Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao joined Xiao Li and Yu Qiang to question Sun Zhihao about his missing wife, Ding Peixin. After seeing Sun Zhihao's impatience, she asked to use his bathroom and left the conversation poised to investigate further.

• Su Qiao volunteered to accompany Xiao Li and the others, while Tao Junhui reprimanded Su Xiyan for dismissing her professional judgment.
• Tao Junhui reconsidered his trust in Su Xiyan, and she apologized for her earlier comment.
• Su Qiao left for Sun Zhihao's home with Xiao Li and Yu Qiang without having lunch, leaving Du Muhan waiting in vain.
• On the way, Su Qiao reviewed information about Ding Peixin and her husband, Sun Zhihao, a young painter who ran an art gallery and his family's company.
• Sun Zhihao impatiently asked whether they had found clues, and Su Qiao requested to use his bathroom.

Su Qiao questioned Sun Zhihao about a headless, acid-damaged female corpse found with painting pigments and chemical dampness-removing powder. Sun Zhihao reacted angrily and denied his wife had been murdered, leaving Su Qiao suspicious of his behavior and his avoidance of the evidence.

• Sun Zhihao demanded to know whether Xiao Li had found his missing wife, and Xiao Li said they still had questions for him.
• Su Qiao told Sun Zhihao that police had found a headless female corpse damaged with sulfuric acid and carrying painting pigments and chemical dampness-removing powder.
• Sun Zhihao leapt up, insisted his wife had drowned herself, and accused the officers of wasting time.
• Su Qiao challenged Sun Zhihao about his apparent nervousness as he repeatedly tugged at his collar.
• Sun Zhihao claimed he was angry and threatened to complain, while Su Qiao noticed he avoided discussing the pigments despite being a painter.

Su Qiao suspected Ding Peixin’s apparent suicide was unusual and that Sun Zhihao’s behavior did not match his claims of loving his wife. After questioning a housekeeper about Ding’s hobbies, Su Qiao focused on the music she had danced to.

• Su Qiao noticed Sun Zhihao showed little grief and had made no effort to search for Ding Peixin himself.
• Su Qiao and Little Li left Sun Zhihao’s villa with a sample of Ding’s hair and suspicions about the couple’s relationship.
• On their way to another villa, Su Qiao and Little Li met Yu Qiang speaking with Auntie Li, a housekeeper.
• Yu Qiang reported that Auntie Li said the couple rarely argued and Ding enjoyed dancing, gardening, and sewing.
• Su Qiao asked when Ding had last danced and what music she had played, but Auntie Li could only recall that it was sometime the previous week.

Su Qiao questioned Auntie Li about Ding Peixin’s disappearance and noticed signs that the woman was reluctant to answer. After returning to the office with her investigative objectives completed, Su Qiao found Du Muhan waiting to eat lunch with her.

• Auntie Li told Su Qiao she had seen Ding Peixin dancing in the second-floor hall before she disappeared and claimed she had noticed nothing unusual about Ding or Sun Zhihao.
• Su Qiao observed that Auntie Li answered too quickly, avoided eye contact, and angled her body as if she wanted to leave, though Little Li suggested she might simply have been in a hurry.
• Su Qiao returned to the city with Little Li and Yu Qiang after obtaining what she needed and meeting Sun Zhihao.
• Su Qiao arrived at her office and found Tao Junhui and Du Muhan waiting there; Du Muhan had warmed their lunch and said he had waited for her to eat.

Su Qiao told Tao Junhui she suspected Sun Zhihao was hiding the truth about Ding Peixin’s disappearance and might have been unfaithful. The chapter ended with Xiao Li and Yu Qiang agreeing to investigate Sun Zhihao’s contacts and habits.

• Su Qiao told Tao Junhui that forensic testing was underway on hair with follicles and that Sun Zhihao and his neighbor’s nanny, Auntie Li, seemed suspicious.
• Su Qiao reasoned that Sun Zhihao did not believe Ding Peixin had jumped into the sea and might be seeking other women for inspiration.
• Su Qiao pointed out that Ding Peixin’s note about having a perfect home suggested she valued her marriage, making suicide less certain.
• Tao Junhui described Ding Peixin as a dependent housewife who stayed home to sew, dance, and sing.
• Tao Junhui assigned Xiao Li and Yu Qiang to investigate Sun Zhihao’s friends, art gallery contacts, and usual haunts, and they agreed.

Tao Junhui ordered Yu Qiang and Little Li to watch Sun Zhihao while the DNA report was pending, and Su Qiao agreed to investigate Ding Peixin’s family background. Afterward, Du Muhan asked Su Qiao to wait for him so he could take her home, while she resolved to pursue her dream of becoming a pianist.

