Leaving the dining room, Lu Yan walked toward the entrance.

She remembered casually placing her bag in the entryway when they came in, but now there was no sign of it.

After searching around confused, she finally glanced toward the living room and found her bag sitting neatly on the sofa.

Jiang Chengyi must have moved it there earlier.

She looked at him, but he was still absorbed in his documents, showing no intention of speaking.

She could only withdraw her gaze and walk to the sofa, taking out her phone.

Several missed calls from Tang Jie – she hadn’t heard them while busy cooking and eating.

She quickly called back.

As soon as the call connected, Tang Jie’s voice came through lazily: “Well, finally remembered to check your phone. What were you doing?”

Just as she was about to speak, footsteps approached. Jiang Chengyi had walked over at some point, tossed the stack of documents on the coffee table, and sat down on the other end of the sofa.

Lu Yan turned slightly away: “Oh, I was cooking earlier, didn’t hear it.”

“Cooking?” Tang Jie’s laugh was suggestive. “You cooked for Jiang Chengyi? Well, well, Jiang Chengyi knows how to handle things. After all these years, no one managed to pluck this rose, but as soon as he appears—”

Her voice was too loud, and with Jiang Chengyi sitting so close, Lu Yan had to interrupt: “What did you need?”

Tang Jie returned to the point: “It’s Monday already, have they retrieved the surveillance footage? Any news about that bastard who was following you?”

Lu Yan made an affirming sound, but not wanting to worry Tang Jie, answered vaguely: “We pretty much know who it is.”

Tang Jie wasn’t satisfied with this response: “They’d better arrest that pervert tomorrow, so we don’t have to live in fear every day. Oh right, what’s your shift tomorrow? It’s Da Zhong’s birthday, we’re planning a party. If you’re free, you should come.”

When they were young, Da Zhong’s parents had been posted to America for a while. Though they eventually returned to China, Da Zhong’s lifestyle had become completely Westernized, including throwing parties for every birthday.

Last year Lu Yan missed it due to the evening shift, and it would be hard to excuse missing it again this year.

“I know it’s late notice, but Da Zhong just got back, and we’ve been busy avoiding that pervert these past few days, so we didn’t get around to organizing this earlier.”

Lu Yan said: “I’ll come right after my shift. What time does it start? At your place or his?”

Tang Jie was delighted: “In the evening, at his place. He’s invited lots of his friends, a bunch of people from the film industry. It’ll be fun. Just come whenever you finish work. Oh, and bring Jiang Chengyi too – you two come together. I’ll send him an electronic invitation right now.”

Lu Yan froze, glancing at Jiang Chengyi, who was still intently studying the documents on the coffee table.

It was quite an abrupt request, and Jiang Chengyi might not agree. She hesitated before answering: “I’ll ask him and call you back later.”

After hanging up, sure enough, Jiang Chengyi’s phone buzzed.

Lu Yan took a sip of water, observing Jiang Chengyi for a few seconds through the top of her glass, then spoke: “Um, tomorrow is Tang Jie’s boyfriend’s birthday.”

Jiang Chengyi was reading the message on his phone and didn’t respond.

“Did she invite you too?”

He made an affirmative sound, answering quite quickly and without any apparent displeasure in his tone.

Lu Yan’s fingers lightly traced the rim of her glass, contemplating what to say next. What it meant for them to attend such a party together – as an adult, Jiang Chengyi surely understood. But with the two people from the video still mysterious in their intentions, she didn’t dare go out alone. If she was to attend the party, she would necessarily need to ask Jiang Chengyi to accompany her.

Though completely lacking confidence, she hesitantly spoke: “If you’re not busy then, could you… go with me?”

Jiang Chengyi put down his phone, and after a few seconds said: “You’re still not out of danger right now. I can accompany you. The villa in Qingshan District isn’t far, about forty minutes by car.”

He seemed reluctant, yet his words implied agreement.

Lu Yan put down her glass, her tone noticeably lighter than before: “I’ll be working all day tomorrow, so I might need to come back and change clothes first.”

“Mm.” Jiang Chengyi studied the documents with a serious expression.

Lu Yan got up with a slight smile. His lemon water was empty, so she went to the kitchen to pour another glass and placed it in front of him.

Just as she was about to return to her room, Jiang Chengyi’s phone rang.

Jiang Chengyi glanced at the caller ID and answered: “Old Qin.”

Old Qin seemed to be speaking rapidly and urgently on the other end. Though she couldn’t make out the words, Lu Yan saw Jiang Chengyi’s brows gradually furrow, and an ominous feeling arose.

“Secure the scene.” Jiang Chengyi stood up, grabbing his jacket from the sofa. “I’m on my way.”

“What happened?” Lu Yan asked anxiously. “Is there a case?”

Jiang Chengyi walked to the entrance, his mind completely focused on Old Qin’s words from the call: “The crime scene is in the suburbs. I might not be back for several hours.”

