Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 36 Lover
"You're not someone who compromises easily."

After all, they were close friends who grew up together, so she knew Shen Fu well.

Shen Fu is free-spirited and unrestrained. If she ever settles down, it's either because she's tired of playing around or because she's come to terms with things.

She noticed that Shen Fu was so energetic and didn't seem tired at all.

Wei Qingsong once asserted that Shen Fu would not figure things out on her own until she was thirty.

Her personality was too fickle, she drifted between one man after another, yet her heart could never find peace.

"What good is not compromising? Unlike you, I can't find someone who reciprocates my feelings." Shen Fu's face showed a rare hint of melancholy.

Wei Qingsong was incredibly perceptive; in just a fleeting moment, he caught the fleeting look of disappointment in her eyes.

Her eyes flickered slightly, and she asked gently, "Afu, has something happened to you?"

Shen Fu smiled wryly, her smile tinged with self-mockery: "Don't you already know? Forced engagement, fiancé cheating on me, and now, my barely acquainted fiancé has been murdered, and I'm very likely to become a suspect. Does that count as being in trouble?"

Wei Qingsong paused for a moment, then asked in a leisurely tone, "What I mean is, before this, was there some problem with your love life?"

Shen Fu raised an eyebrow slightly, her long, beautiful eyes gazing at her quietly for a long while before saying, "I heard that you are now a criminal psychology consultant for the Tangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, and you are best at understanding the psychology of suspects. It seems that I am honored to be the subject of your suspicion."

"I'm sorry." Sensing her resistance, Wei Qingsong lowered his gaze apologetically.

Not everyone is willing to have their thoughts pried into. She likes to observe people, but she ignores the feelings of the people being observed, which is where she is in the wrong.

Unexpectedly, Shen Fu suddenly smiled, sighed softly, and looked out the window.

"Actually, there's nothing to hide. About half a year ago, I fell in love with a painter who travels all over the world. I call myself a wanderer, but I never expected to meet someone even more unrestrained than me. I actually had the idea of ​​keeping him in Tangzhou. Obviously, I failed, and I seem to be more vulnerable than I imagined."

Shen Fu's gaze became distant, her expression shifting between joy and sorrow, as if she were lost in a memory.

Wei Qingsong remained silent, simply watching her without disturbing her.

Sometimes, being a listener only requires silence.

Shen Fu took a sip of coffee, remained silent for a long time, and then said calmly, "At that time, I realized that the freedom in my heart was too narrow. I could indulge in debauchery and play games with life, but that was all within the scope of my father's tacit approval. I couldn't even leave Tangzhou, like a caged beast. But he could travel all over the world, soar through the sky, and embrace true freedom."

“I thought we were similar people, but in his eyes I was just a pathetic wretch who didn’t even have the means to fulfill my wishes. That’s why he left so decisively.”

"Since the person I want will never see me again in this lifetime, what does it matter who I marry?"

"I see." After understanding the whole story, Wei Qingsong's voice sounded like a sigh.

That does indeed seem like Shen Fu's style.

As the glamorous daughter of the mayor, she couldn't even control her own destiny or pursue the freedom she so desperately loved.

In this world, everyone has their own unspeakable suffering.

"Don't make that face. I hate it when people pity me. It's no big deal. I don't care at all." Shen Fu slammed her hand on the table and looked up at Wei Qingsong to show her dissatisfaction.

Wei Qingsong snapped out of her thoughts and composed herself: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Tsk, Songsong, you've become so unlovable." Shen Fu rested her chin on her hand and looked at her for a while before coming to this conclusion.

"Alright, you still have things to do, so I won't take up any more of your time." She paused, a mischievous smile on her face. "Instead of listening to my rambling on, you should probably talk to Officer Lu about life and ideals. Come on, I'll take you home."

Back at the city police station, the field officers and forensic doctor had already returned with the evidence.

Wei Qingsong walked over to the empty seat next to Lu Jingming with an extremely natural movement and sat down: "Did you find anything?"

Xiao Song stared at her for several seconds as if she had seen a ghost.

No one dared to sit in the seat next to Captain Lu; their psychological consultant was truly courageous.

It wasn't until Chen Jin coughed lightly and nudged his arm that he reacted, stammering, "Um... the deceased had neck tissue damage, purplish-red lividity on the neck and back, and cloudy corneas. The preliminary judgment is that he died of mechanical asphyxiation."

"Two cups of coffee were found at the scene. One of them tested positive for sleeping pills, and the deceased Wen Yu's DNA was extracted from the rim of the cup. Therefore, the deceased should have first drunk the coffee laced with sleeping pills, and then been strangled until he suffocated. Further details will have to wait for the forensic examination."

"The scene had been deliberately cleaned up, leaving no fingerprints, footprints, or other useful information," Xiao Song said with regret.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Qingsong immediately gave his first judgment: "It was an inside job."

After she finished speaking, she subconsciously looked at Lu Jingming.

In the past, Lu Jingming would have said something like, "Such a simple deduction, you don't need to say anything more," or other such mocking remarks.

However, Lu Jingming simply nodded and added, "Yes, so the key suspect we need to identify right now is the mysterious lover mentioned by the deceased's fiancée."

"Based on Ms. Shen Fu's testimony, I investigated the social relationships of the deceased Wen Yu and found that he had recently been in close contact with a call girl named Situ Hui. It is understood that she has been missing for two days, and we are currently trying to find her whereabouts."

Chen Jin distributed a stack of photos to everyone.

In the photo, a woman with medium-length red curly hair is lying in Wen Yu's arms with a seductive smile. Judging from the background, it should be in a bar.

Wei Qingsong examined the photo in her hand, but felt that something was not right.

"A discovery?" A deep, mellow voice sounded in her ear. Wei Qingsong looked up abruptly and realized that Lu Jingming had leaned forward and was now very close to her.

She could even smell the cool, refreshing fragrance emanating from Lu Jingming.

That was a taste that belonged exclusively to Lu Jingming, both familiar and unfamiliar.

She hissed, trying to calm herself down, forcibly pulling her gaze back from her trance, and pointed at the photo, saying with a dry mouth, "Look, in this photo, the two people are indeed in a very intimate pose, but Wen Yu's gaze is looking to the other side, and the hand that Wen Yu put on Situ Hui's shoulder is not touching Situ Hui at all, but hanging in the air."

Chen Jin scratched his head, puzzled, and asked, "Sister Wei, I don't quite understand. What does this mean? Wen Yu looked in another direction. Maybe someone called his name when the photo was being taken, and he didn't touch Situ Hui. Or maybe it was just a habit."

"What you said is indeed a possibility. However, one photo might be a coincidence, but with so many photos, the subtle estrangement and unfamiliarity between the two people can be discerned from their body language, which speaks volumes."

Wei Qingsong selected several photos from the stack and laid them out on the table.

She raised her eyebrows, her tone extremely certain: "Based on these photos, I have reason to suspect that Wen Yu and Situ Hui are not lovers."

There was traffic on the way back to the city, so I got home late.

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(End of this chapter)