Chapter 4, Poppy 04
Luo Siwei took Ni Xiang downstairs to the forensic room on the first floor, and heard crying from afar.
Luo Siwei unconsciously slowed down her pace. What she hated most in her police career was coming into contact with the families of the victims.
She was too young and not good at comforting people. The old captain liked to let female police officers do these things because he felt that women were gentle and could comfort the families. Every time, Luo Siwei had to bite the bullet and do it.
She felt that the most troublesome thing was that she had to keep repeating to the victim's family: "Please calm down and provide the police with some useful information so that we can catch the murderer." When saying this, she felt like an emotionless AI.
Although some family members are understanding and reasonable, most people have long been overwhelmed by grief.
She was once hysterically questioned by a man: "You are so young and definitely inexperienced. How can you possibly find out how my father died?"
She was once scolded by an elderly woman who had lost her son when she was comforting her: "Put away your compassion! You are not in a hurry at all. I think you are just trying to coax us family members and protect the criminals!"
Another mother who had lost her child cried and screamed as they wheeled the child's body away: "My child was so little! I wanted to be with her a little longer! How could you be so heartless? She can no longer call me mom!"
Luo Siwei tries hard not to be overly empathetic, because sometimes the crying family members, the anxious reporters, and the seriously injured victims may also be the perpetrators. Sympathy for these people may interfere with the later stages of solving the case, and preconceived notions will prevent the police from seeing the full picture of the matter.
Sometimes, after she has found out everything and touched the truth, looking back, she will find that things are completely different from what people expected.
For example, the man who was worried she wouldn't solve the case, after the police worked tirelessly for a week and finally caught the real culprit, no longer cared about the murderer or the truth. He neither thanked the officers who worked all night nor apologized for his initial doubts. He hired a lawyer and began a lawsuit against his own brother over the inheritance dispute.
For example, the mother who lost her beloved son. When the police found out that her dead son was the real murderer, the old lady began to play dumb, making excuses in the face of evidence and trying to refuse compensation to the victim.
Then there was the mother who lost her child. It was finally found out that she was the murderer of her child. The woman suffered from Jonathan syndrome. She killed her own child and got pleasure from arousing other people's sympathy.
The word "人" (person) consists of only one stroke and one hook, yet it is so complicated.
Even simple words like good and bad are difficult to define each person.
The police are there to solve cases, and excessive empathy is actually considered "unprofessional" on their part.
Therefore, when facing the family members, Luo Siwei always keeps her back straight and speaks clearly. She strives to be fair and rational enough, making herself an observer of the case, and would rather be an emotionless crime-solving machine.
She was so strong that she never cried even when she was in danger, let alone shed a few tears in front of the families. All she could guarantee was to solve the case as soon as possible and find out the truth.
But those who have lost their loved ones won't understand this; they need comfort, sympathy, and the police to promise them and cry with them, as if such police are more dedicated to their duties.
Now that Luo Siwei is the captain, these matters can be handled by Han Zhaoming.
In comparison, Han Zhaoming is more like the old criminal policeman in the public's impression. He can say some comforting words and can also soothe the emotions of the family members.
Han Zhaoming entered the forensic room. Luo Siwei and Ni Xiang stood at the door of the forensic room, observing the situation inside.
A middle-aged couple stood inside. The woman lowered her eyes with tears in her eyes and covered her mouth with a tissue. The man stood by and comforted his wife.
Yu Wanying had been missing for three days, shattering her parents' last hope that their daughter was alive. She was their only child, and now they had learned of her death.
Han Zhaoming comforted the deceased's family. He frowned as he listened to their stories and asked a few questions at appropriate times, such as where the parents were during the incident, their relationship with their daughter, and any unusual circumstances.
The Yu couple had an alibi and they were unable to provide many clues.
"The last time we saw her was the night before her birthday. I cooked her favorite dishes and longevity noodles. She said she had plans with her classmates for her birthday, so I let her go home... I regret it so much. Wanying was so obedient. If I had let her celebrate her birthday at home, maybe this wouldn't have happened..."
The mother kept crying, expressing her grief over losing her daughter: "Wanying was very obedient and a filial child. She never gave us any worries... She was such a good daughter. She never provoked anyone. She listened to me and never had a romantic relationship."
