Chapter 10

Ten minutes later, in a 7-11 convenience store not far from the residential area, Song Wen brought the reheated meal to the opposite side of Lu Siyu. He also ordered a portion of oden in passing, making his own meal look less modest.

Lu Siyu, who heated up an outside meal, not only did not get disdainful glances and eye rolls from the store clerk but also received preferential treatment. Song Wen once again realized that one’s appearance could indeed be used as a meal.

The two sat at a table in the convenience store. Lu Siyu opened his meal box in a somewhat ritualistic manner. The magnificent and insulated meal box had four compartments, and he arranged the dishes neatly from left to right. Then, he took out the rice, placed it in front of him, and finally retrieved the chopsticks before preparing to eat.

Observing Song Wen’s occasional glances, Lu Siyu generously pushed his own meal box forward. He had made sautéed squid in sauce, garlic-flavored eels, mushroom chicken meatballs, and a side of stir-fried greens.

With a combination of meat and vegetables, the dishes were colorful, aromatic, and delicious. When the delicacies were placed in front of him, Song Wen felt no hesitation as he picked up a piece. He chewed on the eel, reluctant even to spit out the bones.

Eating and watching Lu Siyu at the same time, Song Wen couldn’t help but wonder how someone could look so good and cook so deliciously. Unable to resist, he asked, “Actually, you didn’t attend the police academy, did you?”

Lu Siyu looked at him, somewhat puzzled.

Song Wen laughed and said, “I think your culinary skills are more authentic than those of a chef at New Oriental.”

After hearing the joke, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Lu Siyu’s mouth. It was just a slight lift of the corner, but it added a touch of vitality to his otherwise cold eyes and eyebrows. Suddenly, Song Wen remembered the emotional detachment syndrome that Zhou Yining had mentioned before. Now, interacting with Lu Siyu, he couldn’t help but feel that he somewhat fit the characteristics of this condition. As for the rest, he didn’t know if Dr. Zhou was overthinking.

As the food in front of them quickly diminished, after filling their stomachs, Lu Siyu returned to his usual calmness and quietly asked Song Wen, “Do you still suspect Zhong Qing?”

Song Wen was also considering analyzing the case: “I initially suspected her, but now, I’m less suspicious.”

“Because the timeline doesn’t match?” Lu Siyu looked up and asked.

Song Wen shook his head, “No, not just because the time of the crime doesn’t match. It’s also because she’s left-handed.”

Lu Siyu had noticed earlier that Zhong Qing used her left hand for actions like fetching water and opening doors. Without commenting on this, he looked up at Song Wen.

Song Wen continued his analysis, “She resented Lin Zhenghua, but I don’t think she would kill her husband. Moreover, Zhong Qing’s height doesn’t match. Lin Zhenghua is around 1.73 meters tall, and there’s a height difference of ten centimeters between them. If the stabbing occurred in a standing position, it would be challenging to directly pierce from that angle. Considering the time of the crime was before the rest period, and in other positions, given the physical disparity, it’s unlikely she wouldn’t have any injuries or signs of struggle…”

Lu Siyu listened intently, his chopsticks held somewhat high, highlighting his slender and well-defined fingers. The motion and expression while eating reminded Song Wen of a friend’s noble-blooded cat. With such a person sitting across from him, Song Wen became more cautious, no longer daring to eat hastily.

While contemplating, Song Wen picked up a chicken meatball and put it in his mouth. The meatball was made from minced chicken, mixed with mushroom grains, and pan-fried. When bitten, the chicken released its juices, tender and flavorful. However, Song Wen, with a slight frown, murmured to himself, “There’s still something not quite right.”

“Where do you think the problem lies?” Lu Siyu asked in a low and deep voice, his tone barely audible.

“I’m feeling a bit confused now. Initially, I thought she was the most suspicious, and even now, I haven’t completely ruled her out, but I always feel that some aspects don’t add up.” Song Wen couldn’t explain where this current feeling came from. The motives, methods, murder weapon, time, location… these factors couldn’t be reconstructed. The more he tried to understand everything, the more he felt it was chaotic and tangled. His thoughts seemed to have entered a dead end, and he couldn’t find a way out.

As Song Wen spoke, he took out his phone, opened the search page, and entered the term “Tongqi”.

Being a Tongqi is associated with depression, emotional abuse, and is a high-risk group for AIDS. However, relevant laws are still inadequate, making divorce challenging, and women may face threats of violence while struggling to obtain compensation. Currently, there are more than 16 million Tongqi in China.

After some thought, Song Wen opened a discussion forum where many Tongqi women gathered. This online community had been reported and shut down a few times but struggled to reopen.

“To divorce or not? It’s so torturous…”

“Discovered that my husband is gay after having a child.”

“Seeking everyone’s assessment, am I being deceived?”

“Can we only lament here? Is there no way to attract attention?”

In the online forum, there were desperate cries of women trapped in this quagmire, threatened and burdened. The husbands who should have been their reliance turned into devils, turning their lives into an endless hell. Gathering here, they treated the internet as an outlet for catharsis. Many seemed to come and go, helpless. Life was their own, they knew the cold and warmth, but with no proper solution, torment became a subtle knife for murder.

