Jian Jing needed the personal information of three people, including names, home addresses, work units, and license plate numbers. Just looking at the information, she couldn't figure anything out. She had to investigate in person.
With limited manpower, investigating three people would require different strategies.
The repairman's actions were unpredictable. Following him around would be time-consuming and laborious. Jian Jing decided to use high tech - she put a GPS tracker on the rearview mirror of his car and connected it to a smartwatch.
She spent another 5 points to turn on Bluetooth and pair it with her tablet. That way, the repairman's movements throughout the day would show up on her tablet. She could review the map later.
For the white-collar executive and state-owned company employee, she didn't need to track them in real time since they worked regular office jobs. She would first gather personal information about them.
The executive worked for a company located in the CBD. They rented several floors in a skyscraper as their office space.
Companies like this had a unique feature - every meal time, employees would go to nearby restaurants in groups to eat. Those trying to lose weight opted for light meals, others didn't care and ordered lunch specials, and those with money considered Japanese food.
Looking around, they were all elite men and women.
And they usually liked to have a coffee after meals.
Jian Jing only had to hang around coffee shops for a bit before finding someone with the same company access card. She bought a coffee and struck up a conversation at their table.
She started the conversation like this: "You guys work at XX company right? Do you happen to know a man who drives a blue Mercedes? He scratched my car..."
The female colleague she spoke to immediately showed a knowing and disgusted expression.
Jian Jing quickly adjusted her tone, "What kind of person is he?"
And so the gossip began.
The executive was openly gay and extremely misogynistic. He had mocked a female executive more than once for sleeping her way to the top and being useless, while frequently berating female colleagues for incompetence.
None of the women at the company liked him, but hatefully, personality and competence did not always correlate.
He was capable and made money, so the boss would not let principles get in the way of profit. Whenever there was conflict, he smoothed things over and even took the executive's side occasionally.
Jian Jing asked in detail, "As long as they're female he dislikes them? Or does he especially hate a certain type?"
"Any without a Dior he hates!"
Everyone spoke decisively and adamantly.
Jian Jing nodded, feigning outrage and solidarity, while thinking to herself - the female victims in the Ice Corpse case all had brown wavy long hair. This pattern seemed inconsistent with his tastes.
Next, she followed the third suspect, the state-owned company employee, after he got off work.
As everyone knew, state-owned companies were different from private ones. Overtime was rare unless they were especially busy. The workday was 9 to 5.
Suspect number 3 was no different.
He left work a little after 5 PM, and instead of going home, met a colleague for dinner. The two ate, then returned home around 8 PM.
Jian Jing waited until the lights in his home turned off and he didn't come back out before going home herself.
Of course, she didn't live alone anymore. The first thing she did when getting home was to walk Sir Rider around the neighborhood, and take the chance to verify suspect number 1's route.
This repairman was very busy today with 4 jobs. She inputted the locations into her map and compared the routes after turning on navigation. They were all normal paths without conspicuous detours.
But when he left the last residential complex, he went to a certain hair salon.
Jian Jing thought to herself, "Hmm..."
However, being objective, none of the three suspects had shown cracks yet.
She decided to pay Mrs. Wan another visit tomorrow.
The saying goes - don't air dirty laundry. Now that Wan Yuan was found, Mrs. Wan had regained composure and refused to say more, "He was drunk and had an accident."
Jian Jing understood her considerations but said, "I'm not sure if the police told you, but I was the one who discovered the corpse."
Mrs. Wan's expression subtly shifted for a moment, "Oh, what a coincidence."
Her words were earnest but her eyes did not show gratitude, rather wariness. Jian Jing knew what was up and slowly said, "He left wearing different clothes that day - were you aware of this?"
"I was abroad so I don't know what he wore that day." Mrs. Wan did not reveal anything.
Jian Jing said, "You know what I mean."
