My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Shi Nian touched her head where his palm laid a few seconds ago, heat rising from the soles of her feet up to the tip of her hair.

The elevator ascended as Jiang Jinyan spoke. "I heard about the situation in your school."

Shi Nian looked up in shock, the bubbling joy and happiness on her face was extinguished, her head sobered up in an instant. Even the flush on her face receded like tides, paling in a blink of an eye. Her lips pursed as she recalled Li Qing's death and the destroyed body under the Moonlight Pavilion.

"It's not safe these days." He said. "Don't run around alone. Go to the subway station with your friends or you can just ride a taxi, got it?"

Shi Nian looked up, confused. She muddledly typed.. [You standing in front of the gate...waiting for me...worried?] Her mind was so tangled up that she couldn't form a complete sentence.

But Jiang Jinyan wasn't willing to divulge anything more. "Just do as I say."

The elevator dinged softly and the door slid open. Jiang Jinyan pushed her forward. "Go on."

Shi Nian looked around and belatedly realized that this was her floor. Jiang Jinyan…Jiang Jinyan was sending her off? Shi Nian wanted to make it clear but Jiang Jinyan had pressed on the button and she could only catch his eyes for a split second before the metal door separated them.

She bumped onto the door and wilted away, forehead plastered on the cold surface, unreconciled yet feeling like she was asking for too much. Jiang Jinyan had been very kind, waiting for her, going home together, sending her to her door, what more could she ask for?

Greediness brought forth evil and disaster. Shi Nian shook her head and walked to her door, dejected.

As she put in the key, Jiang Jinyan's words replayed in her mind.

She paused, contemplating. What did he mean by it's not safe these days? Did he know something about Li Qing's death?

***

"Go away! My daughter has already died so tragically like this, what more do you want?!"

Luo Ning stood against Mother Li's rejection and tried to persuade her again. "Madam, nothing has been cleared yet. What if—what if your daughter didn't commit suicide—"

"Enough!" Father Li's voice boomed as he stepped forward to pull her wife back. His tone was more amicable, yet his words left no room for rebuttal. "Mr. Police Officer, you wanted to search Li Qing's room, we gave you permission. You wanted to investigate her death, we gave you permission! But letting the forensic mess with her body? No! She has already died so shamefully like this. By now, every single person in the Capital might have already known that I, Li Hanji's daughter, died without her corpse intact!"

"What do you mean by shameful?!" Mother Li hit his back, crying hysterically. "Isn't it your fault?! If you didn't blame her so much, would she have died?!"

Luo Ning hung his head helplessly. No matter what he said, the Li couple seemed to believe that Li Qing committed suicide and wanting more than to cover everything up as fast as possible. However, when he heard Mother Li's last sentence, he grew alert. "Blame her? What did you blame her for?"

Mother Li shut her mouth down while Father Li's face alternated between black and blue. "Go, go away! We just want to send Li Qing off peacefully! How can you keep on bothering us like this?!" 

In a spur of a moment, Father Li forcefully pushed Luo Ning away and the latter was taken off guard, his feet slipped and his whole body tilted backward…

"Sir Li, Madam Li." Warm and steady hands caught his shoulder, followed by the familiar scent and presence. "I am very sorry for your loss, but attacking a police officer is another matter altogether."

"You are…?"

Qin Weizhe smiled politely. "My name is Qin Weizhe, the lead investigator for your daughter's case."

"So, you're the leader?!" Father Li seemed to find the outlet for his anger and pointed toward the door. "Go, go and bring your subordinate back! We don't welcome you here!"

Luo Ning looked at Qin Weizhe worriedly, but the man's face didn't change a bit. He patted Luo Ning's shoulder, leaned down and whispered something, lips practically plastered onto his ear.

The tip of Luo Ning's ears twitched and flushed in crimson, but when he heard Qin Weizhe, his expression turned serious as he walked out. Qin Weizhe turned to the fuming Father Li and emotional Mother Li, gesturing. "Shall we talk in another place?"

"No!" Father Li refused vehemently. "There's nothing for us to talk about!"

"Yes, there is." Qin Weizhe loomed forward and put a hand on Father Li's shoulder. Father Li instinctively struggled but found out that he couldn't move a bit! 

Under Father Li's terrified gaze, Qin Weizhe smiled brighter than the sun. "It's not really good to be seen like this, don't you think so? If you refuse this time, I can find another opportunity to approach you. In your home, your company, the places you often visited…"

Father Li glared at him but his momentum had clearly suppressed. Mother Li held onto his arm fearfully, looking at Qin Weizhe as if he was the reincarnation of a demon. Nevertheless in the end, her maternal love won. She stammered. "Your subordinate said that…Li Qing didn't commit suicide?"

"I believe she didn't." Qin Weizhe said solemnly. "So, I need your cooperation, Sir and Madam, to help redress justice for Li Qing. What do you say?"

It's Mother Li who caved in first. She nodded in tears. "Ask…ask anything you want."

Father Li deflated like a balloon, exasperated. They moved out from the desolate crematorium to a resting room Qin Weizhe had borrowed, gesturing for the couple to sit on the couch. 

He didn't beat around the bush and asked. "Don't worry, I won't take too much of your time. After this, you can proceed to cremate your daughter's body." He looked at them and after ensuring that they were truly listening, continued, "I heard what Madam Li said. The matter you blamed Li Qing about, was it about buying expensive jewelry?"

Mother Li's eyes widened. "H—How do you know…"

"Did she ask for the money from you?"

"Unfilial daughter!" Father Li's temper exploded all of a sudden and he slammed his fist on the table. "What ask? She never asked! She took the villa deed from the safe and sold it!"

Qin Weizhe's pupils widened in surprise. His mind whirled quickly and found a loophole. The branded bracelet was only around five to ten thousand RMB, but how much would a villa be sold for? 50 million? 100 million? Where did the rest of the money go?

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A/N: ooh...what is Jiang Jinyan's part in this case? You'll see...hehe. By now, I can say that the progress of the bigger case (serial murder case) is already 60% it's so fast ne~

Thank you, scissors04 for your golden tickets! We have 58 now, let's make it to 100 and I will give a mass release! ^^