Chapter 242: Whose Blood Is It?

The forensics team took the blood samples back to the lab. Lin Dongxue went to the Jiang household, needing DNA samples from both parents to determine whose blood it was.

When she broke the news, the stepmother almost fainted on the spot. The father moved to support her, but she slapped him across the face. “If anything happens to Mingming, I’ll never forgive you!” she yelled.

“Calm down, it might not even be his blood,” the father tried to reassure her.

“How could it not be? The surveillance caught Jiang Hui running away. It must be his blood!” The mother clutched her face, crying. “I always treated them equally, never favoring one over the other, and yet she did this to get back at me!”

“Enough!” The father rubbed his reddened cheek.

Hearing the commotion, the grandparents asked, “Did you find the children?”

The father called back, “No, the police want us to help with the investigation.”

As they reached the ground floor, they ran into the officers who had been working the case with Lin Dongxue earlier. One officer said, “Officer Lin, we’ve found Jiang Hui!”

The news hit like a lightning bolt. The stepmother almost fainted again, crying in the father’s arms, “It’s Mingming who’s in trouble. It’s Mingming. You owe me Mingming!”

The father could only stammer in response.

Lin Dongxue asked, “Where was she found?”

The officer glanced at the parents, signaling Lin Dongxue to talk privately, but the stepmother shouted, “Whatever you have to say, say it in front of me! Don’t think I can’t handle it. Where is that little brat hiding?”

Lin Dongxue tried to calm her down, “Ma’am, please calm down. We’re still investigating…”

“Why shouldn’t I know what’s happening in my own family?” the stepmother screamed.

Finding it difficult to manage, Lin Dongxue had the officers escort the couple to the police station for questioning. Once they were out of earshot, the officer told Lin Dongxue, “It’s not a pleasant situation. The girl’s ID was used at a wellness center.”

“A wellness center?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Yes, the kind that’s been raided for prostitution several times. Not exactly a good place.”

“Did you see her in person?”

“They wouldn’t admit it straight away. We’ve contacted the vice squad and they’re doing a raid now. We should have results by seven. I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” Lin Dongxue replied.

Back at the station, she saw the parents sitting in the hallway, weeping. The stepmother was clutching a document. Lin Dongxue went into Peng Sijue’s lab and asked, “Do we have the results yet?”

“We’re halfway there. The blood matches the father’s DNA 99%,” Peng Sijue said, focusing on the centrifuge.

Lin Dongxue thought to herself, It’s almost certain the blood belongs to Jiang Ming.

“Should we keep testing?” Peng Sijue asked.

“Yes, let’s test the mother’s DNA as well,” Lin Dongxue insisted.

“Got it. I’ll get started on that,” Peng Sijue agreed.

Outside, the stepmother’s cries continued. Lin Dongxue stayed in the lab, dreading facing the family with bad news.

The hardest part of being a police officer is dealing with the victims’ families. No words can comfort them enough to ease the pain of losing a loved one.

“Hey, come here,” Peng Sijue called.

Thinking the results were in, Lin Dongxue jumped up. But Peng Sijue handed her a box of cookies instead. “Have something to eat. You look like you haven’t had lunch.”

“Thanks, Captain Peng,” Lin Dongxue said, taking a cookie.

Peng Sijue’s presence was always calming. His quiet nature made even the silence comfortable.

Lin Dongxue nibbled on the cookie, thinking about how to break the news. She felt deeply for Jiang Hui, despite trying to stay objective.

She couldn’t help but worry that Jiang Hui, driven by despair, had done something irreversible.

“The results are in,” Peng Sijue announced.

Lin Dongxue nearly leapt up. “Whose blood is it?”

“It doesn’t match the mother’s DNA. The blood is from the girl.”

“What? How can that be?” Lin Dongxue was stunned.

“That’s the reality,” Peng Sijue confirmed. “You should tell the family.”

“No, wait! The officer said they found her ID, not her,” Lin Dongxue suddenly realized. Someone else must have taken Jiang Hui’s ID. Only one possibility remained: Jiang Hui was dead.

When Lin Dongxue informed the parents, the stepmother’s tears turned to laughter. “Our Mingming is alive! He’s alive! Thank goodness!”

The father, too, breathed a sigh of relief. “As long as Mingming is safe.”

“The dead one must be that little brat. Good riddance, no more dealing with her attitude,” the stepmother said, her true feelings revealed in her excitement.

“What are you saying?” the father scolded.

“Why shouldn’t I say it? Mingming is my son. I prayed to every god that he would be safe. I don’t care about anyone else!” the stepmother shot back.

“If you say one more word, I’ll hit you! Both children are mine. They’re both precious to me,” the father yelled.

Lin Dongxue intervened, “Please, the blood is Jiang Hui’s, but we haven’t found a body. She might still be alive.”

“Most likely she’s dead…” the stepmother started.

Before she could finish, the father slapped her hard. Enraged, she screamed, “Jiang Zhenghui, you hit me? I’m leaving to find Mingming. If I don’t find him, I won’t come back! I’ll die out there!”

She stormed off, ignoring the father’s calls for her to stop. The father turned to Lin Dongxue, embarrassed. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“You’d better go after her,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

After hesitating, the father ran after his wife.

Watching them leave, Lin Dongxue sighed. Peng Sijue came out with a cup of coffee. “Most marriages are imperfect, which is why I’m a staunch bachelor.”

“Broken families are really unfair to the children,” Lin Dongxue agreed.

“I’m off the clock. Need a ride?” Peng Sijue offered.

“I need to visit the precinct.”

“Alright, let’s go,” Peng Sijue said.

At the precinct, Peng Sijue parked outside while Lin Dongxue went in. He used the time to relax, playing soft music, applying a face mask, and reclining in his seat.

The vice squad returned triumphant. They had raided the wellness center, finding prostitutes and clients hidden all over. One officer noticed a patch of dust missing from a window ledge, revealing a row of people perched precariously on a restaurant sign outside.

All the staff were detained, with some clients still in custody. One had already posted bail.

Lin Dongxue went to see “Jiang Hui” and found it wasn’t her. It was a girl who had been in the business for only a few days. When shown Jiang Hui’s ID, she looked terrified. “The boss gave it to me,” she said.

“Where’s your own ID?” the officer asked.

“I don’t have one.”

“That’s impossible. How did you get to Long’an without an ID?”

She insisted she had no ID, likely hiding something. “Many in this line of work use fake IDs due to past crimes,” the officer explained to Lin Dongxue.

“Please, investigate where she got it from,” Lin Dongxue requested.

“Will do. I’ll keep you updated.”

As Lin Dongxue walked past another office, she saw a client joking around with an officer. It made her sick to her stomach.

Then, a photo on a desk caught her eye. She picked up the file, her eyes widening in shock…