Chapter 5: Two Accounts, Suspicious Motives

Lin Che carefully examined the two online suicide notes from six years apart, noticing traces of correspondence between them. The first one was lengthy, over three thousand words, revealing that Zhou Xinyu had a lot to say at the time, with a tone of pessimism and self-negation permeating the text. The note that exploded on Weibo, however, was very brief, just two lines, written in a seemingly joking, light-hearted manner. ["Still seems pretty awful, huh? Admitting defeat isn't such a big deal. Little Feather is going to drift away, leaving the scenery of this world for you all to enjoy for me!"] The words "awful" and "defeated" frequently appeared in the first suicide note, and such echoes could corroborate that both notes were written by the same person. Lin Che interrupted the increasingly off-track discussion. "Xu Yang, continue."

Xu Yang nodded, steering the conversation back to the case. "The two Weibo accounts have distinctly different posting styles. The account named 'Dreamy Little Feather' shares not only promotional content for her works but also life updates, food recommendations, and reading records, all presented with rich text and images, exuding positivity. In contrast, the small account named 'Dark Dark' posts mostly text, all of which are dark and negative."

Xu Yang displayed several comparison images on the electronic screen, showing stark differences even in posts made on the same day. The main account cheerfully shared a homemade beer duck, while the small account lamented that death is the ultimate destination of life. "Xi Yangyang, did you miss anything in the medical records? This Zhou Xinyu using two accounts to play a double act, could she also have schizophrenia?"

Lin Che, with his arms crossed and leaning against the table, tilted his chin slightly. "The main account was initially managed by the comic website. After the greeting post on February 4, 2016, it was likely her posting the content."

Li Li flipped to this post, which contained only six words: ["Hello spring, hello everyone."] "Captain Lin, how did you figure that out?"

Xia Jie asked. "On the same day, the small account also posted an identical message."

Li Li was full of questions, "Just that?"

"Starting from this post, the update frequency of the small account significantly decreased. Although the content of the main account didn't change much, the text accompanying the images became notably richer. Moreover, when the small account posted negative content, the main account did not update for several days, indicating that the emotional tone of both accounts was consistent."

Lin Che explained. "Additionally, the first animated adaptation of Little Feather's comic was released at the end of 2015 and received a very positive response. Her main Weibo account attracted many fans who expressed their love and appreciation for her work. Long-term self-neglect made her pessimistic and negative, and these warm comments were like a fire in the cold winter, naturally drawing her closer. This makes it understandable why Little Feather would want to manage her Weibo account herself."

"Also, you can look at her work 'The Birth of All Things,' where her depiction of spring is beautiful, full of vitality and hope. February 4 is the solar term 'Beginning of Spring,' which can be understood as Little Feather choosing this day as a new beginning, with 'hello everyone' being her way of greeting everyone for the first time."

Lin Che's voice, accompanied by the rustling sound of everyone flipping through their materials, was so fast that one could hardly keep up if they were slow. "Exactly!"

Xu Yang clapped excitedly, "Captain Lin, you're amazing! I checked, and indeed, starting from this post, her large and small accounts were from the same IP address."

Li Li looked at Lin Che, his mouth agape. Even though everyone was looking at the same materials and spending the same amount of time, how could Captain Lin see, think, and analyze so much more than everyone else? Old Du nudged Li Li with his elbow, "Still not used to it?"

Li Li shook his head blankly, "It's like watching a legend every time, always gaining new insights."

"Otherwise, do you think anyone can sit in the chair of the 1209 office? Young man, learn more!"

Li Li nodded frantically, his admiration written all over his face. Xu Yang: "Through the analysis of Zhou Xinyu's large and small Weibo accounts and medical records, I believe that the success of her comic career greatly improved her depression."

Everyone nodded; this conclusion was not hard to draw. "Then what recent stimulus could have caused the deceased to suddenly want to commit suicide again? Otherwise, with things getting better day by day, why would she suddenly decide to kill herself?"

Xu Yang shook his head, "I didn't find anything here; everything was normal on her social platforms. Moreover, in the past month, Zhou Xinyu was still making travel plans for New Zealand, with flights booked for next week, showing no signs of suicide."

Da Zhuang interjected, "I've heard that some people do ritualistic things before committing suicide, and traveling could be one of them. Enjoy a good trip, then commit suicide. Maybe she was stimulated during this period and couldn't wait to go on the trip before killing herself, which also makes sense."

"I agree with Xi Yangyang's point on the motive for suicide."

Li Li handed Da Zhuang two pages of materials, "This is the planner we found in the deceased's apartment. The last line in the plans section reads 'volunteer teaching in Huangshu Village,' scheduled for March next year. If Zhou Xinyu intended to commit suicide after returning from her trip, she definitely wouldn't have planned something for next year. I'm more inclined to think that the deceased was suddenly stimulated, leading to her suicide. Captain Lin, what do you think?"

Li Li had a look on his face that seemed to say, "Captain Lin, please praise me." Lin Che pretended not to see it, "Talk about the scene."

"The community and hallway surveillance showed no suspicious entries or exits, the door lock was not tampered with, there were no signs of struggle or disturbance in the apartment, and no valuables were missing."

"What about the forensic report? Is it out?"

"Yes, the time of death was between 1 and 2 AM today, the cause of death was an overdose of barbiturates, nothing else unusual."

"Evidence-wise?"

"The deceased had been taking sleeping pills due to depression-induced insomnia for the past few years. We found a prescription for sleeping pills in the apartment. Both the milk bottle in the kitchen trash and the glass on the bedside table tested positive for barbiturate residues, with consistent components."

Lin Che nodded, sharing his doubts about the milk bottle with everyone, "What do you all think?"

Da Zhuang scratched the back of his head, speaking first, "Although the milk bottle is indeed suspicious, based on what we've found so far, I personally tend to think that Zhou Xinyu still committed suicide."

"Moreover, through investigation and interviews, no one had a clear motive to kill Zhou Xinyu. Considering her depression and previous suicide attempts, I agree with Da Zhuang's view that Zhou Xinyu committed suicide."

"Also, Zhou Xinyu had been living alone for the past half month, with no visitor records, so there was no opportunity for poisoning."

Li Li, biting his pen, asked, "Could the poison have been in the milk bottle?"

Old Du refuted Li Li's idea, "Unlikely, this bottle of milk was bought from a store. If it really was murder, how could the murderer be sure that Zhou Xinyu would definitely buy the poisoned one? Moreover, such a large dose of barbiturate sleeping pills would have a very noticeable bitter taste, and Zhou Xinyu's sense of taste was fine; she couldn't have missed it."

Old Du's argument was agreed upon by most of the team. Only Lin Che remained silent, looking down at the floor, his fingers lightly tapping on his arm, a habitual action when he was thinking. The team members, familiar with his habits, did not disturb him.