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The crime scene was on the second floor, in Unit Three.

Chu Yuening ascended the stairs and entered the residence.

All the curtains in the foyer were drawn open. Uncle was slumped by the bedroom door, dressed in a gray-and-white checked loungewear. A pool of blood stained the area beneath his abdomen; his body was stiff, one foot still clad in a brown rubber slipper, his mouth agape in an expression of immense agony, his dilated pupils betraying a lifeless stare.

The room was in disarray, with books from the bookshelf scattered across the floor. The television's cable dangled halfway from the socket, the other end following the fallen TV. The teacup and potted plant on the coffee table had also tumbled to the ground.

Chu Yuening cast a glance around, then refocused her gaze on the corpse.

The forensic team had already arrived and was conducting an investigation with their assistants.

Zhou Fengxu deftly donned gloves and began examining the premises. He first headed to the balcony, where he noticed that the clothesline held only men's attire, with the hanger discarded on the floor.

Upon turning back inside, he swiftly scanned the display cabinet filled with neatly arranged certificates and accolades.

He picked up a photo from the cabinet and observed that all the displayed pictures featured the deceased individually.

Putting the photo down, Zhou Fengxu approached Chu Yuening and asked, "Any findings so far?"

Chu Yuening examined the corpse's features and frowned, saying, "In old age, one encounters a major crisis. If they can't overcome it, their life will end at 76, during the hour of the Rabbit."

Song Heng was lifting the corpse's arm for inspection, assuming Chu Yuening was asking him. He replied, "Based on rigor mortis, the time of death was approximately six hours ago."

Six hours earlier was indeed the hour of the Rabbit.

Song Heng was taken aback. He had verified the time of death after a thorough examination, while Chu Yuening had done so with just a glance?

He lifted his head, meeting Chu Yuening's gaze.

He had a vague recollection of her, having met twice before, but they were not particularly acquainted.

Song Heng flashed a friendly smile and turned to Zhou Fengxu, "New colleague? Quite knowledgeable."

Zhou Fengxu introduced both of them, starting with Chu Yuening.

"The Temple Street Diviner. She can predict one's fate through facial observation and birthdate analysis."

Then he proceeded to introduce Song Heng.

"Doctor Song from the Forensic Department."

They exchanged greetings.

The old man's abdominal cloth was soaked in blood, resembling a grotesque bloom. The room reeked of blood.

In order not to hinder the investigation, Song Heng continued, "The fatal wound is in the abdomen. Judging by the depth of the cut, it was likely inflicted by a serrated fruit knife. There are two scratches on the left side of his face that seem to be caused by a hard object."

Gan Yizu observed and commented, "They look very much like scratches from fingernails."

"To confirm that, we'll need to run tests back at the station," Song Heng stood up, removing his gloves.

Shi Boren, still wearing his gloves, examined the furniture. He noticed that the nightstand drawer was open and hadn't been closed. Squatting down, he picked up a book from the drawer, allowing any prints to be visible as the pages opened, revealing several ten-dollar Hong Kong banknotes tucked within.

He searched the rest of the room and finally stood up, saying, "I've gone through the entire house, but there's no bankbook. As for cash, there's only this handful."

It was still short of a hundred dollars.

Zhou Fengxu had already made a round of the house and returned to study the scattered bloodstains on the floor. "No weapon was found in the room, suggesting that the murderer has already taken it away."

Shi Boren placed the book with the Hong Kong dollars inside a plastic bag. "The deceased was a retired teacher, living alone. With a monthly pension of over ten thousand and an additional allowance for the elderly, he had quite a substantial income annually. Could it be that someone was staking out the place, intending to rob him?"

The 'fruit money' referred to the Elderly Allowance, a monthly stipend provided by the Hong Kong government since 1973 to those aged 65 and above, in appreciation for their contributions to the city during their youth.

Gan Yizu commented, "That's likely the case. Retired seniors tend not to spend as much as young people do. Many save their money. Someone must have learned about Mr. Chen's solitary lifestyle and planned to steal from him, but ended up killing him."

Chu Yuening disagreed with this assumption and was about to voice her opinion when she met Zhou Fengxu's gaze.

She blinked. "Officer Zhou, do you have something to share?"

Zhou Fengxu understood that Chu Yuening might have noticed something significant.

He didn't rush to express his theory and instead said, "Let Ning Ning go first."

Both Shi Boren and Gan Yizu perked up, not expecting the rookie Chu Yuening to have a unique perspective.

"Ning Ning, what's your take on this?"

"Yes, please do tell us," they urged.

Chu Yuening surveyed the room and posed a question, "Where would you usually hide your money? In a cabinet, under the mattress, in a wardrobe, or perhaps even in various snack jars?"

Both of them recalled their hiding spots and nodded in agreement.

Chu Yuening continued, "The scene is indeed chaotic. But, how many robbers, after committing murder, would leisurely toss the television on the floor or scatter everything on the desk? Keep in mind, the only item on the desk was a potted plant, not any other valuables. On the contrary, the most likely places to hide money seem untouched."

Only then did Shi Boren examine the locations Ning Ning had mentioned.

Apart from the bookshelf, all the other cabinets were undamaged with no signs of being opened.

In the bedroom, the bedsheet was smooth except for one corner that was folded beneath the mattress near the door.

"Oh," Shi Boren realized, "Someone deliberately staged a break-in to create a false impression."

"Exactly," Chu Yuening affirmed with a nod. "But, didn't you search every corner of the house and find no cash or bankbooks?"

"Yes, I checked several times," Shi Boren said, patting his head. He rushed to the bedroom, lifted the mattress, and found no money underneath. When he replaced the mattress, the corner of the sheet fell back into place, just as before.

The same angle, the same crease.

Gan Yizu crouched down for a closer look, then lifted his head to ask, "Brother Ren, it seems the mattress was moved before."

Shi Boren also squatted down and examined it. "Indeed."

Only if it had been shifted previously would the sheet be creased in this way.