A Psych Case Just Joined the Team Chapter 011

Bloodshed – 11

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The interrogation of Lin Datong and Li Li continued until three in the morning. After it ended, Xing Zui convened an impromptu meeting, during which Fang Lai and Cui Jingfeng reported the results of both interrogations. Lin Datong and Li Li's accounts of the events at the time of the incident were largely consistent.

Fang Lai said, "I reviewed the surveillance footage from around the Tongjiang over the days surrounding the incident. Everyone, please look at the main screen." As he spoke, he brought up the footage on the large screen.

Everyone's gaze turned to the big screen...

At one thirty-seven on the morning of October 7th, a figure in a dark blue work uniform and black pants appeared in the footage, pushing a red motorbike. Due to the distance and the fact that the area was rather remote, practically a surveillance blind spot, the man was only visible for a short while before disappearing from view.

Fang Lai fast-forwarded the footage and paused at one fifty-one. The man appeared once again, however, the motorbike he had been pushing was no longer in sight, and he was now empty-handed... before vanishing from the footage again.

Xie Xun said, "Looks like Lin Datong wasn't lying, it's just that the retrieval work is extremely difficult. Even if we're lucky enough to find the motorbike and the murder weapon, the chances of retrieving usable fingerprints from them are slim."

Xing Zui said, "We should be grateful that Lin Datong chose the Tongjiang and not the Yangtze."

Cui Jingfeng asked, "If both Li Li and Lin Datong end up in prison, what happens to Lin Qi?"

Xing Zui raised an eyebrow. "Both of them? The 'Lin Datong' we've arrested may very well not be the older brother."

At that, several people turned to look at him.

Xing Zui calmly explained, "Just now, Li Li said her husband, Lin Datong, was a good man, but the man in the interrogation room was practically desperate to shove all the blame onto Li Li. Is that the sort of person who'd remember to buy breakfast for his wife and child every morning?"

Upon hearing Xing Zui say this, everyone finally began to realise. Because Li Li had been covering for her husband all along, and only eleven days had passed between the incident and Lin Datong's arrest, they had all unconsciously assumed from the outset that the deceased was the lazy good-for-nothing brother who had tried to rape his sister-in-law – Lin Datong.

Xing Zui went on, "Last time, a relative from Lin Datong's hometown mentioned that when Lin Datong was young, he once broke his leg falling from a tree after an argument with his parents, that might help us determine who the real younger brother is."

Cui Jingfeng suddenly remembered the report Xing Zui had asked him to collect from Mu Sen the day before yesterday. Because something came up, he'd asked Xie Xun to go in his place. The report showed that the deceased Lin Datong had a slight fracture in his leg bone, likely sustained when he was a child.

Xie Xun said, "But the people in the village all thought there was only one Lin Datong, no one knows whether it was the older or the younger brother."

Cui Jingfeng said, "Li Li might know... she and Lin Datong grew up together."

At that moment, Xie Xun yawned, not on purpose, but it reminded everyone that it was getting late. Although it was already Saturday, criminal investigators usually didn't have proper days off, so tomorrow was still a regular working day, and everyone was expected to be back on duty.

Xing Zui said, "It's getting late, everyone go back and catch up on some sleep, we'll pick this up once we've rested."

As they left the meeting room, Xing Zui suddenly realised that someone who had been sitting off to the side earlier hadn't said a word throughout. He didn't think much of it and simply walked out of the station, with Qing Ming getting into the car alongside him as usual. All the way home, Qing Ming remained silent.

Based on the past couple of days, Qing Ming was definitely not the sort to be stingy with words, so this sudden bout of brooding struck Xing Zui as odd. When they arrived home, Xing Zui was just about to return to his room when Qing Ming's voice came from behind him.

"Are you treating me like an outsider, Senior?"

Xing Zui turned and looked at him indifferently.

"Why didn't you tell me about tonight's operation?"

Now Xing Zui finally understood the reason for Qing Ming's odd behaviour tonight, and awkwardly said, "It was a last-minute decision, why?"

Qing Ming took a step forward, meeting his indifferent gaze, and gritted his teeth. "Didn't you notice, Senior, that – I'm – really – unhappy?"

Xing Zui lowered his eyelids and said indifferently, "Didn't you take part too?... Qing Sansui." With that, he walked into his room and shut the door behind him, preparing for a shower. (Angel: 三岁 or Sansui, is used to refer to a child at the age of three.)

"......"

This wasn't just about being ignored or underestimated, he was part of the team too. Even though they'd only been colleagues for three days, today's operation made it painfully obvious that Xing Zui didn't see him as one of his own. Qing Ming strode to the door and tried to push it open, only to find that Xing Zui had locked it from the inside.

He slammed his fist against the door frame and shouted towards the panel, "What's this? You don't see me as one of your own!"

"Why didn't you tell me when everyone knew about it? You even lied and said you were off to enjoy nightlife..."

"I can see it now, you just don't like me, don't consider me one of your own."

"You're not saying anything? Not saying anything means you admit it!"

