After returning home that evening, Yu Hanjiang formulated the next steps of the investigation plan.
First of all, since Qiao Xuening swore that she had never used a body double and that her agency's contract had records of it, it proves that she kept the matter of using a body double a secret from everyone, including her manager and other colleagues.
The manager behaved normally today and seemed genuinely unaware of the situation.
Therefore, it is highly likely that Qiao Xuening and her stunt double made some kind of deal in private. This requires checking Qiao Xuening's bank account statements over the years, including cash flow, to see if she has withdrawn large amounts of cash or transferred money to any people, and to check if these transactions match her filming schedule. In particular, the bank statements during the filming of the martial arts drama "Reign of Assassins" should be investigated.
Secondly, the hospital where Qiao Xuening stayed during her fracture also needs to be thoroughly investigated. We should talk to the attending physician about Qiao Xuening's condition and see if we can find any details about the stand-in.
The third point is the motive for the crime.
On the surface, Qiao Xuening and Lin Yiyan are best friends, roommates in college, who spend every day in the library together and are inseparable. If hatred or conflict really arises between them, there are two turning points.
One is that the two went to the audition together back then. Lin Yiyan was accepted and became the female lead in the web series "Teenage Heart" and became an instant hit, while Qiao Xuening was not selected. Did anything happen at that time? Did she hold a grudge because of this?
Secondly, in the year Qiao Xuening became a huge star, she was on the verge of taking another step forward and solidifying her status as a top-tier female celebrity in the entertainment industry. But at that moment, someone leaked her private photos, smeared her, and accused her of being a gold digger who abandoned her first love. Her image collapsed overnight, her Weibo was attacked by online trolls, and her nude photos spread across various forums, becoming the talk of the town among male netizens.
This incident was so devastating for her that she even developed depression and contemplated suicide.
Although she later salvaged her image, won her lawsuit against the scumbag for defamation, and bravely returned to the public eye, people stopped mocking her out of sympathy for her plight.
Because of this incident, she remained out of the public eye for two years. For an actor, two years is an extremely important golden period.
Is this related to Lin Yiyan?
Yu Hanjiang meticulously reviewed all the clues in the case from beginning to end.
Zhou Yuanyuan, who was detained due to excessive suspicion, can continue his trial tomorrow.
Zhou Yuanyuan was overshadowed by Lin Yiyan in a car accident, resulting in disfigurement. Binoculars, posters, gloves, and other evidence were found in her home. She maintained her innocence, and due to a lack of compelling evidence, the police were unable to convict her.
But he couldn't let her go.
...
The following day, Yu Hanjiang returned to the Police Station and first interrogated Zhou Yuanyuan.
The disfigured woman remained indifferent, repeating only one sentence: "I am not the murderer."
Her hatred for Lin Yiyan was obvious; the posters with her face slashed were shocking. However, the posters and binoculars weren't direct evidence, the fruit knife found in her house didn't show any blood, and no fingerprints or hair of hers were found at the crime scene...
We can't convict someone solely based on the fact that "she hates Lin Yiyan ".
Yu Hanjiang kept her in the detention center, and then went with Xiao Lou to find a doctor at the rehabilitation
hospital.
They asked many questions about the details of Qiao Xuening's hospitalization.
The doctor said, " Qiao Xuening? I remember her very well. She was in a lot of pain during her fracture recovery. Like a child learning to walk, she would gasp for breath with every step. But this girl had a strong ability to endure pain. She never shed a tear and gritted her teeth to bear the pain."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "What are the characteristics of her voice? Could you describe it in detail?"
The doctor said, "During that time, she had a cold, and her voice sounded a little hoarse."
—His voice was hoarse, just like when the crew was filming " The Dark Closes Its Eyes " in the mountains; it was again due to a cold. Was this a coincidence, or was it intentional?
Yu Hanjiang then asked, "Did anyone accompany her when she went to the doctor?"
Doctor: "They were all accompanied by their managers."
Yu Hanjiang: "What's her relationship with the manager like?"
The doctor chuckled, "She doesn't talk much. Every time she comes for a check-up, she comes and goes in a hurry. Big stars are afraid of being photographed by paparazzi, so big sunglasses, scarves, and hats are standard attire, covering her whole face. After the X-ray, I show it to her and tell her some precautions, and then she leaves without saying much to me."
