Chapter 77

Zhen Ai initially thought these cases were a tangled mess, but just now, under Yan Su's guidance and prompts, she easily resolved the case of the doctor's death. At this rate, she would soon be able to unravel the rest.

Curious about the case of the boxer's murder in a locked room, she asked, "Now that we've figured out the doctor's death, what about the boxer?"

As Yan Su was about to speak, Zhen Ai quickly interrupted, "Wait, let me reason it out myself."

She hugged her knees, sitting on the sofa, deep in thought.

The boxer was facing the door, with his head toward the window, unprepared and unable to defend himself, standing near the door, when someone smashed his head in with some sharp weapon.

If she were to recreate the scene, the murderer must have knocked on the door, walked in, said something to the boxer face-to-face, and then suddenly attacked. The boxer screamed and died.

But how did the murderer vanish in an instant?

Yan Su seemed to see through her thoughts and pulled her closer, gently reminding her, "Don't worry about the locked room for now, or where the murderer went. First, analyze how the murderer killed the boxer; just focus on that."

Listening to his advice, Zhen Ai set aside the locked room issue. With the previous case of the doctor's death as a reference, her first step in reasoning became much smoother:

"This time, I also think it's very likely that a woman committed the crime."

"Why is that?" His hand rested on her shoulder, unconsciously twirling her soft, bouncy hair as it danced in his palm.

Unaware of his small gesture, she was immersed in her reasoning:

"It was late at night, and two people had already died. Although everyone acted nonchalantly, they were all on guard. Plus, there was the organization's murder password in place. If a man knocked on the boxer's door, would he not be alert?

He was a boxer, his vigilance and speed were beyond question; a male killer wouldn't gain an advantage over him. Even if he were to kill him, there would surely be signs of struggle and resistance left behind.

On the contrary, a woman might not even have crossed his mind as a potential killer."

"Hmm," he said, playing with her hair, seeming a bit distracted. "I agree with you on that point; it's a way for the murderer to approach the victim. However, isn't there a contradiction regarding the act of killing the victim?"

What he said was also something Zhen Ai was pondering. She absentmindedly tugged at the loose strands of hair near her ear, frowning, "I think it is contradictory. No matter how hard the weapon is, for a woman to kill a resilient boxer with one blow would require immense strength! Looking up, I wonder, could she be a bodybuilder?"

Yan Su couldn't help but laugh. "Tell me, which of these women looks like a bodybuilder?"

Zhen Ai lowered her head, a bit annoyed. "None of them do." Then she mumbled, "This case is still puzzling. I mean, where did the murderer suddenly get a strong weapon? Hidden on her? But if she took it out, the boxer would definitely be alerted. Why didn't he resist or become suspicious? It's too strange."

Yan Su gently tousled her hair, encouraging her softly, "You're right about the weapon. Whether the murderer held it in her hand or pulled it out from her clothes, it would have raised the boxer's guard. That's the most interesting point in this case."

Zhen Ai tilted her head to look at him. Interesting?

She bit her lip, "Everything related to the weapon is peculiar. The way it was taken out is strange, and the way it disappeared is also strange. We searched every room. Where did the weapon go?" Suddenly, she had a flash of inspiration, "Could it have been thrown out the window?"

"No," Yan Su replied, his gaze serious, "When I checked everyone's room, I paid attention; all the windows were locked. I even checked the carpet by the window for any rainmarks. The windows were southeast-facing, and a strong southeast wind was blowing at that time. If the window had been opened, rain would definitely have come in."

Zhen Ai paused, marveling at his incredible observation skills and meticulous thinking. At that moment, she figured no one would have thought of this.

But this only brought the question back: "How did the weapon disappear into thin air?"

"There's no such thing as something disappearing into thin air," Yan Su said, a strange smile appearing on his lips as if he found it amusing. "The weapon wasn't thrown out, and it isn't in the room, so there's only one possibility left: it's hidden on the murderer."

Zhen Ai shook her head. "Based on the dent on the boxer's head, whatever hit him had a diameter of at least 15 cm. It must have been a big hammer. But besides you, everyone in the room had taken off their jackets. Even though their clothes weren't tight, they couldn't possibly hide something that large."

Yan Su replied, "The reason we didn't notice is that the murderer hid it in the most obvious place."

Zhen Ai tilted her head, looking at him with dismay. "Dear, I really can't figure it out. The murder weapon can't be hidden on the body! Don't keep me in suspense; where is it?"

Seeing her anxiousness, Yan Su took his time, "If I tell you directly, the reasoning will become less interesting."

Zhen Ai felt frustrated; if it weren't for his injury, she would have kicked him.

Yan Su said, "Let's not think about that for now. Tell me your thoughts on these women."

"Eh?" Zhen Ai was taken aback, not quite understanding, but there must be a reason behind his question. However, she felt a bit embarrassed to share her thoughts about the other women. "I didn't really pay much attention…"

Yan Su replied, "I knew you'd be slow."

She tried her best to think, "Well, I feel like every one of them is quite strange.

