Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Floating Corpse in the River

The sun rose in the east, heralding a new day. Bai Yulou lay sprawled in the shape of the character "大" on his own bed, his hands and feet tied to each corner.

Outside, the sound of a key turning in the lock could be heard, and after a moment, Liu Rushuang entered, carrying breakfast. "Bai Bai, I got you some breakfast."

Bai Yulou opened his eyes, dark circles hanging beneath them like heavy weights.

Liu Rushuang walked over to the bed, casting a relieved glance at Bai Yulou. "Thankfully I thought of tying you to the bed last night. Otherwise, I wouldn't have slept a wink, always worried you'd try to end your life in the middle of the night."

Bai Yulou yawned tiredly.

"Bai Bai, how did you sleep?"

"How do you expect me to sleep like this? It's a wonder I survived the night," Bai Yulou muttered under his breath.

Liu Rushuang didn't hear him and reached out, offering the pastries to his lips. "Eat your breakfast."

"I don't want to eat right now," Bai Yulou replied, turning his head to the side.

Liu Rushuang, undeterred, shoved the pastry into Bai Yulou's mouth. "You can't skip meals. Eat more."

Bai Yulou frowned, unable to express his discomfort.

In a short while, Liu Rushuang had stuffed all the pastries into Bai Yulou's mouth. His cheeks bulged; he wanted to speak but couldn't, wanted to move but his limbs were bound, feeling utterly miserable.

"What's wrong, Bai Bai?" Liu Rushuang sensed something amiss.

Bai Yulou opened his mouth, barely managing a sound, "Regret..."

"You're still repenting, aren't you?"

Bai Yulou shook his head, a little anxious, mumbling, "Beauty..."

"Praising my beauty, are you?" Liu Rushuang replied, a little embarrassed.

Bai Yulou shook his head again, and Liu Rushuang, annoyed, glared at him. Bai Yulou quickly nodded.

He tried to chew, but the quantity made swallowing impossible. He panicked, eyes wide, straining to call out, "Mouth..."

"What's wrong with your mouth?" Liu Rushuang was puzzled.

Bai Yulou began to roll his eyes, choking.

"Bai Bai, what's happening?" Liu Rushuang grew frightened and hurried to untie him.

Bai Yulou scrambled up, spat out the pastries, and shouted, "Water!"

"Oh, you wanted water! I'll get it for you right away."

Liu Rushuang quickly grabbed the cup from the table and handed it to Bai Yulou, who drank and gradually felt better, letting out a relieved sigh.

Suddenly, Bai Yulou realized Liu Rushuang still saw him as a "patient" desperate to die. He hastily feigned despair, dumping the remaining water from the cup. "Shuang Jie, why did you give me water? Why didn't you let me choke to death?"

Liu Rushuang assumed Bai Yulou's suicidal tendencies had flared again and looked troubled.

Just then, a cockroach crawled onto the pastries Bai Yulou had spat onto the floor.

"Cockroach!" Liu Rushuang shrieked in terror.

"Where is it, where?" Bai Yulou extended a delicate finger and screamed, inadvertently reverting to his effeminate manner.

Liu Rushuang pointed to the cockroach, "Right there!"

Bai Yulou, terrified, darted behind Liu Rushuang.

Liu Rushuang gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and stomped the cockroach to death.

Bai Yulou clutched his chest, voice shrill, "That was terrifying, absolutely terrifying!"

Liu Rushuang observed Bai Yulou's reaction with suspicion. Ever since Bai Bai had been hypnotized, he had wallowed in remorse, rarely displaying his effeminate quirks—unless he had recovered.

Morning light streamed through the dormitory window. Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi lay fully dressed on the lower bunk, sleeping soundly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and both were startled awake.

"Who—who is it?" Ying Xi cried out in a panic.

"It's me, Baldy," came the voice of the bald officer from outside.

Ying Xi's heart skipped a beat and he exclaimed, "We're done for!"

"Don't tell me we've overslept again?" Lu Hehuan looked at Ying Xi, face pale.

After a moment, both scrambled to rise, bumping their heads on the bed frame before crawling out in disarray.

Lu Hehuan scratched his messy hair and called to Baldy outside, "What time is it?"

"Seven twenty in the morning."

As Baldy finished speaking, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi finally relaxed, both letting out a long sigh.

Lu Hehuan straightened his clothes and shouted toward the door, "Come on in."

Baldy pushed open the door, seeing Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi disheveled, their faces swollen and bearing traces of medicinal ointment.

"Detective Ying, Hehuan, you two..." Baldy was taken aback.

Ying Xi cleared his throat, hands behind his back, striking a commanding pose. "Last night, we stopped a gang fight. The injuries on our faces are from battling with the gang."

Baldy nodded with admiration.

Ying Xi grinned smugly, then looked sideways at Baldy, "What brings you here so early?"

"Oh," Baldy recalled his purpose. "The precinct just received a report from a citizen—a body was found in the Suzhou River."

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi exchanged glances and hurried to the scene.

