Dawn hovered at the edge of breaking, a fine drizzle pattering down as the damp, bone-chilling cold seeped into every joint and crevice. At this hour, most citizens remained buried under their blankets, fast asleep. Only a handful of laborers, driven by necessity, had already risen before the stars and thrown themselves into the day’s work.
Bajiao Street sat in the northwest corner of Nanyun District, one of three districts and seven counties under Binnan City’s jurisdiction. Decades of neglect had left its narrow lanes battered and worn, its crumbling buildings well past their prime, their fifty-year-old frames teetering on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, the government had recently brokered a demolition deal with developers. Most residents had taken the money and moved out, but a dozen or so households remained, still searching for new homes within the six-month grace period.
Fewer people didn’t mean less garbage. Since the street sat near a waste processing plant, Old Wang, the sanitation worker responsible for three streets, didn’t pull his collection truck to a stop at the end of the block until around 7:30, planning to finish the last batch before heading back.
“Brother Wang, it’s Laba Festival today. My wife’s making congee and a few side dishes to celebrate. You go pick up your wife and join us for some fun,” said Xiao Zhang from the passenger seat, blowing warm breath into his cupped hands as he unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed the door open.
“Perfect. I’ve got half a pound of lamb left at home.” Old Wang pressed the tailgate switch, killed the engine, stepped out, and walked over to Xiao Zhang. “I’ll bring it over tonight.”
“Great, and I’ll add two pounds of beef for hot pot.” Xiao Zhang finished speaking and sent a message with instructions for his family before looking up, squinting, and handing over the tools.
The rain had stopped and the sun emerged, but the wind remained piercing. Old Wang turned around and cleared his frozen throat, glancing down as he was about to complain about the cold. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of a naked man sprawled face-down beside the trash bin.
In the dead of winter, wasn’t he cold?
Old Wang stepped closer and bent down, calling out, “Hey, buddy, hey…” Together with Xiao Zhang, they mustered their strength and turned the man over, laying him flat on the icy ground.
Hiss… “Don’t tell me he froze to death?” Xiao Zhang’s hands were already cold, and touching the man sent an even deeper chill through him. He quickly rubbed his palms together for warmth.
Old Wang sensed something wrong. He didn’t respond immediately but held his breath and stepped forward again, cautiously extending an arm and placing his index finger beneath the man’s nose. A few seconds later, his face changed. He instinctively recoiled half a step to the right and muttered, “D-dead…”
By rush hour, the surroundings had grown noisy, drowning out Xiao Zhang’s call to the police. The warm sunrise broke through the clouds, its light creeping silently along the eaves and cutting across the man’s lifeless face. The corners of his lips curved slightly upward, as if he were merely asleep.
At eight o’clock sharp, the Nanyun District Public Security Sub-bureau held its annual ceremony for retiring officers and oath-taking for new recruits. The conference room was packed, a sea of dark blue uniforms watching a carefully produced video honoring the careers and glory days of the retiring officers.
In the third row, left side against the wall, a female officer with long hair past her shoulders, neatly tied back, sat with her head slightly lowered. Twenty-six years ago, her two mothers had disagreed about the source of a biological father for their child. Nie Zhilan’s profession was special; choosing a foreign donor meant she couldn’t be involved throughout the process. Gu Bei, however, found the domestic candidates unappealing and quietly teamed up with her friend Xia Zhiyun to act first and report later.
This was why Nie Fanxin, who appeared to be dutifully taking notes but was actually sketching battle plans in her notebook, was of mixed Danish descent. Her skin was fair, her features sharply defined, and her pale gray eyes focused with intense concentration, paying not the slightest attention to the perfunctory speeches.
Last week, during the second-to-last round of a 3v3 shooting competition, she’d been eliminated by her cousin Wan Yi with a frying pan. In the final round, her aunt Nie Zhiyan had burned her to death with a Molotov cocktail. Their two families had gone barely a month without a match, and the reigning champion had become the reigning loser. Nie Fanxin refused to accept defeat and planned to try again tonight, so she used this time to organize her strategy.
Time slipped by. The officer presiding announced the third agenda item: Bureau Chief Zhu Fang’s address. Nie Fanxin finally closed her notebook. Chief Zhu was a longtime colleague of Nie Zhilan’s, so of course she should show respect.
She raised her head, her gaze wandering, when suddenly her eyes locked onto the spot on the right side of the stage where an empty chair had been moments before. Her expression turned to one of surprise.
Bureau Chief Zhu’s unhurried voice followed: “We are pleased to welcome fresh blood into our family: two for criminal investigation and one for technical investigation. Now, representing the new recruits, Criminal Investigation Unit Captain Chu Wanning will take the oath.”
Nie Fanxin stared at the woman on stage in her dark uniform, shoulder boards bearing two bars and two stars, jet-black hair swept back, exuding maturity, competence, and presence as she switched on the microphone. Nie Fanxin’s gaze drifted, her thoughts receding into memory.
She recalled fragments of time: childhood days spent studying and playing beside Chu Wanning, the laughter that would escape despite Chu Wanning’s reserved nature; her own stubborn determination after university to join the Changyun County grassroots unit just to work alongside her; and the night before her first day on the job, when she had confessed her feelings, emboldened by wine, only to watch Chu Wanning answer a phone call, hesitate with words unspoken, and then turn and walk away.
After that, silence. Complete and utter silence.
Three years had passed, and Nie Fanxin thought she had long since let go. Yet now, she could still feel the rise and fall of her emotions. Perhaps she had inherited Gu Bei’s inability to hide her feelings. During her internship, once she’d confirmed her heart, she had pushed herself harder than ever to move toward Chu Wanning, step by step…
“Xiao Nie?” A colleague noticed her frozen in place and called out before leaving.
