Miss Forensics – Chapter 16

Volume One: First Scroll

Hidden Truth

Who knew such a hot chick was actually a criminal police officer? What a waste.

If it weren’t for this attempted picking of corpes [撿屍 | jiǎn shī | refers to taking advantage of intoxicated individuals] incident, this group of people might not have ended up in the police station. At this moment, they were all obediently squatting against the wall, holding their heads in their hands.

The alcohol had long worn off, and Green Hair was scared witless. Seeing her appear in front of him, his legs began to turn to jelly.

Song Yuhang twisted open a mineral water bottle, took a sip, and mimicked Lin Yan’s mannerism of wiping the water stains from the corner of her lips. “Don’t be afraid. Attacking a police officer isn’t such a serious crime. It’s just a sentence of three to five years or so, plus a fine.”

The group immediately started howling: “Officer Song, Captain Song, Auntie! We were really drunk, really drunk. We’re not usually like this. How would we dare have such thoughts? Even given ten dog galls [給十個狗膽也不敢 | gěi shí ge gǒu dǎn yě bù gǎn | idiom: even with the courage of ten dogs; emphasizes extreme fear or unwillingness], we wouldn’t dare. You can’t blame us, after all…”

Green Hair spoke while incessantly glancing at Lin Yan from the corner of his eye. Who knew such a hot chick was actually a criminal police officer!

This was too unbelievable, what a waste.

Acting was acting, but Lin Yan was crystal clear. Seeing his obscene gaze glued to her body made her feel disgusted. Sitting in the chair, she couldn’t help but kick out. Green Hair dodged backward, still grinning.

“Assault! Assault! A police officer is assaulting someone! This time I wasn’t the one who started it!”

If she hit him inside the station, it would be considered torture [刑訊逼供 | xíng xùn bī gōng | interrogation by torture] to extract a confession.

Several people came forward to pull her back. Lin Yan abruptly stood up: “I f*ck…”

Before she could finish speaking, a shadow fell in front of her.

Song Yuhang was tall, blocking most of the fluorescent light. She slightly raised her chin, looked at the interrogation room, her voice a bit cold.

“Please, one by one. No one can escape.”

This group not only engaged in attempted picking of corpes, but they were also Zhou Mo’s colleagues. Green Hair even covered for him, helping him evade police questioning. Looking at how the picking of corpes team cooperated with a clear division of labor, it was estimated that this wasn’t their first time doing such wicked things.

Tonight, a thorough interrogation was definitely required.

“Tonight, a thorough interrogation is definitely required.”

“Get up, get up, inside!” Several criminal police officers hauled them up and escorted them inside one by one. When only the last one remained:

Song Yuhang looked at him, twisting the cap back onto her mineral water bottle. “I’ll personally interrogate this one.”

As expected, ginger is hotter when old [姜还是老的辣 | jiāng háishi lǎo de là | idiom: older people are more experienced/clever]. As early as when Zhou Mo disappeared from her sight, Song Yuhang had already arranged for plainclothes officers to surround all the entrances and exits of the bar, catching him red-handed.

The reason she didn’t stop Lin Yan was because Zhou Mo was a tough nut to crack [硬骨头 | yìng gǔtou | idiom: a tough person, difficult to deal with], and she also wanted to obtain more information from others’ mouths.

Once inside the police station, they might not be willing to tell the truth.

By comparing the information obtained by Lin Yan, the truth and falsehood would naturally be determined.

“Jie, are you alright?” Duan Cheng saw that she didn’t look well and brought a glass of water, placing it by her hand.

Lin Yan lifted her head from her arms. “I’m fine. Are they still being interrogated?”

“Mm.” Duan Cheng responded, glancing at his watch. “It’s been over an hour.”

Lin Yan opened a drawer, poured out two pieces of chewing gum from the container, chewed them for a bit, then put them back. She picked up the glass of warm water and drank it all in one gulp, wiping the corner of her lips before standing up.

