Manager Yu Hanjiang is still unsure how credible Qi Ming's words are, but his claim of smoking for an hour in the villa area in the middle of the night is simply illogical.
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow slightly: "You mean, from three to four in the morning, you smoked for an hour downstairs at the villa? You only calmed down and left after finishing a whole pack of cigarettes?"
Qi Ming seemed to find this reason unbelievable, and his expression turned slightly awkward.
Yu Hanjiang raised his head, staring sharply at him, and said, "Mr. Qi, we have ample reason to suspect that you are involved in the murder of Ms. Lin Yiyan. I can apply for your criminal detention. If you continue to lie and fabricate stories, your testimony will be deemed unreliable in court, which will not do you any good."
He simply opened a test record on the computer, turned the screen around, and showed Qi Ming the data.
Sitting next to him, Xiao Lou explained gently, "Mr. Qi might not understand this. This is the analysis we conducted on the skin and hair fragments left under Ms. Lin's fingernails. The results show that the genes of these remaining tissues match yours, Mr. Qi. In addition, there were several wine bottles in Ms. Lin's kitchen trash can, and Mr. Qi's fingerprints were found on them."
Qi Ming's face suddenly turned pale, and his lips trembled slightly.
Yu Hanjiang noticed that Xiao Lou seemed to have followed his bad example. The two of them were playing good cop/bad cop, working together seamlessly. Qi Ming's psychological defenses were clearly on the verge of collapse. Yu Hanjiang gave Xiao Lou an approving look, then continued to stare sternly at Qi Ming, saying in a deep voice, "Mr. Qi, the evidence we currently have is sufficient to arrest you."
Qi Ming was terrified and immediately retorted, "I didn't kill her! I really didn't!"
Yu Hanjiang crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and squinted at the other person: "You entered the villa after 3 a.m., and you're telling me honestly what happened after that!"
Qi Ming clenched his fists, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He trembled as he said, " After Cheng Yu left, I did go into the villa. I was furious. I felt that I had helped her all the way from an unknown student to a famous actress. I provided her with the best resources and made her famous. And she betrayed me!"
Yu Hanjiang interjected casually, "So you attacked her?"
Qi Ming reached out and grabbed her hair tightly, burying her face in pain. Her voice was hoarse as she said, "I didn't hit her. She just accidentally scratched my arm during the argument... She said that the reason she was with Cheng Yu was because I never gave her a promise, and that I was too cowardly. She also said that every time I proposed to her in the past ten years, she would have said yes... Hearing her say that, I really felt terrible. I didn't have the responsibility of a man. I was with her for ten years and never mentioned marriage. By the time I wanted to bring it up, she no longer loved me... So, I don't blame her."
Yu Hanjiang calmly looked at the trembling man in front of him: "And then?"
Qi Ming remained silent for a long time before raising his head. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked sincerely at Yu Hanjiang and said, " Officer Yu, what I'm saying this time is true. After calming down, I decided to break up with her peacefully. Lin Yiyan took a few bottles of wine out of the refrigerator, and we drank some together as a farewell. Around 3:30 a.m., I left the villa to go outside for a smoke and called a ride-hailing service to pick me up. The driver called me at 3:40 a.m. to say he had arrived, so I got in the car and left."
He opened the ride-hailing app on his phone, showed Yu Hanjiang the record from last Tuesday, and said, "I have the record here; you can verify it."
Yu Hanjiang took a look. Last Tuesday morning, Qi Ming used a mobile app to call a taxi twice. The first time, he left Dongfu Jiayuan at 23:50 and arrived at Moon Lake Villa Estate at 24:30. The second time, as he said, he left Moon Lake Villa Estate at 3:40 and arrived at his residence Dongfu Jiayuan at 4:20.
The ride-hailing app showed a complete route, so it seems Qi Ming wasn't lying about the ride.
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance. Xiao Lou asked, "Mr. Qi, since you and Ms. Lin have decided to break up, didn't you notice anything amiss when she suddenly messaged you on WeChat the night before last, saying she was going on vacation?"
Lin Yiyan was already dead at the time. The murderer sent a text message to the manager using his phone. The murderer may not have known that Qi Ming and Lin Yiyan had broken up. When sending the WeChat message, he said, "Brother Ming, I'm too tired lately and need to rest," which didn't seem to fit the relationship between the two at the time.
Qi Ming paused for a moment, then explained, "My management contract with Lin Yiyan expires at the end of the year. After discussing it that day, we decided to terminate the contract when it expires, so we could part ways amicably. She usually calls me Brother Ming. She sent me a WeChat message asking for leave, and I didn't think much of it."
Yu Hanjiang quickly jotted down his answer in his notebook and said calmly, "Think carefully about what happened last Tuesday. Is there anything you've overlooked?"
Qi Ming shook his head: "No."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "You left Lin Yiyan's house at 3:30. Did you encounter anyone on the way?"
Qi Ming said with certainty, "No, it was late at night, the entire villa area was very quiet, and there wasn't a single person on the road."
Yu Hanjiang nodded, instructing Qi Ming to stay at the police station for 24 hours. As a key suspect, he couldn't leave immediately. Yu Hanjiang then went with Xiao Lou to investigate.
In the car, Xiao Lou asked, " Did Captain Yu not believe Qi Ming was the murderer from the beginning?"
?
Yu Hanjiang said, "He has a motive and was present at the crime scene at Moon Lake Villa Estate, making him a strong suspect. If he is the murderer, our logical chain of deduction is very complete, but two key elements are missing."
Xiao Lou guessed, "Ice cubes, and the time he left doesn't match up either?"
