yuanyuan''s hand.


    Although Yuanyuan''s gaze was still nk and there were traces of tears at the corners of his eyes, he was no longer as resistant to people and things outside the cab.


    "Yuanyuan." Li Min ran over and hugged him.


    Yuanyuan reached out and hugged Li Min back. He rested his head on her shoulder and soon fell asleep. He had been in a highly tense state for the past two days, and now that he had rxed, he felt very tired.


    "Mu Mian, thank you for your help," said Teacher Jiang.


    The other staff members also expressed their gratitude to Mu Mian.


    "Fang Rui, Yuanyuan told me through his drawings that the deceased was killed by a big red mushroom," Mu Mian walked up to Fang Rui and held up her palm, saying, "Yuanyuan wanted to use magic to save her, but his magic failed. He was very sad and afraid that others would me him, so he hid in the cab out of fear."


    Fang Rui held Mu Mian''s hand and looked carefully, but there was nothing on it.


    "Fang Rui, you''re so silly! The drawing is in my brain, not on my palm," Mu Mian tilted her head and looked at him. "Do you want to see it? I can draw it out for you."


    "..."


    Mu Mian found some paper and a pen, and quickly drew a picture. There were many lines representing raindrops on the ss window, a woman lying on the floor, a huge mushroom above her head, and a little boy standing nearby holding a magic wand with a helpless expression.


    "I asked Yuanyuan what the mushroom was, but he didn''t know. He might have forgotten, or maybe he just doesn''t want to remember," Mu Mian sighed.


    Teacher Jiang looked at the drawing Mu Mian had made and furrowed his brow. "Yuanyuan must have witnessed the crime scene. The intense shock caused his memory to distort, and he reconstructed the scene in a fairy tale-like manner. It seems that only through hypnosis can we uncover the memory he has disguised."


    Yuanyuan''s emotions were still unstable, so they decided to wait until he recovered a bit before attempting hypnosis.


    Fang Rui took the mud-covered shoes and went to question Old Liu, the security guard, again.


    "Uncle Liu, you picked these shoes out of the trash can, didn''t you?" Fang Rui questioned. "You deliberately ced them in a conspicuous spot for us to find, right?"


    Old Liu didn''t try to hide it and frankly admitted, "Yes, I intentionally let you find them. This morning, I saw Chen Xinran go to pull the circuit breaker, and I felt something was wrong. I quickly checked around and found Director Zhang dead in her office. Director Zhang must have been killed by Chen Xinran! She has always coveted the director''s position and had been spreading rumors before, saying that Director Zhang was embezzling funds. How could Director Zhang, such a good person, embezzle money? Later, I found my shoes in the trash can, which further confirmed my belief that Chen Xinran killed the director and was trying to frame me!"


    "Why didn''t you tell us directly at the time?"


    "Who would believe the words of an old man like me? Chen Xinran is the acting director. If she found out I was tattling, she''d fire me immediately."


    Old Liu became more agitated as he spoke, spilling everything about Chen Xinran, "The reason Chen Xinran stayed here instead of leaving was to wait for Director Zhang to retire so she could take over this welfare institution and use it to make money. Chen Xinran even found a drunk boyfriend, and she had been borrowing money from everywhere to spend on that man. She must have killed Director Zhang to be the director." Old Liu''s tone was very certain.


    "What was the rtionship between Director Zhang and Chen Xinran like?"


    Aliali: 67358283d72ede93494505db"Pretty good."


    Fang Rui asked, "Didn''t Director Zhang know about Chen Xinran''s ambition to take over? Didn''t you tell her about Chen Xinran spreading rumors?"


    "I told Director Zhang, but she didn''t believe me! She thought I was stirring up trouble. I don''t know why, but Director Zhang trusted Chen Xinranpletely. Even when I gave her recordings of Chen Xinran badmouthing her, she still refused to believe Chen Xinran was a bad person."


    Fang Rui suspected that the person who had been controlling Director Zhang with that gas was likely Chen Xinran. She hadn''t told the truth during the interrogation.


    "What''s Chen Xinran''s boyfriend''s name?"


    "Zhang Damin. He runs a mahjong parlor in the nearby town." Fang Rui noted down the information about this person.


    On the way back, Fang Rui curiously asked, "Mu Mian, what did you say to Yuanyuan in the cab?"


    "Nothing much. I thought he might feel lonely hiding in the cab alone, and if someone was willing to go in and keep himpany, he might feel better." Mu Mian looked at the blue sky outside the car window, her voice very soft. "The day my parents died, I also hid in a cab. The narrow space made me feel safe. I hid in the dark cab for four hours and seven minutes, but no one found me. My sister and the others were busy with other things. I came out on my own because I was too hungry..."


    Fang Rui was stunned. Everyone had wanted to pull Yuanyuan out of the cab, but no one had thought of going into the cab to keep himpany.


    Mu Mian continued, "Fang Rui, Yuanyuan has several needle marks on his arm. Those shouldn''t be from vine injections. I suspect someone has been abusing Yuanyuan. Yuanyuan also told me through his drawings that someone often pokes the children here with needles."

 Chapter 116: The Death of the Virgin: Abuse

    <h4>Chapter 116</h4>


    Back at the bureau, Mu Mian reproduced the other drawings that Yuanyuan had made.


    The first drawing depicted: A little boy curled up in a narrow oval cab lying on its side, with several eyeballs embedded in the side of the cab. Outside the cab stood two monsters in long robes, their faces fierce as they stared intently at the boy inside.


    The second drawing showed: A naked little boy lying on the ground, with countless hands reaching out from the walls and floor. Long, thin fingers held needles, all poised to stab into his body.


    The third drawing portrayed: A huge room filled with many children, each with a bowl of beads in front of them. Behind them stood a hairy monster holding a spoon, seemingly forcing the children to swallow the beads.


    After seeing these drawings, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.


    "Good heavens, could this be a coffin?" Zhang pointed at the cab in the first drawing and said, "Who puts cabs on their side like that? This orphanage must be incredibly dark to abuse children in such a way."


    The children at "Star Home" were closely monitored by the staff, making it difficult for Fang Rui and his team to interact with them alone, let alone investigate whether they were being abused.


    Child abuse cases were not easy to investigate openly. Firstly, there was no substantial evidence, and if it turned out to be false, the orphanage would likely file aint against them. Secondly, even if child abuse was urring, it would need to be handled delicately.


    Star Home was not only home to over thirty children but also the hope for many families with disabled children. If a hasty investigation damaged Star Home''s reputation and they couldn''t raise charitable donations, many families would lose their support.


    Fang Rui made an agreement with Teacher Jiang to bring Yuanyuan to her autism intervention center for hypnotherapy in two days. They could use this opportunity to conduct a full body examination on Yuanyuan to check for signs of abuse.


    Zhang and Chen Xue were outside the ssroom, secretly luring the mischievous Guoguo out with candy.


    Although Guoguo had coprlia, he was clever. He slipped out while the teacher was ying music for them, using the chaotic sounds to mask his uncontroble outbursts and avoid detection.


    "Pretty sister, are you, woof, woof, going to give me candy?" Guoguo struggled to control his tics but still made strange noises. He quickly covered his mouth, afraid of being disliked by Chen Xue and Zhang.


    "Yes, all these candies are for you," Chen Xue handed him arge handful of sweets. "Guoguo, sister has some questions to ask you, is that okay?"


    "Go ahead and ask, I''m honest Guoguo, I''ll definitely tell you," Guoguo unwrapped a piece of candy and eagerly started eating.


    Chen Xue first examined his arms. Apart from scars from vination shots, there were no needle marks or other scars.


    Chen Xue breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Guoguo, does anyone stick needles into you?"


    "When we get vines, they do. It hurts a lot. But Mommy Director says we have to get them, it''s for our own good, to prevent diseases."


    "What about other times?"


    Guoguo''s eye twitched, "No needles. Except for Mommy Director''s sewing needle, we don''t have any needles at home. Woof, woof. Mommy Director uses her needle to embroider pretty flowers and our names on our clothes. Pretty sister, where did Mommy Director go, woof? I haven''t seen her for many days."


    Looking into Guoguo''s sincere eyes, Chen Xue''s eyes also grew moist. She said, "Mommy Director went to a faraway ce. She''ll be back a bitter."


    "Then she shouldn''te back toote. I''m afraid I might fall asleep at night, woof, woof, and then I''d have to wait until tomorrow to see her. Woof, I''ll try hard not to fall asleep. I stayed awake allst night, I wanted to wait for Mommy Director, woof, toe back."


    "Guoguo, what I mean is, Mommy Director won''t be back for many days."


    "Pretty sister, how many days is ''many days''?"


    "Sister doesn''t know either."


    "Okay. Mommy Director must have her own things to take care of. We''ll be good and wait for her toe back here." Guoguo said understandingly.


    Chen Xue continued to ask, "Guoguo, does anyone lock you in cabs?"


    "No. Mommy Director doesn''t let us climb into cabs. She says it''s very dangerous, woof, if we get locked in, we might die if we can''t get out. There are monsters in the cabs, woof, that eat naughty children. But Yuanyuan can climb into cabs, the monsters don''t eat children like him."


    "Is Yuanyuan often locked in cabs?"


    "Yuanyuan likes to climb in by himself. He doesn''t talk, so we don''t know what he''s thinking."


    Chen Xue asked, "Do they force you to eat strange things?"


    "Yes. We''re often forced to eat yucky carrot cubes and small green vegetables, and we''re not allowed to spit them out after eating."


    "Have you eaten anything round, like beads?"


    "You mean little tangyuan? They''re delicious. But Mommy Director says we can''t eat too many, glutinous rice is hard to digest."


    Chen Xue and Zhang discovered that there didn''t seem to be any child abuse urring at the orphanage, and the deceased Director Zhang appeared to be a very loving person.


    Zhang asked, "Guoguo, have you always lived here? Do you go anywhere else to y?"


    "I''ve always lived here, but Yuanyuan, Xiao Bai, Zhu Zhu, and others go somewhere else with Mommy Director. I don''t know where."


    Zhang remembered that these children all had autism.


    "Alright, Guoguo, thank you. Please don''t tell anyone that we talked to you, okay?"


    Guoguo looked troubled at therge pile of candy in his hands, "Okay. Can I share the candy with the other kids?"


    "Of course you can."


    As Chen Xue and Zhang were about to leave, they found Guoguo tugging at their clothes. "Pretty sister."


    "What is it, Guoguo?"


    "They said my mom went to a faraway ce. I kept waiting, waiting for many years, but she never came back to find me. Later they said my mom had died. Is Mommy Director also dead? Is that why she''s noting back?"


    Aliali: 67358284d72ede93494505f5Chen Xue didn''t know how to answer this question. She gently hugged Guoguo.


    The results of the financial investigation into "Star Home" came out quickly. All donations to "Star Home" went through official ounts, and most of the outgoing funds were transferred to foundations under "Star Home''s" name.


    Director Zhang had previously been in business and kept very clear ounts. The destination of every transfer could be traced.


    She didn''t own any property, nor had she ever rented a house. She had always lived in the orphanage''s dormitory. No valuable items or cash were found in her office or living quarters.


    From the financial records, it appeared that Director Zhang had not embezzled any public funds.


    Director Zhang''s phone has not been found to this day. The police searched the entire orphanage but couldn''t find the missing phone. Director Zhang rarely usedputers, and no suspicious clues were found on herputer.


    The diary found at the scene was confirmed through handwriting analysis to be written by Director Zhang, and based on ink analysis, the actual writing times mostly matched the dates written on the paper.


    The diary entries began ten years ago. She didn''t write frequently, sometimes writing one entry every month or two, and the entries were not long.


    After reading her diary, everyone felt that although Director Zhang couldn''t shake off the psychological shadow of her son''s death, she had redirected her attention to other autistic children. By taking care of them, she filled the void and found inner peace for a long time.


    Everything changed a year and a half ago. At that time, Director Zhang seemed to be facing some difficult choices. She began to frequently think about her deceased son, wrote in her diary more often, and her mental state deteriorated.

 Chapter 117: The Death of the Virgin: The Dark Side

    <h4>Chapter 117</h4>


    "Director Zhang was truly a selfless and devoted person," Zhang said with tears in his eyes after reading the diary. "To make up for the guilt she felt towards her son, she treated all the other autistic children as if they were her own. It''s so admirable."


    Chen Xue nodded in agreement: "Indeed. And she only used nitrous oxide to ease her own pain a little. Chen Xinran is just awful, spreading rumors everywhere that she embezzled funds. That woman is too much."


    Fang Rui and his team discovered that Chen Xinran''s boyfriend, Zhang Damin, had previously been in rehab for drug addiction. He had also served time in prison for fraud, having been caught by police selling alum disguised as drugs to addicts. Due to therge amount of money involved in the fraud, he was eventually sentenced.


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to Zhang Damin''s mahjong parlor to find him. As soon as they showed their badges, he took off running, but Zhang quickly tackled him to the ground.


    Zhang Damin tried to defend himself: "Officers, this is just a legitimate mahjong parlor."


    "If it''s legitimate, why did you run?"


    "Well, I''ve developed a conditioned response from being arrested before. I''d run with my tail between my legs even if I just heard a police siren on the street." Zhang Damin said glibly, rubbing his bald head.


    "You know Chen Xinran, don''t you?"


    "Yeah. That old woman won''t leave me alone. If she didn''t keep giving me money, I wouldn''t give her the time of day."


    "We''ve arrested her. During questioning, she revealed some things about you," Fang Rui said.


    "That old woman confessed? Is she trying to pin this on me?" Zhang Damin said angrily. "How dare she try to me me for her own misdeeds!"


    "Yes, she confessed everything."


    "Well, you still can''t arrest me," Zhang Damin said smugly. "I didn''t ask her for money this time, so it doesn''t count as a sale. You can''t charge me with fraud!"


    "So, you admit to providing nitrous oxide to Chen Xinran?"


    "Officers, you already know everything, so why are you still asking?"


    "..."


    Fang Rui handcuffed Zhang Damin to the doorknob. He and Zhang searched the mahjong parlor but found no illegal items. They did, however, find several phones and motorcycle batteries.


    Seeing the pile of stolen goods, Zhang Damin''s face reddened slightly. He tried to exin: "Those... those were left here by people who lost at mahjong."


    "Lost? So you''re running an illegal gambling den here?"


    "No, no, they borrowed money from me and couldn''t pay it back, so they left these things as coteral."


    "Oh, so who exactly left these items? Give us a list of names."


    Zhang Damin''s face fell. "Officers, you already know everything, so why are you making me jump through hoops?"


    "We want to see how you''ll try to weasel out of this. It''s the same old excuses every time. I''m tired of hearing it," Zhang sighed, digging in his ear.


    "..."


    After bringing Zhang Damin back to the station, he confessed everything: "Six months ago, Chen Xinran came to me asking for drugs. I couldn''t get the real stuff. If I could, I wouldn''t have sold fake drugs before. At first, I thought about giving her some fake stuff to scam her for money. But an online friend told me he could get something legal, what you call nitrous oxide. So I had him get me some, and I gave it to Chen Xinran."


    Fang Rui asked, "Are you sure it was six months ago?"


    "Definitely. I had just been released from detention then."


    "Did she say what it was for?"


    "They often make cakes at their care home. She said it was for whipping cream."


    "You just said she asked you for drugs, now you''re talking about whipped cream?" Fang Rui interrupted his nonsense. "We''vee this far, so stop wasting my time with your slick talk."


    Zhang Damin shrank back, frightened. "She wanted to frame the director of their care home. She used that stuff to ruin the director''s reputation so she could take over as director. She promised me a lot of money if it worked out. But then she went back on her word and didn''t give me a penny. Officer, since she didn''t pay me, it doesn''t count as an illegal transaction, right..."


    Fang Rui questioned Chen Xinran again.


    "Your boyfriend Zhang Damin has already confessed everything," Fang Rui said. "You bought nitrous oxide from him to frame Director Zhang, didn''t you?"


    "Zhang Damin is not my boyfriend. He''s the one spreading rumors to ruin my reputation. No, I never did anything like that! He tried to scam me and now he''s ndering me."


    "He''s in the next room. Do we need to bring him in for a face-to-face confrontation?"


    "I... What he sold me wasn''t nitrous oxide at all, just some empty bottles. He''s a fraudster! He''s framing me!"


    "Fake? Then why was Director Zhang inhaling nitrous oxide before she died?"


    "It wasn''t me. I never gave her that stuff. How could she have it?"


    "Director Zhang didn''t embezzle funds either, did she? You spread rumors to destroy her reputation, right?"


    "No! She really did embezzle money. She received a whole box of cash, at least several hundred thousand yuan, but it never went into the care home''s bank ount. I saw it with my own eyes, it couldn''t have been fake!"


    Fang Rui noticed a hole in her story: "Are you saying someone donated a whole box of cash to your care home? Does that seem logical to you? Donations are tax-deductible, who would donate in cash? Or are you suggesting someone bribed your director with a box of cash?"


    Zhang chimed in: "Director Zhang is dead. Why are you still spreading rumors about her embezzling? Are you taking advantage of the fact that the dead can''t speak?"


    "I''m not lying this time!" Chen Xinran mmed her hand on the table in agitation. "Bring me my phone. I have evidence!"


    Zhang quickly brought Chen Xinran''s phone.


    Chen Xinran snatched the phone and found a video file in a hidden folder. She yed it and held it up for Fang Rui and the others to see.


    "Look, isn''t she epting money?"


    The video was shot from a low angle, as if hidden. In the video, there was arge box of 100 yuan bills in front of Director Zhang. She casually checked if the money was real, then closed the box.


    "Director Zhang, now that you''ve taken my money, you must arrange everything as we discussed," said a haughty voice.


    Fang Rui and Zhang both felt the voice was familiar.


    "I understand," Director Zhang said quietly. "I don''t have any other choice, do I?"


    Aliali: 67358286d72ede9349450622"Pleasure doing business with you."


    The camera shook chaotically for a moment before finally settling on a cold face.


    "Isn''t that Lin Qianjie''s stepmother, Jiang Yun?" Zhang eximed. He had a strong impression of Jiang Yun because Chen Xue had said she was Mu Mian''s mother, but she had cruelly abandoned such an adorable child.


    Fang Rui found it strange. Jiang Yun was a typical businesswoman who put profit above all else. She wouldn''t give money away for no reason.


    Chen Xinran said, "Officers, I''m not lying to you, am I? She really did embezzle funds."


    "When did this happen?"


    "Six months ago. It was because of this that I saw through Zhang Xuemei''s hypocrisy. She brainwashes us every day with her sanctimonious face, while behind our backs she''s using these children to line her own pockets. If she can do it, why can''t I?"


    Chen Xinran had been blinded by jealousy. Originally, she had been happy working at the care home. Even though the sry was low, she was willing to care for these disadvantaged children. She had even genuinely admired Director Zhang. But when she discovered Zhang Xuemei''s true nature, she felt foolish for all her past efforts.


    The police contacted Jiang Yun again, but her secretary said she was very busy and that any questions could be directed to her. However, no matter what the police asked, the secretary politely replied that she was unaware of those matters.


    Fang Rui felt that Director Zhang''s death was likely connected to that money.

 Chapter 118: The Death of the Virgin: The Magic Wand

    <h4>Chapter 118</h4>


    The next morning, ording to n, Yuanyuan was to be taken to the "Star Benefit Station Children''s Rehabilitation Center," an autism intervention institution founded by Teacher Jiang, to undergo hypnosis to awaken his deeper memories.


    Fang Rui, Mu Mian, and Zhang arrived at the institution early to wait for them.


    "Mu Mian, did you often visit ces like this when you were young?" Zhang asked curiously while looking around. This was his first time seeing so many children with autism.


    Zhang had thought all autistic children were gentle and lovable like Mu Mian, but reality was different. Some autistic children could be aggressive, hitting others without reason, and forcefully throwing toys when angry.


    Mu Mian shook her head, "I didn''t like going out when I was little. My father would bring therapists to our home. I met many therapists. Most of them were noisy and boring. After I grew up, my sister would often take me to various therapy centers and support groups, saying I might make friends that way. But it didn''t work."


    Mu Mian''s tone was calm, but Fang Rui could hear the sadness in her voice. He remembered when he first met Mu Mian, she had said, "I''m troublesome, I don''t have any friends." The Mu Mian back then must have really wanted to have friends.


    "But now I have many friends," Mu Mian said with a hint of pride.


    "Yes, quite a few. Four of them, and I''m number four," Zhang teased.


    "..."


    After about ten minutes, two staff members from Star Home and the acting director Li Min arrived with Yuanyuan.


    They let Yuanyuan sit in the rest area to y with toys while he adjusted to the unfamiliar environment. Yuanyuan seemed very familiar with the surroundings and showed no signs of difort. He sat obediently on the stool and skillfully began ying with the Lego toys on the floor.


    Mu Mian pretended to build Legos with Yuanyuan while secretly examining his arms. Earlier in the cab, it had been too dark, and she had only felt unusual needle marks on his hands.


    Both of Yuanyuan''s hands had needle marks on the back, which appeared to be from blood drawing needles based on the wounds.


    There were also needle marks on the inside of his wrists, likely from arterial blood draws.


    There were many needle marks, and the wounds were fresh.


    Why were they collecting Yuanyuan''s blood? And judging from the number of needle marks, Yuanyuan must have been having blood drawn frequently. Otherwise, there would be no need to alternate between both hands.


    Mu Mian shared this discovery with Fang Rui and Zhang.


    Fang Rui analyzed: "In Yuanyuan''s drawings, there were many needles pointing at him. Could those be blood drawing needles? He''s had blood drawn so frequently that he exaggerated the blood drawing scenes in his drawings."


    "That exins the third drawing too. The round beads might be pills. Could Yuanyuan be forced to take medicine every day? He hates taking medicine, so he drew the people forcing him as monsters," Zhang analyzed. "But how do we exin the coffin? Why would Yuanyuan be locked in a coffin?"


    Mu Mian thought for a moment and said, "When getting an MRI, you need to be pushed into an oval-shaped enclosed chamber. Could that oval-shaped cab be the MRI chamber? So Yuanyuan wasn''t locked in a cab, but was getting an MRI scan."


    If viewed in a medical context, all three drawings made sense. Yuanyuan hadn''t been abused; he just misinterpreted medical examinations and treatments as abuse.


    "But Yuanyuan doesn''t seem to have any physical illness, so why would he need injections and medicine?" Zhang wondered.


    Fang Rui asked one of the staff members.


    "Director Zhang said Yuanyuan was a bit anemic, so she took him to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor said the problem was serious, that Yuanyuan had anemia. Director Zhang was very concerned about this and often took Yuanyuan for follow-up visits..."


    "If Yuanyuan really has anemia, why would doctors draw his blood so frequently? Aren''t they worried about making his condition worse?" Zhang questioned. "And why would anemia require an MRI?"


    "That''s how hospitals are. They do all sorts of tests, necessary or not. Medical insurance doesn''t cover these examinations, so hospitals just make excuses to do as many tests as they can. They''re always trying to squeeze money out ofmon people." This staff member had lost a son to leukemia and had spent several years in hospitals with him, so she harbored resentment toward hospitals.


    Zhang nodded in agreement. He remembered when he was hospitalized for his leg injury, he had undergone numerous tests - blood work, CT scans, everything. He had wondered at the time why he needed CT scans of his leg and head when he hadn''t suffered any fall injuries.


    When the Star Home staff went to apany Yuanyuan, Mu Mian whispered, "Yuanyuan''splexion is very rosy. He doesn''t look like someone with anemia. They''re lying."


    Fang Rui thought about Jiang Yun again. She reportedly had a biological son who had never been seen in public. He had heard rumors that her son wasn''t quite normal, which was why Jiang Yun kept him hidden. Could her son be autistic like Mu Mian?


    The Jiang family owned many medical enterprises. Could she have made some deal with Director Zhang to use the children at Star Home for drug experiments?


    Teacher Jiang took Yuanyuan into the therapy room, while the others went to the observation room next door, watching through one-way ss.


    Yuanyuan''s case was special. He couldn''t express himself verbally, but fortunately, he was very good at drawing and could express his thoughts and emotional experiences through lines and colors.


    Teacher Jiang handed Yuanyuan a piece of white paper and a box of colored pencils. "Yuanyuan, I''m going to ask you some questions in a moment. Can you answer Teacher Jiang using the pencils?" she asked.


    Yuanyuan nodded obediently.


    "That day you saw Director Mom lying on the ground, right? Do you remember what she looked like?"


    Yuanyuan picked up a ck pencil and first drew a person lying on the ground. The clothes and hair were simple sketches without detail, but the face was drawn very meticulously, down to individual eyshes. The smiling face was instantly recognizable as the deceased Director Zhang.


    "What else did you see?"


    Yuanyuan took out a red pencil from the box and drew arge red mushroom above Director Zhang''s head. It was enormous, even bigger than Director Zhang herself.


    Using the ck pencil again, he drew a window in the upper left corner with many rain streaks.


    "Where were you, Yuanyuan?"


    Aliali: 673582c5d72ede9349450a01Yuanyuan used the ck pencil to draw a little boy next to Director Zhang, then used a silver-gray pencil to draw a magic wand.


    "Yuanyuan, where did that mushroome from?" Teacher Jiang asked gently.


    Yuanyuan pointed to the floor, indicating it grew from the ground.


    "Yuanyuan, where did your magic wande from?"


    "Magic wand... do you want to see my magic wand?" Yuanyuan suddenly spoke, pronouncing each word slowly.


    Yuanyuan looked up at Teacher Jiang. His face was pale, his pupils very dark, and when he stared directly at someone, his appearance was frightening.


    "Yuanyuan, you can speak?" Teacher Jiang said joyfully. "It seems the treatment is working."


    Yuanyuan tilted his head and showed an eerie smile.


    The next moment, Teacher Jiang felt a sharp pain in her chest. She instinctively touched it and found her hand covered in blood. Looking down, she saw a small knife stuck in her chest.


    In that instant, Yuanyuan had somehow produced a sharp knife and forcefully stabbed it into her chest.

 Chapter 119: The Death of the Virgin: Nightmare

    <h4>Chapter 119</h4>


    The people in the observation room were shocked, and Fang Rui immediately rushed into the treatment room.


    Teacher Jiang was lying on the floor covered in blood.


    Yuanyuan looked at his blood-stained hands, slowly extending his fingers to smear the blood over the painting, covering all the images on it.


    It was a folding knife with a short but sharp de. Teacher Jiang''s wound wasn''t deep, but she had lost a lot of blood, and her condition was serious. Fang Rui asked Zhang to call an ambnce to take Teacher Jiang to the hospital for emergency treatment.


    "Yuanyuan, what''s wrong? Why did you stab Teacher Jiang?" Li Min hugged Yuanyuan and asked softly.


    Yuanyuan didn''t respond, reverting to his autistic state where he only blinked without any other reaction.


    They couldn''t hear any sound from the observation room, only see their movements. They didn''t know what Teacher Jiang had said to provoke Yuanyuan into attacking her.


    "Yuanyuan... he can speak..." Teacher Jiang mumbled.


    Everyone looked at Yuanyuan in shock.


    He still appeared quiet and well-behaved.


    "Yuanyuan, tell us, why did you stab Teacher Jiang?"


    Yuanyuan didn''t respond to her.


    Fang Rui turned to Li Min, "Why did Yuanyuan have a folding knife?"


    Li Min panicked, "I don''t know. We don''t have such dangerous items in our welfare institute. When he came, we changed Yuanyuan''s clothes. He couldn''t have had something like that on him."


    Teacher Jiang was sent to the hospital. The doctor said her injuries were severe, but currently not life-threatening. However, further observation was needed, and they couldn''t rule out the risk of her condition worsening to endanger her life.


    It was already afternoon when they returned to the bureau.


    Mu Mian analyzed, "When Yuanyuan stabbed Teacher Jiang, his lips moved slightly. Reading his lips, he seemed to be saying: ''Magic wand... Do you want to see my magic wand?''"


    "Teacher Jiang''s lip movements also seemed to be asking about a magic wand."


    Fang Rui suddenly had an absurd guess, "Could the ''magic wand'' Yuanyuan mentioned be referring to the knife?"


    Zhang was about to say it was impossible, but then realized this guess made sense. The magic wand Yuanyuan drew was silver-gray and rtively short, very likely his fairytale version of the knife.


    "So, could Yuanyuan be the one who killed the victim?" Zhang analyzed, "No wonder Yuanyuan was covered in blood at the time. But how could an autistic child suddenly use a knife to kill someone?"


