Silent Witness - Chapter 13

“Really?” Li Hewei remembered that Tao Ling’s home was near the East Street Market. Unfamiliar with the route, she checked the navigation while asking, “Why did Team Leader Qiu suddenly invite you to dinner?”

“I helped her write a missing person notice,” Cheng Yingqiu replied without pausing. “But I already turned her down.”

“Why did you refuse?”

Li Hewei’s question still hung in the air when Cheng Yingqiu exclaimed, “Wait, she just sent me a WeChat message!”

Are you busy lately? You pick the time.

Busy? I just don’t want to go, Cheng Yingqiu thought sarcastically. Yet the usually eloquent and quick-witted woman suddenly found herself speechless. Should I just ignore it? No, we’ll still have to work together. Agree? That seems too casual.

After much deliberation, Cheng Yingqiu typed: Team Leader Qiu, you’re too kind. It was just a small favor.

Qiu Wan replied instantly: How about inviting Team Leader Li along?

Team Leader Li? Cheng Yingqiu looked up and asked Li Hewei in the front seat, “Sis, is Team Leader Li the one Qiu Wan’s talking about you?”

“Probably.”

“She’s inviting you to join us.”

Li Hewei smoothly turned the steering wheel, exiting the garage and merging right onto the road. “Did you accept?”

“Not yet.”

“Up to you. I don’t mind either way.” Li Hewei wanted to get to know Qiu Wan better, so she left the decision to Cheng Yingqiu.

The car fell into a temporary silence as Cheng Yingqiu cradled her phone, lost in thought. Li Hewei glanced at the navigation system—430 meters remaining—and murmured, “Tao Ling, we’ll wait downstairs. Call if you need help.”

“Actually, I only need one suitcase and a travel bag for the rest,” Tao Ling replied truthfully. In summer, she rotated through just four or five outfits, which took up half a suitcase. Add a few books, and toiletries fit easily into the travel bag.

“Alright, take your time. No rush.”

Li Hewei drove through the narrow alley and stopped at the intersection ahead. After Tao Ling got out, she drove another two hundred meters, made a U-turn at the dashed line, and parked the Beetle smoothly in a roadside spot.

“What’s wrong? Still conflicted?” Li Hewei unbuckled her seatbelt and massaged her stiff neck.

“Sis~”

“You were her ex’s college roommate, and you didn’t have any falling out with her. Why are you avoiding her?” Li Hewei asked, puzzled. “Or is there something you’re not telling me?”

Cheng Yingqiu evaded the question. “Because I helped Liang Bing deceive her.”

Li Hewei was shocked. “Deceive her?”

“Yeah, six years ago. I was a sophomore, eighteen years old. Liang Bing was half a year younger, not even eighteen yet. She hid her age to date Qiu Wan, but when the truth came out, Qiu Wan broke up with her.”

“I never expected Qiu Wan to have such a strong moral compass, refusing to date minors.”

Li Hewei sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. “That was deception.”

“I didn’t intentionally deceive her,” Cheng Yingqiu protested, recalling the scene from years ago. “At most, I didn’t immediately expose Liang Bing. Qiu Wan knew Liang Bing and I were close, so she came to visit our university during winter break and invited me to dinner. She praised me for being exceptional, even though I was a year younger than Liang Bing, yet my grades were still outstanding.”

“When she mentioned being a year younger, something felt off. I wanted to correct her, but Liang Bing kicked me under the table, signaling me to shut up.”

“Tell me, was I wronged?”

“No,” Li Hewei analyzed. “Team Leader Qiu probably didn’t take it to heart. Or rather, he blamed Liang Bing, the one who lied, and wouldn’t hold you accountable.”

“Really?” Cheng Yingqiu sighed. “After the breakup, Liang Bing suddenly regretted her actions and desperately tried to win Qiu Wan back. But the ‘chasing after a lost love’ scenario ended in flames—a shattered mirror can’t be mended. They never reconciled. Still, after graduating, she went to Yancheng for graduate studies and is now deeply in love with her new girlfriend.”

“Young people mature through experiences.”

“Sis, you talk like you’ve had multiple relationships,” Cheng Yingqiu teased, knowing Li Hewei had zero dating experience before marriage. She suspected Li Hewei hadn’t even held hands with Tao Yang.

Li Hewei forced a tight smile. “Same to you.”

In her third-floor room, Tao Ling quietly packed her luggage. Tao Luhai emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying his hair, and noticed her squatting by the desk, organizing her books. Raising his voice, he demanded, “What’s all this commotion in the middle of the night?”

“Moving things,” Tao Ling replied without looking up, calmly placing a copy of Criminal Scene Investigation into her suitcase.

“Moving to the dorm? You can’t even bear to spend one more night at home?”

“Mm-hmm,” Tao Ling murmured, unwilling to reveal she was moving in with Li Hewei.

“Mm-hmm what? Can’t you even speak properly?” Tao Luhai seethed, his anger from the previous night resurfacing at the sight of her.

Liu Yun, washing dishes in the kitchen, heard the commotion. Wiping her wet hands on her apron, she rushed out to mediate. “Lu Hai, your bl00d pressure’s high. The doctor warned you to avoid getting angry.”

Tao Luhai snapped, “Her wings have grown too strong. No one can control her now.”

“That’s just Xiao Ling becoming independent and planning her own life. Besides, she’s still sending us the same amount of money, right?” Liu Yun defended Tao Ling. “Xiao Yang used to earn 10,000 yuan a month but only sent us 2,000. Xiao Ling is already very filial.”

Tao Luhai retorted, “They’re not the same! Xiao Yang should be saving for marriage.” He leaned back against the sofa, his voice softening. “I told you not to bring him up. Every time we mention Xiao Yang, everyone gets upset.”

“Ah, I wonder where he is? It’s been so long since we heard from him,” Liu Yun sighed, sitting down beside him.

Tao Ling finished packing, gripped the suitcase handle with her left hand, and held her travel bag in her right. Standing by the door, she waited for her parents to finish their murmuring before quietly saying, “Mom, Dad, I’m going downstairs now.”

“Go ahead, be careful.”

“Hurry up and leave. Out of sight, out of mind.”

The door closed behind her. Tao Ling leaned against the panel, gazing up at the mottled ceiling with unfocused eyes, her shoulders trembling slightly. After a long moment, Li Hewei sent a WeChat message urging her to hurry. Tao Ling wiped away her tears with a bent index finger, waited for her emotions to settle, then lifted her suitcase and headed downstairs.

As she stepped off the narrow staircase, the suitcase wheels hit the ground, and the weight instantly vanished from her hand.

Li Hewei stood just a few feet away, pulling Tao Ling’s suitcase with a gentle smile. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

Tao Ling shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Cheng Yingqiu snatched her travel bag. “Me too!”

The streetlights in the old district were dim, especially on summer nights, casting a hazy yellow glow tinged with gray. Tao Ling walked at the back, her gaze fixed on Li Hewei’s hand gripping the suitcase handle. An inexplicable feeling stirred within her. She silently wondered, Why is it that the same act of kindness evokes only gratitude toward Cheng Yingqiu?