“Hmm? Is it over?” Nie Fanxin snapped back to reality. Not recognizing the person, she asked simply.
“There’s a homicide on Bajiao Street. You’re on the list for the scene.”
Nie Fanxin’s lips curved slightly in acknowledgment. She gathered her scattered thoughts and followed the others out of the conference room, climbing into one of the waiting vehicles. Six people split between two cars. Chu Wanning rode in the one ahead while Nie Fanxin and two other colleagues followed behind. Truly, whatever one least wanted to hear was exactly what came up. Barely through the introductions and pleasantries, Nie Fanxin heard the colleague at the wheel gossip about Chu Wanning: “Xiao Nie, you spent three years in Changyun County. Ever hear of Captain Chu? A classmate of mine worked in the anti-drug unit there for two and a half years and had no idea she existed.”
Chen Anyou, seated beside the driver with eight years on the force and five years Nie Fanxin’s senior, chimed in casually, “Parachuted in, probably. Who knows how capable she is. Our branch has a reputation for being dominated by women. It started over twenty years ago with retired Bureau Chief Nie and continues to this day.”
“I wouldn’t mind a few more female colleagues. Might solve the dating problem.”
Chen Anyou teased, “Wishful thinking. They’re certainly already taken. What makes you think you’d have a shot?”
The driver, apparently used to this, fired back without missing a beat: “Guess I’ll just have to pray you keep getting rejected, brother. First try, full steam ahead; second try, you wane; third try, you’re spent—so just stay single with me for life, brother.”
The two men chattered on and on. Sitting in the back, Nie Fanxin rolled her eyes countless times. She’d always heard Gu Bei say that gossip wasn’t exclusive to women; some loose-tongued men could outdo anyone when it came to talking behind people’s backs. Today, she witnessed it firsthand. She put on her noise-canceling headphones and prepared to rest her eyes when she happened to catch them talking about Wan Yi.
“Forensic Doctor Wan graduated from a top-three university with a master’s degree, spent two years in a lab abroad, and came back last year to work under institute veteran Forensic Examiner Nie. She can now complete autopsies independently and assist the municipal and district bureaus with cases. Brother, to be honest, the gap between you two is pretty big.”
Chen Anyou, who had already successfully added Wan Yi on WeChat through work, sounded confident: “Forensic Doctor Wan has poor health. I can join her for morning runs and help her exercise.”
“Oh? Decided to make your move? I fully support you.”
“The flowers I bought this morning are in the trunk. I’ll find time to deliver them.” Chen Anyou clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture. “Brother, you or I usually handle liaison with the research institute. If you’re assigned to go…”
“No problem, guarantee I’ll deliver them to her personally.” The colleague parked the car and grabbed a pack of sterile gloves before getting out.
Nie Fanxin rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that morning, but still amused, she sent Wan Yi a message with a kissy-face sticker: “Expect flowers.”
No reply came; Wan Yi was clearly busy. Nie Fanxin pocketed her phone and caught up with the group. The local police station had already cordoned off the scene with caution tape. Trace evidence examiners in gloves and masks moved in and out, carefully documenting every detail.
Nie Fanxin stood beside Chen Anyou as an officer, about thirty years old with glasses, gave Chu Wanning a lengthy briefing.
“The deceased is male. At 7:49 a.m., sanitation workers found him lying naked and face-down. Identity currently unknown. Based on liver temperature, time of death is estimated between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. The forensic examiner will need to determine the cause of death before we can be more specific, such as whether he froze to death.”
At a crime scene, trace evidence came first. Chu Wanning cut to the chase: “What about the trace evidence results?”
“It rained around 5 a.m., so there’s very little of use.”
“I understand. Thanks for your hard work. Carry on.” Once the officer was out of earshot, Chu Wanning frowned slightly and considered the situation before suddenly looking up to deploy her team. “Little Liang and Little Chen, you two handle the handover with the local station and identify the deceased as quickly as possible.”
“Captain Chu, I…”
Chu Wanning noticed Chen Anyou’s awkward expression. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Chen Anyou forced a pleasant smile and steeled himself to explain: “No, nothing. It’s just that Brother Liang and I are more familiar with the research institute.”
“Fanxin will follow up with forensics and trace evidence.” Chu Wanning turned to Nie Fanxin with a slight smile. At the same moment, Chen Anyou shot Nie Fanxin a meaningful look.
Damn it, that smile should be illegal. Nie Fanxin forced herself to appear calm and collected as she met Chu Wanning’s amused gaze. A ripple passed through her eyes. She took a deep breath, determined to prioritize work, completely ignored Chen Anyou, and answered softly, “Understood.”
“The rest of you, pull all nearby surveillance footage and check for suspicious vehicles and persons.”
Chen Anyou, feeling put out, challenged Chu Wanning directly: “Captain Chu, aren’t you jumping to murder a bit fast? If it isn’t, everything we do next is a waste of manpower.”
Nie Fanxin had a good memory. She had studied the body briefly as she passed it. She spoke up in rebuttal: “The victim’s face looks well-groomed and his nails are clean and trimmed, which suggests he held a respectable job. The likelihood of death by freezing is low.”
“No signs of coercion injuries, restraint marks, or defensive wounds. Poison, then? His lips don’t…”
Before Chen Anyou could finish, Nie Fanxin heard a cool, clear voice from behind: “Are you the forensic examiner? Or am I?”
