Xu Nian's call came during dinner.
The three of them were so engrossed in their discussion that none of them felt like going out to eat, so they simply ordered takeout. Guan Xia and Pang Le were happily sharing bites of each other's food when the phone suddenly rang.
They had all been waiting for this call, so the moment the ringtone sounded, even Ji An looked up sharply, their eyes filled with both anticipation and curiosity as they turned to Guan Xia. Only after Guan Xia glanced at the caller ID, nodded in confirmation, and said, "It's Xu Nian," did they hurriedly resume eating at a faster pace.
When she answered the call, Guan Xia's voice carried a hint of eagerness. "Was the application approved?"
Xu Nian's voice came through with a smile. "It was. Director Ren has even notified the internal team to prepare a report for reopening the cold case. I’ve already got the case files. How should we communicate? Should we discuss it over the phone, or should I come to you, or would you prefer to come to me?"
Guan Xia replied, "Hold on a second," then covered the receiver and whispered to Pang Le and Ji An, "Xu Nian has the case files. He’s asking whether he should come to us or if we should go to him."
Pang Le was the first to respond. "I’m fine either way. We have a car, so it’s up to you."
Guan Xia looked at Ji An, who remained silent for a few seconds before asking instead of answering, "Can he share the autopsy report, related evidence, and the surveillance footage from the night of the incident with us?"
Though Guan Xia had already guessed Xu Nian’s response, she repeated Ji An’s question verbatim. Sure enough, Xu Nian replied just as she expected: "Of course. When I requested the case files from Director Ren, I specifically mentioned this. His response was that for any case you’re involved in, we can provide all the information you need."
Guan Xia was surprised. Though she had never met Director Ren, Xu Nian’s words suggested that she had already earned his full trust, which struck her as both novel and slightly puzzling.
Suppressing the sudden swirl of emotions in her chest, Guan Xia covered the receiver again and relayed Xu Nian’s response. After receiving Ji An’s confirmation, she said, "We’ll come to you."
She glanced at the time. "It’s just past six now, and traffic might be bad. We’ll probably arrive around seven."
"Got it," Xu Nian said. "I’ll take the time to organize the case clues and grab a quick meal at the cafeteria while I wait for you."
Guan Xia spent the next few minutes finishing her food in a hurry, gulped down the water Pang Le handed her, then jumped up from her seat to leave.
As Guan Xia had estimated, they arrived at the Pingjiang District Police Station at exactly 7:05 p.m. Xu Nian was already standing at the entrance and waved the moment he spotted them.
After exchanging greetings, Guan Xia made a point of checking Xu Nian’s injuries. The unsightly bandage on his forehead had been removed, though the scar’s tail was still faintly visible where it disappeared into his hairline. It seemed to be healing well. The smaller scratches on his face had scabbed over, leaving only faint red marks, but the abrasions on his arm were still raw and scabbed, looking rather alarming. Still, Xu Nian moved without any apparent discomfort.
After brief introductions, Xu Nian led the three of them upstairs. When they entered the Second Division’s office, Guan Xia was surprised to see others still present.
"Hello again, Guan Xia," Wang Yu greeted her warmly, stepping forward to shake her hand. "I had a feeling we’d be seeing a lot more of each other."
Guan Xia smiled at Wang Yu’s round, cheerful face. "I had the same feeling, though I didn’t expect our next meeting to be in your office."
After shaking hands, Wang Yu introduced, "This is Jiang Yingyao, deputy captain of our Second Division. We all call him Brother Jiang."
Guan Xia followed suit and greeted him as "Brother Jiang."
Compared to Xu Nian, Jiang Yingyao was far more affable, his eyes nearly disappearing into crescents as he shook Guan Xia’s hand with a firm grip. "It’s truly an honor to meet you, Guan Xia. Thank you so much for your assistance to the police."
Once the pleasantries were over, everyone took their seats around the conference table. The whiteboard in front of them was already filled with information about the case, including photos of the evidence. Wang Yu stood at the front and began presenting the details of the case, which were far more comprehensive than what Guan Xia had gathered from the files.