    Fang Rui said, "So, it''s very likely that an adult was manipting him to kill."


    "The mushroom in that painting was red," Mu Mian suddenly said, "We previously thought the mushroom represented the killer, but a red mushroom could also be that balloon. Yuanyuan saw Director Zhang inhalingughing gas from the balloon. This time she might have overdosed and copsed on the ground. Yuanyuan might have thought Director Zhang was poisoned by a toxic mushroom, so he picked up the fruit knife, wanting to save her. Someone might have told Yuanyuan that stabbing people with a fruit knife was magic, so Yuanyuan wanted to use this method to rescue her..."


    The blood spatter at the crime scene indicated that the person who stabbed Director Zhang was very short. They had suspected Yuanyuan before, but everyone still found it hard to believe that a quiet, well-behaved autistic child would kill someone.


    Zhang said, "Who could be the one who told Yuanyuan that stabbing people with a knife was casting magic? Could it be Chen Xinran? She seemed to have a good rtionship with Yuanyuan, and she also had a motive for murder."


    Fang Rui and Zhang interrogated Chen Xinran again.


    "Officers, I''ve already confessed everything I should. I''ve admitted my guilt honestly. Why are you questioning me again?" Chen Xinran looked exasperated. She just wanted to face her legal judgment quickly and serve her sentence quietly.


    "What''s your rtionship with Yuanyuan like?"


    "How is Yuanyuan now? He''s such a timid child. Encountering something like this must have scared him terribly. Officers, please ask Li Min and the others to take good care of him. That child is so pitiful." Chen Xinran said anxiously.


    "Did you tell Yuanyuan that the knife was a magic wand that could be used to save people?"


    "What knife? What magic wand?" Chen Xinran looked confused, "Why would I tell Yuanyuan such things? Yuanyuan can''t understand fairy tales, so I basically never tell him fairy tales."


    Chen Xinran''s expression didn''t seem like she was lying, but this woman was full of lies, and Fang Rui didn''t quite believe her.


    "But his painting style is very fairytale-like."


    "Then I don''t know about that. Yuanyuan was often taken out by Director Zhang to see therapists. His painting wasn''t taught by us, but by outside therapists."


    Fang Rui asked, "Do you know the names of those therapists?"


    "I don''t know. But they''re all from Teacher Jiang''s institution. You can ask Teacher Jiang."


    Teacher Jiang was currently lying unconscious in the hospital.


    After finishing the interrogation of Chen Xinran, Fang Rui went to Mu Mian''s office to find her.


    "Mu Mian, do you think Teacher Jiang might also have been a target of the killer?" Fang Rui quickly denied his own spection, "No, that''s not right. How could the killer be sure that the one hypnotizing Yuanyuan would definitely be Teacher Jiang? If it was another therapist, wouldn''t the killer have targeted the wrong person?"


    "The killer might have set up a trigger word after knowing that Teacher Jiang would hypnotize Yuanyuan. Once Teacher Jiang triggered the keyword, Yuanyuan would stab her with the knife," Mu Mian spected, "But I don''t understand why the killer would want to kill Teacher Jiang. She''s a good person. That day when she invited me and my sister for dinner, I ordered a double portion of seafood rice, and she didn''t say anything."


    Fang Rui looked at Mu Mian helplessly.


    "Fang Rui, why do I feel like you''re mocking me?" Mu Mian said, displeased.


    "It seems that every person you''ve certified as good turns out not to be so good."


    Mu Mian felt Fang Rui''s criticism was reasonable. She indeed couldn''t distinguish between good and bad people very well. But it wasn''t her fault; those bad people were all quite nice to her.


    "So, what bad things could Teacher Jiang have done?" Mu Mian wondered.


    Fang Rui felt that the key word connecting everything was autism. Director Zhang was taking care of several autistic patients, Teacher Jiang was an autism therapist, and the killer was the autistic child Yuanyuan. But what could be the motive for the killer to use Yuanyuan to harm them?


    Late at night, it started raining heavily again in Jiangzhou City.


    Mu Mian had a nightmare. She dreamed that she had turned into a little red mushroom with long mushroom tentacles holding a magic wand, lying in a dark coffin.


    Mu Mian hated this suffocating feeling. She struggled desperately, kicking open the coffin lid with her feet. She crawled out of the coffin and took a deep breath, but looking down, she realized the coffin was ced on a cliff, with a pitch-ck abyss below.


    In the abyss, as dark as a ck hole, there were many faces - her father and mother, Jiang Yun, and her sister. They were all waving at her, wanting her to jump down and join them.


    Mu Mian wanted to be with them, but the cliff was so high. Her fear of heights made her think that growing old alone might not be so bad after all.


    At that moment, a hand reached out from the abyss, grabbing her ankle and pulling her down forcefully.


    Mu Mian fell from the coffin. The sensation of falling was so real that Mu Mian could even feel the wind whistling past her ears.


    "Fang Rui, help! I''m so scared. Can you catch me?"


    Mu Mian suddenly woke up, finding herself drenched in cold sweat.


    It was raining outside, a soft pitter-patter. Perhaps it was the lingering fear from the dream, or perhaps the sound of rain irritated her, but Mu Mian felt inexplicably uneasy.


    It seemed as if something big was about to happen.


    Mu Mian couldn''t sleep, feeling restless. So she took out her phone and sent messages to all her friends.


    "Are you asleep? Come out and chat for five cents." This was what Zhang always said when he wanted to gossip. Mu Mian found it amusing and saved it. Today she finally got to use it.


    Maybe everyone was asleep, as no one replied except Fang Rui.


    "Mu Mian, are you having insomnia again?" Fang Rui was also having trouble sleeping. In the evening, Zhang''s takeout discount coupon was about to expire, so he insisted on treating everyone to milk tea, but ended up giving Fang Rui a cup of ck coffee. After drinking the coffee Zhang gave him, he couldn''t sleep.


    "No, I woke up from a nightmare. It was so scary."


    "What nightmare?"


    Mu Mian briefly described the dream she just had. She said, "Hey, it''s all because of what Yuanyuan said. It made me have nightmares."


    "Mu Mian, since neither of us can sleep, do you want toe out... and watch the rain?" Fang Rui''s voice was a bit nervous.


    Aliali: 673582c5d72ede9349450a01Watch the rain? What a strange activity, Mu Mian silently thought to herself. But she desperately needed to do something to distract herself, anything would do, so she said, "Sure."


    Mu Mian changed her clothes and went out. Fang Rui was already waiting for her in the hallway. They walked downstairs together, but the rain was pouring heavily, so they could only stand at the entrance of the building.


    It was pitch ck outside, and they could only see the dense raindrops through the dim yellow streetlights. Fang Rui suddenly felt that watching the rain was a silly idea.


    There were so many more romantic things to do, like watching a movie, strolling in a park, going on a trip, or even just taking a walk on a nice day would be more romantic than watching the rain.


    The cold wind blowing on Mu Mian''s face made her feel of unease subside a little.


    At that moment, Fang Rui''s phone rang. It was the operator calling.


    "Detective Fang, there''s been a murder in the vi district downtown. The victim was stabbed multiple times. I''ve sent you the address. Please get there as soon as possible."


    "Alright." Fang Rui nced at the address, his brow furrowing slightly. This address seemed to be Lin Qianjie''s vi.


    "Fang Rui, let''s go quickly. We should leave right away."


    Zhang also called: "Boss, you got the call, right? Whatever you do, don''t bring Mu Mian to the crime scene! Keep it from her!"

 Chapter 120: The Death of the Virgin: New Dead

    <h4>Chapter 120</h4>


    "Officer Zhang, why won''t you take me along?" Mu Mian leaned towards the phone,ining, "I''m a forensic expert. How can you not bring me when a body has been discovered?"


    "Mu Mian, why are you eavesdropping on the boss''s phone call? Wait a minute, why are you two together in the middle of the night?" Officer Zhang seemed to have stumbled upon some juicy gossip.


    Fang Rui, not wanting to listen to Officer Zhang''s chatter, hung up the phone. He had a good guess as to why. The victim was most likely Jiang Yun.


    "Mu Mian, you''re very tired now. Why don''t you go back to sleep?"


    "No! I''ve figured it out. The victim is Ms. Jiang. It''s nothing special, everyone dies eventually," Mu Mian''s expression was calm. "Fang Rui, let''s hurry over there, or the body won''t be fresh anymore."


    "Mu Mian, if the deceased is your rtive, you need to recuse yourself," Fang Rui reminded her.


    "But she''s not my rtive, neither legally nor emotionally. I don''t need to recuse myself."


    "Mu Mian, are you really not upset?"


    "Of course not!"


    Fang Rui felt that Mu Mian was lying because her hand, tucked in her coat pocket, was clenched tightly. He sighed, realizing that Mu Mian had now mastered the skill of lying.


    The call to the police had been made by Sister Chen, the Lin Family''s housekeeper, and Uncle Zhang, the security guard. Sister Chen had discovered the body and was guarding the crime scene in the living room. The servants, chef, and family doctor were anxiously waiting at the main gate along with the security guard.


    The servants, chef, and family doctor usually lived in the staff quarters next to the vi. They only learned about the incident when the security guard informed them.


    Uncle Zhang approached them, "Officers, it''s terrible. Someone broke into the vi and killed Ms. Jiang. They''ve also kidnapped Yan Yan."


    Mu Mian asked, "Who is Yan Yan?"


    "Ms. Jiang''s son. Yan Yan has autism. We must find him quickly. If he''s traumatized, his condition could worsen," the family doctor said anxiously.


    Mu Mian''s hand clenched even tighter. So she had an autistic child. Why wasn''t Yan Yan abandoned? Was it because Yan Yan''s condition wasn''t as severe? Was Yan Yan a smarter, more lovable child?


    "Where''s the victim? Please take us there," Fang Rui said.


    They followed the security guard into the vi. Upon entering the living room, they saw a scene of chaos. The floor was covered in ceramic shards, and a womany in a pool of blood. Her chest had been stabbed multiple times and was a bloody mess. Her face, usually stern and cold, now wore a smile. She was smiling, her wide-open eyes fixed on a certain spot.


    Mu Mian saw clearly that the woman was indeed Jiang Yun. She had never smiled at her before, but now she was smiling so warmly, her eyes full of love.


    Fang Rui and his team were surprised. Jiang Yun''s manner of death was almost identical to that of Director Zhang.


    They followed Jiang Yun''s gaze to a bookshelf. The lower half of the bookshelf consisted of a row of cabs.


    "Could there be another autistic child hidden in there?" Officer Zhang spected.


    Mu Mian walked over, intending to open the cab, but Fang Rui grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.


    "Mu Mian, he might be aggressive," Fang Rui said. "Let me do it."


    Fang Rui slowly opened the cab. Inside, curled up, was a blood-covered boy about fifteen or sixteen years old. He had very small eyes and a vacant stare, and he was tightly gripping a fruit knife. Sensing the light, he opened his eyes and stared nkly at them.


    Mu Mian looked at Yan Yan. He wasn''t cute at all. His eyes were very small, his mouth was veryrge, and his face was covered in e. He didn''t look intelligent either.


    "Yan Yan, why are you hiding in here?" Sister Chen immediately ran over, but when she saw the blood on Yan Yan, she quickly stepped back, mumbling in horror, "How could this happen? Yan Yan is such a good boy, how could he kill someone?"


    Seeing Sister Chen, Yan Yan raised the knife and obediently walked out of the cab.


    Sister Chen was startled by his movement. She quickly hid behind Officer Zhang, shouting, "Officer, help! Help! Is he going to kill again?"


    Yan Yan saw how scared she was of him and sadly lowered his head.


    Fang Rui carefully gripped Yan Yan''s hand and took the knife from him. Yan Yan was very obedient, offering no resistance as he handed the knife to Fang Rui.


    Seeing this, Sister Chen approached again, feeling guilty. She crouched down and softly asked Yan Yan, "Yan Yan, you didn''t hurt your mother, did you?"


    Yan Yan nodded.


    "Then why were you holding the knife?"


    "No... knife," Yan Yan struggled to squeeze out a few words. He pronounced each word with great effort, but his voice was muffled and unclear. Without careful attention, it was impossible to understand what he was saying. "Ma...gic... wand! Mom... dead, I save her!"


    "Who told you this was a magic wand?" Fang Rui asked.


    Yan Yan''s expression changed instantly. He suddenly lunged at Fang Rui, opening his mouth wide to bite Fang Rui''s arm. Fortunately, Fang Rui quickly grabbed his chin, and Officer Zhang swiftly moved to restrain him.


    Aliali: 67358284d72ede93494505f5Once he realized he was under control, Yan Yan returned to his docile state.


    "Yan Yan has likely been hypnotized. ''Magic wand'' seems to be the trigger word. When we mention it, they be aggressive," Fang Rui analyzed. "So it will be difficult to learn from the two children who is actually controlling them to kill."


    Sister Chen was terrified, frozen in ce with shock.


    "Did Yan Yan''s mother love him very much?" Mu Mian suddenly asked.


    "Yes. Ms. Jiang was very busy, but she would set aside one day each week toe here, talk with Yan Yan, y with toys, and asionally take him to the amusement park. However, due to Yan Yan''s special condition, he wasn''t well-suited to be exposed to many people, so Ms. Jiang never publicly acknowledged Yan Yan. She wanted Yan Yan to grow up happily. She was a good mother." Ms. Jiang was very generous to Sister Chen, paying her a monthly sry of 100,000 yuan, so naturally, Sister Chen had a good impression of her and only spoke of her virtues.


    In reality, Jiang Yun didn''t love Yan Yan that much. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have left Yan Yan in this vi, only seeing him once a week. During their meetings, she would only give him gifts, rarely helping him bathe, eating meals with him, or reading him bedtime stories. She might have truly loved Yan Yan, but her love was purely material. Yan Yan didn''tck material things; what hecked waspanionship.


    "Why do you all call her Ms. Jiang? Shouldn''t it be Mrs. Lin?" Officer Zhang asked curiously.


    "Mr. Lin passed away five years ago. He left all his assets to Ms. Jiang and Yan Yan. After Mr. Lin''s death, Ms. Jiang told us not to call her Mrs. Lin anymore. She said she didn''t like that title and didn''t want to be seen as a man''s appendage. Ms. Jiang is a strong, independent woman. She has managed thepany very well."


    Fang Rui noticed signs of a struggle in the living room. There were bloody ceramic shards on the floor. This crime scene was slightly different from the one at the orphanage.


    Mu Mian examined the body''s surface. The victim had been stabbed ten times, and each wound was very deep. The killer must have used all their strength to inflict these wounds. She discovered a wound on the back of the victim''s head where the scalp had been cut open. White ceramic fragments were stuck to the cut scalp.

 Chapter 121: The Death of the Virgin: Dissecting Mom

    <h4>Chapter 121</h4>


    "Based on the body temperature, the victim''s time of death was estimated to be between 11:30 PMst night and 12:30 AM today. Simr to Director Zhang''s case, analysis of the stab wound patterns indicates that the perpetrator stabbed the victim multiple times after she fell to the ground," Mu Mian exined, pausing briefly before continuing, "There''s also a wound on the victim''s head with signs of vital reaction, indicating it was inflicted while she was still alive."


    Zhang analyzed, "So the crime might have happened like this: the victim was first knocked unconscious with a vase, fell to the ground, and Yan Yan, thinking she was dead, tried to use the ''magic wand'' - which was actually the fruit knife - to save her, ultimately resulting in the victim being stabbed to death!"


    Chen Xue countered, "But if the killer had already struck the victim with a vase, why not just kill her directly? Why go through the trouble of manipting Yan Yan to kill her? Doesn''t that seem unnecessary?"


    Fang Rui noticed vase fragments under the body as well. This suggested that either the vase broke first and then the victim fell, or someone had turned the body over.


    Fang Rui asked Sister Chen, "Were you in the vi tonight? Did you hear the sound of a vase breaking?"


    "Around 11 PM, Yan Yan suddenly wanted to eat strawberry cake. I was nning to buy it for him tomorrow, but he threw a tantrum, and Miss Jiang always spoils him. So she asked the driver to take me to buy some. It waste and raining, so it took a while to find a shop that sold strawberry cake. When I returned, around 1 AM, I found Miss Jiang lying on the floor covered in blood, and Yan Yan was nowhere to be seen, so I immediately called the police."


    "Did anyonee to the vi while Sister Chen was out?" Fang Rui asked the security guard.


    "I don''t think so. After Sister Chen left, no one came in. Only Miss Jiang and Yan Yan were in the vi. It''s possible a thief climbed over the wall to steal something. We have many cameras installed inside and outside the vi, you can check the surveince footage."


    "Is it just you and Yan Yan in this big vi usually?"


    "Yes, Yan Yan is very averse to strangers. The chef, cleaning staff, and family doctor all live in the servants'' quarters next door. Yan Yan hates noise, so this vi has extra soundproofing. They probably couldn''t hear anything."


    Mu Mian found the smile on Jiang Yun''s face disturbing. She covered her face with a white cloth, hiding the smile.


    "Mu Mian, could she have inhaledughing gas?" Fang Rui suggested. He wanted to tell Mu Mian that Jiang Yun''s expression was just due to the effects of drugs, not because she favored another autistic child.


    "There are no balloons here, no small steel cylinders forughing gas, and her facial muscles aren''t stiff... It''s not due to drugs. The reason is quite touching, just as you guessed earlier. It''s because of love. She was afraid of scaring Yan Yan, so she smiled tofort him, even though she was bleeding and in pain all over..." Mu Mian''s voice was calm, devoid of any emotion, but everyone somehow felt she was very sad.


    Mu Mian had thought Jiang Yun just disliked autistic children because they were too troublesome, as few people like them. But it turned out Jiang Yun was so kind to another autistic child. It wasn''t that she disliked autistic children; she just didn''t like Mu Mian.


    But why didn''t she like her? Her dad, mom, and sister all said she was a genius, the most adorable child in the world. Ms. Mischel also said she was the best-recovering autistic patient she had ever encountered.


    As Chen Xue and Zhang were about tofort Mu Mian, she said, "Let''s hurry and get the body into the car. While it''s still fresh, I want toplete the autopsy before dawn."


    "..." Perhaps she wasn''t so sad after all.


    There were surveince cameras at the vi''s main gate, entrance, and near the bookshelf on the first floor, but the spot where Jiang Yun was killed happened to be in a blind spot. Fang Rui and his team spent the whole night reviewing the footage, but it showed no one had broken into the vi.


    The camera facing the floor-to-ceiling window near the bookshelf showed Yan Yan taking a knife from the coffee table at 11:41 PM. About three minutester, he reappeared in the frame holding a bloody knife, pacing anxiously before disappearing from view.


    "Could it be that Yan Yan first hit the victim with the vase, then stabbed her to death with the knife?" Zhang spected, "With cameras at every entrance, this seems to be the only possibility left."


    "No, there are other possibilities," Fang Rui said.


    In the autopsy room, Mu Mian calmly used a scalpel to cut open the victim''s scalp, folding it back to reveal only a small subcutaneous tear with minor bleeding corresponding to the wound.


    "Mu Mian, this doesn''t seem to be caused by a vase strike," Chen Xue analyzed, "It doesn''t look like an impact injury."


    Mu Mian didn''t respond. She took out the most expensive imported electric saw from the tool cab, one that could cut through bone without producing debris and was sharp enough to quickly saw through even the hardest bones.


    "Mu Mian, let me do it," Chen Xue reached for the saw, but Mu Mian avoided her.


    "Chen Xue, everyone dies. It''s nothing special, just an inviblew of nature. If her body must be autopsied, I want to be the one to do it."


    "But Mu Mian, you look..."


    "Chen Xue, I''m a professional forensic pathologist!"


    Mu Mian switched on the saw and began cutting through the victim''s skull. The de spun rapidly, apanied by a roaring sound.


    Wearing light blue safety goggles, Mu Mian''s expression was hidden from Chen Xue. But she remained professional, quickly and steadily sawing through the victim''s skull.


    Mu Mian removed the skull cap and cut open the dura mater, exposing the brain tissue. There was a small hematoma attached to the ipital lobe. A slight hematoma was also present in the corresponding frontal area.


    "It''s a contrecoup injury!" Chen Xue eximed, "This head wound was caused by a fall. She might have fallen onto the vase fragments, which cut her scalp, making us think she was hit with the vase. No wonder I thought it was strange at the scene. If the victim had been struck with a vase before falling, based on the force analysis, she should have fallen face down. Also, that vase was quite thick; it shouldn''t have shattered from just hitting someone."


    Contrecoup injuries typically ur in falls, trips, or incidents like hitting one''s head against a wall. It refers to bleeding and contusion in the brain tissue corresponding to the wound site, with simr injuries on the opposite side of the brain, but without scalp damage or skull fracture on that side.


    This happens because when the head is in rapid motion and suddenly stops, the skull stops first, but the brain continues moving due to inertia, hitting the inner wall of the skull and causing bleeding and contusion on the opposite side. Contrecoup injuries are generally diagnostic of deceleration injuries to the head.


    In the past, Mu Mian would have cut open the victim''s body and meticulously examined all the internal organs, dissecting everything possible. But today, she suddenly didn''t want to continue the autopsy.


    The cause of death was clear, and the origin of the head wound had been determined.


    Mu Mian carefully reced the skull cap, returning all the tissues to their original positions. Finally, she took out a needle and thread and sutured the scalp back together.


    Her stitching was perfect.


    Aliali: 67358284d72ede93494505f5Jiang Yun''s once sleek ck hair had beenpletely shaved off, leaving her bald and unsightly. Mu Mian thought she should buy a wigter to put on Jiang Yun, which would hide the ugly, worm-like suture line.


    But Mu Mian was exhausted. The wig would have to wait.


    "Mu Mian, are you very upset? Do you need a hug?" Chen Xue asked.


    Although Mu Mian had been pretending to be indifferent about Jiang Yun, Chen Xue knew she cared deeply about her birth mother. The reason Mu Mian had joined the Jiangzhou City Police Department in the first ce was to use the internal ID system to find her mother''s address.


    How could she not care about the mother she had tried so hard to find?


    "Chen Xue, I''m very tired. I want to go home and sleep. Tell Fang Rui and the others that the cause of death was excessive blood loss. The victim fell; she wasn''t attacked with a vase."


    "Do you want me to drive you home?"


    "I''ve already called a car."


    "Alright, then get some rest!" Chen Xue said, still concerned. "Mu Mian, let me drive you home after all."


    But Mu Mian had already left the autopsy room.

 Chapter 122: The Death of the Virgin: The Incident Process

    <h4>Chapter 122</h4>


    The investigation of the case quickly made progress.


    Jiang Yun''s assistant told them that Jiang Yun had installed many hidden cameras in the vi to monitor the work of the servants and prevent Lin Qianyan from being abused. These cameras were installed covertly, known only to the assistant and Jiang Yun.


    The surveince videos were uploaded to the cloud in real-time and could be viewed by logging into the ount. Jiang Yun rarely watched these surveince videos, and the assistant had almost forgotten the ount password.


    One of the hidden cameras captured the entire incident:


    At 11:33, Jiang Yun walked over to the shelf. She wanted to pick up a toy from the floor but stepped on a ss marble and identally knocked over an antique vase on the shelf.


    After regaining her bnce, she intended to call the servant from the neighboring room to clean up, but after a few steps, she slipped on another marble and fell to the ground, hitting the back of her head on the broken vase pieces.


    At this moment, Yan Yan saw Jiang Yun fall. He slowly walked over, ignoring her, and his first reaction was to pick up the ss marbles on the floor, about five or six of them, and put them in his pocket.


    He kicked Jiang Yun''s hand, and seeing no response, he took the fruit knife from the coffee table and violently stabbed it into Jiang Yun''s chest.


    Jiang Yun let out a painful cry.


    Hearing her scream, Yan Yan revealed an excited smile. He stabbed her many more times, with blood continuously sttering onto his face.


    Then he nced at the camera on the bookshelf. He walked into the camera''s range and suddenly changed his demeanor. He put on a panicked expression and deliberately performed in front of the camera before hiding in the cab of the bookshelf.


    Jiang Yun looked in the direction he left, slowly losing consciousness, but she still managed to force a smile.


    This surveince video could prove that Yan Yan was the one who killed Jiang Yun.


    After watching this, everyone felt chills down their spines. Yan Yan even had a smile on his face while killing his mother, and he deliberately performed in front of the camera. But he didn''t know there was a hidden camera.


    "Could Yan Yan have been in a hypnotized state when he killed?" Zhang spected, "Otherwise, it''s hard to exin his bizarre behavior."


    Although they had found the killer, simr to the case at the welfare home, Yan Yan''s actions were likely instigated by someone behind the scenes. Otherwise, how could an autistic person suddenly stab someone?


    Fang Rui asked Sister Chen again, "Who has Yan Yan been in contact with recently?"


    "Yan Yan rarely goes out. He doesn''t have many friends. The only people he sees are just us."


    "Doesn''t he receive treatment?"


    "He does have regr intervention therapy. There''s a therapy room upstairs. Teacher Jianges every Monday and Thursday to give Yan Yan treatment."


    "Are there no other therapists?"


    "No! But Teacher Jiang asionally brings assistants. The assistants are different each time, but they''re all staff from her institution."


    Fang Rui took away the surveince videos from the vi. That person must have had close contact with Yan Yan, otherwise, they couldn''t have controlled Yan Yan to kill. And that person had also been in contact with Yuan Yuan from "Star Home". The most likely suspect was still a therapist from Teacher Jiang''s institution.


    The entire second floor, except for Yan Yan''s room, was therapy rooms. The decoration was almost a copy of Teacher Jiang''s institution''s setup.


    Fang Rui and Zhang entered Yan Yan''s room. The interior was very cozy, with stars and moons painted on the ceiling, light blue walls, and all furniture wrapped in foam to prevent Yan Yan from getting hurt.


    Many drawings were scattered on the floor. Unlike Yuan Yuan''s fairy tale style, Yan Yan''s drawings looked creepy, mostly depicting mutted human and animal bodies, such as a teddy bear with its eyes gouged out or a doll with its left leg severed. He liked ck and red colors, often using these two colors to fill the background.


    His drawings had no lines,posed of thick and chaotic color blocks, giving a strong sense of difort.


    "Has Yan Yan''s drawing style always been like this?" Zhang asked Sister Chen.


    "Yes, Yan Yan likes to draw, but I think his drawings are strange. Teacher Jiang said it''s normal, that it''s a post-modern art style. She even said Yan Yan has artistic talent and could be an artist in the future."


    Fang Rui collected all of Yan Yan''s drawings and put them in evidence bags. They also looked through Yan Yan''s drawers, which were also filled with drawings of the same dark style.


    "Why are there photos of Mu Mian in his drawer?" Zhang eximed, holding up a photo.


    The photo showed Mu Mian waiting for a car at the entrance, seemingly taken secretly. Tworge red crosses were drawn heavily on the photo with an oil pastel, and on the back was scrawled in red: Kill her!


    "Could his next target be Mu Forensic Doctor? He seems to particrly hate her," others chimed in.


    Fang Rui put that photo into an evidence bag. He was a bit worried. Could the mastermind also hate Mu Mian? But Mu Mian didn''t know them, why would they have such malice towards her?


    Zhang found a cookie box under Yan Yan''s bed. They opened it to find it full of torn-up drawings.


    These drawings werepletely different from Yan Yan''s style. They were in a fairy tale style, with bright lines and pleasant color schemes.


    Fang Rui casually flipped through the pieces of the drawings, his attention caught by a small whale. The shape and color of the whale were very simr to the one on the wall of "Star Home".


    "Isn''t this the whale from the welfare home?" Zhang asked, confused. "Has Lin Qianyan been to the welfare home? No, did he draw these? The style doesn''t match."


    At this moment, Chen Xue''s phone call came in: "It''s not good! Mu Mian is missing!"


    Aliali: 67358283d72ede93494505dbAfter Mu Mian left the autopsy room, Chen Xue was worried and, estimating that Mu Mian should have arrived home by now, called Shen Xiyin to ask if Mu Mian had returned home. Shen Xiyin said no. They waited another hour, but Mu Mian still hadn''t returned home. At this point, they realized something was wrong.


    Chen Xue tried calling Mu Mian, but she didn''t answer. Later, Chen Xue discovered that Mu Mian''s phone was left on her office desk.


    But Mu Mian was nowhere to be found.


    "Yan Yan is tied up with restraints downstairs, he couldn''t possibly harm Mu Mian. Could it be that the mastermind personally took action and kidnapped Mu Mian?" Zhang said anxiously, "Mu Mian is so unlucky!"


