“What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?” Before I knew it, Lan Jinxuan’s exquisite little face was right in front of mine.

“Where did you go just now? Why didn’t you follow me?” Calming down, I felt an urge to vent a surge of petty resentment.

“I’ve been right next to you the whole time,” Lan Jinxuan looked at me, somewhat perplexed.

I stared into her eyes, and for some inexplicable reason, my heart hammered violently against my ribs. This wasn't the normal physiological response to seeing a beautiful woman; I knew clearly that this was the precursor to danger.

“It’s nothing, let’s just get going quickly.” My complexion must have been ghastly; I could practically feel the goosebumps rising on my skin.

Lan Jinxuan and I continued forward, but I couldn’t resist casting a backward glance down the corridor. Was that a hallucination, or...?

The deceased, Wang Dong, had been a senior designer at a landscape architecture firm in Anyin City. His wife, Xie Liying, was an ordinary housewife with no fixed employment, and the couple lived in a tastefully decorated apartment building. They had no children. When she opened the door, I was genuinely startled by her beauty. If Lan Jinxuan was an A-class beauty, Xie Liying ranked as an AA-class; she possessed a mature, married woman’s allure that Lan Jinxuan lacked, exuding an aura that few people could handle. Yet, in the present moment, her features were inevitably drawn and haggard, her eyes red. Her husband’s sudden, bizarre death had clearly struck her a heavy blow.

“Who are you?” Xie Liying asked, standing behind the door with a hint of wariness.

“We are from the Municipal Special Investigation Section, handling your husband’s case. We’re here specifically to understand the situation,” I presented the temporary Special Investigation Section badges that Elder Jiang had managed to procure for us.

“Please, come in.” Xie Liying nodded, making way for us.

I tucked away the temporary badge—whose authenticity I doubted—and Lan Jinxuan and I entered one after the other. Looking around, the apartment’s design was quite unique; significant thought must have been invested in it originally.

“Please, sit wherever you like.” Xie Liying’s demeanor was rather subdued, though we hadn’t expected her to be overly enthusiastic right after losing her husband.

Xie Liying poured us two cups of hot water and sat opposite us, prepared to be questioned.

“The night your husband died, last night, approximately what time did he return home?” I dove straight into the subject.

“Around eleven something. I usually go to bed quite early, so I don’t remember precisely, but I vaguely recall checking the time. He mentioned discussing a proposal with a client from the company and then going out for dinner afterward, so he said he’d be back late. I didn’t wait up and went to sleep first,” Xie Liying slowly recounted the previous night’s events, her expression still somewhat vacant, her voice soft.

“And after he got back? What was his condition like then?” I pressed on.

“Dong was quite drunk last night, feeling very unwell. I just assumed he’d had too much socializing with the client, so I tidied up for him roughly and let him sleep,” As Xie Liying said this, tears welled up more intensely in her eyes.

I paused, watching her eyes, sensing she had something more to say but swallowed the words just before they reached her lips. Why? Her husband was dead; what couldn’t she tell us?

“Then, after he went to bed last night, did you notice anything unusual about him?” I refused to believe she could sleep beside a dead man all night and feel nothing.

“Unusual…” Xie Liying concentrated, trying to recall. “I remember being woken up by him and then I couldn’t sleep soundly again. In that hazy state, I seemed to hear a strange, ‘rustling’ sound coming from his side. I was sleepy then, so I didn’t pay much attention. I don’t know if that counts as unusual.”

“A strange ‘rustling’ sound?” My nerves instantly tightened, and my body leaned forward involuntarily. “Have you ever heard that sound before?”

“It’s precisely because I haven’t heard it that I found it strange,” Xie Liying replied.

“Could you show me your bedroom?” I thought this request wasn’t too much to ask.

“Of course.” Xie Liying stood up and headed toward the bedroom, and Lan Jinxuan and I quickly followed.

“Our colleagues have already been here to inspect this room. They took all the evidence they needed. I doubt you’ll find anything new now,” Xie Liying mentioned kindly, standing at the doorway.

I nodded, but continued to move around the bedroom, examining the objects placed about, getting a general sense of the layout. I looked at the double bed; the sheets had already been removed.

“What are your usual sleeping habits? For instance, how you divide the space on the bed?” I asked, gesturing towards the bed.

“Dong was actually a rather rigid person. He habitually slept on the side closest to the wardrobe, so I’ve always slept on the other side,” Xie Liying seemed confused as to why I would ask such a question.

“Then the strange sound you heard last night—could you tell which side it was coming from?” I asked again.

“Probably the right side. I remember it was the right,” Xie Liying concluded after a moment of thought.

I nodded, then turned to look at the bedroom window and walked straight over. I reached out to push the window open but found it locked.

“Has this window always been locked?” I applied slight pressure to the frame.

“Yes, recently I haven’t been feeling well and can’t stand drafts, so it’s been kept locked,” Xie Liying’s face was pale; I guessed it was due to menstruation.

The window was securely fastened; even when I exerted pressure, it made no strange noises. It was evident the family possessed refined taste, paying meticulous attention even to details like windows. Given this, the strange sound Xie Liying heard last night certainly hadn't originated from the window.

Wang Dong habitually slept near the wardrobe, and Xie Liying slept by the window. Based on the placement of items by the headboard, the window should have been on her left, meaning Wang Dong was naturally on her right. Thus, the strange noise heard in the quiet night was highly likely to have come from Wang Dong himself. Wang Dong’s head was empty, but the rest of him was intact. Could there truly be some ghoul or monster that preys on human brains, sucking them dry while the victim slept?

