Investigation

When the kiss turned sour, all that remained was conquest and being conquered. Fang Chengyin, burning with desire, pressed himself against Jiang Zhi, who silently accepted it. He should have retaliated in a way that would deter Jiang Zhi from making any further moves, but—

"Cough cough..."

The person on top of him was already exhausted, but he couldn't bear to let go. Jiang Zhi released his hand from his waist, only holding it loosely, letting the frail person touch the already exposed skin, letting him punish him as he pleased.

"...cough cough cough..."

Fang Chengyin coughed on his neck, his breath burning with fire, each touch like a knife twisting in his heart.

That's enough.

"Fang Chengyin!"

Fang Chengyin helped him to his feet, "How is this enough?"

Hand down.

Jiang Zhi grabbed his hand and pulled him down, then leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Chengyin, that's enough. I admit defeat, I admit defeat."

Fang Chengyin stopped struggling and stared blankly at the ceiling, perhaps because he was burning through it, or perhaps because he was filled with hatred.

After that, he had recurring high fevers, and the medicine in the apartment was simply not enough. Jiang Zhi, unusually, called the family driver to take him to Jiangshang Hospital.

As he was leaving, the driver said, "Young master, the master asked me to tell you not to get too involved with the Song family."

Jiang Zhi hugged the person in his arms tightly, glanced at the driver once, and left.

The driver frowned as he dialed a phone.

·

Fang Chengyin was admitted to the best ward, and after burning up for a whole day, he was sent to the emergency room in the middle of the night.

Jiang Zhi sat outside the emergency room, his eyes vacant. Some medical staff, unable to bear seeing him like this, urged him to go and get some sleep, but he simply shook his head.

My phone received a message from Zhong Qiqian:

"Who did you offend? Apple's stock price has been falling since this morning. You'll have to lose money before you even have to resort to selling Apple products. It won't just be a problem of unsold inventory then."

Jiang Zhi: "Understood, will resolve it immediately."

Zhong Qiqian: "OK"

Jiang Zhi leaned back in his chair, turned his head to look at the emergency room, and only got up when the red light went out. Fang Chengyin was still unconscious.

They brought the person back to the ward and stood by the window, overlooking the dazzling lights of Yanyang City. At four in the morning, there were no lights in the city, only a sense of unease. Yanyang was a city with a high crime rate, but also a city teeming with talent. Here, people could bend down to offer a homeless person a cup of warm coffee, or they could use them as a venting object to dismember them.

This is a city that thrives between heaven and hell.

Dial the phone: "Dad."

The person on the other end said, "How filial! Calling at four in the morning?"

Jiang Zhiguaijue: "Aren't you waiting for my call?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end. "Are you with that guy surnamed Fang?"

Jiang Zhi laughed: "Yes, I thought you were going to tie me up and take me back again."

As if recalling the past was unbearable, the voice on the other end of the phone grew even colder: "After throwing such a tantrum for so long, you still came to beg me, so what's the point?"

“It’s not a request, Dad, it’s an equivalent exchange.” Jiang Zhi tapped his hand rhythmically on the windowsill. “I’ll help you catch the murderer, and you’ll let Apple go.”

There was a long silence on the other end, then the call ended.

Jiang Zhi lowered his head and kissed Fang Chengyin's forehead. His fever had subsided somewhat. He then left the ward and went to the top-floor autopsy room.

Three years ago, Jiangshang Hospital underwent reforms. In the event of a major criminal case that requires absolute confidentiality, Jiangshang Hospital becomes the primary autopsy department. Liu Jinyi's body has already been transported here.

A day later, the autopsy was completed. Jiang Zhi saw Liu Desheng carrying an urn of ashes, walking out of the crematorium under the protection of two plainclothes police officers.

It had only been a little over half a month since the kindergarten teacher's death. Liu Desheng's body had not fully recovered, and he walked with a slight sway, but he walked steadily, as if afraid that the person in his arms would bump into something.

Everything here is filled with privilege; a single floor contains the departments for autopsy, body placement, and cremation.

Cremating the body in such an emergency not only risks the crime of intentionally destroying a corpse, but also leads to decomposition. What if the forensic doctor's initial examination is wrong?

