The Bound Sinner [Crime Investigation]

[My new novel in the same genre, The Vine's Kill (Crime Investigation), is complete. Check my author page to find it.] Everyone keeps a prison of their own. T. S. Eliot . Song Ming is gloomy and withdrawn, the strangest professor at Yuncheng University. But after she accidentally discovers a crime scene, she becomes the prime suspect overnight. With no other choice, Song Ming teams up with Qi Zhaohai, the crime squad captain who's never gotten along with her, and uses psychology to help the police solve cases. A dismembered body scattered across the ground, a young girl with her heart cut out, a human head presented before a shrine... At first, she only wants to clear her name. But as she investigates one case after another, she unexpectedly comes across an old case file. The terrible crime recorded in it remains unsolved to this day. Behind the black ink lies a sea of blood. Song Ming's mother died in that unsolved case ten years ago. And Song Ming knows nothing about it. . One day, while sorting through old belongings, Song Ming finds a photo taken during high school. In it, she spots a familiar figure: Qi Zhaohai is following behind her. The rebellious, stubborn boy has a blade of grass in his mouth and is trying hard to look unconcerned, but whenever he looks at her, his ears turn red despite himself. Every little expression is unmistakably a sign of a crush. Gloomy, aloof, brilliant but tragic psychological profiler × a tsundere, lovesick crime squad captain with the heart of a loyal puppy 1. Fictional modern setting, episodic crime investigation 2. Older woman-younger man romance, three-year age gap 3. Full character cards and illustrations of characters from the novel will appear from time to time on Weibo @Jinjiang Pudding Yuzu Tea . A new novel in the same genre is now underway. If you're interested, take a look: The Vine's Kill (Crime Investigation) (Rebellious, short-haired, cool crime squad captain heroine × long-haired forensic botanist hero with a devoted husband vibe) At the police station, Hua Che holds two top spots. First in solving cases, and first in writing disciplinary reports. So, only a few months into the job, the newly appointed crime squad captain Hua Che has already topped the chief's list of biggest headaches. And now she's insisted on taking on the notorious mess that everyone in the station knows about. It's an old cold case that was abandoned long ago, and no one has been able to solve it. Plenty of people at the station are waiting to laugh at her. But Hua Che solves the cold case. And every bizarre, strange, and gruesome case brought to her is soon cracked as well. After Chu Qing arrives as the forensic botany consultant, Hua Che becomes an even more formidable investigator. Diatom shells point to the body-dumping site. Pollen profiles trace the crime scene. Chlorophyll degradation reveals when a body was buried... In bloody cases, plants silently give their testimony. All it takes is someone to come along, analyze the plants, and decipher the corpse's words. Then the real culprits can be brought to justice, one by one. . Chu Qing is a towering figure at the Forensic Research Institute. An expert in forensic botany, he seems gentle but is actually distant. Plenty of people have gone out of their way to win his favor, but none have even earned a backward glance. Hua Che, on the other hand, is sent by the chief to ask him for help, and wears a scowl as if she's come to pick a fight. Just as it seems the request is about to fall through, Chu Qing unexpectedly turns red-eyed with excitement. "You finally agreed to see me..." Eleven years ago, a raging fire swept through Haiping City, destroying Hua Che's once happy family in a single night. They had been childhood sweethearts, but from then on, they went their separate ways. Theme: Solve crimes through deduction.