The Detective is Useless (GL) - Chapter 15

Once again, Tian Sisi went to bed only after dawn. Jin Yunjue was starting to wonder if Tian Sisi was allergic to sunlight — like those vampires in movies that burst into flames when touched by it.

Of course, Tian Sisi wasn’t a vampire, but her sleep schedule was certainly strange. Maybe if she lived in England, the time difference would make her rhythm normal. Then again, she might just reverse it anyway — treating day as night and night as day.

Still, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. The girl was afraid of the dark, after all. If she actually went to bed early like normal people, Jin Yunjue wouldn’t be able to sleep — she could only rest in complete darkness, and even a bedside lamp would keep her awake.

Jin Yunjue had been up early working. The detective agency was finally starting to recover — even if the cases were small and trivial, at least it was surviving. Still, small cases took up a lot of her time and energy, always messy and bothersome. She’d rather not ask that lazybones for help — if Tian Sisi made a mess of things, it’d only be worse.

But just that morning, Jin Yunjue received an email from Liu Yu. After reading it, she began to think maybe she’d underestimated that good-for-nothing. Lazy as Tian Sisi was, maybe she could actually be useful.

The “Hotel Heir Murder Case” had basically wrapped up. Liu Yu’s email contained a summarized report. The suspect they caught last time had confessed — it was an accident during self-defense. Whether she’d be charged with manslaughter would depend on the prosecutor. Until convicted, she wasn’t a criminal. Still, even if self-defense were accepted, she might face lesser charges like improper disposal of a body.

According to her statement, the victim — the rich heir — had gone alone the night before the incident to watch the suspect’s dance troupe perform. After the show, still in costume, she was dragged away by him. They’d been fighting recently — she’d wanted to break up because of all the women around him, but he refused. That night, he wanted to reconcile.

Knowing she had a sweet tooth, he took her to a dessert shop to buy her favorite treats. The shop clerk later confirmed seeing them there.

Everything was fine at first — they chatted while eating in the hotel room, the mood even pleasant.

The suspect said she was touched — for once, he hadn’t asked to sleep with her, and they just talked. But the next morning, his phone rang — and she recognized the caller ID as that actress who’d been getting close to him. She snapped, saying she was done.

They argued. Then they fought. The victim pinned her down, trying to force himself on her. Enraged and terrified, she grabbed a vase and smashed it over his head.

When she tried to get up, he grabbed her ankle. In a panic, she kicked his head — three or four times, in the same spot. He stopped moving. She thought he’d just fainted — not died. Probably the metal tip on her dance shoes made the blows fatal.

Panicking, she moved his body to the bed, wiped the bl00d off her shoe with the bedsheet, and changed clothes to disguise herself in his pants, coat, and hat before leaving.

Jin Yunjue’s deductions had been right — the suspect had taken off the coat and hat at the back staircase, keeping only the pants. Later, police found the discarded clothing in a nearby mall restroom.

The only thing Jin Yunjue couldn’t figure out was — how did the suspect avoid the hallway surveillance cameras?

Attached to Liu Yu’s email was a short clip — not of the suspect, but of Tian Sisi, grinning and clowning around in a hotel corridor. The key point: she’d successfully avoided the cameras.

Liu Yu wrote: “If you want to know how she did it, you’ll have to ask Tian Sisi.”

Ask her? She was still asleep.

Jin Yunjue frowned. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. How did Tian Sisi know how to dodge the cameras? How did she know it was accidental manslaughter? Could she have guessed the method of killing before anyone else? Or even the suspect’s identity?

After some thought, Jin Yunjue decided she had to find out. She went upstairs and shook the sleeping girl awake.

“Hey, answer me honestly.”

Tian Sisi rolled over to face the wall. Jin Yunjue grabbed her shoulder and flipped her back.

“Wake up! Be honest — did you already know the truth?”

“What truth…?” Tian Sisi mumbled, eyes barely open before shutting them again.

“That woman — she’s the killer. You knew it from the start, didn’t you?” Jin Yunjue shook her harder.

“Who?” Tian Sisi pulled the blanket over her head, refusing to deal with her.

“Take this seriously!” Jin Yunjue sat on the bed and yanked the blanket away.

“I am serious!” Tian Sisi shouted back. She just wanted to sleep!

“You said it was accidental manslaughter — she confessed, and you were right. How did you know?”

“I just said it randomly! Now give me back my blanket!” Tian Sisi flailed around blindly, almost grabbing Jin Yunjue’s chest. Startled, Jin Yunjue caught her hand and leaned in closer.

