Early the next morning, in a small conference room.
Zeng Yongjia, Chang Bin, and the rest of the Special Crimes Unit sat on one side, while across from them Hou Zibo and the members of the Cold Case Unit sat in neat rows. The two groups stared each other down, and the air was thick with tension, as though everyone were waiting for a single spark. One tiny ignition point and the whole room would explode.
After a long while, just as Zeng Yongjia’s eyes were beginning to ache from staring, the conference room door finally opened.
Under everyone’s gaze, He Shu and Ji Chen entered one after the other.
“So what’s the situation…” Zeng Yongjia glanced at He Shu as she sat down beside him, then stole another look at Ji Chen standing at the front of the room. Grinding his teeth, he asked in a low voice, “We’re really merging the investigations?”
“That was Deputy Liu’s decision. Based on all the evidence currently available, we can basically confirm that the same killer committed both cases. It’s a serial murder case,” He Shu replied. “Don’t worry. Even though the cases are being merged, Deputy Director Liu’s plan is for the Cold Case Unit to focus mainly on reopening and reinvestigating the case from three years ago. Our unit will concentrate on following the leads from the new case. There shouldn’t be too much overlap or conflict.”
The members of the Special Crimes Unit visibly relaxed after hearing her explanation. They didn’t mind a joint investigation. What they feared was a repeat of the previous chaotic division of labor, where everyone ended up tripping over one another until the entire operation became a complete mess.
After organizing the case files, Ji Chen had Hou Zibo distribute copies to everyone in the room. As he did so, he spared a glance toward the quietly whispering Special Crimes detectives before beginning a detailed briefing on the case from three years ago and all currently known leads. Before ending the meeting, he delivered the usual formal remarks about hoping for smooth cooperation, then promptly adjourned the session.
Afterward, He Shu gathered her team in the hallway and began assigning tasks.
“Since the victim’s identity still hasn’t been established and we haven’t been able to determine the source of the remains, our investigation will focus on three areas for now.”
“First, we’ll see whether the reporting party can recall any additional details. At the same time, we’ll look for any other witnesses who may have been in the area around the time yesterday’s report came in.”
“Second, we’ll conduct interviews around the body disposal site, including nearby tourist attractions, local residents, and even sanitation workers, to see if anyone noticed anything unusual.”
“Third, we’ll obtain all surveillance footage from around the disposal site. Some serial killers like to return to such locations repeatedly, reliving the crime in their minds as a way of sustaining the gratification they feel during their cooling-off periods.”
“Judging solely from how infrequently the police have discovered bodies, this killer has an exceptionally strong degree of self-control. His cooling-off periods are unusually long, which suggests that he’s cautious, mature, and highly capable of counter-surveillance.”
After finishing, she summarized: “Zeng Yongjia, Old Chang, and Brother Xie, each of you will lead a team and investigate one of those three areas. As for me, I’ll head over to the Technical Division and see whether there’s been any progress in identifying the victim.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Once the three men acknowledged the orders, He Shu wasted no time and headed straight for the Technical Division.
Ding Qi was sitting in front of a computer, busy with something. He glanced up at her and casually greeted her. “Captain He, could you sit over there and wait a moment?”
He Shu nodded and slowly walked over to the large table piled with items. Looking more closely, she realized that the objects were the pieces of trash recovered along with the skeletal remains the previous night.
Everything had been meticulously sorted into categories, apparently awaiting further analysis by the technicians to determine whether any of it might be connected to the homicide and possibly help identify the victim.
The next moment, Ding Qi let out a dramatic wail. “Perfect. Absolutely perfect. After the cases got merged, I suddenly have to deal with two ridiculously difficult people at the same time. Life really is full of surprises.”
Hearing this, He Shu turned around and saw Ji Chen walking in through the doorway. Without expression, he tossed a bottle of drink over.
Ding Qi caught it one-handed. A smile instantly spread across his face. Delighted, he twisted off the cap, took a sip, and then beckoned to the two of them.
