After Xie Yuan finished giving his statement, he met the manager who had been waiting for him in the lobby. Sister Chen lowered her head in shame and said, "I'm sorry, I should have stayed with Teacher Liang. If I hadn't left, she wouldn't have been..."
Xie Yuan wiped his eyes awkwardly, put on a scarf and hat, and interrupted her in a hoarse voice, "It's no use saying all this now. I'm going back first. The two children are waiting for me at home. Also, don't announce Tingting's matter to the public for now. Please take care of the studio. I'll hold a funeral for Tingting after the matter is cleared up."
The two chatted as they left. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou came out of the Police Station and happened to see Xie Yuan's back.
Watching their figures disappear through the door, Xiao Lou sighed softly and said, "No matter what the murderer's motive was, with Liang Ting dead, the two children are the most pitiful ones."
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, " Xie Yuan will probably keep it from the children for now. Hopefully, this matter won't have too much of a negative impact on them."
Xiao Lou nodded, turned around, got into the car, and went home with Yu Hanjiang.
It was 1:30 a.m. when Yu Hanjiang got home. He took a hot shower and went back to his bedroom to lie down.
He tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. He finally sat up with a frown, leaned against the headboard, turned on the bedside lamp, and took out his notebook, reviewing the testimonies and expressions of everyone present that day.
Yu Hanjiang felt increasingly uneasy about what was going on.
Ye Lan has been confirmed not to be the murderer; she was in the toilet the whole time and had no opportunity to commit the crime.
The other two members of the girl group, Li Shengnan and Qin Huanhuan, were in the dressing room touching up their makeup the whole time, which many people can attest to. They never left, so they naturally didn't have the opportunity to go out and poison Liang Ting.
Zhao Yuxin, who was the first to leave after using the restroom, and Liu Xi, who spent a long time looking for tissues, could not provide strong alibis. They both had time to poison Liang Ting in her break room, which was located in the west corridor next to Liang Ting's. They didn't have to worry about attracting the attention of the staff on the other side, making it very convenient to poison her.
However, there must be a motive for murder.
What exactly were Zhao Yuxin and Liu Xi's motives for killing Liang Ting?
According to the information, Zhao Yuxin's father is a famous pianist and her mother is a dancer. She was influenced by her parents from an early age and inherited their strengths. She can sing and dance and is proficient in musical instruments. In the talent show that year, Zhao Yuxin undoubtedly won the championship and signed with Star Entertainment. She is currently the captain of 505 Girl Group and has the highest popularity.
Zhao Yuxin had no connection with Xie Yuan, nor any grudge against Liang Ting. At such a young age, with her popularity soaring, why would she risk murder and ruin her promising future?
Liu Xi is also young and promising. Her parents both work for the same company, and she grew up in a harmonious family. Although she was born into an ordinary working-class family and didn't excel academically, she was born with a beautiful voice. Her voice is most similar to Liang Ting's, and she is Liang Ting's favorite.
This girl has a reserved personality and doesn't talk much, but she's extremely serious about music. It's said that she practices repeatedly in the recording studio before each recording session until the sound is flawless. Because of her ethereal voice, which is highly recognizable, from a professional perspective, even if the girl group disbands in the future, she won't have to worry about finding a job—her voice is a gift from God.
Liang Ting admired her so much, so what motive did she have to kill Liang Ting?
Yu Hanjiang frowned and pondered repeatedly, but he couldn't figure out why Zhao Yuxin and Liu Xi would poison Liang Ting.
Two promising young women, with the current popularity of 505 Girl Group and their tour just beginning, are they really willing to risk their careers by attacking a veteran singer? What kind of grudge could they possibly have to risk their own lives like this?
Could it be that none of the five members of the girl group are the murderer, but merely distractors?
Yu Hanjiang thought about it carefully. Last night, he and Xiao Lou sat in the VIP audience and watched the concert for an hour. Judging from their performance, all five girls sang very steadily, obviously having put in a lot of hard work to prepare for the concert. No one sang off-key or forgot the lyrics, and they all performed well on stage, even interacting warmly with the fans in the audience.
It's hard to imagine that a young woman in her twenties who has planned to commit murder can sing on stage with such composure.
Yu Hanjiang reviewed the information of the five members of the girl group again, analyzing each line carefully.
