Chapter 3
Together

The funeral home was in a remote location, and Xie Qing had to wait a long time for a taxi to return.

In the car, she thought a lot about the case.

Regarding the deceased, she agreed with her mentor and Forensic Doctor An that the deceased was most likely a salesperson.

Anhai City is a prefecture-level city with a developed commercial sector, so the number of salespeople would be significant, making it extremely difficult to identify the body in a short time.

As for the killer..

If the killer had cleaned the deceased’s nails, it indicated a certain level of counter-investigation ability.

In this era, DNA technology was not widespread, and not many people knew that criminals could be identified through blood type or DNA. The killer could be an intellectual, someone in a police-related profession, or someone with such friends or family, or even someone who enjoyed crime dramas and novels…

The deceased’s identity couldn’t be determined, and the city’s surveillance cameras didn’t cover the area where the body was dumped. It would be difficult to identify the vehicle used to transport the body. In this situation, only extensive investigation and visits could possibly yield clues.

Back at the police station, Xie Qing sent the stomach contents to the technical department and chatted with Sister Ma Xuan from the technical department for a while before heading downstairs around 2:30 PM.

She washed her hands in the first-floor restroom, and as she came out, she heard someone calling from the stairs, “Xie Qing?”

It was Li Ke’s voice.

Xie Qing turned to look…

Li Ke ran down the stairs, “I couldn’t find you at noon. Where did you go?”

Xie Qing replied, “I went to the funeral home and just came down from the technical department. What about you?”

“The funeral home? You went to perform an autopsy?!” Li Ke was excited, “Is it the same case? We’re from the Development Zone, and our second team was asked to assist.”

So it was the same case.

Xie Qing was about to speak when the sound of footsteps grew louder, and seven or eight police officers came down the stairs.

A young man stopped when he passed them, “Xiao Li, is this another newcomer from our bureau?”

Li Ke nodded, “Yes, a top student from Jinghua University, an intern forensic doctor in the Criminal Science and Technology Department.”

“A female forensic doctor?” someone exclaimed.

The group of men who had already run past slowed down and turned to look at Xie Qing.

Xie Qing waved, “Hello, everyone. My name is Xie Qing.”

“Hello.”

“Hi.”

“Hello, Xiao Xie.”

The group greeted her in a disorganized manner and then hurried out.

Li Ke pulled Xie Qing along, “Since you have nothing to do, come with me.”

Xie Qing wanted to get to know her future colleagues, but Li Ke was a newcomer, and she couldn’t casually agree. She glanced at the young man.

The young man understood and smiled, “My name is Li Ji. There’s enough room in the car. Xiao Xie, come along?”

Xie Qing politely asked, “Will it be inconvenient?”

Li Ji smiled, “No, it’s fine. The more people, the better for the investigation.”

“Let’s go,” Li Ke said, pulling Xie Qing’s arm. “We can go together.”

The two of them got on the police minibus and sat side by side in the front seats.

The middle-aged man in the passenger seat asked Xie Qing, “Why did you choose to study forensic science? Aren’t you afraid?”

Li Ke whispered, “This is our Captain Huang.”

Captain Huang, Huang Zhenyi, led the second team responsible for the Development Zone. He was an expert in criminal investigation and had received a second-class merit.

Xie Qing had strategically inquired about important figures in the police station while eating in the cafeteria last night, and this was one of them.

As for the second male lead, Tan Yi, there was no mention of him in the police station yet. It was unclear if he hadn’t arrived or was in another branch—there was little description of his work in the book, only that he was the captain of the criminal investigation team, always busy and elusive.

Xie Qing didn’t want to be involved in the main plot. If Tan Yi was in another branch, she would be completely at ease.

“Hello,” Xie Qing greeted. “I wanted to study medicine but missed the mark by one point and ended up in forensic science by chance.”

The minibus was filled with loud discussions.

“Wow, Jinghua University’s medical school is the best, right? Missing by one point, she’s a real top student!”

“She’s the first in our bureau, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“Tomorrow, I’ll ask Xiao Xie to share some study tips with my daughter.”

“You’re thinking ahead, you sly old fox.”

Captain Huang swept a stern gaze over the back, “Watch your language. The director said these two girls are the treasures of our bureau. What if you scare them away?!”

The discussions immediately ceased.

Xie Qing quickly said, “Captain Huang, we forensic students aren’t picky. We’re not that particular.”

Li Ke also helped, “That’s right. The sisters in our forensic department are tough. They can fight and curse without hesitation.”

Captain Huang wiped his mouth with satisfaction, “Good, that’s how we police officers should be.”

The vehicle stopped and started for over half an hour before stopping at the entrance of an east-west commercial street.

Huang Zhenyi picked up his bag, “There are thirty-six shops here. We’ll split into pairs, each group checking nine shops. Xiao Li and Xiao Xie, follow me. Let’s go!”

Xie Qing and Li Ke followed Huang Zhenyi out of the car.

This was a wholesale market, with both sides of the street resembling a night market. Each shop had large piles of goods at the entrance, including toys, bags, scarves, stationery, lighters, ceramics, and other daily necessities.

Xie Qing thought that salespeople related to these goods might not be able to afford crocodile leather shoes. But without other clues, starting here was a good idea—after all, the more people in the sales circle knew, the faster the information would spread and the greater the chance of finding the source.

She and Li Ke followed Huang Zhenyi into the first shop.

