Silent Testimony - Chapter 62

Tao Ling’s instincts were usually supported by details, not mere speculation. After careful consideration, Li Hewei sent a brief message to Qiu Wan and left the conference room early.

She bypassed the elevator bay, and about five meters ahead was the Technical Group’s office. Li Hewei entered and immediately saw Tao Ling at a workstation on the left, head bowed, holding a pen and sketching in a draft book. She moved closer and whispered, “Tao Ling, what did you find?”

“Sister Wei.” Tao Ling tilted her head slightly, making brief eye contact for two seconds, then returned her gaze to the draft book on the desk. “This is a scene I drew based on the second story in Dark Night.”

Li Hewei focused, noticing that the simple sketch of the building was ordinary, except for the dense trees within the right side wall, where the thick canopy covered the entire alleyway, making it somewhat unique.

“Mhm.” Li Hewei gestured for her to continue.

“The house directly across from the Catholic Church is the crime scene,” Tao Ling began to explain. “Look at the snack stalls at the end of the alley: they sell Zhaohong cakes, scallion cakes, and zhazha noodles. Beside them is the hand-shredded roast rabbit—all signature delicacies of Youlin.”

“Are you suggesting Ma Zhiming has been to Youlin?”

“He hasn’t just visited; he should have lived in Youlin for an extended period.” Tao Ling opened Dark Night and let Li Hewei browse the descriptive passages, continuing, “I started reading suspense novels in high school. I occasionally tried writing fragments and know that authors mostly draw material from life.”

Li Hewei frowned thoughtfully, “You want to investigate his social connections there? Isn’t that like searching for a needle in a haystack?”

Tao Ling turned her head, her gaze firm. “Yes.”

“A hunch?”

Li Hewei trusted Tao Ling’s intuition but needed to convince Qiu Wan before taking further action.

“Yes. I’ve read every one of Ma Zhiming’s suspense novels, and there’s one question I still can’t figure out.”

“What is it?”

“The perspective. Male and female perspectives are shaped by different circumstances and societal expectations, leading to clear differences in interpersonal relationships, multidimensional thinking, and emotional processing. However, the novels Ma Zhiming published before 2014 were all written from a female perspective.” Tao Ling had even taken the time to watch his interviews and learn about his lifestyle and personal history, but her doubts remained unresolved.

Li Hewei was silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll submit a report request.” She glanced at the clock on the wall; it was just past 7:00 p.m. “Should we leave tomorrow morning? Or tonight?”

The proximity of the two made Li Hewei’s breath drift directly toward Tao Ling’s nose. She looked up at the side of the face separated by mere inches, involuntarily lingering for a few seconds. Realizing her reaction, she quickly shifted her gaze, stammering, “E-E-Either is fine.”

“Hmm?” Li Hewei noticed the change in Tao Ling’s expression, cupped her right hand, and whispered, “If you want to look, you can do it anytime, anywhere.”

“I…” Tao Ling instinctively picked up the teacup in front of her and stood up.

“I need to go to the restroom.”

Li Hewei struggled to suppress the curve of her lips. “What are you going to do in the restroom with a cup?”

“Wash the cup…”

Tao Ling’s voice was a near-whisper. She hurried past Li Hewei and quickly walked out, raising her hand to touch her flushed ears. She silently wondered why Sister Wei always liked to tease her.

As she pondered this, her thoughts drifted back to the distant Wavian apartment. She had been sleepless last night and only managed to fall asleep in the latter half of the night. She could no longer ignore Li Hewei’s clear affection for her, making her earlier assumption even more certain.

She wasn’t harboring unrequited feelings.

“Xiao Tao, I heard you’re going to Youlin?” He Ying emerged from a restroom stall and casually asked when she saw Tao Ling standing blankly in front of the sink.

Tao Ling was pulled back to reality and turned on the tap. “Yes, Sister Wei is writing the report.”

“Bring me two hand-shredded roast rabbits.”

“Sure, I’ll buy them if I get a chance.”

In the office, Li Hewei finished writing the application and sent it to Qiu Wan. Qiu Wan forwarded it to Director Liu, who ultimately approved it.

[Be careful. Do you need coordination from Youlin police?]

[Not yet.]

[Okay, leave tomorrow. Go home and get some rest tonight.]

[What about you all? Any leads?]

[We got the art museum surveillance footage and are reviewing it. How is Sister He’s side of things?]

Li Hewei looked up and asked He Ying, who had just returned to her seat, “Sister He, you found two long strands of women’s hair at the scene. Whose could they be?”

“I don’t know. Ma Zhiming’s assistant said no one went to his place.”

“Alright, I’ll have Captain Qiu investigate.” Li Hewei quickly typed: [What about Ma Zhiming’s phone? Check his recent contacts.]

[Two strands of women’s hair were found at the scene, and the DNA detected is not in the database.]

[Ma Zhiming’s aunt visited his house. Should we do a gene comparison?]

[Good, contact her.]

Li Hewei locked her phone screen, looked around, and clapped her hands to get attention. “Everyone, go home and rest. We’ll continue tomorrow morning.” She pointed a glance at the back of Tao Ling’s head diagonally in front of her. “Tao Ling, you’re going to Youlin tomorrow morning. Go home and prepare.”

“Mhm.”

Li Hewei attended a temporary meeting and only pushed open her front door near 8:30 p.m. She habitually looked toward Tao Ling’s room.

Cheng Yingqiu teased her, “She’s inside, didn’t go out.”

Li Hewei held her milk mug, leaning against the coffee table and looking through the slightly ajar door at Tao Ling in the small bedroom.

