Throwing out the conclusion before detailing the process not only kills the thrill for the reader but for the writer as well. Ji Xun felt a familiar weariness. He was just about to rest when he suddenly felt a scorching gaze on him.
He looked up.
Good heavens, besides the people originally in the office, a dozen more had appeared at some point. A whole team of officers, whether they were on a case or not, had all come out, their eyes fixed intently on him.
“It seems everyone finds necrophilia very exciting. Shall I say a few more words then?”
Tan Mingjiu urged him, “Don’t dawdle. Fulfill your professional duty as a writer and quickly embellish the thrilling and exciting parts.”
“My writing style is very simple and sincere,” Ji Xun corrected. “In short, it most likely went something like this: Xiao Man didn’t leave until after 1 PM, while Wei Zhenzhu had been monitoring Zhu Huan since after lunch. The two timelines don’t overlap. Therefore, Zhu Huan didn’t arrive at Dream KTV until after Xiao Man’s death, which was after 5:30. The reason he rushed to the KTV was because someone had made a deal with him—the real wealthy sponsor who had arranged to meet Xiao Man, did drugs and fooled around with her, and witnessed her death.”
“This wealthy sponsor most likely got into trouble. I’ll take a wild guess that it was the yellow-haired kid from the unexpected prostitution raid last time. He’s being pursued by the narcotics team but hasn’t been caught yet, and he’s terrified of the police collecting his DNA for their database and making a case out of it. So, he, his accomplices, or Zhu Huan carried Xiao Man’s body to the bathroom to clean the lower half, which explains why the body was moved. Then, they had Zhu Huan—this bought-off, idle member of society’s underclass—ejaculate on the corpse.”
“Naturally, the semen found during the autopsy would have no connection to the wealthy sponsor. And a KTV is a public place with a high flow of people, so the police wouldn’t bother with fingerprint or hair analysis at the scene; it would be meaningless. Plus—at least for now, Xiao Man’s death appears to be an accident, so the likelihood of the police digging deep is not high. With Zhu Huan as a scapegoat in front, the wealthy sponsor could remain safe and continue his life of debauchery.”
“From beginning to end, Zhu Huan was just a small fry, a scapegoat.”
With the analysis complete, Ji Xun delivered his final verdict.
Tan Mingjiu, who had been wondering why Zhu Huan was posing for the camera, suddenly had a moment of clarity.
“So, all his actions in front of the camera were to leave himself a way out?”
“Obviously,” Huo Ranyin said. “On one hand, Zhu Huan made a deal with the sponsor and accepted the job, so he didn’t dare to just break the deal. But on the other hand, he wasn’t at the scene and wasn’t sure if there was anything suspicious about the death. He was afraid of taking the fall for what might turn out to be a murder charge, so he deliberately left himself a backup plan. He had Mo Nai do his makeup. If something went wrong, the camera footage would be his evidence; if nothing happened, he could just pretend none of it existed.”
“Isn’t that a bit too cautious?!” Wen Yangyang exclaimed.
“When a potential murder is involved, how can one not be cautious?” Ji Xun sneered. “Alright, use this to bluff Zhu Huan. See what else you can get out of him.”
Ji Xun didn’t go to listen to the interrogation. He slumped in his chair, his mind a blank slate, feeling no sense of accomplishment from closing the case or solving the puzzle.
Huo Ranyin went in for about half an hour and then came out.
“How was it? Was his motive for the necrophilia the uninspired ‘risking it all for money’?”
Huo Ranyin nodded and picked up the car keys from the table. “Let’s go. Their transaction was in cash, hidden under some abandoned building materials in the alley where Mo Nai first appeared.”
“He trusts Mo Nai quite a bit. How do they know each other?”
Huo Ranyin: “Zhang Xinyou.”
Ji Xun paused for a moment. A vague inspiration flashed by and then disappeared. He pondered for a long time before finally saying an equally uninspired sentence, “This network of relationships is quite a web.”
Retrieving the evidence went smoothly. Huo Ranyin, along with Ji Xun and Wen Yangyang, set out and found the stack of money wrapped in a black plastic bag within minutes near the confessed location. They opened it and counted a total of five bundles, fifty thousand yuan.