After reading it, he rubbed his temples with a headache and finally placed the stack of documents on the bedside table next to him—perhaps his judgment was correct, the five young girls had no motive to kill Liang Ting.
If the inference that "the five girls are not the murderers" is true, then there are only two possibilities left.
The first possibility is that Ye Lan didn't lie intentionally, but rather accidentally said the wrong thing due to nervousness. After all, she's young and inexperienced in handling murder cases, so it's possible she made a mistake in front of the police. The sound of flat shoes she heard wasn't someone coming in, but someone going out. In that case, Sister Chen is the most suspicious person.
The second possibility is that it doesn't matter whether Ye Lan is lying or not; the murderer never even went to the bathroom.
At the time, most of the staff gathered at the southeast corner to listen to Ye Qi sing, but the makeup artists and stylists were resting in the west corridor, and two of them were eating takeout in the tea room in the north. These people could easily enter Liang Ting's dressing room.
The makeup and stylist for the five members of the girl group can be ruled out first, as they are in one...
If anyone went out, it would be easily noticed. Besides, Qin Huanhuan and Li Shengnan's makeup was severely smudged. At the time, two makeup artists were busy touching up their makeup, while the other three makeup artists and the team stylists were chatting nearby. They waited until Zhao Yuxin and the other two returned from the restroom to touch up their makeup and change their hairstyles.
This point has been confirmed by several people during Yu Hanjiang's interrogation last night.
Inside the girl group's dressing room, none of the makeup artists or stylists left during those crucial ten-odd minutes. This makeup and styling team was managed by the manager. Yun Lan invited them; they had worked with the girl group for a long time. They didn't know Liang Ting was a guest performer at the concert, so naturally they couldn't have prepared a poisoner beforehand to poison Liang Ting backstage.
Similarly, Ye Qi's stylist Tony was also invited by Yun Lan. Even Ye Qi didn't know that Liang Ting was a special guest, so it's impossible for the stylist to have known in advance.
All that was left were the makeup artists and stylists that Liang Ting had hired herself.
Yu Hanjiang frowned as he recalled the testimonies of the two men.
Makeup artist Xiao Su said that her takeout arrived just as Teacher Liang came on stage. She asked Teacher Liang if she wanted to change her look after the performance, but Teacher Liang told her to eat first, so she went to get the takeout.
Stylist Kim said the two ate and chatted together in the lounge...
Yu Hanjiang's eyes narrowed slightly.
There are obvious flaws in the testimonies of these two individuals!
When picking up takeout, there's no need for two people to go together to collect several food containers; one person can do it.
The two did indeed stay in the break room while eating, which can be mutually confirmed. However, what about when they were picking up their takeout? They were separate!
Whether it was makeup artist Xiao Su sneaking into Teacher Liang's dressing room to poison him while she was picking up takeout, or stylist A Kim poisoning Liang Ting while her companion was getting takeout, the two couldn't prove each other's whereabouts in those few minutes.
Yu Hanjiang seized upon this clue and analyzed it carefully.
Makeup artist Xiao Su has been working with Liang Ting for a long time and knows Liang Ting's preferences very well. She even mentioned that Teacher Liang has severe mysophobia and always brings her own cosmetics. If she were the one who poisoned Liang Ting, she could easily enter and leave Liang Ting's rest room as a makeup artist, put the poison in Liang Ting's thermos, and then return home with the takeout as if nothing had happened.
The stylist, Kim, was a man with dyed blonde hair, fair skin, and a somewhat effeminate manner of speaking. Yu Hanjiang remembered him saying that this was his first time working with Teacher Liang. If he had any grudge against Liang Ting, he might have used this opportunity to get closer to Liang Ting. After all, the makeup and styling were decided in advance, giving him ample time to prepare.
Once Yu Hanjiang understood this, everything became clear in his mind.
It was already past 3 a.m. He turned off the light and went to sleep, only managing to doze off for a little over three hours before getting up to pick up Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou noticed the obvious dark circles under his eyes and asked with concern, "Didn't you sleep well last night?"
Yu Hanjiang pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice a little hoarse: "I couldn't sleep until three o'clock."
Xiao Lou handed him breakfast and asked softly, "Are you thinking about the case?"