The morning market had just opened; the street was bustling. Liu Rushuang dragged Bai Yulou toward the Suzhou River. Bai Yulou, not wanting Liu Rushuang to cling to Ying Xi, deliberately slowed his pace, lagging behind.

Liu Rushuang anxiously turned to urge him, "Bai Bai, hurry up! There's a corpse by the river; Brother Xi will definitely be there."

Bai Yulou, unwilling, continued his graceful steps.

"Hurry up," Liu Rushuang said, striding ahead.

Bai Yulou, unsure how to stop her, scratched his head in frustration. Suddenly, he spotted a stall selling kitchen knives. His brows furrowed as a plan formed. He rushed to the stall, grabbed a knife, and held it to his neck. The vendor was stunned by the sudden scene.

"I can't go on. I must atone for those widows! Shuang Jie, life is so painful..." Bai Yulou shouted to Liu Rushuang.

Liu Rushuang turned, puzzled. Bai Yulou had been fine moments ago, now suddenly suicidal—it was surely an act.

She pretended to be heartbroken, not stepping forward to stop him.

Bai Yulou, seeing no intervention, blinked and shouted weakly, "Shuang Jie, I'm really going to cut my throat!"

Liu Rushuang decided to test his resolve, looking at him with indifference. "Bai Bai, I've thought about it. Always stopping you isn't the answer. If you really want to die, go ahead. Rest assured, after you're gone, I'll see to your funeral with proper ceremony!"

Bai Yulou was dumbfounded, unsure whether to lower the knife or hold it. He wailed, "Shuang Jie, this is truly goodbye forever."

Liu Rushuang nodded, "Farewell."

Passersby began to mock.

"Are you dying or not? I need to get home and cook. If you're going to do it, do it quick."

"People who really want to die don't talk so much, they'd just do it. Clearly, he's not serious."

Bai Yulou, embarrassed, gripped the knife and yelled at the crowd, "I'll do it now, just watch!"

He moved his hand holding the knife, but Liu Rushuang still didn't intervene.

Bai Yulou, out of options, looked to the knife vendor and whispered, "Aren't you going to stop me from taking your knife?"

The vendor, finally realizing, tried to snatch the knife from Bai Yulou, who pretended to resist before hastily returning it.

"If you're not buying, you can't use my knife to kill yourself!" the vendor barked.

Bai Yulou, feigning despair, continued shouting, "Let me die! I don't want to live!"

Liu Rushuang understood. She walked over, handed money to the vendor, "I'll buy this knife. Keep the change."

The vendor, pleased, gave the knife to Liu Rushuang, who placed it in Bai Yulou's hands, resolute. "Bai Bai, consider this my last gift to you at the end of your journey. Watching you suffer pains me too. Perhaps death is your true release. Do it."

"Shuang Jie... I..." Bai Yulou was struck dumb, knife in hand.

Liu Rushuang snorted, disdainful, "Why aren't you doing it?"

"I..." Bai Yulou was caught in a bind.

"Feigning hypnosis to win my sympathy, making me care for you every day—hmph!" Liu Rushuang's demeanor changed, scolding him fiercely.

"Shuang Jie, I'll never dare again, please forgive me," Bai Yulou pleaded, face twisted in misery.

"Half a year's wages will be docked!" With that, Liu Rushuang left.

Bai Yulou followed, crying, "Shuang Jie..."

Meanwhile, the Suzhou River glittered under the sun. Willows along the banks danced in the breeze like green-robed spirits. The levees were lush and vibrant, a scene of thriving life.

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi reached the riverbank to find a body in a suit, muddy shoes lying by the water. Bao Rong was meticulously examining the corpse, surrounded by a crowd and officers maintaining order.

"Step back, step back. Don't disturb the scene," one officer yelled at the crowd.

The onlookers, kept at a distance, began to speculate.

"Was it a water ghost taking a substitute?"

"This season, the river is shallow. Who'd have thought someone could drown?"

Ying Xi approached and asked an officer, "What's happened?"

"Around six this morning, some locals exercising found a body washed up and called it in," the officer replied.

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi exchanged glances, then approached the body. Both were shocked and cried out together, "Da Bao!"

Bao Rong looked up, nodding with sorrow, "Who could have guessed Sister Hao died for Da Bao, and yet Da Bao did not live well."

Scenes of Sister Hao and Da Bao's poignant farewell flashed through Lu Hehuan's mind. He gazed at Da Bao's corpse, resolve in his eyes. "For Sister Hao, we must uncover the truth and vindicate Da Bao!"

"Vindicate? It's not even certain this was murder," Ying Xi scoffed.

Lu Hehuan ignored him, turning to Bao Rong, "Bao, what did the autopsy show?"

"The deceased is about nineteen, no obvious wounds, preliminary ruling is drowning, likely died around eight last night."

Lu Hehuan nodded, beginning to survey the scene with Ying Xi.

He noticed Da Bao's shoes caked with mud and frowned. Suddenly, he recalled a burly man's comment about the river's shallowness at this season.

