Silent Witness - Chapter 3

After two days of observation, Li Hewei was discharged from the hospital. Coincidentally, it was Sunday, and the family gathered for a meal. She felt somewhat unaccustomed to their warmth but fully embraced it.

After dinner, Cheng Yingqiu finished moving the last of her luggage, saw her parents off, and finally, the house fell silent. The original owner’s three-bedroom, two-living room, two-bathroom apartment spanned 142 square meters, mirroring the Mediterranean-rustic style of Li Hewei’s 56-square-meter two-bedroom apartment in Shenzhen, creating a welcoming and familiar atmosphere.

Each of the three bedrooms had a balcony. Li Hewei took the master bedroom with its en-suite bathroom, while the adjacent smaller bedroom was converted into a studio, furnished with three easels, a solid wood desk, and a bookcase.

As she familiarized herself with the surroundings, Cheng Yingqiu’s cheerful voice drifted in from the hallway.

“Sis, I’m thinking of getting a mobile, height-adjustable desk so I can work in the living room.”

Li Hewei emerged from the studio and settled on the sofa in front of the coffee table. “Whatever you like,” she replied.

“After all, you don’t want to be disturbed when you’re painting,” Cheng Yingqiu said, naturally linking her arm through Li Hewei’s and showing her her phone. “Come on, help me choose. I trust your taste.”

Li Hewei glanced at the screen and tapped it with her slender index finger. “This one.”

“Wow, I was torn between this one and another teak-colored desk!” Cheng Yingqiu placed the order. “Thanks, sis.”

“You’re welcome,” Li Hewei replied, averting her gaze and looking down to reply to a WeChat message from a colleague.

Cheng Yingqiu asked, “Back to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah, there’s still a lot to handle,” Li Hewei replied. In just two days, she had gained a clear understanding of her role’s responsibilities.

“Me too. Work starts tomorrow,” Cheng Yingqiu said, clasping her hands together in a devout prayer. “Let’s hope everything goes smoothly.”

After resting up, the sisters returned to their rooms around 9 PM. Li Hewei, not accustomed to sleeping early, tossed and turned restlessly. Finally, she sat up, slipped on her slippers, and shuffled to her workspace. Having carefully studied the original owner’s sketches, she knew the gap between their skills and how to bridge it.

For example, by practicing more in her free time.

Li Hewei sat before her easel, removed the hair tie from her wrist, and gathered her long hair into a bun. She then pulled up a surveillance video of a train station and began sketching the passing pedestrians. She observed and captured their facial features, starting with rough outlines before adding details.

After a long while, Li Hewei finally paused, her curled index finger pressed against the tip of her nose, her thin lips pursed in thought. Two minutes later, she picked up her pencil again.

Outside the window, the drizzle intensified from a fine mist to a steady downpour, gently tapping against the glass. The night deepened, half a stack of drawing paper was used up, and the room’s light finally went out.

The next day, Li Hewei strolled into the Technical Unit office of the Puchen City Public Security Bureau and found her desk by the window. As she sat down and turned on her computer, a female officer entered and took the seat across from her. “Xiao Li, didn’t sleep well last night?” she asked with concern.

The speaker was He Ying, the unit’s senior officer and deputy leader, responsible for crime scene investigations and internal affairs. She was six years older than Li Hewei.

“Maybe,” Li Hewei replied. She had indeed returned to her room after 2 a.m.

“You young people love burning the midnight oil,” He Ying said, organizing documents for the upcoming meeting. “Are you feeling alright? I’ll be leading the meeting this morning.”

“I’m fine, I have a strong constitution,” Li Hewei assured her, feeling a warmth in her heart. Before transmigrating into this world, she had worked at the Judicial Institute, where her colleagues were mostly men, with only her assistant being female. She mused to herself, It’s so much warmer in a place with more women.

At 8:30 a.m., the unit held its morning meeting. He Ying briefly summarized the previous two days’ duty reports and case leads, and the other officers analyzed them. Li Hewei listened attentively, recording case-related information, and finally summarized the next steps in the investigation plan. She occasionally glanced at Tao Ling in the corner, observing her meticulous note-taking and composed remarks. At just under 25 years old and with only two months of work experience, it was no wonder her assistant favored her in novels.

Tao Ling’s temperament was indeed more stable than that of other young people just entering society—calm and unhurried.

Time flew by. On the last day of July, after her lunch break, Li Hewei organized data and processed documents. Over the past two weeks, the Technical Unit had assisted the Comprehensive Unit in solving two residential burglary cases and one child abduction case. She was gradually adapting to Puchen’s work rhythm: 8 AM to 6 PM, with overtime two or three times a week. At 2:24 PM, a call from the 110 Command Center came unexpectedly.

“A male corpse has been discovered near the North Bridge of the Liu Min River. Technical Unit, please proceed to the scene immediately.”

“Received,” Li Hewei replied, hanging up the phone. She looked up to see her colleagues putting down their work and heading to the locker room to change. During the summer, they wore uniform blue short-sleeved duty shirts indoors, but crime scene visits required them to layer a navy-blue uniform vest over their shirts.

The technicians and the Laboratory Forensic Pathologist remained behind, while the other six members quickly gathered their equipment and hurried to the parking lot.

“Team Leader Li, you’ll be in the seven-seater in front,” a woman called out from outside the Comprehensive Building. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, and she wore a dark shirt, light-colored trousers, and a brown leather belt—casual attire.

“Understood,” Li Hewei replied. She recognized the woman from a meeting a few days prior. Qiu Wan, 32, had been with the police force for ten years. Formerly the Deputy Chief of a Police Station, she had been laterally transferred to become the second-in-command of Puchen City’s Criminal Investigation Division. Known for her ability to break down criminals’ resistance through psychological tactics, she was decisive and earned the nickname “Iron Lady.”

