When she arrived, the local weather wasn’t good and the sky was rather downcast.
Having only brought a set of bright clothing and necessities, she pulled her luggage out of the airport and took a taxi to her destination.
When she arrived at the residential estate, she went to have a meal first.
The estate was completely different from how she imagined it to be.
It wasn’t a high-class residential estate, and the buildings weren’t new either.
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like an old residential estate.
Chen Anran would actually live here?
But there was nothing wrong with the address Fan Shixin had given her. Carrying all these doubts, An Xiaoning entered the stairway of one of the buildings.
There was a foul smell in the stairway, so she went in with her hand covering her nose.
There wasn’t even a lift, only stairs.
An Xiaoning could only climb the stairs all the way to the fourth storey.
Surveying her surroundings, she realized that the estate didn’t even have surveillance cameras installed in the stairway.
She had gone there without a mask. She had thought that since she was going there, there was no need to conceal her identity; her re-investigation of the case would soon be made known to all.
She pressed the doorbell once, but there was no sound inside at all.
Could she not be home?
She pressed the doorbell yet again.
This time, a rather loud noise sounded from inside. It sounded like something had dropped, and the noise was pretty crisp and clear, like the sound of glass shattering on ceramic tiles. Judging from how the sound could be heard so clearly from outside, it was evident that the house wasn’t soundproof at all.
Would Chen Anran, someone who had an established family background, stay at such a shabby place?
The door eventually opened.
The woman that stood before An Xiaoning was distinctly different from her.
Her hair was in a complete mess, and her face was in terrible shape and had poor coloring. There was no makeup on her either.
The pair of loose-fitting set of pyjamas looked disharmonious on her thin body, and a gust of hot air blew from inside the house, seemingly from a heater.
“You’re… An Xiaoning?”
She actually recognized her.
“Hi. May I come in?”
She looked at An Xiaoning in astonishment and eventually murmured a short answer and agreed.
She really was completely different from how An Xiaoning imagined her to be.
Her tone was warm and gentle, and no matter how she looked at her, she didn’t look like someone ruthless. Even then, An Xiaoning still knew never to judge a book by its cover.
After she went in, it was then that she saw a rather huge vase shattered into pieces on the floor.
It must have been this that had produced the sound earlier.
“Please… take a seat.”
An Xiaoning muttered a reply and sat on the sofa piled with clothes, trying her best not to sit on her clothing.
“What brings you here?”
“Why do you think I’ll be here to look for you, Ms. Chen Anran?”
She stared straight at An Xiaoning, her dry lips twitching slightly. “Although I’ve been overseas, I still keep an eye on the events happening within the country. I know you’re great at solving cases and can even talk to the dead to find out the truth behind cases. So, have you already talked to Jiang Guoguo? She hasn’t been reincarnated yet?”
To think that she would bring up Jiang Guoguo’s name first.
“I’m not sure if she has been reincarnated already. I only went to your school to take a look. As to her home and grave, I haven’t been to those places yet as I wanted to talk to you first. Ms. Chen, you’re quite different from how I imagined you to be.”
“Did you think that I’d be living a luxurious and carefree life?”
“That was one thought. The other thing is that you don’t look as ruthless as I thought you would be.” An Xiaoning did not forget to survey her home as she spoke. “I can tell that you haven’t been living well these ten years.”
Chen Anran shrugged her shoulders. “Indeed. I wanted to die, but I was scared. I wanted to live, but I couldn’t live well. This kind of feeling is extremely torturous as well. I thought that Ms. An came to find me after you’d talked to the deceased. It turns out you didn’t.”
“I find something wrong with what you’re saying. Why would I only come and look for you after I’ve talked to the deceased? This means there’s something wrong.”
“There isn’t. If you didn’t have any concrete evidence, would you come and find me?” She remarked honestly, “I paid a lot of attention to local news, but most of it was news about you, Ms. An. You probably wouldn’t know, I’ve read all the major cases that you’ve taken part in. You’re really quite efficient in handling cases. When I saw you assisting the police in solving major cases, I kind of guessed that you might take up Jiang Guoguo’s case as well. This is what I’ve expected.”
“Even then, it looks like you’re not afraid that this case would be made known to all again. Furthermore, you don’t seem afraid of what could possibly happen to you. Didn’t you say that you’re afraid of dying? How come I can’t see that in you?”
