It was apparent that Shi Ting had not originally intended for her to be involved in this case — otherwise, she would not have been kept unaware that dance hall performers were being murdered one after another. But now that she had come to the scene herself, it suggested that his restrictions on her had begun to ease. Otherwise, he could simply have driven her straight home.

Madam Shi and the Shi matriarch had once expressed displeasure at Yan Qing’s involvement with the dead. Back then, however, she had still been a young lady of the Yan family. Now that she had married into the Shi family, he could not help but take these concerns into consideration on her behalf — and that had been the main reason he had been so reluctant to involve her in the cases.

“Shi Ting.” Yan Qing stepped forward and tugged lightly at his sleeve. “There is no nobility or meanness in one’s profession. These dancers, too, are nothing more than unfortunate souls who had nowhere else to turn. And I, using my own two hands to find the killers who took their lives, and to help the Military Police Directorate root out darkness and maintain social order — I believe that is an enormously worthy cause. I don’t care how others see me. All I care about is whether I can be of help to you.”

Upon hearing this, Shi Ting turned his hand and clasped hers in return. His rough palm pressed down with gentle force, as though he were steeling himself to make a decision. After a long moment, he let out a single, resolute word: “All right.”

Of all the people who were delighted at Yan Qing’s return to the Military Police Directorate, none was more so than E’Yuan. Since Yan Qing’s marriage, E’Yuan had been rather like a boat without a rudder — though it had also been a process that spurred him to grow.

“Shifu, then let’s head back to the Directorate first. While we’re at it, have a look at the other two bodies.”

After Yan Qing and E’Yuan departed, Shi Ting said: “Bring the floor supervisor to me.”

Before long, a woman in her mid-thirties, dressed in a sensually provocative manner, was escorted over by the officers. She was the floor supervisor of this dance hall, and all the dancers there fell under her management.

The moment she stepped inside, she flashed a flirtatious look at Shi Ting. “Director Shi, feel free to ask me anything. Whatever I know, I will tell you everything.”

Shi Ting disregarded her affected manner and looked toward the spot where the victim had been found. “What was the victim’s name?”

“Bao Bao. We all called her BB. She was the star attraction at our hall.”

“The victim’s head was covered by the doll’s head. How can you be certain it was Bao Bao?”

The floor supervisor gave a short laugh. “This is Bao Bao’s private dressing room. No one else would dare use it. Besides, her height and figure are just like Bao Bao’s — who else could it be?”

“Who was the first person to discover the body?”

“Bao Bao’s makeup artist. She comes in every day at five o’clock to do Bao Bao’s makeup.”

Shi Ting glanced to the side, and an officer immediately brought the makeup artist over. She was a young woman, and as the first to discover the body, she was clearly badly shaken. While Shi Ting questioned her, her eyes were unfocused — as if her soul had left her body.

“So much blood.” The makeup artist kept repeating those words: “So much blood. So much blood. I’ve never seen so much blood in my life.”

“It’s all right now, it’s all right,” Bai Jin said reassuringly.

Once the makeup artist had calmed somewhat, Shi Ting asked: “What time did you arrive at the dressing room?”

“Five o’clock,” the makeup artist answered. “Bao Bao performs at seven every evening, and she has two hours of preparation beforehand.”

“What was her condition when you found her?”

“When I came in, I found it strange that Bao Bao wasn’t at the vanity mirror — because Bao Bao was always very punctual. It was always her waiting for me, never the other way around.” The makeup artist lowered her head, her eyes filled with dread, as though she were revisiting something terrible. “Just as I was taking out my makeup tools, I noticed what looked like water seeping out from beneath the clothing rack. I went over and — it wasn’t water. It was blood. I crouched down and looked in, and I saw Bao Bao sitting in the corner, a big-headed doll covering her head…”

The makeup artist trailed off, her body trembling uncontrollably. “I really am terribly unlucky, to have seen something so horrifying.”

“If her head was covered by the doll’s head, how did you know it was Bao Bao?”

“Bao Bao had only bought those shoes yesterday — she was absolutely delighted with them and said she wanted to wear them for tonight’s performance. The qipao as well — she had mentioned she was going to wear it today.”

“You may go rest.” Shi Ting saw that the makeup artist was genuinely overwhelmed and waved her off.

“And me?” The floor supervisor smiled ingratiatingly. “There’s nothing more you need from me, I suppose?”

“Gather all the staff from the dance hall. I want to know who the victim was in contact with before her death.”

Before long, the hall’s dancers and service staff had all been assembled. Regarding Bao Bao’s death, some felt a creeping unease, while others were simply there out of curiosity. As for genuine grief, there was none to be found.

Bao Bao had been the star of the Baba Song Dance Hall, and many patrons came solely for her. Because she brought in enormous revenue for the establishment, even the floor supervisor had never dared to cross her.

According to the floor supervisor, Bao Bao was extraordinarily arrogant, spent money freely, and was all fawning charm in front of patrons — willing to lower herself to any degree for a tip — but in front of the other dancers, she was haughty and unapproachable, carrying herself as though she were above everyone else.

Because of this, Bao Bao was not well-liked. Her death drew no tears from anyone.

“Bao Bao’s dressing room was not a place the rest of us could just waltz into,” one dancer said with a cold scoff. “We all shared a communal dressing room, while she had a private one all to herself. Not only were we not allowed inside — if we even lingered near the door, she would come out and scold us, accusing us of scheming to get our hands on her dressing room.”

“Today we were all in the communal dressing room getting ready for tonight’s performance. None of us saw her.”

The dancers one after another confirmed that they had not seen Bao Bao prior to the murder, and that no one had noticed any suspicious individuals entering or leaving the dance hall.

Shi Ting had his officers search the rooms of each person in turn, including the communal dressing room. Nothing of use was found.

With a homicide having occurred on the premises, the Baba Song Dance Hall was ordered to cease operations.

By the time Shi Ting returned to the Military Police Directorate, the sky had already grown dark. The autopsy room on the first floor was brightly lit.

He paused at the doorway and looked in — Yan Qing and E’Yuan were still conducting the autopsy. He pushed the door open and stepped quietly inside.

“Any findings?” Shi Ting stood naturally at Yan Qing’s side.

—