• Tao Junhui gave Yu Qiang and Little Li Forensic Doctor Du’s report, which matched Ding Peixin’s approximate height, age, weight, and dancing ability.
• Tao Junhui ordered Yu Qiang and Little Li to keep an eye on Sun Zhihao until the DNA report came out.
• Su Qiao offered to investigate Ding Peixin’s family background, and Tao Junhui assigned the task to her.
• Du Muhan held Su Qiao’s hand and asked her to wait for him after work so he could take her home.
• Su Qiao decided to develop her piano skills alongside her regular work.

Su Qiao discovered that she and Du Muhan lived in the same building, and he invited her to his apartment. There, she saw his unexpectedly gentle side as he cared for his puppy and hamster, and teased him about his work as a forensic examiner.

• Su Qiao and Du Muhan realized they lived in the same residential complex, with their apartments on the eighteenth and twenty-eighth floors.
• Du Muhan invited Su Qiao to his apartment, where his puppy and hamster rushed to greet him.
• Du Muhan fed Xiaomi and Little Wang and gently fussed over them while Su Qiao watched in surprise.
• Su Qiao joked that she had expected someone like Du Muhan to put the animals on his dissection table.

Su Qiao visited Du Muhan’s home and asked why he seemed to dislike her. After she found a collection of banned true-crime novels in his bookcase, he gave them to her, leaving her unsure whether he was trying to send her home.

• Du Muhan told Su Qiao that he liked corpses because they were cute, loyal, and did not lie, then offered her plain water.
• Su Qiao looked around Du Muhan’s simply furnished home and asked why he seemed to hate her.
• Du Muhan admitted that he hated people who were born with everything, and Su Qiao chose not to explain her real circumstances.
• Su Qiao discovered Du Muhan’s collection of true-crime mystery novels and noticed that its sixth book was missing.
• Du Muhan said he had lost the sixth book at the park, then packed the rest for Su Qiao to take home.
• Su Qiao wondered if Du Muhan was seeing her out, but he said he had packed the books only to make them easier for her to carry.

Su Qiao told Du Muhan about her complicated history with Su Xiyan and Tao Junhui, while he questioned her about their past relationship. Their conversation ended with Du Muhan suggesting that her career showed she was kind and had a sense of justice.

• Du Muhan asked whether Su Xiyan was Su Qiao's younger sister, and Su Qiao explained that she had been adopted by the Su family after Su Xiyan was abducted.
• Su Qiao said she had left to study abroad after Su Xiyan returned, then encountered her again after joining the bureau.
• Du Muhan asked about Tao Junhui, and Su Qiao explained that they had been childhood friends and that she had accepted his confession after returning home.
• Su Qiao said Tao Junhui soon began acting ambiguously with Su Xiyan, while Su Xiyan continued provoking her and Tao Junhui urged her to be kind.
• Du Muhan asked whether Su Qiao considered herself unkind, then pointed out that her career suggested she had kindness and a sense of justice.

Su Qiao and Du Muhan discussed why they chose their work and compared their aloof reputations, revealing a growing fondness between them. The conversation ended with Su Qiao demanding to know whether Du Muhan liked her face, and him teasing that he felt nothing special about it.

• Du Muhan realized that Su Qiao's unusual outlook and personality felt similar to his own.
• Su Qiao explained that she chose her work because she liked it, found it challenging, and valued its stable income.
• Du Muhan said he was alone except for the two little ones, and Su Qiao questioned why people called him aloof and eccentric.
• Du Muhan said he avoided pointless conversations with living people, but made an exception for Su Qiao.
• Du Muhan admitted he liked Su Qiao's hands and personality, then teased her by saying her face did not feel special to him.
• Su Qiao angrily challenged Du Muhan to repeat his remark.

Su Qiao and Du Muhan traded strange jokes while bonding over his pets, then he walked her to her apartment door. Back home, Su Qiao sat down to research something, but first tried to contact Little Four and realized she was still grounded.

• Du Muhan joked that he wanted to collect Su Qiao's face, and she teased him about preserving him in formalin.
• Su Qiao picked up Xiaomi and admired the hamster while Du Muhan cuddled Little Wang.
• Du Muhan walked Su Qiao to her door, and she declined to invite him inside.
• Su Qiao returned home, tidied up, and sat at her computer to look up information.
• Su Qiao called for Little Four but received no response and concluded she was still grounded.

Su Qiao investigated Ding Peixin’s troubled past and discovered that she had severe depression and had attempted suicide after learning of Sun Zhihao’s affairs. A DNA report then showed that Su Qiao’s suspicions about Ding Peixin were wrong, leaving Su Xiyan to mock her.