Han Zhaoming checked some information with them again. There were rumors on the Internet that Yu Wanying's family was very wealthy and she could be considered a rich second generation.
Father Yu shook his head and said, "Those things said online are all fake. We are just an ordinary middle-class family. Since we only have this one daughter, we have always spoiled her and raised her in luxury. We thought that this way she would look down on the money from outsiders and wouldn't be easily cheated."
"Yes, some people were talking nonsense online. I was very angry when I saw it and wanted to argue with them, but it was Wanying who persuaded us to ignore those people," the mother added tearfully, "We would rather buy less ourselves and give our daughter more living expenses. Wanying is very sensible. She still works part-time to earn money, and she buys her own cosmetics and clothes."
"She's usually very generous with her classmates, treating them to meals. This time, she said she wanted to celebrate her birthday with them and have a good time together. I was worried she didn't have enough money, so I gave her 3,000 yuan." The mother covered her face with her hands as she spoke, her emotions faltering. "Why? Why did my daughter die? Who killed her?"
Han Zhaoming said: "Our police will do our best to solve the case as soon as possible."
Tears streamed down Yu's mother's cheeks. "My daughter was my hope. Now that she's gone, how can I live?"
When the husband heard this, he also shed tears and held his wife in his arms.
Luo Siwei stood in the corridor watching the scene in front of her and listening to their conversation. She carefully observed the expressions of the parents to determine whether they were related to the case.
Ni Xiang was also standing aside. She looked at the parents inside, and then looked at Luo Siwei beside her. The white light projected from the ceiling in the corridor shone on Luo Siwei's serious face, making it look like it was covered with a layer of frost.
Ni Xiang couldn't help but ask, "Captain Luo, are they suspects?"
Luo Siwei had taught her before that even with the victim's closest people, such as children, parents, siblings, and lovers, one should not let down their guard, and must first eliminate suspicion and not trust them easily.
Luo Siwei observed intently. She opened her mouth and whispered, "Their sadness is genuine. This couple is not a suspect. They can be ruled out."
Sadness can be seen from their expressions and body language. The middle-aged couple was restraining themselves, but they still couldn't hide their grief.
Luo Siwei maintained her rationality, but that didn't mean she wasn't moved. She was a kind and beautiful girl, who died in her youth.
Now that things have come to this, the dead cannot be brought back to life, and only the truth is the best comfort for their loved ones.
Luo Siwei turned around and said, "Let's go meet the person who reported the case."
After leaving the forensic room, Luo Siwei took Ni Xiang upstairs to the reception room.
This reception room is equipped with one-side viewing glass, so you can see the scene inside from the outside, but you cannot see the situation outside from the inside.
Luo Siwei didn't rush in. She stood outside the door with Ni Xiang and asked her sideways, "What did you notice about these people? You can tell their occupations, ages, and relationships with Yu Wanying from their clothing and expressions."
There were three girls sitting inside, two on the left and one on the right. They were divided into two distinct sides, all looking down at their phones.
Ni Xiang looked at them for a moment and said, "These three people were the ones who called the police and were about to attend the birthday party that night. They were invited by Yu Wanying and must have been close to her. There were a few seats between the two groups, which means they weren't exactly familiar with each other, but they knew each other. Judging from their age and clothing, these three people must have been Yu Wanying's classmates."
Luo Siwei agreed, adding "evidence" to her reasoning: "The girl on the far left has a card clipped to her keychain. It's a Donglan University campus card, which can be used to get food or plug it into the washing machine. It also has their dormitory number written on it, Room 502. They were Yu Wanying's classmates and roommates in college."
Ni Xiang was encouraged. She had not done much of this kind of practice in the police academy before, and now was a good opportunity to learn.
She continued, "Of the two girls sharing the dorm, the thinner one wore makeup and carried a nice bag and phone, suggesting she was relatively well-off. The other girl was a bit overweight, and her clothes and accessories were quite ordinary. She hunched over in a somewhat unconfident manner, as if she had no opinions of her own, and kept glancing at her classmates."
Luo Siwei hummed.
"The girl sitting on the right... isn't very familiar with them. She's probably just Yu Wanying's friend." Ni Xiang sensed that Luo Siwei was paying particular attention to the people who reported the crime. She asked, "Captain Luo, could one of these three be the murderer?"