“I’ll go take a look. The diatom test results [硅藻检验结果 | guīzǎo jiǎnyàn jiéguǒ | test for diatoms in the lungs to confirm drowning] have also come out.”

According to regulations, without conclusive evidence, and since Zhou Mo hadn’t participated in the attempted picking of corpes, he could only be questioned, not interrogated.

And for minors to give a statement, a guardian must be present. Zhou Mo clung to this point, refusing to say anything.

The police officer accompanying the questioning suppressed his anger and slammed his pen on the table. “Don’t think we don’t know your parents are both deceased. Where’s your guardian?”

The person sitting opposite smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Then I don’t know, Comrade Police Officer [警察同志 | jǐngchá tóngzhì | comrade police officer; a respectful way to address police]. I’ve already said, on the day Teacher Ding had her accident, I was really sleeping in the dormitory. If you don’t believe me, go ask my classmates, ask the dorm supervisor.”

“You…” He seemed about to explode in anger, but someone held him back.

Lin Yan turned off the camera and gestured for him to stand.

The other person jutted out their chin. “This is a tough nut to crack…”

Lin Yan reached out and turned off the recording pen in front of Song Yuhang. Song Yuhang glanced at her but didn’t stop her.

“This isn’t questioning. I’m not talking to you as a police officer right now. I’m just an ordinary person who wants to seek the truth. Teacher Ding is still young, her child is still so small. She should have had a better life. What do you think?”

The chair beside him moved slightly. Lin Yan sat down, her gaze filled with a touch of compassion as she looked at him.

Song Yuhang took an envelope out of the evidence bag and pushed it towards him. “This was found on Ding Xue’s desk. The letters you wrote to her—she kept them all.”

“I believe she also wrote back to you. You talked about everything under the sun, about life, about ideals. You said life was hopeless, and she led you step by step out of the mire. When you entered school in your first year of high school, your grades were at the bottom. It was she who supported you, tutored you, taught you knowledge, and brought you confidence and composure. She even used her own salary to cover your tuition fees. Is this how you repay her?”

“And the clothes on your body, the buttons—she sewed them for you, right?” Song Yuhang tilted her head, a rare sharpness flashing in her light brown pupils.

“You can clearly afford an Omega watch, yet you’re not even willing to throw away an old piece of clothing.”

The person sitting opposite shrank under her gaze, pulling down his sleeve to cover the watch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I picked up this watch…”

Lin Yan straightened up, her eyes dark as she looked at him. “Admit it. You liked her.”

In the interrogation room next door, the lights were bright, the fluorescent lamps shining intensely. Staring at them for a long time made one’s eyes ache.

This was a silent tactic.

Dealing with these punks wouldn’t be as polite as next door.

“The crimes you’re carrying right now aren’t small: harboring a criminal suspect, assaulting a police officer, and indecent assault on a female. Listing these one by one, you’d have to spend at least seven or eight years in prison. It’s better to confess honestly. If you provide important clues to solving the case, the court might give you a lighter sentence.”

The two police officers in uniform sitting opposite him, their faces serious, hadn’t spoken a superfluous word since entering, maintaining a stern demeanor.

Green Hair pondered in his heart. He was incredibly hungry, hadn’t had a sip of water, his mouth was parched, and his vision was blurry.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk. Is there any water? I want to drink some water.”

The police officer sitting near the door signaled outside with his eyes. Soon, someone came in and brought him a cup of hot water.

“Tell us, when did Zhou Mo start working at your place?”

“About three months ago.”

“On the night of May 14th, did he go to work?”

Green Hair shook his head like a pellet drum [拨浪鼓 | bōlànggǔ | a pellet drum, a toy that makes noise when shaken; indicates a vigorous head shake]. “No, no. He’s short of money, so he basically comes every night. I remember that day clearly. He took leave, and I covered his shift.”

“Did he tell you what it was for?”