Just then, the door opened, and the figure inside instantly loomed over him. Xing Zui was wearing only a bath towel, his hair still dripping with water, and his gaze dark and cold. He said icily, "Get to bed right now, or I'll let you experience the taste of the Chinese cultural practice of hitting the ground with your head."

Qing Ming didn't seem to care about what he had just said, what he cared about was how Xing Zui had managed to finish his shower in just a few minutes.

"Senior, is there a bathroom in your room?"

"Want to come in for a tour?" Xing Zui replied, though as he spoke, his tall frame blocked the doorway. The door was only open at an angle of less than forty-five degrees, clearly showing no intention of letting Qing Ming in.

"No... no need."

With that, Qing Sansui turned around and headed back to his own room. But he had only taken a couple of steps when he remembered he had come to demand an explanation from Xing Zui.

"Wait, I haven't finished..."

– Bang.

"......"

That violently slammed door sounded more like a warning, and Qing Ming didn't dare knock again. He had no choice but to give up, ruffling his hair in frustration and returning to his room in a huff.

Xing Zui was woken by his alarm right on time. Once he'd gotten himself ready and stepped out of the room, he noticed that Qing Ming's door was still tightly shut. He assumed the kid was still in bed, so he didn't bother calling him and made his way to the living room. There, he saw Qing Ming coming out of the kitchen carrying two plates.

Upon seeing Xing Zui, Qing Ming greeted him cheerfully, "Morning, Senior! Come have breakfast." With that, he turned back to the kitchen.

Just hours ago, this same person had been on the verge of throwing a tantrum, and now he was all warm smiles like a spring breeze, as if nothing had happened, even getting up early to make breakfast. Xing Zui pulled out a chair and sat down, curious to see what strange trick this flashy rascal was playing at.

Yet, by the end of breakfast, Qing Ming remained entirely normal.

The two got into the car, Qing Ming was driving this time, while Xing Zui sat in the passenger seat and pulled out his phone. He noticed a few unread messages. The first was just sent by Cui Jingfeng, saying he had already gone with the salvage team to the location where Lin Datong had thrown the motorbike and murder weapon. The second was from Fang Lai, a PDF file. The third was from Qing Ming. Xing Zui checked the time, it had been sent at five-thirty that morning.

He opened it.

– "Senior, please guide me in the future, I'll work hard to make you recognise me. #doge emoji"

Xing Zui glanced up with a puzzled look on his face. Qing Ming was focused on driving, wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression.

When they arrived at the station, two honks came from the parking space across the way. Qing Ming looked over and saw a bright red BMW. The two got out of the car, and Mu Sen stepped out from the other car and walked over... Today, the man was dressed in a casual white outfit, and his hair was meticulously styled, with a showy little ponytail at the back. His presence was striking. Since Qing Ming had only recently joined and hadn't yet had a chance to meet anyone from the forensics department, he didn't recognise Mu Sen.

Mu Sen greeted Xing Zui, "Morning... Yo, this must be our new colleague."

Mu Sen casually slung an arm around Qing Ming's shoulders and deliberately asked, "Driving Boss Xing's car to work, what, are you two living together?"

Seeing that this man knew Xing Zui, Qing Ming instinctively glanced at Xing Zui. Xing Zui tilted his chin slightly towards him and said, "Scatterbrain, a colleague from the forensics department."

As soon as he heard the name "Scatterbrain," Qing Ming recalled that Xing Zui had mentioned this person before, he was the one everyone referred to as "Brother Sen."

Mu Sen, of course, had no idea that he had already become a topic of private conversation, and said, "Your boss has a foul mouth. My name's Mu Sen. Everyone calls me Brother Sen."

"Hello Brother Sen, I'm Qing Ming, please look after me."

"There'll be plenty of chances to work together going forward, so taking care of each other is only natural."

At that moment, Xing Zui unhelpfully interjected, "In one minute and thirty-five seconds, five per cent of your next month's wages will be going to the department."

Three seconds later, Qing Ming realised he was about to be late and sprinted full speed towards the station like he was running a hundred-metre dash...

——————————

Over on Cui Jingfeng's side, the salvage operation was going smoothly. Fortunately, the location Lin Datong had chosen to discard the motorbike was in a shallow section of the Tongjiang River. The team spent the entire morning and managed to recover all the remains of the motorbike. Even more fortunately, the fruit knife used in the crime had become lodged right in the front section of the bike.

Elsewhere, Li Li was brought into the interrogation room once again, and only Xing Zui entered the interrogation room this time.

Xing Zui got straight to the point, "Did your husband injure his leg when he was a child?"

Li Li asked, "Officer Xing, does that have something to do with the case?"

"Just answer the question."

Li Li looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he was suddenly asking this. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Datong fell from a tree when he was a child and broke his leg, but his father later treated it."

"You're certain the one who broke his leg as a child was your husband Lin Datong? Not the younger brother, 'Lin Datong'?"

Li Li nodded...

Xing Zui stared at the woman opposite him. From the looks of it, Li Li truly had no idea about the tragic truth.

"The deep clean wasn't just to get rid of the bloodstains, it was to erase all traces of the younger 'Lin Datong' having lived in your home. And yet, you didn't throw away his clothes."

