Since Xu Shaowei was assigned by Fang Zhenyue to assist Yi Jiayi with visits and note-taking, he has been closely observing her.
He had seen her in the newspapers before, where her black-and-white photo, even when enlarged, was still quite blurry and did not do her justice at all.
In person, she appeared more slender, which also made her look more delicate and attractive. Standing in front of her, one would realize she was taller than she appeared in the photos. Although her expression was stern, with a certain intensity, she was still… too young.
And how could one believe the exaggerated praises written in the newspapers?
One cannot truly understand the world or people through content fabricated by the press.
Madam Qiu had handed him over to Fang Zhenyue, and Sir Fang must have understood Madam’s intentions.
Then, what was Sir Fang’s purpose in assigning him to Yi Jiayi, rather than to an experienced detective like Lin Wangjiu? Was it to intimidate him? To show disapproval and lack of appreciation, hoping he would recognize the difficulty and back out?
Thus, Xu Shaowei kept his eyes on Yi Jiayi, sizing her up, observing her work patterns, scrutinizing her questioning logic, and evaluating her intelligence and capabilities.
Initially, Yi Jiayi thought Madam Qiu and Sir Fang just wanted a uniformed officer to help her with note-taking, but after visiting a couple of villas, she began to understand.
If he were just an ordinary officer temporarily assisting CID, he would simply do his tasks without paying much attention to her.
But from the moment Xu Shaowei started following her, he scrutinized her from top to bottom, occasionally giving her evaluative looks.
It was as if he was sizing her up for a match.
Of course, Madam and Sir Fang wouldn’t have sent a uniformed officer to matchmake with her, so there was only one possibility.
This officer might be someone Madam was considering for a transfer to Team B, sent to her first to see if she could work well with him. If she found him useful, he might stay in Team B.
Therefore, as they walked out of the No. 2 Shixun Road villa, Yi Jiayi paused, organizing the notes she had just taken, then turned back to ask Xu Shaowei:
“What did you notice?”
Xu Shaowei paused, then responded, “The owner of this villa, isn’t the owner of that white suit?”
Yi Jiayi slightly curled the corner of her lips, answering straightforwardly, “The mistress of the house is a full-time housewife, dressed neatly and ready to go out for fun. From the reaction of their domestic helper from Hong Kong, it’s clear the mistress isn’t deeply involved with household chores. That is to say, she doesn’t manage the household much. Things like what to do, what to eat, how items are organized and placed are all managed by the maids.”
“On the other hand, the perfume she wore was Chanel No. 5, known for its mood-enhancing, fear-reducing, and aphrodisiac effects. She meticulously painted her nails and styled her hair, and despite the cold weather, she chose to wear a short skirt that revealed her legs. It was evident from the red marks still visible on her legs that she had shaved them that morning… What could these details possibly suggest?”
“It’s highly likely that the person she was planning to meet was not just a casual acquaintance, but a man.”
“Furthermore, when we asked her if the suit belonged to her husband, she hesitated before casually denying it. This suggests that she is not very familiar with her husband’s affairs. A suit is one of the most memorable pieces of clothing, more noticeable than trousers, shoes, or underwear. Her husband likely wears suits when he goes out and comes home, yet she could not remember if he had one or not, indicating a significant neglect of her husband.”
“This proves that their marital relationship is in name only, at least her emotional attachment to her husband is virtually non-existent.”
“This, in turn, increases the likelihood of her having an affair.”
“All this information leads to two hypotheses:
First, her statement that her husband does not own such a suit might be inaccurate. We need to confirm whether the owner of the suit is the male head of the household at Shixun Road No. 2 by meeting with her husband.”
“We will revisit the houses where no one was home during the day in the evening, and this household needs to be revisited as well.”
“Second, if she is having an affair, there is a possibility that her husband could discover it. This represents a potential conflict and crisis, indicative of a motive for a crime.”
“This also becomes a reason for us to focus on Shixun Road No. 2 before we have other more substantial clues.”
After saying this, Yi Jiayi made a mark in her notebook, indicating the household she would revisit that evening.
When she looked up, her eyes met Xu Shaowei’s. After a few seconds of eye contact, Yi Jiayi slightly lifted her chin and said earnestly:
“This is what an inquiry is about, not just asking a few questions and taking notes.”
“Beyond the respondent’s answers, you must use observation and judgment to derive your own, richer and more accurate clues.”
“People being questioned might lie, forget, obfuscate, or even be unaware that they know something important to the police.”
“So, you must dig deeper into the truth in your own way.”
Xu Shaowei furrowed his brow and deeply pondered Yi Jiayi’s words.
