Outside the window was a rare sunny winter day in Qingdao. The biting north wind scattered the floating clouds in the sky and also blew away the southern dreams.
Tong Hao rolled up the car window, glanced at the dashboard, then at Meng Chao, feeling somewhat uneasy inside.
It was the first time he'd seen the captain like this—cold-faced and silent.
Even when they'd gotten lost in mountain valleys with no ammunition or supplies left, Meng Chao had kept moving while chattering nonstop with nonsense.
But ever since they got off the plane and received that call from Lao Ma, he'd been preoccupied like this. From the airport to the highway, not a single word spoken, just driving with his head down.
"There's peppermint candy below, toss me a few," Meng Chao suppressed a yawn at the corner of his mouth. "Dead tired—almost dozed off just now."
Tong Hao poured out eight candies and shoved them all at him. "Want to switch? I'll drive."
"You know how to drive?"
"No."
Meng Chao froze, crushing the candy between his molars. "If we weren't on the highway, I'd slap you right now."
"Just trying to be polite," Tong Hao directed. "There's a service area ahead—let's take a break. We haven't slept much these past few days, just that short nap on the plane. No offense, boss, but this counts as fatigued driving. It's illegal."
"What the hell do you know about fatigued driving? Keep spouting nonsense and I'll transfer you to the traffic police unit—make you study traffic laws properly."
Meng Chao rolled the window all the way down. The bone-chilling wind rushed straight into his collar. He shivered but immediately felt more alert.
"There's no time for breaks now. You heard what Lao Ma said on the phone earlier."
During their few days away, the team had fallen into chaos.
On one hand, Liu Chengan's family, apparently coached by someone, had been making trouble daily at the base of Floating Peak Mountain—setting up wreaths and banners while crying for answers. On the other hand, Li Qingfu's family had gone to the media with tearful appeals, saying their household had lost its pillar overnight, calling for public pressure to uncover the truth.
Now both cases were gaining increasing online attention, with all kinds of rumors and conspiracy theories spreading. The higher-ups were panicking, giving the team two weeks to solve the cases—otherwise they'd be handed over to the brigade.
"After finally finding these leads, just when we're about to follow the trail, if they change personnel now, it'll all go to waste. Eighty percent chance they'll become cold cases shelved indefinitely." Meng Chao floored the accelerator, pushing the speed toward 110 km/h. "This time, we absolutely can't let that bastard Xu Qingli escape again."
They'd already cracked Xu Qingli's switcheroo scheme.
While coordinating with local police in Nanyang Province regarding Bao Desheng's case files, Meng Chao had sent Xu Caizeng's hair samples back to Qingdao. Xia Jie tested them against hairs found at "Ni Xiangdong's" residence, confirming a blood relationship between Xu Caizeng and "Ni Xiangdong."
"So Ni Xiangdong is Xu Qingli? Wait—then who actually killed Cao Xiaojun? Was it Ni Xiangdong or Xu Qingli?"
Tong Hao popped two candies into his own mouth, massaging his temples as he tried to untangle the muddled thoughts.
"Boss, when do you think Ni Xiangdong got switched?"
"The Ni Xiangdong in Nanyang Province was the real Ni Xiangdong. But the one who left Nanyang? Might not have been." Meng Chao snorted. "This explains everything—why Ni Xiangdong's reputation changed so drastically before and after, like two completely different people. Because they were two different people."He sneezed and rolled up the window a bit before continuing, "At the very least, we can confirm that the one in Qingdao is definitely the fake Ni Xiangdong—the real Xu Qingli."
"This guy is ruthless. To cover up his birthmark, he'd burn his own face beyond recognition," Tong Hao suddenly realized. "Wait, then what about the corpse? If the charred body isn't Xu Qingli, who is it?"
"No idea. We'll have to catch him first and make him confess."
Tong Hao leaned back in the passenger seat, his eyes darting around before he suddenly leaned forward again.
"Boss, this doesn't add up. Even if Xu Qingli and Ni Xiangdong were about the same height and the face was destroyed, how could he fool everyone? Cao Xiaojun used to run with Ni Xiangdong back in the day—there's no way he wouldn't recognize him."
