Three days after the case was closed, Officer Liang sent an update: Under the bed, the forensic officers collected fallen hairs from Xia Xing, and the powder on the sobering device was indeed sleeping pills.
After the autopsy, the coroner's report also determined that the victim died of suffocation. But the fibers were not from the pillowcase, but rather a silk scarf hidden in the drawer.
Jian Jing couldn't help but exclaim, "How silly of me!"
Of course, a wet silk scarf pressed over the nose and mouth would be much easier for a petite girl to suffocate someone with than a pillow. And this could also explain why only half a glass of water was missing from the nightstand—it was likely all used to wet the scarf.
Jian Jing felt terrible that she didn't realize this sooner, but Officer Liang felt they had already accomplished a great deal.
She said, "You've given me a huge assist, I have to take you out to dinner to thank you."
"Officer Liang, you're too kind."
"No, I must insist." Officer Liang said firmly, "Oh right, no more 'Officer.' Just call me Liang Yi."
Jian Jing: "Liang...uh..."
"Then it's settled." Liang Yi decisively finalized it, "I'll be going to Heping City in a few days. I'll give you a call then."
Before Jian Jing could refuse, she had already hung up.
A week later, she called as promised and gave the restaurant address: "Ji Feng will be coming too, see you there."
Jian Jing had no choice but to show up.
Liang Yi had picked a hot pot restaurant and ordered a full table of food, with a yin-yang hot pot split between spicy red and mild white broths. The spicy aromas hit their noses, and even those not hungry suddenly felt starved.
Ji Feng arrived right on time, ready to eat as soon as his butt hit the seat.
"You haven't changed one bit." Liang Yi muttered.
He was utterly shameless: "We're old classmates, no need to stand on ceremony. Oh right, what was that case you mentioned earlier? Tell us about it."
He acted as if he was just here to drink and gossip about cases.
Liang Yi immediately swallowed back what she was about to say, and proudly recounted the full process of how the case was cracked instead.
And then...she got completely torn apart.
"You rushed to get confessions without fully examining the scene first?"
"Not noticing the person under the bed until this late at night, I'm very disappointed in you."
"Why didn't you investigate the social ties between Yang Guan and the painter earlier?"
Liang Yi was furious, and nearly flipped the hot pot over to splash broth in his face: "I'm the only one on the case! How can I do everyone's job at once?"
"What kind of place are you assigned to? No assistants, not even a deputy officer? That's against regulations!" Ji Feng nitpicked.
"None of your business." Liang Yi sat back down in a huff, grabbing all of the tripe from the pot and dumping it in her own bowl, "Jian Jing, ignore him. This guy's eyes are on the top of his head, so he sees flaws in everyone."
"Don't spout nonsense, I've never nitpicked Jian Jing before." Ji Feng adamantly denied, "She's such a good samaritan, I can only praise her. Here, Jian Jing, eat more to nourish your mind."
He tried to scoop pig brain into her bowl, but Jian Jing pushed his hand away.
"You're the pig brain." Jian Jing suddenly recalled something, "What's the 'internal review score' you mentioned?"
Liang Yi asked: "You didn't tell her?"
"Didn't I say it before?" Ji Feng shot back, "I'm sure I told her already."
Jian Jing: "Maybe you should get checked out for early onset Alzheimer's."
After laughing for a while, Ji Feng finally explained: "Alright, I probably forgot because I was busy. It's not a big deal anyway. There's a provision in the criminal investigation procedures that says law enforcement may invite citizens present at the scene to assist in the investigation when necessary."
Jian Jing was shocked: There's something like that? A special characteristic of laws in a parallel world??
Liang Yi supplemented: "Of course, not just anyone can do it. Having a clean record is a basic requirement. If you have relevant experience, your score will be a bit higher."
"Although you've dodged writing statements for me many times, I've reported everything truthfully." Ji Feng said, "The higher the score, the easier it is to get approved for reviewing some internal documents."
He looked meaningfully at Jian Jing: "This would definitely benefit you."
Jian Jing was puzzled, and didn't respond for the moment.
Liang Yi, unaware of their cryptic exchange, casually asked: "How have you been lately?"
"Eight cases in one month." Ji Feng gestured with his hands, "Auntie, impressed?"
