"Miss Jian?" Wang Qi appeared out of nowhere, suddenly popping up behind her. "What are you doing here?"
Jian Jing said, "I wanted to wash my hands."
"Oh, please go ahead." He left with a stiff expression.
After Jian Jing finished washing her hands, Wang Qi was outside making a phone call.
She looked down at her cola, noticing the edge was very clean, with obvious smear marks on the aluminum can lid.
Just like last time, knock her out first then make a move?
Fine.
She pretended to be oblivious, picking up the cola and taking a couple of fake sips before frowning and putting it down.
"I'm sorry," Wang Qi returned apologetically. "There were a few things to take care of."
"It's alright," Jian Jing asked cautiously, "You said you had something to show me..."
Wang Qi: "Oh, right, wait a moment, I'll go find it now." He hurried into the study, rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
Jian Jing didn't miss the opportunity, tiptoeing into the master bedroom.
The master bedroom had no fragrance, with bedding haphazardly thrown on the bed. She could see several strands of light brown long hair.
A smile slowly appeared at the corners of her lips.
Whether it was the real culprit's idea or an accomplice's thought, they were clever not to clean the room spotlessly.
It made sense - so many people saw MaiMai leave with them on the night of the 4th. This couldn't be washed clean, so why bother? Better to say she came and left.
Since she had been here, it was normal for there to be traces left behind.
Daring to keep it like this proved there was likely no blood in the master bedroom, or very little.
In other words, it wasn't a sharp weapon injury, but blunt force trauma or death by suffocation.
She studied the room's layout.
The master bedroom's decor was naturally luxurious, with exquisite ornaments on the chest of drawers. She carefully picked them up, examining each for any remaining blood traces.
Nothing.
Judging from the slight dust marks on the table, the ornaments hadn't been replaced.
There was no bedside lamp on the nightstand; ambient lighting came from wall sconces, which generally couldn't be bumped into.
So it wasn't blunt force trauma.
She instinctively felt it was suffocation, for a simple reason: this was the most common accidental death during bedroom activities. However, there were many possible ways to suffocate - strangling, choking, smothering, or even... drowning.
The noise from the study continued, so Jian Jing turned into the master bathroom.
Being an apartment, the master bathroom wasn't large. Apart from the shower, bathtub, and vanity, there wasn't much space left. The floor tiles were relatively clean, but upon closer inspection, many traces remained in the corners and edges.
Hair, water stains, lipstick - it felt as if it had been hastily cleaned.
The bathtub was small, too cramped for a couple's bath unless they really pushed MaiMai's head underwater for fun.
Jian Jing closed her eyes to think for a moment, then walked over to check the bathtub faucet.
It was set to cold water.
She looked at the bathtub drain, where some pink grainy particles had accumulated, likely residue from a bath bomb or bath salts.
Crouching down, she peered at the floor drain outside.
It was relatively clean, with no similar colored particles or tangled hair found.
However, the shower drain still had several strands of light brown long hair wrapped around it.
MaiMai had taken a shower; the bathtub probably hadn't been used on the 4th. Otherwise, if things had gotten so intense, water would have splashed out, leaving similar particles on the floor tiles.
Ruling out drowning, she could basically determine that the crime scene was in the master bedroom.
Jian Jing frowned in thought.
The four-piece bedding set was all silk, a very precious material that easily wrinkles. Although there were subtle creases on the pillows and cushions, they weren't obvious, clearly unused. The bed sheet, however, was wrinkled, looking as if it had endured a very intense activity.
What was the murder weapon? Who did it?
Without realizing it, the noise from the study had diminished.
She immediately came to her senses, seeing it was too late to return to the living room. She sat down on the spot, her body leaning softly against the wall, as if unconscious.
"Miss Jian." Wang Qi walked over, gently calling her name.
Jian Jing's eyelids moved slightly, as if she still had some residual consciousness, but that was it. She couldn't open her eyes, her body twitching slightly, completely drained of strength.
