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Song Yuhang tapped her pen tip twice on the test report she handed over. “Tell me about this little algal ring.”
Lin Yan was originally sitting across from her, but with a swift movement, she slid her chair over to her side. Leaning slightly, she said, “You’re so capable, don’t you know everything? Beg me, beg me, and I’ll tell you.”
She had returned and changed her clothes. She wore the police uniform loosely, without a tie, leaving two buttons undone, revealing her slender clavicle.
The delicate nape of her neck was hidden in the voluminous brown curls.
Song Yuhang subtly shifted her gaze away, turned on the computer, and showed no intention of engaging in small talk with her.
Lin Yan reached out and covered it again with her hand. At this moment, the office was empty, and she lowered her voice to speak, sounding somewhat resentful.
“You knew early on that they had sent people to intercept him over the weekend.”
It was a statement, not a question.
Song Yuhang raised her gaze, meeting her intense eyes. “Aren’t you just watching from the sidelines?”
Lin Yan smiled slightly, the trace of frost in her eyes disappearing in an instant. She returned to her usual, casual expression.
“That’s because I know Captain Song, you definitely have the upper hand.”
Song Yuhang also agreed, curling her lips. “You’re too kind. I also know that if I didn’t step in, Dr. Lin would surely find a way to handle it herself.”
Lin Yan withdrew her hand and propped up her chin, tilting her head to look at her. Her eyes gently rippled with a variety of emotions, exuding a charming demeanor.
“Captain Song, you really praise me. Since that’s the case, why bother saving me?”
Song Yuhang pursed her lips slightly, not saying much. However, Lin Yan laughed softly again, her eyes narrowing slightly, like a triumphant little fox.
Without looking at her, Song Yuhang opened the computer herself. “If it were someone else, I would still save them.”
“Oh~ You’re really broad-minded,” that faint hint of perfume drifted over again. Lin Yan reached out and closed her computer once more.
Song Yuhang frowned. “You—”
But she had already turned away, opening her own computer. “As for the ‘little algal ring,’ it’s a type of diatom in the order Centrales, commonly found in seawater. It’s abundant along the southeastern coast of our country, so it’s not that unusual.”
However, when placed within this case, it becomes quite special. The assumption that the killer drowned the victim at the seaside park and then returned to dispose of the body doesn’t hold, leading to only one possible conclusion.
She drowned within the city limits of Jiangcheng, and this place has seawater.
The two exchanged a glance.
“An aquarium.”
“Captain Song, the person has arrived,” an officer entered and knocked on the door. Song Yuhang stood up and put on a wide-brimmed hat. “Alright, I’m coming.”
Lin Yan also stood up and followed, saying, “I’m going too.”
Song Yuhang turned around to look at her and said, “You should rest.”
Lin Yan slightly curved her lips. “You care about me.”
Song Yuhang smiled in a way that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re always so blindly confident. Isn’t it natural for a superior to care about a subordinate? I, Song Yuhang, haven’t become so heartless yet.”
In terms of their roles, she was the deputy team leader of the Criminal Investigation Division responsible for solving cases, while Lin Yan was in charge of the Technical Investigation Unit, making them peers in rank.
However, in terms of police ranks, considering Song Yuhang’s long tenure, she was already a Second-level Police Superintendent, and a higher rank naturally holds more authority.
Lin Yan picked up a folder as if to throw it, her foot already stepping out of the office.
As soon as she stepped out, the previously playful Lin Yan had regained her composure. She stretched lazily, rubbing her slightly sore neck.
“Ah, I’m going home to sleep.”
“Master, go to Qing Shan Villa,” Lin Yan stated the location and then sat in the back seat with her eyes closed, resting.
In no time, they arrived at their destination. Lin Yan got out of the car, and the butler was already waiting at the entrance with the servants, ready to take what she was holding.
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“Miss, why didn’t you inform us in advance when you were coming back? You haven’t had a proper meal in two days, I’ll have something prepared for you…”
Lin Yan waved her hand to signal that it wasn’t necessary. “I want to rest for a while, don’t let anyone disturb me.”
She took a couple of steps, then turned back to look at the coat in the butler’s hand. “The clothes have been washed, don’t throw them away.”
“Yes, Miss,” the butler obediently lowered his head, but he couldn’t help feeling surprised in his heart.
