CHAPTER 21: 21. IN THE DIMNESS, HE CAREFULLY GROPED WITH HIS HANDS.

Shi Nian stared at the man in front of her, momentarily at a loss for what to say.

The man, however, responded with a meaningful smile: "Shy, my little girl? Hmm, I can sense it, there’s no scent of a man on you at all... very clean, and very, lonely."

Strange music rose around them, like a flute from an exotic land, with a tone quite like that of Scottish bagpipes, yet full of seduction and mystery.

Shi Nian felt very nervous inside, yet inexplicably couldn’t help but laugh along with the tune.

The man was certainly right – she herself couldn’t even remember, the last time she was intimate with Xiang Yuan.

.

As Shi Nian entered the narrow corridor of "Yanwu Square," Tang Yanqing was also being led by campus police through Kangchuan University’s old corridors, into the room of the student Zhou Guanghan.

The university building was over a hundred years old, and the narrow windows made the light in the room very dim. The setting sun hung on the window, vibrant yet powerless. Amidst this eerie light and shadow, the Chinese student named Zhou Guanghan lay flat on the old wooden floor, face up. The dark red floor made his completely bloodless face look even paler.

The campus police dutifully introduced Zhou Guanghan’s background, and details about when he was discovered, etc.: "This student from the East was very socially active. I personally saw him bring a different girl back every day for a week... Sir, I secretly recorded them on my phone, I believe the murderer is among them."

Jia Tianzi, Tang Yanqing’s partner, dutifully took notes, but Tang Yanqing seemed to be listening absentmindedly.

He stood beside the corpse, looked for a moment, then retreated to a distance, not paying close attention to the campus police’s introduction, but casually looking around.

His behavior was unlike that of a professional officer. The campus police couldn’t help but glance at his back. Of course, what puzzled the campus police even more was that in this dark evening, the officer still wore sunglasses on the bridge of his nose without any intention of taking them off — he seemed more like a blind person, and even when he looked around, it appeared more like he was exploring with his hands rather than observing with his eyes.

Jia Tianzi noticed and laughed, "He’s not blind."

Such an explanation only made the campus police feel embarrassed. Jia Tianzi remained calm: "It’s okay, he’s often mistaken for that."

Tang Yanqing heard this but acted as if he didn’t, continuing to explore with his hands. After feeling around the area, he walked over, knelt on one knee beside the deceased, and carefully touched the body.

His slender stature exuded an inexplicable aura of nobility with every motion, forming a stark contrast to his actions. The orange-red sunset spread across his upright police uniform like an oil painting, vivid and colorful.

After he finished, he stood up. Jia Tianzi immediately closed his notebook: "I’ll notify the medical examiner and forensic colleagues right away."

Tang Yanqing simply said, "The deceased died from drug overdose. I know where to find the killer."

Tang Yanqing turned indifferently and headed out. As he passed the campus police, he merely instructed: "Protecting the scene is your duty. Snapping random photos or arbitrarily identifying suspects is not."

The campus police was dumbfounded, while Jia Tianzi just smiled at them: "He has a bad temper, don’t bother with him." Then he caught up.

"Where to find?"

Tang Yanqing extended his finger under Jia Tianzi’s nose: "Smell."

"Get lost!" Jia Tianzi laughed despite himself, pushed his hand away, yet still inhaled the scent. He frowned: "What is this?"

"Henna." Tang Yanqing’s gaze looked through the sunglasses, and with a serene look: "Indian hand-painted dye."

Jia Tianzi had a moment of realization yet shook his head: "The Indian District is very large, with a population of tens of thousands. Where to start?"

Tang Yanqing extended another finger toward his nose: "Smell again."

Jia Tianzi didn’t object this time and took another serious sniff: "Spirit Mushroom?"

Tang Yanqing withdrew his hand, smiled arrogantly, and strode forward, leaving Jia Tianzi with only one sentence:

"The person we’re looking for is in Yanwu Square."

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[Everyone is guessing where Shi Nian and Mr. Tang have met — cough, cough, perhaps they have never met. More collections bring extra Chapters~]