Chapter Four: The Woman with the Shattered Skull

Lu Hewan tried to push Ying Xi away, but found that the bedsheets had wrapped the two of them together.

"Miss, you’ve misunderstood..." Lu Hewan struggled and stammered at the same time.

Liu Rushuang, furious, stamped her foot and shoved Bai Yulou forward. "Bai Bai, hit him for me!"

Bai Yulou dashed over and slapped Ying Xi right across the face. The slap was so fierce that Ying Xi’s dizziness vanished, his sleepiness disappeared, and all that was left was an outburst of anger.

"How dare you! You dare attack an officer?" Ying Xi shouted sharply.

Liu Rushuang scolded Bai Yulou, "Who told you to hit Brother Xi? I meant for you to hit that pretty-boy fox who’s seducing him!"

"Oh, got it."

Bai Yulou was just about to strike Lu Hewan when he broke free from the tangled sheets and caught Bai Yulou’s hand. She tried to pull away but couldn’t.

Lu Hewan’s voice was calm. "No matter what’s happened, it’s wrong to hit people."

He released her, and Bai Yulou pouted, massaging her wrist.

Ying Xi sat up unhurriedly. "Liu Rushuang, how can you be so shameless? I’ve told you countless times, you’re not my type. Could you please stop pestering me?"

Liu Rushuang looked a little aggrieved, blinking her large, watery eyes and pointing at Lu Hewan. "Brother Xi, how am I any less than that pretty-boy fox?"

Ying Xi waved dismissively, "What pretty-boy fox? (pointing at Lu Hewan) He’s the son of Deputy Chief Lu Xiang from our precinct—you’ve heard of him, right? Just came back from Scotland Yard. He’s got nowhere to stay, so out of kindness I took him in, that’s all."

"Really?" Liu Rushuang’s face instantly lit up with a smile.

Lu Hewan, displeased, murmured, "Believe it or not, it’s up to you."

Hearing that, Liu Rushuang finally relaxed. "All right, that’s more like it."

"Let me introduce you: this is Lu Hewan, son of our Deputy Chief Lu Xiang... was a police officer... though he’s been dismissed... This is Liu Rushuang, head of the Shuangxi Private Detective Agency, and her assistant, Bai Yulou." Seeing the tension subside, Ying Xi quickly made introductions to prevent the situation from flaring up again.

"How do you do?" Liu Rushuang greeted cheerfully, unafraid of strangers.

"Hello," Lu Hewan replied, unable to keep up his aloofness.

Then Ying Xi remembered the real issue. "Liu Rushuang, you mentioned a murder just now?"

She nodded. "A woman’s body was found in an abandoned house in Huaihua Lane. According to Mrs. Hao, who manages the alley, the victim wasn’t a resident. After my careful analysis, for a stranger to end up dead in an abandoned house in Huaihua Lane is rather suspicious."

"You analyzed all that just to come up with ‘suspicious’? Isn’t every murder suspicious?"

"Exactly! That’s why I had to invite you, the brilliant, sharp-eyed, and dashing detective, to crack the case." Liu Rushuang seized the chance to flatter him.

Ying Xi seemed quite pleased with the praise. "Looks like it’s time for Detective Ying Xi to take charge."

He put on his jacket, pulled out his service revolver, and struck a pose. After showing off, he winked teasingly at Lu Hewan.

"Come on, Lu, today you’ll stick close behind me and see how I solve a case."

Lu Hewan wasn’t buying it. "Unfortunately, I’ve been dismissed—I’m not an officer anymore. And frankly, I’m in no state of mind to focus on a case. You’d better go alone; you’ve got their help, anyway."

He glanced at Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou. Liu Rushuang quickly picked up the cue. "That’s right, Brother Xi—Bai Bai and I will assist you!"

"Assist, my foot! Men are talking, little girls shouldn’t butt in."

Liu Rushuang stuck out her tongue, chastened by Ying Xi’s scolding.

Ying Xi pulled Lu Hewan aside and lowered his voice. "Didn’t you want to see the Ling Yan case file?"

He winked meaningfully, like a sly fox waiting for prey to step into the trap. Lu Hewan pondered for a moment.

"All right, it’s a deal."

"Deal."

Seeing Lu Hewan take the bait, Ying Xi was secretly delighted and set off for the crime scene with Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou.

Bao Kang was notoriously stingy. Though the precinct had a car, he was the only one allowed to use it—the others wouldn’t dream of touching it. When the four reached the dormitory entrance, Ying Xi hobbled out a battered old bicycle.

