Xu Xiaolin and Lin Su exchanged a glance, and finally Lin Su voiced their shared opinion: "Were these two assassination attempts carried out by two different people?"
“At least that’s what I think.” Wang Shen crossed his arms and nodded slightly. “Moreover, I think one of them is Han Mo herself. Try using this as a knife to stab me and yourself.” Wang Shen pointed to the pen in Lin Su’s hand, then to himself, indicating that Lin Su should try it his way.
Following Wang Shen's instructions, Lin Su used the pen as a fruit knife and first stabbed at Wang Shen. Just as the pen tip touched Wang Shen's abdomen, Wang Shen suddenly grabbed Lin Su's hand. After a few seconds, everyone understood Wang Shen's meaning. The pen tip was pointing upwards at Wang Shen's abdomen. Lin Su then stabbed himself with the pen, again with the pen tip pointing downwards.
The three exchanged glances again. Xu Xiaolin's mouth agape, as if she had just realized something. "So, based on the direction of the stab wounds, you determined that one stab was inflicted by Han Mo herself, while the other was inflicted by someone else. This becomes your direct evidence that Han Mo did not commit suicide, right?" Xu Xiaolin looked at Wang Shen, awaiting his answer.
Wang Shen nodded. "That's right. I can't think of any other explanation."
“However, there are two problems here. The first and most important one is related to the final mystery of this case, which is how the murderer could move freely in an enclosed space. The second question also sounds strange: if Han Mo stabbed herself, why would she stab herself?” Lin Su asked while looking at Wang Shen, unable to find the answers to these two questions immediately.
“I can’t answer those two questions right now. Perhaps, as our investigation deepens, all the mysteries will be solved.” Wang Shen shrugged and smiled.
"If that's the case, why did you conclude that Han Mo committed suicide back then?" Xu Xiaolin looked at Wang Shen with a serious expression.
“Because at the time, we couldn’t find any evidence of homicide, and we also couldn’t figure out how to break the lock-up. Besides…” Wang Shen paused halfway through his sentence, seemingly weighing something in his mind. “Alright, now that you’re part of this case, there’s nothing to hide from you.” After saying that, Wang Shen took out a piece of paper from his pocket and placed it in front of Xu Xiaolin and Lin Su.
Lin Su was the first to pick up the paper, holding it up halfway in front of himself and Xu Xiaolin. It was a medical report. "Moderate to severe depression?" Lin Su read out the words on the report in surprise.
“That’s right. When we were investigating Han Mo’s background, we found that she frequently visited a psychological clinic. And this piece of paper is the diagnosis provided by her psychological counselor. So, based on this diagnosis and Han Mo’s Weibo posts before her death, we concluded that she committed suicide.”
"I never imagined that someone as glamorous as her would suffer from depression." Xu Xiaolin looked away from the diagnosis report, sighed, and leaned heavily back in her chair again.
"Does anyone who appears glamorous necessarily live a carefree life? The glamour in public and the suffering behind the scenes are what torment people the most."
"Wang Shen, when did you become a philosopher? Okay, back to the point, did that psychologist provide any other useful clues later?" Xu Xiaolin pressed on.
"The diagnosis is in the file. However, I believe there must be more clues with the therapist. This may be our breakthrough."
"Isn't there still that food order number? Are you sure it was Han Mo herself who called?" Lin Su put down the diagnosis report in his hand and asked Wang Shen.
"The person who answered the phone was the restaurant manager. It's said that a woman's voice came through the line, and they had a conversation. According to the manager's description, there are two possibilities. The first possibility is that Han Mo did make the call. The second possibility is that another woman made the call, and that woman is the murderer. However, I saw Han Mo's time of death in the autopsy report, which was after she ordered the food. So I think the first possibility is more likely."
“Wang Shen, in my novel, the deceased Li Xue’s phone is missing. This is because the murderer made the call after Li Xue’s death using a recorded message. And the murderer had to leave Li Xue’s apartment complex before making the call, creating an alibi for himself. Because Li Xue’s apartment complex has a sophisticated surveillance system, the murderer took Li Xue’s phone and left the complex, made the recorded call, and then disposed of the phone. This way, the murderer’s alibi is established. I want to ask, did the surveillance cameras in Han Mo’s apartment complex capture any valuable information? Was Han Mo’s phone found?” Xu Xiaolin kept writing in her notebook, constantly expressing her opinions and raising her questions.
"Disappointingly, the old residential area where Han Mo lives has no surveillance cameras at all. Moreover, Han Mo's cell phone was left on the coffee table in the living room," Wang Shen replied to Xu Xiaolin's question with a wry smile.
“There’s no CCTV footage, and the phone isn’t missing. This is a dead end. What kind of murderer could devise such a flawless case?” Xu Xiaolin finished writing the last word and slammed the pen heavily on the notebook.
"Therefore, we need to make a reasonable judgment by collecting evidence. The two important clues we currently have are a psychological counseling center called 'Xiao' in the city center and a restaurant called 'Lawei' in the suburbs. I happen to be going to the vicinity of 'Lawei' restaurant tomorrow, so one of you can come with me. We'll talk to the deliveryman and the manager who answered the phone to find out what happened. The other person can go to the psychological counseling center in the city center to look for clues."
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