To Lu Yan’s surprise, there were quite a few photos from October on her phone, with thumbnails densely packed together, roughly four to five hundred of them.

As she scrolled through, she suddenly realized: she had been following Ding Jing then, and there were quite a few photos of her in the camera.

She stole a glance at Jiang Chengyi, who was still on the phone and hadn’t noticed what she was doing. She let out a slight sigh of relief. Although he already knew about this, thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t exactly dignified, and she still felt somewhat guilty mentioning it.

Thinking about Ding Jing’s recent murder, she decided to organize these photos and send them together to Jiang Chengyi once they connected to WiFi at her mother’s place.

She increased her scrolling speed, hoping to skip past the series of Ding Jing photos and quickly find the professor’s slides from the conference.

Around the hundredth photo, she slowed down.

The photo was taken at the entrance of XX Residential Complex, showing Ding Jing wearing a gray dress, and walking into the complex.

When taking the photo, she had been standing across the street, making Ding Jing’s figure appear somewhat small, but fortunately, the camera’s high resolution maintained good clarity.

The next photo showed Ding Jing coming out of the complex.

The photos were taken about twenty minutes apart.

After coming out, Ding Jing didn’t leave immediately but looked around before crossing to the other side of the street.

The following photos were of her dining out with Tang Jie.

Recalling the situation, she must have left immediately when Ding Jing started walking over, fearing discovery.

Due to her work schedule, she could only follow Ding Jing on weekends or after night shifts. She remembered Ding Jing had visited this complex in September as well, but because of the long interval between visits and Ding Jing’s lack of suspicious behavior at the time, she hadn’t thought much of it.

She had assumed Ding Jing was visiting friends, but thinking back now, something seemed off. If it were truly a friend’s visit, Ding Jing wouldn’t have stayed for just twenty minutes each time.

Particularly strange was Ding Jing’s cautious expression in the photos.

According to Liu Yujie, Ding Jing had already encountered the fake Deng Man by then and was deeply frightened. Because of this, Ding Jing had first told Jiang Chengyi and his aunt about experiencing something strange, then later suspected Lu Yan…

She fell into deep thought, unconsciously flipping back and forth between the three photos.

It was noon, and the photos showed a bustling scene. Besides pedestrians, various vehicles passed through the frame.

She kept zooming in and out, carefully examining the photos, trying to search for clues among the crowd.

After reviewing several photos, she felt disappointed. Nothing. Among all those people in the photos, none resembled the fake Deng Man.

Just as she was about to exit, her eyes unconsciously swept across the upper left corner, and she suddenly noticed a short man wearing a baseball cap.

This person hadn’t appeared in the previous photos, but after Ding Jing came out, he suddenly appeared in view. He wore a denim jacket and jeans, dressed youthfully, and with his head lowered, the baseball cap covered part of his face.

He stood in front of the ATM at the bank by the complex’s left entrance, seemingly waiting to withdraw money, but his gaze was directed toward Ding Jing in the distance.

After zooming in, Lu Yan stared at the person’s profile again and again, suddenly realizing that the person was actually older, and the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed.

Red light.

Jiang Chengyi hit the brakes and turned to see Lu Yan staring blankly at her phone. He reached over and pinched her ear: “What are you daydreaming about?”

Lu Yan hurriedly held the screen up to his eyes: “Quick, look at this photo.”

He leaned back slightly, frowning at the screen: “What photo is this?”

“I took it when I was following Ding Jing.” Too shocked to remember her guilt, Lu Yan answered shamelessly.

Jiang Chengyi glanced at her, suppressing a smile, took the phone, and zoomed in on the person’s face. As he made out the details, his expression gradually grew serious.

“Who do you think this looks like?” Lu Yan stared intently at Jiang Chengyi, her heart pounding.

“Teacher Zhou?”

Lu Yan pondered: “Don’t you think it’s too coincidental…”

“When and where was this photo taken?”

“October 20th, at the entrance of XX Complex.”

“Which district, which road?”

“Jinfeng District, Yiyuan Road. During the time I was following her, Ding Jing visited this complex twice, but each time she only stayed for about twenty minutes before leaving.”

