Grocery Store No.514

~Brought to you by Cafe No. 20~

The ghost’s sharp nails stabbed straight toward Ling Hua’an’s neck. Ling Hua’an did not move. A sudden golden light flashed when the female ghost was about to touch him, forming a barrier to isolate the ghost.

Unwillingly, the female ghost changed her target to try to stab Jiang Chengyan. Who knew that a golden barrier also appeared on his body, and the female ghost could not get close at all.

Jiang Chengyan was oblivious, and Ling Hua’an acted as if nothing was wrong, causing the female ghost to frown.

“Officer Jiang, Mr. Ling, please sit down. I’ll get you some drinks.”

Jiang Chengyan helped Ling Hua’an to sit on the sofa and said politely, “Miss Sun, thank you, there’s no need. We’re not thirsty.”

“If you come, you’ll be a guest, not to mention now it’s New Year. You’re welcome! Don’t mention it!”

Jiang Chengyan didn’t say more after hearing it and habitually looked at the surrounding environment. The room is clean, the decoration is also very stylish, and the furniture and furnishings are exquisite. If he doesn’t know about Sun Ting’s life experience, you will think she is a Bai Fumei1.

“Officer Jiang, Mr. Ling, I don’t know what you like to drink, so I made a pot of black tea. Try it. It tastes good.” Sun Ting said politely.

Jiang Chengyan picked up the cup of tea, took a sip, smiled, and said, “It does taste good, thanks.”

“Officer Jiang, you’re welcome. It’s me who should say ‘thank you’. I’ll trouble you about Yijun’s case.”

“This is our responsibility, don’t worry, Miss Sun, we will do our best. I am here today for the case, a routine inquiry. And I ask Miss Sun to cooperate.”

“Officer Jiang, you can ask whatever you want, and I will answer truthfully if I know it.”

Jiang Chengyan took out the voice recorder and set it up before putting it on the table, “Miss Sun, when and where was the last time you and Liang Yijun met?” 

Sun Ting glanced at the recorder, but she didn’t object and replied, “The last time I met Yijun was on the 14th2, which is Valentine’s Day. Like other couples, we went shopping, dined, watched movies together, and went home after 10 o’clock.”

“You don’t live together? ”

Sun Ting tucked her scattered hair behind her ears and said with some embarrassment, “although Yijun and I are lovers, we have never slept together. ”

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Jiang Chengyan asked in surprise, “Are you saying that you haven’t had sex?”

Sun Ting’s face flushed slightly when she was asked and answered, “en, no. I am rather conservative, and Yijun was considerate enough to promise that he would not force me to have sex until we married.”

Jiang Chengyan glanced at Ling Hua’an, then asked, “Do you know Wang Ran?” 

Sun Ting tucked her hair again and said unnaturally, “Yes, she is my friend. I introduced her to the company.”

“Do you know about her being sexually assaulted by Liang Yijun?”

Sun Ting frowned and said, “How is it possible? Yijun is not that kind of person! Officer Jiang, are you mistaken? Yijun has always been clean and self-sufficient. He doesn’t even force me. How could he sexually assault someone else?”

“Then why would Wang Ran tell others that Liang Yijun sexually abused her?”

“I don’t know why she would say that, but Yijun is definitely not that kind of person.” Sun Ting tried her best to defend Liang Yijun.

“Do you know why Wang Ran resigned?”

“I don’t know. Three months ago, Wang Ran suddenly disappeared, and I couldn’t get in touch with her. We’re good friends, and Yijun is my boyfriend. If she was really sexually assaulted, there’s no way she wouldn’t tell me. Someone must be creating rumors and slandering Yijun.”

“You said Wang Ran disappeared suddenly?” Jiang Chengyan keenly sensed something was wrong.

Sun Ting nodded and said, “It was quite sudden, I took a day off the day before because I was sick, and when I went to work the next day, Wang Ran didn’t show up. Her cell phone was off. Later, Yijun told me that she wanted to resign and go back to her hometown. The old number was no longer active, so I stopped calling after that.”