"Why are you so interested in my husband's affairs?" Mrs. Wan eyed her suspiciously. "Earlier you said you were a student at the college. Which class were you? What course did he teach you?"
Jian Jing said, "I didn't have direct contact with the dean."
Mrs. Wan was less polite, "As a student, this is none of your business. Please leave."
"I have photos of the dean from that day." Jian Jing was prepared and showed her screenshots from the bar's security footage. "I don't plan on spreading this but hope you can answer some questions for me."
Mrs. Wan wanted to refuse but couldn't stop her gaze from falling on the screen. In a flash, her eyes showed disgust, hatred, shame and other emotions. Her mouth was pressed tightly, extremely unhappy.
"Personal preferences, no need to be so nervous." Jian Jing said, "I don't plan on spreading this, but you knew about this right?"
Mrs. Wan's throat moved slightly but she didn't answer.
Jian Jing stared into her eyes, forcing her with silence.
After a long pause, Mrs. Wan conceded, saying resignedly, "Yes, I knew. How could he...do this kind of thing without considering me and our child's feelings. If others found out...our family's reputation would be ruined."
"I want to know," Jian Jing chose her words carefully to avoid upsetting her, "Was he doing this purely out of personal preference, or was it a biological inclination?"
Mrs. Wan picked up a tissue and dabbed her nose, saying, "He had something wrong with his brain, liking to do such shameful things, other aspects should be normal."
Jian Jing nodded and did not press her further, "May I see the dean's room?"
"What's there to see?" Mrs. Wan was very averse.
"The investigation is still ongoing, I can't disclose details." Jian Jing suddenly realized confidentiality was very effective for duping people. "If you don't trust me, you can call the police."
Mrs. Wan hesitated, clearly even less willing to involve more people. She relented, "Looking is fine, don't mess with anything."
"Thank you for cooperating."
Jian Jing cautiously searched Wan Yuan's bedroom.
As Mrs. Wan said, he only had a crossdressing hobby. His preferences were normal, and she did not find any curved tools. The hidden folders on his computer also confirmed this.
No men, only women.
Jian Jing silently viewed it all, making a mental note to wipe her own hard drive clean before death.
Ahem. Back to the point.
Since Wan Yuan only crossdressed for relaxation and had no intention of one night stands, he would not have left with someone voluntarily.
Likewise, the murderer likely did not strike at the nightclub. No matter how poor the environment, they could distinguish gender by speech and touch.
Mistaking the victim meant they did not communicate.
It was most likely right after Wan Yuan left the bar in that area, which was why the murderer returned the body to make it look like he froze to death drunk.
Based on the security footage, the suspects' movements could be summarized as:
Suspect #1: Night of the 3rd, 9:10-9:45pm, ate midnight snacks; Morning of the 5th, 7:20-7:35am, job nearby and ate breakfast
Suspect #2: Night of the 3rd, 8:35-12:10am, clubbing; Night of the 6th, 9:05-11:30pm, clubbing
Suspect #3: Night of the 3rd, 10:20-10:45pm, ate midnight snacks; Morning of the 5th, 8:40-8:55am, dropped off down jacket at the dry cleaners
Considering suspect #2 was clearly captured with a driver in the driver's seat when leaving, although the face was unclear, it should not have been the victim. His suspicions could be tentatively ruled out for now.
Suspects #1 and #3 both ate midnight snacks and were both in the area the morning of the 5th. Hard to distinguish between them.
So vexing.
What midnight snacks were so tasty?
That night.
Following the tracker's direction, Jian Jing walked her dog, pretending to be out for a stroll. She brushed past the rearview mirror of suspect #1's car, nimbly recovering the device.
Then she inspected his car a little.
A very ordinary minivan, white, very dirty with mud-splattered tires.
Big enough to transport a corpse.
She turned and looked towards the street full of midnight snack stalls across from her.
In the December night, lights blazed and voices buzzed.
