Back at the bureau, Fang Rui called a case analysis meeting.
Chen Xue raised her doubts first: "If the murder weapon wasn't randomly taken from the toolbox, why was there oil on the wrench? Was it an old discarded one? But from the crime scene, it seems like a crime of passion, so why would the killer specifically carry an unused tool? And if it was premeditated murder, why not buy a new wrench?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. They also felt many pieces of evidence were contradictory.
"He clearly had two phones, and the one with contacts to Li Meijia and Sun Xiaoning wasn't missing, but the other phone disappeared. If he was really the killer, shouldn't both phones have been disposed of?"
"Everyone at the repair shop said Ding Zhuangzhuang didn't have a drinking habit, but after the incident, he suddenly started drinking heavily, and it was fake alcohol too. Could this be a coincidence?"
Everyone raised a series of questions, and an answer seemed to be emerging.
Mu Mian voiced that answer: "Someone is framing him! This wasn't a crime of passion; it was a carefully planned murder."
"If that's the case, the only person who could be framing him is Chen Yuankun. But why would Chen Yuankun do this? Ding Zhuangzhuang is already in such a miserable state, why would he frame him for murder?"
"Well, these are just our speculations, and we can't overturn the current chain of evidence," Chen Xue sighed, noting that the DNA evidence was conclusive.
"Little Li, you and Old Zhang investigate the surveillance cameras around Chen Yuankun's house, see if he really stayed home all evening on the 23rd like he claims."
After being rushed to the hospital, Ding Zhuangzhuang was saved. The nurse gave him IV drips all night, and the next afternoon, the doctor called to say he had regained consciousness.
"Fang Rui, can I go to the hospital with you?"
"Who do you want to visit?"
"I need to collect evidence from a living subject."
Chen Xue, who was nearby, said: "Living evidence? Haven't we already tested his DNA? What other evidence do we need?"
"Chen Xue, you continue writing your report. Fang Rui and I can handle this."
"..."
Ding Zhuangzhuang opened his eyes at noon, but his mind wasn't clear. His left hand kept clapping at the air, his pupils were cloudy, and he appeared agitated.
Mu Mian's eyes focused on the scars on his left hand, but Ding Zhuangzhuang's constant movement made it difficult for her to observe clearly.
"Why is he clapping at the air?" Fang Rui thought the fake alcohol might have made him mentally unstable.
"Fang Rui, you probably won't be able to get a statement from him. His current condition appears to be alcohol-induced dementia, his brain tissue is likely damaged, and if he's unlucky, he'll be like this for life," Mu Mian sighed. "Fang Rui, hold his hand still, I can't see his scars clearly."
There were four finger scratch marks on the back of Ding Zhuangzhuang's hand, and the scars had scabbed over.
"We found skin cells under three of Wang Yonghua's fingernails, but why are there four scratch marks on his hand?" Fang Rui recalled the autopsy report and quickly understood what Mu Mian was confirming.
"His hand wasn't scratched by Wang Yonghua!" Mu Mian said. "Wang Yonghua's fingernails were long and sharp, but these four scratch marks are wide. When we found the skin cells, I thought it was strange that there was no blood on the nails. Now it seems those skin cells were likely planted deliberately."
This evidence suggested that Ding Zhuangzhuang was very likely being framed.
Suddenly, Ding Zhuangzhuang looked behind Fang Rui and Mu Mian, shouting loudly: "You're here?"
Fang Rui and Mu Mian both turned around but saw nothing.
Ding Zhuangzhuang started giggling at the air.
"Do you remember your name?" Fang Rui asked tentatively.
"Camphor boy."
"Your name is Camphor boy?"
"Hehe, you are, you are."
"Do you remember what you were doing on the evening of the 23rd?"
"Someone was crying, so noisy," Ding Zhuangzhuang mumbled. "He's back again. Hehe."
Ding Zhuangzhuang had become mentally disturbed, and Fang Rui couldn't communicate with him at all.
Ding Zhuangzhuang's attending physician said: "We've done an MRI of his head and detected organic brain changes that have led to central nervous system dysfunction. His memory and cognitive abilities will decline, and he might even display aggressive behavior."
"Is there any way to return to normal through treatment?"
"This kind of damage is irreversible, there's no way to recover." The doctor looked at Fang Rui with an awkward expression. "Officer Fang... have you found his family? His medical fees..."
"Didn't his parents come to the hospital yesterday?" Fang Rui had already notified Chen's father and mother to come to the hospital.
"No! No one has come to see him, let alone pay his fees."
"I'll pay for him!" Mu Mian said.
"You'll pay? This isn't a small amount. He doesn't have medical insurance, so the expenses can't be reimbursed. This round of treatment alone will probably cost tens of thousands. You should still try to find his family."
"He has no family," Mu Mian said softly. "He's very pitiful, wandering alone since childhood. I'm very wealthy, so I'll pay for him."
"..."
Mu Mian pulled Fang Rui to the payment window to pay Ding Zhuangzhuang's fees, but when it came time to pay, she discovered she only had a few hundred in her account. She looked at Fang Rui embarrassedly.
Fang Rui paid Ding Zhuangzhuang's fees, adding extra to cover his subsequent treatment. Whether Ding Zhuangzhuang was a criminal or not, Fang Rui was willing to pay this money because he was truly pitiful. Moreover, his situation was a result of both family and social failure.
That is, if his background story was true.
Fang Rui suddenly realized they hadn't verified Ding Zhuangzhuang's history. But there was no way to verify it - Ding Zhuangzhuang had no ID card and they didn't know where his hometown was.
"Fang Rui, once I borrow money from my sister, I'll pay you back," Mu Mian said quietly.
"No need, let's just consider it a joint charitable act."
"But I didn't pay anything."
"You contributed the intention, I contributed the money."
Mu Mian sighed: "I supposedly receive a good salary every month, why has all the money disappeared?"
Mu Mian hadn't paid much attention to her bank account balance, so it wasn't until now that she discovered she was living paycheck to paycheck.
When Chen Xue had previously mentioned living paycheck to paycheck, Mu Mian had mocked her, asking how such a good salary could be spent within a month. She hadn't expected to be in the same situation herself.
"You often buy dissection tools and the latest medical equipment out of your own pocket, you like buying books and magazine subscriptions, and you're fond of Lego and puzzles. Oh, and you're passionate about giving gifts to others."
"They gave me gifts first."
"You've never given me a gift," Fang Rui said sourly.
Mu Mian felt wronged: "Fang Rui, I want to give you the best gift in the world, but since the best gift doesn't exist, I'm sorry, I can't give you that gift."
"Can't you give me an ordinary gift?"
Mu Mian shook her head, "No. You deserve the best."
"..." Because of this logical paradox, Fang Rui felt he would never receive a gift from Mu Mian in his lifetime.
At this moment, a mother and son pair walked down the opposite corridor - it was Chen's mother and Chen Yuankun.
Chen's mother recognized Fang Rui and approached him: "Is my younger son hospitalized? Where is he? Officer, could you take me to see him?"
Fang Rui pointed to the room they were facing and said: "He's in there."
Chen's mother said to Chen Yuankun: "Yuankun, you have a brother. He got lost when he was young, and now we've finally found him. You must treat him well, understand?"
"Yes, Mom, I understand."
Chen's mother turned and entered the hospital room.
Chen Yuankun watched her back, a look of contempt and disgust crossing his face. When he felt Fang Rui and Mu Mian's gaze, he quickly concealed his expression and followed his mother's footsteps.
