Chapter 21: Qin Yanbin Seeks Help from Shi Wei
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Shi Wei took the coffee Blackhide handed him and set it in front of Lu Chengfeng.
With a roguish grin, he said, “You don’t have to look so serious. Have some coffee to soothe your throat, and I’ll tell you everything.”
He picked up his own cup, removed the lid, and took two sips.
Only after setting it down did he continue. “On the evening of February fourteenth, I’d originally planned to spend the night with you at my bar. At around eight, I suddenly received a call from Qin Yanbin.”
“He said he had reserved a private room at Yiyun, a high-end club here in town. I hadn’t really wanted to go, but he said he wanted to discuss the next short drama we were going to make together.”
“So I had no choice but to go. I arrived at Yiyun at about eight-thirty. There were seven or eight people in the private room, most of them members of the production team from our previous short drama.”
“Besides Qin Yanbin, there were Xia Linlin and Jiang Xue. I’ll give you a list later. After I arrived, Qin Yanbin told me that the next production was expected to begin filming around the middle of next month.”
“I didn’t want to dampen everyone’s spirits, so I told Qin Yanbin that the two of us could discuss it privately another day. It was a holiday, after all, and everyone should enjoy themselves. They all agreed, and then we started drinking.”
Lu Chengfeng interrupted, “Did Xia Linlin seem unusual at all?”
Shi Wei shook his head. “No. She seemed quite happy to me. But they left early that night. At about nine-thirty, Qin Yanbin went out first to answer a call. Then Jiang Xue said she had to return to her hometown the next day and left.”
“After a while, Xia Linlin said she was going out to look for Qin Yanbin, and she left too. A few minutes later, Qin Yanbin called me and said that Xia Linlin wanted to go home. He had left first and would pay the bill on the way out.”
“He told me to let everyone stay and enjoy themselves as long as they liked.”
Lu Chengfeng asked, “Did Qin Yanbin contact you again later that night?”
Shi Wei replied, “No. About half an hour after they left, some other friends invited me out, so I went to spend time with them.”
Lu Chengfeng asked, “Has Qin Yanbin contacted you during the past two days?”
Shi Wei shook his head. “No. We don’t usually contact each other much. Besides, it happened to be the weekend, and I’ve been sick and lying at home these past two days. You know that.”
“But now that you mention it, I do remember something. Yanbin usually loves posting on his social feed. I don’t think I’ve seen anything from him these past two days. Let me check.”
As he spoke, Shi Wei took out his phone and scrolled through it for a while.
Shi Wei said, “His last post was made on the morning of Valentine’s Day.”
Lu Chengfeng asked, “What did he post?”
“A photo he took while out running that morning. He loves getting up early to run in the park.” Shi Wei handed over the phone.
Lu Chengfeng examined the photograph carefully for a while but found nothing unusual.
He asked Shi Wei again, “Are you certain Qin Yanbin and Xia Linlin really had a good relationship?”
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Shi Wei replied, “Absolutely. At least, the way Yanbin behaved in front of us made it clear that he loved Xia Linlin, and that she loved him too. Linlin was very innocent and had a wonderful personality, so she was well liked and had many friends.”
“I’ve never heard of her having any falling-out with anyone. She was loyal and always looked after her friends. If you want to learn more about Xia Linlin, you could ask her best friend, Jiang Xue.”
Lu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow. “Jiang Xue? The second person to leave the private room?”
“That’s right. Jiang Xue and Xia Linlin were university classmates at the Dance Academy of Licheng University. They’re both dancers with the Licheng Song and Dance Troupe. Xia Linlin recommended Jiang Xue for the role of the second female lead in our short drama.”
Lu Chengfeng thought for a few seconds before asking, “Are you in contact with Jiang Xue? Did she really return to her hometown that night?”
“She probably did. On the afternoon of the fifteenth, I saw a post from her showing her having a meal with her grandmother. Her hometown isn’t far from Licheng. It’s only a three- or four-hour drive.”
At that moment, Shi Wei’s phone suddenly rang.
He was about to hang up, but when he saw the caller was Qin Yanbin, he quickly gestured for everyone to be quiet.
“Speak of the devil,” he said.
He answered the call, turned on the speaker, and placed the phone on the table.
Qin Yanbin’s panicked voice came through. “Shi Wei, didn’t you used to be a police officer? Are you still in touch with any of your former colleagues?”
Shi Wei glanced at Lu Chengfeng before replying, “Yes, I am. What’s wrong?”
Qin Yanbin said, “Linlin is missing.”
Shi Wei feigned shock. “What do you mean, missing? When did she disappear?”
“On the night of Valentine’s Day, we argued a little on our way home, and she ran off. I called her dozens of times, but she wouldn’t answer. I thought I’d wait until she’d calmed down the next day before contacting her again.”
“But when I called her the following morning, her phone was switched off. I’ve called her repeatedly over the past two days, but it’s always been off. She hasn’t replied to my messages either. Last night, I went to her apartment and rang the doorbell, but no one answered.”
“Her neighbor across the hall said they hadn’t seen her at all these past two days. Do you think something might have happened to Linlin?”
Shi Wei frowned thoughtfully. “Did you ask Jiang Xue? The two of them were so close.”
“I did. Jiang Xue said she was in her hometown because her grandmother was ill and she was busy taking care of her. She said Xia Linlin hadn’t contacted her during these past two days.”
Shi Wei did not know what to say. He looked toward Lu Chengfeng.
In a low voice, Lu Chengfeng said, “Tell him to come here.”
Shi Wei nodded and said to Qin Yanbin over the phone, “Yanbin, I happen to be at the municipal bureau right now. Come over. I’ll introduce you to someone—my university classmate. He was just transferred here to serve as chief of the criminal investigation unit.”
Qin Yanbin hesitated. “All right. It’ll take me about half an hour to get there.”
“No problem,” Shi Wei said. “I’ll wait for you.”
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Qin Yanbin said, “All right. See you soon.”
After Qin Yanbin hung up, Lu Chengfeng stood. “Wait here. I’m going to the autopsy room to see how things are progressing.”
Shi Wei rose as well. “Can I come with you?”
Lu Chengfeng shot him a glare.
Shi Wei awkwardly sat back down. “I’ll stay here and drink my coffee while I wait for you.”
In the autopsy room, the basic examination had been completed. The conclusion was death by drowning.
Yet Shu Yan still felt that something was wrong.
Everyone else held their breath and watched her, afraid to disturb her thoughts.
She stared at Xia Linlin’s long hair for a while, then suddenly said, “Shave it off.”
Peach looked puzzled. “Sister Yan, why shave her head? Are we opening the skull to confirm something?”
Gao Yi seemed to understand what Shu Yan meant. He picked up a razor. “We’ll know once it’s gone.”
As Xia Linlin’s hair was gradually shaved away, the truth began to emerge.
Gao Yi grew visibly excited. Pointing at the victim’s scalp, he said to the three interns, “This is what Sister Yan wanted you to see.”
The three interns crowded closer, and Wang Qiang hurriedly took photographs.
Yang Guang asked curiously, “Why would someone who drowned have subcutaneous hemorrhaging on the scalp? These should be vital reactions, shouldn’t they? Injuries inflicted before the victim’s death?”
“That’s right,” Gao Yi said. “They were sustained while she was alive.”
“Move aside.”
Shu Yan came closer, opened her hand, and pressed her palm against the top of the victim’s head. It covered the areas of subcutaneous hemorrhaging exactly.
The three interns were all stunned.
Eager to try it himself, Gao Yi said, “Let me have a look.”
Shu Yan stepped aside.
Gao Yi extended his hand and repeated the same action.
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