“Rape case?” Zeng Yongjia asked with some doubt. “Was he imprisoned?”
Ding Qi shook his head. “I checked the case file from back then. It shows insufficient evidence, and in the end there didn’t seem to be any clear conclusion.”
“The deceased’s name was Nie Han, thirty-six years old, registered in Shaozhou City.” He Shu examined the personal details carefully. “For the past five years, he’s been working as the quality control manager at a local plastic-steel factory. No one has reported him missing.”
Chang Bin analyzed: “That makes sense. After all, he’s a man in his thirties. People around him probably wouldn’t immediately assume something had happened to him.”
“He also has a wife—registered just two years ago.” After double-checking the information, He Shu handed the report to Zeng Yongjia, who had been craning his neck to see. “In a moment, you and Old Chang will come with me to his workplace to gather information, and then we’ll contact his wife to cooperate with the investigation at the bureau.”
Once she received their confirmation, she continued: “The forensic team mentioned earlier that the victim’s male characteristics were missing. At first, we thought maybe they’d ended up in the stomachs of stray cats and dogs. But given his past involvement in such a case, we have to broaden our perspective. The missing features may not be related to the animals at all—their gnawing might only have destroyed some trace evidence. Which means we also need to reach out to the victim from five years ago. Brother Xie, I’ll trouble you to take a team and handle that.” She passed over the information of the rape case’s victim.
Xie Zihao looked displeased, but after glancing around at the faintly disapproving expressions of the others, he reluctantly accepted the file, snorting twice through his nose as a grudging acknowledgment.
Zeng Yongjia wanted to say something to persuade him, but with so many people present, his expression grew uneasy. In the end, he only pressed his lips together, scratched the back of his head, and sighed inwardly—thinking it best to wait until this case was finished before speaking further.
He Shu, however, didn’t seem the least bit concerned. Seeing Xie Zihao take the file, she didn’t bother with his attitude and instead turned to Ding Qi: “As for the little ones down in the evidence room—sorry to trouble you.”
Ding Qi’s easy, detached smile froze instantly.
“The forensic team says they’ll need the animals’ excrement to check if there’s any chance of finding bone fragments from the victim. Hard work, I know.” He Shu’s words carried sympathy, but her expression didn’t match—her eyes were already smiling. After speaking, she gave Ding Qi’s shoulder a consoling pat and walked out first.
Chang Bin couldn’t help bursting into laughter, slapping his thigh. Just last night, that man had stood with arms crossed, watching their task force chase dogs all over the place, grinning from ear to ear. Retribution came fast, didn’t it?
“Damn, I like this girl’s style.” He exchanged a mischievous look with Zeng Yongjia, then darted out of the office right behind her.
“Heh!” Xie Zihao sneered. “Seriously? Old Chang just accepts this so easily? Think about it—we’re all veteran detectives, and they casually bring in some woman who clearly lacks experience. What gives her the right?”
The remaining few didn’t show their displeasure as openly as he did, but in their hearts they surely felt the same, some even wearing faintly approving expressions.
Ding Qi clearly had no desire to get involved in the task force’s internal matters, yet after some thought he spoke up: “Brother Xie, there’s no need to judge her with prejudice right from the start. Last night I spoke at length with Captain He, and you heard her analysis of the case just now—her thinking was clear and methodical, and she knows the investigative process inside out. She’s definitely not as incompetent as you imagine.” He shook his head, perhaps recalling the creatures down in the evidence room, and left with a sigh.
Xie Zihao lowered his gaze to the sheet of paper he had just accepted, which listed information about the victim from five years ago. He gave a cold snort and tossed it onto the desk, clearly unmoved by anyone’s persuasion.
“The bureau leadership—who knows what they’re thinking. If He Shu manages to last half a year in the task force, I’ll call her grandma!” His disdain was absolute.
The reason was simple: the lead investigator position in the city’s task force was far too important to hand out lightly. By rights, only the capable should hold it. If He Shu were truly outstanding, how could none of them have ever even heard of her? It made no sense at all…
Seeing that He Shu and Chang Bin had already left some time ago, Zeng Yongjia, pressed for time, couldn’t say much. He stepped forward, squeezed Xie’s shoulder, and said: “The case still has to be solved, doesn’t it? You can’t just quit.” Then he hurried off.
About an hour later, the police car pulled up outside the gates of a factory called Yuheng Plastic-Steel. The plant was located on the outskirts of the city; apart from a few scattered, nameless factories in the distance, the view was nothing but vast stretches of wild land, weeds growing waist-high.
The factory’s security was strict. After they identified themselves at the gate, the guard had to phone for authorization before letting them through, and then directed them to the office building.
By the time Chang Bin drove up to the three‑story building, a woman in her thirties dressed in a black suit was already waiting. Seeing the three officers get out of the car, she greeted them with a reserved smile:
“Hello. Since our general manager is in a meeting, I was asked to come down and welcome you.”
After a round of polite but perfunctory small talk, the secretary introduced herself and led them upstairs to the third floor. Turning right at the stairwell, they came to a rather grand-looking door. She stepped forward and knocked: “Director Wei?”
“Come in.” A deep male voice sounded from inside.
The secretary pushed the door open. By the window stood an imposing executive desk, behind which sat a square‑faced man in casual clothes. On the sofa opposite, several people were seated, apparently in the middle of a discussion.