Lu Hehuan approached the man respectfully, "You said this river is shallow now?"

The man nodded, "It's not the rainy season, so the water's not deep."

Lu Hehuan nodded thoughtfully.

Ying Xi scouted the area, spotting tire tracks leading from the riverbank into the water.

He scratched his head, asking an officer, "Check the river for a car."

The officer quickly stripped off his uniform and dove in, only to discover the water was shallow, reaching just his knees. He stood, embarrassed, and walked forward until the water came up to his chest, then patted the surface.

Lu Hehuan watched the officer, deep in thought.

The officer dove underwater and resurfaced moments later, shouting to Ying Xi, "It's a sedan!"

"The case is solved!" Ying Xi clapped his hands in realization.

Lu Hehuan looked at him, confused, "Solved?"

Ying Xi pointed at the tire tracks, explaining smugly, "These tracks lead straight into the river, there's a car in the water, and Bao's autopsy confirms Da Bao drowned. So Da Bao drove into the river and drowned—it's an accident, not murder."

"It's definitely not an accident! The river isn't deep, Da Bao may have been lame but he could have escaped the car easily," Lu Hehuan retorted.

The officer climbed ashore, and Lu Hehuan noted his shoes were clean.

Lu Hehuan thought for a moment, strode into the river, miming desperate struggle, then walked back, his shoes covered in mud. Despite his usual severe cleanliness, he smiled.

Everyone stared at him in surprise.

"Lu Hehuan, what are you doing?" Ying Xi was impatient.

Lu Hehuan explained as he approached, "Normally, walking in the water leaves shoes clean..." He paused, pointing to his muddy shoes, "Only when struggling fiercely do shoes get muddy. Da Bao's shoes were muddy, meaning someone held him down, making it look like an accident."

"Why do you always oppose me?" Ying Xi raged at Lu Hehuan's insistence on murder.

"I'm not opposing you, but a detective must suspect every possibility," Lu Hehuan replied solemnly.

"How can you solve cases if you doubt everything?"

"We must question every clue, verify each, to find the truth. Detective Ying, life is precious. No one has the right to take it. As officers, we must find the truth for the dead!"

"Full of empty talk. If I solved cases your way, I'd lose my job soon!" Ying Xi snapped.

"But you can't hastily close a case just to keep your job—that's unfair to the deceased!"

"Enough! We don't see eye to eye," Ying Xi said, turning away.

At that moment, Liu Rushuang and Bai Yulou arrived, catching sight of Ying Xi leaving. Liu Rushuang chased after him, "Brother Xi..."

"Go away!" Ying Xi barked without turning.

Liu Rushuang pouted in grievance, nearly in tears.

Bai Yulou, seeing her upset, ran over to comfort her, "Shuang Jie, Ying Xi is too much, let's ignore him."

"Go away!" Liu Rushuang vented her anger on Bai Yulou.

He fell silent, chagrined.

Ying Xi stormed toward the precinct office. Baldy, seeing him approach, noticed Lu Hehuan was missing. "Detective Ying, where's Hehuan?"

"Dead!" Ying Xi spat in fury.

"What? Did Hehuan die in the line of duty?" Baldy, shocked, took him literally.

Ying Xi shot him a glare, not bothering to explain, and slammed the office door.

Baldy couldn't help but tear up. "I never thought Hehuan would die so young." He sighed, walking away in sorrow.

Lu Hehuan arrived at Da Bao's home in Huaihua Alley and found the door tightly shut, a bright "Double Happiness" character pasted on it.

He was about to return to the precinct when Da Bao's neighbor came back from shopping and opened her door.

Lu Hehuan approached, nodding, "Hello."

The neighbor looked at him, then recalled, "You're Officer Lu."

Lu Hehuan nodded, quickly asking, "You must have heard about Da Bao?"

"Yes, but honestly, he brought it on himself. Sister Hao killed for him, saved some money, but he was useless, married a socialite."

"Who did Da Bao marry?" Lu Hehuan pressed.

"Li Yingying from the Flower Hall."

"How did he meet someone from there?" Lu Hehuan was puzzled.

The neighbor sighed, "After Da Bao got the relocation money, he spent his days in revelry, became a regular at the Flower Hall, and was utterly bewitched by Li Yingying. She asked for the moon, he'd fetch the stars. He was completely under her spell. Recently, Li Yingying complained about inconvenience, so Da Bao bought a car!"

"And Li Yingying's feelings for Da Bao?"

The neighbor scoffed, "What feelings would a Flower Hall girl have? It's all about the money."

Lu Hehuan pondered, "Do you know if Li Yingying was home around eight last night?"

"No, she was at the hair salon."

"How do you know?"

"I passed the salon at eight, saw Li Yingying inside getting her hair done. Hmph, marrying a woman like that, the family fortune will be squandered."

"Which direction is the salon?"

The neighbor pointed, "Go straight, turn right at the first intersection."

"Thank you."

Lu Hehuan headed off in the direction indicated.