he air in the conference room was thick and heavy, like congealed blood. Captain Zhou Zhen's gaze was scalpel-sharp, dissecting the calm facade Shen Mian desperately clung to. Beside him, Lu Yoyo's pen hovered over her notepad; each notation she made felt like a countdown to Shen Mian's composure crumbling.
"Dr. Shen," Zhou Zhen began, his words striking like bullets aimed at the heart of the matter. "Explain your relationship with the deceased, Wang Jianming, and the altercation last night."
A cold dread washed over Shen Mian, tightening her throat. Just as her nerves were about to fray, Qin Jiu, seated beside her, imperceptibly nudged his teacup an inch closer to her. That tiny, deliberate action was a lifeline, steadying her.
She lifted a pale face, perfectly embodying the humiliation and fear of a harassed woman. "I despised him, but I would never kill over it! I was heavily intoxicated last night. My fiancé brought me here…"
"Fiancé?" Zhou Zhen's sharp eyes immediately shifted to Qin Jiu. "Mr. Qin. What is your profession? And why did you happen to be at the hotel during the critical time frame?"
The pressure pivoted instantly. All eyes locked onto Qin Jiu. Lu Yoyo held her breath, on the verge of blurting out her uncle's true identity.
Qin Jiu, however, simply leaned back in his chair. The movement wasn't defensive; it was regal, as if a king were settling onto his throne. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.
"I am… a consultant. In business," he stated, his voice cool and clear like mountain spring water. "Does picking up my fiancée now require filing an itinerary with the police, Captain Zhou?"
"Consultant?" Zhou Zhen leaned forward, amplifying the pressure. "What kind of consultant remains so unnervingly calm in the face of a murder investigation?"
A dead silence fell over the room.
Suddenly, Qin Jiu did something that left everyone astounded. His gaze flickered to a freshly delivered folder beside Zhou Zhen, and he spoke with unnerving calm.
"Captain Zhou. The victim's wedding ring is missing, correct?"
The statement landed like a thunderclap.
Zhou Zhen jerked his head down, staring fixedly at the preliminary autopsy report that had just arrived—a report not yet disclosed to anyone. There, clearly stated: 'The deceased's left ring finger shows signs of long-term ring wear, but the ring itself is absent.'
Lu Yoyo gasped audibly, her pen clattering onto the table.
How could he know? She hadn't even seen the report herself!
Qin Jiu ignored the stunned reactions, continuing in a tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"The perpetrator is male, between 28 and 35 years old, approximately 178 centimeters tall, left-handed. He had a close relationship with the victim, potentially involving financial ties. The motive stems from a sense of betrayal—that missing ring is the key."
With each sentence, Zhou Zhen's complexion changed. These deductions aligned shockingly well with the disparate, unconnected clues his forensics team had yet to piece together.
"You…" Zhou Zhen's voice was hoarse with disbelief. "Who are you?"
Qin Jiu leaned forward slightly, his gaze becoming surgically precise.
"What's important is that after the act, when the perpetrator exited via the fire escape, it's highly probable his sleeve cuff picked up particles of the specific fire-retardant coating from the stairwell. If you send someone to check now, you might still find traces in the blind spot of the corridor camera."
This was the moment of intellectual supremacy.
He hadn't just revealed unknown details; he had practically mapped out the investigation's next steps. The sheer, almost prescient insight was breathtaking.
Captain Zhou took a sharp breath, his look towards Qin Jiu shifting from scrutiny to sheer astonishment. He instinctively pressed his earpiece, issuing a low, urgent command: "Dispatch a team to the fire escape immediately. Search for traces of fire-retardant coating!"
Lu Yoyo stared at Qin Jiu, her eyes a mix of familial pride and deepening unease. Why is he revealing his skills like this now? Is it just to clear Mianmian?
Qin Jiu, having perfectly gauged the room, knew the impact was complete. He rose elegantly, straightening his cuff.
"Now that the path is clearer, my fiancée and I will take our leave. After all, someone who has suffered such a shock needs rest."
As he led Shen Mian away, their departure left behind not merely a cleared suspect, but an unsettling, formidable enigma.
Lu Yoyo watched them go, her voice trembling as she spoke to Zhou Zhen.
"Captain… My uncle… he's a specially appointed criminal profiler for the Ministry."
Zhou Zhen's pupils contracted sharply.
"But…" Lu Yoyo's voice wavered, on the edge of tears. "The way he acted just now… it wasn't about helping solve the case. It was like… he was manipulating the entire direction of the investigation."