Although technology kept advancing, and the residential community’s surveillance footage had expanded from thirty days of retention to three months, it still did no good.
The incident happened ten months ago. Interviewing witnesses was difficult, gathering evidence was difficult. So when the municipal bureau dispatched elite officers, they didn’t put too much pressure on the branch bureau. But Branch Bureau Chief Zhu Fang, worried about losing face, kept amplifying the pressure and dumped the burden onto the Criminal Investigation Team, which also meant Chu Wanning had to carry it.
The case had to be solved within seven days. It’s easy for those who just stand around talking; it’s the ones running around doing the work who end up with the headaches.
Chu Wanning led them through every corner of the residential community, and eventually went door to door knocking and asking questions. Nie Fanxin no longer deliberately avoided Chu Wanning, but instead actively assisted her in the investigation.
At 8:30 in the evening, after hastily wolfing down bread, they took the elevator to the fourth floor and knocked on the door of the neighbor next to Meng Ziqiao and Liu Xiaorou.
The man who opened the door was cultured and refined: “I’m truly sorry. I got home late from a dinner party and kept you waiting. Please come in.”
“Thank you, but we’ll talk here at the door.” Chu Wanning signaled for Nie Fanxin to take notes.
The man crossed his arms over his chest and began: “We’re not particularly close with Nurse Liu and her husband, but we’re a bit friendlier than ordinary neighbors. Nurse Liu is a great cook, and my wife and I occasionally went over for meals.” He unlocked his phone, flipped through some photos, and said with a smile, “All big feasts. I kind of miss those days.”
In the photos, five people appeared together most frequently. Nie Fanxin looked sharply at the man who always stood to Liu Xiaorou’s right: “Who is this man in the hat?”
“Director Li from 501 upstairs, Nurse Liu’s colleague.”
“Is he single?” Chu Wanning remembered that the roster listed only one name for 501.
“Three years ago, Director Li’s wife died of cancer. He should still be single now.”
Nie Fanxin continued: “What’s Director Li’s relationship with Nurse Liu’s family like?”
The man lowered his voice: “Definitely closer than my relationship with Nurse Liu. They’re colleagues, so there’s an extra layer. As for whether there was anything improper between them, that’s for you police to investigate.”
“What do you mean?” Chu Wanning furrowed her brow almost imperceptibly. She hated making baseless assumptions about other people’s character, but she had to admit that sometimes these speculations were, to a certain extent, connected to clues in a case.
“Last Spring Festival, I often saw Director Li and Nurse Liu returning to the community together at night.”
Nie Fanxin countered: “They’re in the same department. It’s normal for them to be together.”
“One night, I was walking behind them and saw Director Li trying to hold Nurse Liu’s hand. She probably realized someone else was there, so she pulled away.”
Chen Anyou let out a “whoop” and asked him: “That’s an affair, right? You’re not making this up, are you?”
“How could I possibly make this up?”
“Sorry to bother you.” Chu Wanning received the photos from the man and didn’t linger. They filed into the elevator one after another. Chu Wanning swiped through the photos, and her movement paused. Her gaze settled on Liu Xiaorou’s ring finger: “Xiao Chen, have Little Liang look into Director Li and arrange a time to speak with him. Fanxin, at the crime scene, Liu Xiaorou wasn’t wearing a wedding ring on her ring finger, correct?”
“No.” The physical evidence had all been preserved at the time, and Nie Fanxin remembered clearly.
“In January last year, Liu Xiaorou was wearing a wedding ring. In the two photos from March last year, she wasn’t wearing it.”
Chen Anyou leaned against the elevator handrail: “Could she have just forgotten to wear it, or lost it?”
“In the photos the property manager showed us, Liu Xiaorou was always wearing a wedding ring.” Nie Fanxin said as she pulled out her phone. “These are from early 2049 and from 2048.”
“So it’s highly likely their marriage fell apart, and Meng Ziqiao killed his wife and child?” Chen Anyou speculated based on the clue.
At the mention of Meng Ziqiao’s suspected involvement, the scene from that morning in the hospital reception room flashed through Nie Fanxin’s mind. She tapped her fingertip lightly against the stainless steel handrail and said, “I noticed a very strange detail. When you asked about Liu Xiaorou’s physical characteristics, Meng Ziqiao subconsciously pushed up his glasses and straightened up in his seat.”
“I was too busy talking to notice. Does Meng Ziqiao have a lot of nervous tics?”
“Suspicious.” Upon reaching the ground floor, Chu Wanning stepped out of the elevator first, turned her head, and said, “Keep eyes on Meng Ziqiao and Director Li. Meng Ziqiao is highly suspicious, but by reverse reasoning, Director Li is also a suspect.”
