Chapter Seventeen: Unraveling the Threads

A ray of morning light fell across Liu Rushuang's face. She opened her eyes, rubbed her head, then looked down at herself, finding her clothes slightly disheveled. Recalling the scheme she and Lu Hehuan had plotted the previous night, she surmised their plan had succeeded, and could not help but feel a secret joy.

"Brother Xi, at last, you belong to me!" Liu Rushuang cheered, turning her head—only to see Bai Yulou, fully clothed, lying on the edge of the bed. Yes, it was Bai Yulou. The illustrious Miss Liu's face paled in shock, and she screamed, slapping Bai Yulou awake.

"What are you doing in my bed?"

Bai Yulou, still groggy and aggrieved, replied, "Sister Shuang, it's you who's in my bed."

Liu Rushuang looked around the room and realized, indeed, this was Bai Yulou's house.

"Your place?" She couldn't recall how she had gotten here from the restaurant.

Bai Yulou nodded, but just then, his gaze was drawn to her chest, which was partially exposed. His eyes widened and fixed.

Following his gaze, Liu Rushuang realized what he was staring at and, without hesitation, jabbed two fingers toward his eyes.

"Ah—" Bai Yulou let out a high-pitched, effeminate scream, clutching his eyes.

Liu Rushuang calmly straightened her clothes. "How did I end up here? Where's Brother Xi? What happened last night?"

Rubbing his eyes, Bai Yulou answered, "Last night, you and Lu Hehuan both drank yourselves senseless. Ying Xi took Lu Hehuan away and left you with me. You were so drunk I didn't dare send you home, so I brought you here instead."

"Did you take advantage of me?" Liu Rushuang pressed him.

Bai Yulou, eyes red and tearful, immediately swore to the heavens, "Sister Shuang, I swear I didn't so much as touch a hair on your head!"

Liu Rushuang glared at him and, seeing no sign of deceit, lowered her guard. "I'd like to see you try."

Bai Yulou breathed a sigh of relief, the misunderstanding cleared, though he had been unjustly scolded and struck. He could only accept his misfortune. Still rubbing his sore eyes, he had no time to react when Liu Rushuang, her anger unspent, grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him.

"You ruined my plans by bringing me back!"

Bai Yulou, unable to dodge, was hit by the pillow and tumbled to the floor.

Sunlight flooded the police dormitory. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi were still fast asleep. The bright light stung Lu Hehuan's eyes, and when he raised his hand to shield them, he realized he couldn't move it—Ying Xi was holding his hand.

Startled, Lu Hehuan pushed Ying Xi away and sat upright. "Inspector Ying, why were you holding my hand?"

Yawning and looking disgusted, Ying Xi replied, "You got so drunk last night you mistook me for Ling Yan and clung to me. I was tired and afraid you’d do something outrageous, so I just held your hand."

"Ling Yan?" Lu Hehuan couldn't believe it.

"You kept calling her name all night. Anyone listening would think she owed you money."

Lu Hehuan couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Seeing his dejection, Ying Xi patted his shoulder, got up, and stretched. "You should forget about Ling Yan. For all you know, she’s living happily somewhere, maybe even with kids already old enough to run errands."

"Ling Yan would never do that—she’ll wait for me." Lu Hehuan retorted angrily.

"Wait for you?" Ying Xi scoffed. "If she were willing to wait, she wouldn't have disappeared without a trace."

Lu Hehuan ignored him, his gaze bleak, speaking as much to himself as to Ying Xi, "I will find Ling Yan."

"Then make breakfast first. You’ll need strength to search." Ying Xi grinned mischievously and rubbed his stomach.

"Why me?" Lu Hehuan protested.

"I'm the inspector. Since when does an inspector cook for an officer?" Ying Xi pulled rank. "Hurry up, I’m starving."

Resigned, Lu Hehuan went to the small kitchen, fried two eggs, and set them on the table.

"Fake Westerner, making foreign food," Ying Xi muttered, yet ate both eggs in short order.

"That was breakfast for two. Why did you eat them all?" Lu Hehuan was indignant, having worked for nothing.

"Consider it revenge. Don’t think I didn’t notice you tried to get me drunk for Liu Rushuang last night..." Ying Xi wiped his mouth, finally satisfied.

"I... I was only keeping my promise," Lu Hehuan said, a little guilty.

