TTS Chapter 47

T.N: sorry for the delayed update, I had a bad day yesterday. But still, if you enjoy this novel so far, please consider giving it a good rating on Novel Updates. Much appreciated, thank you!

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After leaving the station, Han Huaixiao and Kong Qinmao headed to Xin Rong’s home. The housekeeper answered the door, but she seemed to have no idea Xin Rong had died. After inviting them inside, she went to fetch Xin Rong’s daughter.

 

Xin Rong’s wife had passed away three years earlier. His parents still lived in the countryside, so only his daughter, Xin You, was at home. Nineteen years old, she was a sophomore at a university in Lang City. Now, after her father passed away as well, she had taken leave from school.

 

Her eyes were red as she looked at them, asking, “Officers… have you found the person who murdered my dad?”

 

The police had only informed Xin You that her father had died earlier that morning, but they hadn’t told her the circumstances of his death. Hearing her wording, Han Huaixiao asked instead, “You sound very certain your father was murdered, not that he died from a sudden illness. Xin You, do you know something?”

 

“My dad was in good health. He just had a physical two months ago, and everything came back normal. There’s no way he died from a sudden illness.”

 

“Don’t get worked up just yet,” Han Huaixiao pulled up a photo of Li Cheng on his phone. “We’re still investigating. Have you ever seen this man?”

 

“No.” Xin You studied the photo carefully before shaking her head.

 

“Have you noticed anything unusual about your father recently?”

 

“No. He was the same as always, going to work, coming home, business trips, work dinners.”

 

“Which room was your father’s? We’d like to take a look.”

 

Next, Xin You led them to Xin Rong’s bedroom. The room was spacious and filled with furniture: a sofa, coffee table, desk, bookshelves, and a large wardrobe. But despite the large amount of belongings, everything was meticulously organized.

 

Inside the wardrobe, one half was neatly arranged with suits, while the other held pajamas, loungewear, and casual clothes, sorted by category and even arranged from light to dark colors.

 

Han Huaixiao asked, “Did your father organize his closet himself?”

 

“No. My mom used to do it. After she passed away, I took over.”

 

After inspecting Xin Rong’s bedroom, they stepped back into the hallway.

As they passed another room with its door half-open, Han Huaixiao glanced inside. The quilt lay in a messy heap on the bed, and several pieces of clothing were piled carelessly at the foot of it.

 

“Your room?” he asked, and Xin You nodded. “Yeah. After I found out about my dad in the morning… I just haven’t had the heart to clean it.”

 

“My condolences.”

 

Meanwhile, Zhang Tianhua, Ling Yue, and officers from the Narcotics Division searched Ju Jiezhen’s apartment, along with every trash bin around the Guangtai Residential Complex, using a drug-sniffing dog.

 

“Nothing over here, Brother Hua,” Ling Yue sighed.

 

“Same here.”

 

“That’s strange. Could someone else really have taken it away?”

 

“Let’s go talk to the neighbors. Maybe someone knows something.”

 

The residential complex had a vine-covered pergola where several elderly residents were sitting in the shade, chatting. The topic of conversation was naturally Liao Yongqing and Ju Jiezhen. Such a shocking incident had everyone speculating.

 

When they saw Zhang Tianhua and Ling Yue, several people eagerly approached them, asking, “Young officers, have you figured it out? Was it really the wife having an affair, then her husband caught them and killed them?”

 

“How well did you know that family?” Zhang Tianhua smiled politely.

 

“The husband worked as a sailor,” an elderly man answered first. “Every voyage kept him away for months. Their daughter is sick and lives completely in her own world, so she can’t be left alone. His wife stayed home full-time to take care of her. Honestly… they had it rough.”

 

“How was their marriage?”

 

“It seemed alright. I live downstairs and never heard them arguing.”

 

Just then, Auntie Han, their next-door neighbor, spoke up. “That’s because your hearing’s gone bad. They used to get along, but since last year, every time Xiao Liao came back from sea, they’d argue.”

