Chapter 38
Daily News

Back at the bureau, Xie Qing headed straight to the second team’s office.

The first and second teams were having a meeting.

Xie Qing stood at the door and listened—Li Ke was reporting on the investigation, focusing on Hou Zi’an’s wife, Zhang Xiuyu.

Li Ke said, “Zhang Xiuyu wasn’t sure, but she always suspected Hou Zi’an had someone outside, so she was always tight with money. She didn’t expect Hou Zi’an to have two mistresses at once. She cursed him terribly, covering all his ancestors. She insists that she and her two sons were at home sleeping when Hou Zi’an had his accident and never went out.”

Liu Feng continued, “I investigated Zhang Xiuyu’s brother. He only went to the hospital once. When Hou Zi’an had his accident, he was at Golden Cabinet Karaoke with friends, which has been verified. He has little to do with the case.”

Du Zhun said, “I think Zhang Xiuyu is highly suspicious. If Jia Xiaoli has a baby, there will be another heir to the inheritance…”

Fu Da interrupted him, “Then why not just make Jia Xiaoli have an abortion? Why kill her own husband?”

Du Zhun chuckled, “Who knows? You can’t guess a woman’s mind. Guessing won’t get you anywhere.” He even started singing.

Everyone laughed.

At that moment, Xie Qing pushed open the meeting room door and peeked in, meeting Tan Yi’s gaze.

Tan Yi nodded slightly, signaling her to come in quickly.

Xie Qing entered and sat in an empty seat at the end.

When the laughter died down, Tan Yi said to the detectives, “We were short-handed today, so I sent Xiao Xie to the hospital. Looks like she just got back.” He looked at Xie Qing, “Good job. Any findings?”

Xie Qing said, “I’ll report first, and we can all judge if there’s any progress. The first name is Song Yaxin…”

Ren Yaguang said, “I know this one. We’ve checked him. His social connections don’t intersect with Hou Zi’an.”

Tan Yi said, “Let’s hear Xiao Xie out first, then we’ll discuss.”

Realizing his rudeness, Ren Yaguang apologized to Xie Qing with a fist salute.

Men can be straightforward sometimes, without ill intentions.

Xie Qing smiled at Ren Yaguang, “I’ll read the names first. Listen up: Ma Xiang, Lu Xinghai, Wang Zhongfa, Liu Qiang, and one more, Pi Yan—Pi as in ‘skin,’ Yan as in ‘serious.'”

“Hahaha…” Everyone laughed again.

Tan Yi couldn’t help but smile and shake his head.

Fu Da said, “There’s a lot of gossip in the hospital. The rumors have been chewed over many times. Except for this Pi Yan, we’ve checked the others, and they have little to do with the case. Xiao Xie, tell us about this Pi Yan, and I’ll have someone investigate.”

Xie Qing said, “Brother Fu, Mr. Pi is a small shop owner selling cigarettes and alcohol. His hometown is Qingshan Cliff. He goes to the hospital to deliver food to a fellow villager and has been doing so for some time. His shop is opposite Sunshine Community, and Hou Zi’an bought cigarettes there a few times. A nurse reported seeing him on the fifth floor a few days before Hou Zi’an was killed.”

Fu Da said, “Oh,” and looked at Tan Yi, “So he was delivering food. No wonder we didn’t notice. Captain Tan, I think this person is interesting.”

Tan Yi said, “Let’s not jump to conclusions. First, let’s catch the person selling tetramine. Otherwise, the killer will feel invincible.”

“Alright! Let’s move out,” Fu Da said, standing up. “Let’s go, brothers, one more trip.”

Tan Yi also said, “Thank you all. I’ll treat everyone to a late-night snack later.”

“Hahaha, Captain Tan is generous.”

“Looks like we’ll have barbecue again.”

“Let’s go, let’s go…”

The detectives noisily moved their chairs and left.

Li Ke patted Xie Qing on the shoulder, “Good job, Qing Qing.”

Xie Qing smiled, “You too.”

The two friends left the meeting room side by side and walked downstairs together.

Li Ke asked, “Qing Qing, how did you find this Pi Yan? I spent half a day at the hospital and didn’t find anything.”

Xie Qing said, “The patient he delivered food to was afraid of causing him trouble and didn’t say anything. I overheard the nurses talking while I was in the bathroom.”

Li Ke sighed in relief, “I knew it. I spent so much time investigating and found nothing, but you immediately found something. It turns out you were just lucky. Qing Qing, I think this Pi Yan is very suspicious.”

Xie Qing said, “I think so, too. So, it’s up to you now.”

Li Ke raised her chin, “Watch me.” She ran to the police car and waved without looking back before getting in.

Xie Qing waved back and headed to the cafeteria.

Since someone was on duty, the cafeteria was still open, but there weren’t many dishes left.

Xie Qing, being the only female forensic doctor, was well-known in the cafeteria. As soon as she entered, the serving aunties greeted her.

“Xiao Xie, I still have some vinegar potato shreds. Do you want them?”

“Xiao Xie, you’re late today. There are only two spoonfuls of potato chicken left. Do you want them? I’ll heat them up for you.”

Xie Qing brought her plate and waited, smiling, “I’ll take both. Thank you, aunties.”