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and nodded approvingly: "Yes. It's hard to explain why he didn't bring a lot of ice when he appeared at the villa's entrance. Lin Yiyan's car drove out of the community at 4 a.m., and Qi Ming said he left by taxi at 3:40 a.m. We did see a taxi appear at the entrance of the community in the surveillance footage, which proves that Lin Yiyan's car was not driven away by Qi Ming."
Xiao Lou stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Based on all the evidence we have so far, we can pinpoint the exact time of Lin Yiyan's murder to be between 3:40 and 4:00 AM last Tuesday, within those short 20 minutes?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "This further proves that the murderer did not kill in the heat of the moment, but rather premeditatedly and meticulously planned to kill Lin Yiyan. That's why he was able to act quickly, ruthlessly, and accurately, and the crime scene was also cleaned up quite thoroughly."
The murderer must have been waiting nearby for a while. He only entered the villa after Cheng Yu and Qi Ming left.
Lin Yiyan's villa seemed quite lively that night, with a constant stream of visitors.
However, Cheng Yu didn't go upstairs. After having sex with Lin Yiyan in the car, he drove away. These two were clearly not in a serious relationship, but rather seeking thrills in the middle of the night. Qi Ming entered the villa, had some arguments with Lin Yiyan, left fingerprints on the wine bottle, and left skin fragments under Lin Yiyan's fingernails. He left in a taxi at 3:40.
The third person to enter the villa was the real murderer.
In the short span of 20 minutes from 3:40 to 4:00, this person completed the operation of killing Lin Yiyan, freezing the body, disposing of the scene, and disguising himself as Lin Yiyan to drive away from the villa area. It was truly a clean and efficient operation.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and said, "The key issues now are: first, we need to verify the cause of death of Qi Ming's dog, which was mentioned in his testimony, and we also need to personally interview the taxi driver who took him at the time; second, we need to talk about Cheng Yu, although Cheng Yu is not a suspect, we still need him to tell us what he talked about and did with Lin Yiyan that night."
Xiao Lou said, "After we finish investigating Qi Ming's case, if we're sure he's not the murderer, then let's go to the film set to find Cheng Yu, shall we?"
Yu Hanjiang grunted in agreement, started the car, and drove Xiao Lou to the pet hospital opposite Dongfu Jiayuan.
The two veterinarians at the pet hospital were both young. After Yu Hanjiang showed his police ID, they immediately cooperated by checking the pets' medical records from the past few months. Yu Hanjiang asked them to check the medical record of a dog named "Dou Dou," whose owner was Qi Ming.
One of the female doctors quickly found the information and said, "I have a deep impression of DouDou. It was pure white and very cute. It's just that it's old. It's twelve years old this year and has been sick a lot recently. It has come to the hospital several times."
Xiao Lou asked, "When was the last time it came to the vet?"
The female doctor said, "On November 11th, DouDou suffered heart failure due to a severe infection. There was nothing we could do; its lifespan was over. We could only advise its owner to give up treatment. At that time, DouDou was on the verge of death. Mr. Qi carried it away, and he looked very sad."
Nurse, who was standing next to her, added, "We haven't seen DouDou since."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Does Mr. Qi always bring DouDou alone when it comes to the doctor?"
The female doctor said, "Yes, he loves this dog very much."
Based on the investigation results from the pet hospital and the statements from the neighbors, Qi Ming did indeed love Lin Yiyan deeply and cherished the pet they bought together. He often took DouDou for walks in the neighborhood. On November 11th, which was two weeks ago, DouDou became seriously ill. After he came to the hospital, the doctor said there was nothing they could do. DouDou may have passed away that day.
Qi Ming buried it and prepared to have a serious talk with Lin Yiyan to salvage the relationship.
Unfortunately, it didn't work.
When Lin Yiyan still liked him, he didn't have the courage to get married; but when he wanted to get married, Lin Yiyan no longer loved him.
Many couples who have been in a relationship for years and gone through a long run end up breaking up; such examples are countless in reality. Judging from Qi Ming's behavior and testimony, it's unlikely he killed Lin Yiyan in a fit of rage. Furthermore, the fact that he left before 4 PM further reduces his suspicion.
On the way back, Xiao Lou sighed and said, "I always feel that Lin Yiyan is very complicated. The way her fans see her, the way her parents see her, the way Qi Ming and Cheng Yu see her, she doesn't seem like a person at all?"
Yu Hanjiang said casually, "Don't forget about our idol, Xie Yuan. In front of her idol, Lin Yiyan is just a little fangirl."
Xiao Lou smiled wryly: "That's true... Doesn't she get tired of acting in front of different people every day?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "Have you heard of 'histrionic personality disorder'?"
Xiao Lou paused for a moment, then suddenly realized: "That makes sense. Histrionic personality disorder is a pathological psychological illness. People with this disorder like to create a 'persona' for themselves and switch between different people at will. Unlike schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, people with histrionic personality disorder are very clear about what they are doing. However, they are good at pretending. Their actions and expressions are all designed. They satisfy their psychological sense of accomplishment by confusing others."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: " Lin Yiyan is somewhat like this kind of performative personality. She acts like a good girl in front of her parents, a goddess in front of her fans, a little fangirl in front of her idol, and a lovestruck woman in front of her manager. And when she's with Cheng Yu..."
"At that time, I'll probably be playing the role of a caring older sister again."
Xiao Lou sighed and rubbed her forehead: "Has she been acting too much? Is she acting in real life too?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "So, on the surface, it seems she hasn't offended anyone, but perhaps someone has already seen through her disguise and is watching her performance with a cold eye. Our investigation is currently too limited. I think we should start investigating from when she was in school."
******