(1) Body Parts

The original owner of this body had good academic performance, was diligent and hardworking, and was well-liked by several teachers, who had secured her a position early on.

The bureau initially intended for her to take a clerical job. However, due to some unknown mix-up in the process, she ended up being assigned to the Criminal Police Division and was set to officially report in two days.

Now that she was being called in temporarily, it was likely due to an urgent case and a shortage of personnel.

Shen Wanwan had long been looking forward to becoming a detective. Without bothering to argue with her family over how the watermelon should be divided, she grabbed her house keys and rushed out.

The old factory district was in a remote area, about six or seven kilometers away from the city bureau.

Six or seven kilometers might not seem like much later on, but in Xuzhou City, which was only ten kilometers from north to south, it was quite a distance.

Her mode of transportation was a ^[1]“永久牌” (Yǒngjiǔ pái) is literally translated as “Forever brand” bicycle. It’s a real Chinese bicycle brand, one of the oldest and most iconic in China, established … Continue readingForever brand bicycle with a crossbar—a secondhand bike her uncle had sold cheaply to their family. The basket was heavily rusted, with a hole at the bottom.

Originally, it was meant for Shen Zhuo, but he found it embarrassing and insisted on getting a new bike. That’s how the original host ended up with it.

The old bicycle was difficult to pedal. Still holding a grudge over the watermelon, Shen Zhuo followed her outside and stood by the roadside, mocking her.

“Look at your lousy bike! The chain is about to fall off. If you call me ‘Master Zhuo’ and beg, I’ll fix it for you and even oil it up!”

Since it was a men’s bike, Shen Wanwan had to exert some effort to get off. She hopped down, held onto the handlebars, and examined it closely. The chain was indeed quite loose.

She murmured thoughtfully, “This bike really isn’t in great shape.”

Shen Zhuo swaggered over, smugly patting her shoulder. “So, do you want me to fix it? Give me a piece of watermelon, and I’ll make it as good as new. How about that?”

Shen Wanwan pushed the bike toward the fence, then looked at him with a half-smile. “Are Mom and Dad bad to you? Is Grandma bad to you? Just asking you to share a little watermelon with them made you so upset?”

Shen Zhuo’s face darkened. He retorted, “They didn’t like it, so they gave it to me.”

“Oh?” Shen Wanwan’s eyes curved as she smiled. “But I like watermelon. Why didn’t you save any for me?”

Shen Zhuo stared at her in confusion.

Save some for Shen Wanwan?

He had never done such a thing before. No one had ever told him he should. The idea was completely foreign to him.

“Why would I save any for you?”

Shen Wanwan brushed his hand away. “Forget it, explaining it to you is pointless. But you did say one thing right—this bike really isn’t great.”

Only then did Shen Zhuo remember his original intention. Feeling wronged, he muttered, “I knew it! If you don’t have watermelon, at least give me two pieces of candy. Sis, I’m starving! If I hadn’t had some chicken yesterday, I wouldn’t have eaten any meat in half a month.”

Ignoring his complaints, Shen Wanwan stretched out her hand.

“Hand it over.”

Shen Zhuo: “?”

Shen Wanwan said, “Your school is less than two kilometers away. My workplace is seven. You don’t need a good bike. Give me the keys.”

Shen Zhuo finally understood.

He didn’t even have time to wonder if his sister was acting strange—his first instinct was to clutch his pants pocket.

Shen Zhuo wasn’t as handsome as the original host, but he wasn’t ugly either. If he put some effort into his appearance, he could be considered a decent-looking guy.

He was wearing a red and green striped polo shirt, and his jeans were brand new. However, thanks to climbing over walls to skip class, one pant leg had already been torn open.

Shen Wanwan glanced at his jeans, then at her own, feeling indignant on behalf of the original host.

To Shen Wanwan, when it came to relationships, the real issue wasn’t a lack of love—it was love that was unfairly distributed.

