The next day, Zhong Cheng said that he almost dragged Yin Ren out of the dessert shop.
He just left and ordered a courier to deliver the cake to his home. But when he returned to the store, he saw Yin Ren was ordering a wedding cake.
"This is the biggest." Yin Ren was very satisfied.
Zhong Cheng's blocking hand trembled slightly. I'm careless. This guy is an amnesia patient after all, so it's really hard to figure out what's so outrageous.
He turned to the clerk with a frown on his face: "Sorry, please help him return it."
Yin Ren was very dissatisfied: "Why! This is my salary—"
"I told you last night that you must discuss your spending with me."
"You also said I could buy it myself if I liked it."
The clerk glanced between the two people and smiled at Zhong Cheng, "Does this gentleman think the style is too flashy? Our store also provides special customization services..."
Zhong Cheng said: "Please help us to return it, thank you."
Yin Ren suddenly realized. That's right, Zhong Cheng said he didn't have a big appetite. If he ate too much at once, it might arouse suspicion.
"Mr. Xie has some psychological problems." Zhong Cheng answered decisively. He pursed his lips and wrinkled his eyebrows tightly.
In modern society, most cases involve love, revenge, and money. The police checked Gao Mengyu's network of relationships and naturally knew about the cat.
Liang Shan had a complicated expression: "He died two weeks ago. It was a simple car accident. The truck driver was driving due to fatigue. Xie Chao died on the spot."
Yin Ren knew that women in this era could also work and take exams for imperial examinations. In his impression, passing an imperial examination was a great thing worth celebrating.
During the conflict, Xie Chao took advantage of Gao Mengyu being out at work, threw away all the review materials she had bought, and strangled her cat to death.
As a gesture of goodwill, he asked Zhong Cheng: "Do you like chocolate?"
Fanghua Apartment, Room 1413.
The apartment was too small, so Liang Shan dragged a few plastic chairs to the corridor, and Shi An and the other two sat outside for the time being. It was a weekday, and the surrounding tenants had moved out or gone to work, so it was very quiet.
"Pet?" Liang Shan frowned after hearing Yin Ren's guess. "Don't say that. She really did have a pet, but that was before she moved to Fanghua."
"I tried my best." Zhong Cheng answered quickly.
Liang Shan was also unambiguous. He opened his tablet and retrieved the data.
Zhong Cheng said and looked at Yin Ren.
"What is this...?"
Gao Mengyu once had a fiancé named Xie Chao. The two started dating in high school. After that, Gao Mengyu studied at a good local second-tier university, while Xie Chao did not continue his studies after graduating from high school and went to work as a real estate salesman. The relationship between the two has always been good, with only some minor quarrels.
"It's hard to store unfinished food in the refrigerator," Zhong Cheng said. "If you keep it for two days, it will lose its freshness and will just be wasted."
Yin Ren heard this and said: “?”
After a while, Liang Shan drove to pick someone up. The first thing he saw was a depressed Zhong Chengshuo and a huge paper bag.
Zhong Cheng said with his eyes wide open: "... Do you know what a 'wedding cake' is?"
"Understood." "Got it."
Contrary to Xie Chao's expectations, Gao Mengyu, who was usually weak-willed, was not frightened, but instead completely exploded in emotion. The ten-year love affair ended, and the two officially broke up in November.
Zhong Cheng frowned and said, "I'm not angry, I just think it's despicable to threaten people with murder."
Yin Ren asked Zhong Cheng, "They say people go to high places and water flows to low places. What's going on here?"
This answer was too direct, Yin Ren didn't know how to respond: "... Uh, don't be too angry?"
After the breakup, Xie Chao kept pestering Gao Mengyu, trying to get back together with her, but Gao Mengyu did not agree. At the beginning of this year, Gao Mengyu officially resigned and moved into Fanghua to prepare for the exam, and it has been less than half a year.
"Dead." Liang Shan sighed, "It's a long story..."
Zhong Cheng said that he was a scholar and must know the inside story.
The cat was strangled to death by her ex-fiance.
Yin Ren smiled brightly: "No retreat."
"I want to know the results of the investigation into Xie Chao," Zhong Cheng said seriously. "He is a big suspect. The police should have investigated him."
The rotten meat on the floor had been cleaned up, and the rest of the objects in the house had not been moved. The photo taking and evidence collection had already been completed, and two plainclothes police officers remained in the house, trying to find clues.
Liang Shan: “…”
"Before moving to Fanghua, Gao Mengyu rented a house near her workplace. She lived there for five years and brought a cat from home to foster. Her parents said that the cat was one they had raised since it was a puppy and was almost eight years old."
