Replacing the Evil Way

Chapter 56: L.O.V.E.

After several rounds of selection by a few beauty-conscious women on the team, packaging bags resembling facial mask sachets were chosen. Yun Xiaoxiao held these sachets and went to visit stores. Two days later, she finally discovered that one of the green, translucent small bags was a packaging bag for individual “Emma” brand paper facial masks.

Yun Xiaoxiao intentionally bought a whole bag of these facial masks, opened it, and poured them onto the table. He Wei picked one up and compared it with the dirty plastic bag in the evidence bag. They were indeed identical, confirming that it was the packaging for the “Emma” brand individual facial masks.

Although the components of the two packaging bags could be identified as the same, they could only prove that they were packaging for the same brand of individual facial masks. It couldn’t be 100% confirmed that the one Zhao Shen ingested was the same. After all, the packaging bags had been exposed to the elements and couldn’t yield fingerprints, and there was a small probability that they could be trash left behind by someone else.

While this might not serve as crucial evidence, it could point in a new investigative direction. He Wei tore open one of the facial mask sachets. Each sachet had a raised letter “E” on the surface, the emblem of the Emma facial masks, which would disappear after soaking.

He Wei stared at the facial mask sachet and suddenly pulled out the photos of the two victims with letters on their chests, placing them next to the facial mask sachet. Everyone gathered around, discussing animatedly, “E? Which brand is it this time? OMEGA?”

“It could also be La Mer, after all, facial masks are cosmetics.”

“But the killer is a man.”

“So what? Are refined men not allowed to use cosmetics just because you’re rough?”

“…” He Wei spoke slowly, “The brand has nothing to do with it.”

Lin Heyu stared at the arrangement on the table, surprised, “Is it a word?!”

L, V, E—missing an O, it just happens to spell the word “LOVE.”

Zou Bin and Wen Hua were left dumbfounded; their train of thought was completely disrupted. They had been investigating along the luxury brand route all along, even visiting various luxury stores in Haijing. Now it seemed like their efforts in the past were all in vain; their approach had been fundamentally wrong.

But if it was due to emotional factors, which man could have had such an intimate relationship with Zhao Shen?

———

Lin Heyu instructed his colleagues from Haijing to reexamine Zhao Shen’s social relationships, while He Wei was at home, writing down the clues on a whiteboard. He had a pen in hand, flipping it between his fingers, deep in thought.

Suddenly, a few words appeared below: [The case?]

He Wei made a checkmark.

He looked back and saw Cheng Zesheng right beside him, though for now he couldn’t see him physically. The connection times of the nodes were becoming increasingly chaotic, with no discernible pattern. For some reason, He Wei had a sense of foreboding, feeling that something terrible would happen soon.

Cheng Zesheng stared at the three photos pinned to the whiteboard and added an “O” between the photos of the first and second female victims.

“…” That guy is really sharp. He Wei glanced over, jotting down the analysis of the clues he had at the moment on the whiteboard with a question mark, indicating that he was asking Cheng Zesheng for his thoughts.

Cheng Zesheng pondered for a moment, pen in hand, about to write something, when suddenly another person appeared in front of them. This person was dressed casually, facing away from Cheng Zesheng, arms crossed, lost in thought while staring at the whiteboard.

He Wei’s focus was entirely on the case, completely unaware of the person who had just appeared behind him. An arm reached around and wrapped around his waist. He Wei turned around and was surprised by an unexpected kiss.

Is this to make up for the failed kiss last time? He Wei squinted, not pushing away, but this position made his neck stiff and uncomfortable. Unlike the first gentle stolen kiss, this time lips were nibbled and rubbed, a nimble tongue prying his teeth open, causing both of them to furrow their brows simultaneously.

They accidentally bumped teeth.

He Wei pushed Cheng Zesheng away, “Are you going to kiss me properly?”

“…” Cheng Zesheng pulled him back into his embrace, stubbornly saying, “I haven’t practiced. Can you teach me?”

He leaned in for another kiss, only to be stopped by the whiteboard marker. He Wei pointed at the whiteboard and said, “Let’s talk about the case first. Did you solve your part?”

“Yeah, I did.” Cheng Zesheng took the marker away and leaned closer, his face sticking to He Wei’s as he kissed him. He Wei’s ears turned warm, and he pushed Cheng Zesheng’s shoulder, whispering, “Hey, I haven’t agreed to anything with you yet, have I?”

Cheng Zesheng looked aggrieved. With things like this, wasn’t it already an agreement?

“Let’s focus on the case.” He Wei showed no sense of guilt. “The case is more interesting than you.”