I shook my head, entirely unable to credit legends of ghosts or demons. I turned back to Xie Liying. “Thank you for your cooperation. We’ve gathered what we needed for now. We might pay another visit in the future. However, I sincerely hope you will provide us with everything you know without reservation, so we can ascertain the true cause of your husband’s death sooner.”

The reason I specified "ascertain the true cause of death" was because I fundamentally did not believe Wang Dong's death was a simple case of natural causes.

Xie Liying nodded, but her expression was noticeably uneasy, which only strengthened my conviction that she was concealing something. But since she chose to be reticent, I couldn't force a confession; she wasn't our suspect, and we lacked that authority.

She escorted us to the door, and Xie Liying was about to close it, but she called out to me just as I had taken two steps away.

“Officer Wang.” Even in the tone of her voice, I could discern her inner struggle.

“Is there something else?” I turned around, pretending I hadn't noticed anything amiss.

“Actually… there is one more thing…” Xie Liying stammered.

“What is it?” My intuition screamed that this would be a significant clue.

“When Dong returned last night, even though he reeked of alcohol, I could still smell… a very strong perfume on him. It was a jasmine scent, but this jasmine aroma was somehow different from ordinary jasmine. I can’t quite pinpoint what was off, but it felt like this floral scent had a kind of magic to it.” Xie Liying’s description was vague, but her eyes told me she wasn't lying.

“Magic? What kind of magic?” I pressed further.

“The kind that, after just one sniff, makes a person deeply and irrevocably ensnared,” Xie Liying tried her best to describe. “Dong and I always had a good relationship; even if some women intentionally tried to get close to him, he wouldn't give them a second glance. Based on my intuition as a woman, this scent must have come from another woman. But it could also be one of his clients; I don't know much about his company matters. But Officer Wang, please, I beg you, help me find the truth. I don’t want Dong to have died like this without explanation.”

“Don’t worry, I will do my utmost,” I replied quite sincerely.

Seeing the earnest, sorrowful look in Xie Liying’s eyes, any man would feel an urge to protect her. If I had such a devoted wife waiting at home, I probably wouldn’t spare a second glance for other women either. That is, provided those other women didn't measure up to my own wife. Her final words had indeed provided me with a new lead—the peculiar jasmine fragrance.

Entering the elevator, and only once I confirmed it had begun descending, I habitually glanced down and spotted two tiny bluish-purple petals near my shoe. I bent down and picked them up; they looked familiar, like I’d seen them somewhere before, but I couldn't recall when. I held the petals under my nose, but they held no scent, whether because they were naturally odorless or because the constant traffic in the elevator had worn away the original fragrance.

“What is it?” Lan Jinxuan asked softly beside me.

“Oh, nothing.” I gave a noncommittal reply, casually slipping the two petals into my coat pocket.

On the way back to the precinct, I kept sorting through the information I’d gathered from Xie Liying. The most suspicious elements were the "rustling" noise emanating from Wang Dong and the rich, seemingly magical jasmine perfume.

“I didn’t expect you to be so reliable when you put your mind to it.” Just as I was deep in thought, Lan Jinxuan’s voice broke through my concentration.

I turned to look at her, realizing she hadn’t said much since we entered Wang Dong’s apartment. Had she been observing me the entire time?

“Heh, of course. You don’t know who you’re dealing with. I am incomparably clever…”

“Big show-off!” Lan Jinxuan covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

I inwardly cursed: Gao Jianning, you’re dead!

“Nonsense! That guy just says that because he’s envious and jealous of me. You don’t actually believe him, do you? I’m your senior apprentice brother!” I desperately tried to scrub away the stain Gao Jianning had cast upon me; I had to maintain a good impression with Lan Jinxuan—it would make things easier for flirting later on.

“Senior apprentice brother? Alright, alright. So, after all those questions you asked, Senior Apprentice Brother, what’s your conclusion?” As I prepared to elaborate, my cell phone rang from my pocket.

I checked the screen; it was an unknown number. I pressed the answer key.

“Hello, is this Brother Lei? We’ve finished our investigation here. How are things on your end?” My hearing was always sharp, and I recognized Xiao Cuo’s voice instantly. I knew he must have gotten my number from Gao Jianning.

“You tell me about your side first.” I maintained a team leader’s air.

“Wang Dong was very low-key. His interactions at the company were normal; he didn’t make enemies, worked diligently, and was a senior designer. He secured many major projects,” Xiao Cuo reported smoothly.

“Are there any female colleagues at his company with whom he had a somewhat intimate relationship? Any who wear perfume? Do you recall any specific scents?” My question was rather demanding, but I trusted that for Xiao Cuo, this wouldn't be difficult.

“There are very few women in his company. Of the three available, only one wears a fruity perfume, which smells quite nice, but Wang Dong usually made a point of keeping his distance from all three. They even joked about whether he was afraid of his wife,” Xiao Cuo might be clumsy, but he certainly wasn't when it came to getting things done.

“Hmm, understood. Did you find out which client he was supposed to meet yesterday?” I couldn't afford to overlook anyone Wang Dong contacted before his death.

“Client? The people at the office said he took the day off yesterday and didn’t meet any clients?” Xiao Cuo’s tone was clearly laced with surprise, the same surprise I felt.

Xie Liying claimed Wang Dong had a client meeting yesterday and would be home late, but the office staff stated he took leave and met no one. There were so many people in the office; it was impossible for them all to be deliberately lying. Now there were only two possibilities: either Xie Liying lied to us, or Wang Dong lied to Xie Liying? But what would be the motive for the liar to lie?

For more novels, visit storyread.net.