Chapter 36: The Death Photography Studio (5)

As the police cars drove away, the two of them didn’t linger and left the KTV as well. However, Meng Siqi couldn’t shake the question from her mind—what exactly had Jin Yaming been doing at the KTV?

The next day, she debated whether to invite Zhao Leiting to investigate further. Before she could decide, Zhao Leiting called her first. She agreed without hesitation, and the two of them headed to the First Unit’s office.

She glanced at Lu He’s desk—he wasn’t there.

Other than Luo Xiaoguo, another young officer was present.

As she was about to ask, a deep and magnetic voice came from behind, “Looking for me?”

Meng Siqi turned around and saw Lu He’s striking yet authoritative face. His gaze was less scrutinizing than usual, but there was still a certain coldness in his expression.

His eyes lingered on Meng Siqi’s face, his pupils flickering slightly. His thin lips parted as if he was about to speak, but in the end, he remained silent.

Meng Siqi forced a small smile. She was unsure how to face him after their unexpected encounter the previous night, but it was probably best not to bring it up. It wasn’t anything significant anyway.

Fortunately, Zhao Leiting stepped in to ease the situation. “Captain Lu, the case we are investigating is connected to someone your team brought in last night, so we wanted to ask a few questions.”

“Who?” Lu He asked in a firm tone.

“Jin Yaming. Did he commit any crime?”

“Jin Yaming?” Lu He seemed to think for a moment before saying, “He hasn’t committed any crimes. He’s just a rich lady’s little boyfriend, or—” His cold gaze fell on Meng Siqi, and his words abruptly stopped.

Lu He didn’t finish his sentence, clearly implying that Jin Yaming’s identity was somewhat different. A “little boyfriend” was essentially a lover, but if his identity was more than just that, then what could it be?

“Ah, our Captain Lu always loves to leave things half-said,” Luo Xiaoguo sauntered over with an exaggerated swagger. “What boyfriend? The guy is a gigolo. You should’ve seen it. When we arrived, he was on his knees, licking that rich lady’s—”

“Luo Xiaoguo!” Lu He’s sharp voice cut in with a warning.

Luo Xiaoguo immediately shut up, awkwardly smiling as he backed away.

Hearing what Luo Xiaoguo described made Meng Siqi feel a little uncomfortable, but as a criminal investigator, she wasn’t easily embarrassed. She looked at Lu He and asked, “Captain Lu, what consequences will Jin Yaming face?”

“He’ll mainly receive a warning and some educational reprimands.”

“I see.”

With no further questions, Meng Siqi and Zhao Leiting bid farewell and left for the Second Unit’s office.

On the way, Zhao Leiting commented, “I never would’ve guessed that Jin Yaming had such… interests.”

Meng Siqi had no particular thoughts about it, but her brows remained furrowed as if something was pressing down on her mind. Jin Yaming was still connected to Hu Dingxiang’s disappearance, yet the more they investigated, the more confusing things became.

At Zhao Leiting’s suggestion, the next day, they went to visit Jin Yaming’s girlfriend at her workplace. Zhao Leiting had done some research in advance and found out that her name was Song Xinran, a 27-year-old pharmacist working at a local drugstore.

Their car was parked diagonally across from the drugstore, giving them a clear view inside. It seemed there was only one female employee inside, carefully organizing the shelves and taking inventory. She was wearing a white coat, had short black hair, and looked extremely focused on her task. She was most likely Song Xinran.

“She probably has no idea that her boyfriend is out there messing around,” Zhao Leiting said. “Look at her. She’s working so seriously, completely undistracted.”

Meng Siqi speculated, “Does that mean she also doesn’t know about Jin Yaming’s photography studio? Or about Hu Dingxiang?”

Originally, they had planned to approach Song Xinran today. However, judging from the situation, they might not be able to gather any useful information from her.

“I need to buy some erythromycin anyway. I’ll go in and take a look,” Meng Siqi suggested.

“You want to interact with her?”

“Sort of. Besides, I actually do need some ointment.”

She had scraped her leg while chasing a suspect in the forest back in Gao Township, and the wound hadn’t fully healed yet.

“Alright. I’ll wait here.”

Meng Siqi nodded, then got out of the car.

As she walked into the drugstore, Song Xinran turned her head slightly and asked in a clear voice, “What kind of medicine do you need?”

“Do you have erythromycin?”

“Yes. What price range are you looking for?” Song Xinran replied while heading toward a nearby shelf.