The maid is very shy and careful but also very attentive; the model should be quite avant-garde in her profession, yet she's low-key and conservative, not wearing makeup or clothes as revealing as the actress; the actress is completely the opposite, very open. At first, they didn't get along well, but later their relationship seemed to improve a bit; the kindergarten teacher is always startled, but sometimes she's as quiet as background noise."

Despite not having much impression of them before, she suddenly became clearer at this moment. "Now that I think about it, every one of them is weird."

In fact, you're weird too.

Yan Su asked, "Have you noticed how others treat them?"

"I haven't really noticed that either," Zhen Ai said, feeling a bit shy as she rubbed her head, trying to recover. "But the host seems to really like women, especially those with fuller figures like the actress and the maid. He doesn't seem to care for kindergarten teachers or someone like me. The maid's body characteristics are very… noticeable; he's the most attentive toward her, then toward the actress."

"Hmm." Yan Su nodded, unconsciously resting his hand on her waist, reassuring her, "Don't be sad; I like you just the way you are."

Zhen Ai: …

What was he thinking?

His sudden flirtation caught her off guard.

She lightly pinched the back of his hand but didn't pull away; instead, she edged closer to him and continued:

"But it's strange; the model has a more pronounced front and back than the actress, almost like the maid, yet the host seems very indifferent toward her. Every time the actress speaks, he immediately smiles and agrees with her, while the model doesn't receive such treatment."

Yan Su smiled lightly, as if deep in thought: "Perhaps the model lacks femininity."

When Zhen Ai heard this, she raised her brow, surprised that Yan Su would use such a term. Intrigued, she leaned closer to his cheek: "Femininity? You know about that? Then tell me, what kind of woman has femininity?"

Zhen Ai initially thought these cases were a mess, but just now, with Yan Su's guidance and pointers, she effortlessly solved the doctor's death case in no time. At this rate, she would soon uncover the remaining cases as well.

She was curious about the murder case involving the boxer, so she asked, "Now that the doctor's death is cleared up, what about the boxer?"

Just as Yan Su was about to speak, Zhen Ai quickly interrupted, "Wait, don't say anything yet. Let me think it through."

She hugged herself and sat on the sofa, deep in thought.

The boxer lay with his feet toward the door and his head toward the window, caught off guard and defenseless. Someone had smashed his head in with some sort of sharp object from the front.

If she were to reconstruct the scene, it would probably involve the murderer knocking on the door, entering, and saying something face-to-face with the boxer before launching a sudden attack. The boxer would have screamed before dying.

But how did the murderer disappear so quickly?

Yan Su seemed to see through her thoughts. He pulled her closer and gently reminded her, "Don't think about the locked room just yet, and don't worry about where the murderer went. First, analyze how the murderer killed the boxer. Just focus on that."

Listening to his advice, Zhen Ai set aside the locked room question. With the reference from the previous doctor's death case, her first step in reasoning became much smoother:

"I still think a woman is more likely to be the culprit."

"Why do you say that?" His hand rested on her shoulder, unconsciously twisting her soft, bouncy hair in his palm.

She was completely unaware of his little gesture and continued her reasoning enthusiastically: 

"At that time, it was the middle of the night, and two people were already dead. While they might not express it outwardly, everyone would be on guard. Besides, there was that organizational killing code in play. If a man had knocked on the boxer's door, would he have been unguarded?

He was a boxer, and his vigilance and speed were commendable. A male killer wouldn't stand a chance against him. Even if he were to be killed, there would undoubtedly be traces of a struggle.

On the contrary, a woman would probably be someone he never expected to kill him."

"Mm," he replied, playing with her hair as if a bit distracted. "I agree with that; it's one way for the murderer to approach the victim. But isn't there a contradiction regarding how the victim was killed?"

What he said was also a concern for Zhen Ai. She absentmindedly fiddled with the loose strands of hair near her ears and frowned, "I also find it contradictory. No matter how hard the weapon is, for a woman to kill a boxer with just one blow, how much strength would she need? Is she a bodybuilder?"

Yan Su couldn't help but laugh, "Which of these women looks like a bodybuilder?"

Zhen Ai pouted, "None of them." Then she muttered, "This case can't be thought about too deeply. I mean, where could the murderer have pulled such a hard and powerful weapon from? Hidden on her body? She would have raised the boxer's guard right away. Why didn't he resist or become alert? It's too strange."

Yan Su gently rubbed her hair and encouraged her softly, "You're right to consider the issue of the weapon. No matter if the murderer had it in hand or pulled it out from clothing, it would have raised the boxer's defenses. That's also the most interesting point of this case."

Zhen Ai tilted her head to look at him, "Interesting?"

She couldn't help but bite her lip, "Everything around the weapon is strange. The way it was taken out is mysterious, and the way it vanished is also bizarre. We searched every room thoroughly. Where did the weapon go?" Then she suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "What if it was thrown out the window?"

"No," Yan Su replied, his eyes narrowing slightly, "When I checked everyone's rooms, I noticed that all the windows were locked. I also specifically checked the carpet near the window; there were no signs of rain hitting it. The windows faced southeast, and at that time, a strong southeast wind was blowing. If the windows had been opened, the rain would definitely have come in."

