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墨書 Inktalez
Old Shao bid farewell to the grandmother who was still enjoying her sweet porridge and set off to find Jiang He. According to Old Shao's analysis, there were a total of thirty floors in the building across the street. As long as there was someone living between the sixth and tenth floors, if even one person happened to glance out, they would be able to see Wang Ziyi's living room.
Sure enough, when Jiang He inquired about the residents on the ninth floor, they finally found a glimmer of hope. Around nine forty last night, Ms. Liu, who lived in the eastern district, had just dragged her weary body home. She opened the door and casually tossed her bag onto the sofa before opening the window for ventilation. At that moment, she caught a glimpse of the building across the street.
That single glance became the most crucial lead for the investigation team.
Ms. Liu spoke up, "I just glanced over there and saw that the lights were on in the opposite building. There was a man and a woman inside. The woman had her back to me, while the man was facing me. I stood there watching for a while out of boredom. After that, I don't know what happened; I’m actually quite curious why you’re asking me this."
Jiang He asked, "Are you sure it was the sixth floor and not another floor?"
Ms. Liu nodded earnestly and replied, "I’m certain about that."
She moved closer to the window, pointing at Wang Ziyi's home as she said, "The highest floor is indeed the sixth; I could tell at a glance. That’s definitely the unit I saw."
Indeed, if it had been another floor, it might have required some simple judgment, but being on the top floor made it obvious with just one look.
"Are you sure it was a man and a woman, and that the man was facing you?" At this moment, Old Shao finally spoke up. "Did you get a good look at what the man looked like?"
Ms. Liu stroked her chin thoughtfully and said, "He was slightly chubby and seemed quite amiable; he had darker skin. That’s about all I can say; I don’t really know how else to describe him."
Jiang He took out his phone and pulled up a photo of Lu Zhengye to show Ms. Liu. "Is this him?"
Ms. Liu glanced at it and said, "No, that's not him."
"Not him?" Old Shao and Jiang He exclaimed almost in unison.
Ms. Liu nodded, "That's not the person I saw."
This was a photo taken when Lu Zhengye was released from prison—he had a buzz cut, a round face, and was slightly overweight with darker skin. After ten years in prison, Lu Zhengye was no longer the handsome young man he had been a decade ago; at thirty years old, he had aged considerably. From what Ai and the grandmother described, their observations of the figure they saw were almost identical to Lu Zhengye's appearance.
But the only person who saw the killer face-to-face was not Lu Zhengye?
"Are you sure?" Old Shao asked again.
"Absolutely," Ms. Liu replied. "Both of my eyes are 20/20, so there’s no mistake. I can assure you, the person I saw was definitely not him."
Old Shao stood by the window in Ms. Liu's living room, which faced south, while Wang Ziyi's living room window faced north. Although the buildings were a certain distance apart, one could still see clearly who was at home when standing by the window. Especially at night, with the lights on, everything around became a dark backdrop, making the two individuals appear as if they were under a spotlight.
However, this raised a question: if the man arguing with Wang Ziyi was not Lu Zhengye, then who could it be?
"What about the man's age?" Jiang He asked. "Did he have gray hair?"
"No," Ms. Liu said. "He looked quite young, probably in his thirties or forties, with no gray hair at all."
Hearing Jiang He’s question, Old Shao understood Jiang He’s suspicions; Jiang He suspected that Wei Lingyong might be involved. This speculation had its own underlying logic—Wei Lingyong's wife Wang Ziyi's death and his daughter Wei Qian's disappearance could all be attributed to a husband's and father's twisted and insane love. However, Old Shao could deny Jiang He’s suspicion on one point.
Ms. Liu firmly stated that the man she saw was not Lu Zhengye, but she didn’t know how to describe what she had seen. This was normal; it was like being shown a clear photograph of a celebrity and being asked to describe them—you could mention their hair and height, but you wouldn’t know how to clearly describe their face.
The two bid farewell to Ms. Liu.
"Do you remember what Wei Lingyong said before he left us?" Old Shao turned to Jiang He.
"He said to his wife, 'I love you,'" Jiang He recalled without missing any details.
"If he killed his wife, why would he go through such an effort?" Old Shao asked.
Jiang He paused for a moment and said, "He might have done it intentionally to mislead the police. However, Ms. Liu said that man looked younger, while Wei Lingyong appears to be in his sixties. It shouldn’t be Wei Lingyong."
