Chapter 299: Chapter 299: Before and After People, Inviting a Wolf into the House

Left the forensic department.

Chen Xiao drove all the way to Jiao Guoxuan’s home.

Speaking of Jiao Guoxuan’s home, Chen Xiao was probably the fifth group to arrive. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The first group was the local police station, followed by the county criminal investigation team.

Then came Han Zai, followed by Lin Xi’s task force, and finally Chen Xiao.

Since Chen Xiao was the fifth group to reach the crime scene, there was no doubt the scene had been thoroughly examined.

Chen Xiao did not come here hoping to find anything.

He simply had a feeling, one that left him no time to even look at the autopsy report Zhong Tian was about to complete.

He opened the door to Jiao Guoxuan’s house.

Chen Xiao didn’t rush into the dining room but sat in the living room for a while.

For an ordinary household in the county, Jiao Family’s living room was undoubtedly luxurious.

A standalone, self-built villa.

The large chandelier in the living room alone was a testament to wealth.

And the finely crafted, expensive wooden furniture gave anyone entering the living room a sense of Jiao Guoxuan’s affluence.

Chen Xiao sat on a chair in the living room, silently observing and feeling.

After about five minutes, Chen Xiao finally got up and headed to the bedroom.

He first opened the first bedroom.

This, too, had been inspected by the police, but things that didn’t arouse suspicion at the time would mostly be left at the scene.

And the police constantly guarding the scene would keep an eye on any movements around the house.

Chen Xiao, who had already put on gloves and shoe covers, reached out to open the wardrobe.

He didn’t search but observed the clothes in the wardrobe.

After a homicide occurs, investigators need to constantly learn about both the victim and the perpetrator.

While in the dissection room, Chen Xiao felt a sense of caution.

That caution was that he kept thinking and analyzing without having a deep enough understanding of the victim.

This was a very dangerous signal.

So Chen Xiao stopped his losses in time and didn’t waste any more time.

Now he wanted to truly understand them, from the exterior of Jiao Family to the interior, and then to the daily lives of the deceased.

The wardrobe was mostly filled with women’s clothes.

Of course, there were quite a few men’s clothes as well.

And it was clear that the wardrobe mostly contained everyday home wear.

So there should be a special dressing room or something similar in the villa.

However, Chen Xiao looked at the wardrobe just to identify a few things.

Mainly the relationship between Jiao Guoxuan and Wei Rong.

If there were many of Wei Rong’s clothes in the wardrobe, it indicated that Jiao Guoxuan was willing to spend money on her.

Moreover, if Wei Rong had prepared many suits, ties, shoes, and other such items for Jiao Guoxuan in both the wardrobe and the dressing room that Chen Xiao was about to search,

it could also show that, at least in Wei Rong’s mind, she respected and cared for Jiao Guoxuan.

Of course, this was only a side identification and couldn’t be completely confirmed.

After all, everyone has their little thoughts.

From Jiao Guoxuan and Wei Rong’s bedroom, Chen Xiao did not find any details suggesting problems in their marital relationship.

On the contrary, Chen Xiao discovered some very private items.

For example, medications used by men.

And certain protective items, of which Chen Xiao saw many.

This also subtly suggested that the emotional bond between Jiao Guoxuan and Wei Rong was indeed strong.

Otherwise, why stockpile such things?

Leaving the bedroom, it wasn’t long before Chen Xiao found the dressing room.

Inside were mostly Wei Rong’s clothes, along with some women’s clothing of a completely different style.

The two styles allowed Chen Xiao to figure out that some of Jiao Yan’s clothes were also stored here.

But her clothes weren’t as passionately fiery as Wei Rong’s.

Her wardrobe was predominantly sporty.

Apart from the two of them, the rest of the dressing room was filled with men’s clothing and accessories suitable for important occasions.

Leaving the dressing room, Chen Xiao then went to Jiao Yan’s room.

Inside, Chen Xiao found a photo album.

The album had a pink cover, quite girlish.

However, most of the photos were of Jiao Yan, her stepmother Wei Rong, and her sister Jiao Yue, with few of Jiao Guoxuan.

The thick album was well-maintained without a speck of dust, though some parts were damaged.

What does that indicate?

It indicates that the album was often taken out for viewing and cleaning.

If Jiao Yan had a bad relationship with her stepmother, it’s unlikely such an album would be found in her room.

Chen Xiao sat on Jiao Yan’s bed.

But he soon stood up again.

He felt like something was missing in this room.

Due to Qiao Zhiyuan, Jiao Yan once broke her elbow in a drag race, and from Qiao Zhiyuan, one could learn that she was a lively girl who liked excitement.

If so, why was her room so girlish?

A white bed, a white desk.

On the desk, there were books!

Not romance novels, and Chen Xiao even saw a book called "Thick Black Theory" among them!

Chen Xiao immediately approached the desk and, among the pile of books, was taken aback to find, apart from Thick Black Theory, an early short story by Wang Dahe that had been published!

The title was ordinary, called "Before and After People"!

This novel was considered Wang Dahe’s best work in his early years.

Of course, Wang Dahe never caused a stir in the literary world; otherwise, he wouldn’t still be a small-time teacher today.

"Before and After People" was something Chen Xiao had never read before.

For one, he was too young and lacked money back then, and by the time he could afford it, the work was nowhere to be found.

At this moment, as Chen Xiao flipped through the work, he realized that Wang Dahe had written about a man’s life of duality between his public and private personas.

The book hadn’t been read many times.

Considering its age, it was kept in good condition.

Chen Xiao, looking at the books on the desk, found his brows furrowing tighter and tighter.

A girl who likes excitement and even participates in drag racing.

She naturally should have a girlish side.

But when her living space was completely unrelated to excitement, the phrase "Before and After People" became quite meaningful.

If Chen Xiao were to describe Jiao Yan in layman’s terms,

then the Jiao Yan at home perfectly fit the image of a good girl.

But according to Qiao Zhiyuan’s description, Jiao Yan was kind-hearted but also wild and uninhibited!

"She seems contradictory, problematic, a bit abnormal!"

"And in this whole case, neither I nor Xiaoxi or Teacher Han Zai have felt very strong emotions of vengeance or love-driven crime."

"Besides, Jiao Yan’s original life should have been disrupted after Wei Rong’s arrival. She originally had her own mother, but after another woman moved into her home, she had to call this person her new mom."

"So does she have a dual persona of ’Before and After People’?"

Chen Xiao questioned himself inwardly, then another thought popped up: "Could it be... inviting a wolf into the house?"