Wang Yu pointed a laser at Sha Guoliang’s photo and began, "On June 11, 2022, at 4:32 a.m., the emergency center received a report of a middle-aged man murdered in his home. By the time we arrived at the scene, the victim was already dead. According to the autopsy, the time of death was approximately 2:00 a.m. on June 11. The victim was stabbed twice in the chest—the first strike hit the third rib, leaving a clear fracture mark, while the second passed between the third and fourth ribs, piercing the pulmonary artery and entering the right atrium, causing fatal blood loss. Bloodstain pattern analysis confirmed this was the primary crime scene. No fingerprints were found, but we did recover a partial bloody shoeprint. Based on forensic podiatry, the suspect is estimated to be between 1.6 to 1.65 meters tall, weighing approximately 55 to 60 kilograms, with a high probability of being female. However, because the edges of the shoeprint were blurred by blood, the experts couldn’t provide more precise identifying details."
Between 1.6 and 1.65 meters tall—Guan Xia mentally reviewed the surveillance footage. Though Yuan Yue had been crouching, Sha Junhao’s exact height provided a reference point, and the estimate did seem to fit.
Wang Yu then summarized Sha Guoliang’s background, which aligned with what Guan Xia had read in the files. But then came the mention of his 2001 rape conviction.
Wang Yu continued, "Notably, Sha Guoliang had a prior criminal record. In 2001, he sexually assaulted a woman, causing multiple soft tissue injuries. After the victim reported the crime, Sha Guoliang confessed and was imprisoned from July 2001 to May 2007. After his release, he took over his family’s small supermarket. Then, starting in September 2007, he began harassing the victim of his rape case, Cen Cuiman. Cen Cuiman attempted to report him multiple times, but her family intervened each time. Eventually, in September 2009, she divorced her then-husband, Sun Kangyu, and married Sha Guoliang in October."
The sheer weight of this information left both Pang Le and Guan Xia stunned. It took Guan Xia a moment to process—Cen Cuiman had been married before Sha Guoliang, but during his harassment, her husband not only failed to protect her but ultimately divorced her.
Guan Xia couldn’t even imagine what Cen Cuiman must have felt when she married Sha Guoliang. And that line—"her family intervened"—who exactly were these "family" members? Her parents? Did her ex-husband count among them?
There’s also Sha Junhao—what did he go through during those two years when his mother was being tormented? What kind of emotions did he carry when he ended up living with a rapist who had harmed his mother? When did the thought of killing first take root in his mind? How long had he practiced that single, decisive stab that took the life of an innocent young woman? And how did he strike the murder-exchange deal with Yuan Yue? What could Yuan Yue’s motive possibly have been to kill her own friend? Was it also fueled by some deep-seated hatred? But if there was hatred, how could she have been friends with the person in the first place?
What baffled Guan Xia the most was how someone who had murdered a friend could then interact so naturally with the victim’s parents, as if nothing had happened. What was her real purpose?
Guan Xia felt her mind tangled in knots. Lost in thought, she glanced at Pang Le and saw his face scrunched in the same confusion.
Wang Yu continued briefing the team on the case. "The forensics team analyzed the physical evidence from the scene and the contents of the victim’s stomach. They found that the victim had consumed a large amount of alcohol before death and was heavily intoxicated at the time. Traces of sleeping pills were also detected in the stomach contents, which we believe explains the lack of struggle marks. Additionally, we discovered an almost-empty bottle of sleeping pills and an unopened one at the scene. Inside the plastic bag containing the pills was a prescription from Renmin Hospital. We confirmed with the attending physician that the victim’s wife, Cen Cuiman, had been suffering from severe neurasthenia and had been undergoing treatment at the hospital for three years. Tests on the water glasses found on the dining table revealed fingerprints from both the victim, Sha Guoliang, and his wife, Cen Cuiman. Based on the overlapping sequence, we preliminarily verified the credibility of Cen Cuiman’s statement—Sha Guoliang, in his drunken state, mistakenly drank from the glass Cen Cuiman used to dissolve her sleeping pills."
As Wang Yu finished speaking, Guan Xia, Pang Le, and Ji An all frowned simultaneously.
"Wait," Pang Le interjected first. "Mistakenly drank from the glass used for sleeping pills? Aren’t sleeping pills swallowed whole? What does it matter if he grabbed the wrong glass?"
