Chapter 5: Disguise

~Clear and standard salute~

Meimei stood barefoot on the cold terrazzo floor in the corridor, wearing only a single piece of clothing. Tears sparkled in her large eyes, and her voice was soft, almost timid: “Sister, you came with my mother, right? Have you seen my father?”

[You damn woman, you stinky bitch! You’re not even a police officer, yet you’re meddling. I hate you. Get away from here.]

The voice that came out was gentle and soft, but in her mind, the words were sharp and bitter. As these contrasting voices echoed in her ears, Zhao Xiangwan sneered inwardly, realizing just how well Meimei could disguise herself.

Under Zhao Xiangwan’s sharp gaze, Meimei felt exposed, and her anxiety grew.

Meimei clenched her fists, avoided Zhao Xiangwan’s gaze, and caught sight of Xu Songling’s back through the emergency room doors. She felt as though she had found a source of comfort and rushed toward him.

The sound of her bare feet hitting the terrazzo floor echoed through the corridor, startling the couple inside the emergency room.

Xu Songling turned around as Meimei rushed toward him, hugging his waist with a distressed voice: “Dad, where have you been? Meimei is scared…”

Noticing the child barefoot on the ground, Xu Songling picked her up gently, feeling a rush of concern. Meimei snuggled into her father’s arms, seeking comfort.

Zhou Qiaoxiu, her heart full of conflicting emotions, watched coldly. If not for Zhao Xiangwan’s help, the baby might have been harmed or abandoned by the couple. Meimei, the one who caused this situation, now shamelessly sought attention and affection from Xu Songling.

“Mom…” A faint voice broke the heavy silence in the room.

Zhou Qiaoxiu quickly rushed to the baby: “Baby, are you awake? Do you feel unwell? Do you have a headache? Come, drink some water.”

Upon seeing her mother, the baby began to sob and reached up to hug her: “Mom, please don’t let me go, don’t sell me.”

This was the first time Zhou Qiaoxiu heard such words from the baby. Holding the child tightly, she felt as if her heart were being torn apart. The sharp pain made it difficult to breathe, and her throat felt clogged, leaving her speechless.

Meimei, still in her father’s arms, looked down at the baby, surprised: “Baby, you’re back! That’s great.”

The baby didn’t respond.

Frightened, the baby clung to her mother, refusing to let go. She wouldn’t even call out to Xu Songling, nor would she abandon her sister. She didn’t accuse Meimei, but instead, begged her mother not to abandon her.

Zhou Qiaoxiu patiently soothed the child, all while remembering the doctor’s advice to give her water. She waited until the child fell asleep before she turned to face Meimei.

This matter needed to be settled immediately! Zhou Qiaoxiu couldn’t wait until morning. Even though it was already two o’clock, and Meimei stood barefoot and pitiful in a hospital, this could no longer wait.

“Come out with me.”

Xu Songling, feeling ignored by Zhou Qiaoxiu and the baby, followed his wife into the corridor.

Before leaving, Zhou Qiaoxiu glanced at Zhao Xiangwan, apologetically saying: “Xiangwan, I’m sorry for keeping you so long. I’ll take you back to school once I’m done with this.”

Zhao Xiangwan, ever calm, nodded: “Okay.”

In the corridor, Zhou Qiaoxiu took a deep breath: “Meimei, do you know where I found the baby? I have to thanks Zhao Xiangwan for the information you provided— the back door of the park, the fried melon seeds. The back door is crowded and easy to find, so you took the baby through an old community and led her into the alley. There are three fried food stalls there, and Lao Wu’s stall is the closest to the corner. Neighbors mentioned that this couple has always wanted a daughter. You deliberately left the baby there. Did you plan on them hiding her?

I completely underestimated your ability to scheme. It was you who deliberately abandoned the baby at the back door of the park and lied to the police, saying she just let go of your hand at the playground. How cruel!”

Zhou Qiaoxiu spoke calmly, but her underlying fury was undeniable. For the first time in their marriage, Xu Songling saw his wife’s true wrath, and his face turned pale.

If Zhou Qiaoxiu was right, then the child in his arms was no innocent soul.

Meimei stared at her mother with teary eyes and choked up: “Mom, I really don’t know. The back door and snack shop are things my sister told me about. I was scared too when the baby went missing. Please believe me.”

Meimei struggled to get down from her father’s arms, stood barefoot on the floor, rushed to Zhao Xiangwan, and raised her face, crying: “Sister, why did you want to hurt me? I don’t understand your questions. Why do you say I deliberately got rid of my sister? When my parents adopted me from the orphanage, I was so grateful. Thank God for giving me such good parents after my biological ones abandoned me. I’ve been grateful ever since. I work hard and take care of my sister. I’ll repay my parents well. How could I hurt her? The baby is my mother’s life. How could I be so bad?”

However, Zhao Xiangwan’s inner thoughts screamed:

[You terrible person! If you hadn’t interfered, the baby would’ve been gone, and Mom and Dad would love only me forever!]

