Chapter 2: The Suspicious Garbage Truck

When Xia Wuyou finally arrived at the old house on her bike, Mr. Tian, the owner, had already been waiting at the door for quite some time.

Having interacted a few times before, Mr. Tian was familiar with Xia Wuyou’s straightforward personality, so their conversations were always relaxed. He also knew this young woman was sincere in wanting to help him sell the house, so even though she had lost a potential buyer due to her oversight, Mr. Tian wasn’t particularly angry.

However, since he had already found a suitable retirement home, he was eager to sell the house as soon as possible.

“Miss Xia, when do you think this house could be sold at the earliest?”

“Uncle Tian, honestly, your house is very easy to sell! It’s just that the buyer who slipped away offered the highest price, which is why I felt it was such a pity. But if you’re in a hurry, there are still several clients who want to view the property, though their offers might be a bit lower.”

Xia Wuyou spoke apologetically.

In the end, because he was anxious to sell, Mr. Tian agreed to let Xia Wuyou bring clients over whenever necessary.

Afterwards, they fell into casual conversation. Mr. Tian reminisced fondly about his youthful romance with his wife and all the amusing stories from their marriage—he seemed to savor every memory.

Looking at Mr. Tian’s face, full of happiness, Xia Wuyou could tell how close the couple had been. Although his wife had passed away, when Mr. Tian recalled their past, it was as if she was still beside him, as vivid as yesterday.

“The decorations in this house are exactly as they were when your aunt was here. If it weren’t for my age, I would never sell this house. I’m afraid that if someday she returns to find me, she won’t be able to find home.”

As he spoke, Mr. Tian suddenly grew melancholy—not because he was about to move into a retirement home, but because he feared his wife might not find her way home.

Xia Wuyou did her best to comfort him, though her naturally tough personality made her ill-suited for such tenderness.

Leaving Mr. Tian’s home, she kept thinking about his stories, imagining how wonderful it would be to one day meet someone so warm herself.

Never mind!

She shook her head, determined not to dwell on such useless thoughts. It was better to focus on how to sell Mr. Tian’s house at the highest price.

On her way back to the company, she was extra cautious, avoiding the scene of the dismemberment case. The chill she felt when she left still lingered, and she shuddered at the thought. Coupled with the face she didn’t want to see, she’d rather take two extra streets than revisit that scene.

Meanwhile, Su Tianmu and his team, despite locking down the crime scene immediately after receiving the report, found no clues even after a thorough investigation.

It was a public restroom, with a heavy daily traffic. How did the perpetrator manage to dump so many body parts here? Who was the victim? Where was the original murder scene? For now, there were no answers to any of these questions.

As captain of the third detective squad, Su Tianmu felt immense pressure.

“Captain Su, we can confirm the body is female, aged between thirty and forty, somewhat overweight and not tall,” reported technician Xiao Miao.

“We’ve questioned locals and shop owners nearby but found no suspicious persons or valuable clues. Only a street cleaner mentioned seeing another team’s garbage truck pass by around four or five in the morning. Since each team has its own area, he thought the truck might have taken a wrong turn, so he didn’t pay much attention, just glanced at it briefly,” Xiao Wang added, notebook in hand.

“Another team’s truck? How did he know it wasn’t theirs?” Su Tianmu asked.

“Each team’s truck is marked with a different color for easy identification. They’re all familiar with their own team’s color.”

“Alright, go back this afternoon and question the sanitation worker again—see if there’s any other clue you can find.”

Su Tianmu continued to assign tasks. Since the body parts were incomplete, they were searching for other fragments while investigating leads.

He had called Xia Wuyou on a whim, hoping for some inspiration.

When reviewing the files on her parents’ fire, he had lingering doubts and had discussed them with her. Since the case was already ruled an accident, no one paid it much attention anymore—not even Xia Wuyou, who firmly believed her parents perished in the fire by misfortune.

Whenever Su Tianmu raised his doubts, she always had a reasonable explanation, claiming the answers came from her parents’ souls. Although Su Tianmu didn’t believe her, he couldn’t dispute her reasoning.

“Maybe I’m just too tired lately, to the point I actually want to believe that girl’s nonsense,” Su Tianmu muttered to himself. His thick, sword-like brows furrowed; his deep, perceptive eyes closed for a moment, head tilting back slightly. His high nose and broad forehead formed an elegant curve as he massaged his temples, annoyed at his own fleeting thoughts.

“Achoo!”

As soon as Xia Wuyou entered the office, she sneezed.

“Who’s thinking about me? The charm of Miss Xia is as irresistible as ever!”

She rubbed her nose, indulging in self-admiration. Her confidence was so strong she flicked her bangs aside, then scanned the office with a contemptuous gaze, like a queen surveying her subjects before taking her seat.

“What are you still strutting around for? Have you finished verifying the client information?”

The manager, who had somehow appeared beside her, pierced her ears with his sharp voice, knocking her floating spirit back to earth.

“Almost done, sir. I went out to meet a client just now…”

Xia Wuyou sprang up, bowing repeatedly. Her once proud bangs bobbed with her head, as if the queen had been transformed into a maid, her arrogance evaporating.

“I wonder what goes on in that head of yours every day! Your mouth is for contacting clients, not just apologizing. If you spent as much effort finding clients as you do apologizing, that would be real skill!”

Before she could respond, the manager turned and walked away as lightly as ever, as if his greatest achievement was scolding her.