Wang Qi breathed a sigh of relief and made a phone call.
"Brother, she's already passed out. When will you get here?" he said in a low voice, "Okay, I'll wait for you guys."
After hanging up, he went out to rummage for something again.
Jian Jing quickly took out her phone, saw the call was still ongoing, and swiftly slid it under the bed.
Wang Qi came in holding a coil of rope and began tying her up.
As he worked, he said, "Although it's a bit unfair to cousin, he said you two didn't have any other relationship... Who told you to see and show up here? Haven't you heard curiosity killed the cat?"
Jian Jing, of course, couldn't answer him.
Wang Qi finished tying her hands and feet behind her back, then suddenly remembered something and searched her pockets.
Nothing.
He paused, muttering, "Where's the phone?"
Just as he was puzzling over this, footsteps came from outside, accompanied by a cautious voice: "Where is she?"
"Brother." Wang Qi left her and went to greet him, asking, "Just you? Where's Brother Zhang?"
"The police are watching him," Wang Tan's tone was peculiar. "Someone died at his place, and he was part of his party. He can't shake off suspicion for now."
Wang Qi said uneasily, "Maybe we should leave it alone. If we're found out..."
"You think I don't want to?" Wang Tan said irritably, "If we could be like Old Tian, knowing nothing and just giving a statement out of brotherhood, who'd want to be involved? But I'm already in this mess."
He sighed, saying anxiously, "Enough of that. Did you find what I asked you to look for?"
Wang Qi said, "The tie? Didn't see it. I've searched everywhere, even under the bed."
"I knew it," Wang Tan's voice rose slightly, his tone worsening. "He must have taken it."
Wang Qi was surprised: "Brother Zhang?"
"Old Tian wasn't involved, he doesn't want to offend either of us, so saying he knows nothing is enough. I'm part of this, it's not a big deal but not small either. If he sells me out, he might get off scot-free by redeeming himself. He can't risk it."
Wang Tan was quite frank with his brother: "If he wants to guard against me, he'd definitely need to hold onto some evidence. The tie that killed her was mine. If it comes out, there's no way to explain it away."
Wang Qi lowered his voice: "Brother, helping to deal with a body isn't a big deal, but if you... there's no going back."
"It's too late now," Wang Tan said calmly. "Actually, this might not be a bad thing."
He coldly looked at the unconscious Jian Jing, slowly saying, "Think about it. If only one person dies, we'd definitely be the prime suspects. But this woman, apart from you having a tenuous connection, we don't know her at all. No matter how they investigate, they won't suspect us."
Wang Qi drew in a sharp breath: "Brother, you mean..."
"Make her end up like that woman," Wang Tan said. "You leave now, find a place to stay. I'll dispose of the body in the late night, giving you an alibi."
Wang Qi licked his lips: "Are we... really doing this?"
Wang Tan said fiercely: "There's no time to consider. If we don't give the police something else to focus on, they'll definitely keep investigating us." He walked around the living room, picking up a crystal statue. "We'll use this. I'll hide it later too. This way, we all have leverage, and no one will dare to talk."
He urged his brother: "Go quickly. I'll wait for you for an hour."
Seeing his brother had made up his mind, Wang Qi didn't say more: "Alright, brother. Be careful."
Wang Tan nodded.
After his brother left, the room fell silent again.
Jian Jing felt Wang Tan approach, searching her body, confirming she showed no signs of consciousness. Only then did he pick her up entirely, placing her in the bathtub of the guest bathroom.
Her neck rested uncomfortably on the edge, her back against the cold white porcelain, chills creeping into her clothes.
She sensed Wang Tan's hand pause at her collar for a moment, as if contemplating whether to replicate the sexual act on her body as well.
But her feet were bound by rope; to do anything, he'd have to undo the restraints.
Wang Tan hesitated. Although Jian Jing was beautiful with an outstanding aura, tempting to pass up, someone like him valued his life more.