    However, Fang Rui felt that perhaps Mu Mian hadn''t gone missing at all.


    Although Chen Xue was panicked, her mind was clear. She first went to the security room to check the surveince footage and found that Mu Mian hadn''t left the police station at all, not even this floor. The hallway surveince showed that after Mu Mian entered the forensic office, she hadn''te out.


    But Chen Xue had been in and out of the office many times, and she hadn''t seen Mu Mian inside.


    When Fang Rui returned, Chen Xue reported this to them.


    "Could Mu Mian have some way to be invisible on the surveince?" Chen Xue spected, "Otherwise, how could she vanish into thin air?"


    Fang Rui looked down at the file cab behind Mu Mian''s desk and said to Chen Xue and Zhang, "You all go out first. I know where Mu Mian is."

 Chapter 123: The Death of the Virgin: Unloved

    <h4>Chapter 123</h4>


    Chen Xue and Zhang exchanged a nce. Where could Mu Mian be? Surely she wouldn''t be childish enough to hide in a closet like Yuanyuan and the others? Then they realized their thinking was limited - Mu Mian very well could be in there.


    After Zhang and the others left, only Fang Rui remained in the room.


    He walked to the closet and noticed a bread bag on the floor. He smiled, realizing Mu Mian probably hadn''t gone hungry.


    Fang Rui knocked on the closet door. No response.


    He knocked again.


    "Fang Rui, you''re knocking on the wrong one. It''s the closet on this side," Mu Mian said softly. "That one''s full of files, I couldn''t fit. My legs were going numb so I switched sides."


    Fang Rui opened the closet to find Mu Mian curled up inside, clutching a small pink bag - a gift from Jiang Yun that she had thrown away in front of her sister, butter secretly retrieved from the garbage downstairs after much searching when her sister wasn''t looking.


    Feeling the harsh light, Mu Mian turned away from Fang Rui.


    Beside her were piles of small bread loaves and a bottle of water, as if she nned to live in the closet long-term.


    "Fang Rui, I don''t want toe out yet. I''m thinking things through," Mu Mian said.


    "You don''t have toe out. But Mu Mian, can you make some room for me to squeeze in and keep youpany?"


    Mu Mian turned back, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked at Fang Rui in surprise, but he was already trying to get into the closet. Mu Mian shifted over and nodded, "Okay."


    Fang Rui was too tall and broad to fit easily. He struggled for a while but couldn''t get in.


    "Mu Mian, what should I do? I can''t fit," Fang Rui said sheepishly.


    Mu Mian found Fang Rui''s current state rather amusing - such a big guy desperately trying to squeeze into the closet, his head in but legs still out. The narrow closet simply couldn''t amodate him.


    "Fang Rui, you don''t need toe in." Mu Mian shifted from inside the closet to its edge.


    Fang Rui sat on the floor, leaning against the closet. "I''ll have to keep youpany from out here then."


    "Fang Rui, I feel so guilty. I shouldn''t be sad about Miss Jiang''s death. At my parents'' funeral, I didn''t cry. I even snuck behind the tombstone and ate some of the offerings. I was so hungry. My Eldest Aunt caught me and said I was a cold-blooded monster. I didn''t understand - she had wanted my father dead to take his inheritance, yet she cried so bitterly at his death. Meanwhile, I didn''t shed a single tear."


    Mu Mian recalled her first experience with a loved one''s death. "I told her everyone dies eventually, it''s no big deal. She would die someday too; it''s an unchangeablew of nature. She red at me and ran away screaming. Everyone else looked at me strangely. That day, I realized I wasn''t normal."


    Jiang Yun''s death had awakened Mu Mian''s memories of that funeral. Her past memories were usually ck, static, and colorless, but now they became more vivid, with color and movement. She even remembered her Eldest Aunt''s twitching facial muscles and unpleasant body odor.


    "Fang Rui, should I have acted more upset at the funeral?" Mu Mian asked guiltily. "My parents were much kinder to me than Miss Jiang, but I wasn''t sad for them. Now I''m grieving for Miss Jiang''s death."


    "You must have been sad then too, you just didn''t know how to express or understand your emotions," Fang Rui consoled her. "If you weren''t sad, why would you have hidden in a closet?"


    "Fang Rui, I prefer how I used to be. Even when I was sad then, my heart didn''t hurt. I could just hide in a closet, and my brain could control my emotions. But now I''m overwhelmed by this immense sorrow. I feel like I''m suffocating." Mu Mian felt panicked, not understanding what was happening to her. Logic told her she didn''t like Miss Jiang, yet she was devastated by her death to the point of losing control.


    Her logic and emotions were misaligned.


    Mu Mian handed Fang Rui a photo. It showed a young Jiang Yun holding a baby, smiling with a loving gaze at the infant.


    "Because of that photo, I thought she loved me a little. I made up so many excuses to exin why she abandoned me, even though all her actions were so illogical. I still had hope. I thought she must have had her reasons, but today I realized I can''t fool myself anymore."


    Tears streamed from Mu Mian''s eyes. "She really didn''t love me. It wasn''t that she disliked autistic children - she just disliked Mu Mian. Even so, I still don''t want her to be dead."


    Fang Rui held Mu Mian tightly.


    "Fang Rui, why didn''t she like me?" Mu Mian choked out.


    "Some mothers just don''t love their children. But it''s not your fault, and it doesn''t mean you''re not good enough."


    "Mm, I''m a genius. Many people love me. It doesn''t matter if she''s not one of them," Mu Mian said lightly.


    Shen Xiyin arrived after receiving Chen Xue''s call. Standing outside the door, she watched Fang Rui embracing Mu Mian and suddenly realized that Mu Mian might have developed the ability to feel and express emotions like a typical person.


    Everything changed when she started looking for her mother. Perhaps from that moment, Mu Mian had already begun to change. Her self-awareness had qualitatively developed, and she became curious about her origins, leading her to search for her mother.


    Later, through a series of events, Mu Mian learned to lie and became curious about love. Today, she finally experienced a substantial emotional response to death.


    Mu Mian was gradually bing more like a typical person.


    This was good!


    "Sister, don''t misunderstand. This is just a normalforting gesture," Zhang quickly exined.


    "Zhang, you''re calling her ''sister'' too!" Chen Xue nudged Zhang, then promoted Fang Rui to Shen Xiyin, "Sister Xiyin, are you satisfied with Captain Fang as a brother-inw? He''s a great person and takes good care of Mian Mian... Most importantly, Mian Mian really likes him."


    "I can see that." Mu Mian was starting to not need her anymore. Shen Xiyin felt both gratified and a little sad.


    "So you support them being together?"


    "I support all of Little Mian''s choices." That''s why even knowing Mu Mian would certainly be disappointed after finding Jiang Yun, she still didn''t stop her.


    With Fang Rui''sfort, Mu Mian quicklyposed herself.


    "Chen Xue, I''m sorry. I heard you calling me, but I was thinking things through and couldn''t respond."


    Zhang muttered quietly, "But you responded to the boss, and he didn''t even say anything, just knocked on the closet."


    "..."


    "It''s okay, I was mainly worried something had happened to you. Next time, let me know in advance."


    "Chen Xue, what could happen to me? I''m very cautious and won''t easily have idents."


    "..." Zhang remembered the photo with the big X drawn on it. The idents Mu Mian could have were far from ordinary!


    Learning that Shen Xiyin was skilled in art therapy, Zhang figured since she was already here, they should ask her to analyze Lin Qianyan''s paintings to see if there were any clues.


    Zhang handed Lin Qianyan''s paintings to Shen Xiyin. "Dr. Shen, can you see if there''s anything wrong with these paintings? We all felt very ufortable after looking at them."


    Shen Xiyin flipped through therge stack of paintings, her brow furrowing deeper as she examined them. She said, "If the artist of these paintings isn''t suffering from schizophrenia, then he''s very likely to have antisocial personality disorder."

 Chapter 124: The Death of the Virgin: Evidence in the Painting

    <h4>Chapter 124</h4>


    "But he''s an autistic patient," Zhang said.


    Shen Xiyin asked, "Who is the artist of the painting?"


    "Lin Qianyan, Jiang Yun''s son," Chen Xue replied.


    Shen Xiyin paused as she was flipping through the paintings. She looked closely at that particr painting, then showed it to the others: "Doesn''t the person in this painting look like Mu Mian?"


    The content of the painting was: a girl lying in a pool of blood, her hands and feet had been cut off, the facial features were very clear, and it looked a bit like Mu Mian.


    Everyone fell silent because it really did look like Mu Mian, and a photo of Mu Mian had also been found in Lin Qianyan''s room. Lin Qianyan knew what Mu Mian looked like, so this certainly wasn''t a coincidence. But they didn''t understand why this autistic child would harbor such hostility towards Mu Mian.


    "Why would he paint me like this?" Mu Mianined, "I''ve never offended him!"


    They reviewed surveince footage for an entire day and finally discovered a suspicious person: Li Min, the acting director of "Star Home". Every few days, she would bring Yuanyuan along with Teacher Jiang to this vi. Sometimes Director Zhang would bring Yuanyuan over. But Yuanyuan came very frequently.


    Li Min used to be a therapist at Teacher Jiang''s institution. After resigning, she volunteered at "Star Home", helping autistic children with intervention therapy. She was very responsible in her work and was well-liked by the children.


    "Chen, what were theying here to do?" Fang Rui pointed at Li Min and Yuanyuan in the surveince footage, asking the Lin family''s housekeeper.


    "Yuanyuan came to keep Yanyanpany. Miss Jiang was afraid he''d be lonely, so she asionally invited children from the welfare home toe y. Yanyan didn''t like those children, but he quite liked Yuanyuan."


    Li Min was one of the few people besides Teacher Jiang who had contact with both children. Now that Teacher Jiang had been attacked, Li Min was the prime suspect.


    "But how can we prove that she induced Yuanyuan and Yanyan to kill? It''s hard to leave evidence of verbal maniption," Zhang sighed.


    "Indeed, and given Yuanyuan and Yanyan''s special circumstances, and the fact that they''re both children, even if they pointed out that Li Min told them the knife was a magic wand, this testimony might not hold up in court. We need substantial evidence," Chen Xue said.


    Fang Rui first asked Zhang and Wang to go to the welfare home to get Li Min''s drawings and handwriting samples.


    He and Mu Mian stayed in the office to piece together the torn drawings.


    There was a thick stack of paper scraps in the cookie tin. The drawings had been torn into very small pieces, making it difficult to reassemble them, but fortunately, Mu Mian was skilled at puzzles.


    Fang Rui handed her the paper scraps, and Mu Mian matched their positions based on the shapes of the edges and the content on the scraps.


    As each drawing waspleted, they sealed it withminating paper to prevent it from being messed up.


    Workingte into the night, Mu Mian and the others finally finished piecing together all the scraps, totaling thirty-nine drawings.


    "Finally finished. I don''t want to do any puzzles for a long time, except for corpses," Mu Mian took off her gloves and rubbed her sore eyes. "Judging by the painting styles, these drawings should be by two different people."


    The drawings had already been separated into two piles based on technique and style. One pile was very thick, with thirty-five drawings, while the other had only four.


    The thirty-five drawings were likely drawn by Yuanyuan, with an immature technique.


    The other four drawings had a style simr to Yuanyuan''s, both with a fairy tale style, fluid lines, and reasonable colorbinations, but with mature drawing techniques.


    Fang Rui picked up one of the four drawings. It was very sparse, with only a fruit knife drawn on it.


    Another drawing depicted a hand holding a knife stabbing into a woman''s chest, with sshing blood drawn as red magical effects.


    Among the thirty-five drawings, there was also a simr one. The content of that drawing was: a boy holding a fruit knife, stabbing it into a woman''s chest, but without any blood drawn.


    The woman had a face they were familiar with.


    Fang Rui invited Li Min to the interrogation room.


    Li Min sat in the chair and asked in confusion, "Officer, I''m not a criminal, is it necessary to take my statement in a ce like this?"


    Zhang didn''t answer her question, "Miss Li, do you know Lin Qianyan?"


    Li Min thought for a moment and asked, "You mean Yanyan? Yes, I know him. I asionally bring Yuanyuan to y with him. His mother often donates to our welfare home."


    "Do you know what a magic wand is?"


    "Why do you ask? A magic wand is used to cast spells."


    "If we found a more professional hypnotist to hypnotize Yuanyuan, do you think he would remember who told him the knife was a magic wand?" Fang Rui said.


    "He probably would! But how can you be sure that what Yuanyuan says under hypnosis is the truth? Children love to lie, you know."


    "Miss Li, it was you who told Yuanyuan and Yanyan that the fruit knife was a magic wand, and that stabbing it into a person''s body could bring the dead back to life, right?"


    Li Min disyed an expression caught betweenughter and tears, "Officer, your imagination is too rich. Those two children are autistic, but they''re not stupid. How could they believe such nonsense?"


    "What if someone made them see it with their own eyes?" Fang Rui ced a drawing in front of Li Min. "You personally demonstrated it for them, didn''t you?"


    The content of the drawing was Li Min lying on the ground, with a boy stabbing a knife into her chest, but there was no blood from the wound. This knife was probably a retractable one.


    "This is a child''s drawing. What can it prove?" Li Min nced at the drawing and quickly looked away, defending herself.


    "How do you know this is a child''s drawing?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I''ve studied art therapy, so I''m familiar with these things. Analyzing the lines,position, and technique, this should be drawn by a child."


    "If that''s the case, why didn''t you recognize this as Yuanyuan''s drawing? You spend a lot of time with Yuanyuan, couldn''t you tell this was his work?" Fang Rui continued to question.


    "Of course I can tell this is Yuanyuan''s drawing. Officer, there''s no need to dwell on these issues. Children''s drawings often mix reality with imagination, they can''t be used as evidence to deduce the truth of a case."


    Li Min''s tone was calm, as if she was certain Fang Rui and his team couldn''t find any evidence.


    "If children''s drawings don''t count, what about an adult''s?"


    Fang Rui took out the other four drawings andid them in front of Li Min.


    Li Min''s pupils dted instantly, looking at those drawings in disbelief. She had torn these drawings up and thrown them away, how could they appear here again? The garbage should have been disposed of long ago. Did the police dig these things out from the waste treatment nt?


    "The Technical Department has alreadypared them. The technique and the way the lines are drawn in these four drawings match your painting style. These four drawings were done by you."


    Li Min leaned back slightly, saying calmly, "Why couldn''t it be someone else imitating my painting style? Technique is easy to imitate. Even works by famous artists can be imitated so well it''s hard to distinguish the real from the fake. My drawings would be even easier to imitate. What can this prove?"


    "But your fingerprints are also on these drawings," Fang Rui said.

 Chapter 125: The Death of the Virgin: The Truth

    <h4>Chapter 125</h4>


    Li Min was shocked and dismayed.


    "You can deny it, but if Yan Yan and Yuanyuan both identify you as the person who told them the knife was a magic wand during questioning the day after tomorrow,bined with these drawings as evidence, I think it will be enough to prove you''re the murderer."


    Li Min fell silent, her mind wrestling with inner conflict. Finally, she made a decision.


    "Enough. There''s no need to torment these children anymore. I admit I did it. I wanted to kill Zhang Xuemei and Jiang Yun, those two devils. They were too cruel, using these autistic children for drug experiments!" Li Min stood up excitedly, using, "Yuanyuan was almost killed by them."


    "What drug experiments?"


    "Jiang Yun''s pharmaceuticalpany developed a drug to treat autism. The drug had passed animal trials, and the next step was clinical trials. That''s when they set their sights on the autistic children at Star Home and those supported by Zhang''s foundation. This drug''s side effects were still unknown. If used long-term, the consequences could be unimaginable."


    Fang Rui and Zhang fell silent. They had imagined many motives, but never thought Li Min killed to protect these children.


    "I can plead guilty and clearly exin the entire process of the crime, but as a deal, you must thoroughly investigate the drug trials conducted by the Star Benefit Station Children''s Health Center and Jiang Yun Pharmaceuticals. If you don''t agree, I won''t say a word, and you''ll never know the truth."


    "If there really were illegal drug trials, we''ll definitely investigate," Fang Rui promised.


    "I started working at Star Home because of Director Zhang''s inspiring story. I idolized her and wanted to be like her. I never imagined she would do such an evil thing for money. My spiritual pir copsed."


    Li Min''s brother was also autistic. When he was ten, he drowned in a pond due to her negligence. Li Min had always felt guilty about this, so she chose to major in special education in college. Director Zhang''s story resonated with her, so she chose to follow her.


    "At first, I wanted to kill them directly. But why should I sacrifice my life for these two devils? Later, I realized that minors whomit murder aren''t held criminally responsible, let alone autistic children like Yuanyuan and Yan Yan. So I told Yuanyuan and Yan Yan that the knife was a magic wand that could cast spells to save people.


    No hypnosis was needed, just simple psychological suggestion. To make them believe, I pretended to faint, and then Yan Yan stabbed me with the prop knife I had prepared. I immediately opened my eyes and ''came back to life.'' They believed what I said. But I didn''t expect Yuanyuan to draw that scene, which became evidence to convict me."


    Fang Rui looked at the torn drawing, frowning slightly, "Didn''t you tear up these drawings?"


    "I didn''t tear up this one that Yuanyuan drew. I know when he drew it. I tore up these four. At the time, drawing these pictures was to help them better understand how to use the magic wand. Later, I tore them up and threw them in the trash can in Yuanyuan''s room. I didn''t expect you to find them."


    Fang Rui realized that someone seemed to have deliberately led them to discover these clues to convict Li Min.


    Li Min described the details of the crime.


    "That rainy night, I found the power was out, which was the perfect opportunity for murder. I had Yuanyuan hide in Director Zhang''s closet beforehand, telling him we were ying hide-and-seek, and he coulde out when he heard a bang.


    On the day Director Zhang''s son died, it rained heavily. Under my inducement, she indulged in nitrous oxide to numb herself. She would inhale nitrous oxide whenever it rained. I had reced her cylinder earlier, and this time the concentration was higher than ever. She quickly passed out. The sound of her falling attracted Yuanyuan, who picked up the fruit knife I had left nearby and stabbed Director Zhang."


    "Good children pick up trash when they see it. Yuanyuan picked up the nitrous oxide cylinder on the ground, just like Yan Yan would conscientiously pick up marbles on the ground.


    Killing Jiang Yun was more troublesome because I couldn''t get close to her. Fortunately, when Yan Yan asked me how to keep his mother from leaving, I told him that if he scattered marbles on the ground and his mother broke her leg after falling, she wouldn''t be able to leave. He did exactly that, but after Jiang Yun fell unconscious, Yan Yan would use magic on her, killing this devil."


    Zhang listened, feeling his scalp tingle. Li Min had actually used the children''s innocence tomit murder.


    Li Min sincerely pleaded, "Officers, I''ve confessed my crimes in detail. Can you investigate those drug trials and arrest all those people?"


    "We''ll investigate this matter thoroughly. Do you have any more detailed information you can provide?"


    "No, I only know the drug was developed by Jiang Yun''spany, but I don''t know thepany name. However, Teacher Jiang definitely knows. She would assess the children who had been given the drug to see if their condition improved."


    Li Min stood up and bowed deeply to Fang Rui and the others, "I thank you on behalf of those children."


    The media somehow got wind of the news and extensively reported on these two murder cases involving autistic children. They portrayed Yuanyuan and the others as evil children who killed their mothers, sparking online discussions about whether autistic individuals are prone to violence.


    After Li Min''s arrest, they changed their previous conclusions, defining Li Min as a devil and portraying Yuanyuan and Lin Qianyan as innocent youths who were induced tomit crimes. Netizens condemned Li Min en masse and sympathized with these two innocent young boys.


    Yuanyuan might have been induced, but was Lin Qianyan really innocent?


    Fang Rui recalled Lin Qianyan''s expression when he killed, the photos of Mu Mian in his room, and the drawings he made. Shen Xiyin said he might have antisocial personality disorder. Fang Rui suddenly had a bold idea.


    Lin Qianyan had been staying at the detention center for the past two days, not because he was being held, but because his nanny, Sister Chen, was too afraid to take care of him. To prevent him from suddenly bing aggressive and harming himself or others, he was kept there.


    Jiang Yun had previously made a will stating that if she died, all her assets would go to Lin Qianyan. She also designated her nephew, Jiang Yinian, as Lin Qianyan''s sole guardian. Jiang Yinian had the right to manage all the assets, but he must ensure that he would take care of Lin Qianyan until his natural death.


    Jiang Yinian drove to the detention center to pick up Lin Qianyan.


    The prison guard had seen the news and knew that the young man in front of him was about to inherit all of the Lin family''s assets. Seeing Jiang Yinian''s impatient and displeased expression, he joked, "You''ve suddenlye into a huge fortune, why aren''t you happy?"


    "So what? I''ve also inherited a lot of trouble. I don''t need that much money, and I don''t like having responsibilities forced upon me."


    "..." Too pretentious!


    The guard took him to see Lin Qianyan.


    "Cousin Yinian." As soon as he saw Jiang Yinian, Lin Qianyan excitedly rushed towards him.


    Jiang Yinian held his hand back, saying impatiently, "Lin Qianyan, I''ve told you many times, you can''t hug me."


    Lin Qianyan asked coldly, "Then can Mu Mian hug you?"


    "She wouldn''t hug me."


    Lin Qianyan said dissatisfied, "If it were Mu Mian, you''d definitely let her hug you, right? You and mom both like her. She has a sister and so many friends, while I only have a cold and empty vi. This world is too unfair."

 Chapter 126: The Death of the Virgin: The Bad Kid

    <h4>Chapter 126</h4>


    "Lin Qianyan, you don''t need topare yourself to Mu Mian. She was carefully raised by me and Xiyin. You''ll never measure up to her. Don''t you dare harm her," Jiang Yinian warned.


    "But your Xiyin doesn''t want you anymore. And the excellent Mu Mian doesn''t like you either. How pitiful you are," Lin Qianyan smiled coldly at Jiang Yinian. "Cousin Yinian, we''re the same kind of person. You have no right to look down on me."


    "Lin Qianyan, if you still want me to take you home, shut your mouth!"


    "The truth is always hard to hear. If you want me to say nice things, don''t provoke me! I don''t want you to take me. I want Captain Fang and Mu Mian to take me home."


    Jiang Yinian gritted his teeth and said, "Lin Qianyan, don''t cause trouble for me."


    "Cousin Yinian, whether you like me or not, you''ll have to put up with me in the future to get the Lin Family''s property. You''ll get used to it."


    Lin Qianyan turned to the prison guard, "Hurry up and contact Fang Rui and Mu Mian toe here. They must arrive within an hour, otherwise I won''t leave. I''ll also sue you for illegally detaining a minor with autism."


    The prison guard was dumbfounded. Was this really someone with autism?


    Fang Rui received a call from the prison guard, first listening to hisints, "Captain Fang, you''re so inconsiderate, leaving this troublemaker with us. You and Mu Mian need toe pick him up quickly, or he''s threatening to sue us for illegal detention."


    "Didn''t his familye to pick him up?"


    "He says it must be you and Mu Mian, or he won''t leave."


    Fang Rui drove over with Mu Mian to the detention center entrance.


    Lin Qianyan was already waiting there. Seeing Fang Rui park the car, he said to Jiang Yinian, "Cousin Yinian, you can go now. I have something to say to Captain Fang and Mu Mian."


    "Suit yourself," Jiang Yinian nced at Mu Mian, then looked away and drove off.


    Fang Rui was shocked. He had guessed Lin Qianyan wasn''t simple, but he didn''t expect him to speak so fluently, unlike someone with autism.


    Without waiting for their agreement, Lin Qianyan opened the car door and sat in the back seat.


    Before Fang Rui could ask anything, Lin Qianyan spoke first, "Drive. Take me back to that vi from before."


    "Won''t you have nightmares if you go back there?" Fang Rui mocked.


    "Of course not. You must be very curious why I can speak normally, right? I don''t havenguage problems. When I was little, to make that nasty woman Jiang Yun and that beast Lin Ye talk to me, I pretended I couldn''t speak. That way they would spend more time with me, teaching me to talk. As a result, the therapist assessed me as having dyednguage development. They probably thought I was an idiot and stopped talking to me. Later, I just couldn''t be bothered to talk to them, so I stopped speaking."


    Lin Qianyan''s tone was t, but Mu Mian could still hear the sadness in it.


    Mu Mian looked at Lin Qianyan with sympathy in her eyes. So Jiang Yun didn''t love Yanyan that much either. Yanyan had it even worse than her; she had foster parents and a sister, her upbringing wasn''tcking in love. But Lin Qianyan only had himself; he could only pretend to be sick to get a little attention.


    The former Lin Qianyan must have been very eager for love.


    "I don''t have autism. I just developed much slower than other children, but those useless therapists diagnosed me with autism. But it doesn''t matter, I don''t like the outside world anyway. So I continued to pretend to be autistic. At first, it was to get their attention,ter it was because I didn''t want to go out. Now I find that the identity of an autistic person is quite useful."


    "Why are you telling us all this?" Fang Rui asked, puzzled.


    "I want to prove that I''m more normal than Mu Mian," Lin Qianyan looked at Mu Mian, his eyes full of jealousy.


    "She doesn''t love me either," Mu Mian sighed.


    "No, she loves you. I saw the photo. She was holding a baby, that was you. She was smiling, her eyes full of love. But she never smiled at me. She only had perfunctory love for me."


    Lin Qianyan had always thought Jiang Yun was just cold by nature, but after finding this photo in her room, hepletely broke down. It turned out his mother loved another child.


    His father also favored his useless brother. Even though Lin Qianjie argued with his father every day and was always causing trouble outside, his father still loved him. The nanny who took care of him only treated him well for money. Even Cousin Yinian liked Mu Mian more, even though he knew Lin Qianyan was normal while Mu Mian was autistic.


    No one was willing to favor him.


    That huge vi was like a tomb where he was buried in loneliness, with no one caring about him.


    When he learned of Mu Mian''s existence from Cousin Yinian, seeds of jealousy took root in his heart. For a while, he desperately wanted to kill Mu Mian. But he soon realized that the one he should kill was that nasty woman Jiang Yun; she was the source of all misfortune.


    Mu Mianforted him, "That''s just an illusion. She said I was her nightmare; she didn''t want to see me. She hated me very much."


    Fang Rui felt that this woman Jiang Yun was truly sinful. She had never given love to either child, deeply hurting both of them.


    "She also said I was her nightmare," Lin Qianyan mumbled. "She needed a son, that''s why she had me."


    "You weren''t actually induced by Li Min. You deliberately killed your mother, didn''t you?" Mu Mian asked.


    Lin Qianyan''s face showed a smug smile: "Shouldn''t you thank me? If I hadn''t helped you preserve the evidence, you wouldn''t have been able to prove Li Min''s crime, right?"


    Fang Rui had already guessed that Lin Qianyan deliberately hid all the fragments of the paintings under the bed, waiting for the police to find them and ultimately prove that Li Min was the mastermind, which even Li Min herself believed.


    "That woman Li Min thought she was so clever. She thought I was autistic, so she tried to deceive me with those fake words. But autistic people aren''t idiots; even Yuanyuan wouldn''t fall for her lies. But Yuanyuan believed me. I made Yuanyuan believe that the knife was a magic wand that could save people. Yuanyuan said his orphanage mother loved him very much. I didn''t have such a mother, so Yuanyuan couldn''t have one either. His mother had to die."


    "Yes, I deliberately killed Jiang Yun. That woman was too annoying; she appeared once a week. I hated that woman very much. I had wanted to kill her for a long time. Li Min''s appearance made me feel I could kill her in a cruel way openly. Li Min thought she was manipting me to kill, little did she know I was the one manipting everything. Autistic children don''t activelymit crimes, so there must be an adult behind it. This way, even evil children can be innocent."


    Fang Rui remembered Shen Xiyin saying that Yanyan had antisocial personality disorder. Now it seemed her judgment was very urate. Yanyan had strong aggression, extreme self-centeredness, and no empathy. Who knows what negative impact such a child would have on society when he grows up.


    But he was still a minor, and thew couldn''t judge him.


    Lin Qianyan nced at Fang Rui''s face-down phone. He took out a device from his pocket and boasted, "This is an audio interference device. All the sound you just recorded has turned into noise. Did you think I said those things to leave evidence for you to catch me? I''m not that stupid. Besides, even if you had evidence, so what? Thew can''t judge an underage autistic person."


    Fang Rui felt helpless; they really couldn''t do anything about him.