“Come here and take a look.” Ding Qi pulled up a photograph on the computer screen. It was clearly a digitally generated image based on facial reconstruction. The face in the picture was delicate and pleasant-looking.
“After Zheng Jian completed the facial reconstruction of yesterday’s victim’s skull, this is the image he produced. As for the DNA, I re-entered both victims’ profiles into the system for matching. The results were exactly what you expected: no matches.”
At that moment, Ji Chen and He Shu reacted almost identically. Both tilted their heads slightly to one side, deep frowns forming between their brows.
Ding Qi noticed the synchronized gesture, and a fleeting sense of uncertainty crossed his mind. The thought was far too dangerous and improbable, however, so he quickly dismissed it.
Smacking his lips, he continued gloomily: “The DNA isn’t giving us anything. We’ve already ruled out a whole bunch of apparently suitable candidates from the national missing persons database. Both victims were missing for a very long time without anyone noticing. Doesn’t that seem strange? What kind of person disappears for that long without family, friends, or coworkers finding it unusual?”
As his words fell, all three of them lapsed into silence.
Just then, a technician who had been busy working nearby suddenly exclaimed: “Th-This thing… could it be…?”
Ding Qi hurried over. Carefully cradling a small, soft object in his palm, his eyes suddenly lit up.
“If I’m not mistaken, this was probably in the bag with the victim’s remains. It’s a breast implant used in augmentation surgery. There should be a unique product serial number on it. We may be able to trace the victim’s identity through it!”
Without question, this was extremely good news.
The Technical Division immediately began following up on the lead. Using records provided by the implant manufacturer, they ultimately traced it to a private cosmetic surgery hospital called Aimani Medical Aesthetics Hospital.
That same afternoon, a white SUV pulled into a parking lot. A short distance ahead was a row of storefronts facing the street, among them the large sign for Aimani Medical Aesthetics Hospital, which was impossible to miss.
He Shu opened the rear door and stepped out. She rubbed her stomach, cramping from the awkward silence during the drive, and let out a silent sigh. If the other members of her team hadn’t been sent out on assignments, she and Ji Chen probably wouldn’t have made this trip together.
Bang! The sound of a car door slamming shut snapped her back to reality. Watching the man’s retreating figure grow farther away, she pushed the thoughts aside and quickly followed him.
“Hello, welcome to Aimani Medical Aesthetics. How may I help you today?”
The moment they stepped inside, He Shu was greeted with enthusiastic hospitality.
The receptionist was a beautiful young woman with an exquisitely made-up face no bigger than a palm, wearing a warm smile that made guests feel immediately at home.
“Miss, how did you hear about our hospital? I can provide an initial consultation first, and then arrange for a doctor to perform a detailed assessment…”
“Is your director available?” He Shu asked.
The receptionist’s smile grew even more genuine. “Oh, so you’re interested in our director’s expertise. Unfortunately, the director’s schedule has been quite full lately. However, we have many outstanding doctors here as well. For example…” She lowered her voice until only the two women could hear.
“Dr. Liu Jingxu was hired from overseas at great expense. Everyone who’s used his services says wonderful things about him.” She spoke as though she were sharing a remarkable secret.
He Shu smiled pleasantly. Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, she produced her police identification. “I’m afraid we’ll still need to see your director.”
“…”
A few minutes later, the beautiful receptionist led them upstairs and seated them in a fully transparent waiting lounge.
“I’m very sorry. Our director has gone to another hospital for an academic exchange. I just contacted him, and he said he’ll be back immediately. Could I trouble you two officers to wait a little while?”
In truth, He Shu wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea. She felt she had already endured enough for one day. If she had to continue sitting alone with Ji Chen, the cold-faced god himself, she suspected she’d end up with indigestion before dinner. Thinking this, she wore a slightly pained expression and even found herself missing her younger self.
