Xu Ruyi had spotted Old He's car long ago.
An old Honda Accord, a large dent in the driver's side door. The car was perpetually dusty and grimy, standing out jarringly on the clean city streets.
Just like its owner.
"The one handling this case is called He Zhisheng. He's a veteran detective, joined the criminal investigation team right after graduation. Experienced, solid, capable, solved quite a few cases, earned two Third-Class Merits. His reputation in the team is decent. His biggest trait is stubbornness—or you could call it persistence. When he hits a problem, he drills down to the bottom."
Xiao Zhi had already dug into his background the first time he came to investigate Qi Min's disappearance.
"He was originally very promising, but his family suffered a major tragedy."
His sister-in-law was murdered. In his jurisdiction. At the vacation homestay he had booked for her.
The suspect set a fire after killing her. The entire room was burned to the ground, nearly taking the whole building with it. The body was almost charred to ash.
The prime suspect was the sister-in-law's husband—a handsome but poor fenghuangnan (gold-digging man). Public opinion was fierce; everyone believed he did it—because he'd gambled behind his wife's back, racked up huge debts, and stood to inherit a substantial fortune under the law if his wife died.
"He Zhisheng's in-laws are businesspeople, well-off, with only two daughters. Both the eldest daughter married to He Zhisheng and the younger one had property, shops, and cash as dowry."
The difference was, He Zhisheng was grateful, diligent, and wholeheartedly loved and protected his family. The eldest daughter's marriage was stable and happy. But the younger daughter's passionate pursuit of love cost her her life.
"The case was huge, and its impact on He Zhisheng was immense."
To know your enemy and yourself ensures victory. To make their scheme more secure and increase their chances of success, Xiao Zhi had carefully studied that case—
"A homestay in the suburbs, a very artistic spot. The couple went for a weekend getaway. There was a lake nearby. Off-season. The three-story homestay only had the owner and the couple staying there. When it happened, the owner was out shopping. After the fire department arrived and put out the fire, the building was basically just a skeleton."
"The body was almost carbonized. The cause of death was unclear for a time. There were many theories online. I lean towards one: that gasoline was poured on the body, making it burn longer and more completely to hide the real cause of death."
Xu Ruyi had actually heard about that sensational case years ago, though she hadn't paid much attention—just hearing about such a terrible thing made her shudder.
Besides, back then, many people online pointed straight at the husband—a spouse turning killer. Xu Ruyi couldn't even bear to imagine such a thing.
Yes, at that time, she was still deeply in love with Qin Guan, trusting him completely. She'd never imagined that one day, she might walk a similar path.
"The husband was the prime suspect. Everyone suspected him. Online, they even dug up evidence of his affairs—not sure if it was true, since the police didn't release details. But one thing was certain: for some unclear reason, he was released just a few days after being arrested."
He Zhisheng couldn't accept it.
Impulsively, he beat the man severely. If colleagues hadn't pulled him off, he might have beaten him to death with his bare hands.
"That outburst got him disciplined by the bureau. But the discipline was minor; the destruction of his family was the real blow."
Xiao Zhi's research was thorough.
"The sister-in-law who died was much younger than her sister. When He Zhisheng married the elder sister, the younger one was still in middle school. She lived with them until she got married. So, in a way, she was like the first child raised by her sister and brother-in-law. The bond was deep."
The in-laws, devastated by the loss of their youngest daughter. The elder sister broke down and was hospitalized. Even He Zhisheng's son had to take half a year off school to recover.
"But the one who suffered most was He Zhisheng himself."
Yes, he was both a brother-in-law and a police officer. Emotionally and professionally, he couldn't face it, couldn't accept it.
"He divorced about half a year after the incident. Heard he chose to leave with nothing. Now lives alone. But both his life and work are completely different from before. He's a changed man. I've seen his old photos—young, handsome, full of vigor, loving his family, life, sports, disciplined, sunny, always smiling. Now he's just a greasy,颓废 (defeated) old man, careless about his image, even less driven at work. That's why at his age, he's still just a squad leader."
And that case remains unsolved to this day—a cold case.
"I sympathize with what he went through. But honestly, this might be destined. If he's fully in charge of this case, it's actually very advantageous for us," Xiao Zhi had said.
"First, he'll instinctively sympathize and empathize with you. Because your situation resembles his late sister-in-law's—both from well-off families, raised in comfort, kind-hearted, innocent, marrying a fenghuangnan for love."
"Second, he has unresolved trauma. He failed to bring that man to justice last time. Now, encountering Qin Guan—a man who betrayed his wife's family, betrayed his wife, scheming behind the scenes—if He Zhisheng finds evidence, he absolutely won't let Qin Guan go."
"Once the investigating detective gets emotionally involved, he'll be more inclined to believe and help you. That way, from the start, we can secure the most precious things."
Trust. And time.
Trust could confuse Qin Guan to a greater extent, make the police focus their attention on him, pressure him, keep him busy, flustered, until he made mistakes, with no time to look back and scrutinize Xu Ruyi's actions.
Time was even more crucial for defeating Qin Guan—a deeply scheming spouse and professional lawyer.
Looking back, many times, if they'd been just a step slower, Qin Guan might have seen through their plan early on.
"Xu Ruyi!"
Old He got out of the car and called to her. "Picking up the little one from school? Hello, Little Pear! Remember me? I'm not in uniform today, but I'm still the policeman uncle who catches bad guys!"
He put on a friendly smile and magically produced a small purple rabbit plushie from behind his back. "Like this? A purple bunny. I won it. Thought of you, Little Pear—you said purple's your favorite, right? So I swung by to give it to you."
Little Pear's eyes sparkled. Shyly, she nodded and took the rabbit. "Thank you, policeman uncle! My mommy likes purple best too!"
He hadn't just "swung by."
He was here for questioning. Again.
Following Qin Guan's sudden confession change in court, the case had entered a retrial phase.
It had also made Xu Ruyi's almost settled heart tense up again.
"Don't be afraid, Sis. Even a retrial is nothing to fear. They won't find our flaws. Trust me, we will come out unscathed," Xiao Zhi had said. "Hold on. Once the verdict is final, the trial ends. Everything's over. Even if Qin Guan finds new evidence later, it won't matter. Double jeopardy applies. All you need to do is hold on until the court's final judgment."
Yes. Hold on.
Xu Ruyi's heart churned with anxiety, but her face remained calm, smiling as she looked at the middle-aged man before her, his hair already graying—every time the police came to question her, she felt nervous. Especially facing this man.
He looked defeated, even a bit slovenly. His face was perpetually greasy and puffy. But he had eyes that seemed capable of seeing right through her, piercing straight into her heart.