“No, we didn’t ask.”

“He didn’t come at all that entire night?”

“No.”

“Think again. Has he had any unusual behavior recently, or has he been in contact with anyone unusual?”

“Let me think…” Green Hair rolled his eyes, then suddenly slapped his thigh. “I remember! He came to work early the next day. That day happened to be a regular customer’s birthday party at our place. It was quite lively.”

The two criminal police officers exchanged glances. “What was strange about that?”

“The one having the birthday, called Chen Hao, is a rich second-generation kid. He’s also from their school. The strange thing is, the two of them were unexpectedly shoulder to shoulder, calling each other brothers [勾肩搭背，称兄道弟 | gōujiāndābèi, chēngxiōngdìdì | describes a close and intimate relationship].”

Green Hair recalled that when Zhou Mo first started working at the bar, Chen Hao had humiliated him, cursing him for being poor and pressing his head down to make him lick spilled alcohol off the floor.

Who could tolerate that? Intolerable! The two had a huge fight. That time, Zhou Mo paid a lot of money and was almost fired.

He spread his hands. “They were able to reconcile. Comrade Police Officer, don’t you think that’s strange?”

The two criminal police officers looked at each other. One of them stood up and walked out, presumably to report to their superior.

Green Hair grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, and raised his handcuffed hands. “Comrade Police Officer, see, I’ve said everything I should. Can I be let go now?”

The one still sitting closed his pen cap, ignoring him. “Whether you’re released or not is up to the higher-ups.”

“Captain Song,” a police officer quickly pushed the door open and whispered something in her ear, simultaneously placing a document in front of her.

Zhou Mo, sitting opposite her, shifted uneasily. He began to swallow frequently. Song Yuhang waved her hand, signaling a subordinate to pour him a glass of water. She flipped through a few pages of the document, calm and collected.

“That watch, Chen Hao gave it to you, right?” Her voice was clear and resonant, neither hurried nor agitated, as if she had everything under control.

Under this overwhelming aura, the mask on Zhou Mo’s face gradually crumbled.

His lips trembled; he seemed to want to explain something. His two hands intertwined, constantly picking at the dead skin around his fingernails.

All of this was taken in by her eyes.

A faint smile played at the corners of Song Yuhang’s lips. She appeared calm yet dangerous. “Let me guess. Why did he give you a watch? There aren’t many things that can reconcile enemies overnight, unless you have a shared secret.”

“This secret is important enough for you to disregard past grievances. I really can’t imagine what secret two ordinary high school students could have, unless—”

Her expression turned serious, her voice cold. “You…killed someone.”

Zhou Mo, who had originally been hanging his head, became increasingly distressed as she spoke. His hands clenched into fists, his teeth gritted.

Hearing this, he abruptly stood up, kicking away the table in front of him, his eyes bloodshot as he roared, “I didn’t! I didn’t do it! You’re talking nonsense!!! I liked her so much, how could I possibly kill her!!!”

Lin Yan, sitting opposite, was startled. She instinctively recoiled, clutching her chest. “Oh my, quite fierce.”

Song Yuhang slammed the table and stood up. She seemed to have a natural talent for controlling her aura. With a sharp shout, she commanded, “Sit down!”

Several criminal police officers rushed in and forced him back into the chair.

The mask completely shattered. He covered his face and began to cry, broken sobs that eventually turned into loud wails.

“I didn’t… I didn’t kill her… I really didn’t… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“What do you think? Is he telling the truth?” Lin Yan sat in her office chair, stirring her coffee, her feet propped up on the desk. She turned her head to look at Song Yuhang.

The person who hadn’t closed her eyes for two days and two nights still showed no signs of fatigue, flipping through the lab report Lin Yan had submitted.

“Whether it’s true or false, we’ll know when Chen Hao returns.”

The field officers had already gone to arrest him. The truth would come to light in two hours at most.

Lin Yan took a sip of coffee, frowning at the bitterness.