Meng Siqi followed her and glanced at the different brands of anti-inflammatory ointments. She casually picked a cheaper one.

When she looked up, her eyes unexpectedly met Song Xinran’s.

For a brief moment, Meng Siqi was surprised. There was something sharp in Song Xinran’s gaze, as if she could see through people.

But it was only for an instant. Song Xinran quickly replaced it with a professional smile. To be honest, she had a strikingly beautiful face, and that one glance left an impression on Meng Siqi.

At the counter, Meng Siqi took out a five-yuan bill. Song Xinran accepted it, opened a drawer, and placed three coins neatly on the counter for change.

As Meng Siqi reached for the coins, she noticed that Song Xinran had maintained that same polite smile the entire time. It was a trained, professional expression. However, her delicate facial features, bright black-and-white eyes, and precisely shaped red lips gave off an unusual kind of beauty—one that carried a hidden edge.

Song Xinran was observing her. The reason Meng Siqi felt a subtle sharpness was because her gaze seemed to penetrate beyond the surface.

In normal social interactions, when someone deliberately studies you, it creates an instinctive sense of discomfort, like your privacy is being intruded upon. This was likely just a psychological reaction, but Meng Siqi couldn’t shake off the feeling.

While placing the coins into her wallet, she casually asked, “Do you know any good photo studios nearby?”

“Hm?” Song Xinran hesitated slightly before responding, “You’re looking to take photos?”

“Yes. I’m graduating soon, so I wanted to get some artistic portraits taken as a keepsake.”

“I remember there’s one not far from here called Yizhihua Photo Studio. Do you live nearby?”

“Yeah. How is that place? Are the photographers any good?”

“If you’re getting artistic portraits, you should definitely check it out. Actually, you might even get a discount.”

Meng Siqi was intrigued. “Why would I get a discount?”

Song Xinran replied, “I remember they had a ‘Devil Art Photography’ event before. If someone has the right look, the owner would even offer them some compensation.”

That piqued Meng Siqi’s interest. “You seem to know a lot about them.”

Song Xinran pressed her lips together slightly, pausing as if on purpose before saying, “Yes, I had my photos taken there once too.”

“Thank you.” Meng Siqi felt the conversation had run its course, so she turned and walked out the door.

Instead of heading toward the car parked under the large camphor tree across the street, she deliberately walked in the opposite direction, heading toward a densely populated residential area.

She had a feeling that Song Xinran was watching her. If that were the case, then she needed to reinforce the false information she had provided—about living nearby and not yet graduating.

After walking for about ten minutes and turning a corner, a car slowly pulled up beside her. Zhao Leiting rolled down the window and called out, “Get in the car. Why are you walking?”

Meng Siqi opened the door and got in. The first thing she asked was, “When I left just now, did you notice anything unusual about Song Xinran?”

“No, she just stood at the door for a moment before going back inside.”

“She stood there for a moment?”

“Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

“Something is wrong, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Meng Siqi leaned back in her seat and slowly closed her eyes.

She wondered if she was overthinking things. Ever since she joined the criminal investigation unit, she had developed a habit of connecting unrelated events. It was mentally exhausting. Maybe, to someone who didn’t know Song Xinran at all, she would seem completely normal.

By the time they arrived at the police station, Meng Siqi had snapped out of her thoughts. Zhao Leiting glanced at her and asked, “Siqi, are you feeling tired?”

“Not really.”

“I was thinking—Hu Dingxiang is missing, and Jin Yaming is the prime suspect. But if we keep skirting around the edges like this, we might never find any real leads. Why don’t I request a search warrant from Captain Han and thoroughly search Jin Yaming’s photo studio?”

Meng Siqi had no better ideas at the moment. Zhao Leiting’s suggestion seemed reasonable. If they kept tailing him without results, it would be a waste of time. It was better to go straight to the source.

Not long after, Zhao Leiting secured the search warrant. Han Changlin approved his request and assigned Tang Xiaochuan to join them in the search.

The three of them took a police car and headed straight for the Yizhihua Photo Studio. As they neared their destination, a wave of unease washed over Meng Siqi. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Zhao Leiting, I have an idea.”

Zhao Leiting slowed down the car. “Go ahead.”

“Remember we talked about getting an artistic portrait taken at the studio?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Why don’t I give it a try today?”

“Hmm?” Zhao Leiting glanced at her in surprise. “What’s your reasoning?”

“If Jin Yaming is really the culprit, he wouldn’t leave any trace of Hu Dingxiang in his studio. If this search turns up nothing, it means his psychological defenses are solid.”

