Cherish You as My Life - Chapter 27.3

Chapter 27.3

Once Ji Yao walked out, she felt a twinge in her nose. He was completely right, and it made her want to cry.

Her thoughts eventually went to the day a long, long time ago.

The muffled sounds of her biological mother and the dean arguing echoed in Han Xi’s Mind—faint, distant, and filled with desperation.

Earlier that day, the dean had pulled her out of the dorm and insisted she put on Guo Ying’s clothes.

She had never worn anything so nice—clean, neat, and with a cute bow stitched on the collar. She twirled in front of the mirror, feeling a rush of joy.

The image of her biological mother was a blur in her memory, and she would break down in tears every time she remembered her.

Now, tears streamed down her face, and it felt like she was being suffocated.

When her mother left, she stood by the orphanage’s large iron gate.

“Don’t think she genuinely wants you back. She’s just trying to ease her guilt. She thinks only about her,” the dean said with a sarcastic voice. “Go change back into your old clothes and give those back to Guo Ying.”

****

Finally, Han Xi understood why Jiang Wei felt so familiar.

Jiang Wei resembled Guo Ying, the most beautiful girl in the orphanage.

‘Jiang Wei is from H Province, and she moved to Nanquan City at 15. There is no way she could be Guo Ying, who had grown up in Xinqiao County.’

Han Xi decided to call Luo Haiyao.

After hearing Han Xi’s words, Luo Haiyao said that she was overthinking and told her not to think too much.

“Jiang Wei couldn’t be Guo Ying, and even if she is, it has nothing to do with us.”

Han Xi sighed and rubbed her forehead.

Not long after she ended the call, she received a call from Ji Yao’s team.

A female body was discovered downstream in the city’s west part, and it was in pretty bad shape.

Ji Yao quickly assembled a team and headed to the scene.

Han Xi stepped out of the forensic vehicle, and they exchanged a glance before lifting the tape and entering the area.

Zhu Han trailed behind Han Xi, really impressed by the professionalism of Captain Ji and her sister Xi.

‘Just three hours earlier in the office, they were joking around about food and sharing emotional moments. But now, they are ready to fight at the crime scene.’

A police officer pointed to the reeds and cattails by the river, saying, “The body was found by a retired man who was just trying to gather some cattails to keep the mosquitoes away. He stumbled upon the body after moving some grass.”

Ji Yao looked toward the river and instructed, “Xiangzi, go get a statement from the person who reported this. Jingjing, contact the search team to sift through the riverbed for anything that might be connected to the body.”

Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the cordon, with curious minds.

“It must have been in the river for about three or four months. It looks really bad.”

“I can see the scalp is shiny; is it a boy?”

“Doesn’t look very tall. Probably a woman. The water must have washed her hair away.”

“Hey, boss, is there no way to identify her? I can barely see her face.”

Ji Yao crouched down, slipped on the disposable gloves Zhu Han handed him, and lifted the covering.

Han Xi opened the forensic kit and started a preliminary examination of the body.

“The victim is female, likely between 15 and 35 years old, and she died around two months ago. There are significant strangulation marks on her waist, suggesting she was tied to something heavy and submerged. We can’t determine the exact cause of death until an autopsy is done.”

Ji Yao nodded and instructed to take the body to the City Bureau.

The search team continued their search, and Ji Yao stood by the shore, observing the various things pulled from the water.

Nothing important was found.

‘This isn’t the crime scene, and this might not even be where the body was originally dumped.

Everything hinges on the forensic autopsy report.’

Shortly after getting back to the City Bureau, Ji Yao heard some commotion downstairs, mixed with the sobs of an elderly woman.

He went down to check it out and saw several officers from the Missing Persons Unit helping Grandma Xiao, who had come to the Criminal Investigation Office that day.

The elderly woman wept and said, “I heard they found a body by the moat. It was my Ningning. I need to see her.”

Ji Yao approached and replied, “Grandma Xiao, we haven’t confirmed the identity of the deceased yet. We’ll let you know as soon as we have any updates, alright?”

When Grandma Xiao spotted Ji Yao, she clutched his arm with shaky hands. “Ningning visited me in my dream again last night, asking me to seek justice for her.”

Ji Yao led Grandma Xiao to the reception room on the first floor and asked someone to bring her a cup of tea. “Grandma, how are you so sure it’s your granddaughter? It can just be a dream, can’t it?”

Grandma Xiao took the napkin from a female police officer and dabbed her tears. “I know it’s her. Please, take me to see Ningning.”

After not finding any useful leads, Ji Yao instructed two female officers to accompany the old lady and turned to the Missing Persons unit, saying, “Get me a copy of Wang Xiaoning’s information.”

The police officer asked, “Captain Ji, do you think the body could be Wang Xiaoning, who’s been missing for two months?”

Ji Yao walked to the door and glanced back at the old woman with white hair. “The preliminary forensic report suggests the body has been dead for about two months, which aligns with Wang Xiaoning’s disappearance. It’s reasonable to suspect. We’ll know more once the autopsy report is in. By the way, has Grandma Xiao’s DNA test been processed?”

The officer from the Missing Persons Unit confirmed, “Yes.”

End of chapter 27

Have a nice day!