“If the male head of household at Shixun Road No. 2 is the victim, and the perpetrator is his wife or her lover, and today’s inquiry was conducted by you, then you would have missed collecting the most crucial clues. If the inquiry ends without any useful clues and alerts the perpetrator, it might lead them to hide the evidence even more deeply, making it harder to capture. You might end up being an unqualified detective, do you understand?”
Yi Jiayi took a couple of steps forward, brushing past Xu Shaowei. As he caught up, she paused and turned, halting the man who had just taken a step forward, forcing him to look up.
During this interaction, Xu Shaowei was emotionally impacted by Yi Jiayi’s words, and physically, her seemingly inadvertent pause unconsciously led him to stop and look up as well.
This psychological and physical double control subtly placed Xu Shaowei in a position of being manipulated.
In just a moment, Yi Jiayi had taken complete control of the situation, becoming the de facto leader of their duo.
Indeed, when she met Xu Shaowei’s gaze again, the unbridled scrutiny and insolence in his eyes had faded, replaced by recognition for what he had learned and curiosity about her.
Yi Jiayi stood straight, slightly tilting her head back and lowering her voice, slowing her speech to give her words more gravitas:
“Xu Shaowei, remember what I’ve said, then deeply observe during the next few house visits. After these visits, I will quiz you.”
Without waiting for his reaction, she turned and strode away, walking confidently towards No. 3 Shixun Road.
Her slim, erect silhouette exuded undeniable authority and absolute command.
Xu Shaowei hurriedly followed, looking up as they approached the villa at No. 3 Shixun Road. He took the initiative to ring the doorbell, waiting for the Filipino maid to open the door. By then, any thoughts of scrutinizing or judging Yi Jiayi had vanished from his mind. All that remained were thoughts on how to observe, how to inquire, and how to analyze clues.
Worried about his inadequacy in analysis, he used the brief moment before the maid opened the door to fervently re-memorize and study what Yi Jiayi had just said.
He also tried hard to recall the reactions of the lady they had just interviewed, comparing each with Officer Yi Jiayi’s observations and analyses.
These sufficiently professional observations and deductions greatly benefited him.
The more he reflected, the more he marveled at how Yi Jiayi could notice things he completely overlooked or never considered, turning them into significant clues and conjectures—a truly impressive feat.
People always hold a reverence for the capable, and Xu Shaowei was no exception.
Reflecting on why Fang Zhenyue had assigned him to Yi Jiayi, Xu Shaowei changed his mind. Now, he believed that Sir Fang probably didn’t disapprove or dislike him.
Perhaps, Sir Fang was actually helping him, giving him opportunities to learn and grow, to better integrate into Team B.
Thus, when the Filipino maid came to open the door, Xu Shaowei straightened his chest, showing much more respect than before.
As the maid invited them in and turned to lead the way, Xu Shaowei even instinctively held the door for Yi Jiayi and stepped aside, somewhat resembling a junior.
Yi Jiayi walked ahead, her peripheral vision catching Xu Shaowei possibly still pondering her earlier words. She couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Stepping into the villa, as the maid turned back to invite them in, Yi Jiayi quickly smoothed her triumphant smile into a serious expression, holding her head high and displaying the demeanor of a police madam.
18 minutes later, they finished their visit at No. 3 Shixun Road, bid farewell to the lady of the house and her young son, and proceeded towards No. 4 Shixun Road. It was then that Jiayi indeed began to test Xu Shaowei.
During their conversation, she also used him as a benchmark to conduct self-examination and self-assessment.
It was only then that it became clear that her growth since joining the CID had been quite rapid. She hadn’t noticed before, mainly because she had been comparing herself against the mature and excellent Detective Chief Fang Zhenyue, and the equally outstanding detectives of Team B, where the difference might not have been so obvious.
But now, comparing herself to Xu Shaowei, who was like she had been a few months ago—a uniformed officer who had never been a CID detective—the difference felt much clearer.
After asking her questions and communicating, Jiayi walked ahead, circling around the landscaped greenery of the Shixun Road villa community. She took a deep breath, and it felt as if a fierce rabbit resided in her chest, vigorously jumping and bumping, making her blood surge.
It dawned on her that she had already come so far.
Just then, Xu Shaowei took a step forward to walk beside her, humbly asking, “Officer Yi, is your way of thinking some kind of criminal investigation logic method from CID detective training?”
Jiayi turned to look up, the morning glow fully bathing her hair, cheeks, and shoulders. The eyes that looked back at him were dazzlingly bright with the reflection of the sunrise.
Xu Shaowei heard her say:
“Observe, hypothesize, look for evidence—these are the basic methods of deductive reasoning commonly used in investigation.”