"Miss Mu, you don't have to be nervous. I'll give you a statement first," Li Hui said and turned on the law enforcement recorder.
Mu Xinran squeezed out a smile and nodded.
Li Hui began the routine questioning, "Name, age, gender …"
"Mu Xinran, 30 years old, female …"
"Wait a minute." Han Bin waved his hand and interrupted, "Is Mu Xinran the name on your ID?"
Mu Xinran hesitated and shook her head. "No."
"The information for the statement must be the same as the information on your ID. Do you understand?" Han Bin said.
"Got it," Mu Xinran replied.
Li Hui asked again, "Name, age, gender …"
"My real name is Mu Fang, 34 years old, female …"
Zhao Ming raised his eyebrows and looked at Mu Xinran in surprise. Forget about the name, how could even her age be fake?
"When did you receive the blackmail call?" Li Hui continued to ask.
"Yesterday, which is November 8th."
"The exact time."
"Yesterday at ten in the morning, I just woke up and received a call from the blackmailer."
"What did the blackmailer say at that time?"
"He said that I have a private video of you. If you want it back, prepare a ransom of ten million. Otherwise, I'll put it on the Internet," Mu Xinran recalled.
"Did he say how to pay the ransom?"
"He asked me to prepare the money first and wait for his call."
"How many times did he call?" Han Bin asked.
"Once."
"What about the blackmail video? Let me see it," Han Bin suggested.
Mu Xinran hesitated and said awkwardly, "This is my private video. I was changing my clothes at the time, so it wasn't convenient."
"There's nothing inconvenient about it. I'm a police officer. I'm here to solve the case. I have to check all the valuable clues personally," Han Bin said seriously.
Mu Xinran hesitated for a moment and unlocked her phone. She found a video and handed it to Han Bin.
Han Bin clicked on the video and watched it carefully.
Li Hui and Zhao Ming were also a little curious, but they were obviously not as professional as Han Bin, so they were too embarrassed to go over and take a look. They felt like a cat was scratching their hearts.
Han Bin glanced at Li Hui and said, "What are you waiting for? Continue with the statement."
"Yes." Li Hui responded, but he was a little dispirited.
"Is the place where the video was taken in this house?" Li Hui asked.
"Yes, in the master bedroom," Mu Xinran said.
"According to your estimation, which day was it taken secretly?"
"I don't know which day exactly, but I just bought this set of pajamas. I think it was taken after I returned to Qingdao," Mu Xinran said.
"When did you return to the island?"
"November 3rd."
"That is to say, the time of secretly taking photos was between November 3rd and November 7th." Han Bin said.
"It should be," Mu Xinran said.
"Zhao Ming, Reuven, go and check the lock to see if there are any signs of it being pried," Han Bin said.
After the two got up and left, Han Bin continued to ask, "Do you often live in this house?"
"No, I usually live in the capital. I usually come to Qingdao to relax when I'm not filming. I come here about six or seven times a year, which adds up to about a month," Mu Xinran said.
"Who knows about your return to Qingdao this time?" Han Bin asked.
"The agency, my parents, my husband, and my assistant," Mu Xinran said.
"Who was there when you took the photos?" Han Bin asked.
"It's just me. I bought this house for the sake of peace and quiet. I rarely invite friends over."
"Your husband doesn't live here?"
"He's a businessman and has been busy recently. He doesn't have time to accompany me," Mu Xinran explained.
Just then, Zhao Ming walked over. "Brother Bin, we've checked. The lock is intact and there are no signs of it being pried."
Han Bin nodded and continued to ask Mu Xinran, "Did you find any signs of the windows being broken?"
"No."
"Who has the key to this house?" Han Bin asked.
"Just me and my husband," Mu Xinran said.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Where's your husband now?"
"He's still out of town."
Han Bin touched his chin. "You didn't tell him that you were being blackmailed?"
"My husband is in a very important project. I didn't want to distract him, so I didn't tell him," Mu Xinran explained.
"Who came to this house when you returned to Qingdao this time?"
"Just me and Li Xia."
"Does Li Xia live here too?" Han Bin asked.
"I like peace and quiet, so I booked a hotel nearby for Li Xia. I'll only look for her when I need something," Mu Xinran said.
