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Ten minutes later, in the reception room on the first floor of the newspaper office, Han Changlin closed the door behind him and sat down. “Reporter Wen, do you have anything to say about today’s newspaper report? When did the killer contact you?”
“I…” Wen Huizhi sat in the chair, her eyes half-lowered, hands tightly clasped together. Meng Siqi noticed that compared to the last time, Wen Huizhi had lost some of her sharp arrogance. However, there was still a hint of defiance in her gaze as she stubbornly said, “I have nothing to say…”
Meng Siqi placed the newspaper she had bought on the table, with the page displaying Zhu Xinting’s photo facing everyone.
“Nothing to say?” Han Changlin tapped his knuckles on the table, the sharp sound echoing through the room. “Look at the photos.”
“These were all taken by me last time,” Wen Huizhi argued.
“Wen Huizhi! You’re still lying!” Han Changlin lost his patience. He grabbed the newspaper and slammed it in front of her. A gust of wind lifted a strand of her long hair. His voice thundered, “Do you have any idea how many years an accomplice could serve in prison?”
The sudden outburst made Wen Huizhi tremble. Under the weight of the guilt she had been carrying since last night, her psychological defenses crumbled. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, “I was too scared to call the police… I didn’t dare…”
Han Changlin hadn’t expected to make her cry. He licked his lips, realizing his temper had gotten the better of him. The case was proving difficult to crack, and Wen Huizhi had repeatedly crossed his bottom line, fueling his frustration with nowhere to vent it. He shot a glance at Feng Shaomin.
Feng Shaomin understood and softened his tone. “Reporter Wen, we are the police. We are here to help you. Can you tell us exactly what difficulties you are facing? Take a deep breath and think carefully.”
Although they weren’t at the station, Meng Siqi always carried her notebook. She quickly opened it, ready to take notes on Wen Huizhi’s account.
Wen Huizhi choked back a few sobs and let out a sigh. “Last night, I received a letter in my mailbox downstairs…”
She then recounted her experience from the night before. By the end, her voice was trembling. “I was too afraid to call the police… I was scared the killer would come after my family… I’m sorry… I was terrified…”
Han Changlin, now much calmer, asked, “Where are the photos and the letter?”
“I’ve been carrying them with me. I was too scared to lose them for even a second.” Wen Huizhi reached into her bag, her hands shaking as she pulled out an envelope.
Han Changlin took it and turned it over. On the back of the already-torn envelope, he saw the message she had described. Handing it over to Feng Shaomin, he asked, “Old Feng, do you think we can identify the killer from this handwriting?”
“It looks deliberately altered… This might be difficult,” Feng Shaomin analyzed after a careful look.
After a few more questions, Han Changlin lightly patted the table and said, “Reporter Wen, thank you for your cooperation. If you receive any more information, make sure to inform us immediately.”
“But what if the killer—”
“We will ensure your safety.”
“Thank you… thank you.”
After seeing Wen Huizhi off, Han Changlin stood outside the newspaper office under the night sky and said to Feng Shaomin, “We need to set up surveillance around Wen Huizhi’s house. There’s a chance the suspect might show up tonight.”
“Captain Han, I’ll get a few people to take shifts for the night.”
“We should also conduct a daytime sweep around her neighborhood tomorrow to see if anyone suspicious has been lurking.” Han Changlin checked his watch and then asked, “Xiao Meng, what day is it today?”
“Thursday.”
Han Changlin took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the neon lights of the bustling streets.
There were only five days left to solve the case. Meng Siqi could sense the pressure weighing on him, so she quickly offered, “Captain Han, Master, let me take the night shift.”
Feng Shaomin frowned. “You’re a girl. Go home now.”
Excuse me? Meng Siqi wanted to argue—what did being a girl have to do with it?
Han Changlin gave a faint smile. “Listen to your master.”
“But Captain Han—” Meng Siqi tried to insist.
“This is an order.” Han Changlin’s expression grew more serious.
Meng Siqi didn’t dare disobey. She nodded just as a taxi pulled up, and they all parted ways.
Han Changlin and Feng Shaomin lingered a little longer in the quiet night. Han Changlin pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Feng Shaomin, who shook his head. Lighting the cigarette for himself, Han Changlin smirked. “Still got your discipline, huh? No smoking, no drinking.”
The glow of the cigarette cast flickering red light across Han Changlin’s face.
Feng Shaomin smiled faintly. “I haven’t been in the best health these past few years.”
Han Changlin exhaled a smoke ring. “When you’re troubled, your mind starts wandering… Old Feng, are you still thinking about that case?”
Feng Shaomin didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on the distant road—toward the direction where Meng Siqi had gone home. A hint of unspoken emotion glistened in his eyes.
Han Changlin took a hard drag on his cigarette, then crushed it underfoot. “This crap’s a waste of time. Screw it. I’m quitting.”
