Hongdou had already anticipated she couldn’t escape her mother’s sharp eyes. Caught red-handed, she was instead quite composed about it.

“I tore my trousers by accident on the tram.”

“Tore your trousers?” Mrs. Yu and Yu Chongyi were both startled at the same time.

Hongdou pushed open the door and went into her bedroom on her own. Today’s events were too complicated to explain quickly, and afraid her mother would keep pressing, she simply decided not to mention He Yunqin, instead pulling out the story she’d already prepared to fob off her mother: “Some child’s family left a wire on a tram seat — I only noticed my trousers were torn when I stood up.”

“Then what about this coat? And how did you hurt your foot?” Mrs. Yu picked up the thin wool coat and examined it closely. Well now — a custom-made Western dress from Dingxiang. “Where did such an expensive garment come from?”

Hongdou sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off her shoes, looking down at her twisted ankle. “When I got off the tram I was so focused on looking at my trousers that I twisted my ankle without noticing. I had no way to go home and change my trousers right away, and it happened that Gu Yun’s home was nearby, so I went to her house. This coat is what she gave me.”

Mrs. Yu had sharp eyes indeed, and comparing the coat up and down, grew even more suspicious. She’d met Gu Yun before — a petite girl, a good half-head shorter than her daughter. This coat was so long that only a tall, slender woman could carry it off.

Hongdou had already caught her mother’s expression and hurriedly said: “Gu Yun’s clothes don’t fit me — this belongs to her second elder sister, newly made. Since she doesn’t like such a plain color for her new marriage, she hasn’t worn it even once, so she lent it to me temporarily for emergencies. I’ll have to return it to her later.”

Mrs. Yu remained full of suspicion, but on further thought, though the Gu family wasn’t extremely wealthy, they could certainly afford such Western clothing. Besides, her daughter had only been out for half a day — what sort of adventure could she possibly have had? Seeing her daughter’s composed expression, she provisionally accepted this explanation: “I told you not to go alone, but you insisted, and now look — you’ve twisted your ankle. Come, let mother have a look at how badly it’s hurt. Chongyi, get some medicinal oil for your sister.”

Hongdou dodged, not letting her mother rub her foot: “Oh, Mother, go rest, I’ll do it myself.”

Mrs. Yu crouched down and examined it closely, and seeing no obvious redness or swelling on her daughter’s ankle, felt somewhat relieved. She went to the wardrobe and took out a pair of trousers, closed the bedroom door, and had Hongdou change into them: “Let me see where the trousers got torn.”

“It’s a long tear, probably not worth mending — I’ve worn these trousers a long time anyway, no point patching them.”

Mrs. Yu waited for her daughter to change, then examined the trousers carefully by the window light. Seeing the tear was indeed too long, and even if mended it likely wouldn’t look good, she didn’t insist further, set the trousers down and sighed: “Your brother went to the French Concession to ask around just now, still no news. If this keeps up, your uncle and aunt will go mad with worry.”

At this point Yu Chongyi knocked on the door outside, and after coming in, handed the medicinal oil to Hongdou: “The man who was talking to Yuqi at the tea room that day was Yuan Ruoli, manager of Gujin Bank. I just told my colleagues in the French Concession about this, and they’ve already gone to investigate the Yuan family.”

“Gujin Bank?” Hongdou tried to recall the man from that day, but her impression was quite faint — she surely hadn’t seen him in the papers. “Brother, what’s the background on this bank?”

Yu Chongyi said: “It’s in the French Concession. The owner is that Yuan Ruoli who was talking with Yuqi that day. The bank was originally Derong Money House — earlier this year, after Yuan Ruoli divorced his wife, he brought in investment from several French friends and transformed the money house into a bank. Since it’s only just been established, its name isn’t well known yet.”

“No wonder I haven’t heard of this bank.” Hongdou slowly rubbed on the medicinal wine, carefully recalling that day’s scene with her cousin. “Cousin seemed to have quite a good impression of this Yuan Ruoli — do Uncle and Aunt know this person?”

Yu Chongyi said: “I just went to Aunt’s place. Aunt said she’d only played a few rounds of mahjong with one of Yuan Ruoli’s relatives, but wasn’t well acquainted with Yuan Ruoli himself. She doesn’t know how Yuqi came to know Yuan Ruoli either — never once heard Yuqi mention a hint of it.”

Hongdou was puzzled: “Why would Cousin Yuqi hide it from the family?”

Mrs. Yu poked her daughter’s forehead: “So you see, this child looks clever but is actually quite dense at heart. Your cousin Yuqi has plenty of suitors these days — this Yuan Ruoli has been divorced, isn’t young anymore, and his former wife is still around. If Yuqi married him, frankly speaking, she’d just be a second wife. Your aunt and uncle, snobbish as they are, still hope to find Yuqi a proper match — how would they possibly approve of Yuqi associating with Yuan Ruoli? It’s no wonder your cousin Yuqi kept it hidden, afraid your uncle and aunt would be displeased.”

