Chapter 33
A few days later, Xu Zhiruo visited the Gu family mansion.
Xu Zhiruo, being a good party member and a dedicated public servant, was expected to be a staunch materialist. However, as soon as he entered the Gu family mansion, he settled on the sofa and refused to move. Despite Xia Leyang’s enthusiastic invitation to visit the “crime scene” on the second floor, he adamantly refused.
“I can’t be a criminal investigator, that’s why I became a civilian police officer,” Xu Zhiruo wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead, “Don’t make things difficult for me.”
Xia Leyang found it amusing to see Xu Zhiruo looking scared. He completely forgot that he was in no position to mock others and encouraged, “Since you’re here, just come.”
If Xu Zhiruo really resisted this ominous mansion, he should have insisted on taking Xia Leyang out from the beginning. Since he came to the Gu family mansion, it indicated that he felt some curiosity about the place.
However, after some hesitation, Xu Zhiruo shook his head and said, “No, no, I’ll just leave after I finish speaking.”
Xu Zhiruo found the file of the female ghost’s suicide. Since the file couldn’t be taken out casually, and Xia Leyang couldn’t visit the archive room freely, Xu Zhiruo took pictures of the file’s content and showed them to Xia Leyang.
“This case indeed has some suspicious points, but they are not significant,” Xu Zhiruo handed the phone to Xia Leyang, reminding him not to share it elsewhere.
Together with Shang Tingzhi, Xia Leyang looked at the yellowed paper where the ink had faded, making it difficult to discern the handwriting.
“The forensic report mentioned the presence of sleeping pills in the body, doesn’t that indicate murder?” Xia Leyang asked.
“The investigators back then visited nearby pharmacies, and someone confirmed that the sleeping pills were purchased by the woman herself,” Xu Zhiruo scrolled on the screen, turning to the testimony page for Xia Leyang to see.
“Pregnant women cannot take sleeping pills. Her purchase of sleeping pills only indicates suicidal thoughts,” Xu Zhiruo explained.
Nodding thoughtfully, Xia Leyang looked towards the air and asked, “Did you buy the sleeping pills yourself?”
The female ghost lazily sat on the coffee table, not bothering to lift her eyelids. “Can’t remember.”
Xu Zhiruo stared at Xia Leyang in bewilderment as he spoke to the empty air, stuttering, “Wh-whom are you talking to?”
“Her,” Xia Leyang lifted his phone, and on the screen was a photo of the corpse in the bathtub. Xu Zhiruo jumped to the corner of the sofa in fright, nervously looking at Xia Leyang, “Don’t… don’t play tricks on me.”
“She’s really here,” Xia Leyang said, looking at the female ghost. “Ghost sister, say hello to him.”
The next moment, Xu Zhiruo felt a cool breeze pass by his ears, accompanied by a vague and ethereal “Hello.”
Looking at Xu Zhiruo’s stunned expression, Xia Leyang kindly reminded, “She’s from Hong Kong, her Mandarin isn’t very good.”
Xu Zhiruo, with a pale face, said, “Oh, okay.”
“Don’t tease him,” Shang Tingzhi rubbed Xia Leyang’s head, took Xu Zhiruo’s phone from him, and continued reading.
Having achieved his mischievous goal, Xia Leyang chuckled and leaned his head next to Shang Tingzhi’s shoulder, watching together.
“You mentioned that there are some suspicious points in this case,” Shang Tingzhi asked, “What specific aspects?”
“Well…,” Xu Zhiruo’s eyes wandered around, as if searching for where the ghost might be, “Apart from the murder weapon, not a single fingerprint was found in such a big house.”
Xia Leyang asked, “Did the killer clean up the scene after the murder?”
“One could say that,” Xu Zhiruo said, unable to discern where the ghost was, so he concentrated on the conversation, “But it could also be understood as her cleaning the room before committing suicide. It’s not entirely implausible.”
Shang Tingzhi asked, “Is the fingerprint on the murder weapon hers?”
“Of course,” Xu Zhiruo said.
“But it could also be the killer holding her hand while she slept, cutting her wrists,” Xia Leyang suggested.
“There is such a possibility, but there is no evidence to support it,” Xu Zhiruo said.
Xia Leyang shrugged and continued to look at the files on the phone.
“And what about other suspicious points?” Shang Tingzhi asked.
“There’s also the fact that there is nothing in this house that can prove her identity, not even a photo. Imagine, such a beautiful woman, in that era, not having a photo is quite suspicious,” Xu Zhiruo said.