The next day, Meng Siqi, Feng Shaomin, and Zhao Leiting conducted door-to-door visits around Wen Huizhi’s neighborhood. The residents reported no sightings of suspicious individuals, leading Meng Siqi to conclude that the killer must have delivered the letter under the cover of night, avoiding any witnesses.
Meanwhile, Tang Xiaochuan had traveled to another city to visit Wen Huizhi’s parents due to a potential lead involving a photograph. However, he also came up empty-handed.
Despite extensive investigation and tight surveillance, no trace of the suspect reappeared around Wen Huizhi’s home.
It was as if the suspect had vanished once again.
Three more days passed. With the ten-day deadline looming, the atmosphere at the station had grown tense.
On the densely packed crime board, she noticed three strikingly incongruous characters written in chalk by Han Changlin—”Darkness Under the Lamp.”
The current situation was exactly as Han Changlin had described. The suspect was deeply hidden in the shadows yet occasionally surfaced just enough to catch the police’s attention. This was a classic case of overlooking something that was right in front of them.
It was also a clear reflection of Han Changlin’s frustration.
Would they have to wait until the suspect committed a third crime before uncovering a lead?
Meng Siqi thought about how, in the world she came from, many unsolved cases from the 1990s had remained cold due to technological limitations. Yet, decades later, advancements in DNA analysis and an expanded forensic database had finally brought long-hidden criminals to justice.
But here, there was no DNA technology to rely on, no widespread surveillance cameras capturing every movement. If the killer was even slightly more intelligent than the average person, this case could easily spiral into an unsolvable mystery.
She had once browsed through the archives and seen countless case files marked “Unsolved.”
Those two simple words carried immense weight. They represented the tragedies of families who had lost loved ones and spent years waiting for justice that never came.
At 9:00 PM, a dim light still flickers in the office. Han Changlin sat in his chair, staring at the crime board. Tang Xiaochuan was beside him, resting his chin on one hand, his gaze weary as he shifted between Han Changlin and the crime board.
Neither of them spoke. The air was heavy with silence.
Han Changlin scrutinized the board, his thoughts a tangled mess. The killer’s methods were bizarre, each crime more unsettling than the last.
Why was the killer doing this?
This was the question Han Changlin still couldn’t answer. If the suspect truly hated the victims, they could have inflicted even more brutal acts—dismemberment, for example.
After a long silence, Han Changlin finally spoke. “What day is it today?”
Tang Xiaochuan, still drowsy, replied, “Monday.”
Tomorrow was the last day of the deadline.
At that moment, an odd sense of defiance surfaced in Han Changlin’s mind. Strangely, he felt a bit relieved.
Damn it, he cursed at himself internally.
*
After a long day of fieldwork, Meng Siqi dozed off on the bus, nearly missing her stop. A jolt from the vehicle startled her awake just in time.
She stepped off the bus, exhausted, and walked toward her home. After knocking on the door, Aunt Chang answered. By now, she had stopped asking why Meng Siqi was coming home so late—lately, she rarely returned before 8 PM.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, Meng Siqi saw that it was 8:30 PM.
Ye Xiuhui sat on the couch watching TV. She glanced at Meng Siqi but quickly looked away as if she hadn’t noticed her.
Aunt Chang, who had been peeling fruit, resumed her task after opening the door. She handed a peeled pear to Meng Siqi. “Try this.”
Meng Siqi, having barely had a sip of water all day, accepted it gratefully. “Thank you.”
Just as she took a couple of bites, the phone rang. Aunt Chang went to answer it and then looked up. “Siqi, it’s for you.”
It must be from the station. Meng Siqi quickly walked over to pick up the phone, barely swallowing the piece of pear in her mouth. “Hello!”
Her voice was soft, and on the other end, a man’s light chuckle came through. “Siqi, you’re home.”
The voice was unmistakably Jiang Sheng’s. Meng Siqi had the urge to hang up immediately, but before she could, Ye Xiuhui, who seemed to have gotten the news from Aunt Chang, shifted her gaze from the TV screen to her, her expression changing from indifference to a smile.
To avoid Ye Xiuhui nagging her endlessly, Meng Siqi pretended as if nothing was wrong and casually exchanged a few words with Jiang Sheng. “Yeah, I just got back.”
Jiang Sheng said, “That Lu He from your department, what kind of person is he? He seems overly rigid. Look, our Longcheng Enterprise is completely clean, but he still insists on all sorts of investigations. And what was the result? Nothing! I, Jiang Sheng, have always been open and honest. Who does he think he is, a mere police officer, to slander me?”
Meng Siqi found his words extremely irritating. What did he mean by “slander”? It was a standard investigation. She didn’t want to argue and cause unnecessary conflict, so she simply said, “As long as President Jiang cooperates with the investigation, that’s all that matters. If there’s nothing else, I have work to do.”
