My First Love is a Genius Profiler - Chapter 3

“Xiao Shen, are you suggesting that the murderer and the victim had a verbal conflict, leading to a crime of passion?” Li Siqi frowned, puzzled. After all, this kind of impulsive mentality was rare among serial killers in the SOI’s archives. Generally speaking, it’s hard for an impulsive person to evolve into a serial killer.

Facing Li Siqi’s doubt, Shen Anyan remained calm.

“From the killer’s desecration of the victims’ bodies, it’s clear it was triggered by communication. The killer was likely subjected to insults or humiliation by the victims, and this negative emotion accumulated in their mind for a long time, eventually erupting. In fact, the killer may still be receiving this negative emotional input daily.”

Shen Anyan’s fingers lightly tapped the table, as if constructing a psychological profile of the killer in her mind. The atmosphere in the conference room became solemn, and everyone held their breath, waiting for her next words.

Yang Fei didn’t seem to fully grasp Shen Anyan’s deduction. He scratched his head, his face full of confusion. His gaze swept over everyone in the room, finally resting on Shen Anyan.

“But these three people’s lives didn’t intersect. How could they all have insulted the killer?”

Yang Fei’s question resonated with others, and a low murmur of discussion arose in the conference room. Some nodded in agreement, others frowned in thought, and the atmosphere became slightly chaotic.

Just then, Hu Bingyu’s eyes suddenly lit up. She involuntarily leaned forward, her hands propped on the table, appearing unusually excited. Her voice clearly cut through the noisy discussion: “Wait a minute, everyone!”

Her words immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Hu Bingyu took a deep breath, glanced at Shen Anyan, seemingly seeking validation, and then continued, “It’s not necessarily true that there’s no intersection! I’m thinking, if Anyan’s direction is correct, could the killer be a marginalized person in the service industry? For example, a supermarket cashier or a delivery person.”

The moment her voice fell, the conference room fell silent. Everyone sank into thought, as if quickly checking the feasibility of this hypothesis in their minds. A hint of approval flashed in Shen Anyan’s eyes, and she nodded slightly to Hu Bingyu. Wang Li thoughtfully stroked his chin, clearly intrigued by this new line of thinking.

This hypothesis was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, creating ripples. It not only provided a new angle for the case but also completely refreshed the investigative team’s thinking.

Everyone’s expression became more focused, as if they saw a glimmer of hope for solving the case.

Just as everyone was immersed in the new line of thought, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open. A young police officer hurried in, a look of urgency on his face.

“Report, Captain Wang, we have new progress!” His voice was slightly nervous but clear and strong.

Wang Li immediately turned to the officer, his eyes showing anticipation: “Speak.”

“The identity of the female body discovered last night has been confirmed,” the officer took a deep breath and continued, “She is a masseuse living in Jiangbei District named Li Mei, 25 years old.”

The news was like a bolt of lightning across the conference room, and everyone’s attention instantly converged. Wang Li quickly stood up, his eyes flashing with determination.

“Alright, let’s move immediately.” He looked around, his gaze settling on the core members, “Yang Fei, Hu Bingyu, Shen Anyan, you come with me to the victim’s home.”

As soon as he spoke, the four quickly sprang into action. Yang Fei grabbed his coat, Hu Bingyu quickly packed her notebook, and Shen Anyan silently got up, a thoughtful light flickering in her eyes.

They quickly walked towards the police station parking lot. Wang Li got into the driver’s seat, and the other three quickly got in. The engine roared, and the police car sped out of the station, heading rapidly towards the west side of the city.

The space inside the car was cramped. Yang Fei sat in the front, while Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu were arranged in the back seat.

The sudden closeness to the woman made Shen Anyan feel a bit nervous. They hadn’t seen each other for eight years, and the other person was more beautiful than she remembered. She even felt a flutter in her heart the moment they shook hands.

But now was not the time to consider such things; the case, and the sudden escape of Shen Simiao, troubled her more.

Suddenly, the car made a sharp turn, and an inertia threw Hu Bingyu onto her.

The scent of the other person instantly filled her nostrils, and her arm seemed to touch a particularly soft spot, which made her cheeks flush slightly. She gently helped Hu Bingyu sit upright, her expression both gentle and restrained.

“Be careful.”

“Thank you.” Hu Bingyu replied coolly, seemingly with some reluctance. The other person’s gentleness was like poison to her at this moment.

She and Shen Anyan had known each other since junior high school.

At that time, since they were in different classes, they basically had no interaction. However, Shen Anyan’s grades were excellent, always ranking above hers, which always left a thorn in her heart.

In high school, they unexpectedly ended up at the same school and even in the same class.

She forgot when they first started talking, but the conversations were enjoyable. Before they knew it, they grew closer and closer, naturally leading to their first hand-holding, first hug, and first kiss.

She never thought about leaving the country with her parents; if Shen Anyan had said one word to make her stay, she would have.

But on that day, Shen Anyan not only did not try to keep her but also actively proposed the breakup…

The car slowly came to a stop with a gentle brake sound, interrupting Hu Bingyu’s thoughts.

She looked out the window and saw an old residential building with mottled walls, looking somewhat dilapidated.

Hu Bingyu slowly pushed open the car door and followed Wang Li and Shen Anyan out. They walked along the narrow alley towards the residence of the victim, Li Mei.

The alley was lined with piles of clutter, and the air was filled with a damp, mildewy smell. Hu Bingyu frowned but quickly adjusted her emotions, focusing on the task at hand.

