Chapter 15 Casting a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish
A fake competitive eater influencer? Making money through dishonest means? A sin value of 45? That's not low!
Su Xiaonuan was startled. She continued working with her hands, and seemingly unintentionally looked up and followed the red arrow marked by the system.
Among the people queuing, there was a girl who looked about the same height as her, a little chubby, wearing a black mask, revealing a pair of big eyes with exquisite makeup, and carrying a large badminton bag on her back. She looked like an ordinary girl who had just finished exercising, and even seemed a little timid.
You'd never guess she's a social media influencer with a sin score of 45 who's involved in fraud!
The more this was the case, the more alarmed Su Xiaonuan became.
This shows that the other party is extremely good at disguising themselves and using their vulnerable appearance to cover up their inner scheming. They are a big fish that is hiding very well!
There are people around now, so it's obviously not a good time to directly expose her.
what to do?
Su Xiaonuan's mind raced, and she instantly came up with an idea.
She decided to play the long game! First, she'd get their contact information, then she'd investigate further!
Soon, it was the girl in the mask's turn in line.
She ordered a bowl of hot and sour noodles.
While skillfully making the food, Su Xiaonuan casually lowered her voice and said to her in an excited and curious tone, "Um... beautiful lady, are you the 'Big Eater Dora' who's so popular online? I really like you! Could... could we get each other's contact information?" She tried her best to make her eyes look full of admiration and expectation.
The girl was clearly taken aback for a moment, and looked at Su Xiaonuan warily.
But when he saw that the other party was just a young girl with a "sincere" look in her eyes, and that he had just been whetted by the incredibly delicious hot and sour noodles, his vanity and professional instincts instantly took over.
She nodded reservedly, a hint of smugness in her eyes that said, "You recognized me." Her voice, muffled, came through the mask: "Yes, it's me. That's good."
She thought the vendor's skills were good, and the hot and sour noodles tasted amazing. It was a great source of video material, and she thought it was worth contacting him. Maybe they could collaborate or visit the store in the future.
With their own thoughts, the two quickly scanned the QR code and added each other as WeChat friends.
"Thank you, Dora! I've watched all your videos! Keep it up!" Su Xiaonuan handed her the packaged hot and sour noodles with a beaming smile, her acting skills were impeccable.
"Thank you, the noodles you made smell delicious." Influencer Dora took the noodles, replied politely, and then turned and left.
Watching her disappear into the crowd, Su Xiaonuan's smile slowly faded, and her eyes grew deep.
[Ding! Daily task completed! Reward: 300 Merit Points. Current Merit Point Balance: 340. 'Soulful Hot and Sour Noodles' recipe permanently unlocked.]
After packing up and returning home, the first thing Su Xiaonuan did was open the system interface and re-enter the [Special Item Shop].
She wanted to see if there were any props that could completely expose the true face of this "internet celebrity" who was good at disguising and deceiving the public!
Her gaze searched carefully among the bizarre and wonderful props, pondering which one could be the weapon to tear away that mask of hypocrisy...
On the other side, the office of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau was brightly lit.
Lu Zheng rubbed his throbbing temples, staring at the intricate diagram of clues on the whiteboard.
The case in Room 1203 has reached a stalemate.
The stranger who was subdued by Su Xiaonuan remained stubborn after being interrogated overnight. He only admitted to burglary, insisting that he found the woman dead when he pushed the door open, and then Su Xiaonuan came in. He thought the owner had returned and attacked her in a moment of panic.
He knew nothing about the woman's cause of death or the wounds on her body.
The forensic report is out: the female victim was confirmed to have been murdered, dying from mechanical asphyxiation. There were obvious ligature marks on her neck, which matched a broken piece of nylon rope found at the scene.
However, the fatal wound was not the only injury; the victim's body was covered with old and new bruises, confirming that he had suffered domestic violence for a long time.
Strangely, the results of the on-site investigation and forensic examination differed subtly from the confession of the arrested man.
The door lock showed no signs of forced entry; it appeared to have been opened with a key or from the inside.
Although the scene had been partially disturbed, consistent with theft, some valuable jewelry and a small amount of cash were still found, suggesting it was a cover-up.
Most importantly, after careful investigation, no direct evidence has been found to link the stranger to the moment of the deceased's death.
The deceased's husband, the man suspected of serious domestic violence, vanished without a trace, as if he had evaporated into thin air.
His cell phone signal was last detected near an abandoned factory in the suburbs, and then it disappeared completely.
His social relationships, bank statements, and travel records were investigated, but no abnormalities were found.
He was like a drop of water flowing into the ocean, disappearing completely.
“It’s not about money…” Lu Zheng tapped the name “husband” on the whiteboard with his pen. “The house is the woman’s premarital property, there’s no sign of transfer, and the man has no direct financial interest. So what’s the motive?”
Can prolonged domestic violence ultimately lead to murder? It's possible.
But why at this particular time? And after the murder, how could he be so calmly arranging the scene, perhaps even setting up another scapegoat? This doesn't seem like the behavior of an impulsive domestic abuser.
A veteran detective offered his opinion: "Captain Lu, could it be... that this couple was planning a setup from the start? The husband's domestic violence is a fact, but perhaps their relationship had broken down to a certain point, and he wanted to escape, or even try to seize the property but failed. So he conspired with outsiders to create the illusion of a home invasion robbery and murder? Was Su Xiaonuan, the food delivery girl, the one they chose as a 'witness' or 'scapegoat'? They just didn't expect this 'delivery girl' to be so skilled, taking down the murderer directly?"
This speculation is bold, but not entirely impossible.
If that's the case, then the relationship between the couple is far more complicated and darker than the neighbors perceive.
Lu Zheng frowned.
He thought of Su Xiaonuan's clean and efficient skills, and the "coincidence" that always seemed to coincide with her appearances.
If this is indeed a setup, then Su Xiaonuan is undoubtedly the key variable that disrupted the other party's plan, which also means that she may be drawn deeper into it, or even be targeted by the people behind the scenes.
"Investigate! Continue to dig deep into all of this couple's social relationships, especially the man's! Bank statements, communication records, even online chat logs, go through them inch by inch! I don't believe he can leave no trace!" Lu Zheng gave the order.
However, the existing clues are limited, and the investigation will take time.
Lu Zheng decided to use the most basic but possibly most effective method—to revisit the community again, hoping to discover details that had been overlooked before.
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