Chapter 380 Human, you've stolen my poop again? (Illustration of a flying squirrel with multiple teeth warning) Xia Zhining quickly flipped through the files and searched for Su Jianxue's information.
Despite Su Jianxue's outstanding past and numerous awards during her student days, she is now embroiled in a major crime, leading to a barrage of online criticism and accusations that she should "surrender herself as soon as possible," resulting in a ruined reputation.
What's intriguing is that this didn't prevent her from continuing to win awards, leading many netizens to speculate that these awards were actually the result of her wealthy family background and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
Xia Zhining closed the file and looked up at Director Peng across the table: "Besides Su Jianxue, did the police have any other key suspects back then?"
"According to conventional investigative approaches, these types of cases often start with the victim's closest social relationships."
Director Peng took over, his tone calm, "The first person we investigated back then was the deceased Zhong Manqing's boyfriend at the time—Zhai Chen."
As he spoke, he picked up his phone and quickly swiped a few times, turning the screen towards Xia Zhining.
The page redirected to a social media platform, and the account name was Zhai Chen.
“This is his social media account. After the incident, he would post long articles or videos to mourn her almost every week for four years.”
Director Peng's voice was calm and composed. The mature veteran police officer spoke of the case without personal emotion: "Netizens say he is extremely devoted, which has garnered him a lot of attention."
“His artworks have won many awards in recent years, and in his acceptance speeches, he always mentions the name of the deceased Zhong Manqing.”
Xia Zhining took the phone, the screen's faint light illuminating her features.
On Zhai Chen's personal homepage, the pinned post is a short video in black and white with a soft piano melody playing in the background.
He himself appeared on camera, with a handsome face and an inescapable sense of melancholy and gentleness in his eyes.
Below the video were several emotionally charged messages: "I passed by our usual art supply store again today. The owner asked why I wasn't there. I smiled and didn't say anything. They had just put in your favorite brand of watercolors in the window, a deep blue, like the color of the sea in your paintings." (Posted three weeks ago)
"I won an award. The moment I stood on the stage, the lights were blinding, and I felt empty. This honor should have had your name listed first. Manqing, did you see it?" (Published half a year ago, with a photo of the award certificate attached)
"Four years have passed. I still leave you a glass of warm water every morning by the window where you used to sit. When the wind chimes ring, I always have the illusion that it's you coming back." (Published on the fourth anniversary of your death)
Interspersed among these words of remembrance are several explicit accusations:
"Some people can still do design work with peace of mind. Doesn't their conscience hurt? @Su Jianxue, if you have even a shred of humanity left, turn yourself in." (Posted two months ago)
"Another sleepless night. I wonder how the murderer can sleep? Manqing is watching you!" (Posted a week ago, accompanied by a picture of a dark night sky)
Xia Zhining scrolled through Zhai Chen's video homepage, and the two highly-rated comments in the comment section presented a starkly contrasting situation:
One post read: "Four years have passed and you still can't forget me, that's true love [heart]."
Another comment directly questioned: "Am I the only one who thinks Zhai Chen's affection seems a bit fake? It's chilling to think about. Could he be crying wolf?"
She recalled past news reports, which often featured "perfect husbands" who turned out to be murderers.
Director Peng seemed to see through her thoughts and continued, "Indeed, many netizens suspect that Zhai Chen is acting, using a sentimental persona to cover up his crimes, or even to gain fame and fortune. But this can only be considered a speculation lacking evidence at present."
“The fundamental reason is,” Director Peng said pragmatically and confidently, “that Zhai Chen has a solid alibi. During the time of the incident, he was with the sketching team the entire time, and…”
He paused for a moment, then opened a video on his phone and handed it to Xia Zhining.
The footage is a bit shaky, indicating it's privately recorded video material.
Zhai Chen and several classmates were carefully decorating a corner in the wild, with colored lights, wildflowers, and a heart shape made of pebbles in the middle.
Holding a ring box in his hand, with a nervous yet incredibly expectant smile on his face, he whispered to the camera, "I'm proposing to her tonight, guys, please take a good picture!"
"Their original plan for that day was for Zhai Chen to propose to Zhong Manqing."
Director Peng explained, "This long-shot proposal vlog footage completely records his activities from afternoon to evening, with a coherent timeline, completely ruling out the possibility that he committed the crime."
On the day of the proposal, his girlfriend disappeared.
Xia Zhining nodded silently.
Faced with a conclusive alibi, any inference that "Zhai Chen is the murderer" appears weak.
They cannot easily dismiss a seemingly sincere heart.
After understanding the basic facts of the case, Xia Zhining rubbed her throbbing temples and made a decisive decision: "We still have to go to the site where the body was dumped, that abandoned highway culvert."
The area is densely forested and covered with vegetation, so it should not lack animal "residents".
However, after four years, finding the witnesses from back then is quite difficult.
But we have to give it a try, no matter what.
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