Chapter 783: Techniques for Detecting Lies

He Jun recounted many of the conflicts he had with He Taiyang in the past. Afterward, he asked Song Lang for a cigarette and smoked it in frustration, saying, “I know these things may sound trivial to you, but at the time, I was so angry that I wanted to kill He Taiyang… Of course, it was just talk. I’ve been in prison before, I know the price of acting on impulse.”

After finishing a cigarette, he continued, “Then something happened that made me see He Taiyang’s true colors. I started dating Jingjing, and when He Taiyang found out, he was furious. He said a lot of hurtful things and told me to get lost. That’s when I finally understood. Because I’ve been to prison, He Taiyang sees me as inferior, so he squeezed me at every opportunity, preventing Jingjing and me from being together.”

“How is the relationship between He Taiyang and He Jingjing?” Song Lang asked.

“It’s a normal father-daughter relationship. He Taiyang cares a lot about her, but he doesn’t let Jingjing get involved in the shop’s affairs. It’s strange. Normally, parents would find jobs for their children, but Jingjing just stays at home every day. He Taiyang doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to groom her as his successor. I don’t know what this old guy is thinking. He’s raised his daughter all his life, but she’s not getting married?”

“Because of these reasons, did you want to harm He Taiyang?”

“No, I didn’t. I admit I switched the paintings. I wanted to use that old man to make He Taiyang suffer a bit. Once during an argument with He Taiyang, I revealed this, and he was terrified. But he didn’t dare to approach that old man because the painting was hidden by me. He wanted to apologize but needed something to bring along! Until He Taiyang died, I was afraid that you would investigate, so I quietly put the painting back… Honestly, at that time, I really thought I had successfully used someone else to harm him. But on second thought, it’s impossible. That old man would have made his life difficult, but wouldn’t have directly killed him. After all, killing him wouldn’t get back the painting, and I would have dirty hands.”

“After all this talk, who exactly is this old man?”

“I can’t tell you. If I don’t tell you, you can only blow your beard and stare at me. But if I tell you, that old man will make sure I can’t stay in Long’an anymore. I can’t afford that price.”

“Hmph!” Song Lang sneered. “I guess it’s some underworld boss. Your line of work is shady, and you have connections with criminal gangs.”

He Jun shrugged. “You can guess whatever you want. Anyway, I can’t tell you his name.”

“If you don’t want to say it, then don’t say it. Let me summarize for you. You switched the painting, tricked He Taiyang, but that person hasn’t been discovered yet or hasn’t taken action, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Then who killed He Taiyang?”

“How would I know? This knife is mine, but I really didn’t kill anyone. If I killed someone, I wouldn’t leave the knife behind. It’s the same knife I carry every day. I’m not stupid!”

Of course, Song Lang had considered this. The appearance of this “weapon” had too many signs of framing. Obviously, He Jun wasn’t the killer.

But he deliberately didn’t say that, taking this opportunity to gather more information. He asked, “How did He Taiyang’s wife die?”

“She died of illness half a month ago.”

“We checked the records at the funeral home, and it’s strange. Mrs. He was cremated the same night she died. You held the funeral ceremony in front of her ashes.”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t home at the time.”

“That bowl, how much do you know about it?”

“I’ve heard of the legend of the bowl, but I don’t know when He Taiyang received it. It was only mentioned when Jingjing mentioned it to you. It’s quite eerie. Maybe because He Taiyang received the bowl, he’s been having a streak of bad luck this past month!”

“Thank you. You can go now,” Song Lang said, standing up.

He Jun breathed a sigh of relief.

After He Jun left, Song Lang noticed Lin Qiupu had returned. He said, “Planning to work overtime again? There’s no overtime pay here, you know!”

“Captain, I passed the crime scene on my way back just now and saw a man walking around there. The books say that criminals often return to the scene. Could it be…”

“What features?”

“Well, about 1.7 meters tall, dressed very warmly. It was too dark in the alley, so I couldn’t see his face clearly.”

“In the future, if you have such clues, just call and report them directly.”

“I know… By the way, why was He Jun released?”

“He Jun is not a suspect.”

“But he has no alibi, and the knife was found at the scene. I think he should be detained for observation for a few days at least.”

“Heh, are we raising flowers here? Need to observe for a few days? I can tell if he’s lying or not just by looking.”

Lin Qiupu greatly admired Song Lang’s ability to judge whether someone was lying just by using his eyes. He timidly asked, “To determine if someone is lying, do you observe their microexpressions?”

“Today is my birthday,” Song Lang suddenly said.

“Huh?”

“Haha, that statement was a lie. Did you notice any change in my expression?”

Lin Qiupu shook his head.

“Most people lie every day. The key is not the lie itself, but what they want to hide. The more dangerous the thing they want to hide, the more nervous they become. To determine if someone is lying, you need to probe and intimidate. Liars will show their flaws when they’re nervous in front of you. Understand?”

Lin Qiupu nodded in agreement, keeping these words firmly in mind.

Song Lang prepared to go over to Peng Sijue’s side to see if there were any new discoveries. Lin Qiupu followed behind like a small follower. Peng Sijue sat alone in the lab, comparing fingerprints. He smelled the scent of smoke behind him and guessed who had come.

“Don’t smoke in the lab,” Peng Sijue frowned.

“Is it the lab that has a problem, or you have a problem?” Song Lang sat down casually, picked up a cup of coffee on the table, and drank it. “How are the fingerprint results?”

“Just He Taiyang, He Jun, and He Jingjing’s fingerprints on the safe. I also did a fingerprint analysis on the small bowl He Jingjing brought in. Guess the results.”

“Definitely not He Taiyang’s fingerprints.”

“Right, only He Jingjing’s own fingerprints. Neither He Taiyang nor He Jun touched that bowl.”

“It seems that the bowl was indeed placed by He Jingjing. Actually, this isn’t a big problem. I guess she has her own motives…” Song Lang thought while holding his cheek. “Would a biological daughter have a motive to kill her father?”

Song Lang suddenly sat up, “Is Jingjing his biological daughter?”

“What strange idea do you have now?” Peng Sijue said.

“He didn’t let her work, didn’t let He Jun and her get together, and Jingjing didn’t show much emotion when talking about He Taiyang. If she wasn’t his biological daughter, it would explain everything! Come on, let’s check the household registration database!”