“Oh dear, Captain Tan hasn’t eaten either. This is bad. The chef has already left,” the auntie at the door warmly greeted Tan Yi.

Tan Yi said, “I’ll take whatever’s available.”

Xie Qing looked at the sparse dishes and said, “How about I share some with Captain Tan to tide him over? You can eat more during the late-night snack.”

“Thank you,” Tan Yi said without hesitation. “Join us for the late-night snack.”

Xie Qing said, “I’ll pass. Eating too late makes me gain weight.”

The cafeteria food was good, and she never missed a meal. Compared to when she managed her body, she had gained some weight and needed to cut back a bit.

They sat at the same table, facing each other. Xie Qing shared half of her food with him, and they ate together.

Tan Yi ate quickly, finishing his half in less than five minutes.

As a forensic doctor, Xie Qing didn’t have the urgency of a detective. When Tan Yi finished, she still had half left.

Tan Yi said, “You’ve helped me a lot today.”

Xie Qing said, “No need to be polite, Captain Tan. We’re a team, and I’m part of this case too.”

Tan Yi smiled slightly, “Alright, then I won’t be polite. I have something to ask you.”

Xie Qing took a bite of potato, “What is it?”

Tan Yi said, “Regarding the Shen Yi case, the higher-ups want to form a task force. If it doesn’t interfere with your main job, would you like to join?”

Xie Qing didn’t hesitate, “Of course.”

Tan Yi nodded, “Alright, I’ll report your name to the team leader. Take your time eating; I have to go.”

…

After dinner, Xie Qing practiced boxing for an hour in the training room. Before showering in the dormitory, she visited the interrogation area.

Some officers from the first and second teams had returned, bringing back two people selling tetramine. Fu Da was personally interrogating them. On one hand, they needed to be punished; on the other hand, they needed to identify several suspects.

Li Ke and Liu Feng’s team hadn’t returned yet.

Xie Qing, who had no one to talk to and could not help, returned to wash up and sleep.

The next morning, before entering the cafeteria, Xie Qing heard Du Zhun’s loud voice.

“Who is this Zhang Haixuan? Does anyone know him? I’ll go to his house and argue.”

“Hey, Old Du, give it a rest. He’s not wrong. We haven’t caught the killer yet. Can’t blame him for saying something?”

“Exactly, don’t be stubborn. This Zhang guy is petty. Last year, Captain Huang kicked him out of the scene, and he’s been sarcastic ever since.”

Xie Qing got tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and an egg, and sat next to Li Ji, asking, “What’s going on?”

Li Ji said, “Hou Zi’an’s case made it to the Daily News, saying our city bureau’s efficiency in solving the case is low. We haven’t identified any suspects yet and have repeatedly harassed hospital patients.”

Xie Qing’s heart skipped a beat, thinking: Oh boy, it seems like they’re targeting me.

Li Ji continued, “Captain Tan was called by Mr. Lu, probably to get scolded.”

Xie Qing awkwardly poked her fried dough stick into her tofu pudding—strictly speaking, it was indeed Tan Yi who had her conduct the second thorough investigation at the city hospital, so her responsibility was minimal. But she felt the root of the problem might lie in room 421—the middle-aged couple there were sharp-tongued and unkind to the police, likely harboring old grudges.

She said, “Looks like I stirred up a hornet’s nest.”

Li Ke elbowed her, “It’s clearly the Daily News making a big deal out of nothing. You don’t need to reflect on it.”

Li Ji added, “Exactly. If we don’t solve the case, they criticize us. If we work hard to solve it, they still criticize us. It’s always their word against ours. Since reasoning doesn’t work, let’s just ignore them.”

Xie Qing didn’t feel guilty, but her partners’ reactions comforted her. She said, “You’re right. Let’s not mind them. Let’s eat.”

The tofu pudding of this era had a strong bean flavor, and the fried dough sticks soaked up the broth, making each bite chewy and savory, instantly awakening her appetite.

Xie Qing buried herself in her food, only looking up after finishing half a fried dough stick to ask Li Ke, “What time did you get back yesterday?”

Li Ke replied, “Don’t mention it. We staked out until late at night but didn’t catch anyone. Captain Tan said the vendors we’ve caught have identified the target individuals in Hou Zi’an’s case, but none matched, including Pi Yan. Now it’s up to our team.”

Li Ji finished his soy milk, “I was also identified, and I’m clear now. I can work with you today.”

“Haha,” Li Ke looked around and whispered, “That’s great. It’s more fun working with Ji Ge.”

…

At ten in the morning, Cao Haisheng finished his meeting and informed Xie Qing about the task force. He said earnestly, “The Shen Yi case is quite special. I initially refused to let you join, but Captain Tan said you agreed, so I didn’t object. Xiao Xie, your family is well-off, so be careful. The member list is confidential, so be cautious.”

Xie Qing understood the implications, “Don’t worry, Master. I’ll be careful.”

Cao Haisheng nodded, “You heard about the Anhai Daily News, right?”

Xie Qing nodded, “Master, I bear some responsibility for this.”

Cao Haisheng said, “Don’t worry about it. Director Yan knows that reporter Zhang. Captain Tan didn’t say anything either. Let’s just solve the case quickly.”