Within the lab, the coroner was currently dissecting the corpse, and the forensics department was testing out the various evidence exhibits in the laboratory.

The two stood at the door, and Xu Xiaodong also followed. Lin Dongxue asked with annoyance, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re partners!” Xu Xiaodong replied.

“Who is partnering with you?”

Xu Xiaodong reacted like his heart had been torn by her words, with his hands on his chest and his face drooping.

The forensics squad leader, Peng Sijue, was in the middle of barking orders, “Xiao Zhang, take these skin samples for testing, and then make an optical pathology report; Xiao Li, are the footprints of the scene analyzed? Oh my, where’s my lollies? My lollies?!”

Peng Sijue looked left and right, finding a packet of mints under a pile of documents. He put one in his mouth and buried his head in several documents.

“It's still the same.” Chen Shi whispered to himself and walked straight in. “I want to ask, has the report on the blood found on the knife’s handle been completed yet?”

Peng Sijue didn’t even both to look up and asked, “Who are you? You think this is a hospital? That anyone can come in? You need to take a number even at the hospital!”

“Captain Lin called me to help solve the case.”

“Evidence!” responded Peng Sijue curtly, as his eyes wearing black-rimmed glasses continued browsing the files.

Lin Dongxue went over and began, “Captain Peng, what he said is true. I can testify.”

“Written proof!” Peng Sijue did not buy it. He had a cold face, and he was always famed to be ruthless.

Lin Dongxue, who had touched the nail[1], didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Chen Shi took out his cell phone and called Lin Qiupu. After listening to Chen Shi, Lin Qiupu reprimanded, “I can’t believe you! Who allowed you to hinder people's work? I will tell you when I receive news!”

“Captain Lin, could you please tell them? Please.” Chen Shi placed the cell phone on the table with the speaker turned on.

After a moment of silence, Lin Qiupu agreed in a helpless tone, “Sijue, this man has been asked by me to help. You can disclose information to him.”

Peng Sijue raised his head and looked at Chen Shi, then opened the recording function of his own mobile phone and urged, “Captain Lin, repeat that sentence. I want to record and testify.”

All police officers in the precinct knew of Peng Sijue's serious character, so Lin Qiupu repeated his words again. After recording him, Peng Sijue finally opened his mouth and said, “DNA identification isn’t such a fast process. We have to wait a few hours. Can we have some common sense in here?”

“You’re the pro here!”[2] Chen Shi smiled and replied, “What are the results of the already completed tests?”

Peng Sijue turned and threw a few photos on the table. “There was a set of blood-stained footprints on the scene. The sneakers were of size 43 and had severe wear and tear on the outer sides of the shoes. There were no matches in the shoes that we brought back. It is therefore speculated that the footprints belong to the murderer.”

“What were the shoe sizes at the scene?”

“34, 35, 43.” Peng Sijue replied smoothly.

“The murderer and the male owner wear the same shoe size?” Chen Shi muttered to himself then asked, “What else?”

“We found four sets of fingerprints. There are two sets of fingerprints on the weapon, belonging to the male and female owner. No fingerprints of the murderer... The male owner has more fingerprints on it.”

“There are a few bowls at the scene, which we should be able to extract fingerprints from. Since the murderer is an acquaintance, it is impossible to eat with gloves at the beginning.”

“Xiao Zhang!” Peng Sijue shouted at a police officer and repeated the statement.

The police officer named Xiao Zhang replied, “There are only the fingerprints of the four family members on the bowl, no one else.”

“Too cautious.” Chen Shi mumbled to himself again.

Xu Xiaodong exclaimed, “I understand now! The murder was premeditated, they painted 502 superglue on their fingers to not leave fingerprints behind. Captain Peng, check whether there is 502 glue residue on the weapon and the bowls.”

Peng Sijue glared at Xu Xiaodong. “I don't need you to direct my work. I will definitely not miss anything that needs to be done!” After that, he stuffed another lolly into his mouth.

“So...Sorry!” Xu Xiaodong apologized after being glared at.

Peng Sijue added, “The saliva test comparison also shows that were only four people who ate.”

“Five bowls, but only four people ate?” Chen Shi looked confused.

Peng Sijue glared at him and declared, “My tests are never wrong!”

Chen Shi explained, “I don't doubt what you’ve said. Oh yes, I want to ask you to do a test for me. I want to know if the blood on the weapon is from an outsider or not. Please do a paternity test with the blood of the little boy.”

“Sample!”

“I will send it through later.”

“Okay, I know. If you don’t need anything else, leave. Don't bother us.”

“Excuse us.”

Leaving the lab, Lin Dongxue comforted Chen Shi, “Don’t mind him. Captain Peng has such a character, the other people in our team couldn’t stand it at first.”

“No it’s okay. In fact, this character is not bad. Very efficient.” Chen Shi laughed.

“I want to ask, why do you want to make a paternity test of the blood of the murderer and the boy? Do you think...”

“Oh it’s nothing. Just want to make sure the hypothesis can be excluded.”

The two talked and Xu Xiaodong was left hanging to the side. He was not happy. “Dongxue, I haven't seen you for a few days. How did you get so close to this uncle? Is the rumour in the team really true?”

Lin Dongxue stood and turned, “Why is it your business who I get to know? And what is the rumour going around in the team?”

“No...Nothing?” Xu Xiaodong smiled.

“Say it! Is there someone saying something about me behind my back?!”

“Don't care about what others say. Let’s hurry up and do business!” Chen Shi urged.

“Conversations behind others’ backs are the most hateful!” Lin Dongxue made a disgusted expression. She deeply understood this kind of thing. She is the captain's sister. Others like to speculate that she came through the back door[3] which isn’t even close to the truth. Furthermore, because she is Lin Qiupu's sister, she is given fewer opportunities to achieve meritorious deeds. She stayed on the team for two years and almost didn’t make a single contribution.

When they went outside, Chen Shi suddenly stood still. Lin Dongxue asked, “Where are you going? Are you really not coming with us?”

Chen Shi divulged, “I want to go to the hospital to take a blood sample from the little boy. When I finish, I will go back and take a nap. If you make any progress, let me know. I am not a policeman; there’s no need for me to follow you guys around.”

“Do you have any thoughts on this case?”

“What about your brother? What is his focus for the investigation?”

“The loan shark.”

Xu Xiaodong inserted, “This family owes 800,000 yuan, and loan sharks are horrible.”

Chen Shi thought about it and offered, “I want to make a suggestion. When you visit the witnesses, why don’t you ask about why this family would owe so much money?”

“Then, do you think this lender will be the murderer?”

“Don't forget the thing I said.”

Lin Dongxue thought about it. He should be referring to the murderer’s mercy to the little boy. From this angle, it is unlikely that the loan shark would be a suspect.

“See you later.” Chen Shi smiled and then left.

Xu Xiaodong asked Lin Dongxue, “Dongxue, you like that uncle?”

“Screw off!” Lin Dongxue said on reflex. Thinking about it, Xu Xiaodong always liked to offer things to try to win her over. She wanted to use this opportunity to make him lose interest, so she changed her tune, “Yes, I like mature uncles. What of it?”

Xu Xiaodong looked embarrassed and replied, “But he doesn’t seem mature at all... Look at his sloppy look, and there is a smell of smoke all over him! It's disgusting!”

“Hmph, he’s more mature than people who gossip about someone behind their backs the moment they leave.” Lin Dongxue retaliated as she left. 

Xu Xiaodong thought for a long time about what she had said, and muttered to himself, “Did she say that deliberately?”