“What’s the catch?”
“I just spoke with Jiang Cheng. He’s hiding something from me, but you two get along.”
A scoff escaped Wang Ling’s nose, nearly blowing into Lu Linjiang’s face. “Lu Linjiang, you’re really outdoing yourself!” He stared at the string of digits. “You went through all this trouble just to get me to fish for information?”
“Why else? To have you assault my ears in the middle of the night?” Lu Linjiang leaned forward, meeting Wang Ling’s eyes. “The more information I have, the better it is for Jiang Cheng.”
“Didn't you say nothing's certain yet?”
“I'm afraid of complications.” Lu Linjiang clearly had a headache; his usually stoic face was now a map of complex emotions. “Just keep an eye on him for now. I have to head back to the station. Get moving.”
Before the slow-witted Wang Ling could even utter an “ah,” a waiter arrived and handed a takeout box to Lu Linjiang. Lu Linjiang took it and stood up to leave, not forgetting to instruct as he passed: “Remember to keep it natural. Don't let him realize I sent you.”
“What the hell? Are you testing my acting skills?” Wang Ling watched Lu Linjiang stride out. Just as he was about to follow, the waiter appeared like a shadow with the bill: “Sir, your check, please.”
Wang Ling instinctively took the bill, glanced at the three empty glasses on the table, and felt his blood pressure spike.
***
Lu Linjiang drove back to the station at breakneck speed. Guo Junyi was busy typing up an autopsy report. Lu tossed the takeout box onto the desk. “Eat it while it's hot.”
Guo Junyi eyed the white plastic bag suspiciously before carefully opening it. Inside the disposable container was a still-steaming hot dog. He pulled his hand back as if burned, clutching his chin as he stared at Lu Linjiang in shock.
“What? Eat!”
Guo Junyi was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. “Can't you tell? This pose is called ‘holding my jaw in place.’ Captain Lu actually brought me food? Is it raining knives outside?”
Lu Linjiang ignored the sarcasm. “I need you to do something.”
Guo Junyi pushed the takeout away with a single finger. “I knew there were strings attached! Captain Lu, for you to show such rare kindness, I should at least know the price before I take a bite.”
“I'm serious. Run a toxicology screen on Tao Minxing.”
“Toxicology?” Guo Junyi looked at him skeptically. “You can't be serious. I've already finished the autopsy report. Why a toxicology screen?”
“I have information suggesting Tao Minxing’s death might not be so simple. Just to be safe.”
Guo Junyi sat in silence for a moment, then suddenly stood up and grabbed the takeout. He tore off the packaging in a few swift motions, took a massive bite of the hot dog, and patted Lu Linjiang on the shoulder, signaling for him to follow. They went straight to the autopsy room, where an assistant was suturing Tao Minxing. “Xiao Huang, wait a second.”
Guo Junyi stopped a pace away, pointing a finger at Tao Minxing’s half-sutured chest cavity. “See for yourself: the lips, throat, esophagus, and all organs, including the liver, are clean.”
Lu Linjiang followed his finger. Being a layman in forensics, he couldn't see much. “You mean there are no toxicological issues?”
“To this day, no poison exists that is colorless, odorless, and formless. If there’s poisoning, it leaves a trace. This old professor... no matter how you look at it, it was heart failure induced by a cold. The condition of his heart is proof enough. There’s no need for a toxicology screen. Is your source reliable?”
Lu Linjiang stared at Tao Minxing with a face as grim as still water for a long time before stepping back. Guo Junyi signaled his assistant to continue, then finished the hot dog in a few bites despite the indescribable smell of the autopsy room.
“What was the time of death?”
“Accounting for the temperature and humidity in the bathroom, the precise calculation puts it between 1:00 and 1:30 AM.”
“Temperature?”
“Yeah. The bathroom was small, and the exhaust fan wasn't on. I sent someone to measure it; it was practically a sauna in there.”
Lu Linjiang’s brow furrowed. He hurried back to Guo Junyi’s office and pulled up all the files from the forensics department. “What was Tao Minxing’s eye prescription?”
“Three-fifty.”
Lu Linjiang quickly flipped through the crime scene photos. Tao Minxing was in a bathrobe, sitting on the toilet, hands hanging at his sides, head resting against the sink. His mouth was slightly agape, and he was wearing his glasses. Because of the heavy steam in the room, the lenses were covered in water droplets.
“Why didn't he take off his glasses?” Lu Linjiang asked, holding the photo.
Guo Junyi’s mouth was still full with the last bite of the hot dog, making his speech muffled. “Sudden heart failure. It’s normal not to have time to take them off.”
“He didn't take off his pants, and his bathrobe was worn almost perfectly. It looks more like he was sitting there waiting for the tub to fill so he could take a bath.”
Lu Linjiang held the photo, his gaze practically pinned to it. Guo Junyi glanced at it and recalled the scene. “I don't follow your logic, but in mine, Tao Minxing sat on the toilet waiting for the tub to fill for a hot bath. During that time, the combination of his cold and diabetes caused complications. His heart gave out first—sudden failure, respiratory arrest. There’s no issue here.”
“The issue is that Tao Minxing studied viruses, and according to his assistant, he was a germaphobe.” Lu Linjiang flipped through the photos until he stopped at one of Tao Minxing’s room. Though the bedding was white, a closer look revealed a subtle difference: the white sheets were bordered with an ivory floral pattern.
“How likely is it that a man who brings his own bedsheets would use a public bathtub?” Lu Linjiang pulled out a photo of the bathroom and found the bottle of disinfectant he had once held in his hand.
Guo Junyi shrugged. “The logic seems sound. Disinfect it, then get in for a bath. Perfect.”
Only a desk lamp was on in the office, its light perfectly outlining Lu Linjiang’s profile. As he stared at the photos in silence, he looked like a statue—cold, hard, and lifeless.
“Aside from the bath itself, I have no other doubts.”
“I don't understand.” Guo Junyi pulled over a colleague’s chair and sat down. “There is no direct evidence to prove this was a murder. Based on the autopsy and the forensic evidence at the scene, this isn't even within our jurisdiction.”
He leaned in toward Lu Linjiang and rearranged the photos Lu had pressed onto the desk. “Linjiang, where did you get your information? Are you sure it’s reliable?” Guo Junyi’s finger tapped on Tao Minxing’s photo. “He sat here, wanting to warm his body because of the cold, so he ran the water for a bath. But the cold triggered acute heart failure. He clutched his chest, his body naturally slumped to the left, but the condition progressed too quickly. He didn't have time to call for help before he stopped breathing. His face happened to rest against the sink, hands hanging down. From the scene, there isn't a single trace of external force from a second person.”
“You can close the case tomorrow morning. I heard a crowd is waiting to pay their respects, and Director Chu will breathe a sigh of relief.” Guo Junyi patted Lu Linjiang’s shoulder. “Give me back my desk. I need to finish this report before my shift starts.”
It was nearly midnight when Lu Linjiang left the station. The cold air coming through the car window slightly soothed his throbbing head. Setting aside what Jiang Cheng had told him, looking strictly at the scene and the autopsy results, this indeed had nothing to do with murder. The faint sense of dissonance in his sixth sense could find no physical evidence to support it.
As his car passed near the International Hotel, the light turned red. Amidst the neon lights, the International Hotel looked somewhat antiquated. Lu Linjiang looked at the dark building and shook his head slightly.
