Take her as my wife

After parking her car, Jiang Ni took the elevator upstairs. The elevator stopped on the first floor, where two aunties came in and started chatting.

Jiang Ni stepped back to give them more space.

"This is terrifying! It's in the apartment complex right across from ours..."

"Who says otherwise? What if that murderer comes here to scout the place? I must tell my daughter not to work overtime for a while and to come home early."

After listening for a couple of minutes, Jiang Ni couldn't help but connect their conversation with the "murder case of a woman living alone" that Tan Wen had mentioned before, so she quickly asked, "Auntie, what are you talking about? What happened in the neighborhood across the street?"

"A girl didn't go to work this morning, and no one answered her phone. Her boss felt something was wrong and asked a colleague who was close to her to go to her home to look for her, but there was still no sign of her. After calling the police, they found out that the girl... had died at home."

Jiang Ni's expression hardened: "How did he die?"

"I heard she was murdered..." the woman lowered her voice, "she was raped and murdered, and her eyes were gouged out and her tongue was cut off... It's so pitiful."

When the elevator reached the floor pressed by the woman, she said goodbye to another woman and got off the elevator. The other woman then chimed in, kindly reminding Jiang Ni, "Young lady, you young girls must be careful these days."

"Okay, thank you."

When she got home, Jiang Ni called Tan Wen.

Tan answered quickly: "Hello, is your sister home yet?"

"Hmm," she replied, then relayed the information she had just heard in the elevator, "It seems the killer is still in Yicheng and hasn't left."

The distance between the neighborhood where the crime occurred and the neighborhood where Jiang Ni currently lives is about ten kilometers, neither too far nor too close, suggesting that the killer likely committed the murder randomly.

Tan Wen, however, had a different opinion: "I'll contact my senior brother later to ask about the situation, but I don't think he necessarily killed randomly."

Why would you think that way?

"His act of taking away the victims' eyes and tongue is called 'signature behavior' in criminal psychology. It means that he has some kind of distorted fantasy. It is very likely that both victims had characteristics that satisfied his distorted fantasy, which made him have the desire to kill."

He gave Jiang Ni a few instructions, then hung up and immediately contacted Xie Tao.

"Victim A and Victim B had no connection in terms of social relationships, but they did have a few things in common."

Victim A, also known as Xiaoyuan, was a top student who graduated from a prestigious university and worked for a state-owned enterprise. She rented a high-end apartment near her company.

Victim B, also known as Lily, is a female master's graduate who returned from studying abroad. She works for a foreign company and lives alone in a rented apartment near the company.

"By comparing the two photos, their eyes do have similarities; they are both round almond-shaped eyes. As for their tongues, we have no clue about that at the moment."

They have respectable jobs, are young and beautiful, have almond-shaped eyes, and all live alone near the company.

Tan Wen was organizing this information when Xie Tao said, "We've reviewed the surveillance footage from both residential areas and the surrounding area, but we haven't seen anyone suspicious so far. Besides, the residential areas they live in are quite upscale and have access control systems, so we don't know how the murderer got in."

"There are several possibilities: First, he also rents a house in the community and is a resident, so his information is recorded and he can come and go freely; second, he is an employee of the community, such as the property management, cleaning, or maintenance workers; third, he has a special identity, such as a deliveryman, courier, or meter reader. You can start by investigating in this direction."

Xie Tao turned on the speakerphone. After listening to his analysis, he silently raised an eyebrow at the leader next to him—see, the person I picked wasn't bad, was he?

"Okay. By the way, you're free during the National Day holiday, why don't you come to the bureau? The leaders are really worried about this. We've been working non-stop for almost half a month, and the National Day holiday is completely ruined. We need to bring this guy to justice as soon as possible before we can have a chance to catch our breath."

"it is good."

Speaking of National Day, Tan Wen opened his phone calendar and saw that September 30th was Jiang Ni's 9th birthday.

He hadn't prepared a birthday gift for her yet.

She never wore the necklace he gave her under the guise of a hot pot restaurant. Tan Wen was in a state of confusion. Jiang Ni's "online romance" had really shocked him, leaving him feeling lost and helpless for the first time.

What should we do next: move forward or retreat?

While he was hesitating, little did he know that Xiao Yuling had completely betrayed him in the "trap" set by Jiang Ni.

After finishing her phone call with Tan Wen, Jiang Ni took the initiative to contact Xiao Yuling via private message.

Xiao Yuling was staying at a hotel arranged by the school with her classmates. She didn't want to go out to eat, so she ordered takeout for herself.

When the food delivery arrived, Jiang Ni also sent a message.

She checked the message as she went to open the door, her eyes meeting the delivery guy's as he handed her the food, saying, "Enjoy your meal."

Xiao Yuling thanked her, took the item, and closed the door behind her.

[Jiang Ni]: Is it convenient for us to chat?

Xiao Yuling called her back.

"What are you talking about, Tan?"

Jiang Ni spoke calmly, "Well, my friend's cousin wants to get to know Tan Wen, but I don't know what your relationship with Tan Wen is like now... Are you two planning to reconcile?"

She pretended that she still thought they were "ex-boyfriends" and made up a lie about helping Tan Wen "introduce someone to someone," successfully fooling Xiao Yuling.

Xiao Yuling raised her voice, indignant on Tan Wenming's behalf: "I lied to you, I never even dated him. But I don't understand, sister, you're so smart, can't you really sense Tan Wenming's feelings? Or do you know, you just don't like him, but you still insist on pushing him onto someone else!"

Jiang Ni didn't say anything, giving her plenty of time to get to the bottom of things.

"Do you know how badly he cried the day you left! I've known him since elementary school. From childhood to adulthood, he's suffered so much, gone through so many things, and he's never cried, not even when his father passed away—" She abruptly stopped, changing the subject, "Anyway, he likes you a lot, and you're not his sister-in-law anymore, can't you give him a chance!"

suffer?

His father passed away?

Jiang Ni pondered these words carefully, but found them somewhat confusing.

Although the Tan family is not wealthy, He Xiaoling and Tan Jianming are both earning money. The cost of living in a small county town is not high, so their family's life should not be described as "suffering".

What's even more absurd is that Tam Kin-ming was alive and well, so how could he have "passed away"?

unless……

Jiang Ni composed herself and said softly, "I understand, thank you, Yuling."

"Please keep today's events a secret and don't tell Tan Wen for now."

Xiao Yuling then realized that Jiang Ni had tricked her into revealing information.

In fact, even if Jiang Ni hadn't brought it up, she wouldn't have dared to tell Tan Wen about what happened today.

Otherwise, Tan Wenzhen might really break off all ties with her!

"Beautiful women are always so cunning!" Xiao Yuling thought angrily to herself, then hung up the phone without saying a word.