Chapter 117: The More You Struggle, The More Excited I Get

How many people would say it’s inconvenient when the police ask? 

Xiao Yu arrived at Jiang Dan’s residence, an apartment building not far from the flower shop. Originally, the apartment belonged to the flower shop owner, Wu Tingting. When her family sold off her assets, Jiang Dan bought it all. Now, it was Jiang Dan’s home alone.

According to the police investigation, Jiang Dan had known Wu Tingting for eight years. Jiang Dan had worked in Wu Tingting’s shop since she started. People who knew them said, “They had a great relationship, like sisters!” 

So, after Jiang Dan started working at the flower shop, they lived together.

The moment Xiao Yu walked through the door and activated his Monarch Butterfly’s nose, he smelled… three people. 

Three people? Xiao Yu stood at the entrance, stunned for a long time.

“Come in,” Jiang Dan, with red eyes, glanced at Xiao Yu.

“Oh.” 

Snapping out of it, Xiao Yu’s expression became strange. How could there be three people’s scents? And it was two women’s scents and one man’s scent. The man’s scent was as recent as yesterday. 

Looking oddly at Jiang Dan, Xiao Yu thought, if she really was Jiang Dan, did she already have another man? Was Ren Chang clueless?

Why think this way? If Jiang Dan really did break up with Ren Chang, then being single and having a man wasn’t an issue. The issue was that the man’s scent was very strong in the apartment, suggesting frequent visits.

Then, an even stranger question arose. Besides Jiang Dan, who was the other woman? Wu Tingting? Don’t joke! She’s been dead for nine months, and even with Xiao Yu’s Monarch Butterfly’s nose system perk, he couldn’t smell something from nine months ago.

Unless items used or personal belongings of Wu Tingting were still in this room, the scent wouldn’t linger this long. 

However, one thing was clear. The woman’s scent was fading, almost gone.

“Has anyone else been to your place besides you?”

Xiao Yu snapped out of his thoughts and stared directly into Jiang Dan’s eyes, activating his Falcon’s Eye, and focused on her pupils.

“Huh?”

Jiang Dan’s pupils suddenly contracted rapidly a few times. She shook her head slightly, “No, I’ve been living alone recently.”

Heh… Xiao Yu’s lips curled up into a smile.

‘Why lie? Even if you admit it, so what? If you hadn’t lied, I might have just checked the scent and ruled you out as a suspect. But now… Jiang Dan?’

“Who are you really?” 

Xiao Yu suddenly got goosebumps all over, like cold snakes slithering from his tailbone up to his head. He stared coldly at Jiang Dan and asked, word by word.

“…”

Jiang Dan was first taken aback, then her already unnatural face displayed an even more unnatural smile, “Officer, what are you talking about?”

Xiao Yu didn’t respond. He turned to Guo Qiang, who had been silently following and was now utterly bewildered and terrified, “Retrieve all the surveillance footage from the neighborhood, including the footage from this building.”

Why was Guo Qiang dumbfounded? The person in front of them was clearly Jiang Dan. Why was Xiao Yu asking who she was? 

In an instant, Guo Qiang felt as if gusts of cold wind were blowing over him. He glanced suspiciously at Jiang Dan, whose expression had subtly changed, then turned and left.

“Officer, is there some sort of misunderstanding?” After a moment, Jiang Dan forced a smile, “Did I say something wrong?”

“I wasn’t really suspicious of you.” Xiao Yu didn’t even look at Jiang Dan as he surveyed the living room, “Because pretending to be someone else, outside of movies and novels, is not realistic. While possible, it’s too complex to execute.”

Jiang Dan’s face changed drastically.

“So, because I thought too much and considered too many possibilities, I ended up confusing myself, thinking it couldn’t be done. But…” Xiao Yu slowly turned his head and looked coldly at Jiang Dan, “I never thought you’d actually manage to do it.”

Jiang Dan lowered her head and remained silent.

“Not admitting it?” Xiao Yu sneered, “No problem, once we review the surveillance footage, if it confirms my suspicion, I have plenty of ways to make you confess. I even know who you really are. No, I already know who you are. Would you say I’m right… Wu Tingting?”

Jiang Dan… No, it should be Wu Tingting. Her body trembled, she kept her head down and didn’t speak.

‘Not speaking is useful,’ Xiao Yu laughed coldly and said no more.

Soon, the neighborhood and building surveillance footage was retrieved.

After viewing it, it confirmed what Xiao Yu had sniffed out with his Monarch Butterfly’s nose. A man frequently entered and left Wu Tingting’s home. Who was he? Quickly, they investigated.

Duan Qicheng: Male, 35 years old. 

Occupation: Doctor, Chief Surgeon, Plastic Surgery Specialist.

Key point: Wu Tingting’s boyfriend.

The surveillance showed that recently, only Duan Qicheng had been entering Wu Tingting’s home, no other woman.

So why were there the scents of two women in the house? If Wu Tingting had really replaced Jiang Dan, wouldn’t it just be Wu Tingting and Duan Qicheng coming and going?

No. There were indeed two women’s scents. Wu Tingting, pretending to be Jiang Dan, had to use some of Jiang Dan’s belongings to avoid arousing suspicion. Over time, she wouldn’t switch everything out to avoid people noticing too big of a change.

For example, she would wear Jiang Dan’s clothes, shoes, and carry her bags when going out. That was why one woman’s scent was gradually fading. It was still there because someone was continuously using her belongings.

“Arrest Duan Qicheng,” Xiao Yu ordered.

“Yes!” Li Xin and Liu Hongqiao responded and left, while Guo Qiang stayed behind, staring at Wu Tingting, who was now trembling so much she could barely stand. It was still hard for him to accept that the woman before them was Wu Tingting.

“Still not talking?” Xiao Yu was intrigued, looking at the trembling Wu Tingting. “Do you think this will help? If I can figure out you’re Wu Tingting, I can figure out everything else. What’s the point of your disguise?”

“You…” 

With Jiang Dan’s face, Wu Tingting raised her head, her expression twisted. “What evidence do you have that I’m Wu Tingting?”

“Stubborn to the end?” Xiao Yu shook his head with a smile. “The simplest way is to check the DNA, do a blood test with Jiang Dan’s parents and yours.”

“Is that so?” Wu Tingting’s face twisted into a sinister smile, still pretending to be Jiang Dan. “What if I told you I wasn’t their biological child, but a child they bought? That’s why I left to work at eighteen when I found out!”

Xiao Yu, “…”

‘Jiang Dan’s past, not from the countryside but abducted? The police didn’t uncover this? But, do you think that stops me?’

“Wu Tingting isn’t her parents’ biological child either?” Xiao Yu laughed coldly.

“How would I know?” Wu Tingting continued to smile, “But I heard Wu Tingting’s parents emigrated four months ago.”

Xiao Yu was stunned, looking at the smiling Wu Tingting.

It was as if she was saying: why are you making this so complicated?

Soon, Xiao Yu laughed, a very happy laugh.

‘Struggle, struggle with all your might. The more you struggle, the more excited I get!’