Silent Testimony - Chapter 63

“Who is Xiaole?” Li Hewei immediately turned on her voice recorder and explained the reason for their visit.

“Xiaole is Boss Le’s daughter.” The proprietress stood up, called them to follow her out, and pointed to the manor at the end of the alley. “See, that’s the Le family’s ancestral manor. The surrounding private homes also benefit from its prestige.”

Tao Ling looked surprised. “Are you talking about the Le Family’s Former Residence (樂氏故宅)?”

The Le Family’s Former Residence was originally built over two hundred years ago during the feudal society. In 1993, the Le family moved out, and the old residence was handed over to the government for renovation and management. In 1994, the Shuzhou government designated the Le Family’s Former Residence as a Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit. In October 1997, it was listed as a Major National Historical and Cultural Site.

“That’s right. Boss Le has a solid family fortune, but I heard he lost millions in his business, so there probably isn’t much money left for Xiaole.” The proprietress shook her head. “Still, Madam Zhu San is formidable. She’s the famous ‘Iron Lady’ of Youlin. Back then, after her husband died, she raised three sons and two daughters by herself, and the family business is thriving.”

Tao Ling asked for details, linking them to the present situation, and learned that Le Qi was the daughter of Madam Zhu San’s eldest son. She graduated from the Chinese Department at Yancheng Normal University, the same school as Ma Zhiming. She confirmed again, “Could you look at the photo again to make sure you’re not mistaken?”

“I’ve lived here for fifty years; I can’t be wrong. That’s Xiaole’s boyfriend, Xiao Ma.”

Li Hewei followed up immediately, “Where do they live?”

“Go out of Lejing Alley, turn left, and walk to the end—Wanghai City on Binjiang Road. But it seems they already sold the apartment and moved.” The proprietress squinted, recalling, “Xiaole used to bring Xiao Ma here often to eat noodles, and also the hong cakes over there. However, Old Zhao passed away two years ago, so his daughter definitely wouldn’t recognize Xiao Ma.”

“Alright, thank you.” Li Hewei turned back to the table and scanned the QR code. “How much is it?”

“Fourteen for the two bowls.”

Li Hewei paid and signaled to Tao Ling, “Let’s go.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going to eat?”

Li Hewei had already eaten two Danhong cakes, one scallion cake, and half a bowl of crispy potato. A smile hung on her cheek. “I’m a bit full. We’ll come back next time.”

Tao Ling, beside her, slightly frowned, as if she had suddenly thought of something. She looked up. “Was Le Qi unable to see?”

“Yes, she became blind due to a car accident.”

Tao Ling’s lowered right hand clenched tightly, her bones aching. She couldn’t help but curse, “What a jerk.”

“What?” To avoid disclosing case-related information, Li Hewei pulled her aside.

Anger seemed to erupt from deep within her body; Tao Ling rarely displayed such obvious emotion. “Sister Wei, the novels Ma Zhiming published were all ghostwritten by Le Qi, or rather, he stole Le Qi’s manuscripts and published them.”

“How did you guess that?”

“The emotions conveyed between the lines of the novel, and the descriptions of the protagonist’s hearing and smell outweigh those of sight.” Tao Ling focused her gaze, pulled the book Dark Night from her backpack, opened the signature page, and spoke with slight agitation. “Sister Wei, I actually really like her writing style, but I always questioned the author’s gender. Now I finally have the answer.”

The situation was serious. Li Hewei pondered the details, her mind briefly seizing up. Finally, she pulled out her phone and said while typing, “I’ll try to find out Le Qi’s whereabouts first.”

“Mhm, okay.”

[Captain Qiu, Le Qi in Youlin. Please investigate her.]

[Did you two find Le Qi as well?]

[Yes.] Li Hewei waited patiently for the follow-up.

[Le Qi is Ma Zhiming’s ex-girlfriend. They broke up back in 2013.]

[Where is Le Qi now?]

