Chapter 70: Xia Xia

On the surveillance footage, Ding Xihua withdrew some cash at the counter. The exact amount was hard to see, but the teller handed them a black bag, which Ding Xihua wrapped up casually and handed over to the middle-aged man without hesitation. Based on Qiong Cang’s experience, the thickness of the bills suggested an amount between fifty thousand and seventy thousand yuan.

The girl beside them seemed to want to stop him, but the middle-aged man snapped at her, forcing her back. The three of them did not say much and left the bank together.

As the girl turned her head, the camera captured a clear shot of her face.

He Jueyun was more professional in this area. He zoomed in on the image, enhanced the clarity, took a screenshot, and borrowed the bank’s printer to make a color printout.

He Jueyun had originally intended to send the image to his colleagues so they could run it through their database for a match, but Qiong Cang casually handed the printout to the manager standing nearby and asked, “Do you recognize this person?”

The young female manager nodded and said, “Yes, I do. Everyone calls her Xia Xia.”

He Jueyun was surprised. Could it really be this convenient?

“This girl runs the fruit stand near the school’s east gate. She’s usually the one watching the shop, but I haven’t seen her around lately. Her mother said she went back to the countryside,” the manager said. “I used to buy fruit from her shop all the time. Once we got to know each other, she’d often give me discounts or hand me some ripe fruit for free. She’s very nice and really sweet. I’m not used to not seeing her around for so long.”

Qiong Cang asked, “She looks quite young. Is she a student at C University?”

“No. Her younger brother goes to the vocational high school^[1] on the next street, and she came to help run the shop right after graduating from high school,” the manager sighed. “I think she’s quite pitiful. She works for her family without getting paid a single cent, and they never treat her kindly. She’s a grown girl, you know? What’s she going to do in the future? I doubt her family will make any plans for her. I advised her to save up some money and buy some wealth management products^[2] at the bank to plan for herself. Makes sense, right?”

Qiong Cang’s expression had been somewhat solemn, but for some reason, this tickled her funny bone, and the corners of her mouth curled up.

“What are you laughing at? I’m telling the truth. As neighbors, it’s just heartbreaking to watch. It has absolutely nothing to do with my sales targets. Besides, she really is a good person. Everyone has eaten the fruit she’s given out.” The manager probed cautiously, “She didn’t get into trouble, did she? This money…”

Qiong Cang said, “It’s nothing. She’s a witness, and we just need to ask her a few questions.”

“That’s good.” The manager nodded and lowered her voice, offering a tip-off. “If there’s any extortion or fraud involved, it must have been forced by her father. Her dad has sticky fingers. Whether he’s short on money or not, he wants to steal whatever he sees. He came to our bank before and tried to swipe a customer’s phone, but the security guard caught him.”

He Jueyun acknowledged this and asked the enthusiastic employee a bit more about Xia Xia’s daily life.

In the manager’s eyes, Xia Xia was a quiet, timid, easily embarrassed, honest, and somewhat insecure girl. She was ignored at home, lacked survival skills, wasn’t very smart, and was even a bit slow. However, she spoke softly and had a gentle personality. If she had a different family background, combined with her pretty features, she would surely be a popular girl.

“But starting a while ago, she gradually began to look prettier,” the manager said. “When she first came here to open the shop, she didn’t dress up at all. She just used those gaudy red and green hair ties to tie her hair into a casual ponytail, and wore those cheap T-shirts from street stalls that cost a few dozen yuan. When she went out, she just slipped into flip-flops, let alone wearing makeup. The first time I saw her at the shop, I couldn’t believe she was only eighteen. But look at her now…”

She pointed to the printed photo. “She knows how to take care of her skin now, her clothes have become more stylish, and she’s grown more confident. The customers who go to her shop are mostly C University students. Before, when people talked to her, she usually didn’t dare to look up. Now, they all have fun together. After all, they’re peers.”

The girl in the photo was indeed striking. Her clothes were well-fitted and elegant, her hair was meticulously perked, and her small, slender frame gave her a delicate, pitiable look. She was the type of person who easily made others let their guard down.

