Pristine Darkness Chapter 76

The plot thickens as Jian Yao makes her way into the lion's den . . . a new piece of information is revealed, and a new suspect appears . . . or is Ding Mo throwing us another red herring? Read on to find out more . . .

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Chapter 76

When Jian Yao knocked on the door of Block 2, Unit 3, Room 302 of Guangbo New Housing Development, panic flashed momentarily across Feng Yuexi's face.

Jian Yao smiled cordially. "You remember me, right? I am a criminal investigator looking into the Nie Shijun case. I suddenly thought of some questions I had to ask you."

Perhaps it was because Jian Yao had shown up so abruptly that Feng Yuexi's panic had numbed her brain, so she had no idea how to reject Jian Yao's request to come in and sit down. It was only after they had both seated themselves on the sofa that Feng Yuexi belatedly realised that she was trembling with fear and felt as if her life was hanging from a thread. However, after she had poured Jian Yao a cup of tea, she looked at her and noted Jian Yao's serene and amiable expression, like nothing had happened. This caused her to feel slightly more at ease.

Jian Yao accepted the cup of tea but had no intention to drink it. Setting it by her, she took the opportunity to a.s.sess the decor of the apartment. It was a one-bedroom apartment; the floor area was small, but it was still s.p.a.cious and bright. The decor was modern, simple yet refined, very much in line with the taste of a girl like Feng Yuexi. There were still several packing boxes piled up in a corner of the living room, evidence that the occupant had recently moved in and had not yet had time to finish unpacking.

"This is the friend's place that you mentioned previously?" Jian Yao asked.

"Ah, no," replied Feng Yuexi. "Because I don't intend to stay there anymore, he helped me to rent this apartment."

Jian Yao inadvertently glanced at the scene outside the window and was stunned.

A cl.u.s.ter of grey, newly-built, modern buildings, among which was one sporting a sign on its rooftop: Jiamei Mingyuan.

Practically only a street apart.

The twilight descended upon them slowly. The two women sat opposite each other, both especially quiet. Jian Yao noticed that Feng Yuexi had a Pandora bracelet on her wrist, which she had not worn the previous two times they had questioned her. On the table behind her was a Gucci bag. There were several pairs of shoes in the shoe cabinet in the entrance hallway. Jian Yao's sharp eyes were able to discern the logo on the soles.

"You know, don't you?" Jian Yao asked out of the blue.

Feng Yuexi looked blankly at her.

"She's that kind of person."

Evidently, Miss Feng was not reacting as she had done the previous two times when she had been quick-witted and well-prepared. Her expression altered for a split second, but she still reacted quickly enough and did her utmost to maintain a calm exterior. She said, "I don't understand what you're saying."

"She loved you," Jian Yao stated, quietly rubbing her fingers together. "She was one of the many people who love you."

Feng Yuexi's face turned chalk-white, and she looked as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. Many things surfaced in her mind in that instant: Nie Shijun's every frown and smile, the way she looked profoundly into Feng Yuexi's eyes, that time she had held her hand and then shaken it off, held her hand and then shaken it off . . . and her lying in the middle of the b.u.t.terfly painting, that cold and lifeless photograph . . .

Humans are not without feelings*. Seeing Feng Yuexi finally affected, Jian Yao calmly continued to tug at her heart. "When we first started investigating the case, we could not find the killer's motive, and also thought the culprit was a serial killer. But now, there is a motive. It is love."

*T/N 人非草木 (ren fei cao mu) – literally, man is neither gra.s.s nor tree.

Feng Yuexi seemed to startle awake, but it was already too late, as her face had clearly reflected her emotions just then. Her eyes darted left and right, hesitating, as she remained silent.

Jian Yao's voice was calm but compelling. "We've already looked into Nie Shijun's history and confirmed that she was h.o.m.os.e.xual.  But why did you conceal it from the police?"

"I wasn't concealing anything!" Feng Yuexi reflexively refuted. "I was just . . ." She bowed her head. "I was just afraid of inviting trouble, of landing myself in unnecessary and unwanted trouble. I didn't know it was relevant to your case. Moreover, she's h.o.m.os.e.xual, but I'm not! I never accepted her. Lately, she had really been . . . somewhat abnormal."

Jian Yao was silent for a while. Her intuition told her that this was very close to the truth. Feng Yuexi's reb.u.t.tal was so anaemic, and she had unconsciously let slip some part of the truth. Without doubt, this was the vulnerable point, the point at which a breakthrough on the case could be achieved. She reached for the cellphone in her pocket intending to call someone, when – 'kacha' – the front door was unlocked, and someone walked in.

