Chapter Ten: Exchanging Identities

Yan Xue agreed with Kang Ge’s analysis and immediately began investigating the registration records of all major hotels in Y City. Following Kang Ge’s advice, she started with the most expensive hotels. Sure enough, by the third hotel, she found a clue: among the three girls, the one named Bai Yueni had checked into a hotel suite two days prior and had not yet checked out.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s head for Y City! We still have time!” Yan Xue glanced at her watch, sprang to her feet, shrugged into her coat, and called to Kang Ge. “It’s already past today’s check-out time. Since she hasn’t checked out, she won’t be leaving until at least tomorrow morning. It’s only a three-hour drive from here. If we leave now, we’ll make it in time! If it’s Lin Zhen herself, that would be best. And even if it’s not, at the very least, she must be with those people. No matter who she is, since she used Lin Zhen’s private bank card, she must know something about Lin Zhen! Right now, we don’t have any certainties. Instead of wasting time coordinating with Y City’s police, we might as well go ourselves!”

“Wait, wait!” Kang Ge quickly grabbed her arm, stopping her from rushing out the door. “Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

“Oh! I really did forget!” Yan Xue suddenly remembered that Lin Zhen’s parents were still in the lounge. They had just confirmed that the deceased wasn’t their daughter and were anxiously hoping to find her. Now that they were heading to Y City, it was only right to inform them.

The two of them went to the lounge, where Lin Zhen’s parents had long been unable to sit still. Seeing them open the door, the couple sprang up from their chairs. “Well? Any news? Do you know where our Zhenzhen is now?”

“We suspect that she or her friends are in Y City, so we’re planning to head there. Would you…”

Yan Xue had barely finished her sentence when Lin Zhen’s mother interrupted, “We’re coming with you! Is that okay?”

Though she phrased it as a question, her tone left no room for refusal; she nearly rushed forward to grab Yan Xue.

Seeing how insistent they were, Yan Xue could only agree. She and Kang Ge brought Lin Zhen’s parents downstairs, got into the car, and sped toward Y City. During the entire journey, Lin Zhen’s parents sat silently in the back, holding hands, their faces taut with anxiety.

They seemed even more distressed than when they were first brought to the police station. But Yan Xue could understand: when viewing the body, their dominant emotions had been shock and disbelief. When they realized the deceased wasn’t their daughter, they experienced a surge of wild relief. Now, as the worry for their missing daughter returned, the tension and fear that should have struck them earlier came crashing down with doubled force.

Though Y City wasn’t far from W City, Yan Xue had never been there before. She thought that once they entered the city, she’d need to rely on the GPS to find their way. To her surprise, Kang Ge navigated with ease, often turning into the correct lane even before the GPS gave directions.

Yan Xue was a bit taken aback. On second thought, she recalled that Kang Ge’s accent sometimes carried a faint trace of Y City, though most of the time it sounded like W City. Maybe he’d lived in Y City as a child.

Of course, now was not the time to ponder this. Yan Xue pushed her curiosity aside—her priority was to confirm Lin Zhen’s whereabouts; finding her in person would be ideal.

The four of them arrived at the hotel. Lin Zhen’s parents, too anxious to wait, jumped out of the car before Kang Ge had even parked and rushed straight into the lobby. Yan Xue gestured for Kang Ge to park properly and hurried after them.

By the time she caught up, Lin Zhen’s parents were already at the front desk, faces drawn with worry, demanding to know which room Lin Zhen was staying in. The receptionist looked nervous, continually asking them to calm down.

Yan Xue went over, gently pulling Lin Zhen’s parents aside and signaling for them to be patient. She produced her credentials, explained her purpose, and inquired about Bai Yueni’s movements. The receptionist looked bewildered, glancing back and forth between Yan Xue and Lin Zhen’s parents, seemingly confused as to why the group first asked about Lin Zhen and then about Bai Yueni.

Lin Zhen’s parents were equally perplexed by this “Bai Yueni,” but since Yan Xue was handling things, they held their questions and kept silent.

After verifying Yan Xue’s identification, the receptionist contacted the floor staff, who replied that Bai Yueni hadn’t left her room all day. There was a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, so housekeeping hadn’t gone in to clean; the last time anyone saw her was at breakfast the day before.

Having confirmed this, Kang Ge had finished parking and joined them. Yan Xue requested that the receptionist bring the spare key for Bai Yueni’s suite and accompany them upstairs, in case they needed to open the door.

The receptionist checked Kang Ge’s credentials as well before agreeing to accompany them, carrying the spare key. Lin Zhen’s parents followed anxiously, their faces stiff with tension.

At the room, Yan Xue rang the bell. Everyone outside the door held their breath, listening intently. All was quiet within; not a sound could be heard. Lin Zhen’s mother, frantic, nearly paced the corridor.

Yan Xue reassured her, then pressed the bell again in a rapid sequence, already preparing to ask the hotel staff to open the door if there was still no answer.

Fortunately, after the urgent sequence of chimes, there was movement inside. Someone was clearly approaching the door; everyone outside breathed a sigh of relief, including the receptionist, who had been inwardly terrified that her hotel might become entangled in a criminal investigation.