Most Tongqi had experienced domestic violence from their husbands, who used a mix of coercion and force. When Tongqi wanted a divorce, they not only received no compensation but were often deprived of personal income and burdened with inexplicable debts. These men used various tactics, some even delayed divorce using mediation as an excuse.

Currently, there was no specific law in marriage or other legal aspects addressing these issues. This left these women unable to escape and unable to obtain any compensation.

They were confused, restrained, helpless, lonely, becoming victims of a marriage.

Zhong Qing was right—there was no one to confide in their lives. People would look at homosexuality with biased eyes, and even more disdainfully at Tongqi. For many, divorce was a luxury. Song Wen scrolled through some posts, and the more he read, the more indignant he became. He placed his phone on the table and said, “I really don’t understand those gays who get married. If you don’t love the person, what’s the point of marriage? A marriage certificate traps both parties.”

Lu Siyu glanced at him, “Deceptive marriage is only chosen by some men. These people choose to deceive women, and it has nothing to do with their sexual orientation. In other words, even if these people don’t like the same sex and prefer the opposite sex, they will still find mistresses and won’t treat their wives well.” Under the sunlight, Lu Siyu’s pupils showed an amber color, crystal clear. He noticed Song Wen looking at him and suddenly, like a snail touched on its antenna, coldly lowered his head without saying a word.

“Maybe the bureau has other clues; let’s check when we get back.” To avoid awkwardness, Song Wen ended the topic and began clearing the table.

“Wait for me; I’ll buy some other things.” Lu Siyu said, then went to the hot drink cabinet and took a bottle of hot drink. He wandered into the corner of the convenience store, where a bookshelf displayed some best-selling books and recent magazines. He stood aside, flipping through a few books, picked up a few, and went to pay.

Song Wen took a glance; they were a few novels by Higashino Keigo. “Do you like reading detective novels?” he casually asked.

“Not really; it just happened that I saw them today,” Lu Siyu replied casually. “Lunch break is almost over; let’s go back to the bureau.”

Song Wen nodded, and the two of them drove the police car back to the station. That morning, the progress at the bureau was quite fruitful. As soon as they entered, Zhu Xiao eagerly reported, “Captain Song, the person cohabiting with Lin Zhenghua has been found. Fingerprints match, and this person is a bartender named Ma Minghui. Lao Jia and Deputy Huang have gone to bring him in; he should be here shortly.”

“What about other progress?” Song Wen asked. “Forensic reports, material evidence, and more detailed information about the victim have all been compiled.”

“Is the summary of phone information done?”

“The recent communication records and important messages have been summarized.”

“Check again for any recent large transfers in the victim’s records. Also, retrieve a copy of Ma Minghui’s transactions.”

“Okay, I’ll coordinate with the bank for retrieval.”

Song Wen sat at his desk, reviewing the materials. Most of the information was summarized, covering various aspects of the case, but it didn’t provide much progress. After meeting Zhong Qing in the morning, Song Wen’s mind felt tangled, leaving him with a headache. Wanting to change his train of thought, he looked up and saw Lu Siyu sitting in the adjacent cubicle, solemnly converting meeting notes into a document.

From Song Wen’s angle, the reflection on the glass allowed him to see Lu Siyu’s computer screen clearly. The more he looked, the more furrowed his brows became. He stood up and walked behind Lu Siyu, pointing at several entries on the record. “Hey, why did you document the annotations about homosexuality so thoroughly? It’s too detailed; delete it, delete it.”

Lu Siyu didn’t expect Song Wen to suddenly appear behind him. He stopped typing and looked up. “I think Dr. Lin’s explanation was quite good.”

Only now did Song Wen realize he was standing too close. In this position, when Lu Siyu raised his head, Song Wen could smell a faint scent from him. As he lifted his eyes, the long lashes blinked, and his black pupils carried a mysterious yet enticing quality.

Under Lu Siyu’s gaze, Song Wen felt his heart in his chest suddenly skip a beat. He hastily took a step back. Lu Siyu seemed oblivious to all this and innocently licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. The light-colored lips suddenly gained a water-like sheen, making them even more alluring.

Clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment, Song Wen said, “You can’t expect Commissioner Gu and those reviewing scholars to understand these things. Just record what’s relevant to the case. Don’t create unnecessary complications.”

Many things couldn’t be discussed in detail and shouldn’t see the light of day. If someone reported this case to the media, with sensational words like ‘homosexual dismemberment,’ it would bring a lot of trouble.

Some matters, even if known, couldn’t be changed from their position. They could only record the relatively objective facts.

Lu Siyu made an affirmative sound, understanding, and used a finger to press the delete key. He removed a few detailed explanations and continued to delete, making the page clean.

“Oh! The rest was written quite well. Why did you delete everything?” Song Wen lamented over the half-page of meeting records.

Lu Siyu, however, didn’t mind at all. “It’s okay; I’ll reorganize my thoughts. This way, the writing will be more coherent, and I can give it to you later.”