Li Ang rode his bike to the neighborhood and bought some common fruits and alcohol from the store, then took the elevator to Wang Congshan's home on the twentieth floor.
A wicked incident had occurred in apartment 2084 of this building some time ago. Although officials had blocked most of the information, some idle talk still made its rounds.
Living just opposite apartment 2084, Wang Congshan's family was also affected.
Fortunately, Wang Fengnian was a quite exceptional officer in Yin City. Through years of exposure, both Wang Congshan and her mother, Jiang Xinwan, were relatively strong and independent, recovering from the psychological impact rather quickly.
When Li Ang stepped out of the elevator and into the corridor, he was surprised to find that apartment 2084 seemed to have new residents.
The anti-slip mat originally placed at the door had been replaced with a new blue cotton one. It clearly showed frequent foot traffic, with one or two long, yellow dog hairs mixed in. The door lock had also been upgraded to a more advanced model, one that even Li Ang would need several minutes to pick.
New residents?
They had the guts to move in just a few days after the incident? What steely hearts they must have.
Li Ang glanced over nonchalantly, finding it a bit odd.
However, it was normal; people were even scrambling to buy villas where more gruesome incidents had occurred. After all, they were cheap...
He didn't linger on the neighbor's house across the hall and turned to knock on Wang Congshan's door instead. "Uncle, Auntie, it's Li Ang."
Mother Wang's voice immediately sounded from inside, "It's Xiao Li! Shan Shan, go open the door."
"Got it."
Wang Congshan replied. As her slippers pattered loudly, she opened the security door for Li Ang. Seeing the fruits he was carrying, she rolled her eyes, seemingly complaining about Li Ang's unnecessary spending.
"Xiao Li is here?"
Sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, watching TV, Officer Wang Fengnian turned around, smiled at Li Ang, and said, "Come on over and sit. Watch some TV."
"Okay."
Li Ang went with the flow and sat down, finding it somewhat amusing to see Wang Congshan dutifully preparing tea for him like a good girl.
Behind Officer Wang's back, the Class President shot Li Ang a glare before placing the tea down and went to the kitchen to help out at Jiang Xinwan's call.
The TV originally showed a variety show Wang Congshan liked. After she left, Officer Wang casually picked up the remote and switched the channel, landing on a legal program. He continued to chat absentmindedly with Li Ang while watching.
The idle chat revolved around whether he was keeping up with schoolwork, if physical education was exhausting, how the teachers were, and typical advice to young people on not rushing into early relationships and the like.
During the conversation, Officer Wang subtly inquired about the day Li Ang, acting on Wang Congshan's request, pretended to be Wei Linglan's boyfriend.
Li Ang claimed ignorance, sticking to the brainwashed memory fed to everyone by the Special Affairs Bureau. He insisted he had been at Yongyi Court Restaurant for several hours and had been with Wei Linglan, Wang Congshan, and others the whole time.
Hearing Li Ang's response, Officer Wang felt a hint of disappointment but continued to chat as if nothing had happened.
As they talked, the legal program on TV began discussing a case. It was about a rural woman, whose husband worked away from home, found hanged from a locust tree at the edge of the village. When discovered, her clothes were tattered and messy, with a thick cloth covering her head.
"When I was young, I encountered a similar case," Officer Wang Fengnian, still with his legs crossed, took a sip of tea and casually mentioned. "At that time, my Master took me to the scene. Generally speaking, an experienced master would have the newcomer do the work, like collecting the corpse and such. One reason was to build up the young person's courage, and the other was to have a laugh at the young one's expense."
Officer Wang Fengnian glanced at the TV where the host was slowly unfolding the case and added nonchalantly, "Once, my Master asked me to take down a man who had hung himself on a ceiling fan in a rental and had been dead for who knows how long. They all watched from the side. The man's face had turned a greenish-purple, with half his tongue hanging out, and his eyeballs were a deep, bloodshot red. I held onto his feet, struggling to lift him up. Halfway through, I heard a very clear 'EHH EHH EHH' gasping sound coming from the man's throat. I was so scared that I immediately let go and stepped back several paces. Do you know why that is?"
Li Ang shook his head, and Wang Fengnian said indifferently, "Some hanged bodies still have a breath in their stomachs when they die. Because the throat is constricted, this breath can't escape or rise. When the body is taken down, this breath will run out from the throat, 'EHH EHH EHH EHH'. It sounds like the gasping of a living person."
"..."
Li Ang clicked his tongue and scratched his head. "Uncle, is it really appropriate for you to chat with me about this? I'm still a flower in a greenhouse. What if I have nightmares after hearing this kind of obscure life trivia when I go home tonight?"
Wang Fengnian couldn't help but roll his eyes. "...You, a greenhouse flower? That's rich."
He knew this kid wasn't normal when he saw Li Ang walk into the bloody room 2084 without changing his facial expression or missing a beat. Later, for his daughter's personal safety, he even specifically asked a colleague to collect some information about Li Ang.
Unfortunately, they found nothing unusual. Wang Congshan was also always independent, intelligent, and had strong opinions. Consequently, Wang Fengnian hadn't considered the idea of "beating the lovers apart" any further.
The cooking in the kitchen was nearing completion. Officer Wang watched the strangely dead woman on the TV and casually asked, "What do you think, suicide or homicide?"
"I can't see the crime scene photos, so I am not very clear on that," Li Ang said. "But I think the likelihood of homicide is higher."
Wang Fengnian raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Why?"
"She was a woman living with her in-laws in a rural area while her husband wasn't home. Based on the program's current introduction, her family wasn't particularly financially troubled. If she had committed suicide due to poverty or illness, there would be no reason to run to the village entrance to hang herself in ragged and broken clothes," Li Ang spoke calmly. "A state of undress at the time of death usually indicates the person likely suffered forced or semi-forced indignities before dying. If an incident of insult occurred before her death and the suspect left afterward, the mentally shattered victim would also be very likely to take a bath first, or at least tidy herself up, before choosing suicide. Those who commit suicide usually hope to maintain a dignified image before leaving this world.
"After eliminating the above possibilities, the most likely remaining scenario is this: an incident of insult occurred before her death. The suspect accidentally strangled the woman during the act. Then, to avoid responsibility, he carried the body to the tree at the village entrance and staged it to look like a suicide."
Officer Wang nodded in surprise. "Then why was there a cloth covering her head?"
Li Ang shrugged. "I can't be certain, but there's one possibility. The murderer was intimately familiar with the victim; perhaps they even had a close relationship where they saw each other frequently. When staging the false suicide scene, he covered the body's face with a cloth to avoid making eye contact with the familiar corpse. I've read a report from a criminal research institute stating that in eighty percent of insult cases, the perpetrator is acquainted with the victim. For this case's investigation, the authorities could perhaps start by checking the victim's nearby acquaintances. Such as... the father-in-law... and mother-in-law who lived under the same roof as her..."