Chapter 6

“…Yeah.” Pei Shasha pursed her lips, forcing an awkward smile. “Officer, there are too many mosquitoes in the yard. You’d be more comfortable staying inside.”

Su Yan’s smile widened slightly as she recalled how the other woman had immediately walked to the fence to observe the neighboring household upon exiting the house. She shook her head: “We’re pressed for time with heavy tasks today. I was just about to visit the next-door household for inquiries. Shall we go together?”

“Huh?” Pei Shasha’s expression finally changed noticeably.

After sending a text message to Xiang Yang on her phone—as a trainee, she wasn’t permitted to act independently under any circumstances and required supervision from an experienced officer—Su Yan put away her phone and gently nudged the other woman forward. Once outside the gate, she immediately turned right toward the eastern neighbor.

While most agritainment businesses in the village had two or three-story buildings, many villagers who relied on grape cultivation still lived in single-story houses, some appearing quite aged. The house adjacent to Pei An’s was exactly like this, with its street-facing wall made of packed earth—a stark contrast to Pei An’s property.

Just as Su Yan reached the wooden gate of this household, Xiang Yang came jogging up behind her, slightly out of breath: “Wait… what’s going on…”

“Team Leader Jiang?”

“Team Leader Jiang will be here shortly.” Xiang Yang craned his neck to peer into the barren yard. “This place doesn’t look lived-in at all. No signs of daily life. Besides…”

He was about to question Su Yan’s motives when he noticed her gaze shifting past his shoulder. With a bright smile, she called out: “What a coincidence, Miss Pei! Are you here to visit this household too?”

Pei Shasha had been deliberately lagging behind, having apparently wrestled with her thoughts before deciding to follow after all.

Xiang Yang immediately fell silent, glancing sideways at the newcomer. Though he initially considered Su Yan’s trainee status as more trouble than help, his experience as a seasoned detective gave him enough professional instinct to recognize something significant. After working together for days, he’d developed enough trust to defer to her lead now.

“Shall I?” Pei Shasha stepped forward to the rickety wooden gate, reaching through a gap to unlatch it from inside. The gate swung open with a creak. Without inviting them in, she walked straight through, her retreating figure radiating unease.

Su Yan and Xiang Yang exchanged glances before following. Before Pei Shasha could reach the house, its door swung open from inside.

“Shasha’s here?” A man in his thirties emerged wearing faded but clean clothes, his mental state appearing stable. Surprisingly, he wasn’t standing—he was in a wheelchair. Notably, unlike traditional village houses, this doorway had no threshold, clearly modified for wheelchair access.

“Hmm.” Pei Shasha quickly stepped forward, slightly bending her waist. Though Su Yan and the others couldn’t see her expression, they could hear the chiding tone in her voice. “Have you been leaning against the window looking outside all morning again? Otherwise, how could you have come out so quickly? Didn’t I tell you yesterday I wouldn’t be here until noon? If I hadn’t come early, would you have stayed there all morning?”

“I wasn’t looking the whole time…” The man smiled shyly before turning his gaze toward them. “Shasha, who are they…?”

“They’re officers from the city,” Pei Shasha replied, her tone cooling slightly. “They’re here to investigate the tourist death case from a couple of days ago. There’s another one questioning my father at home right now.” As she spoke, she placed a hand on the man’s shoulder, as if to reassure him. “Don’t worry, they just want to ask a few questions. Just tell them the truth.”

The man gave a faint smile and gestured for the two to enter. “Please, Officers, come inside.”

Su Yan and Xiang Yang followed the invitation and stepped into the house. Pei Shasha pushed the man’s wheelchair in after them, and he looked up at her, murmuring softly, “There’s no need to worry so much. It’s just routine questioning. You’re overreacting.”

The interior of the house was clean and tidy, but it carried an unmistakable air of the last century—furniture and materials that hadn’t been seen in years. Su Yan circled the outer room, peering through an open door into the bedroom. Inside, there was a bed, an old bulky television, and a few daily necessities—stark simplicity.

Xiang Yang cleared his throat and began asking routine questions, which the man answered one by one. From the conversation, they learned his name was Zhang Liang, that both his parents had passed away years ago, and that he now lived alone.

Throughout the exchange, Su Yan stood behind Xiang Yang, observing the expressions of the two across from her before shifting her gaze to the doorway. She noticed two neat cuts where a threshold should have been, the color of the cuts mismatched with the doorframe—clear signs that a threshold had once been there but had since been removed.

Pei Shasha caught her line of sight and subtly shifted position, blocking the view of the doorway.

