Lu Lie stepped out and saw Xiao Bingbing questioning the informant. He approached and lightly patted the man's shoulder, speaking with a calm air, "Let me handle this. Go assist Forensic Liu."
Despite his name sounding rather delicate, Xiao Bingbing was a broad-faced, deep-voiced man with a rugged masculinity. His sword-like brows and clear, commanding eyes made for a righteous countenance, and his actions matched the impression—swift and decisive. He nodded. "Understood, Chief. I'll go right away." As he spoke, he handed his notebook to Lu Lie.
Lu Lie took it, gave a brief glance at the retreating figure, then turned his attention to the informant.
The deceased was the owner of the Jingxin Reptile Shop. The informant was his younger brother.
Lu Lie studied the boy, eyes sharp as a blade, attempting to glean valuable details from his appearance and attire.
He wore a blue-and-white school uniform, the cuffs stained with dark grime. A large black backpack hung from his shoulders. Tall and slender, his complexion was dark, posture slightly hunched. He wore thick glasses, indicating severe nearsightedness. A bruise darkened the corner of one eye, tear tracks were visible on his cheeks, and he stood nervously to the side, wringing the hem of his shirt.
Lu Lie's gaze dropped to the boy's feet.
Fake-brand sneakers, stained and worn, with a split at the toe and damp patches around the soles—he had clearly just returned from outside.
Only then did Lu Lie look him square in the eye and ask, "What's your name?"
"H-He... Chuanhui." The voice trembled slightly.
"The deceased is your brother?"
"Yes, he's my older brother."
Lu Lie's eyes assessed him, then probed, "Senior in high school? Just returned from school?"
"Yeah..." The pressure in Lu Lie's gaze was too heavy to bear. The boy lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
"Judging by your uniform, you're from Jinzhou No. 2 High?"
He nodded.
Lu Lie wrote steadily as he asked, his voice casual yet his eyes still piercing, "Tell me how you discovered the body. Be specific."
"This morning, I returned from school and noticed the shop door was open. It struck me as odd—I thought maybe there'd been a break-in. I ran inside and found my brother lying on the floor. He was already..." His voice faltered, choked with emotion, "...dead. Then I called the police."
"What time was this?"
"Around 7 a.m."
Lu Lie immediately sensed something off. "Today is Friday. Jinzhou No. 2 doesn't have Fridays off. You're a senior. Why were you home this morning?"
"Last night..." He hesitated, then met Lu Lie's gaze for a few seconds before looking away again and inhaling deeply. "I called my brother to ask for living expenses. He said business at the shop was bad and my sister-in-law was strict with money. He had none to spare. He also mentioned a few spiders had escaped recently—said he left the enclosure open and went out to play cards. When he returned, they were gone. He'd been searching for them ever since. He told me to borrow money from classmates and make do for now. I took a leave to come ask him in person."
Lu Lie tilted his head slightly, noticing a faint injury just below He Chuanhui's ear.
His gaze narrowed. "Your brother covered all your living expenses? What about your parents?"
"They died in a car crash," he added quickly, "Four years ago."
"The compensation money—was it under your brother's control?" Lu Lie asked without pause, leaving no time for evasion.
"Yes."
Lu Lie nodded, thoughtful. Then changed the subject, "You mentioned spiders. What kind?"
"My brother got some black widows from who knows where. Said he forgot to close the enclosure while feeding them and went out to gamble. When he got back, the tank was empty. He'd been searching for them for days."
"Where's your sister-in-law?"
"She went on a trip."
"And the bruise near your eye?"
"My eye?" He swallowed, clearly rattled by Lu Lie's suspicion. "It happened at school. I hit something by accident."
"And the injury behind your ear?"
His gaze drifted again. Another swallow. "Got into a fight with a classmate."
Lu Lie's pen paused mid-air. His sharp gaze turned flat and unreadable. He cracked his neck slightly and closed the notebook. "That's all for now. You'll come with us to the station later and give a formal statement."
He Chuanhui gave a small, startled sound, then nodded, visibly uneasy.
Lu Lie cast him a deep glance, then turned without another word, slipped on shoe covers, and stepped into the shop.
The first thing he saw was Zhou Chaochao, the young officer bent over the table near the wall, her attention fixed, as if she'd just discovered something.
With his long legs, Lu Lie closed the distance in two strides. Folding his arms, he mirrored her posture, then squatted down to observe the floor. There was a scattering of plaster dust.
"Table hit the wall—likely a violent impact," he observed, coolly and precisely.
Hearing his voice made Zhou Chaochao flinch. She pulled herself out of her focused state, and when she looked up, the first thing she saw was the sharp line of his jaw and his Adam's apple moving as he spoke.
"Yes…"
Lu Lie didn't meet her gaze. "Tell me what you've found."
She steadied herself and looked around. "I examined the surfaces of the glass enclosures and temperature-controlled tanks with a blue light. There were numerous and chaotic fingerprints—mostly sweat prints. I isolated a few for identification."
"The floor is extremely clean—too clean. Apart from a single set of muddy footprints, there are no other marks. The prints are linear in pattern, size 41, 25.5 cm long and 7.2 cm wide. They don't match the victim's shoes. He wore leather ones with a wavy tread. His soles were muddy, yet there are no matching prints in the store. I suspect someone cleaned the floor after the incident."
She glanced through the glass door at the boy outside. "The footprints likely belong to him. I'll confirm later."
Lu Lie nodded in approval, casting a glance at her. She bit her lip, slightly anxious.
"Anything else?"
"Yes," she continued, "The table with the enclosures was moved. There are scuff marks where it scraped the wall. Plaster dust on the floor suggests an impact. Look here—" she crouched again and motioned for him to join her. He followed her gesture, squatting beside her.
"See the marks by the table corner? Two drag lines, partially overlapping. They're fresh. Short. Directional—toward the wall. The furniture wasn't flush against it before. There's about a twenty-centimeter gap. I believe a struggle occurred, shifting the furniture and slamming the table against the wall. Someone then dragged it back, clumsily."
She finally looked at Lu Lie—and to her surprise, their eyes met. His were beautifully shaped, classic phoenix eyes, slightly upturned at the corners. Though alluring in form, his gaze was anything but soft—sharp and intense, matching his handsome, rebellious features.
That face was seared into her memory. Six years ago, when she nearly drowned, the first person she saw upon waking was Lu Lie.
And…
Her lips tightened slightly, a faint flush rising to her ears as old memories stirred.
But Lu Lie didn't notice. He stood up first, surveying the shop as he mentally organized all the clues.
Reptiles—as pets—were a new urban trend, especially popular among youth. In recent years, the domestic market had flourished.
Jingxin Reptile Shop was modest in size but well-designed, with orderly rows of enclosures and thermal tanks. It didn't feel cramped, which revealed the owner's dedication.
Lu Lie spoke, his tone utterly devoid of warmth. "Anything else?"
"Nothing for now," Zhou Chaochao stood and replied softly, like a child caught doing something wrong.
Lu Lie eyed her demeanor and suddenly gave a low, amused chuckle. Though quiet, his voice remained deep. "Zhou Chaochao, do I look like I bite? Why are you so afraid of me?"
She looked up at him and, after a moment's thought, answered honestly, "A little."
Lu Lie's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression brightening with intrigue as he studied the young woman.
"Did I scare you with that run yesterday?"
Zhou Chaochao's face remained unreadable. "Perhaps."
Lu Lie turned away, the smile vanishing, his expression once more stern. "Prepare yourself. You're under my command now. If you slip up, you'll find I can be far more terrifying."