Wang Yu explained, "Aside from neurasthenia, Cen Cuiman also suffers from severe depression. For the past two years, she’s had difficulty swallowing pills, so she dissolves her sleeping medication in water before drinking it."
Pang Le looked surprised. "All her medication?"
Wang Yu nodded. "That’s why their home has so many glasses. Cen Cuiman labels each one, but Sha Guoliang, when drunk, often mixed them up. There had been previous incidents of accidental ingestion, which we confirmed during our investigation."
Pang Le fell silent, though his furrowed brow showed he shared Guan Xia’s skepticism—it all sounded plausible, yet somehow too convenient.
After a brief pause, Wang Yu continued, "Further inquiries revealed that Sha Guoliang had an extremely strained relationship with his wife, Cen Cuiman, and their son, Sha Junhao. The conflicts with Sha Junhao were especially volatile, often escalating into violent physical altercations. In March 2021 and April 2022, Sha Junhao stabbed Sha Guoliang twice, landing him in the hospital. However, since the injuries were minor and Sha Guoliang refused to press charges, no formal case was filed. We also discovered that three days before the murder, Sha Junhao had deliberately vandalized surveillance cameras in Sha Guoliang’s residential area and nearby alleys, severely obstructing our investigation after the crime."
No wonder Yuan Yue, despite being an amateur, had evaded detection—Sha Junhao had provided a crude but effective cover.
Wang Yu added, "His actions made him a prime suspect, but we later confirmed he had a solid alibi for the night of the crime. Cen Cuiman was working the night shift as a cleaner at a bar, leaving home at 8 PM and returning at 4:30 AM. Sha Junhao also left at 8 PM and returned at 4:30 AM, but he spent the entire night loitering outside the bar, playing games with friends. Multiple witnesses and surveillance footage corroborated his whereabouts, ruling him out as the direct perpetrator. However, we pursued the angle of him being an accomplice. Despite being only 20, Sha Junhao associated with a dubious crowd—mostly individuals with complex social ties on the fringes of society. Despite thorough vetting, we hit a dead end."
"As for Cen Cuiman," Wang Yu said, glancing at her photo, "her social circle was far simpler. She had cut ties with relatives and friends, kept minimal contact with coworkers, and aside from Sha Junhao escorting her to work, she lived in complete isolation. Before the incident, she had attempted suicide twice. After being resuscitated, she became even more withdrawn. Neighbors mentioned she used to occasionally join them for grocery runs and small talk, but later, she stopped responding even to greetings."
Once Wang Yu finished summarizing their findings, the room fell silent, everyone’s eyes fixed expectantly on Guan Xia.
Eagerly, Guan Xia pulled out a sketch from the pile of documents and slid it forward. As Xu Nian examined it closely, she said, "This is the suspect I believe is connected to the case—Yuan Yue, from Fu’an City, Guanglin Province. Coincidentally, there’s also an unsolved cold case linked to her, where the victim, also in 2022, died from a sharp object piercing the heart."
The moment the words left her mouth, the three members of the second division instantly grasped the implication. Without a word exchanged, they exchanged a glance, and Wang Yu swiftly took the sketch. "I’ll investigate her identity now."
Jiang Yingyao stood. "I’ll trace her movements in Yongquan City during 2022."
With quick nods to Guan Xia, the two dashed out of the office.
Guan Xia hesitated, then asked Xu Nian, "What should we do?"
Xu Nian thought for a moment. "You’ve practically handed us the answer. There’s not much left to do, but if you’d like to help, you could review surveillance footage. Both you and Pang Le have seen the suspect and know her appearance and mannerisms. You might spot her in the recordings."
Guan Xia hadn’t been involved in reviewing footage during the last case, so the suggestion piqued her interest.
Pang Le, too, perked up, his eyes even brighter than Guan Xia’s—though he muttered under his breath as he agreed, "Guan Xia remembers. I barely have a clue."
Guan Xia looked at Ji An, who nodded in agreement and asked, "Where should we watch it? Right here?"
Xu Nian replied, "I've requested a computer from logistics, and Director Ren has already approved it. If you don't mind, we can do it here."
Of course, Guan Xia didn’t mind. She had never imagined that one day she would be involved in solving a case alongside several detectives. Even as Xu Nian brought over the computer, she still felt like she was dreaming.
