Chapter 133

Jun Zishu knew that something else was hidden within Liu Qianqian's smile. She was honestly surprised that the girl with terrible acting skills since the beginning could hide this secret so deeply.

However, it didn't matter even if Jun Zishu linked the clues and uncovered the hidden truth. The trial was over, and the case was closed.

Jun Zishu sent some people to the location Liu Qianqian mentioned. Fortunately, Liu Qianqian was telling the truth, and they found a wooden box containing Chen Yin's severed head inside.

Jun Zishu didn't wish to care about the love-hate relationship between Chen Yin and Liu Qianqian. She had more pressing matters to deal with right now.

How exactly did the killer find out about the lives of his two victims? It was one thing for Chen Yang since he was a hoodlum, but what about Tan Linlin?

Besides working part-time during her summer and winter breaks, Tan Linlin spent the rest of her time in school. How did the killer find out about her situation? How did he know that she would visit that specific bus stop at that specific time? How did he know she needed money?

It definitely wouldn't be possible for the killer to find out about these things in just one or two months.

In that case, it meant that the killer had long since set his sights on Tan Linlin. But how long was it exactly? Also, through what means did he come to learn of Tan Linlin in the first place?

The location where the second corpse was placed was much more obvious than the first corpse, so some news channels had already started reporting on the case these days.

Fortunately, the spread of information was small, and it didn't cause panic in the city. Jun Zishu felt fortunate that nobody had given away any information about the first corpse.

Right now, Jun Zishu still wasn't sure if the killer had exposed himself to surveillance cameras this time because it was his last resort or he had done it deliberately.

The surveillance on the bus showed that the suspect and Tan Linlin had gotten off the bus when they reached Baisong Station.

The first time Jun Zishu had laid eyes on the surveillance footage, she had promptly sent someone to check the surveillance cameras around Baisong Station. However, it would seem that the suspect was familiar with the area. After getting off the bus, he made a few twists and turns before disappearing into an area without surveillance cameras.

Although the weather was cold, Jun Zishu felt like her heart was on fire.

One day, Jun Zishu came home to discover that the little ghost that had stayed close to her all this time wasn't home. Moreover, the other party did not return even after she waited for a long time.

After having dinner, Jun Zishu sat on the balcony with an unlit cigarette between her fingers.

In reality, it hadn't been long since Jun Zishu met Jiang Yinsheng. Since they first met, only two months or so had passed. However, Jiang Yinsheng had always remained by her side, so it felt like they had known each other for much longer.

When Jun Zishu suddenly lost sight of Jiang Yinsheng, she realized she had no way of contacting the other party. It made sense. After all, the other party was a supernatural being, an existence that defied common sense. Unfortunately, Jun Zishu couldn't rely on Little Fairy, either, since Little Fairy had her abilities severely restricted in this world.

…

It was very late when Jiang Yinsheng returned home. After phasing through the door and returning home with her head hanging dejectedly, she noticed a figure sitting on the balcony.

Even though Jun Zishu's figure was hidden in the darkness, Jiang Yinsheng could tell that the person on the balcony was Jun Zishu.

"Still not asleep at this late hour?" Jiang Yinsheng asked after moving closer to the balcony.

"Where did you go?"

A small flame suddenly appeared, illuminating Jun Zishu's eyes in the darkness. Then, the cigarette between Jun Zishu's figure took on a scarlet hue a moment later.

After lighting her cigarette, Jun Zishu looked up while playing with the lighter in her right hand.

"I went out for a stroll to see if I could come across some clues. It's better than staying at home and doing nothing. Even if the possibility is slim, I want to try to do something for you," Jiang Yinsheng said, gulping nervously as she looked at Jun Zishu. "Are you angry?"

"No," Jun Zishu denied before taking a puff of her cigarette and exhaling a mouthful of smoke.

The emotion that filled Jun Zishu's heart wasn't anger. Instead, it was an inexplicable sense of annoyance. Jun Zishu knew that she had lost control over her emotions, but she didn't know why this was happening. It was unlike her usual style, and she would never behave like this before.

She would've never cared about another person's situation.

Jun Zishu knew that what she was concerned about wasn't where Jiang Yinsheng had gone. Instead, what concerned her was the possibility that Jiang Yinsheng might have disappeared for good. Or, more specifically, Jiang Yinsheng was still around, but she had just lost the ability to see the little ghost.

If it were in the past, Jun Zishu would've probably felt fortunate about such a situation happening. She would've felt glad that her life could finally get back on track, and she would've continued with her mission just like she planned initially. Now, though, she found that she wasn't in a good mood at all when she discovered Jiang Yinsheng's disappearance.

Jun Zishu had already gotten used to Jiang Yinsheng's companionship. She had already gotten used to having someone greet her with a smile when she got home from work every day, cook delicious food for her whenever she was hungry, and do the dirty dishes once she finished her meals.

It was care that came with no charges or obligations.

In the current stifling environment, Jun Zishu found that her self-control was gradually starting to change.

"Still bothered by the case, then?"

"Mhm."

"I didn't have the best of luck this evening. I didn't come across any clues during my search."

"That's normal."

"Stop smoking. Smoking is bad for your body."

