Chapter 13

Yan Fei looked at the two men standing outside with some wariness. He recalled that Zheng Hui had indeed mentioned on the phone that Su Yan was traveling with colleagues. When he saw her get off alone at the village entrance earlier, he had instinctively assumed that the so-called “company trip” might have been a lie Su Yan made up to deceive Zheng Hui.  

Even now, knowing the identities of the two men in the courtyard, he didn’t relax in the slightest. What kind of work environment was this, where all her colleagues were grown men?  

Due to the nature of their work, Jiang Li and Xiang Yang were accustomed to observing people’s micro-expressions. Seeing the man who had been fawning over Su Yan like a lapdog moments ago suddenly puff up like a fighting rooster, they immediately understood the situation.  

Xiang Yang sidled up to Jiang Li with a forced smile, barely moving his lips as he muttered in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Jiang Dui, seems like we came at the wrong time. You were worried about Yan-mei venturing into danger alone, but in reality, she’s here on a date.” He now felt like the two of them were blindingly bright lightbulbs—the kind that could rival the sun. Had he known, he would’ve just gone home and slept.  

Jiang Li merely shot him a sidelong glance, but that single look conveyed volumes. Xiang Yang stiffened and promptly shut his mouth. After all, even without Su Yan, their trip to Great Peace Village was necessary. Besides, given Jiang Dui’s personality, there was no way he’d let an intern handle evidence collection alone. Interns lacked law enforcement authority and weren’t permitted to act without a formal officer accompanying them.  

At that moment, Zhao Laoban emerged from the kitchen, beaming, and led the two men into the small building to choose their rooms. The village had just begun to recover from the shadow of a murder case, and his little inn was already off to a booming start—he couldn’t stop grinning.  

After the four of them enjoyed a hearty lunch, Su Yan suggested going to the creek. Though Yan Fei wasn’t thrilled about tagging along with Jiang Li and the others, given his current standing, he had no say in Su Yan’s decisions. So, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go along.  

By the creek, bamboo rafts dotted the water, each packed with tourists. The place seemed to have regained its former lively atmosphere. Su Yan walked over and struck up a conversation with an elderly man who was managing one of the rafts by the shore. The other three men didn’t seem particularly interested in “floating on the creek,” but they didn’t voice any objections either.  

Just then, Yan Fei’s phone rang. His expression shifted slightly as he answered, and he kept glancing hesitantly in Su Yan’s direction. After hanging up, he approached her, speaking haltingly: “Um… something came up at work, and I need to head back for a bit…”  

Su Yan nodded in acknowledgment. “Take care, Mr. Yan.”  

“I’ll be back by tonight!” Yan Fei hastily assured her.

Su Yan, who had already turned away, stopped in her tracks and turned back to face him. She spoke with utmost seriousness, word by word: “Mr. Yan, there’s really no need for you to do this. Even if our families are trying to arrange something, shouldn’t it be mutual? But the reality is, while I admire you, Mr. Yan, I don’t have those feelings. I don’t think we’re in some feudal society anymore where marriages are decided by parental orders and matchmakers, are we?”

Yan Fei seemed completely unprepared for her directness. He froze for a few seconds, and when he regained his composure, his expression became a mix of emotions. After all, the Yan family wasn’t inferior to the Su family, and both families did have intentions of forming a powerful alliance. But damn, this daughter of the Su family really knew how to bruise a man’s ego! He’d never experienced such humiliation growing up—hadn’t women always chased after him? Despite this, he managed to maintain a calm facade. After a twitch of his lips, he finally spoke: “If that’s what Miss Su wishes.” With that, he turned and strode away.

Xiang Yang, having enjoyed the spectacle, quickly caught up to her in a few strides. “Hey, Yan-mei, I thought that guy had pretty good qualifications. Isn’t it a bit of a shame to reject him so decisively?”

“You think it’s a shame?” Su Yan raised an eyebrow and smirked at him. “How about I play matchmaker for you two instead?”

After exchanging a few playful jabs, the three of them boarded a bamboo raft in relatively good spirits. The old man poling the raft stood at a distance, so shortly after they set off, Su Yan quietly recounted the information she had gathered from Boss Zhao.

Jiang Li listened thoughtfully, while Xiang Yang didn’t hold back his praise. He then turned to Jiang Li and said, “I’m telling you, Jiang Dui, you really ought to consider this. Before we had any female colleagues in the Special Task Force, it never crossed my mind. But now that Yan-mei’s here, I realize some things are just better handled by women.” Take today, for example—Su Yan had been cozying up to Boss Zhao and his wife in the kitchen. Just imagine if it had been some burly guy hunched over peeling potatoes. Wouldn’t that have been terrifying, creepy, and downright awkward?

“An outsider woman?” Jiang Li said, clearly dismissing Xiang Yang’s earlier remarks. “Did the boss lady mention anything about her appearance or distinguishing features?””

“No,” Su Yan shook her head. “Villagers only occasionally saw her washing clothes in Zhang Liang’s yard or pushing him outside to sunbathe. No one could describe her looks clearly—she mostly kept her head down or wore a mask.”

