Silent Testimony - Chapter 17

During the five-minute walk home, Li Hewei’s face remained clouded. She was worried about Tao Ling and also concerned about the future. Tonight’s behavior was clearly a contract killing; the first few moves were all aimed at her vital spots. So, who was the mastermind? Was Tao Ling’s presence in her life for better or for worse?

“Welcome home.” Li Hewei looked down, entering the passcode. The security door was suddenly pushed open from the inside, and the next second, Cheng Yingqiu’s smiling face appeared, pulling Li Hewei from her jumbled thoughts.

Tao Ling changed her shoes and was led by Cheng Yingqiu toward the living room: “Let me look at your injured arm.”

“Don’t touch the wound,” Li Hewei reminded her, picking up the two pairs of outdoor shoes and putting them away in the shoe cabinet.

Cheng Yingqiu sighed softly: “I know. She got hurt because of you. You must feel distressed, right?”

“Isn’t feeling distressed normal?” Li Hewei snapped back, feeling inexplicably caught.

Tao Ling’s left forearm was covered with gauze. Cheng Yingqiu looked at it for a couple of seconds, then cautiously let go. She turned to the person beside her, who was busy with her phone: “Sister, why do I feel like you’re acting a little strange tonight?”

“Strange in what way?” The news of Li Hewei’s attack had spread through the Criminal Investigation Unit. Colleagues were sending inquiries one after another, and she was busy replying, not even lifting her head.

“I don’t know, it’s just a feeling.” Seeing that Li Hewei was ignoring her, Cheng Yingqiu turned her head, intending to chat with Tao Ling. However, Tao Ling was equally engrossed, so she could only follow suit and find a friend to talk to.

Li Hewei: 【Image】【Image】

He Ying: 【It looks painful. Xiao Tao, are you taking tomorrow off?】

Tao Ling: 【No broken bones or tendons. It won’t delay work.】

Zhao Xiaoting: 【Sister, let alone Tao Ling, you only took half a day off when you had a severe cold last month.】

He Ying: 【Sigh, no choice. We’re all meant for hard work.】

Li Hewei then received a private message from Qiu Wan, so she exited the group chat and clicked into the dialogue box.

【The questioning is complete. He received a 5,000 yuan deposit from someone else, and the remaining 15,000 was to be paid if he stabbed you into the hospital.】

【Just stabbed into the hospital?】

【Be extra vigilant when traveling recently. I’ll assign two people to protect you secretly.】

Sure enough. Li Hewei took a deep breath: 【Can you find out who hired the killer?】

【Give me some time.】 Qiu Wan asked her: 【Do you have any enemies?】

【What enemies could I possibly have?】 Li Hewei thought for a moment and corrected herself, 【Actually, I’m not sure.】 She had only been in this strange world for eighteen days. She truly didn’t know if the original owner had offended anyone.

【The number that contacted the young man has already been canceled, so the enemy is hidden while we are exposed. The situation is not optimistic.】

【I understand.】

Li Hewei, preoccupied, locked her screen, stood up, and returned to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

“I knew something was strange,” Cheng Yingqiu mumbled. “Hey, what’s wrong with her?”

Tao Ling looked up toward the master bedroom, her brows knit together: “Perhaps it’s related to tonight’s attack.”

“Attack? Didn’t you say you fell during some competition?” Cheng Yingqiu scrolled through the chat history, making sure she hadn’t misremembered.

Tao Ling guessed that Li Hewei intentionally concealed it so the other person wouldn’t worry, so she immediately kept quiet.

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll go ask her.” Cheng Yingqiu was impulsive. She quickly strode to the door and raised her hand to knock, but the door opened.

Li Hewei ignored her, her gaze falling on the figure on the sofa: “Tao Ling, be careful of your wound when you shower. Don’t let it get wet.”

“I know.” It felt like a warm breeze sweeping across her heart. Tao Ling couldn’t help but smile, her expression incredibly gentle. “Goodnight, Sister Wei.”

“Goodnight.”

“Am I air?” Cheng Yingqiu was exasperated. She reached out to block the door: “Tell me, why is Tao Ling injured?”

“Exactly what you think. She took a knife for me.” Li Hewei retracted her gaze, her face showing exhaustion.

Cheng Yingqiu was indignant: “I told them they shouldn’t interview you! Calling you some ‘Magic Pen Detective’ attracts hatred! Last month, someone threw a flowerpot at you, and this month it’s this again.”

“What interview?”

Cheng Yingqiu explained: “You repeatedly assisted the police in solving cases with your composite sketches. The Shuzhou Radio and Television Station did an exclusive interview with you at the end of June, and it aired on three channels in early July.”

Li Hewei was suddenly enlightened: “I see.”

Cheng Yingqiu sounded quite proud: “Yes, there are only two composite sketch artists in all of Shuzhou, and the other one is close to retirement. That’s why the Shujiang Criminal Investigation Detachment wanted to poach you.”

“I won’t go.” Working for a provincial capital’s Criminal Investigation Detachment would mean late-night overtime was definitely the norm.

“Right, you refused them, saying you were still young and needed to accumulate more experience in a small city.” Cheng Yingqiu changed to a more comfortable stance, leaning her back against the door, her tone anxious: “But Sister, do we have to live in fear like this forever?”

