HH Chapter 84

Pei Qinghuai yawned and nodded, following Cheng Ye to the car. He almost fell asleep several times during the ride.

“How are your eyes recently?” Cheng Ye asked as he turned a corner.

Pei Qinghuai yawned again, covering his mouth. “They’re okay. Why?”

Cheng Ye handed Pei a business card from the side of the car. “I know a good doctor. You should go for a check-up when you have time.”

“Thanks.” Pei Qinghuai took the card and put it in his pocket, then looked at Cheng Ye and asked seriously, “How’s your leg?”

“My leg?” Cheng Ye was initially puzzled but then understood. He smiled. “It’s fine. Just an old problem, nothing serious.”

“It’s going to rain soon. Take care of it,” Pei Qinghuai advised.

Cheng Ye teased, “Oh, Officer Pei is starting to care about people now?”

Pei Qinghuai raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Just you, always with the jokes.”

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Tang Jiale’s address wasn’t far; they arrived within half an hour. Cheng Ye and Pei Qinghuai stood at the door and knocked, but there was no response for a long time.

Cheng Ye was puzzled. “Didn’t we call ahead?”

They exchanged looks, feeling uneasy, and were about to call for backup when the door opened from inside.

A strong scent of body wash wafted out, and Tang Jiale, with wet hair draping over her shoulders, looked at them in confusion. “Are you the police?”

Cheng Ye nodded and showed his badge. Tang Jiale let them in, and they waited patiently while she dried her hair before starting their questions.

“Do you know this person?” Cheng Ye handed her a photo.

Tang Jiale looked at the photo for a long time before slowly responding, “I’ve never seen her.”

Cheng Ye observed her expression and continued, “Where were you on the night of July 11th?”

Tang Jiale blinked and apologized, “I’m sorry, I really can’t remember.”

Cheng Ye glanced at Pei Qinghuai, who was staring off into space, and pressed on, “On the night of July 11th, you were at the entrance of Yucai Middle School talking to this girl. She disappeared a few minutes after talking to you. Think carefully before you answer.”

Tang Jiale was startled by Cheng Ye’s firm tone and nervously rubbed her knees. She glanced at the photo and said, “I was looking for a restaurant but couldn’t find one, so I asked her for directions.”

She smiled awkwardly. “I’ve always had a poor sense of direction and often get lost.”

Seeing Cheng Ye’s skeptical look, Tang Jiale opened her phone and showed him a photo. “This is the taxi I took that night. You can check it if you don’t believe me.”

Pei Qinghuai finally snapped out of his daze and took a good look at Tang Jiale. She was petite and seemed frail, like she could be blown over by a strong wind.

“Do you live here alone?” Pei Qinghuai asked.

Tang Jiale blinked and relaxed her previously tense hands. “Yes, just me.”

“That’s a nice painting.” Pei Qinghuai glanced at a painting near the door.

It was a square frame with a painting of a female pelvis, warm and cool colors intertwining like a dancing butterfly.

Tang Jiale’s eyes showed a hint of longing as she looked at the painting, but the expression quickly faded. “Just something I do for fun. Looking at medical stuff all the time, I wanted to try something new.”

Pei Qinghuai stood up. “Sorry to bother you today. We’ll be going now.”

“No problem.” Tang Jiale smiled.

As they left, Cheng Ye stood at the door looking disappointed. “I thought we had a lead, but it was a wasted trip.”

“Who said it was wasted?” Pei Qinghuai said calmly. “She lied about one thing.”

“Which thing?” Cheng Ye’s eyes widened, ready to confront her again, but Pei Qinghuai stopped him.

“No point,” he said. “I noticed a few things when we first entered. The room was very clean, but there were some inconsistencies, like missing shoes in the shoe cabinet, two pairs of chopsticks on the dining table, and certain items in the bedroom.”

Cheng Ye was about to speak, but Pei Qinghuai cut him off. “Wait, I know what you’re going to say. I had the same thought. She’s either trying to provoke us or asking for help. There were two pairs of chopsticks but no extra cups or bowls, and if she had removed shoes, she should have replaced them, but she didn’t.”

“So, do you think she’s challenging us or seeking help?” Pei Qinghuai asked, frustration in his voice.

Cheng Ye looked at the door, pondering the possibilities.

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Because of Tang Jiale, the police focused on her for the next two days. From her roommate, they learned that Tang Jiale had a boyfriend named Qin Nan, also a third-year student, top of his class. They were close but not too close.

To others, Tang Jiale seemed like a good girl—pretty, good grades, and quiet. Qin Nan was seen as an aloof, caring boyfriend. Their relationship was considered idyllic.

Hearing this, Jiang Fei chuckled. “I remember when Captain Cheng was like that in police school.”

“Did Captain Cheng have a girlfriend back then?” Chen Xiaonuan asked, eyes shining.

Jiang Fei shrugged. “No, just his personal legend.”

Zhang Yibao propped his chin up. “So, there’s nothing suspicious about these two.”

At that moment, Fang Yuan burst in and heard Zhang Yibao’s comment. He frowned. “So we investigated for nothing?”