Lin Lan hesitated for a moment before handing the book to Mu Mian. "Do you believe in God too?"
Mu Mian didn't answer her question. Instead, she quickly flipped through the book, stopping at a page and glancing at it briefly. The page was intact.
"Never mind, here's your book back. I don't want to add any text to the cake anymore," Mu Mian said, returning the book to Lin Lan. She then left the cake shop, leaving Lin Lan puzzled.
Once in the car, Mu Mian turned to Fang Rui and said, "Fang Rui, I know what the words on that small piece of paper mean now."
"You mean the note found in the victim's hand?"
"Yes. That string of characters was incomplete. The complete version should be: Leviticus 18:9. Leviticus is one of the books in the Bible, and 18:9 corresponds to this passage." Mu Mian recited, "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home."
Fang Rui summarized, "So the killer left this note to tell us that the victim had a special relationship with his own sister?"
Fang Rui was shocked, but then he recalled Ye Zeling's unusual reactions and realized that the relationship between the Ye siblings did indeed seem abnormal.
Fang Rui and Mu Mian immediately drove to find Ye Zeling.
Due to Ye Zeling's fragile mental state, the police had assigned a female officer to protect her closely to prevent any potential incidents.
Ye Zeling's home was in an upscale neighborhood in the city center. The apartment, registered under Ye Zeming's name, was beautifully decorated.
"Captain Fang, you're here to see Ye Zeling?" The female police officer seemed surprised to see Fang Rui.
"Yes."
Upon seeing Fang Rui, Ye Zeling ran over, her emotions high. "Officer Fang, have you found my brother's killer?"
As she turned her head, she spotted Mu Mian and her expression instantly changed to one of hostility. "Get away from me! I don't want to see you!"
Mu Mian, however, smiled at her, seeing Ye Zeling as a kindred spirit who shared her fascination with corpses.
"Miss Ye, what was your relationship with Liu Jiale?" Fang Rui asked.
"Jiale was my brother's apprentice. They had known each other for many years and used to be very close. Since none of us had parents, my brother and I considered him family."
"But Liu Jiale had several recent conflicts with your brother. Why was that?"
Ye Zeling's expression changed slightly, but she quickly tried to cover it up.
"Because Jiale changed. He met some new friends outside, and his creative vision no longer aligned with my brother's. So he wanted to leave my brother's studio. But my brother felt that Jiale was family, and he didn't want to let him mix with those people, afraid he'd eventually go astray."
"Is that the only reason?"
"It's the main reason."
"Was Liu Jiale your ex-boyfriend?"
"Of course not. Jiale and I were just friends. He was the most talented student in my brother's studio. I often visited the studio, and that's how we got to know each other. He did confess his feelings for me, but I didn't like him that way. I had someone else I liked at the time."
Fang Rui looked at her and asked, "Was the person you liked your brother?"
"My brother is my family. Isn't it normal for me to like him?" Ye Zeling awkwardly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression becoming unnatural.
Mu Mian, observing Ye Zeling's fingers as she touched her hair, asked bluntly, "Did you have a sexual relationship with him?"
Ye Zeling's face instantly turned red. Trembling with anger, she pointed at Mu Mian and shouted, "What nonsense are you spouting? How could I have a sexual relationship with my brother? You're spreading lies!"
Mu Mian grasped Ye Zeling's hand, pointing at her finger. "What's this mark?"
There was an irregular indentation on Ye Zeling's middle finger, left by a ring.
"It's none of your business! This is my private matter!" Ye Zeling quickly pulled her hand away.
"Did you wear a ring here? From this mark, we can deduce that the ring had an irregular shape. With such a unique indentation, it would be easy for us to recreate the shape of the ring."
Ye Zeling's expression changed again.
Fang Rui said, "Your brother was also wearing a ring, with M&L engraved inside. Those are the initials of your names, aren't they?"
Ye Zeling's face flushed with anger. "Shut up! Don't talk nonsense! My relationship with my brother was pure and innocent."
"I can produce that ring. We can compare them and find out."
"You..."
Suddenly, Ye Zeling covered her face and burst into tears. "I just love my brother so much, is that wrong? Why can't I love my brother..."
Mu Mian and Fang Rui exchanged glances. If there was an inappropriate relationship between Ye Zeming and his sister, then Lin Lan would become a strong suspect for the murder.
"It's not just wrong, it's illegal," Mu Mian cautiously reminded her. "In our country, marriage between close relatives is forbidden."
"Shut up! I love my brother. My brother is so exceptional, he's mine alone. I won't allow him to be good to anyone else! My brother had already promised me that he wouldn't be with anyone else in the future, only with me..."
Through Ye Zeling's incoherent narrative, they learned the story of the Ye siblings.
Originally, they had a normal sibling relationship, but Ye Zeling became increasingly dependent on Ye Zeming and gradually developed inappropriate feelings. Later, when Ye Zeming broke up with Lin Lan, Ye Zeling seized the opportunity and became intimate with her brother.
Afterwards, under Ye Zeling's constant pursuit, they maintained this distorted relationship until her brother's death.
After leaving Ye Zeling's home, Mu Mian analyzed:
"Lin Lan is a religious person. In the Bible, a relationship between siblings is considered a grave sin, and a raging fire can cleanse the world of sin. This could be Lin Lan's motive for murder."
"But Lin Lan doesn't have an alibi for the time of the crime. She was in a car accident that morning and was cooperating with the traffic police investigation until she received a call from Ye Zeming. Only then did she leave the vehicle management office. Moreover, the cameras at the entrance of the villa complex didn't capture her on film."
Fang Rui had initially suspected Lin Lan as well, but she had an alibi. She had been going only between her shop and home for the past few days, and the neighborhood surveillance cameras hadn't captured her either.
Mu Mian fell silent. This again raised the question of how to determine the exact time of the victim's death.
"Liu Jiale once had feelings for Ye Zeling. If he knew about the inappropriate relationship between Ye Zeling and her brother, he would also have a motive. According to our previous investigation, Liu Jiale and Ye Zeming had several arguments, which could very well have been about this. It's possible that Liu Jiale was using this information to blackmail Ye Zeming for money."
"Their relationships are so complicated!" Mu Mian couldn't understand such complex emotions, though, to be fair, she couldn't understand simple emotions either.