After Liu Desheng left, a man in a white coat came out of the autopsy department. The moment Jiang Zhi saw him, he knew that there was no way the autopsy could have been wrong. It was Xu Zongshen.

He publicly claimed to have left Jiangshang Hospital and joined Hongruis, where he explained economics and trade. I don't know why he's here, wearing a white coat.

Xu Zongshen asked, "How is my father?"

"Thanks to you, I am well."

Sensing the tension, Xu Zongshen laughed: "Everyone makes mistakes, but does Young Master Jiang have no intention of forgiving those who admit their mistakes?"

Jiang Zhi said coldly, "Mr. Xu, the mistakes you've made are enough to warrant a hundred deaths."

Xu Zongshen was stunned for a moment, as if he had suddenly aged a lot. "The kindergarten teacher's death case is not an ordinary case. You should not get too involved."

“I know it wasn’t Father who did it, so please don’t rush to defend him.”

Xu Zongshen had not expected that Jiang Zhi hated him to the core, so he did not explain further, after all, he was in the wrong first.

Xu Zongshen found the autopsy report and handed it over.

"Thank you." Jiang Zhi looked at it quietly for a while before returning it.

After leaving, Jiang Zhi headed towards the cafeteria, intending to get some porridge to go. Unexpectedly, he saw Liu Desheng eating with his head down in the corner, with the urn he had just taken out lying on the corner of the table.

"Hello." Jiang Zhi stood opposite Liu Desheng.

Liu Desheng looked up at him, his face expressionless, his calm demeanor completely unlike that of someone whose son had just suffered a terrible ordeal.

Seeing that the man ignored her, Jiang Zhi reintroduced herself: "Hello, I am Fang Chengyin's wife, Jiang Zhi."

Liu Desheng stopped picking up food with his chopsticks, his expression shifting slightly—or rather, showing hostility.

Jiang Zhi sat down in front of him without hesitation: "So you dislike Cheng Yin? Why is that?"

Liu Desheng looked at him with a sinister gaze.

“My son died, but I didn’t feel the despair I had imagined. In fact—” Jiang Zhi paused deliberately before continuing, “I felt somewhat relieved.”

What do you know?!

Jiang Zhi laughed: "Liu Desheng, this is just his way of returning the favor after you gave Cheng Yin the memory card. As for the impact of your son's death on him, we'll settle that later."

Even though Jiang Zhi's behavior might seem unreasonable to normal people, Liu Desheng was very cautious. He had met many different kinds of wealthy people, and many of their words were not to be taken as jokes.

What do you want to do?

Jiang Zhi glanced at the urn: "Do you want the people who hurt your son to pay the price?"

Liu Desheng understood his implied meaning, yet remained hesitant.

"You dare to hate Cheng Yin, so why don't you dare to kill them? Are you thinking about their poor parents, or are you hoping to rely on the law?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

Liu Desheng continued to pick up food, his face showing a weathered maturity, like water from an ancient well, always leaving a sweet and soothing aftertaste.

Jiang Zhi took out his phone, tapped a few times, and turned to Liu Desheng. It was a video showing the daily break time of students at Yanyang No. 1 Middle School. The students were either chatting in the corridor or laughing and playing around in the corridor.

Liu Desheng watched, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Jiang Zhi put his phone away and asked respectfully, "What do you think?"

Liu Desheng's eyes were filled with hatred.

Jiang Zhi: "Let's exchange contact information."

Liu Desheng glanced at him for a few seconds, gave him his WeChat ID, and quickly added him. Jiang Zhi clicked on his profile picture; it was Liu Desheng holding a young Liu Jinyi under a pear tree. Perhaps a breeze had picked up when the photo was taken, as cherry blossoms fell like snow. Liu Jinyi smiled brightly, as if startled, her arms tightly wrapped around Liu Desheng's neck. At that time, Liu Desheng was dressed in a suit and tie, full of vigor, his right hand resting on Liu Jinyi's small head, as if to comfort her.

Neither of them looked at the camera, and it's unclear who took the photo.

"Back then, everything was fine, both between people and between people and society."

Jiang Zhi exited the profile picture, turned off his phone, and looked up at Liu Desheng.

Liu Desheng continued, "I will consider your suggestion, but I will not forgive any member of the Fang family."