Huang Zhenyi took out a photocopied A4 paper with a sketch of the deceased. Xie Qing glanced at it; the artist’s skill was high, accurately restoring the deceased’s real appearance.

Huang Zhenyi showed his work ID and straightforwardly asked the shop owner, “Ma’am, we’re looking for someone. Please take a close look. Do you recognize this person?”

“Who is this? Oh, I know, the murderer at the construction site, right?” The shop owner asked while seriously examining the sketch. “I don’t recognize him, never seen him.”

Huang Zhenyi said, “This is the deceased. If you have any clues, please let us know.”

“Poor guy, leaving behind family. We haven’t heard anything around here, but if we get any news, we’ll definitely report it,” the shop owner said sympathetically.

Huang Zhenyi thanked her and led Xie Qing and Li Ke out of the shop.

The three of them went from shop to shop, saying the same thing to each owner. They finished checking nine shops in less than twenty minutes.

On the way back, Li Ke glanced several times at the stationery and toy stalls.

Xie Qing noticed and said, “Why don’t you go ahead? If you want to buy something, I can bring it back for you.”

Li Ke smiled, “Do you want to buy something too?”

Xie Qing replied, “Of course, I don’t even have paper and pens.”

Li Ke reluctantly looked at the toys, “I’ll ask the captain. If…”

Captain Huang, who was just a step away, had already heard the conversation between the two girls and smiled, “You haven’t officially started work yet. I’ll give you ten minutes. Go quickly and come back.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Li Ke jumped three feet high and pulled Xie Qing towards the toy section.

Having worked as a forensic doctor for many years, Xie Qing had long lost her childlike innocence and had no particular interest in toys. However, since her dormitory was bare, she decided to pick up some decorations, choosing a set of the Calabash Brothers and the righteous Black Cat Detective.

Li Ke, despite her bold exterior, had a little girl living inside her. She bought a bunch of Saint Seiya and Flower Fairy toys, clearly showing that her family was well-off.

With money to spend, shopping was quick, and the two returned to the car in less than ten minutes.

Huang Zhenyi glanced at the back of the car to make sure nothing was left behind and instructed Li Ji, “Let’s go.”

The car started.

Li Ke asked, “Captain, any leads?”

Huang Zhenyi shook his head, “It’s not that easy.”

Li Ji started the car and complained, “Sigh… this is like finding a needle in a haystack.”

Huang Zhenyi replied, “You talk too much. Just drive.”

Li Ji chuckled and fell silent.

Back at the police station, the second team had no other tasks for the time being. Since Xie Qing and Li Ke were not on duty, they planned to return to the dormitory, carrying their bags of purchases.

After walking a few steps, they saw an Audi sedan door open, and a tall, well-dressed young man in branded jeans stepped out.

“Xie Qing,” the young man called out, his tone carrying the authority of someone in a higher position.

“Wow, who’s that?” Li Ke nudged Xie Qing with her elbow.

“My brother,” Xie Qing replied, walking towards Xie Chen. “Big brother, what brings you here?”

The siblings didn’t have a good relationship.

The original owner was competitive and strong-willed, while Xie Chen clearly preferred the gentle and lovely younger sister. Whenever there was a conflict between the sisters, he always sided with Xie Yun. Despite this, he was better than Chen Yuehua, trying to be fair.

Xie Chen opened the trunk and took out a basket, “I bought some fresh fruit on the way. Share it with your colleagues.”

“Thank you, big brother,” Xie Qing said, taking the basket. “Did you have a good time today?”

“It was alright. Played cards at the hotel all day,” Xie Chen replied, taking out his wallet and handing Xie Qing a stack of money. “Keep this. If you need more, call me.”

“This…” Xie Qing was surprised and tried to refuse, “I don’t need it. I have money.”

Grandpa Xie was a university professor, and although he was aloof, he cared deeply for the original owner. Before he passed away, he gave most of his savings to the original owner, leaving the rest to be divided among the children.

Xie Qing had counted last night and found she had 400,000 yuan in fixed deposits and over 3,000 yuan in pocket money.

Xie Chen insisted, “You’re working now. This is for you to buy some things. I did the same for Yun Yun.”

Xie Qing thought, alright, he just agreed to lend Xie Yun 1.5 million yuan, so giving her money was just to balance things out. It wouldn’t hurt to accept it. She took the money and put it in her small bag, “Thank you, big brother.”

Xie Chen smiled slightly, “Take care of yourself out there. Come home during the holidays.”

“Okay,” Xie Qing replied. “Drive safely.”

Xie Chen got into the car, “Next Saturday is my birthday at the Marriott Hotel. Come if you can.”

Xie Qing remembered this event. The original owner had quit her job and attended, but she might not—most of the main characters in the book would be there, and she wanted to avoid them.

She sincerely said, “If I don’t have any tasks at the bureau, I’ll come. If I do… you know, my job is a bit grim, so I won’t spoil the mood.”

Xie Chen was the only one in the Xie family who didn’t mind her being a forensic doctor, but he couldn’t ignore others’ opinions.

“Alright, we’ll see then,” he said, closing the car door and leaving the police station.

Li Ke asked, “Xie Qing, does your brother have a girlfriend?”

Xie Qing shrugged, “I don’t think so.”

Li Ke nudged her, “Introduce me if you get the chance.”

“Sure,” Xie Qing agreed readily.

Xie Chen was 1.81 meters tall, handsome, and a good person—a worthy match.