An Xun was cautious. “We can’t rule out other causes of death yet, but a fall from height is the most likely. I want to try extracting DNA samples.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Thanks for your hard work.”

It wasn’t certain whether DNA could still be extracted from a skeletonized corpse, but they had to try. As for the cause of death, it wasn’t something that could be determined by the forensic team alone. The Major Crimes Unit had collected as much soil from beneath the cliff as possible, which might help in analyzing the cause of death.

Meanwhile, Shen Qi was assigned to investigate Ou Hong. But as a genius in the cyber world, he was stumped when he found absolutely no trace of this person online. How was he supposed to investigate this? And the relationship between the Ou and Long families—weren’t they just neighbors? What else could there be? He lived alone now, in an ordinary apartment complex with the usual eight apartments per floor, and he didn’t even know who lived next door.

And in that era, there were no mobile phones. Where was he supposed to find information on the Ou and Long families?

Shen Qi sat in front of the computer, jiggling his leg in frustration, and for the first time truly understood how hard field agents had it.

“I’m never picking on sister Wan again,” he muttered.

“Oh? Has the little devil become a little pitiful thing?” Ling Lie leaned against the doorframe, amused.

“Ling Lie! What are you doing here!” Shen Qi exclaimed.

“Came to see you fail the task your beloved captain gave you and cry bitter tears.”

“Who’s crying!” Shen Qi was about to explode. He grabbed his bag and prepared to leave.

Ling Lie followed him. “Where are you going?”

“To investigate! To check on Ou Hong! To check on the Long family!”

“Oh, I know Nanfeng District well. I’ve chatted with lots of aunties and grannies there. Want me to come along?”

A wise man adapts to circumstances. Shen Qi immediately hit the brakes, turned around, and looked at Ling Lie with a mix of wariness and expectation. “You can really help?”

“Tsk, is this all you’ve learned from following your brother?” Ling Lie hooked an arm around Shen Qi’s shoulders. “A man should never say he can’t.”

Shen Qi wasn’t great at fieldwork, but he was a decent driver. An hour later, they arrived at Nanfeng District.

Ling Lie praised Shen Qi’s wild driving. “When it comes to driving, you’re better than your captain.”

Shen Qi grinned proudly. “Right? I got my license as soon as I came of age. It’s better when you’re riding with me. My brother and Sister Wan always nag me for driving too fast.”

Then Shen Qi froze for a moment and glared at Ling Lie, trying to muster up some hostility. But somehow, he wasn’t as hostile toward Ling Lie anymore. In fact, they’d strangely bonded over driving.

“Hmph!” Shen Qi snorted.

After getting out of the car, Ling Lie started walking ahead. Shen Qi called after him, “Where are you going? Wait for me!”

“To ask about Ou Hong, of course. I’ll find someone, and you’ll do the questioning.”

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? Xiao Shen, if you don’t work hard, the Major Crimes Unit might kick you out.”

“…”

Meanwhile, in the Major Crimes Unit, after a thorough extraction and examination of the stone used as the murder weapon, Xi Wan found traces of an A-brand facial serum, and more precisely, its essence cream. She also detected sodium aluminum silicate—the main component of jade. The quantities were very small, but clearly someone had washed the stone, though these residues had remained trapped in its crevices.

Xi Wan said, “A-brand is expensive, and the essence cream even more so. The person handling the stone probably used it as a hand cream and applied a lot; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been detectable.”

But Ji Chenjiao was more concerned about the jade component. He remembered Long Shasha’s jade ring and bracelet.

“In what situation would this kind of stone have traces of jade?”

“Wear and tear.” Xi Wan touched the base of her ring finger. She had a beautiful wedding ring but rarely wore it due to work. “If I wore my ring and gripped the stone hard, the ring would get scratched, and the stone too—leaving tiny jade particles behind.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Long Shasha wears a jade ring on her index finger.”

Xi Wan immediately understood. “Could this stone have been hers? I remember the last time I was near her, she had a faint scent. I know that fragrance—it’s from A-brand skincare!”

At the Xiayang TV station, Luo Wanwan’s murder had become one of the hottest topics in the city. People gossiped endlessly about her and Kang Wanbin’s scandal. Luo Wanwan hadn’t officially resigned from the station, so the network shamelessly used her death to boost ratings while also exposing Kang Wanbin’s rise to wealth.

In this age when Xiayang TV was losing its influence, Luo Wanwan’s death gave the station a small chance to win back viewers.

