Chapter 39 Mutual Covering
Zhu Qing didn't know what time she fell asleep.
Anyway, when I woke up, it was already daylight, and Aunt Ping was knocking on the door from outside.
"Young master, aren't you getting up yet?" Aunt Ping said. "Qingqing has already gone to work."
Aunt Ping was used to getting up early to prepare breakfast, and seeing that Zhu Qing's bedroom door was open, she assumed that she had left early.
Unexpectedly, when I gently pushed open the door to the children's room, I found my uncle and niece lying at opposite ends of the crib, their sleeping postures so outrageous that they looked like they were "building blocks".
Fangfang half-opened her eyes and found her little feet resting next to Qingzai's cheek.
Zhu Qing also opened her eyes, glanced at the scene out of the corner of her eye, and immediately slapped it away.
The little one sat up, a tuft of hair on his head looking blank as if he were saying good morning.
He wiggled his little feet and said in a dazed voice, "They're fragrant feet."
Last night, while telling stories, Zhu Qing finished reciting the idiom "waiting for a rabbit to bump into a tree stump," and the little one listened with great interest. She forgot to remind her niece to go to bed. Zhu Qing's storytelling didn't lull her uncle to sleep; instead, she lay down first, taking up most of the large children's bed.
The little one can only find a place for himself, like struggling to find a spot to place a piece in a game of chess. He's busy running around until he finally manages to drift off to sleep again.
"What time is it?" Zhu Qing realized what was happening and jumped out of bed. "We're going to be late!"
Aunt Ping had never seen her so flustered before, and was startled. She quickly picked up the children's alarm clock from the young master's desk: "There's still time, don't rush, don't rush, there's enough time to eat breakfast!"
The subsequent washing and grooming process felt like a battle.
Zhu Qing moved between the children's room and her own bedroom with the incredible speed of a first-class honorary graduate of the police academy. Even brushing her teeth was done quickly and precisely, leaving her mouth full of toothpaste foam. She glanced at Fang Fang, who looked so bored she was practically growing mushrooms.
"Do you have to work overtime tonight?"
"I'm going to queue up with Aunt Ping this afternoon to buy new sneakers!"
"Qingzai, shall we tell you a murder story today?"
Just as Zhu Qing was getting water from her mouthwash cup, the child suddenly appeared again.
Fangfang, holding yesterday's children's idiom picture book, paced around the living room, then circled to the bathroom door: "How about I tell you a story?"
Zhu Qing quickly finished rinsing her mouth, tossing the toothbrush into the rinsing cup with a "clatter." After washing her face, her hair still had water droplets on her forehead, and her eyes were bright.
Shengfang turned to a page, and said in a serious tone, "The idiom story I'm going to tell today is called 'Playing the lute to a cow.'"
Before turning to leave, she patted Fangfang's head: "Are you insulting me?"
With a bang, she slammed the door shut: "Let's get to work!"
Fangfang stayed where she was and turned to Aunt Ping, saying, "She's not stupid."
Aunt Ping rushed out of the kitchen: "She hasn't had breakfast yet!"
...
The handling of this case has been very tightly controlled at every stage.
The officers in Team B were working overtime every day until Inspector Mok couldn't stand it anymore and insisted on urging them to go home.
I heard that the neighboring Major Crimes Unit A even got scolded by their superiors because of this—
Look at the officers in other groups, how come they are all so capable?
No one in Group B could hold out for long. Take Tsang Wing-shan and Leung Kei-kai for example. There weren't many surveillance cameras in North Point. They took the collected footage back to the evidence processing room. The jewelry store wasn't using the latest equipment. The new cameras completely overwrote the old ones, and even the dates and exact times were hidden. This meant that the two of them had to watch it from the beginning. After more than ten hours, they finally managed to capture Fang Ya-yun's face in the surveillance footage.
"I almost got dizzy from watching it all. I don't want to watch the surveillance footage again for a month," Liang Qikai joked.
"Don't even mention the security camera footage," Zeng Yongshan said resentfully. "I haven't even watched any TV dramas for a month! Before I left home, Daddy turned on the TV to watch the morning news, and I only glanced at it before I choked on my egg sandwich!"
Now, Liang Qikai and Zeng Yongshan feel dizzy at the mere mention of the word "surveillance." But regardless, after watching the footage all night, they have gained significant insights.