“…”

Men always prioritize their careers, especially someone as business-oriented as He Wei. Cheng Zesheng felt helpless. What could he do? He could only release him and work on the case together.

“Now we suspect that Zhao Shen had a very close male friend, and they conspired together.”

“How close?” Cheng Zesheng rested his chin on He Wei’s shoulder. “Like us?”

“…More or less.” He Wei cleared his throat. “In any case, their relationship wasn’t ordinary, and his girlfriend doesn’t know who he was seeing.”

Cheng Zesheng circled the names of Qiao Ruofei and Zhao Yang, drawing arrows from both of them to Zhao Shen. “Have you ruled out the possibility that the two of them killed him together?”

“I don’t think it’s Zhao Yang. He has no connection to Haijing’s serial murder cases. As for Qiao Ruofei…” He Wei lightly tapped his attractive jawline with his index finger, shaking his head gently. “Something about her seems strange. Her level of devotion is almost exaggerated. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Cheng Zesheng nodded. He had heard He Wei mention this before. Qiao Ruofei not only lost her virginity due to Zhao Yang’s deception but also refused to go back and wandered around the place where Zhao Shen disappeared, insisting she wouldn’t stop until she found her boyfriend.

“A woman so ‘passionate,’ if she found out Zhao Shen was with another man, her reaction might be extreme.” Cheng Zesheng mentioned his recently concluded case. “In the case we just finished, the murderer was the suspect’s wife. She was a quiet woman with a very low profile. Once she found out her husband was having an affair, she didn’t make a scene. Instead, she meticulously planned a murder staged as a car accident scene and remained calm until confessing.”

Continuing, he said, “And these letters should have some significance. Could it be an abbreviation of a name? Zhao Shen’s name has an ‘e’ in it.”

He Wei recalled the name of the first victim, “Luo Tingting,” which matched the “L.” But “Deng Wan” didn’t seem connected to “V.” If “W” was considered two “V”s, it seemed a bit far-fetched.

In his mind, the content of the investigation files played back. There was something crucial that flashed by, but he couldn’t quite recall it. He asked Cheng Zesheng to release him and mentioned he had to return to the station.

“It’s already ten o’clock,” Cheng Zesheng reminded him.

“Yeah, I’ll stay at the station tonight.” He Wei reached out and patted Cheng Zesheng’s cheek, offering a faint smile. “Be good and get some sleep.”

“…?”

Cheng Zesheng was puzzled. Other than in his dreams, when did he not sleep?

———

With a phone call, He Wei summoned Lin Heyu to join him and went to find Zhao Yang.

Zhao Yang was still awake. When he saw the police, he grew nervous. “Comrade police, I heard Zhao Shen’s body was found, but it’s not related to me! I definitely didn’t kill him!”

“Whether it’s related or not, we’ll only know after we gather your DNA. By the way, we have something to ask you.” He Wei’s posture indicated he expected Zhao Yang to “come along.”

In the middle of the night, Zhao Yang was brought to the station. The colleagues from the technical team had already left for the day. He Wei used a cotton swab to scrape the inside of his mouth, collected a sample, and placed it in a glass tube. Lin Heyu held a notebook and asked, “Did Zhao Shen have a male friend with whom he had an unusual relationship?”

“Well, I don’t know. Although we are cousins, we’re not together every day. How would I know who he was close to?”

“Think about it. Did he ever mention anyone to you?”

Even after racking his brain, Zhao Yang couldn’t think of anyone. In his nervousness, he broke out in a sweat and pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his face. He Wei glanced at him and asked, “Whose is this?”

“Huh?” Zhao Yang looked at it and felt puzzled. “It’s mine.”

“You use pink?”

“Oh, oh, it’s Qiao Ruofei’s. I helped her pack her things on the day she arrived. I saw bloodstains on this handkerchief, and she said she cut her hand. I offered to take it back and wash it for her, and then… hehe,” Zhao Yang gave an embarrassed smile, “I never gave it back to her.”

Lin Heyu and He Wei exchanged a look, a strange idea forming in their minds. They asked Zhao Yang if there were any other belongings left behind by Qiao Ruofei. Zhao Yang mentioned there was a lipstick—the one he bought for her. She used it a few times, but she left it on the dressing table when she left.

Zheng Youqing had just started her shift when she found He Wei waiting for her. She hadn’t put on her lab coat yet, wearing a floral dress that made her look youthful and lovely. She approached and asked, “What are we doing today?”

“The sample in the test tube is from Zhao Yang. We’re doing a DNA comparison. This is a lipstick. Extract the surface DNA and do the same comparison.”

Zheng Youqing opened the lipstick and nodded. “Alright, but we need to purify and concentrate this minute amount of DNA, so the results won’t come out that quickly.”