Jiang Chengyi thought for a moment, then started making a call. After connecting, he said to the person on the other end: “Old Qin, check if Ding Jianguo or Yu Meiyuan own any property in XX Complex on Yiyuan Road.”

After listening for a few moments, Jiang Chengyi continued: “Yes, Ding Jing’s parents. Previously we only searched Ding Jing’s regular residences but didn’t thoroughly investigate all the Ding family properties. Ding Jing seemed to have visited XX Complex before her death. If we confirm there’s a Ding family residence in XX Complex on Yiyuan Road, I’ll apply for a search warrant. Also, we’ll have an emergency meeting tonight. I need to assign people to specifically monitor someone.”

After he finished, Lu Yan thought for a moment and asked: “Are you going to investigate Teacher Zhou?”

Jiang Chengyi said: “Remember that woman lingering outside your house that night?”

“What about her?”

“According to our investigation, this person is likely the killer. Tonight I need to go to the bureau for a meeting. You might as well come with me to make a statement.”

“That person is the killer?” Lu Yan felt a chill, her hair standing on end. Remembering the old man from a few days ago who claimed to have seen a ghost, her voice tightened involuntarily. “Did the killer target me because I accidentally witnessed her impersonating Deng Man? Also, is this the same person who impersonated Li Liwei?”

Seeing Jiang Chengyi’s silence, her face paled slightly: “If that’s true, then there was something wrong with Deng Man’s death.”

Jiang Chengyi hadn’t wanted Lu Yan to know too many case details, partly for confidentiality and partly fearing it would frighten her. But he hadn’t expected her to guess so accurately, showing she must have been pondering this matter quite a bit lately.

He said: “This case is an exceptionally large serial murder case rarely seen in recent years. The killer’s method of selecting targets is very peculiar. If I’m not mistaken, the killer is likely to strike again soon. We must race against time to identify the next victim. Both Deng Man and Ding Jing are connected to this matter. Your photos just provided an important lead. If Zhou Zhicheng did follow Ding Jing, we might use this as a breakthrough point.”

Lu Yan keenly caught the information in his words: “Are Ding Jing’s and our colleague Wang Qianqian’s cases done by the same killer? I remember telling you before that Wang Qianqian had also used a similar tarot card wishing website. They said there was one card particularly hard to draw – was it from the Dongzhi website? If so, is the killer’s target selection related to this website?”

Jiang Chengyi gave a deep “mm-hmm” and said: “From what we know now, several victims had made wishes on the website, but the killer hasn’t infiltrated the site since September. So we’ve listed users who drew cards and made wishes before September as persons of special interest, though we can’t rule out that the killer might have switched to a different method of selecting targets for safety reasons.”

Lu Yan’s heart tightened. In the vast sea of people, with limited police resources, Jiang Chengyi had been working non-stop to find the killer. Working overtime on Saturday and Sunday wasn’t enough; he still needed to attend meetings at the bureau at night. In other words, they were racing against time with the killer.

Seeing Lu Yan’s serious expression, Jiang Chengyi quickly adopted a lighter tone: “Don’t think about this anymore. We’ve gathered quite a few leads; the case will be solved when the time comes. We’re almost at Fenglu Garden. Think about what your mom likes – should we buy anything else?”

After lunch, they would have to rush back to Songshan Road, so this meal would leave a crucial impression on Lu Yan’s mother.

Lu Yan thought of the pile of meeting gifts in the trunk – an expensive bird’s nest from Eu Yan Sang, a ridiculously expensive air purifier. Jiang Chengyi had made the most thorough preparations possible in the shortest time for this meeting.

She smiled slightly and said: “My mom will be looking at you as a person, not at those gifts.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chengyi checked the rearview mirror and said with a straight face: “Then someone like me should score about ninety-nine points, right?”

Lu Yan leaned over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek: “One hundred and one points!”

After parking at the complex, Lu Yan stood in front of Jiang Chengyi, straightened his tie once more, and then pulled him into the elevator.