On Tuesday night, Fang Yayun made a special trip to North Point to make that phone call to Fang Songsheng, which is definitely suspicious.
Uncle Li arrived early in the morning, and the tea he brewed had already gone cold. He slowly drank from the thermos.
After the young people finished their reports, he chuckled and said, "This Fang Songsheng is really tough; his wife took her own life."
"Take your own life...what does that mean?"
"suicide?"
"Uncle Li, did Fang Yayun's mother commit suicide?"
Twenty-eight years ago, Fang Songsheng sexually assaulted Ni Fangrun, a timid and quiet female student. She dared not speak out, and her parents, for the sake of their reputation, condoned his crime and ultimately did not report it to the police.
A year later, he married someone else, and their daughter, Fang Yayun, was born that same year.
"Twenty-eight years ago, when Fang Songsheng committed the crime against Ni Fangrun, she was only nineteen years old. A year later, he got married, and his wife was only eighteen years old at the time, while he was already thirty-three."
"They specifically target young girls?"
"Fang Yayun's mother was named Zhou Lingyi. This morning, Xiao Sun asked their neighbors about it. The couple were very much in love at the time, and everyone was very surprised that Zhou Lingyi would suddenly commit suicide."
"I heard that Fang Songsheng was greatly affected by the incident back then, and he lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. After some time, he moved with his daughter."
No one expected that investigating a murder case would uncover so many old stories.
Mo Zhenbang made the decision: "Take Fang Yayun back to the police station and see what she can confess this time."
...
This wasn't Fang Yayun's first time visiting the police station.
Last night, she produced her alibi, mocking the police for having nothing better to do than smear the deceased's daughter. Today, however, when Mo Zhenbang presented her mother's photo, Fang Yayun's eyes looked weary, and she became much more silent.
This is a family photo of the three of them.
Her parents held her tiny body, and the whole family beamed with smiles.
“A strict father, a loving mother… Was this the pattern in your family until you were eight years old?”
"Back then, Fang Songsheng taught you to play the piano. Although he often got angry because you played the wrong notes or misread the sheet music, Zhou Lingyi was always by your side, giving you gentle companionship and care. That period should be a wonderful childhood memory for you."
Fang Yayun didn't reply, her mind filled with many scenes from her childhood.
The little girl, dressed in her favorite princess dress, sat on the piano bench. Her father, with a stern face, held a ruler, but the ruler didn't always hit the child's delicate palm, because her mother was always by her side.
Her father would also have moments of great joy, usually when she played a complete piano piece. He would laugh heartily, lift her high in the air, and declare that his daughter was indeed a little pianist. At this moment, she would giggle, look down, and see the pride and deep love in her mother's eyes as she gazed at her.
Memories, seemingly spanning an entire era, overlapped in Fang Yayun's mind as she gazed at the family photo, a smile gradually appearing on her lips.
Then suddenly, a muffled thud occurred, out of the blue.
"Bang—" Mo Zhenbang tapped the interrogation table, lowering his voice, "A muffled thud."
That evening, Fang Songsheng took you out to buy pineapple ice, but halfway there he realized he'd forgotten his wallet and was about to go home to get it when—
"A corpse was thrown in front of you, shattering the peace."
"You were eight years old that year, and your mother, Zhou Lingyi, committed suicide by jumping off a building."
Fang Yayun's upturned lips froze, and she suddenly opened her eyes, feeling a moment of disorientation; her eyes were even a little moist.
Just the day before, everything was normal. She was perfectly fine before she left home. She skipped and hopped to buy pineapple ice, her mouth watering. But in the blink of an eye, why was her mother dead? Her father remained silent. Her eyes were covered, but they were wet with tears.
Eight-year-old Fang Yayun is already sensible. She knows that her mother has passed away and that she will never have a mother again.
"What did Fang Songsheng say to you about Zhou Lingyi's passing?"
Fang Yayun remained silent for a long time before gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her slender fingertips.
"He said...my mother was unhappy after she gave birth to me, and she has been unhappy ever since."
“At the time, she was so young, an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl… She became a mother and spent all day feeding and changing diapers for her child.”
“Her grandparents passed away early, and she suffered injustices. She had no parents to confide in... Her father was also very busy with work. For a long time, she didn’t even have anyone to talk to, so she couldn’t think straight.”
