Chapter 497: Chen Shi’s Hypothesis

Lin Dongxue said, “I’m all ears.”

Chen Shi picked up a piece of grilled meat with his chopsticks and said, “From what I’ve observed, Zhang Jinlei is somewhat obsessive and extreme. He always wants to dominate in a relationship. Even though he resents his family, they’ve left a deep imprint on him. He has a strong desire to win and to control. The motive of love turning into hate could apply to him.”

“Love turning into hate… can you elaborate?”

“I’m not sure. When facing the police, the perpetrator will hide or obscure any testimony that’s unfavorable to themselves, so we won’t get that part of the puzzle from him.”

“We won’t get it from him?” Lin Dongxue pondered. “So, we can get it from someone else.”

“Smart!”

“I think I get it. If Zhang Jinlei knew that the person he loved was involved in something as sordid as prostitution, he might act out in an extreme way. Even if he knew, he wouldn’t tell us. But…”

“But what?”

“Never mind, you continue.”

“Go ahead, don’t be shy.”

Lin Dongxue smiled sheepishly. “My view is quite shallow. I think he’s deeply in love. The way he acted in front of us didn’t seem like he was faking it.”

“Emotional insights can sometimes be more reliable than analysis. I agree.”

“What about the other two?”

“Xiao Ran. I noticed she was a bit nervous around me. Was it because I was a police officer? But when she talked about Yan Qilin’s prostitution, she seemed relaxed. If she’s the killer, what’s her motive? Resentment over Yan Qilin taking Zhang Jinlei away? That’s plausible. She said she focused on her studies, but she didn’t do well, and years later, she ended up living with Zhang Jinlei in a ‘nanny’ role. It seems her apparent tolerance was a facade. She still likes him.”

“I think, whether or not she’s the killer, she had to act indifferent because previous police, like us, would link that motive.”

“Anyway, this hypothesis still lacks some pieces.”

“And Yue Chao?”

“Yue Chao doesn’t have a great reputation according to the other two. I want to know how Yan Qilin saw him. Could it be that she really liked him? Yue Chao speaks plainly. I don’t think he’s lying; he doesn’t have the acting skills. But he’s hiding something about their relationship. If there’s a motive, I hypothesize Yue Chao felt betrayed when Yan Qilin aimed to attend a top university and burned with jealousy.”

The sizzling meat reminded them they had talked too long, and the meat was nearly burnt. Lin Dongxue hurriedly took the meat off the grill.

“I’m most puzzled about what kind of person Yan Qilin really was. An angelic girl? With a history of prostitution, seemingly involved with two guys at once. I read her diary; it was full of everyday trivia, showing her as sensitive and meticulous. But it felt a bit pretentious. I can’t figure her out.”

“Let me ask you something. Do you think there are women who are like angels?”

“Uh… An angelic woman? Pure and kind, without any desires? If that’s the case, then no, I don’t think they exist. Beautiful things are only beautiful from a distance. Everyone has their flaws and desires. Nobody sees themselves as perfect… If there were such a woman, she’d likely come from a happy family, with material wealth, raised in a sheltered environment, believing the world is purely good.”

“That would make her naive.”

“Yes, naive.” Lin Dongxue laughed, realizing Yan Qilin couldn’t be that type given her background.

“I think when most men say ‘angel,’ they mean very sweet and obedient.”

“By the way, are you planning to spend all three days investigating the first case?”

Chen Shi put a piece of beef tongue in Lin Dongxue’s bowl. “One bite at a time. I’ll understand the first case before moving on.”

“But we only have three days! And one day is already gone.”

“I’m not a police officer. I don’t care if it takes three days or thirty. If I’m interested in a case, I could spend a month on it.”

“Are you interested?”

“Yes, it’s intriguing.”

Lin Dongxue’s phone rang. Her expression changed as she answered. “A body has been found.”

“Anything special about it?”

“It’s the same killer! They killed two people this year!”

“But I’ve been drinking…”

“Take a taxi, hurry!”

They quickly paid and hailed a cab. In the car, Lin Dongxue said, “So you were drinking. Weren’t you planning to drive me home?”

“Busted!” Chen Shi chuckled.

The body was found in a demolition area in the city. At the scene, Chen Shi saw Lin Qiupu and the others had already arrived. Inside the police line lay a female body in a red dress, similar to the previous victims. This one was killed by throat slashing.

“I wanted to criticize you yesterday. What good is it to have police patrolling everywhere? Driving police cars around, the killer will avoid you. You won’t catch a serial killer like that.”

Lin Qiupu replied sternly, “We did catch a window climber, two pickpockets, and helped a lost elderly home.”

“Okay, some use then.”

Peng Siyue had finished the preliminary examination. “Time of death around 9 PM last night. Cause of death is throat slashing. The blood on her body was cleaned with alcohol. The clothes were put on post-mortem.”

“Do the clothes fit?” Chen Shi asked.

Peng immediately understood his intent. “It’s stretchy material. As long as they’re not too fat, they can wear it… The clothes are identical to the ones on the body found this morning.”

The female body looked peaceful as if sleeping. Chen Shi saw a resemblance to Yan Qilin in her face, confirming that the killer’s “prey” were all replicas of Yan Qilin.

He was increasingly convinced that understanding the first case would unravel everything.

Xu Xiaodong ran up excitedly. “Captain Lin, the supermarket across the street has a surveillance camera facing this way!”