“Zou Team Leader, here’s the information on that homeowner.” Xiao Tang worked some overtime and placed the findings in front of Zou Shuyang.
Zou Shuyang pinched the bridge of his nose as he took the documents from Xiao Tang.
Originally, he had planned to stay at the hospital with Jian Mengyan, but she knew him too well. She realized he had found new clues and was too preoccupied, so she insisted on sending him away.
Now that he had left the hospital, his thoughts lingered on Jian Mengyan again.
“What about the homeowner’s grandson?” Zou Shuyang asked after going through the documents.
Xiao Tang, who had already prepared for this question, handed over the printed information and sighed, “Zou Team Leader, do you think this is a coincidence or what?”
Zou Shuyang looked up at him, “What coincidence?”
Xiao Tang continued, “The homeowner’s grandson was the one who reported Shen Jun’s suicide.”
The one who reported Shen Jun’s suicide?
Zou Shuyang’s eyes widened slightly, “That’s quite the coincidence.”
With that, he started to look at the person’s details more closely.
When he saw the name and profession, Zou Shuyang paused.
“Yin Zhuo, a doctor?”
This name and identity felt too familiar.
Just a few hours ago, he had heard about this from Jian Mengyan.
Before Zou Shuyang could fully process it, Xiao Tang exclaimed in a low voice, “Zou, Zou Team Leader, guess what I found?”
Without waiting for a reply, Xiao Tang continued, “I just looked at Yin Zhuo’s photo. He looks exactly like the person who appeared at Mengmeng’s house before she was attacked.”
Zou Shuyang wasn’t sure how he felt. Mechanically, he replied, “This person… he’s Mengmeng’s doctor. He was at her house today because…”
“Because of what?”
Because Mengmeng wanted to help him.
But Zou Shuyang couldn’t bring himself to say it.
All these coincidences were piling up.
So much so that Zou Shuyang began to suspect that this Yin Zhuo might indeed have something to hide, and maybe… Jian Mengyan also had plans of her own.
At that moment, the office door swung open, and Coroner Cui stood yawning at the entrance.
“As soon as I got to the hospital, I saw your office lights still on. I knew you were working overtime again.”
Coroner Cui entered the office while yawning, “Hasn’t that case been closed yet?”
Zou Shuyang let out a nasal “hmm” sound, “It’s a bit tricky.”
Coroner Cui walked over and glanced at the documents on Zou Shuyang’s desk, letting out a light “huh.”
When both Zou Shuyang and Xiao Tang’s eyes turned to her, she pointed at Yin Zhuo’s information with a finger and said, “Isn’t this the person who developed PHR769?”
Zou Shuyang was stunned for a moment before responding, “What did you say?”
Coroner Cui patiently repeated, “Yin Zhuo, he’s the one who discovered PHR769.”
Zou Shuyang: …
It was getting more and more coincidental.
——
June 1, 2022.
Yin Zhuo received a call from the police station early in the morning, asking him to come by when he had time. They had some questions for him.
As a law-abiding citizen and exemplary young professional, Yin Zhuo cheerfully agreed. He quickly handed over his current work to a colleague, took half a day off, and headed to the station.
Zou Shuyang had spent the previous night in the office. When he woke up that morning, his nose felt a bit itchy, and he couldn’t stop sneezing.
Now, sitting across from Yin Zhuo, he still felt a little lethargic and couldn’t summon much energy.
As a skilled surgeon, Yin Zhuo couldn’t help but advise, “Officer, if you’ve caught a cold, it’s best to take some medicine right away. Otherwise, it could easily develop into pneumonia.”
Zou Shuyang responded with a “Hmm~” “I will, thank you, Dr. Yin.”
It seemed like this opened up the conversation. Yin Zhuo took off his glasses, pulled out a cloth from his pocket, and began wiping the lenses. He asked, “So, Officer, why did you call me here today?”
Zou Shuyang didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, “Where were you at 8:03 p.m. the night before last?”
“The night before last?” Yin Zhuo thought for a moment and answered honestly, “I went to a friend’s house. She had some memory issues, and she wanted me to take a look at her.”
“Why didn’t your friend go to the hospital?” Zou Shuyang asked.
Yin Zhuo recalled, “She said she was busy during the day and didn’t have time to go to the hospital, so she asked me to come to her house.”
After speaking, he unlocked his phone, pulled up his chat with Jian Mengyan, and placed it in front of Zou Shuyang. “Look, this is what she told me.”
Yin Zhuo and Jian Mengyan had been friends for many years, but their conversations over the years were limited to holiday greetings. The only conversation that could be considered recent was a voice call from yesterday and a few pleasantries before that.
After quickly scanning through it, Zou Shuyang asked, “Did you see any suspicious individuals when you left that day?”
Yin Zhuo was silent for a moment before shaking his head, “I didn’t see anyone. I left close to 9 p.m., and there weren’t many people in the area. Why? Did something happen to her?”
Zou Shuyang used the excuse of turning away to sneeze to hide his expression. “Next question, do you know about PHR769?”
Yin Zhuo put his glasses back on, looking a bit weary, “Of course I know. I’m the one who discovered PHR769.”
