23 Buddha's Eye
Fang Chengjin led Chunxia to the small pavilion downstairs. There was no one in the pavilion now, and there were many bushes around it, making it much quieter.
Chunxia's expression was extremely serious, and the occasional glimpses of sadness revealed her true feelings.
Upon arriving at the pavilion, Chunxia sat down on the stone bench without saying a word. She sat upright, her expression carrying a hint of melancholy.
Fang Cheng stood quietly, leaning against a nearby pillar, gazing at the spring glow.
Chunxia suddenly sighed, but still didn't say anything.
Zhou Yun also came over at this time and stood aside to observe.
The familiar scent of osmanthus blossoms filled the air; it wasn't just the Public Security University, but the entire campus of the Polytechnic University smelled the same. Besides that, Fang Chengjin also smelled Chunxia's perfume, exactly the same scent he'd detected at the crime scene that day.
Fang Chengjin's voice rang out softly: "A fresh sea scent, with a touch of nylon fragrance. This should be Louis Perfume's new autumn release."
Chunxia looked surprised, then admitted, "Yes, this is perfume I bought some time ago. Is there a problem?"
Fang Chengjin: "This perfume isn't cheap, or rather, Louis' perfumes aren't cheap at all; they usually cost tens of thousands of yuan a bottle. Your job must be quite well-paid. As far as I know, most of the chemical engineering students in your class go to chemical plants. You're different; you've become a public relations manager at an entertainment company."
Chunxia lowered her eyes, her tone tinged with reminiscence: "No one stipulated that just because I graduated from this major, I had to work in this industry. When I filled out my college application, I was assigned to this major; I never intended to work in this field. I like celebrities and I like watching dramas. During my senior year internship, I went to work as an intern at an entertainment company, which is the company I've been working at ever since."
After saying that, he took a deep breath and said, "I'm also lucky. I've only been in this position for three years, but I've already been promoted to a leadership position."
Fang Chengjin: "Of course, there's no rule that you have to work in the chemical industry. Just like you, just like your senior Zhou Yiming, who became a big internet celebrity, and just like your roommate Jiang Huai, who started a media company."
When these two people were mentioned, Chunxia's expression changed slightly, and she averted her gaze.
Fang Cheng asked cautiously, "You're all in the same industry and were university classmates, don't you keep in touch?"
Chunxia lowered her head slightly and sneered, "Our relationship is so-so. After graduation, who would keep in touch all the time? Hong Kong Island is so big, it's a hassle to find time to have a meal together."
Fang Chengjin took a few steps closer. "Then why were you at Jiang Huai's house on the day she died?"
Chunxia immediately looked up, her eyes filled with horror, her hands tightly gripping her dress.
Zhou Yun listened from the side, thinking to herself: The relationship between these people in the dormitory is probably not ordinary, and I wonder what kind of case it is.
As for the other roommate upstairs who was spying, what's the story behind Dong Qingqing?
**
A week ago, at Villa No. 11, Parkview Hill.
The spacious living room was quiet, with only a few rough, hoarse breathing sounds in the air. Several portraits were scattered on the leather sofa, two of which showed the faces of two little girls, one of whom even resembled Zhou Yun in her features.
At noon, the telephone in the living room rang.
The door near the living room opened after a while. Fang Chengjin walked out shirtless, his thin skin clearly visible, his bangs damp, and his face slightly flushed.
He was working out just now.
When I answered the phone, the voice on the other end sounded a bit hurried.
Fang Chengjin listened to the phone call as he walked up to the third floor. He pushed open the bedroom door, went to the balcony, and looked out. He could see several villas nearby, and beyond two other villas, villa number 6 was just over there.
The villas here aren't very tall; they're almost all three stories. Number 6 has the same decor as the villas here, with brown and white ceramic tiles on the exterior, a large European-style balcony, and tall coconut trees.
Fang Jin could only vaguely see the gauze curtain fluttering outwards.
**
When Fang Chengjin arrived at the villa, there were already many police officers in front of the door. These were members of the criminal investigation team. They all knew Fang Chengjin and did not need to show their identification. They let him in directly to find Lin Long.
As Fang Chengjin passed by, the body was being carried out and put into a car, ready to be transported back to the laboratory.
As the wind blew by, Fang Chengjin caught a faint scent of oranges. He stopped abruptly and turned to look at the corpse covered with a white sheet.
Pan Xiaoxia was leading the way, having two assistants help carry the body, when she noticed Fang Chengjin looking over. She couldn't help but wonder, "Professor Fang, is there something wrong with the body? Would you like to examine it?"
Seeing that Pan Xiaoxia was about to lift the white sheet, Fang Cheng immediately shook his head and said, "It's alright. You're more professional in autopsy. Go back and do the examination first, and we'll issue the death report later."
Since Lin Long had already asked her to move the body, he must have already seen it. There was little point in him continuing to look, and his investigation mainly focused on the other small details at the scene; as for the body, he only needed to confirm the cause of death.