Yu Hanjiang said helplessly, "It's an occupational hazard of mine. I can't sleep soundly until I've sorted out the clues. After I got back last night, I simply reviewed everyone's statements again and found some suspicious points."
He showed Xiao Lou the parts of the transcript that he had circled.
Xiao Lou looked down at the notebook: "The makeup artist went to get the takeout... Is there a problem with that?" His eyes lit up, and he quickly figured it out: "The makeup artist went to get the takeout, but the hairstylist didn't. In those few short minutes, the two of them were separated, right!"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "That's right. We've been keeping an eye on the girl group and the manager. Now it seems that these two seemingly insignificant people we initially overlooked are actually the real culprits hiding behind the scenes."
Xiao Lou felt a chill run down her spine as she carefully considered the makeup artist and hairstylist she had met yesterday.
The makeup artist was a woman in her thirties. She had beautiful nail polish, exquisite makeup, a camel-colored cashmere coat, a plaid scarf, and high heels. She was dressed very fashionably.
I have a deep impression of hairstylist Kim Xiao Lou. After all, this hairstylist had a somewhat thin voice, and although he was a man, he was thin, had fair skin, and was less than 1.7 meters tall. He looked like the most typical bottom in the gay community.
Xiao Lou respects everyone's individuality, but yesterday, when this Ah Kim spoke, he felt uncomfortable.
Something just doesn't feel right?
Xiao Lou stroked his chin thoughtfully, but couldn't figure it out. When he came to his senses, Yu Hanjiang had already quickly finished his breakfast. He started the car and said, "I'll be questioning these people more closely when we get back to Police Station today. You'll come with me then."
Xiao Lou also wanted to hear what these people had to say. Although it wasn't appropriate for him, as a Forensic Doctor, to always accompany Yu Hanjiang to the interrogation room, Yu Hanjiang's colleagues seemed to have gotten used to his presence, and no one said anything.
Xiao Lou nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take notes for you."
Yu Hanjiang called the three men on the way and asked them to come to the police station. The three men arrived shortly after he arrived at the police station.
Ye Lan arrived the fastest because she happened to be staying at a nearby hotel. As a celebrity, she didn't want to appear in public. (Manager) Yun Lan was also by her side. Ye Lan had her head wrapped in a scarf, and her face was completely covered by sunglasses and a mask.
Yu Hanjiang called her in first and asked her why she lied: "Yesterday, you said you heard someone go into the toilet, but I asked the other people present, and no one other than the four of you went to the toilet during that time... Why did you lie?"
Ye Lan was startled. Her fingers intertwined tightly, clearly nervous. Her head almost drooped to her chest as she said in a trembling voice, "I... I might have misremembered. I was suddenly called in for questioning, and the manager said Teacher Liang had an accident. I was very nervous. I don't really remember if there were any footsteps in the restroom."
Yu Hanjiang frowned: "Why are you nervous? Are you feeling guilty?"
Ye Lan's lips trembled slightly, and she clenched her teeth, refusing to speak.
Yu Hanjiang said, "Tell me the truth about what you know about Xie Yuan, Liang Ting, and your senior, Lin Yiyan."
Upon hearing Lin Yiyan's name, Ye Lan's expression stiffened abruptly. She looked up, forcing herself to remain calm: " Lin Yiyan? I know she also graduated from No. 17 Middle School, but I'm not very familiar with her..."
Yu Hanjiang interrupted him directly: "Then why were you at the entrance of Lin Yiyan's Moon Lake Villa? Just passing by?"
Ye Lan: "..."
Xiao Lou looked at her and said gently, "Ms. Ye, you come from a wealthy family and have a bright future. You don't want to have a stain on your record of giving false testimony at the police station, do you? It's better to tell the truth. We will investigate everything we need to."
Hearing Xiao Lou's gentle words, Ye Lan gritted her teeth, remained silent for a moment, and then made up her mind. She said in a low voice, "I... I went to my senior's house to get something that time, and I saw Xie Yuan coming out of her house disheveled. They must be having an affair... Teacher Liang also knows about this."
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow: " How did Liang Ting know?"