 

“Were you able to hear what they argued about?”

 

“Xiao Ju would say she had it hard taking care of their daughter alone. Xiao Liao would say life on the ship was even harder, and that she didn’t appreciate him. Then he’d accuse her of not behaving herself while he was away. Xiao Ju would shoot back that whenever his ship docked, who knew whether he’d been fooling around outside. It was always the same arguments.”

 

Another elderly woman, supporting her grandson as he practiced walking, chimed in: “I know people say not to speak ill of the dead… but I still think Xiao Ju was wrong. If she wanted an affair, she could’ve done it somewhere else. Her own daughter was home. Doing something like that in front of your child was just shameless.”

 

“You actually saw her having an affair?” Zhang Tianhua looked at her.

 

At that, the woman glanced at Auntie Han, clearly hesitant, but Zhang Tianhua reassured them with a “If you know anything, please tell the police. The sooner we understand what happened, the sooner we can solve the case, and everyone can get back to normal.”

 

“I saw it,” Auntie Han raised her hand. “And I was the one who told Xiao Liao as well.”

 

“Last Lunar New Year, Xiao Liao was out at sea and couldn’t come home. His supervisor brought several employees to visit his wife and daughter. After that, I’d occasionally see that supervisor carrying gifts over to their apartment. At first I thought he was just a considerate boss. But as the visits became more and more frequent… I realized he had other intentions.”

 

“One day I happened to open my door just as Xiao Ju was seeing him out. They were holding hands. The moment they noticed me, they hurriedly let go.”

 

“After that, whenever Xiao Liao came home, the two of them argued all the time.”

 

Han Tianhua asked, “When his supervisor came over, was he always alone?”

 

“At first, yes. But a few months ago, I started seeing him come with another man.”

 

Zhang Tianhua showed her photos of Xin Rong and Li Cheng, asking, “Was it these two?”

 

“Yes,” Auntie Han pointed at Xin Rong. “At first it was just him. Later, this other man started coming with him too.”

 

“Thank you. You’ve been a great help.”

 

………………

 

Half an hour away from Guangtai Residential Complex, in the run-down Fengxiang Residential Complex, Liao Wenwen sat quietly drawing in an old two-bedroom apartment.

 

Xia Ling sat behind her and gently asked Grandma Liao: “Is this how she usually behaves?”

 

“That’s right,” Grandma Liao nodded. “She’s always been like this… constantly drawing.”

 

“May I ask her a few questions?” Xia Ling asked gently, and Grandma Liao looked at her granddaughter before replying, “She’s relatively calm right now. Go ahead.”

 

Xia Ling scooted a little closer, whispering, “Wenwen, what are you drawing?”

 

The girl acted as though she hadn’t heard, continuing to draw in silence, so Xia Ling tried another approach.

 

“Wenwen, did you see what your mommy ate yesterday?”

 

The girl’s pencil paused for a brief moment before moving again. Xia Ling noticed her hand was no longer as steady as before, so she cautiously continued:

 

“And those two uncles…”

 

“Ahhh!”

 

Before Xia Ling could finish, Liao Wenwen suddenly threw down her pencil, tore the drawing to pieces, and began slamming her head against the table.

 

Xia Ling rushed to stop her, but when Liao Wenwen became agitated, she was astonishingly strong. Unable to restrain her, Xia Ling had no choice but to shield the girl’s head with her own hands.

 

Grandma Liao wrapped both arms tightly around her granddaughter, soothing her over and over: “Sweetheart, calm down… good girl… you’re hurting the pretty sister’s hand… be good… calm down… calm down…”

 

Only after a long while did Liao Wenwen finally settle down. By then, tears had completely soaked her face.

 

Xia Ling didn’t dare ask another question, afraid of triggering her again, and Grandma Liao shot her an apologetic look before leading the girl back into her room.

 

Nearly half an hour later, Grandma Liao came back out. Looking at the swollen back of Xia Ling’s hand, she apologized repeatedly: “Officer Xia, I’m so sorry!”