How had she once managed to completely ignore the distant, unapproachable coldness on that handsome face? It had been a feat of extraordinary courage, worthy of moving heaven and earth and making gods and ghosts weep.
Now that she’d been given a second chance, however, she absolutely didn’t dare anymore.
Perhaps because of her guilty conscience, once the receptionist left, she wandered around the waiting room several times before stepping out to stroll through the second floor. No matter what, she refused to sit quietly in one place.
Just as she was about to circle the floor for the third time, the elevator doors not far from the lounge finally opened.
A slightly overweight middle-aged man stepped out. He had a round face, wore glasses, and looked fairly refined. Carrying a briefcase, he approached them while extending his hand from a distance.
“Hello, hello. You two must be officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau, correct? I’m the person in charge here. My surname is Wang.”
After receiving confirmation, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Why don’t we go to my office instead? It’s a bit quieter over there.”
The three of them then went up to the third floor. Director Wang led the two officers into an office at the very end of the hallway. The room was brightly lit and featured large floor-to-ceiling windows. However, instead of overlooking the bustling street, they faced the residential neighborhood behind the commercial row.
“Please, have a seat, have a seat.” Wang Wenping pressed a button on the phone, instructed someone outside to prepare tea, and then sat down on the sofa. “May I ask what brings the officers here today?” For some reason, he seemed a little uneasy.
“This.” Ji Chen took out a photograph and slid it across the coffee table.
Wang Wenping accepted the photo, adjusted his glasses, and examined it carefully. His expression visibly relaxed. “This is an implant used during body-contouring procedures.”
“We located the manufacturer of this surgical implant. According to the manufacturer’s records, your hospital purchased this batch two years ago. We hope that Director Wang will cooperate with the police investigation and provide the detailed identity information of the patient who received this implant,” Ji Chen explained.
“Uh…” Wang Wenping hesitated. His smile looked somewhat forced. “Officer, every profession has its code of ethics. We can’t casually disclose our clients’ private information. If word got out, it would damage my reputation in this industry.” He paused before continuing. “At the very least, you’ll need to provide the proper paperwork…”
Hearing that, He Shu merely smiled, outwardly changing the subject. “Director Wang, there’s actually something I’m rather curious about.”
“What is it?”
“When you first saw us, you seemed quite nervous. But once you learned why we were here, you visibly relaxed. What exactly were you afraid of at first? A law-abiding citizen shouldn’t be frightened when dealing with the police. Could it be that you’ve done something you feel guilty about?”
She clicked her tongue theatrically. “We came here today simply to ask for your cooperation with an investigation. As for anything else…”
Wang Wenping suddenly looked up at the woman across from him, whose smile was every bit as insincere as his own. More beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He grabbed a couple of tissues and began wiping frantically. After a moment, he seemed to arrive at a decision. Letting out several awkward laughs, he said, “Officer He is absolutely right. And I trust that the Public Security Bureau wouldn’t casually disclose any confidential information. I’ll have someone retrieve the records immediately.”
Just then, there was a knock at the door. A female secretary entered carrying tea. Wang hurried over, pulled her aside, and quietly gave her instructions before returning to his seat. “Please, have some tea. We can talk while we wait.”
Over the next while, Ji Chen occasionally made small talk with him about various unrelated topics. The tension Wang had felt after He Shu subtly pressured him gradually eased.
Soon afterward, the secretary returned and handed him a file. Wang Wenping accepted it and, without even glancing inside, immediately passed it to Ji Chen.
Ji Chen opened the file and flipped through it. The first thing he saw was a set of photographs. He turned his head and exchanged a look with He Shu.
Both of them saw confirmation in the other’s eyes.
Although the victim’s reconstructed appearance, produced by Zheng Jian from the skull, might differ slightly from her actual appearance because it was computer-generated, the face’s proportions would not change.
Based on that alone, they could essentially confirm that the woman in the file was the second victim they had been searching for.
