The long-haired painter had no memory of Zhao Qianqian from three years ago. To clear his own suspicion, he revealed a personal matter: three years ago, he had lived with someone else, who was the woman singing in the teahouse, the same woman that the middle-aged perverted man had been following on the street. What people didn't know was that this performer was actually a man, who had been disguising himself as a woman while living in this small town. The performer and the painter had lived together for three years, but the painter wanted to end this illicit love affair, so they separated.
Bao Zhan pondered the sentence written on the wall. Later, after handwriting analysis, it was confirmed that Zhao Qianqian had written it a few days ago. Zhao Qianqian's paintings also caught the attention of the special case team. Among her works, aside from landscapes and still lifes, she had only painted two people: herself, holding a jar while standing by the river; and the long-haired painter smoking, along with a sketch of him with his head bowed in thought.
There were also some study works within Zhao Qianqian's landscape and still life paintings, including quick sketches of small-town buildings, the home of a blind old man, and the yard of the veterinarian.
The special case team summoned the performer for questioning, conducted by Professor Liang and Su Mei.
The performer was wearing women's clothes, with long hair draped over the shoulders, faintly scented with perfume, wearing rouge, with red lips and white teeth. In both appearance and voice, there was no difference from a woman. Some women in the LGBTQ community deliberately dress as men and look exactly like men; some men dressed as women also appear very convincing, and no one can tell. However, some 'cross-dressers' are not homosexuals, but simply enthusiasts of cross-dressing.
Su Mei: May I ask, should we consider you a man or a woman?
Performer: A woman.
Professor Liang said: We have investigated. The ID you are using now is fake, and we know your past identity.
Performer: Oh, that's my personal freedom.
Su Mei: Do you like being a woman? I noticed you have an Adam's apple.
Performer: I am a woman; always have been psychologically.
Professor Liang: Which restroom do you use, men's or women's?
Performer: Women's.
Professor Liang: This is immoral. Although you look like a woman and are very beautiful, your biological characteristics are male.
Performer: I haven't harmed anyone, except myself.Professor Liang: Do you love that painter very much?
Actor: Yes, I am willing to kill for him.
Su Mei said: On the night of July 1st at 8 o'clock, and also on the night of July 15th at 8 o'clock, where were you?
Actor: I was singing opera at the teahouse.
Professor Liang: Do you know Zhao Qianqian? The Zhao Qianqian who disappeared three years ago, and the Zhao Qianqian who disappeared a few days ago.
Actor: Yes, I know them. Three years ago, she learned opera from me. I like singing opera. Do you want me to sing a piece for you?
Professor Liang said: Sure.
The actor stared blankly out the interrogation room window and began to sing, with a beautiful, lingering tone—Starting with brilliant colors blooming everywhere, all of which have now been left to the broken wells and ruins. What a beautiful time and beautiful scenery, but alas, to whose courtyard do these delightful things belong...
After the interrogation, Professor Liang convened the task force members and said: I know who the murderer is!
The mayor also hurried over, and everyone was waiting for Professor Liang to reveal the answer.
But Professor Liang acted mysteriously and asked everyone: Some cases not only require deducing who is most likely the murderer, but also going against the usual reasoning to consider, who has the least suspicion of murder?
Bao Zhan nodded and said: The ones with the least suspicion are those three missing girls.
The mayor said: The three girls are already dead. Blood was found on the three red dresses recovered from the river.
Professor Liang said: So far we can only confirm that Huanyu was killed. The other two girls are missing—neither seen alive nor with bodies found. Blood on a dress does not necessarily mean death.
Hua Long said: Could it be that Mo Fei and Zhao Qianqian are still alive, and the two of them are the murderers, or maybe just one of them?
The mayor said: That's impossible. They are victims. How could victims be the murderers?
Professor Liang said: In this case, there are actually four Zhao Qianqian!
Professor Liang made a shocking statement, explaining his reasoning and analysis in detail. Zhao Qianqian disappeared three years ago and her whereabouts are unknown, so there are only two possibilities: she is either dead or still alive. If dead, then the Zhao Qianqian who appeared three years later in Wutang Town is not her, but someone else impersonating her. There are also two possibilities for the impersonator: a man or a woman.
A male actor dressing as a woman can make people believe that a man in women's clothes can fool everyone's eyes.The four Zhao Xianxian are: the Zhao Xianxian who went missing three years ago, the Zhao Xianxian who went missing again three years later while studying painting in Wutang Town, the woman pretending to be Zhao Xianxian, and the man pretending to be Zhao Xianxian.
