Shi Ting flashed his credentials. “Military Police Division. Please cooperate with the investigation.”

“Military Police Division?” Long Yue was a little surprised. He examined the credentials carefully, and when he looked back at Shi Ting, his gaze carried unmistakable admiration. “So you’re the legendary Director Shi.”

He looked toward Yan Qing. “And this Miss Mingming is—”

“My name isn’t Mingming. My name is Yan Qing.” Yan Qing said helplessly. “I’m a forensic consultant for the Military Police Division.”

“A forensic consultant? You’re this young and already a forensic consultant?” Recalling what had happened at the market earlier, Long Yue believed it.

Shi Ting gestured toward the room where the cat was being kept. “Is this cat yours?”

“No, a client entrusted me to find it.” Long Yue said. “This cat eats way too much. I’m still trying to reach its owner — if they don’t come take it away soon, I’m going to go bankrupt.”

“Do you recognize this person?” Shi Ting held up a photo of Cailing in front of Long Yue.

Long Yue said, “That’s her — Cailing, right? Two months ago she came to me and paid me to find her cat. How could a great detective like me take on something as trivial as finding a cat? That would be a waste of my talents, wouldn’t it?”

Yan Qing thought back to the words he’d shouted when they came through the door — *”Are you here to find a person, or to find a cat or a dog?”*

“This was your very first case, wasn’t it?” Yan Qing punctured his pretense.

Long Yue laughed awkwardly. “Well, I did think it would be good practice. Finding a cat — it’s not such a difficult thing.”

Yan Qing thought to herself: in this era, with no surveillance and no tracking devices, finding a person was hard enough, let alone a cat.

Long Yue came across as flashy and boastful, but he was actually no simple person — he had actually managed to find the cat in the end. She had underestimated him a little.

Shi Ting asked, “How did you find this cat?”

“Simple.” Long Yue raised an eyebrow. His handsome face broke into a confident smile. “I plastered advertisements all over the city and offered a generous reward. It cost thirty silver dollars, but I finally found it.”

“How much was your client’s commission?”

“Ten copper coins.”

Shi Ting: “……”

Yan Qing: “……”

She took it back. She withdrew what she’d naively thought just now. She had been right about him all along.

“Please, have a seat.” Long Yue ushered the two of them onto the sofa, took out the tea set, and brewed some tea. “What business do you have with me? What happened to this girl — when is she coming to collect her cat?”

“She’s dead.”

Long Yue’s hand stilled mid-pour. “Dead?”

“She was murdered and her body was thrown into the reservoir. Her diary mentions you multiple times. What was your relationship with her?”

“The relationship between a detective and his client.” Long Yue grew anxious and quickly turned to explain to Yan Qing: “Miss Mingming, there was truly nothing between me and this Cailing. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Yan Qing: “……”

What did any of this have to do with her?

“You were lovers, weren’t you?”

“How could that be? All I knew was that her name was Cailing and that she’d lost a cat.”

“But she came here often.”

“Yes, because she’d lost her cat and was worried sick. She’d come by every few days asking about the progress. She was pressuring me so hard that I had no choice but to offer that big reward to find the thing.”

“I need to search your room.”

“Go ahead. It’s a bit messy, though — don’t mind that.”

Shi Ting rose and went to search the room. Long Yue seized the chance to walk over to Yan Qing. “I didn’t expect you to be a forensic expert. I was rather presumptuous earlier today.”

“It’s fine.”

“What’s your relationship with Director Shi?” Long Yue asked carefully.

Yan Qing said, “What do you think?”

“The two of you were just embracing each other……”

“I’m afraid of cats.”

“Ah, I see.” He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Actually, what I wanted to say is — would you consider coming to work at my detective agency? I’ll pay you more than the Military Police Division, and the hours here are flexible. Come when you feel like it, leave when you don’t. Even if there are no cases, I’ll still pay your salary.”

“She doesn’t need it.” The one who answered him was Shi Ting.

Shi Ting was deeply displeased at Long Yue’s attempt to poach her, and his expression darkened.

“Director Shi, did you find anything?”

Shi Ting said, “How long have you been in business?”

“A little over two months. Cailing was my first client — oh, and as of right now, my only one.”

“Alright, we’re done here.” Shi Ting had Long Yue sign the written statement. “Sorry for the intrusion.”

“You don’t suspect me anymore?”

Shi Ting said, “You enjoy watching horse races?”

“I do — how did you know?”

“Your drawer contains dozens of admission tickets to horse races. On the morning of the 10th, between nine and noon, there was a championship performance. Your ticket has two stamps on it — one from entry, and one from exit — which proves you were at the race continuously between nine and noon. You have no time to have committed the crime.”

“You could have just asked me directly.”

“When you can see for yourself, why ask?”

Having said that, Shi Ting ushered Yan Qing toward the exit. Long Yue hurried after them.

“I can offer you a lead.”

Shi Ting stopped.

“The last time Cailing came to see me, she seemed to have something weighing on her mind. She was a client, so I couldn’t exactly ask her about it — but the way she looked at me was a little strange.”

“Strange how?”

“That feeling……that feeling was like she had done something that wronged me.” Long Yue said, scratching his head. He looked toward Yan Qing again to explain, “There really was nothing between us.”

“Understood. Thank you.” Shi Ting ushered Yan Qing toward the exit.

Long Yue followed two quick steps behind. “Miss Mingming, please consider my proposal.”

Yan Qing gave a light sigh. “Mr. Long, have you ever thought about changing careers?”

“Not at all. I’m doing quite well.”

Yan Qing nodded. “As long as you enjoy it. Goodbye.”

