Silent Testimony - Chapter 2

The Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Puchen Municipal Public Security Bureau has eight squadrons, including Comprehensive, Major Case, Technical, and Intelligence Information. Li Hewei and Tao Ling are both in the Technical Squadron and are often required to assist other departments.

As the captain of the Technical Squadron, Li Hewei, in particular, must maintain frequent contact with various squadrons.

Li Hewei pressed the answer button, her heart anxious. After a simple greeting, Hou Jiang immediately said, “I apologize for bothering you while you’re recovering.” His voice was faint and slurred, clearly controlled by alcohol, in a state of semi-drunkenness.

“I, I like you. I’ve had a crush on you for five years. I was going to confess two years ago, but then the news of your marriage suddenly broke.”

Did the alcohol give the timid man courage, prompting him to confess his true feelings while drunk? Li Hewei was speechless. What kind of melodramatic plot was this? Being confessed to by another man right in front of her sister-in-law? Yet, looking at Tao Ling, she remained emotionally stable, maintaining her air of calm detachment.

Hou Jiang spoke of his regret, then the conversation abruptly shifted: “I know you’ve already applied to the court to declare Tao Yang missing, so, can you give me a chance?”

From the context, Li Hewei gathered that Tao Yang must be Tao Ling’s elder brother. Missing? She immediately froze, casting a look of surprise toward the two people by the bedside.

Cheng Yingqiu understood and lowered her voice to explain, “I’ll tell you later.”

Li Hewei took a deep breath, deciding to end this quickly. Her eyes cooled by half, and her tone was icy: “Captain Hou, what do you mean by professing love to a colleague while her marriage is still valid?”

“I…”

“Are you looking down on me?” Li Hewei scoffed lightly. “Or do you think your charm is so great that I’d willingly cross the line for you?”

Hou Jiang stammered, “N-no, it’s not.”

“Get lost. Go cool off somewhere else.”

Li Hewei resolutely refused, her words sharp, giving off an invisible pressure. Not waiting for Hou Jiang to react, she ended the call, casually tossing the phone aside, and couldn’t help but complain, “A mediocre, overconfident man.”

Turning around, she happened to catch a subtle change in Tao Ling’s previously still demeanor; the calm in her eyes also rippled, as if she were somewhat shocked?

Li Hewei pondered the reason, and Cheng Yingqiu’s reaction provided the answer: “Awesome, Sis, you never used to be like that.”

“Like what?” Wasn’t her reaction just now perfectly normal?

Cheng Yingqiu smiled warmly: “You wouldn’t curse people. At most, you’d politely refuse him, saying you weren’t compatible.”

Was the original owner so soft-tempered? Li Hewei mused internally. She wouldn’t indulge these overconfident men. If you don’t state things clearly, or if your words aren’t harsh enough, the other party is bound to think there’s still room for maneuver, and they’ll likely pester you later. She had worked for over seven years, and her leaders, friends, and stepmother occasionally introduced her to dating prospects. After firmly refusing a few times, they at least stopped nagging her.

Li Hewei stated emphatically: “Some men, if you don’t shut the door completely, will definitely interpret it differently—like the timing isn’t right—or even think you’re playing hard to get.”

Cheng Yingqiu agreed: “Exactly! You should be tougher.”

The thunder outside gradually stopped, but the wind and rain still lashed down. After resolving the sudden incident involving Hou Jiang, the ward briefly returned to tranquility. Tao Ling clutched the canvas bag by her leg and softly said, “Sister Wei, Captain Qiu called and said she needs me to handle some things.”

The “Captain Qiu” she referred to was Qiu Wan, the Deputy Captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment and the Captain of the Major Case Squadron, who had been transferred to Puchen from a township police station five days ago.

Li Hewei subconsciously asked her, “Hmm? Why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s been over thirty minutes.”

Tao Ling pursed her lips: “No rush, I can hand it over to Captain Qiu tomorrow morning.”

“Going home to work overtime?” Li Hewei saw her nod and testily said, “It’s 9:47 PM now. It takes time to get home, and simple washing up takes half an hour. Are you planning on pulling an all-nighter?”

“I can finish it in about two hours.”