[She lives in Yancheng. I checked; they haven’t had contact since they broke up. We will contact her shortly.]

[Tao Ling speculates that the novels Ma Zhiming published were all ghostwritten by Le Qi.]

[Does Xiao Tao think Le Qi has a motive for murder?]

Tao Ling took in their conversation and denied it. “Sister Wei, no. Le Qi’s writing is warm, and the heroines in her novels are also very strong internally. She shouldn’t be a killer.”

“We can still check, especially since Captain Qiu doesn’t have any other leads right now.”

She composed a message: [Suggest continuing to follow up on Le Qi. What about the art museum? How’s the surveillance review coming along?]

Qiu Wan sent two messages consecutively: [No suspicious individuals found at the art museum.]

[When are you two returning?]

[In the afternoon.] [Going to buy hand-shredded roast rabbit first. Bringing one back for you.]

[No need. My grandma’s teeth aren’t good; she can’t eat barbecue.]

[Alright, I’ll buy one, and you can come to my place to eat it.]

Li Hewei put her phone away, only to see Tao Ling beside her looking sullen, silent, with stormy brows.

Is she unhappy? Because they are investigating the person she admires?

Li Hewei probed, “Tao Ling?”

Tao Ling made a sound in her nose, which counted as an answer.

“Unhappy?”

Tao Ling pouted and started walking forward. “No.”

Li Hewei followed her closely. “Tell me the truth.”

Tao Ling’s voice was muffled. “I’m being emotional. I’ll deal with it myself.”

Li Hewei chuckled. “Silly. It’s completely normal to be emotional. I get emotional too, but it’s fine as long as you reflect on it promptly.” The green light only had 10 seconds left. She subconsciously took Tao Ling’s hand. “Come on, let’s go buy the roast rabbit.”

Pedestrians rushed around them. Tao Ling looked at their clasped hands, taking wooden steps, but her heart was quietly being filled.

Li Hewei realized belatedly and felt a little nervous, but seeing that the other person didn’t immediately withdraw her hand, she assumed tacit approval. So one party definitely needs to take the initiative. She began to regret her indecision of the past few days.

The old shop for hand-shredded roast rabbit had moved. They walked through an old street. Li Hewei looked at the long queue ahead of the shop, the corner of her lips curving upward. “It must be there.” Their touching palms were warm. Considering the queue, she finally let go of her hand, not forgetting to add, “You’re not wearing much, but your hand is warmer than mine.”

Tao Ling’s ears burned. She stood behind Li Hewei, silent, unconsciously kneading her palm, savoring the residual warmth.

“Four roast rabbits for takeaway.” Li Hewei scanned the code and turned her head to ask, “One for home, one for us to eat, two for Sister He. What about you? Do you want to take one for your aunt?”

“Half is enough.”

“Mhm, I’ll order another half.” Li Hewei paid.

“Sis—”

Li Hewei cut off the word that was about to come out. “Stop. Are you going to quibble over 30 yuan with me?”

Tao Ling’s throat felt dry. “No, I wanted to say thank you for thinking of her.”

Li Hewei smiled warmly. “I’ve probably chatted with your aunt more times recently than you have with her.”

Tao Ling’s lips parted in surprise.

“Don’t worry. Your aunt said that although your father often complains, he hasn’t shown any other abnormal behavior, and he has already refused to accept matchmaking offers.”

“Mhm.”

The owner called out the number: “132, four and a half.”

“Here.” Li Hewei turned around and reached out to take the packaged bags.

Tao Ling gazed at her retreating figure, and her eyes, like a winter river, gradually broke the ice, shimmering with fragmented sunlight.

They carried the bags and walked back to Lejing Alley. Li Hewei put the items in the back seat and reached to open the driver’s side door. “We’re going to Wanghai City to inquire about Ma Zhiming and Le Qi’s life in Youlin.”

“Okay.”