Women, well, if he didn't take her this time, there would be other chances. He tried to convince himself, but his hand still moved indecently towards her chest, wanting to take advantage.
But the moment he touched her, a sudden pain shot through his wrist.
Blood seeped out, the pain excruciating. Wang Tan was startled and looked closely.
Jian Jing slowly sat up, holding a folding knife, smiling at him. "So you killed me," she said. "It was you."
Wang Tan's heart pounded violently, instinctively reacting by trying to strangle her neck.
"If I were you..." she struggled to avoid the attack of an adult man, painfully prying at his fingers, "I'd run... the police... are coming..."
Wang Tan: "What?"
Jian Jing spoke haltingly: "I... I called the police."
"Impossible," he denied, "If the police were watching anyone, it'd be Zhang Feng."
"He's... the killer... isn't he?" She swung out a folding knife, but he grabbed her wrist, though this gave her a chance to catch her breath. "You were there too, strangled her with a tie, playing... playing a game?"
Wang Tan's face darkened: "You heard everything?"
Jian Jing stalled for time: "Want to know where the tie is?" She looked outside. "The best way to hide something is to put it in the most easily overlooked place."
Her original body was too weak.
So weak that being choked by one hand of a man left her gasping for air.
"The biggest thing... in the living room..." She stared at the magnificent crystal chandelier above. "That thing."
Wang Tan's expression changed abruptly, clearly struggling internally: should he find the tie to clear himself, or silence her once and for all?
The safest option was, of course, the first one.
He released Jian Jing and went back out to search for the tie on the chandelier.
Almost simultaneously, Jian Jing cut the rope on her ankles, rushed into the master bedroom, and locked the door.
She lay down, reaching for her phone.
However, when she turned on the screen, she saw the phone had shut down...
Jian Jing nearly fainted.
It wasn't that she was criticizing Apple, but was this battery life reasonable? How long was the call that it drained the battery completely? Or did the phone overheat and shut down automatically?
Regardless of which it was, she had to prepare for the worst - if Ji Feng didn't have enough evidence, could he obtain an arrest warrant? Probably not.
New sounds came from outside the door.
She pressed the power button hard, hoping to force the phone to turn on.
The screen gradually brightened.
"Tan? What are you doing?" Zhang Feng asked in surprise from the living room.
Wang Tan was equally surprised: "How did you get here?"
"Got a ride from a friend and slipped out," Zhang Feng said with a hint of pride. "The police still think I'm lurking around the villa."
His voice faded in and out: "Didn't you say someone was investigating us? What about that girl, have you dealt with her?"
Wang Tan hadn't found his tie and realized Jian Jing had tricked him. He gritted his teeth: "She's in there."
Zhang Feng was more cold-blooded and decisive: "Let's finish her off. You do it this time?"
As soon as the boot-up animation finished, without time to scroll through contacts, Jian Jing immediately dialed 110.
"Bang!" They were breaking down the door.
Her mind raced, and without answering the dispatcher's questions, she loudly said on her own: "Yes, Zhang Feng is the killer, Wang Tan is the accomplice. The cause of death was strangulation, the murder weapon was a tie. They were probably playing a game with her, one in front and one behind, and ended up strangling her. Then they dismembered the body in the guest bathroom bathtub..."
"The head was the main focus, using it to create an alibi. Wang Qi was responsible for disposing of the body, there should still be traces of the victim's blood in his car, you can check that."
Outside, there was sudden silence.
She continued: "You must hurry, call the prosecutor's office for an arrest warrant. Don't you have a good relationship with someone there? They already know about me, what if they escape? Forget about flights! They can leave the country directly by private jet, just go to any visa-free place. There aren't many flight routes late at night... Hurry! Yes! It must be now!!"
Wang Tan and Zhang Feng exchanged a glance, both seeing the solution in each other's eyes.
Silencing her was no longer useful, it would only waste time.
While the police procedures weren't complete, they should leave the country immediately, then find a way to stay abroad.
The two men wasted no more time and turned to leave.