“In recent years, people have begun to advocate for strengthening mental health... but at that time, the mental health problems of postpartum women were always ignored.”
Fang Yayun said that Zhou Lingyi committed suicide because of her.
“That’s what everyone in the neighborhood is saying. That year, everyone was talking about it. I had a fever for a week straight and cried all night. My mother took me to every clinic. She was so tired and wanted to be free right away.”
"Later... she was truly free."
“They say it was my fault,” Fang Yayun said calmly. “I killed her.”
“But what does this have to do with my father’s death?” she asked.
Mo Zhenbang placed another photograph in front of her.
This is a photo taken from a security camera's surveillance footage. She is wearing a baseball cap and sitting in the back seat of a taxi; her facial features are clearly visible.
"Aren't you still going to admit that you called Fang Songsheng?"
Fang Yayun took the photo and looked at it for a while.
“I had forgotten all about it if you hadn’t mentioned it.” She rubbed her temples. “My father has always valued every one of my performances and tries his best to attend. But this performance is overseas, and he will probably be busy with his wedding and won’t have time to come. So I asked him to come and watch my rehearsal. The orchestra has been practicing for a while now and is presenting a complete performance. I believe that after watching it, he will have no regrets.”
Her tone was so natural, and she answered the police's follow-up questions fluently.
“After all, the store is closed on Wednesdays, so he has time, I know that.”
"You mean you'll iron your shirt right after you finish the phone call? You definitely need to dress up for your daughter's performance."
“But I made an appointment for 10 a.m., and for some reason, he went to the music store at 5 a.m.
Fang Yayun leaned forward: "Officers, do you know why?"
Uncle Li stared at her coldly.
Mo Zhenbang's jawline tightened as he slammed a pack of cigarettes across the interrogation table.
"Do you suspect me?" She leaned back, looking at them. "If you have evidence, you can sue me anytime."
Uncle Li was furious and slammed his fist on the table.
Mo Zhenbang stopped him and said coldly, "Miss Fang, the police station's detention room is staffed 24 hours a day. We have plenty of time to chat with you."
...
Outside the interrogation room, other officers were still investigating leads related to Li Ziyao.
Li Ziyao is the biological daughter of Ni Fangrun and Li Xueren.
At the age of seventeen, she lost both her parents and was forced to drop out of school and drift around Lan Kwai Fong. Logically speaking, her parents used to live in Repulse Bay, and even if both families had fallen on hard times, their grandchildren should not have ended up in such a state.
By meticulously piecing together these clues, the police confirmed the authenticity of the long-ago story told by Li Ziyao, gradually piecing together the complete truth.
“Ni Fangrun’s family’s shipping company went bankrupt shortly after she went abroad. The business was severely damaged, and coupled with the worries about her daughter, Ni’s mother had already passed away and had never met her granddaughter.”
“Li Ziyao only met her maternal grandfather, who was already suffering from Alzheimer’s and living in a nursing home. He was cared for by her uncle’s family and Li Ziyao’s parents in turns. After Ni Fangrun and Li Xueren died, Li Ziyao was certainly not penniless. Her uncle’s family pretended to help her manage the money, but in the end they ran away with all the money. Even her maternal grandfather was secretly transferred to another nursing home.”
“We found the nursing home from ten years ago. We heard that back then, Li Ziyao begged the nurses to tell her where her grandfather had moved to and whether he had left any contact information. The little girl cried until her eyes were swollen. The nurses couldn’t bear to see her like that, so they took her out to eat… She was only seventeen years old that year. What ability did she have to fight them for the inheritance?”
When Zhu Qing heard these words, the image that appeared in her mind was not the current Li Ziyao.
It was Xin Xin from back then, huddled in a corner of the orphanage, always putting on her best performance whenever a stranger passed by. Because she longed for someone to give her a home.
"As for Li Ziyao's grandparents' side—twenty-eight years ago, the entire Li family immigrated and settled abroad, and they have never returned."
“I suspect that Li Xueren never mentioned Xin Xin to his parents. After all, the older generation in that era were mostly conservative and old-fashioned. If they were to bring up the daughter who had been abandoned in the orphanage for fourteen years, they would inevitably have to mention Fang Songsheng and the truth about Li Xueren’s breakup with Ni Fangrun. You know, given Ni Fangrun’s personality, she didn’t even dare to call the police back then. How could she be willing to let the truth come out years later? It would have been better for the three of them to live their own little life.”
