Silent Witness - Chapter 6

Shuzhou’s terrain is low in the center and high around the edges, resembling a giant basin. Puchen, situated in the northwest part of this basin and surrounded by mountains, traps heat, making the summers unbearably humid. Even at midnight during the second ten-day period of summer, the temperature remained at 30 degrees Celsius. Li Hewei walked home from the bus stop, a five-minute journey that left her drenched in sweat.

She pushed open the door to find the living room warmly lit. Cheng Yingqiu was sprawled on the sofa, rushing to finish a draft. Hearing the sound, she tossed her laptop aside and greeted her enthusiastically, “Sis, you kept me waiting!”

Li Hewei sat on a low stool to change her shoes, glancing up as she replied, “Why didn’t you wait for me when I worked late last week? You must have something going on tonight.”

“I ate too much and got sleepy—what they call a ‘carb coma’,” Cheng Yingqiu said, propping herself up lazily. She shuffled to the kitchen in her slippers, grabbed a bottle of soda water from the refrigerator, and handed it to Li Hewei as she passed by. “Here, sis, have some water.”

“Mm, thanks.” Li Hewei took the bottle, twisted off the cap, and tilted her head back to take a small sip.

“Tsk, what a waste. How could you be straight?” Cheng Yingqiu blurted out, never censoring her thoughts.

“Hmm?” Li Hewei pursed her slightly dry lips, unfazed by the comment. Instead, she gestured for her to continue.

“Your ascetic, mature-woman style—if I posted your photo on the lesbian forum, it would go viral, guaranteed!”

Li Hewei wore silver-rimmed glasses today, paired with a misty gray tencel blouse tucked into dark-colored dress pants. Her long hair was pulled back, with a few strands framing her face, giving off a distinctly Hong Kong-style white-collar vibe.

“Just keep teasing,” Li Hewei retorted, who rarely used online forums and had only occasionally scrolled through short videos—mostly about food and travel—before transmigrating into this world.

Cheng Yingqiu’s cheerful smile lingered on her lips as she teased, “After the divorce, have you considered switching genders? A sister like you—high-value, 30, owns a house and car, and has a successful career—is exactly the dream girl of countless younger women!”

Li Hewei pondered her words before asking, “Why not a 1?”

Cheng Yingqiu exclaimed in surprise, “Sis! You actually know what that means!”

“I’m 29, not 49,” Li Hewei said calmly as she walked into the bedroom.

Intrigued, Cheng Yingqiu followed her, chattering like a little bird, “Actually, we girls don’t really care about that. 1 or 0, it’s all good. We can switch.”

Li Hewei, who had come to terms with her sexuality in high school, understood perfectly well but ignored her, pulling out her pajamas from the closet.

“Want me to introduce you to someone?” Cheng Yingqiu, a broadcasting major in college and a true arts student, had plenty of lesbian friends in her circle.

“Go away. Mind your own business. You’re a lifelong single and already playing matchmaker?” Li Hewei pushed her toward the door. “Go to sleep.”

Cheng Yingqiu pouted. “Sis, you’re being mean.”

“I’m going to shower,” Li Hewei said, closing and locking the door behind her. It was a habit from her days living alone in Shenzhen, where she always made sure to lock the door every night.

Five kilometers away, Tao Ling finished her shower and washed her clothes, hanging them on the balcony to dry. She returned to the living room, noticing her back was still damp. She wiped it with a warm towel before pushing the evaporative cooler into her bedroom.

In this 40-degree heat, Tao Ling’s room was the only one without air conditioning. The evaporative cooler had cost her 368 yuan online.

She had considered buying an air conditioner herself, but her plans for improving her living situation forced her to postpone the purchase. Her probationary salary was 4,800 yuan per month. After sending 2,000 yuan home and setting aside 300 yuan for daily expenses, she could save 2,500 yuan. With bonuses, subsidies, and other income, she aimed to save 40,000 yuan in her first year. Her goal was to save enough for a down payment on a small one-bedroom apartment within three years—just enough space to live comfortably.

Tao Ling lay on her narrow single bed, reviewing her budget in her notebook, a contented smile playing on her lips. Before bed, she usually checked the work group for updates. As soon as she opened the app, Li Hewei’s profile picture flashed: See you at 9 AM tomorrow. Get some rest.

Zhao Xiaoting: Okay~

An Yu: Got it.

Tao Ling: Okay.

Li Hewei, holding a hairdryer to her hair, typed rapidly with her right index finger: None of you are asleep yet?

An Yu: Just lay down.

Zhao Xiaoting: Me too.

After exchanging goodnights, Tao Ling cradled her phone, gently biting her lip as she pondered for a long moment before typing: Sister Wei, do you have any other plans tomorrow?

She deleted and retyped the message several times before finally sending it.

No, Li Hewei replied, her eyes fixed on the WeChat interface. The “typing…” indicator lingered for over ten seconds without a single character appearing. She’s like a little quail, Li Hewei thought, rolling her eyes. What’s up?

It’s my dad’s 50th birthday. We’re planning a celebration in our hometown with longevity noodles tomorrow night.

Hometown? How long does it take to drive back to Puchen?