Su Yan withdrew her gaze, mildly amused by the small defensive gesture. A few minutes later, Xiang Yang had finished his questions. Since Zhang Liang had limited mobility and rarely left the house, he couldn’t provide any meaningful leads. Though disappointed, Xiang Yang took it in stride—this was part of the job, often circling the core clues without immediate breakthroughs.

“If there’s nothing else…” Pei Shasha broke the silence. “His health isn’t great. He needs to rest after being up for a while.”

Xiang Yang nodded. “Of course. We’ll be going now. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Zhang.”

“It’s the least I can do,” Zhang Liang replied as Pei Shasha wheeled him forward to see them out. “Solving this case quickly is what the whole village hopes for.”

“No need to see us out.” Xiang Yang waved at the door, then signaled for Su Yan to hurry. Jiang Li was still waiting for them at Pei An’s house.

Su Yan crouched halfway and touched the distinct cut at the bottom of the doorframe, sighing regretfully. “After cutting it open, they didn’t treat it with anti-corrosion or moisture-proofing like the rest. It’s already started to warp.”

Pei Shasha opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by a glance from Zhang Liang. He wheeled himself forward in his chair for a closer look. “This officer is right. But at the time, I was just dragging myself home in this state—I really didn’t think about these things.”

“Zhang Liang, you—!” Pei Shasha didn’t want him to say more.

Zhang Liang shook his head at her. “Shasha, hiding this is pointless. Besides, these officers only need to check a little to find out about my past.” He seemed remarkably composed, his gaze steady as he spoke. “I actually have a criminal record. This back injury happened when I accidentally fell in prison. It was serious, so I applied for temporary release. I just finished serving my sentence at the end of last year.”

Xiang Yang frowned. “What was the original charge?”

“I was young, just arrived in the city with no real job, so I took a wrong turn. Got into a fight with a group and ended up seriously injuring someone.” Zhang Liang’s expression held regret. “Served me right, I guess—otherwise, I wouldn’t be like this today.” He then turned to Su Yan with earnest sincerity. “Officer, you must think Shasha’s behavior is really strange. She’s just afraid you’ll suspect me once you know my background. After all, I’m someone with a record.”

With that, Pei Shasha’s odd behavior seemed perfectly explained.

Observing the intimate interaction between the two, Su Yan had a rough idea of their relationship. Smiling, she said, “Miss Pei, you’re overthinking it. The police don’t suspect anyone without grounds. While Mr. Zhang is indeed a person of interest, we won’t treat him differently because of it.”

Xiang Yang nodded in agreement before leading Su Yan out of the desolate courtyard.

“Your instincts are sharp—well done,” he praised as they walked back. Truthfully, he hadn’t paid much attention to Pei Shasha earlier, but Su Yan had picked up on her unease. That kind of observation was commendable.

“As for Zhang Liang, what they said doesn’t seem like lies. A quick check at the local police station would confirm everything.” He shook his head. “Honestly, who’d have thought Pei Shasha would be so loyal? A decent girl like her, sticking with a boyfriend like that, protecting him like he’s some treasure. You think her father would really approve?”

“Children don’t always listen to their parents. Besides, Secretary Pei might not even know,” Su Yan replied, though her furrowed brow remained, lost in thought.

On the street, they ran into Jiang Li, who had just come from Pei An’s place. After regrouping, Xiang Yang briefly filled Jiang Li in on Zhang Liang’s situation. Jiang Li nodded. “We’ll still need to verify the details for persons of interest.”

“Got it, Team Leader Jiang. Shall we move on to the next house?”

Jiang Li and Xiang Yang had walked quite a distance before realizing Su Yan hadn’t followed. When they turned back, they saw her squatting by the roadside drainage ditch, her rear sticking up as she peered at something. Xiang Yang found this girl’s behavior rather eccentric and walked back resignedly. “Hey, what are you looking at? Does the stinky ditch smell nice or something…”

“Here.” Su Yan reached out and brushed aside the dry weeds in the ditch, revealing two discolored Red Pitayas lying quietly, with ants crawling around them.  

Jiang Li, who had just approached, narrowed his dark eyes at the sight.  

Su Yan looked up at him silently. In that moment, both were thinking the same possibility.  

This drainage ditch was located along the path between the Agritainment and Zhang Liang’s house. While the fruit found here didn’t prove anything, it gave them a fresh lead.  

For instance—why had Ni Yue voluntarily stepped out of the Agritainment gate on the day of the incident?  

Girls tend to be compassionate. If a disabled person with mobility issues had asked for her help at the time, she likely wouldn’t have been suspicious at all…!