The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 631 - 546: The Fragrance Fades, the Jade Perishes

Chapter 631: Chapter 546: The Fragrance Fades, the Jade Perishes

Jian Si had already organized some of her chaotic thoughts, adjusting to her best state. Although he wasn’t home, she rarely enjoyed such tranquility.

The phone beeped once, and she finished drawing one eyebrow before looking down to check it—it was from Nan Zhan.

Picking up her phone and opening the voice message, it turned out to be blank; he hadn’t said a word.

She even wondered if he was asleep and had accidentally pressed the screen, but she quickly dismissed this idea; Nan Zhan wouldn’t do something so foolish.

They hadn’t spoken for a few days, and he probably didn’t want to initiate an apology, but for some reason, he had to speak to her, so he simply sent a blank voice message waiting for her to speak first.

Jian Si said "immature" out loud, intending to ignore his little game.

After a while, he sent another blank voice message. This time it wasn’t entirely blank; there was a faint cough sound just before it ended.

It was very soft, but Jian Si still recognized it as his voice.

She decided not to indulge in his pointless games.

"What’s up?" Jian Si sent these three words.

Soon, Nan Zhan replied: "The medical school documents have been sent to your email; you better take a look."

"Got it." Jian Si thought for a moment and added a few more words, "When are you coming back?"

When Nan Zhan saw this message, the corners of his lips slightly lifted upwards, forming a satisfied curve; he spun his chair around happily. This stubborn woman clearly missed him; he had only been gone a few days and she was already impatient.

Before Nan Zhan’s smile could fade, another message from Jian Si immediately followed: "I’ve found a new place; I’m moving out. Come back for a visit."

Jian Si thought it would be impolite to leave without notification, and since he was the host, he should be present during the move.

The smile that had just risen froze on his face; Lawyer Nan threw his phone aside in irritation, pretending not to see it.

Jian Si waited quite a while without a reply, sighed, and checked her email on the phone; indeed, there was an unread email lying there.

After downloading and opening the email, Jian Si read that Nan Zhan said the murderer was hidden among these people, so she must pay close attention to every detail, not missing any clue.

As Jian Si was reviewing the data of the sixty-third person, the phone by her side rang again. This time it was a sharp ringtone, each ring more urgent than the last.

Even now, Jian Si still wouldn’t use that ringtone because it had made her sense both death and despair at that time.

On the other end, Nan Yu said, "Sisi, Piaopiao is your friend, right?"

"Yes, haven’t you met her?" Jian Si blinked and suddenly had a bad feeling.

"I’m sorry, Sisi." Nan Yu’s voice deepened slightly, "She was found dead at her rental place at eleven thirty today, preliminarily ruled as a suicide."

The phone in Jian Si’s hand suddenly slipped and dropped; her mind seemed to explode.

Dead? Suicide? Piaopiao? Showing a face of sympathy, was he sympathizing with her?

Jian Si was pulled into the car.

"Does she have any relatives in Aus City?" Nan Zhan, who was driving, suddenly asked.

Jian Si didn’t know how she had rushed downstairs; her mind seemed completely vacant, left only with the last time she saw Feng Piaopiao, her white dress, her soft hair...

How could this be, it’s impossible.

The moment Jian Si got downstairs, she saw Nan Zhan standing in front of the car. He was dressed in a black shirt, standing straight like a pine tree, his usually proud face—Jian Si didn’t speak, looking out the window, as if still struggling to regain her senses.

After a long while, she finally spoke feebly, "Her mother and... stepfather."

"Call them." Nan Zhan’s tone was still harsh, yet he stared at her through the rearview mirror, unconsciously frowning.

Jian Si picked up the phone, finding Feng Piaopiao’s family landline—a number given to her long ago before she moved out of the house. After moving out, she had never called it. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The phone rang for a while before connecting, and a woman’s clear voice came through: "Hello, who is this?"

Recognizing the voice as Piaopiao’s mother, Jian Si was about to speak when her voice choked up.

The tears she was holding back finally surged, dropping one by one on her curled-up hands.

"Who is this, hello, speak up, I’m going to hang up."

"Auntie." Jian Si sobbed, "It’s Jian Si."

"Oh, it’s Jian Si, what’s up?"

"Auntie, Piaopiao... Piaopiao she...."

"What happened to her, did she cause trouble again? Watch me deal with her."

"She... is dead."

The voice on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped.

Jian Si hung up the phone, tears uncontrollably streaming down her face.

It was only when she uttered those two words that she was abruptly pulled back to reality. Although she always refused to believe and accept it, the reactions of Nan Zhan and Nan Yu told her that this was indeed the truth, leaving no room for disbelief.