Jiang Zhi chuckled: "You're really strange. Fang Chengyin is clearly innocent, yet you project all your hatred and resentment onto him. Your son harassed him relentlessly and died not long after. Even though you know he had nothing to do with it, you still hate him more than the real culprits."

"Shouldn't we hate her?" Liu Desheng said calmly. "I did so much for Song Zixin, and not only was she ungrateful, she also allowed her son to get close to Jin Yi. Now that Jin Yi is dead, how dare her son remain unharmed?"

Jiang Zhi said coldly, "It seems you haven't grasped the situation yet. The damage Liu Desheng and Liu Jinyi have caused Cheng Yin is something you could never repay even with several lives. If he hadn't died today, I would have made him wish he were dead."

Liu Desheng, however, was unfazed. "You rich people always use this kind of intimidation tactic. It's nothing new."

"Whether it's new or not, just experience it for yourself, with your own life and your own life. Please continue with your meal."

After Jiang Zhi finished speaking, he got up, walked towards the porridge section, bought some porridge, and returned to his ward.

Fang Chengyin was already awake and was looking out the window.

"It's very dark outside, can you see anything?" Jiang Zhi asked with a smile.

Fang Chengyin turned around and said incredulously, "Liu Jinyi... he's looking at me."

Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, then looked out the window. Liu Jinyi, dressed in the uniform of Yanyang No.1 Middle School, was lying there with a pitifully pale face.

Why would Fang Chengyin see something that is clearly ethereal and intangible?

He quickly called the attending physician.

The attending physician arrived. "Where is he? What does he look like?"

Fang Chengyin looked at him in confusion, then glanced at Jiang Zhi beside him, "Can't you see?"

Jiang Zhi: "Yes, he doesn't want us to see it."

Fang Chengyin was skeptical and said to the attending physician, "He was just looking out the window and clearly looking at me, but it seemed like he couldn't see me."

Then he paused, as if realizing something, and asked, "Which floor is this?"

Doctor: "Fourth floor. Can you draw it?"

Fang Chengyin took the notebook and pen.

Jiang Zhi seemed to have thought of something, took out his phone and opened Zhong Qiqian's WeChat, "Send me some footage of Liu Jinsheng before his death."

Zhong Qiqian: "Only one section was found; the rest were deleted."

The video is very bloody; Liu Jinyi is on the verge of death.

Jiang Zhi: "...He needs to leave the scene where Cheng Yin just arrived at the hotel."

Zhong Qiqian: "Why didn't you say so earlier..."

Zhong Qiqian: "Video MP4"

Jiang Zhi ignored Zhong Qiqian, silently opened the 30-minute surveillance video, and watched it at double speed from the moment he entered the hotel. A few seconds later, he saw Liu Jin open the window and climb out...

"Did you see what Liu Jinyi was looking at?"

Upon hearing the doctor's words, Jiang Zhi glanced at the image Fang Chengyin had drawn, which was exactly the same as the surveillance footage on his phone.

Fang Chengyin is witnessing Liu Jinyi's murder firsthand!

Jiang Zhi's hand tightened.

Fang Chengyin glanced at Jiang Zhi: "No, it's probably because he came in and Liu Jinyi was frightened. If this is the fourth floor, he might have already turned back the way he came."

Doctor: "Okay, please draw whatever you see from now on. Of course, for your safety, I hope you won't resist having your family and friends with you."

Fang Chengyin nodded, and Jiang Zhi saw the doctor off.

Outside the ward, the doctor signed his name on the patient's medical record: "This time the impact was too great, and the condition has relapsed."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Fang Chengyin looked at the two people outside the door, wondering what they were talking about. Jiang Zhi's expression gradually became serious. Soon after, a security guard came over and said something to the two of them, and then Jiang Zhi pushed the door open and came in.

"The school has already arranged leave for you, and the doctor said you need to rest for three more days. Have some porridge first."

Fang Chengyin just stared at him.

Jiang Zhi laughed: "What? Your brain's fried and you don't remember me? You should still remember citing Apple, right?"

Fang Chengyin chuckled, "You look like you have a lot of colors on your face."

He was referring to emotional changes.

