"If I said I had a pair of eyes that could see through things, would you believe me?"
Liu Yuning nudged my arm with her elbow and let out a giggle. "Speak English!"
"Alright, the truth is, I saw a dazzling sheen coming from the gap in the cabinet. It must have been caused by some bright colors. Coupled with that boss's lecherous habits, I immediately thought of women's clothing."
"Your observation is quite detailed. For some reason, I feel things go smoothly when I investigate cases with you."
"Thank you for the compliment. I think it's time we investigated Su Qiao'er thoroughly. Regardless of whether similar cases continue to appear, she should provide clues for this case."
As we were leaving the real estate company, Captain Guo sent a message in the case chat group saying they had found someone who was suspected to be Su Qiao'er's ex-boyfriend. When questioned, this person became furious, cursed his girlfriend, and said she deserved to die, calling her a bitch. He seemed a bit abnormal, but he had a solid alibi.
As soon as I saw the message, I thought that based on experience, this kind of person was the most suspicious. Liu Yuning seemed to have the same thought. "Let's go ask him again!" she said.
"En, have you thought about how to talk to him? Don't be like Captain Guo."
"Owhaha, do you look down on my people skills?"
"Of course not. He's an experienced and good detective, but sometimes his mind doesn't quite grasp things. Otherwise, he would have solved the case already."
"No, I don't think this case will be that simple. Even though we've identified the victim, we won't be able to find the real killer so quickly."
"Oh, when did you start learning from me, liking to get stuck on details?"
"This isn't getting stuck on details, it's deduction."
Liu Yuning mimicked my tone from when I used to talk to her and deliberately retorted.
I didn't answer and closed my eyes to rest. By the time we arrived at Shi Yingguang's, Su Qiao'er's boyfriend's place, Liu Yuning woke me up.
Shi Yingguang lived in an apartment in a residential complex. The environment here seemed ordinary, far inferior to the conditions of Boss Fang. We found his unit, 603, and knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?"
I saw cigarette butts on the ground and a lot of shoe prints. The air was filled with smoke, suggesting that Captain Guo's team had only left a short while ago. Not long after we knocked, a complaint came from inside, "What do you want now?"
When the door opened and they saw us, Shi Yingguang asked curiously, "Who are you two?"
Liu Yuning immediately showed her police ID. Shi Yingguang impatiently said, "Police again? I've already told you, that bitch Su Qiao'er's matter has nothing to do with me. Don't come bothering me just because we dated before. My time is very valuable!"
"Mr. Shi, we're just conducting a routine investigation. Please cooperate!" I said.
"Didn't someone just come?"
"Yes, we're from another team."
Shi Yingguang showed a look of disgust and impatience, but he eventually opened the door.
As soon as I looked at his fingers and complexion, I said, "Are you a pianist?"
"Oh? How did you know?"
"Your fingers have spoon-shaped indentations from frequent typing. I initially thought you were a typist, but your demeanor gives off a very elegant feeling!"
"Heh, it seems, Officer, you are very different from the other police officers. That's right, but I'm not a pianist, just a piano teacher at a university."
Liu Yuning and I walked into the living room of Shi Yingguang's apartment. He seemed to have a slight change in attitude because I had guessed his profession, and he poured us two cups of tea.
I directly asked about the time and place of the incident. Shi Yingguang impatiently replied, "These questions again? I told you, I was playing with the children at the orphanage and didn't return until the next day! You're not trying to use some trick on me, are you?"
"What trick?"
"It's to constantly find people to disturb my life, making me anxious and reveal a flaw! But in reality, I have nothing to do with the case, and you won't find anything on me!"
"..." Did this guy read too many novels? How did he know all this?
However, these were indeed tactics we police often used. I gave him a polite smile. "Of course not. Investigations can't be exhaustive in every detail; we have to pick out the crucial elements, otherwise, it would be a waste of time."
"Officer He, I can see that you are much more professional than the previous detectives."
"You flatter me. Since you went to the orphanage, we will verify it there later!"
"I have no objections, do as you please! I guess the male officer just now would do the same!"
"Oh? I'm actually very curious why you went to the orphanage? Did you adopt a child there?" Liu Yuning asked.
Shi Yingguang stared at Liu Yuning for a moment before saying, "That orphanage is under my name!"
"You're that rich?"
"It's alright. After all, performance fees aren't insignificant!"
"Then you really are a pianist!"
"When people are polite, they call me that. Usually, they call me Teacher Shi!"
While he was speaking, I was observing his micro-expressions and found no sign of him lying.
It seems we need to go to the orphanage to ask. I don't believe this guy can truly be so watertight.
Although the situation of solving cases like this was mentioned before as a bit melodramatic, reality is often like this. I can't let myself be confused by plots from novels.
I gave Liu Yuning a meaningful glance, and she quickly understood that I was heading to the next location.
Before leaving Shi Yingguang's home, I inquired about which orphanage it was, and it turned out to be Hope Orphanage.
When we arrived at the orphanage together, we saw many children playing a game of "mother hen catching chicks." They were frolicking everywhere, with others running and playing ball nearby. The orphanage environment was quite good, with colorful flowers planted everywhere, and some towering trees embracing the entire courtyard. As we walked in, besides hearing laughter, we also smelled the fragrance of flowers wafting from all around. Furthermore, a azure lake appeared opposite the administrative building, and some caregivers were taking the children on a tour there.
Noticing our arrival, one of the caregivers asked curiously, "Are you here to adopt a child?"
I took out the cover of my police ID and said, "No, we're police officers, here to investigate something!"
"Police? Alright then! Follow me upstairs!"
The caregiver led us to a secluded office upstairs and asked what we were investigating. Liu Yuning immediately mentioned Shi Yingguang's name. Upon hearing this, the caregiver's eyes lit up with hope. "Mr. Shi is so kind, why are you investigating him?"