Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Murderous Joy (22)

The name "Xiao Xiao" made Yin Canxi flash a charming smile, and as she turned, she hurriedly wiped her eyes. "Alright."

The children were setting off firecrackers in the commercial street. The style of the dessert shop was a blatant copy of the city's artistic vibe, a mismatch. Hai Shu sat down with her tray, and Yin Canxi was gazing out at the dreary view through the window.

"I know what you want to ask me," Yin Canxi said, fiddling with the utensils. "All these years, I’ve lived with one purpose, and that is to find the person who killed Xu Qiao."

If you were to compare Xiao Xiao's life before the first grade to a damp old house, then Xu Qiao was the afternoon sunlight that streamed in.

It was indeed another afternoon when she had been bullied. Xu Qiao used a broom to chase away the disgusting boys. Xiao Xiao had never known that sunlight could be like gold, so bright.

She and her sisters lived in the worst room in the house. Though she had her own bed, half of the space was filled with cotton, and she often wondered if she might fall off.

Her eldest sister had no brains, always grumbling. The second sister was gloomy. They didn’t like their younger brother, hated their parents' favoritism, and didn’t like her either. She wore patched clothes and was used to being the unwanted, ugly girl. She didn’t like anyone in the house, and she didn’t need their affection.

She just wanted to grow up quickly.

But Xu Qiao saved her. In front of the mirror, she was so beautiful. Though her hair was short like a boy's, with a pearl hairpin, and holding a snow-white rabbit doll.

Ah, so I’m not the ugly girl, this is who I really am.

She didn’t take Xu Qiao’s skirt or the rabbit, because her family would find out. But the hairpin was safe, and she hid it carefully, waiting for the next chance to visit Xu Qiao's house.

Not only did Xu Qiao give her a skirt to wear, but she also talked to her about many things Xiao Xiao couldn’t understand at the time, like how every girl was beautiful, how sons were no more noble than daughters, how girls must work hard, and when it was time to show themselves, they must not shrink back...

She remembered all of it. After entering middle school, she became a prominent figure in the class, but she looked down on the noisy boys. She wanted to be like Xu Qiao, to go to the big city. Her parents often scolded her for not taking care of her younger brother. She ignored them. Didn’t she have the family blood too? Why should she be the one to take care of him?

Her eldest and second sisters left Zhou Ping Town one after another, scolded by their parents and called ungrateful. Once, the eldest came back to pack, and while stroking her hair, said, "I can't take care of you, and I’m no good either. I hope you can be like me, an ungrateful person."

She hadn’t been to Xu Qiao’s house for a long time. Xu Qiao was busy like a spinning top when she was in middle school, and Xiao Xiao didn’t want to disturb her. The years of avoiding other people's “reformation” had already made her a new person. In her drawer, she kept the hairpins they used, like pure tokens between girls.

She believed she would become someone like Xu Qiao, even though her grades weren’t good.

But all her dreams shattered the day she learned Xu Qiao “committed suicide.” At that time, she was studying in the county high school. The school had a closed management system, and it was after Xu Qiao had been missing for a long time that she overheard her parents talking and learned that Xu Qiao had "committed suicide."

They even said Xu Qiao was irresponsible, had contracted such a disease, and was too ashamed to live anymore.

She didn’t believe it, but what could she do as someone who hadn’t even graduated from high school?

She went to Xu Qiao’s house, but they had already moved out of Zhou Ping Town. Grey Wave City was so big, and she couldn’t find the kind-hearted, unfortunate couple.

"Not studying anymore? Are you crazy?" Her mother slapped her face. Her brother was standing by, laughing maliciously. She had already packed her small bag and stood coldly in the living room.

She had become just like her eldest and second sisters, an ungrateful person, leaving the suffocating home.

At first, she didn’t know where to go or how to find out the truth behind Xu Qiao’s death. She didn’t even dare to act rashly, fearing that the people hiding in the shadows would notice her.

She came up with a ridiculous idea—become a police officer. The police have access to the most leads, only the police can legally pursue the killer!

But she couldn’t get into the police academy. She wanted to be a community assistant police officer, but no one would take her. She was too young and a girl, and the jobs she wanted were taken by men.

Her parents knew she was in Grey Wave City, and would show up every now and then to drag her back. She was like a headless fly, wandering aimlessly, unable to find any clues and unable to escape from her parents. In the end, she had no choice but to leave, working odd jobs all around, and eventually came to Bin Cong City.

