Everyone greeted her with warm applause.

Zhu Feipeng raised his eyebrows in excitement: “Little Junior Sister, you’re here at the perfect time. It’s time to put you to work. I spent a whole week organizing files and was so bored. Now we’ve got a big case, but I’m still clueless. You’ve arrived just when we need you.”

Without any formalities, Xu Songling pointed to an empty desk by the window: “That’s your desk for now. But… I doubt you’ll have time to sit down. This morning, you, He Mingyu, and Zhu Feipeng are heading to Tianranju Hotel to investigate.”

“Yes!” Zhao Xiangwan, He Mingyu, and Zhu Feipeng responded together.

“Liu Liangju and Ai Hui will investigate Weng Pingfang’s workplace.”

“Yes!”

“Huang Yuande and Zhu Kang will investigate her home.”

“Yes!”

After assigning the team, Xu Songling handed Zhao Xiangwan a file: “Take ten minutes to get familiar with the case, and then He Mingyu will give you a detailed briefing on the way.”

Since they were all familiar with one another, having worked and socialized together, there was no need for much formalities. Zhao Xiangwan set her belongings down on the desk before leaving with He Mingyu and Zhu Feipeng.

The case took place at Tianranju Hotel three days earlier, on January 11, 1992.

A young woman named Weng Pingfang was found strangled to death in room 2108 of the hotel. She had been sexually active before her death, with clear signs of a struggle. The marks on her neck indicated that the murderer had worn cotton gloves, leaving no fingerprints. Fingerprints were found on a water cup, and hair was collected from the bed and pillow. Due to heavy foot traffic in the hotel when the body was found, the footprints at the scene were damaged and could not be used.

The deceased was wearing gold earrings and a gold necklace, and there were no missing valuables from her backpack left at the scene.

On their way to the hotel, He Mingyu added more details, clearly showing her disdain.

“Weng Pingfang originally had a rural hukou ^[1]which is household registration system in China, which can limit access to resources.. After being introduced to someone, she married Pan Guoqing, a salesman at the Provincial Construction Machinery Factory, and moved to the city. She worked as a waitress at a coffee shop in the city’s east. Because she was attractive and charming, she was quite popular with men. Her husband, Pan Guoqing, was often away for business, leaving her home alone for long periods. He would only return around the Chinese New Year to spend time with her. Every week, when her husband was gone, she would travel to a hotel in the west of the city. What else could she have been doing? She must have had a lover.”

Zhao Xiangwan asked: “Did she always book a room at Tianranju Hotel?”

He Mingyu snorted: “Yes, it’s all recorded on the hotel check-in list. She came two or three times a month, always on Saturday nights and leaving early the next morning. Weng Pingfang was very cautious. She knew her actions shouldn’t be seen in public, so she would always come and go alone. She never spoke to the hotel staff or ordered food. She usually made reservations by phone and would just pick up the room key at the front desk without any further interaction.”

Zhao Xiangwan asked: “Have you spoken with her friends or colleagues about who her lover might be?”

He Mingyu shook her head: “Weng Pingfang kept her private life a secret. She never told anyone about her lover.”

“Does her lover know?”

“I’m not sure. When we notified Pan Guoqing to identify the body, his grief and shock didn’t seem staged. He had been away for so long and had no idea his wife was cheating.”

“Could her lovers have been different people?”

He Mingyu frowned: “Not fixed? Weng Pingfang’s life shouldn’t have been that chaotic. Her husband made a lot of money and loved her. He gave her full access to their finances, so she shouldn’t have been that lonely.”

Zhu Feipeng, driving, interrupted: “Such regularity and caution suggest Weng Pingfang had a lover of high status, someone who couldn’t be seen. I’ve seen many cases of love murders, and casual one-night stands aren’t usually this cautious.”

He Mingyu agreed: “Yes, I felt the same when I looked at the check-in list and spoke to the hotel staff. After asking multiple times, they all said the same thing—they hadn’t seen the man. Captain Xu probably asked you to come with us to see if we missed any details.”

By examining the hotel’s check-in list, investigating Weng Pingfang’s work and family life, and summarizing the feedback, the question remained: Who was the last man Weng Pingfang saw before her death?

Zhao Xiangwan: “Has the hotel registered the personnel?”

He Mingyu: “Yes, we did, but we only registered Weng Pingfang’s information.”

Zhao Xiangwan: “Did any of the hotel staff see her lover?”

He Mingyu: “No one knew.”

Zhao Xiangwan: “Have you asked the cleaner?”

He Mingyu: “The cleaner in charge of the second floor knows nothing.”

Zhao Xiangwan was incredulous: “A guest who stayed at the hotel for nearly two years died here, and no one noticed?”

He Mingyu agreed: “I asked everyone, but no one knew anything. It’s strange.”

Zhu Feipeng: “We’ll ask them all again and see if we find anything. I don’t believe he’s invisible! He snuck into the hotel, killed everyone, and left unnoticed?”

Zhao Xiangwan asked: “Does the man who met Weng Pingfang necessarily have to be the murderer?”

