Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Ominous Joy (19)

Yin Canxi was wearing a camel-colored long coat today, her hair draped over her shoulders. She didn’t use eyeliner or eyeshadow to accentuate her eyes, but her lips were painted a bold red. At this moment, she didn’t resemble the “goddess” who had long passed away; she only looked like herself.

Hai Shu tossed the paper cup in her hand and stepped forward, “What brings you here?”

Yin Canxi wore an unmistakable expression of disdain on her face, “Lu Xu called me, saying you’ve locked up her son and asked me to come find out what’s going on.”

Hai Shu smiled, “Oh?”

“Ridiculous, right?” Yin Canxi hooked her arm through Hai Shu’s, “That old woman never gave me a good face, always complaining I wasn’t a proper girl, complaining that my family doesn’t have as much money as theirs, never once said ‘please’ to me. She blamed me for the wedding fiasco, and now she’s begging me to help!”

Hai Shu: “You, a regular civilian, what could you find out?”

Yin Canxi: “Yeah, I told her the same thing, but she said, ‘You’re my sister.’”

Hai Shu turned her face, looking into Yin Canxi’s eyes, “Sisters have discipline too.”

Yin Canxi smiled playfully, “I know, I know! I’ve been your informant for so long, you don’t think I understand this?”

Hai Shu said nonchalantly, “Then why are you still here?”

Yin Canxi’s smile faltered slightly.

Hai Shu, still smiling, continued, “Lately I’ve been thinking, it’s not that I made you an informant, you wanted to get close to the police.”

Yin Canxi pursed her lips, quickly forcing a smile, “Boss Hai, I really don’t understand what you mean. Back then, I went down the wrong path, and it was you who pulled me out.”

Hai Shu said, “I also feel like I’m increasingly unable to understand people’s hearts. Lu Xu asked you to come, so you came? You want to know what the police investigation has found.”

At the entrance of the police station’s office building, officers came and went. The two women stood off to the side, not a hint of tension between them. Both wore smiles, seemingly engaged in a friendly conversation.

Yin Canxi’s gaze gradually calmed, not cold, just quiet, contrasting sharply with her usual outward demeanor. “Then, Boss Hai, how far has your investigation gone?”

Hai Shu said, “Come in and I’ll tell you.”

The temporary office of the criminal investigation team was empty. Hai Shu closed the door, poured some water, and from Sui Xing’s desk, grabbed a packet of red date milk tea powder to mix, placing it in front of Yin Canxi. “I couldn’t be bothered to order takeout. Make do with this.”

Yin Canxi didn’t move. “Is this from that female cop? Can’t believe she likes sweet, greasy stuff like this.”

Hai Shu said, “What do you think she should drink?”

“Definitely not this powdered milk tea. She’s so fierce, you take her stuff, won’t she snap at you?”

“She can’t. She’s back in Huiyong City now.”

Yin Canxi spun the paper cup in her hand, “Hmm.”

“The leads I have are also from that fierce female cop,” Hai Shu continued. “She just went to find Xu Qiao’s father.”

Yin Canxi’s fingers tightened, causing the paper cup to shake. The milk tea spilled over and landed on her meticulously done nails.

“Did it burn?” Hai Shu pushed a box of tissues toward her. “I’ve told you what you wanted to know. We’ve found that Wan Ze Yu and Guang Jun might be connected to Xu Qiao’s disappearance, and we’re still in the process of verifying.”

Yin Canxi wiped her hands, “You’re really telling me? Boss Hai, isn’t this against the rules?”

Hai Shu replied calmly, “Not really. I can tell you more of my speculations, just like when you were still my informant.”

Yin Canxi crumpled the damp tissue into a ball, remaining silent.

“I don’t know what made Guang Jun fixate on Xu Qiao, but he probably started showing up around her from high school, paying attention to her every move. But judging by Xu Qiao’s excellent college entrance exam results, Guang Jun’s presence doesn’t seem to have affected her much.” Hai Shu spoke, her eyes subtly studying Yin Canxi. She swallowed several times, her delicate neck tightening.