Pan Xiaoxia nodded and immediately pulled the body away.
The villa has three floors, and the body was found in the living room on the second floor. So when Fang Chengjin went up to the second floor, he saw Lin Long in the living room.
Upon arriving, Fang Chengjin first looked around the coffee table in the living room. There was only one teapot and five cups on the table. Two of the cups looked like they had been used, with their rims facing up. One of the cups still contained water, while the other cups were upside down and covered up.
Besides that, there was nothing else—no fruit, no oranges. So, where did the orange scent I smelled earlier come from?
Fang Chengjin was deep in thought, remaining silent. Lin Long, who had been facing away from Fang Chengjin, only noticed his presence after turning around.
"Old Fang, you've finally arrived. How long have you been standing here? Did you discover something?"
Fang Cheng cautiously asked, "Was there a fruit platter here just now?"
Lin Long frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "No, I was the first one to enter. The coffee table was like this when I came in. Apart from the corpse, we didn't touch anything."
Upon hearing this, Fang Chengjin had a question lingering in his mind.
Lin Long continued, "The person who found the body was Aunt Chen, the hourly cleaner who comes to clean every noon. According to Aunt Chen, she usually rings the doorbell before the woman of the house hears it and then presses the door open button for her; she doesn't have a key. But today the door was fully open, and she was very confused. She went up to the second floor before realizing what had happened, and then she immediately called me. I was on my way at the time, and when my colleagues at the station told me the address, I remembered that it was near your house! So I called you."
Fang Cheng cautiously inquired, "What discoveries have been made so far?"
Lin Long: "We've already retrieved the surveillance footage and will begin the investigation once we get back to the station. Right now, we're checking to see if anyone in the area has noticed anything unusual. What about you? Have you had any contact with this family since yesterday?"
Fang Cheng shook his head: "I don't associate with my neighbors. As for other things, I don't have any clues, especially lately, I've been busy with some paperwork at home."
Lin Long sighed: "Then we can only check the surveillance footage. We've already searched this room, and there were no bloody murder weapons. According to the preliminary forensic examination, the victim was poisoned. So we're currently examining the items in this room, and we only found poison powder in these two cups. We'll have to wait for the forensic examination to determine the specific composition."
Upon hearing this, Fang Chengjin's gaze fell on the two cups.
He asserted: "The perpetrator knew the victim, and they had a close relationship."
Lin Long was surprised: "How do you judge? If guests come to your home, it's customary to offer them tea. Judging from just this point is a bit..."
Fang Cheng interrupted, "Didn't you smell it? This tea isn't cheap. It's Longjing tea, and the flavor is mellow. Based on market prices and the good teas I've smelled before, this should cost at least ten thousand yuan per tael."
Lin Long was shocked.
Who could smell that...?
Lin Long walked over, picked up the teapot, unscrewed the lid, sniffed it, and then asked the officers around him to look for it, "Everyone, go and see if there are any tea leaves!"
"yes."
Such fine tea would not be served to unfamiliar guests.
Lin Long suddenly had a question, "But the Jiang family is so rich, the tea they keep at home wouldn't be cheap. It would be a bit arbitrary to judge based on that alone."
Fang Chengjin: "Since Jiang is rich, the people she usually associates with must not be ordinary people. She wouldn't just let anyone come to her house. They must be people she knows who are willing to come to her house as guests."
Lin Long suddenly realized.
Soon, another junior officer came downstairs, holding a photo frame in his hand. "Inspector Lin, here's a photo."
Lin Long took the photo. It showed a man and a woman. The woman was Jiang Huai, smiling and seemingly ordinary-looking. The other man, on the other hand, was exceptionally handsome with striking features. Even in a simple short-sleeved shirt, his refined and elegant demeanor was undeniable.
Fang Cheng glanced at them and noticed that both of them were wearing silver rings on their ring fingers. He asked, "Jiang Huai is married?"
Lin Long shook his head. "As far as I know, no. The Jiang family is a large conglomerate. If they were to marry off their daughter, it would usually be on the Hong Kong entertainment headlines. It's not public, but I don't know if it happens in secret."
Fang Cheng asked cautiously, "You still read entertainment newspapers?"
Lin Long coughed lightly, "Police officers need to be familiar with this area, and we absolutely must read the entertainment headlines!"
Then, changing the subject, he said, "Xiao Hua, come here for a moment and go check on the relationship between these two."
He then handed the photo to the policewoman.
To everyone's surprise, the policewoman took it and immediately exclaimed, "Hey! Isn't this the famous internet celebrity Zhou Dashuai?!"
Lin Long was surprised, "You know him?"
Policewoman Xiaohua nodded, "Yes, I know him. I even gave him a tip!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Long felt ashamed and trembled as he met Fang Chengjin's questioning gaze.
Well, the whole team is so obsessed with gossip and entertainment that he's embarrassed to even praise his own hard work and achievements.
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