Chapter 1 Breaking News!
In the summer of 1995, Zhu Qing completed 36 weeks of rigorous training at the Wong Chuk Hang Police Academy.
The moment she pinned her CID badge to her light blue shirt, she officially became a member of the West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit.
When I first arrived at Group B, there was a lot of gossip circulating in the police station's break room.
What's the use of getting a perfect score on a grappling test? A top female police academy student thought she could solve cases by drawing a few clue diagrams, but working in the police station isn't that simple.
No one expected that this underestimated new recruit would handle a major armed robbery case under the direct supervision of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) in her first case. Armed with her weapon, she worked tirelessly alongside Inspector Mok, staking out the scene day and night, conducting continuous investigations. From filing the case to closing it down, she made no mistakes. During the case debriefing, even the usually critical Inspector Mok made an exception, praising the young woman for her daring and promising talent.
Since then, the "temporary transfer" label on Zhu Qing's duty roster has been removed, and she has been moved from a temporary seat to a fixed location with her own locker.
"No surprises, it's five o'clock again, time to call it a day!" In the Criminal Investigation Department office, Hao-zai poked at the takeout order with a pencil. "A new Bing Kee Congee Shop just opened in Sham Shui Po, wanna try it?"
"Another time, I made some red bean and tangerine peel soup at home."
"I'll go too! Bing Kee's fish porridge can't compare to Uncle Rong's homemade sweet soup!"
The group members got along well, and after get off work they decided to go to a colleague's house for dinner and sweet soup. Their laughter paused for a moment after their eyes passed over a perpetually straight figure.
"Zhu Qing...would you like to come along?"
Zhu Qing lowered her head and organized the case files: "I'm not going, you guys have fun."
Without making any excuses, she declined the invitation, which no one found surprising.
Less than a month after joining the company, Zhu Qing had not integrated into the group. She did not attend gatherings, chat with others, or develop close relationships with them.
She didn't eat at the police station cafeteria, usually bringing her own lunch and quickly cooking it in the microwave. When she had to eat out while on duty, she rarely spoke. This new colleague had a cold personality, but gradually, everyone got used to it.
The colleagues returned to their original topic, discussing whether to bring roast goose along as an extra dish. Just as the group was starting to feel relaxed and comfortable after get off work, Mo Shazhan walked in.
"We'll have the roast goose and red bean soup another day."
"Workers found human bones in the fireplace during renovations of a villa on the hillside."
...
Mid-Levels has always been a gathering place for Hong Kong's elite and celebrities. Luxury mansions are scattered among the greenery on both sides. Police cars wind their way up the mountain road, passing by few people and moving unimpeded.
Based on the police report, the driver stopped the car in front of a Portuguese-style villa.
This two combined mansions is the residence of Sheng Wenchang, a jewelry tycoon in Hong Kong.
Zhu Qing flipped through the documents that the headquarters had promptly faxed to her; the history of the Sheng family's rise to power filled three whole pages.
Sheng Wenchang started his business in the clothing industry and later moved into the jewelry industry. His eldest daughter, Sheng Peirong, was born to his first wife. Until the year his first wife passed away from a serious illness, his second wife gave birth to their younger daughter, Sheng Peishan. The headline "Old Man and Young Woman" on the front page kept many Hong Kong tabloids busy. According to the information, the eldest daughter is now 47 years old, and the younger daughter is 37 years old, a full ten years apart, which has sparked various speculations about their sisterly relationship.
The most interesting part is that not long ago, Sheng Wenchang and his wife Qin Lizhu died in a plane crash, leaving the position of heir vacant. According to the old man's rule, a full 100 days must pass before the will is officially read.
Everyone was eyeing the spoils, and rumors about the Sheng family's fight for the inheritance intensified.
After bypassing the private road, two connected granite villas came into view, with three television station interview vehicles crowded outside the police cordon.
The butler, still shaken, stood before the police officer, his hands trembling and his tie askew.
The crowd made way for him, and Officer Mo put on his badge: "What's going on?"
"The fireplace doesn't vent well, and thick smoke often billows out when burning pine."
"When the maintenance workers disassembled the cast iron furnace, they found that the flue was blocked by cement blocks. During the repair, the chiseling sound became more and more muffled, jammed the electric drill, and brought out the blackened finger bone and the faded ring that was originally stuck between the finger bone."
"The housekeeper dared not let anyone continue digging and immediately called the police."
Amidst the chaos, forensic experts conducted a preliminary investigation at the scene.
"Based on the pieced-together remains and the conditions and climate at the scene, the deceased was an adult woman who was murdered about ten years ago. She was between twenty and twenty-five years old and about five feet three inches tall."
The ultraviolet light shone through the empty eye sockets of the skeleton. This was the first time Zhu Qing had ever seen skeletons with her own eyes, and she silently held her breath.
She adjusted her medical rubber gloves, which made a slight rubbing sound against her skin, and the evidence bag she was holding suddenly felt heavy.
"The remains showed obvious bone damage, and the cause of death should be a skull fracture caused by blunt force trauma."
"As for the clothing fibers remaining on the cement block, other on-site residues, and skull smears, we will have to wait for further test data reports."
As the investigation unfolded, Mo Zhenbang assigned areas for evidence collection.
As a newcomer, Zhu Qing followed the same procedure as in the previous armed robbery case, accompanying Inspector Mo on his apprenticeship.
Mo Zhenbang: "How should we proceed with this case? Let's test your judgment."