Hongdou tilted her head, thinking over Yuan Ruoli’s appearance. She hadn’t seen his face directly, but judging from his bearing and silhouette alone, he did seem quite refined and elegant — no wonder he’d won her cousin’s heart. “Brother, that day at the tea gathering, did Yuan Ruoli leave together with Cousin?”

Yu Chongyi said: “The waiter at the door said Yuqi came out together with Yuan Ruoli, and afterward Yuqi called a rickshaw herself and left, while Yuan Ruoli went back into the tea gathering to continue listening to the talk, staying about another quarter hour before leaving. As for where Yuan Ruoli went afterward, we’ll have to see what my colleagues in the French Concession find out from questioning him tonight. Oh right, did you see Wang Bide just now? What did he say?”

Hearing this brought up, Hongdou grew gloomy at once, and said in a muffled voice: “Wang Bide won’t help. There’s no point counting on him for this.”

Anxiety immediately surged up in Mrs. Yu: “Isn’t he supposed to solve baffling cases all the time? Having him involved should be nothing but good — if it’s a matter of the fee, everything can be discussed.”

“It’s not about money.” Hongdou shook her head, and thinking of He Yunqin’s imminent arrival, said: “Though Wang Bide won’t come himself, he did recommend a friend. This person is willing to help — he might come to the house looking for Brother in a bit.”

In front of her mother, Hongdou could only tell half-truths; as for the real situation, she’d only tell her brother once the two of them were alone.

Yu Chongyi said in surprise: “Wang Bide always works alone when solving cases — I’ve never heard of him having a partner.”

“You’ll understand once this person arrives. Whether to cooperate with him or not, Brother, you’ll have to decide for yourself.”

Mrs. Yu remembered the soup still simmering in the kitchen — with Sister Zhou out buying groceries, she worried the soup might overcook, so she got up to head out: “What kind of background does this person have? Can he compare to Wang Bide?”

Just as she reached the door, Sister Zhou led in a guest from outside, her face full of astonishment: “Madam, Young Master, Miss, we have a guest.”

Mrs. Yu looked at the person and saw a young man of about twenty-three or twenty-four, tall in build, with very fine features.

She was stunned for a moment, feeling this person looked familiar, the name on the tip of her tongue but unable to recall it. It was Sister Zhou who, seeing her frozen in place, quietly stepped over to remind her: “It’s Madam He Mengmei’s second son, the one who came by the third floor some days ago.”

Mrs. Yu suddenly understood, and looking at He Yunqin again, her expression gained more surprise and wariness: “Mr. He, this is…”

He Yunqin let Mrs. Yu look him up and down, and said with a faint smile: “This junior has come to see the eldest son of the household. Calling uninformed like this without prior notice — I hope Mrs. Yu won’t take offense.”

Hongdou and her brother came out one after the other, and seeing He Yunqin standing at ease by the door, she glanced at him, then turned to her mother and brother and said calmly: “Mr. He is the person Detective Wang Bide recommended, the one I mentioned just now.”

Mrs. Yu froze. So it was him.

She recalled that this person was a doctor who’d studied abroad, most learned and well-informed — even if his character had some flaws, his scholarship was no lie. And with Wang Bide’s recommendation besides, he was surely capable of something. She hurriedly switched to a warm tone: “Mr. He, please, sit, sit. Sister Zhou, what are you standing there for — bring tea quickly.”

He Yunqin, seeing that Mrs. Yu seemed to always have two faces ready — one hidden behind, one shown to guests, switching seamlessly between them at critical moments — couldn’t help but find it secretly amusing.

Remembering that she was genuinely worried about her missing niece, which was why she was acting this way, he suppressed the strange look on his face and said: “Mrs. Yu, there’s no need to fuss.”

Yu Chongyi never could have imagined that the person his sister said Wang Bide had recommended would turn out to be He Yunqin. For a moment he was still somewhat at a loss, but after a pause, seeing his sister signaling to him with her eyes, he suddenly understood, and said warmly: “Mr. He, the study is quieter — since we’re discussing matters, why don’t we go to the study to talk it over?”

He Yunqin glanced at Hongdou, pretending not to know it had been her idea: “That would be even better.”

The two of them went into the study one after the other. Hongdou, worried her brother would be no match for He Yunqin, wanted to follow in too, but was stopped by Mrs. Yu: “Your brother and Mr. He are discussing matters — what would you go in for?”

Hongdou said, puzzled: “It was me who went to find Wang Bide this afternoon — logically this helper is someone I found. Why can’t I be present? Besides, finding Cousin Yuqi is what matters — the more people offering ideas, the better. Look at what time it is, and you’re still being so particular about this.”

Besides, her brother was hopeless at negotiating terms with people — what if He Yunqin made outrageous demands and her brother couldn’t handle it? Of course, she only muttered this to herself, not saying it out loud.

