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Zhang Yang spent the entire afternoon writing the report, and by the fourth page, he had already put down his pen three times. Outside, the sky was darkening, and people were gradually packing up and leaving get off work in the corridor. He turned to the last page, signed his name, and closed the folder. Finally finished. He leaned back in his chair, stretched, and his wrist clicked.

Ji Jie walked in through the door, carrying a bag with the strap slung over her shoulder. She walked out but didn't stop. "Zhang Yang, come with me, there's a case."

Zhang Yang sprang up from his chair, grabbing his coat from the back. "Let's go, I don't want to write this report anymore."

The two walked side by side down the stairs, their footsteps overlapping in the stairwell. Zhang Yang, while putting on his coat, asked what the case was. Ji Jie said a woman had been murdered, and Tian Rui and Ding Jian had already gone there. She didn't know much else; she had come to find him after receiving the notification.

Once in the car, Ji Jie started the engine and turned the wheel out of the compound. Zhang Yang sat in the passenger seat, looking down as he untied and retied his shoelaces, making sure they were tight. The streetlights outside had just come on, their orange glow sweeping across the windshield. Neither of them spoke much. Ji Jie drove, while Zhang Yang stared ahead, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee.

It was almost dark when they arrived at the crime scene. The police tape had already been put up, and Tian Rui and Ding Jian had finished taking statements.

After getting out of the car, Ji Jie hurriedly said, "I'm sorry I'm late, what happened?"

Zhang Yang walked behind Ji Jie, wearing white gloves.

Ding Jian began to explain the situation: "There is a residential area 200 meters ahead. This area was originally going to have an office building built, but construction was halted due to funding issues. The deceased was discovered by an old man walking his dog; the body was on the first floor."

Tian Rui explained, "The deceased was Lin Ying, an employee of ShouChuang Computer Company. Her documents and valuables were not lost. The preliminary forensic examination determined that the time of death was between 8 and 9 pm last night. She had been stabbed nine times in the abdomen."

Zhang Yang looked at the corpse and said, "Nine stab wounds?"

Ji Jie said, "That's really ruthless."

Tian Rui said, "The deceased was only twenty-five years old."

Ding Jian said, "I think it's more likely a revenge killing."

Zhang Yang shook his head and said, "The deceased was twenty-five years old, which means he had only been in society for a few years. What deep-seated hatred could he have that would lead to him being stabbed nine times? I think it's more likely a crime of passion."

Tian Rui looked at Zhang Yang and said, "A crime of passion? Could that woman have that much strength to stab nine times?"

Zhang Yang said with a smile, "Tian Rui, a crime of passion doesn't necessarily mean it's a love rival. What if it's two men fighting over one woman, and one of them kills the woman because he loses the fight?"

Ji Jie said, "Alright, we'll discuss the case analysis later." Looking around, she asked, "Tian Rui, what's the situation at the scene?"

Tian Rui said, "It rained late last night. From the street outside the community wall to the scene, there were only tire tracks from a bicycle. There was grass outside the wall, so the footprints were incomplete, but we can confirm that there were traces of Lin Ying's high heels, proving that Lin Ying had been here. This should be the primary crime scene."

Ding Jian took out an evidence bag and said, "We also found this at the scene: a cigarette filter from Zhongnanhai."

Ji Jie asked, "Have the family members been notified?"

Tian Rui said, "Her mother just fainted from crying and was taken to the hospital."

Ji Jie sighed and said, "Ding Jian, go to the technical department and see if DNA can be extracted from this filter. Tian Rui and Zhang Yang, come with me to the hospital."

Inside the hospital.

Zhang Yang looked at Lin Ying's mother lying on the hospital bed and felt something was wrong; her eyes were unfocused.

Ji Jie began, "Hello, we are detectives from the Major Crimes Unit. We would like to ask you about some aspects of your daughter Lin Ying's life. We hope you can cooperate."

"Yingying?" Lin Ying's mother called out to Tian Rui. "Yingying? Yingying, where have you been? You've worried your mother to death. Come home with me, and I'll never scold you again."

Zhang Yang rushed over and pulled Lin Ying's mother away. At this time, the medical staff also arrived.

Tian Rui was frightened. Ji Jie asked, "Doctor, how is she?"

The doctor said, "The patient's condition is extremely unstable; you'd better not ask any more questions." Then he said to the nurse, "Quickly, administer a sedative."

After watching Tian Rui leave, Ji Jie came to Tian Rui's side and said, "You're still too young. You'll get used to it after seeing it a lot." As she spoke, she handed Tian Rui a piece of paper.

"I'd rather not be used to it than see it any more."

Ji Jie said, "I just want to remind you that being too emotional often prevents you from seeing the truth of the matter." At that moment, her phone rang. Zhang Yang, who was standing next to Tian Rui, heard Tian Rui say, "When I catch this guy, I'm going to stab him 90 times."

Hearing this, Zhang Yang smiled and said, "Tian Rui, you've been a criminal investigator longer than I have, how come you're still so impulsive?"

Tian Rui looked at Zhang Yang and said, "It's none of your business."

Ji Jie said, "After you've vented your anger, come back to the team with me. Ding Jian has found Lin Ying's husband, so let's go back first."

Zhang Yang drove back to the team, where Lin Ying's husband, Li Ming, was already waiting in the interrogation room.

Upon seeing Zhang Yang and his group enter, they hurriedly asked, "Have you caught the murderer?"

Ji Jie spoke first, "You're Lin Ying's husband, Li Ming, right?"

"Yes," Li Ming said, "We got married last month, and today is exactly twenty-nine days. We haven't even finished our honeymoon yet... The police notified me that they hope you can solve the case as soon as possible, catch the murderer, and avenge my wife."

Tian Rui said, "Don't worry."

Ding Jian also spoke up, saying, "Li Ming, we need your active assistance to solve the case as soon as possible."

Ji Jie said, "We need to know who your wife Lin Ying has been in contact with recently, what she has been in contact with, and whether she has done anything unusual. Also, try to recall who she has had a conflict with."

Li Ming thought for a moment and said, "My wife is a very kind person. We only dated for four months before getting married, but she has never argued with me."

Ji Jie asked, "What did you do last night?"

Li Ming was taken aback and said, "We had planned to go to the movies, but she didn't show up even after the movie started, and her phone wasn't on either, so I watched it by myself."

Zhang Yang said, "Your wife isn't answering your calls, her phone is off, and you can't find her, yet you're still in the mood to watch a movie?"

Li Ming was taken aback by Zhang Yang's question and said, "I just thought her phone might be out of battery and she might come to the movie theater in a little while, so I waited for her in the movie theater."

Ji Jie asked, "What movie did you two go to see together?"

Li Ming said, "A big shot." He then pulled out a movie ticket and said, "Here's the movie ticket."

Zhang Yang took the movie ticket and looked at it. Ji Jie then asked, "Do you usually ride a bike to work?"

"No," Li Ming said. "I have my own car, a Santana, which I bought after the price dropped. Oh, by the way, while I was in Hainan, Lin Ying graduated from high school and was assigned to a machine tool factory. There she met a guy named Jiang Dali. Later, I used my connections to transfer her from the machine tool factory to her current company. They haven't been in contact for a long time, but I think I noticed Jiang Dali came to see Yingying again a couple of days ago."

Zhang Yang asked, "Have you asked Lin Ying about this?"

Li Ming said, "No, I'm also afraid it will affect our relationship."

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