At two in the afternoon, Wei Zhi left her phone at home and walked out of the residential complex alone.
The meeting place was a water station on the street diagonally opposite the complex. Before this, Wei Zhi had never seen its silver rolling shutter door open. Now, the station stood wide open before her.
The station, piled high with large-capacity water carboys, was deserted. On a small counter, pens, paper, and an invoice book lay in a cluttered mess. Deep inside, against the wall, a blackened wooden staircase led to a window less than a square meter in size.
Stepping onto the uneven wooden planks, Wei Zhi slowly climbed to the second floor.
She heard the sound of someone cracking melon seeds.
Zheng Tianxin sat leisurely at a wooden table, using two plump fingers to pop small seeds into her mouth. Her face still wore that familiar, smiling expression Wei Zhi knew so well.
Not far behind her, Tan Mengyan, wearing a white tank top, sat on a plank bed with his legs spread. His head was bowed as he held a small knife, shaving a silicone tube. His powerful latissimus dorsi muscles were like two thick stone doors, extending from below his shoulder blades down to his waist, projecting a staggering sense of strength. Every time he turned his wrist, those muscles rippled in response.
Zheng Tianxin pushed the bag of roasted seeds toward Wei Zhi. "Sit. Xiao Tan, make some tea for our guest."
"We don't have any," Tan Mengyan said without looking up.
His overly long fringe fell over his eyes, obscuring them and making him appear even more morose.
Wei Zhi sat down opposite Zheng Tianxin, her expression as relaxed and natural as theirs.
"What is this equipment for?" she asked.
"Dialysis," Zheng Tianxin said, her eyes crinkling into two crescent moons amidst the folds of flesh. She spoke in a teasing tone. "This guy is tough as nails. Who could tell he’s in the late stages of uremia?"
"Why not go to a hospital?" Wei Zhi looked at Tan Mengyan. "Is it a matter of money?"
Tan Mengyan kept his head down, focused on shaving the tube as if he hadn't heard her at all. It was Zheng Tianxin who picked up the conversation.
"Not entirely." She scrutinized Wei Zhi with keen interest. "Are you very interested in him?"
Wei Zhi shifted her gaze back to Zheng Tianxin’s face and smiled. "I’m interested in both of you."
Zheng Tianxin gave a half-smile and flicked a piece of seed shell from her lip. "How did you guess it was me?"
"The cafeteria slop is usually dumped after the day's work is done; otherwise, if you dump it at noon, you just have to do it again in the evening. But the time I saw you outside the security booth wasn't even dinner time yet. You rushed over because you were afraid that if Tan Mengyan was alone with me, I’d manage to test him and find something out."
"Who told you to be so clever?" Zheng Tianxin laughed. "I didn't expect that the one to slip up wouldn't be Xiao Tan, but me."
"So, who are you?" Wei Zhi asked.
Zheng Tianxin pulled an ID card from her trouser pocket and placed it on the table. It bore her photo and name.
"Zheng as in Zheng Chenggong, Tian as in field, Xin as in beloved. Zheng Tianxin—your 'Sister Tianxin.' Just an ordinary middle-aged woman working away from home. It’s just that my business interests are a bit broader than most; as long as there’s money involved, I’ll do anything."
"Who is your employer?"
"Does that really matter?" Zheng Tianxin smiled. "All you need to know is that our goals are the same. You want Ji Qikun’s money, and my employer wants evidence of his crimes. Our interests don't conflict."
"If you can't even be honest with me, how can I trust you?"
Zheng Tianxin replied, "You’ve already seen our sincerity. We helped you hide your family's credit situation, and back at the gallery, didn't I tip you off the moment there was any sign of trouble?"
"I must know who the employer is before I can decide whether to cooperate."
"How about this: you guess who my employer is. You only get one chance. If you get it right, I’ll tell you everything plainly."
Zheng Tianxin’s expression was full of anticipation.
"Your employer is Xi Manjing," Wei Zhi said.
The look in Zheng Tianxin’s eyes turned to one of pure admiration. "You truly are the one I chose, Xiao Zhi. You are incredibly smart and very alert. Do you know, I picked you out of over a thousand people? Only you can get us all what we want."
"Xi Manjing wants evidence of Ji Qikun’s crimes. So, what do you want?" Wei Zhi asked.
"What I want, of course, is my commission. This money is paid personally by Xi Manjing; you don't have to worry about it touching your interests."
"And what does he want?" Wei Zhi looked at the silent Tan Mengyan.
"He’s someone I hired to help. I pay his wages," Zheng Tianxin said.
"Tell me the whole story from the beginning."
"Well, that’s a long story."
Zheng Tianxin fished a seed from the bag, cracked it open, and after her tongue swept away the kernel, she arranged the two halves of the shell neatly on the table.
"Fifty-nine years ago, Ji Jianguo, who made his fortune in foreign trade, had children late in life. His wife gave birth to fraternal twin boys." Zheng Tianxin pressed her index finger onto the two shells and pushed them in opposite directions. "The firstborn was named Ji Zhongyong, and the second was Ji Qianwei. The two brothers grew up together; they had vastly different personalities but a deep bond."
"When Ji Jianguo passed away, he divided the family estate into two parts: the factories and the company, and the cash, cars, and villas. The elder brother took the factories and the company, while the younger chose to lie back and spend the money. Shortly after the inheritance was split, both brothers married."
