In the case of Li Xiaonuan, Wu Honglin was considered the prime suspect because he was seen near the crime scene during the estimated time of death.
However, Cai Xin's death essentially cleared him of suspicion.
This greatly increased the likelihood of Jian Jing's earlier theory about Li Xiaonuan's time of death.
Perhaps Li Xiaonuan didn't actually die at night.
By having her eat lunch, the estimated time of death could be confused. Add to that the freezing conditions - the body being frozen first then burned - making it impossible to determine from the corpse's reactions. With a few clever tricks, it could create the illusion that the killer couldn't have arrived after the snowfall.
The killer's elaborate efforts to establish an alibi were undoubtedly aimed at clearing themselves of suspicion.
Therefore, those without alibis for the afternoon but with alibis for the evening were most suspicious.
Unfortunately, after ten years, the relevant personnel's memories of the case had become hazy, and many leads once missed could not be recovered.
But could the same line of thinking be applied to this case?
The circumstances were so similar.
Both used gastric contents digestion as a basis for estimation. Was it possible that Cai Xin's time of death was incorrect?
It seemed unlikely.
Between 2:00 and 2:40 PM, Cai Xin was seen at Yu Can's shop, confirmed alive by more than one witness. Even if the killer was silver-tongued enough to convince her not to board the plane temporarily and to eat dinner, there should have been traces of other food in her stomach.
Unless the dinner was identical to the afternoon tea.
Who knew what was eaten for afternoon tea? The people at Yu Can's shop, including Yu Can herself.
In terms of alibis, Yu Can was undoubtedly the most suspicious.
Though it might seem cold to think this way, the fact was that she was currently the only person besides Zhao Bin involved in both Li Xiaonuan's case and Cai Xin's case.
Of course, it was also possible that the former led to the latter.
But investigations must be objective. Did Yu Can have any motive?
She returned to her shop at 3:20 PM and didn't leave until 7-8 PM, making it impossible for her to commit murder during that time. Assuming she acted with utmost speed, finding Cai Xin immediately after work and making her eat a dinner identical to the afternoon tea, she couldn't have acted until 10 PM-12 AM at the earliest.
Let's say she killed at 10 PM. By 10:25 PM, Ji Feng had found her at home.
The body dump site was at least a 40-minute drive from Yu Can's home, assuming no traffic.
This alibi was too airtight. Even if Yu Can were confirmed as a suspect, it would be hard to break, let alone now when she wasn't even that suspicious.
"Didn't the autopsy report mention traces of sleeping pills?" Jian Jing rubbed her forehead, changing tack. "The person who could make her drink it without suspicion must have been someone familiar to her. Did the subway station cameras catch anything?"
Ji Feng replied, "You can't park at the subway station, Yu Can said she parked at the intersection ahead. I checked the traffic management office's footage, it matches her story. Cai Xin was in the car then, still alive and well."
Jian Jing fell silent for a moment.
After a while, she said, "I'm sticking to two points. First, the killer is someone Cai Xin knew well, otherwise there's no need to use the exact same method of murder. A stranger would be hardest to trace, right? Only a serial killer could divert the police's attention away from people close to the victim."
Ji Feng nodded.
"Second, the killer wants to use this case to clear their own suspicion. Who's suspicious now but has an alibi?"
Ji Feng sighed, "We haven't even started investigating her social circle yet. Yu Can's statement mentioned Zhao Bin, the higher-ups want us to check him out first, he's very suspicious."
Jian Jing said, "Maybe that's what the killer wants. But what's the use?"
She wondered, "The case had already gone cold, another death would definitely reopen the investigation. It's not like 2007 anymore, what is is, what isn't isn't. We can't find another Wu Honglin to take the blame. What's the point of buying a little time?"
"To flee," Ji Feng glanced at the gloomy sky and patted her shoulder. "It looks like it's about to snow. I'll keep an eye on Yu Can, you go home. I'll call if anything comes up."
Jian Jing gave him a sidelong glance and couldn't help saying, "I'm not trying to steal your job, but look at yourself." She pulled out a small mirror and held it up to him. "You look like you haven't slept in two weeks."
Ji Feng rubbed his chin.
She asked, "...You haven't really gone two weeks without sleep, have you?"
"I've slept, I've slept. It's no big deal," he smiled.
Jian Jing warned, "Staying up late will shorten your life."
Ji Feng laughed, "What's the point of living that long? Good enough is good enough." He checked his watch. "There's a meeting at 5, I should head back."
Jian Jing said, "I'll take another look at the scene. You go ahead."
Ji Feng didn't press her, "Leave early, and be careful not to catch a cold."
She impatiently waved him off, telling him to scram.
Ji Feng left and returned to the precinct for the meeting.
Every time there was a major case, senior leadership would come down to organize the investigation. Before that, they needed to clarify some basic information, explain it clearly in the discussion meeting, and then set the direction for the investigation.
Because it involved an old case, this meeting was extremely long.
The medical examiner discussed the autopsy report, forensics talked about trace evidence at the scene, Old Gao started from the 2002 case, introducing each of the four previous victims one by one.
Ji Feng reported on Liu Jian's situation, and incidentally mentioned Jian Jing's views on the Li Xiaonuan case.
The leader listened very attentively, holding a thermos cup, but didn't say a word, making everyone feel uneasy.
It was already past eleven when it finished.
Ji Feng could barely keep his eyes open. He hastily wolfed down some instant noodles and went to the on-duty room to sleep.
The dream was deep, the world a cold, silvery-gray.
After a long while, he realized it was snowing.
