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Zhao Xiangwan quickly moved the notebook two inches away with her right hand and glanced at Zhu Feipeng.
There was a hint of coldness in her eyes. Zhu Feipeng withdrew his hand, scratching his head. “Junior Sister is great in every way, except this… She’s too serious and hard to approach.”
He Mingyu leaned down, asking softly, “What did you write?”
Zhao Xiangwan moved her hand to reveal a line of neat, beautiful handwriting.
—Collective lying.
He Mingyu’s mouth formed an “O” shape. “So, they’re all lying?”
Zhao Xiangwan responded, “Manager Wei’s eyes flickered, and the employees kept glancing at him when answering. Sometimes they’d touch their noses or bite their lips—these are all micro-expressions of lying.”
He gave a slight smile, and Zhu Feipeng subconsciously touched his nose.
Zhao Xiangwan added, “A crooked nose signals distrust.”
Zhu Feipeng involuntarily pinched his nose.
Zhao Xiangwan continued, “Pinching the nose usually indicates confusion.”
He Mingyu, watching, raised his hand and patted Zhu Feipeng on the arm. “Haven’t you seen Zhao Xiangwan’s skills? How could you doubt it!”
Zhu Feipeng finally snapped out of it and said seriously, “No, no, no, I believe it!” Then he slapped his thigh and said, “Incredible! They dared to lie together? If you don’t accept my offer, you’ll be punished!”
The serious crime team was busy with the case, but they hadn’t expected the hotel manager and employees to be lying. He Mingyu was furious. “So, they wanted to hide the truth. This hotel must be involved in something shady!”
Zhao Xiangwan glanced at He Mingyu and nodded. “While sorting through the guest list from the past six months, I found that many of the regulars were young women. There’s a sign outside the hotel advertising hourly room service. Did you notice that?”
He Mingyu immediately understood and gritted her teeth. “A secret prostitution ring? Alright, I’ll notify the anti-pornography team and shut this place down!”
Zhu Feipeng, also an experienced officer, understood instantly. Rubbing his hands together, he was visibly excited. “Collective lying? I’ll make them pay!”
There was a noise at the door. Zhao Xiangwan raised a finger to her lips, signaling He Mingyu and Zhu Feipeng to be quiet.
The two nodded slightly and kept silent. No matter how many lovers Weng Pingfang had met, their priority was finding the man she met before her death. As for involving the anti-pornography team, they would deal with that after solving the case.
The door opened, and Manager Wei walked in with a phone in his hand.
He greeted them warmly, a stark contrast to his previous attitude. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I promise full cooperation. I just hope… we can keep this quiet and not tell the reporters about the murder at our hotel.”
Zhu Feipeng and He Mingyu turned to Zhao Xiangwan at the same time.
Despite being only eighteen and an intern, Zhao Xiangwan’s calm and confident demeanor made people trust her without question.
Zhao Xiangwan raised her eyes to look at Manager Wei, a faint smile on her lips. “If you had cooperated sooner, this wouldn’t have been necessary.”
She neither confirmed nor denied the confidentiality request, making Manager Wei more nervous. He quickly shouted to the employees standing in the corridor, “You must cooperate with the police and share everything you know! Employees who provide important clues will get an extra 10% bonus this month.”
The hotel staff exchanged uncertain glances.
[Didn’t the manager just tell us not to reveal customer information?]
[Can we really get a reward for providing clues?]
[Is this a trick? Should we tell them or not?]
Zhao Xiangwan looked at the duty roster and decisively called out a few names. “If you have something to say, speak up now. Don’t hide anything.”
Zhao Xiangwan’s serious expression and sharp gaze silenced any hesitation in the staff. Since their leader had spoken, they knew there was no point in hiding the truth.
“Weng Pingfang usually stays on Saturdays but less so in May, August, and during the Chinese New Year. She always brings a small bag, never clothes for an overnight stay.”
“It was Weng Pingfang who booked the room using her ID. The man never registered at the front desk. But… we noticed he was a middle-aged man, dressed very elegantly.”
“It’s the same man every time. I’ve run into him a few times in the hall while cleaning. He always wears a hat and has his collar turned up, so I couldn’t see his face clearly. He must be quite old and very striking.”
“Weng Pingfang comes here frequently, and everyone knows her. Although she often has a cold, distant attitude and tends to ignore people, we’re curious about the man she’s seeing. If he’s a respectable person, why would they only meet at the hotel for such long periods? It must be a secret affair. Sister Cui, the cleaning lady, has met him, and I’ve seen him a few times. He’s in his forties, tall, with long limbs, well-dressed, and very neat.”
“That man is obviously an official. Oh, by the way, one time when I was delivering food to the second floor, I saw Weng Pingfang open the door to greet him. She hugged him right away. They were so intimate.”
“As for his appearance…”
“He was well-covered, but I did see his eyes. They were long, with upturned corners, giving him a majestic look when he glanced at people. I didn’t dare to look at him for too long.”
“I’ve also noticed his broad forehead. It’s obvious he’s an intelligent man.”
“My lips are a little thin, and I often purse them when I’m not speaking. I don’t look approachable.”
The waiters and waitresses exchanged notes, but the descriptions of his features were still too fragmented to form a clear image.
Zhao Xiangwan and the others exchanged glances.
He Mingyu sighed: “No one has seen his full face. With these fragmented details, even the best portrait artist would struggle to create an accurate image.”
Zhu Feipeng shrugged, finding the situation tricky: “Don’t mention it. Our provincial department doesn’t even have a position for a portrait artist. Last year, Captain Xu visited Shandong for a meeting and saw that their department had set up a criminal tech center with a team dedicated to criminal portraits. It helped solve a lot of cases. After returning, he suggested we do the same, but the bureau refused, saying our public security university doesn’t offer a criminal portrait major and that it’s hard to find talent in this area.”
Zhao Xiangwan and the others returned to the bureau with their findings.
Upon hearing their report, Xu Songling furrowed his brow: “Tall, narrow eyes, upturned corners, majestic, broad forehead, thin lips… There’s nothing particularly striking about these features. How do we even begin searching for this man?”
The Serious Crimes Unit was stuck when Deputy Director Peng Kang, responsible for criminal cases, walked in looking pleased: “Lao Xu, I have some good news for you!”
Xu Songling: “What good news?”
Peng Kang grinned: “You’ve been asking for a criminal portrait artist for the bureau? I’ve assigned one to your Serious Crimes Unit right now!”
Xu Songling, surprised, didn’t question why the artist was being assigned specifically to the Serious Crimes Unit instead of the entire department. He grabbed Peng Kang’s hand and shook it enthusiastically: “Fantastic! This is just what we needed. Director Peng, you’re a lifesaver.”
Peng Kang pulled his hand back quickly and coughed: “Well… the artist has one condition.”
Xu Songling, eager for help, replied carelessly: “No matter the condition, as long as the artist is willing to help, I agree.”
***
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