28 Buddha Eyes

Xia Yi's hometown is a small third-tier coastal city in the interior, which happens to be a small city next to Zhou Yun's province.

Following the clues provided by Team Leader Lin, the two quickly arrived in Huaihai City.

Huaihai City is a small coastal city and a famous tourist destination. As the two stepped off the plane, a hot sea breeze hit them in the face. The airport was quite interesting, built right around the sea.

Zhou Yun squinted at the distant sea, feeling that the sun was a bit too strong.

Fang Cheng took off his mask, and the stray hairs on both sides of his head were blown by the wind. "The smell of sea fish, this city smells of fish."

After saying that, he put on his mask and hailed a taxi.

Zhou Yun frowned, wondering if it was really a good thing that this person had such a keen sense of smell.

She sniffed it again, trying harder...

Where is the fish smell?

"Where are you two headed?" The driver was hospitable and warm-hearted. Seeing the two unfamiliar guests get in the car, he immediately asked, as if afraid they would leave. "We offer fair prices here, absolutely no cheating or ripping you off!"

Fang Cheng gave an address, and the driver perked up. If it wasn't a hotel, then they weren't tourists? As he started the car, he chattered on and on, "The houses in this neighborhood aren't cheap; it's considered an upscale area around here. Are you two here to visit relatives or to buy a house and settle down?"

"Investigate the case," Zhou Yun said abruptly.

The driver was taken aback and didn't react. He secretly glanced at the two people in the rearview mirror and realized that they were both cold and didn't seem to like talking. He didn't know what to say.

However, the investigation... the driver thought to himself, "I haven't heard of any murders happening in that neighborhood."

A moment later, the driver took the two people to the entrance of the residential area, dropped them off, and then quickly drove away.

As the driver said, the neighborhood looked upscale; the four stone lions at the entrance alone suggested it was no ordinary place. I've already seen the information Lin sent; it indicates that the Xia family is just an ordinary family, and the house is supposedly her parents' property.

The two entered the residential compound. Access required a card, and visitors also needed to register with a QR code. It was indeed an expensive compound; usually, residents' permission was required for entry, indicating top-notch security.

The two stood in front of the turnstile, and the security guard next to them couldn't help but look in their direction.

Zhou Yun subconsciously reached for her police ID in her pocket, but found it empty. She then remembered that she had resigned and was no longer a police officer, so she looked at Fang Chengjin beside her.

Fang Chengjin looked up and around the community, seemingly unaware that the two of them were stuck in front of the turnstile.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but remind him, "Professor Fang, would you mind showing your identification to the security guard?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Chengjin snapped out of his daze, took out his ID from his small black bag, and gave it to Zhou Yun. Zhou Yun took it and walked towards the security guard.

"The police are investigating a case, and we need to find someone."

Upon hearing this, the security guard looked panicked. He glanced at the ID and saw that the man's photo on the ID was indeed the man in front of him. However, there were many scammers out there, so it was hard to say. The security guard then called his supervisor at the front desk. The supervisor arrived late and then called the police station to verify. Finally, after confirming that it was indeed a police investigation, the supervisor hurriedly opened the door for them.

As soon as the door opened, Fang Chengjin strode forward without waiting for Zhou Yun. Zhou Yun had no choice but to put his ID in her pocket and chase after him.

Fang Chengjin is tall with long legs. When he takes one step, good heavens, it takes Zhou Yun two steps to keep up. Moreover, Fang Chengjin walks incredibly fast, as if he is used to walking alone in a hurry.

The junior manager of the security department also followed. It's no small matter for the police to come to the community to investigate a case; what if they alert the residents in the neighborhood?

The person in charge quickly asked, "I don't know what she did wrong? I remember this homeowner is a young girl, and her eyesight isn't very good."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun raised an eyebrow slightly, "You know them?"

The person in charge nodded: "The residents of this community are all wealthy and powerful. Our property management has made it clear that it is best to remember the residents' appearance and names to protect their safety. This young girl left a deep impression on me. She went out several times, always wearing sunglasses and carrying an umbrella. Once, when I was on duty, it was raining heavily, and she accidentally fell on the steps. When I went to help her up, I found out that her eyesight was not very good."

As they talked, the three of them quickly arrived at Building 7 and took the elevator.

Xia Yi lives on the 12th floor of Building 7, apartment 1201. This is a large, single-level apartment with one elevator per unit.

Upon arriving on the twelfth floor, Fang Cheng glanced around. There were only two households on this floor, facing each other, with a long corridor in between.

Fang Cheng glanced at the door of room 1202 and asked the person in charge, "Is anyone living across the hall?"

The person in charge pondered for a moment, "It's hard to say. There are quite a few homeowners here, and I can't know everything in a short time. I'll contact Xiao Ma and ask him to check." As he spoke, the person in charge took out his phone and made a call.

Fang Chengjin turned around, looked at the door of room 1201, went up and knocked twice.

A rustling sound came from the doorway, "Who is it?"

Zhou Yun looked around the room and finally pinpointed the source of the sound to be through a small peephole.

"Police," Fang Cheng whispered.

The door remained closed, indicating that the person inside was highly vigilant.

After another moment of silence, there was no sound at all.

Zhou Yun frowned. What was going on? Did Xia Yi have something to hide?

"Break down the door?" Zhou Yun gestured to Fang Chengjin.

Fang Cheng shook his head.

The next second, the door suddenly opened.

At this point, Zhou Yun finally saw Xia Yi.

