Chapter 48: The Body That Vanished in a Bloody Foam – 14
“But my mom, she…”
“We’ll find her. Don’t worry.” She checked Jinglin’s hands and found no external injuries. “Is the blood your aunt’s?”
“Yes… it’s hers.” Jinglin’s eyes quickly welled up. “She was just lying on the bed, with a knife in her… I wanted to call an ambulance, but I didn’t notice someone behind me…”
“What time was it when you arrived?”
Realizing that Tang Yingli was trying to clarify the details, Jinglin also quickly composed herself. “I called my mom’s phone… at 1:50.”
That was when she had started to actively contact Jinglin. Looking at the clock on the wall, Tang Yingli silently estimated, “It’s almost three now. You found your aunt lying on the bed, and then where did you go?”
The mud on her leather shoes was from when Jinglin had tried to track the killer. That process had taken about twenty minutes, so there was still a gap of nearly thirty minutes.
“I… I was drugged. That person used a handkerchief to cover my mouth and drug me. I don’t know what was on it.” Jinglin frowned in thought. “I was woken up by your call and found myself in a closet.”
“It could have been chloroform or ether.” Both had been used as medical inhalation anesthetics. Depending on the dose, they could knock a person out for ten to thirty minutes. “Things don’t seem to be as we expected. You said you saw a man here?”
“Yes.” Jinglin’s hands tightened, and her shoulders trembled again, this time not with sadness, but with suppressed anger. “He’s my mom’s ex-boyfriend. I remember what he looks like. I’m not mistaken.”
This answer was unexpected for Tang Yingli. “It wasn’t Qian Hanliang?”
“Definitely not.” Jinglin shook her head decisively, veins bulging on her forehead. “That man killed my mom… it must have been him who killed my mom.”
“Calm down… relax.” Tang Yingli gently enveloped her hands. “So he’s the one who caused your psychological trauma. I see. Don’t be angry at someone like that. He’s not worth it.”
Her words were like the most effective tranquilizer. Jinglin closed her eyes, her hands clenching and unclenching, and managed to suppress her anger.
“No matter who the real killer is, we will find out.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fang Zijun beckoning to her. “I’m going to collect some evidence. Can you stay here by yourself for a while?”
Jinglin trembled and wiped away her tears. “Yes… I can.”
She gently ruffled Jinglin’s hair and stood up with a smile.
“I’ll be back soon.”
**
The evidence collection came to an end. The police not only sealed the crime scene but also officially issued a warrant for Qian Hanliang’s arrest.
“Take all the collected evidence back, especially the blood samples.”
“Chief.” Lu Tingfeng ran over with his phone. “The nearby precinct police found a suspicious-looking guy who was cross-dressing. He’s already been taken to a nearby police station.”
“Oh?” Fang Zijun exclaimed excitedly. “It seems we’ve found our prime suspect. Everyone else, go back to the office and wait for orders. We’ll go to the police station to confirm if it’s Qian Hanliang himself.”
The service vehicles left one by one, leaving only her car and Tang Yingli, who had been by her side the whole time, in the large front yard.
“Do you have the key to the main gate?”
“Yes, my mom gave it to me.” Looking at the large, single-story house, Jinglin couldn’t hide her grief. “If I had insisted on coming back with her to pack, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Closing the outer gate, Tang Yingli shook her head slightly. “No, no one would have thought the killer could find this place.” Jinglin’s hands were already clean. She took her hand. “I can understand the feeling of losing a mother… sadness and self-blame are inevitable.”
“She’s the only family I have.” Jinglin lowered her head and choked out, “I don’t even know my father’s name… she never mentioned it.”
“Maybe it was for a special reason.” Tang Yingli guessed with a smile. “But that also means your father might still be living somewhere, right? At least, you can still hold on to that hope.”
The Tang Yingli before her, her smile was almost sad. “Teacher?”
The smile was fleeting. She pushed up her glasses. “It’s late. We should go back too. Give me the keys.”
“I can drive…”
“If I let you drive in your current state, I’d be a fool.” She rarely put on a stern face. “I’ll drive. Give me the keys.”
Jinglin pouted, but in the end, she obediently handed over the keys.
As soon as she got in the car, Tang Yingli took off her high heels and adjusted her seat. “Phew.” She shrugged and gently held the steering wheel.
Jinglin stared at her tense profile. “Are you nervous?”
“No, I’m just… it’s been a while since I’ve driven. I can do it.”
Jinglin buckled her seatbelt, and she lowered her head, letting out a long, thoughtful hum. “Um…”
“What?”
She gave an awkward smile. “The gas pedal is… on the left or the right?”
Jinglin immediately unbuckled her seatbelt.
“I’ll drive.”
**
It took them a full two and a half hours to finally, “smoothly,” return to Taipei.
After finally parking, Tang Yingli closed the car door with a proud expression. “See, I told you it was no problem.”
“What do you mean, no problem? You were so shaky you didn’t even dare to go on the highway, and you still have the nerve to say that…” Jinglin stretched and opened her eyes, only to find that this wasn’t her place. “Where is this…”
“My basement. Good thing I rented a parking space.” Tang Yingli cheerfully walked to the elevator. “Come on up. You’re staying with me for a while.”
Huh? “S-Staying with you?”
She looked at her as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Yes.”
“Wait… when was this decided?”