The navigation showed 3.7 kilometers. Li Hewei parked the car at the back gate of the community, walked quickly to the guard booth, showed her police ID, and stated her purpose directly. “Hello, do you have an owner here named Le Qi?”

Le Qi’s parents were deceased, and Li Hewei speculated that the property should be in her name.

“One moment, let me check.” The guard searched the owner information. “No.”

“No?” Li Hewei pressed. “What about sales information for the past two years?”

“You’ll have to check at the property management center.” The guard dialed an internal number and said with a smile, “I’ll ask for you.”

“Thank you.”

The call connected, the guard explained the situation, and the manager quickly replied, “Le Qi, the owner of 3-1603. The home was transferred to someone else on August 19, 2013.”

Li Hewei prompted, “Ask her if Le Qi was close with her neighbors in the community.”

“I’ll put it on speaker; you can talk.”

The manager on the other end of the line responded, “I heard you. Who did you say was close to Le Qi?”

“Correct.”

“Grandma Yang in 3-602. I often saw her chatting with Le Qi outdoors.”

“Okay, thank you for your cooperation.” After hanging up, the guard swiped his card to let them through. “Fountain to the left, diagonally ahead.”

Wanghai City was one of the first apartment buildings with elevators in Youlin County. The developer had put effort into its construction; it had high greenery coverage and a floor area ratio of 2.5. The two walked around the fountain and proceeded nearly 200 meters before spotting the marker for Building 3.

Li Hewei knocked on 603, and Grandma Yang greeted them warmly. The elderly woman, in her sixties, wore reading glasses perched on her nose. Her every gesture revealed an air of poetry, and every smile hid a story, radiating a strong artistic atmosphere.

No wonder Le Qi was close to her.

They sat on opposite sides of the tea table. Grandma Yang gently placed teacups in front of Tao Ling and Li Hewei, smiling kindly. “This is the flower tea I brewed; Xiao Qi also liked to drink it.”

Li Hewei’s tone was tactful. “Teacher Yang, please don’t trouble yourself. We’ll leave after a short talk.”

“A visitor is a guest, and police officers are no exception.”

“Okay, thank you.” Tao Ling picked up the teacup first and took a couple of sips.

“You want to know about the relationship between Xiao Qi and Xiao Ma, correct?”

Li Hewei nodded. “Yes, it’s for the convenience of the investigation.”

“They were from the same department at Yancheng Normal University, both top students in the Chinese Department. Xiao Ma was two years older than Xiao Qi.” Grandma Yang pulled out a book of poetry, opened it to page 23, and handed it to them. “Pages 23 to 27 are poems written by the two of them. Xiao Ma was clearly more restless than Xiao Qi, aspiring to a high-material lifestyle.”

“It’s understandable; who doesn’t want to make money? But if you can’t hold the line, it’s easy to get into trouble.” Grandma Yang turned her back and slowly pulled out two books from the third shelf of the bookcase. She turned back, maintaining a calm appearance, but her tone was slightly heavier. “These are novels published under Xiao Ma’s name, but the real author is Xiao Qi.”

“I don’t usually read suspense books. Two years ago, knowing Xiao Qi’s interest, I brought back two books when I traveled to Yancheng.” She swallowed a sigh, speaking unhurriedly. “It was lucky I didn’t look sooner. Just flipping through a couple of pages, I noticed something was wrong.”

Tao Ling chimed in, “Even I, a stranger to her, noticed something was off, let alone you.”

“Are you?”

“A loyal reader of the novel.” Tao Ling took out Dark Night and continued, “Two years ago, the novel didn’t have the sales it does now. You could generally only buy it in provincial capital cities. So, Ma Zhiming must have found some way to deceive everyone. Le Qi was kept in the dark for many years until you gave her the book engraved with braille?”

“Yes. After she found out, she wanted Xiao Ma to confess to the publisher, but she was subjected to domestic violence. Fortunately, they successfully broke up.”