They got into their vehicles, and the three-car convoy headed toward the North Bridge of the Liu Min River.

Collecting physical evidence was traditionally the responsibility of criminal investigators. However, in mainland China and its special administrative regions, this task was handled by technicians from the Technical Unit’s trace evidence section or forensic experts from the Forensic Science Center, who conducted on-site examinations and gathered evidence. Thus, at the crime scene, trace evidence specialists took precedence.

After a half-hour drive, Li Hewei disembarked, donned a mask, gloves, and a head covering, and slipped on shoe covers before crossing the police cordon. Beside the corpse, Tao Ling crouched, conducting a preliminary examination of the body’s surface.

The corpse had undergone significant decomposition, emitting an overwhelming stench that even the police station’s patrol officers dared not approach. Li Hewei observed Tao Ling’s unwavering composure as she meticulously examined the body. “What do you see?” she asked.

“The epidermis has already sloughed off,” Tao Ling replied.

“What about the dermis?” The state of decomposition in the dermis and epidermis was a crucial indicator of the time of death.

Tao Ling, focused on locating fatal injuries, replied, “It’s still in relatively good condition.”

Li Hewei, ever the professional, pressed, “Relatively good? Be more precise.”

Tao Ling paused, uncertain of Li Hewei’s current state of mind. Why was someone who had previously ignored her at crime scenes now showing such a starkly different attitude? Was it due to her amnesia?

“The dermis is intact,” Tao Ling said, suppressing her thoughts. “Given the high summer temperatures, the time of death should be approximately seven days ago.”

“What was the cause of death?” Qiu Wan asked from behind them.

“No other external injuries were found. There was a small amount of mushroom-shaped foam around the mouth and nose, leading to a preliminary determination of drowning.”

With recent heavy rains and severe flooding upstream, Qiu Wan speculated, “Did she slip and fall into the water?”

Li Hewei and Tao Ling replied in unison, “Not necessarily.”

“Hmm, why do you say that?”

Tao Ling, instinctively competing with Li Hewei, quickly interjected, “When people accidentally fall into the water, they instinctively struggle to survive. Their fingernails often contain mud and sand, but the deceased’s nails were remarkably clean.”

“You suspect the body was dumped?” Qiu Wan frowned, realizing this would escalate the case to a violent homicide.

“Perhaps she drowned first, then her body was dumped.”

Boldly hypothesize, then carefully verify? Li Hewei’s lips curled into an involuntary smile. She suggested, “Team Leader Qiu, once Tao Ling finishes the external examination, we should bring the body back to the police station as soon as possible. We’ll need an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.” She turned to He Ying, who was passing by. “He Ying, what have you found on your end?”

“The deceased likely washed down from upstream, so we haven’t found any usable physical evidence along the riverbank.” She had already sent Xiao Zhou to collect river water samples for laboratory testing.

Qiu Wan nodded in agreement. “Right. The person who reported the body claimed to be live-streaming his fishing sessions nearby every day. He accidentally discovered the corpse while casting his line today. I’ll send officers to investigate both banks upstream later to see if we can find the entry point into the water or the location where the body was dumped.”

Li Hewei nodded.

Half an hour later, officers from the Major Crimes Unit arrived to help transport the body. As they packed up to leave, Li Hewei’s gaze was immediately drawn to two figures standing near a police car ahead.

Yingqiu?

Perhaps due to the heat, Cheng Yingqiu’s cheeks were flushed a delicate pink. “Reporters have the right to report the news! I didn’t cross the police line, and the photos I took are legal and justified!”

The officer beside Qiu Wan reminded him, “Team Leader Qiu, she’s a reporter from the legal affairs channel of the TV station.”

“The camera,” Qiu Wan said firmly, adhering to protocol.

“Here,” Cheng Yingqiu carefully handed over her camera, puffing out her cheeks and silently reciting her “Don’t Get Angry” mantra, looking every bit like a little hamster.

The specific details of ongoing criminal investigations and preliminary hearings are classified as state secrets, so Qiu Wan had to review Cheng Yingqiu’s footage first. Gripping the camera with one hand, he meticulously scrolled through the photos and videos. Once he confirmed that she hadn’t overstepped her boundaries, he returned the device to the girl, who was glaring at him angrily. “Don’t hide behind trees to take photos in the future,” he warned.

“It’s hot. Can’t I just hide from the sun?” Cheng Yingqiu demanded, stamping her foot in frustration. “Why aren’t you going after the reporter from the Puchen Evening News? He took way more photos than I did!”

“And the Puchen Metropolitan Daily,” Qiu Wan added, gesturing for Cheng Yingqiu to look to her left. Two other officers were inspecting the cameras of reporters from other news outlets.

Defeated, Cheng Yingqiu muttered, “Who knows if you’re just settling a personal grudge?” Her voice was so low that Qiu Wan, who had turned away to speak with her colleagues, clearly didn’t hear her. Cheng Yingqiu stowed her camera, climbed back into the passenger seat, and pulled out her phone to send a WeChat message to Li Hewei.

Sister, are you close to Qiu Wan from the Major Crimes Unit?

Li Hewei watched Cheng Yingqiu return to the car before heading back to the investigation vehicle. As they drove, the air buzzed with discussions about the case. She half-listened, picking up key details, when her phone suddenly lit up. Cheng Yingqiu was getting anxious about the lack of a reply.

Sister~ The message had a pleading tone.

Not really. Why? Li Hewei realized the original owner of this body didn’t even have a close friend to confide in. Her life seemed to revolve solely around work and family—utterly dull.

I think she’s targeting me!

Confused, Li Hewei typed back: Do you two know each other? Is there some history between you?

She’s my college roommate’s ex-boyfriend. We’ve eaten together before.