“I’m still quite puzzled. Chen Hao is Ge Jun’s nephew. He wanted to find out if his uncle was having an affair—there’s nothing wrong with that. Zhou Mo liked Ding Xue and also wanted to find out if she was having an ambiguous relationship with her superior—there’s nothing wrong with that either. So they secretly climbed over the wall and snuck out of school, following her all the way to Lotus Pond Park.”

“Unless Ge Jun has the ability to bilocate [分身术 | fēnshēnshù | the ability to be in two places at once], he wouldn’t have been at Lotus Pond Park that night. So who was Ding Xue going to meet?”

Song Yuhang stopped turning the page, looked up at her, and an unreadable glint flashed in her eyes, making Lin Yan’s skin crawl.

She had the same enigmatic smile in the interrogation room. Lin Yan quickly averted her gaze.

After a long pause, she finally said, “That’s my question too.”

According to Zhou Mo’s statement, they followed Ding Xue all the way to Lotus Pond Park. It was already past eleven o’clock at night. The park was deserted. Ding Xue took a small path, seemingly familiar with the route.

They quickly crossed the stone arch bridge. The trees in that area had dense foliage, and it was very dark. Afraid of losing her, they hurried to catch up.

The stone arch bridge’s railing wasn’t high, just reaching their waists. Ding Xue appeared to be stumbling. Zhou Mo, fearing something might happen to her, ran forward a few steps. “Teacher Ding!”

It was this call that was answered by a splash. Zhou Mo, frantic, rushed forward without even taking off his clothes. With a dive, he plunged into the water. By the time he dragged her out, she was no longer breathing.

He wanted to call the police, to call an ambulance, but Chen Hao grabbed him tightly.

The two teenagers faced off in the darkness.

Zhou Mo was drenched. Chen Hao, having been punched by him, had blood at the corner of his mouth.

Both were gasping for breath. The world was silent, only the anxious beating of their hearts growing louder.

Chen Hao got up from the ground and lunged at him, shaking his shoulders. “You can’t call the police! The police will suspect we killed her! My life will be over!”

By the end of his sentence, his voice was choked with tears. “I don’t want to go to jail… Zhou Mo… I don’t want to go to jail.”

The body in his arms was starting to grow cold. Zhou Mo held her, a whimper escaping his throat. He sobbed softly, suppressing the sound due to fear, biting his finger until it hurt.

“Teacher Ding… It wasn’t me… It wasn’t me… What should I do… What should I do…”

As he spoke, he pounded his head with his fist. Then, releasing Ding Xue, he lunged at Chen Hao, grabbing his collar, and yelling at him tearfully, “It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault! What a rotten idea! If we hadn’t followed her, she wouldn’t have walked here, and she wouldn’t have fallen into the water!”

“Give me back Teacher Ding! Give her back!” He was strong, shoving Chen Hao into the mud by the bank, pressing his head down.

Chen Hao gradually began to suffocate, his hands flailing in the air. Mustering his last bit of strength, he clutched Zhou Mo’s sleeve.

“Zhou… Zhou Mo… Don’t you want to go to school? Don’t you want to get into… get into the advanced class [重点班 | zhòngdiǎn bān | key class, a class for high-achieving students]? I… I’ll help you… Let me go… Cough, cough… I can give you money…”

Zhou Mo’s hands lost their strength. Biting his lip, he sobbed, and with a plop, he knelt in the mud, facing Teacher Ding, weeping softly.

Chen Hao spat out the mud from his mouth, climbed up, walked over, and patted Zhou Mo’s shoulder. “About what happened today… as long as you don’t say anything, and I don’t say anything, no one will know. We’ll just treat it as if she… as if she…”

A cold wind rustled through the reeds. The pale moonlight shone down, as white as Ding Xue’s face.

Chen Hao swallowed hard. “Drowned herself.”

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LP: Re-translated on March 11, 2025

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