    "Mu Mian, I''m smarter than you. I designed a perfect crime, and you''ve all been fooled by me," Lin Qianyan said proudly. "Mu Mian, you''re so pitiful. You don''t have a mother anymore."


    "Lin Qianyan, that was your mother. The one who lost a mother is you," Mu Mian said softly. "You also made Yuanyuan lose the orphanage mother who loved him. Yuanyuan was your only friend, and you hurt him. You''ve also lost Yuanyuan as a friend."


    The smug smile on Lin Qianyan''s face froze. He red at Mu Mian fiercely, "I don''t need a mother, I don''t need friends. I''m doing very well on my own."


    "Then why are you jealous of me?"


    Lin Qianyan didn''t answer this question.


    Fang Rui stopped the car, and Lin Qianyan got out angrily.


    "Lin Qianyan," Mu Mian called out to him, handing him a thick notebook. "This is my social guide. It''s for you."


    Lin Qianyan nced at the notebook, then shifted his gaze away and said to Mu Mian, "I don''t need it. Mu Mian, goodbye."


    Lin Qianyan slowly walked into the vi.

 Chapter 127: The Death of the Virgin: The Case Closed

    <h4>Chapter 127</h4>


    Based on the clues provided by Li Min, the police quickly located Zhanhong Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceuticalpany developing autism medication.


    However, Zhanhong Pharmaceuticals turned out to be a shellpany. The legal representative wasn''t a maind resident, and the research staff developing the drug had already fled overseas. The entirepany had be an empty shell, with even theboratory stripped bare.


    They had signed a drug trial contract with Star Home, which was properly formted, and they had paid substantial fees for the trials. The parents of other autistic children participating in the trials had also signed contracts with thepany, receiving generous trial fees and free autism intervention therapy. As a result, they had no intention of suing thepany.


    One child''s mother said, "Even if there''s just a tiny hope of a cure, we''re willing to try! They didn''t force us; we volunteered for the trials! We would have done it even without payment, let alone with the substantial amount they gave us, allowing our children to receive free intervention therapy. They''re notmitting a crime; they''re doing charity work."


    "Aren''t you worried about side effects?" Zhang asked.


    "He''s already in such a terrible state, how could it get any worse? None of you have an autistic child, so you can''t understand how we feel. Officer, please stop investigating. If thatpany really develops a drug to treat autism, I''d trade my life for it."


    Fang Rui had originally nned to visit Teacher Jiang in the hospital to see if he could get any clues from her, but bad news came from the hospital. Due to a lung infection, her condition had worsened, and she had passed away the night before.


    Her son and daughter had cremated her body early that morning and quickly divided her estate.


    All leads regarding the drug had been cut off.


    The murder cases at Star Home and the Lin family vi were officially closed.


    "There''s still one thing unresolved," Fang Rui said.


    "What''s that?"


    "The money Director Zhang received has disappeared. But we haven''t found it."


    "Could it be buried in thewn?" Zhang spected. "Should we go dig at the orphanage?"


    Since the murder, Star Home had been in a state of unrest, and Old Liu, the security guard, had be busier. After the murderer was caught, the orphanage got a new director, and Old Liu finally got a day off.


    He deliberately changed into shabby clothes, carried a worn-out cloth bag, and limped to a poorly decorated gold shop.


    He felt the pig in his bag, then looked around cautiously. Seeing no one paying attention to him, he slipped into the gold shop.


    "Boss, do you buy gold? Pure gold," Old Liu asked in a low voice, leaning in.


    The shop owner looked Old Liu up and down and said, "Yes, how much do you have?"


    Old Liu made a gesture for seven.


    "Seven grams?"


    "Seven hundred grams."


    The owner grinned, thinking this man must be bluffing. How could someone with 700 grams of gold dress so shabbily?


    Seeing his disbelief, Old Liu took out a pink pig from his bag. "Test it yourself, see if it''s pure gold. This is my family heirloom. I have another one at home. If the price is right, I''ll sell that one to you too."


    Upon seeing the pig, the owner''s expression changed. He said, "I believe you. I''ll test the purity of the gold right now. Please have a seat. Xiao Ye, what are you staring at? Serve tea to this gentleman."


    Old Liu was quite pleased with himself. He had calcted that 700 grams of gold could be exchanged for over 300,000 yuan. He was about to be a rich man.


    After Old Liu finished his fourth cup of tea, he finally realized something was wrong. Why did it take so long to verify the purity of the gold?


    "Boss, I''m in a hurry. I won''t exchange it now. Please return the gold pig to me."


    "Don''t rush, sir. We''ll have the price estimated soon. Please wait a bit longer."


    Old Liu sensed something was amiss. He decided to leave without the pig, but as he turned around, he saw Fang Rui and Zhang staring at him.


    "Uncle Liu, long time no see," Zhang said with a mischievous grin.


    "Officer Fang, Officer Zhang, are you here to buy something too?"


    Zhang replied, "We''re not buying anything. We''re here to arrest someone."


    Old Liu broke out in a cold sweat, nervously wiping his brow. "Arrest who?"


    "You, of course!" Zhang took out handcuffs and cuffed Old Liu.


    "I... What crime did Imit? I didn''t kill Director Zhang. Why are you arresting me?" Old Liu let out a pig-like squeal, shouting at passersby, "Help! The police are beating me! The police are arresting me illegally! I haven''t broken anyws. Why are you arresting me?"


    The shop owner handed the pig over to Fang Rui. "Captain Fang, your guess was spot on. Someone really dide to sell the gold pig."


    "Thank you for your help, sir."


    "It''s nothing. Fighting crime is everyone''s responsibility."


    Old Liu saw Fang Rui holding the gold pig and immediately turned ashen.


    "How... how did you know this pig was made of gold? How did you know I stole it?" Old Liu began to stammer.


    "I guessed. When you deliberately exposed Chen Xinran, I felt something was off about you, but I had no evidence, so I could only wait and see. I had informed every gold shop that if anyone came to sell a gold pig or part of one, they should tell me," Fang Rui exined.


    Old Liu''s face turned ashen. He had thought the case was closed and this matter was over. No one would know that two pigs were missing, let alone that those two pigs contained gold. But he never expected the police had been watching him all along.


    Back at the station, Old Liu confessed to the course of events and admitted to the theft.


    "I asionally helped Director Zhang clean. One day, I picked up one of the pigs to dust it off and found the weight was off. This small pig was very heavy! So I scraped off the paint on the surface and found it was gold underneath. Plus, Chen Xinran said Director Zhang had received several hundred thousand in bribes, but none of us had ever seen that money. I suddenly realized where the money was.


    The night Director Zhang died, after Chen Xinran left, I snuck in and stole the two pigs. Even if Director Zhang reported it, they would only arrest Chen Xinran. And it just so happened that Director Zhang died, so no one would know the truth."


    Zhang was furious after hearing this. "Director Zhang was so good to you, and this is how you repay her?"


    "Good to me? Paying me just over a thousand yuan a month, treating me like a beggar! She''s a great phnthropist, why should she expect us to be selfless like her? Besides, she was just pretending to be charitable, making money from charity."


    Zhang fell silent. He couldn''t understand how the staff at Star Home, a charitable organization, could have such dark hearts.


    "If I had known, I would have melted the gold and sold it bit by bit over time. I''d sell it out of town!" Old Liu cursed. "I never thought I''d be on edge for half a month and end up with nothing. What rotten luck!"


    The Star Home case was officially closed.


    Star Home soon had a new director, but the children still missed the director mom who had gone to a faraway ce.


    Stars twinkled in the night sky as a group of children crouched at the entrance of the orphanage.


    "Guoguo, will Director Mome back?"


    "No, Director Mom has gone to live her own life. Woof, we need to take care of ourselves, woof, and not, make Director Mom worry," Guoguo, who knew the truth, choked out.


    "Guoguo, you''re lying."


    "Director Mom loves us so much, she couldn''t possibly note back."


    "Director Mom wille back tonight. I''m not going to sleep; I''ll wait for her to return."


    "I won''t sleep either."


    "Me neither."


    "Let''s all wait for Director Mom toe back together."


    "Director Mom, pleasee back soon. We all miss you so much," someone shouted at the starry sky.


    The stars twinkled, as if responding to the children.

 Chapter 128: The Death of the Virgin: Moral Dilemma (Li Min Side Story)

    <h4>Chapter 128</h4>


    Li Min grew up in a family that favored boys over girls. After having five daughters, her parents finally had a son.


    But fate seemed to y a cruel joke on them. This long-awaited son turned out to be mentally disabled. He couldn''t speak or understand others, and would throw things around when agitated. Despite this, because he was a son, he remained the center of the family, cherished by everyone.


    Li Min was only three years older than him but shouldered the burden of caring for her brother. Though her parents favored her brother, they were also exhausted by their disabled son and pushed all responsibility onto young Li Min.


    Li Min''s feelings toward her brother were conflicted. She loved him because she had raised him, and he depended on her. At the same time, she resented him because his existence robbed her of all free time. Her parents even considered pulling her out of school to care for him full-time. Only after her desperate pleas and her sisters'' intervention did they abandon this idea.


    Li Min''s love for her brother gradually faded, and hatred took over.


    So one day, when she saw some mischievous vige boys teasing her brother, Li Min hid and let them humiliate him.


    She watched as they pushed him into a pond. Her brother screamed helplessly while the boysughed. When they had their fun, they left, leaving her brother struggling in the water.


    Li Min panicked and ran to the pond''s edge to pull him out, but suddenly remembered her parents'' words:


    "We shouldn''t let Min continue school. Too much education makes girls willful, and she won''t want to care for her brother anymore. When she''s older, we''ll find her a live-in son-inw, any man will do as long as he''s willing to look after Qiang Qiang. This way she can stay home and care for Qiang Qiang."


    Why should her life be tied to her disabled brother? It wasn''t fair.


    If her brother died, she would be free. Her brother deserved to die.


    With these thoughts, Li Min withdrew her outstretched hand.


    "Sister, I''m scared," her brother looked at her in bewilderment and despair, slowly sinking into the pond.


    Li Min became frightened again. She tried to reach for her brother but couldn''t find him. She ended up sinking into the pond herself.


    Adults passing by heard themotion and jumped in, pulling them both out. She survived, but her brother died.


    When the soaking wet Li Min was brought home, her parents beat her viciously, nearly breaking the fire poker before they stopped.


    "Why did Qiang Qiang die? Why couldn''t it have been you, you worthless girl?"


    Li Min red at them fiercely. "Go ahead, keep beating me. Beat me to death if you dare! Your only son is dead, and my sisters are all married. If you kill me, who will care for you in your old age?"


    Her parents were shocked, seeming to realize something. From then on, they changed their attitude and treated Li Min very well.


    They reasoned that since they had no son, when Li Min grew up, they could find her a live-in son-inw who could serve as a half-son to them.


    The cause of her brother''s death was quickly determined. Those boys who had teased him had pushed him into the pond where he drowned. Li Min''s parents went to their homes and made a scene, receiving a substantialpensation.


    With thefort of money, her parents weren''t as heartbroken over their son''s death. After all, he had been disabled.


    They soon forgot about him, but Li Min couldn''t. She kept remembering those desperate eyes and hearing a voice saying, "Sister, I''ll be good and wait at home for you to return from school."


    Li Min''s body was free, but her soul wasn''t. She had caused her brother''s death. She was guilty.


    Later, she studied special education and learned a lot of professional knowledge. She realized her brother wasn''t stupid, he had autism. After graduation, she worked as a teacher at an autism intervention center, hoping to make up for her guilt by caring for these children.


    Later, moved by Director Zhang''s story, she quit her job and became a volunteer at "Star Home".


    Director Zhang was the kindest person Li Min had ever met. She was incredibly patient, treating almost all the children as her own. She would patiently read them fairy tales and check on them in the middle of the night. The children all called her "Director Mom".


    One night, Li Min saw Director Zhang in the dormitory hallway. Seeing her, Director Zhang smiled and asked, "Min, are you having trouble sleeping again? Do you need someone to talk to?"


    Li Min''s nose stung with emotion. She sat down with Director Zhang on chairs in the y area and started talking. Li Min couldn''t help but tell Director Zhang about her and her brother.


    "Was that pond deep?" Director Zhang asked.


    "Very deep."


    "Min, memories can be deceptive. Even if you had grabbed your brother then, you might not have been able to save him. The pond was too deep. If you had tried to save him, he might have pulled you in too. It wasn''t your fault. It was those boys who pushed your brother into the pond. You feel guilty, so you''ve magnified your own responsibility. But protecting and caring for your brother wasn''t your responsibility, it was your parents''."


    "Everyone med me!" At that moment, Li Min burst into tears.


    Director Zhang hugged her,forting her like a child. "Min, the ones who should feel guilty aren''t you, but your parents."


    Director Zhang then shared her own story with Li Min.


    "I once had an autistic son too. I loved him dearly. For him, I got divorced and sold all our property. But caring for him was so difficult. Sometimes he would lose control of his bowels, other times he would suddenly throw tantrums and break things. I had to watch him 24 hours a day. But I was so young, I wanted my own life too.


    One rainy night, he ran downstairs again. I followed him down, and then I saw bright lightsing towards us. It was arge truck. I knew what was about to happen, and I knew that if I grabbed my son right then, he could still live. But I hesitated. I was afraid of living like that for the rest of my life. In those few seconds that I hesitated, the truck hit and killed my son..."


    Li Min stared at Director Zhang in shock. "So you''re trying to make up for your guilt towards your son?"


    "Yes. I''m atoning for my sin."


    "But what if your memory is deceiving you too? What if you really couldn''t have grabbed your son in time?"


    Director Zhang fell silent.


    Thatte-night conversation brought them closer together.


    But Li Min never expected that Director Zhang''s true face would soon be revealed to her.


    Director Zhang had actually made a deal with a pharmaceuticalpany, allowing these autistic children to be test subjects. She even connected thepany with more parents of autistic children.


    Li Min confronted Director Zhang. "We''re not sure if those drugs have side effects. What if something happens to the children after they take them?"


    Aliali: 673eba99c4f3f33ac4ee9836"Li Min, nothing will happen."


    "How can you be sure? Did you ask the children''s opinion? Are they willing to be guinea pigs? Autism can''t be cured! How could these drugs possibly work?"


    "How do we know they won''t work if we don''t try?" Director Zhang argued. "Li Min, if Yuanyuan and the others could choose, do you think they''d rather be idiots for life, or take a life-threatening gamble for that 1% chance of bing normal? I''m telling you, they''d rather die than stay like this forever. They want to be normal, and I''m helping them."


    "That''s just what you think, not what they want! You''re a hypocrite. Back then, you watched your own son get hit by a car just to get rid of your burden. You could have saved him but chose not to. And now, you''re clearly doing this for money, but you''re using such an absurd excuse to justify yourself."


    Director Zhang fell silent. She didn''t defend herself.


    Li Min knew Director Zhang wasn''t doing it for money. If she wanted to embezzle funds, she had many ways to do so. But Li Min didn''t understand why Director Zhang would believe the pharmaceuticalpany''s lies.


    When Yuanyuan repeatedly sought her help, expressing his fear of the drugs and medical examinations through drawings, she finally made up her mind to kill Director Zhang and the mastermind behind it all, Jiang Yun.


    She had to protect these poor children!


    She sessfully used those two children to kill them. However, she sank into deeper self-condemnation - how was she any different from Director Zhang and the others when she used Yuanyuan and Yan Yan tomit murder?


    She too had be a demon.

 Chapter 129: The Death of the Virgin: The Selfish (Jiang Yun Side Story)

    <h4>Chapter 129</h4>


    As Jiang Yun watched Lin Qianyan''s knife stab towards her, she thought of her childhood. Perhaps, it was she who had passed on the evil and coldness to Lin Qianyan.


    Jiang Yun was a love child. Her father was quite wealthy, but he was afraid of his wife and dared not acknowledge her as his daughter. Her mother was a beautiful but useless woman who drank every day and beat her when she couldn''t get money.


    The adults around her would curse her behind her back, calling her the daughter of a mistress and shameless. Jiang Yun never refuted them. At night, she would puncture their bicycle tires or throw caterpirs into their children''s backpacks.


    Later, they all said that Jiang Yun was a well-behaved and sensible child. Every time her mother got drunk at the bar, it was Jiang Yun who carried her home. When her father didn''t pay alimony, she even had to work part-time while studying to support the family.


    Jiang Yun studied hard, got into the best high school, and then the best university. She saved money and eventually went abroad for further studies with her own earnings.


    She finally escaped that nightmare ce and her useless mother.


    Before meeting Mu Mian''s Father, Jiang Yun''s life was dark. She had done many bad things. For example, knowing she could onlye second in exams, she secretly cut the brakes of the first ce student''s bicycle, causing him to break his hand and miss the exam. That time, Jiang Yun got the highest schrship...


    At that time, she participated in Mu Mian''s Father''s graduation experiment for a hundred dors. That''s how they met.


    Mu Mian''s Father was a psychology student. He was very smart and saw through Jiang Yun''s selfish and cold soul at a nce. But he still fell hopelessly in love with her.


    At first, Jiang Yun hated this clingy person. She was busy, spending all her spare time working to earn a living.


    Jiang Yun told Mu Wenzhou all the bad things she had done and then said, "Mu Wenzhou, I''m like a scorpion. Anyone who gets close to me and tries to love me will be hurt by me. You''d better stay away from me."


    "Jiang Yun, you had no choice back then. You did what you had to do to survive. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have made it."


    Mu Wenzhou hugged her, embracing that wounded soul.


    In that moment, endless grievances welled up in her eyes. Yes, she had no choice. Just like a scorpion using its sting to protect itself, it was an instinct formed for survival.


    Later, they got married, bought a house, and Jiang Yun got pregnant.


    Jiang Yun eagerly awaited the birth of this child. At that time, she felt that no matter what the child was like, she would love her and give her the best. She wanted to make up for all the childhood she had missed with Mu Mian.


    When Mu Mian was a baby, she was very different from other children. She rarely cried or responded to adults'' actions. She seemed to live in her own world.


    When other children of the same age could speak fluently, Mu Mian couldn''t say a single word. No matter how hard Jiang Yun tried to talk to Mu Mian, she wouldn''t respond. She didn''t cry or make a fuss, like a doll.


    Later, Mu Mian was diagnosed with autism.


    The evaluator said Mu Mian had low intelligence, sensory integration disorder, and stallednguage development. They had to prepare for the possibility that Mu Mian might be like this for life.


    Jiang Yun gradually fell apart. She didn''t want to be tied down by such a child. She had her dreams and career. She didn''t want to spend her life taking care of a fool, no, even worse than a fool. At least those mentally retarded children would give their parents emotional feedback, but Mu Mian was like a walking corpse.


    Mu Mian''s Father, however, thought differently. He was a psychotherapist and believed that as long as they kept expressing love to Mu Mian, she would eventually feel it. Mu Mian wasn''t devoid of emotions; she just hadn''t found the frequency tomunicate with the outside world. As long as they kept sending her love signals, they would eventually connect.


    Even if they couldn''t connect, Mu Mian, no matter what she was like, would still be their most beloved child.


    Jiang Yun thought he was too naive. Of course, it wasn''t him who had to take care of Mu Mian at home, facing such a cold child. He could afford to say such grandiose words.


    To treat Mu Mian''s autism, they began to struggle financially, living in poverty.


    Later, Jiang Yun couldn''t take it anymore and proposed a divorce to Mu Mian''s Father.


    "Jiang Yun, you probably have postpartum depression. You need treatment, not a divorce."


    "No, Mu Wenzhou. I''ve always been a selfish and cold-hearted person. I''ve had enough of the hard life with you, and I''ve had enough of Mu Mian. I have my dreams. I don''t want to be trapped here."


    "Alright, let''s get a divorce. Don''t worry, I''ll take good care of Mu Mian."


    Mu Mian''s Father signed the papers without hesitation, even borrowing several thousand dors from a friend for her. He smiled and said, "Jiang Yun, you don''t need to feel guilty. Everyone has the right to choose their own life. Go and achieve your dreams."


    In that moment, Jiang Yun felt utterly guilty. But what could she do? If she didn''t escape, she would go mad.


    After returning to China, Jiang Yun met Lin Ye. At that time, Lin Ye was an unloved son of the Lin Family, excluded from the inheritance. Jiang Yun used the power of the Jiang Family and her own schemes to help him rise to power and eventually inherit the Lin Family''s wealth.


    Jiang Yun had been a love child of the Jiang Family, suffering from contempt. So her dream was to climb to the top and be a powerful person. Meeting Mu Wenzhou was an ident. His love had briefly numbed her, but the trauma of childhood couldn''t be healed.


    She didn''t love Lin Ye; he had many women outside, and she didn''t care. Her love was buried abroad, in the small house with Mu Wenzhou and Mu Mian.


    So her only expectation for the unborn Lin Qianyan was that he must be a boy.


    He was indeed a boy, but unexpectedly, he was also abnormal. By the age of three, he still couldn''t speak. The therapist diagnosed him with autism.


    In that moment, she felt that fate was ying a cruel joke on her. Why did she have to give birth to another abnormal child? But this time, she epted her fate. After all, she only needed a son; his condition didn''t matter.


    She hired the best nanny to take care of Lin Qianyan and asionally yed the role of a loving mother, ying with him. She didn''t love this child, but she had no choice; she needed a son.


    Lin Ye''s ex-wife also gave birth to a son, Lin Qianjie. That child was rebellious and didn''t like Jiang Yun. But Jiang Yun was good at manipting people. She first showed weakness, softening Lin Qianjie''s attitude with sweet words, then sowing discord between him and his father, making Lin Qianjiepletely side with her.


    She indulged all of Lin Qianjie''s bad behaviors, suppressing his asional desire to improve, eventually turning him into aplete failure.


    asionally, she would think of Mu Mian and Mu Wenzhou. But she didn''t dare to find out about their current situation. Her cousin told her that Mu Mian''s Father had died, and she was adopted by the Shen family. Later, Jiang Yinian found her and said, "Auntie, I saw Mu Mian, she..."


    "Enough, don''t mention that name in front of me," Jiang Yun interrupted him.


    Jiang Yun put all her energy into her career.


    Aliali: 673eba99c4f3f33ac4ee9836Lin Ye''s women became more and more numerous, and one even got pregnant, wanting to take her ce. At this point, Jiang Yun suddenly realized that Lin Ye was no longer useful. So she tampered with Lin Ye''s medicine, causing him to have a stroke and die in bed while having an affair with another woman.


    She went from being Mrs. Lin to Ms. Jiang, bing the true power holder.


    She had thought about finding Mu Mian, but she realized that wouldn''t make Mu Mian''s life better, so she gave up. If Mu Mian had been raised by her, she would probably have be a selfish and cold-hearted person too.


    In the courtroom, it was the first time she saw the grown-up Mu Mian. She was lovely, cautiously testing her, but she disappointed Mu Mian. She had never been a good mother.


    Jiang Yun was surprised to find that Mu Mian had be a normal person. She could speak, she could draw, and she even became a forensic scientist.


    But all of Mu Mian''s changes had nothing to do with her.


    She thought, since Mu Mian could be a normal person, so could Lin Qianyan. She wanted those experts to study Mu Mian and find out the reason why she was cured of her autism, but Shen Xiyin protected her so well that she had no way to proceed.


    On her deathbed, Jiang Yun thought of the time when Mu Mian was just born. At that time, the man she loved was also by her side, and they dreamed of a beautiful future together.


    Her lips curved into a smile.


    But if time could flow backward, she would still choose to divorce and leave Mu Mian. Her life belonged only to herself.

 Chapter 130: Can Get Married

    <h4>Chapter 130</h4>


    After the case at Star Home was resolved, Mu Mian and her colleagues took a few days off.


    Jiang Yinian invited Mu Mian to attend Jiang Yun''s funeral, but she declined. No matter what expectations and emotions she had once harbored for Ms. Jiang, they no longer mattered on the day of her death.


    Mu Mian disliked funerals! The deceased were reduced to ashes, and crying loudly wouldn''t make them hear anything. Why bother?


    On thest day of their vacation, Zhang frantically called for help in the group chat. After a long time, only Mu Mian, full of excitement, and Fang Rui, looking sleepy and irritable, showed up.


    "Only you two came?" Zhang looked behind them, finding it empty. He had been shouting in the group chat for a while, but only Mu Mian and Fang Rui hade. And in such matters, they were the least helpful.


    "Where''s the body?" Mu Mian stood in the luxurious hotel lobby, bewildered.


    "There''s no body."


    "Then why did you call me here? I only know how to dissect bodies." Mu Mian sighed. Zhang had sent a location in the group chat earlier, saying, "Everyone, hurry up, someone''s going to die." Mu Mian quickly went to Fang Rui''s ce, dragged him out of bed, and had him drive her over.


    "If you don''t help me, you might only see my corpse tomorrow." Zhang whined.


    "But Officer Zhang, I''m not interested in your remains."


    "Mu Mian, isn''t it time to stop bickering when things are this urgent?"


    Fang Rui impatiently interrupted him, "Then please get to the point."


    "The thing is,st night, I went to Chen Xue''s rented ce for dinner, and unexpectedly, her mom showed up and caught me red-handed. She didn''t say much at the time, but if looks could kill, you''d be seeing a corpse right now. Before letting me go, her mom coldly said, ''Let''s have lunch together tomorrow.'' Chen Xue told me that all her aunts and uncles would be there, and she asked me to bring a few people to boost the numbers. That''s why I called you guys."


    Zhang''s parents were on a trip and wouldn''t be back soon. Also, calling rtives over seemed too formal, and Chen Xue mentioned that her mom hadn''t yet agreed to their rtionship. Zhang had no choice but to ask his colleagues for help.


    Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui, "There will be about fifteen aunts and uncles, plus Chen Xue''s mom. Fang Rui, can you handle so many people? Maybe we should just leave. I''m scared!"


    "Okay."


    "Boss, please don''t leave! Mu Mian, ''aunts and uncles'' is just a term, not a specific number! And you''re not here to fight; you''re here to eat."


    Mu Mian asked, "So how many people are there exactly?"


    They soon found out. Chen Xue''s mom arrived with arge group of aunts, about fifteen or sixteen of them, bustling in. Chen Xue covered her face, looking helpless.


    Chen Xue''s mom owned a shop and had some money. She had already booked arge private room that could amodate twenty people.


    On the way to the room, the aunts all looked at Fang Rui with satisfied smiles. Then they saw a young girl hiding behind Fang Rui, her hand tightly gripping his arm. Their smiles froze, and their gazes slowly shifted to Zhang, whose smile faded.


    Although Zhang was decent, his physique and build couldn''tpare to Fang Rui''s. Too bad Fang Rui already had a lovely girlfriend.


    Once seated, Zhang introduced himself confidently, "Hello, aunts. I''m Chen Xue''s boyfriend, Zhang Qiang. You can call me Little Zhang. It''s my first time meeting you all, so I''ll toast you with tea."


    Soon, the aunts changed their minds.


    Zhang was good at dealing with these aunts. He poured tea and chatted with them, making everyoneugh. He also didn''t neglect Chen Xue, often serving her food and handing her tissues, showing meticulous care.


    In contrast, Fang Rui was a mute. Not only did he not initiate conversations, but he also didn''t respond when the aunts tried to engage him. He even ordered a dish of Kung Pao Chicken and ate it alone, which was quite rude.


    The aunts shook their heads.


    Fang Rui picked out the chicken from the Kung Pao Chicken and ced it in Mu Mian''s bowl, who then ate it.


    "Young people these days are picky eaters," an aunt said sarcastically.


    "That''s right. With better conditions now, they can afford to be picky. Back in our day, having something to eat was good enough." The aunt next to Mu Mian directly addressed her, "Little Mu, even if your boyfriend spoils you, you can''t be so picky. It''s important to have a bnced diet and eat everything."


    Mu Mian whispered to the aunt, "Yes, being picky is bad, but I''m not picky. Fang Rui is very picky; he only likes the cucumbers and carrots in Kung Pao Chicken. I like the chicken, so I help him eat it."


    "..."


    The aunts were even more dissatisfied with Fang Rui. He was so inconsiderate to put disliked food in his girlfriend''s bowl. In contrast, Zhang was incredibly considerate.


    Mu Mian ate while asionally ncing at the table, ready to flee if they decided to attack Zhang. She chose a seat by the door for this purpose, though it meant she and Fang Rui had to move dishes every time the waiter served them.


    Fortunately, the atmosphere at the table was good, and Chen Xue''s rtives grew more satisfied with Zhang, especially in contrast to Fang Rui and Mu Mian.


