Qian Lei, the captain of the security team, had an ordinary name and an ordinary life. He only attended one year of junior high school before dropping out due to family reasons.
Afterward, he worked as a waiter in a billiards hall, mingling with his elder brother and getting into fights everywhere. One time, in a confused state, he ended up killing someone with a knife and was sentenced to ten years, starting his time in prison.
During the years of imprisonment, he received education and underwent rehabilitation. Eventually, due to his good behavior, he was granted an early release.
However, with a criminal record, it was difficult for him to find a job. Finally, with the help of a fellow villager, he managed to secure a job as a security guard in a residential area. Even though the salary was low, he worked diligently for several years.
Just when he was about to be promoted, his criminal record was anonymously exposed in the community owners' group.
The homeowners protested to the property management, and he was dismissed from his job.
Qian Lei felt extremely frustrated, but he had no choice. Some mistakes should never be made, as they can affect one's entire lifetime. He realized this too late.
Fortunately, not long after, a homeowner he had interacted with before helped him by recommending a job at the Golden Emerald Palace. When Mr. Dong, the boss, heard about his history, he not only didn't mind but thought that's what it takes to keep people in line. Qian Lei was promoted to captain of the security team after only three months of work.
Qian Lei cherished this job immensely, but now that his boss had passed away, he didn't know what the future held.
"Qian, someone is looking for you," his roommate called from their rented room.
"I'm coming." Qian Lei quickly finished the instant noodle soup in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and walked to the door. "Who's looking for me?"
Ji Feng showed his identification.
Qian Lei paused, his expression slightly tense. "Officer, is there something I can help you with?"
"We have some follow-up questions about the case at the Golden Emerald Palace. Please come with us for an investigation," Ji Feng said.
Qian Lei instinctively licked his lips and said, "Oh, alright. Can I change my clothes first?" He gestured to his tank top and shorts. "It's not very polite like this."
Ji Feng said, "You can, but I suggest you not make any unnecessary movements."
Qian Lei was taken aback but pretended not to understand. He turned around and put on his security guard uniform, a shoddily made black suit. It was his life experience that if you dressed a bit more decently, people wouldn't easily discriminate against you.
Ji Feng took the opportunity to glance around the rented room.
It was a shared room, with seven or eight big guys squeezed into a two-bedroom apartment. The fan was blowing loudly, and the room was filled with the smell of sweat and foot odor. On the floor, coffee table, and small table, there were electric stoves and jars of spicy sauce, as well as several boxes of instant noodles.
He couldn't help but feel relieved: it's a good thing he didn't bring Teacher Jian along.
Qian Lei quickly changed his clothes, got into the police car, and once again stepped into the gates of the police station.
As a former criminal with a record, he naturally had a fear of being taken into custody. When he sat at the interrogation table, his back instantly straightened and became incredibly tense.
"Name."
"Qian Lei."
"Gender."
"Male."
"Age."
"36."
Unlike the previous questioning for his confession, this time the police were noticeably more severe. The stern expression in their eyes seemed to imply that they had concrete evidence.
Qian Lei's lips became even drier.
He couldn't help but take a sip of water.
Sure enough, they specifically asked about the events of the night on the 15th.
Qian Lei cautiously said, "Um, I've already explained multiple times..."
"Tell me, just tell me." The interrogating police officer was cold and stern. His gaze was vigilant and ruthless, completely reflecting his attitude towards the criminal rather than that of a cooperative witness.
--
Outside the interrogation room, Jian Jing held Cheese Grapes in her arms, surrounded by spectators in the front row. She commented, "I can't believe Officer Gao can be so fierce."
Lao Gao had always been gentle and smiling towards her, but she didn't expect him to display such a commanding presence when facing the suspect. Qian Lei was already frightened by it.
Ji Feng remarked, "Control yourself." He was truly enjoying the spectacle.
Jian Jing sipped her iced drink, pretending not to hear.
--
Inside the room, the interrogation continued.