"I don’t care about your damn promise. If you ever do that again, I’ll get you drunk and throw you into a brothel, let those tigresses eat you alive!"

Faced with Ying Xi’s threat, Lu Hehuan shivered instinctively. He knew the inspector was capable of anything.

Liu Rushuang sat in her chair at the Shuang Xi Detective Agency, visibly drained of her usual spirit. Rubbing her temples, she grumbled to Bai Yulou beside her.

"What wretched liquor—like poison. I can't remember a thing after drinking it."

Bai Yulou’s eyes were still red as a rabbit’s. Seeing Liu Rushuang still not fully awake, he too marveled at the liquor’s strength. "Sister Shuang, you usually hold your drink well. What kind of liquor was that?"

"Fu... something home..." Liu Rushuang pondered. "Oh, 'Homebound.'"

Bai Yulou chuckled. "The name certainly fits."

As they spoke, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Liu Rushuang called.

Lu Hehuan stepped inside. "Miss Liu..."

At the sight of him, Liu Rushuang’s face darkened. "After such a fiasco, you still have the audacity to come to me?"

Lu Hehuan knew he’d botched things and hurried to explain. "Miss Liu, yesterday wasn’t entirely my fault. Didn’t you get drunk because of Ying Xi too?"

"If you hadn’t insisted on drinking 'Homebound,' would I have passed out?" she accused.

"It was vodka! Weren’t you the one who wanted something stronger?" Lu Hehuan saw she was still angry, so he promised, "Miss Liu, don’t worry. I’ll find another chance for you and Inspector Ying. For now, could you help me investigate the source of the rumors about the vengeful ghost of Jin Lu? OK?"

"Enough talk. I won’t help you. Bai Bai, show him out," Liu Rushuang said, determined to stay uninvolved.

Bai Yulou stood up, looking helplessly at Lu Hehuan, his red eyes a testament to Liu Rushuang’s fiery temper.

Seeing persuasion was futile, Lu Hehuan sighed and left.

In the morgue, Bao Rong donned gloves and carefully examined Liang Fang’s corpse. She noticed a jade pendant at the deceased’s waist, took it off, and scrutinized it, discovering a scarcely visible fingerprint.

Bao Rong lifted the print onto special paper, dusted it with powder, and soon revealed a clear fingerprint.

With the print, she hurried out, meeting Lu Hehuan returning just outside.

"Hehuan, I was just about to find you."

"Did you discover something new during the autopsy?" Lu Hehuan asked, excited.

Bao Rong nodded. "I found a jade pendant on Liang Fang, and there’s someone else’s fingerprint on it."

She showed Lu Hehuan the paper with the print.

He studied it for a long time, then was struck by a sudden realization. "Where’s the file with Dabao’s fingerprint from the Jin Lu case?"

Bao Rong didn’t understand, but since he asked, she obliged. "I have it. I kept it after it was no longer needed."

"Great, let’s take a look." Lu Hehuan was thrilled.

Back in the morgue, Bao Rong produced the file with Dabao’s prints. Lu Hehuan carefully compared the fingerprints side by side.

"They’re an exact match," Bao Rong exclaimed in admiration.

"Hehuan, your memory is amazing—to even remember fingerprints!"

"I trained for that at Scotland Yard, identifying a chosen egg among a thousand by its markings."

"No wonder! That’s harder than matching fingerprints."

Lu Hehuan smiled modestly, then recalled something. "Xiao Rong, after Liang Fang’s death, only Sister Hao and you handled the body, correct?"

Bao Rong nodded.

"Looks like we need to bring Dabao in for questioning," Lu Hehuan said, brow furrowed.

"Should we notify Inspector Ying?"

Lu Hehuan, mindful of Ying Xi’s impatience and harsh methods, stopped her. "Let’s not. Even with Dabao’s fingerprint, he’s not necessarily the killer. I’m afraid Inspector Ying will rush to close the case and force a confession."

Bao Rong agreed.

Ying Xi strolled into the office, humming a tune, and urged the bald officer, "Baldy, hurry up and close the case files."

"Close what case?" The bald officer was baffled, as he’d just seen Dabao taken into the interrogation room.

"Are you playing dumb with me? The two widows’ suicide cases!"

"Inspector Ying, they weren’t suicides. The murderer’s been caught—Dabao."

