Lu Yan looked at Jiang Chengyi and said, “Deng Man’s house is being demolished. Her mother found some photo albums and mementos, including many photos of the three of us together. Her mother asked if we’d like to keep them as memories and wants us to come pick them up.”
At the mere mention of Deng Man’s name, Jiang Chengyi’s expression grew cooler than before. “I’m busy tomorrow.”
Lu Yan stared at her now-dark phone screen, maintaining her composure. “Jie Tang and I have already made plans.”
Jiang Chengyi sat there with a dark expression, seemingly holding back his anger. After a long while, he finally stopped refusing and said expressionlessly, “We’ll see.”
She felt slightly relieved. Thinking back to what Jiang Chengyi had said earlier, she pondered for a moment before voicing her doubts. “You mentioned earlier about that old man calling the radio station. Don’t you think he might have just been joking? Even if he did see someone who should have been deceased, so many people look alike. Maybe he just made a mistake due to poor eyesight. How can you suspect he’s a witness based just on that?”
No matter how she analyzed it, she couldn’t see any necessary connection between the two things. Jiang Chengyi wouldn’t waste time and energy looking for this old man just because of some radio listener’s nonsense. There had to be another reason.
But Jiang Chengyi ignored her question.
After leaving Songshan Road, they drove for quite a while longer. When they reached the suburbs, Jiang Chengyi showed no signs of stopping.
The area became increasingly desolate, with sparsely populated residential complexes and mostly closed shops along the streets. Only after turning around a corner did things suddenly brighten up as they entered a bustling old residential area.
The area was poorly planned, appearing chaotic at first glance. Jiang Chengyi drove around in circles before finally finding a parking spot in front of a Youth Cultural Palace built in the early 1990s.
After parking, Jiang Chengyi took out his wallet and paid the parking fee to the elderly guard at the entrance. “Uncle, do you know where Red Flag Residential Complex is?”
The old man pocketed the money and kicked at a round stone ball by the entrance, holding a large porcelain mug in his hand, about to take a drink.
Hearing the question, he slowly blew on the floating tea leaves before jerking his chin toward the small alley beside the Cultural Palace. “Walk to the end, turn right, and you’ll see it.”
Jiang Chengyi thanked him and turned to look for Lu Yan.
She was standing not far away, wearing a camel-colored short coat and simple black pants, her outfit neat and appropriate. She occasionally took a few steps before stopping again, seemingly observing her surroundings. Her black high heels made her legs look long and straight.
Among all the passersby, she was the most elegant and beautiful.
Just like years ago, he found himself staring at her back, unconsciously walking up behind her.
Seemingly hearing his footsteps, she turned to look at him. As she turned, the sunlight reflected off her sleek black hair, creating a honey-gold shimmer.
He shifted his gaze away. “Let’s go.”
Lu Yan blinked, responded with a soft “Oh,” and followed behind him toward the alley.
The clouds had dispersed, allowing the sun to shine through, making the air dry and cold again.
The alley’s sanitation was poor, with her high heels kicking up dust clouds with each step.
Additionally, there were fresh, dried mud splatters in the corners of the alley walls, likely remnants from the heavy rain a few days ago.
Halfway through, they could hear bustling noise ahead. Following the alley to its end and crossing a narrow road brought them to the Red Flag Residential Complex.
This complex was probably the most historic residential area in the vicinity. Although slated for demolition, residents’ lives remained largely unaffected, and the atmosphere was still lively.
Jiang Chengyi asked some middle-aged women chatting at the complex entrance for directions before heading further in.
The complex was larger than expected. After walking for quite a while, they reached Building 3, Unit 2, Room 101, as listed in the household registry. When they stopped to look, they found it wasn’t a residence at all, but rather a converted barbershop.
“Is this the place?” Lu Yan asked uncertainly, peering inside where an old man was indeed cutting someone’s hair.
Jiang Chengyi had already pushed open the glass door and walked in, leaving her no choice but to follow.