Chen Anran looked at her and replied, “Ms. An, I know that your status is different, but you’re not someone who’s involved in our national affairs, after all. You don’t have actual power in your hands. I’m not afraid to tell you this because it’s the truth. So, even if you have concrete evidence in your hands, what can you possibly do to me?”
Her tone was calm and composed, but An Xiaoning could sense a tinge of arrogance in her.
“Ms. Chen.” An Xiaoning stared straight at her face. “I do have conclusive evidence to prove that you were the one who killed Jiang Guoguo. Although you think that I can’t do anything to you, I just want to tell you that amongst the cases that I had investigated previously, the victims of the two cases that took place in the Widow’s Village didn’t reincarnate because they had deep grudges. I’m not sure if it’s the same for Jiang Guoguo now, but even if she has been reincarnated, it’s fine. I already have concrete evidence with me.”
“What evidence?”
“Surveillance camera footage,” she answered bluntly. “Back then, after Jiang Guoguo entered the dormitory, you were the only one who went in throughout the whole time. There were no other people.”
Her face finally changed slightly. “Aren’t the evidence all destroyed? Where… did this evidence come from? I thought you had other evidence with you so you came to find me. But if it’s the surveillance camera footage back then, that’s not quite possible.”
“For such an extremely brutal murder case like this, not everyone will fear the power of your family and not dare to do anything. At least, someone dared to keep a copy of this evidence. Chen Anran, your family background may be impressive indeed, and I don’t have much power in national matters either, but do you know how united the online community is toward such cases? There are still many people who have their attention on this case. I believe that since you pay attention to news of me so much, you probably also paid attention to news on this case that was created by yourself. You definitely know how the netizens discuss and think of this case. Is this also the reason why you couldn’t live well all these years? Chen Anran, have you ever felt remorseful for what you have done to Jiang Guoguo?”
Her gaze landed on the messy coffee table, where all kinds of trash from snack packaging to drink bottles were scattered around, and she appeared as if she was contemplating this matter.
She kept silent for a long while and did not answer An Xiaoning.
An Xiaoning was not in a hurry either and patiently waited for her to answer.
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When she arrived, the local weather wasn’t good and the sky was rather downcast.
Having only brought a set of bright clothing and necessities, she pulled her luggage out of the airport and took a taxi to her destination.
When she arrived at the residential estate, she went to have a meal first.
The estate was completely different from how she imagined it to be.
It wasn’t a high-class residential estate, and the buildings weren’t new either.
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like an old residential estate.
Chen Anran would actually live here?
But there was nothing wrong with the address Fan Shixin had given her. Carrying all these doubts, An Xiaoning entered the stairway of one of the buildings.
There was a foul smell in the stairway, so she went in with her hand covering her nose.
There wasn’t even a lift, only stairs.
An Xiaoning could only climb the stairs all the way to the fourth storey.
Surveying her surroundings, she realized that the estate didn’t even have surveillance cameras installed in the stairway.
She had gone there without a mask. She had thought that since she was going there, there was no need to conceal her identity; her re-investigation of the case would soon be made known to all.
She pressed the doorbell once, but there was no sound inside at all.
Could she not be home?
She pressed the doorbell yet again.
This time, a rather loud noise sounded from inside. It sounded like something had dropped, and the noise was pretty crisp and clear, like the sound of glass shattering on ceramic tiles. Judging from how the sound could be heard so clearly from outside, it was evident that the house wasn’t soundproof at all.
Would Chen Anran, someone who had an established family background, stay at such a shabby place?
The door eventually opened.
The woman that stood before An Xiaoning was distinctly different from her.
Her hair was in a complete mess, and her face was in terrible shape and had poor coloring. There was no makeup on her either.
The pair of loose-fitting set of pyjamas looked disharmonious on her thin body, and a gust of hot air blew from inside the house, seemingly from a heater.
“You’re… An Xiaoning?”
She actually recognized her.
“Hi. May I come in?”
She looked at An Xiaoning in astonishment and eventually murmured a short answer and agreed.
She really was completely different from how An Xiaoning imagined her to be.
Her tone was warm and gentle, and no matter how she looked at her, she didn’t look like someone ruthless. Even then, An Xiaoning still knew never to judge a book by its cover.