"Besides, even if she recognizes these relatives she has never met, what good will it do? Let's not even talk about the fact that Li Ziyao can't contact them at all. Even if she keeps in touch, there's no guarantee that they won't look down on her for relying on them and treat her like her uncle's family did."
Zhu Qing made notes in her notebook.
Therefore, when she was seventeen, after her parents passed away, Xin Xin completely lost her family.
Let's go back to Fang Yayun's side—
When the officers read her statement, they were more puzzled than angry.
Why does Fang Yayun keep protecting Fang Songsheng? Can't she see that Fang Songsheng has a problem?
"Perhaps it's not about protecting Fang Songsheng, but about her own sake..."
“Let’s assume that Fang Yayun’s mother did not commit suicide because of her, but over the years, Fang Songsheng has been instilling this idea in Fang Yayun, causing the child to suffer from pain and self-blame. When she discovers the truth, how could Fang Yayun not hate him? This gives her a motive to kill.”
It is too cruel for a child to bear the psychological burden of "causing her mother's death" from the age of eight.
"Fang Songsheng makes it sound like he loves his daughter very much, but has he really protected her? Or is he just treating Fang Yayun as his perfect creation?"
“A great pianist, raising a pianist daughter… that’s enough to satisfy his vanity.”
Scattered on the conference table were interview reports that Fang Yayun had given over the years.
She never mentioned her deceased mother. Was it because she had a deeper relationship with her father?
Perhaps Fang Yayun simply dared not touch upon the memories related to Zhou Lingyi.
"Will postpartum hormones affect Zhou Lingyi for a full eight years? Of course, we don't rule out the possibility, but the possibility is too small."
"Everyone says that she and Fang Songsheng had a very good relationship back then, and Fang Songsheng did not remarry after his wife passed away, nor did he have any relationships with other women, until Li Ziyao appeared."
"If it wasn't due to postpartum hormones, then why did Zhou Lingyi commit suicide?"
Do you know how Zhou Lingyi and Fang Songsheng met?
"It's from a long time ago, and we're still investigating."
“Perhaps—” Mo Zhenbang pondered, “Zhou Lingyi and Ni Fangrun have had similar experiences.”
"Twenty-eight years ago, Fang Songsheng wanted to marry Ni Fangrun, but her parents scolded him for being delusional."
"Is it possible that Zhou Lingyi also suffered the same harm, but dared not tell her parents? Therefore, after becoming pregnant, she treated it as a normal relationship and decided to marry Fang Songsheng."
"According to Fang Yayun, her maternal grandparents passed away a long time ago. I guess even when their daughter got married, they were still alive and never suspected what their son-in-law had done to her."
"For eight years after her marriage, Zhou Lingyi was deceiving herself."
Zeng Yongshan paused for a moment: "Deceive yourself into thinking you're living a happy life."
But it was too painful.
Deceiving yourself is more painful than the truth.
So in the end, Zhou Lingyi abandoned her beloved daughter and jumped off the high-rise building.
He ended his own life.
"If that's the case, Fang Yayun has a perfectly valid motive to kill."
"But as I said before, she has an alibi."
"Could it be Henry? Is she plotting behind the scenes, getting her fiancé to do it..."
“Jiale checked Henry last night; he was on a business trip that day and wasn’t in Hong Kong at all.”
...
To paraphrase Haozai's daily catchphrase, even if you're about to hang yourself, you still need to catch your breath.
At noon, Zhu Qing wanted to have a sandwich, but Zeng Yongshan kept pestering her and insisted on dragging her away from her workstation.
"We'll all have lunch together."
"No one is allowed to be absent!"
This lunch was clearly a gathering of young people, and Mo Zhenbang and Uncle Li were not included.
They were "forgotten" in the criminal investigation team's office, laughing and cursing at everyone for being heartless.
"Should I get takeout from the cafeteria, or soy sauce fried noodles?"
"The usual!"
Zhu Qing was pulled out of the CID room by a group of people and walked downstairs, but they did not stop at the entrance of the police station's canteen.
The next second, she was dragged out of the Yau Ma Tei Police Station building.
"Where are we going?" she asked, looking bewildered.
“Someone’s treating today,” Zeng Yongshan said. “A sumptuous lunch will be waiting for you in five minutes.”