"My legs aren’t working—take me there, will you?"

Not waiting for Lu Hewan’s reply, Ying Xi slumped on the back seat. But before Lu Hewan could react, Liu Rushuang darted forward and seized the bicycle.

"I’ll do it! It’s just riding a bike with a passenger—I can manage." She thumped her chest in assurance.

Ying Xi knew that if Liu Rushuang’s words could be trusted, she’d have beaten herself flat by now. Terrified, he leapt up.

"If you dare ride, I won’t dare sit!"

But Liu Rushuang shoved Ying Xi onto the back seat, ignored his protests, and rode off. Lu Hewan and Bai Yulou exchanged a look; Lu Hewan mounted another bicycle, taking Bai Yulou with him to catch up.

They pedaled down Balin Road, the noonday traffic bustling. Ying Xi’s rickety bike clattered past rickshaw drivers touting for fares, trams racing by, street vendors hawking their wares, stylish women in cheongsams, and honking Chevrolets. On both sides, Western-style buildings, shop windows crammed with goods, and vast billboards of glamorous models streamed past like scenes from a moving picture.

Liu Rushuang, bold but unskilled, wobbled along, forcing pedestrians to dodge out of the way.

"Flying! Flying!" she shouted gleefully, growing more excited the faster she went, even raising her arm in triumph.

On the back, Ying Xi had turned pale with fright. He alternated between threats and pleas. "Hey, slow down! If you’re in a hurry to be reincarnated, I’m not!"

Startled, Liu Rushuang braked hard. The sudden stop unbalanced the bike, and after several jerky swerves, both she and Ying Xi crashed to the ground.

Dazed and battered, the wounds on Ying Xi’s legs old and new, he scrambled up, cursing loudly.

"Liu Rushuang, you bringer of bad luck! If you want to die, don’t drag me with you! Ow, that hurts!" He propped himself up, clutching his sore spots.

"Brother Xi, are you all right? Was it serious? I didn’t mean to," Liu Rushuang apologized, rubbing her hands nervously.

"How about I throw you down and see how you like it?"

Ying Xi was furious. Liu Rushuang pouted but, knowing she was in the wrong, didn’t dare talk back.

Lu Hewan and Bai Yulou arrived at the scene, at a loss for words.

Ying Xi glared at Lu Hewan. "Why are you just standing there? Help me up!"

Lu Hewan hurried over, only for Ying Xi to latch onto him.

"Lu Hewan! You ride the bike and take me."

"Me?" Lu Hewan was incredulous.

Ying Xi raised an eyebrow. "What, you want to disobey the chief detective’s orders?"

Seeing Ying Xi wielding his rank again, Lu Hewan had no words. He righted the bike, took Ying Xi on board, and rode off, leaving Liu Rushuang stunned.

"Sister Shuang, I’ll take you," Bai Yulou seized the chance to show off.

Liu Rushuang watched Ying Xi disappear into the distance, stamped her foot, and reluctantly climbed onto Bai Yulou’s bike.

All the way, Liu Rushuang kept a close eye on Ying Xi ahead, leaning over to watch him and urging Bai Yulou on.

"Hey, ride faster—we’ll lose Brother Xi!"

Bai Yulou took a deep breath and pedaled with all his might.

In contrast, Ying Xi was at ease, sitting behind Lu Hewan with one arm around his waist.

Being "taken advantage of" by a burly man, Lu Hewan felt awkward and asked, "Why are you holding my waist?"

"In case you toss me off like Liu Rushuang did! Even if I were made of steel, I couldn’t take that," Ying Xi retorted.

Lu Hewan was at a loss for words. In truth, Ying Xi needn’t worry—Lu Hewan would never dump him. Not that he was a skilled cyclist, but because he’d taken this route countless times and could avoid even the hidden potholes.

Back in his student days, every afternoon Lu Hewan would take Ling Yan home on his bike. He hadn’t been as strong then—he struggled to pedal while Ling Yan sat behind, swinging her legs. Suddenly, as he sped up, she clutched his waist in fright, and he grinned in triumph.

"My, you’re terrible," Ling Yan would say, but she couldn’t help laughing.

A bump in the road brought Ying Xi’s arm tighter around Lu Hewan, pulling him from his reverie, and he kept pedaling.

Behind them, Liu Rushuang watched the two laughing and chatting with jealousy, venting her frustration by pinching Bai Yulou. Bai Yulou’s cheeks flushed pink, wincing one moment and smiling blissfully the next.