“Oh, don’t be in such a hurry to hang up. The documents you requested, I’ve printed them all out for you. You can come pick them up when you’re free.”
Meng Siqi remembered. Those were copies of the demolition compensation contracts signed by You Meihua and You Shenghua with Longcheng Enterprise. However, the investigation had moved away from that direction, so she didn’t need them at the moment. If necessary later, she could always send a colleague to retrieve them. “There’s no notification from the bureau for now. Just hold onto them for the time being.”
“Alright, I’ll keep them here. By the way, Siqi, I’m free tomorrow. I’ve reserved a spot at the French Manor restaurant. I’ll pick you up for dinner.”
Meng Siqi pressed her lips together and smiled. “I have a lot of tasks tomorrow, so don’t trouble yourself. I also don’t have any other plans at the moment.”
“Oh, I understand how busy your work is. How about we find another time—”
“If there’s nothing else, President Jiang, I’ll be hanging up now.”
After ending the call, Meng Siqi noticed Ye Xiuhui craning her neck, clearly trying to eavesdrop. Ye Xiuhui’s lips curled into a smile. “So, when are you two going to have dinner together?”
Meng Siqi took another bite of the pear and smiled. “I have to say, you really care a lot about my marriage.”
“If I don’t care, who will?”
“Isn’t Meng Tingzhe even more concerned than you?”
Ye Xiuhui’s smile faded slightly. “It’s perfectly normal for your mother and brother to care about your future, isn’t it?”
It was normal. If Meng Siqi didn’t know the truth, she would have been deeply grateful. But now, understanding that Meng Tingzhe’s business was struggling and that they wanted to use her as a bargaining chip for investment, she could only scoff at their so-called concern.
She took a big bite of the pear and spoke with obvious disdain. “Then thank you for your concern. But I don’t like people like Jiang Sheng, so I’d appreciate it if you stopped meddling in my marriage.”
“Hey, what’s with your attitude!” Ye Xiuhui’s face darkened. “What did I ever do to you? What’s wrong with me caring for you? Where are your manners? Didn’t anyone ever teach you respect? I treat you well, and yet you act like an ungrateful wretch!”
“You treat me well? Are you really that oblivious? Who was the one that grew up alone in the countryside all these years? She had no nice clothes, no money for school. It was a kind-hearted farming couple who supported her education by selling tea leaves and eggs. You look down on my lack of taste, call me a country bumpkin, say I have no manners. Yes, I couldn’t even afford an eraser or a pencil, but I studied under extreme conditions and worked my way into the police academy. Now, I am a proud police officer. Yet even now, you still think I’m worthless. You think I don’t deserve to be part of the Meng family. But have you ever reflected on whose fault that is? It was you! You were the one who abandoned me. And yet, you show no remorse at all.”
Meng Siqi raised her voice. She knew the past of the original owner of this body. It had been an unfortunate childhood, yet also a fortunate one. She didn’t hold grudges against anyone, but she would not allow others to judge her.
She didn’t intend to completely sever ties with this family, so she only spoke enough to make her point without making it unbearably harsh. After finishing, she walked toward the door, letting the cool night breeze wash over her as she continued eating her pear.
Aunt Chang wiped away her tears. As just a housekeeper in this home, she had no right to interfere or take sides. She simply followed her conscience and treated Meng Siqi well.
Ye Xiuhui was completely stunned. She stared blankly at Meng Siqi, unable to process what had just been said. It wasn’t until she watched her step outside into the night that she snapped out of it.
She suddenly felt that Meng Siqi had changed. When she first returned to the Meng family, she wasn’t like this. Back then, she was obedient, blushing even when speaking. But now, she dared to confront her loudly, without hesitation.
“After all, she grew up in someone else’s home… No sense of attachment… No manners at all…” Ye Xiuhui’s eyes turned red as she clutched her chest, feeling utterly distressed. She gritted her teeth and mumbled to herself, then picked up the phone.
Soon, the living room filled with Ye Xiuhui’s loud complaints over the call. “What did I do wrong? I’ve been good to her, finding her a suitable husband, worrying about her future, and yet she repays me with backtalk… She doesn’t act like a daughter at all… Yes, exactly… What have I done wrong…”
She deliberately raised her voice, making sure that Meng Siqi, who stood outside, could hear every word.
“I’ve done nothing wrong… She’s completely out of line now… It’s like unless I carve off my own flesh and hand it to her, she won’t be satisfied… She wants me to suffer, to rot in hell, just to make herself feel better…”
Meng Siqi had been eating her pear down to the last bite, but as she listened to Ye Xiuhui’s complaints, her thoughts suddenly froze.
Something felt wrong.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.
Without hesitation, she dashed into the night.
Aunt Chang called after her, “Siqi, where are you going? Siqi—” She turned to Ye Xiuhui, worried. “Madam, Siqi ran off…”
“Let her run… It’s not like she can disappear into the sky!”
Arya[Translator]
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