The elevator continued its ascent.
He Shu stared absentmindedly at the floor numbers lighting up one after another, clearly distracted.
In the end, Ding Qi couldn’t suppress his curiosity any longer. Clearing his throat, he said: “Captain He, I’ve got a question. Not sure whether I should ask it or not.”
Standing beside him, Zeng Yongjia and Chang Bin immediately perked up.
Although both wore expressions that said they couldn’t care less, their eyes darted around, betraying them completely.
He Shu blinked and looked over at Ding Qi, which he took as permission to continue.
Rubbing his hands together excitedly, Ding Qi asked: “I just want to know, do you and Team Leader Ji know each other or not?”
“The atmosphere between you two is really strange. It doesn’t seem like you don’t know each other, but it doesn’t seem like you do, either. Sure, Ji Chen isn’t exactly warm and friendly, but he’s not usually this cold. If you two had never crossed paths before, there’d be no reason to deliberately avoid even making eye contact.”
“I guess you could say we know each other.” He Shu tilted her head uncertainly.
“Then the story about you breaking two of his ribs is true?” Ding Qi’s face turned red with excitement. “That’s incredible! No wonder Team Leader Ji holds grudges. He probably can’t accept it.”
“After all, around the bureau he’s always come out on top in every competition, whether it’s shooting, free fighting, or anything else. A guy that proud actually experienced getting completely steamrolled by someone?”
Ding! The elevator doors opened at exactly that moment.
Pressing her lips together, He Shu chose not to answer directly. Instead, she simply stepped out. Walking briskly ahead, she left the three men trailing behind her at a leisurely pace, as though they were out enjoying a countryside stroll.
Seeing that He Shu had put a little distance between herself and them, Chang Bin stroked his stubbled chin and said uncertainly, “You know, I’m not so sure about this. Did you notice how she never actually answered the question? What if she’s just bluffing?”
“Then how do you explain the way those two act around each other now?” Ding Qi seemed quite pleased with himself, as though he had already decided his theory was correct. “Don’t tell me it’s some traditional rivalry between Major Crimes and Cold Cases, where whoever ends up in charge automatically has to dislike the other.”
“Tsk…” Chang Bin frowned thoughtfully. “I’m still reserving judgment. And you two had better not go spreading this around. Making up rumors isn’t exactly the sort of thing a police officer should be doing.”
At that, Zeng Yongjia shook his head and wore an expression that was difficult to describe. “Old Chang, there are some things you’ve never seen.”
“Which just means your horizons aren’t broad enough.”
Impossible? In a world this big, anything was possible! That woman… Tsk. As he thought about it, it was as if he began hallucinating. Bloodcurdling screams echoed in his ears, and suddenly he could feel pain everywhere: his cheekbones, collarbones, sternum, lower back. Not a single spot didn’t ache. Abruptly, he shuddered. When he came back to himself, he realized goosebumps had risen all over his body. He briskly rubbed both arms a couple of times, then quickened his pace toward the office as if he had seen a ghost.
…
Having just returned from collecting evidence at the club, everyone immediately plunged into another round of frantic work. However, whether it was witness statements or physical evidence, very little of it was proving useful to the current investigation.
Seated at his desk, Chang Bin sorted through and reviewed statements from all Phantom employees. After a while, he threw his head back and sighed dramatically. “Most of these employees only remember what they themselves were doing. They have no particular recollection of either victim.”
“As for the ones who do remember them, they all say they have no idea who the victims were with on the night they were murdered, when they left, or who they left with.”
Then, without even turning around, he addressed the person sitting behind him: “Captain He, find anything in the surveillance footage?”
He Shu was leaning back in her chair, watching the recordings at double speed. Hearing the question, she replied: “Not yet. The footage from the night Nie Han was murdered has already been overwritten.”
“As for the second victim, he made physical contact with a dancer named CC that evening. Then, shortly after midnight, he left the club alone.”
“In that case, isn’t it possible the glitter-containing body lotion got onto his hands when he came into contact with the dancer?” Chang Bin analyzed.
“Maybe.” He Shu remained cautious. “But after interacting with the dancer, he went to the restroom three separate times. Each time he came out, he either shook water off his hands or wiped them dry.”
“I’ve gotten that stuff on myself before. It washes off pretty easily.”
“So that detail alone doesn’t prove anything.”
Just as the two finished their discussion and prepared to return to their respective tasks, Zeng Yongjia rushed into the office. “Captain He, Ding Qi’s team has confirmed the victim’s identity: Ying Weiqiu, thirty-two years old, married. His facial features match the photograph on his ID card, and we’ve also contacted his wife to provide a DNA sample. The identification has been confirmed.”
“The records show that he currently runs his own barbecue restaurant. So far, we’ve found no evidence of any meaningful connection between him and the first victim.”
After hearing this, Chang Bin summarized: “Male. Both victims fall within roughly the same age range. Financially stable. Married. And from what we’ve seen so far… neither was exactly faithful in his private life.”
“Nie Han had previously been accused of sexual assault. What about this Ying Weiqiu?”
Zeng Yongjia shook his head.
“There aren’t any criminal or legal violation records for him in the database.”
“What about that dancer, CC… were you able to contact her?” He Shu asked after a few seconds of thought.
“Right, right, that’s what I was about to tell you.” Zeng Yongjia pulled a single sheet from the thick stack of A4 paper in his hand and handed it over.