"I swear, meeting you in Bin Cong City was an accident. I wasn’t trying to get close to you on purpose, and I didn’t know you could help me," Yin Canxi said, her gaze calm. "At that time, I was struggling to make a living. It was you who gave me a new path."

By accident, after becoming an informant for Hai Shu, Yin Canxi realized that this was better than applying to the police academy or being an assistant. She observed Hai Shu, learned Hai Shu’s method of analysis, and understood many investigative techniques that only frontline detectives knew.

Like a student who could think through things, she started putting the details of Xu Qiao’s case into the framework, feeling as if she was starting to understand something.

Back in Grey Wave City, she first went to visit Xu Xiu, but Xu Xiu no longer remembered her. She said she was Xiao Xiao, and Xu Xiu had a vague memory of the name. They both tacitly avoided mentioning Xu Qiao.

She then got close to Xu Qiao’s classmates and roommates, people excluded by the police, and shifted her focus to the police’s blind spots. One person suddenly came to her mind—Wan Zeyu. He had been a prominent figure in Zhou Ping Town and had clashed with Xu Qiao. And Wan Zeyu had a close companion, Guang Jun.

When she applied the eye makeup that resembled Xu Qiao’s, Guang Jun revealed a complex expression. She knew, then, that she had finally found the person.

“I’m not like you guys. I’m not a police officer. I don’t need concrete evidence or procedural justice,” Yin Canxi said. “My intuition tells me, this person definitely has a problem.”

Hai Shu asked, “What did you plan to do once you got the clue?”

Yin Canxi smiled, "What hasn’t happened, hasn’t happened. Who knows?"

“You invited me…”

Yin Canxi interrupted, “Maybe that’s my last struggle? Whatever, I can’t explain it. I’m betting, betting on whether you’ll come. If you do, I’ll hand over the evidence to you. But you’re so busy, you’re more likely not to come. Then I’ll just take my revenge in my own way.”

Hai Shu stared at Yin Canxi for a moment before asking, “Is that all?”

Yin Canxi: “What do you mean?”

Hai Shu remained silent. She had an elusive feeling, as if Yin Canxi hadn’t told the whole truth, but for now, she couldn’t think of anything else Yin Canxi might be hiding.

After a pause, Yin Canxi spoke, “Wan Zeyu is no simple person. But I don’t know what’s behind him.”

Yes, Wan Zeyu. Hai Shu thought about Guang Jun’s confession. Wan Zeyu had nonchalantly mentioned killing Xu Qiao. That was not the mindset of a normal person. If Guang Jun wasn’t lying, Wan Zeyu was far more ruthless than Guang Jun.

This wasn’t a pleasant afternoon tea. Hai Shu said, “Guang Jun has already confessed to the exact location where the body was disposed of. Do you want to go take a look?”

Yin Canxi was silent for half a minute, then shook her head with a bitter smile. “President Hai, when you find her... her bones, will you tell me?”

Hai Shu understood Yin Canxi’s reluctance to see it. Before leaving, she told her that, because of her involvement in the case, she couldn’t leave the police’s sight for now. Yin Canxi nodded, “I won’t leave. I’m still waiting for her to come back.”

At that moment, in Grey Wave City, Sui Xing had arrived at the Chenwan District police station, where she, along with Old Xu and a dozen other team members from the station, headed out to the southwest mountain ravine in Bai Lin Village, which Guang Jun had mentioned. That area had now merged with the city and was no longer a village.

Old Xu was visibly excited, his eyes gleaming. The Xu Qiao case had been stalled in his hands for ten years, but now there was finally a breakthrough. His current partner had also been involved in the investigation back then, and he was filled with mixed emotions. Sui Xing watched the “old-timers” and wished the car would drive faster, faster still.

When the detectives arrived at the site, they immediately got to work, setting up positions, investigating, and releasing all the police dogs. As night fell, Sui Xing had planned to wait until morning to continue the search, but Old Xu was holding his breath. Having come this far, stopping felt worse than working overtime.

The next morning, as the sun rose and bathed the valley in gold, the search finally made a discovery! The police found a leather bag that had been buried for many years in the ravine. Continuing the search around the leather bag, they also discovered a bottle of medicine.

According to Guang Jun’s testimony, this should be the place where Xu Qiao was murdered, but where was the body?

