(1) Body Parts

In the original owner’s memories, there weren’t many fragments related to Xiang Dong.

Because of the many household chores and financial struggles at home, the original owner rarely participated in activities organized by classmates. At school, she was practically invisible.

Shen Wanwan couldn’t recall anything specific about Xiang Dong, but she could tell that he seemed to be “protecting” her.

It was just the kind of “protection” that made people uncomfortable.

Shen Wanwan politely said, “Thank you, Classmate Xiang, but our goal is to solve the case as soon as possible and bring justice to the victims. How could I slow down the progress just because I’m a woman? Besides, there’s no difference between men and women—enduring hardship is part of being a detective.”

Cui Luo was also a woman, so she understood how Shen Wanwan felt.

To her, anything men could do, she could do too. And if men couldn’t do it, she still could. She never believed that women were inferior to men.

When she first joined the team, the older male colleagues tried to look out for her.

Tao Jiang had a sharp tongue, but he always took on the dirty and exhausting tasks himself, trying not to give them to Cui Luo.

It took several protests before Cui Luo earned her current title from Tao Jiang—“tomboy.”

Cui Luo didn’t quite agree with that term. She didn’t think women were inherently less capable than men, so she fully supported Shen Wanwan’s stance.

“Wanwan is right. Everyone gets through this step by step, and we all need to train ourselves more. Actually, Xiang Dong, you should be the one to be careful. If you end up uncovering a severed hand or foot later, don’t freak out.”

Xiang Dong didn’t argue with them. “I’ve loved listening to ghost stories since I was a kid. I’m not afraid of this stuff.”

Cui Luo raised an eyebrow, her expression somewhat meaningful. “Well, that’s good to hear.”

Heping District was remote, with no real high-rise buildings. The busiest place was a single movie theater, where people had to line up overnight just to buy tickets for new releases.

Shen Wanwan had no idea what a 1990s movie theater looked like, as the original owner had never been inside one.

Her classmates, however, often went to the movies together. Every time a new film was released, they would discuss it for days. The original owner could never join in, and over time, she drifted further and further away from them.

Perhaps because the area was too out of the way, the killer hadn’t bothered coming here. After searching the entire afternoon, the three of them found no new body parts.

The trio gathered in front of a small neighborhood shop. Xiang Dong and Cui Luo both chose the sports drink ^[1]Jianlibao (健力宝) is a real Chinese brand of sports drink that was especially popular in the 1980s and 1990s. It’s often compared to Gatorade and has a citrus flavor. In historical or nostalgic … Continue readingJianlibao, while Shen Wanwan picked ^[2]Beibingyang (北冰洋) is also a real and iconic Chinese orange soda brand. It originated in Beijing and has a long history dating back to the 1930s. It became especially popular in the 1980s and … Continue readingBeibingyang soda.

When it came time to pay, Xiang Dong casually took out five yuan, intending to pay for all three drinks. But Cui Luo immediately snatched the bill away. “You haven’t even received your first paycheck yet, and you’re already treating people? Today is our first meeting—just think of it as your ‘senior’ looking after you two.”

Xiang Dong felt too embarrassed to let a woman pay, so he said, “Then let’s just pay for our own. I…”

He stole a glance at Shen Wanwan and added, “Wanwan’s family isn’t well-off—I’ll cover hers.”

Unlike Shen Wanwan, who barely remembered Xiang Dong, Xiang Dong had a clear impression of her.

He remembered that Shen Wanwan had once written him a “love letter.”

At the time, Xiang Dong was playing basketball when a classmate passed him the love letter. It had no signature. When he asked who had sent it, the classmate pointed to Shen Wanwan.

Shen Wanwan wasn’t sociable, and her family was poor—Xiang Dong didn’t like her.

But Shen Wanwan was undeniably attractive.

Delicate and graceful, like a pure white lotus. Many boys in their class had secretly admired her.

Xiang Dong had quite enjoyed her attention back then, so naturally, he felt it was only right to look after her now.

Everyone knew about Shen Wanwan’s poor family situation. Xiang Dong had never seen her buy soda or snacks, and she rarely wore new clothes.

A single bottle of coconut juice would probably make her feel guilty.

But to his surprise, Shen Wanwan casually pulled two yuan out of her pocket. “It’s just a drink—it’s fine.”

Although her salary wasn’t much, she had a stable government job. Supporting herself and living a comfortable life wasn’t a problem.

She certainly wasn’t going to drain herself to support the Shen family.

Xiang Dong’s smile stiffened.

Shen Wanwan’s attitude toward him seemed a bit indifferent.

She had a crush on him, and he was actively looking after her—shouldn’t she be more enthusiastic?

Maybe Shen Wanwan was just shy and too embarrassed to show her feelings?

Xiang Dong couldn’t help but steal another glance at her.

Under the scorching sun, a bottle of chilled soda helped dispel the stifling heat.

Shen Wanwan sat directly on the cement steps in front of the shop. Across from her was the neighborhood wall, covered in red-painted slogans. Utility poles stood all around, their crisscrossing wires visible overhead. Sparrows hopped and chirped among them, while elderly men and women fanned themselves nearby. It seemed as if the murder case hadn’t disturbed the neighborhood at all.

“Without a head, it’s even harder to identify the victim. And who knows where the rest of the body parts are,” Cui Luo sighed. “Sigh, I hope they find something new. Let’s head back.”

Cell phones weren’t common yet—most people still relied on pagers, making communication less convenient.

Shen Wanwan returned her empty soda bottle to the shop and was about to leave with Cui Luo when her gaze accidentally swept across a residential building facing the street.

Built in the 1980s, the building was now in a state of disrepair. Several wooden-framed windows looked ready to collapse, and some had been shattered by thrown stones, never replaced.

The apartments lacked proper amenities—not every home had a balcony for drying clothes. Many residents had strung up lines outside their windows, hanging their laundry directly on them.

Colorful clothes swayed gently in the breeze, giving the area a strong sense of everyday life.

But it wasn’t the laundry that caught Shen Wanwan’s attention.

She grabbed Cui Luo’s arm and pointed at a clothesline outside one of the windows. “Sister Luoluo, look—isn’t that a black bag?”

Not far away, beside two red dresses, a black plastic bag dangled precariously from the line.

From its bottom, an unidentified liquid was slowly dripping down.

Below the window, a middle-aged woman holding a broom was shouting angrily. “Are you upstairs out of your mind?! What the hell are you hanging up there? It’s been dripping nonstop! My clothes are stained because of you! Get out here right now!”

Cui Luo’s expression grew increasingly serious.

Shen Wanwan reacted even faster—she had already taken off, sprinting toward the residential building.