    After finishing dessert, Chen Xue''s mom said to Zhang, "Little Zhang, I''m not a conservative person. If you want to be with Chen Xue, that''s fine, but you two need to settle down soon. Chen Xue is a good girl, and you mustn''t mistreat her."


    "Yes, Chen Xue is a wonderful person," Mu Mian chimed in. "Auntie, I''ll keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn''t bully Chen Xue."


    Chen Xue''s mom teased Mu Mian, "Little Mu, with your small frame, I doubt you can beat Little Zhang."


    "True. But I''m smarter than him. And I can have Fang Rui help me beat him." Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui, "You''ll help me, right? Even though you know Little Zhang longer, I feel like we''re closer."


    "Hahaha." Everyoneughed.


    Mu Mian didn''t understand why they wereughing, so sheughed along.


    Chen Xue''s mom looked at Fang Rui, "When do you n to get married?"


    "Not that soon," Fang Rui replied.


    After the meal, Chen Xue''s mom and the aunts went to y mahjong, Chen Xue and Zhang went on a date, and Mu Mian and Fang Rui nned to go home and spend the rest of their vacation in bed. But Mu Mian received an email sent two hours ago.


    Dear Cherry,


    I''m flying back to Florida at four o''clock this afternoon. I want to have lunch with you before I leave. Would you like toe to a restaurant near the airport?


    The sender was Ms. Mischel.


    Mu Mian quickly replied to the email. She hadn''t seen Ms. Mischel in a long time. Although they couldn''t have lunch, Mu Mian thought they could meet at the airport.


    "Fang Rui, can you take me to the airport?"


    "Sure." Fang Rui saw the word "dear" and asked jealously, "Who are you going to see? Are you going to have another friend pop up?"


    "It''s Ms. Mischel."


    Fang Rui suddenly remembered that it was thisdy who had told Mu Mian that people with autism shouldn''t get married.


    "Let''s hurry to see her then. We can''t let her leave."


    "Fang Rui, don''t walk so fast. It''s only two o''clock now, and it only takes half an hour to get to the airport. We have plenty of time."


    When they arrived at the airport, Fang Rui saw an elegant foreign woman sitting in the waiting area, reading a book.


    "Cherry," Ms. Mischel could speak Chinese, but not very fluently, "You seem to have grown up a lot."


    She wanted to reach out and hug Mu Mian, but she remembered that Mu Mian was resistant to physical contact, so she tried to pull her hand back.


    Mu Mian hugged her first, "It''s been two years since west met, so a hug is okay."


    Ms. Mischel smiled, "Cherry, your sister was right, you''ve changed a lot."


    "Hello, Ms. Mischel," Fang Rui greeted her.


    "Hello," Ms. Mischel was a bit surprised, she looked at Mu Mian and eximed, "Cherry, is this your boyfriend? You''ve found love?"


    "I don''t have love yet," Mu Mian sighed, "People with autism find it hard to have love."


    "Who told you that? People with autism can have love. Do you remember Amy? Sheter got married and she''s very happy."


    Mu Mian asked confusedly, "But you said people with autism can''t get married. You told Linda''s parents not to let her get married, don''t you remember?"


    "That''s because Linda''s boyfriend didn''t love her, he was a liar, so they couldn''t get married."


    Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui excitedly and said, "Fang Rui, I can get married, I don''t have to live alone forever."


    "Mm-hmm."


    Ms. Mischel looked at Mu Mian affectionately and asked, "So, Cherry, do you have someone you want to marry?"


    "Ms. Mischel, your ne is about to take off, you should hurry to board," Mu Mian pointed at Ms. Mischel''s watch, reminding her of the time.


    Aliali: 673ebb12c4f3f33ac4eea08c"Cherry, I hope the next time Ie back to China, it''s for your wedding," Ms. Mischel nced at Fang Rui, smiled at him, and then took her handbag to board the ne.


    "Cherry, goodbye."


    "Ms. Mischel, goodbye!"


    After Ms. Mischel walked away, Fang Rui curiously asked, "Mu Mian, why didn''t you answer Ms. Mischel''s question directly just now?"


    "Fang Rui, I''m hungry."


    "You ate a big bowl of rice and half a te of chicken at lunch." Fang Rui felt Mu Mian''s ability to change the subject was getting stronger.


    Mu Mian pleaded, "I want seafood pae."


    "Alright."


    Mu Mian happily followed behind Fang Rui. She had thought about marrying Fang Rui, so she could legally obtain his body, but she had promised never to mention those two words in front of Fang Rui again, so she didn''t want to answer that question.


    But how could she get Fang Rui to willingly marry her?

 Chapter 131: Sleeping Murder: Surrender

    <h4>Chapter 131</h4>


    After the vacation, Mu Mian just arrived at the office when she found it crowded with people, both familiar and unfamiliar female colleagues. Each of them held a cup of milk tea, with Chen Xue in the middle.


    "Little Mu, the forensic scientist, Chen Xue is getting married, you know that, right? Here, have some milk tea. Chen Xue said you like this." Wen from the finance department handed Mu Mian a cup of milk tea. Seeing Mu Mian''s surprised expression, she continued, "Okay, you didn''t know! You share an office with Chen Xue, and you didn''t know anything?"


    "Yes, I''m not very well-informed."


    "Then next time there''s gossip, I''ll share it with you on WeChat. Ah, we haven''t added each other on WeChat yet. Let''s do it now. I''ll scan your code."


    Chen Xue quickly exined, "Mu Mian, I only found out about this recently."


    "Zhang''s friend circle said his mother-inw is very satisfied with him. They''ve met the family, so they must be getting married!"


    "Zhang is so lucky to marry such a good girl like Chen Xue."


    "Alright, alright, when Zhang and I get married, we''ll definitely invite everyone to the wedding. It''s time to get back to work, everyone should return to their offices." Chen Xue quickly ushered the gossiping colleagues out, "Everyone, disperse, don''t disturb Mian."


    "I wasn''t disturbed," Mu Mian rified softly.


    "You were!"


    "Ah, it''s so noisy! There are too many people, the oxygen is so thin, I''m going to suffocate!"


    "¡­¡­"


    The gossip was over, and the milk tea was almost finished. Everyone returned to their offices.


    Chen Xue turned around and saw Mu Mian looking at her with envy.


    "Mu Mian, what''s wrong?"


    "How did you get Zhang to agree to marry you?"


    Chen Xue blushed and said in a high-pitched voice, "We''re not getting married, it''s all just rumors. What do you mean ''get Zhang to agree to marry me''? He proposed to me, and I might not even agree, let alone me proposing to him. He''s dreaming!"


    "You don''t n to get married?"


    "Of course, we will, but not now. We''ve just started dating, we don''t want to rush into marriage. Marriage and dating are two different things." Chen Xue felt something was off with Mu Mian. Mu Mian usually didn''t gossip about such things, "Mu Mian, why are you so interested in the topic of marriage?"


    "I used to think that people with autism couldn''t get married, but yesterday, Ms. Michell told me that I can get married."


    "So?" Chen Xue took a sip of milk tea and casually asked, "You''re not thinking of getting married, are you?"


    Mu Mian nodded seriously, "Yes. I want to marry Fang Rui."


    Chen Xue spat out her milk tea onto her desk, "Mian, are you still thinking about Fang Rui''s body?" Chen Xue could only think of this reason. Otherwise, why would Mu Mian suddenly want to get married? She hasn''t even dated, what marriage? The process isn''t right.


    Mu Mian felt Chen Xue was wrong. If it were a year ago, Mu Mian wanted to marry Fang Rui to get his body, but now it seemed to be more than that. Love movies say that getting married means you can be with that person forever. She wants to be with Fang Rui forever.


    Mu Mian didn''t answer Chen Xue''s question, "Chen Xue, what should I do to get Fang Rui to agree to marry me?"


    "Go find Fang Rui now and ask him if he''ll marry you."


    "Now?"


    "Yes."


    "Do I need to use sophisticatednguage skills? Like quoting poetry or other rhetorical devices." Mu Mian asked.


    "Can you?"


    "No!"


    "So no need, just ask directly."


    Mu Mian left the office.


    Chen Xue finished a bun and was about to start on the second when Mu Mian walked in.


    "Did he agree?"


    "There''s a case, someone came to confess to a murder, Fang Rui is currently understanding the details. Chen Xue, what do you think the body will look like this time? The murderer confessed themselves, so the victim''s family probably won''t let me dissect the body. This murderer is too honest."


    Chen Xue bit the straw, perhaps, in Mu Mian''s heart, bodies are still more important.


    In the interrogation room, a beautiful young woman sat nervously on a chair. Her eyes were dark and bloodshot, her hair was messy, and she looked like she hadn''t slept for days, very haggard.


    "What''s your name?"


    "Zhang Mingli."


    "Your age and upation?"


    "Twenty-five years old, frence, I''m an architectural designer, usually takingmissions to draw interior design ns."


    "Why are you here to confess?"


    She licked her cracked lips and said in a trembling voice, "Comrade police, I think I identally killed someone!"


    "Think? Are you not sure if you killed someone?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, I''m not sure if I killed someone, but my mind has an extra memory, I pushed a man down the stairs with my own hands, he rolled down and bled a lot. He''s dead!"


    "When did this happen?"


    "I don''t remember."


    "What was the scene like?"


    "I can''t remember. I only remember that day the sun was very good, but the house was very cold."


    "Where is the crime scene? Take us there." Fang Rui said.


    "It''s my new home... Comrade police, but the body is missing. I don''t know where that body went." Zhang Mingli said in terror, "I clearly remember the body was on the floor, but it''s gone!"


    "Do you know the deceased?"


    Zhang Mingli shook her head, "No. I can''t remember his face. He has no face. But I seem to be very afraid of him!"


    "Then why was he in your house?"


    "I don''t know. I don''t know why he came to my house, and I don''t know why I killed him. But I''m very sure, I killed him." Zhang Mingli held her head, saying in terror, "Comrade police, what should I do, I killed someone, am I going to jail?"


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged nces, they felt this woman''s mental state might be problematic.


    "Comrade police, I''m not crazy, what I said is true! You have to believe me!" Zhang Mingli pitifully looked at Fang Rui and Zhang, "I admit my crime, and I ept the judgment of thew. But you can''t think I''m crazy!"


    "How about this, Miss Zhang, can you take us to the crime scene?" Fang Rui said.


    Hearing Fang Rui believed her, she calmed down a bit and asked, "Okay. Can I take you there now?"


    "Can you give me the contact information of your rtives?" Fang Rui said, "If you really are the murderer, your rtives need to sign some documents, so it''s better to inform me in advance."


    "My mother just passed away, my aunt is out of town, there''s only my uncle in Jiangzhou City, his name is Zhang Taotao, you can contact him." Zhang Mingli wrote her uncle''s phone number on a piece of paper.


    "You rest here for a while, we''ll go to your house with youter to see if we can find the body."


    "Okay, Comrade police, thank you so much!"


    Aliali: 673ebb7bc4f3f33ac4eea64cAfter leaving the interrogation room, Fang Rui contacted Zhang Mingli''s uncle.


    "Hello, we are the police station, are you Mr. Zhang, Zhang Mingli''s uncle?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes, what happened to Mingli? This child usually behaves well, how did she end up at the police station?" The person on the other end of the phone asked anxiously.


    "What is Zhang Mingli''s usual mental state like, does she have any mental illness?"


    "This child is quite normal! Just a bit introverted, not very talkative. Ah, she grew up in a single-parent family, her mother was like that, it''s normal for her to have a strange personality."


    "What was wrong with her mother?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Her mother was a mental patient. She recently passed away from stomach cancer. Mingli moved back to Jiangzhou because of this."


    "Okay, thank you!"


    After hanging up the phone, Zhang said, "Boss, Zhang Mingli might be mentally ill too. Look, she can''t remember anything when we ask her."


    "It''s possible. But we still need to go to the crime scene to see if there really was a murder."

 Chapter 132: Sleeping Murder: Reality or Fantasy

    <h4>Chapter 132</h4>


    Zhang Mingli took Fang Rui and the others to Beiyuan Garden Residential Area. It was an old residentialplex built in the 1990s. The buildings were closely spaced, resulting in poor natural lighting. Upon entering the stairwell, there was an immediate sense of darkness and gloom.


    Zhang Mingli lived on the fourth floor. Her apartment was a duplex with two levels, so despite being on a lower floor, the ceiling felt low upon entering, making the space feel somewhat cramped.


    There was a bagua mirror hanging on the door, covered in dust, appearing to have been there for years.


    "It was right here. He was lying here, covered in blood," Zhang Mingli pointed at the floor near the stairway entrance, speaking frantically. "I was standing upstairs at the time. I watched him roll down and fall here, where he slowly closed his eyes. He died."


    Zhang opened the curtains and turned on the lights, but found nothing on the floor. The floor tiles were grayish-white and worn, with some even cracked, but there were no traces of blood.


    Mu Mian sprayed luminol reagent on the floor, but no fluorescence appeared. There were no signs of chemical corrosion on the floor, ruling out the possibility that the perpetrator had used bleach or simr substances to clean up blood, indicating that there had never been any blood on the tiles.


    "No blood," Mu Mian whispered to Fang Rui and the others. "No traces of bleach detected on the floor either, so we can rule out blood being cleaned with bleach. It seems there was never any blood on these tiles."


    "The tiles look old, with lots of dust in the gaps. They don''t appear to have been reced recently," Wang said. "We can basically rule out tile recement."


    Mu Mian sprayed luminol reagent in every corner of the house, but found no fluorescent reactions except for some small spots on the white walls, which were from mosquitoes that had been killed.


    As Mu Mian walked out of the room, she hesitated, feeling something unsettling about the house.


    "Mu Mian, what''s wrong?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I think my OCD is acting up. Something''s not right about this house!"


    "Is it because of the tiles?"


    Fang Rui noticed that the tiles in the bedrooms were different from those in the living room, with different patterns. Except for the bathroom, all other rooms had matching tiles. Normally during renovation, the living room and bedrooms would use the same tiles, but this house was different.


    However, the living room tiles didn''t look newly reced either. They felt loose underfoot, with several cracked pieces, and the style and pattern weren''t contemporary: they appeared to be from over a decade ago. The building itself was quite old.


    "Yes. The bedroom tiles are different from the living room. That''s why this house feels so ufortable to me," Mu Mianined, then pointed to therge bay window in the second bedroom. "And why build such a tform in the house? It''s difficult to close the windows, it''s so high I can''t even climb up there. The design of this house is so impractical!"


    "I feel the same way. This house feels very gloomy!" Zhangmented. "It''s so eerie, no wonder Ms. Zhang developed mental issues living here."


    Zhang Mingli stood in the living room, visibly anxious. The murder scene seemed to rey constantly before her eyes, but she couldn''t remember why she killed someone or who the victim was.


    Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.


    Zhang Mingli jumped in fright.


    "Ms. Zhang, don''t be afraid. We''re still here," Zhang reassured her.


    Zhang opened the door to find Zhang Mingli''s uncle, Zhang Taotao, a man in his fifties wearing ck-framed sses and having a schrly appearance. He addressed Zhang Mingli: "Mingli, what''s wrong? How did you end up at the police station?"


    Zhang Taotao was a high school chemistry teacher nearing retirement. He barely needed to work anymore, so when he heard about Zhang Mingli''s situation, he rushed over immediately.


    "Uncle, I killed someone! I pushed someone down the stairs, they fell to their death, but the body is gone," Zhang Mingli''s eyes darted around wildly as she spoke in terror. "There''s a ghost! Uncle, this house is haunted. I can''t stay here anymore. I don''t want to live here."


    "Alright, you don''t have to stay. Come live with your uncle," Zhang Taotao embraced her. "I told you before toe live with me, but you insisted on staying here. Now look what''s happened: you ended up in a haunted house, and look how frightened you''ve be."


    After Zhang Mingli calmed down, Zhang Taotao addressed Fang Rui and the others: "Officers, I apologize for my niece''s behavior in making a false report. She told me earlier that this house was haunted. I told her not to stay here, but she insisted, and now she''s been frightened out of her wits. How could a young woman like her possibly kill someone?"


    "No, Uncle, I did kill someone!" Zhang Mingli insisted.


    "Mingli, child, you say you killed someone, but who did you kill?" Zhang Taotao interrupted. "Haven''t the police officers searched the entire house? Did they find any body?"


    Zhang Mingli began to doubt herself, looking at her hands while mumbling, "Did I really not kill anyone? Uncle, am I going crazy like Mom?"


    "Mingli, didn''t you get checked at the psychiatric hospitalst time? The doctor said you''re fine, just under too much stress, which is why you''re thinking too much."


    Zhang Taotao turned to Fang Rui and the others, saying, "Officers, I''ll take my niece home now. She''s been under too much stresstely and might be having some mental health issues. She needs proper rest."


    "Alright, take her home."


    Fang Rui and the team thoroughly searched the house again but found nothing suspicious.


    The house''s decoration was old, apparently from many years ago, and the furnishings hadn''t changed much recently.


    There was a security camera in the corridor outside Zhang Mingli''s apartment. They went to the security office to retrieve the footage from the past two weeks.


    Back at the station, each person was assigned to watch several days of footage at 16x speed until around seven or eight in the evening. The surveince footage showed that in the past two weeks, apart from Zhang Mingli''s uncle, delivery personnel, and utility workers, no other men had visited her home. Only two women had visited, and everyone who entered had also left: no one had disappeared.


    "There haven''t been any missing persons reports recently either. It seems Ms. Zhang really is experiencing mental health issues," Zhang rubbed his tired eyes. "Still, it''s good that there wasn''t actually a murder."


    Everyone went home after work. Fang Rui drove Mu Mian home, and she remained silent throughout the journey.


    Seeing Mu Mian''s deep contemtion, Fang Rui asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing!"


    At 1:08 AM, Fang Rui was suddenly awakened by knocking at his door. He knew only Mu Mian would knock at this hour. He opened the door with messy hair, "Mu Mian, can''t this wait until tomorrow?"


    "Fang Rui, do you think the body could be hidden in the bay window?" Mu Mian asked with dark circles under her eyes, trying to keep them open. "Let''s go dig for the body with some tools."


    "Mu Mian, do you know what time it is?" Fang Rui could barely keep his eyes open.


    "1:09 AM."


    "So, go back to sleep now, and we''ll talk about this tomorrow." Fang Rui grabbed Mu Mian''s shoulders and pushed her to her apartment door, then turned to go back to sleep.


    "Fang Rui, you can sleep tomorrow."


    "This case hasn''t been officially opened. If we go digging for a body now, we''d be illegally entering private property. That''s against thew, understand?"


    "I know. I understand thew. But..."


    "Then go back to sleep now, and tomorrow we''ll contact Ms. Zhang and check that bay window again, okay?"


    "Okay."


    Aliali: 673ebb12c4f3f33ac4eea08cFang Rui closed his door, returned to bed, and was about to sleep when something urred to him. He quickly got up and opened the door, finding Mu Mian still standing outside, as he''d suspected.


    "Fang Rui, why aren''t you going back to sleep?"


    Mu Mian was happy to see Fang Ruie out again. She had been counting seconds, wanting to know how long it would take for him to return. The number would be her waiting time. It only took 18 seconds for Fang Rui toe back out.


    She felt lucky: she only had to wait 18 seconds.


    "Mu Mian, shouldn''t I be asking you that question? Why aren''t you going back to sleep?" Fang Rui asked with resignation.


    "You said you''d only tell me the important thing tomorrow. But I can''t sleep, so I''ll just wait here." Mu Mian waved her hand at Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, you should go back to sleep. I''m not tired, so I''ll just keep waiting here."


    "Mu Mian, Miss Zhang is sleeping, we can''t reach her right now. Besides, there might not even be a body there. So, please be good and go back to sleep. We can check it out tomorrow, okay?"


    "That''s not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to say something else."


    "What is it?"


    Mu Mian looked at him with sincere eyes, "Fang Rui, would you marry me?"

 Chapter 133

    Fang Rui''s drowsiness vanishedpletely. He felt as if he''d been struck by lightning,pletely petrified.


    He had been waiting for Mu Mian to realize she liked him, but he never expected her to jump straight to a marriage proposal. This progression was far too chaotic.


    "What did you say?" Fang Rui asked nervously.


    "Fang Rui, will you marry me?" Mu Mian raised her voice, her words echoing through the entire hallway. "Did you hear me clearly this time?"


    "Is it because marrying me would give you legal rights to my corpse?" Fang Rui slowly regained hisposure, knowing he couldn''t analyze Mu Mian''s behavior by normal standards.


    Now it was Mu Mian''s turn to fall silent. She didn''t know how to answer this question. Because that was indeed one of the reasons. But more than that, she wanted to be with Fang Rui forever. Besides her sister, no one understood her better than Fang Rui. Her sister was going to marry Mr. Lin, so she wouldn''t be able to stay with her forever.


    "Good night, Mu Mian."


    Fang Rui returned to his home and closed the door. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would have agreed to marry her. But he couldn''t do that - Mu Mian didn''t understand what marriage meant, so he couldn''t agree to marry her. Otherwise, he would be exactly the kind of deceiver Mrs. Michelle had warned about.


    Mu Mian felt confused. Fang Rui hadn''t agreed, but he hadn''t refused either. Moreover, his expression had been strange; he had looked very unhappy.


    Mu Mian felt somewhat dejected, as Fang Rui didn''t seem to want to marry her.


    She waited outside his door for a while longer, but this time Fang Rui didn''t open it. She waited for 999 seconds, but he still didn''t appear. Mu Mian sighed - her life was so difficult. When she wanted Fang Rui''s corpse, he wouldn''t give it to her, and now when she wanted to marry him, he wouldn''t agree to that either.


    Never mind, she thought, she''d just stay single forever. If no one else wanted to be with Fang Rui, she could still stay with him. Mu Mian suddenly didn''t feel so sad anymore, because she believed Fang Rui would have a hard time finding a partner as excellent as her.


    Mu Mian went home and continued sleeping. She slept sweetly.


    Fang Rui, however, couldn''t sleep at all.


    The next day, Fang Rui waited outside with dark circles under his eyes, lookingpletely exhausted, for Mu Mian to go to work.


    Mu Mian emerged energetically with her bag. Seeing Fang Rui''s condition, she asked curiously, "Fang Rui, did you have insomnia? Why couldn''t you sleep? Did you drink Zhang''s coffee again?"


    Why... it was all because Mu Mian had proposed to him in the middle of the night! Why was she, the culprit, so energetic while he was the one who couldn''t sleep?


    Looking at Mu Mian''s innocent face, Fang Rui replied, "I suppose so."


    "Next time, let me drink it instead. I often have insomnia, so I''m used to it."


    "Okay."


    After the morning meeting, Chen Xue cornered Mu Mian and asked curiously, "Mian Mian, did you do something to make Captain Fang look like that? What did you do?"


    "Chen Xue, we still haven''t checked everywhere yesterday. We should remove the tiles and check underneath them," Mu Mian said, changing the subject.


    "Did you propose to him yesterday?"


    "I think the body might be buried in that bay window. That huge bay window doesn''t match the room''s decoration style at all. It must have been renovatedter," Mu Mian continued deflecting.


    "That bay window doesn''t look recently built; it appears to have been there for a long time. Besides, sealing a body in cement would be easily discovered. Hardened cement can''t mask the smell of dposition, but there wasn''t any unusual odor in that room. It''s unlikely the body is hidden there," Chen Xue analyzed.


    She still believed that Zhang Mingli had mental health issues, which was why she thought she had killed someone. The victim probably didn''t exist at all.


    "But it''s really perfect for hiding a body."


    "Then let''s dig it up and see."


    "Chen Xue, I did propose to Fang Ruist night, and he rejected me," Mu Mian suddenly said.


    "He rejected you? Did he say why?"


    "No, he just looked unhappy. I don''t understand why. I''m so excellent, and we''re sopatible. Why wouldn''t he want to marry me?"


    Chen Xue thought she understood why. Among all of Mu Mian''s reasons for marriage, love wasn''t one of them. If Chen Xue were Fang Rui, she would have been frustrated by Mu Mian''s denseness too.


    Fang Rui had called Zhang Mingli, who said they could inspect the house however they wanted, even if it meant damaging the furniture and structure, as she was nning to renovate the house soon anyway.


    They returned to Zhang Mingli''s house. Mu Mian first asked Fang Rui and the others to remove the tiles near the stairway.


    After removing the tiles, the floor was uneven and dirty.


    Mu Mian sprayed luminol reagent on the exposed surface. Soon, the reagent that had seeped into the cement joints began to emit tiny spots of fluorescence.


    Everyone was surprised - there were indeed bloodstains under the tiles.


    "There really are bloodstains," Mu Mian said. "It seems there might actually be a body hidden in the house."


    They all went to the second bedroom, where they had previously thought nothing of the bay window, but now the rectangr tform looked increasingly like a coffin.


    The window seat was covered with a carpet. They lifted it to reveal tiles underneath, the same color and pattern as those in the living room but different from the room''s decor.


    They began breaking apart the cement tform. After working for a while, they discovered ayer of white substance under the cement.


    "This looks like driedtex," Zhang said after examining a piece.


    They found that the tform had first been coated withtex, then covered with a 2cmyer of cement. They also found several pieces of torn yellow paper in thetexyer.


    "These look like talismans, and there''s writing on them."Aliali: 67409081c4f3f33ac40a029f


    Soon after, they also found a bagua mirror and a peach wood sword.


    "There couldn''t be something sealed in here, could there?" Zhang eximed.


    "If a body were only sealed in cement, it would emit a strong dposition odor because cement isn''tpletely airtight and can''t contain the smell. But if you add ayer oftex, the seal bes much stronger, and the odor would be trapped inside," Mu Mian exined. "That might be why they usedtex."


    Initially, they had broken open the cement tform just to check, but now their spines were tingling - could there really be a body buried underneath?


    They continued breaking it apart and discovered thick wooden boards with intricate carvings.


    After removing the outer cement, they found what appeared to be a wooden box, but the wood had already rotted.


    Zhang asked puzzled, "What''s this ck stuff?"


    Chen Xue said, "It looks like charcoal."


    "It''s activated charcoal," Mu Mian said. "But it must have been here for many years. The body, if there is one, wouldn''t be fresh either."


    The wooden box was also filled with cement. As they gradually broke apart the cement chunks, they saw something that looked like a human-shaped sculpture within.

 Chapter 134: Sleeping Murder: The Haunted House

    <h4>Chapter 134</h4>


    ¡°There''s a corpse inside. Be careful when digging,¡± Mu Mian pointed to the nail exposed in the concrete block and began directing them to excavate the body. ¡°Officer Zhang, don¡¯t dig here, dig over there. First, don¡¯t worry about the concrete on the surface of the body. We¡¯ll move the concrete-encased body back to theb, and I¡¯ll clean off the surface concrete there.¡±


    Zhang and the others followed Mu Mian¡¯s instructions and unearthed an irregrly shaped concrete block.


    Mu Mian carefully used a shovel to chip away at the concrete covering the dead person¡¯s arm. She found that the skin was dark brown, dried out, and had turned leathery. There were also white substances on the concrete.


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible to determine the time of death right now,¡± Mu Mian said, ¡°but based on my experience, this body has been buried here for no less than ten years, most likely even longer.¡±


    ¡°No less than ten years? Then the victim couldn¡¯t possibly have been killed by Miss Zhang, could she? Miss Zhang was probably still a child ten years ago,¡± Zhang eximed in surprise. ¡°So why did shee to confess to murder?¡±


    Everyone was puzzled.


    ¡°Maybe Miss Zhang knows the inside story. She deliberately came to the police station to confess, hoping to draw our attention and make us discover this body,¡± Chen Xue spected.


    Zhang and Wang thought it made sense.


    Mu Mian was puzzled. ¡°If Miss Zhang was already at the police station, why didn¡¯t she just tell us directly that there was a body here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the murderer threatened her not to say anything.¡±


    ¡°But if she came to the police station to report the case, wouldn¡¯t that anger the murderer? She might as well have written us an anonymous letter and secretly revealed the truth to us. That way, the murderer wouldn¡¯t know who turned him in,¡± Mu Mian still couldn¡¯t understand her motives. Why make things soplicated?


    After Mu Mian¡¯s question, everyone was also confused about why Miss Zhang confessed.


    ¡°Could it be a coincidence? After moving into this ce, the oppressive structure of the house caused Miss Zhang¡¯s mental state to deteriorate, leading her to report the case and confess. It just so happens that a murder urred in this house more than ten years ago,¡± Fang Rui analyzed.