She had long, straight, black hair that reached her waist. She had fair skin and an oval face. If it weren't for her cloudy, misty eyes, the girl in front of her would definitely be considered a pure and beautiful woman.

The moment the door opened, Fang Chengjin's pupils contracted slightly, not because he was amazed by Xia Yi's face, but because he smelled the faint scent of oranges in the air.

The scent of oranges had appeared at the crime scene, but he had never smelled it anywhere else since.

This orange scent isn't just the taste of oranges; it's a flavoring agent, an artificial flavoring with added fragrance.

Xia Yirou said softly, "I'm sorry, because I can't see, I just checked with the security department to confirm that you are not fraudsters."

Zhou Yun's heart softened considerably when she saw the girl in front of her. "It's alright. Could we come in for a cup of tea? We have something we'd like to ask you."

Xia Yi let them in.

Zhou Yun entered the room and glanced at the shoe cabinet. There was a bag labeled "Shoe Covers," containing two pairs of slippers, a pair of white sneakers, flats, and sandals. Zhou Yun put on the shoe covers, and Fang Chengjin followed suit.

Xia Yi groped her way to the edge of the sofa and sat down, then expertly poured tea, "Officers, please have some tea."

This movement was so fluid and natural, as if he were not blind.

Zhou Yun sat down opposite her and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Excuse me, Miss Xia, how much can you see now?"

Xia Yi stretched out her palm, sunlight filtering through the gaps between her fingers, blurring her vision like someone with severe myopia. She murmured to herself, "It's probably just an outline."

Was it caused by what happened at the university?

"Yes." Xia Yi's tone was somewhat sorrowful.

Hearing this, Zhou Yun felt some sympathy for her. "Didn't you suspect who did what happened back then?"

Xia Yi did not answer directly, "Officer, I don't know why you came here today? If it's just about what happened back then, then there's no need for that."

Seeing that she was unwilling to talk about it, Zhou Yun had no choice but to drop the bombshell, "Jiang Huai died a week ago, and we police suspect that he was murdered."

As Zhou Yun said this, she kept a close eye on Xia Yi's movements.

Xia Yi's expression didn't change much, but her hands gripped the sofa tightly, and she trembled a few times.

After a moment of silence, neither of them spoke first.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but look at Fang Chengjin's figure. Ever since he entered, he had been staring at the Buddha Hand Guanyin.

Fang Chengjin stood in front of the Buddha's Hand Guanyin statue without moving it, simply observing quietly.

There are traces of incense burning in front of the Buddha statue, which almost shows that incense was burned frequently. The person who burned incense also cleaned the area, and there was not much ash around it.

After a moment of silence, Fang Chengjin interrupted, "Miss Xia, do you pray to this Bodhisattva every day?"

Xia Yi sighed, "Yes."

"What's bothering you?" Fang Cheng asked cautiously. If one has nothing on their mind, why would they worship gods and Buddhas?

Xia Yi avoided answering: "Worshipping Guanyin is just my personal preference, it has nothing to do with anything I can't let go of. Did the two officers come here today just to investigate me? My eyesight is not good, if you say that I am related to the murder of Jiang Huai, that's too ridiculous. I haven't left Huaihai City for a long time."

Zhou Yun replied, "Miss Xia, we don't suspect you. We just want to know if you are still in contact with Jiang Huai? Back then, you dropped out of school and didn't pursue the matter with the three girls in your dormitory, which means you believed that they didn't harm you. So what were you thinking at the time?"

Xia Yi turned her face away, somewhat dissatisfied: "Is this related to the current murder case?"

Zhou Yun's tone suddenly sharpened: "Whether it's related or not is a matter for our police station to discuss. We are currently collecting clues and information. Please cooperate with our statement, Ms. Xia."

Xia Yi lowered her head slightly. "No, I haven't contacted anyone since graduation. I've gotten used to being alone here, and I don't like anyone disturbing my life."

Fang Cheng interrupted, "Are you sure you've always lived alone?"

Xia Yi took a deep breath. "Yes."

**

After leaving Xia Yi's house, Zhou Yun and Fang Chengjin walked downstairs in the residential area.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but speak up: "Xia Yi is definitely hiding something. She seemed unwilling to answer many of the questions we asked, and it felt like many of them were just excuses. Does she not have any feelings for the other three people in her former dormitory at all?"

Fang Chengjin: "There are only three attitudes people have towards those around them: liking, disliking, or neither liking nor disliking. What kind of attitude do you think Xia Yi has towards the other three in the dormitory?"

Zhou Yun: "It seems like she's avoiding the topic, not wanting to talk about it. This avoidance is a sign of dislike. But if she really disliked Jiang Huai, she should have been more disgusted when I mentioned her. But judging from her reaction, it's very strange."

Fang Chengjin: "That's right. Xia Yi is strange in this respect. Her attitude towards the people around her is always unexpected, which means that there must be some things about her that we don't know about."

Zhou Yun: "What could it be? After going around in circles, I think it can only be that incident that happened when they graduated back then."

Fang Chengjin: "Moreover, I just smelled a scent that you only find at a murder scene near the Buddha statue—the scent of orange blossoms."

Zhou Yun was shocked. "So, it was Xia Yi who did it? But she has poor eyesight, so how could she travel back and forth between Hong Kong Island and Huaihai City in such a short time? According to the clues given by Captain Lin, Xia Yi has indeed been in Huaihai City this month. She simply didn't have the time to commit the crime."