The next day, Xu Xiaolin, Wang Shen, and Lin Su met again at the "Zhi Le" café. This café had an elegant ambiance, and the owner had a refined taste for Western music. However, looking around the café, there didn't seem to be many customers. In a corner, three steaming cups of coffee sat on a table.
"Why do we always meet here? Wouldn't it be better to go to the police station?" Xu Xiaolin took out her notebook and pen from her bag and muttered to Wang Shen.
“It’s alright, there are few people here, and no one around us, so it won’t have any impact. I think this kind of environment might be more conducive to you unleashing your imagination as professional writers.” Wang Shen blew on his coffee, sipped his coffee, and answered Xu Xiaolin’s question with a smile.
"Officer Wang is so thoughtful." Xu Xiaolin pouted, showing some girlishness.
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic and share the information we've gathered." Lin Su didn't drink any of his coffee, but like Xu Xiaolin, he held a notebook in his left hand and a pen in his right.
"It seems Writer Lin has too many important matters to attend to; this is rather dull." Xu Xiaolin spoke with a smile on her face, then took another sip of coffee, nodded slightly, and her expression turned serious. "Since Writer Lin is in such a hurry, alright, let's begin." Xu Xiaolin glanced at Lin Su, then turned her gaze to Wang Shen.
"Don't look at me," Wang Shen chuckled. "Today, you two will exchange information, and I'll be the clerk." With that, Wang Shen pulled a notebook and a pen from his pocket. The three of them sat facing each other, each holding a pen and a notebook, looking like an interview program missing the interviewee.
"Okay, let me start with the information we've gathered. We can basically confirm that Han Mo called 'Spicy' restaurant to order food. When the deliveryman, Acheng, delivered the food, no one answered the door. When he dialed Han Mo's number, he heard her phone ringing inside. Furthermore, Acheng bumped into the scarred man, 'Zheng Wu,' on his way downstairs. Han Mo is a regular customer of 'Spicy' restaurant. We've investigated her dining habits and found that the food she chooses for dine-in and takeout is completely different. Therefore, we suspect that the dine-in and takeout orders are from two different people. We've identified the person dining in as Xiao Lin. According to previous investigations and files, Xiao Lin is Han Mo's assistant. The other person eating takeout with Han Mo—simply put, the person who appeared in Han Mo's house—cannot be identified yet."
"As expected of a great writer of suspense novels, the logic is rigorous and the organization is clear." Wang Shen put down his pen, gave Xu Xiaolin a thumbs up, and then lowered his head to start taking notes again.
"Thanks!"
"Judging from these clues, Han Mo's case is indeed full of suspicious points." Lin Su frowned and wrote down some of the information Xu Xiaolin mentioned in his notebook.
“Yes, so I think it’s the wisest choice to reinvestigate Han Mo’s case.” Xu Xiaolin nodded in agreement after hearing Lin Su’s words.
"So you think Han Mo didn't commit suicide?" Lin Su looked at Xu Xiaolin with a puzzled expression.
"At least that's what I think."
“However, according to Officer Wang’s description, Lin Mo’s room is a completely locked room. Even though we have all sorts of questions now, we still can’t solve the mystery if we can’t crack that locked room.” As Lin Su spoke, he wrote the word “mystery” in his notebook and underlined it twice.
“That being said…” Xu Xiaolin paused for a moment. “But we still have to try our best to find out the truth. I believe that if someone commits a crime, there will always be clues. Aren’t all our novels written according to this formula? Or is it that the great writer Lin still insists on the conclusion that Han Mo committed suicide?”
“At this time, I cannot make any credible judgment. However, based on my investigation, the possibility of Han Mo committing suicide is not zero.” After saying that, Lin Su took his phone out of his pocket, found the photo album, and opened it. “Take a look at these photos.” Lin Su handed the phone to Xu Xiaolin first.
The photos on the phone were pictures Lin Su had taken of Han Mo's diary at the psychological clinic. Xu Xiaolin looked at them for a few minutes, her expression gradually becoming serious. "Look at this, it's so pitiful," Xu Xiaolin said, handing the phone back to Wang Shen.
Although Wang Shen's expression did not change much, a deep sense of regret could be seen in his slightly furrowed brows.
"Han Mo's psychologist was named Song Mu. According to him, Han Mo suffered from moderate to severe depression. I speculate that the main cause of Han Mo's depression was her family environment. Of course, the most significant trauma was the sexual assault she suffered at the hands of her stepfather."
"No." Before Lin Su could finish speaking, Xu Xiaolin interrupted him. "I think Han Mo's trauma didn't just stem from her stepfather's sexual assault, but more likely from her mother's forbearance." Xu Xiaolin sighed, unable to imagine the tragic effect of a novel's plot in real life. Perhaps it truly confirms the saying: novels are always based on real life. Moreover, real life is sometimes far more cruel than fiction. "A person abandoned by their only relative would probably lose the courage to live in this world. From that perspective, I still admire her; she was still able to persevere to that extent later on."
"You seem to have deep feelings about this." Wang Shen relaxed his brows and smiled at Xu Xiaolin.
“What do you know? Women are much more emotional than you men. And when it comes to writing novels, who would want to read them if it's just dry logical reasoning?” Xu Xiaolin glanced at Wang Shen, picked up her coffee, and took a big gulp.
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