Soil, the bag, and other pieces of evidence were immediately sent to the Chenwan District police station for examination. Old Xu was a bit taken aback. “Wait, what’s going on? The person died here, but the body is gone?”

Hai Shu, hearing the situation in Bai Lin Village, was also stunned and quickly asked, “Has the soil test result come out yet?”

Sui Xing furrowed her brows. “It won’t be ready until later. I’m about to see Xu Xiu.”

The missing body in the expected location was like a piece that disrupted the police's chessboard. Hai Shu tried to stay calm, “Alright, I’ll go interrogate Guang Jun again!”

“The body isn’t there?” Guang Jun’s voice cracked. His eyeballs trembled in their sockets. “How is that possible? Who took it... it was Wan Zeyu! It must have been him! He did something extra!”

Hai Shu remained silent. Guang Jun’s mental state was extremely unstable at this point. He seemed to have never considered that Xu Qiao’s body wasn’t in the ravine. From his perspective, the only explanation could be that Wan Zeyu moved the body at some later point.

“Right! Right! He took the body, that’s why Yin Canxi, that bitch, came after us!” Guang Jun shouted. “Otherwise, how would she know it was us? It must be like this!”

“Calm down first. I’ll ask Yin Canxi about this again,” Hai Shu said. “For now, I want you to recall once again, how did you and Wan Zeyu kill Xu Qiao?”

Guang Jun took deep breaths, almost stopping after every two or three sentences. Hai Shu listened attentively, comparing his current statements with his previous ones in her mind. There was no obvious contradiction or conflict. That day it had been raining heavily, and Guang Jun had mentioned multiple times that Wan Zeyu had said their traces at the scene would be washed away by the rain, even the heavens were helping them. Wan Zeyu had also warned Guang Jun that no matter how uneasy he felt in the future, he should never come back to confirm the body situation.

“He warned me, but he went himself!” Guang Jun gasped. “He deserves to die! He even wants to kill me!”

Hai Shu asked again, “Are you sure that, that day, it was only you and Wan Zeyu at the scene?”

Guang Jun froze, then after a long pause, he asked, “Why would there be someone else? If there was someone else, why didn’t they call the police? Why didn’t they blackmail us?” Suddenly, he inhaled sharply. “She wasn’t even dead! She came back to get revenge on us? She’s with Yin Canxi!”

Hai Shu shook her head. No, this didn’t make sense.

When Sui Xing informed her that they hadn’t found the body, her first instinct was also that Xu Qiao hadn’t died, that someone had saved her, or that she had somehow fought her way to survive. If that was the case, Wan Zeyu’s death would have a new explanation.

But after thinking it through, it made no sense!

Xu Qiao had worked at a nightclub to save her mother. If she were still alive, how could she have hidden in the shadows for ten years, allowing her mother to die and her father to struggle to survive?

She had died tragically on that rainy night, but her body had been moved by someone the police didn’t know, and the murderer didn’t know either.

Guang Jun was adamant that the body had been moved by Wan Zeyu because Guang Jun could only think of Wan Zeyu. But why would Wan Zeyu go through all that trouble?

Hai Shu stayed by herself for a while before going to find Yin Canxi.

“Found... her?” Yin Canxi’s tone carried an almost imperceptible excitement and unease.

Hai Shu observed Yin Canxi for a moment before saying, “She’s not there.”

Yin Canxi opened her mouth in confusion. After a few seconds, she said, “Not there? What do you mean?”

Hai Shu replied, “Her body is not in the place Guang Jun mentioned.”

Yin Canxi's pupils shrank, and she pursed her lips. "Guang Jun lied?"

Hai Shu said, "But I can't think of a reason for Guang Jun to lie at this point."

Yin Canxi shook her head. "Sorry, I'm a bit confused right now... How could it not be there?"

Hai Shu deliberately asked, "Have you been to see her?"

"Me?" Yin Canxi said. "President Hai, you're testing me again. Before this, I had no idea where she was."

Hai Shu turned away and, after a while, said, "Sorry."

The situation became even more complicated. In Grey Wave City, Sui Xing received a call from Xu Xiu. When he saw the leather bag brought back by the police, which was beyond recognition, tears streamed down his face.

Sui Xing asked, "Is this Xu Qiao’s thing?"

Xu Xiu nodded through his sobs. "It’s hers, I recognize it!"

