Silent Testimony - Chapter 84

After being with Tao Ling, Li Hewei often marveled at how love was a remedy that could heal all things. Where she once felt frequent bouts of anxiety, she now found a growing sense of security and contentment. No matter what the future held, at this very moment, their shared happiness was enough.

When she woke in the early morning, Tao Ling’s bare shoulder was within reach. Li Hewei carefully pulled up the down comforter to cover her, then gathered her into her arms to drift back to sleep.

As they lay skin-to-skin in a back-hug, Tao Ling’s brow twitched slightly. She opened her eyes, feeling the solid warmth of the woman behind her. As memories of last night’s indulgence flooded back, her ears turned a deep crimson. She tried to shift her position, but the movement woke the light-sleeping Li Hewei.

“Are you awake?”

“Mhm.”

Li Hewei gently turned her around. Seeing the blush staining Tao Ling’s cheeks, she teased her on purpose: “How come you weren’t this shy last night when you were begging me to say sweet nothings in Cantonese?”

“You…” Tao Ling looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

After the events of the previous night, they had been too exhausted to bathe, settling for a quick clean-up with wet wipes. In a drowse, pillowed on Li Hewei’s arm, Tao Ling had asked softly, “How do you say ‘I like you’ in Cantonese?”

Li Hewei, equally sleepy, had answered in a lazy drawl, “Ngo zung ji nei.”

“It sounds lovely.” Tao Ling had always preferred the original Cantonese audio when watching Hong Kong dramas. As her consciousness drifted, she murmured, “Are there others?”

“Others what?”

Tao Ling’s breathing was steady as her nose brushed against Li Hewei’s arm. “I want to hear you speak Cantonese, your mother tongue.”

Li Hewei misheard her, and her sleepiness nearly vanished. “Sweet nothings?”

The girl’s final response before falling into a dream was a soft, “Mhm.”

Cantonese endearments for couples could be incredibly sappy—things like BB or BB Pig—which Li Hewei found hard to stomach. After thinking it over, she had simply whispered, “Tao Tao.”

By then, Tao Ling was already fast asleep.

Looking at the girl’s peaceful face, Li Hewei had said silently: “Nei zi m zi, ngo mou nei m dak.” (Do you know? I can’t go on without you.)

Snapping back to the present, Li Hewei rested her chin on Tao Ling’s shoulder and changed the subject. “What do you want to eat?” It was Saturday, and for once, they had stayed in bed until 11:00 AM.

“Anything is fine.”

Li Hewei grabbed her phone to order a set meal for two. She could clearly feel the change in Tao Ling; she wasn’t as rigid as before and had learned how to relax. Ordering takeout on a weekend was a perfect example—previously, Tao Ling would have insisted on cooking everything herself.

After getting up to shower and eat, Tao Ling tossed the bedsheets into the washing machine. Instead of her usual routine of practicing calligraphy or reading, she opened a package and walked into the kitchen.

“What are you making?”

Tao Ling gave a faint smile. “Popcorn.”

Li Hewei remembered that a few days ago, they had passed a popcorn stand after work. Just as they were about to join the queue, Cheng Yingqiu had dragged them away, saying, “Don’t buy that. It’s full of saccharin and additives, not to mention lead. We just exposed two shops for that.”

So, Tao Ling had taken it to heart and intended to satisfy her craving at home.

“I bought corn kernels and plan to learn how to make caramel flavor.” Tao Ling poured oil into the pot. Once it was hot, she added the kernels and stirred them over medium-low heat, a smile curving her lips. “It’s my first time; I don’t know if it’ll work.”

Li Hewei was moved. “I’ll eat it no matter how it turns out.”

After about ten minutes of stirring, the kernels turned white and a few began to pop. Tao Ling immediately covered the pot, shaking it rhythmically. Her movements were skilled and organized; one would never guess she was a novice.

Li Hewei recorded the whole process on her phone. When Tao Ling lifted the lid, the pot was filled with fluffy white popcorn.

“Is it done?” Li Hewei asked.

“Not yet, I still have to make the caramel.” Tao Ling scooped out the popcorn and started a new pot with a knob of butter and 50g of sugar. Once it melted into a light amber, she tossed the popcorn back in. The sweet aroma of caramel instantly filled the air. She handled the heat perfectly before transferring the snack into a prepared fruit basket.

Ignoring the heat, Li Hewei couldn’t wait to grab one. She blew on it to cool it down and held it to Tao Ling’s lips. “You first.”

Tao Ling hesitated for a second before biting into it. While she was still chewing, she heard Li Hewei’s sincere praise: “It’s delicious!”

“I’m glad you like it.” While Tao Ling tidied the counter, Li Hewei took a photo and sent it to Cheng Yingqiu, boasting childishly: [Homemade popcorn.]

Cheng Yingqiu fired back immediately: [Homemade fried potatoes.]

As Li Hewei was typing a reply, Qiu Wan suddenly called. She kept it brief: “Assemble in the second-floor meeting room in half an hour.”

