Just after four in the afternoon, Yi Jiaru had just finished school when her elder brother sent her out on a delivery.
Again, it was a case of keeping it all in the family, using the money Officer Fang had given for the team’s afternoon tea to buy their own new product—purchaser Yi Jiayi had made the procurement process crystal clear.
Riding her bicycle to make the delivery, money exchanged hands seamlessly, and Yi Jiayi even dipped into her own pocket to give Yi Jiaru a twenty yuan tip.
Yi Jiaru chuckled about her sister being stingy, then pedaled away swiftly. Throughout the summer, the young girl got two shades darker but didn’t mind at all. Delivering under the blazing sun, she wore only a safety helmet for protection, eschewing any other sunblock.
After returning to the office, Yi Jiayi added sunscreen to the shopping list she was compiling for her younger sister.
Everyone raved about the Milk Tea Ice Cream after drinking it. Liu Jiaming bluntly stated he wanted more the next day, while Gary inquired about the location of the Yi family’s tea restaurant, planning to buy some after work to let his girlfriend try as well.
Uncle Jiu, inspired by Gary’s idea, decided to buy a few cups for his children after work.
The product she introduced received numerous positive reviews, and Yi Jiayi thanked everyone one by one.
Eventually, only two cups were left; one was given to Sister Yin, and the other, having been placed at the edge of the thermal bag and starting to melt, was originally intended for Inspector Qiu Sushan, but now seemed a bit embarrassing to offer.
After pondering for a moment, Yi Jiayi decided to just take the half-melted ice cream straight to the coroner’s office.
Informed that Sir Xu was in the dissection room, Yi Jiayi put on a special mask and hat, carrying the ice cream to the dissection room.
Forensic officer Xu Junhao was conducting a re-autopsy on a body with two young forensic doctors.
Holding the milk tea, Yi Jiayi entered a state of flow, and within 2 minutes, she quickly witnessed a murder through observation.
“Why did you come over, Yi Jiayi? Didn’t you submit all your reports already?” Xu Junhao, after completing a brain slice, handed the remaining brain examinations to his ‘apprentice’ colleagues, turned around with a knife in hand, and asked with a smile.
It seemed that the Zheng Yi Jian-style long hair was particularly popular these days; Xu Junhao had also grown his hair to a medium length. Fortunately, his hair was black and soft, making the hairstyle look uncluttered and indeed quite unrestrained and cool.
However, the overly long, flowing bangs were somewhat cumbersome during dissections, so he clipped them with two metal clips and wore a sanitary cap, which made him look less cool and even a bit… cute.
Hong Kong truly is a city of freedom, where buildings of various styles can each find their place, and any hairstyle can exist on the head of any professional, embracing diversity and freedom.
Seeing Yi Jiayi a bit dazed, he thought she was frightened by his appearance with the autopsy knife. He quickly put the knife aside, took off his rubber gloves, removed his mask, and walked to the door. With what he considered an exceptionally gentle and chivalrous expression, he looked down with a smile, waiting for her to respond.
Yi Jiayi’s gaze lingered on his smile for a few seconds, then shifted to the hair clips by his temples. Feeling a bit of warmth returning to her body, she also smiled and handed the milk tea to Xu Junhao.
“Sir Fang invited us to a top-rated tea restaurant to try their new products. He ordered a milk tea ice cream and specially reserved a cup just for you.”
“Sir Fang?” Xu Junhao curled his lips in slight disdain, taking the milk tea and his gaze drifted towards Yi Jiayi as he smiled and asked, “Only someone as kind-hearted as you would remember to think of others.”
Yi Jiayi pressed her lips into a smile, acknowledging tacitly.
Taking a sip of the milk tea, Xu Junhao nodded vigorously, uttering an appreciative “Hmm~”, then took another big gulp, “Which shop is this from? The taste is very unique. The first sip has the creamy softness of cream followed by the delicate flavor of the milk tea, bitter yet sweet, and then… hmm, refreshingly cool, clearing the sweetness.”
