“What information have you gathered in Feng Haoli’s house?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.

Wei Muran briefly summarized the information they had gathered from Feng Haoli’s parents.

“That means we didn’t get anything useful from his parents too. What has been going on recently. Why are the cases so troublesome?” complained Xing Jiadong with a distorted expression.

“That’s not true. At least we have some clues,” Qi Youxuan walked toward the whiteboard and took a whiteboard marker pen. “We can find some connections if we piece the information we obtained today together.”

Qi Youxuan then pointed at Xing Jiadong. “Tell me everything that you’ve learned about Feng Haoli so far.”

Xing Jiadong was not expecting Qi Youxuan to choose him to initiate the discussion since Qi Youxuan would always analyze the case alone without giving them a chance to voice their opinions.

Xing Jiadong snapped out of his thoughts immediately after Qi Youxuan shifted his gaze to him curiously and said, “The victim Feng Haoli, a twenty-one year old male and an electrical engineering student from University A, left his dormitory at half past eleven last night and suspected to have returned to the dormitory at one o’clock in the middle of the night. He was found hanging in front of room number four-zero-three. Time of death between one to two o’clock. He only joined athletics events in the university and a cycling club off-campus.”

After a few moments of silence, Qi Youxuan asked, “That’s all?”

Xing Jiadong replied after making sure that he did not miss anything else, “That’s all.”

Qi Youxuan nodded in response. He had already jotted down every information Xing Jiadong mentioned just now on the whiteboard clearly and systematically.

“Anyone who wishes to add on, please do so,” announced Qi Youxuan without making any attempt to voice his opinions.

Coincidentally, the Forensic Science Division delivered the forensic identification report at that moment. The paint on the soles of the victim, Feng Haoli, is the same as the paint placed at the top floor of the dormitory. One of the tangerine-colored paint containers was stained with mud and its components matched the mud on the victim’s soles too.

“The paint on Feng Haoli’s soles matches the paint placed on the top floor of the dormitory, which means the victim went to the top floor and it was highly likely that the paint got onto his shoes before he died, which also means that he went to the top floor before someone killed him. His roommate also mentioned that he left the dormitory at half past eleven. According to the dorm keeper, he locked the entrance to the dormitory at ten past eleven and window grills were installed at every available window in the dormitory, so it was impossible to climb out of the window. We can safely assume that Feng Haoli had probably gone to the top floor to meet the murderer after leaving his room at half past eleven and was killed afterward. The fact that his roommate saw his return at approximately one o’clock without getting a clear view of him but a vague outline doesn’t really mean that the person who returned was Feng Haoli,” said Wei Muran.

“It’s possible for the murderer to arrange a meeting on the rooftop to kill Feng Haoli on the spot and return to the dormitory by impersonating Feng Haoli amidst the darkness. Feng Haoli’s laptop went missing and no one had any idea since when, but at least the laptop was still there when his roommate brought breakfast for him in the morning. I’m guessing that the person who returned to the dormitory at one o’clock in the middle of the night was the murderer. The laptop probably contained evidence or clues that may lead us to the murderer’s identity and that was the reason why the murderer entered room number four-zero-two when everybody was asleep. Even if someone was still awake at that time, it was impossible for him to take a clear view of the murderer’s face after the power failure. The fact that the victim was hanged in front of room number four-zero-three probably meant that someone inside that room was related to the victim’s death but highly likely that the murderer just wanted to divert the attention.

“Chen Yuke’s scream after noticing the corpse in the morning had attracted the attention of most students in the dormitory. When the students in room four-zero-two rushed out to see what had happened in panic, none of them would notice that the person lying in Feng Haoli’s bed was actually a stranger, and he could even leave the dormitory amidst the chaos without anyone noticing too. Of course, this is just my hypothesis. The murderer must be fearless if he really did whatever I had mentioned just now,” analyzed Wei Muran slowly but systematically.

“He wouldn’t murder if he wasn’t fearless. Your analysis is logical!” praised Zhang Ming.

Wei Muran’s cheeks flushed pink after hearing that compliment. This was her first time summoning up her courage to voice her opinions ever since she joined the police force, and it was the improvement in her analyzing skill after constant observation of Qi Youxuan’s investigation method that fueled her courage.

Wei Muran shifted her gaze to Qi Youxuan, unsure about his thoughts on her hypothesis. She lacked confidence in her own hypothesis since the evidence was not enough to support it, hence making it sound a little naive.

However, Qi Youxuan was smiling warmly with a soft glimmer in his lucid eyes, which radiated the same innocence and honesty that persisted since he was young. His eyes were like limpid lakes which brought calmness to those who gazed upon them, and none would be heartless to speak lies when they were met with such crystal clear eyes.

