Gao Mingqiang had spoken about being careful during investigations, mentioning that AIDS wasn't easily transmitted and didn't spread through the air, only through blood and saliva.
Before departing, another investigator stated, "We found a notebook in Zhang Yangcheng's home. It was filled with many love stories. It seems he had a habit of writing them!"
I took the notebook from the evidence bag and opened it. I discovered that Zhang Yangcheng's writing style was indeed quite good, and his handwriting was very neat. It was the kind of handwriting I probably couldn't replicate myself because I had relied on computers for so many years, typing everything. If it weren't for the contracts I needed to sign for my writing, I probably wouldn't write much at all anymore. Nowadays, writing is mostly just for signing my name.
April 14th, 2022. Raining.
I actually started the habit of writing a diary in high school. However, due to work, I haven't had time to write for a long time. Since I've been relatively free lately, I've resumed my old habit.
What I need to record now might even become a novel in the future. Of course, I'm still missing a lot of material. For now, writing a diary is good practice.
Recently, while working at the Glorious Bar, I encountered a peculiar woman. Every time she came to the bar, she would sit alone in a corner on the left, drinking quietly. No one ever approached her to chat. She just drank her liquor by herself. I kept watching her. Sometimes, when she suddenly looked up, she would catch me staring. She was incredibly alluring, more so than any woman I had seen before. It made me intentionally signal her many times, but she was very cold. After glancing at me, she would return to her red wine, as if I didn't exist.
If it weren't to commemorate her, I wouldn't be writing these diary entries. After all, as I said earlier, I haven't written a diary in a long time. Because of her, I would deliberately set aside time for it, even if it meant not doing anything else. I even started writing a novel based on this material on my computer. Since I couldn't use the computer at work, I could only record in my notebook when I was free.
That's all for today. Tomorrow, I'll continue gathering more information. Once I feel I have enough, I'll incorporate it into my work.
April 15th, 2022. Raining.
The weather hasn't been great lately. Although the bar isn't doing much business, that silent woman still comes to my workplace at the same time every day. Today, I couldn't help myself. Since there were no customers at the time, I walked around from behind the counter and sat down next to her...
Sitting next to the person I had a crush on for the first time, my feelings were incredibly complex and a little excited. I wanted to find something to say to the woman in front of me, but before I could speak, she spoke first: "A long time?"
"What?" I didn't understand her meaning at all. Just as I was about to ask again, she suddenly stood up and pulled me towards the exit of the bar. I thought, "Is this woman really going to be this forward?" But I was wrong. After taking me outside, she just shoved something into my hand and then hurried away. After she had been gone for a while, I opened my palm and discovered it was a brooch. It was the kind that girls usually wear, but it seemed to have a bit of blood on it.
A strong smell of blood assaulted me, almost suffocating me. I immediately thought, "Did this woman do something bad, which is why she's hiding in our bar?" If that's the case, I can't let her come back, or the bar will be affected.
But I couldn't stop her either; it was her freedom. It seems I need to be careful lately. This woman is definitely not normal. She might be mentally ill.
April 16th, 2022. Raining.
It's still raining. Because of what happened yesterday, I don't dare go to work at the bar anymore. I threw away the brooch. Last night, when I got home, I don't know how long I washed my hands, but I still felt the smell of blood on them. That thing was so small, how could it emit such a strong scent of blood? I didn't understand it at the time, but it's not important. Today, when I returned to the bar, I stared at the spot where the strange woman used to sit. Seeing that she wasn't there, I breathed a sigh of relief.
I worked like that until late at night. When it was time to leave, I thought she would never come again, or perhaps she had already been arrested by the psychiatric hospital or the police. That would be good; I wouldn't be so on edge because of this strange person anymore. I tidied up the glasses and, as it was time, prepared to leave. Theoretically, nothing should happen. However, as I was heading home tonight, I suddenly heard a strange sound behind me. I turned around abruptly and saw the strange woman from before following me. She was walking very fast, her movements seeming deliberately accelerated. I was a bit slow to react, and she had already caught up with me and covered my mouth.
I thought I was going to be... well, something. However, I quickly fainted. When I woke up, I found myself at home. But I felt a bit of pain in my lower body, so I decided to go to the hospital for a check-up.
The diary ends here. I feel this isn't a love story, but rather a simple daily record. However, if you remove the dates, it does have a certain feel to it. Liu Yuning and I personally went to Zhang Yangcheng's home. After putting on all our gear, we entered his rather nice residence. The decoration and equipment here were quite good; it was evident Zhang Yangcheng had a decent income. I remember the houses in this neighborhood aren't cheap either.
I was temporarily in charge of the living room while Liu Yuning examined the rooms. I used Luminol, and for good measure, also used yellow wine. There were latent bloodstains in many places. However, according to the investigators' report, they didn't find footprints belonging to another person. They were all from the deceased. I was only half-believing it at first, but when I observed the TV cabinet, the balcony, and the central sofa, I saw that the footprints were indeed identical. I even saw the deceased sitting down here and walking a few steps, but then something had dragged him. This spot was definitely where the killer had beaten him, but it wasn't the only one. Based on the marks at the scene, it's estimated that the entire house was used as a place for abuse by the killer.
There were even marks on the balcony. This guy was truly audacious, committing crimes in such an obvious location. Wasn't he afraid of being seen by someone on a floor above? But considering that he left no trace of himself, I'm thinking that even if the killer exposed himself on the balcony, no one would notice. Therefore, his trace would be impossible to find at the scene?!