Chapter 40: The Body That Vanished in a Bloody Foam – 6
The classic jazz music flowing from the speakers outside the shop was intoxicating.
Arriving at a high-end Japanese restaurant, Li Yuejiao adjusted her scarf and stepped inside.
She was always on time for her appointments, but the person who had invited her had arrived even earlier. “Ah, Sister Lisa, over here, over here.”
She smiled and walked straight toward the waving woman.
During dinner time, the high-end restaurant was filled with only the sound of the chefs cooking and the low murmur of conversation.
Sprinkled with bonito flakes and served with freshly grated wasabi, “Your okonomiyaki is ready.”
“…I was so shocked when I saw her.”
Xu Shanni pouted and downed her sake. “I was thinking, when did Sister Lisa become a detective? What kind of second career is that?”
She covered her mouth with a smile. “For people in our line of work, it’s already good enough to be able to live a stable life after retiring. A detective?”
“That’s what I’m saying… so she’s really your daughter?”
Li Yuejiao’s brow furrowed. “Yes. The resemblance is undeniable.”
“Holy…” Xu Shanni couldn’t help but blurt out. “We all knew you had a precious daughter… but we never thought she would be a police officer… that’s so explosive! If the news got out, the people in our circle would go crazy.”
“Probably.” The sake touched her lips, and she smoothly changed the subject. “It’s been almost five years since we’ve seen each other. How’s business?”
“It’s okay.” Xu Shanni chewed on her okonomiyaki and counted silently. “Five years, I’ve been out for that long? I haven’t made much of a name for myself.”
“You’re doing well. I’ve seen a lot of people go out on their own after you… they didn’t last long.”
“They didn’t learn your business skills, Sister.” Xu Shanni said with a hint of pride, and Li Yuejiao just smiled faintly. “Speaking of which, you were willing to give up such a cash cow…”
“I’ve earned enough. To be honest, I don’t miss those days of extravagance.”
“That’s because you can let go. By the way, let’s order something to eat. It’s my treat today.”
It was an offer she couldn’t refuse. Li Yuejiao nodded.
Opening the menu, Xu Shanni was all hospitality. “How about some sushi? By the way, the sushi chef here is quite familiar with us. He just came from Sakurada a month ago.”
“Sakurada?” Another high-end Japanese restaurant?
“That Chef Qian, you remember him, right?” Xu Shanni waved her hand at the waiter. “A deluxe sushi platter.”
As soon as she ordered, the sushi chef, as if he knew a big customer had arrived, immediately came out.
Li Yuejiao recognized the man at a glance. “Sister Lisa, it’s really you.” He was the first to speak, rushing to her side. If the counter hadn’t been so high, he might have actually jumped over it.
“Chef Qian, long time no see.” Resting her chin on her hands, she smiled. “You were doing so well at Sakurada. Why the change of scenery?”
The sushi chef looked troubled. “Ah, it’s a long story…”
Xu Shanni secretly smiled and tapped the table like a demanding customer. “Hey, we’re here to eat. Don’t just stand there and chat. Get to work.”
“Ah, yes, you’re right, Boss Xu.”
The meal was indeed very pleasant. The two of them kept encouraging her to drink, and one bottle of sake after another was opened. Even Li Yuejiao, who had an excellent tolerance for alcohol, was a little drunk.
“…Really? I told you it would be fine… yes, remember to be on time for work.” Xu Shanni hung up the phone with a smile.
“One of the hostesses at the club?”
“Yes. It’s funny, your…” Realizing she was about to embarrass Li Yuejiao, she quickly composed herself. “No, it’s nothing.”
“Why did you stop halfway?”
“No reason. It’s not funny, it’s not funny.”
“The sushi is packed.” The sushi chef called out. “Oh, as expected of Sister Lisa, you’re still so bold and beautiful when you drink. Another glass.”
“No, thank you. I’ve had enough.” She declined with a smile. “I had a wonderful time. Thank you for today.”
“Me too. Thanks to Boss Xu.” The sushi chef raised an eyebrow at Xu Shanni and deliberately held Li Yuejiao’s hand when he handed her the food box. “By the way, if you don’t mind, Sister Lisa, would you be willing to have a meal with me sometime…”
“Hey, Sister has retired, and she never goes out. You wish.” She swatted away the sushi chef’s wandering hand and smiled at Li Yuejiao. “Right?”
“It’s because I’ve never been able to ask you out that I’m asking now. Even when I went to the club before, I didn’t always get to see Sister Lisa…”
“No wonder your eyes have been drifting over here. Tell me, how long have you been lusting after Sister Lisa?”
“Any man who has ever set foot in Givenchy has been captivated by Sister Lisa…”
Watching them go back and forth, Li Yuejiao was amused and laughed. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her side. She frowned and pressed a hand to her wound. “Ouch…”
Xu Shanni’s sharp eyes caught it, and she reached out to support her. “Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Are you okay, Sister Lisa?”
“I had surgery before… the wound is still a little uncomfortable.” Li Yuejiao forced a smile. “Don’t worry, it was just a minor surgery.”
“Does it hurt a lot? Let’s go. Where do you live, Sister? I’ll take you.”
“Just call me a cab.” She looked at the equally worried sushi chef and managed a smile. “Thank you, Chef Qian. Your skills are as good as ever.”
Li Yuejiao was supported by Xu Shanni as she walked to the door. Another tall young man walked in quickly and bumped into her as he passed.