Li Hewei was unconcerned: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Besides, brazen people are just a minority.” I’m fine, with the protagonist’s halo, I’ll surely turn danger into safety. But what about Tao Ling? How did she avoid death?

Cheng Yingqiu pouted: “You’re so philosophical. We’re all anxious.”

“What else can I do?”

“Sister Wei,” Tao Ling called softly.

Li Hewei looked up. From her perspective, Tao Ling stood in front of the sofa wearing a thin white shirt. The warm accent lighting in the living room shone on her profile, but her naturally cool complexion made her appear to emanate a gentle, jade-like radiance.

“Be vigilant in everything, and you will be safe and sound.”

“Alright. Take a shower and sleep.” Li Hewei said this for Tao Ling, but also to inform Cheng Yingqiu. She double-locked the bedroom door and recalled how her heart inexplicably sped up when their eyes met, like a gentle spring pool, and it wasn’t the first time.

Two days ago, in Tao Ling’s old home, in the bathroom in the afternoon…

Li Hewei unconsciously recalled the people she had had a crush on after confirming her sexual orientation and first falling in love.

At seventeen, in her final year of high school, she was uncontrollably drawn to a tall, thin, handsome short-haired transfer student who played basketball. She accidentally discovered the student kissing her girlfriend near the dormitory building, which led her to first understand same-sex romance.

University life was rigorous. She immersed herself in books, leaving no time for emotional needs. During her internship, she was interested in the veterinarian at the pet hospital near her community. She painstakingly prepared to confess, only to suddenly learn that the other person had resigned and returned to her hometown. Later, separated by a thousand miles, the intense feelings slowly faded until she learned the vet was in love with a girl six years her junior, and she completely let go of her obsession.

In her fourth year of work, she couldn’t escape the curse of her community and developed a fondness for a straight woman. She was thankful she took her friend’s advice and backed away before it was too late. That woman is now a mother of two.

So, aside from the fact that they were all female, she couldn’t find any common characteristics among them.

Li Hewei pinched the crease between her eyebrows, then simply took off her clothes and walked into the bathroom. The hot water cascaded down, soothing her weary nerves, but the bruises on her shoulder and arm from the collision brought a slight pain. She quietly wondered: Is it because I’m ovulating recently that I’m easily dominated by hormones?

Her mind was a tangled mess.

After showering and blow-drying her hair, she curled one long leg up, settled into the rocking chair on the balcony, and chatted with Cheng Yingqiu, finally getting her answer.

【Sister, I agreed to Qiu Wan’s dinner invitation. Sunday noon.】

【Mhm, I know.】

【Did you know? I struggled for two days, but I was immediately lost after watching the video.】

【?】

【Lust clouds the mind, lust clouds the mind! The video compilation posted by a women’s street dance troupe in my friends’ circle—Qiu Wan is the lead dancer!】

Two minutes later, Li Hewei opened the received video and quickly browsed it. The compilation included six street dance tracks of different styles. Whether it was the sharp, rhythmic arm and wrist movements of locking or the cool, hot, and sassy essence of jazz dance expressed through hip movements and waist twists, Qiu Wan handled it with ease.

【Sister, did you finish watching? She dances in a suit, a shirt, and a sleeveless vest, and that clearly defined ab line! And she’s so good at facial expressions. Who is she trying to seduce?】

Li Hewei’s expression was normal: 【Quite a contrast.】

【You’re so calm. Right, you don’t like women.】

【You’re being too unusual.】

【Am I not allowed to feel moved?】

【Moved so quickly? Weren’t you avoiding her yesterday?】

【Being moved doesn’t equate to liking, nor does it mean I want to spend my life with her. I feel moved when I watch girl groups dance or singers sing. Should I date them?】 Cheng Yingqiu complained: 【Everyone loves beauty. Sister, you just don’t understand the beauty of girls.】

“Everyone loves beauty.” Li Hewei bit her lip, looking out the window at the boundless night. Her thoughts were intertwined. What traits of Tao Ling are attracting me?

The classic doe eyes? When she smiles, the corners of her eyes turn up slightly, like a crescent moon, and her gaze is clear and bright, yet sometimes seems shrouded in a faint mist. Li Hewei even suspected that she looked at a telephone pole with natural affection.

Her personality? The inner resilience that radiates from her reserved nature easily arouses a protective instinct in others, making her want to get closer. But she speaks too little, rarely voices her needs proactively, and requires people to guess her thoughts.

Cheng Yingqiu noticed her prolonged silence and placed a voice call.

Li Hewei came back to her senses and answered.

“Sister, what are you doing? Why aren’t you talking?”

Two extremes. Her inexpensive cousin was a complete chatterbox. She could strike up conversations with the waiter next to her while waiting in line to eat out.

“Cheng Yingqiu, you need to find a partner to cure your chattering.”

“It’s not chattering; it’s called the desire to share. I’ll share even when I’m dating. It’s incurable.”

Li Hewei was speechless: “At least I can have two days of peace.”

“You’re disgusted with me.”

“I’m sleepy.”

“Alright, goodnight, Sister.”

Li Hewei hung up the phone and shuffled back to her bed. She agreed with Cheng Yingqiu’s viewpoint: being moved was simply an appreciation of all things beautiful.