Mrs. Yu found this reasoning sound and didn’t stop her. She glanced at the Western clock on the wall — dinner would soon be ready. She didn’t know whether Mr. He had eaten dinner yet — should she keep the meal for him?

After thinking it over, she instructed Hongdou: “Ask Mr. He tactfully whether he’ll be eating dinner at our home. The He family has always dined on the finest food — he may not be used to our home cooking. Just ask casually in a bit, purely as a matter of courtesy.”

“Got it.” Hongdou answered offhandedly — she had no intention of keeping He Yunqin for dinner at all.

Just then Sister Zhou brought in the tea, and Hongdou casually took the tea tray and pushed open the door to go in.

Her brother was standing in front of the desk, while He Yunqin stood by the bookshelf. The two of them, separated by the desk, had already been talking for a while.

“Mr. Yu, let’s not speak in riddles between honest men. I’ve just learned from the International Settlement police station that Mr. Yu currently has no shortage of backlogged cases on hand, and given that your sister specially went to seek Wang Bide’s help for Pan Yuqi, I’d guess both the Wang Meiping and Chen Baidie cases are being handled by Mr. Yu.”

Her brother looked up at He Yunqin in surprise, his lips parting slightly, but he did not deny it.

He Yunqin continued: “Wang Meiping’s uncle Zhou Tongqiang is known in Shanghai as a formidable pen — over his niece’s disappearance, he’s already written several scathing articles attacking the Shanghai police. Now that Wang Meiping is dead, there’s not a word about it in the papers. It seems your police force, fearing it would stir up public controversy, has kept even Zhou Tongqiang in the dark about this. If Zhou Tongqiang were to find out about this, he certainly wouldn’t let it rest. His niece missing for three months, the police at their wits’ end, and now that she’s finally been found, it’s only a corpse —”

His smile faded slightly: “The murderer — no leads whatsoever; justice — where would it even begin?”

Her brother said nothing, but large beads of sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

He Yunqin turned instead to examine the books on the shelf: “As for Chen Baidie, her influence in Shanghai these days is considerable, with countless ties to various celebrities. Her disappearance concerns not just your reputation, but could well affect your future career prospects as well. Mr. Yu, if the case goes unsolved, it’s not to be blamed on you alone — blame it instead on the poor atmosphere currently in the police force. From Commissioner Bai on down, it’s either serving private interests at public expense, or simply going through the motions, fobbing things off with mere official boilerplate. Yet Mr. Yu, you’re upright by nature and won’t go along with such corruption. Lately, over these several cases, I’d wager you haven’t had a full night’s sleep.”

Yu Chongyi rubbed his brow, unable to hide the exhaustion on his face: “Mr. He, as you say, these several kidnapping cases do have some baffling aspects. Chen Baidie has now been missing for over a week without any call from the kidnappers. If it’s the same group as with Wang Meiping, then it may not be a matter of simply paying ransom to save her. What worries me most now is my cousin—”

He Yunqin shifted the topic: “So, at the train station where Wang Meiping first went missing — did you thoroughly investigate the surrounding area?”

Yu Chongyi nodded: “We asked around.”

“A girl of seventeen or eighteen, arriving alone in Shanghai, waiting for her uncle to come meet her — the restaurants, tea shops, and even the general stores nearby could all have caught her interest. Did the police at the time go and ask at each of these places, one by one?”

Yu Chongyi’s face began to flush hot. He had proposed this at the time, but his colleagues had thought it too much trouble to investigate thoroughly and had flatly rejected it. He’d later gone and checked a few places on his own, but found it too tedious and hadn’t continued.

He Yunqin smiled faintly: “In other words, it wasn’t thoroughly checked. Were I you, at this point, besides continuing to wait for news from the French Concession, I would go back to the train station and investigate again. After all, aside from Wang Meiping, Shanghai has never before had a kidnapping case where no ransom was demanded. Her disappearance may well be the origin of all this — the crux of the matter.”

Yu Chongyi thought it over: “I’ll go check after dinner.”

He Yunqin naturally continued: “It’s been three months — even if there were traces, they’ve likely vanished by now. Investigating won’t be easy at all. Since I’ve decided to get involved in this, I’ll accompany Mr. Yu tonight.”

Yu Chongyi hesitated: “Why would Mr. He want to take charge of this?”

“Naturally, at Wang Bide’s request.”

Hongdou secretly held back a breath as she walked to the desk. Just as she’d expected, her brother was utterly helpless against He Yunqin.

Setting the tea tray on the desk, she picked up one of the hot teacups and said with a faint, almost mocking smile: “Mr. He really is eloquent beyond compare — going on and on like that in one breath. You must be thirsty. Here, please have some tea.”

He Yunqin, without the slightest trace of embarrassment, took the teacup, and looking down at her with a smile, said: “Thank you, Miss Yu.”

Hongdou returned the smile, and just as she was about to speak, she heard her mother open the door and say: “Mr. He, have you eaten dinner yet? If you don’t mind our humble fare, would you care to join us for the evening meal?”