But they didn’t push things too far—after all, Luo Wanwan was gone, but Long Shasha, their star anchor, was still around.

The station let Long Shasha take time off, partly out of concern for her feelings, but mainly because they didn’t want her interfering with the station’s coverage of Luo Wanwan.

Long Shasha’s movements were now under police surveillance. She rarely went out and only watched TV dramas online. When Ji Chenjiao knocked on her door, she answered with a bare face and a haggard look.

“Any news?” she asked.

Due to the clues on the stone, Long Shasha’s level of suspicion had risen sharply. Ji Chenjiao came with a search warrant. Long Shasha’s pupils shrank. “You think I killed my own sister? Are you insane?”

Ji Chenjiao noticed she was still wearing her ring. The jade was smooth and warm, but there was a faint scratch on its side.

“Take off your ring and let me see it,” Ji Chenjiao demanded.

Long Shasha froze, instinctively covering the ring.

“Ms. Long, please cooperate with the investigation,” Ji Chenjiao said firmly.

“This is my mother’s dowry! She left it to me when she died. Why do you want it?” Long Shasha’s emotions suddenly spiraled; her eyes turned red as if she would collapse any moment.

Xi Wan stepped forward to steady her and, while holding her wrist, got a close look at the scratch on the ring.

Long Shasha refused to take off the ring, her composure gone. “You can’t come into my house! I’ll expose you all!”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t touch her. “There is evidence suggesting you may be involved in Luo Wanwan’s death. I applied for this search warrant legally, and you are under temporary detention—this is all within the law.”

Long Shasha slumped onto the sofa, her princess-like curls limp on her chest. In her bedroom, Xi Wan found a pile of A-brand cosmetics. The facial essence was not stored with the more expensive creams but next to the nail polishes.

Xi Wan sighed and noticed a jade necklace and bracelet in the jewelry box. They clearly matched Long Shasha’s ring and bangle. She bagged them as evidence, then returned to the living room and gently held Long Shasha’s hand.

Long Shasha shook her head desperately and tried to pull away, but Xi Wan still managed to remove the ring.

Meanwhile, in the Nanfeng District old street, Shen Qi was awkward and stammering as he questioned people, constantly glancing at Ling Lie. One of the grannies who had chatted with Ling Lie before whispered, “Is he your trainee? So shy—stammers more than an old lady!”

Shen Qi’s ears turned red as he shot Ling Lie a furious glare. Ling Lie laughed. “I’m the one he’s training. He’s young, but has seniority.”

“Really?”

“Really, really.”

Shen Qi finally felt better and continued chatting with the granny.

It was thanks to Ling Lie that they even found this old woman. When they first arrived in Nanfeng District, Shen Qi was completely at a loss. He’d done fieldwork before, but it was always under Ji Chenjiao or Liang Wenxian’s orders. This time, he was on his own, standing at the end of the old street, feeling as lost as a dry leaf blown across the stone pavement.

He looked helplessly at Ling Lie, who smiled. “Come with me.”

He followed Ling Lie, watching as the man greeted every elder they passed, seemingly wandering aimlessly through the alleys. At first, Shen Qi felt useless trailing behind, but slowly realized there was a method—Ling Lie always steered the conversation toward the Ou family and took mental notes of every street sign.

Eventually, Ling Lie learned that there was an old granny living next to the Ou and Long families. Her husband and son had died early, leaving her alone and pitiful. The neighbors often helped her out of sympathy, and she sometimes cared for Ou Hong’s mentally ill mother.

Ling Lie then sent Shen Qi to chat with the old woman.

The old woman had poor hearing, and when Shen Qi asked her questions, she was hesitant. Ling Lie was outside, helping the old woman grind dried chili peppers, and every now and then, he would catch a glimpse of Shen Qi’s helpless look.

“Grandma, is this ground enough?” Ling Lie showed the old woman the results.

The old woman smiled, her face full of wrinkles. “Yes, yes, thank you, young man. Ah, earlier, I was talking about Xiao Hong. That girl helped me grind dried chili peppers before. She’s sensible, and if she grows up well, she won’t be worse than the two children of the Long family. It’s a pity, it’s a pity.”

Ling Lie sat down beside Shen Qi. “I heard that Long family’s niece loves to work and doesn’t play much. You used to live in a cottage; the children often visited, right?”

“That’s right. There aren’t many people in my family, and there isn’t much in the yard. They liked to come and play here. Shasha often came, sometimes bringing her older sister, but more often she came alone. She said her older sister didn’t like to go out and play.”

