POTL Chapter 14

“We can’t rule out the possibility that the button was from Yao Ying’s own clothes,” Shu Xia explained to Yu Shi.

Yu Shi crossed her arms. “What about the house then? Fang Shuli claimed he didn’t disguise himself as Yao Ying to tell the landlord she was emigrating. Besides, didn’t your test show that the hair on the bookmark didn’t match Fang Shuli?”

She had come alone. Li Yu had been dispatched to investigate what Fang Shuli claimed was the primary crime scene.

Shu Xia stirred her coffee clockwise, wondering why Yu Shi always rushed over in person when a quick phone call would suffice. “I only tested that hair just in case, fearing Fang Shuli wouldn’t admit to his affair with Yao Ying. I didn’t hold high hopes to begin with. The owner of that hair is probably just Yao Ying’s partner from her university days. It’s irrelevant.”

“I think it’s very suspicious. Someone is helping Fang Shuli cover his tracks.”

If the landlord had gone too long without reaching Yao Ying, they might have called the police. Once Yao Ying’s disappearance came to light, all of Fang Shuli’s painstaking efforts would be completely ruined.

In a split second, she and Shu Xia exchanged a knowing glance, saying in unison: “Wang Qin.”

Yu Shi took the remaining team members, Mie Mie and Da Gezi, and headed to the hospital once more. However, the hospital staff informed them that Wang Qin had taken leave and gone home. Without delay, they rushed to the Fang family mansion. The housemaid opened the door, invited them in, and mentioned that Wang Qin had left to pick up her daughter from school and would return shortly.

Yu Shi sat in the living room waiting with Da Gezi and Mie Mie. Wandering around, she looked at the numerous framed photos on the shelves. They were all family portraits. She picked up one frame showing Fang Shuli, Wang Qin, and their daughter at what appeared to be a kindergarten graduation. Fang Shuli and Wang Qin squatted on either side of their daughter, with Wang Qin’s hands resting on her daughter’s shoulders for the picture.

A date stamp was printed in the lower right corner, though half of it was obscured by the frame. Judging by the visible top portion of the numbers, she worked out that the photo was taken three years ago, the day right after Fang Shuli murdered Yao Ying. Looking closer at Wang Qin’s hands, she noticed that every finger on her left hand was wrapped in adhesive bandages.

She remembered that Wang Qin was left-handed.

Calling over the housemaid, Yu Shi asked, “What exactly did Wang Qin say to you before she left just now?”

“She just said she was going to pick up her daughter, and if anyone came looking for her, to ask them to wait a bit because she’d be back soon,” the maid replied truthfully.

“Da Gezi, quick, get the tech team to track Wang Qin’s phone location.” If Yu Shi’s hunch was right, Wang Qin was planning to flee with her daughter.

She then noticed the clothes the maid was wearing. The buttons on the garment were identical to the one found beside Yao Ying’s remains. She asked the maid again, “Is this clothing yours?”

“No, the mistress gave it to me,” the maid answered honestly.

Apologizing to the maid beforehand, Yu Shi began inspecting the garment up and down. There were buttons on the cuffs of both sleeves, matching on both sides, likely using the spare button that came with the garment. Crucially, she noticed a discrepancy in the stitching. The sewing technique on either side was different. If sent for forensic analysis, even the thread fibers would likely prove to be distinct.

Yu Shi asked the maid to take off the clothing to be used as evidence. Right then, the tech team sent back a response, reporting that Wang Qin’s phone signal showed she was heading toward the airport.

The team quickly notified airport security to intercept her and rushed to the airport themselves. Not wanting to speak too bluntly in front of the child, they tactfully escorted Wang Qin to the police station and left Mie Mie behind in the office to look after the little girl.

This was their second interrogation of the day, except the suspect had been replaced with Wang Qin.

Yu Shi placed a book on the table in front of Wang Yun. It was 《 Eagerly Awaiting》. She said, “November 5th is your birthday.”

“That’s right.” Wang Qin picked up the book and opened it. The bookmark was still there, tucked right at page 115. “I killed her.”

Wang Qin and Yao Ying had met in college as senior and junior students. Wang Qin had served as a student assistant to a professor, often accompanying him to lower-level classes. Whenever Yao Ying had questions about her studies, she would frequently seek guidance from the professor. Over time, the two naturally grew close.