After passing through the alley, the group soon arrived at the floor where Li Mei lived.

In the dim corridor, only a flickering light bulb shone dimly. Captain Wang Li frowned deeply and raised his hand to knock on the peeling wooden door.

A middle-aged woman with heavy makeup opened the door, a cigarette held between her fingers. She sized up the group and asked in an unfriendly tone, “Who are you looking for?”

“Hello, we are police officers, and we’d like to ask about Li Mei,” Hu Bingyu showed her badge.

Hearing that they were police, the woman instantly panicked. The cigarette butt in her hand dropped to the floor. She frantically bent down to pick it up, her eyes darting away as she said, “Li Mei, she… she hasn’t come back for several days. Did something happen?”

Shen Anyan keenly caught the unnaturalness in the woman’s tone and quietly asked, “Are you Li Mei’s roommate? Could you let us in to take a look first?”

The woman hesitated for a moment, but finally stepped aside to let them pass.

As the group walked into the room, a heavy smell of perfume hit them. Yang Fei couldn’t help but cough a few times, while Wang Li frowned and looked around.

Hu Bingyu noticed several photos of Li Mei posted on the wall. In the photos, her smile was bright, a stark contrast to the miserable appearance of the corpse.

This contrast made Hu Bingyu’s heart clench.

“Has Li Mei been seeing clients recently? I need your client list,” Wang Li got straight to the point with the woman.

The woman frowned, seeming to hesitate, but under Wang Li’s authority, she finally nodded.

“Fine, I’ll go look.” She got up and walked to a small cabinet in the corner of the room, pulling out a worn-out notebook from inside.

Wang Li took the notebook and quickly flipped through it. His brows furrowed slightly, clearly pondering something. Suddenly, his gaze stopped on one page, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He closed the notebook and turned to Yang Fei: “We’ll go interview the surrounding neighbors to see if we can get more information.”

Then, his gaze fell on Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu, “You two stay here and continue asking for more details.”

Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu nodded in agreement, and Wang Li and Yang Fei left the room immediately.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became subtle. The two looked at each other, both seeing a trace of complex emotion in the other’s eyes, but solving the case was their top priority.

Shen Anyan broke the silence first: “Excuse me, has Li Mei had any arguments with anyone recently?”

The woman shook her head, her eyes evasive: “No, what happened to her?”

“Is that so? Your actions seem to indicate you are lying. When people lie, their eyes unconsciously drift towards the upper right, and touching the nose is also a classic lying gesture.”

Shen Anyan’s words clearly stunned the woman, and a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. Hu Bingyu keenly caught this detail. She gently touched Shen Anyan’s arm, signaling that she would continue the interrogation.

“Aunty, Li Mei was actually killed yesterday. We just want to help Li Mei find the truth. If you know anything, please tell us. This is very important for our investigation,” Hu Bingyu softened her tone, her eyes showing sincerity.

Hearing the news of Li Mei’s death, the woman’s face instantly turned pale. She sat down on the sofa trembling, a flash of sadness and fear in her eyes.

“Oh God, Li Mei, she…” The woman took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm herself, “Officers, it has nothing to do with me. I did argue with her the day before yesterday, but I wouldn’t kill her. We’ve known each other for five years.”

Shen Anyan nodded slightly, signaling Hu Bingyu to continue the questioning, while she carefully observed the woman’s every move.

Hu Bingyu gently asked, “Aunty, could you tell us about Li Mei’s recent life? For example, did she mention running into any trouble, or did she have any abnormal behavior?”

The woman nervously rubbed her hands and whispered, “Right, Li Mei did mention a strange phone call a few days ago where someone yelled at her. She even wrote the number down on a slip of paper.”

“Could you show us that slip of paper?” Shen Anyan asked gently.

The woman nodded and got up, walking towards Li Mei’s room. A few minutes later, she returned with a crumpled slip of paper.

Shen Anyan took the paper and carefully examined the number on it, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, “Is this really a domestic number segment?”

Hu Bingyu curiously took the paper from her hand and murmured, “This looks like a virtual number. We’ll have to ask Sister Chen Xi.”

So, she took out her phone, ready to call Chen Xi, but the screen showed an empty signal bar. She frowned, turning to Shen Anyan: “No signal on my phone, how about yours?”

Shen Anyan looked at her phone and shook her head, saying, “I don’t have a signal either.”

“Officers, are you using China Unicom? This community is like this. Unicom’s signal is always bad. Li Mei and I were planning to switch carriers together these past few days. It’s just a pity that she was murdered. Li Mei, she… she was still so young,” tears welled up in the woman’s eyes, and her voice choked.

Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu exchanged glances, both seeing the shared pang of regret in the other’s eyes. This common scene in their line of work always felt heartbreaking. The fragility of life, the capriciousness of fate, seemed so real and cruel at this moment.

Hu Bingyu gently patted the woman’s shoulder, softly comforting her: “Aunty, please accept our condolences. We will definitely find the truth and give Li Mei justice.”

Shen Anyan also nodded in agreement, her eyes shining with determination: “Yes, we will do our utmost to investigate this case.”

The woman looked up, her eyes tearful, and forced a grateful smile: “Thank you.”

At this moment, both Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu felt a wave of sorrow.

The two walked out of the room, and the instant they closed the door, it was as if they had momentarily shut the heavy sadness behind them. But they knew that only by solving the case quickly could they bring an end to all of this.