"A year apart, the two brothers each had a son. Again, two brothers. The elder was Ji Teng, and the younger was Ji Qikun."
Zheng Tianxin found two smaller seeds from the pile and placed one below each of the large shells.
"When Ji Qikun was eight years old, Ji Qianwei murdered his own wife in a brutal fashion. Less than six months after entering prison, he committed suicide."
Smiling, Zheng Tianxin flicked away one of the large shells with her finger and thumb. She moved the small shell that had been beneath it to the other side, knocking away the small shell that was already there.
"Ji Qikun’s maternal grandparents refused to accept the son of their daughter’s murderer. So, Ji Zhongyong took his nephew into his home and raised him as his own son. Although Xi Manjing had her objections, she accepted Ji Qikun’s presence on the surface. At first, like everyone else, she thought Ji Qikun was a delicate, sensitive, and innocent child. But gradually, she noticed a change in the family. Her biological son was being overshadowed by Ji Qikun in every way. Ji Zhongyong often compared Ji Teng to Ji Qikun, lamenting how vast the difference was between the two. Whenever he called home while away on business, the first thing he asked about was Ji Qikun."
"Even though Ji Zhongyong explained that it was because Ji Qikun had no parents and that he, as an uncle, had to overcompensate, Xi Manjing still felt the injustice. Ji Teng found it even harder to accept. Conflicts frequently broke out between the cousins, but without exception, Ji Teng was always the one who came off worse."
"Xi Manjing tried to persuade her husband to use money to settle Ji Qikun elsewhere and have him move out, but her husband always refused. Because of Ji Qikun’s presence, their marital relationship suffered. A couple who had never even raised their voices to each other since marriage were now constantly exploding into arguments over Ji Qikun."
"It wasn't long before something happened to Ji Teng."
Zheng Tianxin picked up the small shell that had been knocked aside and tossed it onto the little mountain of discarded shells nearby.
"He fell from the second floor. The only witness was Ji Qikun," she said. "Although he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, he remained in a vegetative state."
"Xi Manjing wanted to call the police and open an investigation, but Ji Zhongyong stopped her. He was convinced of his nephew’s innocence and went so far as to threaten divorce. With her own family lacking influence, Xi Manjing could only watch helplessly as the murderer grew up day by day. But she never gave up. Just two years ago, she found evidence that Ji Qikun had pushed Ji Teng off that balcony. However, sixteen years had passed. The ten-year statute of limitations for intentional injury had expired. To extend the prosecution period, evidence of another crime committed within those ten years must be found."
"According to our investigation, the most likely entry point is the Mei Man case from eight years ago," Zheng Tianxin said.
"The police already looked into Mei Man’s case. The investigation ended with a ruling of suicide," Wei Zhi said. "Do you actually have new evidence?"
"That is exactly what we need you to do." Zheng Tianxin looked at her with burning eyes. "If anyone can get evidence that Ji Qikun murdered Mei Man, it can only be the person closest to him—his wife."
"You want a confession?"
Zheng Tianxin did not deny it.
"Why are you so certain Mei Man was murdered by him?" Wei Zhi asked.
"There was no surveillance on the rooftop of the building where Mei Man jumped, but there was on the exterior. The footage shows the two of them arguing and shoving each other downstairs; Ji Qikun even slapped her. Mei Man ran into that building to escape him. From the moment they entered the building to the moment she finally jumped, forty-five minutes passed. During that time, Ji Qikun must have done something that not only killed Mei Man but also allowed him to escape police sanctions."
After Zheng Tianxin finished speaking, the air fell silent, save for the sound of Tan Mengyan working on the silicone tube.
"I’ve told you everything, Xiao Zhi," Zheng Tianxin said with a smile. "Can we start our cooperation now?"
Wei Zhi remained silent for a long while before saying, "If I find out you’ve lied to me, I will pull out at any time."
Zheng Tianxin beamed, brushed the seed shells from her hands, and extended her right hand.
"We will be invincible, Xiao Zhi."
"I hope so." Wei Zhi shook her hand.
"By the way, after the wedding, Ji Qikun might let his guard down and show his true colors. You must protect yourself while looking for evidence—"
Zheng Tianxin stood up, leaned close to Wei Zhi, and stared into her eyes, emphasizing every word:
"If he uses violence against you, you must leave evidence."
Ten minutes later, Wei Zhi opened the door to Ji Qikun’s home. A buzzing sound reached her ears. She closed the door and walked quickly to the kitchen island where she had left her phone.
In Wei Zhi’s social circle, only Ji Qikun would take the initiative to call her now. She assumed it was him again, but to her surprise, a familiar number appeared on the screen—one she hadn't saved in her contacts.
She answered and pressed the receiver to her ear.
"...Hello?" she said, her voice calm yet tinged with a slight tremor.
"Wei Zhi, can you come to the police station right now? There are some things we need your cooperation to investigate," Zhang Kaiyang said.
"I need to tell my husband first," Wei Zhi said into the phone.
"Fine. Just be as quick as you can."
He hung up and slowly put the phone back in his pocket.
The air in the pathology lab was thick with the pungent scent of disinfectant mixed with chemical reagents. On the shelves were rows of glass jars filled with samples, each bearing a detailed label.
Zhang Kaiyang’s expression was grim, his sharp gaze fixed on a metal autopsy table.
The table was covered with a thin layer of transparent plastic. Wei Shan lay there, stiff and cold.
The third death around Wei Zhi in just two months.
***
