I sat in Xiaotao’s office, so absorbed in my thoughts about the case I missed dinner.

At 8:00 pm, Dali and Xiaotao entered the room. "Song Yang, what are you doing contemplating here all by yourself?” asked Xiaotao. “You didn’t even turn on the lights!”

She switched on the lamp, the light illuminating a sharply-dressed Dali. Staring at the suit and tie, I asked curiously, "Dali, are you going to an interview?"

“You’re so forgetful!” Xiaotao burst out laughing, "Didn't we talk about meeting Xu Zhipeng at night? Dali said he wanted to join in on the fun."

I slapped my forehead. Our plans had completely slipped my mind. I stood up and turned to leave.

Dali asked if we were going to change into formal wear. "We have the letter of assistance, so what’s the point of wearing formal clothing?"

"Should I change out of the suit then?” he faltered. “I borrowed it from our roommate just for this occasion."

“There’s no need,” Xiaotao patted him on the shoulder. "With this outfit, you might be able to hook up with a rich woman."

The three of us drove to the dinner which was sponsored by the International Animal Protection Agency. Hence, the theme tonight was all about protecting the environment and wildlife. Anyway, the wealthy would find any reason to hold a party.

The dinner party was naturally a picture of elegance and calm. Taking these wealthy folk as an example, Dali circled around the room with a glass of champagne in hand but his temperament couldn’t hide his humble origins. A rich woman stopped him, "Waiter, bring me a hand towel!"

Xiaotao and I almost burst out laughing. "Do I look like a waiter?" Dali asked with the expression of a sad puppy.

"Just enjoy the buffet!" comforted Xiaotao.

"How can I let that stop me?” Dali said through gritted teeth. “I have to try to make some connections. An opportunity like this comes once in a blue moon."

"Good luck then!" encouraged Xiaotao.

A while later, Dali returned to us in shame, though he feigned disdain. "These rich folk are so boring!"

"You don't have to be friends with these people,” Xiaotao consoled. “Just start your business and when you have enough money one day, they’ll be lining up to praise you."

“You’re absolutely right!" Dali nodded.

"By the way, you keep mentioning starting a business but you haven’t told us what it’s about. Do you need my help?" offered Xiaotao.

"I’ll keep that a secret for the time being,” chuckled Dali. “But I promise, you’ll soon find out."

Right then, Xiaotao’s attention was focused in one direction. "Attention all units, our target has appeared!"

I followed her gaze and found Xu Zhipeng talking with several people, his big belly trembling every time he laughed. We made our way through the crowd and walked up to him. Xu Zhipeng smiled, "Hi there Ms. Huang. It’s a pleasure to see you again!"

"Mr. Xu, I might have forgotten to tell you what my job is," Xiaotao began.

"Might I ask what that is?" said Mr. Xu.

Xiaotao flashed her police badge, prompting a change in Xu Zhipeng's expression. He frowned, "I wasn't aware that Ms. Huang was a police officer. I apologize if I showed any disrespect. May I know why you’re looking for me?"

"Mr. Xu, may we have a word?" I interrupted.

We hid in the corner, away from the crowd. Xiaotao pulled out the letter of assistance and stated her purpose right away.

"I understand now. So you found a dead body in the outskirts of the city and you suspect that it’s related to me,” he surmised. “But I can guarantee that it’s got nothing to do with me. I’ve always been an honest, law-abiding citizen. I can swear I’ve never done anything to hurt another soul."

Glancing at his fat fingers, I held out the gold ring. "Do you recognize this?"

"No!" he refuted.

I grabbed my cell phone and showed him a photo of the victim’s remains along with the three hamsters. "What about this?" I continued.

He denied vehemently but his microexpressions betrayed him. It was obvious he recognized both of them.

I had only shown him the ring and photos to test his reaction. Before leaving for the dinner party, I carefully considered what role the ring played in the case. So far, all our speculations were based on Ding Xu’s version of events.

When I tried to deconstruct the details and reassemble them, I found a new angle to analyze the case. And Xu Zhipeng's reaction to the evidence was the final piece of the puzzle that I lacked.

I looked him in the eye and said, "Mr. Xu, I’d like to tell you a story, one of conspiracy and calculation!"

Once, there was a pair of business partners named A and B who co-owned a telecommunication equipment company. Two years ago, after the company developed a smartphone which was well received, their business improved by leaps and bounds and the company went public. The two began to compete with each other, both wanting to own the other's shares.

A learned through an investigation that B had a first love, so he found a girl who resembled B's lover and had her undergo cosmetic surgery. He sent her to B in an attempt to steal information.

Unexpectedly, the commercial spy fell in love with the young, rich Mr. B and even betrayed A. But the wily Mr. A didn’t stop there. He kidnapped the girl, tortured her through various methods and forced B to sign the share transfer contract.

After the shares were successfully obtained, the girl became a ticking time bomb! So A silenced her by murder but he never expected a twist of fate. The girl had somehow snatched his gold ring before she died, and it was this ring that led us to find the real culprit.

With that, I sneered, "Mr. Xu, isn’t this story wonderful?"

Dali and Xiaotao looked at me in consternation, never imagining that the murderer switched from Lang Jun to Xu Zhipeng.

Upon listening to my story, Xu Zhipeng started sweating profusely. His hands trembled so much he couldn’t even hold his glass. His guilty reaction confirmed my suspicions. I felt as if my dangling heart had found solid ground.

"No-nonsense!” he retorted. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!"

"What are you nervous about?” I quipped. “Did I say anything about you being the antagonist?"

My words were a huge slap in the face. His mouth fell agape and he panted, plagued by shortness of breath, forehead glistening with sweat.

"Mr. Xu, don't try to hide it from us,” Xiaotao struck while the iron was hot. “You better behave!"

Xu Zhipeng threw the glass in his hand, face contorting with his venomous outburst. "I didn't kill anyone!” he shouted. “Her death has nothing to do with me."

"What about using her to threaten Lang Jun?" I questioned.

"At most, my actions can only be considered as intentional injury,” scoffed Xu Zhipeng. “Lang Jun signed the contract on his own volition..." He suddenly clammed up.

"So you admit to it?" I sneered.

Xu Zhipeng's lips trembled uncontrollably. "Don't try this on me!” he roared. “Show me the evidence! Otherwise, I’ll sue you for slander!"

Xu Zhipeng left us with those words.

"Aren’t you going to arrest him?" asked Dali.

"We only have a letter of assistance, not an arrest warrant so we can’t do that,” explained Xiaotao. “By the way, Song Yang, what made you suspect Xu Zhipeng?"

"It's very simple,” I smiled. “Because Xu Zhipeng is the biggest beneficiary of the whole incident. And there’s also the gold ring."

Xiaotao made a phone call and assigned an officer to closely monitor Xu Zhipeng. We were about to leave the dinner when Dali ran off to stuff his pockets with imported chocolates. "Ugh, just look at yourself!" I chided.

Right then, an ear-piercing scream sounded from within the crowd. "Murder!"