Li Hewei realized she might be meddling a little, but still clearly stated what she thought needed to be said: “Don’t let this happen again. If you have something to say, say it directly.”

“Mmm, okay.” Knowing her good intentions, a faint warmth surfaced in Tao Ling’s eyes, but it vanished in a blink as if she recalled something. She stood up, a slight, appropriate smile on her lips, “Yingqiu, thank you for taking care of Sister Wei.”

As the representative of the Tao family, Tao Ling should have stayed to help, but Cheng Yingqiu understood her thoughtfulness and said straightforwardly, “Oh, we’re family; don’t mention it.”

Tao Ling smiled back from the bedside and turned to walk out.

Li Hewei watched her slight, slender figure disappear around the corner of the ward.

The door closed, the sound of footsteps gradually faded, and Cheng Yingqiu’s talkative nature began to assert itself without restraint: “Sis, let’s talk about Tao Yang.”

Li Hewei listened attentively: “Go on.”

“Hey, do you really not remember anything at all?”

Li Hewei hummed.

“Speaking of Tao Yang, I don’t know what you liked about him; maybe his looks weren’t bad?” The claypot rice she had ordered was now cold, and Cheng Yingqiu had a sensitive stomach, so she had to order a late-night snack. As she scrolled through her phone screen, she said casually, “Oh, weren’t you being rushed into marriage by Aunt Qiong and Uncle two years ago? It just happened to be Valentine’s Day, and Tao Yang confessed via WeChat, so you agreed. I thought since you two were high school classmates, you must know each other well. Who knew you’d say he worked abroad and you rarely saw him, which avoided a lot of trouble.”

“Huh?” Li Hewei was puzzled. What kind of strange reason was that?

“A genius paired with a poor student. You were often in the top three in your exams; he was at the bottom.”

“You graduated with a master’s degree from Shujiang University and were promoted to Squadron Captain—a high-level Deputy Section Chief position—at 28. He has a high school education, does manual labor, and builds railways abroad.”

Li Hewei admired the author’s narrative approach, but the world is vast and full of wonders. Having worked as a forensic doctor for years, she had directly faced all facets of society and witnessed even more bizarre things.

Cheng Yingqiu spoke everything she knew: “You got your marriage certificate the afternoon he returned to China. As for how he went missing, well, it’s a bit strange…”

Tao Yang lost contact with friends and family the day after getting their marriage certificate, without even having the chance to hold a wedding with Li Hewei. On July 10th, he had been missing for two years and three days. Under the persistent urging of her parents, Li Hewei proactively informed the Tao family of her plan to submit an application to the court. It was reasonable, and though the Tao family was extremely reluctant, they had no choice but to agree.

The public notice period for declaring a person missing is three months. After three months, Li Hewei could file for divorce in court.

Li Hewei hastily asked, “How many days are left?”

Cheng Yingqiu smiled like a little fox: “Ooh, eager, are we?”

“I just want to escape this suffering as soon as possible.” In fact, she simply didn’t want any entanglement with a man, even though she already knew Tao Yang’s outcome.

“About eighty-something days.” The late-night snack arrived, and Cheng Yingqiu went out to fetch it. When she returned, she was carrying two bags and handed the one in her left hand to Li Hewei: “Braised pork rice.”

“Thank you.” Li Hewei sat up and took the bag. Cheng Yingqiu helped straighten the bedside table.

“Sis, I have a small request.” As they ate, Cheng Yingqiu, chewing on a skewer, abruptly spoke.

“Mmm, tell me.” Li Hewei had a very good impression of Cheng Yingqiu. She was probably the most important liaison for her in this unfamiliar world, and she was straightforward and willing to help.

“My internship is over, and I’ve found a job, right? The company is directly across from your neighborhood.” Cheng Yingqiu smiled with curved eyes. “Do you think living alone in a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment is too lonely?” The house was Li Hewei’s pre-marital property. The Tao family had originally agreed to cover the renovation, but after Tao Yang’s disappearance, the Li family did not accept their betrothal gifts, and the renovation was paid for by Li Yuqiong.

Nowadays, most young people are not actively relying on their parents but have meager salaries, so they can only rely on their parents to buy a house, and their loan payments are barely manageable on their own.