The Criminal Investigation Brigade and the Public Security Brigade were mobilized in full. They were split into six groups for a “vice sweep,” with each group containing three female officers. The primary targets were bathhouses, entertainment clubs, and illegal massage parlors. This was part of the Civilized City Initiative, a three-month operation codenamed “Clear Breeze.”

Time flew by. Operation Clear Breeze proceeded smoothly, resulting in the closure of nine illegal businesses, three vice dens, and dozens of arrests.

On Friday, close to clock-out time, Zhao Xiaoting was idly playing Minesweeper on the office computer. “Sister He, it’s only two days until New Year’s Eve. Is the duty roster out yet?”

“Xiao Li already posted it in the work group. Take a look.”

Tao Ling scrolled through the schedule. Both she and Li Hewei were rostered for the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Zhao Xiaoting successfully cleared her game, smiling broadly. “I’m on for the third day, so I get two days of rest.”

“Don’t count on it,” He Ying interjected. “If a crime scene pops up, no one escapes.”

“Sister An, don’t jinx us!”

As her colleagues chatted, Tao Ling lowered her head to reply to a private message: [Got it. Be safe on your way back.] Li Hewei was on a business trip to Shujiang and was also attending a reunion with her classmates from her Master’s program; her supervisor had insisted she attend.

Li Hewei: [I’ve already discussed it with ‘Old Li’ (her father). You’re coming to our house for New Year’s Eve.] Tao Ling: [But…] Li Hewei: [Remember what ‘she’ entrusted us with? This is the groundwork.] Tao Ling: [Okay.]

Since Li Hewei had come clean about her identity, Tao Ling had been by her side every time she communicated with the “original” host’s consciousness across time and space. February 8th was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and they had already discussed their recent situations. The “original” host had asked Li Hewei to help her “come out” to her parents; she wanted to know if they would support her and if her original decision to hide was too hasty.

The original host couldn’t provide spoilers, so she couldn’t tell Li Hewei the crucial information she had discovered. In the original book, she had sacrificed her life in a fire while investigating a case in March 2016. The novel had ended abruptly, and the author had been heavily criticized by readers.

The discovery of this key information triggered Li Hewei’s mission: change the ending of the novel and solve the case. As for where they would go once the mission was completed, even she didn’t know.

Li Hewei was thoughtful: [Even though you aren’t planning to go home for the holidays, we can invite your mother for a reunion dinner. How about tomorrow night?]

Tao Ling was touched by her consideration: [Okay, I’ll follow your arrangement.]

Li Hewei arrived at the hotel in Shujiang. As she walked toward the lobby, a man called out to her.

“Hey? Isn’t this Li Hewei?” The man wore glasses and had his hair parted neatly. “Don’t recognize me? I’m at the Jinning Branch.”

Li Hewei had studied the photos of her classmates beforehand and searched her memory. “Liu Datong?”

“That’s right! You really are a busy person with a short memory.” Liu Datong walked alongside her.

Li Hewei purposefully kept her distance. “Bad memory.”

“You’re the ‘Panda’ of the police world with a photographic memory! You’re famous in Shuzhou, how could you have a bad memory?”

“Datong, it’s been two or three years, after all.” Another classmate approached and laughed. “Hey, she actually remembers my name.”

“Let’s go in, the ‘Boss’ (the supervisor) is rushing us.”

Li Hewei’s supervisor was named Du Guozhou. The “original” host had been part of his first batch of graduate students, five of them in total.

Li Hewei followed them into a private dining room and was seated by the window. One of the two women present, Shen Ning, sat to her right. She wore a cream-colored sweater and a misty blue coat, looking calm yet authoritative.

Du Guozhou arrived last. “I’m five minutes late, I’ll take a penalty drink.”

Li Hewei poured mineral water into her glass. Shen Ning leaned in, concerned. “Still can’t drink?”

“No, I’m allergic,” Li Hewei replied politely.

As the dinner progressed, Du Guozhou looked at her. “Out of the five of you, only Xiao Li didn’t stay in our specialized field (Forensics).”

The class monitor laughed. “She loved drawing even back in grad school. She used to use Datong and me as reference models all day.”

“Forensic sketching requires talent,” Du Guozhou said, his eyes squinting slightly from the alcohol. “She has the gift for it. Her future is bright, even better than us being coroners.”

The dinner ended around 9:00 PM. Li Hewei took a taxi back to the police station to pick up her car.

Tao Tao: [Sister Wei, are you coming back?] Li Hewei: [Mhm, walking to the parking lot now.] She got into the driver’s seat and sent one last update: [In the car.]

The car started and merged into the darkness. However, the further she drove, the heavier her eyelids became. It felt as if she would fall into a deep sleep at any second. For safety, Li Hewei used the last of her strength to pull over to the side of the road.

When she woke up again, the sky was already beginning to turn grey with the coming dawn.