He Jueyun covered the area of Xia Xia’s handbag with his finger and held up three fingers to Qiong Cang.

For a bag to catch He Jueyun’s eye, it definitely wasn’t cheap. Even if it was a knockoff, it would probably cost at least a thousand yuan.

The manager said, “I asked her if she was in a relationship, and she just lowered her head and smiled.”

Qiong Cang asked, “Did you ask who her boyfriend was?”

“I did, but she wouldn’t say. I guess the guy didn’t like her that much, and it was just one-sided on her part,” the manager said, clapping her hands. “But I said this romance was totally worth it. Her parents clearly don’t care about her and are always bossing her around. No matter how hard she works, she probably won’t get anything in the end. It’s good that she figured things out, started making herself look presentable, and went looking for a decent boyfriend. Isn’t that better than working for free at a fruit stand?”

Qiong Cang pointed to the photo and asked, “Do you remember this day? When they came to withdraw the money, did they say anything to each other?”

The manager shook her head. “I wasn’t on shift that day. Besides, the bank gets so many customers every day, and this happened a month ago. I doubt anyone remembers.”

Qiong Cang packed up the items and said, “Thank you.”

The manager replied, “It’s nothing.”

The two of them chatted with her for over half an hour before leaving the bank to look for the fruit stand.

By now, it was dusk in the game. The days had been short lately, and the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon, leaving a trail of orange afterglow along the skyline.

The two walked along the red and blue permeable bricks around the perimeter of the school.

He Jueyun organized the information the manager had provided and speculated, “Is her boyfriend Ding Xihua? Or maybe Ding Xihua was just playing with her feelings. She got pregnant, Ding Xihua wanted to break up, and so her father went to Ding Xihua to demand money.”

Qiong Cang shook her head. “Not necessarily. With Ding Xihua’s hypocritical personality, he shouldn’t have left such a massive loophole. Once something like this is exposed, his reputation would be completely ruined. Besides, his family is wealthy. Shouldn’t Father Xia’s first reaction be to force a marriage? Why would it be blackmail?”

The shadows cast by the setting sun added a touch of melancholy to her tightly knit brows. He Jueyun’s gaze followed the streetlights to her face, which was cast in shifting light and shadow. He smiled, not entirely sincerely, and said, “Even you have times when you’re unsure?”

Qiong Cang half-closed her eyes and said in a low voice, “It’s not that I’m unsure. I just have a bad feeling about this.”

He Jueyun said, “Don’t overthink it for now.”

The fruit shop was in a prominent location, and the two of them had already passed it several times today. The person currently working the register was a middle-aged woman. Judging by her face and age, she was likely Xia Xia’s mother. She had her phone propped up on the counter, the volume turned all the way up, watching a drama.

Qiong Cang walked over, tapped the counter, and asked, “Where is Xia Xia?”

Without even looking up, the woman replied, “She went back to the countryside.”

“Even if she went back to the countryside, there should still be a way to contact her.” Qiong Cang pulled out her ID and blocked the screen. “Leave a phone number.”

Only then did the woman look up, finally giving them a proper glance.

“What do you want with her?” she asked stiffly. “Xia Xia doesn’t use a phone anymore.”

Qiong Cang said, “Think carefully before you answer. It won’t be hard for us to find her if we want to, so don’t make extra work for us for no reason. I hate being lied to.”

The woman rubbed her brow, looking resistant and reluctant to tell them. She made several excuses, pretending to be busy to brush them off, and tried to fool them with vague, evasive answers, completely wearing away what little patience Qiong Cang had.

Comparing this to their previous encounters, Qiong Cang said in disbelief, “Why did they have to program an NPC like this?”

He Jueyun mimicked her expression, putting on a deeply aggrieved face, and said, “Because this is the daily runaround of grassroots cops.”

Qiong Cang stepped aside, inviting He Jueyun to take over.