"Did you touch the surveillance camera in the bedroom?" Han Bin asked.
"I didn't want too many people to know, and I didn't know how to do it myself, so I didn't touch it."
"Aren't you afraid of being monitored?" Li Hui was puzzled.
"The one with the surveillance camera is the master bedroom. I moved to the second bedroom," Mu Xinran said.
"Where's the master bedroom?" Han Bin asked.
Mu Xinran pointed behind the sofa. "It's this room."
Han Bin looked at the direction of the room and said to Reuven, "According to the angle of the surveillance camera, it should be above the door. It's probably near the central air conditioner."
Reuven nodded.
"Once we find the camera, we can take the fingerprint and remove it," Han Bin said.
"Wouldn't the blackmailer notice that Mu Xinran called the police?" Li Hui asked.
"Even if Mu Xinran didn't call the police, she would still remove the camera. It's impossible for her to keep it. It has nothing to do with calling the police," Han Bin explained.
Mu Xinran wasn't alone. She had money and a management company behind her. It wasn't difficult for her to deal with a camera.
"Miss Mu, I hope you can inform your husband to come to the police station as soon as possible to make a statement," Han Bin said.
"Are you suspecting my husband?" Mu Xinran frowned.
"It's not really a suspicion, it's just a routine inquiry," Han Bin said.
"But he hasn't been to Qingdao recently, and it has nothing to do with this. There's no need to question him," Mu Xinran said.
"There's no sign of the lock being picked. Only you and your husband have the key. We're asking him to make a statement because we want to ask him if he lost the key or lent it to someone else," Han Bin said.
"I understand," Mu Xinran replied in a low voice.
"I want to check your house and see if I can find any other clues," Han Bin said.
"Do as you wish." Mu Xinran stood up and made a gesture.
Han Bin walked around the living room and didn't find any suspicious clues. He went to the other bedrooms and still didn't find anything unusual. However, when he walked to the balcony, he found an ashtray with some cigarette butts.
At this time, Zhao Ming and Li Hui also went to search the other houses.
In the living room, only Mu Xinran and Li Xia were sitting on the sofa.
Han Bin walked over and sat next to Mu Xinran. "Miss Mu, have you offended anyone recently?"
"No, I never offend anyone."
"Then do you have any suspects?" Han Bin asked.
"No." Mu Xinran shook her head.
Han Bin revealed a thoughtful expression. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to Mu Xinran.
"Thank you, I don't smoke." Mu Xinran politely declined.
Han Bin then handed the cigarette to Li Xia.
"I won't either." Li Xia refused.
"Since you guys don't smoke, then I won't smoke either, in case you guys aren't used to it." Han Bin smiled and put away the cigarette.
"Oh right, has this house been cleaned recently?" Han Bin asked.
"On the morning of November 3rd, I cleaned the house. Because it has been vacant for a long time, the dust in the house is not small. Xinran likes to be clean, so every time I move in, I will clean it." Li Xia said.
Han Bin's expression didn't show it, but he had some doubts in his heart.
He saw the ashtray on the balcony, and there were cigarette butts left inside. If the two of them didn't smoke, then there must be a third person who came here. Just now, when she was making the statement, Mu Xinran said that only she and Li Xia came to this house, which was obviously a lie.
"From November 3rd to today, only the two of you came to this house?" Han Bin confirmed again.
"Yes." Mu Xinran replied.
Han Bin turned his head to look at Li Xia, "Did you clean the balcony on November 3rd?"
"I did. The balcony was quite clean, and there was no debris, so I just wiped the floor." Li Xia said.
"I went to the balcony just now and found an ashtray on the balcony. There were still cigarette butts inside." When Han Bin spoke, his eyes stared at Mu Xinran's expression. "Since the two of you don't smoke, then who left the cigarette butts behind?"
Mu Xinran frowned slightly, lowered her head, and said, "I'm sorry, I lied."
"Raise your head and answer me. Who smoked?"
Mu Xinran took a deep breath. "It was me."
"Why did you lie?"
Mu Xinran pinched her forehead and revealed a helpless expression. "I am an actress. When I am filming, I need to play various roles and socialize with all kinds of people. The pressure is great, very great, and I can't talk to others. Occasionally, I will smoke to relieve the pressure."
