Chapter 124 Process

Chapter 124 The Breakthrough

The commotion quickly drew Lu Yingzhuo and the others over.

A group of people gathered around, staring at the pair of black gloves that had been picked out with a tree branch, holding their breath instinctively.

Crime scene tech Xiao Liu knelt on the ground, carefully picking up the gloves and studying them in the flashlight's glow. He noticed they were slightly wrinkled and inside-out.

The user must have yanked them off by the wrists after use, stuffed them into a pocket, and then thrown them into this trash bin.

Xiao Liu licked his lips, with an evidence bag at the ready, gently turning the gloves right side out.

He carefully straightened each finger. Following typical fingerprint patterns, Xiao Liu first inspected the thumbs, index fingers, and middle fingers, smoothing the fabric section by section and scrutinizing it under the light.

Shen Qingye also held her breath, her gaze locked intently on the gloves. The harsh light burned her eyes, but she refused to look away.

This was the most crucial clue they had so far. If they were wrong...

Shen Qingye pressed her lips together, shutting down that line of thinking, and focused intently. She watched as Xiao Liu meticulously examined each finger, freezing when he spread open the fabric on the right-hand fingertips.

"Dust!" Xiao Cui shouted beside them.

At the shout, everyone immediately crowded in, spotting the distinct grayish-white marks on the black fabric.

Their faces lit up with recognition instantly. Lu Yingzhuo boomed with laughter, "Good, good!"

Shen Qingye also exhaled sharply in relief.

The dust on the clock had accumulated over time, leaving a faint grayish-white residue that stood out vividly against the black gloves.

Xiao Liu also found large traces of similar dust on the thumb and a small amount remaining on the middle finger.

With the case taking a crucial turn, grins broke out across the group, unable to hold back their cheers.

Lu Yingzhuo looked at Shen Qingye, thinking that she had been the one to discover the gloves and had also been the first to raise the issue of the clock's time. Surprised and impressed, he blurted out enthusiastically, "This time, we really owe it to Comrade Xiao Shen!"

Shen Qingye smiled faintly but said nothing. Yue Lingchuan, however, chuckled beside her. "Xiao Shen is one of our sharpest investigators. There hasn't been a single unsolved case under her watch."

Lu Yingzhuo's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Shen Qingye, disbelief flashing across his face.

As a detective, he knew exactly what "no unsolved cases" meant. With all the limitations in investigations, no one could claim to catch the culprit every single time.

Yet this young woman before him had a 100% clearance rate?

Skeptical, Lu Yingzhuo tested, "Captain Yue, you're not joking with me, are you?"

Yue Lingchuan's lips curled, though his expression stayed deadpan. "If Officer Lu doesn’t believe me, you can always ask around in Pingjiang."

Lu Yingzhuo quickly replied, "No, no."

If he was willing to say that, then it couldn’t possibly be a lie.

Only then did Lu Yingzhuo reevaluate Shen Qingye with fresh eyes.

To be honest, she was very beautiful. It was precisely because of her beauty that he hadn’t pegged her for a detective. Even after learning she was a colleague, he hadn’t paid her much attention.

But now, looking beyond her striking appearance, he noticed her calm gaze, methodical actions, and meticulous investigative approach—clear signs of exceptional skill.

Coupled with that 100% clearance rate, a sense of respect slowly rose in Lu Yingzhuo’s heart. He couldn’t help but say, "I owe you an apology."

Shen Qingye felt her ears burn at the words.

What Yue Lingchuan said wasn’t false, but he hadn’t mentioned that she had only been a full-fledged detective for less than half a year and had handled only a few cases.

Naturally, her case resolution rate appeared relatively high.

Still, she understood Yue Lingchuan’s intention. Meeting Lu Yingzhuo’s now-more-respectful gaze, she remained composed and said, “You flatter me, Officer Lu. We’re all here to solve the case.”

She paused, then added, “Although we’ve found the glove, there’s no evidence yet to prove it was discarded by Qu Peiyun. We’ll need further investigation.”

Lu Yingzhuo regained his composure as he sobered up. “You’re right. This kind of fabric usually doesn’t retain fingerprints. To prove it’s Qu Peiyun’s, we’ll have to find other leads.”

The forensic technician, Xiao Liu, added, “Once we’re back, we can try extracting skin flakes from it. In summer, people sweat more, so there should be traces of sweat or skin residue.”

Lu Yingzhuo nodded. “That’s one approach. Meanwhile, we’ll also question the victim’s grandmother and mother to see if they’ve ever seen these gloves.”

The group voiced their agreement and were about to split up when Xiao Yan, who had just returned from questioning Song’s mother, rushed in:

“We got an answer! The victim’s grandmother said that after Song Runing left, they were playing with the child the whole time. At one point, the child got fussy for a drink, so Qu Peiyun poured her some. But somehow, the drink suddenly spilled all over Jing Jing, staining her clothes. Song’s mother had no choice but to take her to the bathroom to change, which took about three or four minutes!”

The team's spirits lifted, exchanging glances with the same thought:

Three or four minutes—more than enough time for Qu Peiyun to adjust the clock and put it back in place!