"When did that happen?" Ying Xi was surprised.

"Just now. Xiao Rong found the killer’s fingerprint on the corpse’s jade pendant. Officer Lu matched it to Dabao’s, so we brought him in. Sister Hao didn’t trust us and came along. They’re questioning Dabao now."

Ying Xi hurried off toward the interrogation room.

Inside, Dabao sat trembling across from Lu Hehuan. Sister Hao stood by, watching her son anxiously.

"Dabao, what were you doing at Liang Fang’s house the night before last?" Lu Hehuan asked.

"I—I wasn’t there," Dabao replied, his eyes darting evasively.

Lu Hehuan pressed harder. "You’re lying! Your fingerprint was found on Liang Fang’s jade pendant. If you hadn’t been there that night, it wouldn’t be so clear."

"I..." Dabao faltered, but before he could finish, Bao Kang and Ying Xi entered one after the other.

"Lu Hehuan, has Dabao confessed yet?" Bao Kang asked as he entered.

"Not yet," Lu Hehuan replied, surprised to see both Bao Kang and Ying Xi.

Bao Kang signaled to Ying Xi. "The chief superintendent just called, urging us to solve the case quickly. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

"Innocent! I didn’t kill anyone!" Dabao cried, recalling his previous forced confession.

Bao Kang ignored him and continued instructing Ying Xi, "I hear the killer’s fingerprint was found on the body. Inspector Ying, a little pressure might make him confess."

"I’ve long thought this one suspicious," Ying Xi said, then rapped Dabao on the head. "Will you confess or not, hmm?"

Sister Hao, distressed, tried to intervene, but Lu Hehuan stopped her.

"Inspector Ying, this is coercion!" Lu Hehuan protested.

"Without it, would he confess?" Ying Xi, emboldened by Bao Kang’s presence, retorted.

"Only evidence can make him confess—not forced confessions!" Lu Hehuan insisted.

"The fingerprint is evidence. The jade pendant is personal. If he didn’t kill her, why is his fingerprint there?"

"I didn’t kill anyone," Dabao sobbed, compelled at last to tell the truth. "I just... I just peeked at Sister Fang changing clothes."

Everyone was taken aback.

"When was this?" Lu Hehuan pressed.

"Evening before last. My broom broke, so I went to Sister Fang’s to borrow one, and happened to catch her changing..."

As it turned out, Dabao had indeed gone to Liang Fang’s house that night. When he entered, Liang Fang was behind a curtain, changing. Her silhouette was visible through the fabric. Dabao, captivated, crept over and peered through a gap. He saw her clothes on the bed, picked them up, and took a deep sniff, leaving his fingerprint on the jade pendant attached.

"I admit it was shameful, but I swear it’s the truth. I didn’t kill anyone. I heard the crime happened at nine—I was already asleep then. Ask my mother if you don’t believe me. I really didn’t do it," Dabao pleaded.

"You’re lying!" Ying Xi accused, suspecting Dabao was trying to escape blame.

Suddenly, Sister Hao slapped her forehead as if remembering something. "Inspector Ying, I just remembered!"

"Remembered what?" Ying Xi eyed her skeptically.

"I saw Liang Fang’s lover visit her house that night," she declared.

"Her lover?" Ying Xi demanded.

"Do you know who it was?" Lu Hehuan asked.

"I don’t know him, but I remember what he looked like."

"Perfect—we can draw him!" Lu Hehuan said excitedly, recalling his training in criminal sketch art at Scotland Yard.

The group moved to the officers’ office, where everyone gathered around Bao Kang, Ying Xi, and Lu Hehuan, who took pen and paper and began sketching based on Sister Hao’s description.

She detailed the man's appearance from memory: "He was about forty, wore a dark gown, gold-rimmed glasses, had a mustache, a square face, smallish eyes, a bulbous nose, and thin lips..."

Each of the three finished their sketches, and Sister Hao evaluated them. She shook her head at Bao Kang’s, then at Ying Xi’s, but finally nodded in satisfaction at Lu Hehuan’s.

"This officer’s drawing is the most accurate."

Everyone studied the sketch and found it strangely familiar.

"Why does he look so familiar? Isn’t that..." Ying Xi muttered, stroking his chin.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Bao Kang. "Lu Xiang!"