The person inside was cautious, not opening the door at once but peering through the peephole. Then a puzzled voice sounded from within: “Dad? Mom? How did you get here?”

At the same time, the lock turned and the door was pulled open a crack. A young woman in her twenties appeared in the gap. Before she could react, Lin Zhen’s mother rushed forward and pulled her into the hall, so quickly that both the girl and the receptionist were startled.

“My daughter! My daughter! Thank goodness you’re all right!” Lin Zhen’s mother hugged her, overcome with relief and lingering fear. If not for the presence of others, she probably would have showered her daughter’s face with kisses.

“Thank you, we can take it from here—you can get back to your work,” Yan Xue said to the stunned receptionist.

Seeing that the guest was safe and sound, the receptionist relaxed, nodded tactfully, and left.

“Now that we’ve found her, let’s talk inside. The hallway isn’t convenient,” Kang Ge reminded them.

Lin Zhen’s father, coming back to his senses, pulled his emotional wife and bewildered daughter into the suite. Kang Ge and Yan Xue followed, closing the door behind them.

Lin Zhen certainly knew how to enjoy life—she’d booked a suite for herself. The entrance opened into a small living room with several sofas, perfect for conversation.

While Kang Ge and Yan Xue marveled at the choice of room, Lin Zhen’s parents seemed unsurprised—perhaps she always chose such accommodation when she traveled.

“How did you find me? How did you know I was here? And who are these two?” Lin Zhen, spoiled since childhood, nestled between her parents and began to act coquettishly.

“They’re police officers! They helped us find you!” Lin Zhen’s father, finally relieved, now felt a wave of irritation. “You’re getting harder to keep track of as you grow older! You left without a word, took neither your bank card nor your phone, not even your ID. Do you know how worried your mother and I were?”

“That’s enough! She’s safe and sound, and that’s what matters!” Lin Zhen’s mother, holding her daughter, quickly tried to pacify her husband. “But next time, Zhenzhen, if you want to go out, just let us know. Otherwise, we’re completely unprepared—and with all that mysterious business at home… My heart can’t take it!”

“You called in the police? Isn’t that a bit much?” Lin Zhen grinned, clearly unfazed by her parents’ scolding. “You realized pretty quickly that the other girl wasn’t me?”

“You’re my daughter. If I can’t recognize my own child, what kind of mother am I?” Lin Zhen’s mother hugged her even tighter, making Lin Zhen squirm in discomfort.

“Lin Zhen, you checked in here under Bai Yueni’s name? Can you show us the ID you used?” Yan Xue asked.

Having just heard her mother introduce the two as police officers, Lin Zhen looked at them with open curiosity, utterly unperturbed. She nodded, seized the chance to escape her mother’s embrace, fetched her purse, and produced an ID.

Yan Xue took it and examined it: the name was indeed Bai Yueni, and the photo looked exactly like the deceased. Compared to Lin Zhen, there were subtle differences, but at a glance, they could have been the same person.

“Are you and Bai Yueni swapping identities?” Yan Xue asked, making a bold guess based on the ID.

Seeing she’d been found out, Lin Zhen made no attempt to hide it. “Yes. Life’s just too dull, so I decided to amuse myself. I didn’t expect you to find me so quickly! But why involve the police? Even if I checked into the hotel under Bai Yueni’s name, I haven’t broken any laws. Is that really something to report?”

“I’m afraid it’s not as simple as you think. Bai Yueni was found dead in your home early this morning,” Kang Ge told her with a shrug. “So you’ll have to give us a thorough account of what happened between you two.”

“What? She’s dead?” Lin Zhen was clearly stunned—her eyes widened in shock. “Are you serious? You said she died at my house?”

“That’s right! You can’t imagine how frightened we were!” Lin Zhen’s mother still clutched her chest, shaken by the memory. “When I saw that dead girl, my heart nearly stopped! She died in our home, had your ID and your phone, and looked so much like you! If I hadn’t remembered your nose and chin surgeries, I might not have realized it wasn’t you!”

Lin Zhen’s face became uneasy, as if she was struggling to process the news.

Yan Xue handed Bai Yueni’s ID to Kang Ge, who glanced at it. The ID indicated she was twenty-five and not a resident of W City; her registered address was some distance away.

“How did you meet Bai Yueni?” Yan Xue asked Lin Zhen.

Still distracted, Lin Zhen only responded after her father nudged her. “Ah? Oh, we… Well, that’s a long story. We met quite a while ago.”

“It’s all right. If it’s a long story, we have plenty of time. Go ahead.”

“Okay.” Lin Zhen moved to a single armchair, apparently not wanting to sit between her parents. “To explain, I have to start with something I did a while back. I once put our house online—as an AirBB…”

“You put our house online for what? Air what?” Lin Zhen’s father, unfamiliar with the term, looked confused.

“Oh, you wouldn’t understand. Anyway, during that time, one of my tenants told me I looked exactly like someone he knew. Later, he introduced us, and that’s how we got in touch.”