Chapter 7 This Mall Is Really Small, Bumping into People Everywhere…

Chapter 7: This mall is really small; you can run into people everywhere...

After paying the bill and leaving X Restaurant (Translator's Note: "X" is used in the original Chinese text), Pang Le spent the whole walk tapping away on her phone.

Guan Xia also glanced at her screen from time to time—still no reply.

For the first time, Guan Xia began to reflect on whether she was too much of a homebody. Aside from Pang Le, she really didn’t have many friends, so much so that when she thought about trying to get to know another police officer through an acquaintance, she couldn’t come up with a single person after racking her brain.

She glanced at Pang Le—she could probably do it through her, but at this sensitive moment, Pang Le would definitely overthink it and dig deeper. So, after careful consideration, Guan Xia ultimately gave up on the idea.

After letting her mind wander aimlessly for a while, Guan Xia noticed out of the corner of her eye that Pang Le had stopped walking, so she halted too and turned to ask, “What’s wrong?”

They happened to be standing in front of a jewelry store. Pang Le was looking inside, clearly having had her eye caught by some jewelry she liked.

Guan Xia was used to this. She took two steps back to stand beside Pang Le. “What caught your eye this time? If you want to buy it, just go ahead. You’ve got the money, after all.”

Pang Le pointed a slender finger toward a corner. “That bracelet is really cute. I remember your birthday is coming up soon—early May, right? That’s just a few days away. And gold prices went down today, so I’ll buy it for you as a birthday gift.”

Guan Xia glanced at the poster in the store displaying the day’s gold price and was speechless. The difference between today and yesterday was just two yuan—how does that count as a sale?

Just as Guan Xia was about to try to talk her out of it, Pang Le excitedly pulled her into the store.

Knowing she couldn’t dissuade her, Guan Xia thought for a moment and simply said, “I remember our birthdays are only ten days apart. Why don’t we just buy gifts for each other? You get one for me, and I’ll get one for you.”

Pang Le was even more delighted. “Great! We can have matching sister bracelets. You never wear any of the things I’ve given you before.”

Guan Xia recalled the dreamy pink or purple necklaces and earrings she’d received over the past couple of years and immediately quickened her pace, walking even faster than Pang Le. “I’m picking my own gift this time.”

After half an hour of back-and-forth discussion, both Guan Xia and Pang Le were satisfied with their choices.

Guan Xia picked a bracelet made of black braided cord with a pure gold, adorably designed rabbit charm. Pang Le had initially planned to go with a zodiac animal too but really didn’t like the rat design. In the end, she settled on a dog instead and swapped the cord for a colorful one.

After the store clerk finished braiding the bracelets, Guan Xia personally put Pang Le’s on her wrist. Seeing how pleased Pang Le looked, she couldn’t help but tease, “This is the first time I’ve given someone a birthday gift that has nothing to do with their zodiac sign. Aren’t you afraid Lawyer Shi will think you’re lying about your age?”

A dog is two years older than a rat. Pang Le was originally 28 this year, but if Lawyer Shi thought her zodiac sign was the dog, he’d assume she was 30.

“Who cares what he thinks?” Pang Le stroked the golden dog charm on her bracelet, speaking nonchalantly. “I’ll still be gorgeous at 40. The main thing is that dogs are cuter than rats. Anyway, it’s my birthday gift—I’ll pick whatever I want.”

Guan Xia could only nod helplessly. “Right, right, as long as you like it.”

Satisfied, Pang Le grabbed Guan Xia’s arm, held it next to her own, and took a photo. Then she let go and started tapping on her screen.

Guan Xia knew she was posting it on social media, so she stood patiently waiting. While idly glancing around, her eyes unintentionally swept toward the entrance, where she spotted a familiar large figure—the panda mascot again.

This time, however, he wasn’t looking at her. He seemed to be just passing by, standing close to the glass wall and handing out balloons to a group of surrounding children.

“It’s him again,” Guan Xia was watching closely when Pang Le suddenly spoke up. “This mall is really small—you can run into people everywhere.”

Pang Le, who had been smiling brightly because of the gift, now her face was blank, her gaze toward the panda mascot scrutinizing him.

As if sensing their stares, the panda mascot turned his head. This time, Guan Xia didn’t feel any malice.

The panda mascot only glanced at them briefly, as if they were strangers on the street, then quickly turned his attention back to the children. After handing out the balloons, he walked away down the hallway without looking back.

“Seems like he was really just passing by,” Guan Xia tugged at Pang Le. “Let’s go back to the gym. Anyway, that panda mascot isn't coming back tomorrow. Don't worry about it.”

Pang Le walked to the entrance and glanced down the hallway to make sure the panda mascot was really gone before smiling again and happily headed back with Guan Xia.

…

It was already late at night, but the office of the Third Criminal Investigation Team in Pingjiang District was still brightly lit.

Every desk was occupied, though it was unclear how long everyone had been sitting there. They stared at their screens with vacant eyes, looking haggard and weary.

Time passed quietly, and after what felt like an eternity, an excited voice suddenly broke the silence. “I found it.”

It was as if a spell had been broken. The previously lifeless detectives suddenly perked up, the harsh screeching of chairs pushing back ringing out one after another as they quickly gathered around the source of the voice.

The speaker was a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties, with a round face and round eyes. As everyone gathered around, she operated the keyboard and said, “Based on He Jiahui’s movements in the week before her death, I found traces of the suspect in surveillance footage from a hair salon, a store, a Cainiao Post Station (a logistics pickup point), and a car wash. Most importantly, I found this.”

