Silent Testimony - Chapter 38

On the third-floor smoking area of the guesthouse, Qiu Wan stood with her back to the corridor, her hands resting on the railing, smoke curling up from her fingertips. She let down her hair tie; her long hair shielded her chiseled profile, making her expression unclear.

“Captain Qiu, smoking is hazardous to your health.” A clear, ringing voice sounded from behind. Qiu Wan flicked the ash and turned around.

Cheng Yingqiu stood at the stairwell, having completely changed her usual casual style. She wore an elegant ivory silk top paired with black high-waisted wide-leg trousers, looking tall and fashionable.

Qiu Wan pursed her lips, finding the change slightly unfamiliar.

Cheng Yingqiu smiled brightly, the setting sun’s afterglow reflecting in her light brown eyes. She spoke frankly, “I brought sushi for my sister. I didn’t want to disturb you, but your figure smoking from the back looked so cool.”

Qiu Wan was slightly stunned, then looked Cheng Yingqiu up and down for a moment before suddenly curving her lips into a smile. Looking at the girl in front of her, the melancholy haze in her heart seemed to gradually dissipate.

“Big reporter, your words contradict themselves.” She turned back, gazing at the fiery sunset in the distance, and raised a hand to take a drag from her cigarette.

“Where’s the contradiction? Cool is cool, but that doesn’t stop me from…” Cheng Yingqiu watched the faint smoke curl from Qiu Wan’s lips, momentarily dazed.

“Doesn’t stop you from doing what?” Qiu Wan tilted her head.

Cheng Yingqiu walked over in two or three steps, impulsively snatched the cigarette from between the woman’s fingers, and stubbed it out in the nearby trash can, raising an eyebrow. “Mm, just this.”

Qiu Wan was first startled by her action, but then relaxed her lips. She patiently explained, “I usually don’t smoke in front of friends. If you had stood closer, I would have put it out myself.”

“Oh.” Cheng Yingqiu found her voice pleasant to hear. She hung the bag she was carrying onto Qiu Wan’s wrist and snorted, “Are you starving again?”

Qiu Wan didn’t answer but asked back, “Didn’t you bring that for Hewei and the others?”

“I changed my mind at the last minute, is that not allowed?” Cheng Yingqiu had to grit her teeth and say, “Eat it or don’t.”

Qiu Wan held the bag and smiled radiantly. “We can go to room 309; two birds with one stone.”

“That’s more like it.”

The two walked slowly forward. Qiu Wan voiced her guess, “Xiao Qiu, did you come to Wanyang Town for a blind date?”

“What? A blind date?” Cheng Yingqiu quickly clarified, “How could I possibly be on a blind date?”

“Your outfit is different from usual.” Qiu Wan noted the expensive accessories.

“Sister, you misunderstood! I’m working.” Cheng Yingqiu raised her hand. “The accessories are gifts or borrowed from my sister and mom.”

“Working?” Qiu Wan was confused. “Does a reporter need to dress like this?”

“Hey, isn’t it common for legal reporters to go undercover?”

Qiu Wan frowned instantly. “Undercover investigation?”

“A legal undercover investigation. We’ll inform the police once we have results.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“It’s fine. I found an intermediary to take me in.”

Qiu Wan was worried. “Who is the target of the investigation?”

“That’s confidential work information. I have no reason to tell you now.” Cheng Yingqiu patted her shoulder. “Relax. We’ve made sufficient preparations.”

Qiu Wan typed a string of numbers and sent them to Cheng Yingqiu: [137xxxxxxxx]

“That’s my other number.”

Cheng Yingqiu was puzzled. “Huh?”

“If the first one doesn’t go through, call the second one.” Qiu Wan knocked on the door.

Cheng Yingqiu understood the implication, smiling. “Fine, I know you care about me.”

Li Hewei opened the door. “Sister Qiu is here too?”

“Yes, thanks to you, we can eat sushi together.” Li Hewei stepped aside for them to enter. Qiu Wan asked her, “Did you sleep well?”

“Mm, I napped for an hour.”

