After briefly learning about the circumstances surrounding Liu Xiang's divorce back then, Guan Xia didn't even have time to ponder the new questions rising in her mind before pulling out her phone and showing a photo to the older police officer. "Could you take a look? Have you seen this person before? Did she come to see Liu Xiang? Or do you know how Liu Xiang met her?"
The older officer smiled warmly. "We're all colleagues here—no need for such formalities."
He glanced at the photo and frowned slightly. "This person… I do remember her. It must’ve been three or four years ago. She filed a police report once. Brother Zheng and I were the ones who responded. If I recall correctly, Liu Xiang was also at the scene."
He then called over the younger officer, "Little Zheng, come take a look. Doesn’t this seem familiar? If I’m not mistaken, it was that brawl at the barbecue stall."
Little Zheng, still chewing on a steamed bun, came over and nodded. "Yeah, I remember her too. She was completely drunk when we arrived, swinging a stool at people."
Guan Xia tried to reconcile this image with the composed Fan Ya she had met the night before—it was hard to picture the seemingly mild-mannered woman in such a violent scene.
The mention of the case drew the attention of the other officers eating breakfast nearby. A female officer suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, it’s her! I remember now. The guys who got into the fight were repeat offenders—always using drunkenness as an excuse to harass young women. Most victims would just let it go to avoid trouble, but she was the first to fight back. And she really went at it—left one of them bleeding badly. But she didn’t come out unscathed either. When she came to the station to give her statement, her eye was so swollen she could barely open it. Oh, and there was another woman with her—now that I think about it, it was Liu Xiang."
Guan Xia double-checked the photo on her phone, confirming it was indeed Fan Ya and not Ge Qing, before listening more intently.
Who would’ve thought? Among the three women, not only was Ge Qing strong, but Fan Ya, despite her slightly plump appearance, also had quite the strength.
Jiang Yingyao pressed further, "Can we take a look at the statements from that case involving Liu Xiang and Fan Ya?"
The older officer replied, "You can, but you’ll need to go through the proper procedures. Though, it might be easier to just ask Lin—she has an excellent memory. Even after all these years, she can recall most of the details."
Officer Lin, the female officer who had just spoken, brightened up at the mention of a case. Though she wasn’t entirely sure why Guan Xia and the others were investigating, Jiang Yingyao’s status as a detective hinted that this wasn’t a minor matter. Eagerly, she said, "Brother Zheng and I took their statements that night. Even though it’s been three or four years, I still remember it clearly. Let me tell you what happened."
She then gave a detailed account of the incident.
The case had taken place in early September 2020. Lin wasn’t on night shift that day, but since the complainant was a woman and required a medical examination, she was called in. By the time she arrived at the station, it was already past midnight. Fan Ya’s condition shocked her—one eye was badly swollen, barely able to open, and her lip was split, though the doctor confirmed it was only a superficial wound.
Liu Xiang, who had accompanied her, wasn’t in much better shape—her hair was disheveled, her face bruised, and her hand had a cut that had stopped bleeding.
According to Fan Ya’s statement, she had gotten into an argument with her family that night and was in a terrible mood. While wandering outside, she came across a bustling barbecue stall. The aroma drew her in, and she decided to eat and drink alone. After downing three beers, she started feeling lightheaded. That was when a middle-aged man approached, slinging an arm around her shoulder, insisting on getting to know her and offering to buy her more drinks.
Already in a foul mood, Fan Ya snapped at him to leave her alone.
The man, humiliated in front of his friends, suddenly turned aggressive, hurling insults and groping her. When his hand nearly reached her chest, his friends joined in, verbally abusing and physically harassing her. Enraged, Fan Ya grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it over the man’s head, then snatched a nearby stool as a weapon and fought back.
Liu Xiang was the first to rush to her aid. Fan Ya couldn’t recall much after that, only fragments of the chaotic brawl. Though both she and Liu Xiang were injured, the men didn’t get off easy—especially the one who had harassed her first. He was bleeding profusely and had to be taken away in an ambulance.
Hearing this, Guan Xia finally understood why Fan Ya held Liu Xiang in such high regard. If not for Liu Xiang’s criminal activities, this incident alone painted her as a heroic figure—someone who had risked her life for a stranger.
Now that they knew how Liu Xiang and Fan Ya had met, Guan Xia and the others didn’t linger at the station. They headed straight for Liu Xiang’s neighborhood.
On the way, Jiang Yingyao remarked, "It seems the three women—Fan Ya, Ge Qing, and Gao Cuicui—might genuinely be unaware of Liu Xiang’s crimes. Maybe, just as Lu Tingfeng suggested, Liu Xiang spun a web of lies to manipulate them into helping her."
Guan Xia nodded thoughtfully. This would explain why the three appeared so normal—neither wary nor guilty around strangers, even excited to meet Liu Xiang without any sense of colluding with a criminal.