It was Yao Ying who fell for Wang Qin first. Perhaps out of a sort of duckling syndrome toward the senior student’s enthusiastic support, after flirting with her a few times, she successfully persuaded Wang Qin to date her.

And so, they began dating in secret. Thrills, excitement, anxiety. It was a tangle of conflicting emotions swirling inside Wang Qin. Truth be told, she hadn’t quite figured out her own sexual orientation yet, but whenever she was with Yao Ying, she felt she truly liked her, even if accompanied by a subtle, indescribable feeling.

She loved how it felt to be with Yao Ying, but she didn’t know whether that alone could be called love…

She didn’t resist any of Yao Ying’s actions or gestures toward her, whether they crossed the line or not. Sometimes, she even enjoyed them. Perhaps she really was in love with Yao Ying.

As long as it wasn’t in front of anyone else.

Wang Qin was deeply fond of a book titled 《 Eagerly Awaiting》. It wasn’t the content she loved, but the title itself. Yao Ying understood her and got her. Wang Qin had initially believed that Yao Ying was the very thing she had spent all those years eagerly awaiting.

Together, they built a dream realm filled with beautiful fantasies. A world where they could snuggle together, holding each other close until old age and death. They adorned the path called the future with every wonderful thing imaginable. But reality was like a rose. You hold it in your hand because you see its beauty, but the thorns on its stem will always leave your hands dripping blood. Once a tiny hole pierced the thin paper window that shielded them from reality and insulated them from the outside world, their dream began to fall apart.

Yao Ying’s parents were involved in a car crash. Wang Qin watched Yao Ying scramble everywhere to raise money, only to fail in saving them. Staring at the consent form in the doctor’s hand, Wang Qin realized that if they stayed together, they would become the very people with the least legal standing in each other’s lives.

If either of them ever needed someone to sign a consent form in the future, neither would have any legal authority to vouch for the other’s life, nor the standing to save them. So before graduation, Wang Qin initiated the breakup.

They had been together for less than two years, a mere blink of an eye in the span of a long life.

Wang Qin said, “What I loved was merely the fantasy you brought me. But life is cold reality, and that reality tells me I have no future with you.”

That’s right. She couldn’t entrust herself to someone who couldn’t even sign a consent form. She knew all too well how pragmatic the world was, and how all things beautiful were as fragile as glassware in the face of reality, unable to withstand a single blow.

Then she graduated and went to work at Yuyang Hospital. She hid that past beauty in a safe corner, letting it gather dust so it would no longer shine so brightly.

At the hospital, she met Fang Shuli, a man who could guarantee her future. She knew she didn’t actually love him, but because he was wealthy and status would follow as expected, she gave herself to him.

Yet Yao Ying’s reappearance was a constant reminder that her safe corner was no longer safe. Yao Ying was trying to wipe away that dust, trying to bring the buried past back to the surface. Time after time, feeling Yao Ying’s eyes on her, Wang Qin felt like prey targeted by a venomous snake. Even after getting married and having a child, that viper remained, waiting to strike.

Little did she realize that in her attempt at self-defense, she had already smashed that past beauty to pieces, completely shattering it. Rumors began spreading through the hospital, and the viper slithered into every crack, destroying the future she had carefully constructed.

One night, after she fell asleep, Fang Shuli quietly slipped out of the house. Though he had assured her that the rumors between him and Yao Ying were untrue, if that were true, why sneak out after she was asleep?

So she tailed Fang Shuli, only to watch him frantically smash a brick against Yao Ying’s head again and again. She felt as though she could hear the skull fracturing, as the shattered shards of their beautiful past ground into dust.

Once Fang Shuli left, she stepped forward to look. Blood covered the ground. Dazed, she didn’t even know why she was standing there staring at a corpse.

“Wang… Qin…”

Pulled from her stupor, she heard the figure on the ground call her name in a faint whisper. Her gaze held no malice whatsoever. In fact, it was just as it had been back then. Instinctively, Wang Qin grabbed the blood-stained brick and slammed it down with all her might, snuffing out the last spark of hope. Blow after blow, she killed the person she had once loved. From start to finish, Yao Ying’s hand never let go of her sleeve, as if holding onto her would keep her from leaving.

Fang Shuli returned. She hurriedly threw down the brick and hid in the darkness, watching as Fang Shuli dragged the already dead Yao Ying and stuffed her into the trunk. The taillights receded in her blurred vision, her hands aching as if thorns had driven into her flesh.