“In Bincheng. I don’t know the exact address.”

“Miss Sun, today is the first day of the New Year. Why didn’t you go home for the New Year?” Ling Hua’an asked suddenly.

“Oh, it’s like this. Our company is going to receive a big order recently. Because of this, Mrs. Liang went abroad to sign a contract and ordered our management-level employees to be on call at all times, so I didn’t go back.”

Ling Hua’an then asked, “Where is Miss Sun’s hometown?”

“Also in Bincheng. Wang Ran and I became friends because we come from the same village.”

Seeing Ling Hua’an no longer asking questions, Jiang Chengyan continued to ask, “On the 16th, before the body was found on New Year’s Eve, where were you, and can anyone prove it?”

“I was at home with some friends on New Year’s Eve for a dinner party and didn’t leave until I went to look for him.”

Sun Ting showed a struggling look on her face, hesitated for a while, and said, “Officer Jiang, if I had gone to him when I received the text message, would he not have died?”

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“Miss Sun, I’m sorry for your loss.” Jiang Chengyan didn’t answer her question directly because he couldn’t give an accurate answer for now either.

Sun Ting obviously misunderstood. Her eyes were red with tears flowing out instantly, saying, “It’s all my fault. Yijun wouldn’t have died if I had come a little earlier.”

Ling Hua’an knew the inside information, so he naturally understood what Jiang Chengyan meant, but those who didn’t know it easily misunderstood. He sighed helplessly in his heart and said, “Miss Sun, what Captain Jiang means is that the exact time of death of the deceased cannot be determined yet. It’s impossible to answer Miss Sun’s question.”

“But if I go there earlier, there is still hope, right?”

“Some things are destined to happen, even if Miss Sun stops it this time. What about the next time? People can’t compete with fate, so Miss Sun doesn’t have to blame herself.”

“People can’t compete with fate… What if fate is unfair? Just let it go?” Although Sun Ting obviously restrained her tone, Ling Hua’an could still hear her unstable emotions.

“Miss Sun, I’m not going to hide it from you. I always believe in karma; planting good causes has good consequences, and planting evil causes gets bad ones. The cycle of cause and effect, also appropriate retribution.”

Seeing Sun Ting silent, Jiang Chengyan continued, “Miss Sun, please write down the people who had dinner that day and their contact information so we can implement it.”

“Okay.” Sun Ting didn’t say much. She took out a pen and paper and started writing.

After receiving the note written by Sun Ting, Jiang Chengyan looked at it and said, “Miss Sun, since you didn’t go back home, why didn’t you spend the New Year with your boyfriend?”

“Officer Jiang, there is a tradition in our hometown that men and women who are not married cannot spend New Year’s Eve together.  Also, celebrating the New Year alone feels deserted, so I celebrate the New Year with my friends.”

“Then do you know where Liang Yijun went on New Year’s Eve?”

“In the morning, he said he went shopping and ate with his friends. Then he went straight home in the afternoon.”

“Which friend did he hang out with, do you know?”

“He didn’t say about this, and I didn’t ask.”

Ling Hua’an interrupted the conversation between the two and said, “Miss Sun, I’m sorry. Can I borrow your bathroom?”

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“Yes, Mr. Ling, feel free.”

Jiang Chengyan helped Ling Hua’an to the bathroom door. Ling Hua’an went in and casually closed the door. 

About three minutes later, Ling Hua’an opened the door and walked out, saying, “Captain Jiang, it’s almost time. Let’s go back.”

Jiang Chengyan was stunned for a moment, then reacted immediately, looked at Sun Ting, and said, “Miss Sun, because of the case, I hope you don’t leave Huacheng in the near future. That’s all for today. We will go back first.”

“I will also trouble Captain Jiang for the case. If you need my cooperation in anything, just come.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Sun, we will do our best to find out the truth.”

