The Villa Mystery Chapter Nineteen The Special Task Force

A sleepless night.

For many, last night was one of restless insomnia—some tormented by physical discomfort, like Hou San, who moaned and groaned all night in the makeshift shed, or Zhang Xiaoman, whose head throbbed with pain in the dormitory. Others were plagued by anxiety, such as Jinyue, who lay awake, apprehensive in the villa, and Wang Chao, tossing and turning in his rented room.

Yet no night can last forever, just as no dawn ever fails to arrive. The stars wheeled, the sun rose as the moon faded, and a faint gray light crept across the horizon, heralding the descent of daybreak and the birth of a new day.

Zhang Xiaoman sat up in bed, slowly changed into fresh clothes, and left the bedroom. To his astonishment, breakfast was already laid out on the table. After much pleading the previous night, Zhang Xiaoman had finally convinced Wei Xue to grant him seven days, though she had stormed off in anger in the end…

The sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom, and a short-haired woman in a beige down coat emerged. She glanced at Zhang Xiaoman, who sat at the table without moving his chopsticks, and pouted, “Eat while it’s hot, or it won’t taste good. Or have you grown used to eating meals made by other women these past months, and now can’t stomach mine?”

Zhang Xiaoman cleared his throat, quickly picked up his chopsticks, and put a piece of greens in his mouth, then took a big sip of lean pork congee and forced a fawning smile. “How could that be? Of course your cooking is the best. Xiaoxiao, you don’t know how much I missed your food while I was back in my hometown—I thought about it every night and hardly slept… To be honest, Wei Xue’s cooking really isn’t much. Haven’t you noticed I’ve lost so much weight?”

Huang Xiaoxiao sat down opposite him and snorted lightly. “You know that’s not what I meant… Never mind, if I go on, I’ll seem petty…” She glanced around the room and sighed. “Decades have passed, and this place is exactly the same as before, not a thing has changed… I still remember when you were first assigned this dorm; we were so excited we couldn’t sleep all night. Back then, we thought, at last, we finally had a home of our own in this city…”

Zhang Xiaoman picked up a steaming bun, blew on it, and took a bite. “I didn’t sleep last night either…”

Huang Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and pointed at the sofa, speaking with enthusiasm. “Do you remember? When we bought that sofa, we ate instant noodles for a month to save up. You kept telling me life would get better, and that you’d buy me a bigger, more comfortable sofa one day… The sofas did get bigger, but the time we spent sitting together on them just grew less and less…”

Zhang Xiaoman put down his chopsticks and looked intently at her. “Xiaoxiao, just say what you want to say…”

“It’s nothing… I only wanted to remind you that, whatever happens, you can always tell me,” Huang Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together, her eyes reddening, “After everything we’ve been through, our lives are already entwined as one. You can confide in Wei Xue, you even told that woman He Yao, but why must you keep things from me…”

“Did Wei Xue tell you?” Zhang Xiaoman frowned. “She really can’t keep her mouth shut…”

Huang Xiaoxiao shook her head slowly, pointing at him. “You told me yourself… Since we moved out of this dorm, you’ve only come back once—alone. If it was for that reason last time, I think it must be the same this time…”

Zhang Xiaoman paused, then gave a self-deprecating smile and sighed. “You really see through me… You guessed right. The illness in my head has relapsed…”

A chill ran through Huang Xiaoxiao’s heart. She rested her left hand on Zhang Xiaoman’s right. “Let me stay by your side this time, even if you lose control again…”

He waved her off, interrupting her. “It’s not a matter of losing control this time, it’s decline… My memory is failing, my intellect is fading…” He took off the hairpiece, revealing his bald scalp. “My physical functions are deteriorating rapidly. Now I’m truly ‘brilliant’ in every sense…”

Huang Xiaoxiao covered her mouth in shock, a tear slipping down her cheek as she took his hand and stood up. “Come on, let’s go back to our hometown immediately. Since that medicine was first developed there, there must be a way to solve this…”

Zhang Xiaoman pulled his hand away. “Did you forget I just came back from there?” He exhaled heavily. “Besides, with medicine the way it is now, it makes no difference where I am. I went back mostly because Wei Xue said many of the old hospital director’s records were still there, and also because it was quiet—no one to disturb me…”

“Then let’s go back again,” Huang Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears. “This time I’ll go with you. However long we need to stay, we’ll stay…”

“Let’s talk about it after I finish my work…” Zhang Xiaoman shook his head with a wry smile. “Nie Yi and Li Jun are still in the detention center—I can’t just walk away from this mess…”

“Don’t try to fool me. Even if you don’t join the task force, Nie Yi and Li Jun would be released eventually. Solving cases is the police’s job. One more or less makes no difference. Even if you don’t trust the police’s abilities, there are plenty of people from the Yiming Society who could help out—any one of them could assist the police and do a fine job. You don’t have to do everything yourself…”

“They’ve already dealt with the apprentices; as the master, I must step up. My disciples, my responsibility… Besides, I want to set an example for the two of them, one last time.”

Huang Xiaoxiao stared at him. “Is it really that serious?”

Zhang Xiaoman closed his eyes and nodded gently.

“If you’ve made up your mind,” she said, squeezing his hand again, “then do what you must. As your wife, I’ll help you see it through.”

“You’ll help me?”

