"Don't be angry. Since we can't get a breakthrough from He Qiming, we must shift our focus!"
"Do you want to go back to the scene?"
"There's no need. I thoroughly investigated it at the time, and going back now wouldn't serve much purpose."
I pondered deeply, wondering what oversight there was in this case.
Suddenly, I thought of Sanada Kyoko. She had been with He Qiming before, so she might know something about him. Before I could speak, Liu Yuning said, "Let's go find Kyoko!"
This guy was thinking the same thing as me. I nodded, and with He Xin's help, we discovered that Sanada Kyoko was no longer with the film crew but had returned home.
Her family seemed to have a Japanese restaurant in addition to being extras. When we arrived at the designated location, we got out of the car and went into the restaurant.
Two girls in kimonos and geta politely said to us, "Irasshaimase!"
Liu Yuning looked confused, not knowing what they said, but I knew it meant "Welcome."
Entering the restaurant, a man curiously asked us, "What would you like to eat?"
I recognized him immediately as Kyoko's father, Shinichi.
"Mr. Shinichi, have you forgotten me?" I asked.
"Ah, it's Detective He. What brings you here?"
"Weren't you at the scene during the He Qiming case last time?"
"Oh, that case. The police came to us before and I told them everything I knew. Why are you here again?"
This man spoke fluent Chinese, likely having lived in China for a long time.
I said, "The situation is this: there's been new progress in the case, and we wanted to talk to you again to understand some things!"
"Oh, alright! Kyoko, Officer He is here!" Sanada Shinichi called into the kitchen.
Kyoko immediately came out. After politely bowing to us, she sat down on a nearby chair.
Before we could speak, Kyoko took the initiative to say, "Are you looking for me because He Qiming and I were together? How is he now? Has he been brought to justice?"
I deliberately avoided revealing his situation and instead asked, "How did you two break up?"
"Don't you already know? Xiao Rui forced me. But I don't hold any resentment. I'm very clear about my position, and I willingly withdrew from the relationship!"
"Is that so? You really don't blame her at all!"
"That's right. You don't think I'm the killer because of this, do you? Back at the scene, weren't you so sure and deduced that He Qiming was the killer!"
"Yes, that was the case then, but new developments have emerged!" I said, my eyes fixed on Sanada Kyoko.
Sanada Kyoko showed no signs of nervousness and said casually, "He didn't confess?"
"Yes. Are you nervous now?"
"What do you mean by that? I haven't done anything, why should I be nervous?"
"Miss Kyoko, I hope you can be honest and tell us everything."
"What exactly? Did I happen to discover Xiao Rui's body?"
"You've told us that before."
"I absolutely didn't mean to. It was purely a coincidence that I found Xiao Rui's body."
As Kyoko spoke, I noticed her micro-expressions were normal.
Actually, I had had that thought before: how could Kyoko have coincidentally found Xiao Rui's body? Could it be that she killed her and then pretended to find the body?
But now, it seemed like a coincidence again.
This time, the killer left fewer traces on the victim, and with no surveillance footage anywhere, I could only analyze the motive to determine the most likely killer. Such cases were the most difficult to solve.
Unless there was a witness.
I continued to ask, "Miss Kyoko, where were you for the half hour before the incident? What were you doing? Did you see anyone approach that room?"
When this was mentioned, Kyoko's arm trembled slightly, and she carefully bit her lip. She was nervous.
"No, I was discussing some script matters with my father."
"Is that so? Then why are you so nervous?"
"I'm not. I'm feeling a bit unwell. I've been feeling cold lately!"
At this moment, Sanada Shinichi walked over. "You don't need to ask so many questions. My daughter needs to take her medicine!"
"Is she ill?"
"This is a congenital condition, a sensitivity to cold. She needs to take her medicine regularly. When it flares up, her body trembles like just now!" Sanada Shinichi explained. This explanation seemed plausible, but I felt they were being deliberate.
Liu Yuning wanted to ask more, but I stopped her. I said goodbye and left the restaurant with her.
After we had walked some distance away, Liu Yuning asked in the car, "Why didn't you let me ask just now?"
"We couldn't have gotten anything more. They had already prepared their answers for us. Even if we pressed further, they would have stubbornly denied it!"
"You mean the Sanada family is covering for He Qiming?"
"It's likely. Perhaps Kyoko saw He Qiming enter the room at the time. Judging by Shinichi's reaction, he probably knew about it."
"Damn it. Then how can we get Kyoko to talk?"
"It will be difficult. Given Kyoko's relationship with He Qiming, with Xiao Rui gone, they might get back together. In that case, Kyoko wouldn't want anything to happen to He Qiming. We can't find any leverage with her, so she won't cooperate with us!"
"Your analysis is spot on. Are we just going to let them go?"
"Of course not. Get someone to keep an eye on the Sanada family, and then we'll go see Director Yan."
Unexpectedly, before we could go, he called me. "Detective He, He Qiming couldn't have killed anyone. Don't waste your time on him. I think Kyoko is the one who did it!"
"Oh? Why do you think so?"
Director Yan rattled off a series of reasons: "First, Kyoko was forced to leave He Qiming by Xiao Rui, so she must have held a grudge. Recently, someone said Kyoko was bothering Qiming again and was rejected, which made her even angrier. It's likely Xiao Rui said something that provoked her, leading her to orchestrate this shocking murder. Detective He, this must be it. Investigate along these lines, and you'll find the killer soon!"
I deliberately agreed, saying, "That's right. We've already sent people to monitor Kyoko."
"Is that so? As expected of Detective He. I hope you solve the case soon. I've already bailed Qiming out. 'The Great Judge of the Southern Song Dynasty' will find another female lead to continue filming. Remember to come next time!"