    ¡°But could it really be that much of a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°Once I dig out the body, we¡¯ll definitely find more clues,¡± Mu Mian said. ¡°The person who buried the body handled it very professionally. We must catch them, and I¡¯d like to have a good chat with them!¡±


    Chen Xue agreed, ¡°Exactly. No wonder this tform didn¡¯t show any signs of copse or cracking. There¡¯s a wooden box inside providing support. I guess the cement wasn¡¯t poured full, leaving some space, so the gas expansion wouldn¡¯t affect the surface of the tform. Otherwise, the gas produced by the decaying body would definitely cause the concrete tform to deform.¡±


    ¡°The cement burial scenes in TV dramas are all about pouring concrete directly. It turns out that this method of disposing of a body is not feasible!¡± Zhang eximed. ¡°Those TV dramas are so unprofessional.¡±


    Chen Xue said, ¡°Of course. Not only do you need to consider the issue of the stench, but also the gas produced by the decaying body that can cause cracks and deformation in the concrete. So burying a body in concrete is not a clever way to dispose of a body; the concrete actually elerates the decay of the body.¡±


    ¡°I know many clever ways to dispose of a body!¡± Mu Mian said excitedly. ¡°Do you want me to share them with you? Theoretically, they should be able to perfectly dispose of a body, but I haven¡¯t practiced them, so I don¡¯t know if there would be any issues during execution.¡±


    ¡°¡­Let¡¯s stop there. I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to eat,¡± Zhang quickly interrupted Mu Mian.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Mu Mian reluctantly suppressed her desire to share her knowledge and continued to take photos of the concrete block, documenting the scene.


    Chen Xue continued, ¡°The person who buried the body was very smart. They considered both problems. First, they used activated carbon to absorb the odor, and then reinforced the sealing of the tform withtex to prevent the odor from escaping. Most people who bury a body in concrete would just pour concrete on top without thinking so much.¡±


    ¡°It seems this murderer is quite intelligent. If it weren¡¯t for Miss Zhang¡¯s actions, we probably would never have known that there was a body buried here,¡± they said as they ced the concrete-encased body into a body bag.


    This residential area is mainly for the elderly, with mostly older people and children living there, so elevators were installed.


    However, the elevators were small and run-down, dirty inside, and shook violently every time they reached a floor. With a body at their feet, Zhang and Wang felt a chill down their spines.


    Mu Mian thought of the various ident cases she had seen involving elevator malfunctions, where the victims had died horribly. She was a bit scared and clung tightly to Fang Rui¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mu, this elevator is old but definitely safe. It won¡¯t malfunction, you can rest assured!¡± Wang said.


    ¡°How can you be so sure? You don¡¯t know anything about elevators,¡± Mu Mian clung to Fang Rui¡¯s arm. She still felt the elevator was very unsafe.


    Zhang chimed in, ¡°We understand developers. The residents here are mostly elderly and children. If the elevator had any idents, they could cause the developer to go bankrupt!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Fang Ruiforted Mu Mian, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, we¡¯ll protect you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Even if something happens, we¡¯re all together, so we won¡¯t be alone,¡± Mu Mian thought, and she wasn¡¯t nervous anymore.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    As Zhang and Wang struggled to carry the body out of the building, a group of elderly men and women gathered around, pointing and whispering.


    ¡°Is there another thief in ourmunity? Why are the police here?¡±


    ¡°Judging by themotion, it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re catching a thief!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a girl living on the fourth floor? Could this be her body they¡¯re carrying? No, I saw her yesterday, how could she be gone today?¡± Sister Wang muttered.


    ¡°Tsk tsk, these two young men are so weak, they can¡¯t even carry a girl¡¯s body!¡±


    Aliali: 673ebb12c4f3f33ac4eea08c¡°I¡¯ve always said that the house on the fourth floor is unlucky. That girl didn¡¯t listen to my old woman¡¯s advice and insisted on living there. Look, now something has happened,¡± Sister Wang sighed.


    ¡°Yes, yes, that house hasn¡¯t been lived in for a long time.¡±


    Fang Rui asked an elderly woman who seemed knowledgeable, ¡°Auntie, who used to live in that house?¡±


    The woman nced at Fang Rui but didn¡¯t speak.


    Zhang stepped forward and asked enthusiastically, ¡°Sister, who used to live in that house?¡±


    ¡°Just call me Sister Wang,¡± the woman began to pour out everything she knew to Zhang. ¡°A family of three lived there a couple of years ago. Later, they said thendlord was a pervert, secretly installing cameras in their house. They were scared to death and moved out overnight, not even taking their rent and deposit. The house hasn¡¯t been rented out since, and I suspect it¡¯s haunted.¡±


    ¡°Do you know Zhang Mingli from the fourth floor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she bought that house about a month ago. I wanted to warn her that the house is haunted, but every time I tried to talk to her, she walked away and ignored me. I never got the chance to tell her,¡± Sister Wangined.


    Seeing that Zhang Mingli didn¡¯t have a boyfriend, Sister Wang had originally nned to get close to her and then ask if she wanted to go on a blind date. She had many high-quality men to introduce, ensuring she could find a good match. But Zhang Mingli ignored her.


    ¡°How do you know that house is haunted?¡± Fang Rui asked.

 Chapter 135: Sleeping Murder: Mummified

    <h4>Chapter 135</h4>


    Auntie vividly recounted the ghost story: "In the past, our neighborhood often had thievesing to steal things. About two years ago, a thief saw that the house was always empty, so he pried open the burr-proof window to steal. Who knew he heard a female ghost crying inside, and he even imed to have seen a whole group of ghosts chasing him. He was so scared that he jumped out of the window, luckilynding on a rain canopy on the first floor, only suffering a minor injury.


    Since then, no thief has dared toe to our neighborhood to steal. And because of this, that house has beenpletely unrentable. Miss Zhang is from out of town, probably tricked by a real estate agent, to buy that house."


    "Do you know who thendlord of that house is?" Fang Rui asked.


    "I don''t know! I just moved here a few years ago. It''s strange, I don''t think I''ve ever seen thendlord of that house. Not to brag, but I know everyone in this neighborhood."


    Fang Rui and Zhang went to the security guard to inquire about the situation.


    The security guard said he also didn''t know the owner of that house. He often saw the previous tenants though. Fang Rui saved the contact information of that tenant.


    This residential area was built in the 1990s as resettlement housing, part of the demolitionpensation, and the owners didn''t have property certificates, making the property rights very chaotic. About eight years ago, the local government introduced a policy, and only then did the owners of these resettlement houses start to get their property certificates.


    Fang Rui and his team then found the property manager, "Does the resident in the leftmost unit on the fourth floor of Building 7 pay the property fees on time? Do you have his contact information?"


    "Yes, we just collected the property fee not long ago. That family always doesn''t pay, and it was only after I called to urge them that they reluctantly paid. Let me find it." The manager flipped through the payment record book while chatting with Fang Rui, "Officer, did something happen to that house?"


    "Why do you ask?" Zhang inquired, "No, it''s just that the owner''s things were stolen, and we''re investigating."


    "You don''t have to hide it from me. What thief would dare to steal from that house? That house is inauspicious! It''s on the 4th floor, on the shady side,cking in the five elements, and the feng shui is bad." The manager, an old man, was very superstitious about feng shui, muttering, "The orientation of that house is extremely inauspicious! It''s not suitable for living, light can lead to bankruptcy, heavy can lead to family breakdown."


    "Grandpa, don''t be too superstitious. You should believe in science."


    "You young people don''t understand, this isn''t feudal superstition, it''s the treasure our ancestors left us to help us avoid misfortune."


    "..."


    "Found it. He''s surnamed Wang, named Wang Dadong." The manager pointed to the handwritten number in the book, "This is his phone number. His phone is often unreachable, you have to call several times before he picks up."


    Zhang dialed the number, but after many attempts, no one answered. Sending him a text message also went unanswered.


    On the dissection tabley the cement block. Mu Mian and Chen Xue hammered and chiseled for a long time, only clearing out one leg of the deceased, and there was still a lot of cement left on it.


    "Chen Xue, aren''t we like archaeologists? We''re excavating a mummified corpse." Mu Mian''s arms were a bit sore, but she was still full of energy, "I often went to museums to see mummies before, but always through ss, I couldn''t touch them. I looked it up online, I couldn''t find a legal way to touch a mummy, even if I became an archaeologist, because mummies are all in museums now, there are no mummies in the pyramids anymore."


    "There''s also a very famous mummified corpse in China called ''Lon Beauty,'' I''ll take you to see it next time we have a holiday." Chen Xue thought they could go on a trip together next time. Mu Mian hadn''t seen the greatndscapes of the mothend yet, she could take her to see them.


    "Really take me? I''ll resist the temptation and make sure not to steal it."


    "Uh... although it''s called Lon Beauty, it''s not pretty at all... okay, any corpse is irresistibly attractive to you." Chen Xue looked at the shriveled leg, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, "Wait, how could there be a mummified corpse in cement? Cement would corrode the body, elerate decay, how could the body be a mummy?"


    "Chen Xue, I''ve already said it, the murderer is very professional in handling the body." Mu Mian reminded softly.


    This was a very arduous task. Mu Mian, though full of fighting spirit, had arms that were too sore to cooperate. She had to stop and rest. Chen Xue had long since given up.


    "Mianmian, I can''t stayte with you tonight." Chen Xue said regretfully, "Otherwise, let''s continue cleaning tomorrow? If your hands are sore, they''ll shake, and you might damage the body."


    "It''s okay, I''ve found someone to stayte with me." Mu Mian washed her hands and nned to go to the cafeteria with Fang Rui to eat.


    Chen Xue smiled, changed her clothes, picked up her bag, and said to Mu Mian, "Tonight, I''m going to meet Zhang''s parents. Mianmian, I''m a bit nervous."


    "Why nervous? Everyone likes you. You''re very excellent!" Mu Mianforted her. Chen Xue had a good reputation in the bureau, people often came to the office to y with her, they also often brought delicious food, and Mu Mian also ate various local specialties, of course, junk food too.


    "Mianmian, you don''t understand, the hardest rtionship in the world is the mother-inw and daughter-inw rtionship, I''m afraid Zhang''s mom won''t like me." Chen Xue was a bit inferior in her feelings, growing up in a single-parent family, her profession being a forensic doctor, a slightly conservative family might find fault with her.


    "Chen Xue, you''re marrying Zhang, why do you care about his parents?" Mu Mian asked puzzled.


    "Marriage is a veryplicated thing, it''s not just about two people, it''s about two families, no, three families, and then there will be our own little family. So you can''t get married lightly." Chen Xue sighed, "Mianmian, wish me luck!"


    "Chen Xue, good luck!"


    Chen Xue left the office with her bag.


    "Chen Xue, you are very, very, very excellent, if someone doesn''t like you, it must be that person''s problem." Mu Mian said behind her.


    "Thank you, Mianmian."


    Mu Mian took her lunch box and went to the cafeteria with Fang Rui to eat.


    Aliali: 673ebb12c4f3f33ac4eea08cAfter getting the food, Mu Mian, as usual, put what she didn''t like to eat into Fang Rui''s bowl, and put what Fang Rui didn''t like to eat into her own bowl.


    After exchanging dishes, Mu Mian looked at Fang Rui and said seriously, "Fang Rui, it was my oversight to propose marriage to you so rashly. It turns out that marriage is such aplicated thing, I''m not sure if I want to get married now."


    The colleagues who were originally concentrating on eating suddenly felt that the food in front of them wasn''t appetizing, they all put down their chopsticks and looked at Fang Rui with varying expressions.


    "Why do you think it''splicated?" Fang Rui ignored their gazes and asked puzzled.


    "Because Chen Xue said marriage is about three families, including my parents'' family, well, I don''t have parents; your parents'' family, but your mom likes me a lot, so I don''t have to worry about the mother-inw and daughter-inw rtionship; and our own family... this one is just us two." Mu Mian found that her marriage wasn''tplicated at all.


    "See, it''s notplicated." Fang Rui said with a smile.


    "Then why don''t you want to marry me?"


    "Mu Mian, eat quickly, we still have to work overtime after eating." Fang Rui pointed at Mu Mian''s watch, "Don''t you want to dig out the body quickly?"


    "I do!" Mu Mian immediately buried her head in eating. As she chewed the food, she suddenly realized that Fang Rui was diverting the topic.


    Mu Mian thought, when she had time, she would write a report, titled "Analysis of the Reasons Why Fang Rui Doesn''t Want to Marry Mu Mian."

 Chapter 136

    After clearing away the debris to expose the head of the corpse, Mu Mian and Fang Rui discovered that the deceased''s teeth were pink.


    "We have rose teeth here, which suggests the deceased likely died from asphyxiation, or at least experienced a period of suffocation," Mu Mian analyzed.


    The surface of the body, even the mouth and nose, was covered with some white crystals.


    The deceased was a male.


    Mu Mian used a scalpel to scrape off some of the white crystals, nning to send them for testing.


    "These white crystals look like clumped salt," Fang Rui picked up a few and observed them closely.


    "Salt is a good preservative," Mu Mian agreed.


    "The deceased''s head seems to have wounds," Fang Rui noted.


    "Yes, there are wounds on the left forehead, the back of the head, and behind the ears. Judging from the shape of the wounds, they were likely caused by hitting the steps of a staircase. He probably rolled down the stairs before he died," Mu Mian exined.


    "Zhang Mingli said she pushed the deceased from upstairs, causing him to roll down the stairs. The deceased''s experience is exactly as she described," Fang Rui was a bit surprised. He spected, "Could Zhang Mingli be a witness to this murder? She might have amnesia or was too young at the time of the incident to remember. But now, returning to the scene, she has recalled it."


    "It''s possible. When the murder urred, Miss Zhang was just a child. She might have witnessed the killing process and, due to the intense shock, lost her memory. When she returned to this house, she remembered the scene but, due to inurate memory, she distorted the killer into herself, mistakenly thinking she had killed someone."


    Fang Rui suddenly remembered that Zhang Mingli had a mother with schizophrenia. He made a bolder conjecture: "Could it be her mother who killed the person? Her mother might look very simr to her, so she mistakenly thought she had killed someone?" Fang Rui even suspected that her mother went insane because she identally killed someone.


    But if that were the case, why didn''t Zhang Mingli know she had lived in this house before? Even if she had amnesia, wouldn''t her uncle know? It seems they need to investigate the previous owners of this house thoroughly.


    "Your guess makes sense, but we don''t have any evidence," Mu Mian was still more interested in the corpse. She restrained her urge to dissect it immediately. Chen Xue had certainly never dissected a corpse like this before. She wanted to wait until tomorrow when Chen Xue came to work and dissect it together with her. Let Chen Xue gain some experience.


    Of course, a more important reason was that she was very tired now. This state was not suitable for dissecting a corpse.


    Around one in the morning, they drove home.


    Mu Mian took out her key to open the door, but the door opened by itself. Shen Xiyin had heard Mu Mian''s footsteps and came to open the door for her.


    "Sister, I encountered a mummified corpse today. It was buried in cement, and I dug for a long time to get it out. You were right not to let me be an archaeologist; it was a wise decision. Digging up corpses is too tiring," Mu Mian couldn''t wait to share the corpse she encountered with Shen Xiyin.


    "Xiaomian, then go get some rest quickly."


    "I need to adjust my schedule. I''ll sleep in twenty minutester tomorrow. The paper I was supposed to read tomorrow morning, I''ll move it to the evening."


    "Alright, then I''ll wake you up twenty minutester tomorrow."


    "No need, I''ll set an rm myself."


    Mu Mian turned back to look at Fang Rui, "Fang Rui, goodnight. See you tomorrow." After saying that, Mu Mian walked towards her room.


    "Goodnight."


    After Mu Mian entered her room, Fang Rui said to Shen Xiyin, "Miss Shen, you don''t need to worry too much about Mu Mian. I''ll protect her. What happenedst time won''t happen again."


    Shen Xiyin smiled at him and said, "It''s not that I''m worried she''ll get into trouble. It''s just that I''m used to sleeping after Xiaomian falls asleep. I think I should change this habit."


    "Are you going to marry Lin Sen?"


    "Your way of speaking seems a bit influenced by Xiaomian. Of course not, whether I get married or not won''t affect Xiaomian''s life. I just feel that she no longer needs me." Shen Xiyin felt both relieved and a bit lost.


    Mu Mian was the most important piece of her life. She didn''t know if in the future, she could find another piece to fill the void.


    Shen Xiyin took down a notebook from the bookshelf and handed it to Fang Rui, "I''ll give this to you; I think you might find it useful."


    Fang Rui saw that the notebook was titled: "Mu Mian''s User Manual."


    He flipped through it casually. It was divided into sections on clothing, food, housing, and transportation, recording various habits of Mu Mian. There was even an appendix that listed Mu Mian''s various behaviors andnguage corresponding to her thoughts. It even had color illustrations depicting Mu Mian''s various actions and small stories.


    There were two types of handwriting in it, one light and elegant, the other powerful and vigorous. The first part mixed both handwritings, but thetter part only had the light and elegant one.


    "I''m very happy that Xiaomian can have love," Shen Xiyin said with a smile, "When she was in that stage where she didn''t talk much, we once wondered if Xiaomian would ever have love. So we started writing this manual, hoping to help that person better understand her. She''s a bit troublesome, but she''s also very simple; she''s easy to take care of."


    When Shen Xiyin mentioned "we," she seemed to think of something and then withdrew her smile.


    "Sister, are you saying that she likes me?"


    "Isn''t that obvious?"


    Fang Rui''s heart instantly bloomed with joy. Shen Xiyin was the most understanding person of Mu Mian, and her words must be correct.


    "Thank you!"


    After seeing Fang Rui off, Shen Xiyin also nned to go to bed. At that moment, Mu Mian came out of her room again, half-asleep, and walked up to Shen Xiyin.


    "Sister, I just said goodnight to Fang Rui but forgot to say it to you. Sister, goodnight."


    "Xiaomian, goodnight."


    Mu Mian squinted her eyes and dragged her feet back to her room.Aliali: 6743211ac4f3f33ac42e7315


    Shen Xiyin thought that even if Mu Mian no longer needed her, she would still be the most important person in Mu Mian''s life.


    The next day, Mu Mian sat listlessly in the office. She looked at the time; it was already 9:05, and Chen Xue still hadn''te to work. Although Chen Xue always camete and often arrived just in time, she was neverte. Had something happened to her?


    Just as Mu Mian was about to call Chen Xue, she walked in. She had a drooping face, her eyes were red, and she looked more exhausted than Mu Mian, who had stayed up all night.


    Mu Mian sighed; digging up corpses was indeed a physically demanding task, looking at how tired Chen Xue was. Fortunately, Mu Mian was prepared; she had bought two cups of extra strong ck coffee.


    "Chen Xue, I bought you some coffee. Drink it first, and then we''ll go dissect that corpse," Mu Mian took a sip of the ck coffee, it was so bitter, she stuck out her tongue to relieve the bitterness, but then she drank several more sips. She needed the coffee to perk herself up.


    "No thanks, life is already bitter enough; who would drink such a bitter thing," Chen Xue said softly, her head lowered.


    "But aren''t you the one who loves coffee the most? You wouldn''t be picky about whose coffee you drink, would you?" Mu Mian felt that today''s Chen Xue was very unusual.


    "I won''t drink it anymore."


    "Then I''ll give it to Fang Rui. Don''t waste it."


    "..."

 Chapter 137

    In the autopsy room.


    The cement that had wrapped the corpse was almostpletely cleaned off. The body was in a curved position, with legs curled up near the abdomen. The surface of the corpse was covered with ayer of white crystalline substance.


    The deceased had no clothing or any items that could prove their identity.


    "This is sodium chloride, or salt. From the analysis of itsposition, it appears to be coarse salt used for pickling vegetables," Mu Mian exined. "The killer sprinkled a lot of salt on the body''s surface."


    Chen Xue said, "No wonder the body has mummified."


    Mu Mian opened the deceased''s chest cavity, revealing the internal organs. To their surprise, the victim''s organs were in a semi-dposed state. In theory, even if the body''s surface was preserved, the fluids inside the organs themselves have corrosive properties, such as gastric acid and intestinal fluid, and after death, the body undergoes autolysis.


    Mu Mian quickly discovered why - there was an oily substance in the stomach. The chest cavity was also coated with a film of oil. The killer had poured oil into the body, soaking the internal organs in oil to slow down the body''s autolysis.


    Mu Mian used a cotton swab to collect samples of the substance.


    "Chen Xue, could you take this for testing?" Mu Mian handed the test tube containing the swab to Chen Xue.


    Chen Xue stared at the notebook in her hand, unresponsive.


    "Chen Xue?"


    "Sorry, I was lost in thought. Mian Mian, what did you want me to do?" Chen Xue snapped back to reality.


    "Chen Xue, do you want to take some time off to rest? You look exhausted," Mu Mian said with concern. "In your current state, I don''t feelfortable giving you work."


    "...Alright, I''ll take leave and go home."


    "What''s really going on with you?" Mu Mian cut off a piece of cartge from the deceased to test for DNAter.


    "Mian Mian, I''m starting to regret bing a forensic pathologist."


    Mu Mian looked at Chen Xue in shock, asking incredulously, "Why? Being a forensic pathologist is such a great profession, getting to work with so many corpses. You regret it? I regret not choosing this profession sooner."


    "Mian Mian, others don''t think like that. They think dealing with corpses every day is unlucky."


    "Why does their opinion matter?" Mu Mian cut open the deceased''s dried-up thigh, exposing the leg bone.


    "What if they''re Zhang''s family? Zhang''s mother says being a forensic pathologist is too inauspicious, dealing with corpses all day will affect their family''s feng shui. They say if I want to be with Zhang, I must quit my job."


    Mu Mian went to the toolbox, contemted for a moment, and finally chose an electric saw. Holding the saw, she suggested, "Then don''t be with Zhang, so you can continue being a forensic pathologist. Although Officer Zhang is a nice person, Sister Wen says there are plenty of good men in the world, you can find someone better."


    "Mian Mian, I really like him."


    "How can hepare to your work?" Mu Mian said, puzzled. "Being a forensic pathologist is such a great profession, you can''t give it up."


    "If you had to choose between your work and Fang Rui, what would you choose?" Chen Xue asked.


    "But I don''t need to make that choice. If it weren''t for this job, I wouldn''t have met Fang Rui." Mu Mian started the electric saw and cut off one of the deceased''s bones along with the joint for age testing. The body was too heavy to move around, so cutting the bone directly was easier.


    The bone age could help estimate the approximate age of the deceased. This would help better identify the unknown male corpse.


    "Mian Mian, actually, I never really wanted to be a forensic pathologist. I wanted to be a doctor. When I filled out my college applications, I chose all medical-rted majors, with forensic medicine as myst choice, which I filled in randomly. Unfortunately, I got assigned to that major. I didn''t have the courage to retake the entrance exam, so I had to stick with it," Chen Xue began to open up. "So, I don''t really love this job, it''s just a job."


    "Well, then why are you conflicted? Just choose Officer Zhang," Mu Mian said. "People should do what they love."


    Mu Mian''s words suddenly enlightened Chen Xue. Love or career - which is more important? Of course, it''s her career!


    Chen Xue suddenly made a firm decision, "Mian Mian, I''ve figured it out. I choose my work. I''m going to break up with Zhang!"


    Mu Mian thought Chen Xue was being fickle and couldn''t understand her thinking. "But you don''t like being a forensic pathologist, and you like Officer Zhang."


    "Few people truly love their jobs. But if I''m going to quit, it should be for myself, not for someone else."


    "Isn''t there a third option? You could try to make Zhang''s mother like the forensic pathologist profession," Mu Mian suggested.


    "That''s impossible!"


    "Alright then."


    Fang Rui brought Zhang Mingli back to the interrogation room.


    "Miss Zhang, we did indeed find a corpse in that house," Fang Rui said while observing Zhang Mingli''s expression.


    "There really was a body..." Zhang Mingli covered her mouth,ughing and crying simultaneously, "I really killed someone! It wasn''t a hallucination, it was real! Thank goodness, thank goodness, I''m not crazy, I''m normal."Aliali: 6743d32ec4f3f33ac438d8b1


    Zhang Mingli had lived in inexplicable fear since childhood, afraid she would be insane like her mother, so when she thought everything was a hallucination, shepletely broke down. She would rather be a murderer than be insane and be locked up in a mental hospital.


    Zhang was stunned - it was his first time seeing someone so hopeful about having killed someone!


    "But that person died over a decade ago," Fang Rui reminded her.


    "Died over a decade ago? Impossible! I pushed him down justst week. I remember it clearly." Zhang Mingli fell back into panic.


    "Do you remember why you pushed him down the stairs?"


    "Why... I don''t know. My head hurts, I can''t remember!" Zhang Mingli clutched her head, her expression pained. "Yes, why did I push him?"


    "Miss Zhang, please calm down! Don''t think about it anymore. Here, have some water first." Zhang poured a ss of water for Zhang Mingli, trying to calm her emotions.


    Fang Rui also changed his approach. After Zhang Mingli''s emotions stabilized, he asked, "Miss Zhang, do you remember where your father went?"


    "My uncle said that when my father saw my mother go insane, he ran away with another woman and took all our family''s assets. I don''t know where he went, and he hasn''te back to find us all these years."


    "Your uncle said that? Don''t you remember anything from your childhood?"

 Chapter 138

    Zhang Mingli said, "When I was six years old, I had a high fever that damaged my brain, so I don''t remember many things. My mother developed schizophrenia because of this incident - she thought I had died from the fever, and the shock affected her mentally."


    Fang Rui and Zhang exchanged nces. They increasingly felt that the murder case might have urred during Zhang Mingli''s childhood. The reason for her memory loss was probably not due to the fever - if her brain had been damaged by the fever, Zhang Mingli should have had intellectual problems, not just memory loss. It was more likely that she lost her memory because she witnessed the murder.


    "Everything from before you were six was told to you by your uncle?" Fang Rui asked.


    "My aunt told me. But she probably heard it from my uncle, as she rarely came back since she lived far away. Before my mother got sick, she and my mother didn''t get along well. After my mother became ill, my aunt put aside their past grievances and reconciled with her."


    "After your mother got sick, did you stay with your aunt?"


    "Initially, I lived with my uncle, but my aunt-inw and cousin didn''t like me. After six months, they sent me to my aunt''s house. My aunt was divorced, financially well-off, and had no children, so she treated me like her daughter - it was like a semi-adoption. My aunt would bring me back every few months to see my mother, but mother''s condition was severe. She didn''t believe I was her daughter and would chase me away every time she saw me. Eventually, I visited less frequently."


    "Do you know where your father went?"


    "My uncle said that beast abandoned my mother and me, running away abroad with his mistress. Twenty years ago, our house was scheduled for demolition, and we suddenly had a lot of money. He took all the assets and left the country. I can''t contact him, but his rtives on his side can reach him." Zhang Mingli''s expression showed disgust when mentioning her father.


    "That apartment is so old, and the location isn''t great. Why did you buy it?" Fang Rui asked.


    "After my mother passed away, I wanted to stay and develop my career in Jiangzhou City. I nned to buy a house and looked at many properties but wasn''t satisfied with any of them. However, when I saw this apartment, I fell in love with it immediately. I contacted the owner, and they were very cooperative - wepleted the transfer procedures within days. I paid for the apartment in full."


    Zhang Mingli also found it strange - the apartment seemed to have some magical pull on her. As soon as she saw it, she inexplicably fell in love with it, feeling that it gave her a sense of home.


    Zhang couldn''t help but think sarcastically - of course the owner would be cooperative, it was a haunted house after all. They must have been overjoyed to find someone willing to take it off their hands.


    "Have you met the owner? Do you have their contact information?"


    "Yes."


    The phone number Zhang Mingli provided was the same as the one from the property management office, but they had called many times without getting through.


    "Can we see the purchase contract?"


    "Sure, I can show you right now. I have scanned copies on my phone."


    From the contract, Fang Rui and his team learned the owner''s home address. The attached property deed copy showed that the owner was Wang Dadong, and the deed was issued eight years ago.


    Fang Rui asked Zhang Mingli for a hair sample for DNA testing. If the DNA matched, the body was likely her father''s.


    "You suspect the deceased is that beast?" Zhang Mingli said in shock. "That''s impossible, right? My cousin said he sent money to my grandmother from abroad justst year."


    "Has he ever returned from abroad?"


    "No. My cousin said he hasn''te back once in all these years. He didn''t even return when my grandfather died, iming he couldn''t get his passport sorted out."