Zhen Ai paused, silently admiring his impressive observational skills and meticulous thinking. At that moment, she guessed that no one would have thought of that detail.

But now, the question returned: "How did the weapon vanish into thin air?"

"There's no such thing as something vanishing into thin air," Yan Su said, a strange smile appearing at the corners of his lips as if he found it amusing. "If the weapon wasn't thrown out and isn't in the room, there's only one possibility: it's hidden on the murderer."

Zhen Ai shook her head, "Based on the indentation on the boxer's head, the object that hit him must be at least 15 cm in diameter. It was probably a big hammer. But apart from you, everyone else took off their outer garments in the room. While the clothes weren't tight, they couldn't hide something that large."

Yan Su explained, "The reason we didn't notice is that the murderer hid it in the most obvious place."

Zhen Ai tilted her head, feeling a bit dejected, "Dear, I really can't see it. The murder weapon can't possibly be hidden on the body! Stop teasing me; just tell me where it is!"

Seeing her anxiousness, Yan Su deliberately took his time, "If I just tell you, the reasoning will lose its fun."

Zhen Ai's face fell, and if he weren't injured, she would have kicked him.

Yan Su said, "Let's not think about that for now. What do you think of these women?"

"Eh?" Zhen Ai was taken aback. She didn't quite understand, but he must have a reason for asking. Just as she was about to express her opinions on the other women, she felt a bit shy, "I haven't really paid much attention..."

Yan Su replied, "I knew you would be slow."

She tried hard to think, "I feel that each of them is quite strange.

The maid is very shy and cautious, yet attentive; the model, whose profession should be very avant-garde, is actually low-key and conservative, not wearing makeup or dressing provocatively like actresses; the actress is completely the opposite, very open, and they didn't get along well at first, but later their relationship seemed to improve; the preschool teacher is always startled, but sometimes as quiet as a background character."

Although she hadn't paid much attention to them before, at this moment, everything became clear to her, "Now that you mention it, each one of them is odd."

Actually, you're also odd.

Yan Su asked, "Did you notice how others treat them?"

"I didn't really pay attention either," Zhen Ai replied bashfully, rubbing her head. She then made an effort to recover, "The host seems to like women a lot, especially those with voluptuous figures like the actress and the maid. He doesn't seem to like preschool teachers and me very much. The maid's figure is particularly... prominent, and he is the most attentive to her, followed by the actress."

"Mm," Yan Su nodded, his hand unconsciously resting on her waist, comforting her, "Don't be upset; I like you just the way you are."

Zhen Ai: …

What was he thinking?

Suddenly being so inappropriate caught her off guard.

She lightly pinched the back of his hand but didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned closer to him and continued:

"But it's strange; the model seems less feminine, doesn't she? She dresses conservatively, unlike the actress who exposes more skin, or the preschool teacher who is full of vitality, and certainly not like the cute maid. She's even more conservative than men, covering her arms and legs completely, and her collar is raised high to cover her neck. Does she really hate the cold that much?"

"I didn't think there was anything wrong with her at first, but after thinking about it, the reason she keeps her collar so high must be that she has marks on her neck that she can't hide." Yan Su coughed lightly and swallowed hard.

Zhen Ai stared at him and noticed a round bulge on his neck, rolling around quietly.

She stared straight at it, unable to resist reaching out her hand to cover his Adam's apple, softly saying, "Why is it called Adam's apple? It's so cute. Can you move it again?"

Yan Su's face turned gray. He wanted to remind her of the crucial information but thought better of it and complied with her wish, swallowing again.

Zhen Ai felt the hard, round Adam's apple against his heated skin, rolling back and forth in her palm like a cute little mole.

Reluctantly, she withdrew her hand, thinking there would be plenty of opportunities to touch it later.

"Are you saying the model has an Adam's apple? No way! How could a woman possibly have..." Zhen Ai started to say but was stunned halfway through, her playful expression suddenly vanishing, "You mean the model is a man?"

Yan Su looked at her silently: "Ai, your reaction time is really quick."

Zhen Ai: …

"Just because she lacks femininity and her clothing is conservative, you suspect she is a man?"

Yan Su shook his head: "You got the order wrong. I suspected she might be a man, which made me realize she dressed that way to conceal her masculine traits." He added, "The other day, when we found the race car driver's body on the boat, the actress mentioned that a maid with such a voluptuous figure was not fit for the job. At that moment, I felt like she was mocking the model."

Zhen Ai's eyes widened: "She was mocking the model? That's quite a revelation. So the model might have been a man all along?" 

Yan Su smiled faintly: "It seems so. And since the host is particularly attentive to voluptuous women, it makes sense for him to pay less attention to the model, who doesn't possess any such traits. Also, the model's muted presence suggests a motive. If she is a man, she might have strong reasons for wanting to harm the boxer."

Zhen Ai covered her mouth, her expression shifting: "I feel like we might be getting closer to the truth."