As her fingertip glided over the villa's structural diagram on the second page of the faxed document, Zhu Qing said, "First, go to the land registry office and investigate the building's transfer records and renovation filings."
“That’s good. Maybe there’s a previous owner in this building.” Mo Zhenbang nodded approvingly. “Get another list of missing persons from headquarters and see if there are any other similar cases. Issue a missing person notice. The remains were found at the Sheng family’s house. We need to investigate the whereabouts of the owner ten years ago. The house was under renovation at that time, so the foreman and the construction team are also highly suspicious.”
Mo Zhenbang slowed his speech and glanced at Zhu Qing.
"Not taking notes?"
A new person joined the team. She was so quiet that she was practically invisible. Uncle Li in the team secretly gave her a nickname: Iceberg Girl.
Now, the icy woman, hearing her boss express his dissatisfaction, didn't even take out her pen; her gaze had already passed over him and was fixed on the garden.
"Something's wrong with him."
Mo Sir raised his eyebrows slightly.
The man huddled in the shadows of the flowerbed stirred.
He was wearing a brand-new construction worker's uniform and kept looking in one direction until he noticed Zhu Qing approaching, at which point he looked away.
The other party breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that it was just a routine question, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
“I was in the kitchen asking for water when I came out and heard Uncle Cai shout.” His gaze drifted to the bay window on the third floor. “There was nothing special about the house, only the butler and servants were there. The feuds in the wealthy family are really interesting. Mr. Sheng’s body is not cold yet, and the two daughters and their sons-in-law have all vanished as if they had made an appointment.”
The gossip magazine clearly stated that before Sheng Wenchang and Qin Lizhu passed away, the Sheng family consisted of six people, excluding the workers.
The eldest daughter, Sheng Peirong, is even more capable, but she and her husband, Cheng Zhaoqian, have always kept a low profile and never appeared in the media. On the contrary, the second daughter, Sheng Peishan, has been in the limelight, establishing multiple charitable foundations and staying behind the scenes while sending her husband, Chen Chaosheng, to various private dinners. The charitable couple is well-known, but in reality, they are secretly cultivating allies.
Strangely, none of the four have shown up so far.
Zhu Qing: "I heard that the second young lady of the Sheng family and her husband are busy handling the funeral arrangements for their two elders and are on their way back."
Mo Shazhan raised his eyebrows.
The icy woman was also a shrewd one, having learned to extract information without any formal instruction.
"Do people really believe their nonsense? He's been dead for more than three or five days, what kind of funeral arrangements are there to make?" He scoffed. "Madam, you don't know, the Second Miss is still looking for an invitation to the charity gala at the Peninsula Hotel!"
Zhu Qing stopped responding.
It's certain that he's a tabloid reporter who infiltrated the area.
As he finished speaking, he looked up and met Zhu Qing's gaze. He awkwardly looked away and poked the yellow wax stone rockery in the koi pond with the drain hook: "This family hasn't been having an easy time lately..."
...
Zhu Qing took a few steps back, and when she was back in the crowd, she looked up.
The terrace on the third floor, located on the side, is decorated in a lavish and opulent style. However, the terrace on the far side is enclosed, which clashes with the overall style.
The villa's gilded bronze double doors were wide open, and everyone was gathered in the living room, feeling uneasy.
Zhu Qing changed direction, turned around and went into the room, then went up the spiral staircase.
Inside, it was quiet, and the crystal chandelier shimmered with dazzling light. Zhu Qing went upstairs step by step and arrived at the third floor.
The weekly magazine reporter somehow managed to sneak in with the repairmen, but showed no interest in the skeleton case, which everyone had access to from the police press office; it seemed he had other goals.
Why is he staring at the third floor?
Zhu Qing walked lightly and slowly towards the end of the corridor, her reflection gliding across the enamel screen.
"Young master, have some shrimp dumplings first!"
Zhu Qing stopped at the door. Cold air was blowing from the air conditioner vents in the corridor, and the TV was on inside, with cartoon sounds mixed with game console effects.
"I want! Iced! Lemon! Tea!" A haughty yet childish voice rang out.
I never expected the Sheng family to have such a person. Even the all-powerful paparazzi in Hong Kong had a hard time getting this explosive headline.
"Young master, would you like to have some water first? Be good."
The noise inside the house subsided.
Zhu Qing listened intently, and suddenly, the footsteps became heavier.
I already said I wanted iced lemon tea!
"Alright, alright, I'll go change right away... Young master, please don't go downstairs!"
Now there's no need to knock on the door.
With swift footsteps, the carved oak door opened, and a Transformer flew out from the crack in the door.
The young master, whom the Filipino maid had mentioned, was wearing an Iron Man cape and suddenly darted out, accidentally stepping on a remote control on the ground, switching TV channels back and forth.
Before he could even be fully embraced, Zhu Qing grabbed him.
The little bundle of flesh under the Iron Man suit dangled in mid-air, kicking its legs, when the cape snapped open with a "snap," revealing a children's fencing uniform adorned with medals underneath.
Time seemed to stand still. Toys were scattered all over the room. The silver tray in the hands of the Filipino maid, Marissa, fell to the ground, startling her.
The young master felt his fate being strangled by the back of his clothes. When he turned around, his cheeks were puffed up in anger as he glared at the audacious bystanders.
It was at this moment that Zhu Qing finally saw the young master's face.
Just then, the TV in the room changed channels, and lines from a Cantonese movie started playing—
"My elder sister's vengeful spirit is demanding my life!"
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