Qian Lei tried his best to repeat what he had said earlier, "Zhao and I went upstairs. He knocked on the door and called the boss's name, but there was no response..."
Officer Gao interrupted, "What did he call? Tell me."
"Um, something like 'Boss, Mr. Wang is here,' 'Boss, are you there?' 'Xiao Tan, open the door.'" He recalled.
"Go on."
"There was no sound inside, and we were worried that something had happened, so we found something to pry open the lock. The door opened, and we saw someone lying on the sofa, who looked like the boss."
Officer Gao interrupted again, "Who went in first?"
Qian Lei hesitated before saying, "It was Brother Zhao."
"And then?"
"We ran to the boss's side and saw that his head was covered in blood. He was lying there motionless. Xiao Tan was in shock, no matter how we asked, there was no response. Brother Zhao told me to call the police."
"Show me where you two were at the time." Officer Gao handed over the crime scene photos.
Qian Lei pointed to the position near the feet of the body.
--
In the observation room.
Ji Feng clicked his tongue.
Two days had passed, and Zhu Yanan, who came specifically to review the progress, asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with this position?"
Jian Jing took the photo and explained to her, "The body was between the sofa and the coffee table. The sofa was at an angle, with a narrow space for the head and a larger space at the feet. To see his head, one would have to walk inside. The line of sight of the person in charge would definitely be blocked, but Qian Lei is a big guy and couldn't squeeze in too far. He would usually be near the feet, but he could see the door clearly."
A pair of feet appeared outside the folding screen, obviously hoping to quickly attract the attention of the incoming people, so they wouldn't search the room and accidentally discover the hiding person's traces.
But the person who entered later would generally stand behind the first person, near the feet of the body. Qian Lei, being tall and robust, already had limited space next to the sofa. It was highly unlikely that he would stand too far inside.
Therefore, even though the folding screen blocked part of the view, they would definitely be able to see if someone entered or left the doorway.
Zhu Yanan understood and her expression turned serious.
--
Officer Gao looked at Qian Lei, now having a clear understanding. In a cold tone, he said, "Think back carefully, how many people were in the room at that time?"
Qian Lei's heart raced, and his palms sweated. "Three people, Xiao Tan, Brother Zhao, and me."
Officer Gao said meaningfully, "Are you sure?"
Qian Lei grew even more anxious, "Yes."
"After calling the police, what did you do?" Unexpectedly, Officer Gao looked at him for a few seconds, then moved on from that topic and continued questioning.
Qian Lei let out a sigh of relief, took a sip of water from a paper cup, and answered, "I informed the others."
"Who was the first person?"
"Nana."
"Where was she at that time, and what was she doing?"
Qian Lei replied smoothly, "She was in the office, it seemed like she was on a video call, no, actually, a live stream."
"What did you say to her?"
"I said, the boss is in trouble, I called the police, and they told everyone at the scene not to leave. I told her not to wander around."
"How did she respond?"
"She asked me what happened, if it was a small talk, and if an ambulance should be called."
"How did you respond?"
"I said I didn't know anything."
"Did you tell her that the boss was dead?"
"No, I didn't know if the boss was dead or not."
"Did you call an ambulance?"
"Yes, I did."
Officer Gao asked in great detail, almost probing every detail, occasionally throwing in a curveball to disrupt the suspect's thoughts.
Qian Lei's answers were flawless, similar to what he had instructed the secretary.
"Who did you inform next?"
"Min Sister."
"Where was she?"
"In the lounge."
"What was she doing at the time?"
"Um, it seemed like she was looking at her phone."
"What do you mean by 'seemed'? Was she playing games or making a phone call?"
"She was playing games."
"What did you say to her?"
"The same as Nana, I told her the boss was in trouble and not to wander around."
"How did she react?"
"She just said she knew."
"Didn't she ask anything else?"
"No."
"And then?"
"Then I saw Sister Liu come up, and I told her about it too." Sister Liu is the finance manager.