“Do you study food closely, Sir Xu?” Yi Jiayi complimented with a laugh, though her eyes occasionally glanced towards the autopsy table.
“It’s alright, don’t think that our line of work precludes us from enjoying life,” Xu Junhao said casually, as he subtly removed two metal clips from his temples and loosened his hair with his fingers, unconsciously straightening his back and adjusting his facial expressions to appear more elegant and dashing, finally curving his lips into a restrained smile.
Yi Jiayi’s attention shifted back, but she had completely missed his little adjustments, simply nodding in agreement before swiftly changing the subject to the body:
“Is it a new case? Which team is handling it?”
“The King’s Park corpse dumping case, it’s an old case from half a year ago handled by Team A, still unsolved. The preservation period has been extended to its limit, and the family wants to take the body back now. I’m rushing to do another round of autopsy,” Xu Junhao turned to look at the body and sighed:
“Trying to leave behind as many clues and reports as possible. Once the body is cremated, everything is gone.
“I’ve supplemented with a comprehensive forensic report this time, it might play a crucial role in the future, although it’s a one in a million chance… sigh.”
Xu Junhao’s tone unconsciously deepened as he spoke, the room quieting down.
Yi Jiayi then redirected her full attention to him.
Talking about work, Sir Xu exuded a tough intellectual quality, giving off a very reliable impression.
“You are a good police officer,” Yi Jiayi couldn’t help but say.
Startled by the compliment, Xu Junhao quickly regained his composure and unconsciously brushed his temple hair.
His slightly raised eyebrows revealed a hint of pride from the praise, and his demeanor became somewhat flirtatious again.
“The victim is very pitiful, a young girl, right?” Yi Jiayi quickly steered the conversation back to the body.
“Yes, over four hundred wounds on her body, raped and then tortured to death, with her left eyeball knocked out and jawbone shattered. Moreover, she wasn’t killed immediately; she was left on the spot, struggling for hours before she died,” Xu Junhao, who had been a forensic doctor for many years, had developed a rational and calm demeanor, hardly ever becoming too emotionally invested in the bodies, but his voice still carried a tone of unbearable grief when describing the victim, “The perpetrator didn’t even try to hide the body, just left it on a grassy slope and walked away. The next morning, a sanitation worker found her. The park and playground business has been dismal for months, everyone’s scared.”
“It was a stranger who did it, right? These cases are so hard to solve.” Yi Jiayi bit her lower lip, perhaps standing too long in the autopsy room, or the chilling crime scene images had left her toes cold and the back of her head tingling.
“You’re getting the hang of this too,” Xu Junhao responded with a reciprocal compliment.
“Is this case just being shelved then?”
“Unless there are new leads in the future or a special situation to restart it, the chances are very slim.”
“Can’t we ask Team A’s Sergeant Fang to look into it again?”
“They’ve already investigated before. At that time, they questioned the victim’s family and friends, whose memories of the day of the crime were still fresh. It was the stage where clues were most likely to be uncovered, but they couldn’t crack it, and it’s definitely still uncrackable now. Plus, You Zhaohua is a very stubborn man…sigh, his temper isn’t great, and now the King’s Park Murder Case is a taboo topic for him; he gets angry if anyone mentions it. Who would want to touch that raw nerve for no reason? If it can’t be solved, just leave it. There are plenty of unknown unsolved cases in the city every year, one more won’t make a difference.”
Yi Jiayi let out a long sigh.
“Go back to your duties. Staying here too long can make you catch a cold.” Xu Junhao knew from her expression that the young policewoman was feeling sentimental. New officers often let their emotions get the better of them, but after being ground down by this environment for a while, they tend to become desensitized.
Seeing life and death every day, if one’s empathy is too strong, it can be very painful. People adjust their emotions themselves, eventually adapting, eventually becoming numb.
Xu Junhao then raised his Milk Tea Ice Cream, said thanks, and escorted Yi Jiayi out the door.