Yin Ren didn't understand what "target" meant. Since there was only one person next to him, he guessed that the clerk was referring to Zhong Cheng. Even if gratitude was an unconventional virtue of the evil spirits, he would still share some of the cake with his partner.
"Mr. Liang, would you like some cake?" Yin Ren struggled to emerge from behind the paper bag.
The clerk was dazzled by Yin Ren's smile: "Okay sir, may I ask what flavors you and your partner like? According to your situation, we recommend the calm chocolate type."
Xie Chao proposed successfully last summer. In October last year, Gao Mengyu had the idea of quitting her job to study for a master's degree, and she and Xie Chao had a big fight.
His voice was a little loud, and Liang Shan cleared his throat vigorously. The two of them quickly shut up and listened to Liang Shan continue to explain.
"I know. We are not getting married. We are just eating."
Zhong Cheng said: "Where is the cat now?"
Liang Shan: "No thanks. Let's go to the scene. There will be police officers there. You two can ask questions, but don't interfere with their work."
"Where are the family members?"
"Xie Chao is an only child. His parents are old and it is very strenuous for him to go up and down the stairs."
Since Xie Chao had been dead for two weeks and there were no signs of struggle at the scene where Gao Mengyu disappeared, the police did not pursue this line any further. Liang Shan confirmed that there was no trace of a fierce ghost in Gao Mengyu's room, so Zhian could only give up.
Liang Shan even examined the old cat's body.
Liang Shan sat upright, waiting for Yin Ren, a newbie in metaphysics, to ask questions. Who would have thought that Yin Ren calmly finished his chocolate muffin and then browsed the web on his phone, without any intention of asking questions.
Your work attitude is a bit improper.
Liang Shan: "...Xiao Yin, why don't you ask about the cat?"
There are many suspicious points about Gao Mengyu's disappearance. According to the routines of various film and television works, the cat must have turned into some kind of monster.
Previously, when Liang Shan led the unconventional practitioners, he had to explain the basic knowledge about evil things. Yin Ren didn't ask anything, he was not used to it.
Yin Ren was a little surprised: "Brother Liang, it's not that easy to be an evil creature. Not to mention cats and dogs, even humans are unlikely to become evil creatures after death. This is a matter of fate. If a cat that was strangled to death could become an evil creature, the slaughterhouse would have been overcrowded long ago."
Liang Shan was speechless, of course he knew! This was the knowledge point he should have explained! Does this kid understand or not? "From what I can see now," Zhong Cheng concluded, "there are no traces of supernatural phenomena in this case, and no suspects can be found... What about the clues related to the 'gap'?"
"I submitted the application last night. Special tools are needed to check the gaps. I estimate that it will be approved this afternoon."
Zhong Cheng said: "There is no clear mission now. Can I see Gao Mengyu's phone?"
This is the example of a good employee. Liang Shan sighed: "Here, a copy machine. Her phone is important evidence. You can look at the backup."
The result was that Shi An and the other two were sitting in a row in the corridor playing with their cell phones. In the apartment, two policemen were busy running around, looking at the three people with subtle disdain in their eyes.
The phone was from Zhianfa. The technology of this era was unfathomable, and Yin Ren didn't dare to search for anything too outrageous on his phone. He typed in "Donghe District News" and clicked on the results one by one to see the search results.
He had only been looking for ten minutes when he had already downloaded four or five apps.
Modern people are full of tricks. Yin Ren shook his head and clicked on the short video APP that appeared very frequently. He stared at the login interface in silence for a while, and frantically searched for "how to log in".
Zhong Chengshuo opened Gao Mengyu's WeChat and browsed through the recent chat records.
Gao Mengyu did have pets, but her cat died last year. Her large purchases of meat and brains this year remain unexplained.
Zhong Cheng said he did not search for any keywords. He quietly read the records, even the five special price groups she joined.
Zhong Cheng said that he searched for a long time and finally found some clues.
Whether she was harassed or for some other reason, Gao Mengyu did not block Xie Chao. Her WeChat name is "Feather Cat" and her note to Xie Chao is ".". The chat records stopped two weeks ago, which happened to be the time when Xie Chao died unexpectedly.
Xie Chao's remarks were very divisive. They were either gentle, "I want to see you again," "Baby, I bought you a kitten, it's very cute," or they were filthy and insulting.
His remarks basically revolved around one theme - I was the best person in the world to you, breaking up with you was just being sentimental, you hurt me, and this matter is not over yet.
The two have known each other for too long, and many of their words are like secret codes, which are difficult for outsiders to understand. In addition, the two should have other ways to contact each other, so the conversation is fragmented and incoherent, with a lot of mixed sounds, making it very difficult to read.