“But after college, this situation changed. Xu Qiao was at the best university in Huiyong City, while Guang Jun was at the worst one. At the time, Wan Ze Yu also often went to the city for business. These two had plenty of opportunities to appear in Xu Qiao’s life.”

“Before Xu Qiao’s mother got sick, before Xu Qiao had to skip classes and work, she complained about an annoying classmate. After she disappeared, one theory emerged—that she committed suicide, but the police have not confirmed this. Another possibility is that she was murdered. If you think about it, both theories lead to the same conclusion, because no matter what, to those who cared about her, she was a victim of some kind.”

The office fell into silence. After a while, Yin Canxi lifted her face, “Boss Hai, haven’t you said too much?”

Hai Shu looked down and saw Yin Canxi’s hands, which were resting on her skirt, now clenched into fists.

“Too much? Not enough,” Hai Shu said. “The police didn’t do enough back then, and it seems like someone got ahead of us. Before we started looking into Xu Qiao’s case, there was a woman who had already been investigating it in the shadows.”

Yin Canxi sat motionless, like a delicate doll.

Hai Shu took two steps forward, “Guess, if this woman wanted to do something for Xu Qiao, and when she found out what Wan Ze Yu and Guang Jun did to Xu Qiao, what would she do?”

The atmosphere grew tense. Yin Canxi smiled, “Boss Hai, are you suspecting that I’m that woman? That I killed Wan Ze Yu? Did I only kill Wan Ze Yu, or is Guang Jun also my target?”

As she spoke, Yin Canxi shook her head, her expression one of disbelief. “But I don’t have any connection with Xu Qiao at all! Just because my makeup looks a little like hers, does that make me your suspect? Also, when Wan Ze Yu died, I was with so many bridesmaids, including you! Boss Hai, don’t you remember?”

Hai Shu slightly tightened her jaw. In fact, her suspicions about Yin Canxi had not yet reached the point of thinking that Yin Canxi was the killer. She only believed that Yin Canxi had some ulterior motive in marrying Guang Jun, and that Yin Canxi probably had far more time and potentially crucial clues that the police hadn’t yet uncovered.

“You didn’t have the opportunity to harm Wan Ze Yu, and I know that better than anyone,” Hai Shu said. “It seems that you’ve really learned how to organize clues, hypothesize, and verify from being with me. You can quickly take the police’s perspective and suspect the woman who hasn’t emerged yet as the murderer.”

Yin Canxi’s expression gradually darkened. “So, what exactly are you suspecting me of? Boss Hai, you have to think carefully. If I had murderous intent, why would I invite you to my wedding? You’ve seen what I can do countless times, I could have quietly acted instead.”

Hai Shu said, “So I’ve never suspected you of murder.”

Yin Canxi seemed like she wanted to say something but suddenly stopped.

“You want the truth to come out, you want the wrongdoers to be punished,” Hai Shu said seriously. “I’ve thought about why you invited me. Then I realized, you wanted me to be your ally. And Wan Ze Yu’s death might have been unexpected for you.”

Yin Canxi took a deep breath, “I…”

“You invited me, but several times, whenever I tried to get something out of you, you avoided it, including now. Don’t you find that contradictory?” Hai Shu continued, “But putting myself in your shoes, I also kind of understand. Because Wan Ze Yu is dead, and you don’t want to help the police find the murderer. Who the murderer is has nothing to do with you, and you might even be grateful to this person.”

Yin Canxi turned her back, the red date milk tea on the table still steaming. Hai Shu observed her for a while, then said, “What I want to remind you is that your current choice may go against your original intention. Don’t you want to uncover the truth and seek justice?”

Yin Canxi’s shoulders trembled, and she gave a bitter smile. “Justice will never arrive on time.”