Within five minutes, Zhu Qing guessed who had prepared today's sumptuous lunch.
Aunt Ping was in charge of cooking, and Fang Fang was hosting the dinner; she knew the way home better than anyone else.
My colleagues bought some fresh fruit from the fruit shop downstairs and brought it up.
When it blooms and opens its doors, it's just like a very polite and courteous elder.
He pulled Qingzai inside, saying, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home!"
Aunt Ping timed it perfectly and served out six dishes and a soup, all still hot.
While Zhu Qing and her uncle were serving rice to everyone in the kitchen, they threatened them with rice scoops: "Confess and you'll be treated leniently. When did you secretly organize this—"
"Young Master called your office this morning," Aunt Ping said with a smile. "They said you were out, so he invited all these people over himself."
At that time, Shengfang, the little boy, didn't forget to remind everyone to bring his niece home.
Shengfang put her finger to her lips and shushed her for what seemed like forever, but couldn't stop Aunt Ping. She angrily said, "Aunt Ping snitched!"
Zhu Qing tapped his forehead with her finger: "Take the food out."
Aunt Ping is very thoughtful. Last time everyone came to visit, she secretly remembered everyone's tastes and preferences.
This noon, although the dishes on the table were all ordinary home-cooked meals, each person had a dish that suited their taste, and the meal was just right to satisfy the appetites of the young people.
She knew that the young lady was aloof and had few close friends; apart from her colleagues, she had no one to talk to. Seeing her getting along well with these colleagues, Aunt Ping was genuinely happy.
She can't help with other things, but if she can take care of these small things and make sure the children eat well, that would be the best thing.
Her colleagues were sweet-talking and hardworking. During the meal, they kept praising Aunt Ping's cooking skills, saying they were better than ten Uncle Ming's cooking skills in the police station's kitchen. After the meal, they helped clean up the dishes.
"No need, no need, you can sit and rest," Aunt Ping said. "You work hard, and it's not easy for you to have a lunch break."
Aunt Ping ushered everyone back to the living room and told them to rest.
Who knew that even during this hard-won lunch break, these young people would still discuss the case.
The air conditioner blew out a cool breeze, and occasionally the sound of case analysis could be heard in her ears, accompanied by the sound of running water while washing dishes. Aunt Ping couldn't understand what she was hearing, but she was worried that it would frighten the young master.
She glanced back every now and then, but to her surprise, the young master was even more excited than all the CID agents present. The whiteboard had been pushed into the living room, and everyone sat in a circle around it. Fangfang sat in the middle of them, his eyes more focused than when he was watching a cartoon.
"Have you noticed that Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun's alibis are very similar? They are both flawless, but it's just strange. It was between five and six in the morning, and normally they should have been sleeping at home. But they were able to produce alibis to shut us up."
"Even if they are just suspects, wouldn't they be a little flustered once they enter the police station? They were too calm, as if they were just there for a chat and would leave afterward. Anyone who didn't know better would think they had rehearsed beforehand."
"There's one crucial point missing, and it's through this crucial point that we can connect the whole case..."
When Yongshan spoke, Shengfang stared.
As Qi Kai spoke, Sheng Fang also stared.
After Ah Le spoke, Sheng Fang stared again.
Zhu Qing picked up a marker and wrote the names of Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun on the left and right sides of the whiteboard.
"Initially, it was Fang Yayun who asked us to investigate Li Ziyao."
"She said that Li Ziyao was charming and virtuous, and that she could coax Fang Songsheng into submission, but she could not explain the specific motive for the murder."
Shengfang had already stood next to her niece and taken the marker from her hand.
He drew a mark under Ya Yun's name above the whiteboard: "One vote!"
"Later, Li Ziyao produced an alibi and was cleared of suspicion. That day, she found out my address and came to my house to find me," Zhu Qing said. "She mentioned unintentionally that the relationship between the deceased Fang Songsheng and Fang Yayun was not as harmonious as it seemed on the surface, because Fang Songsheng had once driven away her first love."
Sheng Fang immediately made a mark under Li Ziyao's name on the whiteboard and said in a childish voice, "You vote too!"
"Immediately afterwards, we began investigating Fang Yayun," Zhu Qing said. "Fang Yayun also has an alibi. She and her first love had already reconciled and were even discussing marriage. How could she have killed her own father because of an old grudge?"