After she went in, it was then that she saw a rather huge vase shattered into pieces on the floor.
It must have been this that had produced the sound earlier.
“Please… take a seat.”
An Xiaoning muttered a reply and sat on the sofa piled with clothes, trying her best not to sit on her clothing.
“What brings you here?”
“Why do you think I’ll be here to look for you, Ms. Chen Anran?”
She stared straight at An Xiaoning, her dry lips twitching slightly. “Although I’ve been overseas, I still keep an eye on the events happening within the country. I know you’re great at solving cases and can even talk to the dead to find out the truth behind cases. So, have you already talked to Jiang Guoguo? She hasn’t been reincarnated yet?”
To think that she would bring up Jiang Guoguo’s name first.
“I’m not sure if she has been reincarnated already. I only went to your school to take a look. As to her home and grave, I haven’t been to those places yet as I wanted to talk to you first. Ms. Chen, you’re quite different from how I imagined you to be.”
“Did you think that I’d be living a luxurious and carefree life?”
“That was one thought. The other thing is that you don’t look as ruthless as I thought you would be.” An Xiaoning did not forget to survey her home as she spoke. “I can tell that you haven’t been living well these ten years.”
Chen Anran shrugged her shoulders. “Indeed. I wanted to die, but I was scared. I wanted to live, but I couldn’t live well. This kind of feeling is extremely torturous as well. I thought that Ms. An came to find me after you’d talked to the deceased. It turns out you didn’t.”
“I find something wrong with what you’re saying. Why would I only come and look for you after I’ve talked to the deceased? This means there’s something wrong.”
“There isn’t. If you didn’t have any concrete evidence, would you come and find me?” She remarked honestly, “I paid a lot of attention to local news, but most of it was news about you, Ms. An. You probably wouldn’t know, I’ve read all the major cases that you’ve taken part in. You’re really quite efficient in handling cases. When I saw you assisting the police in solving major cases, I kind of guessed that you might take up Jiang Guoguo’s case as well. This is what I’ve expected.”
“Even then, it looks like you’re not afraid that this case would be made known to all again. Furthermore, you don’t seem afraid of what could possibly happen to you. Didn’t you say that you’re afraid of dying? How come I can’t see that in you?”
Chen Anran looked at her and replied, “Ms. An, I know that your status is different, but you’re not someone who’s involved in our national affairs, after all. You don’t have actual power in your hands. I’m not afraid to tell you this because it’s the truth. So, even if you have concrete evidence in your hands, what can you possibly do to me?”
Her tone was calm and composed, but An Xiaoning could sense a tinge of arrogance in her.
“Ms. Chen.” An Xiaoning stared straight at her face. “I do have conclusive evidence to prove that you were the one who killed Jiang Guoguo. Although you think that I can’t do anything to you, I just want to tell you that amongst the cases that I had investigated previously, the victims of the two cases that took place in the Widow’s Village didn’t reincarnate because they had deep grudges. I’m not sure if it’s the same for Jiang Guoguo now, but even if she has been reincarnated, it’s fine. I already have concrete evidence with me.”
“What evidence?”
“Surveillance camera footage,” she answered bluntly. “Back then, after Jiang Guoguo entered the dormitory, you were the only one who went in throughout the whole time. There were no other people.”
Her face finally changed slightly. “Aren’t the evidence all destroyed? Where… did this evidence come from? I thought you had other evidence with you so you came to find me. But if it’s the surveillance camera footage back then, that’s not quite possible.”
“For such an extremely brutal murder case like this, not everyone will fear the power of your family and not dare to do anything. At least, someone dared to keep a copy of this evidence. Chen Anran, your family background may be impressive indeed, and I don’t have much power in national matters either, but do you know how united the online community is toward such cases? There are still many people who have their attention on this case. I believe that since you pay attention to news of me so much, you probably also paid attention to news on this case that was created by yourself. You definitely know how the netizens discuss and think of this case. Is this also the reason why you couldn’t live well all these years? Chen Anran, have you ever felt remorseful for what you have done to Jiang Guoguo?”
Her gaze landed on the messy coffee table, where all kinds of trash from snack packaging to drink bottles were scattered around, and she appeared as if she was contemplating this matter.
She kept silent for a long while and did not answer An Xiaoning.
An Xiaoning was not in a hurry either and patiently waited for her to answer.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.
