Chapter 46: An Uninvited Visit

Yan Xue and Tong Jingfei followed the man to his car parked by the roadside. Indeed, a beautiful young woman sat in the front passenger seat. Upon seeing Yan Xue and Tong Jingfei approach, the young woman smiled warmly at them.

Once inside the car, the driver handed over his license for Yan Xue and Tong Jingfei to inspect. Tong Jingfei quickly waved it off, saying she wasn’t worried at all. With that, the man started the engine and drove off.

Leaning back against the seat, Yan Xue let out a silent breath of relief. The nervous tension she had felt earlier finally eased.

The driver was none other than Ji Yuan, and the woman in the passenger seat was unmistakably his genuine girlfriend—or more accurately, his fiancée—Xia Qing. These two had been the reinforcements Yan Xue had impulsively arranged for at the mall just moments before.

While Tong Jingfei was busy shopping, Yan Xue observed several details. First, although Tong Jingfei repeatedly tried on various items and hesitated in front of the mirror, she spent considerable time on this, but it was clear she was being very selective—as if she had long been eyeing these things but hadn’t allowed herself to buy them until today. She didn’t just stop after one purchase; rather, she seemed to be making up for lost time, buying all the things she had liked but previously resisted.

Second, Yan Xue noticed Tong Jingfei was consistently using the same credit card for all her purchases. Judging by her expression and body language, it was obvious she was maxing out her credit limit, which gave off an air of quiet distress.

From a distance, whether following or watching Tong Jingfei weave between stores, Yan Xue’s mind started piecing together a preliminary plan—a bit risky, but worth a try.

Clearly, Tong Jingfei’s financial situation wasn’t very comfortable; otherwise, she wouldn’t need to max out her credit card just to buy a few items that weren’t particularly extravagant. In such circumstances, taking a taxi home during rush hour would seem like an unnecessary luxury. Yet, after buying a new pair of shoes, Tong Jingfei was in such high spirits that she immediately chose to wear the new ones, carrying the old shoes in a box. Yan Xue was certain Tong Jingfei wouldn’t want to squeeze onto a crowded bus in those delicate new heels.

Given the density of foot traffic in that shopping district, those fine-heeled leather boots would inevitably get scuffed and worn into a vintage, shabby state by the time she reached her rented apartment.

Tong Jingfei had been meticulous and selective when buying, reluctant to take the new shoes off even after paying. Yan Xue bet she wouldn’t want to wear them on a cramped bus.

So, caught between not wanting to splurge on a taxi and worrying about her new clothes and shoes, if there were a cheap and comfortable means of transportation, it would naturally be very tempting to her.

Therefore, Yan Xue secretly contacted Xia Qing to arrange this little performance. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and Tong Jingfei was indeed tempted by the affordable fare and the convenience of riding together, eliminating the risk of losing track of her in the crowd.

Sitting quietly in the back seat with Tong Jingfei, Yan Xue kept their movements subtle. Soon, Xia Qing’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it, tucked it back into her bag, stretched her neck slightly, and gently tapped the back of her neck three times.

Yan Xue turned her gaze to the window, relaxing as they approached their destination.

That small gesture was a secret signal among their close friends to update on the progress—whether things had been resolved or had gone awry.

Earlier, Yan Xue had been anxious about whether Xia Qing had enough time to contact Kang Ge after she reached out, considering Ji Yuan had to drive over and prepare. She couldn’t take her eyes off Tong Jingfei to make a call or send a message without raising suspicion.

Now she could rest easy; Xia Qing had clearly reached Kang Ge in time and briefed him on their plan.

The car pulled up to the entrance of the residential complex where Tong Jingfei rented her apartment. Tong Jingfei gestured for Ji Yuan to stop by the curb and cross on foot, but Ji Yuan ignored her and drove straight through the gate. The security guard, seemingly familiar with Ji Yuan, opened the electric gate without even registering the vehicle and let them pass effortlessly.

Tong Jingfei was a little surprised. “Do you own a place here? Are you a resident? I don’t remember you saying this before…”

Ji Yuan remained silent, but Yan Xue understood perfectly well. The reason the guard let them through so smoothly was that Ji Yuan and Xia Qing had been staking out this area frequently these past few days. The security staff were already well acquainted with their license plate and identities.

If Tong Jingfei hadn’t appeared nervous upon entering, she certainly grew more uneasy when Ji Yuan drove right up to her building and stopped in front of the unit’s door.

“What exactly are you people doing?” she asked warily, clutching her belongings in front of her like a shield.

Yan Xue took out her ID and showed it to Tong Jingfei with a smile. “We’re from the W City Public Security Bureau, here to ask you a few questions.”

Tong Jingfei’s eyes flickered, but her face showed no surprise, confusion, or any urge to verify Yan Xue’s credentials. It was as if she accepted the explanation immediately, though a faint trace of displeasure lingered.

“Why didn’t you just say so from the start? Why beat around the bush?” she muttered unhappily.

Yan Xue inwardly thought, “Beating around the bush was just to make sure you didn’t run off…” but smiled mildly in response. “Let’s have a chat at your place. It’s about a masquerade ball you attended not long ago.”