“All these things must have been taken by the killer. How can it still be considered a suicide?” Xia Leyang asked indignantly.
“If it was a murder, then this case is indeed difficult to investigate,” Xu Zhiruo said hesitantly, feeling a cold and piercing gaze around him. He couldn’t help but fold his hands together and mutter, “Miss, when you committed suicide, I had just been born. Don’t blame me.”
“I saw in the file that the neighbors received her suicide note and then reported it to the police. Can we be sure that the handwriting on the suicide note is hers?” Shang Tingzhi asked.
“With no other materials for comparison, it’s impossible to be certain. The font of the suicide note is traditional Chinese characters, so for now, we assume it’s from her,” Xu Zhiruo said.
“But it’s too easy to forge, isn’t it?” Xia Leyang frowned, “I think the person in charge was just afraid of trouble and hastily concluded the case.”
“If it was a murder, it’s indeed challenging to reopen the case,” Xu Zhiruo said nervously, “Think about it, no one knows who this woman is, and at that time, Hong Kong had not yet returned to China, making it difficult to find people.”
The photos in the file kept showing the scene of the female ghost’s suicide, with not a single normal photo. Leaving aside whether Xu Zhiruo agreed to disclose these photos, even if he did, Xia Leyang couldn’t possibly show these crime scene photos to Wang Zuyu. So, this lead also had to be cut off here.
“Can we still reopen the case now?” Xia Leyang, feeling the female ghost’s melancholy, felt a sense of injustice. He knew the chances were slim, but he still wanted to try.
However, Xu Zhiruo shook his head hesitantly, looking around at the surrounding air, “It’s unlikely.”
Xia Leyang couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. With this, the lead with Xu Zhiruo was also cut off. The more he thought about it, the more unfair he felt. How could such a big person be killed, and there was not even a clue?
All detective dramas emphasize that there is no perfect crime, and every criminal will be brought to justice. How was it that he encountered a dead end in such a rare case?
After Xu Zhiruo left, the female ghost returned to the bathtub gloomily. Xia Leyang wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say.
If she had a broken heart or lost her job, he could offer a comforting phrase like “out with the old, in with the new,” and assure her that brighter days were ahead.
However, the female ghost was murdered, and not turning into a vengeful spirit was already a compromise. Xia Leyang couldn’t find words to console her about accepting the situation, as he himself felt indignant.
“Don’t overthink it,” Shang Tingzhi comforted Xia Leyang. “I’ll ask Tang Fengyi to find photos of Director Liu and Boss Zhou, and I’ll also arrange for Li Shang to come over another day to see if there’s any solution.”
“Okay,” Xia Leyang obediently lay down on the bed and covered himself with the blanket. “It can only be done this way.”
Shang Tingzhi also lay down beside Xia Leyang, about to turn off the lights. At this moment, Xia Leyang’s paws skillfully climbed onto his chest, and with big blinking eyes, he looked at Shang Tingzhi, saying, “Today too.”
Unaware, one might think Xia Leyang was seeking intimacy. However, Shang Tingzhi had grown accustomed to this. This little troublemaker just wanted some cuddling.
Shang Tingzhi didn’t mind. Xia Leyang’s skills were improving every day, and occasionally, he could make him feel good.
But solving it in the same way every time, as if playing house like children, Shang Tingzhi had hinted to Xia Leyang more than once that they were both adults, and they could have more “daring” actions. However, Xia Leyang just didn’t seem to understand.
Seeing Xia Leyang’s watery puppy eyes and what seemed like a wagging tail behind him, Shang Tingzhi decided to ask sternly, “How about trying something else today?”
“Huh? Something else?” Two ears seemed to pop up from Xia Leyang’s fluffy hair.
“Don’t think about anything, just leave it to me,” Shang Tingzhi said.
In this regard, Xia Leyang trusted Shang Tingzhi a lot. Since the female ghost sister hadn’t been in good shape lately and couldn’t teach him much, Xia Leyang thought it was fine to learn from Shang Tingzhi.
However, not long after, Shang Tingzhi’s fingers reached an inappropriate place. Xia Leyang quickly retreated to the bed’s head, staring at Shang Tingzhi in panic, “What are you doing?”
Shang Tingzhi caught Xia Leyang’s ankle and pulled him back, whispering, “Don’t be afraid.”
“No, no,” Xia Leyang kicked his feet frantically, “This is too weird!”
Shang Tingzhi looked at Xia Leyang, now tucked into the blanket, with a headache. He thought about how these two grown men did the 69 position every day, and this little guy didn’t find it strange at all. Why did he suddenly find it weird now?
