The Detective is Useless (GL) - Chapter 17

Lately, Tian Sisi had been a bit more diligent—at least compared to before.
Maybe it was because the detective agency’s business had started improving; perhaps that gave her a little motivation. Occasionally, she would even voluntarily help out. Of course, that “help” only extended to minor chores—she still stubbornly refused to actually work on cases.

Before noon, as usual, Tian Sisi was still deep in dreamland. Jin Yunjue, however, was already focused on reading through an email carefully, thinking about what to do next.

This email was about Tian Sisi.
Jin Yunjue had once talked to her boyfriend about Tian Sisi’s situation, and in response, he’d sent her the business card of a psychologist. Jin Yunjue had then written to that psychologist, seeking professional advice. Naturally, the cautious Jin Yunjue didn’t use real names—she used an alias for Tian Sisi and even changed her occupation to “police officer.” After all, if she mentioned “detective,” it would be too easy for someone to trace who they really were. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her boyfriend—it was just better to be safe when dealing with strangers.

Today, the psychologist had replied.

It was a long English email filled with technical terms. Even though Jin Yunjue had lived in England for years, there were a few she had to look up. The overall conclusion, however, was clear:
Tian Sisi was suffering from self-avoidance.

According to the psychologist, this was a kind of mental self-defense mechanism—people retreat from reality when they encounter difficulties, as a way to protect themselves from being hurt. When someone can’t handle what’s happening or can’t face themselves, they escape—emotionally and mentally.

From Jin Yunjue’s description, the psychologist deduced that Tian Sisi’s problem stemmed from self-doubt and fear. She couldn’t accept her own past mistakes, and she was terrified of repeating them. Unable to face herself, she had chosen avoidance—perhaps even self-exile.
She couldn’t bear her own past, but she also couldn’t move on.

To help her, the email said, she needed confidence and hope—and to be guided, little by little, toward confronting the past. Only by doing that could her condition improve.

However, since she’d been running away for years and still hadn’t healed on her own, the trauma she carried must be deep. It wasn’t something that could be fixed overnight. It would take time—step by step.

Slowly, huh… but how?
Jin Yunjue frowned. The psychologist hadn’t given any specific methods—no real steps she could follow.

What should she do? She had promised Liu Yu not to tell Tian Sisi the truth, but how could she help Tian Sisi face her past without talking to her about it? Without understanding the root of the problem—how deep the wound went, or what exactly had happened—how could she hope to help her heal?

Jin Yunjue sighed. Tian Sisi’s emotional problem was proving far more difficult to solve than any private case she had on her hands.

After thinking it over, she decided to call Liu Yu to discuss a plan.

The call had barely connected when Liu Yu’s voice came bursting through on the other end:
“Xiao Jin! Perfect timing—I was just about to call you! I need your and Sisi’s help.”

“What is it? A case?”
If it was a case, Tian Sisi’s issues could wait. Work came first.

After listening to Liu Yu’s explanation, Jin Yunjue immediately went upstairs to wake Tian Sisi.

Sometimes, Jin really couldn’t figure out how Tian Sisi could be sitting upright with her eyes open and still look like her soul was asleep.

“Hey! Miss Tian! Wake up!”
No reaction.

So Jin gave her a light punch on the shoulder—not hard, but enough to make Tian Sisi yelp and finally wake up.

Before heading out, Jin remembered that Tian Sisi hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. She grabbed a bread roll from the fridge and shoved it into Tian Sisi’s mouth.

Tian Sisi frowned. Cold bread? Really? Couldn’t she at least microwave it for a minute?

Half-asleep, Tian Sisi chewed while tying her boots. When she reached to grab the bread with her hands, Jin immediately stopped her, pulling tissues from her purse and handing them over.

Jin Yunjue absolutely despised how Tian Sisi ignored hygiene—her boots were filthy, and now she wanted to touch food with the same hands? No wonder she was always getting stomachaches.

Jin thought for a moment: Maybe I should just buy her a new pair of boots.
Sure, Tian Sisi had refused last time, but if Jin bought them herself and threw out the old pair, what could Tian do? At worst, she could buy her the exact same design to avoid protest.

When they finally got into the car, Tian Sisi slouched lazily in the passenger seat, still half-asleep. Jin glanced sideways and nearly smacked her just to wake her up.

“Wake up, we’re almost there. This case’s victim is the president of Dewey Beer—”

“Beer?! It’s been so long since I’ve had beer!”
Jin was cut off mid-sentence.