Zeng Yongshan: "Just like Li Ziyao had already figured out what the police would investigate, and guided our investigation through Fang Yayun and her roommate's 'unintentional' testimonies..."
“Fang Yayun is the same.” Liang Qikai continued her train of thought, “She also planned everything out, making us investigate the ‘clues’ that she had prepared in advance.”
The children seemed to understand but not quite, but that didn't stop them from working.
He added a vote to each side of the whiteboard, like a boxing referee, raising both hands high: "A tie!"
Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun were only pretending to be at odds; in fact, they not only knew each other well, but also conspired to commit the murder.
In this meticulously crafted script, they all have alibis accurate to the second.
“I suddenly thought of something,” Zeng Yongshan said. “Actually, the reason we initially targeted Fang Yayun wasn’t entirely because of Li Ziyao’s accusations. It should be said that Fang Yayun herself gave herself away.”
When the deceased's mother, Granny Shen, spoke, she mentioned that Fang Songsheng received a phone call at home.
Fang Yayun immediately asked her which phone it was, which revealed the fact that there were two phone lines in the house. Following this line, the police found the phone booth in North Point.
“Normally, people wouldn’t apply for two landline lines at home. At the time, Grandma Shen only said that Fang Songsheng answered the phone; we wouldn’t have thought much of it.”
"At first, Zhu Qing and I both thought that Fang Yayun had let something slip in a moment of panic. I even laughed at her for being silly, digging a trap for herself and falling into it, which in turn provided us with clues."
"But it seems that's not the case now. From the very beginning, Fang Yayun wanted us to investigate."
"She just didn't expect that we would actually access the surveillance footage from a jewelry store on another street, and that footage captured her face."
Throughout the entire process, Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun accused each other or deliberately revealed the most insignificant details.
What is truly relevant to the case and the motive for the murders are the deaths of Ni Fangrun and Zhou Lingyi, which they concealed until the police uncovered the truth and their secrets began to emerge.
"They wrote, directed, and acted in this play themselves."
"There is only one purpose: to cover up the truth."
"So—" Haozai analyzed, "Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun met by chance, and because of their shared hatred for Fang Songsheng, they reached some kind of agreement and joined forces to kill him?"
...
The investigation into the case is ongoing.
But perhaps it was just her intuition, Zhu Qing always felt that they were very close to the truth.
Working overtime became the norm, and after being in air conditioning for too long, even her thinking became sluggish. She took half a cup of iced coffee and went up to the rooftop.
A summer night breeze swept over me, carrying a hint of coolness with the warm air.
Zhu Qing's hair was blown into a mess. She put the coffee under the iron railing, bit the rubber band, and casually tied her hair back.
Actually, she should be thinking about the direction of the case right now, but her thoughts are occupied by her older sister, Xin Xin.
From the age of fourteen to seventeen, the three years she spent reuniting with her parents were so short, followed only by dark and damp nightmares.
But if she could choose again, Zhu Qing believed that when she returned to the orphanage, on the day Ni Fangrun and Li Xueren came, Sister Xinxin would still be willing to leave with them.
"Smack."
A bag of food wrapped in oil paper was placed on the cement table next to her.
The heat seeped through the gaps between his fingers.
Zhu Qing looked up: "It's you again."
Cheng Xinglang sat down next to her.
What are you saying? The police station is only so big; they don't actually have many chances of bumping into each other.
The last time was in the forensic department, Ah Ben's terrifying night in the corridor.
"The grid-shaped pancakes at the alley entrance," Cheng Xinglang said. "The last one. The old lady said she would close up shop in five minutes."
As soon as he finished speaking, he grasped the edge of the parchment paper and squeezed condensed milk onto the waffle.
There were still a few grains of undissolved sugar on the waffle.
Dr. Cheng's fingers have distinct knuckles, and are long and slender with a pale white color.
After watching for a while, Zhu Qing thought to herself, in a spoilsporty way, that he used those very hands to dissect corpses.
"Want some?" he asked, handing it to me.
Have you washed your hands?
Dr. Cheng pretended to take it back, but Madam suddenly snatched the waffle from his hand.
Zhu Qing gazed at the starry sky.
These past few days, her thoughts have been racing, and now, with the wind blowing, her mind has finally completely cleared.
