After leaving Qiao Xuening's residence, Yu Hanjiang immediately called the production team of " The Dark Closes Its Eyes " to confirm.
The director said that the show was indeed filmed in the mountains, and in order to create a scary atmosphere, they specifically chose to film at night. However, the production team took very good safety measures, and the entire area was surrounded by security guards. During the filming, everyone was given uniform down jackets and hand warmers, and the celebrities had a lot of fun.
The entire recording process lasted a day and a night, and no one asked for leave. Yu Hanjiang also received the list of participants for the show; only Qiao Xuening knew Lin Yiyan, and the other celebrities hadn't interacted with her.
According to the director, Qiao Xuening's performance during this recording was not unusual. She drew the police twice, the Civilian twice, and the killer once. Because she was not very good at this kind of game, she lost all four rounds. Only in one round did she win as the Civilian because she was carried by the police.
After the recording ended, her manager came to pick her up and bought small gifts for everyone in the crew.
The director had a very positive opinion of Qiao Xuening.
After confirming that Qiao Xuening's testimony was correct, Yu Hanjiang returned to the film set with Xiao Lou and met up with Lao Mo, Qu Wanyue, Long Sen, and others. He then explained the current situation to his teammates.
Therefore, Cheng Yu, Qi Ming, and Qiao Xuening all have sufficient alibis.
Could the murderer be someone else?
Xiao Lou leaned against the wall and thought carefully for a moment before asking Yu Hanjiang, " Captain Yu, do you think Qiao Xuening's words are credible? She and Lin Yiyan have a good relationship, and I always feel that she is hiding something."
Yu Hanjiang said, "She was recording a program in the mountains that night, and many people can testify for her. She should not be involved in the Lin Yiyan murder case. However, she did seem hesitant to speak just now, especially when I asked who had a grudge against Lin Yiyan. Her eyes darted around, and she answered too hastily, which made her seem guilty. She probably knows something, but she is not willing to say it."
Xiao Lou looked at Qu Wanyue: " Teacher Qu, have you noticed anything during your interactions with her these past few days?"
Qu Wanyue said, " Qiao Xuening has really had a tough time. I heard that she had a relationship, but they broke up because of the long distance. After her ex-boyfriend found out that she had become a celebrity, he actually posted her nude photos online as revenge... Although she won the case in the end and deleted the photos, this incident was a big blow to her. After her comeback, she became more careful and cautious in everything she did, and she was very polite to everyone. A big star like her was even more polite to me than my students."
Qu Wanyue thought about it carefully and described her as follows: "The feeling she gave me was that she was walking on thin ice and was very cautious in her words and actions. So, she may know something, but she didn't say it because she didn't dare to offend anyone."
Xiao Lou nodded understandingly: "She's probably scared, so she doesn't dare to say anything reckless."
Long Sen scratched his head vigorously, looking bewildered, and said, "So it seems that the three people we've contacted so far— the Manager, the young man, and the best friend—are all unlikely to be the murderers, right?"
Old Mo chuckled dryly, "According to Captain Yu's description, Cheng Yu left the villa at 3:00, the Manager left at 3:40, the best friend was recording a program in the mountains, and the deceased's car was driven out at 4:00 in the morning. The person who drove the car away is the most likely murderer. None of these three fit the timeline."
Liu Qiao stroked her chin thoughtfully and asked, "Could it be a two-person crime? For example, one person killed Lin Yiyan, and the other person set up ice at the scene and drove away in Lin Yiyan's car?"
Xiao Lou looked at her and said gently, "We've considered this as well, so the Manager is still in custody. His suspicion can't be completely ruled out, after all, he had an argument with Lin Yiyan after entering the villa. If he killed Lin Yiyan, it would make sense for someone else to dispose of the body and drive away in Lin Yiyan's car. However, it's very unlikely that Qi Ming was working with someone else; his feelings for Lin Yiyan didn't seem fake. We're more inclined to believe that the person who entered the villa after Qi Ming killed Lin Yiyan."