Jiang Yinsheng raised her hand and jerked the cigarette out of Jun Zishu's fingers. Then, she snuffed it out in the ashtray.

"Okay."

This was only the response Jun Zishu could think of as she looked at her left hand that was suddenly deprived of its cigarette.

…

As if her previous persistence had finally borne fruit, Jun Zishu suddenly came across an important clue the next day.

—Chen Yang's ex-girlfriend was living in Anhe District.

Anhe District was the neighborhood that Chen Yang's body was found in. It was also the neighborhood where Liao Ying, the person who discovered Chen Yang's body, lived.

All points seemed to be leading back to that location. Without wasting any time, Jun Zishu promptly set off to visit Chen Yang's ex-girlfriend with Yang Tianxiao and Wang Duoduo.

"Chen Yang's ex-girlfriend is called Dong Hong, Chief. She's not very clean, and she has been brought in several times in the past."

On their way to Anhe District, Wang Duoduo summarized Dong Hong's situation to Jun Zishu.

When Jun Zishu knocked on the door, Dong Hong seemed to be in bed still.

"Who is it? Why the fuck are you annoying me so early in the morning?" Dong Hong cursed and yawned as she opened the door. Even though it was freezing outside, she opened the door with her pajamas loosely tucked.

Wang Duoduo, the only man out of the three officers, averted his eyes while Jun Zishu took out her identification and said, "Police."

Dong Hong stopped her yawn halfway, her lackadaisical expression changing immediately as she quickly sorted out her clothes.

"What can I do for you, Officers? I'll have you know that I haven't been up to anything illegal recently. I've been living peacefully and quietly."

"We just want to ask some things about Chen Yang."

"Haven't you already asked me about this before? Have you still not cracked the case?" Dong Hong raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Can we go inside and talk?"

"Of course. Come in."

Dong Hong had a rather good attitude, and she behaved cooperatively with the inquiry.

"When did you and Chen Yang break up?"

"Back in August this year."

"Why did you break up?"

"I already told the last officer that came here, but it's because that fucking son of a bitch cheated on me. I don't know what gave him the balls to do so, but he actually went behind my back and fucked around with a little bitch. Had I caught him in the act, I would've made sure his third leg disappeared. That motherfucker…"

Although the person in question was dead already, Dong Hong still felt infuriated when she spoke about Chen Yang's deeds. However, when she met eyes with Jun Zishu, she quickly swallowed the rest of her words back into her stomach.

"When was the last time you two met?"

"October, I think."

"Where?"

"At a bar."

"What did you two talk about at the time? What did you do?"

"Just… We just happened to run into each other. We didn't say anything in particular to each other," Dong Hong said, shaking her head.

"Tell the truth," Jun Zishu said with a slight frown.

"I'm telling the truth, Officer."

"According to the transcript, that's not what you said to the officer who came to investigate last time."

"Huh? I might have remembered wrongly, then. All I remember is that we met at a bar. I might have said something to him at the time, but I don't remember what exactly," Dong Hong said, a slightly panicked expression appearing on her face.

"It says here that you said the last time you met Chen Yang at the bar was because he wanted to borrow money from you."

"Right, right, right! I remember now! This son of a bitch had the gall to come to borrow money from me after cheating on me! Isn't he just looking for a beating? Anyway, I haven't seen him after that day," Dong Hong quickly said after hearing Jun Zishu's words.

Looking at Dong Hong's eyes and actions, Jun Zishu instantly knew something was amiss.

Jun Zishu was certain that Dong Hong wasn't the killer. The girl didn't look like the killer, nor did she look like she dared to kill someone. However, Jun Zishu was certain that Dong Hong must be hiding something.

"I'm sorry, I misspoke just now. You never actually mentioned Chen Yang trying to borrow money from you during the previous inquiry," Jun Zishu stated.

What Dong Hong said last time was that she and Chen Yang had coincidentally met at a bar and shared a drink. Then, they bid goodbye peacefully and never saw each other again.

"You tricked me?"

Dong Hong shot up from her seat with her eyes widened.

"Sit down," Yang Tianxiao chided.

Dong Hong's expression stiffened, and she obediently sat down again.

"Do you know what the consequences are for lying to us? I remember that you have quite a few criminal records. It might be fine if we are only investigating a small case, but a case related to human lives isn't a trivial matter," Jun Zishu said with a smile.

"Fuck," Dong Hong cursed in a low voice as she scratched her head in annoyance. "I didn't kill him. I don't have anything to do with his murder, either."

"We never said you were a suspect. Just tell us what you know without hiding anything. Otherwise, you will become our suspect. If you wish to clear your name, give an honest account of what actually happened."

"I only avoided saying anything before because I was worried you would suspect me. I'm not so bored as to kill him. I'm not crazy, either. The last time I met him wasn't actually in a bar but here, my house.

"He came to apologize to me and asked to get back together. Then, we had sex in my house, and he made many promises and said a lot of good things. After we made up, I sent him away, and that was the last time I saw him. He never replied to my calls or messages. I thought he was just here for a quick fuck, so I stopped caring about him after that. I never expected for an officer to knock on my door and tell me he was dead."