Later, the test results for the soil and medicine came back. The pills matched those found in Xu Qiao's dormitory years ago. They were from the same batch. However, no human decomposition materials were found in the soil.

Old Xu, holding the report, sat down dejectedly, his hands on his head. "Where did the person go?"

"I think there are two possibilities," Sui Xing was video-calling Hai Shu. "Guang Jun didn’t tell the truth. They didn’t kill Xu Qiao in Bai Lin Village."

Hai Shu said, "Xu Qiao is alive? That doesn’t make sense."

Sui Xing replied, "Yes, Guang Jun’s lie doesn’t really serve a purpose. That means the second possibility: after they left, someone took the body. No, not necessarily immediately, but it must have been before it started to decompose."

"The body was quickly moved. This would explain why no villagers reported anything." Hai Shu’s expression turned serious. "But who could that person be?"

The Chenwan District police continued to investigate in Bai Lin Village, but unfortunately, the villagers had no recollection of anything from ten years ago. Xu Xiu couldn’t think of anyone who would move his daughter’s body. The door that had opened a crack was once again slammed shut. Only Guang Jun was certain that Wan Zeyu was behind it all.

Yin Canxi took the initiative to come to the city bureau, looking in good spirits. "Maybe she’s still alive."

Hai Shu raised an eyebrow. "You know her. You know this is the least likely scenario."

Yin Canxi smiled. "Who knows? Maybe she had no choice and couldn’t show up in front of Uncle Xu again?" Yin Canxi even revealed a mysterious smile. "Otherwise, why would she have disappeared? Why would Wan Zeyu have died like that?"

"She came back for revenge!" Yin Canxi’s expression now had a hint of madness.

"You..." Hai Shu wanted to say something, but looking at Yin Canxi, she swallowed her words.

Yin Canxi turned back around. "President Hai."

"Hmm?"

"There are many dirty secrets in this town. Are you sure you want to continue investigating?"

Hai Shu asked, "Do you want to tell me these secrets?"

Yin Canxi shook her head, retreating, her hands lifting lightly in a lazy surrender gesture. "I don’t know. I’m just an ordinary person who couldn’t succeed in revenge."

In the corridor of the police station, Wen Xu hummed a tuneless song. When he passed by the temporary office of the Criminal Investigation Unit, he turned sideways to glance in. He saw Hai Shu standing with her arms crossed in front of the whiteboard.

"Captain Hai, still not heading home this late?"

Hai Shu turned around, took off her headset, and said, "Teacher Wen." Then, she noticed the takeaway bag on his desk. "Aren’t you going home either?"

"I’m different. I’m hungry, so I came out to get some food. The place selling stuff is near the police station, so I brought some over to eat here and then go back." Wen Xu smiled. "That way, I don’t stink up my room."

Hai Shu glanced at the food. He bought spicy hotpot, but there were two servings. It clearly wasn’t meant for just one person to finish. She smiled. "Is this for me?"

Wen Xu replied, "Ah, just something I picked up along the way."

Hai Shu accepted the gesture, but didn’t point out that this was Wen Xu intentionally giving her an extra meal. The town was especially damp and cold in winter, and the air conditioning in the police station was pretty useless. Hai Shu had been standing for a long time, thinking about the case, and her hands and feet had become stiff. A serving of spicy hotpot was almost a lifesaver.

Wen Xu’s portion wasn’t much, and the seasoning was rather mild, just a taste. He finished it in a few bites, then stood up and looked at the whiteboard. There were more clues now, but at first glance, it seemed chaotic and disorganized.

Hai Shu had always been very curious about Wen Xu. He liked to humorously tease his colleagues but always paid attention to small details, showing care where others wouldn’t notice. He appeared indifferent but remembered things that others might overlook. What story did such a forensic expert have?

Hai Shu felt like opening an interesting book and wanted to quickly learn the mystery behind the last page. But this book wasn’t a classic masterpiece—it was just a casual book picked up from a street stall, and spending time on it made her feel guilty, especially when there were urgent cases at hand.

Hai Shu hastened to finish the spicy hotpot, threw both bags away, and when she returned, Wen Xu was already tidying up the table.

"This is tough, Captain Hai," Wen Xu said, feeling discouraged again. "Xu Qiao is missing with no trace of her alive or dead. And your informant, Yin Canxi, she had a motive to kill Wan Zeyu, but her alibi is solid, there’s basically no chance she committed the crime. We’ve gathered more about Xu Qiao’s case, but for the Wan Zeyu case, we’ve done useless work. The murderer is still invisible."

