Case Investigation

The next second after he saw Lin Wanru's corpse, a man and a woman in public security uniforms blocked Shen Xing's view.

"Sorry, there's just been a murder here. Please leave," said the male officer in a calm voice.

Shen Xing froze for a moment, then suppressed the emotions roiling inside him and pointed upstairs. "Officer, I live here. I'm on the fourth floor."

The male officer nodded and stepped aside. "Go on up. For now, please don't wander around the building. Once we've finished examining the scene, we'll seal off the room and the surrounding area, but it won't interfere with the residents' daily lives."

Shen Xing nodded and asked with concern, "Officer, what about the child, Feifei?"

"Feifei is safe now, so don't worry. Go home first. We may need to take your statement later."

Shen Xing said no more and hurried toward the fourth floor.

He had already looked away from Lin Wanru's corpse. While he had been speaking with the officers, a forensic examiner had covered the body with a white sheet.

Two other officers had stretched yellow police tape across the doorway, while another took photographs of the scene. Flashes went off from time to time.

The officers all seemed quiet, but they handled the scene in an orderly fashion.

Shen Xing's heart pounded. He looked away and hurried up to the fourth floor.

As soon as he entered his apartment, he shut the door and habitually checked that it was locked.

He let out a soft breath. Although the apartment wasn't particularly dark, he still turned on the lights.

The bright light gave Shen Xing a little more sense of security.

He set down his bag and switched on the water dispenser. Once the red indicator light showing that it was heating the water went out, he immediately poured himself a cup of hot water and set it on the table.

Watching the steam curl up from the cup, Shen Xing gradually began to calm down. But that blood-red eye of Lin Wanru's seemed to have been imprinted directly into his mind as he climbed the stairs, and he couldn't erase it.

He never would have thought that the woman he had seen just yesterday, drunk and leaving her daughter alone outside the apartment, would be dead today!

Lin Wanru had been in her early thirties, but she had taken good care of herself and usually dressed with care.

Considering the gruesome state of her corpse, murder or an accidental death seemed more likely. And the blood-red eyeball he'd seen was clearly the result of severe blood congestion.

Even though someone had died downstairs, Shen Xing had a strong mind. Even when facing Hong Bin, he had immediately fought back and knocked him to the ground. He wasn't like ordinary people, whose instinctive response would simply have been fear.

Of course, he had his shortcomings too, such as sometimes being unable to control his compulsive behavior.

After finishing his hot water, Shen Xing remembered that he hadn't eaten anything.

He had planned to order takeout, but worried the delivery person might come upstairs and run into the scene downstairs, or interfere with the officers' investigation. So he gave up on the idea and went into the cramped kitchen to cook himself a bowl of noodles.

He added some scallions and the crispy pork bits he'd bought earlier to the boiled noodles, along with a little lard. There was no freshly minced meat, but the noodles smelled delicious once he stirred them.

But the sight of that bloodshot eyeball had ruined his appetite. He forced the noodles down just to fill his stomach, then washed the dishes and put them away in their usual order before heading into the bedroom.

All the while, he kept listening for any noise from downstairs.

But it was quiet. Someone who stayed home all the time and never went out would never know that a person had just died a gruesome death downstairs, with officers filling the apartment as they examined the scene.

Sitting at the carving workbench beside his bed, Shen Xing tried to forget what he had seen, but after a long struggle he realized it was futile. The scene had made such a powerful visual impression that Lin Wanru's blood-red eye kept appearing in his mind.

He had originally planned to continue working on the half-length wooden carving of Hong Bin, but his thoughts were too turbulent. So he decided to finish the Buddha statue he had brought home instead. The work would occupy his hands and mind, helping him take his attention off what had happened.

The small Buddha statue had already taken shape: a round head, a loose robe, a plump belly, both hands resting neatly above its stomach with the fingers poised as if holding a flower, and a large string of prayer beads around its neck.

The statue was made of ebony, black all over.

Ebony was also known as submerged wood. Whether used for crafts, Buddha statues, or protective charms, it had long been considered a ward against evil.

That was why Shen Xing usually carved Buddha statues and similar pieces from ebony. It helped boost sales a little.

The wooden carvings and pendants in his shop made from ebony also sold the best.

He examined the statue for a long while. The image of that blood-red eye began to fade, though he didn't realize that his attention had successfully shifted.

He picked up a 0.4-centimeter curved carving knife and carefully worked on the robe beneath the Buddha's right arm. Every cut was precise and steady, making the robe's folds look more natural.

About an hour later, the piece in his hands had become much more detailed. The Buddha's body looked rounder, and its delicate features had emerged, giving it a dignified, serene appearance.

Just as Shen Xing was about to take a sip of water and continue working, someone knocked on the front door.

He set down his tools and looked at the time. It was already nine in the evening. Guessing who might be outside, he got up and opened the door.

Sure enough, a man and a woman in public security uniforms stood outside. Shen Xing vaguely remembered seeing them on the third floor earlier.

"Hello. Are you Shen Xing?" The female officer had delicate features and a slim build. She looked through the building's resident registry as she asked, without raising her head.

"Yes, I am." Shen Xing nodded.

He was still wearing cloth gloves. Since carving required frequent use of knives, he usually put on a pair before working to protect his skin from wearing down and developing calluses.

"What's with the..." The male officer pointed at his hands. As he did, his nostrils twitched, as if he were sniffing the air inside the apartment.

"Oh, I was working." Shen Xing took off his gloves as he explained, then invited the two officers inside.

The male officer gave a slight nod. He could smell what seemed to be the scent of wood throughout the apartment.

He went to the bedroom doorway and glanced at the workbench Shen Xing used for carving. He didn't go inside, but returned to the living room, sat down on the sofa, and said, "Sorry to bother you. We just need to ask a few questions and take down some information."

"Of course."

Shen Xing didn't offer them tea. It looked like they would continue visiting the other neighbors, so they probably wouldn't be staying long.

Besides, his hands were a little dirty. Washing them before making tea might delay the officers' questions.

"As you saw, there was a murder just downstairs," the male officer said.

Shen Xing nodded and asked what he cared about most. "Yes. Can I know whether it was an accidental death or a murder?"

The female officer paused slightly. "We can't draw any conclusions yet. Do you know a woman named Lin Wanru?"

"I do, but she's often away from home. I'm actually much closer to her daughter, Feifei," Shen Xing answered honestly.