Tong Jingfei didn’t refuse and nodded before stepping out. At that moment, Kang Ge’s car pulled up behind them. Tong Jingfei glanced at him briefly, then turned to Yan Xue. “Is he with you guys? Are you coming up? If you’re coming, we’ll go together. Just so you know, my place is small. There won’t be enough room to sit or stand comfortably, so you’ll have to squeeze in.”

In the end, only Yan Xue and Kang Ge followed her upstairs. Ji Yuan and Xia Qing stayed downstairs to provide backup. Given Tong Jingfei’s limited ability to resist, the two of them together were sufficient to handle the situation—there was nothing to worry about.

Tong Jingfei’s rented apartment was indeed small—a studio layout of about thirty square meters. The place was neat and tidy, with few belongings except for her dressing table, which was cluttered with various bottles and jars: skincare products, makeup, a lighted vanity mirror, neatly arranged brushes, and an acrylic drawer cabinet over a foot tall, covered with a silk scarf hiding its contents.

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Tong Jingfei went straight to the dressing table and sat on the stool.

“You attended a masquerade ball a few days ago, didn’t you?” Kang Ge said, scrutinizing her. She seemed calm, but it was unclear whether this was genuine or if her expressionless face was due to too many cosmetic fillers, leaving her unable to show subtle emotions. “I want to ask why you went to that party, why you went with others but left alone.”

This line of questioning was Kang Ge’s inference. When Tong Jingfei arrived at the masquerade, she was with a group, but when inspected later, she was alone in the car. It suggested she might have ditched her companions and left by herself.

This also led to another hypothesis—that her initial group of companions were not very close friends, making it easier to slip away.

“Oh, I went with some friends. When we left, they were all wild and noisy. I was tired. I asked them to leave, but they refused, so I left alone first. What’s the problem with that?” Tong Jingfei answered while staring at Kang Ge, trying to read his expression.

Kang Ge’s face was natural and unaffected, but his smile was faint, his demeanor casual. No one could tell what he was really thinking.

“No problem. It’s just a safety concern, given you’re a single woman leaving alone late at night,” he replied. Then he asked, “What’s your relationship with the victim, the host of that masquerade?”

“Not much of a relationship,” Tong Jingfei said firmly, trying to distance herself. Then, reconsidering, she backtracked slightly, “Well, it’s like this: she’s a friend of a friend. We’re not close, but we know each other. She invited her friends, her friends invited my friends, and my friends invited me.”

“Wow, your chain of connections sounds like a tongue twister!” Kang Ge laughed at her explanation.

Tong Jingfei shrugged, a little impatient but maintaining composure. “Why are you asking me? I don’t really know her well. If you want to learn about her, you might have the wrong person.”

“Oh, we’re not here to ask about her,” Kang Ge waved dismissively. “We want to ask about Shi Guanqu.”

Shi Guanqu was the owner of the fingerprint found at the crime scene and the deceased victim.

Upon hearing that name, Tong Jingfei’s tension visibly eased, almost releasing a sigh of relief right in front of Yan Xue and Kang Ge.

“Him? I actually know him pretty well. What do you want to know?” Her attitude shifted to one of warmth and engagement, a stark contrast to her earlier indifference.

“Did he attend the masquerade that night?”

“Yes, of course. He asked me if I wanted to go and have some fun. That’s why I went. Otherwise, I’m not close enough to just show up on my own without an invitation.”

“I see. While you were there, did you notice who Shi Guanqu interacted with? Was his interaction with the victim frequent?”

Yan Xue, hearing Kang Ge’s questions back and forth, now understood the line of inquiry.

“Well... I’m not exactly sure.” Tong Jingfei was vague, neither confirming nor denying. “I went there to relax and have fun. I couldn’t possibly watch everyone all the time!”

“True, that wouldn’t be appropriate. But even so, you should have noticed something, right? You can’t have missed all signs of interaction between Shi Guanqu and the victim.”

“Oh, I did notice something. Shi Guanqu is quite outgoing. He loves to flirt with pretty girls. At the party, he quickly started chatting with someone. I wasn’t paying much attention, but I remember seeing them talking privately several times, very animatedly.”

“Are you saying they were very familiar, that their relationship was unusually close?” Kang Ge frowned skeptically. “But as far as we know, Shi Guanqu and the victim had no prior connection. They shouldn’t have known each other, let alone be so friendly at first meeting.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Tong Jingfei slowed her speech, rolling her eyes as she sorted her thoughts quickly. “I never said they were unusually close! They had no connection before, but they have mutual friends who introduced them. I don’t know if you’ve looked into Shi Guanqu, but he’s average at work, except for his knack for spotting pretty girls and his chatty nature. He’s very smooth, chatting up girls fast, and eventually, they become familiar.”

“Am I wrong, or does it seem like you don’t really like Shi Guanqu’s personality?”

“Heh...” Tong Jingfei rolled her eyes again. “I really don’t like him! That guy hits on every pretty girl he sees. Once he flirts successfully, he tries to take advantage—if he gets something out of it, he’s happy; if not, he gets angry and makes trouble, giving people a hard time.”