"Now you're hitting the nail on the head. That's the contradiction. It's understandable if others couldn't tell, but Cao Xiaojun and Wu Ximei definitely knew—especially Wu Ximei. Don't forget, they used to be lovers."
"Right, sharing the same bed—she knew Ni Xiangdong better than anyone."
"Don't you find it suspicious?" Meng Chao glanced at him. "Wu Ximei never mentioned a single word about it to us."
Tong Hao clicked his tongue and scratched his head in frustration. "I don't get it. Why would she protect Xu Qingli?"
"No, she's not protecting Xu Qingli—she's protecting herself." Meng Chao slowed down and turned onto the exit ramp. "Take notes, consider this a free lesson. When talking to people, don't just listen to what they say—listen to what they don't say."
"What?" Tong Hao frowned. "What do you mean? How am I supposed to hear what wasn't said?"
"Did you leave your brain on the plane?" Meng Chao shook his head. "What I mean is, you need to figure out why someone says what they say and what their motive is."
The car entered the city.
"Take this case, for example. Since Wu Ximei knew Ni Xiangdong had been replaced, why didn't she say anything? There are two reasons. First, she had an affair with the fake Ni Xiangdong—Xu Qingli—and wanted to cover for him. But—" Meng Chao gave a bitter smile. "Her act was too over the top."
"You're saying her relationship with Xu was just for show?"
"Exactly. If Wu Ximei really wanted to cheat, with her cunning, she wouldn’t have left any traces. The rumors you heard from the neighbors sounded more like she deliberately let them spread—just like how she kept steering us toward the theory of a crime of passion. We almost fell for it and let her lead us by the nose."
"Looking back now, it’s like she wanted us to suspect her affair with Xu. From the initial half-truths to later 'full disclosure,' it was all an act."
"But why?"
"That brings us to the second reason," Meng Chao said as the car descended from the overpass into the old district. "Why didn’t she mention Ni Xiangdong being replaced? Because the truth doesn’t favor her."
Meng Chao stopped the car and reached to unbuckle his seatbelt.
"Right now, I have a bold guess—the real Ni Xiangdong is already dead, and his death is connected to Wu Ximei."
Tong Hao blinked and looked out the window, realizing they had stopped at Anheli Old Street, right in front of Wu Ximei’s apartment.
"Boss, so we’re here to—"
"Arrest her."
The door wouldn’t open.
They knocked for about five minutes, occasionally pressing their ears against it, but the inside remained silent.According to the intelligence, Cao Tianbao had passed the critical period and was discharged from the hospital to recuperate at home. Wu Ximei had recently taken a long leave from work, saying she needed to care for her son. But now she wasn't home—where could she be?
Just as he raised his hand to knock again, the door opened—but it was the neighbor, Old Mrs. Li.
The elderly woman, in her seventies, had her gray-white hair pinned back with a wire hair clip. She wore a brown cashmere sweater with a maroon down vest over it, peeking out from the half-opened door.
"Who're you lookin' for?"
Meng Chao smiled and flashed his badge.
"Hello, ma'am. We're police officers—we came by before, so we've met. We wanted to ask, where's Wu Ximei? There's no one home."
"Haven't seen her for days," the old woman frowned. "No use knockin'—probably ain't nobody home. The lights haven't been on at night either. I was thinkin' maybe she's still at the hospital—her boy's health ain't so good, always in and out of the hospital."
Meng Chao nodded without further comment, leaving his phone number and asking the old woman to call him if she saw Wu Ximei return.
"But don't let her know—just give me a quiet call. Consider it helpin' the police."
"What's goin' on?" Old Mrs. Li retreated slightly behind the door, her eyes wary. "She in some kinda trouble?"
"Not at all," Meng Chao brushed it off casually. "Just need to ask her a few things. We don't wanna make a wasted trip if she's not home."
"Oh, alright."
As the two turned to leave, they noticed Old Mrs. Li had locked her door and followed them, shuffling along in her tiny steps with joss paper, liquor, and a poker in hand.
"Ma'am, are you making an offering?"
"Oh, just sendin' it off."