    After Zhang Mingli left, Zhang suddenly thought of something: "Boss, if the deceased is Zhang Mingli''s father, and her father disappeared more than twenty years ago, could the victim have been dead for over twenty years? If so, we won''t be able to prosecute the killer!"


    Criminal cases have a statute of limitations, with murder cases having a maximum prosecution period of twenty years. If the victim''s death urred more than twenty years ago and no case had been filed previously, the prosecutor''s office would not pursue charges. This meant that even if they discovered the truth and found the killer, they couldn''t do anything about it.


    The time of death for this unidentified male corpse was difficult to determine. The technical department had collected samples of cement blocks, rotted wood, andtex pieces to analyze and estimate the approximate time the body had been buried.


    Mu Mian extracted DNA from the deceased''s cartge. Afterparing it with Zhang Mingli''s hair sample, the results showed no blood rtion between them.


    Chen Xue eximed, "So the deceased isn''t Zhang Mingli''s father? Doesn''t that mean all our previous deductions were wrong?"


    "Not necessarily. This only proves that the deceased has no blood rtion to Zhang Mingli - he''s not her biological father," Mu Mian said. "I don''t share blood rtions with my parents either, but they''re still my mom and dad."


    "But Zhang Mingli''s parents were both in their first marriage, and she was registered in the household registration system a year after their marriage," Chen Xue analyzed. "This possibility seems unlikely. Unless Zhang Mingli''s mother had an affair."


    Mu Mianpared the deceased''s DNA with samples in the police missing persons database but found no matches.


    Through examining the deceased''s bone age, Mu Mian determined that the victim was approximately 33-37 years old at the time of death. However, among the filed missing persons cases, there were no male victims in this age range, though there were several females.


    This meant that after the victim''s disappearance, their family never reported it to the police.


    "It''s strange that a middle-aged man disappeared without a trace, and his family didn''t report it," Chen Xue pondered.


    "That''s actually quite normal. Most filed missing persons cases involve women and children. Middle-aged men rarely go missing," Mu Mian exined.


    "That makes sense. When they disappear, it''s usually to escape debts or elope with someone. Their families probably wouldn''t want to report it out of shame."


    During lunch, Mu Mian and Chen Xue found seats first. Shortly after, Zhang arrived with his tray. When Chen Xue saw Zhang approaching, she immediately picked up her tray and left, deliberately choosing a seat as far from Zhang as possible.


    Zhang was bewildered,pletely unaware of what had happened. He looked at Mu Mian, but she was also at a loss, unsure whether to follow Chen Xue - if she left, Officer Zhang might think they were isting him.


    "Mu Mian, what''s wrong with Chen Xue today? Why is she ignoring me and walking away when she sees me?"


    "You really don''t know why?" Mu Mian thought Zhang was quite dense not to figure it out.


    "No idea!"


    "Officer Zhang, you might end up dying alone," Mu Mian sighed, looking at him. She then picked up her tray and ran to join Chen Xue.


    Zhang waspletely confused. When Fang Rui sat down beside him, Zhang asked, "Boss, Mu Mian said I''ll die alone - what does that mean? Has she taken up fortune-telling?"


    "Chen Xue wants to break up with you."


    "Break up... that''s impossible, our rtionship is so good... wait, why does Chen Xue want to break up with me?" Zhang suddenly panicked. Why break up out of nowhere?Aliali: 6744814f3f33ac44271f6


    "What have you done recently?"


    "Nothing special. I even took her to meet my parents, we had dinner together, and they quite liked her."


    Fang Rui asked, "Did you leave during the meal?"


    Zhang suddenly remembered something. During the meal, his mother had sent him out to buy milk tea.


    "Now you know the reason?" Fang Rui picked up his tray and left too.


    "..."


    Chen Xue left after barely eating anything. Only Mu Mian was left eating, but soon Fang Rui sat down across from her.


    "Fang Rui, the deceased isn''t Zhang Mingli''s biological father - they have no blood rtion," Mu Mian paused, then continued, "But it''s possible her mother had an affair. We need to rule out this possibility. Can you find any close rtives of the father listed on Zhang Mingli''s household registration?"


    "Zhang Mingli''s grandmother is still alive."


    "That''s great. But if he really isn''t Zhang Mingli''s father, then we''ll be looking for a needle in a haystack."

 Chapter 139

    Thendlord of that apartment, Wang Dadong, had been unreachable by phone. After Fang Rui and Zhang visited his home, they learned from his wife that he had been arrested and detained during an anti-prostitution operation.


    Zhang remarked with exasperation, "We''ve been looking everywhere for him, only to find out he''d already gotten himself arrested."


    Wang Dadong was forty-three years old, unemployed, and lived in a rundown rental unit in an urban vige. He had a son in middle school, and the family of three was cramped into a one-bedroom apartment. His son could only sleep in a partitioned area of the living room, and they were living in quite difficult circumstances.


    His wife was short and plump, with a fierce demeanor. Sheined, "This good-for-nothing man can never hold onto money. Whenever he gets his hands on any cash, he wastes it on all sorts of nonsense. When he gets out, I''m going to break his legs!"


    "Small amount of money? Didn''t he just sell an apartment?" Zhang asked, puzzled.


    "What? He sold an apartment? That''s impossible! Where would he get an apartment from? If he had one, would we be squeezed into this rental unit?" Wang Dadong''s wife exploded in rage. She grabbed a mop from beside the door, intending to rush to the detention center to beat her husband, but Zhang stopped her.


    "You didn''t know about this?" Fang Rui handed her the purchase contract to look at. "But his name is on the property deed."


    "This... it''s his name and ID, and his fingerprint too... Could he be kept by some rich woman? A piece of trash like him definitely couldn''t afford an apartment!" Wang Dadong''s wife broke down. After all these years of frugal living, she discovered her husband had an apartment and had kept it secret from her. She covered her face and began to sob.


    What a miserable marriage this had turned out to be!


    Zhang nced at the photo on Wang Dadong''s ID card and thought this scenario seemed unlikely.


    "Boss, I don''t think that apartment really belongs to Wang Dadong," Zhang said.


    "It probably isn''t his," Fang Rui agreed, but he was confused. If the killer had kept the apartment vacant, wouldn''t the body have remained undiscovered forever? Why did they decide to rent it out before, and why suddenly sell it now?


    After leaving Wang Dadong''s home, they went to the detention center to find him.


    When Wang Dadong saw them, heined, "Officers, I''ve already confessed. Why are you still interrogating me? I really haven''t done anything else illegal. I only made a deal with Jiaojiao, I don''t know any other women, and I didn''t do business with them."


    "Wang Dadong, did you sell an apartment recently?"


    "What apartment? How could I have an apartment to sell?" Wang Dadong said with a smirk, but suddenly remembering something, he quickly changed his tune, "Oh right, I did sell an apartment. Got over a million yuan for it."


    "Why doesn''t your wife know about this?" Zhang asked.


    "A man''s business doesn''t need to be shared with some woman. I can make my own decisions, why should I tell her?"


    Fang Rui ced a photo in front of Wang Dadong, "We found a corpse in the second bedroom of that apartment."


    The photo showed a bay window that had been pried open, revealing the body inside.


    "A corpse? Officers, you''re trying to trick me, right? How could there be a body in a perfectly good apartment?" Wang Dadong''s face turned pale. "Besides, I''ve already sold the apartment to Zhang Mingli. If there''s any issue, you should find her."


    "This body is from over a decade ago. You were the previous owner, so naturally we need to talk to you."


    Seeing that the apartment was involved in a murder case, Wang Dadong quickly tried to distance himself.


    "Officers, this apartment isn''t really mine, I''m just the nominal owner. It belongs to my cousin Wang Yuanfang. She wanted to buy a second property at the time but didn''t want to waste her first-time buyer status, so she put it under my name. She gave me a few thousand yuan, and I agreed. I barely ever went to that apartment. I couldn''t possibly have killed anyone, officers, I''m innocent!"


    "We never said you killed anyone. Why are you so agitated?"


    "It must have been my cousin who killed someone. She''s an extremely vicious person, won''t even take care of her own parents. I wondered why she gave me so much money and put the apartment in my name - turns out it was a murder house!" Wang Dadong spat in disgust, anger rising within him. After his cousin got rich, she became increasingly arrogant, ordering him around, and now it turned out she had set him up!


    "Do you have your cousin''s home address and contact information?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes."


    "What does your cousin do for a living?"Aliali: 6744814f3f33ac44271f6


    "She''s a high school Chinese teacher. But don''t let that fool you - after she made some money, she forgot all about morals and decency. When her elderly mother was seriously ill, she actually said, ''Why won''t this old thing just die already?'' What kind of person would say something like that?"


    "When did shee into money? How did she get rich?"


    "About twenty years ago, she suddenly had enough money to buy houses and cars. No one knows where it came from. Her husband is also a high school teacher. They used to be dirt poor, couldn''t even afford to raise their child, always borrowing money from us. Then somehow they suddenly became wealthy. Must have embezzled public funds."


    "Is her husband''s name Zhang Taotao?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes! That''s his name. Officers, how did you know?" Wang Dadong said with schadenfreude, "Don''t tell me her husband is the killer? Tsk tsk, who would have thought Teacher Zhang, with all his proper appearances, was actually a murderer. Haha, my cousin is going to be a murderer''s wife now. Let''s see how smug she acts after this."


    Fang Rui suspected that Zhang Taotao''s money might have actually belonged to Zhang Mingli''s mother. Seeing that Zhang Mingli''s mother had gone insane and Zhang Mingli had lost her memory, he probably embezzled their assets and sent Zhang Mingli to be raised by her aunt.


    If that was the case, the deceased was likely Zhang Mingli''s father listed on her household registration.


    "Stop rambling. Focus on reforming yourself in here. Your wife has a hard enough time managing the household," Zhang interrupted, unable to hold back his advice. "When you get out, find a job. You have a child now, so earn money properly and take care of your family."


    "What family is there to take care of? If you had a wife like mine, would you want to go home? Even my kid doesn''t acknowledge me. What''s the point of going back? I''m better off staying here."


    Zhang struggled to contain his urge to curse at him.

 Chapter 140: Sleeping Murder: Identification Confirmed

    <h4>Chapter 140</h4>


    The DNA test resultsparing Zhang Mingli''s grandmother and the deceased quickly came back. Zhang Mingli''s grandmother was confirmed to be the mother of the deceased, and the age of Zhang Mingli''s father, Li Bao, matched that of the deceased.


    Zhang Mingli''s grandmother had given birth to four daughters and two sons, and she lived with her eldest son. This evidence strongly suggested that the deceased was indeed Zhang Mingli''s father, Li Bao.


    When Zhang Mingli''s grandmother received the call asking her toe to the police station to identify the body, her first reaction was that it was a scam call.


    "You heartless scammer! My son is living well in America. It''s your son who''s dead, trying to deceive an olddy like me. You have no conscience!" Zhang Mingli''s grandmother, though in her seventies, still had a strong, forceful voice.


    "Grandmother, you say your son is in America. Has he ever video called you ore back to visit?"


    "My son can''te back from abroad, but he always sends money and clothes from overseas. During Chinese New Year, he even sent me a red envelope with several hundred yuan. You''re just a scammer!"


    Li Qiang, Zhang Mingli''s uncle, was listening to the conversation nearby and took the phone: "Mother, let me talk to them."


    "Qiang, they''re saying Bao is dead."


    "Mother, you already said they''re scammers. Let''s ignore them."


    He took the phone and walked outside before speaking: "Officer, you''re saying my brother is dead?"


    "Yes."


    "Ah, I knew something had happened to Bao. Otherwise, why wouldn''t he havee back all these years? He was always the most filial one! Officer, I''lle to the police station shortly to identify the body. Please contact me directly for any matters, don''t contact my mother. I''m worried she won''t be able to handle the news."


    "Alright."


    When Li Qiang arrived at the morgue, Mu Mian pulled open the freezer drawer and said, "This is your brother''s body."


    Li Qiang didn''t cry or make any excessive movements. He just stood there, looking down at his brother''s body. All these years, he had believed his brother was really working abroad, thinking he was doing well, even though he never called home or sent any news.


    When he heard about his brother''s death, everything that hadn''t made sense suddenly became clear. So his brother had been dead all along.


    "How did my brother die?" Li Qiang asked.


    "Preliminary findings indicate the cause of death was asphyxiation," Mu Mian replied.


    In the past, Mu Mian would have told him that his brother had been pushed down the stairs, suffered a head injury, and then the killer had preserved the body with coarse salt and tung oil before encasing it in concrete. But now Mu Mian knew that victims'' families didn''t really want to know the details of how their loved ones died.


    Fang Rui and Zhang took Li Qiang to the interrogation room to take his statement.


    "Officers, was my brother murdered? But he was just an elementary school teacher, honest and kind, well-liked by everyone. How could anyone want to murder him?"


    "Mr. Li, please don''t worry. We need to understand some details from you," Zhang handed him a ss of water. "When did youpletely lose contact with your brother?"


    "It was around August 2004, during the summer break. My brother''s wife, Zhang Huanhuan, suddenly called home saying my brother was having an affair and was making a huge fuss about getting divorced. None of us knew what was happening at the time. At first, we didn''t believe it - my brother had always been an honest person, and they had such a good marriage. But that year our family had just received a house and arge sum of money from relocationpensation, so we wondered if the money had changed him. We tried our best to calm my sister-inw down, and eventually she agreed not to divorce.


    We nned to have a family meeting to properly talk to my brother, but he wouldn''t answer my calls. When I went to his house to look for him, I heard that Mingli was in the hospital, so I went there to see her. After I left the hospital, I received a text from my brother saying he had gone abroad with Juan and told us not to look for him.


    Three monthster, he sent another text saying he had settled down in America and not to worry about him. After that, we never received any more messages from him. My sister-inw''s family came to our house and caused a huge scene. Feeling guilty, we gave them arge sum of money to finally settle the matter."


    "But your mother said your brother often sends money from abroad?" Zhang questioned.


    "Ah, that was just to make my mother feel better. She loves my brother the most, and if she knew he was missing, she would have worried herself sick. I often buy things myself or withdraw cash, package them up with fake shippingbels, and tell my mother they''re from my brother. To make it more convincing, I even deceived my wife and children - they all believe my brother regrly sends money home."


    "Didn''t you think about reporting it to the police?"


    Aliali: 674546a8c4f3f33ac44c92ac"During the first few years after he went missing, I really believed he had gone to America. He used to talk about how great and free America was, saying he would definitely visit if he had the money. I thought maybe he really had gone there. Later, I started feeling something was wrong - even in America, he could still make phone calls home. I thought maybe he had met with foul y in America, but I had no connections there and didn''t know how to report it. I never imagined he hadn''t left the country at all."


    "Do you still have those text messages?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Yes. I keep that phone charged regrly and maintain the phone n. I was afraid my brother might call and I wouldn''t be able to receive it," Li Qiang said. "The phone is at my house. I''ll go get it right away."


    "How was your brother''s rtionship with his wife?"


    "It was good. They fell in love naturally. You young people might not know, but twenty-some years ago, most marriages were arranged - it was rare for people to find their own partners. My sister-inw was also an elementary school teacher. They taught at the same school and gradually fell in love. That''s why I could never understand how my brother could have an affair and abandon his family to go abroad."


    "How was your brother with his daughter, Zhang Mingli?"


    "He absolutely adored her. Let me put it this way - back then, how many men would smile after their wives gave birth to a daughter? When Mingli was born, my brother announced it to everyone with such joy, you''d think his wife had given birth to a son. Before the relocationpensation, they were very poor, but they would scrimp and save to give their daughter the best of everything. That''s why I never really believed my brother would abandon his wife and child over an affair."


    Zhang couldn''t help but sigh inwardly - if Li Bao had known Zhang Mingli wasn''t his biological daughter, he probably wouldn''t have smiled at all.


    "Did your brother show any unusual behavior before he disappeared?" Fang Rui asked.


    "Unusual behavior? He kept calling me during that period, but wouldn''t say what was wrong when I asked. He was always trying to get me to drink with him. My restaurant was just starting up then, and I was extremely busy, so I didn''t pay much attention to him. Thinking back carefully now, maybe my brother really was having an affair at that time."

 Chapter 141: Sleeping Murder: Property Seizure

    <h4>Chapter 141</h4>


    "How was your brother''s financial situation?" Fang Rui asked.


    "At that time, he had just received an apartment and 100,000 in cash. Don''t underestimate that amount - it was a huge sum back then."


    "Was the apartment in Beiyuan Garden?"


    "Yes, it was there."


    "What happened to his assets after he disappeared?"


    "My sister-inw imed that my brother had taken all their money and they wouldn''t let us see Mingli. We felt guilty at the time, so we gave my sister-inw custody of Mingli and the apartment, plus 50,000 yuan for child support," Li Qiang said. "Later, when we heard my sister-inw had gone insane, I wanted to take Mingli to live with us, but her uncle always prevented us from seeing her. We felt my brother was partly responsible for my sister-inw''s mental breakdown, and since my business was doing well then, I gave her uncle another 150,000 yuan for her medical expenses."


    Zhang sighed, thinking how Li Qiang would be devastated if he knew Zhang Mingli wasn''t actually his brother''s biological daughter, and all that money had gone straight into her uncle''s pocket.


    Seeing Zhang''splex expression, Li Qiang asked puzzled, "Officer, what''s wrong?"


    "Nothing. Let''s go to your house to find that phone."


    "Alright. Officers, please tell my mother you''re here for a census, and don''t mention anything about my brother, okay?"


    "No problem."


    Li Qiang drove his own car leading the way, while Fang Rui and Zhang followed in their vehicle.


    "Boss, Zhang Mingli''s uncle is truly despicable. Not only did he embezzle the mother and daughter''s property, but he also extorted money from the Li family," Zhang couldn''t help butin. "I thought he was a decent person when I first saw him, but I never expected him to be so vicious. And that house rightfully belonged to Zhang Mingli, yet he sold it back to her and made another fortune. He''s truly a genius at making money!"


    "I even suspect he might be involved in this murder case," Fang Rui analyzed. "Zhang Mingli''s mother had schizophrenia - how could she have handled the body so calmly and thoroughly? Could someone have helped her?"


    "Right! Zhang Taotao was even a chemistry teacher. God, this is terrifying when you think about it." Zhang suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He had originally thought Zhang Taotao was just wickedly upying a widow and orphan''s property, but now he wondered if there was more to it.


    "Boss, if he buried the body, why would he sell the house to Zhang Mingli? Wasn''t he afraid she might remember something? He wouldn''t risk his life just for money, would he?" Zhang questioned.


    Fang Rui thought for a moment and said, "If he only helped bury the body, the maximum sentence wouldn''t exceed ten years, and the statute of limitations should be no more than fifteen years. The limitation period has already passed. So even if we discover his crime and find evidence against him, we still can''t convict him."


    Zhang fell silent. It''s not scary that bad people do bad things; it''s scary when bad people are smart.


    Li Qiang''s home was a small vi. When Fang Rui and Zhang arrived, his elderly mother was sitting by the door sunbathing. The nket on her legs had fallen to the ground, and Li Qiang picked it up, dusted it off, and ced it back over her legs.


    Li Qiang led them to the second floor and opened a door, saying, "This was my brother''s room. After he said he was going abroad, I brought all his things from his house back here. Everything''s here. See if you can find any clues."


    "Mr. Li, you''re very good to your brother," Zhang noticed there was no dust in the room, showing it was regrly cleaned.


    "He''s my own brother," Li Qiang said chokingly. He had kept this room intact, hoping that one day his brother would return and find that he would always have a ce in this home, no matter how long he''d been gone.


    There weren''t many items in the room, just some books and clothes. Zhang checked the clothes, shaking each piece and feeling through the pockets.


    "Officer, you don''t need to check those clothes, there''s nothing in them, I''ve already looked through them."


    Fang Rui casually flipped through the books, which were all teaching materials with no writing in them. As he was looking, a piece of paper fell out.


    He picked it up and read the scrawled message: "Li Bao, your wife is having an affair, your daughter isn''t yours."


    The paper was crumpled, looking like it had been crushed and then tucked into the book.


    "Which bastard wrote this? My brother and his wife were so in love, how could she have an affair? Mingli is such a smart and lovely child, anyone can see she''s my brother''s daughter," Li Qiang said indignantly.


    Zhang couldn''t help but think to himself: But Zhang Mingli really isn''t!


    "Were these books brought back from your brother''s house?"


    "Yes. At the time, my sister-inw had thrown all my brother''s things in the garbage, but I secretly retrieved them."


    Li Qiang found a ck Nokia phone in the drawer. After charging it for a while, he opened the text messages.


    "These are thest two messages my brother sent me before losing contact."


    The message read: "Brother, I love Juan so much, I would die for her. Zhang Huanhuan is crazy and won''t leave me alone, so I have to go abroad with Juan. Brother, don''t worry too much about me and mom, I''ve taken all the money with me, so I won''t be short of cash. I''ll contact you once I''m settled."


    Thest message read: "Brother, Juan and I are in America now, everything''s good here, don''t worry about me and mom."


    After reading the messages, Fang Rui checked other texts Li Bao had sent to Li Qiang. He noticed that in other messages, Li Bao referred to their mother using the word "niang," but in these two messages, he used "ma."


    "How did your brother usually address your mother?"


    "In our area, we usually say ''niang.'' We don''t say ''ma.''" Li Qiang suddenly realized something and asked, "Do you suspect these two messages weren''t sent by my brother? Was he already dead by then?"


    Zhang nodded gravely.


    "Do you know who Juan is?"


    "No. We asked Bao''s friends, but they didn''t know anyone with ''Juan'' in their name. There wasn''t anyone like that at the school where he taught either."


    After leaving Li Qiang''s house, Zhang said, "Who could have written that note? Why would they tell Li Bao about this? Was it to create conflict between the couple? Could the writer be the lover?"


    "It''s possible that this note caused their marriage to break down, and Zhang Mingli''s mother identally pushed her father during an argument," Fang Rui spected.


    Aliali: 674546a8c4f3f33ac44c92acFang Rui had originally wanted to summon Zhang Taotao to the police station for questioning. But even if there was evidence that Zhang Taotao had seized Zhang Mingli''s property, that would be a civil dispute, which they couldn''t handle. Currently, there was no evidence linking Zhang Taotao to this murder case.


    After dinner, Fang Rui and Zhang drove directly to Zhang Taotao''s house.


    A young man opened the door. He was handsome, with features somewhat simr to Zhang Mingli''s.


    His temper wasn''t good though, and he asked impatiently, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"


    "Is Zhang Mingli here?"


    He became even more agitated and turned to shout into the house: "Zhang Mingli, don''t you have any sense of being a guest in someone else''s home? This is my house, please don''t let your questionable friendse visiting, okay?"


    Zhang Mingli quickly ran over: "Mingyuan, don''t be so rude! Officer Fang, Officer Zhang, is there any new development in the case?"


    Seeing they were police officers, Zhang Mingyuan immediately put on a friendly face, "Officers, I apologize for my poor attitude earlier. Pleasee in, let me make you some tea."


    "..."


    Fang Rui noticed that Zhang Mingli and Zhang Mingyuan''s features were very simr, and standing together, they looked exactly like sister and brother.

 Chapter 142

    Seeing Fang Rui continuously observing Zhang Mingyuan, Zhang Mingli tried to defend her cousin: "Officer, I''m sorry, my cousin is young and doesn''t know better. Please don''t take offense."


    Fang Rui asked, "Young? How old is he?"


    "Twenty-five."


    "He''s not much younger than you then," Fang Rui retorted casually.


    "We were born on the same day. I was born a few minutes earlier. When we were little, everyone called us dragon-phoenix twins," Zhang Mingli tried to ease the tension.


    Officer Zhang also observed the siblings and suddenly realized why Fang Rui had asked about their age. He exchanged a nce with Fang Rui, who gave him a subtle signal. Officer Zhang nodded, indicating he understood the instruction.


    "Miss Zhang, where is your uncle? We''d like to ask him some questions."


    "He and my aunt went for a walk. They''ll be back soon. Please have a seat."


    "Alright."


    Zhang Mingyuan, currently unemployed and preparing for the civil service exam, was somewhat intimidated by Fang Rui, so he kept asking Officer Zhang various questions.


    "Brother Strong, is police work very tough? Is the pay good? What are the benefits like? How many tens of thousands can you make in a year?"


    Officer Zhang responded perfunctorily while eyeing his thick hair, and when Zhang Mingyuan wasn''t paying attention, quickly and precisely plucked a few strands of his hair.


    "Ouch! What the hell are you doing? That hurts!"


    "Sorry, sorry, I saw a white hair and wanted to help you remove it. It''s gone now," Officer Zhang said jokingly.


    "How could I have white hair? Where was it?"


    "I threw it away," Officer Zhang said, standing up with his fist closed. "I need to use the bathroom. Where is it?"


    "Over there."


    About five minutester, Zhang Taotao returned with his wife Wang Yuanfang. His wife was plump with a smile on her face, appearing to be an easy-going person.


    Upon seeing Fang Rui and his colleague, Zhang Taotao frowned and said disapprovingly, "Why do you keeping to question Mingli? She has nothing to do with that case. She was just a child then. How could she possibly be a murderer?"


    "How do you know Zhang Mingli was a child when the incident urred?" Fang Rui questioned.


    "Mingli told me."


    Zhang Mingli frowned. She had only told her uncle that the police had found a body, but hadn''t mentioned what condition it was in. Why did her uncle know so much about it?


    "What we told Miss Zhang was that the deceased had been dead for at least ten years. At that time, Miss Zhang would have been fourteen or fifteen - not exactly a child, right?"


    "Officers, aren''t you just arguing semantics? How is fourteen or fifteen not still a child? Mingli is twenty-five now, and she''s still a child in my eyes," Zhang Taotao exined calmly.


    Wang Yuanfang chimed in, "Officers, if you have any questions in the future, you can ask us outside. Coming to our home so often affects our reputation. You police should consider us ordinary citizens too."


    Fang Rui asked directly, "Mr. Zhang, ording to our investigation, the second month after Zhang Mingli''s father Li Bao ran away with his lover, your sister was admitted to the hospital for schizophrenia. We''d like to know how her assets were handled?"


    Zhang Mingli also looked at Zhang Taotao. She had asked simr questions before, but her uncle always said that her beast of a father had taken all the assets when he left.


    "That beast Li Bao took all the money and ran. What inheritance? I even advanced the money for my sister''s medical expenses."


    "But Li Qiang said he gave you two hundred thousand yuan gradually to take care of Zhang Mingli and her mother. How did that be money you advanced? Mr. Zhang, we''ve already investigated the bank withdrawal records," Fang Rui decided to test him, "Your brother-inw''s bankbook shows..."


    Zhang Taotao raised his voice, interrupting Fang Rui, and said to his son, "Mingyuan, go out with your sister to buy some fruit and snacks. We don''t have anything to serve our guests. Mingli, go with Mingyuan."


    "Dad, can''t Zhang Mingli go by herself?"


    "Just go when I tell you to. Why so many questions?"


    Zhang Mingli guessed that her uncle wanted to get rid of her. Her aunt had once told her that her uncle and aunt weren''t good people, they just leeched off rtives. Her aunt had passed away, her mother had passed away, and her uncle was her only remaining rtive. Even if she knew her uncle might have seized things that belonged to her, she couldn''t bring herself to confront him.


    "Mingyuan, let''s go."


    After they left, Zhang Taotao said to Fang Rui and his colleague disapprovingly, "Officers, this is our family matter. You have no right to interfere in our family affairs."


    "We may not have jurisdiction over your family matters, but we have the right to investigate the whereabouts of a murder victim''s assets."


    "You''re saying the deceased is my brother-inw? Impossible..." Zhang Taotao exaggeratedly opened his mouth in surprise.


    Fang Rui said, "Mr. Zhang, shouldn''t you first exin to us why you didn''t recognize your sister and brother-inw''s former home?"


    "I... that house was sold by my brother-inw. It was so long ago, and I didn''t visit their home often, so it''s normal that I didn''t recognize it."


    "Then you know Wang Dadong, right?" Fang Rui looked at his wife. "You couldn''t possibly not know your cousin? Your cousin has already confessed everything."


    Wang Yuanfang became flustered, looking helplessly at her husband.Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    "That house was transferred to me by my sister. Once it was transferred to me, it became mine. I can put it under whoever''s name I want and sell it to whoever I want!" Zhang Taotao remainedposed. "Go ahead and investigate all you want!"


    Zhang Taotao took out a property transfer agreement and threw it on the table. "Look, this transfer document was written by my sister herself, and we had it notarized in court. Everything was legal and proper."