Lu Yingzhuo smiled and waved at the group. “Let’s go! We’ll ask her if she’s seen those gloves!”

·

Due to the household roles in the Song family, everyone pinned their hopes on Song’s mother.

When they pushed open the door of the bathroom, Song’s mother turned her head at the noise, looking puzzled at their sudden return after having just left.

Upon hearing their purpose, she frowned even deeper. “Gloves? What gloves?”

Propping herself up, she became flustered. “I—I don’t know. He was the one who packed all the luggage. I only handled my own clothes. As for what he brought, I really have no idea…”

The group looked at each other. Shen Qingye stepped forward, her tone gentle. “Please think carefully. Are you sure you’ve never seen these gloves—or anything similar?”

“I… I…” Song’s mother glanced at her, then at the black gloves in the evidence bag. Her eyes flickered, and she opened her mouth as if to say something—until Shen Qingye said sharply, “We need the truth!”

Song’s mother immediately changed her mind and shook her head in panic. “I really don’t know. His luggage has always been kept in his room. I’ve never looked inside, so I have no idea what’s in there…”

The group couldn’t help but feel disappointed, though they restrained themselves from showing it in front of Song’s mother.

After leaving the bathroom, they questioned Song Runing, though they held little hope. At first, she instinctively denied any knowledge—but then, after a brief pause, she suddenly seemed to recall something. “Wait!”

“Gloves? Were they black gloves?”

Shen Qingye immediately looked up. “You know about them?”

Song Runing took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm as she spoke clearly. “When we first arrived yesterday, Jing Jing was having trouble adjusting to the new bed and kept crying at night, refusing to sleep. So I took out a book I’d brought and read her the fairy tale of Snow White. The book had illustrations, and as she listened and looked at them, she suddenly asked me why Cinderella had gloves but Snow White didn’t. After I explained, she suddenly laughed and said her dad also had gloves—except his were black, not white like Cinderella’s.”

“At the time, I didn’t pay much attention. I assumed he’d brought them for some purpose, since he’s always the one who packs these things. Besides, Jing Jing kept interrupting, saying she didn’t like black gloves and wanted snow-white ones like Cinderella’s, begging me to buy her a pair. So I just forgot about it…”

She looked at Shen Qingye, her eyes wavering slightly. “So… is there something wrong with those gloves?”

Shen Qingye shared a look with Lu Yingzhuo. At this point, it seemed there was no need to hide anything.

Lu Yingzhuo said, “We suspect Qu Peiyun likely changed the clock after you left, leading your mother to believe Jing Jing fell asleep at 3 p.m.”

·

After compiling statements from Ms. Song and tourists staying in the upstairs unit, they finally established a rough timeline of when Jingjing fell asleep.

Ms. Song mentioned that after Song Runing left, she and Qu Peiyun had been playing with Jingjing, during which the child was laughing and making noise constantly. Eventually, Qu Peiyun put his foot down and told her she could play for only ten more minutes before resting, and Jingjing complied.

Thus, after ten minutes, Jingjing got into bed. Perhaps because she was genuinely tired and no one was playing with her anymore, she fell asleep within five minutes.

Meanwhile, the tourists upstairs had just arrived at the scenic area and were settling in upstairs. Their windows were wide open, so they could faintly hear the commotion downstairs, which didn't stop until after 2:00.

They couldn't say exactly when, but it was definitely before 2:20.

After the child quieted down, they finished up shortly after and checked the time—it was only 2:20.

"At 1:17 p.m., Song Runing received a phone call and left the room for the teahouse.

"Shortly after, Jingjing accidentally spilled juice on her clothes, and Qu Peiyun seized the moment when Ms. Song took Jingjing to change clothes to advance the clock by about an hour.

"Around a little past 2:00 p.m., Jingjing fell asleep. Qu Peiyun claimed he was going back to his room but, in reality, waited until Ms. Song was asleep before reopening their door, taking Jingjing away, quickly carrying out the abduction, and then returning the clock to its original time.

"By then, it was only a little past 3:00 p.m. He then went back to his room, packed his fishing gear, and headed to the pond—arriving around 3:20."

Shen Qingye looked up at everyone. "This way, Qu Peiyun's sequence of actions becomes clear."

Lu Yingzhuo struck his palm decisively. "Let’s arrest him."

·

In the makeshift interrogation room, the lights were harshly bright.

Qu Peiyun sat with his hands cuffed together, looking up at the police officers before him. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, still wearing an expression of feigned innocence.

"Police Officer, what... what is the meaning of this?"

"Don’t worry," Lu Yingzhuo said calmly. "We brought you in because we still have some questions about the case."

"But this..." Qu Peiyun glanced at the silver handcuffs on his wrists, hesitating.

Lu Yingzhuo replied casually, "Just standard procedure. No need to be nervous."

Qu Peiyun mumbled in agreement, keeping his head bowed, the picture of meek obedience. Yet, for some reason, his heart was pounding—a growing dread that things were slipping out of his control.

As the silence grew heavier, his unease deepened.

Finally, Lu Yingzhuo spoke.

"Qu Peiyun, are you certain you arrived at the pond at 3:20?"