The old man was in his sixties and appeared to be the shop’s only barber, chatting with his customers while cutting hair.
Looking around, they saw several other customers waiting, either eating sunflower seeds or reading newspapers. All were elderly and occasionally joined in the conversation, appearing quite familiar with each other. They seemed less like they were there for haircuts and more like they had gathered to chat, clearly all being residents.
Lu Yan concluded: This old man mostly served regular customers.
Seeing Jiang Chengyi and Lu Yan enter, the old man looked confused: these two fashionable people didn’t seem like the type to patronize his kind of shop.
“How may I help you two?”
Jiang Chengyi glanced at the nearby customers and showed his credentials. “Hello, we’d like to ask you about something.”
In the back room, the old man closed the door, still somewhat bewildered. “Officer, what would you like to know?”
Jiang Chengyi took out a photograph from his pocket. “Do you recognize the person in this photo?”
Lu Yan stood to the side, her gaze naturally drawn to the photograph. When she saw the person in it, she froze.
It was a woman in her twenties or thirties. Though her face was unfamiliar, there was something oddly familiar about her overly elaborate, wealthy appearance.
The old man put on his reading glasses and took the photo. His expression immediately changed dramatically, and he said in a trembling voice, “How could I not recognize her? She’s a ghost.”
Jiang Chengyi seemed quite experienced with such situations and reassured the old man, “Don’t be afraid. Just tell us what you know.”
The old man shakily lit himself a cigarette and invited Jiang Chengyi and Lu Yan to sit down. After gathering his thoughts, he finally spoke: “A few years ago, my health wasn’t good, and I was frequently hospitalized. I couldn’t keep the barbershop running and had to close temporarily. My wife went to work as a housekeeper for a rich family to help with expenses. The lady of that house was the woman in the photo, her surname was Li, Li something…”
“Li Liwei,” Jiang Chengyi watched the old man.
“Yes, yes, that’s the name.” The old man took a deep drag of his cigarette and tapped off the ash. “Li Liwei’s husband had made his fortune halfway through business life, a nouveau riche type. Li Liwei was very beautiful but not well-educated and had quite a temper. At home, she was always finding fault with my wife’s work. My wife would come home and complain to me about it, so I had a deep impression of this woman. Once, when I went to their complex to find my wife, I happened to run into Li Liwei walking her dog, and I particularly noticed her appearance.
“Not long after, my wife suddenly said she didn’t want to work there anymore. She said that rich merchant had found a mistress and rarely came home. Li Liwei had gone crazy, crying and screaming at home every day, breaking things, and often taking her anger out on my wife. My wife’s pride couldn’t take it, saying she wouldn’t work there no matter how much they paid. Later, after staying home for half a day and calming down, she said she couldn’t give up the money and went back. Then, about a month later, my wife told me that Li Liwei’s husband had suddenly had a change of heart.
“I asked her what happened, and my wife said Li Liwei’s husband’s mistress was found to be keeping a toy boy. Her husband was furious and, after thinking it over, decided his original wife was better. He never went back to that mistress. Once their marriage improved, Li Liwei became much more pleasant and even gave my wife a raise.”
At this point, a trace of fear crossed the old man’s face, and he paused before continuing: “My wife was particularly happy. Not only did she stop resenting Li Liwei, but she hoped to work for Li Liwei’s family long-term. However, less than two months later, Li Liwei met with an accident. My wife was terrified and came home to tell me that Li Liwei had been killed and thrown into a lake in an abandoned park. Not long after that, the police came to question my wife. Later, my wife figured that the police’s main suspect was Li Liwei’s husband. She kept watching the news, but even after a long time, the case remained unsolved.”
Lu Yan found this case increasingly familiar.