When she turned around, her face was again covered with a smile that resembled a mask. “Boss Hai, aren’t you investigating Wan Ze Yu’s case? Then stop being so indecisive and don’t get involved with other cases.”

Hai Shu shook her head. “But I don’t want to miss any opportunity to get closer to the truth. If I overlook someone, then like you said, justice will never arrive on time.”

There seemed to be a hint of hesitation in Yin Canxi’s eyes. Hai Shu sighed, “Think it over again. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Wen Xu was smoking on the balcony, appearing to be a carefree person with no responsibility on his shoulders. Hai Shu saw him and walked over. This forensic expert seemed different on the inside compared to his outer appearance. His insight was strong, and his ability to take action couldn’t be underestimated, or else the criminal investigation team wouldn’t have been able to open the Luo family’s coffin so quickly last time.

Wen Xu still had half a cigarette in his hand. When he saw Hai Shu coming over, he smiled and put it out. “Team Leader Hai, couldn’t you come just one minute later? Too bad, half a cigarette.”

Hai Shu said, “I have some. I’ll compensate you.”

The two stood for a while, and Wen Xu spoke first. “I overheard your conversation, hope you don’t mind?”

“There should have been two police officers present,” Hai Shu turned around and leaned against the railing. “Yin Canxi doesn’t have sufficient alibi evidence, and we haven’t found anyone to hire a hitman yet, but she most likely played some role in all this. Professor Wen, what do you think we should look into next?”

“If it were me, I’d quit,” Wen Xu said unexpectedly.

Hai Shu: “…”

Wen Xu spread his hands. “Look, with all the cases in Zhou Ping Town, none of them have been completely solved. Most of them are still in the deduction phase. And for the older cases, there’s no evidence to be found. Even Xu Qiao’s case, the Chenwan District police didn’t figure anything out back then. All we’ve judged is that Wan Ze Yu, Guang Jun, and her are related. This new person, Yin Canxi, we haven’t figured out her relationship with Xu Qiao. And she couldn’t have killed Wan Ze Yu…”

Wen Xu held his head in apparent frustration. “Evidence disappearing over time is the most powerless thing for the police. I’m just a little forensic expert with no big ambitions. If the team leader says to keep investigating, I’ll get to work. But if it were up to me, I’d choose to lie down.”

Hai Shu couldn’t help but feel a bit lighter. Wen Xu’s assumption was invalid—whether or not the case continued to be investigated was definitely not up to the forensic expert. So, no matter how much Wen Xu wanted to lie down, he couldn’t.

Wen Xu bent his eyebrows and smiled. “Team Leader Hai, you’re smiling.”

Hai Shu raised an eyebrow. “I’m not going for a stoic character, am I?”

Wen Xu nodded. “But you looked really troubled just now.”

“Thanks to your guidance, I feel much better now.”

“I didn’t guide you. I was just slacking off.”

Hai Shu didn’t argue with him, but from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of something wistful in his usually laid-back eyes. It wasn’t because of the current situation. It seemed like it had been hidden in those eyes for a long time, only rarely noticeable.

Sui Xing finally found Xu Xiu, Xu Qiao’s father, who was selling breakfast near the station to make a living. When he heard that the police were reopening the investigation into Xu Qiao’s case, Xu Xiu’s eyes filled with tears. “My child isn’t like they say! She was persecuted!”

Sui Xing followed Xu Xiu to the house he rented alone. After chatting about the recent events, Sui Xing took out several photos and asked if Xu Xiu recognized them.

Xu Xiu’s gaze swept over Guang Jun and Wan Ze Yu, then paused on Yin Canxi’s photo. “This girl visited me last year.”

Sui Xing asked, “Do you remember her name?”

Xu Xiu thought for a moment. “Xiao Xiao, she said her name was Xiao Xiao. Our Qiao’er used to call her that too, I remember it clearly.”