“No, you’re not fooling me. You also knew how she avoided the cameras. That’s not something you just ‘say randomly.’”

Tian Sisi finally opened her eyes, pouting, annoyed and sleepy.

Jin Yunjue smiled slightly. “Just tell me. Then I’ll let you go back to sleep.”

“Ugh… come on. Who in their right mind kills someone on purpose, then panics and runs back to the scene looking guilty? Even a kid could tell it was accidental! You said she was the killer — that gave it away! So really, you’re the smart one, Little Pepper!” Tian Sisi smirked mischievously, then puckered her lips and teased, “Come on, give me a kiss!”

“Get lost!” Jin Yunjue pushed her away and stood up, stepping back. “Forget it. I won’t force you.” She was a little angry — whenever she treated this brat nicely, she ended up being toyed with.

Still, Jin Yunjue couldn’t shake her curiosity. At the stairs, she looked back — the girl was already curled up, fast asleep again.

Was that lazy fool actually a little clever? Maybe so. Otherwise, how could she have once earned the nickname “Female Sherlock Holmes”? But honestly, looking at her now — she didn’t seem reliable at all. Potential material? Hard to say. Intelligence without discipline was useless.

Jin Yunjue sighed and gave up on asking her for help.

After being pestered for so long, Tian Sisi couldn’t fall back asleep anyway. She rolled around for a while before giving up and getting up.

After washing up and eating, she went to tend her flowers. She hadn’t chatted with them for days, so she decided to make up for it today.

Jin Yunjue watched her every move — classic example of someone who found anything to do except actual work! Still, at least she wasn’t wasting time gaming with Aqi or slumped on the couch with her console. That was… progress.

Hearing footsteps outside, Jin Yunjue glanced at the clock. The mailman. She went to the door, stretched a little, and checked the mailbox. Several letters for the agency — and one addressed to Tian Sisi.

She tilted her head. That was a first — Tian Sisi had never gotten any mail here before.

Locking the box again, she went back inside with the letters. Tian Sisi was still crouched in the back garden, talking to her flowers. Jin Yunjue knocked on the kitchen door that opened to the garden and called, “Hey, Miss Tian — you’ve got mail.”

Tian Sisi glanced at it, waved her hand dismissively. “Throw it away.”

“Throw it away? You haven’t even opened it.”

“Junk mail. Toss it.”

Clearly, she wasn’t going to take it. Jin Yunjue sighed, closed the door, and went back to her desk.

But as she looked at the envelope, she hesitated. What if it wasn’t junk? What if it was something important? Well… Tian Sisi did say it was trash. Sorting trash was part of housekeeping, wasn’t it?

So Jin Yunjue opened it.

Inside was a sheet of white paper with red writing — and that red looked less like ink and more like dried bl00d.

Her brows furrowed deeper with every line. It was a letter full of curses — vicious, hateful words. Whoever wrote it clearly bore a deep grudge against Tian Sisi.

Maybe Tian Sisi knew she’d made enemies — that’s why she’d guessed it was hate mail from the start. Hearing footsteps, Jin Yunjue quickly folded the letter and hid it in her bag. If someone really wanted to harm Tian Sisi, she’d need to inform Liu Yu — and fast.

“Hey, Little Pepper, what’s for dinner?” Tian Sisi asked as she walked in, scratching her backside.

Jin Yunjue rolled her eyes. So unhygienic…

“No objections? Then I’ll get ingredients for fried rice!” Tian Sisi said brightly.

“Why do you love fried rice so much?” Jin Yunjue sighed. If she didn’t speak up, Tian Sisi would eat fried rice every single night.

“Because it’s convenient, fast, delicious, and nutritious! Carbs, meat, veggies — perfect balance! One of humanity’s greatest dishes!” Tian Sisi declared proudly.

“Whatever you want.” Jin Yunjue shook her head helplessly. At least she wasn’t picky.

Jin Yunjue originally thought of letting Tian Sisi go out alone — she needed to call Liu Yu about the bl00d letter, and also her boyfriend, to brag a little about solving another case.

But as she reached for her phone and saw Tian Sisi heading out, Jin Yunjue suddenly called, “Wait for me!”

She quickly changed into casual clothes and followed her.

Tian Sisi grinned. The beauty was accompanying her grocery shopping! How nice!

If it weren’t for Jin Yunjue worrying that whoever sent the bloody letter might target Tian Sisi, she’d never have gone along. But for now, she’d better keep an eye on her.

Jin Yunjue sighed inwardly. Was this what they called “asking for trouble”?