"Scram, nephew." Liang Yi scolded him, but still asked, "What cases? Don't tell me you're counting petty theft and stuff."
Ji Feng gave a light scoff, and began to recount stories.
As Jian Jing listened, she became engrossed.
The first two chapters of Evil Doctor II were adapted from her real experiences. But when writing a book, she couldn't rely solely on cases encountered in real life—coming up with original material was also important.
Liang Yi and Ji Feng were a treasure trove of inspiration.
"Waiter, two more beef plates please." Jian Jing smiled, "Keep going, take your time."
Ji Feng: "..."
Two hours later, their wallets were emptied, and he had spilled quite a few cases.
A thoroughly drained Ji Feng still had to send both tipsy girls home. Since Liang Yi had to leave early the next morning, he dropped her off at her hotel first, before taking the longer route to send Jian Jing back.
"Have you encountered anything strange lately?" Ji Feng asked.
Jian Jing asked back: "What do you mean?"
"The bleeding rose." He said, "No other unusual gifts received recently?"
Jian Jing shook her head: "My address is confidential. Fan letters and gifts are all sent to my publisher."
Ji Feng remarked: "Your boss protects you pretty well."
Jian Jing thought of Kang MuCheng and had to stifle a laugh: "Yes, like a father and mother."
"Hm?" Even late at night, Ji Feng's sharpness was undiminished, reacting swiftly, "What do you mean, your parents have passed away?"
Jian Jing didn't know how he could tell: "How did you know?"
"Intuition." Ji Feng probed further, "What happened to your parents?"
Jian Jing was suspicious: "What is this, a census?"
He just laughed: "Just casual chatting between friends. I can go first―my dad was a cop but he passed away, my mom remarried, and I have a younger sister."
"Ji YunYun." Jian Jing remembered the autograph he had asked for.
"Right, she's in high school and obsessed with detective fiction, dreams of starting her own detective agency after graduating." Ji Feng had no qualms about selling out his sister, "What can a detective agency even do? Finding lost pets and mistresses, pfft."
Jian Jing had to laugh: "What kind of brother are you?"
"I'm not trying to discourage her, but solving cases is mostly ineffective and tedious work." He said, "She thinks being a detective is glamorous, tsk, she imagines herself as Sherlock Holmes, while I'm..."
"Lestrade?"
Ji Feng just shrugged.
Jian Jing nearly died laughing.
"What about you? Does your family approve of you getting involved in cases?" Ji Feng smoothly transitioned.
She answered: "They've all passed away."
"My condolences."
"Utterly insincere, you just wanted to ask about my parents." Jian Jing asked again, "Why?"
"Can't really explain, just some messy conjectures." He waved his hand dismissively, "I'll tell you when I figure it out. Just take our chat today as casual conversation, don't overthink it."
Jian Jing shot him a withering look.
Ji Feng guffawed loudly. The car slowly rolled to a stop, precisely in front of the complex entrance: "Here we are, see you later."
"Hopefully not seeing you again in October." She alighted and pushed the door closed, utterly heartless.
Ji Feng: "Don't be like that, we might see each other again tomorrow."
Jian Jing yelled furiously: "Scram!"
The car instantly accelerated and zoomed off without a trace.
*
Ji Feng's jinxing words were not prophetic. Jian Jing spent the entire month of October in relative tranquility.
Other than going to classes and studying, she was home writing. She also squeezed in time at the gym for a burst of workouts. She did this mainly because her personal trainer honestly told her that with her current level of training intensity, she was unlikely to make much more progress.
Jian Jing had to accept this helplessly.
Through months of exercise, her stats had increased to:
Constitution: 6 (You have a relatively healthy body)
Strength: 6 (Congrats, you can now carry buckets upstairs)
Agility: 7 (You're slightly more nimble than average)
Burst: 6 (Core strength needs more training)
Endurance: 5 (Your stamina is clearly lacking)
With these physical stats, an average person would already be quite fit. For Jian Jing to improve further would require investing more time into professional-level training.
But that wasn't realistic.
Since the last task had ended, she had accumulated 50 Courage points, allowing her to cheat a little.
