Genius Detective

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the two arrived at the nightclub. Because it was Christmas, it was decorated with a festive atmosphere. It also had a Christmas tree with lanterns on it.

When the colorful lanterns were lit, guests came in one after another and the atmosphere in the nightclub slowly began to get more passionate

A Santa Claus suddenly appeared in front of the two. He lowered his voice and asked, "Beauty, do you want a gift?"

"No, we are here because... Xu Xiaodong?!"

The Santa Claus laughed and asked, "Are you surprised?"

"Why are you dressed like this?"

"I have to investigate the case anyway. Coincidentally, the temps didn’t come to work today, so I volunteered to take on the job. Aren’t I amazing?”

"Oh, whatever… What did you find out?"

"Kong Tingting often came to this nightclub, so even the boss knows her.  From what the boss said, on the 10th of this month, Kong Tingting was a little depressed and drank lots of spirits. She was inebriated, and eventually her corpse-like body was picked up by a stranger. She hasn't seen her since then."

"Her corpse was picked up?"

Chen Shi said, "It means that the girl was so drunk that she was taken by a stranger for the night. The victim is called a corpse because of how wasted they are. The men who do this are called hunters.”

Lin Dongxue twitched. “This...It’s just too unsafe. As a girl, shouldn’t she be more vigilant?”

"Good girls can't understand bad girls’ thoughts." Chen Shi said.

Lin Dongxue asked Xu Xiaodong, "Did the boss have any impression of the man who picked up the girl?"

"The boss said that he was tall, maybe 1.8m in height, thin and wore a white shirt, jeans, and a cap. She can’t recall what he looked like though."

"Then how can we find him?!" Lin Dongxue was worried.

"Let’s take our time to search!"

The three of them walked around in the nightclub trying to find a man who matched the description and to ask about Kong Tingting. After asking for a while, all the people they questioned said that they didn’t know the girl in the photo. 

A nightclub is a place with many wolves and little meat[1]. The appearance and body of Lin Dongxue provoked men to approach her constantly. She felt bothered and annoyed by the men so she started questioning the patrons together with Chen Shi instead of going about it alone. When the three felt tired, they ordered some drinks and sat down for a while.

Lin Dongxue grumbled, "This sinful kind of place isn’t suitable for me."

“Same here!” Xu Xiaodong said, “I just want to go home and play games.”

"I come to this type of place once in a while." Chen Shi said.

Lin Dongxue made an expression full of contempt. "I bet you’re just like them. When you see a girl, you’ll just pounce at them, right?”

"I just come for the drinks. As for the other aspects, I usually just go with the flow."

"How many girls have you scored then?" Xu Xiaodong was hooked onto the potential gossip.

"No, I am an honest man!"

"You’re obviously lying!" Lin Dongxue immediately exposed him.

The music started and people consciously vacated a certain area. A man in a red shirt came over and extended a hand to Lin Dongxue. Because the music was too loud, the music covered what the man was saying. 

Lin Dongxue’s mind went blank for a second, then she grabbed some popcorn and put it in his extended hand instead.

Xu Xiaodong laughed out loud. "The guy’s trying to ask you for a dance."

Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "Sorry, we’re actually here to investigate a case."

The man continued smiling. "Surely dancing won’t hinder your progress. Do police not have nightlife activities?”

Lin Dongxue was both angry and humored. This man was courageous but she really didn't want to dance with the guy. When she thought about how to refuse the dance, Chen Shi took her hand and stood up. "Sorry, she was preparing to dance with me."

The man retracted his soldiers. "Excuse me then."

Chen Shi pulled Lin Dongxue onto the dance floor. Under the accompaniment of music, many were already showing their moves on the dance floor. Lin Dongxue was nervous and said, "I can't dance!"

"You can learn. Follow my rhythm and pace... Come and give me your hand."

Lin Dongxue shyly grasped Chen Shi’s hand and the two began to rotate with the rhythm. Chen Shi’s eyes showed an encouraging smile. She gradually began to let go of the tension in her body. In this type of atmosphere, it was easy to forget herself.

Dancing was very energy-consuming. Lin Dongxue’s body began to heat up and her heart was palpitating. After Chen Shi pulled her hand and twirled her around, he put his arms around her. Her heart was throbbing and her heart rate couldn’t possibly get any higher. Chen Shi’s unkempt face looked more handsome than normal in this lighting. 

At the end of the song, the dancers gradually dispersed. Lin Dongxue was so tired that she gasped and fanned herself with both hands. Chen Shi asked, "Was that fun?"

"It wasn’t." Lin Dongxue said even though she was thinking the opposite. 

"If it wasn’t fun, why are you still smiling so happily?"

"That's because... That’s none of your business!"

At the end of this session of flirting, the three continued to investigate and stayed until ten o'clock. However, they came out empty-handed. 

The day after, Chen Shi went to the bureau early in the morning. The group that collected data on Kong Tingting's interpersonal relationships was very successful. They put up all the photos of Kong Tingting's ex-boyfriends, good friends and classmates on a whiteboard and marked their relationships with one another.

Lin Qiupu briefed the team, "The task is heavy. Let's visit each person on the board one by one."

Chen Shi denounced, "This is a stupid way to investigate."

Lin Qiupu narrowed his eyes. "Can you not always act as if you’re superior to us? Investigating cases is very tedious and difficult most of the time since there’s a lot of grunt work. What is your high and mighty opinion this time?”

"Are there any men in her inner social circle that she’s also slept with?”

"Do you think this type of person would be the most suspicious?"

"I’m eighty percent certain if not ninety."

Lin Qiupu immediately instructed people to investigate using this angle. The officers came back after a while and said, “There’s a person who appeared on both her inner circle list, as well as the people she’s slept with list. This person is called Shao Dahai. He is a building materials merchant. He once had an extramarital affair with Kong Tingting and gave her some financial benefits and assistance."

Chen Shi asked, "How did it end?"

"I don't know."

"When Kong Tingting retaliated against the society, she retaliated against this person as well. I think these two people should have had some disputes!"

Lin Qiupu instructed, "Lao Zhang, you need to find Shao Dahai today..." He glanced at Chen Shi and smiled. "I can’t give you special treatment. You go find this person." He said as he picked up a photo.

Chen Shi turned over the photo and looked at the name labelled on it. "Han Le". He asked, "What is his relationship with Kong Tingting?"

"An ordinary friend who used to study at the same university with her. Rumor has it that he pursued Kong Tingting and had an on and off relationship with her where she led him on."

Lin Dongxue took a look at the photo. The guy in the photo couldn’t be said to be a handsome person. She said, "I understand now! He’s a spare tire!"

Lin Qiupu clapped. "Okay everyone, it’s time to get going! Work hard to get some results today!”

The three went to find Han Le. He was working at a supermarket. When they saw him, he was looking down as he scanned items over the cashier counter. Chen Shi observed Han Le for a while. He was about 1.8m tall and relatively skinny. Could it be him?

Lin Dongxue showed her badge. "Hello, we are police officers and we want to ask you some questions.”

"Is this regarding Kong Tingting?" Han Le asked.

"How did you know?"

"I heard the news yesterday and was shocked. Some of our old classmates gathered together to pray for her... I don't know what kind of animal could kill her. If you find out, you’ve got to let me know. I must take revenge for her!" He showed a fierce and ruthless expression. 

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1. It’s a place where there are a lot less women than men. 

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