“Just this?” Ji Xun kicked the pile of building materials again with his foot, finding it hard to accept. “Fifty thousand yuan is enough to make Zhu Huan commit necrophilia?”
Wen Yangyang was busy taking photos according to regulations and didn’t have time to respond.
Huo Ranyin made an objective evaluation. “Different people set different prices for themselves. Don’t forget, the john who killed Mo Nai’s mother gave up his identity as a human for a mere ten-yuan prostitution fee.”
“That’s true, but he had just scammed ten thousand yuan from Duan Hongwen that very morning.”
“That doesn’t stop him from being willing to commit necrophilia for fifty thousand.”
“If he had scammed sixty thousand at once, he wouldn’t have had to commit necrophilia, would he?”
“Scamming sixty thousand would only mean that he would then commit necrophilia to earn fifty thousand, for a total of one hundred and ten thousand.”
“…”
Ji Xun was so shocked by Huo Ranyin’s inspired answer that he was speechless for a long time. By then, Wen Yangyang had finished her work. Huo Ranyin took the opportunity to ask:
“It’s twelve-thirty. Let’s eat before heading back to the station. What do you want to eat?”
After visiting Wei Zhenzhu’s and Sisi’s homes in the morning, returning to the station, spending over half an hour on Zhu Huan, and finally going out to find the evidence, it had been a very slow-moving morning. He hadn’t noticed, but now that it was mentioned, Ji Xun suddenly felt ravenous.
“I’m fine with anything,” Wen Yangyang answered obediently. “I’m not a picky eater.”
Huo Ranyin then spoke to Ji Xun, “You didn’t eat anything this morning besides coffee, did you? Your stomach will be ruined sooner or later if you keep this up—”
“Ha, you guessed wrong this time,” Ji Xun said smugly. “I had cake with my coffee.”
“Oh—” A smile touched the corner of Huo Ranyin’s lips. “Then you’ve worked hard. What do you want for lunch? There’s a new Cantonese restaurant that just opened with pretty good reviews. I’ll take you there.”
“How did you know about the reviews?” Ji Xun was curious for a moment. With Huo Ranyin’s busy schedule, how could he possibly pay attention to which restaurants were new and which were good?
“Online reviews.”
“Alright,” Ji Xun burst out laughing. “Aren’t there a bunch of snack shops across the street? Let’s just grab something at a noodle shop.”
Across from Dream KTV was a street lined with snack stalls of all kinds. There were especially many barbecue places. It was empty now, but it would likely get lively late at night, when people finishing up their KTV sessions would be inclined to call up their friends for a late-night snack.
While crossing the road, Huo Ranyin asked, “Do you want some takoyaki? I just saw a stall selling it. I’ll buy some for you later.”
“Mmm—yes.” Ji Xun’s mood brightened.
Wen Yangyang, walking beside them, silently took notes.
She now deeply understood why Huo Ranyin could get Ji Xun to work so hard on cases without pay.
This was sincerity, a constant, gentle sincerity! The combination of a cold exterior and a warm interior was truly charming. Alas, it was a shame she couldn’t learn it. Wen Yangyang secretly tugged at her own baby face.
Ji Xun chose a noodle shop and sat down. After ordering, Huo Ranyin went next door to buy the takoyaki. He was idly playing with his phone when he heard their number being called at the noodle shop. Just as he was about to get up, Wen Yangyang quickly stood up and said:
“Teacher, you stay seated. I can go.”
Ji Xun didn’t fight her for it and remained seated. As luck would have it, Huo Ranyin returned with the takoyaki at that moment. He called out, “The noodles are ready, come…”
The takoyaki was placed on the table, but he was pulled up directly by Huo Ranyin and dragged out of the noodle shop before he could finish his sentence.
Wen Yangyang, who had just returned with the food, looked left and right, her face full of confusion.
Where’s Teacher Ji?
…And where did the extra takoyaki come from?
“What on earth is going on?” Out on the street, Ji Xun finally managed to speak. “What happened that made you so rushed and flustered?”
“I’m taking you somewhere,” Huo Ranyin said simply. “I’ll tell you when we get there.”