Li Li stared at him as Xing Zui continued, "I suspect you thought throwing the clothes away would be too conspicuous, so you simply mixed Lin Datong's clothes with your husband's. Since both men wore the same styles, it wouldn't be obvious that the clothes belonged to two different people."

"If Officer Xing wants to ask something, just ask directly."

"On the day of the murder, your husband and his younger brother 'Lin Datong' were, as usual, both wearing the same style of clothing, weren't they?"

Li Li nodded.

"You weren't present when your husband stabbed Lin Datong. When you returned to the kitchen, you saw Lin Datong lying in a pool of blood..."

"That's right, as I said before, after that beast was stabbed by my husband, I thought he was already dead. I didn't expect him to regain consciousness, so I stabbed him in the chest."

"Miss Li, are you certain the one who died was the younger brother?"

Li Li froze. "Officer Xing, what are you trying to say?"

Xing Zui slid several reports across the table to Li Li and said, "The first report states that the deceased had a fracture in his leg bone, whereas the 'Lin Datong' we arrested shows no sign of any leg injury, his bones are perfectly intact. What's more, we looked into Lin Datong's medical records from when he was alive. Your husband had hepatitis B, you're aware of that, aren't you? The second report confirms the deceased was indeed an HBV carrier. All this proves that the deceased was your husband, Lin Datong. And the 'Lin Datong' we arrested is the younger brother, the one you and your husband originally intended to kill."

Hearing this, Li Li felt as though her heart had dropped straight into hell, and her face turned even paler than before. She trembled as she said, "No... that's impossible, you must be mistaken... the one who died was that beast, you must have made a mistake."

"Your husband's brother, the 'Lin Datong' we arrested last night, has already confessed."

Xing Zui's brows knit slightly as he murmured, "I'm sorry for your loss."

That phrase seemed to strike something in Li Li. She lost control, banging on the interrogation table and shouting across at Xing Zui, "You've got it wrong, it's impossible, it's impossible..."

The interrogation room was filled with the woman's heart-wrenching wails. Xing Zui's expression remained calm, allowing Li Li to release her anguish.

Originally, she had a complete family, but now it is shattered and in ruins. There was no denying that it had been Lin Datong who first cracked the surface of that household, turning a once-ordinary woman into a murderer and causing this complete family to collapse.

It made Li Li, the perpetrator, turn into the victim once more, pathetic and laughable.

A moment later, Xing Zui spoke again, his voice still cool, "The truth is never pretty, but it is the truth." As he spoke, his gaze darkened abruptly. "The person you truly wanted to protect is still alive, isn't he?"

Tears streamed down Li Li's cheeks, soaking her skin, and her expression visibly shifted. She slowly lifted her swollen eyelids and looked at the man sitting opposite her.

"Live well, Lin Qi will still need your protection in the future."

The recording was turned off. Qing Ming left the office and walked over to the vending machine, staring at the drinks inside as he mulled over something Xing Zui had just said...

At that moment, the cleaning auntie pushed her trolley past and stopped at a nearby garbage bin. She struggled to lift the metal bin, trying to empty the garbage into the larger bag on her cleaning cart. Hearing the commotion, Qing Ming ran over to help.

"This is a bit heavy, let me give you a hand."

"Thank you, young man, there aren't many young people these days as warm-hearted as you."

Qing Ming joked half-seriously, "There are still plenty of warm-hearted young people, but there aren't many who are both handsome and warm-hearted like me."

"Indeed, you look so delicate, but you're surprisingly strong."

Qing Ming suddenly found the comment oddly familiar, he was sure he'd said something similar before. He thought for a moment... and then it hit him. Last night, when he and Xing Zui had gone to Lin Datong's house, he had been the one to knock on the door, and it was Lin Qi who had answered. The old sliding iron door had rusted over time, so opening and closing it took some real effort. However, at the time, Lin Qi had pulled it open with one hand.

— "You look so small, I didn't expect you to be so strong."

That's what he had said to Lin Qi at the time...

Xing Zui had just stepped out of the interrogation room to use the washroom. On his way back, walking through the corridor, he saw Qing Ming leaning against the wall opposite the vending machine, two bottles of drinks in his hands, head down and lost in thought.

When Qing Ming noticed him approaching, he looked up and handed over a bottle of oolong tea. Xing Zui took it, and seeing the expression on Qing Ming's face, like he had something on his mind, asked, "What's wrong? Qing Sansui?"

Qing Ming stepped closer. "Senior, what did you mean by what you said to Li Li just now?"

Xing Zui twisted open the cap and took a sip. "Which part?"

"You said the one Li Li really wants to protect is still alive."

"Literally."

"......"

Xing Zui's gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Do you really think that final stab... really came from Li Li?"

"Isn't it her?"

"Who knows?"

An ambiguous smile played at the corners of Xing Zui's mouth as he turned and walked off towards the office. Qing Ming remained where he was, gazing blankly at his retreating back...

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 2, 2025 by Angel

Edited: August 21, 2026 by Angel