Apparently, the one thing capable of reviving Tian Sisi instantly was… beer.

“I wasn’t finished,” Jin muttered. “The deceased is Wu Dedian, the president of Dewey Beer. The evidence at the scene suggests suicide, but Liu thinks it’s suspicious. He believes Wu was murdered—but doesn’t know how or by whom.”

“I wanna drink beer!” Tian Sisi said dreamily. “I like Kirin best!”

Jin shot her a glare but then had an idea. “If you help solve the case, I’ll take you to a bar to celebrate. Deal?”

“Deal! With you on the team, we’ll definitely crack it!”
Tian Sisi grinned from ear to ear.

Jin’s lips twitched. That wasn’t the point… She wanted Tian Sisi to actually get serious about the case, not just ride her coattails. But fine—this time, Jin would force her to show some real detective skill.

After several layers of security checks, they finally reached the company’s reception area, where Liu Yu greeted them personally.

“Why’s the security so tight? This is worse than an airport!” Tian Sisi complained.

“There was a reporter who sneaked in this morning,” Liu Yu explained. “Luckily we caught them before they tampered with the evidence. We tightened security after that.”

Tian Sisi pouted. “There weren’t any reporters last time. Why now?”

Jin gave her a light smack on the head. “That’s because you only play video games and never read the news! The victim’s son, Wu Qiaoti, is facing legal trouble—it’s been all over the papers for months.”

“Oh,” Tian Sisi mumbled.

“Anyway, come with me.”
Liu Yu led them into an office and flipped through some documents. “The victim was seventy-two, lived a regular life, and had no bad habits—just the occasional drink. He had a health checkup two months ago; the report said he was in good condition. This is his office. The body wasn’t moved, so this is the scene.”

“There are no signs of struggle…” Jin observed.
The office was neat, every ornament perfectly arranged. The glass cases and shelves were dust-free. It was so clean it put their detective agency to shame. Only the stains on the desk and carpet stood out—likely the victim’s bl00d.

“Yes, we’ve ruled out any struggle,” Liu confirmed. “Yesterday around 6 a.m., a janitor found him slumped over his desk in a pool of bl00d. Cause of death: poisoning. The bl00d on the desk and carpet came from internal bleeding.”

He opened a folder and showed them photos.
“There was a pack of rat poison on the desk, and the unfinished beer in his hand contained the same substance. The coroner’s report says the poison acts as an anticoagulant—too much of it causes internal bleeding and dehydration, leading to death between midnight and 4 a.m.”

“How interesting!” Tian Sisi exclaimed. “I thought rich company presidents only drank red wine—but he drank beer!”

“Who says presidents can’t drink beer? He owns a beer company,” Jin said, rolling her eyes. She caught Tian reaching for the desk and quickly pulled her back, slipping gloves on her hands.
“Brother Liu, was the beer bottled or canned?”

“Canned. We found it in the trash.”
He flipped through another few pages—there were photos of the can.
“We checked thoroughly; there’s nothing suspicious about the packaging. It’s nearly impossible to poison a sealed can like that. The wrapping, can, and beer glass only had the victim’s fingerprints.”

Suddenly, Tian burst out laughing. “Mystery solved! It’s suicide!”

Jin rubbed her forehead. “Tian, stop fooling around. Be serious.”

Tian waved a hand dismissively. “The body’s gone, the scene’s clean, what’s left to check? I’d rather go play video games with Aqi!”

Jin crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. “If you like corpses so much, maybe I should throw you in the morgue.”

Tian froze. So mean!
Then she dramatically threw herself at Liu Yu. “Brother Liu! She’s bullying me!”

Liu sighed, patted her head gently, and said, “Alright, alright. Anyway, all signs do point to suicide. We even found a will in his drawer. Take a look.”

He pulled out a photograph—sealed in a transparent evidence bag. It showed the victim, Wu Dedian, with his son, Wu Qiaoti. On the back were several lines of handwriting and a signature—apparently his final message.

“So creative—writing your will on a photo! Haha!” Tian said, amused.

Jin rolled her eyes again and examined the writing closely.

“It’ll be sent for handwriting analysis later,” Liu said. “For now, look carefully.”

Tian shrugged, gave it a lazy glance, then immediately started gazing off at the ceiling. She yawned loudly.

She’d rather sleep, play games, or eat sushi—anything but investigate a case.