“It seems like Mr. Yin doesn’t want to talk about PHR769?”
Yin Zhuo let out a “hmm”. “Yes, that anesthetic has brought me quite a bit of trouble.”
Zou Shuyang furrowed his brow, “Would Mr. Yin mind telling us what kind of trouble?”
Yin Zhuo grimaced, “Do I have to?”
Zou Shuyang smiled, “If Mr. Yin doesn’t mind, it would be better to explain it, to avoid any misunderstandings.”
Hearing this, Yin Zhuo lowered his head, and after a long pause, he sighed, “Although PHR769 is a newly discovered anesthetic, its chemical structure is simple, it’s highly stable, and the extraction process is too easy.”
With a hint of mockery in his tone, Yin Zhuo lifted his head, half of his face hidden in shadow, his entire demeanor turning gloomy, “As long as you find the right fungus, you can extract PHR769 from its spores. So, a few years ago, there were many cases of crimes committed using PHR769. I, the one who discovered it, became… a criminal in a way.”
Staring intently at Yin Zhuo, Zou Shuyang realized… he wasn’t lying.
That resentment, that feeling of doing something good only to have it turn into this mess—those emotions of frustration and grievance were real.
“I’ve read your paper in the journal. Why did you include the process of discovering PHR769?”
Yin Zhuo replied, “There needs to be justification. Including the discovery process adds credibility. It’s just that…”
He rubbed his nose and gave a forced smile, “At the beginning, I really didn’t expect the extraction process of PHR769 to be so simple, nor did I imagine it would cause so many problems.”
Zou Shuyang remained noncommittal.
It wasn’t clear whether he believed Yin Zhuo’s words or not.
His hand, placed under the desk, tapped lightly, as if he was contemplating something.
Xiao Tang, sitting to the side, already had a hint of sympathy in his gaze toward Yin Zhuo.
This guy had it rough, no doubt.
What was supposed to be a good thing ended up being used by bad people, leaving him in this situation.
The topic of PHR769 seemed to pass by just like that, as if Zou Shuyang had only brought it up on a whim.
Casually, as though they were just chatting, Zou Shuyang asked, “Hey, do you know someone named Ding Jing?”
Yin Zhuo appeared momentarily stunned before slowly coming to his senses, “Ding Jing… are you talking about the one from Jiangzhou No. 4 High School?”
Zou Shuyang smiled and reminded him, “The girl who rented the seventh-floor apartment in your grandfather’s building in the first half of 2012.”
It was as if Yin Zhuo’s mask had been torn away. The person who had seemed so gentle and easygoing suddenly became expressionless and rigid, replying stiffly, “I remember.”
“Can you tell me what you remember about her?”
Yin Zhuo stared at Zou Shuyang for a long moment before tightly pressing his lips together and saying, “Ding Jing was a very beautiful, very charming girl.”
This sentence seemed to unlock a floodgate of memories. A faint nostalgia appeared in his eyes, “At first, I just thought she was pitiful. Her family went bankrupt, her parents were imprisoned, and her life plunged from heaven to hell. So, I thought I’d help her out, and that’s why I suggested she stay in my grandfather’s apartment upstairs.”
Zou Shuyang interrupted, “You suggested she live in your grandfather’s apartment?”
Yin Zhuo chuckled, “Yes, she wasn’t a tenant of my grandfather’s; she was staying as a favor. But later, I realized that my one good deed ended up causing me trouble.”
Leaning back in his chair, Yin Zhuo rested his hands on the desk and recalled, “At school, Ding Jing was the goddess of many students. But she kept her distance from everyone. So, when her family was rich and powerful, everyone admired her and held her up as if all the good words in the world were created just for her. But once she lost her wealth and background, the only thing people said about her was… she was just pretending.”
Wiping his face, Yin Zhuo continued, “Since I invited Ding Jing to stay at my grandfather’s place, we often walked home together after school. That’s when rumors started spreading around school. They said Ding Jing was fake, that as soon as her family went down, she immediately sold herself out to find a backup plan. They also said I was picking up trash and that even someone like Ding Jing… was willing to settle for me.”
This memory was clearly not a pleasant one, and Yin Zhuo’s expression showed a bit of guilt.
“At that time, I was at the age where reputation mattered. Hearing such rumors naturally made me unhappy, so I stopped walking home with Ding Jing in the evenings and… started playing little pranks on her.”
Yin Zhuo laughed self-deprecatingly, “I thought it was just pranking—like ignoring Ding Jing or deliberately walking past her when she looked over and talking to someone else instead, making her embarrassed in front of everyone.”
“But in reality? Those were cuts—cuts that struck directly at Ding Jing’s unhealed wounds. What had Ding Jing done wrong?”
“She hadn’t done anything wrong. She worked hard in school, treated others kindly, never tried to outshine anyone, and helped classmates whenever they were in trouble. Outside of school, she was also helpful. My grandfather almost fainted once while out grocery shopping because of high blood pressure. Fortunately, Ding Jing happened to pass by and noticed something was wrong with him. Thanks to her, my grandfather is still around.”
Yin Zhuo raised his head, his warm face now tinged with a noticeable flush under the harsh fluorescent light, “But what did I do to her?”
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