"Why?" Meng Chao chatted as they walked. "It's not any special occasion—what's the custom for?"
"Well, things haven't been peaceful around here lately—first Cao Xiaojun, then Li Qingfu. My grandson's young, his fate's weak—probably got scared. He's been runnin' a fever, talkin' nonsense."
"Same thing happened to me as a kid. You can't just ignore this stuff," Tong Hao perked up, turning to chat with Old Mrs. Li. "Sometimes kids really can see things adults can't."
"Right? They say children's eyes are pure—their 'heavenly eye' ain't closed yet, so they can see ghosts and spirits and such."
"Exactly! When I was little, I saw a kid in red standing at the foot of our building every day—rain or shine, day or night. Just stood there motionless, arms stretched out. Scared me so bad I wouldn't leave the house or go to kindergarten."
Tong Hao gestured animatedly as he spoke.
"Though when I grew up, I realized what I thought was a little ghost in red was actually a fire hydrant."
Meng Chao walked ahead, listening to Tong Hao and Old Mrs. Li exchange supernatural experiences with a quiet smirk.
"My grandson's different, though. He described it clearly—said he saw—"
The old woman's words cut off abruptly as the three reached the bottom of the stairs.
Meng Chao normally wouldn't have paid attention to such things, but instinct told him there was something hidden in Old Mrs. Li's unfinished words—something she'd held back, swallowed down—that might hold the key to cracking the case.
Blocking the alleyway exit, he smiled and asked, "What did your grandson see?""It's nothing," Old Mrs. Li blinked her eyes and turned her head away. "Kids say all sorts of nonsense."
"What did he say?"
"Just nightmares. Kids can't tell what's real from what's not." As she spoke, Old Mrs. Li tried to edge her way out. "I need to hurry to the crossroads to burn some paper offerings. Once it's done, everything will be fine. Don't block my way."
Meng Chao gave a meaningful glance, and Tong Hao immediately understood. He shifted his tall, burly frame to block the exit completely.
"What are you doing?" Old Mrs. Li raised her voice, gripping the poker in front of her chest. "Instead of catching the bad guys, why are you blocking an old woman like me?"
Meng Chao kept his smile, speaking gently to ease her fear.
"Auntie, don't be afraid. We're the police—we won’t harm you. Catching criminals is our duty, but we’re also human. Our energy and time are limited, and so is the information we have. Often, we need help from everyone, especially respected elders like you. If you’re willing to assist, we can solve this case quickly."
"That’s right, Granny Li. Let me be honest—this murderer hasn’t been caught yet. He’s still on the run," Tong Hao lowered his voice deliberately, sounding mysterious. "He’s already killed two people in this area and might strike again. The sooner we catch him, the safer everyone will be."
"Exactly, Auntie. If the bad guy isn’t caught, who’s in danger? Your grandchild is in danger."
Meng Chao noticed her eyelids twitching, knowing she was wrestling with herself internally, so he added fuel to the fire.
"Right now, what can harm your grandson isn’t some ghost in a dream—it’s the real-life bad guy."
"Right! The bad guy could turn your grandson into a ghost—"
Meng Chao elbowed him, and Tong Hao quickly changed his tone.
"Granny, the moment I saw you, I felt a special closeness. You remind me of my own grandma. She loved me dearly and would do anything for me. I’m sure you feel the same about your little grandson."
"Of course! At our age, what else do we want but for the younger ones to be safe and sound?" Old Mrs. Li lowered her voice and the poker. "It’s not that I don’t want to help, it’s just… oh, it’s mainly that kids can’t keep their mouths shut, and I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing…"
"Don’t worry, just tell us. We’ll handle the rest."
Old Mrs. Li kept rubbing her hands, avoiding their gazes. Her thin lips puckered as if trying to spit out a hard-to-swallow thorn.
"He said—"
"Hmm?"
"Ah, it’s all nonsense. I’m almost embarrassed to say—"
Before Meng Chao and Tong Hao could react, Old Mrs. Li shook her head first.
"He said… he saw Uncle Cao, not sleeping at all in the middle of the night, eating walnuts in the yard."
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