Xin Li. According to the ID information in the file, she was twenty-four years old. Her household registration wasn’t local; she was from northern China.
“Director Wang, the file says that you personally performed her breast implant surgery, so do you have any recollection of this client?” He Shu pulled out a front-facing photograph, turned it toward him, and asked.
“…”
At first, Wang Wenping looked over casually. But the moment he saw the face in the photograph, his eyes behind the lenses widened noticeably. Although he’d learned his lesson from moments earlier and tried hard to control his expression, he wasn’t entirely successful.
“Her? I actually do remember her somewhat. She was quite a difficult client.” As he spoke, he pulled out two more tissues and resumed wiping the sweat from his forehead before moving on to his neck.
The secretary also leaned over to look at the photograph, as if searching her memory.
“This lady… I remember her too, actually. It was probably more than a year ago when she came to our hospital wanting implant surgery. At the time, I was still working at the front desk. She really opened my eyes. She actually came here and tried to bargain over the price. She was incredibly hard to deal with.”
“Oh?” He Shu raised an eyebrow. “So she succeeded in negotiating a discount?”
Wang Wenping sighed and shook his head. “Well, you’ve seen what kind of business we’re running here. At the end of the day, we’re in business, and business depends on keeping the peace. The kind of customer we fear most is someone you simply can’t reason with.”
“In the end, there wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t let her keep coming back every day and disrupting business, so I finally gave her a discount.”
“But why is the Public Security Bureau investigating—” He stopped mid-sentence. A sudden realization struck him. The photograph of the implant he had seen earlier had clearly been taken after it was removed from a human body. His face immediately changed color.
“She was the victim in one of our cases,” Ji Chen said as he closed the file. Rising to his feet, he extended a hand in thanks. “Thank you for your cooperation, Director Wang. We may need to contact you again later, so please keep your phone available.”
“Of course. I’ll cooperate fully, absolutely.” Wang Wenping hurriedly shook his hand.
After leaving Aimani Medical Aesthetics Hospital, the two walked toward the parking lot.
As they went, Ji Chen flexed the fingers of the right hand he had just used to shake the man’s hand.
“Director Wang is hiding something.”
“I noticed,” He Shu muttered in agreement. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, she immediately instructed the person on the other end: “Name: Xin Li. ID number: xxx. Run a check on her right away.”
Ji Chen glanced at her from the corner of his eye a couple of times, then remained silent for the rest of the walk back to the vehicle.
“Whew…” After settling into the rear seat of the white SUV and fastening her seat belt, He Shu let out a long breath and reopened the file.
“There’s an address listed here as her residence.”
“We should look into the owner of that property,” Ji Chen continued. “Most likely it was a place the victim was renting. We might be able to get some useful leads by speaking with the landlord.”
His response caught her slightly off guard. She hadn’t expected one. Before she could say anything, the phone in her pocket began vibrating so forcefully that her thigh went numb. She pulled it out, switched to speakerphone, and heard Zeng Yongjia’s voice on the other end: “Captain He, I’ve got the results from the search you requested. Her ID is linked to an employee registration record. According to our information, she worked at a clothing store two years ago. I’ve already sent the address to your phone.”
“Thanks. I’ll send you another address in a moment. Keep digging into it. If that property isn’t registered under the victim’s name, contact the owner and see what they know,” He Shu instructed. After hanging up, she pulled up the message Zeng Yongjia had just sent and held the phone forward for Ji Chen to see.
Sensing the movement from the back seat, the man turned his head slightly and lowered his gaze to the screen for a few seconds.
Then the SUV’s engine roared to life. Like a streak of white lightning, the vehicle sped out of the parking lot.
He Shu sat quietly in the rear seat. Her hand tightened slightly around her phone. A moment ago, when he had leaned over to look at the screen, his breath had brushed against her wrist. The warmth of it had felt almost painfully hot.
…
The noise of the city filled their ears as the journey continued. Several dozen minutes later, the two arrived at an underground shopping center near the train station.