She spent 20 points in the gym and got four cards: [Enhancement Card · Strength (1 point)], [Enhancement Card · Burst (1 point)], [Knowledge Card · Nutrition (Basic)], [Prop Card · Meal Replacement Bar 5/5]
The system was as "intelligent" as ever.
She didn't want to learn the nutrition card for now, so she used up the strength and burst cards.
Her new attributes were:
Physique: 6 (You have a relatively healthy body)
Strength: 7 (You can wrestle with an adult man and not necessarily lose)
Agility: 7 (You are a little more agile than ordinary people)
Burst: 7 (You are faster, stronger and more flexible now)
Endurance: 5 (Your endurance is obviously not very good)
Compared to men, the most obvious physiological weakness for women is strength. Making up for this point didn't mean danger levels dropped dramatically in daily life, but it definitely decreased a lot.
The most obvious example was one evening when she came out of the gym and went to the parking lot to get her car. Because she was wearing relatively tight clothes, she was eyed by an ill-intentioned, lecherous man.
He followed behind her, wanting to control her when she opened the car door.
However, Jian Jing had long noticed his actions through subtle signs. She pretended to open the car, but actually turned around and slapped him.
The man staggered from her slap, fell on his butt, and sat on the ground.
He was dumbfounded.
Jian Jing had originally wanted to call the police, but...cough, if she could handle it herself, why bother the civil servants. She immediately grabbed the man's collar, slapped him again.
Then, while he was dizzy and confused, she kicked him in the chest.
Forensic medicine told her that soft tissue contusions on the face and a rib fracture (one place) were minor injuries.
"Why don't you get lost?" she asked. "Want to go to the police station for tea?"
The man's face was already swelling up. He had originally wanted to cheat some compensation, but when she added "You're a habitual offender, right?", he was so scared that he didn't even dare to curse. He turned around and ran away.
At this moment, Jian Jing really appreciated the system.
*
At the end of October, The Devil Doctor officially started filming.
Jian Jing had just finished the draft of the second part and sent it to Kang Mucheng to read.
He was a little surprised: "That was fast?"
Jian Jing replied: "There was too much material."
Anthology dramas like The Devil Doctor were easier to write than Hide and Seek. As long as she could come up with cases, it was very simple. Not like the latter which required more meticulous logic and delicate emotional acting. It was easy to get started.
Kang Mucheng couldn't help asking: "You're not going to start writing the third part right away, are you?"
"No, the next story..." Jian Jing weighed it carefully. "I plan to add some romantic elements."
Kang Mucheng was even more surprised. "What made you suddenly have this idea?"
"I chatted with Xia Xing. Some of her ideas were very interesting." Jian Jing hesitated, seeking his opinion. "I want to try it out. What do you think?"
Kang Mucheng immediately said, "Constantly trying new things is good, but it's best not to change too much. The audience for romance novels is completely different from detective mysteries. You need to be mentally prepared."
"Just adding a little romantic element." She said with a smile. "If you tell me to write a whole book of lovey-dovey, I won't even know what to write."
Kang Mucheng imperceptibly breathed a sigh of relief. "When do you plan to start writing?"
"Probably going to start soon." Jian Jing had just picked up the pen and writing was going smoothly. She was in high spirits and had no intention of resting at all. She was going to keep writing.
But Kang Mucheng frowned when he heard this and advised: "I'm not rushing you for the manuscript. What's the hurry? Rest well first."
Jian Jing found it very interesting.
In another world, when she occasionally wanted to write something, she would also be squeezed out by heavy workloads and have no time. By the time she opened the document again, the inspiration was long gone. Not to mention web novel updates don't wait for people, take a break and half the readers would be gone.
Now she could write whatever she wanted, financially well-off, with food and shelter worries taken care of. She really didn't know what was left to rest about.
"Okay, I got it." She verbally agreed, but didn't take it to heart.
However, she didn't actually start the new book immediately.
In early November, Jian Jing received a call from Jiang BaiYan. He asked, "Teacher Jian Jing, do you have time?"
"Yes, I do. Do you need me for something?" She had a good impression of the beautiful boy and her tone was gentle.
Jiang BaiYan hesitated for a moment, then softly asked, "Could you come to the set for a bit? I'm having some trouble."
Jian Jing was surprised. "What happened?"
He said, "Someone sent me a threatening letter."
