Silent Testimony - Chapter 67

“What does that mean?” Shocking information poured in like a tide. Li Hewei’s heart was turbulent. She simply turned off the shower and stood frozen in front of the vanity mirror.

“I come from a detective novel called Disorder, and I share the same name as you.”

“Mhm, I know all that.”

“The author’s pen name is Coarse Tea and Plain Rice  which is Madam Hu, Hu Die. She serialized the novel on a website without a contract, started updating in 2016, and officially concluded it in 2022. But you only got to know her this year because of a case.”

“Yes, I went on a business trip to Hong Kong in February.”

“I asked her last night, and she said she also thought it was strange, so she asked a friend to test you, even asking if you had ever changed your name.”

“Test me? How?” Li Hewei recalled, the furrow in her brow deepening. She remembered her assistant once recommending Disorder and teasing her about whether she had changed her name. She suddenly understood. “Are you talking about Xiao Shen?”

“That’s right. Xiao Shen studied at university in Hong Kong and knows Hu Die, who is the same age.” The original host’s tone suddenly became heavy. “So, I’m just a soulless paper cutout in her novel.”

“You can’t say that. Perhaps every time an author writes a novel, it’s equivalent to creating a parallel world. Just like I’m in your world, the friends and family around me have souls; they exist vividly.” Thinking of this, a relieved smile appeared on Li Hewei’s strained face. “The reason we switched places is probably because we have a deep connection with the versions of us in each other’s worlds.”

“Connection?”

“Isn’t it? Did Panpan get along well with you?” Jin Panpan is Li Hewei’s childhood friend; the two tell each other everything.

“Mhm, Panpan is great.”

“And Mianmian? Is it affectionate with you?” (Mianmian is the cat’s name, meaning Sleepy/Soft.)

The original host’s lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile. “Mhm, it sleeps with me every night.”

“It’s the same for me. Yingqiu, Sister Qiu, and Tao Tao all treat me well. Isn’t that a kind of connection?” Li Hewei exhaled the sigh accumulated in her chest. “I’m just worried about Tao Tao’s safety. Now that it’s confirmed the car accident injury was transferred to Sister Qiu, if I successfully change Tao Tao’s ending, will others lose their lives because of it?”

The original host suddenly fell silent. Li Hewei guessed she was trying to avoid giving spoilers and asked, “What about you? Did you have any mission when you traveled to my world?”

“Maybe learning Cantonese? Today I learned ‘cham maai ngoh waan’ (let me join you in playing).”

“You’re relaxed.” Li Hewei was amused by her unfamiliar pronunciation. She turned on the tap again and made an agreement with the original host to meet virtually on the 8th of every month, then ended the conversation.

The world of consciousness quieted down, and the sound of trickling water became clearly audible. However, the water temperature hadn’t risen yet. The slightly cool water poured over her head, making Li Hewei shiver. Her sleepiness completely vanished. She finished her shower, blew dry her hair, and quietly moved to the study.

She had just picked up a pencil when a WeChat message from Tao Ling arrived the next second.

[Sister Wei, are you getting ready to sleep?]

Li Hewei was puzzled. Since returning from the business trip, she had stopped the habit of wishing each other goodnight before bed due to Tao Ling’s avoidance. Why was she suddenly reaching out?

[Mhm. Good night.]

As the message was sent, the lock on the opposite door clicked, and footsteps drew nearer. Li Hewei finally realized Tao Ling’s implicit meaning: she knew Li Hewei was lying and was deliberately testing her? She immediately put the pencil away and turned to pick up her phone.

The study door was simultaneously pushed open. Li Hewei looked up, directly meeting the girl’s searching eyes. After a brief silent confrontation, Tao Ling, worried about being presumptuous, was the first to look down, avoiding Li Hewei’s inquiring gaze.

“I… I saw the light on in the room, so I came over to turn it off.”

“I was grabbing something.”

It was a white lie; both knew the truth.

“Good night.” Tao Ling turned her back and stepped forward, even her ears flushed hot.

“Good night.” Li Hewei looked at her unusually crimson profile, a surprising thought surfacing in her mind: Has she suddenly had a breakthrough?

The facts proved that her speculation wasn’t baseless. The two reverted to the state they were in half a month ago, actively responding to messages and not deliberately avoiding being alone together. However, Li Hewei was busy dealing with the complex case and didn’t pay too much attention to the subtle changes.

She was only concerned about Tao Ling’s safety.

[I’m in a meeting. Wait for me, and we’ll go home together.]

[Okay.]

[From now on, it will always be like this.]

Li Hewei didn’t look at her phone again; it was her turn to summarize the work of the technical group. Tao Ling stared at the chat box, every word sinking into her heart. She felt that even the cold wind seeping through the window crack was warm. She lowered her head, her fingertips slowly tapping the screen: “Okay.”

At the Affiliated Hospital of Shujiang University, in the Orthopedics ward, Qiu Wan sat at a small table, eating slowly with a spoon in her right hand while listening to the meeting recording sent by Wang Cen. Cheng Yingqiu happened to walk in, witnessed this scene, and couldn’t help complaining, “Sister Qiu, how can you still worry about the case even when you’re injured!”

“I have nothing else to do.” Qiu Wan’s smooth long hair was draped over her shoulders. She smiled at Cheng Yingqiu, her eyes shimmering. “Did you take a taxi here?”