"I am not interested in the reason why you smoked. I am asking you why you lied?" Han Bin questioned.
"I am a public figure. I am a good wife and a good actress. My image does not allow me to smoke. This is also a rule set by my management company. If I violate this rule and am photographed by the media or paparazzi, I will face a breach of contract compensation," Mu Xinran said.
"I am a police officer, not a paparazzi. I am not interested in your smoking, but if you purposely hide or cover up some clues related to the case, it will very likely affect the police's investigation," Han Bin warned.
"Yes, I know I am wrong. I will definitely not lie to you again," Mu Xinran said with sincerity.
Han Bin had been staring at her, but he did not notice any signs of Mu Xinran lying.
"What kind of cigarette are you smoking?"
"Ah!" Mu Xinran exclaimed.
"I am asking you what kind of cigarette are you smoking?" Han Bin repeated.
"I …" Mu Xinran thought for a moment and said, "Yun Yan, I smoke Yun Yan."
"Bang!" Han Bin slammed the coffee table and scolded, "Nonsense, the cigarette in the ashtray is clearly Zhonghua, how dare you lie!"
Mu Xinran took a deep breath and squeezed out a smile, "I am sorry, I was too nervous. I usually like to smoke Yun Yan, but I didn't bring any with me this time, so I took a box of my husband's Zhonghua from the cabinet. My husband likes this brand."
"Haha." Han Bin laughed.
Han Bin's laughter made Mu Xinran a little uncertain, so she asked, "Officer Han, is there a problem?"
"The cigarette in the ashtray isn't Zhonghua, it's Yun Yan," Han Bin said.
Mu Xinran was stunned. Her forehead was covered in beads of sweat. It was already Lidong yesterday, and there was no heater today. Sweating at this time was definitely not because of the heat.
"Officer Han, you really know how to joke."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Han Bin asked.
Li Xia stood up and walked towards the balcony.
"Stop." Han Bin reprimanded before he warned, "Providing false information to the police to mislead them will result in criminal liability."
Li Xia stopped and turned her head, "Officer Han, I'm going to get you a glass of water."
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm not thirsty," Han Bin said.
Li Hui saw the situation and walked to Han Bin's side.
"Miss Mu, you called the police on your own, and we are here to help you solve the case. If you deliberately provide false clues, it's equivalent to indirectly helping the suspect," Li Hui said.
Mu Xinran's face was a little ugly. She bit her lips, "I didn't provide false clues, I really didn't do that."
"Who left the cigarette on the balcony?" Han Bin asked.
Mu Xinran lowered her head and didn't say anything.
"If you don't want to talk here, then let's go somewhere else." Han Bin stood up and said to everyone, "Bring them back to the police station to make a statement."
"Officer Han, please wait a moment. I'll talk, I'll tell you everything." Mu Xinran quickly stood up and grabbed Han Bin's arm.
She was a public figure. Once she followed Han Bin to the police station, she would definitely be on the headlines the next day. It didn't matter if she was a victim or a suspect, it wouldn't be a good thing for her.
Han Bin turned around and pulled his arm out, "Speak."
Mu Xinran frowned and was silent for a while. Then she said, "In addition to me and Li Xia, there was someone else who came."
"Who?"
"It was a friend of mine."
"Be more specific."
"His name is Li Hanxuan. He came here to see me. The cigarette on the balcony was smoked by him," Mu Xinran said.
Han Bin sat down, opened the diary, and said, "Why did you deliberately hide it?"
"Li Hanxuan is also an artist, but he and I are not in the same agency. He also wants to come to our agency, so he wanted to introduce me to him. Because it involves the company's secrets, I didn't tell you." Mu Xinran sighed, as if she was afraid that Han Bin wouldn't believe her.
She added, "Once the agency knows that he and I are in private contact, it's very likely that he will be banned. His contract hasn't expired, so he can't come to our agency immediately. If he is frozen by the agency for a period of time and loses his popularity, our agency may not sign him again. That's why I didn't dare to expose my contact with him."
Han Bin stared at Mu Xinran and praised, "Let's not talk about other things for now. You are a good actress."
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