Ye Lan explained, " Teacher Liang has severe mysophobia. When Xie Yuan came home, she smelled another woman's perfume on her, and she remembered the scent immediately. At this year's film festival awards ceremony, our girl group was invited to perform. Teacher Liang was a judge for the Best Music Award at the film festival, and Lin Yiyan attended the awards ceremony. The two of them sat in the front and back rows. Senior Sister Yiyan was using a limited edition perfume with a very unique scent."
Ye Lan paused, her face pale, and said, " Teacher Liang's nose is incredibly sensitive. She immediately smelled Lin Yiyan's scent. After the film festival, she invited Lin Yiyan to the lounge. I happened to be passing by and saw her slap Lin Yiyan a few times."
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou: "..."
Liang Ting has a real talent for detective work; it seems she and Lin Yiyan had a major conflict.
Ye Lan lowered her head and said, "When I heard about Teacher Liang's accident yesterday, my first thought was... that Lin Yiyan was the one who did it. Because I know my senior sister, she was spoiled by her parents since she was a child. Her parents never laid a finger on her, and yet Liang Ting slapped her. She must hate Teacher Liang a lot. Moreover... her infatuation with Xie Yuan has lasted for so many years, and it's almost become a heartache for her."
Lin Yiyan died long ago, so why would Ye Lan suspect that Lin Yiyan was the murderer?
Yu Hanjiang sensed something was wrong and asked in a low voice, "You suspect Lin Yiyan is the murderer, but she wasn't at the scene. How could she have killed Teacher Liang?"
Ye Lan said, "She's here..."
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou exchanged bewildered glances: "What do you mean?"
Ye Lan trembled as she opened her phone, scrolled to her chat history with Lin Yiyan, and handed it to Yu Hanjiang, saying, " Captain Yu, look, she messaged me yesterday afternoon saying that she will definitely come to support my first concert."
Yu Hanjiang took the phone and looked at it—
As expected, it was a WeChat message sent by Lin Yiyan at 3:30 pm yesterday, and the content matched Ye Lan's description.
He immediately called his colleague on the internal line to check the ticket sales records on the concert's official website. Xiao Wu quickly replied: "The ticket for seat 701 in section C of the VIP audience area was indeed purchased by someone whose ID card belongs to Lin Yiyan."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "Did this person enter the concert venue last night when the tickets were being checked?"
A colleague said, "The ticket records show that the person in seat 701 in section C did not come last night."
That's obvious. Lin Yiyan is already dead, and the murderer wouldn't dare to bring her ID to the concert; they'd be in big trouble if caught by the police. The murderer sent Ye Lan the message just to mislead her and create the illusion that Lin Yiyan is still alive.
Yu Hanjiang looked at Ye Lan and asked, "How long have you known Lin Yiyan? What else do you know about her?"
Ye Lan whispered, "We met in middle school. We were both fans of Xie Yuan back then, and we had a lot in common and got along quite well. Later, she got into Film Academy, and we lost contact for a few years. Then, I participated in a talent show and won an award. She took the initiative to contact me and said that it's not easy to find a few sisters you can talk to in such a complicated place as the entertainment industry. She said we should take care of each other in the future."
Ye Lan took a deep breath and continued, "She added me as a friend and acted very familiar with me, but I'm rather introverted and don't talk much. Most of the time, she treated me as someone to confide in, so I was content to be a listener. She would tell me anything that made her unhappy, including the time Liang Ting smelled her perfume, slapped her, and her one-night stand with Xie Yuan. I was the only one who knew about it."
Yu Hanjiang scrolled up through their chat history.
A month ago, Lin Yiyan messaged Ye Lan: "Congratulations, junior! I heard that 505 Girl Group is going to have a concert in November? I also want to go and see it live. I have already bought a VIP ticket to support your first concert."
Ye Lan sent a flattered emoji: "Thank you, senior sister. You're so busy, there's really no need for you to take the time to support me. I'm already very touched by your kindness."
Lin Yiyan sent a smiley face: "We'll see then. If I'm too busy, I won't come. I'll come see you when I have time."
The two didn't keep in touch much for the next few months.
Ye Lan said, "I thought she..."
It was just a polite gesture; I didn't expect her to actually come.
Yu Hanjiang was silent for a moment, then said, "She didn't come yesterday."
Ye Lan was taken aback: "But she messaged me saying she was coming?"
Yu Hanjiang: "She is dead."
Ye Lan: "......"
******