Chen Anyou’s phone buzzed. A message came through, and he relayed it: “Captain Chu, Little Liang contacted Director Li. He just got out of surgery and agreed to meet at 9:30 for a talk, but there’s no one at the hospital.”
“Mhm. You and the other colleagues stake out the community and keep an eye on Meng Ziqiao’s every move. Once the search warrant is approved tomorrow, we’ll go in and search the place.” Chu Wanning said as she walked out. “Fanxin and I will go to the hospital.”
Nie Fanxin sat in the passenger seat, feeling the car steadily pick up speed, as if she could sense Chu Wanning’s suppressed emotions. She waited for a red light and for the traffic to stop, then discussed it with her like the longtime partners they were: “Sister Wanning, there’s no surveillance footage. Call records can only go back six months at most. Plus, the scene was too clean.”
Chu Wanning sighed: “I know.”
“Is Chief Zhu putting pressure on you?” After the afternoon meeting ended, Nie Fanxin had personally seen Zhu Fang pull Chu Wanning aside, though she didn’t know what was said.
Chu Wanning smiled bitterly: “How could investigating a case not involve pressure? Even if Chief Zhu weren’t applying it, when facing the victim’s family, pressure naturally accumulates.”
So when Chu Wanning called the deceased’s parents that afternoon, Nie Fanxin had seen her bracing one hand against the wall, her arm trembling slightly.
“Then let’s find out the truth as quickly as possible and give Liu Xiaorou peace.”
The brief 40-second red light passed. The green light came on, and Chu Wanning followed the vehicles ahead, a hint of helplessness in her eyes: “But you’re right. So much time has passed. The initial nervousness the killer had right after the crime has gradually faded, making him better at hiding. And with his strong counter-surveillance skills…”
“No more discouraging talk. Let’s start with Liu Xiaorou’s social connections and investigate them one by one.” Nie Fanxin pulled a small box from her bag, opened the lid, and tipped out a piece of gum. A gentle smile surfaced as she said, “Chew one. It helps dissolve some stress.”
“Okay.” Chu Wanning looked at another red light ahead, slowly braked, and pursed her lips as if she had something to say.
“What is it, Sister Wanning?” Nie Fanxin could roughly guess what she wanted to say, and surprisingly didn’t feel upset, but rather indifferent. “When we sisters talk, what needs to be covered up or held back?”
“You’re right.” Chu Wanning released the brake and turned right into the hospital parking lot. While searching for a parking spot, she raised her voice, “Let’s save it for later. Business first.”
“Sure.” Nie Fanxin instinctively teased her like she did as a child. “But first, smile.”
“Hm?” Chu Wanning began reversing.
“Come on, smile. You look pretty when you smile.”
“Get out.” Chu Wanning unbuckled her seatbelt, her tone carrying a faint trace of laughter.
“That’s better. Be positive about the case, and keep a sunny outlook.” Nie Fanxin pushed the door open and suddenly felt that, after letting go, she was actually much lighter. She wouldn’t fawn over anyone or worry about whether the other person cared about her.
Could it really be as the saying went: “Being single is fun for a while, but staying single forever is forever fun”?
“Hey.” Chu Wanning saw her standing still and called out to her.
“Coming.” Nie Fanxin took long strides, catching up to her in two or three steps, and said in a determined voice, “The two of us, plus detail-obsessed Wan Xiaoyu, there’s no case we can’t crack.”
“Good. No case we can’t crack.” Chu Wanning’s tense face finally broke into a true smile.
The hospital at night was unusually quiet, with only the emergency ward having a few people wandering about. Chu Wanning and Nie Fanxin took the elevator directly to the sixth floor. Director Li stood outside the cardiac surgery department director’s office waiting for them.
Li Yunsheng, 37 years old, a doctoral graduate from the country’s top university, currently serving as Associate Chief Physician of Cardiac Surgery at Binnan University Affiliated Hospital. He came from a research background but hadn’t neglected clinical work, ranking in the top three for annual surgical volume in cardiac surgery. He politely greeted the two: “Two officers, please have a seat inside.”
“Thank you.” There were many details to ask about, so Chu Wanning didn’t decline.
“Would you like some water?” Li Yunsheng entered the room, strolled to the corner, opened the water dispenser’s bottom compartment, and took out two disposable paper cups.
Chu Wanning declined: “No need, thank you.”
Li Yunsheng acted as though he hadn’t heard. He poured half a cup of hot water, then half a cup of cold water, mixing it into warm water, and said, “Women should drink more water. Both of your lips look a bit dry. You should listen to a doctor’s advice.”
…
It seemed impossible to refuse now. The two reached out and accepted the paper cups.
