HH Chapter 18

Cheng Ye glanced at the time and asked, “How long is the play?”

“Two hours,” Pei Qinghuai replied.

Cheng Ye nodded and pressed the gas pedal a bit harder.

As they drove up the mountain road, Pei Qinghuai looked at the heavy clouds overhead and suddenly said, “When the clouds are too thick, you can’t see the truth.”

Cheng Ye turned to look at him, seeing the serious expression on Pei Qinghuai’s face. “Speak plainly.”

Pei Qinghuai seemed to ignore Cheng Ye’s comment and asked, “What kind of person do you think Li Xiaoyan is?”

The atmosphere between them quieted for a moment before Cheng Ye spoke. “A mother who loves her child deeply?”

Pei Qinghuai lowered his arm from the window, his tone more serious. “When you don’t know a person’s inner self, appearances are often the most straightforward clue. From the first moment I saw Li Xiaoyan, she gave me only two impressions.”

He paused for a few seconds before saying, “Deception!”

Cheng Ye gripped the steering wheel tighter. He wanted to say that police work relies on evidence, but something stopped him from speaking those words.

The only sound left was the splashing of muddy water as the delicate wildflowers were once again submerged in the mire.

——

In the rain, the soil on the back mountain was soft, causing people to sink slightly with each step. Fang Yuan saw Cheng Ye from a distance and ran over to report.

“Captain Cheng, the body was exposed by last night’s heavy rain. It was buried shallow and had no covering.”

Cheng Ye entered the crime scene where Yan Ya was squatting, arranging the bones. Cheng Ye glanced around and asked, “Where was the body buried?”

Yan Ya tilted her head and pointed. “Right there, by your feet.”

Cheng Ye frowned, looking at the bones already laid out by Yan Ya. Some were broken in two. “Is this a dismemberment?”

“Yes,” Yan Ya nodded. “And the person who dismembered the body was in a hurry. Some of the broken bones have rough, snapped ends.”

Hearing the word “snapped,” Cheng Ye couldn’t help but take a sharp breath. “Time of death?”

Yan Ya replied, “At least two years ago. It’s the skeleton of a middle-aged woman. That’s all we know for now.”

Dealing with skeletonized remains was always a headache. Cheng Ye rubbed his hair and sighed. “Take everything back to the station first. Fang Yuan, you and Jiang Fei ask around if anyone in the area has gone missing in the past two years or if there have been any significant conflicts.”

After giving instructions, Cheng Ye made a call. “Er Bao, check missing persons cases from the past two years and focus on middle-aged women.”

Seeing everyone busy with their tasks, Cheng Ye finally felt a bit relieved, only to find Pei Qinghuai staring at the ground in a daze.

“What are you looking at?” he asked.

Pei Qinghuai was even more serious than before. “You might not believe me, but I have a feeling we’ve seen this skeleton recently.”

“Can you not say such eerie things in broad daylight?” Cheng Ye felt goosebumps and quickly stepped away from the pit.

“Are you scared?” Pei Qinghuai teased.

Cheng Ye gave him a sideways glance. “We should maintain a sense of awe.”

As Cheng Ye walked away, Pei Qinghuai chuckled softly. After examining the scene, they headed to Wencheng University, where the theater was nearly full by the time they arrived.

They found seats towards the back. As the music started and the grand curtains opened, the audience gasped at the elegant European set design.

The play was Molière’s “Tartuffe.” It wasn’t clear which scene would be performed, adding to the suspense. Cheng Ye quickly dozed off, while Pei Qinghuai smiled as he recognized the third act, where Tartuffe makes his first appearance. The gripping performance had the audience fully engaged.

Tian Yunxin, playing a supporting role, appeared briefly several times. When the play ended, she stood at the front of the stage in the spotlight.

As the actors took their bows, the applause woke Cheng Ye. “Is it over?”

“Yes,” Pei Qinghuai replied.

“Any discoveries?” Cheng Ye asked, stretching and yawning.

Pei Qinghuai got up, heading out while explaining to Cheng Ye, “Tian Yunxin appeared five times, with her longest break being forty minutes.”

Just then, they overheard some people talking as they left the theater.

“Isn’t Tian Yunxin the lead? Why did she play a supporting role?”

“She insisted on changing roles. We couldn’t convince her otherwise. Who knows what she was thinking.”

With the sky finally clear, Cheng Ye and Pei Qinghuai walked silently side by side. Cheng Ye looked down and asked, “When did you start suspecting Tian Yunxin?”

Pei Qinghuai’s intuition seemed almost unbelievable. He smiled, “Probably the first time I saw her. She hadn’t yet learned to control her expressions.”

They stopped walking, and Pei Qinghuai continued, “The East Gate is the closest to the back mountain. A round trip on foot would take less than forty minutes.”

“Evidence?” Cheng Ye asked. Without evidence, everything was just speculation.

Pei Qinghuai turned to face the theater. “Let’s talk to her and find out. She might be waiting for you.”