Lu Hewan, Ying Xi, Liu Rushuang, and Bai Yulou arrived at the crime scene one after another. It was an abandoned house at a corner of Huaihua Lane, deserted for years—the walls couldn’t block the wind, the roof leaked, dust and cobwebs covered everything, and tufts of wild grass grew unevenly on the floor. Officers were maintaining order, while some residents gossiped outside.

"I heard it was a woman—died horribly, stripped naked, her head smashed in."

"A vendetta, most likely. Probably a woman of loose morals."

"Not necessarily—maybe her husband took a concubine and couldn’t tolerate his wife."

The four entered. Bao Rong was examining the corpse. Ying Xi, ever the man of action, stepped forward to inspect with him.

"Xiao Rong, what have you found?" Lu Hewan inquired.

"The victim’s about twenty-five, body unclothed, head smashed by a heavy blunt object..."

Before Bao Rong could finish, Ying Xi suddenly noticed something on the woman’s left arm. "What’s that?"

Bao Rong lifted the arm with his gloved hand and examined it. "A birthmark."

Ying Xi leaned in. "I know who she is."

Lu Hewan and Bao Rong looked at him.

"She’s Jin Lu, the star performer at the Paramount Dance Hall," Ying Xi explained.

Everyone turned to him in surprise. Ying Xi looked quite pleased.

"Her face is covered in blood—you can’t recognize her. How do you know she’s Jin Lu?" Lu Hewan questioned.

Ying Xi chuckled, stroking his chin. "The birthmark—the red one on her left arm is identical to Jin Lu’s."

"Brother Xi, you’re amazing! Bai Bai and I are famous snoops in Old Zha, yet we didn’t know the victim’s identity. You recognized her by a glance at her birthmark—impressive!" Liu Rushuang cupped her chin in awe.

"Nothing to it. There’s no dance hall in Old Zha I haven’t visited. If you want to see real dancing, it’s the girls at the Paramount—when they twist, they’re like little snakes—one word: enchanting!" Ying Xi boasted.

Bai Yulou sniffed, "So you just frequented pleasure houses and got to know a dancer—what’s so great about that?"

Liu Rushuang protested, "Pleasure house? The Paramount is a place for the elite—distinguished, refined, a sacred venue for entertainment. Many movie stars are regulars. You’re so ignorant!"

"And here you are flattering that playboy," Bai Yulou muttered.

Liu Rushuang glared at her. "You know nothing—bad boys are what women like! He has the charm to be one!"

Bai Yulou dared not argue, but clearly resented Liu Rushuang’s obvious partiality, muttering under her breath. "You’re hopelessly blind."

"Blind? It was love at first sight, I tell you!" Liu Rushuang declared, indignant and resolute. Bai Yulou was left speechless.

Meanwhile, Ying Xi was lamenting Jin Lu’s tragic fate. He shook his head at the corpse, sighing.

"With your death, how many men will lose their happiness... What a waste."

Though Lu Hewan disliked Ying Xi, having seen what happened to Bai Yulou, he dared not criticize Liu Rushuang’s "Great Detective." He silently stepped forward to examine the scene.

"Hewan." Bao Rong greeted him with a nod.

Lu Hewan nodded back and continued his inspection in silence.

Ying Xi, still sighing over the beauty’s untimely death, finally remembered his duty and cleared his throat. "The victim’s body is naked, there are signs of a struggle nearby—anyone with half a brain can see it was rape and murder. And since she died in a remote, abandoned house like this," he sniffed, "and the body was found before it started to decay, the killer is most likely the one who reported it! (to a nearby officer) Bring the informant here—we’ll find out with a few questions."

"Yes, Chief Detective!"

The officer left. The crowd murmured anxiously.

"Mrs. Hao reported it!"

"Was it her who did it?"

"Couldn’t be, could it?"

"Hard to say..."

Ying Xi watched coolly, clearly confident he had the situation in hand.

Lu Hewan, visibly dissatisfied, spoke up. "Chief Detective Ying, I think your analysis is far too hasty. The autopsy isn’t even complete..."

"What do you know! This is the ‘Ying Method’—quickly observe, analyze accurately, identify the suspect, and then apply some pressure in interrogation—the case is as good as solved," Ying Xi interrupted, annoyed. He was eager to show off and wouldn’t tolerate interference.

Liu Rushuang was all applause. "Brother Xi, you truly are Old Zha’s Number One Detective—so fast, so precise, so ruthless! You’ve sorted the whole case in under fifteen minutes."