“No, I drove. I borrowed my mom’s little Mercedes, and she asked me a thousand questions.” Cheng Yingqiu pouted. “Luckily, I was quick and slipped away.” She then asked, “Why are you eating? What about the pork bone soup Grandma boiled?”

“I ate a little to tide me over.”

Cheng Yingqiu neatly arranged the soup, vegetables, and rice from the thermos container, her smile dazzling. “I get to benefit; Grandma prepared a lot.” Chewing on a piece of pork rib, she asked, “What did the doctor say? How long until you recover?”

“Four to six weeks.”

“Are those all medications?” Cheng Yingqiu glanced at the transparent bags of pillboxes on the bedside table, roughly estimating eighteen boxes.

“Mhm. Swelling reduction, pain relief, and blood circulation activating medicine.”

“Didn’t we agree that I would pick up the medicine? Why did you run up and down by yourself?” Cheng Yingqiu feigned displeasure. “And I even clocked out two minutes early!”

“My legs aren’t broken. I have nothing better to do.”

“Ptooey, ptooey! Why talk about broken legs?” Cheng Yingqiu scooped a bowl of bone soup and placed it in front of Qiu Wan. A classic scene from a TV drama flashed through her mind. She asked in a muffled voice, “Is it convenient for you to drink the soup?”

“Hmm?” Qiu Wan realized her meaning, and a blush spread across her cheeks. “It is convenient. It’s just my left hand that’s injured.”

“Oh.” Cheng Yingqiu buried her head and continued eating her vegetables. She was certain they were only separated by a sheet of paper, but how and when to break through it was giving her a headache. However, she was willing to endure this sweet torment.

On the other side, the meeting personally organized by Director Liu ended. As soon as Li Hewei entered the office, Wang Cen called out to her.

“Xiao Li, the owner of the tobacco and liquor store across from Puan Community is coming in to give a statement in ten minutes. Do you want to listen in?”

“Sure, I’ll just grab something.”

“Interview Room Two.”

Li Hewei nodded in assent. The moment she sat back at her desk, Tao Ling handed her a takeout container.

“Sister Wei, braised meat rolls and braised duck legs. It should fill you up.”

Li Hewei took the container. “What about you? What are you eating?”

“The same as you.”

Li Hewei took the phone next to her, opened the chat history with Wang Cen, and forwarded the video to Tao Ling. “The surveillance video from the art museum on the day of the incident. You’re meticulous, so please help me review it.”

“Okay.”

Li Hewei stood sideways by the window, quickly finishing her dinner. A moment later, she heard Xiao Zhou’s voice. “Captain Li, the witness is here.” She didn’t respond, tossed the takeout container into the trash can beside the desk, and quickly walked out.

In the interview room, the owner finished speaking in great detail, adding, “He was wearing some kind of auto repair uniform. I thought he was fixing a car.”

Wang Cen quickly asked, “Do you remember the name? Which auto repair shop?”

“Hua something… oh, I can’t remember.”

“What about his appearance? Was there anything special? Can you describe it in detail?”

“He was wearing a mask, so I could only see his eyes and eyebrows.” The owner frowned in thought, then suddenly became excited. “That’s right, Huateng Auto Repair! My daughter, in fourth grade, was learning those characters, and she had a spelling test the day before yesterday.”

“Good, thank you.”

After the statement was recorded and the witness signed it and left, Xiao Zhou looked up the location of Huateng Auto Repair and whispered to Wang Cen, “Huateng Auto Repair is only about fifty meters away from Puchen International Hotel.”

“The possibility of an acquaintance committing the crime is still high.”

Li Hewei had assumed the car accident was linked to the attack two months ago. She asked doubtfully, “Sister Wang, are you suggesting the suspect in this case sabotaged the braking system? What’s the motive? I have no personal enmity with him.”

“Maybe he was afraid you would successfully create a composite sketch, so he cut the brake fluid line to create an accident. But there was one oversight: he didn’t realize the cut marks are different from normal breakage marks.” Wang Cen assigned Xiao Liao and Xiao Lü to go to Huateng Auto Repair. Li Hewei remained momentarily stunned.

This case, focus on this case. The words of the original host flashed in her mind. She suddenly understood: Tao Ling’s death in the line of duty was related to this case. As long as she quickly apprehended the killer, Tao Ling would be out of danger.

“Xiao Li?” Wang Cen gently patted her shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.

“Nothing. I’m going back to draw.”

“Do you have a lead?”

“I have to try.” Li Hewei locked herself in the study as soon as she got home, but the greater the pressure, the less she could concentrate. Her eyes were fixed on the discarded drawings. The countless key descriptive phrases were a confusing mess, like a thousand lights drifting in the deep sea, finally being sucked into an endless whirlpool.

In the abyss, a faint, threadlike light flashed.

Li Hewei suddenly spun around, clicked the mouse, logged into her work account, found photos of all the staff from Zhongyun Publishing House at the book signing event, and checked them one by one.

A hooked nose, looks somewhat mixed-race.

Unexpectedly, not a single person matched.

Had the eyewitness’s memory failed, or was the person she encountered late at night not the killer? Li Hewei rubbed her temples with her thumb, pondering the complex and confusing issues. A knock came at the door.

“Sister Wei.”

“Mhm? What is it?”

“Do you remember the two characters written on the bay window at the crime scene? We suspected the killer was left-handed. So I paid attention to the hand movements of all the staff at the art museum signing event and found that Ma Zhiming’s assistant is left-handed.”