In their minds, they might even believe they were doing something good.
After a pause, Guan Xia hesitantly said, "If that’s the case, getting statements from Fan Ya and the others should be straightforward. But if we—"
Before she could finish, Ji An shook his head. "Let’s not rush. Right now, everything is still speculation. If we’re right, great. But if we’re wrong, we’d only be tipping them off."
After weighing the risks, Guan Xia agreed. "Then we’ll keep digging. Once we’re more certain, we can use the three as leads. But before that, shouldn’t we have someone keep an eye on them?"
Ji An replied, "I already spoke with Captain Zhou last night. Their precinct will assign two auxiliary officers to monitor them. If anything happens, they’ll notify us."
Guan Xia let out a sigh of relief. As expected, Ji An was more experienced, having considered everything in advance.
The neighborhood where Liu Xiang lived wasn’t far from the police station. Even though it was rush hour, it only took them a little over twenty minutes to reach their destination.
After getting out of the car, Guan Xia instinctively scanned her surroundings. She guessed this was also an older residential area, given the noticeably higher proportion of elderly residents. Groups of retirees sat chatting in the shade of trees, while others carried shopping baskets in and out.
The buildings were all low-rise, probably no more than six stories high, with decent spacing between them and well-maintained greenery.
After briefly noting the general layout of the neighborhood, Guan Xia was about to head toward the entrance when Ji An suddenly called out to her, “Hold on. It’s too hot today—let’s grab some water before we go in.”
Guan Xia caught on and lowered her voice. “Is Liu Xiang’s supermarket nearby?”
Jiang Yingyao, who had overheard her question, gestured toward the left. “Right over there. Walk to the end of this road, turn right, and you’ll see a glass door marked ‘Supermarket Entrance.’ No parking there, so we’ll have to go on foot.”
Guan Xia wasn’t surprised Jiang Yingyao knew the details so well. After all, she was still sharing a room with Xu Nian, and the two likely spent an hour or two every night discussing case details before going to sleep.
“Let’s check it out,” Guan Xia said, then couldn’t help adding, “No wonder Ji An insisted on swapping targets with Lu Tingfeng this morning. I thought it was just a routine visit—didn’t expect we’d actually get to see the person in question.”
Ji An glanced around to make sure no one could overhear before replying, “That was part of it, but I also suspect Liu Xiang had a motive for suddenly inviting Fan Ya and the others to dinner.”
Guan Xia paused, then quickly understood. “You mean… they’ve got a new target?”
Ji An gave a quiet hum and scanned the area again before whispering, “Remember how Xu Nian and the others traced Liu Xiang in the first place? It was through a meeting between Geng Jing and Liu Xiang. I think that supermarket might be a hub. Taking you there could lead to something.”
She patted Guan Xia’s shoulder and added in a hushed tone, “Jiang and I will go in to buy water. You stay outside, pretending to make a call while observing. If they’re avoiding leaving traces in call logs, mornings and evenings are the best times for meetings. We might even uncover a few more suspects.”
Only then did Guan Xia realize this seemingly ordinary visit carried such an important mission.
Still, she had been through enough by now not to feel nervous. If anything, a faint thrill ran through her, as if she already sensed they were on the verge of a discovery.
Keeping her expression neutral, Guan Xia lagged behind the other two, pretending to take a call before they even reached the supermarket. As she mimicked a conversation, she carefully observed her surroundings.
When she spotted the glass door matching Jiang Yingyao’s description in the distance, she crossed the street. Before she could settle into a shaded spot with a clear view, her attention was drawn to a middle-aged woman stepping out of the supermarket, her face etched with distress.
The woman was short, her skin darkened from years of sun exposure. She wore a wrinkled red long-sleeved shirt and black pants, her shoes caked with dried mud as if she’d traveled from somewhere remote. Her expression was twisted with anxiety, on the verge of tears, yet instead of hailing a cab, she hurried toward a bus stop further down the road.
Everything about her seemed off to Guan Xia, and she knew it was her intuition kicking in again. Quickly lowering her phone, she sent a message to Ji An and Jiang Yingyao.
Fortunately, the two had already finished buying water and stepped out upon receiving her message. Instead of regrouping immediately, they strolled leisurely along the road while texting her back.
After briefly describing her observations, Guan Xia kept glancing at the woman, who had reached the bus stop and stood waiting in a corner.
Ji An made a swift decision and messaged, “I’ll tail her. Turn on location sharing. You and Jiang follow in the car—stay discreet.”
By the time Guan Xia read the message, Ji An had already strode past Jiang Yingyao, heading straight for the bus stop.
Jiang Yingyao, meanwhile, turned back. Hesitating for a moment, Guan Xia realized her combat skills would only be a liability in a crisis. Gritting her teeth, she also turned around and dialed Wang Yu’s number, calling for backup.
