Chapter 496: Yan Qilin’s Secret

Chen Shi said, “I heard someone goes to the site every year to pay respects to Yan Qilin. When I talked to Zhang Jinlei alone earlier, he said he was drunk at a bar last night. If it wasn’t him, could it have been you?”

“It was… it was me.”

“Do you go every year?”

“Yes. Ever since she passed away, her QQ account has become a sort of memory box. Many classmates who miss her leave messages there. Once, I left a message, and surprisingly, she replied. It turned out Zhang Jinlei had logged into her QQ. We talked about her, and we both felt very sad. I suggested we go pay our respects, but Zhang Jinlei declined, fearing it would be too painful to revisit the place. So, on Qixi, I go alone to burn some paper for her.”

“One more question: What was Yan Qilin’s relationship with Yue Chao like?”

“Yue Chao?” Xiao Ran pondered. “I’m not entirely sure…”

“Is there something you’re hesitant to say? We’re just investigating, not judging.”

“Uh…” Xiao Ran hesitated for a while before saying, “I think Yue Chao was too close to her. I often saw him waiting for her after night classes even though he had already dropped out. He always seemed to be around on his motorcycle. I once asked her if she liked Yue Chao, but she denied it, saying she liked someone else. Zhang Jinlei saw Yue Chao’s actions as harassment, which led to conflicts between them. After the college entrance exams, I saw Yue Chao with her again…”

“Didn’t you just say you hadn’t seen her all summer?”

“That time was just a coincidence. I didn’t approach them.”

“What were they doing?”

“They… they…” Xiao Ran’s expression changed. “Sorry, but I don’t think this is relevant to the case.”

“Let us decide that.”

“I don’t want to say. You can ask Yue Chao.”

“Are you withholding negative information about your friend?”

After a long silence, Xiao Ran said, “On July 24, 2013, there was an incident on Guchao Road. You can look into it first. After that, I’ll tell you more.”

“Hold on.”

Lin Dongxue immediately sent a message to the bureau. Five minutes later, she received a reply and handed it to Chen Shi. Chen Shi read aloud, “Involving high school students in prostitution?”

“Your efficiency is impressive!” Xiao Ran praised. “On that street, high school girls and women dressed as high school girls were involved in dirty business. That day, my cousin and I were shopping when we saw several police cars arriving. Out of curiosity, we went to see what was happening and witnessed the police arresting Yan Qilin. She was crying the whole time. Just as she was about to be taken into the police car, a motorcycle sped over. The rider, who I recognized as Yue Chao despite his helmet, pushed the police away and took her. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe she was involved in that. She always seemed so clean and proper. Maybe she did it to pay for college. I didn’t dare think more about it. And how did Yue Chao show up so promptly? He had been drifting around after dropping out. Was he involved in this too?”

“So you kept it secret?”

“Who could I tell? The police? Zhang Jinlei? I wanted to confront her but hung up before dialing. I thought she must have had a huge reason for doing this. Honestly, I was shocked. My best friend, involved in something so sordid!”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue fell silent. Xiao Ran stirred her drink with a straw, breaking the silence. “This wasn’t mentioned in previous statements. It seems you were truly a good friend to her, keeping her secret.”

Xiao Ran seemed relieved, saying, “Yes, after the incident, the police treated me like a suspect, thinking I might have killed her out of jealousy over Zhang Jinlei. I had to pretend not to know anything and answer all their questions truthfully.”

After thanking Xiao Ran, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left. Lin Dongxue asked, “You must have doubts, right?”

Chen Shi smiled wryly, “A bit. Everyone’s stories make sense. There are no clear flaws.”

“Maybe we need to broaden our perspective beyond the victim’s social circle.”

“I want to see the crime scene.”

“We just came from there.”

“I mean the first crime scene.”

Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi to the site. She walked to a spot in the neighborhood, saying, “This is where Yan Qilin was killed. It’s all different now.”

Chen Shi noticed a pile of burnt paper ashes. Lin Dongxue explained, “That’s from the person who paid respects last night.”

“Let’s check the surveillance footage.”

The property management’s footage showed someone entering with a bag around 8 PM. The person’s clothing was neutral, making it hard to determine their gender. If Xiao Ran hadn’t admitted it, they wouldn’t have guessed it was her.

The footage also captured Yue Chao and his girlfriend wandering around the neighborhood. They were spotted and taken away by patrolling police.

Around 11 PM, the person who paid respects left.

Lin Dongxue asked, “Shall we verify this at the bar?”

Chen Shi nodded, “Of course!”

The bar owner didn’t remember Zhang Jinlei, possibly because it was his first visit and the bar was busy last night.

Chen Shi showed a photo of Zhang Jinlei, and a bartender finally recalled, “He was here last night.”

“What did he order?”

“Who remembers?”

“Do you use WeChat for payments? Can I see last night’s transactions?”

They took the WeChat records outside, where Chen Shi looked around and pointed at a traffic camera, saying, “I need that footage. If we’re verifying, let’s be thorough.”

Lin Dongxue smiled, “Got it, boss.”

After a long day, they felt exhausted. Chen Shi drove them to a Korean barbecue place near his home. They ordered a feast of pork belly, beef rolls, and beef tongue, accompanied by a large mug of draft beer. The delicious aroma seemed to wash away the day’s fatigue. Chen Shi sighed, “Ah, the joy of a hard day’s work.”

“It’d be better if we were celebrating a solved case,” Lin Dongxue said, flipping the beef tongue with her chopsticks.

“That’s rich, coming from you. We solved the last case yesterday. Today, I could have slept in, but you gave me a new one.”

“Alright, alright. To the great detective Chen, cheers!”

They clinked glasses. After taking a sip, Chen Shi said, “I’ve made some hypotheses.”

“What hypotheses?”

“That any of the three could be the killer.”