Jennie Yang said, “Captain Meng, if you are suspecting me, then you are wasting your time. Tianshi’s death has nothing to do with me.”
Caught off guard by her directness, Meng Jin felt exposed; the woman in front of him was frighteningly astute, as if she could see through people’s hearts. He had no secrets from her.
He tried to explain, but Jennie Yang raised her hand to stop him, continuing, “Perhaps you think I’m indifferent to Tianshi’s death. I didn’t cry, I didn’t fall ill, I didn’t even take a day off. How should I put it? We were married for decades, full of both grievances and closeness—partners, friends, and strangers at once. His death saddened me, but I can’t say it broke my heart.”
Just then, Secretary Huang reminded her that it was time for her next appointment.
Jennie Yang apologized to Meng Jin, signaling the end of their conversation.
She stood to see them out. Meng Jin apologized for his rudeness, about to leave with Tang Xiaoguo when the audacious reporter stubbornly lingered.
“Mrs. Yang, may I ask one last question?” Though phrased as a request, Tang Xiaoguo didn’t wait for an answer, blurting out, “How did you realize I’m not a police officer? I’m really curious, I won’t be able to sleep without an answer.”
Jennie Yang graciously smiled, “It’s simple, you’ve attended our events before, and I remember you. I’m sorry, but I really must go. Secretary Huang, please see them out.”
Tang Xiaoguo opened her mouth as if to argue further, but Meng Jin quickly pulled her away.
Secretary Huang escorted them out, and once alone, Tang Xiaoguo could no longer contain her excitement, exclaiming how worthwhile the visit had been.
Unable to hold back his anger any longer, Meng Jin criticized Tang Xiaoguo for her lack of tact while blaming himself for compromising his principles by agreeing to bring her to meet Jennie Yang.
He slammed the car door shut, locking Tang Xiaoguo outside, and sped away, leaving her in a cloud of exhaust.
Unperturbed, Tang Xiaoguo calmly dialed Meng Jin’s number. He hung up several times before finally answering.
Meng Jin spoke tersely, “Miss Tang, take a taxi home. I’ll reimburse you for the fare.”
Tang Xiaoguo laughed, “Captain Meng, I earn more than you do, I can afford the fare. But hear me out before you hang up. That medical report about Liu Er, don’t the police need to verify it? Do you remember which hospital issued it and when? Because it seems Jennie Yang won’t be handing it over to you.”
Meng Jin was speechless; he wasn’t eidetic, especially not with documents in English.
Tang Xiaoguo’s laughter rang pleasantly, “Don’t worry, I have a photographic memory. I remembered everything written there. Now, are you going to come back and pick me up? For some reason, I tend to forget things when I take taxis.”
Meng Jin, frustrated, realized this woman always knew how to hit where it hurt.
Five minutes later, Tang Xiaoguo was sitting in the passenger seat.
Meng Jin demanded she jot down the information from the medical report right away.
Tang Xiaoguo handed him her phone with a high-resolution photo of the report on it, clearly taken surreptitiously.
“You took a secret photo? Is this what you call a photographic memory?” Meng Jin gritted his teeth, his anger spiking, “Taking photos illegally in front of a cop could land you in detention—up to ten days and a fine of five hundred. Consider yourself having confessed, so no fine.”
Tang Xiaoguo withdrew her phone, tapped a few times to permanently delete the photo, and retorted defiantly, “Who said I took a photo? Do you have evidence?”
Meng Jin was nearly driven to fury by her audacity.
“I was sharing information with you in good faith, and you’re trying to throw me in jail. Captain Meng, I never knew you could be so underhanded,” Tang Xiaoguo mocked.
Meng Jin drove to the hotel where He Saibing had stayed, identified himself to the reception, who cooperated fully, detailing He Saibing’s activities.
Five days before Liu Tianshi’s murder, He Saibing checked into the hotel. She went out in the evening the day he was killed and didn’t return that night, checking out the following afternoon.
Surveillance showed she took a taxi both times she left and returned to the hotel, the same taxi, which waited at the door as she checked out.
The taxi’s license plate was captured by surveillance, and Meng Jin discovered it was fake—a sign that the driver had anticipated being recorded.
Could the taxi driver be the murderer? Had he abducted He Saibing, forcing her to check out? Why hadn’t she tried to escape? Was it because the murderer had some leverage over her?