The young woman paused the surveillance footage and zoomed in. Several officers easily recognized the two people embracing in the video—it was unmistakably He Jiahui and her ex-husband, Liang Da.

The young woman pointed at the screen. “Look here.”

In the lower left corner of the surveillance video, about three to four meters away from the embracing couple, stood a person. Only the shoulders and above were captured, and it was a side profile, but thanks to the shop owner’s high-definition camera and the sketch provided, everyone recognized him—it was the suspect.

“He was well hidden,” Qi Bai said, almost gritting his teeth. “He’s definitely changed his face by now. If it weren’t for the sketch provided by the female witness from Unit 501, we would’ve had a much harder time uncovering him this quickly.”

Xu Nian stared intently for a few seconds before asking, “Which day is this surveillance video from?”

The young woman replied, “April 22nd, seven days before He Jiahui’s death.”

A tall but somewhat stout man behind Xu Nian looked at him and asked, “Do you suspect the suspect chose her because he witnessed this scene?”

Xu Nian didn’t answer. Instead, he asked the young woman, “What’s the earliest date you found him in the surveillance footage?”

The young woman said, “So far, I’ve only found footage from April 19th. The earliest was on the 19th, about two kilometers from He Jiahui’s residential compound. Surveillance from a Cainiao Post Station in Lijing Mountain Villa captured him. The footage shows He Jiahui walking by with a shopping bag while the suspect passes on a bicycle. There was no interaction between them; it was likely just a coincidence.”

Xu Nian’s gaze was intense. “Investigate based on the surveillance from April 19th. He hadn’t chosen his target yet and obviously wasn’t avoiding cameras too carefully. There’s a good chance we can uncover his hiding place.”

Everyone’s spirits lifted immediately. They divided up the footage from the 19th and hurried back to their desks.

Qi Bai was scratching his head, restless, as he watched. After a few minutes, he couldn’t hold back any longer and whispered, “Captain Xu, what did Brother Jiang mean? Why would witnessing that scene make him choose her?”

Xu Nian remained fully focused, showing no intention of explaining. Jiang Yingyao, who was some distance away, called out, “Because Liang Da and He Jiahui were planning to remarry. Their broken marriage was becoming whole again.”

Qi Bai finally understood and cursed under his breath. He stared at his computer screen with such hatred it seemed he could bore a hole through it with his eyes.

The office fell quiet again until the sun began to rise, saving the all-nighters with a joyful voice.

“Found it,” this time it was Jiang Yingyao who spoke, so excited he even stood up. “I found the suspect’s possible residence—Xingfu Garden Complex.”

Everyone gathered around again. Qi Bai couldn’t wait to ask, “Can we confirm which building?”

Jiang Yingyao: “This compound is a resettlement community for relocated residents. There’s no property management, and only the originally installed cameras are still there. Most of them have broken down over the years, and the few remaining ones didn’t capture the suspect.”

“I’ll ask the community police,” Qi Bai walked away to make a call.

About ten minutes later, Qi Bai returned and said, “Got it. Building 9, Unit 3, Apartment 601.”

Everyone was checking their equipment when the young woman announced that the search warrant had been approved. She then asked curiously, “That was smooth?”

Qi Bai curled his lip. “Smooth? That compound is in the suburbs, surrounded by self-built houses, so the rent is so low many landlords can’t be bothered to sign rental contracts, let alone report and register with the community. This landlord is no exception—he’s out of town and too lazy to come back. Rent is paid via WeChat transfer. If he hadn’t remembered keeping a copy of the tenant’s ID, it would’ve taken even longer to find the address.”

After hastily explaining, Qi Bai put on the bulletproof vest Jiang Yingyao tossed him and followed the group downstairs.

Twelve people piled into three cars. The drivers sped off, still holding out hope even though they suspected the suspect had already fled.

It wasn’t rush hour yet, so they reached their destination in just over twenty minutes. Officers from the Local Police Station had already summoned the key holder—a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties. Seeing so many police officers, she felt nervous but couldn’t help looking on with curiosity.

Everyone got out of the car, and a middle-aged police officer approached them. "Captain Xu, as soon as I received the message, I had my team cover all entry and exit points of the residential area. No one was spotted."

Xu Nian said, "Appreciate it, Captain Zheng," then shot Qi Bai a look.

As the two communicated, Qi Bai automatically went to the middle-aged woman to get the keys. After Xu Nian finished assigning tasks, he rushed upstairs first.

Sure enough, the detectives' predictions were accurate. By the time Xu Nian and a few others moved quickly but carefully into the room, the place was already empty—the bird had flown.

"Clear in the bedroom."

"Kitchen's clear."

"Balcony's clear."

"Bathroom's clear."

Although they had mentally prepared themselves, everyone still felt somewhat disappointed.

Qi Bai put his piece away and couldn't help but curse, "The son of a bitch moves quick."

"Captain Xu, get over here," someone searching the bedroom suddenly called out.

The few people standing in the living room rushed in immediately. They saw the officer open the wardrobe, peering intently inside.

The others crowded around to look and, both expected and yet still shocking, found the back panel of the wardrobe covered with photos.

Some were solo shots, some featured two people, and a few showed three individuals—all taken from covert angles. Clearly, they were shots of He Jiahui, her kid, and her ex-husband, Liang Da.

After glancing at them for a moment, Qi Bai suddenly remembered something. He took out his phone, opened a photo sent by the community police officer, and showed it to Xu Nian. "Captain Xu, this is the ID copy the landlord had on file."

Xu Nian took the phone. The photo on the ID was familiar—the same face from the sketch. The name field read two characters: "He Wei."