Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 25.2

Chapter 25.2

Once Yu Chongyi left, the atmosphere in the car turned quiet.

Breaking the silence, Wang Peter spoke up first. “There are too many strange things about these cases. For instance, Wang Meiping was the second person to go missing, so why was her body found first? Are the people who killed Wang Meiping part of the same group who kidnapped Chen Baidie and Pan Yuqi? And what do the wooden nails on Wang Meiping’s body signify?”

Listening to those words, Yu Hongdou paused for a moment, then pulled out the book “Xuan Zong Ye Lu” that she had brought. “I wonder if this book has all the answers. Since it deals with mysterious arts, maybe the killer acted on a sudden impulse to try some kind of magic. I’ve heard from classmates that whether in the West or here, once someone gets involved with a cult and becomes possessed, they can do anything.”

He Yunqin took the book, flipped through it absentmindedly, and remarked with a blank expression, “This book is poorly done. It doesn’t explain the meaning of the wooden nails at all, and the instructions for the ceremony are way too vague.”

Yu Hongdou frowned, “But this is the closest thing we can learn to the strange things used in Wang Meiping’s death.”

Her tone carried a hint of frustration, and she unintentionally sounded a bit playful. He Yunqin felt a slight flutter in his heart but quickly composed himself. “I’ll step outside for a bit.” He handed the book back to Yu Hongdou and opened the car door.

The moon was shining brightly, and the street was completely empty. Every now and then, a cool autumn breeze would blow, causing the sycamore leaves above to rustle. In the shadows where the neon lights couldn’t reach, darkness seemed to conceal countless spirits.

He Yunqin waited outside for a while until someone exited the police station across the street. He hurriedly opened the car door and went back inside.

In the car, Wang Peter had dozed off early with his head tilted and snoring loudly. Meanwhile, Yu Hongdou in the back seat was also nodding off.

He Yunqin closed his eyes for a bit, then opened them to check the rearview mirror.

Yu Hongdou looked really sleepy with her head drooping forward like she was about to fall asleep while fishing. If she kept this up, her neck would definitely hurt.

He Yunqin glanced at Wang Peter, who showed no signs of waking up. After a moment of hesitation, he turned slightly to support Yu Hongdou’s head and help her find a better sleeping position. But just as his hand was about to touch her soft chin, Wang Peter suddenly snorted loudly and opened his eyes wide. Noticing He Yunqin’s arm stretched back halfway, Wang Peter looked confused. “What’s he up to?”

He Yunqin quickly pulled back his arm, rubbed the back of his neck, and said, “Nothing.”

His face showed a hint of embarrassment, which only made Wang Peter more curious. He turned to the back seat, where Yu Hongdou was still dozing off with her head tilted. Suddenly, realisation hit him, and he whispered in disbelief, ‘You weren’t about to touch that little girl, were you?’

He Yunqin felt his cheeks heat up. Luckily, the lighting was low, so Wang Peter couldn’t notice. Struggling to control his thoughts, he calmly asked, “Did you get too much sleep?” His tone was quite assertive.

Wang Peter was filled with questions. He squinted and noticed He Yunqin seemed uneasy. Although he wanted to press further, he worried that he would anger the guy, so he decided to drop it.

Just then, someone knocked on the window. When they looked, Yu Chongyi was there.

He Yunqin felt a wave of relief; he had never found Yu Chongyi so easy on the eyes.

Yu Hongdou, hearing the noise, blinked awake.

Yu Chongyi said, “A few female students mentioned that Lu Jingheng was chatting and laughing tonight, and nothing seemed off. The only thing was when Tang Yali got out of the car, she accidentally dropped a fountain pen by the rear tyre. When she bent down to grab it, she caught a whiff of something fishy, like it was coming from the trunk.”

“Fishy smell?”

Yu Chongyi nodded. “Not just Tang Yali; another girl, Wu Xiaochun, noticed it too, but she wasn’t as certain as Tang Yali. They both said that after leaving the theatre, the smell was gone.”

Listening to her brother’s words, Yu Hongdou asked, “How could the Lu family’s car have something smelly in it? Plus, Lu Jingheng is going out with a girl tonight. Didn’t the driver clean the car beforehand? Isn’t he worried Lu Jingheng will get mad at him later?”

The four of them sat in silence for a bit.

Wang Peter straightened up and said, “This afternoon, Chen Baidie’s sponsor went to check out Liuyun Temple. The killer had moved Chen Baidie and the others, and he accidentally left Chen Baidie’s cheongsam there. Shortly after, the police searched the mountain, and the murderer couldn’t get back to the villa. The Lu family’s driver forgot to clean the trunk, and Lu Jingheng headed to the Grand Theater…”

As Yu Hongdou listened to him piecing together the clues, her mind started to clear up. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her face went pale. “What do you mean?”

He Yunqin stared at the steering wheel, equally shocked, and said thoughtfully, “Could it be that Chen Baidie and the others were hiding behind Lu Jingheng’s car at that time?”

Yu Chongyi was taken aback. “How could that be?”

Wang Peter cut in. “Why not? To avoid being caught, the murderer quickly used a car to move Chen Baidie or Pan Yuqi from the Lu family villa. Before he could get Chen Baidie to a safe spot, he ran into Lu Jingheng, who needed a ride. Fearing exposure, he had to drop Lu Jingheng and the others off at the theatre first. After Lu Jingheng went in to watch a movie, the murderer took the chance to deal with Chen Baidie and the others. That explains the strange smell in the trunk at first, which later vanished.”

Yu Hongdou never imagined the murderer would act so strangely. While Chen Baidie and the others were hiding in the trunk, he still managed to pick up Li Lulu, Lu Jingheng, and the others like it was all normal.

She felt really uneasy.

Yu Chongyi was also very surprised and couldn’t help but ask, “So, are you saying the Lu family’s driver is a suspect?”

He Yunqin raised an eyebrow and replied, “It’s not just a suspicion; it’s a serious one. Mr Yu, didn’t you mention wanting to question the Lu family’s servants? Are they here now? Where’s Lu Jingheng’s driver?”

Yu Chongyi quickly responded, “All the servants are here, except for Lu Jingheng’s driver!”

He Yunqin’s expression darkened. He flung the car door open and stepped out, slamming it shut behind him. “We’ve been investigating for so long, and just when we’re about to catch this guy, we’re too late.”

Seeing He Yunqin so furious for the first time, Yu Hongdou was taken aback.

Wang Peter, recalling the tension between He Yunqin and Yu Hongdou, also got out of the car and remarked with a hint of sarcasm, “Young people sure have a temper. What can we do now? Just keep chasing him. Shanghai’s not that big. Now that we suspect him, there’s no way he can escape.”

End of chapter 25

Have a nice day!