While speaking, he pressed the elevator button. After a few seconds, his expression slightly composed, his tone turning cool: “The compound’s security is good, with 24-hour patrols, and there’s always someone on duty in the lobby downstairs. If you’re still scared, I can have Aunt Liu come back to stay with you.”

By the time Lu Yan processed this, the private elevator doors had already closed.

Yanping Lake, Suburbs

White torrential rain poured down, creating a vast white haze everywhere.

Police tape had been set up around the crime scene, and the lights from several police cars flashed continuously.

The lakeside lighting seemed to have malfunctioned – before the police cars arrived, almost all the street lights had been out. Even after emergency repairs, only about half were working, their dim light barely penetrating the rain and fog to illuminate the muddy road.

Jiang Chengyi got out of the car, and Old Qin’s group came to meet him: “The body was discovered in the lake by the duty staff. After retrieving it, they noticed something wrong and immediately called the police. The forensics team’s preliminary examination indicates the victim was strangled to death.”

Jiang Chengyi wiped the rain from his face, putting on the raincoat Old Qin handed him: “The rain’s too heavy, the scene’s probably severely compromised.”

Another officer said: “You’re right, who’d expect such heavy rain in winter? It’s really causing problems. The forensics team has been crouching over there for more than half an hour. Looks like they won’t finish until daybreak.”

Jiang Chengyi walked toward the lake: “Where’s the body?”

Old Qin held up an umbrella: “Up ahead. Young female, besides the suspected fatal injury to the neck, no other signs of external force have been found yet.”

The body had been placed in a body bag. Jiang Chengyi approached and asked a young officer in his twenties: “Where’s the first witness? Have him come over, I have some questions.”

After speaking, he put on gloves and crouched down to unzip the body bag.

The body was gradually revealed.

At first glance, Jiang Chengyi noticeably froze. The rain was too heavy and the street lights too dim. He stared at the body and said to Old Qin: “Let me borrow your flashlight.”

“Here.” Old Qin passed the flashlight, its white beam illuminating the body’s face directly.

Seeing Jiang Chengyi stare at the body without speaking for a long time, Old Qin spoke up: “Captain Jiang, the witness has been brought over.”

The man was still shaken, shrinking behind Old Qin, not daring to look toward the body.

After a long moment, Jiang Chengyi finally zipped up the body bag. While removing his gloves, he looked at the witness: “Hello, I’m Officer Jiang, in charge of this case. Could you describe the circumstances when you discovered the body?”

The man fearfully swallowed hard: “I was on duty today, responsible for maintaining the security facilities around the lake area at night. Everything was fine earlier, but at 9:30, the lake area suddenly lost power. I went to check the equipment room and found it wasn’t just a tripped breaker. Worried about the circuitry, I quickly called the office. Then I felt the power outage was suspicious and got uneasy, so I took a flashlight to patrol the lakeside. Halfway around, I swept the flashlight across the lake’s surface and noticed something in the middle. When the light hit it, the thing appeared white—”

Recalling the scene still filled him with dread. The night sky was pitch black, the torrential rain like a massive pot lid sealing the artificial lake beneath it. Yet that thing floating in the lake’s center appeared light and white – at first glance, eerily reminiscent of a fetus floating in amniotic fluid. That primordial stillness inexplicably made one’s heart race.

“My colleague who came to repair the circuits arrived just then. We took a boat out to the middle of the lake and discovered the thing was wrapped in waterproof plastic. When we shone the light on it, the bag appeared quite bright. By then we’d already guessed it might be a body. We were scared but still retrieved it, then quickly called 110. You all arrived not long after that, Officer Jiang. That’s basically what happened.”

Jiang Chengyi nodded: “What time approximately did you discover the body?”

The witness thought for a moment: “Around 9:55.”

“So there were twenty-five minutes between the power outage and finding the body.”

The witness said: “About that. My colleague arrived shortly after I found the body, just before 10 o’clock, I remember.”

“Good, thank you for your cooperation. We’ll need you to make a statement later.”

After searching the scene, Old Qin returned to Jiang Chengyi’s side: “Captain, we’ve done preliminary verification of the victim’s identity. Her name is Ding Jing, 26 years old, from a wealthy family. She’s the only daughter of Ding Yimao, a local businessman. She worked at a foreign trade company.”

Seeing Jiang Chengyi silently staring at the dark lake’s surface, he continued: “I heard her father Ding Yimao used to run quite a large business and was friends with many local wealthy people. Unfortunately, there were some cash flow problems when trying to take the company public. Since then, the company’s situation has deteriorated severely, and the Ding family isn’t what they used to be.”

Jiang Chengyi remained silent for a moment, then checked his watch: “It’s almost 2 AM. We’ve swept the lake area once, and another sweep probably won’t yield anything. Old Qin, tell everyone we’re pulling out.”