Luo Siwei was silent for a moment and then said, "In terms of time, around the time Yu Wanying was murdered, they were waiting for her arrival at the birthday party. Then they called the police."
Ni Xiang lowered her head and thought: "In other words, these people all have alibis?"
"That's the theory, but we can't rule out the possibility that they're accomplices. Let's go in and talk to them." Then Luo Siwei remembered something. "Oh, right? Don't tell them yet that the police have found Yu Wanying's body. I want to observe their reaction."
Luo Siwei and Ni Xiang walked into the reception room. Ni Xiang asked them to fill out a form, and Luo Siwei asked a few simple questions. Ni Xiang found that the results were exactly the same as their previous inferences.
These three are all students on campus. The two on the left are Yu Wanying's roommates. Their dormitory originally housed four people, but one of them left after receiving his diploma and returned home. The other two are preparing to apply for graduate school at the same university, so they're still living on campus. They came here together after being contacted by the police today.
The thin girl with makeup on is called Ye Ruxi. She is from Donglan and is the only child in her family.
The slightly plump girl with glasses is called Xue Rong. She was born in a reconstituted family with two siblings. The older sister has already started working, and the younger brother is still in elementary school.
The woman with short hair and black clothes on the right is Mu Chengxiao. She was Yu Wanying's high school classmate. They both applied to Donglan University, but she was in the School of International Relations.
Yu Wanying likes to be lively and likes to look for delicious food and fun things everywhere. She also likes to organize some parties. Xue Rong and Ye Ruxi met Mu Chengxiao at the dinner party organized by Yu Wanying's group.
On one side is her classmate and roommate, and on the other side is her best friend of many years. Yu Wanying feels that they are all her good friends, so they will also become good friends with each other.
But in fact, if it weren't for Yu Wanying's contact, they might never have any intersection in this life, and they wouldn't say a word even if they sat together.
Luo Siwei first asked some routine questions, such as whether Yu Wanying had a boyfriend and who she was interacting with recently.
Several people either said no or didn't know.
"Regarding Yu Wanying's disappearance." Luo Siwei swept his eyes over the three young people, putting pressure on them, "Do you have any other relevant clues?"
The three young people were silent for a moment, avoiding Luo Siwei's gaze. The air in the reception room was so cold that it was almost freezing. This silence indirectly confirmed that they might be hiding something.
Luo Siwei deliberately did not separate them for questioning to prevent them from lying or concealing the truth. The three girls were not suspects at the moment, and with so many people present, they could be confronted face to face.
"With the clues you provide, we can solve the case as quickly as possible." Luo Siwei rested his hands on the table. "Has Yu Wanying received any strange messages or threats?"
"She mentioned it to me a few times..." The girl named Mu Chengxiao raised her head. "I don't know if those things are related to Yu Wanying's disappearance. Probably since last year, Yu Wanying has been harassed by a perverted stalker. Maybe she was kidnapped by that stalker."
The two roommates sitting opposite her remained silent with their heads down.
After a while, Xue Rong whispered in agreement, "That's true. Yu Wanying once asked me for help, and I gave her some advice."
"Such important information, why didn't you tell us before?" Ni Xiang, who was in charge of recording, became excited. She felt a little regretful and a little upset. She didn't know if the police would have been able to rescue Yu Wanying on the same day they received the call if they had known this information earlier.
Xue Rong raised her eyes, somewhat timidly, and stammered, "It was Yu Wanying... She told us not to tell anyone else. She didn't dare to call the police."
Ye Ruxi, standing aside, said with a serious expression, "Yu Wanying asked someone to investigate, but that person used a ladder and couldn't find any real information. She has also been threatened by him. If she calls the police, it might be even more dangerous."
Mu Chengxiao also said, "Later, Wanying decided to apply for a graduate degree abroad. I also think it would be safer for her to leave as soon as possible."
Now that the incident has happened, it will be of no use blaming these girls. The most urgent task is to find the real culprit.
Luo Siwei asked: "Do you know who is the person who harassed her?"
Ye Ruxi shook her head: "I don't know. If we knew who it was, we would have told you long ago. I just know that someone is doing this."
Luo Siwei said, "Please cooperate with the police. Go into the interrogation room one by one and tell us the details of what you know."
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