She let out a quiet chuckle and asked, “Do you think you can beat me?”

Shen Zhuo was stunned for a second or two before bursting into laughter. “You? Fight me? Are you crazy? Back when I was getting into fights, you were still at home sewing socks and fixing buttons…”

Before he could finish boasting, Shen Wanwan clamped a hand over his mouth.

He barely even registered what had happened—one moment, she was in front of him, and the next, she had smoothly pivoted, locking her arm around his neck. His laughter hadn’t even died down before she fished the bike key out of his pocket.

Shen Zhuo flailed desperately, pounding at her arm with both hands. The more he struggled, the tighter she held on.

Even while exerting force, she managed to laugh softly, “How thoughtful of you, Zhuo. You knew your sister has a long commute, so you’re letting me take the better bike. Oh, here—this is my key. Keep it safe, don’t lose it. Changing locks is expensive.”

With that, she tossed Shen Zhuo next to the old bicycle, strode back into the Shen family courtyard, and wheeled out the new bike.

Before riding off, she rang the bell a few times, then disappeared down the road.

Shen Zhuo clutched the bike, crouching and coughing violently for a while. By the time he recovered, Shen Wanwan was already long gone.

Shen Zhuo: “???”

Had his sister been possessed by a ghost?!

—

Xuzhou City really wasn’t that big.

Leaving the old factory district meant passing a desolate stretch of concrete road. The streetlights were spaced several meters apart, and some of the bulbs had been shattered by kids throwing stones.

Beyond that, the city grew livelier. A short distance away was a simple bus stop—nothing more than a sign nailed to a tree, listing the stops for Route 1. In fact, Xuzhou only had this one bus route.

The streets were lined with various shops that had sprung up in the ’90s—mostly small stores, including a tobacco and liquor shop, a laundromat, a stationery store, and even a newly opened boutique.

Life in the ’90s was tough, but not as hard as Shen Wanwan had imagined.

Especially while riding the new bicycle—life felt unexpectedly sweet.

The municipal police bureau was in the northern part of the city. Its walls were painted pure white, with hand-written plaques flanking the entrance. Only the sign directly above the gate bore the familiar blue-and-white design.

Inside, a few ^[2]Santana sedans refer to a model of car produced by Volkswagen, called the Volkswagen Santana. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Volkswagen Santana was widely used in China, especially by government … Continue readingSantana sedans were neatly parked—standard-issue police vehicles.

After greeting the security guard and carefully parking her beloved bike, Shen Wanwan jogged into the main hall.

As soon as she stepped inside, Shen Wanwan caught sight of the police emblem hanging on the wall. Instinctively, she straightened her posture, feeling a surge of excitement.

Before she even had a chance to check her reflection in the mirror, a girl with a fiery energy grabbed her arm. “You’re new too? Hurry, hurry, we’ve been waiting for you!”

The girl’s name was Cui Luo. She had been in the Criminal Police Unit for two years and was Shen Wanwan’s senior.

Both of them were assigned to Team One, meaning they would be colleagues from now on.

The Team One office was on the second floor. Cui Luo took the stairs three steps at a time, barely even pausing for breath.

Shen Wanwan did her best to keep up, thinking that she really needed to start training this body’s stamina as soon as possible.

“Sister Luoluo, did you call me over because of a case?”

Cui Luo put on a serious expression. “You, my dear, just hit the jackpot.”

“Me?”

“That’s right.” Cui Luo shoved Shen Wanwan into the office and casually shut the door behind her. “You arrived just in time for a major case. If that’s not winning the lottery, I don’t know what is.”

Inside the large office, more than a dozen criminal police officers were gathered. Some were young, others older.

They were all huddled around a whiteboard, seemingly in the middle of a meeting.

What caught Shen Wanwan’s attention, however, was the shocking content on the board.

There were over a dozen photos pinned to it.

Every single one showed dismembered body parts.