But hard work pays off, Zhong Cheng said he was able to find some unnatural places.
That was a conversation about three weeks ago—
[Feather Cat: Can you let me go?]
[. ：It’s really interesting that you didn’t let me go first...]
[. : You bastard even threatened me. I'll tell you who gets sprayed when the time comes]
[Feather Cat: It’s impossible for us to divide it into several months]
[Feather Cat: How many times have I told you that you don’t understand what people say? ]
[“.” Withdrew a message]
[“.” Withdrew a message]
[“.” Withdrew a message]
[Feather Cat: Xie Chao, you will die a miserable death!]
Zhong Cheng was about to ask if there was any news about the withdrawal when a strand of black hair fell on him.
Yin Ren was leaning to one side, staring intently at the screen.
Yin Ren's shampoo smelled the same as his, and the two of them instantly blended together. The black hair seemed to have consciousness, flowing down Zhong Chengshuo's chest like water. Zhong Chengshuo tensed his body, but he didn't dodge.
"Is this Gao Mengyu and her, um, fiancé?" Yin Ren asked curiously, "What they said is quite interesting."
Zhong Cheng said: "Do you have any ideas?"
"Yes, how do I log in?" Yin Ren held up his mobile phone with both hands.
Zhong Cheng took the phone helplessly and registered the short video APP for Yin Ren. He glanced at Liang Shan and whispered, "This is not something you should watch at work. Remember to turn up the volume—"
Unfortunately, his speaking speed could not keep up with the speed of the contemporary ghost king's hands, and the earthy pop music and sound effects instantly filled the corridor.
Zhong Cheng said as he slowly straightened his posture. He flipped through the chat history with an expressionless face, his eyes wandering a little.
Liang Shan's face turned pale: "Xiao Yin you..."
"I'm just looking for clues!" Yin Ren pressed the volume button frantically. "Something strange has happened in Donghe District recently. Many people are talking about it here. Maybe it has something to do with the meat."
As he was talking, a man's crying voice came from the phone: "My friends, Brother Rose is really affectionate!"
Yin Ren: “…”
This era is so strange.
He resolutely turned off the phone: "Brother Liang, Brother Zhong just found something interesting. Do you want to take a look?"
"Isn't this just an ordinary quarrel?" Liang Shan was a little confused after reading the chat records.
Zhong Cheng said: "I went through all their chat records. Gao Mengyu had never been so excited before when she was pestered by Xie Chao. The frequency of their contact has increased a lot in the past month. They have a strange relationship of mutual threat."
"There is nothing wrong with Xie Chao's case. It was a complete accident. I can guarantee that. Neither Xie Chao himself nor the driver had anything to do with Gao Mengyu." Liang Shan rubbed the back of his head. "But Xiao Zhong is right. We really don't know what they are arguing about."
Faced with the abnormality in Gao Mengyu's house, both the police and Zhi'an have no clue. Solving a case is never as smooth as written in the script. They cannot let go of any doubts and must investigate them step by step.
Liang Shan glanced at Yin Ren who was trying to minimize his presence and said, "Anyway, the stuff won't arrive until this afternoon. If you two are interested, you can try to investigate."
He stood up and whispered a few words to the two policemen. One of the policemen took out his cell phone and gestured to Liang Shan for a while.
"Gao Mengyu's parents are not in a good mental state and are unwilling to see anyone other than the police. They just consulted a friend of Gao Mengyu and she is willing to help - she lives nearby and happens to have time now."
Yin Ren: "That's great, Brother Zhong, keep it up."
"Xiao Yin, you go with him."
"But it's daytime now, and the subject of the investigation is still a living person..."
"Please go with him." Liang Shan raised his voice.
This morning, Yin Ren had a rough idea of Shi An's salary - just looking at that high-end dessert shop, he couldn't even spend half of his salary on food every month. He couldn't offend anyone but his job, so Yin Ren had to say goodbye to the baby cake bag in tears.
Gao Mengyu's friend made an appointment with them at a nearby coffee shop.
Yin Ren and Zhong Cheng said they arrived first, Gao Mengyu's friend Shan Shan arrived late -
She was the same age as Gao Mengyu, around 30. She was dressed fashionably, wearing sunglasses, her hair was styled in big linen curls, and her lips were deep red. She looked around as soon as she entered the room, and when she saw Yin Ren and Zhong Cheng talking, she was visibly stunned.
Almost at the moment she walked in, Yin Ren put down the menu and looked in her direction.
This woman smells like a fresh ghost.
(End of this chapter)