Hai Shu smiled. "It’s not entirely fruitless. Let’s set Xu Qiao aside for now. I’ve just sorted out a lot of doubts about Wan Zeyu. From these doubts, there should be a breakthrough."

"Oh? I’d like to hear it."

Hai Shu’s expression turned serious. "First, there’s the cruelty Wan Zeyu showed to Guang Jun. Yin Canxi indirectly expressed this as well. I suspect that before killing Xu Qiao, Wan Zeyu had already committed murder, otherwise, he wouldn’t have so easily encouraged Guang Jun to take action."

"Second, we need to consider the relationship between Yuan Zhong and Wan Zeyu. Didn’t we previously suspect that Wan Zeyu and Yuan Zhong had a secret and did something together? Wan Zeyu killed him to silence him. So, before Xu Qiao, was Yuan Zhong involved in any of the murders committed by Wan Zeyu? Point one and point two might connect, or they might be unrelated."

"And then, there’s Wan Zeyu’s mother, Liu Qiong, and the fear she expressed—fear of her own son, and fear of her hometown, Kong Yun Town. The Luo family that was wiped out—the shackles found in the coffin came from Kong Yun Town. Liu Qiong’s reaction when she saw the chains was very unusual. It’s as if she knew what they represented."

Wen Xu said, "Actually, Liu Qiong is the most likely breakthrough point, but she’s been avoiding the police and refuses to say anything."

Hai Shu nodded. "She’s an elderly woman, not in good health. We can’t force her to speak. We just need to keep an eye on her, occasionally give her some stimulation. But we can’t put all our hopes on her alone. We still need to find other ways."

Wen Xu asked, "Do you have a direction now?"

"Yin Canxi said inviting me to the wedding was a gamble, to see whether I’d come. If I came, she’d give me the evidence. But then she said, there are too many secrets in Zhou Ping Town. She probably knows more than just the truth about Xu Qiao’s case." Hai Shu put her hands in the pockets of her trousers and took a few steps. "Also, Guang Yongguo is worth paying attention to. I suspect he already knew Guang Jun was off, and that he knew Guang Jun killed Xu Qiao."

Wen Xu lightly scoffed. "Are these people playing a scripted game? Carrying cards and deceiving people, just not telling the truth."

"That’s why it’s up to us to expose the truth." Hai Shu said, "Tomorrow, I plan to go to the old workshop again. Wan Zeyu killed Yuan Zhong there. The remains found in the furnace back then might belong to the exterminated Luo family. Maybe there are still clues there, we just missed them last time because we were focused on Yuan Zhong."

Wen Xu put his hands over his eyes, pretending to sob. "So tiring! I really want to resign!"

Hai Shu was amused by his act. "Cheer up! If we solve this case, we can relax and enjoy the Spring Festival!"

As soon as Wen Xu heard "Spring Festival," he slumped even more. "Captain Hai, you’re new here. You’re not familiar with our Criminal Investigation Unit’s situation."

Hai Shu raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Wen Xu sighed. "This Spring Festival is probably going to be ruined. Once the Zhou Ping Town case is solved, there are even bigger problems waiting for us in the city. Forget about the Spring Festival; I just hope I can make it to March and celebrate Women's Day with your great female colleagues!"

Hai Shu suddenly remembered. "It’s those missing university students, right? Sui Xing mentioned it to me." After a few seconds of silence, Hai Shu added, "Xu Qiao was also a missing university student, that's a common point."

When Wen Xu saw Hai Shu's eager expression, he instinctively covered his chest, though his nervousness and surprise were obviously fake. "My Captain Hai, you’re not planning to multitask, are you? Solve this case first and then jump to the next one?"

Hai Shu said, "Since it's all cases for our Criminal Investigation Unit, and since we’re already talking about it, it’s a good opportunity. Go ahead, tell me about it, I’ll switch gears."

Wen Xu dramatically said, "Maybe I shouldn’t have kindly brought you the spicy hotpot, or I’d already be lying down sleeping my beauty sleep."

Hai Shu knew he was joking. "I’ll bring you some face masks next time."

After receiving the "bribe," Wen Xu forgot about his non-existent beauty sleep and began discussing the missing university student cases in the city.