Chapter 82: The Patron

"How did she get here by herself?" Qi Fei turned back to look at Bao Chuchu.

"The guests here all come by themselves," Bao Chuchu replied. "For guests who book our rooms or dining, we provide a private car to pick them up from the foot of the mountain. Many guests do not want others, especially work partners, to know their itinerary. Many people, even if they have their own drivers, won't let them drive them here. These people know better than anyone that no one in this world is worth trusting."

"Hmm, the service is very thoughtful," Liu Tong commented softly from the side, though the words didn't sound like a compliment.

Qi Fei didn't sound as pleasant. He snapped at Bao Chuchu: "We are investigating a murder case, not here for you to advertise your service. Hong Mei didn't just run here by herself to clear her head, did she?"

Bao Chuchu said: "Sorry, we have a responsibility to protect the privacy of other guests."

"Heh, so that means there were other people with her yesterday, right?" Qi Fei immediately caught the loophole in her words.

Bao Chuchu's expression changed slightly, realizing she had let something slip.

"Manager Bao, is it? If the murderer is among these people, we can arrest you for aiding and abetting," Qi Fei said, looking at her name tag again.

Bao Chuchu wasn't panicked at all. "Sorry, even if it means going to jail, I cannot violate my professional code, otherwise I won't be able to survive in this industry." Then, she changed the subject. "I believe there is no murderer among my guests. Even if they wanted someone to die, they would use a way that doesn't break the law. I don't think there is any clause in the Criminal Law or the Procedure Law that says it's illegal for me not to provide a list. Officer Qi, I think you know this very well."

Qi Fei had to re-evaluate this Bao Chuchu. It seemed she wasn't an easy target. He just didn't know if her lack of cooperation was due to so-called professional service or some other reason.

He looked around the surroundings again and asked Bao Chuchu: "You are the manager, right? Then the owner of this villa would surely know what happened, right?"

Upon hearing this, Bao Chuchu's already poor complexion became even uglier, and she remained silent.

"Do you want us to find someone to check if your business is legitimate or not?" Qi Fei's tone was getting worse.

"Wait, I might know who Ms. Mei came to see..." Li Bite interrupted unexpectedly.

Qi Fei and Bao Chuchu looked at him in unison.

"Speak!"

"Don't speak!"

The two spoke at the same time, making completely opposite demands.

Li Bite decisively listened to Qi Fei and said: "Ms. Mei is a well-known workaholic in the industry. Once she joins a crew, she won't ask for leave unless it's a business engagement she can't turn down. But there is only one situation where she would leave the crew, and that is an invitation from Boss Huang..."

Hearing this, Wu Shanqiu leaned in, gossiping: "Oh, so the rumors on the internet are true?"

Li Bite looked at Wu Shanqiu and muttered: "Do police officers gossip too..."

Wu Shanqiu pursed her lips: "Police officers are people too, why can't we gossip? Isn't it said that Hong Mei's looks are average, her acting is average, and it's only because her resources are particularly good that she's supported by a big shot behind the scenes? The rumor that seems most true is the one about the mining tycoon Huang Daqiu. They say Huang Daqiu spent a fortune on Hong Mei. That movie with the terrible reputation, what was it called? Oh, *Night Walk of the Dragon Lady*. A bunch of big stars were supporting actors for Hong Mei, and it was invested in by Huang Daqiu."

"Didn't you say they were all picked up by private cars?" Liu Tong said slowly from the side. "Just ask if Huang Daqiu took a car yesterday and we'll know. If the driver doesn't work for the villa, he can drive for a ride-hailing app."

When Bao Chuchu heard this, she knew Liu Tong was right. Even if she didn't say it, the other staff might not be as tight-lipped. She had no choice but to loosen up: "That's right, yesterday was Boss Huang's gathering. After Ms. Hong ate with them in the private room, she returned to her room alone."

"And what about Huang Daqiu?" Qi Fei asked.

"Boss Huang went down the mountain after eating."

"He didn't stay the night?"

Facing the persistent Qi Fei, Bao Chuchu had no choice but to say: "He stayed in the room with Ms. Hong for a while..." Seeing everyone's gossiping expressions, Bao Chuchu explained: "It was only about forty minutes. I am certain that when Boss Huang left, Ms. Hong was still alive."

"Such a short time?" Liu Tong said with a smile. Giggles spread through the heavy atmosphere of the room.

Only Bao Chuchu, out of her so-called professional standard, remained serious: "I am certain, because Ms. Hong specifically saw Boss Huang to his car before returning to her room."

"Her attitude toward her patron is quite good. It's only right that she's popular," Liu Tong continued.

"I always thought this gossip was made up. It's actually true," Wu Shanqiu muttered.

"It seems your workload isn't saturated enough if you have the energy to gossip on the internet, Xiao Qiu," Liu Tong said with a smile from the side.

Liu Tong was always easygoing, and Wu Shanqiu didn't stand on ceremony: "It's saturated, it's saturated! It's just that I used to really like an ancient idol drama Hong Mei starred in, and I followed it for a while, so I paid special attention to Hong Mei's news. Hey, I actually really hoped her CP with the male lead was real. It's disillusioned now, disillusioned! Huang Daqiu is rich, but he's so ugly... Oh, right!"

She turned to Li Bite and asked: "They all say Hong Mei had plastic surgery. Is that true?"

Qi Fei poked Wu Shanqiu with his elbow: "We're investigating a case, be serious."

Just as he finished speaking, Xiao Tao's emotionless voice, which sounded like an AI, came through: "Whether she had plastic surgery, we'll know during the autopsy."

"Damn, Forensic Doctor Xiao, that's a bit too 'hellish'!" Wu Shanqiu couldn't even listen to it.

Xiao Tao, however, drifted past them and walked to Hong Mei's body, performing a preliminary examination: "There are rose thorns piercing the carotid artery in her neck, with a large amount of blood splatter. This should be the primary cause of death."

"Hmm?" Xiao Tao made a rare sound of disbelief. "What is this?" He took out tweezers and carefully pushed aside Hong Mei's hairline. He saw that the skin along her hairline had been cut. Xiao Tao used the tweezers to gently lift it, and a long strip of skin was lifted up just like an apple peel.

This scene shocked everyone present. It was as if the murderer had treated Hong Mei's entire head like an apple, peeling the skin off in one continuous motion.

"Looking at the state of the skin's cut edges, it should have been peeled off after death," Xiao Tao said, observing carefully. "What did the murderer use to peel it?"

"We already searched the room just now and didn't find any sharp weapons," Qi Fei said.

"There are multiple strip-like epidermal abrasions and subcutaneous hemorrhages on the skin, and in some areas, there are punctate stab wounds caused by rose thorns, with inflammatory reactions around the wounds," Xiao Tao began to spout technical terms.

"Speak human," Qi Fei's request was never late. ===== CHAPTER 83 =====