Old Shao nodded but changed the subject: "That's right; true feelings cannot be hidden or faked."
Jiang He recalled Xu Yiman's earlier words: "But I don't understand. According to what I've read, humans are the best at disguising their emotions. Clearly, two people can be enemies, plotting against each other, yet when they meet, they smile cheerfully. Two people may love each other deeply but cannot be together due to real-world issues, and yet they put on a stoic face as if they no longer care. Even when one feels immense sadness, they present themselves as calm and unbothered."
"There are too many examples like this," Jiang He said. "If we were to take them seriously, we could go on for nights."
Old Shao chuckled lightly before responding, "Jiang He, this is where you need to learn. People can disguise their feelings, but emotions themselves can never be hidden. Those two enemies know full well each other's insincerity. That couple understands the deep love they have for one another. And that sad person? Others can see right through their facade of calmness."
Old Shao pointed to Jiang He's chest. "You've always been skeptical of psychology, thinking of it as mere mysticism without any real substance. I admit that due to the complexities of human emotions, my approach often fails. However, you must still follow your heart; you can call it intuition or experience. Human intuition is often frighteningly accurate."
"You need to learn this," Shao the Elder said.
"Me?" Jiang He asked.
Old Shao nodded and said, "I am sixty this year; there will come a time when I can't move around anymore or appear in person, and my mind won't be as sharp. Naturally, I hope my life hasn't been wasted and that someone can learn from my methods. I don't know if I'll ever catch Wei Demian again or if I'll have the chance to lead a team once more, but you are the best candidate."
"Me?" Jiang He shook his head. "I can't even grasp complex emotions, let alone discern others' feelings. Although I've felt regret over my previous shallow views during our time together, even if I believe in the importance of psychology for solving cases, I'm still not a good student."
"No," Old Shao shook his head and replied, "In this regard, you're like a blank sheet of paper. If you want to write something on it, it's better to start with a clean slate. I've written down what I believe is right for you; regardless of whether it's correct in the future, the eraser is in your hands—you can decide what to write and what to erase."
Old Shao looked sincerely at Jiang He. "I believe there will come a time when you find the emotions you've lost for over twenty years."
"I hope so too," Jiang He nodded.
The two fell silent and continued their journey without further conversation.
Upon returning to the police station, Xu Yiman had already prepared a detailed Autopsy Report that was nearly identical to what she had seen before. However, after analyzing the length and depth of the wounds more thoroughly, she concluded that the murder weapon was likely a narrow and sharp knife—one that could be concealed in a sleeve without being noticed. It seemed Wang Ziyi had not seen the sharp dagger hidden in the killer's sleeve and thus fell victim.
Among the glass shards brought back by several officers, there was indeed some blood present; however, it was only a trace amount and DNA testing revealed it did not belong to Wang Ziyi. This meant that the blood belonged to someone else—most likely the murderer. Yet without capturing a suspect for comparison against the DNA database, finding a match would be nearly impossible.
Moreover, our country's DNA database is incomplete; not everyone's DNA is recorded within it. Even if this particular DNA information happened to exist in the database, with such a large population, it could take an eternity to find a match—by then, the killer's son might already be eighty years old.
In the most optimistic scenario, they would first identify a few suspects and then compare the DNA from the blood on the glass with that of the suspects to determine whose blood it was.
Jiang He turned to Xu Yiman and said, "Xu Yiman, please compare the DNA with that of Lu Zhengye."
Xu Yiman nodded.
If Lu Zhengye truly hadn't been there that night, then the blood on the glass shards couldn't possibly belong to him. If that were the case, it would also indirectly confirm what Ms. Liu had stated.
Things suddenly became more complicated. According to the logic of the Criminal Consultant, Lu Zhengye should be his client, and everyone else was connected to him. Whether it was Wei Lingyong, Wei Linghui, Wei Qian, or Wang Ziyi, they were all people close to Lu Zhengye and potential targets for his revenge.
However, as the investigation progressed, it became clear that the person who killed Wang Ziyi was not Lu Zhengye, nor was he the one who had argued with Wang Ziyi. So who was that person? What was their motive for killing Wang Ziyi?
Jiang He gazed at the countless glass shards he had brought back and pondered deeply.
Suddenly, it seemed like Jiang He had uncovered some hidden truth. He pointed at the glass shards and said, "There's something wrong with these glass pieces."
"Something wrong?" Old Shao also looked at the shards.
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