Jian Si covered her face, crying her heart out, and a box of tissues was handed to her; without even looking, she took it and held the tissue box, starting to cry again.

Nan Zhan kept staring at the rearview mirror, seeing her cry until her eyes were red and swollen, unable to even make a sound, the always eloquent Lawyer Nan, at this moment, seemed to have run out of words.

Upon reaching the scene, Jian Si saw Jian Chuan.

He was responsible for this area, so it was not surprising to see him.

He was wearing a white lab coat, a mask, and gloves, crouching on the balcony, and in front of him lay a slim female, wearing a beige satin pajama.

Jian Si saw the pink slippers fallen beside her feet and covered her eyes, tears once again overflowing between her fingers.

She had bought those slippers for her, congratulating her on her housewarming, as well as a silver hairband, symbolizing a fresh start.

Jian Si stopped at the door, not daring to take another step forward; she had seen so many horrific corpses, believing she was tough enough, but facing the body of her dear friend, she couldn’t remain composed.

Suddenly, the hand by her side was grasped by someone; his large palm enveloped her hand, squeezing it tightly, his distinctively resolute warmth enveloping her layers upon layers.

Jian Si was startled suddenly, looking up at Nan Zhan, whose gaze was fixed straight ahead, landing on a spot on the balcony.

His eyes were filled with a sharp gleam, like a leopard spotting new prey; having been with him for so long, Jian Si vaguely guessed he had a new lead.

"Jian Si, I know you’re very upset, but now what’s more important isn’t tears, but to find the mastermind who killed your friend."

"What?" Jian Si looked at him in surprise.

Nan Yu said it was a suicide, although Jian Si didn’t quite agree with this, because Feng Piaopiao seemed to be dating Jian Chuan and her demeanor exuded happiness; however, the words she spoke with her that night made Jian Si feel that Feng Piaopiao was especially distressed, possibly leaning towards suicide.

"You mean, Piaopiao was murdered?"

"Yes." Nan Zhan let go of her hand, looked down at her: "Tears won’t solve any problems, sorrow too must wait until the truth comes out."

His tone lacked its usual sarcastic meaning, the intonation also very gentle, Jian Si unsure if this counted as indirect comfort.

Watching Nan Zhan stride in, Jian Si quickly followed.

In the eyes of the police, Jian Si was clearly Nan Zhan’s assistant, so no one stopped her.

Midway, Nan Zhan suddenly stopped and said a few words to Nan Yu, who nodded and then left.

Jian Si mustered her courage and looked down at Feng Piaopiao; upon seeing, she couldn’t control her tears again, she suddenly covered her mouth, biting her lips tightly to hold back the tears.

Feng Piaopiao lay on the balcony’s tiled floor, her body stiff, her lovely eyes tightly shut, a distinct black and purple strangulation mark around her neck, with a chair and a thin rope fallen beside her.

Did she use this rope to end her young life?

Jian Si looked again at Jian Chuan, whose expression was not clear due to the mask, yet his eyes were red and bloodshot.

What could be more brutal than this scene, a forensic examiner personally examining his girlfriend’s body—this, to ordinary people, would near brutality.

Jian Si didn’t know what Jian Chuan’s feelings were right now, whether his stomach was churning, whether his sorrow was about to burst its banks.

But Jian Chuan, after all, wasn’t an ordinary person.

"Deceased, female, age... twenty-four years old, time of death, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. yesterday, cause of death, strangulation by a rope-like object causing ischemic hypoxia of the brain." Jian Chuan narrated calmly, just like his numerous times of professional demeanor at crime scenes, yet listening to him, Jian Si could perceive the hard-to-detect tremor deep in his voice, touching to hear.

"So it’s confirmed as suicide?" A policeman asked nearby.

"No, it’s homicide." Nan Zhan, who had been observing, looked up at the metal clothes rack on the balcony; according to the scene, Feng Piaopiao had stepped on a chair, wrapped the rope around the clothes rack, and then hanged herself by kicking the chair away.

"Homicide?" The policeman looked puzzled at Nan Zhan: "Lawyer Nan, but the scene is so clean, and the tools for the suicide are all present, how could you tell it’s a homicide?"

Jian Chuan, having heard Nan Zhan’s words, had been keeping his eyes downcast, his fist quietly clenched at his side.

Nan Zhan was right, this wasn’t a suicide, this was a real murder.

"You think so too, don’t you?" Nan Zhan suddenly looked at Jian Chuan.

Jian Chuan blinked his eyes lightly: "Yes, this is indeed a premeditated murder, the murderer created the illusion of the victim’s suicide after killing her."