Chapter 467: A Misunderstanding

Finding no more clues after looking around, Chen Shi said, “Let’s do an experiment!”

The two bought a white dress similar to the one in the video and went to a quiet park. Chen Shi climbed up a jungle gym while Lin Dongxue walked below in the dress, mimicking the actions seen in the video while Chen Shi filmed.

“Wait, don’t just walk by. In the video, the person also opens a door,” Chen Shi reminded her.

Lin Dongxue complied, repeating the actions three times. Then she climbed up to sit beside Chen Shi to review the footage. “It’s a shame that such a pretty dress only shows the top of the head in the video,” she commented.

“We’re not here to make a fashion video,” Chen Shi chuckled. “Let’s compare… your chest is indeed bigger and perkier.”

“Get lost! I also think my stride is bigger. The suspect might be shorter than me.”

“Maybe. But Shiyun’s height is similar to yours… It seems like the person in the video has a heavier gait, not quite like a young person. And… the chest seems to sag a bit.”

Lin Dongxue shot Chen Shi a disdainful look. Chen Shi said, “I’m serious!”

“You mean the suspect might not be Miss Shi? Then who could it be… wait a minute, two days before the incident, her mother visited Song Yuwen alone. Normally, an older relative wouldn’t visit so late at night unless… I get it! Aunt Song might have planned to kill him that day but changed her mind when his brother showed up. She then carefully scouted the community and found a safer route avoiding the cameras. On July 25th, she came back in disguise and committed the murder.”

After hearing Lin Dongxue’s theory, Chen Shi remained unusually calm. “I’ve considered that possibility, but I can’t think of a motive. Why would an elder kill her nephew?”

“Think about it. Aunt Song’s only weaknesses are her daughter and family.”

Chen Shi nodded appreciatively. “You’ve learned a lot. Yes, the key issue lies with Miss Shi. If we can find her, these questions might be answered… Let’s shoot a few more takes to see if we can dig up any more clues.”

In the evening, Chen Shi received a call from Xu Xiaodong, saying he saw a young woman entering Aunt Song’s house. Chen Shi thought it might be Shiyun and told Xu to keep an eye on her while he headed over.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue quickly arrived and met with Xu Xiaodong. Xu complained, “I’ve been watching alone, couldn’t even go to the bathroom. It was so tense.”

“Alright, go take a break and grab some food. We’ll take over… Is she still inside?”

“Yeah!”

“What does she look like?”

“Tall and thin, about the same height as Dongxue, wearing a green dress.”

Lin Dongxue suggested, “Since she’s inside, why not go up and confront her?”

“No, we suspect this family, so we shouldn’t be too obvious and alert them. It’s easier to get information when she’s alone.”

They sat in the car for an hour. Xu Xiaodong returned with food and drinks. Just as Chen Shi took a sip, he saw a figure leaving the building. Xu said, “That’s her!”

“Follow her, but don’t get spotted!” Chen Shi instructed.

The three tailed her. The neighborhood was old and dark at night. They followed her to a clothing factory dormitory where she got out. Chen Shi decided it was time to approach her.

Lin Dongxue called out, “Shi Wanjun!”

The girl turned around, and they surrounded her. But Chen Shi immediately realized she wasn’t Shiyun. The girl nervously said, “Did you mistake me for someone else? I’m not Shi.”

Lin Dongxue showed her badge. “We’re the police. Show us your ID.”

The girl handed over her ID. After checking, they found her name was Ye Xiaoling, a local resident. Her ID photo matched her exactly.

Chen Shi was silent for a moment, puzzled at how everything made sense but ended up wrong. He asked, “Why did you respond when we called Shi Wanjun?”

“At night, with only me around, you called out behind me. Of course, I looked back.”

“Do you know her?”

“I don’t.”

“But you just came from her house!”

“What!?” The girl raised her eyebrows. “You followed me? I’m going to sue you. I was visiting my aunt, not someone named Shi Wanjun. This is ridiculous!”

With that, the girl walked into the dormitory, leaving them baffled.

Xu Xiaodong apologized, “Sorry, I might have made a mistake. The clothes and body shape were the same, so I thought it was the same person.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “How did you know she entered Aunt Song’s house earlier?”

“Aunt Song came down to meet her. It wasn’t completely dark then, so I saw clearly.”

Chen Shi sighed, “Let’s go back and check again.”

They returned to the neighborhood and stayed until 9 PM, when Aunt Song’s house went dark. No one else came out. Xu Xiaodong felt guilty, thinking he had mistaken the person and let the real target escape.

Chen Shi said, “It’s not your fault. I should’ve left someone here.”

“Chen, should I keep watching?”

“No, let’s go back.”

Despite saying that, Chen Shi couldn’t let it go. After dropping Lin Dongxue off, he returned alone to keep watch on Aunt Song’s building. It had been a while since he stayed up all night. The more tired he got, the more he wanted a cigarette, but he resisted.

Throughout the night, the building remained quiet. Chen Shi checked the public email on his phone and saw a new message from Australia. It stated that Queensland University of Technology had no Chinese student named Shi Wanjun.

So, the study abroad story was a lie. Chen Shi remembered how the person on the phone had easily given personal information, showing no fear of police verification.

And this frequent mention of someone who had never shown up in person—what was going on?

Chen Shi thought there must be a key to unlocking all these mysteries.

As dawn broke, Chen Shi rubbed his nose and forced himself to stay alert, watching everyone entering the building. Finally, he saw Aunt Song come down with a bag of trash. After she left, Chen Shi sneakily took the trash bag…