24 Buddha's Eye
Fang Cheng stared intently at the photo. "The relationship between these two is not simple. If they are not husband and wife, they are at least boyfriend and girlfriend."
Upon hearing this, the policewoman exclaimed in surprise, her tone tinged with gossip: "No way, could it be that this big internet celebrity is secretly married? Oh my god, no way!"
Lin Long glared at the policewoman and said, "Go investigate and contact this Commander Zhou."
The policewoman understood and, not daring to delay her work any longer, replied, "Yes, sir!"
Fang Chengjin walked to the coffee table, picked up one of the teacups, smelled it, and frowned slightly.
Lin Long also came to his side. "The laboratory just came and said that the cup is poisonous, but the specific cause still needs to be tested."
Fang Cheng asked cautiously, "What kind of poison do you mean that tastes like oranges?"
Lin Long exclaimed in surprise, "Orange flavor? But there's no fruit here... I'll go check the kitchen!"
With that, Lin Long walked towards the kitchen.
Fang Chengjin picked up another cup and smelled it. "This one smells like oranges too..."
Then he put down the cup, picked up the teapot, and smelled the handle. "This one too..."
The lid was opened again. "There's nothing inside..."
He seemed to be talking to himself, but it was more of a confirmation.
He put down the teapot and examined the crime scene. There were no signs of struggle inside; everything was in its original place, and nothing was broken. It was clear that the victim had not fought with the murderer before his death.
Under what circumstances could the deceased be so completely unguarded?
Fang Cheng glanced at it for a while, and then Lin Long came out of the kitchen. "The only fruit in the kitchen is apples, but they're all perfectly packaged and haven't been eaten at all. Is something wrong?"
Fang Chengjin described the scent he smelled, "Orange, there's a scent of oranges in the air. It doesn't smell like real oranges; it seems like something else has been added to it. Could it be perfume?"
Lin Long immediately went to the bedroom to find his colleague, "A-Fan, how's the room search going? Do you have any perfume?"
The police officer, nicknamed A-Fan, thought for two seconds before coming to the dressing table. "There are four bottles on it."
Lin Long smelled them one by one, but they were all very obviously sweet scents, without any fruity notes. He looked at Fang Chengjin.
Fang Chengjin stood at the door without approaching. He simply stood there, and the moment Lin Long opened the bottle, he smelled it. "These are definitely not there."
Lin Long frowned, a hint of seriousness creeping into his wheat-colored face. "Then what exactly is it?"
Soon, the police officer brought over an invitation card.
"Inspector Lin, here is an invitation from the Polytechnic University for a class reunion. Jiang Huai's name is on it."
Lin Long took it and glanced at it with Fang Chengjin.
Fang Chengjin: "It has the class and grade numbers, as well as the names of the initiators. Let's check these students first; we might find something."
Lin Long nodded.
**
After the recollection ended, Fang Chengjin's eyes flickered. He looked at Chunxia in front of him and asked, "Many years after graduation, you actually went to see Jiang Huai last week. Do you still have contact with her? According to the counselor, something happened during your sophomore year that caused the four of you in the dormitory to split up. After that, you all transferred to other dormitories, and some of you even transferred to other classes."
Chunxia's hands became increasingly sweaty, and her gaze unconsciously darted away.
Fang Chengjin continued, "Was Xia Yi blinded because of the three of you?"
Chunxia immediately stood up in shock, her pupils dilating in fright.
Years have passed, yet this question still haunts her, just like it did back then, keeping her tossing and turning at night, unable to forget it.
"No, no!" Chunxia shouted twice, "It was already investigated back then, it was her own problem!"
Fang Cheng interrupted coldly: "Was it really her? They never really investigated back then. Your counselor already said that they couldn't find the killer, so the case was dropped. Xia Yi's blindness was due to accidental contact with poison. Someone was adding ethambutol to her contact lens solution over a long period. Long-term use of this drug can cause side effects such as blurred vision, eye pain, red-green color blindness, or decreased vision and narrowed visual field. When the daily dose exceeds 25 milligrams, it can also lead to optic neuritis. She shared a dorm room with the three of you; you were the most likely to have come into contact with her contact lens solution!"
Chunxia covered her eyes and began to sob, "No, it's not..."
Fang Chengjin: "Have you gone to see Xia Yi again?"
Chunxia shook her head. "No, we haven't wanted to contact our former classmates since graduation. Xia Yi transferred schools in her senior year, and we don't have her contact information at all. Nobody knows where she went."
Fang Chengjin: "Then why did you go to see Jiang Huai before?"
Chunxia sighed, "I went to ask someone for help. I want Zhou Yiming to be the spokesperson for my company's latest product, so I can ask him to help promote it. He's the top influencer on the platform now, and he has a lot of influence."
Hearing this, Zhou Yun couldn't help but ask, "Who is Zhou Yiming?"
Fang Chengjin: "It's the internet celebrity Zhou Dashuai, that's his stage name. His real name is Zhou Yiming."
Chunxia nodded, indicating that Fang Chengjin was right. "He and Jiang Huai got married. They had a secret marriage, which is why I wanted to contact Jiang Huai and ask her to help make the marriage happen."
Fang Chengjin: "Zhou Yiming is your senior from the previous year. I heard he was the student council president back then. Why did you contact him through Jiang Huai? Why not just contact his agent directly? You and Jiang Huai aren't that close, why would she help you?"
Chunxia remained silent for a moment before replying, "Although he is a senior, I don't know him. At least he used to share a dorm with Jiang Huai. I'm just checking in. Who knows if Jiang Huai will help me?"
Zhou Yun asked, "What was Jiang Huai's reply to you?"