But it didn’t matter. Wrapping them in adhesive tape would make it better.

“Have you ever considered that maybe she just wanted to look at you?” Yu Shi asked.

From Wang Qin’s confession, she could sense that Wang Qin was forcibly projecting all of her own malice and suspicion onto Yao Ying.

Wang Qin said adamantly, “No. She did it to get revenge on me for leaving her. She wanted to take the opportunity to ruin my marriage and destroy my life.”

“That’s just your own delusion.” Li Yu pointed at the book and said, “If all she wanted was revenge, why would she keep this book? Why would she keep the bookmark containing hair from both of you?”

“If it wasn’t revenge, she shouldn’t have come to meddle in my life! I worked so hard to arrange my life just right. As long as I kept walking that path perfectly, I would have everything I wanted. But now, because of her, everything is a mess!”

Wang Qin stared at the book she had once loved so much, then tore out page 115 and ripped it to shreds.

Everything was a mistake, whether in the past or now. Their true mistake was that they should never have met in the first place.

Yu Shi looked at her obstinate expression and said, “I don’t want to explain anything more to you. You’ll have plenty of time in the future to ponder what Yao Ying was really thinking.”

She didn’t bother pointing out that Wang Qin could have easily fabricated a lie to cover up her past crime, yet chose to confess to murder when the police had no direct evidence against her.

Perhaps in Wang Qin’s mind, Fang Shuli was merely an excuse to rationalize all her actions. Because she loved money, because she needed the law to guarantee her life, and because Fang Shuli could give her the perfect life she wanted, he was simply the best choice.

When constructing her future, she had put herself in it. And yet, she had left herself out entirely.

Later, after Shu Xia tested Wang Qin’s DNA, she confirmed that the other strand of hair in the bookmark did indeed belong to Wang Qin. Furthermore, the piece of clothing Wang Qin had given to the maid was the exact one she wore on the night of the crime. The sleeve button had been torn off by Yao Ying, and Wang Qin had later sewn on a replacement. Although it looked identical on the outside, both the thread and the stitching technique were different.

Much later, Yu Shi happened to discuss the case with Xiang Ling. Xiang Ling remarked, “Only by doing everything in her power to rationalize her actions could she keep from wavering on her past choices. As long as she selfishly believed Yao Ying reappeared out of revenge, her conscience wouldn’t be plagued by guilt over choosing to leave back then.”

Yet the perfect life path Wang Qin had laid out became completely devastated the moment Fang Shuli struck with that brick. Left empty-handed, throwing herself straight off a cliff felt far more cathartic than trying to keep walking it.

Xiang Ling added that if the path before her were littered with broken glass, she would keep walking even until her feet were crippled, crawling to the finish line if she had to. The blood spilled along the way could not be shed in vain. Even if it meant death, she would drag her enemies into the grave with her.

Two days after the Yao Ying case concluded, her remains were sent to the funeral home for cremation. Yu Shi’s team and Xiang Ling all went to bid her farewell. When the cremator finally emerged holding the small urn, a heavy sense of desolation washed over them. A person who had once been whole and alive was now reduced to fitting inside a tiny urn.

“Is this your first time attending a cremation?” the cremator asked, holding the ashes with a look of confusion on his face.

The group exchanged glances before slowly nodding, all except Da Gezi, who shook his head. He had once watched his brothers-in-arms pushed into that same small chamber, turned to ash, and placed inside a tiny jar forever.

“I could tell right away. This kind of thing is routine for us. If you knew what we do to the bones back there, you probably wouldn’t ever want to be cremated yourselves.”

Yu Shi remembered that the man before them was named Jin Wanzang, the most senior cremator at the funeral home.

Xiang Ling asked, “Why don’t you tell me then, what exactly do you do to the bones back there?”

“You think bones are that easy to burn? After cremation, the thicker ones, like the femur or skull, are usually still intact. We just smash them up with a hammer into fragments so they can fit inside here, and even then, they don’t always all fit.” Jin Wanzang walked off holding the urn, on his way to store it.

Hearing that her bones would still get hammered after death, Yu Shi felt her own skull throb.

“So do you just keep unclaimed ashes like these forever?”

Xiang Ling hadn’t known about any of this. She had asked Yu Shi once, but Yu Shi had only said they would be turned over to the funeral home, without elaborating on what that actually entailed.