“Don’t forget, I’m Huang Xiaoxiao,” she replied, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “And here’s something you probably don’t know—the woman named Jinyue is also a member of the Volunteer Association…”

“Looks like Nie Yi and Li Jun will be out soon…” Zhang Xiaoman smiled knowingly, glanced at the leaden sky outside, and stretched. “It’s almost New Year’s—there should really be some sun. Things are only festive and lively when they’re bright and warm…”

An hour later, Zhang Xiaoman waddled into the police station conference room. The room was already filled with task force members. He Wei was writing and drawing on the whiteboard at the front, while the rest watched Zhang Xiaoman as he entered. He cleared his throat. “Got up early, but still arrived late… Sorry, I’m a minute behind—age slows the legs, I hope you’ll forgive me.”

With that, he walked over and sat beside Sun Tiantian, keeping his head down.

He Wei put down his pen and clapped his hands. “Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s officially go over the case…” He pointed to the photo of Yang Hai on the whiteboard. “The victim, Yang Hai, a local of City A, was the chairman of Yang Group, with a complex network of connections…”

As he listened, Zhang Xiaoman studied the members of the task force. Aside from himself and Sun Tiantian, who was clad in black leather, all the others were police officers in blue uniforms. Four on the right, he remembered as members of He Wei’s criminal investigation unit. The three on the left were unfamiliar—clearly brought in from elsewhere.

Sun Tiantian removed the lollipop from her mouth and, nodding toward the square-jawed officer in the center on the left, whispered to Zhang Xiaoman, “Uncle Man, that guy’s been watching you since you came in. Do you know him?”

Zhang Xiaoman glanced at the officer she indicated and shook his head. “No… but most people here are curious about me. It’s normal if they sneak a few extra glances…”

Before Sun Tiantian could say more, He Wei finished his summary and raised his voice. “In summary, the main suspects are still Nie Yi and Li Jun, whom we’ve already apprehended. The fingerprints on the weapon and the villa owner’s testimony both point to them. But there are several suspicious aspects—the case isn’t nearly as simple as it appears. Next, Professor Zhang will walk us through the key doubts in the case…”

At once, every gaze landed on Zhang Xiaoman—some curious, some respectful, some disdainful.

He rose slowly and pressed his lips together. “I wouldn’t call it a lecture, just a sharing of my thoughts…”

“Wait!” a cold voice cut in, interrupting him. The square-jawed officer Sun Tiantian had pointed out stood up. “As far as I know, the main suspects, Nie Yi and Li Jun, are this Professor Zhang’s disciples. Their relationship is anything but ordinary. Is it really appropriate for him to be involved in this case? According to Police Regulation Article 45, investigators must recuse themselves from cases involving close relations…”

Sun Tiantian jumped to her feet. “You’re insulting Uncle Man’s integrity! Even if you’ve betrayed us and blackened your heart, Uncle Man would never let personal feelings interfere with a case… Don’t throw regulations around—they apply to police officers. Uncle Man is just here to help…”

“If he’s part of the task force, he’s an investigator,” the square-jawed officer retorted. “And this is a police station—we follow the rules here.”

“Fine!” Sun Tiantian turned to Zhang Xiaoman. “Uncle Man, if they don’t appreciate your help, let’s leave. If you really don’t trust these blockheads to solve the case, we’ll investigate it ourselves. No need to take this nonsense…”

Zhang Xiaoman motioned for her to calm down.

He Wei’s expression darkened. He fixed his eyes on the square-jawed officer and spoke icily. “First, Professor Zhang is here as a consultant, assisting with the investigation. He is not an investigator. Second, the decision to bring him in was made by the chief. If anyone has objections, take it up with the chief—don’t make insinuations here. Focus on your own responsibilities in Tech Investigation. The rest is none of your concern.”

The two officers beside the square-jawed man immediately looked displeased and stood up, faces cold. He Wei’s four subordinates stiffened, unwilling to back down, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

Zhang Xiaoman coughed twice and slowly walked to He Wei’s side, turning to face the room. “Everyone, please sit down. Let’s be patient and hear my perspective on this case. If anything I say seems biased, I’ll leave at once…”

The square-jawed officer met Zhang Xiaoman’s gaze, then sat down with his two colleagues. He Wei’s team followed suit.

Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath. “As I see it, there are four main doubts in this case.” He held up a finger. “First, if Nie Yi and Li Jun are the killers, what was their motive?”

He pointed to the photo of footprints. “Second, there are footprints belonging to Nie Yi and Li Jun going from the living room sofa to the study, but none elsewhere. How did they enter the villa? They couldn’t have just appeared out of thin air. The window shows clear signs of being forced, and both men testified they climbed in through it. So where are the footprints from the window to the living room sofa?”

“Third, the victim, Yang Hai, shows no defensive wounds—he was killed almost instantly. This suggests the killer intended to murder him from the outset. If two people broke in to kill him, would Yang Hai have been so oblivious? He was fully conscious when he died…”

“Fourth, the villa owner claims Li Jun was knocked out by Yang Hai, and that Nie Yi killed Yang Hai, after which she heard the commotion from upstairs and knocked Nie Yi out… I’ve inspected the wounds on the backs of Nie Yi and Li Jun’s heads. If her account is true, then those two must be remarkably in sync—even the blows to the skulls are identical…”

You could hear a pin drop in the meeting room—everyone was lost in thought.

When Zhang Xiaoman finished, he sighed softly. “Actually, there are even more doubts. Most importantly… there is another murder hidden within this villa…”