Chapter 7

Of course, this was just speculation without any concrete evidence at the moment. There were no surveillance cameras along this stretch of road, nor any eyewitnesses. A couple of rotten fruits lying in the drainage ditch couldn’t prove anything.  

So instead of immediately returning to question Zhang Liang again, they visited each household and business along the route between the two major intersections that had surveillance. By the time they finished, the sun had already set. Without taking a break, the three of them hurried back to the city bureau.  

“Xiang Yang, look into Zhang Liang from Da’an Village thoroughly later. If Ni Yue really left her house because of him, and he deliberately concealed that fact, it would mean something,” Jiang Li instructed as they reached the Special Task Force office. Then he turned to Su Yan. “You’ve worked hard today. If there’s nothing else, you can head home early.” With a nod, he headed toward the technical division.  

“Got it,” Su Yan replied obediently.  

Xiang Yang found himself increasingly fond of the young woman beside him. It wasn’t that the Special Task Force members were impatient with interns—just the ones who didn’t know their place and overestimated their own abilities. If every fourth-year intern was as sharp, capable, and eager to learn without being talkative like her, they could take on a few more. He sighed jokingly. “Lucky you, getting the high-class treatment of going home to sleep. Cherish it while you can… Once you’re officially working, this kind of privilege won’t come easy…”  

The two exchanged a few lighthearted remarks before Su Yan quickly exited the office building. Just then, her phone chimed with a message. After glancing at it, she replied briefly with two words, then got into her flashy sports car—its vibrant color standing out starkly among the sea of black, white, and gray vehicles.  

Gripping the steering wheel, she hesitated for a moment before pressing the ignition. The high-performance engine roared to life, and the car shot forward with a sharp acceleration.  

In less than half an hour, the sports car pulled up in front of a conspicuously luxurious villa. Su Yan parked and entered directly through the indoor garage. As she was changing her shoes, she heard cheerful chatter coming from the living room.  

Her eye twitched at the sight of the pair of light pink, fluffy slippers with bunny ears waiting for her on the shoe rack. With no other choice, she slipped her feet into them. Today, she was wearing a neutral-toned gray tracksuit, and paired with these overly girly slippers, the contrast was… indescribably awkward.  

The moment she stepped into the living room, her mother, Zheng Hui, waved her over. “Yanyan, you’re back! Come, this is Aunt Li and her son—you should call him ‘brother,’ right? Come say hello!”  

The spacious living room was furnished with understated yet elegant rosewood furniture. The middle-aged woman sitting across from Zheng Hui looked just as glamorous, while the man beside her appeared to be in his late twenties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and exuding an air of refined sophistication.

Su Yan froze for a moment before snapping back to reality under Zheng Hui’s incessant urging. She walked over and offered a friendly smile to the woman across from her: “Hello, Aunt Li.” Then she turned to the man beside her: “Hello.”

The man stood up and extended his hand: “Nice to meet you. I’m Yan Fei.”

“Su Yan.”

After shaking hands lightly with Yan Fei, Su Yan turned to Zheng Hui with a grimace: “Mom, I’m exhausted today. I’m going upstairs to rest.” Though she hadn’t experienced many situations like this before, that didn’t mean she was oblivious. She just never imagined parents these days could be so aggressive—this body was only in its fourth year of university. What was the rush with blind dates?

No wonder Zheng Hui had asked what time she’d be home tonight during their phone call earlier. So this was the trap.

“Tired?” Zheng Hui gave her a strained smile while gripping her arm, shooting her a warning glance before loudly declaring: “I told you not to choose police academy back then. Look at you now—if internship is this exhausting, how bad will the actual job be? Sit down. Let me check if tonight’s sweet soup is ready, hmm?”

Su Yan was forcibly pressed onto the sofa, receiving another sharp glare before Zheng Hui sashayed toward the kitchen. Aunt Li, under the pretext of admiring the kitchen’s decor, followed suit, leaving only Su Yan and Yan Fei staring awkwardly at each other in the living room.

“Ahem…” Yan Fei cleared his throat and broke the silence: “Miss Su, you’re a police officer?”

“Police academy student.” Su Yan kept her eyes lowered, staring indifferently at the fruit platter on the coffee table.

“That’s still impressive…” Yan Fei complimented. “I did my bachelor’s and master’s at M University in Country X and just returned to pursue opportunities here.” M University was among the world’s top business schools—not just anyone could get in, regardless of wealth. He expected at least polite admiration, but instead, his words were met with an uncomfortable silence that left him shifting uneasily.

“What are your hobbies, Miss Su?” He pressed on reluctantly.

“My hobbies? I dabble in quite a few things…”

Yan Fei’s eyes lit up, leaning forward attentively.

As she spoke, Su Yan picked up the fruit knife from the platter—a sizable blade, nearly the length of two adult palms, gleaming coldly under the light. She twirled it deftly between her fingers, flipping it with practiced ease: “For example, I really enjoy freestyle combat. None of the male students in my class can beat me. I also love shooting—my marksmanship is excellent. I even won awards in national police academy competitions… Oh, and I can split bricks barehanded. Want to see photos?”