"Dr. Cheng, do you forensic doctors also work overtime every day?"
Have you ever heard of the Director?
"Sleeping in the living room?"
Dr. Cheng smiled and said, "I am the head of the Yau Ma Tei Police Station."
Zhu Qing smiled too.
Looking down, I noticed that my waffle had an extra layer of honey and condensed milk on it.
...
The entire Group B was entangled in the same puzzle, unable to figure it out or solve it.
However, Zhu Qing arrived home at nine o'clock today. When she entered the room, she heard a child's innocent and cheerful singing coming from the bathroom.
"I've prepared a bath for the young master," Aunt Ping greeted him with a smile. "I'm giving the little ducklings a bath."
Zhu Qing has been too busy these days, and Aunt Ping has to stay at the Yau Ma Tei apartment to take care of the children, so she hasn't had time to go back to Mid-Levels.
In the morning, having nothing to do with the young master, we took a car over and tidied up a bunch of toys. The house had been uninhabited for several days and looked clean, but when you touched it, it was covered in a layer of dust. Aunt Ping quickly wiped and washed it, and when she turned around, the young master of the Sheng family had packed up a whole small suitcase full of fun stuff.
This includes the little duck that used to always bathe with the young master.
"PC6666, PC1280!" came the future senior inspector's sweet, childlike voice from the bathroom. "How long has it been since you two ducks had a bath? Your beaks are all gray, you're filthy!"
"You're not clean enough, you're punished by having to run ten laps around the track!"
Let the children hold onto the little yellow ducks and lead them on a run.
"Hey, no slacking off!"
"One lap, two laps, three laps..."
Zhu Qing raised her eyebrows and listened outside the bathroom for a while.
The child is playing house with himself, and has even given his toy rubber duck a warning number.
He has quite a few colleagues; does he even remember their badge numbers?
"Young Master will be so happy to know you're back," Aunt Ping said. "He's always asking, 'Has Qingzai eaten yet? Has Qingzai caught the bad guy? Why isn't Qingzai home yet?'"
"Don't disturb him yet." Zhu Qing's lips curled up. "Let the officer continue his meeting."
Zhu Qing returned to her bedroom and sat down at her desk.
Aunt Ping cleaned the room, but she didn't touch anything on the desk.
Zhu Qing rested her chin on her hands, her gaze fixed on the letter that Dean Guo had given her.
That was a letter that Li Ziyao's mother sent to the welfare home more than ten years ago.
During the interrogation last night, she finally told the truth and felt relieved, asking Zhu Qing to return the letter to her.
This letter is very important to Li Ziyao. It contains memories of her parents, of the first family photo they took together, their arms around her—such a precious family portrait…
Zhu Qing folded the letter paper again and put it back in the envelope.
Along with it, the photograph was also taken back.
She hopes to have the opportunity to personally return this letter to her sister, Xin Xin.
Attention returned to the mysteries left to the police by the suspect.
Did they collude? There's no doubt about that.
From the very beginning, Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun were pretending to be at odds. One pretended to be wary of her fiancé's daughter, while the other acted superior and looked down on her "future stepmother" from a humble background.
Zhu Qing knew that she was being used in this process.
As time goes by, everyone has grown up, and childhood memories are not precious to everyone. Sister Xin Xin has genuine feelings, but not many. Perhaps her reunion with Xin Xin is simply to maintain contact and easily find out the progress of the police investigation.
Returning to the case, did Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun know each other beforehand? Did they reach some kind of agreement because of their shared hatred for Fang Songsheng, and join forces to kill him? If so, perhaps an alibi can be fabricated.
Who committed the act? Whose alibi is more likely to be forged?
Police are reinvestigating the authenticity of the alibis.
At the police academy, Zhu Qing had encountered some cases.
In a conspiracy, one person can create alibis for two others by exploiting the time difference.
Just like the jewelry store robbery in Mong Kok five years ago, where brothers gave false testimony one after another.
However, in this case, this inference is clearly untenable.
First of all, Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun have absolutely no resemblance in appearance, figure, or temperament. The tuner at Zhengyin Piano Shop already knew Fang Yayun and would never mistake Li Ziyao for her. As for Li Ziyao's alibi, the hotel surveillance footage showed her face, making it even more impossible for Fang Yayun to have "switched" her.
Between five and six in the morning on Wednesday, they appeared in two different locations.
