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The prominent figure who jumped from the building was Zhang Jingzhai, the Finance Director of Spring City.
Lin Mingchang hurried to Zhang's residence, where a crowd had already gathered at the street corner. People were craning their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. Two police officers stood guard at the entrance and saluted as soon as they saw Lin Mingchang. He nodded in acknowledgment and strode through the wrought-iron gate. Zhang Jingzhai's home was an impressive Western-style villa with both front and back gardens, showcasing a blend of Eastern and Western architecture.
The area in front of the house had already been cordoned off by the police. "Where's the body?" Lin Mingchang asked. One officer pointed towards the backyard. "In the back garden. Director Zhang jumped from the study window."
Lin Mingchang crossed the lavishly marbled hall and made his way to the backyard. There lay Zhang Jingzhai on the lawn, still dressed in an elegant suit. Lin Mingchang knelt down to examine the body closely. Zhang's eyes were wide open, arms raised above his head, with his left hand curled into a fist while his right hand hung suspended in mid-air, one leg extended and the other bent. The entire posture was exceedingly bizarre, not resembling a typical suicide by jumping.
"Are there any witnesses?" Lin Mingchang asked the nearby officer.
"No," replied the officer. "Director Zhang went to work as usual in the morning. He returned at noon, saying he needed to sort some documents and instructed everyone not to disturb him. At that time, only an old butler and a maid were at home. They suddenly heard a heavy thud from the backyard and came out to check, only to find the director dead..."
Lin Mingchang nodded thoughtfully. "Take me to the study."
The study was located on the third floor, with its window wide open, providing a clear view of the garden below. Standing by the window, Lin Mingchang could see exactly where the body lay.
The study was impeccably tidy, showing no signs of forced entry or struggle. A few documents were scattered across the desk, appearing to be recent paperwork under review. Lin Mingchang sat down at the desk and began sifting through the files. Most were financial allocation documents; on top was a budget proposal for expanding the northern dock, along with an approval for a plot of land in that area.
He opened the right drawer and found an exquisite invitation card with gold embossing on a red background.
As he opened it, his pupils dilated—this was an invitation to Mo Wen's concert! Zhang Jingzhai had been one of the attendees!
Could this incident be related to Mo Wen's concert?
Suppressing his thoughts, Lin Mingchang continued searching and discovered a palm-sized Paper Man in another drawer. The Paper Man was made of yellow paper and felt different from ordinary rice paper; it had a unique texture.
It was intricately crafted but had an odd shape—its head was disproportionately large while its limbs were long and slender. Lin Mingchang picked up the Paper Man and turned it over, noticing several convoluted symbols written on its back that he couldn't decipher.
"This case is probably not simple." Lin Mingchang tucked the Paper Man into the inner pocket of his coat, planning to show it to Shen Tong later.
Meanwhile, the Qian Residence in the west of the city was busy preparing for a wedding banquet.
Xiaoshuang was occupied setting up her camera and adjusting the height of the tripod. This was her latest big job—photographing the wedding of a well-known socialite in town. The Qian and Li families were prominent households in Spring City, and their union was the most glamorous social event in recent months, attracting nearly everyone of note.
After the wedding ceremony concluded, the banquet began, and Xiaoshuang's shooting was mostly done. As she packed up her things, she suddenly overheard some guests chatting nearby.
"Have you heard? Director Zhang Jingzhai jumped off a building this afternoon."
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