Mystery Hunter

“Could you please refrain from ringing the doorbell incessantly?” Hannah implored, her tone laced with frustration.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hannah urged Guo Feng, who was already dressed, to investigate the commotion outside. “Go out and see what’s happening,” she said.

Concerned and anxious, she turned to Guo Feng and whispered, “What if the policeman knows that you paid He Huijuan to seduce Feng Bin? How should I handle this?”

Hannah scowled as she marched towards the door, addressing Guo Feng in a caustic tone. “Look at your muscles; what kind of strength are you afraid of? Even if I had paid He Huijuan to seduce Feng Bin, it doesn’t give him the right to take someone’s life!”

It transpired that Feng Bin, on account of his jealousy, had killed a person, causing the death of an entire family.

“Why should I be held accountable for someone else’s actions? How is this my problem?” Hannah grumbled as she flung the door open.

To her surprise, she found Wang Chao and several criminal police officers standing on her doorstep.

“We suspect that He Huijuan was employed by you,” Wang Chao asserted, scanning the room. “We questioned Feng Bin, and he confessed to paying He Huijuan a substantial sum of money. However, he never received any service from her, believing that she was sincere and not after his money.”

Wang Chao paused before continuing. “Despite the fact that both sums of money were transferred from outside the country, if we follow the trail, we will undoubtedly uncover the person who paid the money.”

“Both of you will have to come with us to assist with the investigation,” Wang Chao instructed, gesturing towards Hannah and Guo Feng.

Summoning all the courage he could muster, Guo Feng roared, “This has nothing to do with me. Hannah was the one who solicited He Huijuan’s services. I was not involved in any way. She wanted to divorce Feng Bin and deny him any of her assets.”

“Hold on a minute, Guo Feng,” Hannah interjected, her entire body trembling with fury. “I gave you everything I had, and you betray me at a time like this? Didn’t you say you wanted to marry me because of me and not my money?”

Disgusted, Guo Feng turned away from Hannah and retorted, “Stop being so delusional. You’re forty years old, and I’m only twenty. Do you think I’d be with you if it weren’t for your money? All of this is your problem, not mine. Let me go!”

“Even so, you cannot leave until we have established everything clearly,” Wang Chao declared, looking squarely at Guo Feng. “We are only interested in finding evidence and arresting suspects. The rest is not our concern. Let us begin our investigation.”

“Indeed,” Jiang He nodded in agreement.

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Jiang He walked down the street, his heart heavy with a sense of indifference towards Hannah’s fate.

He knew that society would eventually forget her, but why did he feel so alone? He had fought for the truth, but now that he had it, the emptiness in his heart was overwhelming.

There were so many things he didn’t understand. Couples who appeared to be in love would betray each other in secret, while those who seemed at odds would go to great lengths to help each other.

Why did they play these games? If you loved someone, why couldn’t you just say it?

People’s hearts were a labyrinth of emotions, and Jiang He was lost in its twists and turns. Why did Wu Guifeng commit suicide? Why did Li Weiyi confess to a crime he didn’t commit? Why did Feng Bin save him? And why did Li Weiyi choose to end his own life?

But as Feng Bin had said, some questions remained unanswered. Jiang He was about to discard Li Weiyi’s mobile phone card when it rang. A woman from Ruili Flower Shop was on the other end, informing him that he had left a ring behind when he purchased a bouquet of roses. It was then that Jiang He realized that Li Weiyi had been mistaken for someone else on the day of the murder.

If Li Weiyi had returned home instead of throwing away the bouquet of roses, He Huijuan might still be alive. But love had a way of making people do strange things. It was a complicated, boring thing that Jiang He couldn’t quite understand.

This is what love is, he thought to himself, feeling a mix of sadness and frustration. Why did it have to be so complicated?

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[T/N: major spoilers for book 1 below]

Three days had passed when a case file was placed on the table. The director of the Longcheng City Public Security Bureau let out a sigh as he set it aside, his gaze fixated on the old man seated across from him.

The gentleman was in his sixties and was dressed in an ink-colored coat. His sideburns had turned white, but his eyes were bright, and he carried himself with an unmistakable air of stability. He took up a purple clay teapot and poured a cup of clear tea for the director.

“I had planned to spend my days in Longcheng, and now I am forced to settle abroad?” The director said after taking a sip from the cup.

The old man smiled slightly, “Yes, I retired about five or six years ago. Occasionally, I give lectures at universities. After all, this is the world of the young. Let us rejoice in the blessings of the elderly.”

The director clicked his tongue before picking up the file again, “This case is quite interesting. It was solved by Wang Chao of the branch.”

“But there are some things that the younger generation may not understand.” The elderly gentleman

took the file and read it for about five minutes.

“Wu Guifeng thought it was her son who committed the murder, so she committed suicide to protect him,” the old man explained. “It was inspired by maternal love. Li Weiyi claimed to be the murderer to boost his self-esteem. Everywhere he went, he was looked down upon. He would rather be remembered as a killer than a cuckolded man.”

“If Feng Bin wanted to save this person, who do you think the murderer would be?” The old man looked at the director.

“It’s a cold question to ask me,” the director replied after a brief silence. “The murderer is most likely one of those evil people.”

“What exactly is an evil person?” The old man inquired.

This time, the director didn’t know what to say, “You’re asking me a philosophical question, Lao Zhao.”

“Leave those who are born anti-human,” Lao Zhao said as he refilled the director’s cup with tea. “The vast majority of murderers in the world are ordinary people. These people, like us, drink water, eat food, and complain about life. They may donate a million dollars to the Hope Project in the morning and save a child who fell into the water, but at night, they become killers.”

Lao Zhao looked at the director with a serious expression, “They are good people when they think about good, and bad people when they think about evil.”

“He had the power to save the cop while sacrificing his lover. “

“This one goes by the name Jiang He. He possesses sharp reasoning and observation skills; however, he’s not a police officer, as stated in the report. Do you have any additional information on this individual?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have more than you do, Mr. Zhao. Nevertheless, our department is conducting an investigation, and we expect to have more information soon,” replied the director while shaking his head.

“What caught your attention about this person?” Mr. Zhao inquired.

“Old Zhao, I’ve been following you for a long time, and I can assure you of that,” the director replied with a smile. “You always hope to discover and support gifted individuals. Isn’t that what happened with Wu Meng? It’s a pity…”

Upon hearing the name, Mr. Zhao let out a sigh and said, “Let’s not dwell on the past. Besides, you’re not here to drink tea. You have something to tell me since you brought that file, don’t you?”

“You never fail to miss anything, Old Zhao. The file I’m carrying is solely for this case,” said the director while pointing to the file. “However, there is one point marked out by Wang Chao that has raised suspicion.”

“I’ve noticed,” nodded Lao Zhao. “It was discovered by a young man named Jiang He. Li Weiyi talked to someone for 42 seconds before taking his own life. Is that what you’re referring to?”

“Indeed,” confirmed the director.

“Do you think that person is in here?” the director asked while nodding.

Mr. Zhao didn’t respond right away. He took a sip of tea and said, “That’s not what you truly believe. You just picked a random point to keep me from going abroad…”

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Translator’s Note: I’ve got some exams coming up, will be on a 10-day break.