After saying that, Xu Xiaolin glanced at Lin Su beside her, then smiled and said, "My husband also really likes spicy food."
After Xu Xiaolin finished speaking, Lin Su turned to look at Xu Xiaolin, and then at Wang Shen.
"Oh?" As Lin Su looked at Wang Shen, Wang Shen raised his head and looked at Lin Su, asking in surprise, "Where are you from, Writer Lin? You like spicy food so much."
“My hometown is in Sichuan,” Lin Su replied, shifting his gaze from Wang Shen.
After hearing Lin Su's answer, Wang Shen nodded. "No wonder. My impression of Sichuan is just one word: 'spicy.'" After saying that, Wang Shen chuckled twice, raised his glass, and toasted Lin Su.
At this moment, a waiter standing not far from the table noticed that Xu Xiaolin's wine glass was empty, so he took the bottle and walked over to her. Just as the waiter was about to refill Xu Xiaolin's glass, she didn't notice him standing behind her and accidentally knocked the bottle over.
The waiter apologized repeatedly in a panic, but most of the bottle of red wine spilled squarely onto Lin Su. Startled by the commotion, Lin Su immediately stood up from his chair and began wiping the spilled wine off himself with a napkin.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." The servant stood aside, seemingly at a loss.
Xu Xiaolin initially ignored the waiter's apology, instead standing up from her chair, taking her own napkin, and helping Lin Su wipe the red wine off his clothes. Xu Xiaolin bent down and wiped the red wine off Lin Su's leather shoes. Xu Xiaolin seemed somewhat displeased, complaining as she wiped the shoes, "These shoes were custom-made. Your feet are naturally small, so finding shoes that fit is quite difficult."
Wang Shen and Liang Zichen watched the scene unfold without saying a word. Wang Shen's gaze suddenly fell on Lin Su's shoes. Wang Shen remembered first meeting Han Lin at the "Spicy Restaurant," precisely when they were investigating Han Mo's case.
Now dressed in a different outfit, Wang Shen no longer carried the small notebook in his pocket. However, he clearly remembered that, according to Han Lin, Han Mo's dining habits at the restaurant and her takeout habits seemed quite different. Whenever Han Mo ate at "Spicy Restaurant," she usually ordered local Shanghainese dishes with rich, dark sauces, catering to the tastes of people from the Jiangnan region. But when Han Mo ordered takeout, she primarily opted for Sichuan cuisine.
Furthermore, it's now almost certain that Xiao Lin was the one accompanying Han Mo while she dined in. Therefore, the person eating takeout with Han Mo becomes particularly suspicious and is highly likely the hidden murderer. Judging from their taste preferences, this man probably likes spicy food. So, Han Mo always ordered takeout to accommodate this man.
From this perspective, Lin Su, a Sichuan native, enjoys spicy food. This aligns somewhat with the identity of the hidden man. However, this alone doesn't prove anything. After all, there are far too many people in this era who enjoy spicy food.
However, there's another suspicious point. Xu Xiaolin said Lin Su was a regular at "Spicy Restaurant," but when Wang Shen first went to investigate "Spicy Restaurant," he went with Lin Su. Based on Han Lin and A Cheng's reactions at the time, they didn't find Lin Su to be a regular customer.
A regular customer who has never dined in yet is so familiar with the dishes at "Spicy Restaurant" must have ordered takeout! Of course, all of this still needs to be verified. Even so, it's all just Wang Shen's speculation. What puzzles Wang Shen even more now is the pair of shoes Lin Su is wearing.
Wang Shen's insight was as sharp as his memory. He stared at Lin Su's shoes for a long time, noting that the size seemed similar to Xiao Lin's. Furthermore, Wang Shen had already researched the killer's shoe size. According to standard sizing, it was only a size 39.5. Such a size is relatively rare among men.
"There are clean clothes and shoes in the guest room. Shall I take you to change?" The attendant stopped apologizing, but his face still showed a nervous and apologetic expression.
Xu Xiaolin stood up from the ground, glanced at the servant, and then said to Lin Su, "Then you should go with him to change your clothes. You can't wear them after all this red wine has been spilled."
Lin Su glanced at Xu Xiaolin, then nodded. Wang Shen watched Lin Su and his attendants walk away, a hint of worry flashing across his face.
"Wang Shen, what are you thinking about?" Xu Xiaolin looked at Wang Shen staring blankly at Lin Su's back, then waved her hand in front of Wang Shen's face.
Wang Shen immediately snapped out of his daze, glanced at Xu Xiaolin, and replied with a smile, "It's because you looked so angry just now, like you were going to eat that waiter alive. Look how angry you made him."
"That's all because the waiter was too careless. I can let everything else go, but I had to order Lin Su's shoes from the store myself; it took a long time." Xu Xiaolin was still very angry when she talked about this.
"As for shoes, just buy any pair from the store," Liang Zichen said to Xu Xiaolin while eating ribs.
"I'd like to too, but his size is a bit small, and many stores are out of stock." Xu Xiaolin sighed and picked up a piece of lettuce with her chopsticks.
Wang Shen glanced at Xu Xiaolin and asked, "What size is it exactly? You're making Lin Su's feet sound as precious as a panda's."
“Size 39.5, how about that? It’s quite rare, isn’t it? You men’s sizes are usually 40 or above, right?” Xu Xiaolin pouted and said.
39.5 yards? This number struck Wang Shen like a stone. "By the way, you just said Lin Su really likes the food at 'Spicy Restaurant,' so it seems he eats there often."
"I think so. We actually came up with this menu together. He knows a lot of the dishes much better than I do," Xu Xiaolin said, picking up a piece of pork rib and putting it into her bowl.
After listening to Xu Xiaolin's words, Wang Shen nodded inwardly, then joked, "Everyone says that you writers are rich. I didn't believe it before, but now I do."
"Hey, Officer Wang, don't embarrass us." Xu Xiaolin glanced at Wang Shen after hearing his words.
"Even if we only go to a high-end restaurant like this once in a while, it would still hurt our wallets, let alone go there often," Wang Shen joked with a smile, as he raised his glass to toast Xu Xiaolin.
Not long after, Lin Su returned wearing a suit.
Xu Xiaolin glanced at Lin Su and said, "Qi Huan chose a really great place; they even have spare suits. Hey? Why didn't you change your shoes?"
"There aren't any shoes that fit in the room. It's alright, the red wine has all been wiped off, it's nothing serious," Lin Su replied with a smile, looking at Xu Xiaolin.
The banquet ended amidst laughter and chatter. However, after the banquet, Qi Huan arranged a golf game and afternoon tea reception for the visiting guests. Liang Zichen, hearing of this arrangement, inwardly clapped for the opportunity to participate, but was certain that Wang Shen would refuse.
But when Acheng invited Wang Shen, Wang Shen surprisingly agreed with a smile. This left Liang Zichen both excited and puzzled…
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