Feng Yuexi stood up straightaway, looking like a drowning man clutching at a straw.

"Chen Jin," she called out. "You're back? The police are here."

The man at the door looked up.

Jian Yao also watched him attentively.

The man was 27 or 28 years old, over 1.7 m in height, wearing a Polo shirt and black trousers. His hair, attire, and shoes were all extremely neat and tidy. His face was on the small side, but his body was buff. His eyes were a polished black, and there were deep eye bags under his eyes.

After a brief beat of silence, Jian Yao smiled faintly and said, "h.e.l.lo, Chen Jin . . . is that right? I am a criminal investigator, Jian Yao. We had some leads on the case that we needed to come over and ask Feng Yuexi about, sorry to disturb you both."

Feng Yuexi was standing with her back to Jian Yao. Jian Yao could not see her expression, but Chen Jin could. He stared at her for a few seconds before slowly shifting his gaze away from her to Jian Yao. He smiled courteously and said, "You're too polite, comrade police officer! Cooperating with your investigation is our responsibility."

Then, he pinched the back of Feng Yuexi's hand and said, "Don't you even know you should make tea for the police officer? Go quickly!" Feng Yuexi bolted into the kitchen, leaving the two of them to sit in the living room.

Jian Yao asked mildly, "Did you drive over?"

Chen Jin did not expect this line of questioning. He was stunned for a moment before replying, "I didn't need to drive as I live in the neighbourhood."

Jian Yao smiled.

Feng Yuexi entered bearing two cups of tea. Chen Jin took one, blew on it, took a small sip and then placed it by his side before asking, "Have you found the answers to whatever it was you wanted to ask Yuexi about?"

Feng Yuexi sat next to him, her face a little flushed.

Jian Yao's expression did not change. "Yes, everything is clear."

All three shared a moment of silence. The golden light of the setting sun filtered through the window and shone into the quiet room. Chen Jin muttered to himself briefly before saying, "Actually, I was thinking about telling you guys about a lead, but I . . . just couldn't decide."

Feng Yuexi's expression was one of shock.

Jian Yao looked steadily at him. "What lead?"

Chen Jin eyed Feng Yuexi. "Yuexi, why don't you leave us for a while; go cook something in the kitchen." He p.r.o.nounced that last phrase emphatically. Feng Yuexi looked panic-stricken for a split second before she stood up and said, "All right."

Chen Jin loosened his tie and threw in onto the sofa. He clasped his hands together, seemingly still struggling with indecision. "I suspect someone of being Nie Shijun's killer."

"Who?"

Chen Jin looked at her, his eyes resolute. "Our friend, Shi Peng." Seeing the doubt on Jian Yao's face, he continued his explanation in a low voice. "Me, Ah Peng and Yuexi, the three of us have been friends since childhood. Ah Peng has always liked Yuexi. But Nie Shijun, who lived with Yuexi, always seemed to hinder his pursuit of her. Ah Peng told me more than once that she was very troublesome. Later, the two of us found out that Nie Shijun's s.e.xual orientation was not normal. I advised Yuexi not to have any contact with her, but Yuexi is tender-hearted, and they had been friends for so long, so she could not decide what to do. Then, Nie Shijun's interference got even worse. I was still ok, but Ah Peng has always been impulsive and easily riled up, and likes to pick fights in the factory. He's said before that he wanted to look for the right opportunity to deal with Nie Shijun . . . I didn't pay him much heed at first, but after Nie Shijun died, I remembered Ah Peng saying on several nights he had something to do, after which he would drive off by himself. Moreover, he seems to be thrilled whenever we mention Nie Shijun's death . . ."

His pitch-black eyes looked intensely at Jian Yao. His whispered and hurriedly spoken words gave the impression he had revealed an earth-shattering secret. Jian Yao was slightly stunned by his words. She vaguely remembered there had really been two men in the car that came by the police station to pick Feng Yuexi up that night; there had been another person.

Noticing her continued silence, Chen Jin furrowed his brows somewhat and said, "And . . . I have something which I discovered by chance in Ah Peng's home and surrept.i.tiously brought back. It might be evidence that Shi Peng is the killer."

At this, Jian Yao's expression visibly shifted. "What is it?"

Chen Jin looked unblinkingly at her. "It's in the bedroom cupboard. I'll take you to have a look."

The door to the bedroom was behind the sofa. They both stood up. Jian Yao contemplated the quiet bedroom while Chen Jin walked around the sofa to stand behind her.

"Where is it?" Jian Yao asked.

"It's in the bedside table on the right."

Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Summer