Facing Meimei’s teary eyes, Zhao Xiangwan calmly asked: “If sister were gone, you’d be the only child in the family. Mom and Dad would love you forever, right?”

Meimei felt an unprecedented sense of danger. The tall and slender stranger before her seemed to see right through her. Each question made her heart race, and she felt trapped. Wide-eyed, she replied: “You’re lying!”

Zhao Xiangwan didn’t push further but turned to Xu Songling: “Officer Xu, facial expressions are the first natural response to emotional stimuli. They happen before rational thought and are more reliable than words. I can judge whether someone is lying by their facial expressions, and I can expose the truth with well-placed questions. The way I quickly found the baby proves this. So… trust Teacher Zhou’s judgment. Meimei is not innocent.”

As a criminal officer, Xu Songling was used to identifying lies. Initially, he dismissed Zhao Xiangwan’s method as impossible. If such a person existed, why would police need to interrogate criminals at all? Wouldn’t she just read their faces to uncover the truth?

It seemed unbelievable. Xu Songling reflexively countered: “Impossible.”

Zhao Xiangwan stepped forward, getting closer to Xu Songling. “Officer Xu, you couldn’t take the children to the park today because you had a last-minute mission. Want to guess what mission it was?”

Xu Songling’s voice echoed in her mind:

[Two headless female bodies were discovered in the outskirts of North City. The North City Police and Municipal Bureau Criminal Investigation Brigade formed a special team. Due to the serious nature and the risk of public panic, the case details must remain confidential. No one knows about this except those directly involved.]

“It’s a brutal case, right?”

Xu Songling sized up Zhao Xiangwan, snorting.

“Kidnapping, robbery, or homicide?”

When he mentioned “homicide,” Xu Songling’s left eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Someone’s dead, and it’s classified. Looks like a terrible case… dismembered? Beheaded?” Xu Songling’s face stiffened.

“More than one victim? Man or woman? One, two, three?”

After asking, Zhao Xiangwan narrowed her amber eyes and added with a hint of a spark, “Officer Xu, two female victims, and a headless female corpse, right?”

Xu Songling stared at Zhao Xiangwan in disbelief. “I didn’t say anything!”

Zhao Xiangwan smiled subtly. “Words can deceive, but not expressions or movements. Eyebrows, eyes, mouth, nose—the tiny shifts reveal emotions. These micro-expressions and micro-reactions are too subtle for most to notice, but I can.”

Zhao Xiangwan developed the ability to read minds at age ten. Through her early experiences and observing others’ reactions, she learned to read people in a way that hides her mind-reading and seems more scientific.

“Lao Xu, Zhao Xiangwan is my student. I trust her abilities, which is why I asked for her help. We found the baby so quickly thanks to her.” Zhou Qiaoxiu was now fully convinced of Zhao Xiangwan’s skills.

Seeing her parents believe Zhao Xiangwan, Meimei rushed to her father, grabbing his hand and biting her lip, “Dad, I’m so cold.”

Xu Songling let go of her hand, his expression cold. “If you’re cold, go back to bed.”

Meimei, feeling abandoned, looked at her mother and said, “Mom, I’m hungry. I want the egg pancakes you made. I’ve never had pancakes this good at the orphanage.”

This statement struck a chord with Zhou Qiaoxiu.

She remembered the first time she saw Meimei in the orphanage, small and thin with large eyes, shyly asking, “Mom, are you my mom? I’m so hungry.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu, unable to bear the child’s suffering, immediately adopted her. The first meal she cooked for Meimei was egg pancakes. It seemed Meimei still remembered it.

Zhou Qiaoxiu’s face softened, but Xu Songling remained firm. “You can judge someone’s future at three, and their character at seven. You’re only eleven, but you’ve shown such malicious thoughts, causing your baby to be poisoned by alcohol. Xu Zhenmei, we can’t raise a daughter like you! Tomorrow, when the police question the kidnappers, we will act according to the law.”

Meimei turned pale, standing frozen, her tears forgotten, feeling abandoned.

Later that night, a barefoot little girl stood alone on the cold floor, tears streaming down her face. It was a heartbreaking sight.

Zhao Xiangwan remained unaffected. A girl who would abandon her sister for parental affection wasn’t someone to protect or forgive.

A tall figure blocked the light from the fluorescent tube. In the shadow, Zhao Xiangwan saw the serious and resolute Xu Songling approaching her: “Classmate Zhao Xiangwan, thank you for your help. We are very grateful.”

Xu Songling raised his right hand in a precise salute, fingers together, palm to eyebrow, then lowered it. His salute expressed respect and recognition, filling Zhao Xiangwan with pride.

She responded with the same salute, chest out: “It’s my duty.”

Her voice rang clear, with a touch of youthful warmth, like a stream flowing through a quiet valley, echoing over smooth stones.

Xu Songling and Zhou Qiaoxiu exchanged a look, feeling a mutual sense of admiration: calm, composed, neither arrogant nor impatient. This girl had a bright future ahead!

***

T/L Notes:

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