"Enough of the flattery. I know my own abilities—I don’t need your bootlicking," Ying Xi said, though he couldn’t hide his pride.

"Sister Shuang, what was that ‘Number One’ you just said?" Bai Yulou whispered.

"Number One—it’s English, means the best."

"You know English too, Sister Shuang? You’re amazing," Bai Yulou said, instantly humbled and full of admiration.

"Oh, my father forced me to go to a foreign school for a few days, that’s all."

"Can you say anything else?" Bai Yulou asked.

Liu Rushuang scratched her head, searching for an answer. "There’s one more phrase."

"What is it?" Bai Yulou waited expectantly.

"I... Actually, I can’t say it to you—I want to say it to Brother Xi."

She ran over to Ying Xi and declared, "Brother Xi, I love you."

"What oil..." Ying Xi muttered in confusion. Suddenly he remembered Lu Hewan blurting out something similar in foreign language at the docks. Waving his hand, he said,

"Don’t show off your foreign tricks in front of me—I understand perfectly well."

"Then what does it mean, Brother Xi?" Liu Rushuang looked at him, eyes shining.

Ying Xi, serious and full of confidence, replied, "Isn’t it just asking who I am? Don’t you know who I am? Stop fooling around!"

"Oh, that’s not what it means..." Liu Rushuang deflated instantly, like a pricked balloon.

"Enough—any more trouble and I’ll clear the scene!"

Seeing his impatience, Liu Rushuang pouted, wounded, and fell silent.

Lu Hewan, overhearing their exchange as he examined the scene, struggled not to laugh. Ying Xi noticed and was provoked.

"What are you snickering at? Show some respect for the dead! Do you know who Jin Lu was? She brought joy to countless men—she deserves justice! Her killer must be punished!"

Ying Xi pointed at Lu Hewan, full of righteous passion. If Liu Rushuang hadn’t still been sulking, she’d have burst into applause again.

At that moment, Mrs. Hao was brought in by a police officer. Ying Xi saw a woman around forty, gentle-faced and a little plump.

"Chief Detective Ying, she’s the one who reported it," the officer reported.

"A woman? That’s unexpected..." Ying Xi muttered, but since he’d already boasted, he had no choice but to continue. He quietly asked the officer, "Does Mrs. Hao have any family or close friends?"

"Sir, Mrs. Hao is a widow—her husband died young, leaving her with her lame son Dabao. Neighbors say she keeps to herself, not close to anyone."

The crowd watched, puzzled by the whispered exchange. The suspect was in front of them, yet no one started questioning.

Ying Xi adjusted his belt, clapped his hands, and resumed his earlier fervor. "That explains it! Mrs. Hao’s son Dabao is growing up, but their family is dirt poor and his lame leg keeps women away. So, when Dabao saw Jin Lu alone, he was tempted. Mrs. Hao helped her son satisfy his desires and then killed the victim to cover it up!"

Liu Rushuang, recovered from her disappointment, clapped enthusiastically and lavished praise. "Brilliant deduction, Brother Xi!"

Bao Rong objected, "But there’s no semen found on the body."

"Then he failed to satisfy his lust!" Ying Xi insisted.

"Innocent, sir! I just found the body here this morning—I didn’t do anything else!" Mrs. Hao cried in panic, protesting her innocence. Reporting a crime had only brought her disaster.

Ying Xi sneered, "No murderer ever confesses right away. Take her in—we’ll arrest Dabao at her house!"

"Chief Detective Ying, this is too reckless!" Lu Hewan couldn’t stand it any longer.

"Reckless? This is the result of careful, thorough deduction!" Ying Xi retorted.

"But—"

"No buts! Delay any longer and the real culprit will escape!" Ying Xi cut him off.

Without further discussion, Ying Xi led his men away with Mrs. Hao in custody. Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou followed.

Lu Hewan was left fuming, words unsaid. Bao Rong came over to comfort him.

"Hewan, don’t worry. As the saying goes, ‘If you persevere, you can carve gold and stone.’ I believe you’ll find the real killer."

Lu Hewan nodded.

Outside, Mrs. Hao’s cries rang out, "I’m innocent! I’m innocent..." Lu Hewan frowned and sighed.

"Bao Rong, continue the autopsy—don’t miss a single piece of evidence. We can’t let Mrs. Hao and her son be wronged."

"Understood."

Lu Hewan took a magnifying glass from his pocket and began a meticulous search of the scene.