Li Yunsheng sat in his chair. Knowing what they wanted to ask, he said directly: “Out of all the surgical nurses, Nurse Liu was the one who worked best with me. We had a good relationship. The year before last, when Meng Ziqiao bought a car, I lent Nurse Liu 100,000 yuan.”
Nie Fanxin, who was taking notes, looked up: “Was the money repaid?”
“Yes. Nurse Liu repaid it in cash on Lunar New Year’s Eve last year.”
Chu Wanning got straight to the point: “Mhm. Someone saw you getting handsy with Nurse Liu and suspects you had an improper relationship.”
Li Yunsheng immediately furrowed his brow and snapped: “Officer, you can say anything you want, but you can’t just throw around accusations like that. Nurse Liu has passed away. You’re tarnishing her reputation.”
Chu Wanning stared intently at Li Yunsheng’s changing expression: “A passerby was just raising reasonable suspicions. Liu Xiaorou’s cause of death is unknown. Finding her killer is the greatest respect we can show her.”
Nie Fanxin suddenly received a video forwarded by Chen Anyou. She opened it and quietly watched it under the table. The lighting in the footage was dim. A man tried to grab the woman’s arm twice, and both times she pushed him away.
Nie Fanxin typed rapidly, asking Chen Anyou: “Where did this video come from?”
“Late March last year. Meng Ziqiao was following them.”
Nie Fanxin pushed the phone to the center of the table and pressed play.
“This…” Li Yunsheng began to stammer, the corners of his mouth twitching intermittently. “This has nothing to do with Nurse Liu. It’s my personal issue.”
Chu Wanning pressed: “What personal issue?”
Li Yunsheng inhaled and steadied himself slightly: “Officer, this is a private matter. I don’t have to disclose it.”
Chu Wanning knew exactly what to ask and when: “We have reason to suspect that after your advances were rejected, you killed Liu Xiaorou.”
“Officer, I grew up in a poor family and swore to study hard and leave the mountains. In all my years as a doctor, I’ve never violated basic moral principles.”
Li Yunsheng stared unblinkingly into Chu Wanning’s eyes with utmost sincerity, making both of them momentarily believe his words. Chu Wanning snapped out of it, quickly averted her gaze, cleared her throat, and spoke in a gentler tone than before: “The police rely on evidence, not on whatever you say.”
Li Yunsheng clasped his hands tightly, his right thumb constantly rubbing the web of his left hand. His hesitant movements repeated themselves.
Nie Fanxin seized the opportunity: “Dr. Li, if you have something difficult to say, you can choose to trust one of us.”
Li Yunsheng covered his face with his hands, then pressed his palms together: “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s that it sounds ridiculous. As a doctor, I was afraid to seek medical help. Without Nurse Liu’s repeated persuasion back then, I would still be trapped in misery.”
Nie Fanxin took a sip from her paper cup and raised an eyebrow: “Dr. Li, relax. Continue.”
“Haha, they say people never want to deal with police officers and judges in their lives, but from what I see, you two officers are quite lovely.” Li Yunsheng also picked up his thermos and sipped slowly.
“I have delusional disorder. My wife and I fell in love in high school. She didn’t despise me for being poor and stayed with me through the hardest six years. Later, we moved into a new home and thought we could enjoy life, but she was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer and passed away in less than three months. Perhaps lovesickness turned into illness. I often mistook Nurse Liu for her. I called Nurse Liu by my wife’s nickname. I called her ‘wife.’ I unconsciously made some inappropriate actions. Nurse Liu initially thought I was a pervert, but later, because of trust, and through observation, she deduced that I might be ill. When she had time, she would accompany me to see a doctor. Professor Zheng from the psychiatry department at Binnan People’s Hospital can testify.”
Li Yunsheng showed them his WeChat records.
“Nurse Liu was especially kind. I’m very grateful to her. How could I possibly have hurt her?”
Nie Fanxin scrolled through the records, one message after another full of heartfelt kindness…
“Dr. Li, can I tell Ziqiao about your illness? He’s starting to suspect me. February 28th.”
Chu Wanning spotted a key point: “Dr. Li, Meng Ziqiao knew the full situation by the end of February?”
“Yes. I replied ‘of course you can.’ On March 1st, Nurse Liu told Xiao Meng, and Xiao Meng expressed understanding.” Li Yunsheng swiped the screen. “Nurse Liu and her husband had a good relationship. They wouldn’t mind. On the evening of the 6th, the three of us had dinner together. This is the group photo.”
In the photo, Li Yunsheng sat while Meng Ziqiao stood behind him, arms around Liu Xiaorou’s waist. All three smiled genuinely.
Li Yunsheng transferred the photos and chat records to Nie Fanxin, and finally suggested: “It probably couldn’t have been Xiao Meng. You should look into other people.”