    Fang Rui noticed the date on the agreement was the week before Zhang Mingli''s mother entered the psychiatric hospital.


    Fang Rui said, "Legal and proper? How can you prove Zhang Mingli''s mother was mentally sound at that time? You know that any contract signed by a schizophrenia patient is invalid, right?"


    Zhang Taotao''s face paled. He berated, "You police should just focus on solving cases. Why are you meddling in my family affairs?"


    "Upholding legal justice is also part of our job. Mr. Zhang, we will advise Miss Zhang Mingli to sue you to recover her rightful property."


    When money became involved, Zhang Taotao''s emotions became unstable. He cursed, "Didn''t Zhang Mingli''s crazy mother''s treatment cost money? Didn''t Zhang Mingli need living expenses? What''s wrong with me taking one house?"


    "Just one house?" Fang Rui questioned.


    "Are you police taking out your frustration on an ordinary citizen because you can''t solve the case? Let me tell you, I am Zhang Huanhuan''s brother and Zhang Mingli''s uncle. Their assets are mine! She won''t dare sue me. If she dares to sue me, I''ll break her legs!"


    Officer Zhang walked behind him, observing for a long time until he finally spotted a short hair that had fallen on his clothes. When no one was paying attention, he secretly picked up the hair and wrapped it in a tissue.

 Chapter 143: Sleeping Murder: Conspiracy

    <h4>Chapter 143</h4>


    Fang Rui didn''t want to engage in this meaningless argument with him. As they were about to leave, when they opened the door, Zhang Mingli was standing there alone, tears streaming down her face.


    "Miss Zhang, you..." Zhang felt that their previous conversation had been cruel to Zhang Mingli.


    Zhang Mingli hastily packed some luggage and left her uncle''s house.


    Zhang handed her a tissue and consoled her: "Miss Zhang, if you want to sue your uncle, we can help provide evidence."


    "Thank you, but I don''t want to sue him. He''s my only rtive now. If he wants those assets, he can have them. Consider it the price of cutting ties with him - I''ll never associate with him again," Zhang Mingli wiped her tears, "Don''t worry about me, I''m strong. I''ll go find a hotel to stay at."


    Fang Rui couldn''t help but remind her: "Miss Zhang, do you really think there''s any familial bond between you and your uncle?"


    "That''s right, your uncle seized your property and abandoned you with your aunt, he might even have..." Zhang swallowed the rest of his words.


    Zhang Mingli fell silent. Over the years, her uncle would always call to check on her, acting like a caring uncle, showing concern, but in reality, he only made empty promises without any actual support.


    Her aunt always said her uncle was hypocritical, and back then Zhang Mingli would defend him. Now thinking about it, if her uncle really wanted to take care of her, he wouldn''t have left her with her aunt.


    "Actually, since I was little, I''ve had a recurring dream where there''s a loving couple who are very kind to me, and in the dream, I''m very happy," Zhang Mingli started crying again, "I think they were my parents, but they weren''t good to me at all. My mother went mad, she would always curse at me, saying I wasn''t her child, that I was illegitimate; my father ran away with another woman, he abandoned me. But I don''t know why I still keep having this dream."


    That''s why when Zhang Mingli saw that house, she bought it without hesitation. That house made her feel like she was returning to a warm, happy home, even though none of her rtives were there.


    "Thank you for listening to all this. I feel better now." Zhang Mingli took a deep breath, looked at Fang Rui and Zhang, and suddenly said firmly, "Officer Fang, Officer Zhang, I want to recover my memories from before I was six years old."


    "Perhaps you could try hypnosis to recover those memories," Fang Rui suggested.


    Watching Zhang Mingli get into a taxi with her suitcase, Fang Rui and Zhang followed the taxi in their car, only leaving after they saw her enter the hotel.


    Zhang sighed: "I hope the truth isn''t what we suspect, otherwise it would be too cruel for Miss Zhang!"


    Mu Mianpared Zhang Mingyuan''s DNA with the deceased''s, and the results showed they were father and son; she thenpared Zhang Mingli''s DNA with Zhang Taotao''s, and the results showed they were father and daughter.


    When Chen Xue saw the report, she was stunned: "What''s going on? Zhang Mingli''s uncle is actually her biological father? Her mother''s affair partner couldn''t be... no, no, her cousin is her father''s biological son. Were Zhang Mingli and Zhang Mingyuan switched at birth?"


    Chen Xue realized this case was bing increasinglyplex.


    "A baby boy and a baby girl wouldn''t likely be switched by ident. Unless it was intentional," Mu Mian said.


    Combining the clues that Fang Rui and his team had already uncovered, Chen Xue formed a terrifying theory.


    During the morning meeting, Mu Mian reported this discovery.


    Everyone fell silent.


    Zhang analyzed: "Have you noticed, Zhang Taotao is a high school teacher, and twenty years ago was when the one-child policy was strictest. Someone in his position as a teacher couldn''t have had a second child. So it''s very possible that Zhang Taotao and his wife switched the children, so he could have a son. Even though this son wasn''t his biological child, being his sister''s child meant they still shared blood ties. My God, how evil can someone be?"


    Chen Xue angrily said: "So even though they knew Zhang Mingli was their biological daughter, and they had the opportunity to raise her, they still sent her to her aunt to be raised. They''re beasts! Not even raising their own daughter."


    "I suspect it''s because Zhang Mingli''s aunt was a businesswoman, wealthy, divorced with no children, and never remarried. Think about it, if Zhang Mingli was raised by her, after her aunt''s death, wouldn''t the property go to Zhang Mingli?" Zhang said excitedly, "We found out earlier that Zhang Mingli''s aunt passed away recently, also from cancer, and left all her property to Zhang Mingli."


    Chen Xue analyzed: "So Zhang Taotao coaxed Zhang Mingli back, probably to seize the property her aunt left her. My God, Zhang Taotao is terrifying, truly trying to squeeze everything from his own family!"


    Mu Mian watched Zhang and Chen Xue analyzing back and forth, feeling somewhat happy, thinking Officer Zhang and Chen Xue probably wouldn''t break up now, as they were finally talking to each other again.


    The others remained silent. They had seen many brutal cases and many vicious criminals, but they still felt afraid of someone like Zhang Taotao.


    Zhang angrily said: "Is there really no way to arrest this beast in human clothing, Zhang Taotao? My God, he''s so calcting! It''s terrifying!"


    Aliali: 674546a8c4f3f33ac44c92acChen Xue agreed: "We must find a way to let thew punish him! Such an evil person, preying on women like a parasite. Look how many people he''s hurt. Just because he didn''t have a son, he switched someone else''s, destroying their family while livingfortably himself."


    Everyone vented their anger.


    After everyone calmed down, Mu Mian said: "We found tung oil in the victim''s body. Tung oil has specific sales locations. If we could find the sales records from back then, we could prove he was involved in this murder."


    Fang Rui said: "Miss Zhang agreed to undergo hypnosis to recover her memories, maybe she''ll remember something."


    Fang Rui felt the case from back then couldn''t be that simple. Li Qiang said his brother and sister-inw had a good rtionship, so even if they had conflicts, it shouldn''t have escted to violence.


    "There''s also that bagua mirror," Zhang said.


    "What about the mirror?"


    "Different fortune tellers have different bagua mirrors, with different engravings and such. If we could find the fortune teller from back then, maybe they''d remember whomissioned this mirror."


    Wang gave Zhang a thumbs up: "I didn''t know you understood metaphysics."


    "Well, it''s just that my mom is really into all this stuff, and I..." Zhang''s voice trailed off as he saw Chen Xue''s face fall.

 Chapter 144

    After establishing a clear direction for the investigation, Fang Rui assigned the tasks. He and Mu Mian would investigate the source of the tung oil, Zhang and Chen Xue would look into the bagua mirror, while others would interview the schools and neighbors where Zhang Mingli''s parents had worked, hoping to find a breakthrough through the victim''s social connections.


    Chen Xue immediately objected, "I don''t want to work with him! Besides, I''m a forensic expert. I only handle autopsies, not field investigations."


    Zhang''s previously cheerful expression crumbled. He had been trying to talk to Chen Xue for days, but she would walk away whenever she saw him, never giving him a chance to exin.


    He had a huge argument with his mother and moved out of his home into the dormitory. While he was fighting against his family''s wishes, Chen Xue had already given up on him.


    "Chen Xue, we''re short-handed right now, so please help out. The statute of limitations for this case is approaching, and we need to find evidence to identify the killer quickly," Fang Rui tried tofort her, "You wouldn''t want the murderer to escape justice, would you?"


    Chen Xue fell silent, knowing she couldn''t let personal feelings affect her work. She was about to suggest teaming up with Mu Mian instead, but Mu Mian was already excitedly discussing investigation ns with Fang Rui.


    What a fair-weather friend.


    Chen Xue nced at Zhang, who was looking at her hopefully, and reluctantly agreed.


    Mu Mian and Fang Rui drove off to investigate the source of the tung oil.


    Tung oiles in two forms: raw and processed. Raw tung oil is used in medicine and chemical industry, and is rarely sold to individuals. Processed tung oil is refined from raw tung oil and is mainly used in varnishes and other coatings.


    Twenty years ago, before online shopping existed, hardware stores and paint shops would sell tung oil.


    Fang Rui and Mu Mian interviewed elderly residents near the crime scene, asking about any old shops that used to sell tung oil. They provided some shop names and addresses.


    When they checked these locations, they found that the shops had either closed down or relocated. They finally found one old shop, but it had no sales records or ounting books.


    This lead seemed to be a dead end.


    Zhang and Chen Xue were driving aimlessly around the streets. When they passed the same intersection for the third time, Chen Xue finally spoke up.


    "Zhang Qiang, weren''t we supposed to be looking for the fortune teller? Why are we driving in circles?"


    Zhang replied dejectedly, "I was waiting for you to tell me where we should start looking."


    "Zhang Qiang, aren''t you the police officer here? Why are you asking me?"


    "Zhang Taotao used to live in the Jiangzhou No. 13 Middle School staff housingplex. If he was looking for a fortune teller, he probably started searching near his home. Let''s start with the most famous fortune tellers."


    After analyzing, Zhang paused and added, "Skilled fortune tellers are usually quite old, so they might have passed away. Even if they''re still alive, they must be very elderly now."


    "Then let''s hurry!"


    There was an old street near Jiangzhou Middle School that was home to many funeral industry workers, offering everything from feng shui and fortune-telling to burial clothes and funeral wreaths.


    After asking around the shops, Zhang and Chen Xue learned about a famous fortune teller known as the "Living Immortal."


    He earned this nickname not only because of his urate predictions and great skills but also because he was over ny years old ¨C living so long naturally made him a "Living Immortal."


    When Zhang and Chen Xue entered his shop, they saw an elderly man with white hair sitting there, looking spirited, with bubble tea on his table and a phone in his hand as he scrolled through short videos.


    Hearing footsteps approach, the old man looked up and carefully observed Zhang and Chen Xue. He asked, "Young believers, are you here to learn about your love destiny? From your facial features, I can see you have a deep connection. However, your rtionship path will be rocky, and might not end well..."


    Chen Xue''s heart skipped a beat, remembering that Zhang''s mother had also said their zodiac signs were ipatible.


    "Master, we''re police officers, not here for rtionship readings," Zhang showed his badge, "We have some questions for you."


    Zhang believed fortune-telling was just feudal superstition, and that no one could predict the future. He thought the master was deliberately trying to frighten them about their rtionship to scam money from them.


    "Officers, I haven''t broken anyws! My predictions are urate, and I never engage in fraud. I earn my living through genuine skill!"


    Zhang took out the evidence bag containing the bagua mirror and asked, "Master, do you know where this mirror was made?"


    "At a mirror factory, of course."


    "..."


    Chen Xue asked, "Is there anything special about this bagua mirror? How can you tell which master made it?"


    "Ordinary bagua mirrors are all simr, but ones that have been blessed are different. Let me take a look."


    The master took the mirror and examined it carefully before saying, "This is a convex bagua mirror, used to ward off evil spirits."


    Bagua mirrorse in two types: concave and convex. Concave mirrors attract wealth, while convex mirrors ward off evil. The mirror''s border contains the heavenly stems and earthly branches, the Nine Star System, the Early Heaven Bagua, and the twenty-four sr terms. It must be used with a stone tablet talisman or hand seals.


    Chen Xue and Zhang exchanged nces, realizing that Zhang Taotao had nned to use this mirror to ward off the victim''s negative energy.


    "You''vee to the right person. I made this bagua mirror," the master opened his seal book, "The book contains the Nangong Jumo seal, and the person who requested this blessing must have been born in the sixth lunar month. The handwriting isn''t very flowing ¨C it must be from when I was in my seventies."


    "Master, do you remember whomissioned it?"


    "It''s been so many years, how could I remember?" the master shrugged.


    Zhang thought this lead was probably another dead end.


    The master took a sip of his bubble tea and said, "But I recorded every penny I earned. I can check my records."


    "Please do so right away."


    The master pulled out a thick ount book and started looking through it.


    "Master, it should be from neen years ago, please look further back."


    The master leisurely flipped through the ount book. Zhang nced at it and noticed the master had earned quite a lot over the years.


    "Master, you even keep ounts?"


    "Of course, every penny I earned was exchanged with my lifespan. I have to keep track of it."


    "And you still lived to be over ny..."


    The master shot Zhang a disapproving look before continuing to flip through the book. His hand suddenly stopped, "Found it, this should be it."


    The entry read: Fifth day of the sixth lunar month, 2024; two bagua mirrors, one peach wood sword; 1,000 yuan; Believer Wang.Aliali: 6747c480c4f3f33ac46fd021


    Zhang''s face fell, "Are you sure it was Believer Wang, not Believer Zhang?"


    "I wrote down whatever surname they gave me, I don''t know if it was true or false."


    "Aren''t your predictions supposed to be urate?"


    "Yes, I can tell fortunes, but I''m not a mind reader."


    Chen Xue said, "Master, I notice you have an excellent memory. Do you remember what this Wang Jushi looked like?"


    Chen Xue had noticed that while other clients paid just a few hundred yuan, Wang Jushi had paid 1,000 yuan. With such a high price, the master must have remembered him.


    "I do remember. He had a ck mole at the corner of his mouth, right here. From that position, I predicted he would face imprisonment. His facial features suggested he wasn''t a good person, so I demanded one thousand yuan, and he paid without hesitation."


    "Is this him?" Zhang showed him Zhang Taotao''s photo.


    "Yes, that''s him. I remember him clearly because his facial features indicated a very poisonous nature."


    Zhang''s face lit up: "Master, would you be willing to testify to this?"

 Chapter 145

    Fang Rui and Mu Mian''s investigation into the source of tung oil wasn''t going well. Tung oil wasn''t a controlled substance and had many sources - people could even collect tung seeds from the mountains and press them for oil themselves.


    Seeing Fang Rui''s disappointment, Mu Mian consoled him, "Fang Rui, what Zhang Taotao did by switching babies at the hospital was illegal. If we can find evidence of him swapping the two children, we can still put him in prison."


    "That might not work. There was a simr case before where a poor mother switched her baby with a rich family''s child at the hospital. Twenty yearster, when confronted, the mother denied switching the babies and instead sued the hospital for negligence, eventually receivingpensation. Zhang Taotao will definitely me the hospital unless¡ª"


    Fang Rui paused mid-sentence. He pulled over to the side of the road and searched for the news article about the baby switch on his phone. He discovered that the hospital involved was Jiangzhou University Third Affiliated Hospital - the same hospital where Zhang Mingli was born.


    "Fang Rui, what is it?"


    "Let''s investigate that hospital."


    Zhang Mingli was born in the obstetrics department of Jiangzhou University Third Affiliated Hospital. After understanding Fang Rui''s purpose, the hospital staff agreed to help them locate the medical records from that time.


    The hospital had digitized their medical records, so the staff quickly found Zhang Huanhuan''s medical file.


    The hospital staff said, "On November 13, 1998, Zhang Huanhuan was admitted to Room 706. On November 14 at 3:09 PM, she entered the delivery room and gave birth to a daughter."


    The staff printed out Zhang Huanhuan''s admission certificate, prenatal examination reports, and discharge papers, handing them to Fang Rui.


    Fang Rui asked, "Who shared the room with her?"


    The staff checked the ward records and replied, "It was a double room. The other mother was Wang Yuanfang. She was admitted on the morning of November 14, and entered the delivery room at 3:23 PM the same day, giving birth to a son."


    "Who were the doctor and nurse who delivered Zhang Huanhuan''s baby?"


    "The doctor was Li Qing, our best obstetrician, who passed away two years ago. The midwife was Wang Pandi, who has retired."


    "Do you have her home address?"


    "One moment, I''ll need to check."


    The staff quickly printed out Wang Pandi''s employment records.


    "Has your hospital ever had incidents of babies being switched?"


    "We were wrongly used in that case. It wasn''t our hospital''s fault. The mother deliberately switched the babies herself because she knew her son had a gic disease, and she noticed that the mother in the next bed was wealthy, so she had ulterior motives. Over twenty years ago, hospital security wasn''t as strict - babies were only identified by wristbands, so it was easy to switch identities by swapping the bands."


    "Who were the doctor and nurse involved in that delivery?"


    "Doctor Li Qing and Nurse Wang Pandi..." The staff member suddenly realized something.


    "How easy would it be to switch a boy and a girl?"


    "That would be impossible! Right after birth, the mother is told the baby''s gender. While same-sex babies might be switched, different sexes couldn''t be - unless the nurse was involved."


    Fang Rui gave Wang Pandi''s name and ID number to Li, asking him to investigate any connection between Wang Pandi and Wang Yuanfang.


    Li quickly reported back: "Wang Pandi is Wang Yuanfang''s paternal cousin."


    Fang Rui had Wang Pandi brought to the police station immediately.


    She was a woman in her sixties, short and slightly hunched, with a kindly appearance.


    Wang Pandi asked confusedly, "Officers, what crime have Imitted? Why have you brought me here?"


    Fang Rui silently ced two DNA test reports in front of Wang Pandi.


    "What''s this?" Wang Pandi was farsighted and held the documents at arm''s length. Upon seeing the results, her brow furrowed briefly, but she quickly feigned ignorance. "Why are you showing me these reports? I can''t understand them."


    "You were an obstetric nurse. Are you saying you can''t understand a DNA test report?"


    "I understand the report, but I don''t know these people."


    "Isn''t Zhang Taotao your brother-inw? Don''t you know him?" Fang Rui questioned.


    "Oh, now I remember, my cousin''s husband is also called Zhang Taotao. Ah, I''m getting old and forgetful, I can''t remember many things anymore."


    Fang Rui said, "In 1998, Wang Yuanfang and Zhang Huanhuan shared a room, but their babies were switched. The babies were different sexes, making it unlikely to be an ident. You deliberately switched them, didn''t you?"


    "The babies were switched?" Wang Pandi feigned surprise, saying, "How could that happen? I never made mistakes in my work. It''s impossible. Maybe the parents switched them themselves?"


    Fang Rui ced another stack of files before her, "The hospital has given us the list of all the pregnancies you handled, and we found two other cases where babies were switched. The suspect in one of those cases was your distant inw..."


    Wang Pandi turned pale and covered her face, crying, "I had no choice, they forced me to do it. I got into that hospital with fake credentials, and they threatened to expose me if I didn''t help them. I had finally made it to a city hospital, I couldn''t let them ruin my career... My sister-inw was also struggling, how could a family like hers raise a child with congenital heart disease? I had to help her..."


    "So you destroyed other families instead?" Zhang said angrily. "You separated parents from their children - where was your professional ethics?"


    Wang Pandi kept crying, covering her face, "I had no choice, I was forced into it."


    "How was Zhang Huanhuan''s baby switched?"


    "Li Bao didn''t care about having a daughter, but my cousin''s husband desperately wanted a son. Wasn''t it better to switch them? Both children would have happy lives. I was helping them..."Aliali: 6748dac1c4f3f33ac47efe1b


    Fang Ruiughed bitterly at her logic, "Ms. Wang, judging by your name, you were also a victim of son preference. Why did you be their aplice?"


    "I..." Wang Pandi didn''t know how to answer. While she hated her name and the preference for sons, when she had her own child and discovered it was a girl, her first instinct was to abort. She had been assimted by these evil thoughts, just as she had epted her name.


    "Please exin what happened back then."


    "My cousin and her husband Zhang Taotao came to me, asking me to help check the gender of my cousin''s baby. I didn''t want to at first, but Zhang Taotao threatened to expose my fake credentials if I didn''t help. I had no choice but to arrange for someone to check the baby''s gender.


    When they learned it was a girl, they initially wanted to abort. But my cousin''s health was poor, and if she aborted this baby, she might never be able to conceive again. That''s when Zhang Taotao came up with the scheme to switch babies. He was very particr about it, so we couldn''t find a suitable match for a while.


    Soon after, Zhang Huanhuan was found to be three months pregnant. Their due dates were two weeks apart, which normally would have made switching impossible, but Zhang Taotao forced me to getbor-inducing drugs for his sister, causing her to deliver early. He deliberately convinced his sister to share a room with his wife.


    On that day, knowing his sister was about to give birth, Zhang Taotao sent Li Bao away, then switched the babies after birth. I helped by falsifying the medical records. The children were rted by blood anyway and looked simr, so no one suspected anything all these years."


    Wang Pandi, now elderly and superstitious about karma, had been tormented by her conscience for years, so she confessed everything.


    "Officers, I was coerced. Zhang Taotao was the mastermind; all the ideas were his. I was just an aplice."


    "Do you have evidence that he was the mastermind?" Fang Rui asked.

 Chapter 146: Sleeping Murder: Confrontation

    <h4>Chapter 146</h4>


    "I have evidence. Zhang Taotao wrote me an IOU. At the time, he promised to pay me 2,000 yuan in service fees, but he couldn''t afford it, so he said he''d owe it first, and I had him write an IOU. Afterward, he kept refusing to pay, and I didn''t dare make a big deal out of it since I was an aplice, but I''ve kept the IOU all this time at my home."


    Fang Rui and his colleagues quickly retrieved the IOU from Wang Pandi''s house.


    "Now we can finally send that scumbag Zhang Taotao to prison!" Zhang eximed excitedly.


    However, Fang Rui felt it wouldn''t be that easy, as an IOU alone couldn''t prove Zhang Taotao was the mastermind.


    Zhang Taotao was brought to the interrogation room.


    He crossed his arms over his chest, looking impatient. "Officers, I''ve already told you, my sister willingly gave me all her property, and she even signed a property transfer agreement. I didn''t defraud her. Besides, property disputes are civil cases, not under police jurisdiction, right? Tell Zhang Mingli toe find me herself!"


    "We brought you in because you''re suspected ofmitting two criminal offenses," Fang Rui said.


    Zhang Taotao angrily replied, "What crime did Imit? What criminal cases? Officer, don''t falsely use an innocent person."


    "Do you know Wang Pandi?"


    Zhang Taotao''s expression froze, but he quicklyposed himself and said, "Yes, she''s my wife''s cousin. My wife doesn''t get along with her; they have a grudge."


    Fang Rui ced the two paternity test reports in front of him.


    "Officer, what do you mean by this?" Zhang Taotao asked with trembling lips, his mouth agape. "Isn''t Ming Yuan my son? How is this possible? We look so much alike. My God, Ming Yuan and Ming Li were switched at birth? What were the hospital nurses doing? How could they make such a mistake?"


    Zhang couldn''t help but think to himself that Zhang Taotao was quite the actor - if they hadn''t already gathered evidence of his crimes, they might have actually believed him.


    "Wang Pandi has already confessed that you switched the babies because you wanted a son."


    Zhang Taotao angrily pped the table. "nder! She''s ndering me! How could I have had the opportunity to switch the babies? Ming Li and Ming Yuan are different genders - unless the nurses switched them, how could I have done it? Officer, Wang Pandi is falsely using me. She has a bad rtionship with her cousin, and she''s trying to frame me. She''s so vicious."


    "She has an IOU written by you."


    "Yes, I borrowed 2,000 yuan from her. The reason is written on the IOU - it was to buy a house. I didn''t pay her back because her father and my father-inw had financial disputes, so that 2,000 yuan was used to offset that. My wife''s family all knows about this. You can ask them. Wang Pandi must hold a grudge against me and deliberately switched my child."


    "Your child was switched before the IOU was written," Fang Rui reminded him.


    "Ah, I was too angry to think straight. Anyway, she''s just trying to frame me. This woman is just jealous that my family is doing better than hers."


    An IOU alone wasn''t enough to prove Zhang Taotao had instructed Wang Pandi to switch the children.


    Zhang Taotao was well aware of this fact. As long as he firmly denied any knowledge, he could shift the responsibility for the baby switch to the hospital, then sue them and getpensation.


    After all, the police couldn''t possibly find evidence that he had switched the children, since Wang Pandi had done everything.


    Zhang was infuriated by his smug smile. "You''re also suspected of involvement in a murder case. We suspect your sister identally killed her husband, and you helped bury the body."


    "Officer, even if you want to falsely use me, at least be logical about it. First you say I switched my sister''s baby, then you say I helped her bury a body. Am I schizophrenic? If I had switched my sister''s baby, I could have just sent her to prison and taken my child back to raise. Do the police solve cases by making up stories? You don''t have any evidence."


    Zhang took out the bagua mirror: "Do you recognize this mirror?"


    "Of course, my sister asked me to help make two bagua mirrors and a peach wood sword, so I found a master to make them. Is there something wrong with this mirror?" Zhang Taotao examined the mirror and tossed it lightly onto the table. He tilted his head back with a smug expression.


    Zhang was stunned; he hadn''t expected the evidence he had worked so hard to find would be so easily dismissed.


    "Officers, do you have any other evidence? If not, let me go home quickly - I need to make dinner for my son."


    "Your son? Didn''t you just learn that Zhang Mingyuan isn''t your son? Why are you still thinking about making him dinner?" Fang Rui mocked.


    "The bond of raising a child is stronger than blood ties. I''ve raised Ming Yuan for so many years - even if he''s not my biological son, he is now. Ming Li is my daughter now too. One of these days I''ll have her acknowledge her ancestral roots, and I can fulfill my duties as a father."


    Zhang Taotao stood up, looking down at Fang Rui and Zhang with triumphant eyes. His n had been so perfect - it would have been a shame if there were no witnesses. The fact that the police had discovered his masterpiece but could do nothing about it gave him an immense sense of achievement.


    This is what you call a perfect crime!


    Next, he would reconnect with Zhang Mingli, and then he could openly demand that she hand over all her property to his precious son Ming Yuan.


    After Zhang Taotao left, Zhang angrily said, "Can we really do nothing about this scumbag? Look how smug he is. It''s infuriating!"


    Fang Rui called a case analysis meeting.


    Although Zhang and Chen Xue had broken up, they shared the same attitude toward Zhang Taotao.


    "Wang Pandi has confessed everything. Isn''t that enough to prove Zhang Taotao was the mastermind?" Chen Xue said angrily.


    "ording to our investigation, Wang Pandi has significant grudges with Zhang Taotao and his wife, so her confession can only be used as supporting evidence. The IOU states the money was borrowed to buy a house, so it can''t be used as evidence either."


    "The crime happened so long ago that many pieces of evidence are gone. We can''t prove Zhang Taotao was involved in burying the body," Chen Xue sighed.


    Everyone fell silent. After all the evil things Zhang Taotao had done, would he really get away with it?


    "I suspect there are important clues in the memories Zhang Mingli lost," Fang Rui looked at Lin Sen. "Can you help Zhang Mingli recover those memories?"


    "If it''s psychogenic amnesia, I can try," Lin Sen paused. "But even if Ming Li remembers everything, her testimony probably can''t be used as direct evidence."


    Chen Xue looked at Mu Mian.


    Aliali: 67497f31c4f3f33ac487991bMu Mian had been idly reading a medical journal. Feeling Chen Xue''s gaze, Mu Mian said, "Don''t worry, I''ll work hard to find evidence, but let me finish this page first."


    "..."


    After the meeting, Mu Mian went back to examining the victim''s body.


    Chen Xue sighed nearby, "We''ve examined this body inside and out several times, but haven''t found any evidence. Mian Mian, we''re not really going to let Zhang Taotao get away with this, are we?"


    "Wherever there''s a crime, there must be evidence!" Mu Mian said softly.


    The victim''s chest cavity had been doused with tung oil, which had dried into a dark red film.


    Mu Mian examined the oil film inch by inch.


    "What''s this?"


    Mu Mian used tweezers to pick up something ck.


    Chen Xue stared at the tweezers for a moment, then said, "It must have been an insect when it was alive."


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