Xiao Lou asked, "How well had her fracture healed when she was discharged from the hospital? Was she able to dance?"
The doctor pulled up her last X-ray from the computer and said, "At that time, callus had already formed, the fracture line had become blurred, and walking was not greatly affected. She asked me if she could dance, and I told her that it was best to observe for a while longer, avoid strenuous activities, and do what she could to avoid any sequelae."
*
The clue the doctor got was a cold.
Whether it's a genuine cold or a deliberate act of faking it due to the voice, it's still uncertain.
After leaving the hospital, Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou went to the bank again to check Qiao Xuening's bank statements.
The two were surprised to discover that Qiao Xuening frequently withdrew cash from the bank, in varying amounts, sometimes several thousand yuan, sometimes tens of thousands. In the first half of this year, while filming the martial arts movie "Reign of Assassins," she withdrew one million yuan in cash in one go; in November, she withdrew two hundred thousand yuan.
The two printed out her detailed bank statements from the past few years as evidence.
On the way back, Xiao Lou looked through the bank statements and couldn't help but wonder, "In this world, you can directly swipe your ID card or scan a QR code to make a purchase, but she withdrew a large amount of cash. Could this cash be the salary for her stand-in?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "That's possible. If she transfers money directly to the same account, the bank statement will record it, making it easy to find the other party's account information. But if she withdraws cash and then gives it to the other party privately, then there will be no evidence left."
Xiao Lou nodded in agreement: "That makes sense. It's hard to explain so many cash withdrawal records. You can't exactly say they were used to buy bags or cosmetics, can you?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "If we ask her directly, her reason will definitely be that she took it for pocket money. It's normal for celebrities to spend thousands or tens of thousands on a meal or to spend tens of thousands on a shopping trip. We have no way to check the cash transaction records."
Xiao Lou said, "But this cash withdrawal is too suspicious. It just happens to match the time when she was filming movies and variety shows."
Yu Hanjiang made a conjecture: "Suppose that she has a body double who looks very much like her. When filming a dangerous horse-riding scene in a martial arts movie, she asks the body double to perform the scene and gives the body double a sum of cash in private. Unexpectedly, the body double accidentally breaks his leg, so she gives him extra money for medical treatment and asks him to go to the hospital under the identity of Qiao Xuening."
Xiao Lou said, "This explains why her fracture healed faster than normal, and why there were inconsistencies in her answers regarding the details of her hospitalization."
Yu Hanjiang said, "If this assumption is true, then on the day of filming the variety show ' The Dark Closes Its Eyes,' the stand-in was also on set. She was not familiar with any of the guests, so the stand-in did not need to worry about the embarrassment of being asked questions she did not know. Moreover, she spent most of the time in the tent, speaking and voting, and the process was very simple."
The 17th was the day the incident occurred.
If Yu Hanjiang's conjecture is correct, then Qiao Xuening's alibi was fabricated.
A body double helped her film a variety show in the mountains, getting many people to act as witnesses for her, while she herself appeared at Moon Lake Villa Estate and killed Lin Yiyan.
Xiao Lou asked in bewilderment, "We checked the cars registered under Qiao Xuening's name. On the night of the 16th, her car was driven into the mountains, and the destination was near the filming location of a variety show. There was no record of her taking a taxi to Moon Lake Villa Estate on her phone. Moreover, we checked all the cars that entered and exited the villa estate on the two days in question, and there were no vehicles belonging to Qiao Xuening's relatives or friends. How did she get into the villa area?"
A living person can't just parachute into a villa area or dig a hole and crawl inside, can they?
There are no security cameras at the entrance.
Women who are photographed with Qiao Xuening or who resemble her can be identified by their license plate numbers and the owners of all the vehicles that enter or leave the area. None of these people are related to Qiao Xuening.
Furthermore, Qiao Xuening did not own any property in the Moon Lake Villa Estate. Unlike Zhou Yuanyuan, who lived directly across from the deceased, making her a prime suspect for Yu Hanjiang, who had no choice but to arrest her.
How did Qiao Xuening get into the villa area?
Yu Hanjiang was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Perhaps, she didn't just enter the villa area on the 16th and 17th, but... she stayed in Lin Yiyan's villa all along, waiting for an opportunity."
Xiao Lou imagined the scene and was immediately horrified.
Could it be true, as Captain Yu suspected, that the murderer has actually been hiding in Lin Yiyan's villa all along?