False evidence

Chapter 169 Reunion with Tong Xiangnan (Part 2)
When the other person mentioned the name "century egg," I was suddenly jolted.

In an instant, it was as if I had been startled awake from a dream, returning from an illusory world to reality.

I stood at one end of the meeting table, holding an iron fan horizontally in front of me.

Tong Xiangnan remained in his original seat, while Gao He's original seat was empty.

Gao He and Cao Xinyun were both standing across the table, their eyes filled with horror as they looked at me.

I came to my full senses, thought for a moment, and pointed with my fan to the seat opposite Tong Xiangnan: "Brother Gao, please sit down."

Gao He grinned: "No, I'm still thinking about whether I should call a mental hospital and properly send you there."

Seeing my gaze turn to him, Cao Xinyun immediately said, "When Mr. Tong asked me to recount the case earlier, I could tell you were acting strangely; later, you seemed to suddenly become a different person; then, you kept talking to yourself, but to an outsider, it looked like two people with different identities and personalities were having a conversation. You both spoke too quickly, and more importantly, the speed at which your demeanor changed was too fast for me to catch. I can only say that you have a severe case of schizophrenia. Moreover, you treat the other person who has split off as an enemy!"

Seeing that Gao He was standing still, I simply walked over and sat down opposite Tong Xiangnan.

Feeling hot, I casually unfolded an iron fan and fanned my chest.

"When did you start hypnotizing me?" I asked.

Tong Xiangnan pointed to the closed iron gate: "From the moment you came in, every word and action I've taken has been a hint to you."

Then he pointed to Cao Xinyun: "Young people have strong self-confidence and self-esteem. When I say that his mind is clearer than yours, you have already begun to unconsciously refute him in your heart. At that time, your mental defenses have begun to weaken."

I nodded. "I remember, when he was recounting the whole incident, you only interjected with one sentence: 'Did Pei Xiaofan see the victim being carried into the ambulance?'"

Tong Xiangnan nodded: "Your relationship with Xiao Fan must have deepened. That's why you were hypnotized by the same 'point'. Last time, it was only Lü Xin who was hypnotized, but this time, it's you."

Before I could speak, he tapped the table: "Don't think that Lü Xin has become stronger. On the contrary, it's you who has become stronger. You're now willing to confront him directly and outwit him. And, it seems you've won this round."

Now, I should apologize to you. Because I've been thinking about how to help you all this time, but I haven't had a concrete method. However, in this case, one of the victims is someone I love, and I need to arrest them!

Our relationship isn't as close as my relationship with Wanzhen. So, to catch the murderer and avenge her, I've decided to take the risk. Even if it means sacrificing you, I'm willing to do it.

Can you understand how I feel?

"I understand, but please don't use my partner as a starting point next time. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it."

"Yeah, that's the limit. If we use Xiaofan as a starting point again... you might actually end up in a mental hospital. Because I've realized that she's now one of your pillars of support."

A beeping sound was heard.

The guard standing next to Gao Hechong waved his hand, walked over to me, and asked Tong Xiangnan, "What about the case? What's your opinion?"

Tong Xiangnan stood up and said, "What I'm most interested in right now is Panax notoginseng. At the same time, I'm very saddened by the passing of my beloved. As for the case... let that expert criminal handle it!"

Seeing him look at me, I glanced at the prison guard and asked anxiously, "Is there anything else you want to say? It's not easy for us to meet!"

"Yes!" Tong Xiangnan raised his voice and said, "Child, let me give you some advice: As a human being, you can be impulsive, but you must keep your actions within limits. If you act too emotionally, think about me and think about my daily life now."

As the car drove out of the prison and into the city, Gao He asked me, half-jokingly, "Master, what's next with the case?"

I countered, "Was Deng Wanzhen also murdered at home?"

"Yes."

"Go to Cao Furui first, then go to her house."

Gao He didn't say anything more. Following the route I gave him, half an hour later, they arrived at the villa area where Deng Wanzhen lived.

Gao He parked his car in front of a detached villa, saying that this was Deng Wanzhen's home. Her father had passed away, and her mother had moved abroad with her sister. She had been living alone for nearly ten years. The police had questioned the security guards in the community. During this time, apart from the occasional maintenance worker from the property management coming to make repairs, almost no outsiders had visited her home.

After getting out of the car, Gao He took out the villa key kept by the police and walked straight to the door.

Cao Xinyun and I both stayed where we were.

I looked around for a while and asked Cao Xinyun, "What was the weather like on the day we opened half a month ago?"

Cao Xinyun has an excellent memory and immediately replied, "It was a very overcast day early in the morning. In the late afternoon, the sky suddenly turned as dark as dusk. Then it started to get windy and rainy, but it was just a thunderstorm. It continued intermittently until the next morning, when it was still drizzling."

Gao He walked back and said, "Didn't we say we wanted to see Deng Wanzhen's house?"

I shook my head: "The environment here is nice, I'd like to wander around."

And so, the three of them circled around Deng Wanzhen's villa twice, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

During this time, Cao Xinyun and I attracted a lot of attention from security guards and residents because of our 'strange' attire.

When we reached the third lap, Cao Xinyun and I stopped at the same time.

I looked at a villa, but Cao Xinyun looked at a woman standing in front of the villa.

She was a woman in her early thirties, with fair skin and a slightly plump figure. She looked like she had just come back from outside; she was still wearing makeup and her outdoor clothes.

The woman seemed to have a bad temper. When she saw us lingering outside the villa, she frowned and walked straight over.

"Who are you?" the woman asked rudely.

Cao Xinyun looked her up and down closely and said, "She's the same type, but not in the same league."

I asked, "Which aspect are you referring to?"

Cao Xinyun scrutinized the woman and said, "She has fair skin, beautiful features, a great figure, and is highly educated. But although her clothes are all designer brands, she won't patronize my shop."

"What nonsense are you two spouting?" Gao He shouted.

It was extremely impolite for the two men to point fingers and make comments about a stranger living in an upscale neighborhood.

The woman was clearly angry too. "No matter who you are, please leave immediately, or I'll call security!"

I glanced at the villa behind her and said, "I apologize for my rudeness earlier. We're here to investigate a murder case. We now suspect that you are involved in it."

Gao He couldn't hold back any longer, shoved me, and said sternly, "Do you know what you're doing?"

I raised my voice too: "I've said it before, this isn't police-community cooperation! I'm here to arrest that bastard!"

Gao and I confronted each other for a while, then Gao turned around and showed his identification to the woman who had already taken out her phone and was about to call for help.

"Are you really the police?" The woman put away her phone, glanced subconsciously to the side, as if she had thought of something, "Are you here to investigate the case of Villa No. 16? Haven't your people been here several times already? What else do you want to ask?"

I said, "The previous times I only asked you to assist in the investigation, but this time, you are the subjects of the investigation."

Ignoring Gao's attempts to stop me, I continued to say to the woman, "Please rest assured, I'm not saying that you, your family, or the case are involved. However, on the day of the incident, the serial throat-slitting killer may have been hiding in your house beforehand."

The woman's expression changed, her eyes darting around quickly. She said, "I remember, about two weeks ago, we were renovating our basement. Could it be that the murderer is one of the construction workers?"

(End of this chapter)