The Assistant’s Tie (2)

“That’s the deceased’s assistant; I believe his name is Xie Jia. Do you suspect him?”

“He is very strange,” Liu Huisheng muttered, her eyes glued to the screen.

“In what way?”

A normal adjustment of a tie involves using two or three fingers to tweak the knot. But Xie Jia had inserted his entire index finger into the knot and pulled outward with significant force.

Liu Huisheng didn’t answer immediately. She checked the date of the video on her secondary monitor: March of last year—eighteen months ago. She quickly flipped through the statements recorded at the crime scene. Xie Jia’s record was brief:

“President Guo was my Bole. It was very hard for me to find a job right after graduation, but President Guo recruited me and even promoted me to Senior Assistant. Without President Guo, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Officers, you must help me catch the killer.”

“Help me catch the killer,” not “us.”

Opening the audio file, Liu Huisheng noticed that Xie Jia’s volume peaked and his tone sharpened specifically on those last few words.

“This action,” Liu Huisheng spun her rolling chair to face Zhao Yu and mimicked the aggressive tug at the collar. “Who would you do this for?”

“That action?” Zhao Yu followed suit, looking a bit lost. “I don’t wear ties, so I don’t do that.”

Liu Huisheng nodded. “Fair point.” She reached for a tea drink, tilting her head back to take a sip. A stray drop of liquid escaped the corner of her mouth, sliding down her pale skin until it vanished into her V-neck collar.

Zhao Yu watched the drop. An inexplicable heat rose within her. She reached up and pulled the zipper of her high-collared top down about three centimeters.

Liu Huisheng caught the movement. “Tugging at a tie usually happens in four scenarios.”

“Which scenarios?”

“First: Anger. Second: Lying. Third: Nervousness.”

“And the fourth?”

“Sexual Fantasy,” Liu Huisheng spoke the term slowly. “It refers to an involuntary physical reaction when thinking of a specific person… They might loosen a tie, unbutton a collar, or… pull down a zipper.”

Zhao Yu’s face stiffened. “But you said it could also be anger. Guo Chong’an was his boss; he could easily have been resentful.”

The video continued. Liu Huisheng paused it again on the anniversary footage.

“Does Xie Jia’s expression look familiar?” Liu Huisheng asked.

“It’s common,” Zhao Yu replied.

“Exactly. It’s common in couples in the ‘honeymoon’ phase.”

“What?”

“When Guo Chong’an speaks, Xie Jia is smiling constantly… his gaze is fixed. To put it simply, he is looking at him with deep, unmistakable adoration.”

Liu Huisheng moved the mouse to play the video, but Zhao Yu’s hand suddenly covered hers.

“Wait.” Zhao Yu stared at the screen, zooming in. “Look at the reflection.”

Behind the group, a polished metal plaque was mounted on the wall. In the faint, distorted reflection, Guo Chong’an’s hand was resting firmly on Xie Jia’s waist.

“Those two definitely had a secret relationship,” Liu Huisheng spoke after a silence.

The two immediately headed to the company. While waiting for Xie Jia, they visited the General Manager’s office.

“Has evidence been collected here yet?” Liu Huisheng asked.

“Colleagues photographed it yesterday. The files should be on the drive by noon,” Zhao Yu answered.

“Good.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing, just feels a bit strange. I’ll tell you back at the station.”

Xie Jia emerged from a meeting half an hour later, looking terrifyingly pale.

“Officers, I can’t go back with you,” Xie Jia said. “The company is too busy right now. I was actually about to resign… Unless it’s urgent, I can’t cooperate.”

Zhao Yu nodded, then asked bluntly: “Is the resignation because you just don’t want to work, or because your lover is dead?”

“On what grounds do you say that? Officer, slander carries legal consequences,” Xie Jia stammered, trying to mask his shock.

“You know better than I do if it’s slander.”

“What evidence do you have?”

Zhao Yu pulled out a printed still from the video. “This is from last year… your reflection betrayed you. President Guo’s hand seems quite… restless.”

“President Guo was my mentor. He looked after me; it’s normal,” Xie Jia insisted.

“Then is it ‘normal’ that Guo Chong’an took out a life insurance policy with your name as the sole beneficiary?”