There weren't many proper shops, mostly crude roadside stalls crammed together - plastic tables and chairs haphazardly squeezed together, surrounded only by nylon tents to block the wind. Exposed wires dangled lightbulbs that shone brightly overhead, giving off heat.
Noodles, barbecue, spicy hot pot, hot pot, fried rice on iron plate, smelly tofu... The aroma of fresh and spicy food wafted in the air, making people ravenously hungry even when not.
No wonder the three suspects, two of them ran here to eat midnight snacks.
She looked left and right, very naturally finding where the maintenance worker was. He was eating fried rice on an iron plate. The aroma was very fragrant, but Jian Jing had already eaten dinner and didn't want to eat again.
She glanced at the barbecue booth on the left, then at the spicy hot pot on the right, hesitating.
Just as she was thinking about it, someone unexpectedly asked from behind, "What are you doing?"
Jian Jing was startled, and reflexively threw an elbow back.
Ji Feng said, "D*mn! Did I offend you?"
She turned around, showing no mercy, "Who are you trying to scare?"
"Just saying hi. Why are you so nervous?" Ji Feng's gaze had already started scanning around, looking for suspicious figures.
Jian Jing's expression was unchanged. "Walking the dog."
Knight: "Woof!"
"Who are you kidding." He lowered his voice. "Your home is at least 5 km from here. You came all the way here to walk the dog?"
Jian Jing: "Also to eat midnight snacks while I'm here."
"All the food stalls here are night markets. You know there are ghosts here." Ji Feng sneered.
Jian Jing: "None of your business."
"Jian Jing, what are you doing here?" Liang Yi squeezed over from behind, greeting her enthusiastically, "What are you eating? Want to eat together?"
Jian Jing immediately asked for advice: "What's good to eat here?"
Liang Yi thought for a moment: "It's too cold out. Let's eat spicy hot pot."
"Then I'll have the same as you." Jian Jing took a step towards the booth, then stopped.
The ingredients in the fridge didn't look very fresh.
"Go on, tell me what case you're investigating. I'll treat you to midnight snacks if you tell me," Ji Feng tried to trap her.
Jian Jing laughed coldly: "I'll treat you, and you tell me what you're investigating?"
Ji Feng: "Okay, deal."
Her: "???"
Liang Yi was incredulous: "You're actually letting a girl pay?"
Ji Feng said, "She brought it up herself. I can't agree?"
Jian Jing had an instinct something was fishy: "Are you out of your mind?"
"What are you two arguing about?" A short fat middle-aged man came over. He glanced at Liang Yi, then Ji Feng, and finally landed on Jian Jing, surprised. "You're Jian Jing, right? Ji Feng works fast, already called you over."
He also said to Jian Jing, "We've already received Wan Yuan's report, very valuable. Come, let's sit together and chat."
Jian Jing was silent for a moment, staring at Ji Feng.
With skin thick as brass, he actually said, "Teacher Jian is always enthusiastic, helping us a lot. She must have ideas this time too, so we should communicate well. Uh, I'm going to buy midnight snacks."
And slipped away.
Jian Jing was led aside by the middle-aged man to join their meal.
Liang Yi, more experienced, made introductions: "This is Captain Wang, this is Brother Zhao." She also introduced Jian Jing's identity to them.
After everyone got acquainted, they got straight to the topic.
"We just finished our investigation, and only just saw Wan Yuan's case. Since you're involved, could you describe in more detail for us?" Brother Zhao asked.
Jian Jing naturally agreed to do so, and softly recounted the story again from the beginning.
"Who are you following now then? Where?" Ji Feng had at some point come back, shamelessly sat down next to her, and handed over freshly made fried rice noodles. "Where are they?"
"The man in the black jacket smoking, at 9 o'clock direction." Jian Jing said, heavily grinding her foot down.
Ji Feng: "......"
It was her that brought it up herself.
And it's not like he would really make her pay.
Can't he make a joke?
Damn, that really hurt.