“You probably put it on.” Jiang Zhi scooped up a spoonful of porridge and handed it to him. “Liu Jinyi, his father has already taken him home.”

Fang Chengyin opened his mouth and drank it down, so naturally that even he himself didn't realize it: "How did you know?"

"The security personnel just told me that a high school student was sneaking down from the second floor. They caught him as soon as he landed, and his father arrived just then."

The reason was so convincing that even Jiang Zhi didn't expect the reporters to swarm towards Jiangshang Hospital at that moment.

The security personnel just came to notify all the attending physicians to attend a meeting.

Fang Chengyin continued drinking his porridge, without suspecting anything, because in his eyes, Liu Jinyi was still alive.

·

At the Yanyang Criminal Investigation Bureau, Zhang Weike was reviewing Liu Jinyi's autopsy report. He took the report from the table, made a copy, and then used a red pen to underline key words on it.

"The victim was gang-raped to death"

"His body had been subjected to multiple severe blows before his death."

"Body parts: 34"

"The victim scratched the victim during the struggle, and there was skin tissue of the perpetrator under the fingernails."

Continue reading to the section on criminal profiling and inference:

"It is deduced that this incident was committed by someone known to the victim."

Zhang Weike's lips curled into a slight smile, a smirk appearing on his face.

·

"Hello."

Looking at the person in front of him, Liu Desheng saw that he was efficient and capable, and at first glance he seemed like a good person, a good person who was ridding the people of harm.

Zhang Weike showed his ID photo: "Hello, I'm from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. I'm here to ask about some things related to the case."

"Okay, please come in."

Liu Desheng was very calm, a calmness that would be frightening to experienced criminal investigators. His son had been brutally murdered, yet the biological father could remain so composed.

Zhang Weike even felt that he was planning retaliation.

The heavy door slammed shut with a dull thud.

Zhang Weike walked in, and the early morning sun shone in from the opposite balcony. The room was simple, with only a sofa and no television on the wall. There were several water buckets in the corner, and the water dispenser looked very cheap.

Although Liu Desheng seemed aloof, his hospitality was not distant. Zhang Weike asked about Liu Jinyi's whereabouts before and after the incident.

Liu Desheng simply said, "I'm an incompetent father. At least I don't know more than the security cameras on the streets."

Zhang Weike should have realized the other party's resistance, but when he said those words, he felt that the other party was cooperating with the investigation.

Surveillance footage from the hospital showed that Liu Desheng did not know much. He was sent to the hospital for treatment after the kindergarten teacher's death, during which time he was protected by police officers. He was notified by the police that he had learned of Liu Jinyi's murder.

"So, is there anything unusual about Liu Jinyi?"

Liu Desheng thought for about a minute, "There's a hotel card on the table in his room."

He didn't tell the police about this, and even put the hotel card away when the police came to investigate.

Zhang Weike realized something, "Can I take a look?"

Liu Desheng took the hotel card out of the room and put it in a small plastic bag. "I haven't touched it. Maybe I can identify the fingerprints on it."

“He brought a college student to see me a few days ago.”

Zhang Weike paused for a moment, then asked, "Who?"

“Fang Chengyin.” A strange glint flashed in Liu Desheng’s eyes: “The moment he saw me, he said I was an accomplice in the kindergarten teacher’s death case.”

The police officers guarding Liu Desheng would submit the records of visits to Liu Desheng to the Yanyang Criminal Investigation Bureau's administrative system every day, but Zhang Weike had never seen Fang Chengyin's visit record.

Zhang Weike tightened his grip on the hotel card in his hand, his sinister eyes carefully scanning the layout of the room.

"Accomplice?" Zhang Weike emphasized the two words.

Liu Desheng shook his head, still finding Fang Chengyin's opening remarks that day ridiculous. "It was a joke he made, probably a joke he made on purpose so I wouldn't remember him."

Why would he go to see you?

“Song Zixin. He is Song Zixin’s son.”

Zhang Weike paused for a moment, then loosened his clenched fist.

After the kindergarten teacher's death, he investigated Song Zixin, thinking he had gone deep enough, but he never expected that he would be unknowingly led in the wrong direction.

Just as he didn't know at first that Fang Chengyin was Song Zixin's son.