Lin Yan’s clothes filled the clothing room to the point where there wasn’t enough space. She often wore clothes for a day and discarded them the next. Not to mention washing them and storing them, she usually couldn’t be bothered. This was the first time she had voluntarily asked to leave something behind.
Whenever she returned home, she would always spend some time in the attic. Lin Yan poured herself a glass of red wine and leaned against the table, sipping it slowly.
As the drowsiness faded, her thoughts became clearer.
Her fingertips lightly traced the slender neck of the tall glass. When the glass of red wine was empty, Lin Yan still dialed that phone number.
She woke up again as the sun was setting. Her phone vibrated on the table, and Lin Yan extended her arm to pick it up. Her voice was still hoarse as she answered, “Hello?”
Song Yuhang took the phone from Fang Xin’s hand. “Hello, it’s me, Song Yuhang.”
Lin Yan rolled her eyes irritably and started getting dressed. “I know it’s you. What’s the matter? Speak.”
“We’ve searched all the aquariums in Jiangcheng, but we haven’t found any trace of Ding Xue visiting.”
After the call ended, Fang Xin cheerfully leaned over and showed her the string of numbers. “Captain Song, why don’t you save it too? It’ll be convenient for future communication.”
Song Yuhang glanced at it for a moment, but still instinctively declined. “Never mind, there’s no need. If there’s something at the bureau, I can just call the Technical Investigation Unit directly. And isn’t there still you guys for field work?”
Fang Xin covered her mouth and chuckled, her expression showing a hint of amusement.
Song Yuhang asked, “What’s going on?”
Duan Cheng and Zheng Chengrui turned their heads and said in unison, “That’s exactly what Dr. Lin said that day.”
“…”
“See, I told you so. I guessed it right. Tomorrow’s chicken leg is mine.”
“I was the one who said it first, so it should be mine.”
“Why does a girl like you eat so much meat?”
“Can’t girls eat meat? Why do you still have such old-fashioned stereotypes?”
……
Watching the lively debate over there, Song Yuhang shook her head slightly and walked to the side.
“How’s it going?”
The diver had just come ashore from the water, completely wet. They took off their diving mask, took deep breaths, and leaned on their knees to catch their breath before saying, “Not good. The water isn’t deep, but the conditions underwater are complicated. There are undercurrents and reefs, and it’s getting dark. You can’t see anything clearly, which makes it difficult.”
According to the information provided by Zhou Mo and Chen Hao, after they put the person in a plastic bag found in a nearby trash can, they also threw Ding Xue’s belongings into the water. They had been searching along this river for the entire afternoon with no progress.
The assault boat on the river had also stopped. Song Yuhang had just finished checking the situation at the aquariums within Jiangcheng and rushed over. The weather was hot, and the heat of summer hadn’t dissipated yet. Mosquitoes buzzed around the reeds, making it even more stifling and uncomfortable.
So, rewinding the clock, everything reverted back to the starting point.
In most murder cases, they typically revolve around love, revenge, or money.
Money-related motives and revenge motives have been ruled out in the further investigative work.
There were emotional entanglements involving Ding Xue, Ge Jun, Zhou Mo, and Sun Xiangming.
Considering the timing of the crime, Ge Jun and Sun Xiangming are eliminated as suspects.
That leaves Zhou Mo and Chen Hao. At that time, there were only the two of them here. It’s not impossible that they conspired to claim that Ding Xue’s death was an accidental drowning.
But she always had a question: why here, why Lianchi Park?
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Is there something special about this place?
And there’s something unusual about the way she rushed out of her own house.
Song Yuhang had a stalk of dogtail grass in her mouth, and she bit down on it, releasing a hint of bitterness. Suddenly, she sat up and realized – the ring!
Sun Xiangming wasn’t wearing a wedding ring!
Remember, he was lying.
A wedding ring carries significant meaning. How could a loving and harmonious couple not wear wedding rings?
She had actually seen many couples whose relationships had broken down treat these rings with indifference.
“Fang Xin,” she stood up and called Fang Xin’s name.
Fang Xin quickly ran over and asked, “What’s wrong, Captain Song?”
“The ring from last time, did you find anything?” These past few days had been so chaotic that she had forgotten about something so important.