Chunxia's eyes were deep, and she sneered: "She told me to get lost. Senior Zhou is someone we can't afford to associate with now, he was before, and he is now."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun felt a strange sensation.
Chunxia seems to have some shady relationship with her senior or someone else.
**
Since there was no further evidence, Fang Chengjin could only let Chunxia go after chatting for a while.
Watching her departing figure, Zhou Yun came to Fang Chengjin's side and said, "I think she's hiding something from us, such as her past relationship with this senior, or her relationship with the other people."
Fang Chengjin turned to the side and looked intently into Zhou Yun's eyes. Seeing her carefully considering Chunxia's departure, he breathed a sigh of relief.
She seems to have returned to normal.
Fang Chengjin slightly curved his lips, his tone softening considerably, as if offering encouragement. "Your observation skills have improved again. Chunxia's expression was clearly off when she talked about Zhou Yiming. Besides, given Zhou Yiming's looks, it's no wonder he became a big internet celebrity; he must have been at least a campus heartthrob back then, and there must have been many girls who liked him. Perhaps Chunxia liked him back then too. Or perhaps it wasn't just Chunxia."
Zhou Yun looked away and nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right, there's another girl in their dorm. Should we go ask her?"
"Let's go, it's time for the next one."
**
Ever since Dong Qingqing saw Chunxia, she had felt inexplicably uneasy. When she saw two people take Chunxia away, she became even more anxious.
She stood blankly in the middle of the class reunion, her expression vacant. Before she knew it, she had walked to the photo wall and stared at the group photo of the four of them. She was stunned.
Suddenly, a cold sensation surged up her arm, and a scream rang out.
Dong Qingqing's expression was pulled back to normal as she noticed an unfamiliar female classmate looking troubled.
"Excuse me, I bumped into you by accident."
The female classmate was holding a wine glass, and the water in the glass was spilled, splashing onto Dong Qingqing's skirt, a large patch of wine red soaking through her pure white dress.
Perhaps seeing that she hadn't done it on purpose, Dong Qingqing didn't pursue the matter, only replying softly, "It's nothing..."
The female classmate, seeing that she wasn't angry, curled her lip in disdain. After passing her, she remarked, "How dare she come to the gathering? The things her dorm did back then were truly outrageous... I don't know what the class monitor was thinking..."
Zhou Yun and Fang Chengjin witnessed this scene.
The two approached, and Zhou Yun spoke, "Dong Qingqing."
Dong looked up and saw the two people who had taken Chunxia away, and involuntarily took a step back.
Seeing this, Zhou Yun said in a gentle tone, "We have something we want to ask you."
Dong asked softly, "What is it?"
Zhou Yun smiled and said, "Let's talk about it outside."
Dong took a deep breath and nodded; she didn't want to stay in the classroom any longer.
The students here don't welcome them, except for the class monitor who invited them.
Dong Qingqing was about to leave with them when, as they reached the door, a boy wearing glasses approached and asked, "Wait, where are you going?"
Dong turned around gently and looked at the class monitor, unsure of what to say.
Zhou Yun noticed that the boy seemed a little nervous around Dong Qingqing. "Who are you?"
"Jiang Yang, squad leader."
Zhou Yun said, "We just wanted to talk to her."
Jiang Yang asked in confusion, "You weren't invited by me, were you? This is a class reunion. If you're not from our class, please leave."
His tone was somewhat forceful, and it seemed he didn't want Zhou Yun to take Dong Qingqing away.
Fang Chengjin said coldly, showing his police identification: "Jiang Huai has been murdered, and we suspect Dong Qingqing is involved in the case."
Dong Qingqing's face turned pale instantly, but she stepped forward and asked with concern, "What did you say? Jiang Huai is dead?!"
Fang Chengjin: "Just a week ago."
Dong took a step back and shook her head. "No, how could that be? Could it have been her back then? No... impossible..."
Dong gently hugged her head, as if she were overwhelmed with immense self-reproach.
Jiang Yang immediately stepped forward and hugged her, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'll go with you."
Dong remained silent, tears streaming down her face.
Fang Chengjin and Zhou Yun exchanged a glance, both realizing that the relationship between the two seemed to be quite complicated.
All four of them left the classroom and returned to the small pavilion downstairs.
Dong Qingqing was in very poor condition. Jiang Yang helped her to the pavilion, where she sat down looking lost.
Fang Chengjin looked at her stunned expression, his eyes flickering.
This winter, I am currently working as an ordinary clerk in a small logistics company, and my family is comfortably well-off.
Fang Chengjin couldn't help but say, "After graduation, you also saw a psychologist, but it seems your depression hasn't completely healed."
Dong gently raised her head, her eyes a little swollen. "I've already taken the medicine, and the doctor said I'll be better soon."
Fang Chengjin: "What happened in your dormitory back then?"
Upon hearing this, Dong stood up abruptly, her expression tense, and shook her head, "No, nothing at all!"
Jiang Yang couldn't help but hug her and scold, "That's enough, don't upset her!"
Then she turned back to comfort Dong Qingqing, "Don't worry, nothing's wrong. Xia Yi is fine, we're all fine. It was just an accident back then..."
Dong Qingqing gradually calmed down.
Seeing this, Zhou Yun stepped forward, pressed down on Fang Chengjin's arm, and shook her head.
Zhou Yun whispered, "I think Jiang Yang knows a lot of things. We can ask him."
Fang Chengjin agreed. He thought the same as Zhou Yun and had a premonition that Dong Qingqing had told Jiang Yang a lot of things.
What they couldn't get the information from, Jiang Yang might also know.
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