“That complicates things…” Xiang Yang scratched his head. “If she’s not from Great Peace Village, we’ll have to start digging into Zhang Liang’s connections, maybe even trace back to before he was imprisoned. Who knows if Caibao will manage to get anything out of Zhang Liang today? That guy’s tough—having done time, he refuses to talk no matter what.”

“We’ll discuss this later.” Jiang Li glanced at the old man across from them, who kept curiously eyeing their hushed conversation, and promptly dropped the subject.

Su Yan then focused on admiring the scenery on both sides when she heard two barks. Turning around in surprise, she discovered a small fawn-colored puppy in the bamboo basket at the old man’s feet. The little thing was currently pawing at the basket’s edge with its tiny claws, revealing a pair of round, sparkling eyes curiously observing its surroundings.

With a sudden effort from its short legs, it unexpectedly leaped out from the basket’s edge. After landing on the bamboo raft, it began curiously wandering around until it reached Su Yan’s feet. She first reached out to pat its little head, and seeing it didn’t resist, she picked it up and cradled it in her arms, stroking its fur while playfully asking the old man, “What’s its name? It looks quite young.”

“It’s called Huanhuan,” the old man chuckled. “My wife just brought this little mutt home to raise.”

“But why did you bring it here? What if it accidentally falls into the water?” Su Yan lifted the puppy to eye level, gently scratching its soft belly.

“Dare not leave it at home,” the old man quickly waved his hand. “Our village has been strange lately… since when was it again? Pets kept disappearing—cats and dogs from households. Don’t know if it’s those damned dog thieves at work.”

Hearing this, Su Yan paused her movements. When she glanced at Jiang Li and the others across from her, she saw the same realization in their eyes.

Many serial killers start by abusing small animals in their youth before gradually escalating to murder.

“Ah? Really?” Su Yan blinked, feigning shock. “That’s terrifying. Didn’t anyone report it to the police?”

“Some did, but nothing came of it. Luckily, there haven’t been any recent disappearances, so my wife decided to bring this one home. Still, we don’t dare leave it alone at home.”

Almost instantly, the three of them mentally lowered the suspicion against the “outsider woman.” If the timing of the pet disappearances stopping aligned with Zhang Liang’s return to the village and the two murder cases, it meant the “accomplice” was right here in Great Peace Village. That person remained hidden in the shadows unnoticed, watching everyone who passed by with snake-like eyes.

Every young woman active in Great Peace Village could potentially become the next victim!

After disembarking from the bamboo raft, the three hurried back to Pride Farmhouse. Jiang Li and Xiang Yang’s rooms were also on the second floor. As Jiang Li unlocked his door, he said, “Meeting in my room in half an hour.”

Su Yan and Xiang Yang acknowledged before heading to their respective rooms.

After retrieving her toiletries from her bag, Su Yan sat for a while, organizing all the clues and information from the day in her mind before heading to the bathroom. Her face was still flushed from the sun, and she felt uncomfortable from the sweat.

Entering the bathroom, she first adjusted the shower temperature, then removed her outer T-shirt, revealing a half-length sports bra. At that moment, she suddenly narrowed her eyes, staring at the light bulb on the ceiling for a long while. She reached out to turn it off, then turned it back on after a few seconds.

After repeating this several times, she walked out holding her T-shirt, picked up the phone on the small table, flipped through the contacts, and dialed a number.

Half a minute later, Xiang Yang and Jiang Li stood dumbfounded at the doorway, staring at the person before them. The faintly visible abs and toned waistline swayed before their eyes, yet the person in question seemed completely oblivious.

Su Yan opened the door and turned to walk inside, only to notice the two at the door hesitating to enter. She raised an eyebrow. “Team Leader Jiang? Brother Xiang?” Her tone was utterly nonchalant. And she couldn’t be blamed—after years of grueling training in the special forces, especially later joining that elite unit, she had long since blurred certain boundaries between men and women. The hardships of special operations training left no room for trivial concerns.

Snapping out of their daze, the two stepped inside and closed the door. Xiang Yang asked, “What’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to meet in Team Leader Jiang’s room soon?”

“Shh…” Su Yan signaled for them to lower their voices, then led them to the bathroom door. She pointed at the light fixture above, flicking the switch on and off several times.

After a few repetitions, Jiang Li and Xiang Yang finally noticed something amiss. Xiang Yang’s eyes widened in shock. “Holy shit?! A pinhole camera?”

Su Yan nodded, then gestured for them to follow her to the TV. Hidden behind the set-top box was yet another concealed pinhole camera.

Though these devices looked sophisticated and were well-hidden—enough to evade detection by most people—it still didn’t add up. Jiang Li frowned. “The day Ni Yue died, Xiao Fang from the Technical Brigade came to collect evidence in this room. They didn’t find these things.”

Something of this caliber shouldn’t have slipped past their colleagues from the Municipal Bureau’s Technical Brigade.

Unless…

“Someone removed these devices before the police arrived,” Su Yan said coolly. “Someone who knew the police were coming and had unrestricted access to all the rooms…”

The identity of whoever planted these cameras seemed glaringly obvious. Yet none of them had expected that while trying to uncover the accomplice working with Zhang Liang, they’d inadvertently stumbled upon another case entirely.

What a headache.