Good and Evil Chapter Three The Woman Who Feigns Madness and Ignorance

Everyone possesses a tendency to hope for luck, but many pay little heed to such feelings, while some cling to wishful thinking whenever trouble arises.

Xu Lang and his companions exited the kitchen for two reasons. First, the detective squad had yet to arrive, and neither the forensic experts nor their investigation equipment had been brought in, leaving nothing for Xu Lang and the others to do inside. Second, the kitchen was filled with the alluring aroma of braised meat, but beside the pot sat a human head—a sight so shocking that even the most thick-skinned would be hard-pressed to endure it.

Outside the kitchen, they saw the proprietress still collapsed on the cold floor. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the kitchen, terror etched across her face as she muttered incessantly, "A ghost, a ghost."

To an uninformed bystander, she might appear simply to have suffered a fright, ignorant of the cause. But Xu Lang, Ning Yanran, and their colleagues knew better. This was her char siu restaurant; a human head had been found in her kitchen, along with hair floating in the iron pot. No rational person would believe she had nothing to do with it.

Ning Yanran strode to the proprietress, towering above her, her expression grim, her voice cold: "Get up."

The proprietress ignored Ning Yanran, as if she hadn't heard; her gaze remained locked on the kitchen, her muttering unbroken. Ning Yanran frowned, intensified her tone, and said, "Stop pretending. Get up."

With that, she reached out to pull the proprietress up. The sudden movement startled the woman, who recoiled, kicking frantically at the floor and emitting a piercing scream.

"Ah!"

Xu Lang, just having stepped out of the kitchen and looking for a place to sit, was so startled by her cry that he nearly fell to the ground.

He turned to Ning Yanran, who was equally shaken. Seeing Xu Lang's gaze, she met it and protested, "I didn't do anything!"

Xu Lang turned his attention to the proprietress, frowning. Her terror seemed genuine; at least to Xu Lang, it did. If she was acting, her performance was remarkable.

Ning Yanran looked at Xu Lang, silently asking, "What now?"

Xu Lang glanced at the proprietress, frowned, and said, "Wait until the police arrive."

Ning Yanran considered the situation and could only agree.

Just then, Zhang Lei, hand pressed to his mouth, the other gripping the doorframe, looked at Xu Lang with a face full of anguish and cried out, "Lang, why didn't you stop me when I was eating?"

Xu Lang looked innocent, replying slowly, "You moved too fast. I was about to speak, but you had already started eating. Even if I wanted to stop you, it was too late."

"Why didn’t you say something while I was eating?"

"I was afraid if I did, you’d spray me with food on the spot."

Xu Lang sounded perfectly reasonable and showed no guilt for Zhang Lei having eaten his portion of char siu rice, which only made Zhang Lei feel all the more miserable.

"How did the char siu rice taste? Was there any hair or knife fragments?"

At that moment of agony, Xu Lang posed a question that made Zhang Lei wish for death.

Zhang Lei glared at Xu Lang, released his hand from his mouth, trembled as he pointed at him, unable to utter a word. His expression shifted rapidly, then he spun around and rushed outside to vomit violently.

Ning Yanran and Li Lei watched this scene in speechless disbelief. Ning Yanran shot Xu Lang a reproachful look, saying, "Why are you like this? He's already suffering."

Xu Lang found a seat and replied calmly, "I'm teaching him a lesson, so he'll be less eager next time he sees food."

Ning Yanran rubbed her forehead, equally exasperated.

Soon, the second criminal investigation team arrived. Upon entry, they swiftly sealed the scene. Li Lei, equipped with tools, shoe covers, and gloves, stood at the kitchen entrance, hesitating to enter. The officers who followed were curious, and the forensic doctor, Ye Xuefei, frowned and urged, "Are you going in or not? If not, clear the way."

Hearing the renowned forensic doctor Ye Xuefei from the city bureau, Li Lei took a deep breath and finally stepped inside, with Ye Xuefei close behind. Upon entering, Ye Xuefei immediately saw the braised human head. The flesh had melted away from the heat, leaving only a smooth skull and two shriveled eyeballs. She frowned, then moved to the uncovered iron pot, which still emitted steam. Ye Xuefei waved a hand to disperse the mist and saw countless strands of hair floating in the greasy pot, a dense mass that would horrify anyone with trichophobia.