Lu Yan’s mother hadn’t remarried all these years. In the early years, it was because Lu Yan was too young, and she worried remarrying would affect her child. In recent years, it was because Lu Yan had started working, and her mindset had changed. However, perhaps fearing her mother’s loneliness, Lu Yan had never stopped trying to help her find a companion in recent years.

She had dated several men, but none of the relationships lasted due to incompatibility. However, she took a relaxed view of this and didn’t force anything.

Her work was leisurely, and her daughter was self-sufficient. Outside of work, she kept dogs, grew flowers, and occasionally traveled with friends, living quite freely.

Knowing Lu Yan would bring her boyfriend today, she had started preparing early in the morning. Even their dog “Doudou” seemed more excited than usual, as if knowing “sister” was coming home.

While she was busy in the kitchen, she heard the door open and her daughter’s voice: “Mom.”

She wiped her hands and came out to see a tall young man standing beside her daughter. He had a clean presence and handsome features, matching very well with her daughter. At first glance, she was already seventy to eighty percent satisfied.

But looking more carefully, she realized he looked particularly familiar.

Doudou, fat like a fluffy ball, kept circling Lu Yan and Jiang Chengyi’s feet. Lu Yan couldn’t move for a while and had to bend down to pick him up and place him on the sofa before formally making introductions: “Mom, this is Jiang Chengyi.” Her attitude was natural, though her tone couldn’t help being a bit shy.

Seeing Lu’s mother approach, Jiang Chengyi naturally understood what the recognition in her eyes meant. He cleared his throat calmly and smiled slightly: “Hello, Auntie.”

Lu’s mother suppressed her confusion and broke into an extremely warm smile, quickly walking over: “Xiao Jiang, welcome, welcome. Come, please sit.”

She brought Jiang Chengyi a cup of water but automatically ignored Lu Yan.

Lu Yan complained coquettishly: “Mom!” She went to the kitchen in her slippers, making pattering sounds, to get water for herself.

This was Jiang Chengyi’s first time seeing Lu Yan interact with her mother, and she showed none of her usual composure and grace, acting just like a child. He couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Thinking of what he knew about Lu’s mother, he didn’t dare be careless and gathered his full attention to engage with her.

Lu Yan came back with her water, but her mother was only talking to Jiang Chengyi, leaving her aside. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she hugged Doudou and slipped away to her bedroom.

The room had been cleaned by her mom, neat and fresh, with newly changed bedsheets that carried the distinct smell of sun-dried laundry.

She lay on the bed and idly took out her phone.

The first news pushed on WeChat was about Zheng Xiaowen.

“Though missing out on the Best Actress award at the XX Film Festival, Miss Zheng has been riding high on good fortune lately. Yesterday she publicly received a million-dollar diamond ring from Director Zhang Dashan, and today her new drama opened at XX Studio. The drama boasts an all-star cast, with Director Wen Peng being a dark horse in the film and television circle in recent years. Last year, his XXX won the Best Film award at the XX Film Festival…”

Scrolling down, Lu Yan noticed that Zheng Xiaowen’s co-star was Yu Baifeng, the popular young actor who had called her before.

She put down her phone disinterestedly. She had no concept of entertainment industry “fame,” though Zheng Xiaowen making headlines every day must be quite famous.

Thinking about Jiang Chengyi being outside, she dawdled for a while before carrying Doudou back out, only to find her mother and Jiang Chengyi chatting very harmoniously. Though Jiang Chengyi barely said anything, her mother kept smiling and nodding.

After a while, her mother, mindful of kitchen duties, got up to leave.

Only then did Lu Yan sit down beside Jiang Chengyi and quietly ask: “What were you talking about with my mom just now?”

Jiang Chengyi took a sip of tea and looked at her: “I’ll tell you when we get back tonight.”

Playing mysterious.

Lu Yan let out a soft humph and went to help her mother in the kitchen.

Halfway there, Jiang Chengyi’s phone rang. She stopped and looked back.

She heard Jiang Chengyi say: “Probably can’t get a search warrant on the weekend. I’ll try to contact the bureau. I know Ding Jing’s family; I’ll call her father right away to see if we can get his consent to search Ding Jing’s residence directly.”

So Ding Jing did have a place in XX Complex.

She pondered this as she entered the kitchen.