Both of these places are quite far from the Ya Yun Music Store in Wan Chai.
Upon reaching this point, the police had completely reached a dead end.
Wow—it's a waffle!
"Did Qingzai bring this for me?"
cheerful footsteps came from behind.
Zhu Qing turned around and saw Sheng Fang, the little girl, wrapped in a small bathrobe, her eyes shining.
"Dr. Cheng is treating," Zhu Qing said, "but there's only this small piece left—"
I scooped up a mouthful and stuffed it into my mouth.
"Eat it slowly in bites," Zhu Qing chuckled. "How hungry are you?"
Aunt Ping quickly spoke up for herself.
He was fed a big bowl of rice at every meal, so full that his little belly was round and chubby. We really didn't let him go hungry!
Fangfang took a bite of the waffle and became even more craving it.
His hair was still wet, and Aunt Ping urged the child to dry it first.
"No." Sheng Fang shook her head vigorously, closed her eyes tightly, and water droplets splashed from her head.
Zhu Qing: "Blooming!"
When Fangfang opened her eyes, she realized she had splashed her niece's face with water.
He grinned smugly, almost putting his hands on his hips in pride.
Impressive, right?
“You look like this—” Zhu Qing was interrupted by the child before she could finish speaking.
Fangfang: "Whirlwind Blade Special Move!"
Zhu Qing: "The puppy shakes its head."
For a moment, even the air seemed to fall silent.
Whose niece said her uncle looks like a puppy?
The little one said angrily, "Aunt Ping, let's go blow-dry our hair!"
...
The young master of the Sheng family has quite a temper, but it comes on quickly and goes away just as fast.
When he came out of the bathroom after drying his hair, he was still pleading with Aunt Ping, "But I want to eat it—"
“Young master, you’ve already eaten some waffles,” Aunt Ping said.
"A waffle isn't even enough to fill a tooth gap!"
Who's the young master here?! Who's the uncle here?!
He wanted to eat something good, but he had to ask everyone first!
Shengfang was indignant, but she was flexible and adaptable, and quietly moved into Qingzai's room.
His niece has become one with the chair in front of his desk, and she will remain there until the case is successfully solved.
Zhu Qing rested her chin on her hand, twirling her pen.
If the sleeping pills found in the deceased were provided by Li Ziyao, and the phone call to invite the deceased out was made by Fang Yayun…
So, who exactly is Li Ziyao covering for Fang Yayun...?
Or is Fang Yayun covering for Li Ziyao?
"Qingzai, Qingzai, can I eat this?"
Fangfang stretched out a hand.
Five chubby fingers.
"What's this?"
"Take a guess?"
Fangfang then subtly extended his other hand.
Two little hands are placed together, with ten short, round fingers.
"Is it okay to eat?"
Zhu Qing paused, her pen stilled, and looked up.
What exactly is it?
The niece and her uncle looked at each other.
The little boy pursed his lips, his eyes wide with longing.
I want to eat it, but I don't know how to say it. It's really embarrassing for my uncle to act like this.
The clues in Zhu Qing's mind were still fiercely clashing.
Are they friends, protecting each other?
Aunt Ping beckoned and coaxed Sheng Fang out.
"It's too late now, Qingqing won't agree."
Fangfang Baobao turned her head away with a smug look on her face: "Then I'll have no choice but to beg her."
The children and Aunt Ping were in the living room discussing their plans.
Zhu Qing was still drawing meaningless, messy symbols in her notebook.
In the interrogation room, Li Ziyao said, "If there's evidence, then see you in court." Fang Yayun replied, "If there's evidence, you can certainly file a lawsuit."
They have that kind of confidence.
Could it be that everyone is thinking in the wrong direction?
Perhaps those clumsy tricks weren't actually Li Ziyao and Fang Yayun covering for each other at all.
They meticulously planned and drew all the firepower, simply to confuse the police.
The two suspects knew perfectly well that if they weren't the ones who did it, the police wouldn't be able to find any evidence.
Therefore, no one can convict them.
"I understand." Zhu Qing suddenly turned around with surprise, "They're protecting a third person!"
There has always been someone hiding in the shadows.
They want the real murderer to go unpunished.
"Detective Qingzai!" Shengfang cupped her little hands to her heart, tilting her soft, round face to the side. "Shall we go buy some fries to celebrate?"
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