 

“It’s alright,” Xia Ling shook her hand. “Does she often react like this?”

 

“Not often. Only when she’s been badly frightened.”

 

“Have you washed the clothes she wore yesterday?”

 

“Not yet. I’ve had no time.”

 

“May I check the pockets?”

 

With that, Grandma Liao brought over the dress Liao Wenwen had worn. It had two pockets sewn into the front, and Xia Ling searched both of them but found nothing.

 

Seeing how exhausted the elderly woman looked, Xia Ling didn’t have the heart to keep bothering her. As she was leaving, her eyes fell on the thick stack of drawings lying on the table.

 

“Grandma Liao… may I take some of Wenwen’s drawings?”

 

“Of course. She only cares about drawing them. Once she’s finished, she doesn’t pay attention to where we put them.”

 

……………..

 

Back at the Municipal Bureau, Xia Ling entered the Major Crimes office carrying the stack of drawings, but the first thing Xia Hang noticed wasn’t the drawings; it was her swollen hand.

 

“Sister Ling, what happened to your hand?!”

 

“I think Liao Wenwen is extremely repulsed by Xin Rong and Li Cheng,” she briefly explained what had happened.

 

“She probably witnessed what they were doing with her mom,” Ling Yue snorted. “I’d be more surprised if she wasn’t disgusted.”

 

Just then, Han Huaixiao stepped out of his office, asking, “Did you injure the bone? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

 

“No,” Xia Ling rotated her wrist. “It’s just swollen.”

 

Han Huaixiao handed a bottle of medicated liniment to Wen Yu, saying, “Wen Yu, help Sister Ling apply this.”

 

“Why’d you bring those back?” Zhang Tianhua asked while looking at the stack of drawings.

 

“Last-minute impulse.” Xia Ling shrugged. “How about you and Ling Yue? Find anything?”

 

“The Narcotics Division and our K-9 unit searched Ju Jiezhen’s apartment and every trash can within a five-kilometer radius of Guangtai Residential Complex,” Zhang Tianhua shook his head. “Nothing. No drug packaging.”

 

“I checked Liao Wenwen’s clothes from yesterday too,” Xia Ling added. “Nothing there either.”

 

“But the neighbors gave us something useful,” Zhang Tianhua continued. “It looks like Xin Rong first met Ju Jiezhen around last Lunar New Year, when he visited her and her daughter with some employees to check on them while Liao Yongqing was away at sea.”

 

“The neighbors said that after that, they frequently saw him bringing gifts to her apartment alone. One neighbor even saw Ju Jiezhen walking him to the door while they were holding hands.”

 

“As for Li Cheng, he only started accompanying Xin Rong a few months ago.”

 

“They had guts,” Ling Yue frowned. “It’s like they weren’t afraid of Liao Yongqing finding out.”

 

“Neighbors usually mind their own business to avoid trouble,” Kong Qinmao shook his head. “If no one tells Liao Yongqing, Ju Jiezhen keeps quiet, and their daughter can’t tell him… then Xin Rong and Li Cheng could openly come and go without worrying.”

 

Han Huaixiao turned to Wen Yu, saying, “Wen Yu, Xia Hang. Did you find out how Li Cheng and Xin Rong became acquainted?”

 

“We still don’t know how they met,” Wen Yu answered, “but in one of their chat logs, Xin Rong mentioned Qu Mingzhe. He asked Li Cheng how Qu Mingzhe was doing in Myanmar. Li Cheng replied that Qu Mingzhe had been transferred to Thailand. I’ve already contacted the Thai police.”

 

At that, Xia Ling looked surprised, wondering, “So Xin Rong personally knew Qu Mingzhe?”

 

“According to the messages, yes. We just don’t know how they knew each other.”

 

Hearing that, Han Huaixiao frowned as he remembered what Manager Liu had confessed. The young victims brought in by Qu Mingzhe and Chen Zhengde had been circulated among various clubs before eventually being sent overseas. Likewise, some victims were brought in from abroad.

