Roses in Flames

"He was first strangled and lost consciousness, then his head was struck with a blunt object, causing fatal traumatic brain injury."

Ye Yuntang's fingertip rested on the deceased's hyoid bone. "The damage to the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage indicates that the victim suffered strangulation before death, but the fracture was not severe enough to cause asphyxiation."

She picked up the magnifying glass again and brought it close to the crack in the skull. "Look here, bone fragments are embedded in the skull, which means that she was repeatedly hit before she died."

Xiao Lin's brows furrowed slightly. "First, it was strangulation, then a blunt instrument. This shows that the murderer had a clear intent to kill, rather than it being an impulsive crime committed on a whim."

Ye Yuntang nodded, "Following this, we will need to perform a three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull to determine the approximate shape of the blunt weapon. We will also need to extract trace amounts of residue from the bones to see if we can pinpoint the type of weapon."

Xiao Lin glanced at Ye Yuntang and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

"The work I should do."

Just as Ye Yuntang was about to undergo another test, her stomach suddenly made a rumbling sound.

It has been almost seven hours since the case was discovered this morning, and Ye Yuntang has not eaten anything.

"Don't bother, go get something to eat first."

Ye Yuntang didn't seem to care, "It's nothing..."

Before she could finish speaking, the man snatched the magnifying glass from her hand.

Xiao Lin looked at her coldly, "Go eat."

Ye Yuntang took off her gloves and asked as she walked out, "By what capacity does Captain Xiao give me these orders? My love interest, my colleague, or my ex-fiancé?"

"Colleague." After saying that, he left without looking back.

Looking at the man's cold and aloof back, Ye Yuntang clenched her fist and swung it at the man's back.

The next second, as if the man had developed rearview mirror, he suddenly turned around.

He happened to see her swing her fist at him.

"Does forensic pathologist Ye seem to have a deep-seated prejudice against me?"

Ye Yuntang walked over to Xiao Lin. "We clearly had a deep conversation, but Captain Xiao is acting like a complete stranger. Is he just going to turn his back on me after we've already talked?"

Xiao Lin narrowed his deep eyes. "Didn't Forensic Doctor Ye say he would never bother us again?"

Ye Yuntang slightly curled her red lips, "What, Captain Xiao, are you worried I'll get addicted to sleeping with you and become your nemesis?"

"The way Doctor Ye looked at me wasn't innocent."

Ye Yuntang smiled, "Your current cold demeanor makes me want to kiss you until you cry."

Hearing her shameless words, the man's lips tightened into a smile. "I will never have a one-night stand with a colleague again, nor will I be a casual sex partner."

The implication is that, aside from work-related matters, the two should act as strangers who have never met.

Looking at the man's cold and aloof handsome face, Ye Yuntang lightly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.

What to do? She's just naturally rebellious.

The more he acted like this, the more she wanted to provoke him.

"Captain Xiao, we'll wait and see."

One day, she will make him beg to get into her bed.

……

Ye Yuntang and Xiao Lin arrived at the cafeteria one after the other.

Cheng Lei, Song Che, and the others waved to them as soon as they saw them.

"Boss, it's Forensic Doctor Ye."

Ye Yuntang nodded, got her food, and sat facing Xiao Lin.

The group chatted about the case for a while.

To lighten the mood, Cheng Lei changed the subject, "Forensic Doctor Ye, do you have a boyfriend?"

Ye Yuntang glanced at the cold and ruthless man sitting opposite her, "No."

Cheng Lei's eyes lit up. "Our boss is single too."

As soon as Cheng Lei finished speaking, his leg under the table was kicked hard.

Cheng Lei yelled, "Who kicked me?"

Xiao Lin gave Cheng Lei a warning look, "Don't play matchmaker."

Cheng Lei scratched the back of his head. "Boss, you don't still like your ex-fiancée, do you? She seems so vain and doesn't deserve you at all."

"Shut up and eat!"

Cheng Lei didn't dare say anything more and just said "Oh".

Looking at the fierce-looking man, Ye Yuntang suddenly raised her leg and kicked him under the table.

Xiao Lin, "..."

Ye Yuntang kicked him again.

Xiao Lin's eyes twitched slightly, and he warned Ye Yuntang with his eyes, "Try kicking me again."

As a result, the woman still kicked him.

Xiao Lin put down his chopsticks. "I'm full."

I got up and left the cafeteria.

Cheng Lei watched the man leave coldly, then touched his nose, puzzled. "What's wrong, boss? Is he on his period?"

After finishing her meal, Ye Yuntang received a call from her best friend Xia Wan.

"I'm so angry! I just saw the mistress's post on WeChat Moments. She showed off the enormous diamond ring that scumbag Fu gave her. Even when you married that scumbag, he didn't give you a diamond ring that big! That mistress really is getting ahead because of her child!"

In order to find out about the mistress's movements, Xia Wan added Bai Chuwei's WeChat using a secondary account.

She would tell Bai Chuwei everything she posted on her WeChat Moments.

In the past, Ye Yuntang would definitely have felt uncomfortable.

But by now, she had learned to stay calm.

"Wanwan, please delete Bai Chuwei. I have nothing to do with Fu Shili anymore. Whatever Bai Chuwei shows off has nothing to do with me."

Xia Wan was furious. "That scumbag is blind. He'll definitely regret breaking up with you later."

After chatting with Xia Wan for a while, Ye Yuntang returned to the forensic room.

Working through the night, she took the test results to Xiao Lin.

Xiao Lin also didn't sleep a wink last night; he was in the evidence room examining the suitcase.

"The thickness and material of the box suggest it's an old craft from decades ago; the riveting and welding techniques have long been obsolete..."

Xiao Lin was analyzing the evidence with his colleagues from the Evidence Department and did not notice Ye Yuntang standing at the door.

"Xiao He, go and check which established hardware stores used to produce these kinds of boxes?"

"Yes, Captain Xiao."

When Xiao He went out, he saw Ye Yuntang and quickly greeted her, "Forensic Doctor Ye."

Ye Yuntang nodded.

Xiao Lin turned to look at Ye Yuntang, who stepped forward and handed him the report.

"The deceased's DNA did not match the gene bank. The skull fracture was caused by a blunt, round instrument about 10cm in diameter, which matched a common crystal ashtray. I also extracted trace amounts of rose perfume from the remains; the ingredients are from a niche brand, xx."

Xiao Lin took the report and glanced at it, then looked at Ye Yuntang, "The information you provided is very useful."

This indirectly affirmed Ye Yuntang's professional abilities.

Ye Yuntang yawned. "I'll leave the rest of the investigation to your criminal investigation team. I'm going back to rest."

Xiao Lin hummed in agreement.

When Ye Yuntang drove back, she saw Xiao Lin leading his team out to investigate.

To be honest, the criminal police officers on the front lines are working very hard.

……

Through his efforts, Xiao Lin uncovered the purchase records of niche perfumes over the past two years and identified female consumers aged 40 to 45.

Police officers who visited long-established hardware workshops also checked the list of people who ordered the boxes back then. Through screening and investigation, they identified a woman named Jiang Ning as the suspect.

Jiang Ning went abroad to recuperate a year ago, but her social media platforms are still being updated normally, and her IP address shows that she is located overseas.

But the suspicious point is—