Before leaving the house, Ling Hua’an suddenly spoke out and asked, “Miss Sun, what brand of perfume are you using? It smells very nice. I want to buy it as a gift.”

Sun Ting was stunned by the question and replied, “Coci Beauty fragrance. It’s sold at the counter.”

Ling Hua’an nodded and said, “Thank you, Miss Sun take care.”

The two didn’t stay any longer and left Sun Ting’s house immediately. In the car, Jiang Chengyan looked at Ling Hua’an and asked, “Hua’an, did you find anything?”

“When you asked about Wang Ran, the female ghost reacted slightly. I suspect that the female ghost is related to Wang Ran, or she is Wang Ran.”

Jiang Chengyan asked in shock, “do you mean Wang Ran is probably dead? ”

“En, it’s possible. Captain Jiang should check on it.”

Jiang Chengyan pondered for a moment and said, “Hua’an, is there a problem with Sun Ting’s perfume?”

Ling Hua’an raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, “Doesn’t Captain Jiang think that Sun Ting smells good? There’s something familiar about this fragrance.”

“It smells good?” Jiang Chengyan frowned and said, “How come I don’t smell anything? Hua’an, do you go to the toilet to check on the fragrant?”

Ling Hua’an said amusedly, “No, I really wanted to go to the toilet.”

Jiang Chengyan was a little annoyed and threatened, “what’s wrong with the perfume? If you keep selling3, I’ll go to the guest room to sleep.”

“Sure, I haven’t slept in the guest room yet. So I’ll try out if the bed is soft enough.

“Ling Hua’an!”

 Seeing signs of Jiang Chengyan’s annoyance, Ling Hua’an hurriedly said, “Okay,  I won’t tease you anymore. You have also smelled that kind of fragrance. It’s not a perfume, but rhinoceros horn incense.”

“Rhinoceros horn incense? You mean the kind of incense Lin Shao has burned?””En, ‘You can’t burn a rhinoceros. It has a strange fragrance, sticks to clothes, and people can communicate with ghosts’.”

“Then Sun Ting knows about the existence of the resentful ghost, and she has seen it?”

“It’s not as simple as seeing it. Rhino horn incense is very precious, and money may not be able to buy it. Sun Ting is willing to burn it out, which is enough to show that she has a certain relationship with that resentful ghost. In addition, she was not affected at all by the ghosts, indicating that she was carrying a high-level amulet. This kind of amulet can only be made by experts. With so much money and entanglement with ghosts, I can only say that the purpose Sun Ting did this was not simple.”

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Jiang Chengyan frowned and said, “but Sun Ting has a witness on New Year’s Eve. This will be implemented soon. She couldn’t have lied about it. Based on the time of Liang Yijun’s death, the possibility of her being the murderer can be ruled out.”

Ling Hua’an pondered for a while and said, “I think the key point of this case is Wang Ran. Captain Jiang should start with her. Maybe there will be unexpected gains.”

“Okay,” Jiang Chengyan paused for a pause, then said, “what about Liang Yijun’s soul? Are we still looking for it?”

“You don’t need to look for it. Nine times out of ten, it has already been swallowed up by the resentful ghosts around Sun Ting.”

“What did you say?”

“The resentment on the resentful ghost that night was slightly resolved, but seeing her today, the resentment is deeper and stronger. In such a short time, only by swallowing the resentful ghost can do it.”

“Then why don’t you catch her?”

“To prevent the snake from hitting the grass4.”

~~~

The author has something to say:

A rhino can’t be burned, it has a strange fragrance, sticks to clothes, people can communicate with ghosts – excerpted from “Yiyuan

白富美 – Literally “Fair, rich, and beautiful” ↺The author typo, in the raw she wrote 24th ↺to keep people on tenterhooks/curious. ↺to inadvertently alert an enemy; to punish sb as a warning to others ↺