Li Hewei understood the implication of her words and nodded: “Just pack your things and move in.” After all, the original owner was the property owner, and she was only temporarily staying there.

Cheng Yingqiu’s face lit up with a smile. After finishing a chicken wing, she rushed over and hugged Li Hewei: “Ah, Sis, you’re so good.”

Li Hewei pushed her hands away and made a demand: “However, there’s a condition for the exchange.”

“Anything within my capability!”

“Convince them not to transfer me to another hospital.”

“This…” Cheng Yingqiu hesitated. “We’re also doing this for your own good. What if your head is injured?”

“The doctor said the CT shows no major problems.” Li Hewei reasoned with her. “I’ve merely forgotten some people and events, but I can live independently and won’t delay my work.”

“Really?” Cheng Yingqiu was half-skeptical, as amnesia, in her understanding, could lead to serious consequences.

Li Hewei asserted confidently, “It is.”

“Recite a section of the periodic table of elements.”

“Are you trying to be funny?” Li Hewei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she still recited the periodic table of elements without missing a word.

Cheng Yingqiu compromised: “Alright.”

“By the way, what caused my injury?” Since the original owner was in a technical position, she wouldn’t usually confront criminals directly, but Hou Jiang said she was ‘recovering from an injury,’ not ‘recovering from an illness.’

Cheng Yingqiu immediately flared up: “You were communicating with an eyewitness in the residential building where the crime occurred and fainted when the suspect’s father threw a flower pot down. That was a close call; it almost hit your head.”

After the late-night snack, the two lay down and chatted. Cheng Yingqiu was tormented by drowsiness and fell soundly asleep with her phone in her arms within half an hour, but Li Hewei in the adjacent bed was unusually awake. She organized the information she had gathered tonight and planned her next steps. She ultimately decided to first adapt to the work. After all, the original owner was the core figure of the Technical Squadron, not only needing to focus on her own duties but also requiring management and coordination skills.

Speaking of work, privacy was inevitably involved. During their chat, she learned that the other person shared her birthday, August 8th. The phone password was six digits, and she tried 850808, successfully unlocking the phone.

Li Hewei tried to avoid the most private parts and focused on work-related people and matters.

She opened WeChat and browsed the interface. All the pinned chats were work groups or family and friends groups; there were no other individuals. A life of home-to-work and back completely matched Cheng Yingqiu’s evaluation of the original owner.

There were eight people in the Technical Squadron, an all-female configuration, which pleasantly surprised Li Hewei, prompting her to uncharacteristically praise the author’s progressive thinking. She mentally noted their names and positions.

There were three Assistant Engineers for Trace Examination, one full-time Technician, one Assistant Engineer for Image Examination, one Pathological Forensic Doctor, and one Laboratory Forensic Doctor. And the original owner: a Criminal Composite Sketch Artist, also called a “Forensic Artist.”

Li Hewei wore a slight smile as she exited the group chat, ready to rest, when her phone suddenly vibrated. The message was from Tao Ling:

File (Puchen Municipal Public Security Bureau Autopsy Pathology Report,Supplementary Report)

Sister Wei,there port and supplementary report.

Mmm,get some rest early.

Li Hewei guessed that the Major Case Squadron probably asked Tao Ling for the report, and she sent a copy to herself in passing.

Okay.

Li Hewei realized belatedly that when she had briefly scanned the message page, the original owner had set all personal private chats to ‘Do Not Disturb,’ even Li Yuqiong’s.

What about Tao Yang? Li Hewei scrolled through the contact list and found Tao Yang’s account, but the ‘Do Not Disturb’ icon was prominently displayed next to the note. So, why is only Tao Ling special?

Li Hewei couldn’t figure out the reason for the original owner’s differential treatment, but a bold speculation flashed through her mind. Did she like Tao Ling?

How could that be?

After a half-hour of interaction, Li Hewei thought their relationship was ordinary. Besides the connections of being sister-in-law and work colleagues, there was no other involvement. Moreover, with Tao Yang’s whereabouts unknown, their sister-in-law relationship might also be nominal.

Li Hewei thought it over and over but still had no clue. She was unwilling to check their chat history and temporarily buried the doubt in her heart, waiting to gradually solve the mystery later.