Following the address they had obtained, they found the women’s clothing store where Xin Li had once worked.
A curtain covered the store’s entrance for privacy. He Shu lifted it slightly and peeked inside first. After confirming nothing awkward was going on, she beckoned Ji Chen to follow her in.
As soon as the two entered, a young, fashionably dressed salesgirl came forward to greet them. Behind the cash register sat a middle-aged woman. She lifted her eyelids to glance at them, then returned her attention to the half-eaten apple in her hand and the conversation she was having on her phone.
Knock, knock, knock. Someone tapped on the counter several times.
The owner, whose hair was styled in curls, looked up irritably. What met her eyes was a police identification card bearing the national emblem. Startled, she immediately scrambled to her feet. “I-Is something the matter?”
“Have you always been the owner and operator of this store?” He Shu asked.
The woman nodded. Apparently she’d never been questioned by police in her life, because she stammered as she spoke. “Y-Yes. I’ve been running this shop for five or six years now. The owner has never changed…”
Smiling, He Shu swapped her ID for a photograph. “Then do you recognize this person?”
The owner took the picture and studied it carefully from several angles. After quite some time, she nodded uncertainly. “I think she worked here for a while. Then she suddenly quit and left me in a terrible spot. I think her name was… something Li, Li… It’s been so long that I can’t really remember.”
“How did she leave you in a terrible spot?”
“Just talking about it still makes me angry.” The owner slapped her palm dramatically. “When she first came looking for work, she was such a country bumpkin. I felt sorry for her and hired her. I thought, she’s young and came all the way from the countryside to the city. Life can’t be easy for her. If I could help, then I should.”
“But then? She just up and left!” The owner spread her hands in exasperation. “She left without any warning at all. I didn’t even have time to hire someone new. I ended up working myself to exhaustion.”
“How can someone be so ungrateful? I gave her food, a place to stay, and a salary. In the end, she acted completely unreasonably.”
Food and lodging? A flicker of realization crossed He Shu’s eyes. She recited the address listed in Xin Li’s hospital records.
The shop owner looked somewhat surprised. “That’s right! That address is one of my old apartments. She didn’t have anywhere to live at the time, so I cleared out a room and let her stay there. I didn’t charge rent, though I paid her a little less salary because of it. But we agreed on all that beforehand. It’s not like I took advantage of her.”
“Then after she left here,” He Shu asked, “do you know where she went afterward?”
“I don’t think she got into any respectable line of work.” The middle-aged woman’s face showed open disdain. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she hurried to the entrance and stuck her head outside.
“Kiki? Kiki?!”
Before she had even finished calling, someone answered from three or four storefronts away. A short while later, a young woman wearing jeans and a cropped tank top came over.
“She lived in my apartment with that little ungrateful brat two years ago. The two of them were pretty close. Officers, if there’s anything you want to know, just ask her.”
Having said that, the owner returned behind the register, still muttering complaints about “bad luck” and “what a nuisance” under her breath.
The young woman called Kiki tugged self-consciously at the hem of her top. “You’re police officers? Why are you investigating Lili? Did… did something happen to her?”
“You two were close?” Ji Chen asked.
Kiki nodded at first, then shook her head. She bit her lower lip uncertainly and thought for a long moment before replying: “We got along pretty well when we lived together. After she moved out, though, we didn’t really keep in touch.”
“Do you know why she quit her job here?”
“Probably because she thought the pay was too low. Xin Li was pretty, you know. She definitely wasn’t willing to spend her whole life selling clothes in a tiny shop like this.”
“Did she ever tell you where she went to work afterward?”
“How could she possibly tell me?” Kiki laughed, her expression tinged with sarcasm. Then, realizing her attitude might be inappropriate, she quickly suppressed the smile.
“Well, when a woman wants to make money fast, there’s usually only one way, isn’t there…?” She left the sentence unfinished and cast the two officers a meaningful look. The implication was perfectly clear.