“I decided when I was driving back.” Pressing the elevator button, she turned. “During this time, it was always your aunt and you at home, right?”
Jinglin was at a loss. “Yes…”
“Although you’re all smiles now, as soon as you’re quiet, you’ll quickly fall into a negative mood. And you’re so responsible, you’ll keep thinking about why you let your aunt go back to pack alone, and you ran into the person you least wanted to see. Facing your psychological shadow again, and being as helpless as you were in your childhood, must be very frustrating for you, right?” Making her prediction, Tang Yingli pushed up her glasses. “As far as I know, that’s the kind of person Zhou Jinglin is.”
Jinglin wanted to object, but she had to admit… Tang Yingli had her completely figured out. “So you’re… taking me in?”
“Wrong. I’m taking you into custody.” The elevator doors opened, and she walked in and turned gracefully. “Until your emotions have recovered to the point where you can be independent again, I will not leave you alone.”
Hearing those words, Jinglin suddenly felt a hot sensation in the corners of her eyes. She covered her mouth and followed her into the elevator.
“You’re so moved by being taken into custody?”
“No.” Jinglin turned her head to secretly wipe the corners of her eyes and couldn’t help but tease, “I was just thinking… are you this nice to all your work partners?”
“What work partners?”
“You said it. We…” She looked up, and Tang Yingli shrugged, pretending not to care.
“Aren’t we already friends?”
Jinglin’s heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of being moved and joyful welled up inside her.
The distance between the two of them was once again shortened by Tang Yingli’s declaration.
Visiting Tang Yingli’s little nest again, compared to the first time, not only was there a more human touch, but there was also…
A golden hamster.
“Antisocial Personality, Mommy’s finally home. Have you been a good girl?” Tang Yingli teased it through the cage and pointed at Jinglin. “Look who’s here.”
“You really call her Antisocial Personality.”
“That’s her name.” She casually added some food, and the golden hamster quickly picked up the grains and stuffed them into its mouth.
Jinglin leaned in to look at her. “She eats so fast.”
“No, she puts the food in her cheek pouches and eats it slowly.” Taking off her coat, the hollow lace revealed her snow-white skin. “By the way, I sometimes let her run around. You’re not afraid of hamsters, are you?”
“No, I’m not.”
“That’s good. Now that her needs are taken care of, it’s our turn.”
Dinner was microwave pasta. Jinglin had no appetite, but she didn’t want to worry Tang Yingli, so she ate with her.
“Is it okay?”
“I rarely eat this, but it’s surprisingly good.”
“So you’re not a picky eater.” Tang Yingli quickly cleared the dishes and came out of the kitchen with two glasses of red wine. “Want some?”
With something in her stomach, Jinglin sank into the sofa to rest. “No, thanks. I don’t drink.”
She raised an eyebrow but still placed the wine on the table.
The two of them sat on opposite ends of the sofa, not talking, but the silence was comfortable.
“Teacher.”
“Hm?”
“Are you always this… quiet at home?” The TV cabinet was empty, and the wall-mounted speakers were not playing any music.
“Sometimes I listen to music, but I don’t want to turn it on now.” She tilted her head back slightly to sip her wine, and the curve of her neck and collarbone was so beautiful it was hard to blink.
“By the way,” wiping the wine from the corner of her mouth with her finger, Tang Yingli looked at her, “you don’t drink because of that man, do you?”
Jinglin paused. “How did you know…”
“Because he was always violent toward you after he got drunk, so you subconsciously thought, ‘If I drink too, won’t I be no different from him?’ I can understand that mentality.” Tang Yingli’s smile was one of “I knew it.”
“But alcohol doesn’t always make people lose their reason. Drinking in moderation can help you relax. Your brain doesn’t need to be so clear right now. A little anesthesia will make you feel more comfortable.”
Staring at the red wine, Jinglin was torn. After a while, she heard Tang Yingli say, “What a shame… then I’ll drink it.”
Jinglin intercepted her before she could reach for it. “Wait, I’ll drink it.” She picked up the wine glass, not noticing Tang Yingli’s almost triumphant smile.
The rim of the glass touched her lips, and her tongue felt a strange sourness. Then she tilted her head back and downed the half-glass of red wine in one go.
“Oh, that’s a bit of a waste… but oh well.”
Jinglin let out a breath, feeling a warmth in her chest and abdomen, and a complex taste of wine and fruit acid in her mouth.
Although it was her first time drinking, she was surprisingly not averse to it. “So this is…” the taste of red wine?
“Yes, that’s the taste. Not bad, right?”
The baby face in front of her suddenly became a little blurry. She rubbed her eyes. “My face…” is a little hot.
Tang Yingli suddenly moved closer and touched her cheek. “Are you drunk?”
Her cool fingers felt very comfortable to Jinglin, but the heat still spread through her body, and her breathing became heavy. At the same time, her head felt a little light.
Tang Yingli helped her lie down and left for a moment before returning. “Just rest on this. You lie down for a bit. I’ll go prepare the bath, and then you can take a shower.”
The cool sensation on her forehead made her let out a comfortable sigh. It was a cold towel. “But… I don’t have any clothes…”
“I’ll lend you some. We’re about the same size anyway.” Tang Yingli chuckled and whispered in her ear, “Just lie down and don’t think about anything.”
Those words seemed to have a magical power. Jinglin stretched, feeling a coat on her… smelling Tang Yingli’s scent, she quickly fell asleep.