Lu Yan got up and opened the curtains to find the rain that had poured for a day and night had finally stopped, replaced by a milky white fog. The hazy dawn light and crisp mist suggested it would be a clear day.

Last night, Aunt Liu had arrived shortly after Jiang Chengyi left. After chatting with her briefly, Lu Yan returned to her room to review the literature until going to bed at 1 AM. Jiang Chengyi hadn’t returned by then.

While washing up, she silently wondered if Jiang Chengyi had gotten any sleep in the early hours.

Leaving her room, she arrived at the dining area to find Jiang Chengyi already eating breakfast, with Aunt Liu pouring milk into his cup.

Seeing her, Aunt Liu smiled: “Dr. Lu, come have breakfast.”

Lu Yan sat down with a word of thanks, spooning up her porridge. Noticing Jiang Chengyi’s tired expression, though suspecting he might not answer, she still asked: “How late were you up last night? Was it a murder case?”

Jiang Chengyi didn’t want to discuss the topic: “Let’s eat first. It’s getting late, don’t be tardy.”

After breakfast, they got in the car. While starting the engine, Jiang Chengyi remained silent for a moment before speaking: “Ding Jing is dead.”

Lu Yan was adjusting her coat when she heard this. The words hit like a thunderbolt, leaving her ears ringing.

When she recovered, she stared at Jiang Chengyi, asking in disbelief: “Ding Jing? Dead?”

Jiang Chengyi glanced at the rearview mirror, saw her pale face, and didn’t respond.

The news was too shocking. After a long while, Lu Yan’s voice was still strained: “How… did she die?”

Suddenly remembering last night’s events: “Was Old Qin’s call last night about Ding Jing’s case?”

Seeing her persistent questioning, Jiang Chengyi finally gave an affirmative sound.

Lu Yan froze, quickly opening her alumni WeChat group. No one was discussing it – the news hadn’t spread yet.

She put down her phone, still dazed. Though she didn’t like Ding Jing, receiving such news was deeply unsettling.

After a while, remembering Ding Jing’s strange behavior from two days ago, a trace of unease crossed her mind. She turned to Jiang Chengyi: “Ding Jing said some strange things to me on Sunday.”

Jiang Chengyi glanced at Lu Yan: “What did she say?”

Lu Yan tried hard to recall the scene: “First she asked me: ‘Lu Yan, have you heard of Winter Solstice?'”

“Winter Solstice?”

“Yes.” Lu Yan nodded, “When I didn’t respond, she said ‘Stop pretending, you must know, right?’ After I denied it, she seemed very frightened and said ‘No, you definitely know. I’ve long suspected this was all your doing.’ I couldn’t understand what she meant, so I asked what she was trying to say, but she wouldn’t continue. That’s when you and your mother arrived.”

Jiang Chengyi stared at the road ahead, his expression growing grave.

After arriving at First Affiliated Hospital, seeing Lu Yan’s increasingly troubled expression, Jiang Chengyi lowered the window, took the timing card from the security guard, and said: “Focus on work first, don’t overthink things.”

Only then did Lu Yan get out of the car, lost in thought.

After finishing her evening shift, Lu Yan waited in the department until nearly 8 PM when she received Jiang Chengyi’s call.

In the car, she saw him constantly taking calls, obviously just finishing work matters. Remembering they were going to Da Zhong’s birthday party, she held back from asking about Ding Jing.

On the way back to Songshan Road, she received Tang Jie’s call: “Lu Yan, off work?”

It seemed Tang Jie didn’t know about Ding Jing’s death yet. After long hesitation, Lu Yan decided to temporarily withhold this news, forcing a lighter tone: “Yes, just finished. Heading over now.”

There was lively music in the background, and Tang Jie’s voice was excited: “Hurry! It’s bustling tonight. Oh, and remember to dress up beautifully!”

Lu Yan made a sound of acknowledgment, deliberately teasing her: “When am I not beautiful?”

Tang Jie laughed heartily: “No, no, tonight’s full of beauties. I’ve already been outshone. Now I’m counting on you to save face for me. Come quickly!”

After hanging up, at Lu Yan’s request, Jiang Chengyi drove back to Nanshan Lane.

Upstairs, Lu Yan opened her wardrobe.

Disliking bright colors, her wardrobe was filled with black, white, grey, and beige. After careful consideration, she finally chose a black off-shoulder knit bodycon dress. The style balanced between sexy and conservative – when the neckline was lowered, it revealed beautiful collarbones and snow-white shoulders.

For shoes, she pulled out a pair of nude patent leather Manolo Blahniks, a graduation gift from Tang Jie this year. Upon learning their price, she had been shocked and had only worn them twice.

After dressing, she applied red lipstick and put on a beige cashmere coat before heading downstairs in her heels.

Getting in the car, she was fastening her seatbelt when she happened to turn around and caught Jiang Chengyi watching her with an ambiguous smile. Seeing her look back, he casually shifted his gaze out the window.