Liu Qiao coughed lightly and said, "I'm just guessing... The person who entered the villa after 3:40 should be quite familiar with Lin Yiyan, right? Otherwise, Lin Yiyan would never open the door to a stranger knocking in the middle of the night."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Of course, we will investigate her friends in the industry one by one."
Just as he was saying this, Yu Hanjiang's phone suddenly received an anonymous text message.
The text message came from an unknown number and contained a long passage: " Lin Yiyan and Zhou Yuanyuan have a history of conflict. Last year, when the hugely popular historical drama 'Red Dust' was launched, the producer originally intended for Zhou Yuanyuan to play the lead role, but for some unknown reason, he was suddenly replaced by Lin Yiyan. Zhou Yuanyuan's team was already prepared to sign the contract, but Lin Yiyan snatched the role away halfway. It's said that Zhou Yuanyuan was so enraged that he got into a car accident on his way to the airport and was disfigured. This is gossip that old classmates mentioned at a private gathering, and its veracity cannot be guaranteed."
After quickly scanning the information on his phone, Yu Hanjiang handed it to Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou took the message and examined it carefully, saying, "This anonymous message must have been sent by Qiao Xuening, right?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "It was obviously her. She didn't tell us in front of the manager, probably because she was afraid that if she said something, she would give others something to say. So, she only sent a message anonymously to report us after we left."
Xiao Lou looked at Yu Hanjiang with admiration: " Captain Yu, did you already realize that Qiao Xuening wouldn't dare to say anything in front of the Manager, so you left your business card with her? If we had just left then, we would never have found out about this clue."
Yu Hanjiang said, "I can tell that she's hiding something."
Fortunately, Yu Hanjiang had a backup plan. Qiao Xuening, fearing responsibility, could only report the suspect via anonymous text message.
Lin Yiyan stole the female lead through less-than-honorable means, causing Zhou Yuanyuan to have a car accident in a fit of rage...
The crucial point is that it caused disfigurement.
It goes without saying how important a female celebrity's appearance is; disfigurement is a deep-seated grudge!
Zhou Yuanyuan had ample reason to take action against Lin Yiyan.
She's already disfigured, her future is bleak, and perhaps in despair, she'll decide to drag Lin Yiyan down with her in a desperate act. This murder is clearly meticulously planned; the killer and Lin Yiyan have a deep-seated grudge. Lin Yiyan stole Zhou Yuanyuan's role, causing Zhou Yuanyuan's car accident and disfigurement—this happened last year, a year is enough time to prepare.
After investigating three key witnesses, the suspect with the most motive in the case finally emerged.
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "Everyone go back to sleep first. Tomorrow, Professor Xiao and I will visit this Zhou Yuanyuan and see what she has to say."
The teammates went back to their rooms, and Yu Hanjiang drove home with Xiao Lou.
On the way back, Xiao Lou carefully analyzed the clues he had gathered over the past two days and said, "Currently, neither Cheng Yu nor Qiao Xuening has a motive for murder. " Qi Ming has a motive
However, the passage of time reduces his suspicion. Zhou Yuanyuan has the strongest motive for murder, but he may not be the killer. I always feel that Lin Yiyan may have offended more than just her.
Yu Hanjiang glanced at Xiao Lou and said, "Let's take it slow. Our physical evidence isn't sufficient yet. There's no progress on the source of the ice or the whereabouts of the murder weapon, so the investigation is indeed difficult. Tomorrow, we'll thoroughly investigate Lin Yiyan's university classmates and friends in the industry again; perhaps we'll find some new clues."
Xiao Lou nodded and said nothing more.
Investigating a case requires meticulous analysis, piecing together countless fragmented clues.
Could the murderer be Zhou Yuanyuan, who was disfigured in a car accident because Lin Yiyan stole the spotlight?