He Wei called Yun Xiaoxiao and asked her about Qiao Ruofei’s whereabouts. Yun Xiaoxiao mentioned that Qiao Ruofei had been buying local specialties these past few days, planning to bring them back for her parents and apologize to them for her mistake. He Wei requested that Yun Xiaoxiao keep Qiao Ruofei occupied for another two days and not let her leave so quickly. He also instructed Zou Bin to accompany them and ensure Yun Xiaoxiao’s safety.

Yun Xiaoxiao was puzzled, “Captain, why has the focus suddenly shifted to Qiao Ruofei? She’s a woman.”

“I’m just speculating. We’ll have to wait for the report to confirm. For now, just keep her busy and stay safe,” He Wei advised.

———

After the report came out, Zheng Youqing promptly handed it to He Wei, her eyes carrying surprise. “The DNA from the test tube doesn’t match the wound swab, but the DNA from the lipstick you provided does match. Could this man be a cross-dresser?”

The people in the office exchanged puzzled looks. Chong Zhen wondered, “What’s going on? Did Qiao Ruofei suddenly undergo a gender change overnight?”

Hu Songkai also couldn’t believe it. “Really? She looks like a pretty girl, right? Can someone fake their ID and household registration?”

“She goes to Dangshui Village every day, not to find Zhao Shen.” Lin Heyu clenched his fist. “She’s going to confirm if Zhao Shen’s body has been recovered!”

“Huh?” Chong Zhen and Hu Songkai were taken aback by the successive shocking revelations. “What’s going on? Did Qiao Ruofei kill Zhao Shen?”

He Wei ignored the chaotic crowd and flipped open the profile of the second victim, realizing that Deng Wan’s English name was “VIVIAN.” It suddenly clicked. That’s it! The thing that had flashed through his mind was this. This way, Deng Wan’s name did have the letter “V.”

L, V, and E—only one more letter was needed. The perpetrator in a serial murder case like this always had a certain fixation; they would only stop after completing this letter. The next… He Wei suddenly froze, immediately calling Yun Xiaoxiao. The call went straight to voicemail. Lin Heyu received a call from Zou Bin saying that Yun Xiaoxiao and Qiao Ruofei had returned to the hotel where she was staying together. They hadn’t contacted him for half an hour!

Lin Heyu was furious, “What are you waiting for?! Go up directly!”

“Okay! I’ll go up right now… Wait, huh? Xia Liang? Why are you here?”

The other side of the phone was chaotic before it hung up.

After obtaining a room key from the front desk, Xia Liang casually picked up a stick and headed upstairs with a purposeful stride. He caught up with Zou Bin and asked quietly, “Bro, why are you here?”

“I had a feeling something was off when I woke up this morning. Commander He told me to come here. It looks like something really happened to Xiaoxiao.” Xia Liang gave his stick a thoughtful tap and assessed Zou Bin. “Do you have a gun? Can I borrow it for a bit?”

“…No.”

Xia Liang nodded. Okay, I’ll go ahead, and you watch my back.

The two reached the door of Room 305. Xia Liang quickly swiped the door open but found the safety latch had been engaged. Qiao Ruofei’s face appeared in the door crack, and she smiled gently, “You came so quickly. Just wait outside for a moment.”

She held a syringe in her hand, and liquid dripped from the needle as she lightly pressed her thumb. Xia Liang’s pupils contracted, and he shouted, “Damn ladyboy! Don’t move, Xiaoxiao!”

“Ladyboy?” Qiao Ruofei’s tone was casual. “You’ve got it wrong. I’m not transgender. Anyway, you wouldn’t understand. Just wait—”

Before she could finish her sentence, a heavy blow landed on the back of her head. She turned around to find Yun Xiaoxiao, who should have been lying on the bed, standing behind her, holding a decorative hotel vase in her hand.

“How did you wake up?!” Qiao Ruofei clutched her head, feeling dizzy and disoriented. With a “click,” her hands were already cuffed. Yun Xiaoxiao opened the door, and Xia Liang rushed in, asking, “Xiaoxiao, are you okay?! Did you get hurt?”

Zou Bin restrained Qiao Ruofei and called for backup. Yun Xiaoxiao shook her head, pointing at the door, “You two can go out for now. I’ll come out in a while.”

Xia Liang grew concerned, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“…,” Yun Xiaoxiao’s ears turned red, and she shouted, “Can’t you see I’m only wearing a bath towel?! I need to put on clothes!”

The two men, along with Qiao Ruofei, were ushered out of the room.

Qiao Ruofei gloated, “Envious? I’ve already seen it.”

“…”