At the time, to avoid alerting the enemy, he had reported everything to his superiors but hadn’t expanded the investigation beyond Shuntai Nightclub.

 

One question had always bothered him.

 

How had they been smuggling people across borders?

 

Now that Xin Rong had entered the picture… As an executive at Taiyi Shipping… Could they have been using Taiyi’s shipping routes?

 

The thought stayed hidden behind his composed expression. “Kong Qinmao and I questioned Liao Yongqing,” he said. “According to him, their ship docked at eleven yesterday morning, and he didn’t disembark until five in the afternoon.”

 

“We’ve confirmed it. The ship did dock at eleven, and the other sailors all stated that Liao Yongqing left the vessel at five.”

 

“If that’s true…” Ling Yue scratched his head, “then it doesn’t look like he had time to commit the murders.”

 

However, Zhang Tianhua wasn’t convinced, saying, “What if the other sailors are covering for him? From the port to his apartment is about an hour by taxi. Ju Jiezhen and the others died sometime between noon and two o’clock. If he secretly left the ship as soon as it docked, went home, and came back afterward… the timeline actually fits.”

 

“That’s possible,” Han Huaixiao nodded. “Liao Yongqing admitted he deliberately didn’t tell Ju Jiezhen when he’d be coming home. He wanted to catch her by surprise and see what she was doing.”

 

“That makes more sense,” Ling Yue suddenly understood. “Otherwise, how could Xin Rong and Li Cheng be bold enough to have an affair in her apartment on the very day her husband came home?”

 

“Two things still bother me,” Kong Qinmao added. “First, after walking into such a horrifying scene, Liao Yongqing remembered the exact positions of all three bodies.”

 

“Second… he claimed he didn’t know Xin Rong.”

 

“Liao Yongqing was just an ordinary sailor who spent most of his time at sea,” Zhang Tianhua shrugged. “Xin Rong was management and didn’t sail with the crew. Maybe they genuinely never met.”

 

But Ling Yue looked at Kong Qinmao, asking, “You also went to Xin Rong’s house, right?”

 

“Yeah. The moment we walked in, his daughter asked if we’d already found the person who murdered him. Captain Han asked why she was so certain it was murder instead of a sudden illness.”

 

“She said Xin Rong had just had a physical examination and all his health indicators were excellent.”

 

“That’s not right,” Wen Yu immediately frowned. “I reviewed Xin Rong’s medical records, and his results weren’t all perfect. He had fatty liver disease.”

 

“Maybe Xin Rong didn’t want her to worry, so he just told her everything was fine,” Kong Qinmao considered it.

 

“If that’s the case,” Wen Yu said, “then he treated his daughter pretty well.”

 

“But…” Kong Qinmao blinked. “Isn’t Xin You… not his?”

 

“Right,” Wen Yu nodded. “Xin Rong had weak fertility, so it was very difficult for him to father children. Xin You isn’t his biological daughter. She was born from his late wife and another man.”

 

“After giving birth, her mother abandoned her at an orphanage. It wasn’t until she got together with Xin Rong that the two of them brought Xin You home. By then, Xin You was already twelve years old.”

 

“…Sounds like she’s another child who’s had a hard life.” Xia Ling thought of Liao Wenwen.

 

While everyone continued discussing the case, Xia Hang listened quietly, absentmindedly flipping through the stack of drawings Xia Ling had brought back. As he turned the pages, his movements gradually sped up, wondering, “…Why do these drawings all feel so full of hatred?”

 

He pulled more than a dozen drawings from the stack and set them aside. Each one depicted the blurred outline of a man, but his entire body was covered in thick black scribbles. At first glance, it looked like random coloring, but a closer inspection revealed that the darkness was made up of countless overlapping X marks.

 

Han Huaixiao studied them for a moment before suddenly asking, “Does Liao Wenwen’s outfit from yesterday still exist?”

 

“It does,” Xia Ling replied. “I even checked the pockets again before I came back.”