About an hour at most.

Alright, as long as it doesn’t conflict with work. Li Hewei considered the remaining two months. This was a one-time request, and she didn’t want to make things difficult for Tao Ling, so she readily agreed.

Tao Ling had never expected such a smooth response. She stared at their chat window, her heart suddenly feeling squeezed, swelling slightly with gratitude. She typed a heartfelt thank you.

Okay, goodnight.

Li Hewei received Tao Ling’s goodnight message but didn’t reply. She exited the chat and asked Cheng Yingqiu: Tao Ling’s dad is turning 50. How much should I give?

I remember you keep track of your expenses. Check your records. Tao Ling’s mom is half a year older than her dad, so just give the same amount.

Li Hewei opened her budgeting app and scrolled back: half a year, February, January, January 27th, expenditure: 800 yuan, memo: (Mother Tao’s birthday).

800 yuan, 600 yuan as a gift. She had always treated people differently. For male colleagues’ weddings, she gave 200 yuan in red envelopes, while for female colleagues transferring to other units, she gave 400 yuan.

She took a red envelope from her bedside table and placed it on the nightstand, planning to withdraw cash tomorrow.

Even on Saturdays, she had to work overtime. Overcome by fatigue, she set her phone on the pillow and drifted into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Li Hewei rushed into the office at 8:59 AM, just in time. An Yu had already finished her experiment and showed her the report.

“Chlorides?”

“Yes. We need to inform Major Crimes immediately and have them investigate all swimming pools in Puchen.” Freshwater typically has low chloride levels, but swimming pools are an exception due to routine disinfection and sterilization.

He Ying sighed. “This is going to be tough. I just checked—Puchen has 17 villas with private pools, 34 residential complexes with shared pools, 5 public fitness center pools, 2 vocational school pools, and 3 high school pools.”

“Besides, the Shu River flows upstream from us. If the body drifted down from there, how would we even begin to investigate?”

Li Hewei pondered for a moment. “We need to identify the body first.”

“Right. How’s the Major Crimes Unit next door doing? I heard they’re working three shifts, patrolling the riverbank with flashlights even at night.”

“I’ll check.” She sent a WeChat message: Team Leader Qiu, chloride detected in the drowning fluid, further supporting Tao Ling’s theory that the victim drowned and was then dumped into the Willow Min River.

Qiu Wan, a seasoned investigator, had accumulated considerable forensic and trace evidence knowledge over the years. He replied: Chloride? You mean he drowned in a swimming pool?

Yes, but the search area is too broad. We still need to identify the body first. She hit send, and the next moment Tao Ling entered, still wearing her blue lab coat. “Sister Wei,” she said urgently, “based on the victim’s dental wear and the morphology of the pubic symphysis, he was between 28 and 30 years old.”

“You boiled the bones already? What time did you get to the station?” Boiling bones was a delicate process, requiring the slow and complete separation of bone from tissue without damaging the bone itself.

Tao Ling blinked. “6:30 AM.”

Li Hewei’s expression darkened as she confronted her. “You got to the station at 6:30 AM, which means you had to get up at 6:00 AM. You only slept for less than five hours?”

Is she angry? Why is she angry? Tao Ling wondered, her mind racing. She mumbled, “Yes.”

Li Hewei ignored Tao Ling, turning her attention to Qiu Wan and informing her of the deceased’s age.

Qiu Wan: The information arrived just in time. Thank you.

Qiu Wan: Any progress on your end?

Li Hewei: No, I just got back from the riverbank. I’m going to rest for a bit before heading back out.

Good grief, she’s pulling an all-nighter! Li Hewei was speechless, finally replying with a polite, Li Hewei: Take care.

She glanced up at Tao Ling, who was still standing by the table, scrutinizing her. Noticing Tao Ling’s dry lips—clearly she was so eager to get to work she hadn’t even bothered to drink water—Li Hewei’s anger instantly dissipated. “Have you eaten?”

“Yes, steamed buns and soy milk.”

Not bad, at least she knows to eat breakfast.

“I’ll head back to the lab now.” Tao Ling’s lips unconsciously curved into a warm, spring-like smile that caught Li Hewei’s eye. Stunned for a moment, Li Hewei nodded. “Okay.”

The girl’s eyes sparkled like gemstones, framed by thick, slightly curled lashes. Her smile radiated genuine warmth, a sight Li Hewei had never witnessed since transmigrating into this world. Such a young girl, yet she carries herself with such gravity. I wonder how many worries she’s hiding behind that serious facade. She should smile more often.

Cheng Yingqiu had been resting when a series of urgent calls from her supervisor dragged her out of bed. By 11 PM, after finishing her work, she walked home carrying a bowl of takeout beef noodles. Parched, she squinted around and spotted Granny Qiu’s Grocery open across the street. After checking for traffic, she hurried across the road, pushed aside the PVC plastic curtain, and stepped inside. She scanned the empty shop.

“Hello? I’d like to buy some water.”

“Is anyone there?”

Slippers creaked on the wooden stairs as a tall figure descended. When Cheng Yingqiu recognized the person, her smile froze instantly.

What a small world.