“Mr. Mo, can you reveal the motive behind Zhang Haiyan’s crime?”

“Mr. Mo, it’s been three days since Zhang Haiyan confessed. Why haven’t the details of the case been made public? Is there something hidden?”

“Mr. Mo…”

Whenever Mo Lin appeared in public, he would be surrounded by a sudden influx of media reporters. It’s been three days since Zhang Haiyan confessed, and public opinion continued to ferment. Some people hoped Zhang Haiyan would come out and apologize to the victims’ families, while others wanted a quick verdict on Zhang Haiyan’s crimes to give justice to the victims’ families…

As a famous criminal psychology expert with a celebrity-like presence, Mo Lin attracted attention from all media outlets. Cameras would occasionally capture him getting out of a car or a fleeting glimpse of him.

Gu Yuan filled a cup of water at the water dispenser, while a computer next to it was playing a segment from a follow-up report.

In the footage, Mo Lin was wearing a white shirt, with his tie loosely hanging around his neck. He held a suit jacket in one hand and car keys in the other.

Mo Lin’s height made him stand out in the crowd, and his handsome profile was fully exposed to the camera. He seemed to be in a hurry: “No comment…”

But the reporters were too relentless, chasing after him.

Suddenly, a reporter asked a question unrelated to the case: “Mr. Mo, do you have a girlfriend?”

This question echoed the thoughts of many girls.

The female reporter’s voice was quite penetrating, and it reached Mo Lin’s ears.

Mo Lin smiled and said, “Not today.”

The ever-good-tempered Mo Lin opened the car door, tossed his suit onto the passenger seat, and drove away, with the license plate blurred out.

Gu Yuan drank half a cup of water, realizing that Mo Lin’s life was greatly affected.

Li Meng turned off the video, and Xiao Ze, standing behind him, gently patted Li Meng’s shoulder: “Don’t worry about him. That guy has strong mental resilience. Let’s just do our job.”

Xiao Ze turned around and saw Gu Yuan standing by the water dispenser: “Dinner gathering tonight, remember to join us.”

“Sorry, I have some family matters.”

Xiao Ze nodded: “Once you’ve handled it, make sure to come.”

Gu Yuan nodded, took out his phone, and clicked on Mo Lin’s profile picture. The last chat message was from Mo Lin two hours ago: “If you have time, please feed my cat. The password is: 1****6.”

Just asking him to feed the cat was surprising enough, and he even directly gave him the password.

Does Mo Lin not have any friends around?

Originally, Gu Yuan intended to refuse, but now, he replied with one word: “Okay.”

As soon as the message was sent, Mo Lin replied: “You can use anything at home, don’t be shy.”

Gu Yuan looked at the time in the top left corner of his phone screen. There were two minutes left until the end of his shift. He packed up his things, ready to leave work.

Outside the office, people were already discussing the dinner gathering. Gu Yuan slung his backpack over his shoulder, walked out of the police station, and got into a taxi. He opened the window and watched the scenery outside retreat. This road was not unfamiliar to him.

Fifteen years ago, this road hadn’t been expanded yet. Not far away was a desolate patch of grassland that turned golden in winter. The dry grass was as tall as half a person, and children loved to gather there to play.

One day, a few adults came, and while smoking, they accidentally set the grass on fire. A younger girl tripped over the wild grass while trying to escape. Her playmates were too busy running away to notice her.

The little girl was burned alive. By the time the fire was extinguished, only her body and black ashes remained.

That day, Gu Yuan returned from school with a backpack and a certificate, only to find neighbors gathered at his doorstep. He didn’t know what had happened, but he heard an aunt from next door say, “Go see your mom…”

He walked into the living room and found his mother kneeling on the floor. A small coffin was placed in the not-so-large living room, and his heart sank.

He approached the coffin and saw what seemed to be a person lying inside, covered with a white cloth. He could vaguely make out a small foot sticking out, the skin burned black, emitting a strong smell of charred flesh.

“Did you see your sister? If your dad were still here, he would have sought justice for us and wouldn’t have let your sister die so unjustly.”

Gu Yuan couldn’t believe it. He lifted the white cloth in the coffin and saw a charred body, the skin and muscles burned black and tightly clinging to the bones.

It was the first time Gu Yuan had seen a corpse, and it was a huge blow to him as a young child.

The sister he held dear had suddenly turned into a charred corpse, dealing a devastating blow to their already incomplete family.

After handling his sister’s funeral, Gu Yuan seemed to change. He didn’t cry or make a fuss, went to school on time every day, and cooked for his emotionally devastated mother after school.

That year, he was in fourth grade.

“Sir, we’re here. Cash or scan?”

The taxi driver’s sudden stop interrupted Gu Yuan’s thoughts.

Gu Yuan took out his phone to scan and pay, then got out of the car.

As he exited the elevator, he noticed a household across the way installing surveillance cameras. He entered Mo Lin’s home after entering the password.