Professor Liang revised the direction for the investigation. Hualong and the town mayor continued to search the murder scene in the town, while the other members of the special case team focused on uncovering Zhao Xianxian's identity.
Su Mei contacted the public security bureau in Zhao Xianxian's place of household registration. According to civil law, if a person has been missing for more than two years, relatives can apply for a declaration of disappearance or death. However, Su Mei discovered that Zhao Xianxian's household registration had not been canceled. Various signs indicated that Zhao Xianxian was still alive. Su Mei remotely checked Zhao Xianxian's school records. According to the school, Zhao Xianxian had even appeared at her high school a year ago. A teacher who knew her had seen her return to her alma mater and sit alone for a long time on the swings in the school playground.
This teacher was Zhao Xianxian's high school homeroom teacher. He told the special case team over the phone that Zhao Xianxian had excelled in both character and academics in high school and was talented in various areas. She ranked at the top of her college entrance exam scores. During the vacation before entering college, she went to Wutang Town to study painting and unexpectedly went missing. Her parents were heartbroken, and despite multiple searches by the police and family, she could not be found. Later, her parents went abroad and no longer held any hope. Strangely, two years after her disappearance, the homeroom teacher saw Zhao Xianxian again on the school playground. The teacher approached her to speak, but Zhao Xianxian sat silently, lost in thought on the swing, completely ignoring him, and then left.
Professor Liang asked over the phone: What was Zhao Xianxian wearing?
The homeroom teacher replied: She was wearing a red dress that day. I remember very clearly; Zhao Xianxian liked to wear red dresses.
Professor Liang said: How do you know that the one in the red dress was Zhao Xianxian? Are you sure? Maybe it's two different people who look alike?
The homeroom teacher said: The clothes are the same, the hairstyle is the same, even the tear mole at the corner of her eye is the same. Even though I hadn't seen her in two years, it must be her.
Professor Liang turned to Bao Zhan and said: This mysterious person has very likely been pretending to be Zhao Xianxian since a year ago. That's truly frightening.
Bao Zhan asked: Did Zhao Xianxian ever date anyone at school? Were there many boys who liked her?The homeroom teacher answered: Many. She received the most love letters and greeting cards. I remember one Christmas, her desk was piled high with love letters and greeting cards. But in high school, facing the college entrance exams, Zhao Qianqian focused on her studies and there was no news of her ever being in a relationship.
Bao Zhan asked: Among the boys who liked Zhao Qianqian, was there anyone particularly perverse?
After recalling, the homeroom teacher remembered a person named Ma Liou, who was Zhao Qianqian's deskmate. All the teachers and students in the school knew that Ma Liou had always had a crush on Zhao Qianqian. One Christmas, while other boys gave greeting cards, Ma Liou gave Zhao Qianqian a paper box. When she opened it, there were more than a dozen mice inside. Zhao Qianqian screamed in fright, as she was always terrified of mice. On another occasion, Ma Liou gave Zhao Qianqian a bottle, claiming it contained his tears. Zhao Qianqian felt disgusted and accidentally broke the bottle. An angry Ma Liou then cut Zhao Qianqian's palm with the broken pieces and also cut his own palm, forcibly pressing their hands together so that their blood mixed. Later, because of this incident, the school expelled Ma Liou. The homeroom teacher only came to teach Zhao Qianqian's class in the third year of high school, so he never met Ma Liou; all these events were rumors he had heard.
The perverse boy Ma Liou resurfaced, and some of his strange behaviors showed similarities to this case. The special investigation team decided to split into two groups: Bao Zhan and Su Mei went to investigate Ma Liou at Zhao Qianqian's registered residence, while Professor Liang and Hua Long remained in Wutang Town to search for the murder scene.
With limited police resources in town, Hua Long and the neighborhood watch divided the area, each assigned a section to inspect house by house.
The area Hua Long was responsible for included the veterinarian's house and the blind old man's house. The police had conducted multiple searches of both yards and found nothing unusual. Unwilling to give up, Hua Long decided to check again. The blind old man was still sitting in the yard, the cat was still playing in the overgrown grass, and the moon was still hanging in the sky.
Seeing Hua Long, the blind old man suddenly cried, tears flowing from his dry eye sockets.
Hua Long was very surprised. The blind old man said something puzzling to him:
'I am blind, but my heart is illuminated. I cannot see, but maybe I can hear, hear clearly.'Hua Long asked in confusion: What did you hear? The old blind man said: My grandson was killed, I know it. Hua Long said: Ah, who killed him, where? The old blind man said: I heard him calling 'Grandpa...'