Jin Wanzang walked toward the back of the funeral home, talking as he went. “Keep them forever? Not a chance. We only hold them for three months. If no one claims them after three months, we scatter them into the sea. It’s called an eco-burial. Environmentally friendly.”

In other words, Yao Ying’s ashes would be scattered into the sea in three months, since she had no family or next of kin left to claim them.

Jin Wanzang unlocked the storage vault. Looking inside, row upon row of shelves were packed tight with urns. It resembled a wine cellar, except it held ashes instead.

Jin Wanzang stuck a piece of red paper bearing today’s date onto the urn, found an open spot, and set it down. Pointing at one of the shelves, he said, “Look here. All twenty people on this shelf reach their three-month limit tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Yu Shi immediately recalled a case from three months ago. “Are they the victims from the pharmaceutical factory fire?”

“That’s them. Families claimed a dozen or so of them, and these are all that remain.” With a heavy sigh, Jin Wanzang closed the door and led the two away.

Xiang Ling was generally familiar with that case as well. At the time, the high death toll had sparked fierce online uproar. It had begun when outdated wiring at a Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals factory caused a short circuit, igniting a blaze. Over thirty night-shift workers were unable to escape in time and were burned alive inside. Following the tragedy, the president of Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals bowed to public pressure, held a press conference to apologize, and pledged compensation to the victims’ families, which gradually quieted the outcry.

“Word has it that most of the employees at the Xiangyang factory were hired straight from orphanages, both men and women. Kids who weren’t adopted could apply to work at the factory once they came of age and support themselves.” Yu Shi had only heard this from her colleagues as well.

“So Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals is actually a company with a conscience?” Xiang Ling unlocked the car and slid into the driver’s seat.

Yu Shi opened the passenger door and got in. The others had already headed back to the station ahead of her. “However, with other competitive companies rising in recent years, Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals has become a fading giant in the industry. On top of that, the heavy casualties from the factory accident are rapidly draining what little life the company has left.”

Right on cue, news about Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals came over the radio: “Today, Ye Zidong, CEO of Nanshan Biotech, held a press conference announcing the successful acquisition of Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals. Moving forward, Xiangyang Pharmaceuticals will operate as a subsidiary of Nanshan Biotech, continuing its pharmaceutical research, development, and production. Previously, an accident at the factory resulted in thirty-four employees perishing in a fire…”

“It’s a brutal world,” Yu Shi remarked, switching off the radio with a sigh.

“If that’s true for animals, it’s even more so for humans.”

There is a food chain in this world. If you don’t want to be eaten, your only option is to claw your way up. Only when you become strong do you earn the right to stand at the top. And if you don’t want to fall, you have to learn to devour others.

“By the way, are you free next week?” Yu Shi asked out of the blue.

Across the street, a car ran a red light, cutting dangerously close in front of them. Xiang Ling slammed on the brakes, then calmly pressed the accelerator to keep driving. Yu Shi was a bit surprised. Anyone else would have blared their horn and hurled a few curses, but Xiang Ling’s disposition had become far milder than it was years ago.

She actually found herself missing the old, ill-tempered Xiang Ling.

As if nothing had happened, like a brief lapse of thought during casual chatter, it took Xiang Ling a long moment to realize Yu Shi had asked her a question before finally answering, “I’m a freelance journalist. I’m free anytime.”

Yu Shi knew that. She had just asked for the sake of asking. “So, do you want to go on vacation with me?” She always felt that Xiang Ling had been on edge ever since that night. Although it wasn’t visible on the surface, she could sense it.

She couldn’t say how she knew. She just felt the other woman was different from usual.

“Do you police officers have that much free time?” Rather than answering directly, Xiang Ling asked in return. She didn’t see why she should go on vacation with her.

“In all my years as a cop, except when forced to take leave, I’ve never taken a break on my own initiative. Going alone sounds pretty dull, so I thought I’d ask.”

Seeing that Xiang Ling still didn’t react after she finished speaking, Yu Shi added, “We’re going to South Island! There’s sunshine… sandy beaches…”

Hearing “South Island”, Xiang Ling’s mind whirred. She happened to have business over there anyway and needed to find time to go. Joining Yu Shi would even be like bringing along a bodyguard, so she said, “Sure.”

“Awesome! You can definitely pack a swimsuit. Even though it’s a bit cold this time of year, South Island is still in a bright, sunny summer…”

Xiang Ling let Yu Shi chatter on while she pondered where at home she had put the files regarding the South Island case. She would need to dig them out when she got back.

