Chapter Five: The Elderly Father

At this time of year, though the weather had warmed considerably, there was still a lingering chill. Popcorn was something everyone knew tasted best when it was freshly popped, steaming and fragrant. It was a snack available in shopping malls and cinemas alike—so why did they buy it early and carry it all the way here from outside? Ning Shuyi couldn’t help but glance a few more times at the girl who had accompanied the deceased. On the surveillance footage, her features weren’t entirely clear, but one shot caught her lifting her long hair, revealing a birthmark the color of red bean paste on the side of her neck, about the size of a coin.

After reviewing the surveillance, it was basically certain: from the moment the deceased entered the mall until her death in the cinema’s screening room, she had contact with no one except her female friend.

With other possibilities eliminated, Ning Shuyi and Huo Yan left the mall together. Zhao Dabao had already left in another car, but had left his keys with Ning Shuyi beforehand, so she and Huo Yan drove back themselves.

After circling around to find their car at the back of the building, Ning Shuyi asked, “You or me?”

Huo Yan took the keys, got in the driver’s seat, and answered with his actions.

That suited Ning Shuyi just fine. She could drive, and her skills were decent, but she simply didn’t enjoy it. She much preferred sitting in the passenger seat, whether looking out at the street, letting her mind wander, or contemplating various questions—it was all comfortable.

Settled into the passenger seat, Ning Shuyi’s thoughts inevitably drifted back to the appearance of the deceased and the preliminary findings from Dr. Zhang, the medical examiner.

Dr. Zhang had said the cause of death appeared to be sudden cardiac arrest. While this would require further verification, his extensive experience suggested it was unlikely to be far off. Yet, the causes of sudden cardiac death were many, and it was too soon to say which applied here.

Perhaps the deceased had an existing heart condition, unable to withstand intense shock.

Perhaps she had been under excessive work or study pressure, leading to exhaustion and cardiac failure.

Another possibility was that she had ingested something that could induce cardiac arrest…

That led to a troubling question: would someone with a serious heart condition really risk their health—perhaps even their life—by choosing to watch a horror film known for its startling scares? And in the middle of a workday, what were the odds that someone who could dress up and go shopping with a friend was in a state of chronic exhaustion from high-intensity work or study?

Though nothing was certain yet, Ning Shuyi sensed that this was unlikely to be a natural death.

Back at the precinct, the deceased’s father had not yet arrived, so Ning Shuyi began confirming the victim’s identity.

There was an ID card in the deceased’s bag, making it easy to check her personal information.

Her name was Wang Yuluo, twenty-five years old, a local of W City, a university graduate with no criminal record. Judging from the registered household address, she came from a well-off family. This matched her attire at the scene and the expensive designer handbag she carried.

As for her employment status after university, that information was not yet available.

After a while, three people hurried into the office. Leading them was a man who looked to be nearly seventy, followed by a couple in their fifties, all of whom seemed anxious and unsettled.

Upon entering, the elderly man immediately asked, “Excuse me, which of you is Officer Ning?”

Ning Shuyi quickly stood to greet them. “You’re Wang Yuluo’s family, correct? I’m Ning Shuyi.”

As she spoke, her gaze lingered on the couple in their fifties. The woman bore a resemblance to the deceased, and their ages suggested a mother-daughter relationship.

To her surprise, it was the older man who replied first. “Hello, Officer Ning. I’m Wang Yuluo’s father. On the phone earlier, there wasn’t time to ask for details. My daughter has always been healthy—how could she suddenly die like this? She’s always been fine. Could there have been a mix-up with someone who looked similar?”

Such questions were routine to Ning Shuyi. For the family, news like this was a bolt from the blue, and their first reaction was often denial, unwilling to accept the truth.

“Please come with me to the medical examiner’s office. There are some documents that require a family member’s signature,” she told Wang Yuluo’s father.

He nodded and followed her out, with the middle-aged couple trailing close behind. Noticing this, Ning Shuyi glanced back in confusion. Wang Yuluo’s father then remembered to introduce them. “Sorry, Officer Ning, I was in a rush and forgot to tell you—they’re Yuluo’s aunt and uncle. I’m often busy with work, so over the years, her aunt and uncle have taken care of many things for her. When they heard the news, they came with me.”

He waved at them. “You two shouldn’t come along and add to the confusion. I’ll go see what’s happened. Wait here, and if they need more information later, you can speak with them. If there’s been a mistake, there’s no need for you to be shocked.”

Hearing this, the aunt and uncle stopped and didn’t follow.

The identification process was as expected. Wang Yuluo had suffered no facial injuries before death, and her ID was in her belongings, making a mix-up highly unlikely. Her father took just one look and nearly collapsed. If it weren’t for Huo Yan, who had stayed behind at the medical examiner’s office, catching him from behind, he might have fallen badly.

Confronted with his daughter’s cold body, Wang Yuluo’s father was instantly overcome with tears. This elderly man looked pitiful and helpless, so devastated he could not even cry aloud.

“How could this happen… She was fine… How… how could this be…” His tears streamed down, his face a mixture of regret and incomprehension. “How am I going to explain this to her mother…”