When Su Mo left the archives, he appeared completely different from when he was at work.
At the archives, Su Mo dressed in plain and outdated clothes, with his hair naturally hanging down. His gaze was gentle, and he had a kind expression, resembling a diligent cultivator who had seen through the mundane world.
This image was in line with his life experiences: the accidental death of his parents, the disappearance of his wife, and his subsequent devotion to studying scriptures.
However, when he went out, he transformed into his true self—wearing a suit, Martin boots, and sporting a Hong Kong-style haircut. His gaze became sharp, his expression composed, exuding the image of a suave and violent man in a suit.
After work that day, when the security guard closed the gates, Su Mo secretly left the archives.
He first went to wait at the entrance of Liu Ming's residential area. Sure enough, before long, he spotted Liu Ming's vehicle.
However, instead of driving into the residential area, the car stopped at the entrance. A child got out of the car, presumably Liu Ming's sixth-grade son.
After getting out, the child happily ran into the residential area, while Liu Ming drove away.
Su Mo quickly started his car and followed. It was the car he had bought since arriving in Xikang—a regular Volkswagen, black in color.
As he drove, Su Mo analyzed, "Judging from Liu Ming's son's demeanor, he doesn't seem to fear Liu Ming much, indicating a good family relationship, at least between father and son."
Following Liu Ming for about ten minutes, they both parked in front of a restaurant. Su Mo also parked and followed Liu Ming into the restaurant.
Liu Ming went upstairs and entered a private room. As Su Mo passed by the room, he saw seven or eight people inside, men and women, seemingly colleagues.
Not lingering at the door, he went to the lounge area on the second floor and sat quietly. However, from time to time, he would pass by the private room and eavesdrop on their conversation.
Two hours later, Liu Ming came out, his face flushed from drinking, arm in arm with another man, exchanging jokes and laughter.
A group of people then descended the stairs, and Su Mo followed. He noticed that there was a woman sitting in Liu Ming's car, wearing a smile on the surface but clearly unhappy, as Su Mo could tell.
Not continuing to tail them, he returned to his own car, drove away, and made some basic judgments along the way.
"Liu Ming's family seems harmonious, and he doesn't seem like someone with a deviant personality. Furthermore, his parents are alive, so it's unlikely he experienced significant psychological trauma in his childhood.
Lastly, his ease in socializing with colleagues suggests a conventional mindset. For instance, I would never spend time socializing with colleagues. So, his suspicion can be mostly ruled out."
The next day, after work, he went to a law firm. Qian Shang was a renowned lawyer who usually worked late, so Su Mo didn't need to wait at the entrance of the residential area.
Under the pretense of seeking legal advice, he smoothly entered the law firm and saw Qian Shang, just as he had expected.
True to his expectations, Qian Shang was dressed professionally, meticulous from head to toe, perfectly fitting his professional demeanor. At the moment, Qian Shang was engaged in a conversation, displaying wit and clear logic—a decent lawyer.
Having stayed in the law firm for over half an hour, to avoid arousing suspicion, Su Mo left the firm and waited in the parking lot. So far, everything seemed normal.
Around 9 o'clock in the evening, Qian Shang came downstairs and left the parking lot, and Su Mo immediately followed.
The journey was calm all the way until they reached the entrance of a residential area, where Qian Shang drove in. This residential area was none other than Fanghua Community.
Su Mo was well-prepared and presented a police certificate, allowing him to enter the community smoothly. There were plenty of archives in the file room.
Then, Su Mo followed Qian Shang from a distance until they reached his doorstep. He waited until Qian Shang entered his house before leaving.
However, just as Su Mo turned to leave, he caught sight of Qian Shang's father. His eyes narrowed, and a slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
He saw Qian Shang's father wearing a suit and a tie. It was late at night, and a man in his sixties dressed like that seemed unreasonable.
Without further observation, he turned away from Fanghua Community and started to harbor some suspicions about Qian Shang.
On the third day, he followed Wang Xiaohu. Surprisingly, this guy had a lover who happened to be a female colleague providing him with an alibi. This made Su Mo immediately rule out Wang Xiaohu as a suspect.
The reason was simple. A person with a deviant personality could never have a lover. Such individuals are typically emotionally detached, and often get married just to appear normal. They wouldn't have the inclination to seek a lover.
At night, at the archives, a thin thread in Su Mo's mind finally turned red, and he immediately let his emotions take over.
Since he had just returned from the archives, he was still wearing a suit and hadn't changed his clothes.
Su Mo's perspective changed once again. He stood in front of the mirror, not looking at his face or physique, but at his neck.
Seeing himself in a well-dressed suit, he suddenly had the urge to twist his own neck and hang himself from the ceiling, imagining the image of his well-dressed self swinging back and forth. It gave him a sense of satisfaction, just like a swinging pendulum—it was so delightful.
After experiencing it for a while, Su Mo regained control of his emotions and a playful expression appeared on his face. "So, there's this kind of deviant personality?"
The defining characteristic of a contrasting deviant personality is a stark contrast between one's own appearance and mental state, coupled with a strong desire for destruction towards others.
For example, if you're a seemingly innocent and pure girl, but deep down you're a vain person. Then you should be careful.
If someone with a contrasting deviant personality is around you, they are likely to kill you.
Sitting on the bed in his bedroom, Su Mo crossed his hands and his eyes sparkled.
"At present, Qian Shang has the highest probability of being the murderer, but to confirm if he is the one, the key lies with his father.
Dressing like that late at night is unlikely to be voluntary, but there was no resistance either, indicating that there's a story behind it, most likely from his childhood.
The information states that Qian Shang brought his father to Xikang City five years ago from their hometown. Right, to understand the situation between them, I should go to their hometown.
Perfect, tomorrow is Saturday, I'll have time."
Qian Shang's hometown is Luping County, over 100 kilometers away from Xikang City. Nowadays, transportation is convenient, so it would only take around two hours by car.
On Saturday morning at nine o'clock, Su Mo arrived in Lu Ping. It took him about half an hour to find Qian Shang's former hometown.
Surprisingly, Qian Shang's old home was easy to locate because his father, Qian Shan, was a well-known lawyer in the area.
First, Su Mo randomly approached several people around the county town to inquire about Qian Shan. The responses were consistent: everyone said Qian Shan was a good person who often helped fellow villagers and sometimes provided assistance free of charge.
"It seems highly likely that Qian Shang is the culprit," Su Mo thought to himself.
The formation of a contrasting and distorted personality is often the result of disparities in one's parents. In Qian Shang's case, his mother had long ago married and moved away, never returning.
Therefore, if Qian Shang indeed has a distorted personality, it is most likely caused by his father.
As for whether this speculation is correct, it can be quickly verified. Su Mo went straight to Qian Shang's former home.