She now understood why Li Lei had hesitated to enter. Anyone would be unsettled by such sights in a place filled with the scent of meat. Ye Xuefei regarded the pot and asked Li Lei, "Should we fish these out?"

Li Lei stared blankly, taking a long moment to respond, "Me... you want me to do it?"

"Who else? Should I do it?" Ye Xuefei retorted.

Li Lei wore a look as though he’d swallowed a dead fly, sighed deeply, set down his tools, and called out, "Someone help me!"

He moved to retrieve a skimmer and began to fish out the hair from the pot. As the kitchen was small, Ye Xuefei didn’t stay inside but picked up the tray with the head and brought it out.

When Ye Xuefei emerged carrying the tray with the human skull, the crowd of onlookers in the restaurant was struck dumb with shock. They stared at the head in her hands, and once they realized it was human, the scene erupted with screams and shrieks. Those who had been watching for entertainment clamped their mouths, like Zhang Lei, and fled outside to vomit.

Ye Xuefei found the reaction odd—wasn’t it just a skull, devoid of flesh? Was it really so frightening? She didn’t understand, but neither did she care. She set the skull on a table, opened her forensic kit, and prepared to examine it.

The proprietress, still collapsed on the floor, went wild at the sight of the skull, screaming about ghosts as she ran for the door, desperate to escape.

Ning Yanran, watching her closely, moved quickly, seized the woman’s arm, and cuffed her hands together. She turned to the officers beside her and said, "Take her back."

Seeing that the police and forensic team had arrived, Xu Lang rose, brushed off his pants, and prepared to leave.

Ning Yanran, having just subdued the proprietress, saw Xu Lang trying to leave and called out, "You’re not allowed to go."

Everyone present turned to look at Xu Lang. He rubbed his ear, turned to Ning Yanran, and said helplessly, "Your people are here. I’m not a cop anymore. What am I staying for?"

Ning Yanran replied without hesitation, "Because you reported the crime, and you found the body. You need to come with me to the station and make a statement."

Xu Lang looked at Ning Yanran, and she looked back. After a long gaze, Xu Lang grinned and asked, "Can I not go to the station?"

Ning Yanran ignored his playful smile and shook her head. "No."

"But I haven’t eaten yet."

"You still want to eat at a time like this?"

"I haven’t eaten in days. Zhang Lei ate my char siu rice, and I’m starving."

Ning Yanran looked at Xu Lang with disbelief. Was this really a crime scene? There was a freshly retrieved head on the table, yet he still had an appetite. She had to admire his nerves.

As they discussed going to the station for a statement, Zhang Lei stood by the door, hands on the frame, listening. Hearing Xu Lang mention char siu rice again, Zhang Lei, who had already emptied his stomach, felt another wave of nausea and rushed out to vomit once more.

Xu Lang rubbed his nose and muttered, "With such poor tolerance, how can he be a detective?"

Though Ye Xuefei was examining the skull, her eyes frequently drifted to Xu Lang. Since arriving, she’d noticed him, and he her. They exchanged no words and avoided eye contact, as if strangers. Now, Xu Lang stood at the door watching Zhang Lei and the others vomiting by the wall. Ye Xuefei looked at his back, her expression complex—admiration, regret, and a barely discernible affection. Ning Yanran, who happened to glance at Ye Xuefei, felt curious.

She’d worked in the second squad for some time and interacted with Ye Xuefei often. Ye Xuefei was the youngest forensic doctor in the city bureau, and a woman at that—beautiful and highly skilled. Yet she was always cold, rarely smiled, never joked, and handled everything with businesslike detachment. Ning Yanran had never seen any emotion on her face, so her curiosity was piqued.

But before Ning Yanran could ask, Ye Xuefei had already bowed her head to resume her examination. Ning Yanran let it go, turned, and called into the kitchen, "Li Lei, I’m leaving you in charge. I’ll head back to the station."

Receiving no reply, Ning Yanran paused, then understood—thinking of the kitchen scene, she shivered, walked to the door, patted Xu Lang’s shoulder, and said, "Let’s go."

Xu Lang turned to look at her. "Can’t I eat before giving my statement?"

Ning Yanran glared at him, "What do you think?"

Xu Lang touched his nose, grinning, "I think I can."

"Get in the car."

Ning Yanran barked, shoving Xu Lang out of the restaurant.

She pushed him into the car and personally drove to the station, followed by a police vehicle carrying the proprietress.