“There wasn’t anything particularly significant. It’s a pretty ordinary white gold ring in terms of material.”
Song Yuhang furrowed her brow. “Let me ask you, if your husband gave you a white gold ring when you got married, what would you think?”
“Why would I marry someone so cheap? If he can’t afford a diamond, at the very least it should be gold or platinum,” came a voice from afar before Fang Xin could reply.
Lin Yan pushed aside the trailing willow branches and entered.
“What’s up? Is Captain Song getting married? As long as the groom isn’t my brother, he can’t afford a diamond ring, but I can get one for you.”
She said with a mischievous smile, her eyes full of affection as they kept glancing at Song Yuhang.
Fang Xin covered her chest, feeling like a deer caught in headlights.
This… this was too stimulating!
Captain Song’s partner is Dr. Lin’s brother?!
And Dr. Lin’s brother is going to give her a diamond ring???
What should she do? She’s discovered such a huge affair. Will she be silenced?
Meanwhile, Fang Xin’s imagination had conjured up a melodramatic tale of power struggles and love triangles among wealthy families, leaving her thunderstruck.
Song Yuhang had already turned around and was looking at her. There wasn’t much emotion in her expression; Fang Xin had gotten used to it.
“No need. With Dr. Lin, I wouldn’t even want a pull-tab ring.”
In just a second, Lin Yan’s previously smiling face turned sour. She was almost about to take off her high heels and hit her.
“Fang Xin, don’t stop me! If you keep talking like that, I’ll…”
“However, you did say something right,” Song Yuhang interjected, her hands casually tucked into her pockets as she looked at her.
“Why would I marry someone so cheap? So, this ring might be something she cherished, but it might not necessarily be a gift from Sun Xiangming.”
A few people dispersed and walked out, and Song Yuhang took out her phone and made a call, “Sun Xiangming is a major suspect in a crime. Apply for a search warrant from the prosecutor’s office immediately. The surveillance team should keep an eye on the entrances of the neighborhood! If you let even a fly escape, don’t bother coming back!”
A drop of water fell onto Lin Yan’s forehead. She looked up and realized that at some point, the clear weather had turned into a sky filled with dark clouds.
The distant rumble of thunder reached their ears, and lightning tore through the sky.
A typhoon was approaching.
Police lights flickered, and police cars sped through the streets as rain meandered down the car windows.
Lin Yan grabbed her forensic kit and got out of the car, immediately splattering mud on her pant legs. Several members of the technical investigation team followed her one after the other.
Song Yuhang didn’t wear her uniform in case a violent arrest was necessary, but Lin Yan knew that she had a gun with live ammunition in the holster around her waist.
Lin Yan licked her chapped lips and also entered the building’s corridor.
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One of the plainclothes investigators posing as property management knocked on the door, “Hello, property management. Can you please open the door? There’s a report of a water leak in your bathroom downstairs.”
Sun Xiangming put down the child and peeked through the peephole. As he started to open the door just a crack, a group of investigators lunged forward, forcing the door open and pinning him to the ground.
Song Yuhang handcuffed him and held the search warrant in front of his eyes, saying, “Police. We now suspect you of a serious crime. Please come with us.”
Unexpectedly, Sun Xiangming didn’t resist. He remained silent as he was pulled up from the ground, his face devoid of expression.
As they were about to leave the house, he turned to look at his daughter still sitting on the couch playing with toys. He moved his lips, “My daughter…”
Song Yuhang pushed him out of the house, saying, “Don’t worry, we’ve already informed the child’s grandmother to come pick her up.”
Lin Yan stood outside the door, the rain pouring heavily. Her uniform had gotten wet on one side from coming up, yet it highlighted her tall and graceful figure, and her gaze was sharp.
In that fleeting moment of exchanged glances, she nodded slightly: Leave it to me. Remember.
Song Yuhang understood her message, and she gave a subtle nod in response. With the suspect in tow, she walked away briskly.
After everyone had left, Lin Yan took gloves out of the forensic kit and swiftly put them on, flexing her fingers.
“Search thoroughly, especially under the carpet, on furniture, around the edges of cups, and any easily overlooked details. Don’t let even a trace of blood or a single fingerprint slip by.”
“Yes!”
They all responded in unison and began to diligently carry out the task.