The accumulated snow was gloomy, like uncured cement. Several charred corpses lay in the ruins, looking like burned firewood.
He just stood there, silently watching, watching, until he woke from the dream.
His whole body ached.
After rushing about for half a month and then working non-stop upon return, even an iron man would be exhausted.
Ji Feng struggled to get up, his bones creaking.
He took out his toothbrush and toothpaste from the cabinet and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Just as he was brushing his teeth, Old Gao came in, his expression a bit stiff.
Ji Feng glanced at him and continued brushing.
Old Gao stammered, "Uh, there's something this morning..."
"Ptui." He spat out the toothpaste foam and calmly asked, "Want me to recuse myself?"
Old Gao nodded with difficulty.
When he reported on the case yesterday, he deliberately omitted the matter of Zhang Peiru, but the case files were right there. As long as the leaders weren't blind, they would certainly understand this situation.
Ji Feng's relationship to the Li Xiaonuan case was still unclear, and his father had a clear stake in it. Considering the rigor and impartiality of the investigation, he had to be recused.
"Alright, I guessed as much." He closed his eyes briefly. "I'll just take it as paid leave then."
Old Gao's face fell. "Dream on, there are other cases too."
"I'm not in the mood to investigate. I'll just take a couple days off then," he said, working out the kinks in his stiff neck. "This hard bed has nearly given me a crick."
He appeared completely normal, but Old Gao knew better than to take it at face value. He hesitated, "How about... I apply to have Professor Jian participate a bit?"
Ji Feng shook his head.
Old Gao sighed and patted his shoulder. "Alright then, go home and rest for two days. It's rare to have time off."
Ji Feng grunted in assent without saying more.
However, despite saying he'd go home to rest, he still dutifully stayed in the office that afternoon, making calls, typing on the keyboard, not much less busy than if he'd gone out.
He left work promptly at 5:30, unusually encountering the evening rush hour.
On the congested street, Ji Feng gazed at the gorgeous sunset in the west, memories from long ago surfacing in his mind.
That day, his father and mother divorced.
Ji Yunyun was too young to understand and was left with relatives. Only Ji Feng accompanied them.
His mother said, "Xiaofeng, don't blame me."
He replied, "I don't blame you."
He really didn't.
Unlike his father who knew nothing, he had actually discovered his mother's condition very early on. She had cancer and needed long-term treatment and recuperation.
Ji Liming was a police officer who couldn't take care of the family. She used to be able to look after the children, but what about after falling ill? So she very forcefully proposed divorce and didn't ask for custody of either child.
The second month after the divorce, she married another man.
That man had pursued her for a long time and knew about her illness but didn't care. He only hoped to spend the last days of her life together.
She wanted to spend the final years of her life accompanied by loved ones, and had no reason to refuse.
It wasn't until Ji Liming's wife passed away that he realized she had been suffering from such a severe illness.
He felt regret, but also a sad relief. At least they had divorced - how much time would he have had to accompany her anyway? If a husband wasn't by his wife's side in her final moments, that would be too heartbreaking.
Was there a sunset like this on the day of the funeral?
Ji Feng thought for a moment, then shook his head. He couldn't remember either.
The car inched forward slowly as traffic lights changed. After over an hour, the sun had completely set by the time the car finally managed to reach home.
There were people at the entrance, all quite tall.
Yunyun and who else? Yu Can?
Ji Feng frowned and immediately parked the car to walk over.
"Ms. Yu, why are you here?" He scrutinized Yu Can.
She was wearing a long black down jacket and flat boots, carrying an LV handbag. Her stylish and attractive appearance caught the eye of the security guard.
Yu Can hurriedly said, "Officer, I heard about what happened with your father... I'm so sorry." She looked ashamed, "I had no idea my testimony would lead to such a result..."
Ji Feng said, "That's all in the past." He gave his sister a look, and Ji Yunyun immediately said, "Yes, you're too kind. We can't accept this."
As she spoke, she tried to push back the foam box.
"It's nothing expensive, just some strawberries my friend brought from the countryside," said Yu Can. "I originally wanted to give them to my daughter, but..."
Her eyes reddened, and she quickly lowered her head to wipe away tears. "Please take them, don't be polite."
But Ji Feng said, "We can't accept them."
"Once a gift is given, how can it be taken back?" Yu Can waved her hand, forcefully handing the box to Ji Yunyun. Then she said, "Officer, actually I came today because I wanted to talk to you about something. Do you think we could..."
She gestured at the neighbors who were watching curiously, smiling bitterly.
Ji Feng didn't know her intentions, but after brief consideration, he was still unwilling to miss a potential lead. He nodded and said, "Alright." He made a gesture to wait and said to Ji Yunyun, "You go home first."
Ji Yunyun asked in a low voice, "What about this box of strawberries?"
After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Put it in the bike shed."
She nodded.
Ji Feng didn't give her a chance to ask further questions. He waved his hand and followed Yu Can.
Yu Can invited him to get in the car.
"That won't be necessary, will it? If you have something to say, just tell me," Ji Feng got straight to the point when they reached a quiet street corner. "As it happens, I have some questions I'd like to ask you too."
Yu Can shook her head, "Let's still get in the car. I want to take you somewhere."
Ji Feng raised an eyebrow and suddenly said, "Why don't I ask my questions first?"
She smiled, "Sure."
"I called and asked Mr. Huang - oh, the owner of the training school that hired Li Xiaonuan - why he wanted to hire Li Xiaonuan in the first place, and how he found her. Guess what he said?"
Yu Can asked curiously, "What did he say?"
Ji Feng said, "He said it was suggested by an agency, who also gave him some flyers."