Shen Qi looked at Ling Lie, who nodded for him to ask. Shen Qi thought for a moment, then asked, “Grandma, have you seen Ou Hong and the Long sisters playing together?”

The old woman rubbed her skin like chicken feet, “They played together, of course. Right here in my yard.”

Shen Qi frowned. “But I heard from others that Ou Hong never played with children her age because she had to take care of her mother.”

“They didn’t see it,” the old woman replied. “How could she never play? Xiao Hong is still a child, and no matter how hard things are, she still has the nature of a child.”

Shen Qi asked, “So, how did they play?”

The old woman thought for a moment. “I don’t know how they played. Just a bunch of kids fooling around. But now that you ask, I remember. Xiao Hong seemed to only play with Shasha.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know about that, kids’ matters. They didn’t like running around in the yard. Shasha would lend Xiao Hong her fairy tale books, and they would sit in my room together to read.”

Shen Qi seemed to grasp something but couldn’t piece it together just yet. At this moment, Ling Lie said, “Shasha’s older sister, Luo Wanwan, has she never come, or does she come rarely?”

The old woman said, “That girl, she has all the habits of a country girl. She hides from people and always lowers her head. I remember her calling Shasha outside my yard, but she never came in.”

The old woman spoke whatever came to mind. What upset her the most was the violent incident, where three children were left without adults. She had once wanted to help, especially to have Ou Hong temporarily stay with her, but there were rumors in the town saying she wanted to take the compensation money from Ou Hong’s family. She was furious and stopped interacting with the three children.

And then, one day, Ou Hong and her mother disappeared. Every time she thought about it, she regretted it.

“If I had given Xiao Hong more care, maybe she and her mother wouldn’t have ended up in such a dire situation. Her father still checks on me from time to time… So, I thought I should take care of Shasha and her sister. But Shasha has changed, she avoids me, and her older sister hardly ever leaves the house anymore.”

Ling Lie asked, “Did Shasha change after Ou Hong disappeared?”

The old woman was sure of it. “Yes, I remember clearly. After her parents’ incident, I cooked for them. Her older sister didn’t talk much, but she did cry in my arms. It was after Xiao Hong disappeared that Shasha distanced herself from me for no reason.”

Leaving the old woman’s house, Shen Qi didn’t say a word, but his face almost wrinkled into a ball. Ling Lie nudged him. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking, why did Long Shasha change after Ou Hong disappeared? The old woman said she seemed like a completely different person. So, is she really Long Shasha? The skeleton found at the cliff belonged to a little girl, and Luo Wanwan’s DNA has no familial relation to her. Damn, could it be that the real Long Shasha died a long time ago?”

Ling Lie replied, “Long Shasha should still be Long Shasha.”

“But…”

“Think about what the old woman said earlier. Of the three girls, Long Shasha was the closest to her. If Long Shasha had died when Ou Hong disappeared, would she not recognize the one hiding from her?”

“That’s true. But why is the DNA still a problem?”

Ling Lie stopped, looking at the turtle-back bamboo by the roadside. “Because Luo Wanwan’s DNA has changed.”

“What?”

“The old woman has never been close to Luo Wanwan, and only occasionally interacted with Ou Hong. The locals all said that Luo Wanwan and Ou Hong were often dirty, especially Luo Wanwan. Her presence was very low-key. Didn’t the old woman just say that after Ou Hong disappeared, Luo Wanwan stayed at home the whole time?”

Shen Qi understood. “Could it be that the current Luo Wanwan is actually Ou Hong, and the one who died, no, the dead one is the real Luo Wanwan?”

Ling Lie casually pulled a blade of grass and tapped Shen Qi’s forehead. “I think you have some talent for fieldwork.”

Shen Qi was flattered but was deep in thought. He snatched the grass from Ling Lie. “I’m thinking here, can’t you see?”

Ling Lie said, “Now you need to use your professional skills.”

“Huh?”

“Ou Hong’s father is buried in Feng Shui Cemetery. Can you find out who has visited his grave in recent years?”

Shen Qi’s eyes lit up. “I get it! I’ll check right away!” He started to rush toward the car to grab his laptop but stopped midway and turned around, looking a bit awkward. “By the way, I’m not calling you Ling any more.”

Ling Lie chuckled. “Then what should I be called?”

“I’ll call you ‘brother’!” Shen Qi said bluntly. “You’re impressive.”