“Hey, you kid, don’t you know how to apologize when you bump into someone?”
He turned, and Xu Shanni was about to continue scolding him when she was taken aback by the makeup on his right eye. His gaze lingered on her and Li Yuejiao’s faces for a moment, then he turned and walked to the counter.
“Pretending not to see us. This is lawless…”
“Alright, alright, I’m fine. Don’t bother with him.”
Xu Shanni muttered to herself, and finally managed to calm down. “What’s with that? A guy with makeup on his eyes like that…”
The young man was no more than thirty, handsome, but with a feather-like makeup design on his right eyelid and eyebrow that was unforgettable.
“Young people just like to be different.” Li Yuejiao smiled, a strange feeling of familiarity…
Arriving at the roadside, the taxi Xu Shanni had called had already arrived. “Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you? The shop doesn’t open until three in the afternoon. I still have time.”
“No need. I have to go somewhere else. You go ahead.”
“Okay, then I’ll be in touch. I’ll get more people to have dinner with you next time, Sister.”
Waving goodbye, Li Yuejiao got into the taxi and immediately said, “Just drive.” After they were a short distance from the izakaya, she curled up, as if in great pain.
“Uh, are you okay, miss?”
“I’m… fine.” Li Yuejiao gripped the handle and managed to lift her head. “To… the municipal hospital, please.”
**
Returning to the station, Zhou Jinglin saw Tang Yingli sitting in her seat from a distance, as if waiting for her to walk into a trap.
A wave of embarrassment washed over her, and she approached Tang Yingli with a hint of anger. “You already knew?”
Tang Yingli’s voice was as flat as ever. “What do you mean?”
“That my deduction was wrong.” She raised her voice and slammed her hand on the desk.
“I never said your deduction was wrong. It was logical and reasonable.”
“But they’re not the killers.”
On the way back, Chen Huomu had already explained to her. He had interrogated Feng Peizhen’s boyfriend, and the gas station where he worked had confirmed that he had been urgently called back to work, which matched Feng Peizhen’s testimony.
From a timing perspective, it was only eight minutes from when he received the call at 5:25 to when he left the motel. It was impossible to commit a crime in such a short amount of time.
And according to the autopsy report, Feng Peizhen’s self-defense knife was too short and did not match Cui Jiajia’s wound. There were contradictions in both the time of the crime and the weapon. Even with a motive, all of this still showed that they were not the killers.
Tang Yingli stood up and gave her back her seat.
“I’m waiting for you to explain.”
“Sit down first.” Seeing that Jinglin didn’t move, Tang Yingli gently but firmly pushed her back into her seat. “Sit down. Officer Cai and I have just re-analyzed these two videos and, combining all the clues we have so far, have compiled a profile of the culprit.”
“Did the footage capture the suspect?”
“It did,” she said with certainty, borrowing Cai Yuwei’s seat. “First, open the file of the six guests who checked in first that you organized.”
Jinglin did as she was told. Four couples, two single female guests.
“Your starting point was correct. Screening by build, gender, and so on, plus the motive and movements, this couple was the most suspicious…”
“Don’t repeat it.” Jinglin covered her face in embarrassment.
“The only problem—you were too biased.” Tang Yingli completely dismissed the screenshot of Feng Peizhen and her boyfriend. “Compared to Officer Cai, who watched it over and over all night and still didn’t dare to jump to a conclusion, because you knew the two of them didn’t get along, you were convinced she did it.”
A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Jinglin slowly and stiffly turned, meeting that always-calm baby face.
“You didn’t make a mistake.” She pushed up her glasses. “If it were me, I might have made the same deduction… it’s just that you bet on the option that seemed most likely and didn’t win. That’s all.”
The pinky ring on her left hand still shone, and the key seemed to be the perfect answer to “unlocking” her low spirits.
“Solving a case is not a one-person job. As you said, since we’re human, we can’t always be right.” She smiled. “Isn’t that why we’re all gathered here?”
“Are you…” Staring at her, Jinglin managed to say, “comforting me?”
“Ah.” She looked away slightly and pointed at the screen. “Let’s not talk about this. There are still five groups left, right?”
For some reason, in the instant Tang Yingli looked away, there was a strange sense of cuteness.
The corners of her lips lifted, and she refocused on the case. “Yes. I’ve checked them all. Their check-out times are all after the time of death.”
“So they all could have committed the crime, but…” Tang Yingli decisively clicked the left mouse button. “We have to rule out these three groups first.”
Jinglin’s eyes widened.
“I believe you did the same. These three couples came and went together, and their clothes and behavior were no different from when they checked in. The possibility of them having committed the crime is not high.”
That left two female guests.
“One of them is the real killer. Let’s look at the girl who looks like a scout first. She might have a folding knife for hiking, and enough space to change her clothes or take the dirty ones with her, but…”
“It’s not her.”
“Oh?” Tang Yingli smiled with interest. “Why?”
“She’s not tall enough.” Jinglin pointed to the footage of her passing the counter. “She’s not even 160 centimeters tall. She couldn’t have caused the wound on the victim.”
If the knife were held at the height of the attack, given her height, she wouldn’t have been able to cut down from the diaphragm in one go, and it would have also caused the angle of the stab to be skewed.
“It seems you’ve calmed down.” She chuckled and closed the girl scout’s footage. “So, the female guest who checked in at 3:26 in the afternoon is the most suspicious.”