Zhu Feipeng calmly replied: “There’s no financial motive, so it’s not a robbery gone wrong. Weng Pingfang was a cheerful person, so revenge killing is unlikely. The hotel staff are simple people and don’t get involved, so passion killing seems improbable. After ruling out these possibilities, the most likely cause is a crime of passion. Therefore, the man Weng Pingfang met is the primary suspect.”

The trio arrived at the hotel.

Tianranju Hotel is in the west of the city, far from the city center but close to Guanxi Avenue in the south and Luoxia Mountain ^[2]a scenic area near the hotel., making it easily accessible and a popular spot for visitors. Despite this, business slowed down in the winter months, especially after a murder occurred three days ago. Manager Wei felt unlucky as the police returned to gather evidence and questioned him again.

“Comrade police officer, I don’t know either.”

“We only registered one person’s ID, so we can’t track visitors.”

“The cleaner found the body when they cleaned the room and immediately called the police. As for the investigation, you’ll have to handle it.”

[They keep asking the same questions. If I knew who did it, I’d have told them by now. It’s unlucky that someone died in the hotel. If you’re the police, go investigate the case instead of harassing us. If the police keep coming, how can we run the hotel?]

The hotel relies on good service and reputation. Zhao Xiangwan, who worked in a county hotel during her high school vacations, knew this well. Manager Wei’s reluctance to cooperate stemmed from concern about the hotel’s business.

After speaking with Manager Wei for half an hour, no new information was gathered. No one knew who the guest was, what they looked like, or when they arrived or left.

He Mingyu closed his notebook and looked at Manager Wei seriously: “Please provide us with the duty roster from the time of the incident. We need to speak to all front desk, room service, cleaning, and restaurant staff.”

Manager Wei’s expression darkened.

[Damn, these officers only know how to ask questions. What will they get from this? Weng Pingfang was a regular guest, coming every weekend to meet her lover. The front desk knew her, and I’ve heard the staff mention the man who meets her. He’s always secretive, arriving around 7 or 8 pm and leaving around 10 pm.

But we can’t say anything. Our hotel is in a remote area near Luoxia Mountain, and many couples come here to meet. Some women even bring clients. If people find out this is a place for such things, the anti-pornography team will show up. What then? We’ve been ordered to stay quiet. We’ll pretend we know nothing, and once the police drop the case, everything will go back to normal.]

Zhao Xiangwan stood by, listening to Manager Wei’s thoughts, while He Mingyu and Zhu Feipeng checked the duty list carefully to ensure no one was missing.

The records showed that Weng Pingfang was a regular guest with a consistent pattern of stays. However, due to the hotel’s strict orders, the staff were too afraid to speak, so all the information provided was useless.

“Weng Pingfang usually arrives in the afternoon, stays overnight, and leaves the next morning. She’s pretty, speaks softly, and is polite, but she never interacts with us waiters.”

“I don’t know about any visitors. There are too many people coming and going every day. How can we know who she’s meeting?”

“I’m only responsible for cleaning rooms, starting at 9 am and 3 pm. I only open doors with a room card once the guest leaves. I don’t enter rooms without permission. I was scared when I found the body. I don’t know anything about the questions you’re asking.”

Seeing Zhu Feipeng rubbing his brows, frustrated and wanting to end the questioning, Zhao Xiangwan said quietly, “Brother, let me ask?”

Zhu Feipeng immediately passed the notebook to her: “Alright, it’s all yours!”

Zhao Xiangwan opened the notebook, put it on her lap, and started writing down the first name.

— Manager Wei.

“We met a reporter named Yang from the Xingshi Daily’s legal section earlier today. He asked about any unusual cases recently.”

Zhao Xiangwan seemed to be speaking casually, but Zhu Feipeng was confused. “Did we meet a reporter Yang? When did this happen?”

Reporters! Manager Wei broke into a cold sweat, suddenly fearful. “The case hasn’t been solved yet! Why are reporters asking about it?”

“Reporters need to eat too.”

Zhao Xiangwan didn’t look up, continuing to write in her notebook with a neutral expression.

“A frequent hotel guest who checked into a hotel room 83 times in two years. The hotel staff didn’t even know who the man she was having a secret meeting with was. Who would believe it if we told them? If you are unwilling to cooperate with us, why not let reporter Yang come and report on it?”

Zhao Xiangwan calmly spoke with a hint of threat. Manager Wei felt uneasy and stretched his neck to see what she was writing in the notebook.

Zhao Xiangwan, seeming to sense his curiosity, quickly covered the notebook with her left hand, raised her head, and looked at Manager Wei seriously. “We have rules; keep it confidential!”

Manager Wei hesitated, his expression conflicted. The young policewoman was surprisingly astute—she caught his weakness with a single sentence!

Cooperating with the police meant exposing the hotel’s involvement in prostitution. However, refusing to cooperate could lead to reporters amplifying the issue, ruining the hotel entirely.

The prostitutes who frequented the hotel had disappeared overnight. These regular customers accounted for 20% of the hotel’s annual revenue, and the hotel also made some extra money on the side… The potential loss was huge.

After some thought, Manager Wei gritted his teeth. “I need to discuss it with the boss first.”

Zhao Xiangwan knew what he was thinking but showed no signs of it and nodded slightly.

Once Manager Wei left, Zhu Feipeng leaned in, curious to see what was written in her notebook.