After Shen Qi ran off, Ling Lie mumbled to himself, “I’m your brother, then what about Ji Chenjiao?”

Meanwhile, An Xun was running in the corridor. His white coat flew up, and his team members almost got knocked over, confused. “Is that little An Xun? Why is he so hasty like Shen Qi?”

Before anyone could respond, there was another whirlwind. This time it was Xi Wan. The team was left speechless. “What’s going on with your homicide team?”

DNA was extracted from the bones, and after comparison, it was found that they were related to Long Shasha. An Xun also performed two other tests: first, the bones showed no blood relation to Luo Wanwan; second, Luo Wanwan’s DNA matched a sample in the police database, which had been recorded because nine years ago, a mentally ill woman was saved by the police in a city, and her DNA was collected to find her relatives. She was never found, and the mentally ill woman had already passed away.

An Xun said excitedly, “Captain! The bones could actually belong to the real Luo Wanwan! The ‘Luo Wanwan’ who died is actually Ou Hong!”

Xi Wan placed another report on the table. “The jade components found on the stone and the cosmetics left on the body match Long Shasha’s jewelry and the essence cream she uses. The person who killed Luo Wanwan—the real one—is probably her!”

Long Shasha sat under the white light in the interrogation room. Thanks to years of care, even in bright light, it was hard to see any wrinkles on her face.

“Can you let me go now?” She looked at them with a pitiful expression, making it easy for anyone who met her gaze to feel soft-hearted.

But the one sitting across from her was Ji Chenjiao.

“I’ll tell you something first,” Ji Chenjiao said. “We found a patch of monstera at the cliff where Luo Wanwan fell.”

Long Shasha’s eyes widened in shock.

“Because the presence of this monstera was strange, we dug into it…”

Long Shasha suddenly stood up, glaring at Ji Chenjiao. “Who gave you permission to dig? Why did you dig her up!”

Ji Chenjiao calmly said, “Under the monstera, we found a bundle of bones. After identification, the bones belong to a girl who was sixteen when she died, and she is related to you.”

Long Shasha’s shoulders trembled as her breathing grew more rapid. Her lips quivered, and she made a faint, mumbling sound in her throat. Her arms, propped against the table, shook uncontrollably. She let go and collapsed into the chair.

“Long Shasha, this girl who died a long time ago is your older sister, the real Luo Wanwan, isn’t she?”

Long Shasha shook her head. “No… that’s not true…”

Ji Chenjiao presented the most crucial piece of evidence: the ring and the stone. “This scratch on your ring—how did it get there?”

“I… I accidentally scraped it.”

“Scraped it on what? Was it this stone? Long Shasha, this stone was found at the bottom of the cliff. It has Luo Wanwan’s blood on it and microscopic traces from your ring. How do you explain that?”

At Fengshui Cemetery, Shen Qi pulled surveillance footage and management records. Amid the vast sea of data, he found a video of Luo Wanwan visiting alone. Just two years ago, she personally renewed the grave plot for Ou Ping, who died in the gang fight.

“A few summers ago, there was so much rain that part of the mountain slid and blocked that path. Otherwise, you all wouldn’t have had to work so hard to get here,” said a manager from Fengyi Mountain Villa when the Major Crimes Unit came to investigate again. He pointed to the dense woods below the cliff.

Liang Wenxian asked, “Which year was that?”

“Mm… must’ve been three years ago, I think? But no one ever goes down there. This whole area’s too remote.”

Liang Wenxian climbed down to the base of the cliff and followed the route the manager described. Sure enough, the path was blocked by piled-up dirt and boulders. But it wasn’t hard to imagine that before that landslide, difficult as it might’ve been, a girl could’ve carried a small monstera sapling down there.

He gazed up at the towering cliff, as if seeing a girl from many years ago falling from its edge, buried in the mud below. And many years later, another girl, crossing mountains and rough ground, came to this hidden place and planted monstera on her bones.

Interrogation room, Major Crimes Unit.

Ji Chenjiao showed Long Shasha the cemetery renewal record. “Why would your sister extend Ou Ping’s grave lease? Did you know she visited the cemetery every year—but not to honor your father, her own uncle?”

Long Shasha’s carefully manicured nails dug so hard into her palms they nearly broke the skin. After a long, deep breath, her shoulders slumped completely. “She’s not my sister. You’ve got it wrong.”

“Hmm?”

“My real sister—simple, kind Luo Wanwan—was killed by her long ago.”