“Where’s Xiao Tao? When will the results be out?”

“She focuses completely on her work and won’t answer my call right now.” Li Hewei tidied the table and set out two boxes of sushi.

“You guys chat, I have something to do.” Cheng Yingqiu received a private message from a colleague and left to make a call.

The two remaining people in the room said in unison, “Okay.”

Li Hewei handed Qiu Wan a pair of chopsticks. “Do you think there might be other possibilities in the test results?”

“Probably not. Sister He also said the primary crime scene matches Zhang Dalun’s account of the struggle.”

“Let’s hope so.” Li Hewei asked, “What about Zeng Zong and Chong Lei?”

Qiu Wan sighed. “They both have alibis, and we currently can’t find other evidence pointing to them.”

“Did you assign people to watch them?”

“Yes, colleagues from the police station are conducting 24-hour surveillance shifts.” Qiu Wan continued, “I told Xiao Liao and Xiao Zhou to stay, and the others to wait in Puchen.”

“Tao Ling also said she was rushing back tonight.”

“Let her stay at the guesthouse for now. You two can share a room. Zhao Xiaoting has already returned to the city with Sister He.”

“Okay.” Li Hewei agreed without hesitation.

“I’ll arrange for someone to take Xiao Tao back to Puchen tomorrow. As for you, you need to stay in Wanyang.”

Li Hewei chimed in, “I know, to assist you.”

“Sigh, I hope we solve the case soon and can rest for a few days during the National Day holiday.”

Li Hewei got an idea. “How about a road trip during the holiday?”

“Road trip? Where to?”

“Anywhere is fine. We’ll check everyone’s duty roster. Two or three days we can just go somewhere nearby; four or five days we can go further.”

Qiu Wan subconsciously asked, “Is Xiao Qiu going?”

Li Hewei couldn’t help but gossip, “Why didn’t you ask about Tao Ling?”

“Maybe because I’ve been interacting more with Xiao Qiu recently,” Qiu Wan pondered.

“Street dance?”

Qiu Wan nodded. “I usually go to the studio on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and she’s always there.”

Li Hewei squeezed a bit of wasabi into the soy sauce dish. “If you have time, you can teach Yingqiu how to dance; she’s trying to lose weight.”

“She doesn’t need to lose weight; she has a well-proportioned figure.” Qiu Wan’s tone was serious. “As for dancing, Xiao Qiu is still in the beginner stage, and another coach is teaching her.”

“How is she doing in her studies?”

“Not very well. The coach says she’s distracted and likes to wander into other rooms.”

Li Hewei burst out laughing. “That girl, she completely can’t hide her feelings.”

Qiu Wan was oblivious. “What feelings?”

“Observe it yourself.” Li Hewei changed the subject. “What kind of car do you drive? An SUV or a regular sedan?”

“A RAV4, a compact SUV.”

“No problem. It’s more suitable for four people to go out in an SUV.” Li Hewei began planning the holiday trip.

“You, me, Xiao Qiu, and Xiao Tao?”

“If I leave Cheng Yingqiu at home during the holiday, she’d raise hell.”

The smile on Qiu Wan’s lips grew brighter. “It’s not that exaggerated. She’s quite quiet when she’s not talking.”

“The key is when she’s not talking.” Just as Li Hewei finished speaking, Tao Ling called.

“Are the results out?”

“I guess so.” Li Hewei answered.

“Hello.”

Tao Ling’s voice was urgent. “Sister Wei, the DNA detected in the skin and blood remnants from the deceased’s fingernails does not belong to Zhang Dalun.”

Qiu Wan frowned slightly and speculated, “Not Zhang Dalun? Was it a joint conspiracy?”

Li Hewei analyzed, “Not necessarily. It’s also possible that Zhang Dalun is taking the fall for someone and helped dispose of the body. You said he’s been in the criminal underworld since his twenties… unless it was intentional.”

“However, the DNA has an 86% similarity to Zhang Dalun’s, meaning the two are related.” Tao Ling agreed with Li Hewei’s point. “The likelihood of him taking the fall is indeed high.”