“Fat Orange” suddenly jumped down from the shelf on the balcony, stood on the windowsill, and meowed twice.

He walked to the balcony and saw the cat’s bowl was empty. He squatted down and petted “Fat Orange’s” belly, which was flat. It seemed Mo Lin had indeed been busy lately, and even the cat was suffering with him.

What exactly has he been busy with recently?

The case had been closed for three days. Originally, Gu Yuan hoped there would be a twist in the case, proving Zhang Haiyan wasn’t the culprit.

But the facts didn’t seem to develop as he had hoped. Zhang Haiyan suddenly confessed and even recreated the crime scene.

At first, Gu Yuan didn’t believe Zhang Haiyan was the murderer. But who else, other than the murderer, could recreate the entire crime process so completely?

What did Mo Lin say to Zhang Haiyan after pulling the plug in the interrogation room? No one knew.

The case seemed full of doubts, yet it was flawless.

He found “Fat Orange’s” food in the cabinet next to the TV. Fat Orange sat in front of him, staring at the can in his hand.

After pouring the opened can into the cat’s bowl, he caught a glimpse of Mo Lin’s shoes on the balcony.

In his memory, Mo Lin’s leather shoes were almost always spotless, but the shoes in front of him had yellow mud on the soles.

It hadn’t rained recently. Where did he get the mud?

Before leaving, Gu Yuan filled “Fat Orange’s” bowl with cat food, refilled the water dispenser, and cleaned the litter box, putting the waste into a garbage bag.

Then he went into the bathroom to wash his hands.

When he opened the bathroom door, the sink was dry, and even the edges were parched.

Gu Yuan immediately noticed the towel on the hook was still in the same state as a week ago, the toilet paper hadn’t been touched, and the toothbrush was in the same position as a week ago. The toothpaste and hand soap hadn’t been used either.

Has Mo Lin not been home for a week?

He meticulously washed his hands, intending to send Mo Lin a message, but his phone rang—it was Mo Lin calling.

“Someone’s standing outside my door. I don’t recognize them. If they knock, don’t open the door.”

Mo Lin’s voice didn’t sound like he was joking.

“How do you know someone’s outside?”

“There’s a camera at the door. I can see the footage on my phone. Don’t open the door!”

Gu Yuan: “Who’s outside?”

“Not sure.”

Gu Yuan was a bit puzzled: “Aren’t you overthinking it?”

“That person’s actions and expressions seem off. I think there’s something wrong with them.”

Gu Yuan went to the kitchen, choosing a serrated knife from the knife rack: “Got it.”

“The security door is very safe, don’t worry.”

Gu Yuan: “Should I catch him?”

“No need. Just keep him there, don’t let him notice anything unusual.”

Gu Yuan hid the knife in his sleeve, came out of the kitchen, and casually glanced at the security door behind him. It seemed like someone was staring through the peephole.

He calmly went into the bathroom.

“Ding dong!”

The doorbell rang from outside.

To avoid suspicion, Gu Yuan pretended to be taking a shower.

Mo Lin: “Don’t open the door.”

Gu Yuan thought: You’re so annoying…

After two minutes, the doorbell rang again.

Mo Lin: “Don’t be afraid, I’m almost there.”

Gu Yuan: “I don’t think he can beat me.”

Mo Lin’s tone was somewhat agitated: “Stay put, and don’t hang up!”

Gu Yuan: “…”

Mo Lin watched the surveillance footage on his phone. The man in black standing outside the door pressed his eye against the peephole. After a while, he looked up and noticed a camera above him.

At this point, Mo Lin noticed the man had a camera hanging around his neck, and it wasn’t cheap.

He breathed a sigh of relief; it was probably a paparazzo trying to sneak a photo of him.

Ten minutes later, Mo Lin got into the elevator, and his phone lost signal. The man in the surveillance footage remained motionless, the image frozen.

The elevator doors suddenly opened, and there was no one in the hallway outside.

Mo Lin looked around but still couldn’t find the man in black.

Could he have run away in those few seconds?

Mo Lin entered the password, and when the door opened, the scene in front of him startled him.

He saw two men standing less than a meter apart, one with his face pressed against the wall, and the other pinning him against it.

Gu Yuan held a knife, placing it against the back of the man’s neck, the blade pressing against the skin.

The man seemed terrified, sweat beading on his forehead, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

Mo Lin walked over silently, took the knife from Gu Yuan’s hand. The place where the knife had pressed on the neck had a deep indentation, and blood was seeping along the mark.

Fortunately, it was just a flesh wound.

This time, Mo Lin’s smile was nowhere to be seen: “Why didn’t you listen?”

His tone was different from his usual joking manner.

Gu Yuan still held the man’s arm: “I don’t need anyone to protect me. When there’s a problem, I’ll handle it myself.”

The man being held felt the sticky sensation on the back of his neck and couldn’t hold back: “Please let me go. I won’t dare to sneak photos again. You can have the camera, I don’t want it!”