Zhang Yang was struck dumb at Xia Qingyi’s words. He felt that this girl was no ordinary person. Her thoughts were very meticulous and she had noticed many small details. She was also able to point out the issues that many others would have ignored.

Xia Qingyi did not want to deal with the police anymore. Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was already 9.30 PM. Mo Han would have finished work and brought home the red bean pastries by now.

“As the person who reported this case, you will have to come to the police station to answer further questions.” Zhang Yang said.

Xia Qingyi was about to say something, only to be stopped by her phone ringing. It was her older brother calling.

“Where are you? Why aren’t you at home?” Mo Han had called her in a hurry after he found that Xia Qingyi was not at home. He had returned home after lining up for half an hour to buy the pastries.

“I… I’m still at school. Something’s happened here.”

“What happened? Is it urgent?”

“There’s been a murder in school. The police are asking me some questions to find out more details.”

“A murder?” Mo Han tensed up.

“Yes. I was the first to find the body, so the police are asking me some questions now.”

Mo Han’s furrowed his brow. “Stay in school for the time being. I’ll pick you up from there.”

Xia Qingyi agreed, before she asked, “Have you bought the pastries?”

Mo Han was speechless at the fact that she could still think about her red bean pastries at a time like this, “Yes, I’ve bought it. I’ll bring it over to you in a while.”

The corners of Xia Qingyi’s mouth curled up. She contained her smile when she saw the stern police officer staring at her. She bid Mo Han farewell before hanging up the phone as she waited for the police officer’s questions.

“When you found the body, did you notice anything else that was of particular significance?

Xia Qingyi thought of the sound of footsteps stepping on leaves she had heard. However, she did not understand how if those footsteps had belonged to the murderer, why had they left her instead of killing her when they had realised she was at the scene? But if the footsteps belonged to something else, surely this was too much of a coincidence in such a quiet place?

She thought about it, before deciding to tell Zhang Yang about the sound she had heard, “I think I heard footsteps before I found the girl. It was the sort of noise you get when you step on leaves.”

Zhang Yang took down the notes diligently. Although he had suspicions about the girl’s true identity, he could not deny that her descriptions had given him many clues.

“Anything else?”

“No.”

Zhang Yang closed his notebook, “It’s late today so I’ll leave it here. Please come down to the police station tomorrow and we’ll do a more detailed verbal report.”

Zhang Yang passed the pen to her, “Please write down your contact details here.”

Xia Qingyi did not take the pen. Instinctively, she did not want to have anything to do with the police. “I have class tomorrow. I don’t think I’ll have the time to visit the police station.”

“Is attending class more important or is the case more important? You have to understand clearly that this is not just a regular robbery, but a murder!” Zhang Yang had just entered the police force, and was still filled with fervour to solve a huge case. Now that he was finally involved in a murder case, he felt slightly peeved that the person who had reported the case was behaving as though she was not involved at all.

“But I’ve already told you everything I know. There wouldn’t be anything new from what I’ve told you today even if I go to the police station tomorrow.” Xia Qingyi argued.

Just as both parties were at an impasse, Mo Han walked over from afar. He merely glanced at Xia Qingyi as he stepped between her and Zhang. His voice was gentle as he smiled, “I’m sorry. She’s still young; she doesn’t know the weight of her words. Please don’t be offended, Officer.”

Xia Qingyi kept quiet as she glanced at Mo Han unhappily. Zhang Yang stared at Mo Han, who was wearing an exquisitely tailored suit. Mo Han was tall and handsome with a lean body. His faint smile made him appear aloof. It was obvious that he was elite. Zhang Yang felt an invisible pressure as Mo Han stood in front of him, even clad in his police uniform.