 

“Has it been washed?”[mfn]Oh no, no, nooooo! I know where this is going, and I hate it 😡 [/mfn]

 

She froze for a second before immediately understanding what he meant, quickly answering, “No. Her grandmother hasn’t had time yet. I’ll call her right now!”

 

Grandma Liao answered almost immediately and confirmed that Wenwen’s clothes still hadn’t been washed. As Xia Ling turned to leave, Han Huaixiao stopped her, ordering, “Ask He Zhengye to find a child psychologist to go with you.”

 

“Got it. I’ll go find Brother He.”

 

Next, Han Huaixiao turned to Xia Hang, saying, “Xia Hang, Xia Ling hurt her hand. Drive her over.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After Xia Hang and Xia Ling left, Han Huaixiao looked at Wen Yu.

 

“Wen Yu, come to my office. My computer’s acting up; help me take a look.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Once Wen Yu entered the office, Han Huaixiao deliberately left the door slightly ajar instead of closing it. He had Wen Yu sit at the desk while he took the chair opposite her. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “Well? Any progress on what I asked you to investigate?”

 

Pretending to troubleshoot the computer, Wen Yu answered just as quietly.

 

“No. I couldn’t find anything unusual.”

 

“I’ve got another assignment for you,” Han Huaixiao nodded. “And don’t tell anyone else about this one either.”

 

“I’m listening.”

 

“Start with the work Xin Rong handled. Look into Taiyi Shipping. I want to know whether there’s anything suspicious about their transportation network.” He paused before adding, “And be careful. Don’t leave any traces. I don’t want Taiyi alerted.”

 

“Understood.”

 

………………

 

He Zhengye quickly arranged for a child psychologist, and Xia Ling agreed to meet them at the entrance of Guangtai Residential Complex. When they arrived, Xia Hang stayed downstairs instead of accompanying them.

About half an hour later, Xia Ling came back down.

 

“Is Wenwen okay?”

 

“The child psychologist Brother He found has experience working with autistic children,” she answered, “so it went fairly smoothly.”

 

“However, she asked us to leave first. She’s staying a little longer with Wenwen.”

 

Back at the Municipal Bureau, they immediately handed the clothes to He Zhengye. After leaving the forensic department, Xia Hang noticed Han Huaixiao’s office door standing open, but the office itself was empty.

 

As for Han Huaixiao, he was upstairs in Chief Yan Zheng’s office.

 

Earlier, he’d hired someone he had worked with before to investigate Xia Hang. In the past, that investigator always produced results quickly, but this time, however, there had been no progress.

 

The investigator had just contacted him, saying he’d tried every possible avenue but couldn’t dig any deeper, suggesting Han Huaixiao find someone else instead.

 

After thinking it over, Han Huaixiao photographed the threatening note and dart he’d taken from Xia Hang’s apartment and sent the images over, asking him to use them as a new starting point and continue investigating.

But after sitting in his office for a while, Han Huaixiao still decided to head upstairs to see Yan Zheng.

 

When he knocked and entered, he found the director was, for once, not making tea. Instead, Yan Zheng stood by the window, staring outside in thought. Seeing him come in, he stepped away from the window, asking, “You need something?”

 

“You’re the one who looks troubled,” Han Huaixiao countered.

 

“Something did come up,” Yan Zheng sighed. “But I wouldn’t call it troublesome, exactly. Enough about me. What do you need?”

 

“Find an excuse to make Xia Hang move into my place,” Han Huaixiao got straight to the point, and Yan Zheng blinked before raising an eyebrow. “And why exactly should Xia Hang move in with you?”

 

“What, planning to chase your ex again?”

 

“That’s none of your concern.”

 

“Xia Hang came to Lang City all alone,” Yan Zheng folded his arms. “No family. No support. As his superior, it’s my responsibility to look after him. And now you suddenly want him living with you?”

 

“…What exactly are you planning?”