He Jueyun stepped forward, placing a hand on the counter, and said bluntly, “We’re looking for Xia Xia just to get a routine statement. If you can’t even give us a clear address, we’ll go back, change into our police uniforms, and sit right outside your door to have a long chat. While we’re at it, we can invite our buddies from the fire department and food safety inspection to hang out and chat with you too. How does that sound? Will twenty-four hours be enough for you to organize your thoughts and recall the details? If not, we can make time to drop by every single day.”

The woman finally yielded, saying reluctantly, “She’s at home.”

He Jueyun said, “Address.”

The woman hesitantly gave him an address.

He Jueyun wrote it down and shot Qiong Cang a smug look.

Qiong Cang sighed. “I’m very disappointed.” The world was just too sinister.

He Jueyun chuckled. “Too naive.”

·

The address was close by, so they went on foot. Even so, by the time they were halfway there, night had fallen.

To reach the house where Xia Xia lived, they had to go down a narrow alley. There were no streetlights inside, and though a few windows glowed with warm yellow light, looking in from the entrance still gave off a deep, unsettling sense of dread.

Qiong Cang stuffed her hands into her pockets and nudged a little closer to He Jueyun. But He Jueyun suddenly stopped and told her to wait at the main road for a moment before jogging off into a nearby convenience store.

Qiong Cang leaned against the tall post of a streetlight. A moment later, He Jueyun walked out holding two high-powered flashlights.

He handed them over and asked, “Do you want one, or do you need to hold both to feel safe?”

Qiong Cang blinked, seemingly giving the question serious thought, before saying, “I only feel safe when someone else shines the light for me.”

He Jueyun laughed. “Alright, then. I’ll respect the lady’s wishes.”

He switched them on, holding one in each hand to illuminate the path ahead, and walked in front, gesturing for Qiong Cang to follow.

They entered the alleyway. He Jueyun dutifully led the way while checking the house numbers along the road. The sound of television programs could still be heard from the surrounding buildings, creating a lively atmosphere.

For no good reason, Qiong Cang suddenly bumped him with her head.

He Jueyun stumbled and turned around. “What are you doing?”

Qiong Cang said, “Phototaxis.”

He Jueyun: “??”

He Jueyun deliberately quickened his pace. Before long, Qiong Cang caught up and bumped into him again.

He Jueyun: “…” Was this person actually afraid of the dark, or was she just being childish?

“Do you know why most insects exhibit phototaxis?” Qiong Cang smiled slyly. “Actually, there are many hypotheses, but no definitive conclusion. In other words, nobody knows.”

“…You’re pretty bored, aren’t you?” He Jueyun said. “That’s a clever excuse.”

Qiong Cang shrugged. “Most of the time, yes.”

He Jueyun waved his hand. “Come here.”

Qiong Cang approached nonchalantly.

He Jueyun shoved the flashlights into her hands.

Qiong Cang said regretfully, “What happened to respecting the lady’s wishes?”

He Jueyun bent down. “Get on.”

A flash of clear surprise crossed Qiong Cang’s eyes, lasting only a fraction of a second before her expression returned to normal.

He Jueyun pretended to be impatient. “One…”

Qiong Cang quickly jumped onto his back.

“Whoa…” He Jueyun let out a muffled grunt from the weight. He secured his grip on her, turned around, and commanded, “Shine the light ahead.”

Leaning against his back, Qiong Cang said with heartfelt emotion, “Brother Q, you’re so nice.”

Regretting that he couldn’t see her expression, He Jueyun snorted. “If you really want to call me nice next time, don’t call me Brother Q.”

Qiong Cang asked, “Don’t you like that name?”

He Jueyun said loudly, “Do you honestly think I would?!”

Qiong Cang said matter-of-factly, “Of course.”

Embarrassed and annoyed, He Jueyun snapped, “Get down. Right now.”

Qiong Cang waved the flashlight and tightened her arms around his neck. “We’re here, look ahead. Just ten more house numbers.”

Though exasperated, He Jueyun still carried her all the way to the entrance of the building before letting her down.

Standing to the side, Qiong Cang said politely, “After you.”

He Jueyun glanced at her and strode upstairs.