“Using the contact information provided by the club manager, we called several times before she finally picked up. From the interview, we learned that the dancer’s real name is Tang Meitong, twenty-eight years old.”
He Shu raised an eyebrow. “Tang?”
Slapping his thigh, the man exclaimed: “I knew you’d ask that, so I specifically checked! And guess what? This Tang Meitong and Tang Jia, the secretary from the same company where the first victim, Nie Han, worked, are cousins!”
“Holy shit, seriously?” Chang Bin’s face lit up. “Do you think it’s possible that Tang Meitong found out Tang Jia had been wronged, deliberately got close to Nie Han, and then slashed out that scumbag?”
Emotionally speaking, the theory seemed plausible.
However, He Shu countered: “Then why kill Ying Weiqiu as well? Are you suggesting Ying Weiqiu also assaulted Tang Jia?”
“But according to Tang Jia’s own statement, the only person involved was Nie Han.”
That was true. The moment they looked at it that way, the entire chain of logic fell apart.
“Did you ask Tang Meitong to come in and cooperate with the investigation?”
Zeng Yongjia nodded. “Yes. She was fairly cooperative and agreed to come in later today.”
He Shu responded with a quiet “Mm” to show she understood. After carefully reviewing the information and report he had brought back, she turned her attention to the computer screen once more. Her fingers occasionally tapped the keyboard as she repeatedly replayed a particular segment of surveillance footage. Her gaze was deep and focused, her brows tightly furrowed.
After a long while, the repetitive tapping finally stopped. The video froze on a single frame. The camera angle showed the club packed wall-to-wall with people crowded onto the dance floor. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual.
More than half an hour later. Inside an interview room on the ground floor of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, He Shu and Zeng Yongjia sat across a table from a woman.
She was attractive, wearing a simple white T-shirt, light blue jeans, and canvas sneakers. Long, smooth black hair fell over her shoulders, and round-framed glasses perched on her nose made her look much younger than she was.
Following standard procedure, Zeng Yongjia first confirmed her basic information. Then he placed two photographs on the table.
“Is this you?”
Tang Meitong adjusted her glasses and took a look. “That’s me. It should’ve been while I was working at Phantom.”
“You don’t look quite the same.”
“Ah…” The woman answered openly, without trying to hide anything. “When I’m working, I have to wear heavy makeup and a wig. Of course I look different.”
“I heard from a friend who works as a bartender at the club that everyone was interviewed this morning. I just didn’t expect the police to come looking for me. What’s this about?”
“Where were you on the night of May 12th?” He Shu asked.
“I was working at the club. That club.” Tang Meitong pursed her lips toward the photos on the table. “Phantom is actually a pretty good employer. The shifts are short, and the pay is generous. I’m there almost half the month.”
He Shu took out another photograph. “Do you know this person?”
Unexpectedly, Tang Meitong glanced at it, then let out a derisive laugh. “So this is about him?”
“Looks like you know him. You recognized him immediately,” said Zeng Yongjia. “Why don’t you tell us more? How did you meet him? Did you see him at the club on the night of May 12th?”
“Let’s not exaggerate. I wouldn’t say we’re that familiar.” The woman hesitated briefly before continuing. “It’s just… I have a younger cousin named Tang Jia. I knew a man was threatening her. I kept telling her to call the police, but she refused.”
“I wanted to go teach that bastard a lesson myself, but she was afraid I’d get hurt and kept stopping me.”
“A while ago, Tang Jia got drunk and showed me a photo of that pig. That’s when I found out it was actually one of the junior executives at her company.”
She ground her teeth. “And before I even had the chance to go looking for the son of a bitch, he delivered himself right to me.”
“That night at Phantom, I recognized him the second I laid eyes on him!”
“So what happened after that?” He Shu asked.
“After that, when my performance ended, I jumped off the stage and went straight over to him.”
The woman curled her lip in disgust. “You should’ve seen the way that pervert looked at me. His eyes were practically falling out of his head as he stared at my chest. It was revolting.”
“After I confirmed his name, I thought about what he’d done to Tang Jia. I got so angry that I punched him.”
“Later, the club staff and some customers pulled us apart.” As she finished speaking, she raised an arm and laid her wrist on the table. “There. If you want to arrest me, go ahead. At most I’ll spend a few days in detention. I’m not apologizing to him.”
Her tone became even more indignant. “If I’d had any evidence, I’d have sent that bastard to prison a long time ago!”
Then, suddenly, she looked puzzled. “Wait a minute. I only hit someone. You people didn’t have to go all the way to Phantom and question every single person there just to find me, did you?”
“In all the employee statements, no one mentioned this incident,” Zeng Yongjia said quietly to He Shu as he turned his head toward her.
He Shu nodded. Then she looked at the indifferent-looking Tang Meitong seated across from them.
“Nie Han is dead.”
“Dead or ali-” The woman had been about to curse him when she suddenly processed the meaning of those words. Her eyes flew wide open. “D-Dead?”
Instantly, she pulled her hand back beneath the table. Even her speech became shaky. The carefree attitude from moments before vanished, replaced by obvious panic.
“Y-You don’t mean… he died because of that punch, do you?”
“That can’t be right…”
“When I left, he was still alive and kicking, cursing me out.”
Her voice took on a tearful edge. “He kept calling me all kinds of names.”
“He looked pretty sturdy. How could one punch have been enough to do him in…?”
From beginning to end, her words carried sincere grievance.