“Yes, I asked her to come back early.”

Cheng Yingqiu nudged her arm with her elbow. “If you want to go in, just go in. You can’t achieve great things by hesitating.”

“I know.” Li Hewei approached the room and was about to raise her hand to knock when Tao Ling, two meters away, suddenly crossed her arms and grabbed the hem of her clothes—the unmistakable action of taking off her shirt. Caught completely by surprise, Li Hewei had already caught sight of the bare, slender waist before immediately reaching out to shut the door.

Bang!

The sound jolted Li Hewei’s heart. She stood rigidly, desperately trying to banish the image from her mind.

However, the memory was vivid, like a flame searing her heart. Her face began to flush, and her nerves felt as if they were melting one by one.

“Sister, why are you standing there?” Cheng Yingqiu let out an “Oh,” and smiled meaningfully. “Did you see something?”

Li Hewei suppressed her turbulent emotions and managed to piece together a sentence. “I… I’m going to take a shower.”

Inside the bedroom, Tao Ling initially thought the breeze had closed the door, but then she heard Cheng Yingqiu’s hearty laughter and Li Hewei’s evasive words, leading her to guess the awkward situation that had just occurred. She pursed her lips. Instead of being bothered, she unconsciously savored the rarely seen look of panic in the other woman, and her heartbeat, too, began to lose its rhythm…

The next morning, Li Hewei opened her door to find three bowls of noodles already set on the dining table. She quickly walked into the kitchen and saw Tao Ling standing at the counter, expertly frying eggs.

“What time did you wake up? You should have slept longer.”

“6:30. I’m still used to making breakfast.” Tao Ling didn’t turn around. “Sister Wei, aren’t we leaving at 8:00? Go change your clothes first.”

“Mhm.” Li Hewei was helpless. She had told Tao Ling at least three times that she could occasionally sleep in, insisting there was no need to get up early every day to cook, which was too tiring, yet Tao Ling consistently ignored her.

“Sister Tao Ling!” Just as she finished speaking, Cheng Yingqiu rushed out of the bathroom, poking her head out like a chaperone, observing the interaction between the two.

“Yingqiu, breakfast is the pickled vegetable beef noodles you like. The fried egg will be ready right away.”

Cheng Yingqiu nodded vigorously. “Mhm, mhm, mhm. I love you!”

Li Hewei felt a tightness in her chest. She went back inside to change into her outdoor clothes, then sat down beside Tao Ling. Hearing Cheng Yingqiu praise the person she loved made her feel an unfamiliar pang of jealousy.

Through their long association, Li Hewei knew that Tao Ling, due to a lack of care in her childhood and having no one to rely on, faced considerable anxiety and fear, which led her to choose independence prematurely, learning too early to understand, tolerate, and even please others.

The only thing she hadn’t learned was how to be loved.

Therefore, she increasingly understood Tao Ling’s lack of security, which led to her psychological hesitation and timidity.

“Sister, eat up! Your nine-tenths cooked fried egg—Sister Tao Ling didn’t forget!”

Is it exhausting to remember everyone’s preferences? Li Hewei used her chopsticks to pick up the egg, chewing slowly, feeling a dull ache in her chest.

The two left at 8:10 a.m. Li Hewei was engrossed in thought and spoke little during the nearly 50-minute drive. Finally, sorting out her thoughts one by one, she decided to try and change Tao Ling’s seemingly irreversible and habitual mindset.

They navigated to the Youlin Catholic Church. Li Hewei was looking for nearby parking when Tao Ling pointed to the roadside across the street. “Sister Wei, there’s a vacant spot right there.”

“Okay.”

Li Hewei parked the car steadily and followed closely behind Tao Ling.

“Sister Wei, hand-shredded roast rabbit, Zhaohong cakes, and scallion cakes.” Tao Ling hurried toward the direction of the snack stalls.

The stall owner enthusiastically greeted her, “Girl, are you having some?”

“I’d like one with white sugar and sesame filling, and one with spicy preserved cowpea filling, please. Thank you.” Tao Ling scanned the QR code to pay.

In just five minutes, the owner handed her the Danhong cake with white sugar and sesame filling. Tao Ling turned back, a long-awaited smile blooming on her lips. Li Hewei finally cleared her mind, accepted the Danhong cake, and took a small bite.

The outer rim of the cake was a thin, crispy edge, offering a crunchy texture. The egg batter inside was tender and smooth, and the filling was rich and diverse. With no spiciness, Li Hewei ate it, finishing before she realized it. She looked up, and Tao Ling in front of her took out Ma Zhiming’s photo and asked politely, “Auntie, I’d like to ask you about someone.”

“Who is it?”

“Could you take a look? Do you recognize him?” Tao Ling showed the photo.

The owner frowned and shook her head. “I don’t recognize him. Besides, I serve two or three hundred people a day; I can’t remember them all.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Tao Ling put away the photo and noticed the empty bag in Li Hewei’s right hand, adding, “Boss, I’ll take one more with cream and pork floss.”

Li Hewei quickly asked, “Is that for me?”

“Mhm. Zhaohong cakes are famous in Shuzhou. You can have more if you like it.”

Li Hewei’s heart softened involuntarily, and her tightly pressed lips curved into an arc. “Thank you.”

The two consecutively questioned four snack stall owners with no results, finally walking into the noodle shop at the end of the alley.

“Boss, two bowls of zhazha noodles.”

“Sure, one moment.”

The noodles were quickly served. Tao Ling took the opportunity to show the photo and asked, “Boss, do you recognize him?”

“He looks a bit like Xiaole’s boyfriend.”