HH Chapter 9

Jiang Fei turned to look at Feifei, who swallowed nervously but remained silent, just staring straight ahead. Jiang Fei waved his hand in the air to disperse the foul odor and gestured, “Take them all away.”

In the small red room, bathed in white light, the shameful and unsightly things were exposed. The women all crouched on the ground, afraid to lift their heads to look at the people before them. Some even began planning how to escape.

Several times in a row, Jiang Fei called in more people. The alley had become a gathering place for criminals. Watching one person after another being taken away, Jiang Fei finally leaned against the wall exhaustedly and dialed Cheng Ye’s phone.

“Captain, everyone’s been cleared out. They’re being taken back to the station for questioning.”

Cheng Ye crouched down, rummaging through something in the cabinet, and asked, “Did you find anything?”

Jiang Fei sighed. “They all claim they’ve never seen Tian Mingwei, and they’re quite sharp.”

“Alright.” Cheng Ye seemed to have found something. He stood up and glanced at Fang Yuan beside him. “Go back and give them some ideological education. If everything checks out, release them.”

“Okay, Captain, I got it.” Jiang Fei hung up the phone, looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was about to rain again.

Cheng Ye pocketed his phone and handed the items to Fang Yuan. After a glance, Fang Yuan exclaimed, “Damn, this guy owes over five hundred thousand in high-interest loans!”

“Check to see if there are any more debt records and take photos to send to Er Bao to find out who’s lending him money at such high interest rates.”

“Got it.” Fang Yuan nodded.

This was a small bungalow. The main room was in decent condition with intact bricks and tiles. There were also quite a few luxury items inside, albeit all counterfeit. Cheng Ye walked out and looked at the small room less than three square meters in size. It was patched together with mud and covered with dried straw.

Approaching, Cheng Ye found that the door was locked, but it was so rusty that it could be easily broken. With a few pulls, the wooden door made an unpleasant sound, and dust filled the air as the long-sealed smell swept through the room. Cheng Ye covered his nose and coughed a few times before walking back in.

Inside the room, there was only an old iron bed with tattered bedding piled up on it. Other household items were scattered on the ground.

Cheng Ye pulled apart the bedding, revealing many dead insects inside. He furrowed his brows, straightened the sheets, and reached out to feel around. Soon, a small protrusion caught his attention.

It was an area patched with several layers. Cheng Ye called for Fang Yuan to bring scissors and, after cutting it open, both of them were surprised by what they found.

It was a pile of loose change, ranging from a few cents to a few dollars. In a far corner, there was something wrapped in paper. Cheng Ye reached in and took it out. The paper had turned yellow, and the writing on it was crooked, even misspelled.

‘gi yun yun de’

“This is where Tian Mingwei’s mother used to live. She passed away two years ago,” Fang Yuan said, looking at the words on the paper. “Should we inform Tian Yunxin?”

Cheng Ye pinched the paper and thought for a while before speaking, “Yes, let’s inform her. At least she should have some closure.”

When the two returned, the rain was pounding on the roof as if it had a vendetta. The clouds were so low that it was hard to catch one’s breath. After walking a few steps, their clothes were almost soaked.

On the other hand, Chen Xiaonuan circled the fishing ground for a long time before finding Li Xiaoyan’s shop. However, Li Xiaoyan hadn’t shown up for work at all. After inquiring around, she found out that Li Xiaoyan hadn’t been seen for two days.

She notified Zhang Yibao to send Li Xiaoyan’s address. Chen Xiaonuan set out, and Li Xiaoyan lived in Yujin Lane, north of the fishing ground. It was an old-fashioned lane with complex terrain and no surveillance cameras.

As soon as she arrived downstairs, she saw a familiar figure. Chen Xiaonuan approached, “Teacher Pei, what are you doing here?”

Pei Qinghuai looked up and observed, “I came to see the address given by Zhang Yibao.”

“Oh, okay. I’m going up too. Would you like to come along, Teacher Pei?” Chen Xiaonuan said.

The two followed the address upstairs. The walls of the corridor were plastered with various advertisements, and even the doors of the residents’ homes were not spared.

“Knock, knock, knock…” Chen Xiaonuan knocked on the door. After waiting for a while with no response, she knocked a few more times. Just as she was about to knock again, there was finally some movement from inside.

Li Xiaoyan opened the door a crack, sizing up the people outside. Chen Xiaonuan took out her identification and placed it in front of Li Xiaoyan, “We’re from the Beilin Sub-Bureau Criminal Investigation Team, here to ask you a few questions.”

Li Xiaoyan’s eyelids fluttered, and she widened her eyes slightly, then resumed her normal gaze and sat back down on the sofa.

Chen Xiaonuan asked, “On the morning of June 2nd, where were you?”

“At home,” Li Xiaoyan replied.

“Can anyone verify that?” Chen Xiaonuan asked.

“No one,” Li Xiaoyan said.

Pei Qinghuai looked at Li Xiaoyan’s fidgeting fingers. He spoke lightly, “Can we talk about your relationship with Tian Mingwei?”

Li Xiaoyan seemed visibly flustered and dared not look directly at Pei Qinghuai. She subconsciously pinched her ear before speaking, “I’ve been away from him for many years, and we’ve had no contact during that time. There are no feelings between us.”

Chen Xiaonuan caught the detail, “Did Tian Mingwei cause the injury to your ear?”

Every time the name Tian Mingwei was mentioned, Li Xiaoyan seemed to tense up. She nodded, “Yes, he used to beat people often.”