46 Red Roses

Zhou Yun refocused her attention on the scene. "Is this the primary crime scene?"

Lin Long nodded: "Yes, according to the surveillance video, and considering that Gu Qianfan came here last night and Gu Mansheng was still alive, this is the primary crime scene."

Zhou Yun asserted: "If this is the primary crime scene, and assuming Gu Qianfan didn't take the murder weapon away or throw it into the sea, then the murder weapon must still be on this ship."

Lin Long sighed, "We've already sent people to search inside and out, but we haven't found any murder weapon. We've also called in a fishing team to search the sea, but this area is so big, we might not be able to find it."

Zhou Yun was not discouraged. She went to the spot where she had bled and took another look at the restaurant.

The restaurant had a European style, with all the wall decorations made of snow-white hardwood panels. The bloodstains on the floor had dried somewhat, but still faintly smelled of blood. The bloodstains started dripping from the side of the sofa, indicating that an argument had taken place there. However, strangely, the sofa wasn't very messy, and the entire restaurant didn't seem particularly disordered. Could it be that Gu Mansheng didn't have much strength to struggle at the time?

**

Fang Cheng closed his laptop; he had watched the surveillance video about five or six times.

I looked around again, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. Suddenly, many scents appeared in the air.

The first thing you smell is the strong, fragrant scent of rose perfume. On the table in front of the sofa is a vase filled with roses. Some of the fragrance seems to be coming from the vase, but there is also a sweet and pleasant aroma.

Next, the second flavor is toasted bread, with that milky, crispy aroma...

Fang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on the stove in the bar.

The bar counter is sleek and clean, and it has an oven.

Fang Chengjin walked over, bent down and opened the oven. He leaned closer and smelled it; it smelled of cold metal, not a trace of bread.

This oven has never been used.

Fang Cheng carefully closed the oven door.

The third smell... is a mixture of blood and seawater, moist and foul.

The smell of blood came from the bloodstains on the ground, while the smell of seawater wafted in through the windows and doorways.

Apart from that, it has no other special smell.

Isn't the crime scene too clean?

This was Fang Jin's first thought.

Lin Long walked over. "Old Fang, what do you smell?"

"Flavors like toast."

Lin Long frowned.

"Is the smell of this bread related to the crime?"

Fang Chengjin shook his head. "It's hard to say. Does Gu Mansheng like toast?"

Lin Long paused for a second, then made a phone call, "Check Gu Mansheng's dietary preferences, whether she bakes bread every day."

Fang Chengjin walked to the sofa, looked at the bloodstains on the floor, and followed the bloodstains to the back of the cabin deck. He looked at the worn ropes and pondered deeply.

At this moment, Zhou Yun was also standing on the side of the deck.

The lifeboat is still moored below deck; it is an electric lifeboat with a steering wheel at the bow that can be turned.

Zhou Yun untied the rope, jumped off the boat, started the lifeboat, and slid off in a flash.

Zhou Yun's long hair was wet from the seawater, her black hair and fair skin making her look fresh and refined, with bright eyes and white teeth.

“There’s something wrong with Gu Mansheng climbing toward the lifeboat,” she said. “After Gu Mansheng’s throat was slit, she must have bled a lot immediately. Normally, she would be very dizzy, so she couldn’t have come to the lifeboat right away. The lifeboat is electrically operated and requires a certain amount of force. Even if she climbed over without falling into the water, she definitely couldn’t operate the boat.”

Lin Long put his hands on his hips. "You mean Gu Mansheng should have called the police immediately instead of climbing onto the lifeboat? I've already had someone check, and the police station didn't receive any calls that night."

Fang Chengjin: "Don't you guys think there's something wrong with that video?"

Lin Long raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Zhou Yun.

Fang Chengjin's eyes flickered: "In that video, after Gu Mansheng met with Gu Qianfan, she crawled out of the restaurant again, as if afraid she wouldn't know that Gu Qianfan was behind it. If Gu Qianfan really killed someone, he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave Gu Mansheng on this ship. To be more precise, Gu Qianfan should have disposed of the body by himself. Moreover, Gu Qianfan didn't seem flustered when he left in the video, which is illogical. Unless Gu Qianfan is a ruthless killer, a normal person would definitely be afraid after killing someone."

Lin Long crossed his arms. "But no one else came into the restaurant to meet Gu Mansheng in the video. Could it be that Gu Qianfan didn't kill anyone, and Gu Mansheng fabricated it herself? But that doesn't make sense. How could Gu Mansheng kill herself!"

Fang Chengjin turned around, leaving behind a silhouette: "Go see Shen Jun. He is Gu Mansheng's fiancé and is also a strong suspect. Generally speaking, in criminal cases, the murderer is most often the victim's relative."

**

11 a.m., a live bar in Kowloon, Hong Kong Island.

The deafening dance music reverberated throughout the bar lobby. The bartender juggled a glass with his right hand while greeting the customers who had just entered. There were many men and women dancing, with groups of three to five people huddled together near the door, and an indescribable atmosphere filled the air.

Fang Cheng, wearing a mask, entered silently, glanced at the bartender, and sat down at the nearest empty seat at the bar.

"A mojito." His voice was deep.

"Okay, handsome." The bartender, muscular and wearing a black vest, exuded a barely concealed, alluring charm. Their shop didn't just sell alcohol, they sold sex...

After sitting for about five minutes, another person came in through the door.

The bartender looked over and his eyes lit up.

Zhou Yun entered, dressed up in a cropped top, a denim pencil skirt, and black high heels, exuding mature charm.

"Hey beautiful, this is on you." The bartender cheerfully brought a freshly mixed cocktail to Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun smiled and took it, then plopped down next to Fang Chengjin.