A week later, when Xiang Ling drove to Yu Shi’s place to meet up, she discovered that the situation was nothing like “going alone would be dull”. Xiao Lang, Da Gezi, and Mie Mie were all there, along with Forensic Examiner Shu Xia, whom she had met before, and another unfamiliar woman.

“Jiu Hua, forensic examiner.” Yu Shi rested a hand on Jiu Hua’s shoulder, then pointed at Xiang Ling. “Xiang Ling, journalist.”

And with that, the introductions were complete.

“I know, top journalist from Wuyang News. I’m a fan.” Jiu Hua extended her hand. Xiang Ling gave it a friendly shake.

While the two were chatting amicably, Yu Shi dragged Mie Mie away. Yu Shi herself had never mentioned to anyone that Xiang Ling was “Yixian”, so it could only have been Mie Mie, that diehard fan. After giving her a stern reprimand in her capacity as captain, the two returned to the team and set off for South Island.

South Island, true to its name, was an island in the south. Its official name was Changwan Island, but everyone simply called it South Island. Although it was an island, there was no need to take a ferry. A highway connecting the coastal city directly to the island allowed people to drive straight in. The climate differed greatly from the inland regions, so as soon as winter arrived, it would overflow with visitors fleeing the cold for a South Island vacation.

Xiang Ling sat in the front passenger seat, letting Yu Shi drive first with the intention of taking over once Yu Shi got tired. Their car was designated specifically for everyone’s luggage, leaving the two of them as the only living souls inside.

Only then did Xiang Ling speak up. “I didn’t expect so many people.”

Yu Shi felt a bit embarrassed. What she had said earlier did carry a hint of trickery, so she explained, “I figured if you knew there’d be this many people, you might not have come. Besides, it really wasn’t that many at first. Shu Xia and Jiu Hua only decided to tag along at the last minute.”

“Don’t they have work?” Xiang Ling adjusted her seat to a comfortable angle, preparing to rest.

“Word is the department brought in two new forensic examiners, so those two just tossed their leave requests onto their boss’s desk and bolted.” Yu Shi followed the two cars ahead, with Da Gezi taking the lead at the front.

“Sounds like they couldn’t take being overworked anymore,” Xiang Ling remarked drily. She was quite certain the examiners’ boss wouldn’t penalize them for running off, given how shorthanded they were.

Yu Shi was pleased that the conversation had steered away from her, only for Xiang Ling to suddenly drop a line out of nowhere: “Actually, as long as you said we were going to South Island, I would’ve come regardless.”

Yu Shi let out an involuntary sound of confusion. She had a lingering feeling that Xiang Ling had an ulterior motive for coming along. Thinking it over, she suddenly realized what it might be. Glancing back at Xiang Ling’s bulging backpack on the rear seat, she felt another wave of frustration. She had brought her to South Island wanting her to relax for a few days and stop overthinking complex cases, but it turned out Xiang Ling had gone and found work for herself anyway.

As if reading her mind, Xiang Ling closed her eyes slightly and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll get some rest.”

Yu Shi curled her lips into a satisfied smile and reached over to turn on the music. But the moment it started playing, she immediately wanted to switch it off. Xiang Ling actually listened to the kind of soothing instrumental music that made one drowsy. On second thought, though, shutting it off right after turning it on would be too awkward, so she decided to stick it out.

Xiang Ling, whose eyes had been half-closed, cracked open one eye and caught Yu Shi quietly suppressing a yawn. She reached over, switched off the music, and remarked drily, “It’s disrupting my rest.”

Although her eyes were shut, Xiang Ling wasn’t asleep. Her mind was entirely consumed by the details of the South Island case.

Over twenty years ago, a murder had taken place on South Island. The victim was a high school sophomore who had returned home for summer break. After going missing for a period of time, her body was found on a riverbank with a head injury. Because the corpse was severely waterlogged and the wound was rotted by seawater, the forensic technology of the time couldn’t identify the murder weapon. Every potential clue had been washed away, and not a single eyewitness could be found. The case remained cold and unsolved to this day. And the statute of limitations had long since expired.

The statute of limitations for a crime might run out, but the wounds in the human heart never fade.

She never expected to uncover anything new. She simply wanted to visit the victim and her family. Just knowing that at least one person still remembered the case would be a comfort to them.

Because what people fear most is being forgotten.

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