The spinning knife made Yan Fei’s heart race. He waved his hands frantically: “N-no need…”

“Oh.” Su Yan’s expression cooled. She casually grabbed an apple, placed it on the table, and—with a swift, decisive chop—split it cleanly in two, the halves perfectly even.

Yan Fei instinctively scooted back, pressing himself against the sofa as a chill ran down his spine.

“Have some fruit.” Su Yan picked up half an apple and extended her arm to pass it over, flashing a professional fake smile.

“…Ah!” Yan Fei sprang up from the sofa as if electrocuted, then nervously and respectfully accepted the half apple still dripping with juice using both hands. For a moment, he seemed unsure whether to sit or stand.

Just then, Zheng Hui and Aunt Li finally emerged from the kitchen. Zheng Hui was carrying two bowls of sweet soup, oblivious to the slightly awkward atmosphere in the living room. Placing the sweet soup in front of the two young people, she beamed like a flower: “Xiao Fei, try Auntie’s sweet soup and see if you like it! If you enjoy it, come over more often—I’ll make it for you!” After speaking, she exchanged a gleeful glance with Aunt Li, radiating the classic “mother-in-law doting on her future son-in-law” vibe.

Yan Fei sat uncomfortably, taking a few sips while occasionally stealing glances at the person across from him.

Noticing his timid gaze, Su Yan smirked coldly. With a sudden grip on her spoon, the enamel handle snapped with a crisp *crack*. She calmly placed the broken spoon on the coffee table. “My apologies. Didn’t control my strength.”

“…” Yan Fei, perhaps unable to take it anymore, quickly gulped down the sweet soup in front of him. Wiping his mouth, he stood up and bowed apologetically to Zheng Hui. “Sorry, Auntie Zheng, but my company just called—there’s an urgent situation I need to handle.” With that, he dragged his bewildered mother out of the Su residence like a gust of wind.

Zheng Hui followed them to the door, calling out reluctantly, “Come again next time!” Only when the car was out of sight did she return to the living room with a stern face, full of complaints to vent. Unfortunately, Su Yan had already vanished, leaving behind only half an apple and the shattered enamel spoon on the coffee table.

…

Early the next morning, Su Yan arrived at the office much earlier than usual. Pushing open the Special Task Force’s office door, she was nearly overwhelmed by the thick haze of smoke inside, which made it look like a mystical realm. Besides the smoke, there was also an indescribably complex odor.

She was quite familiar with this smell—after all, her former team had been all men except for her. During missions where they couldn’t shower for days, this was the exact “refreshing” aroma she’d been surrounded by.

Watching the tendrils of smoke drift into the hallway, she shook her head and walked in, opening both windows. Despite the air conditioning, the influx of fresh air was invigorating.

Cai Chengji was sprawled in his office chair in front of the computer, feet propped on the desk, snoring loudly. Several other colleagues were also asleep in bizarre positions at their desks, including Jiang Li and Xiang Yang—clearly, it had been another all-nighter.

Jiang Li, a light sleeper, had woken up the moment Su Yan opened the door. Upon seeing her slender figure enter, he closed his eyes again, breathing evenly.

Before Su Yan could even settle into her seat after airing out the room, a high-pitched shriek echoed from the hallway: “Team Leader Jiang!!! Team Leader Jiang, it’s out! It’s out!”

In the blink of an eye, Fang Jiamao appeared at the door, his face brimming with excitement. “Team Leader Jiang, the test results for the clothing on the two victims are in!”

His shout roused everyone in the office. Jiang Li opened his eyes, his gaze clear and alert, showing no trace of drowsiness. He stood up and walked over to Fang Jiamao, taking the test report from him.

“Neither of those garments likely belonged to the victims. Based on the fiber analysis, the material was very popular in the late 1990s. We also specifically checked the labels on the clothes…” Fang Jiamao pointed to several photos of the labels. “We confirmed these were indeed products from well-known garment factories at the time. Further investigation matched the exact styles and fabrics worn by the two victims to those factories.”

“Hmm… interesting,” Cai Chengji muttered, removing his legs from the desk and stroking his chin.

“Xiang Yang,” Jiang Li asked while reviewing the report, “how’s the background check on Zhang Liang coming along?”

“Eight years ago, he was arrested by the Yong’an Street Police Station in Qinghe District, Nancheng City, for intentional assault. He confessed to the crime but failed to reach a compensation agreement with the victim, resulting in a seven-year prison sentence. Early last year, he injured his lumbar spine nerves in prison, leaving him with mobility issues. He submitted an application for temporary medical parole, and his sentence ended late last year.”

“Considering the two cases in Great Peace Village, the killer acted swiftly, displayed some counter-surveillance skills, and the methods were quite sophisticated—it doesn’t seem like a first-time offense…” Jiang Li murmured, as if explaining to the team or just thinking aloud. After a pause, he glanced around the office. “Cai Bao, your team will continue monitoring the surveillance footage today. I’ll head to the archives later.”

“Xiang Yang, take two people to Great Peace Village and set up surveillance. Be careful.”

Xiang Yang nodded in understanding, his expression tinged with excitement.

Su Yan, seated at her desk, raised an eyebrow. Was Team Leader Jiang implying that the current evidence was insufficient and planning to dig into past records?

The image of Pei Shasha interacting with Zhang Liang flashed through her mind. She pursed her lips and lowered her head without a word.