What was the murderer’s motive? Perhaps he thought the child He Saibing was carrying belonged to Liu Er and tried to extort Jennie Yang. Yet Jennie Yang had received no messages. Was she hiding something?
Jennie Yang had clearly stated she didn’t care about the child in He Saibing’s womb. Why then wouldn’t the murderer release He Saibing? In the worst-case scenario, He Saibing might already be dead.
Meng Jin called Secretary Huang again to request a meeting with Jennie Yang, but was informed she was away on business for the next two days and the call was abruptly ended.
Jennie Yang was angry; this was her way of showing it. Meng Jin deeply regretted bringing Tang Xiaoguo to meet her.
Unable to face another call, he sought Zhao Yunzhi’s help.
Zhao Yunzhi was caught up in an interrogation, buoyed by a recent success. When Meng Jin requested his help, Zhao appeared reluctant, “Captain Meng, I can’t leave right now, we’re at a critical moment. Just call her yourself.”
Meng Jin didn’t dare reveal his failure, flattering Zhao instead, “Jennie Yang liked you enough to give you her business card.”
Despite the sugar-coated appeal, Zhao evaded and made excuses, clearly unwilling to make the call.
After some back-and-forth, Meng Jin realized Zhao was trying to back out, now that he’d tasted success in easier cases.
Surprised by Zhao’s apparent betrayal, Meng Jin wondered if he was the same upright person he knew.
Tang Xiaoguo, who was listening, laughed uncontrollably, then swore she was willing to be Meng Jin’s loyal assistant, ready for any dirty work and never to abandon him.
The one he didn’t want was sticking to him. Meng Jin adamantly refused.
He knew how to handle Zhao; years of experience weren’t for nothing.
After a phone call, Zhao rang back half an hour later, complaining about Meng Jin’s ruthless tactics to get him involved, including threatening Zhao’s case lead.
Feeling his worth had increased, Zhao demanded a meal at a Michelin-star restaurant as his price for making the call.
Meng Jin booked a fancy restaurant.
Zhao called Secretary Huang right away, who, unlike Jennie Yang, was courteous and relayed the issues to her.
Jennie Yang confirmed she had received an extortion message using the child in He Saibing’s womb as leverage, but she had ignored it and received no further messages. She hadn’t informed the police because she didn’t want to draw attention to He Saibing’s pregnancy, whether or not the child was Liu Er’s, to avoid public controversy and criticism.
Jennie Yang’s response was watertight, as if she had prepared it in advance, which was logical given she had anticipated police scrutiny.
During dinner, Meng Jin and Zhao Yunzhi headed to the reserved restaurant. Meng Jin thought of Mrs. Jin, who had never been to a Michelin restaurant despite her hard work throughout her life. It had been years since they had dined out together.
Zhao didn’t mind bringing Mrs. Jin along. Meng Jin picked her up; she dressed beautifully, taking an hour to get ready.
They were greeted at the restaurant by an unexpected guest, Tang Xiaoguo, to Meng Jin’s dismay.
Mrs. Jin warmly greeted Tang Xiaoguo, saying her presence was meant to be a surprise for Meng Jin.
Unaware of his shock, Mrs. Jin kept the atmosphere light, not wanting to send Tang Xiaoguo away, especially in front of his mother.
After dinner, Meng Jin dropped Mrs. Jin off first. She was still in high spirits, continuing to chat with Tang Xiaoguo as if they had endless topics to discuss.
Meng Jin then drove Zhao Yunzhi home, who praised Mrs. Jin for her interesting and humorous personality.
Meng Jin wondered if this was really his mother or someone else entirely.
He realized he hadn’t properly conversed with Mrs. Jin for years. Before her cancer diagnosis, their meetings were scarce; even after, while more frequent, they remained superficial.
He had always assumed Mrs. Jin was nagging about marriage whenever he saw her, preparing mentally to avoid the topic.
No wonder Mrs. Jin and Tang Xiaoguo had so much to talk about—Mrs. Jin needed someone who truly listened.
Back home, the house was quiet. Assuming Mrs. Jin was asleep, he was surprised when she emerged from her room in her pajamas, asking him to keep quiet so as not to wake Tang Xiaoguo.
Meng Jin was shocked; Tang Xiaoguo was already sharing a bed with his mother on their second meeting.
Lying in bed, he contemplated proposing to Tang Xiaoguo.
Just as he turned off the light, his phone vibrated, waking him up. It was Zhao Yunzhi calling.
“Captain Meng, Jennie Yang is lying.”