Seeing the three officers following the secretary in, Wei Mingdong, the man behind the desk, casually stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. He wrapped up his remarks in a few words and gestured for the others to leave. Only after He Shu and her colleagues stepped into the spacious office did he rise, push open the window, and then come around warmly to shake their hands.
“I wasn’t aware the police would be visiting. What brings you here?”
“We’d like to ask about Nie Han, who was employed at your factory,” Zeng Yongjia said once they were seated on the sofa.
“Nie Han?” Wei Mingdong looked genuinely surprised. At that moment, the secretary preparing tea gave a sudden start—her hand trembled, and the box of tea leaves slipped to the floor. Luckily, the lid stayed shut. She didn’t dare turn her head, just crouched silently to pick it up.
Wei Mingdong looked rather startled. The secretary, preparing tea to the side, gave a sudden jolt—her hand trembled, and the box of tea leaves slipped from her grasp. Fortunately, the lid stayed shut. She didn’t dare turn her head, only crouched silently to pick it up.
He Shu merely glanced at her back, her gaze passing over as if she hadn’t noticed at all.
“Wait… Officers… what’s happened to Nie Han?” Wei Mingdong frowned, his expression grave. “Don’t tell me this is about that case from years ago? If I recall correctly, the evidence was insufficient and the charges were withdrawn.”
“From the way you speak, Director Wei, it sounds like you’re quite familiar with the case from five years ago?” He Shu countered.
“Familiar is too strong a word. But Nie Han has been with me since this factory was founded over a decade ago. Officially, he was the quality control manager of Yuheng Plastic-Steel, but in truth I gave him annual profit shares.” Wei Mingdong patted his pocket, habitually pulling out a cigarette case, though in the end he only tossed it onto the coffee table. “Some things are better left unsaid too bluntly. Nie Han was wealthy, decent-looking—he had no reason to get involved in anything so disgraceful.”
His meaning was clear: the accusation five years ago was baseless. Rather than Nie Han forcing himself on someone, it was more likely the other party had failed to achieve some ulterior motive and resorted to false charges.
“We’re not here because of that case…” He Shu’s voice was steady, her eyes fixed on him. “Last night, police discovered a male corpse on the rocky shore at Zhenxiong Bay. They confirmed it was Nie Han. According to the forensic autopsy, he died three days ago. Three days without seeing your quality control manager—don’t you find that strange?”
“…” Wei Mingdong seemed unable to recover, his face registering pure shock. For a long moment, he said nothing.
Just then, the secretary arrived with the tea tray. At the words she overheard, her hand trembled again—the hot water splashed onto her left hand, reddening the skin instantly.
“Ah!” she cried out, setting the tray down quickly and checking her hand. Luckily, the burn wasn’t severe. Flustered, she pulled tissues to wipe the table dry, offered the officers an apologetic smile, and then stepped aside, hiding her clenched left hand behind her back.
“He’s dead?” Wei Mingdong finally found his voice nearly a minute later. “How did he die? I mean…” He struggled to rephrase, then lit a cigarette and drew in a harsh breath. “He applied for annual leave last week. Three days, even a week without seeing him—I wouldn’t have thought it unusual.”
Zeng Yongjia studied him intently for a while before asking further questions.
Meanwhile, He Shu walked over to the secretary and used her connection as Nie Han’s colleague to ask a series of questions. In the exchange, she learned the woman’s name was Tang Jia, and that she had worked here for nearly four years.
Tang Jia offered little useful information, her body tense throughout. Only when the officers prepared to leave did she finally relax a little.
Inside the police car.
Chang Bin kept one hand on the steering wheel as he spoke: “Captain He, that secretary looked like she knew something. Should we press her?” His meaning was clear—Tang Jia might be the breakthrough point.
He Shu thought for a moment. “Let’s first check Tang Jia’s background and see if we can uncover anything.”
Even if she did know something, whether she was willing to speak was another matter. They needed to prepare thoroughly; with targeted questioning, they’d be much more likely to draw out useful information.
“What about Nie Han’s wife?” she asked next.
From the back seat, Zeng Yongjia shook his phone. “She’s been notified. The bureau says she’s already arrived. Brother Xie ran into some trouble—he managed to contact the victim from five years ago, but she flatly refused to cooperate.”
“That’s understandable.” Chang Bin clicked his tongue. “Girls care about their reputation. Back then it must have taken enormous courage just to report it, and then nothing came of it…”
If that victim had truly suffered assault, only for the case to end unresolved, it was natural she’d lose trust in the system.
The rest of the drive passed in silence, and soon the three returned to the city bureau.
Instead of heading back to the office, He Shu led them straight to the floor with the interview rooms. As they approached the door, she glimpsed through the glass: a woman sat on the sofa inside, wearing a dark green dress that made her skin look even paler. Her profile was delicate, her hair loosely tied back, her head bowed in thought.
Click. The faint sound of the door opening brought the woman back to herself. She turned toward the entrance and slowly rose.
“Hello, Mrs. Nie. I’m Officer He Shu from the task force, in charge of your husband’s case.” She paused. “You may already know what has happened to him…”
“I know. He’s dead.” The woman’s reply was unnervingly calm, without a trace of grief. “So why call me here? To collect his body?”