He tossed his hair a few times, glanced casually at the ballroom in front of him, and said in a low voice, "Professor Fang, what do you want me to do to help you come here?"

Her breath occasionally reached his nostrils, causing Fang Chengjin's heart to flutter slightly.

Zhou Yun wasn't wearing perfume, but her pleasant, fresh scent was always there. Her presence made Fang Chengjin, who had been feeling suffocated by the chaotic atmosphere of the bar, feel a little better.

"Feelings." Fang Chengjin uttered two words. He leaned slightly towards Zhou Yun, placing his other hand on Zhou Yun's high stool. Zhou Yun also leaned slightly towards Fang Chengjin. The two looked at each other, and with the dim lighting, they appeared very intimate.

The bartender witnessed this scene. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the two were flirting. People who come to bars to let loose are like this, and the bartender was used to it, continuing to juggle his glass.

Zhou Yun said in a deep voice, "I have seen the surveillance footage that Captain Lin found, and I did not find anything suspicious about Shen Jun at the bar. That night, he sat in our spot drinking. A couple of girls came up to him and tried to chat him up, but he rejected them. The bartender across from us was on duty that day, and Captain Lin also asked him, and there was nothing wrong with it."

Fang Chengjin: "According to the testimonies, the bartender and many other people in the bar remembered that Shen Jun was drinking here. This is the strangest thing. This bar is the most popular internet celebrity bar in Hong Kong Island. Thousands of people come in every day. The bar alone can change several groups of customers every night. The testimonies given by the bartender and some other customers should be vague, but they all said that they remembered this person sitting at the bar. With such obvious traces, Shen Jun's behavior is much more suspicious."

Zhou Yun understood somewhat, "You mean, the people in this bar shouldn't remember Shen Jun, but remembering him so clearly is like giving him an alibi."

At this moment, the bartender had already mixed the drink and, smiling, brought it to Fang Chengjin, saying, "Mojito."

Fang Cheng glanced at the bartender, opened his phone, pulled up a photo, placed it on the table, and pushed it over.

"Have you seen this person before?"

The young man looked down and asked in surprise, "Who are you people? The police just came and questioned us a few days ago."

Zhou Yun smiled and said, "Handsome, he's our friend. We arranged to meet him at this bar a few days ago, but we couldn't find him anywhere, so we were worried."

According to the results of Captain Lin's interrogation, the bartender's statement that day was that Shen Jun sat at the bar alone and drank all night without leaving, and there was nothing wrong with him.

The bartender seemed a little skeptical, glanced at them a few times, and didn't say much.

Zhou Yun smiled again, her smile sweet: "Give me three more of your best cocktails."

As he spoke, he placed a Hong Kong dollar bill on the table.

"Handsome, I'm just concerned about my friend. If you have any news about him, please contact me."

Zhou Yun's attire was very much that of a socialite. The bartender, looking at them, didn't think they were bad people, so he kindly took the banknotes and thought about it carefully.

“Your friend did seem to be waiting for someone that day. Every time I served him a cocktail, I would see him staring nervously at his phone screen. I thought he was just being reserved, and it was his first time coming here to have some fun.”

A flicker of emotion crossed Zhou Yun's eyes; this explanation was quite different from what Team Leader Lin had given her.

"Oh? That's what you told the police that day too?"

The bartender shook his head. "No, I drank too much that day and was dizzy. I don't remember. But now that you've asked, I'm more certain. Was he waiting for you that day?"

Zhou Yun laughed again at this question.

"Yes, it was originally planned to be just the two of us that day."

Upon hearing this, the bartender dismissed his doubts, and since other customers arrived later, he didn't pay any more attention to this little incident.

Fang Chengjin stood up from the bar stool and said to Zhou Yun, "Call Xiao Linzi and tell him to keep a close eye on Shen Jun."

Zhou Yun nodded and immediately called Lin Long.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Long jumped up in shock at the station, shouting, "Da Huang, quickly send someone to keep an eye on Shen Jun!"

Da Huang is a second-level police officer in the bureau, and is considered Lin Long's henchman.

"Boss? Any progress?"

Lin Long nodded, "Old Fang has found something suspicious about the bar."

Da Huang was puzzled and scratched the back of his head. "How exactly did Professor Fang manage to do that? We interrogated the people at the bar that day... but we didn't get anything out of them."

Lin Long: "Sometimes, when we police officers ask questions, we can't get all the information. Those involved are afraid to say more because of our police status. It's different with someone else. So sometimes we need to conduct undercover investigations. The best person to do that is Fang Chengjin, who is good at handling cases. Otherwise, why would we spend so much money to hire him? Are we just wasting money?"

**

The bar was noisy, and there was no need to stay any longer after extracting useful information. The environment here made Fang Chengjin feel terrible.

His sense of smell is keen, and he actually hates coming to this place the most.

He stood up, preparing to leave with Zhou Yun.

Suddenly, the bar doors swung open, and a group of people rushed in. It turned out that it was time for the bar's event to start, and many people had come in right on time.

A few people passed by Fang Chengjin, separating Zhou Yun from him.

Someone bumped into him, and Fang Chengjin lost his balance and leaned to the side. A familiar smell of toasted bread instantly filled his nostrils.

Fang Chengjin's pupils dilated, and he instantly looked up to search for the source of the smell.

Unexpectedly, two more young men, seemingly drunk, bumped into Fang Chengjin, causing him to stumble back several steps.

Regain your composure and look up.

The smell has disappeared.

It only took a few seconds.

Fang Chengjin's brow was still furrowed with the character "川" (river), as if it were bound by an invisible thread.

He suddenly grabbed Zhou Yun's wrist, so hard that it made her finger bones ache.

"It's not bread."

"……What?"

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the crowd, but he could no longer smell that scent.