"How did she react?"
"She was a bit shocked, said she didn't know anything, and wanted to go home. I persuaded her for a while before she calmed down."
Officer Gao's face turned cold. "So, you think nothing else happened that night?"
"No, nothing," Qian Lei wiped the sweat off his sleeve.
Officer Gao shook his head. "Do you know that perjury carries a prison sentence? You spent eight years in prison, finally started a new life after getting out, and now, for the sake of a woman, you're willing to go back in for a few more years. What's the point?"
Qian Lei's heart jumped into his throat.
A woman.
The police knew? They really knew? How was that possible? Could it be...
"We have already arrested He Xinmin," Officer Gao bluffed, "and she has confessed."
Qian Lei's face immediately turned pale.
Officer Gao said, "Think about it carefully. When you went to find her, where was she? What was she doing?"
Don't panic, stay calm. The inmates had said that the police liked to bluff people. Wasn't he the same before? As soon as they scared him, he would obediently confess everything.
Qian Lei desperately reassured himself, clinging to a glimmer of hope. "I didn't lie."
"Ah," when being tough didn't work, Officer Gao switched to a gentler approach, annoyed that he couldn't forge steel out of iron, "You're still being stubborn at this point?"
Qian Lei remained silent, protesting through his silence.
Officer Gao said, "Don't believe what I said, right? Fine, let me make it clear to you then. When you entered the room, you actually saw her. She was in the room, secretly preparing to leave, but you caught her. According to her confession, when you went to find her, she wasn't playing with her phone, but taking care of herself."
"She had your boss's blood on her."
In the observation room, Zhu Yanan asked in surprise, "Did He Xinmin confess?"
Ji Feng lazily replied, "No."
"Then how did you know there was blood?" she wondered, "It's not mentioned in the physical evidence, right?"
Ji Feng pursed his lips and said, "Of course not, it was a guess by Teacher Jian."
Zhu Yanan looked at Jian Jing.
Jian Jing cleared her throat. It was time for her favorite part, where she couldn't personally expose the suspect, but explaining the details was fine. "Based on the situation at the time, the killer didn't have time to change clothes. The clothes she was wearing during the crime were the same as the ones she wore during her recorded testimony. But there was something off about that dress."
She played the video of the testimony and analyzed, "When I watched the testimony, I felt that the dress was very strange."
In the video, Manager Min was wearing a black off-shoulder long dress.
Zhu Yanan watched carefully for a moment and asked in confusion, "I didn't see anything wrong. Was there blood on it?"
"On that day, when we visited her, I complimented her dress. Do you remember?" Jian Jing didn't answer but instead asked Ji Feng.
Ji Feng replied, "I remember. Is that relevant?"
"At first, I just felt that the black dress didn't suit her. Her style was gentle and elegant, and the decoration in her house was also fresh and tasteful. It was the best fit for her. Black color is too dusty, similar to a secretary's outfit. It should have been something she tried to avoid."
Jian Jing continued, "But at that time, I couldn't be certain. Maybe it was her work uniform. So, I went to the club again, and she was indeed wearing a white dress, looking incredibly elegant. She completely outshone the young girls there. If it were me, I would also like a gentle and kind sister like her."
"Ahem." Ji Feng cut to the chase and revealed the mystery, "So, wearing black clothes specifically meant that she knew she might get bloodstains today."
Zhu Yanan was skeptical, "Is that all?"
Jian Jing glared at Ji Feng and said, "You tell her, continue."
Ji Feng closed his mouth and made a gesture of surrender.
"Half a bottle of water." Jian Jing found the club's website, opened the photo of the business department, and found the same dress on the young girl next to the person in the center. "This dress is not an off-shoulder dress; it originally had a strap on the right shoulder, but she tied it into a bow."
Zhu Yanan understood, "The strap got stained with blood, so she tied it into a bow to hide it."
"Bingo," Jian Jing raised her hand and high-fived Zhu Yanan, "That's exactly what I guessed."