They crossed the road and arrived at the place Huo Ranyin had mentioned: a lingerie store.
The owner of the lingerie store was a woman in her forties who still had her charm. She was full of enthusiasm. “Bringing a friend to pick out lingerie for his girlfriend? See, was I wrong? What’s the point of giving roses for Valentine’s Day? So tacky. Lingerie is pretty and practical, right?”
Ji Xun looked at the owner, then at Huo Ranyin, his head full of question marks.
Don’t you know whether I need to buy underwear for a girlfriend or not?
Or, are you thinking…?
Huo Ranyin shattered Ji Xun’s less-than-harmonious thoughts.
He took out his police ID. “Police. We need your assistance with an investigation.”
The owner was stunned.
Ji Xun cleared the junk from his mind, let out a regretful sigh, and then, like a soulless husband accompanying someone shopping, quickly found a sofa in the store, sat down, and let his mind wander while waiting for the performance to begin.
Huo Ranyin: “Did any men come in to buy women’s underwear last night?”
The owner: “Yes… right, yes.”
Huo Ranyin: “Which of these two was it?”
He took out his phone and showed the owner photos of Mo Nai and Zhu Huan.
The owner only glanced at them before accurately pointing out Mo Nai. “It was him. He was the only man who came to buy women’s underwear yesterday.”
Men who come to a women’s lingerie store to buy underwear are rare, so it was impossible for the owner to be mistaken.
Huo Ranyin put away his phone, thanked the owner, and led Ji Xun out of the store.
Ji Xun glanced at the window display and understood. The style was the same as Xiao Man’s underwear. He hadn’t noticed this detail before, having only focused on the price of her outerwear.
Ji Xun mulled it over. “So they were cautious enough to consider that the sponsor’s semen might be on the underwear, so they deliberately bought new ones to plug that loophole. But…”
But what? Ji Xun couldn’t remember for a moment. The same feeling of baffled frustration from the police station returned. It was as if the ball of yarn his cat usually played with had been put away by its owner, and he couldn’t even find the end of the thread to scratch at.
“But in this case, at most, it would only make people think they were very thorough. Their scapegoat routine is very practiced, right?” Huo Ranyin said.
“Right…” Ji Xun agreed.
The ball of yarn seemed to appear, but then Huo Ranyin fell silent.
Ji Xun waited and waited. “Continue?”
The street was bustling with people passing by. Huo Ranyin took a few steps forward, stood under a billboard, and beckoned to Ji Xun.
Ji Xun’s body moved over on its own before his brain could even command it.
He understood the art of conversation better than Tan Mingjiu. Without any psychological burden, he began to skillfully use his words. Smart people always have privileges. He was smart, so he had privileges; Huo Ranyin was smart, so of course, he had privileges too. “My brain can’t work when I’m hungry. My good captain, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“You need candy to refresh your mind, and I need my candy too.”
“Oh—”
At first, Ji Xun thought the other man was hinting for a kiss.
But the street was crowded with people and traffic.
He then felt that Huo Ranyin would prefer to save such passionate things for a more private time—at least, he would. So he looked at Huo Ranyin again for a couple of seconds, then suddenly draped his coat over his arm, covering his hand, and used his hidden pinky to hook Huo Ranyin’s hand.
He hooked it, tickled it lightly, and then tickled it again.
However, with the coat as a cover, everything was like an undercurrent beneath an iceberg, with only the two of them privy to the secret.
Huo Ranyin’s eyes narrowed slightly, and the hand hidden by the coat also wrapped tightly around Ji Xun’s like a vine.
In that instant, Ji Xun knew clearly that he had pleased Huo Ranyin.
The other man was into this kind of thing.
Unexpectedly innocent?
Having received his “candy,” Huo Ranyin didn’t keep him in suspense any longer. He just hooked Ji Xun’s hand, surreptitiously scratching his palm, and said, “Let me emphasize again, the one who bought the underwear was Mo Nai.”
Mo Nai!
The cat in his mind suddenly pounced and caught the thread!
Ji Xun blurted out, “Are you saying Mo Nai’s r*pe case from back then—”