The comfort and compliment Qi Youxuan’s gaze conveyed gave Wei Muran an indescribable excitement.

Qi Youxuan expressed his compliments by grinning at Wei Muran, revealing a row of perfectly carved out dazzling teeth, as if agreeing to her hypothesis.

Wei Muran merely felt that she was of use to the police department by contributing ideas that may aid in the investigation when Zhang Ming praised her, but exhilaration consumed her when Qi Youxuan’s gaze on her conveyed compliments. Subconsciously, her eyes shone brightly and a wide grin broke across her face, and she could even feel her heart pounding at an incredible speed then.

To be honest, Wei Muran did not mean to grin in jubilation, but she could not resist the temptation when she met with Qi Youxuan’s joyful gaze and wide grin.

Qi Youxuan’s reaction was a sign of acknowledgment to Wei Muran. Her heart almost broke out of her ribcage in triumph as if his compliment was the single most important sign that only mattered to her.

“Mumu, you’re absolutely right! My Mumu is very smart indeed!” Qi Youxuan gave Wei Muran a thumbs up.

“…” Blush seared through the exhilarated Wei Muran’s cheeks instantaneously.

How could she forget Qi Youxuan’s personality?

Wei Muran felt guilty after receiving Qi Youxuan’s praise. Obviously, he was biased! Thus, the compliments that came out of his mouth sounded exaggerated in any case.

The red-faced Wei Muran glared at Qi Youxuan so that he would control his behavior.

Xing Jiadong felt uncomfortable then too. Qi Youxuan appeared disgusted when he finished his report on the victim’s details, and the question ‘That’s all?’ seemed to be mocking his intelligence as well.

However, Qi Youxuan’s grin was so wide right after Wei Muran voiced her opinions, which was in striking contrast with the reaction Xing Jiadong received just now.

“Hey, both of you, can you stop showing your love and affection in front of the bare branches? God will punish you for this!” Zhang Ming hissed through gritted teeth.

Moreover, everyone in this room was a bare branch, and Wei Muran was included initially too, but Qi Youxuan had solved that issue ever since his arrival.

“Ahem!” Wei Muran coughed awkwardly with embarrassment burning deep inside her.

Qi Youxuan glanced at Zhang Ming sadly. “That’s why you must put in more effort and observe how I usually treat my girlfriend. That way, your chances of getting one will increase drastically, am I right?”

“Haha!” Zhang Ming laughed scornfully.

“Continue with your analysis! We’re working on this case right now!” Wei Muran glared at the bickering duo.

There was no need for Wei Muran to treat them kindly ever since they were young.

“Ahem!” Qi Youxuan coughed into his fist and regained his stern feature. “Anyone has anything else to add on?”

Jiang Yuecheng felt that Qi Youxuan was stripping him of his position as the squad leader unconsciously, and he had no idea since when did everybody start to follow Qi Youxuan’s instructions without the slightest hesitation.

Jiang Yuecheng could only perform his duty as a squad leader whenever Qi Youxuan felt too lazy to manage the situation.

Exactly like what happened at that moment. Qi Youxuan was basically leading the investigation!

Jiang Yuecheng was caught in a dilemma. He felt like he was Qi Youxuan’s subordinate who would obey every command Qi Youxuan instructed if he voiced his opinion, but at the same time, his presence would be hardly noticeable if he remained quiet.

Zhao Yiyang did not give Jiang Yuecheng, who was opening and closing his mouth repeatedly as if still caught in the dilemma, a chance to make a decision and asked, “You mentioned about a cycling club just now. Was there anything wrong with the club?”

Qi Youxuan nodded his head without providing an answer. Instead, he turned around to look at the information on the whiteboard and started analyzing by drawing lines to connect and dissect the information.

Then, with the use of a black marker pen, he wrote the name of the cycling club and added a dash behind it. “According to Feng Haoli’s parents, Feng Haoli liked to attend any activities organized by the cycling club and would ride his bicycle to challenge his limit in deserted and impoverished areas before boasting to his friends. He would definitely post his journey on social media or start a live video on Weibo, and share details of his trip to his parents once he returned home. He also liked to develop photographs of the trip and place the most symbolic photograph on a conspicuous location in the house.

“His parents also mentioned that Feng Haoli wasn’t the sort of person who would initiate conversations with his parents. He would hide in his bedroom and play computer games during weekends, and only became slightly talkative whenever he returned from his cycling trips. However, after he returned from Mêdog County last summer, he never mentioned a single word regarding the trip and there weren’t any photographs of that particular trip in his house. His social media was only updated until he reached Lhasa and that was it. This indicates that something went wrong during his trip and it was probably very serious or disgusting that he ceased talking or even thinking about it when he returned home.”