Chapter Twenty-One: The Trap

Ning Shuyi turned to glance at Huo Yan, who had been sitting quietly at the table for some time. When she spoke with Zhao Dabao earlier, he had remained there, lost in thought.

“Here, this is for you,” she said, placing the insulated lunchbox by Huo Yan’s side. “My parents made these little dishes themselves.”

Huo Yan seemed somewhat surprised, yet his upright posture did not waver. He merely glanced at the lunchbox and shook his head. “I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t accept something I haven’t earned.”

“It’s fine, you don’t need to feel burdened. There’s nothing about merit or reward involved here,” Zhao Dabao chimed in, perhaps worried Huo Yan’s refusal would embarrass Ning Shuyi. “Her parents are wonderful people. They often invite our colleagues to their home for treats. There’s hardly anyone in our team who hasn’t tasted their loving homemade dishes! You should just accept it.”

Huo Yan’s gaze lingered on the lunchbox for a moment longer, but he still shook his head.

“Yesterday, when we went out with Yu Mengpeng, you paid for the drinks at the dessert shop. Think of this as a return gesture; that way it’s not unearned,” Ning Shuyi patted the lunchbox, showing no intention of taking it back.

Huo Yan pressed his lips a little tighter, neither accepting nor refusing. He rose and left the office.

After Huo Yan stepped out, Zhao Dabao sighed and looked at Ning Shuyi with some confusion. “What’s with him, do you think? He’s outstanding in every way, but there’s just no warmth, almost like he’s not quite human.”

Ning Shuyi glanced toward the door. “I can’t say for sure. It seems like he’s afraid of forming any entanglements with others, as if he fears owing anyone a favor.

Though I don’t understand exactly what he’s afraid of, acts of kindness shouldn’t be forced; otherwise, the goodwill becomes a burden. I’ll leave the food here—whether he takes it or not is up to him.”

“What if he never takes it?” Zhao Dabao asked.

“Then I’ll share the dishes with you all, and in a few days, I’ll bring the lunchbox back to my parents, so their kindness isn’t wasted.” Ning Shuyi shrugged, not considering it a big deal.

“That’s why people say the family atmosphere matters! It’s clear you grew up surrounded by love—not only is your character good, but you’re so tolerant!” Zhao Dabao sighed. “Someday, my wife and I should be like your parents, creating such a warm home for our own kids!”

Outside the office, Huo Yan stood against the wall by the door, facing the large corridor window, his gaze drifting outwards. His hearing was keen, and he caught every word exchanged between Zhao Dabao and Ning Shuyi inside. Though his expression was unreadable, emotions churned in the depths of his dark eyes.

A few minutes passed. Inside, Ning Shuyi and Zhao Dabao seemed to have finished their early morning chatter and started discussing the case. Only then did Huo Yan open the door and walk back in.

Ning Shuyi and Zhao Dabao were discussing the motive behind yesterday’s case. Huo Yan quietly returned to his desk and listened to their conversation, his eyes drifting from the lunchbox at the corner of his desk to Ning Shuyi’s face.

“I think our current line of investigation is sound. According to criminological statistics, in over two-thirds of homicide cases, the victim and perpetrator are acquainted.

Especially considering the location of Wang Yuluo’s death and the hidden cause, this is clearly a trap-type case. The movie was chosen by Wang Yuluo herself, and regardless of how, the hallucinogen in her body—which could also induce sudden cardiac arrest—was voluntarily ingested, with no signs of coercion.

To orchestrate this, there must have been a familiar relationship, one that allowed Wang Yuluo to drop her guard and walk step by step into the killer’s trap, culminating in this seamless murder.”

“What do you mean by trap-type?” Huo Yan asked. Though he was experienced in the field and excelled at physical skills, he obviously wasn’t as solid on theory as Ning Shuyi. He had intended to listen quietly, but couldn’t resist voicing his doubt.

“It’s a classification from criminal psychology—a way to categorize killers based on their approach to victims. One type is what I just described: the trap-setting kind.”

Ning Shuyi explained, “These perpetrators are cunning, hiding themselves deeply. They don’t directly seek out victims but lure them into carefully prepared traps.

As a result, it often appears that the victim walked willingly to their own demise, making it hard to pinpoint the perpetrator by obvious means. It’s tricky.

But the advantage is, while this method doesn’t expose the killer directly, it does help us delineate their familiar territory.

For instance, in this case, I searched yesterday and found that the horror film from Country T was screened at the private cinema, but these showings weren’t publicly advertised, since the film isn’t officially allowed.

Those who knew about it and booked tickets were generally already registered members at that cinema, regulars who used their app and got notifications.”

“That makes things easier! We can start investigating from the cinema’s member list. We’ll surely catch the mastermind!” Zhao Dabao was energized by Ning Shuyi’s reasoning.

But Ning Shuyi shook her head. “That private cinema is wildly popular locally, especially in the past year or two. Their publicity has worked, and their reputation is strong. Their membership likely numbers in the tens of thousands.”

“Tens of thousands is still better than searching the whole world! Besides, you said yourself that it’s highly likely the killer and victim knew each other. We can apply that condition to narrow down the suspects quickly!” Zhao Dabao remained optimistic.

Yet Ning Shuyi seemed unconvinced. “With what we know now, it’s tough to pinpoint the killer’s psychological motive, so we can’t simply rely on the ‘acquaintance’ factor—doing so risks oversight.

Yesterday, Wang Yuluo’s cousin, Yu Mengpeng, showed us some of her cosplay photos posted online. Though her fan base isn’t huge, it’s still significant.

This presents a complication: ‘acquaintance’ can be mutual or one-sided, and the depth of familiarity varies greatly.

We usually assume people are less guarded around those they know well, and more cautious with strangers.

But sometimes, people deeply familiar yet hostile toward each other actually grow more wary, not less.

Conversely, someone recently met—not even beyond ‘stranger’ status—could be overlooked simply because there’s no obvious conflict, and people tend not to be vigilant around such individuals.

So, if we focus only on those who’ve openly clashed with Wang Yuluo, while our direction may not be entirely wrong, we risk missing others.”