Silent Testimony - Chapter 13

“Is that so?” Li Hewei remembered that Tao Ling’s home was near the East Street wet market. Unfamiliar with the route, she checked the navigation while asking, “Why is Captain Qiu suddenly treating you to a meal?”

“I helped her write the missing person notice to search for the body,” Cheng Yingqiu replied without pause. “But I already refused her.”

“Why refuse?”

Before Li Hewei could finish the words circling on her lips, Cheng Yingqiu gasped: “Hey? Wait, she sent me a WeChat message.”

【Is it inconvenient recently? You set the time.】

What do you mean ‘inconvenient’? I’m just unwilling, Cheng Yingqiu complained internally. However, the usually eloquent and quick-witted woman suddenly fell silent. Should I pretend not to see it? That wouldn’t be appropriate, as they would still have contact at work. Should I agree? Is that too casual?

Cheng Yingqiu pondered over it, editing a message: 【Captain Qiu, you’re too kind. It was only a small favor.】

Qiu Wan replied instantly: 【Shall we invite Captain Li along?】

Who is Captain Li? Cheng Yingqiu looked up and asked Li Hewei in the front seat: “Sister, is the Captain Li that Qiu Wan mentioned you?”

“Probably.”

“She asked you to come with us.”

Li Hewei skillfully turned the steering wheel, drove out of the garage, and turned right onto the road: “Did you agree?”

“Not yet.”

“It’s up to you. I don’t care.” Li Hewei was interested in getting to know Qiu Wan, so she left the decision to Cheng Yingqiu.

The car fell silent for a moment. Cheng Yingqiu held her phone, lost in thought. Li Hewei glanced at the navigation; only 430 meters remained. She whispered an instruction: “Tao Ling, we’ll wait downstairs. Call us if you need help.”

“Actually, I only need to bring one suitcase, and a few miscellaneous items can be put in a travel bag.” Tao Ling was telling the truth. She only had four or five changes of clothes for summer, which took up less than half of the suitcase. The rest—a few books and toiletries—could fit into a travel bag.

“Alright, take your time. No rush.”

Li Hewei drove through the alley and stopped at the intersection ahead. After Tao Ling got out of the car, she drove two hundred meters forward, made a U-turn at the dotted line, and then smoothly parked the Beetle in a roadside space.

“What is it? Still struggling?” Li Hewei unbuckled her seatbelt and massaged her sore neck and shoulders with the back of her hand.

“Sister~”

“You were her ex-girlfriend’s university roommate. You didn’t fall out with her, so why are you avoiding her?” Li Hewei was confused. “Or did something happen that I don’t know about?”

Cheng Yingqiu equivocated: “Because I helped Liang Bing deceive her.”

Li Hewei was surprised: “Deceive her?”

“Yes, six years ago, I was a sophomore, eighteen years old. Liang Bing was half a year younger than me, not yet eighteen. She concealed her age and dated Qiu Wan, and later, when the truth came out, she was broken up with.”

“I didn’t expect Qiu Wan to have such a strong moral compass, firmly refusing to date a minor.”

Li Hewei helplessly rubbed her forehead: “That’s deception.”

“I didn’t intentionally deceive her. At most, I didn’t expose Liang Bing immediately.” Cheng Yingqiu recalled the scene from that year: “Qiu Wan knew I had a good relationship with Liang Bing, so she came to visit our university during the New Year holiday and invited me out to eat. At the time, she praised me for being outstanding, saying that even though I was a year younger than Liang Bing, my grades were still excellent.”

“She said a year younger? I felt something was wrong and wanted to refute her, but Liang Bing kicked me under the table, signaling me to keep quiet.”

“Don’t you think I was wronged?”

“No.” Li Hewei analyzed: “Captain Qiu probably didn’t take this incident to heart. Or rather, she blames the person responsible, Liang Bing, and won’t hold it against you.”

“Really?” Cheng Yingqiu sighed: “After they broke up, Liang Bing deeply regretted it and insisted on trying to win Qiu Wan back, but trying to reconcile was a losing battle; the shattered mirror couldn’t be mended. They didn’t get back together in the end. However, after she graduated, she went to Yancheng for graduate school and is now very much in love with her new girlfriend.”

“Young people mature after experiencing a few things.”

“Sister, you talk as if you’ve had several relationships.” Cheng Yingqiu knew Li Hewei had zero dating experience before her marriage and estimated that she hadn’t even held hands with Tao Yang.

Li Hewei forced a smile: “The same to you.”

Upstairs in the apartment on the third floor, Tao Ling was quietly packing her luggage. Tao Luhai came out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair. Seeing her squatting by the desk organizing books, he raised his voice and asked, “What’s with all that commotion in the middle of the night?”

“Moving things.” Tao Ling did not look up, continuing to put a copy of Forensic Crime Scene Investigation into the box.

“Moving to the dorm? You don’t want to spend even one night at home, do you?”

“Yes.” Tao Ling did not want to tell him she was moving to Li Hewei’s place.

“Yes, what ‘yes’? Can’t you even talk properly?” Tao Luhai was still brooding over the frustrations he’d endured last night, and seeing her now, he was instantly furious.

Liu Yun was washing dishes in the kitchen. Hearing the noise, she wiped her wet hands on her apron and quickly ran out to mediate: “Luhai, isn’t your blood pressure high? The doctor warned you not to get angry.”

Tao Luhai spoke sharply: “Her wings have hardened. No one can control her.”

“That’s just Xiao Ling becoming independent and starting to plan her own life. Besides, she’s moving out, but she hasn’t given us any less money, has she?”

Liu Yun spoke well of Tao Ling: “Even when Xiao Yang’s monthly salary was 10,000 yuan, he only transferred 2,000 yuan to us. Xiao Ling is already very filial.”

Tao Luhai angrily retorted: “Are they the same? Xiao Yang should be saving money to get married and take a wife.” He leaned against the back of the sofa, his voice dropping: “I said not to bring it up. Every time we mention Xiao Yang, everyone gets upset.”

“Ai, I wonder where he is? He’s been out of contact for so long.” Liu Yun sat down beside him.

Tao Ling finished packing. She stood by the door, holding the suitcase handle with her left hand and the travel bag with her right, waiting for them to finish their rambling before quietly saying, “Mom, Dad, I’m going downstairs now.”

“Go ahead. Be careful.”

“Hurry up and go. Out of sight, out of mind.”

The door closed. Tao Ling leaned her back against the door panel, staring up at the mottled ceiling, her eyes unfocused, her shoulders trembling slightly. After a long while, Li Hewei sent a WeChat message to urge her. She used her index finger to wipe away her tears, waited for her emotions to stabilize, and then lifted the suitcase to start heading down the stairs.

The moment she stepped onto the cramped staircase, the wheel contacted the ground, and the weight in her hand instantly disappeared.

Standing close by, Li Hewei was pulling her suitcase. She asked gently, “Are you alright?”

Tao Ling shook her head: “I’m fine.”

Cheng Yingqiu snatched her travel bag: “I’m here, too.”

The streetlights in the old street were not bright, especially on a summer night, casting a dim, yellowish-gray light. Tao Ling walked last, her gaze fixed on the back of Li Hewei’s hand gripping the handle. A complex, indescribable feeling surfaced in her heart. She silently wondered: Why, for the same kind gesture, did she only feel gratitude towards Cheng Yingqiu?