“You didn’t know either, but that’s normal. He’s Song Zixin’s son. He’s afraid that the kindergarten teacher’s death case is related to Song Zixin’s comeback, and he’s also afraid that the murderer’s silhouette is Fang Bokang, so he’s investigating in private. I’m a party involved in the case, and he came to ask me about the details of the incident.”

Zhang Weike was slightly surprised. He had handled many cases in the entertainment industry and knew that many things did not come from nowhere. Even though Song Zixin had publicly stated that she and Fang Bokang did not have children, he still considered the existence of that child. However, in the end, he still had no clue.

Did he say anything about the kindergarten teacher's death?

"He just desperately wanted to know if that person was Fang Bokang."

"So, what is his relationship with Liu Jinyi?"

“He didn’t say anything, he just told me to ask Jin Yi myself. But my communication with Jin Yi was superficial. In the early years, I was basically not involved in his growth because of life. By the time I came to my senses, he no longer needed me. There were many things about him that I never asked, and he kept me out, both openly and subtly. I no longer had the right to ask or know.”

Zhang Weike didn't ask anything more about the case, but instead inquired about Liu Desheng's health. Liu Desheng said that nothing serious had happened, but the family's savings had run out during his hospital stay. He wanted to go out today to see if he could drive a car to save some money to settle Liu Jinyi.

The light that had seeped into the room brightened up a bit, and Zhang Weike caught a glimpse of the urn on the balcony table, its surface shimmering in the sunlight.

Zhang Weike stood up and thanked him for his cooperation.

Liu Desheng escorted him to the door, and as he turned to leave, he called out, "Officer Zhang."

Zhang Weike turned around and saw a slight smile on Liu Desheng's deeply lined face. He heard him say, "Actually, Jin Yi doesn't have any particular thoughts about living, but she still longs for a new life."

Zhang Weike was stunned and stood there, not knowing when Liu Desheng had closed the door, nor how he had left the residential area.

Back in his car, he eagerly turned on the news radio and randomly pressed a few buttons:

"...The victim at Yanyang No. 1 Middle School had been isolated before his death, and the possibility of him being bullied cannot be ruled out..."

"Jinyi's homeroom teacher said: 'Jinyi has excellent grades, but he's a bit withdrawn. I've talked to him in the office a few times, and he said he wasn't being bullied, he just wanted to be alone. I've also asked other students from time to time, and they all said he wasn't being bullied either. With the college entrance exam approaching, students at Yanyang No. 1 Middle School usually seek help from a counselor or their homeroom teacher because they don't want their words or actions to cause trouble for their classmates and friends. It's actually quite normal for them to be alone during the exam preparation period.'"

Reporter: "Are you aware that some citizens have seen Liu Jinyi on the street during class time on multiple occasions?"

Liu Jinyi, the homeroom teacher, said: "I know. He asked me for leave because his father was hospitalized."

Reporter: "Have you visited Liu Jinyi's father?"

"Beep-beep-beep-"

The conversation was abruptly cut off. It's unclear whether Liu Jinyi's homeroom teacher was feeling guilty, but Liu Desheng's visit record did not include him.

Why would a top student frequently leave school without the homeroom teacher personally verifying his identity? Or is it that Liu Desheng is involved in the kindergarten teacher's death case, and the homeroom teacher doesn't want to get involved?

Zhang Weike moved slightly, felt a prick in his thigh, took out his hotel card, and said, "Check into the hotel."

He cursed under his breath; he had been careless after all.

He made a phone call to his subordinate and said, "Go check the hotels that have checked in right away."

Start the car and head to Jiangshang Hospital.

The electronic screens on the roadside were broadcasting this sensational dismemberment case that had shocked the entire city, and the true and false speculations had become news.

"Beep beep—"

A colleague called, and Zhang Weike answered.

"Captain Zhang! The hotel was the scene of the dismemberment!!"

Zhang Weike braked to stop the car, a feeling of suffocation rushing to his mind. He abruptly pushed open the car door and got out. The street was deserted.

"The search team has begun its investigation!"

"Okay, I'll be right there."

With his hands hanging by his sides, he looked up and realized that it was already late autumn, and the maple leaves along the roadside were blood red.

He smiled.