 

“I have my reasons,” Han Huaixiao said, but Yan Zheng still answered righteously, “You’ve been broken up for years. As far as I can tell, Xia Hang has no intention of getting back together. In that case, a proper ex-boyfriend shouldn’t keep bothering him.”

 

“I’m not helping, and I’m not going to become your accomplice and deliver Xia Hang straight into the tiger’s den.”

 

“So you’re really refusing?” Han Huaixiao looked at him steadily.

 

“I am.”

 

What Han Huaixiao didn’t know was that, moments before he had walked in, Yan Zheng had been worrying over exactly the same issue. Earlier, his informant, Mu Zhan, had called to leak that Xia Hang’s safety was compromised and asked him to find a way to get Xia Hang to stay at Han Huaixiao’s home.

 

For three reasons: First, Han Huaixiao’s residence had far better security.

Second, if anything happened during their commute, the two of them could look out for each other. Third, with Han Huaixiao’s background, very few people would dare make a move against him.

 

Yan Zheng had been racking his brain trying to figure out how to persuade Han Huaixiao. Instead, Han Huaixiao had come to him first.

 

Inside, Yan Zheng was overjoyed.

 

But worried that Han Huaixiao might grow suspicious, he had no choice but to put on a solemn face and pretend to refuse. He thought he’d acted flawlessly, but… What he didn’t realize was that Han Huaixiao had already read the answer from his expression.

 

Not only was Yan Zheng not opposed to the idea, but…

 

He actually welcomed it.

 

Which meant the higher-ups were also concerned about Xia Hang’s safety, and had probably put pressure on Yan Zheng because of it.

 

“You’re right.” Han Huaixiao casually brushed imaginary dust from his sleeve. “A qualified ex-boyfriend should keep his distance.”

 

“Pretend I never said anything. I’m leaving.”

 

Seeing that he was actually walking toward the door, Yan Zheng hurriedly called after him: “Get back here!”

 

Han Huaixiao stopped and turned around leisurely, looking completely unhurried, and Yan Zheng sighed in defeat.

 

“Fine, fine.”

 

“I’ll think of something.”

 

After Han Huaixiao left, Yan Zheng sat in his office for a while before asking someone to bring Xia Hang upstairs. A few minutes later, Xia Hang knocked and entered, asking, “Chief Yan, you wanted to see me?”

 

Unlike his usual cheerful self, Yan Zheng wore a serious expression and gestured for him to sit. Seeing the solemn look on his face, Xia Hang couldn’t help feeling uneasy as he sat down beside him.

 

“Chief Yan… what’s wrong?”

 

Yan Zheng looked at him, appearing reluctant to speak.

 

“It’s alright,” Xia Hang continued. “If there’s something you need to say, just say it.”

 

“Xia Hang…” Yan Zheng sighed. “Here’s the situation. You know Captain Han and the Major Crimes Unit have solved a lot of major cases over the years.”

 

“Many criminals, and their families, consider him their enemy… They’ve been looking for opportunities to retaliate. I recently received reliable information.”

 

“The son of a convicted criminal who’s already been sentenced to death is planning revenge against Captain Han.”

 

“Is the intelligence reliable?” Xia Hang’s heart tightened.

 

Seeing the concern on his face, Yan Zheng quickly softened his tone, answering, “It is, but don’t worry too much. I already have people keeping an eye on the situation. If anything happens, I’ll be notified immediately.”

 

“Still… it’s better to be cautious. You know Captain Han lives alone. After discussing it, the bureau believes it would be safer if someone stayed with him for a while.”

 

“If anything happens, the two could watch each other’s backs.”

 

“Chief Yan… may I do it?” Xia Hang asked without hesitation. “My combat skills and counter-surveillance abilities are both strong.”

 

“…”

 

Yan Zheng was briefly speechless, finally saying, “That’s exactly why I called you here. I wanted to ask whether you’d be willing to move in with him.”

 

“I am.”

 

“Hahaha…” Yan Zheng broke into a broad grin. “Good.”

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