Chapter 10: Flowers in the Mist
After arranging for Xin Xiao to call Lan Ruojin, Ji Feng decided to personally call Lan Ruojin, considering the Lan family's considerable influence in Langu City, and invite her to the Criminal Investigation Detachment to assist in the investigation. When the call was connected, the voice on the other end was like a nightingale singing in the woods, clear and melodious, yet carrying a touch of casual laziness.
"Is this Ms. Lan Ruojin? I'm Ji Feng from the Criminal Investigation Detachment."
"Oh, Captain Ji, I've long heard of you." There was no trace of emotion in her tone, but there was an innate calmness, as if she had long been accustomed to being looked up to and observed from afar.
"Regarding your husband's case, there are some new developments that require your cooperation in the investigation. Please come to the team tomorrow."
"I know the case has been reopened." She smiled softly, her voice as smooth as silk across her fingertips. "But all the information I know was already shared several years ago. You also took statements back then. Why do you want us to go through it again? I'm very busy."
Ji Feng leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowed slightly, his tone steady but unyielding: "Ms. Lan, since you know the investigation has been reopened, it means there are new developments. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother you to cooperate with the investigation again."
"But I really don't have time tomorrow. Can we do it another day?"
"Your husband has been dead for many years. Although the case has been closed, you may not have fully accepted that it is the whole truth, right?" Ji Feng paused, his voice lowering a little. "To seek justice for your husband, I believe you will be more motivated than us, right?"
"I already told you I wouldn't have time tomorrow, but you didn't seem to believe me."
"When is convenient for you? I'm available anytime."
"Oh, that's hard for me to refuse." She chuckled and said calmly, "But I really can't spare the time during the eight-hour workday."
"You want me to work overtime?" Ji Feng raised his eyebrows slightly, and the corners of his lips curled up in a smile, "No problem."
"Captain Ji is straightforward. Let's do it today. I have to go on a business trip tomorrow."
"Okay, I'll wait for you in the queue."
After hanging up the phone, Ji Feng slowly leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, thinking to himself, "You're still a little immature, little brat." Suddenly, he remembered something—he'd been so busy these past few days that he'd overlooked Zhou Wenlan's situation. He turned around, his voice a bit hurried, "Xin Xiao, how's the progress on contacting Zhou Wenlan?"
"Already contacted." Xin Xiao's voice came faintly from behind the computer screen.
"Tell me about the situation quickly."
Xin Xiao took off his headphones and turned around, a look of confusion between his brows. "Captain Ji, this Zhou Wenlan... doesn't seem right."
"Something's wrong?" Ji Feng's brows twitched slightly. He slowly put down the case file in his hand and raised his chin to signal him to continue.
Xin Xiao pondered for a moment and then slowly spoke, "Two days ago, I called Zhou Wenlan again. This time, he didn't mention the hospitalization. He just said that he wasn't feeling well and couldn't speak, so he needed to be brief."
Ji Feng nodded slightly, signaling Xin Xiao to continue.
"I asked him a few questions about Shen Zhaoran. At first, he was quite cooperative, saying that Shen Zhaoran often came to the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau to consult on professional issues, and that the two of them were quite familiar with each other."
"What happened next?" Ji Feng asked.
"When I asked about their relationship and whether the Lan family had any unusual behavior, Zhou Wenlan's attitude suddenly became cautious. He began to evade the topic, saying that they were just ordinary working people, with business dealings being the main focus, and that he didn't know much else." Xin Xiao paused, then continued, "I could sense that he was deliberately avoiding certain issues."
Ji Feng tapped his fingers on the table, and after a moment of contemplation, he asked, "What was unusual about his tone and reaction at the time?"
Xin Xiao thought carefully, "His tone was slightly nervous, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. His speaking pace slowed down significantly, and he paused several times, as if he was carefully considering each word."
Ji Feng thought to himself that there was indeed something strange about Zhou Wenlan's behavior.
"What did Shen Zhaoran discuss with him?"
Xin Xiao nodded, "He said it was about antique appraisal."
Ji Feng nodded silently, "It seems that Zhou Wenlan is hiding something, or has something unspeakable."
"Captain Ji, could it be that Zhou Wenlan and Shen Zhaoran have some vested interests, and he's afraid of the negative impact if he speaks out, so he's being vague?" Xin Xiao guessed.
Ji Feng slowly shook his head, a solemn expression on his face. "Profitable transactions? Collecting some appraisal fees isn't out of the ordinary. But this matter is probably more complicated than that. An expert from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau wouldn't be so nervous if it were just a few appraisal fees, unless... he knows some unknown secrets."
Xin Xiao frowned slightly and asked, "Captain Ji, you mean - he and the Lan family..."
Ji Feng raised his hand to interrupt him. After a moment of silence, he said, "There are only a few clues at the moment, so I can't make any rash conclusions. But my intuition tells me that there's something deeper behind this. Try to contact Zhou Wenlan again and try to get some useful information out of him. If you can't make any progress, then we'll have to visit him in person and talk face to face." Without waiting for Xin Xiao to respond, Ji Feng continued, "Both parties involved are no longer alive. Zhou Wenlan is the only one, besides the Lan family, who was familiar with Shen Zhaoran. You must keep a close eye on this clue and strive to make a breakthrough with him."
"I understand!" Xin Xiao responded decisively, his eyes firm.
Xin Xiao changed his tone and said, "There's one more thing—a few days ago, you asked me to dig deeper into the thread of 'Little Dragon' being replaced by a cat, and I'm already making some progress. I visited several local veteran merchants dealing in thuja, and they all said that thuja is naturally formed, unlike spices or antiques, and is extremely difficult to imitate. In other words, fakes are often easy to spot at a glance. So, my original suspicion that someone had exchanged a fake for the real thing can basically be ruled out, and we can focus on pursuing other clues."
Ji Feng nodded silently, "If it is determined to be murder for money, then the suspect's target can only be Shen Zhaoran's other property."
He slowly walked to the window. Outside, the sky was gray, and the clouds hung low, like a huge rock pressing down on his heart. He stared at the blurred horizon in the distance, his heart surging like a tide, unable to calm down for a long time.
For some reason, a vague sense of unease crept through him. He felt that this case wasn't an isolated incident, but rather the edge of a vast, dark web—clues intertwined and undercurrents swirling. And Zhou Wenlan might just be the key clue that could unravel the entire web.
What secrets is Shen Zhaoran hiding? What is Zhou Wenlan deliberately avoiding? Is there a carefully planned chess game behind all this?
He stood by the window, the wind blowing quietly through the cracks, blowing the scattered files on the desk. His eyes were still fixed on the gray sky, as if trying to glimpse a glimmer of truth from it.
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