Lin Chengfeng smiled faintly, responding with a hint of frustration, “In my memory, my aunt was a very kind person. She was always good to me since I was a child, friendly to everyone, and co-founded a company with her friend.”
“But fifteen years ago, my aunt and her friend suddenly vanished into thin air, as if they had evaporated from the world. After the incident, my uncle and my family used all their connections to investigate for years, but found nothing. The only thing we managed to learn was that this matter was related to a medical research project from back then.”
“The project involved state secrets, and the other party had long been prepared. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t find out who had participated in those projects back then. The waters run too deep in this matter, and I genuinely don’t want you to get involved. Otherwise, I’m afraid…”
Ye Xuan lowered his head in silence, his brow furrowed tightly, a flicker of surprise and complexity flashing in his eyes.
Finally, Ye Xuan looked up and said with a smile, “Officer Lin, it’s really too early to talk about this now. The decisions I make in the future aren’t something I can control at this moment.”
Upon hearing this, the corners of Lin Chengfeng’s mouth lifted slightly, and a trace of gratitude appeared in his eyes.
He patted Ye Xuan’s arm and said, “Thank you.”
After Lin Chengfeng left, Ye Xuan quietly walked to the bedside, opened the drawer, and took out an old photograph.
Though the photo was old, it looked exceptionally warm.
There was a man, a woman, and a small child.
The woman was looking down, her face filled with adoration as she gazed at the little boy in her arms.
The man’s expression was steady, but his eyes were filled with deep affection as he looked at his wife and child beside him.
The little boy was only two or three years old, looking so much like a little girl that one couldn’t help but feel a surge of tenderness upon seeing him.
“Mom, it seems… I’ve found some clues about you.”
Early the next morning.
Lin Chengfeng, dressed in his police uniform, drove to the entrance of Ye Xuan’s residential complex early.
He took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Ye Xuan’s number.
A long while passed, but Ye Xuan never answered.
So Lin Chengfeng parked his car in a spot near the entrance of the complex, got out, and strode purposefully toward the gate.
“Uncle, can I go in?” Lin Chengfeng called out to the security guard in the booth.
Hearing the voice, the elderly security guard turned his head with a hint of impatience.
When he saw Lin Chengfeng’s police uniform, he was startled, nearly falling off his chair.
He quickly stood up and walked toward the gate, asking, “Officer, what brings you here?”
Lin Chengfeng smiled and said, “I’m here to visit a friend. I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer. Could you please let me in?”
The elderly security guard nodded suspiciously, then took out his keys and pressed a button. The electric double doors slowly opened.
“Thank you, Uncle!” Lin Chengfeng nodded gratefully and strode into the complex.
Watching Lin Chengfeng’s retreating figure, the elderly security guard muttered to himself, “A new face. Maybe someone’s in trouble. I should stick around here for a bit—there might be something interesting to see. That way, I can brag about it in front of Ah Zhen and the others!”
With that, the elderly security guard turned to the young guard who had just walked in and said, “Xiao Long, go to the east gate and relieve Old Li. I’ll keep an eye on things here for a while.”
Xiao Long was taken aback for a moment, but his expression quickly turned to one of admiration.
The old man truly is the old man—so dedicated to his duty!
I really am!
I’m crying!
Lin Chengfeng arrived at Ye Xuan’s doorstep and raised his hand to knock on the door.
“Ye Xuan, are you up yet?”
After knocking and calling for a while without hearing any movement inside, Lin Chengfeng suddenly felt a hint of unease.
“Could something have happened?”
Lin Chengfeng searched around but couldn’t find a key. However, he found a piece of iron wire on the windowsill in the corridor.
Picking up the iron wire, Lin Chengfeng began picking the lock on Ye Xuan’s door.
The door opened in less than three seconds.
Lin Chengfeng pushed the door open and strode toward Ye Xuan’s room.
After opening the bedroom door, he saw Ye Xuan lying shirtless, wearing only a pair of dark blue shorts, limbs splayed out in a star shape, with soft snores coming from his mouth. Only then did Lin Chengfeng let out a sigh of relief.
“Is this a sleeping posture a human can even manage?”
Looking at Ye Xuan’s sleeping position, Lin Chengfeng couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Lin Chengfeng walked to the bedside and nudged Ye Xuan’s shoulder.
“Wake up.”
“Stop it! Hehe, such fragrant steamed buns.” Ye Xuan shook his body, turned over, and continued snoring.
Lin Chengfeng shook his head helplessly, then bent down and pulled Ye Xuan up in one swift motion.
Ye Xuan opened his eyes groggily. When he saw Lin Chengfeng, he mumbled sleepily, “Morning, Officer Lin.”
Lin Chengfeng didn’t respond, simply staring quietly at Ye Xuan.
After a long moment, Ye Xuan suddenly widened his eyes in disbelief as he looked at Lin Chengfeng.
“O… Officer Lin! Why are you in my house?”
Lin Chengfeng rolled his eyes and replied, “I called you many times, but you didn’t answer. Knocking didn’t get a response either, so I had to open the door myself and come in.”
Ye Xuan asked in confusion, “Where did you get the key?”
Lin Chengfeng held up the iron wire in his hand and said, “With this.”
Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched, and he slowly gave Lin Chengfeng a thumbs-up.
Ye Xuan rubbed his tense, handsome face, then picked up his phone and said with exasperation, “Officer Lin, it’s only 7:30. Why are you here so early?”
Lin Chengfeng sat down on a chair and said slowly, “Zong Fei went to the police station to investigate. That alley is a wasteland with no surveillance. Usually, only farmers working there leave traces of human activity. There are very few surveillance cameras nearby, but Zong Fei checked them anyway and found nothing unusual.”
Ye Xuan nodded upon hearing this and said, “Well done. It seems the killer made a lot of preparations, specifically choosing that location to commit the crime.”
Lin Chengfeng continued, “The autopsy report is also out. The deceased, Chen Shuting, died from a single sharp weapon slash that severed her neck and cervical spine, killing her instantly. Additionally, traces of sperm from several different individuals were found in her body. She had engaged in sexual intercourse with others before her death, and with more than one person. Preliminary estimates place the times at around eight hours, ten hours, and fifteen hours prior.”
“This sister was that desperate?” Ye Xuan couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
“Not only that, but the deceased’s husband doesn’t seem to care about her death.”
Ye Xuan was slightly taken aback and asked, “Huh? Why?”
“Yesterday, Wu Gang notified the deceased’s husband and brought him to the police station for questioning. After learning about the situation, her husband only showed slight surprise and didn’t display any signs of grief or breakdown. In the end, he even urged us to close the case quickly, simply because he was in a hurry to return to handle company matters.”
Ye Xuan frowned and responded, “How was the relationship between the deceased and her husband?”
Lin Chengfeng spoke slowly, “According to the information Xiaoran gathered, their relationship was lukewarm. The deceased’s husband was busy with work and rarely came home. Moreover, based on their outward behavior, although the deceased was his wife on the surface, she seemed more like a kept mistress.”
“Oh, by the way, your car has been found.”