Zhao Leiting seemed to consider her logic. He pulled the car over and engaged the handbrake before asking, “I get it, but what do you expect to gain from just taking a picture?”

Meng Siqi couldn’t fully explain her intuition. She simply felt that a person’s vulnerabilities were most likely to be exposed when they were deeply focused on their work. She put it succinctly: “People tend to lower their guard when they’re concentrating.”

Zhao Leiting processed her words, then turned to Tang Xiaochuan in the backseat. “What do you think, Old Tang?”

“I’m still getting familiar with your case,” Tang Xiaochuan said. “But if you’re not confident in the search yielding results, it wouldn’t hurt to try her plan.”

“I’m just worried…” Zhao Leiting trailed off mid-sentence.

Meng Siqi knew exactly what he was worried about—her safety. She smiled. “You should be more concerned about how you’re going to explain things to Captain Han later.”

If their efforts amounted to nothing, the person who had insisted the photograph was suspicious would have to eat their words.

Zhao Leiting scratched the back of his head and chuckled.

With that, the plan was set. Zhao Leiting parked the car a little farther from the photo studio, in a less conspicuous spot.

He pulled a 100-yuan bill from his pocket. “Take this. You’ll need money to pay for the photo.”

“You actually carry cash on you?” Meng Siqi hadn’t even thought about the payment. Jin Yaming had previously mentioned that custom artistic portraits cost 100 yuan.

“I’ll pay you back later.” She took the money and checked her appearance in the rearview mirror, adjusting her hair slightly to look more like someone coming in for a portrait session.

Zhao Leiting smiled. “Siqi, you look really nice today.”

As she opened the door, she tossed back a response: “Thank you, Officer Zhao.”

She walked a short distance to the photo studio. Just as she arrived, someone was exiting the shop. Stepping inside, she immediately caught Jin Yaming’s attention. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if focusing his lens. After a brief pause, he said, “You’ve been here before.”

“You have a good memory. Last time, I said I wanted an artistic portrait, but you told me it was too late. So I came today instead.”

Seeing Jin Yaming again made her feel uncomfortable. The incident at the KTV still lingered in her mind. But for the sake of the investigation, she maintained a composed demeanor.

“Alright, today’s fine,” Jin Yaming said.

“Hey, Yaming.”

A woman emerged from the back of the store, locking eyes with Meng Siqi. For a moment, she hesitated before speaking again.

Meng Siqi wasn’t surprised to see Song Xinran here. She likely worked in shifts. Song Xinran’s face broke into a soft smile. “I think I’ve seen you before—at the pharmacy, right?”

Feigning mild surprise, Meng Siqi responded, “Oh, right. It’s you. And,” she pointed at the shop’s sign, “this place was your recommendation, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Actually, I didn’t know you back then, so I didn’t mention it. I’m a friend of Yaming’s—this is his studio. Sometimes, I drop by to check in.”

Meng Siqi smiled faintly.

“Oh, Yaming,” Song Xinran continued. “Be sure to give this lady a good discount today.” Her red lips curled into a charming smile.

“Of course. No problem,” Jin Yaming quickly agreed. “How much of a discount do you think she should get?”

“I’ll leave that up to you.”

“Thank you,” Meng Siqi said, expressing her gratitude.

“Yaming, I need to talk to you about something. Come to the back for a moment.” Song Xinran then turned to Meng Siqi. “Please wait here for a bit.”

“Okay.”

The two of them entered the room. Meng Siqi casually looked around the studio. After about five minutes, Song Xinran stepped out first and asked with a smile, “What’s your surname?”

“Meng… Lu.”

“Miss Meng, I have something to take care of, so I’ll head back to the store first.”

“Take care.”

After Song Xinran left, Jin Yaming slowly walked out. His gaze was somewhat cold as he studied Meng Siqi for a moment. Then, he walked over to the table, picked up a notebook, and said, “Alright, let’s go to the back to do some makeup.”

“Alright.”

Jin Yaming walked to the entrance and pulled down the metal shutter.

Meng Siqi’s heart sank. Just as she was about to stop him, Jin Yaming explained, “The makeup process takes a while. I don’t want anyone walking in, so I’m just partially closing the door.”

But something about him still felt off.

He finally released his grip, stopping the shutter before it fully closed, leaving a gap at the bottom about the height of a small stool. It wasn’t completely shut.

Meng Siqi felt slightly relieved. Jin Yaming straightened up, and as he turned his head, the corners of his lips curled into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

“Let’s begin.”