The old man sighed: “My wife worked too hard these years and didn’t take care of her health. The year before last, she passed away before me due to acute myocardial infarction. Last year, around this time, I was feeling lonely at home and went to have dinner at a relative’s place. After dinner, they pulled me into a few rounds of mahjong. When I left, it was almost one o’clock. On my way home, right in the alley opposite our complex, a woman was walking in front of me. As I looked at her, she seemed increasingly familiar. When we reached a well-lit area, I took a careful look and nearly lost my soul from fright. That woman was dressed exactly like Li Liwei used to be, with a silk scarf wrapped around her head, a long coat, and those shoes – they were extremely familiar. This alone wouldn’t have scared me so badly, but the woman’s walking style was very similar to Li Liwei’s. After getting home, the more I thought about it, the more unsettling it seemed, but I knew no one would believe me, so I never told anyone. A few days ago, I was listening to the radio program, hearing everyone tell ghost stories for the Winter Solstice, all kinds of stories being told enthusiastically, so I shared this experience as a story too. Whether others believe it or not, this was my personal experience. By the way, Officer, did you come to ask me about this because you heard the ‘Gossip at 7:30’ program? Or has there been progress in Li Liwei’s case?”
Coming out of the barbershop, Lu Yan was so shocked she could barely think.
She had seen the surveillance footage from that night outside her building. The woman in the footage was dressed exactly like Li Liwei, with that memorable appearance. No wonder she found Li Liwei’s photo familiar.
She asked Jiang Chengyi, “A few days ago when I went to give my statement at your bureau, I heard Old Qin say that a retired detective had transferred some cold cases to your team. Was Li Liwei’s case among those transferred to you?”
She remembered that night when Jiang Chengyi had repeatedly watched the surveillance footage from outside her building. Had he perhaps noticed the similarity between Li Liwei and the woman who had frightened her when he later reviewed Li Liwei’s cold case files?
Jiang Chengyi opened the car door. “If this person is the killer, they seem to take pleasure in imitating their victims’ appearance and dress. First Deng Man, then Li Liwei – after so many years, there must be other eyewitnesses.”
After saying this, he glanced at Lu Yan’s face. When she heard “Deng Man’s” name, there wasn’t the slightest trace of surprise in her expression.
After staring at her for a moment, he checked his watch and said, “It’s getting late, let’s go eat first.”
Lu Yan finally snapped out of her daze and responded with a soft “Mm.”
In the afternoon, he dropped her off at home before returning to the bureau. Dr. Yu was coming to do a criminal psychological analysis, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to be present. Since it wasn’t practical to assign someone to guard her twenty-four hours a day, they called over her father’s driver and Housekeeper Liu to stay with her in the apartment.
Lu Yan researched until very late, during which time Jiang Chengyi never returned. At midnight, the driver left, leaving Housekeeper Liu behind.
The next morning, she went to the kitchen for water while still in her pajamas. Housekeeper Liu wasn’t there, but the house had been cleaned until it shone.
She checked the time – not yet seven o’clock. Given Tang Jie’s sleeping habits, she wouldn’t call for at least another two hours. She planned to return to her room to prepare slides for next month’s competition.
Walking to the end of the hallway, she stopped at Jiang Chengyi’s tightly closed door.
She wondered if he was home or still pulling an all-nighter on the case.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the door opened, and Jiang Chengyi came out wearing a shirt and trousers, clearly ready to go out.
Seeing Lu Yan, his gaze swept over her briefly before quickly looking away as he walked toward the exit.
Lu Yan followed his gaze to her chest, suddenly realizing she was still in her pajamas – the ones Tang Jie had given her, with a very low neckline.
She remembered Tang Jie teasing her then: “You have so many pursuers, but you don’t like any of them? What’s the point of having a good figure if you don’t use it? You’re just wearing such pretty pajamas for yourself every day.”
She silently watched his back.
He wouldn’t turn around. “I’m busy today. I’ll have Little Zhou take you to Deng Man’s house.”
“Oh,” she responded slowly.
Jiang Chengyi had already reached the entrance when he inexplicably stopped, dropped his car keys, went to the kitchen to pour himself a large glass of ice water, and drank half of it in one gulp before saying, “Little Zhou will be here soon. Change your clothes.”