Leaving Long Yue’s detective agency, the sky had already grown dark.

Shi Ting first sent Yan Qing home, then returned to the Military Police Division for a meeting.

“Director, the families of Nannan and Xiaoqiu are here to pick them up.” The moment he stepped through the door, an officer came forward to report.

Nannan and Xiaoqiu had been brought to the Military Police Division for questioning. Since they were both students, they needed a parental guarantee to leave. Hu Yang had long since been picked up by Principal Hu, but the families of these two had arrived fashionably late.

“This is Xiaoqiu’s older brother, Ma Tao.” The officer said. “He’s already signed.”

Ma Tao was dressed in a worn but immaculately kept old suit. Upon seeing Shi Ting, he quickly stepped forward. “Sir, my little sister has been mischievous since she was small. If she’s done something wrong, please be lenient — I’ll make sure to discipline her strictly when we get home.”

“She hasn’t done anything wrong. It was only a routine questioning.”

Shi Ting gave him a brief once-over. “You deal in medicinal herbs?”

“That’s right — your eye is sharp, sir.”

It wasn’t that his eye was sharp. He had simply caught the scent of Chinese medicine.

“Do you know Cailing, Xiaoqiu’s close friend?”

“I do. She’s a lovely girl, and she and Xiaoqiu are on very good terms.”

“She’s dead.”

“Dead?” Ma Tao reacted with great shock, then quickly waved his hands. “Sir, it wasn’t Xiaoqiu who killed her. Xiaoqiu wouldn’t dare do something like that.”

“We won’t wrongly accuse innocent people. You can take her home now.”

Ma Tao expressed his gratitude profusely and took Xiaoqiu away.

Just as Xiaoqiu came out, so did Nannan — her brow furrowed the entire time, lost in some private thought.

“You wretched girl.” Nannan’s father stepped forward to strike her, but the officer nearby quickly intervened.

“Your daughter hasn’t broken any law. She only came to cooperate with our investigation. Why are you hitting her?”

Nannan’s father, Old Liu, shouted red-faced: “I’ll hit her anyway.”

“You’re being completely unreasonable.” The officer stood up for the girl. “What kind of father acts like this — not asking what happened before flying off the handle?”

“What do you mean I didn’t ask? Didn’t you suspect her of murder?”

At that, Shi Ting looked over sharply. “How did you know?”

Old Liu’s gaze flickered. “I heard it at the hospital.”

“The hospital? Why would the hospital know about this?”

“How would I know? Some nurses were talking about it.” Old Liu had no interest in continuing the subject, grabbed Nannan, and headed for the door.

The young officer grew anxious. “Director, shouldn’t we detain him? It makes sense that the news spread throughout the school — after all, Cailing had been missing for several days and her family had been searching the school for her — but why would the hospital know?”

“Families at the hospital may also include people from the school. Sometimes news travels between places like that.” As he spoke, Shi Ting’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Get a car ready immediately. We’re going to the hospital now. Bring Zheng Yun.”

“Yes, sir.”

Zheng Yun waited until he was in the car before asking, “Seventh Brother, which hospital are we going to?”

“Shun Cheng First Hospital.”

“Does Seventh Brother have a new lead?”

“Those bed sheets.” Shi Ting gazed out the window. “We only checked the school, but we overlooked the hospital.”

\~

After returning home, Yan Qing remained unsettled, her mind fixed on Cailing’s case.

It wasn’t until a commotion arose outside that she finally set down the book in her hands. “What’s happened?”

Murong came rushing in. “Miss, something terrible has happened — the young master’s little Nuo’er has drowned.”

Little Nuo’er was the daughter of the eldest young master Yan Qi and Jiang Shi — and the only grandchild of the entire Yan family. She had always been doted on by both Master Yan and Madam Yan.

“Take me to her quickly.” Though Yan Qing shared no particular closeness with Yan Qi, a healer’s heart could not ignore an innocent child.

By now the courtyard was ablaze with lantern light, servants carrying lamps moving back and forth.

From within Yan Qi’s courtyard came the sound of wailing. Jiang Shi had collapsed over little Nuo’er’s body, sobbing so violently it seemed she might die of grief, cursing Yan Qi between her cries: “It’s all your fault, you wretched man — now look, retribution has come.”

Others might not know, but Jiang Shi was perfectly aware of what Yan Qi had done back then — of how he had caused the death of the maidservant Cui Nong.

Little Nuo’er was only five years old. In her childish mischief, she had run to the edge of the lake, wanting to go for a swim but fearing the servants would stop her. She used the excuse of being hungry for pastries to send them away. By the time a servant returned with the pastries, little Nuo’er was already struggling in the water. The servant had leapt in and pulled her out, but it had been a step too late.

“She’s already stopped breathing.” Someone said with a sorrowful sigh.

“What a pity — she was still so young. The eldest young master and his wife must be heartbroken.”

Yan Qi was also kneeling beside little Nuo’er, his eyes brimming with tears.

When Yan Qing arrived, she had Murong clear the onlookers aside. She took one look at the child lying there — pale-faced, soaked through — and said quietly, “Murong, help me down. The child can still be saved.”

Murong quickly helped Yan Qing down from her wheelchair.

Yan Qing knelt at little Nuo’er’s side and reached out her hands……

“What do you think you’re doing?” Yan Qi snapped. “Of all the times to cause trouble — what are you meddling for?”

“I’m going to save her.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You, of all people — a useless cripple? Since when did you know how to save someone?”

Yan Qing’s expression turned grave. Her voice rang out: “Say one more word to me, and not even a deity could save your daughter. Get out of the way!!”