• Su Qiao found Ding Peixin’s records and learned about her childhood, her dependence on her husband, and her possible risk of suicide.
• Su Qiao reviewed Sun Zhihao’s history and learned that he had cheated on Ding Peixin and that she had been diagnosed with severe depression and attempted suicide about three months earlier.
• Du Muhan waited for Su Qiao, and the two arrived at work together without speaking much.
• Su Qiao saw a DNA report showing that the DNA did not match, and Su Xiyan mocked her for suspecting Ding Peixin.

Su Qiao confronted Su Xiyan for letting personal feelings interfere with her work on the Headless Female Corpse Case. The chapter ended with Su Xiyan apologizing under Tao Junhui’s reprimand while he struggled with his hurt over Su Qiao dating Du Muhan.

• Tao Junhui clarified that the female corpse was not Ding Peixin and that the missing-person case had been returned to Group Five, where Su Xiyan was checking reports.
• Su Xiyan said she would investigate the missing person herself, and Su Qiao accused her of letting personal emotions undermine the team’s work.
• Su Qiao told Tao Junhui she was biased against Su Xiyan because Su Xiyan’s behavior was damaging the team’s performance.
• Tao Junhui told Su Xiyan to take leave if she could not control her emotions at work, and Su Xiyan apologized to the team.
• Tao Junhui reflected that Su Qiao had never seen him as more than a childhood friend and that she had begun dating Du Muhan.

Su Qiao heard that investigators suspected Sun Zhihao and his mistress, Xia Xiaolin, of killing Ding Peixin, whose body had not been found. Group Five could not locate Xia Xiaolin, and Little Li asked Su Qiao to help assess whether her best friend was lying.

• Su Qiao returned to her office and analyzed the case on her own.
• Little Li told Su Qiao that Group Five had discovered Sun Zhihao was secretly involved with Xia Xiaolin.
• Little Li explained that investigators suspected Sun Zhihao and Xia Xiaolin might have killed Ding Peixin, but they had not found Xia Xiaolin or confirmed Ding Peixin was dead.
• Little Li said Sun Zhihao kept pressuring Group Five and denied having a relationship with Xia Xiaolin.
• Little Li asked Su Qiao to help judge whether Xia Xiaolin's best friend was lying when Group Five questioned her.

Su Qiao joined Xiao Li and the Two Liu Combination to investigate Xia Xiaolin’s best friend. They arrived at Gu Xue’s home and introduced themselves as police officers.

• Xiao Li admitted he had told Group Five about Su Qiao’s theories and agreed to take her to meet the investigators.
• Su Qiao agreed to help and went with Xiao Li to meet Liu Juntao and Liu Liu, the Two Liu Combination.
• Xiao Li drove the group to Gu Xue’s apartment complex after Liu Liu explained Gu Xue’s background.
• Liu Liu showed Gu Xue her identification and introduced the group as police officers.

Liu Liu and the others questioned Gu Xue about Xia Xiaolin after being unable to find her. Gu Xue said Xia Xiaolin had gone traveling, then described her unstable work and spending habits.

• Liu Liu asked Gu Xue where Xia Xiaolin was, and Gu Xue invited the group inside.
• Gu Xue showed them a message dated September 21 and said Xia Xiaolin had mentioned visiting Basha Island.
• Su Qiao asked Gu Xue what she knew about Xia Xiaolin, and Liu Liu urged her to share information for the investigation.
• Gu Xue said Xia Xiaolin rarely kept a job for more than three months and was often involved with different men.
• Gu Xue said Xia Xiaolin spent thousands or tens of thousands on cosmetics and handbags despite her low salary.

Gu Xue told Su Qiao and Li about Linlin’s personality and her relationship with Sun Zhihao, including Linlin’s history with his wife. The investigators learned that the two women had once competed for the same man, leaving them with a possible motive to examine.

• Gu Xue described Linlin as attractive and outwardly shy but showy, fond of money, and intent on marrying a wealthy man.
• Gu Xue said Linlin had been seeing Sun Zhihao and had bragged that he was handsome, rich, and a painter, though married.
• Gu Xue recalled helping a drunk Linlin to her room, where Linlin said she had discovered Sun Zhihao’s wife was an old acquaintance.
• Gu Xue said Linlin and the wife had fought over the same man at school, and Linlin had vowed she would not lose to her rival again.

Su Qiao questioned Gu Xue about Linlin’s disappearance and grew suspicious of how readily Gu Xue answered. After returning to the Police Station, Su Qiao explained why Gu Xue’s smooth, overly detailed responses and restrained movements might indicate she was trying to distance herself from the case.

• Gu Xue told Su Qiao, Liu Liu, and the others that she had urged Linlin to stop pursuing the married Sun Zhihao and find someone else.
• Gu Xue said she knew little more about Linlin because she worked and Linlin often stayed out overnight, then wished the investigators luck in finding her.
• After returning to the Police Station, Su Qiao said Gu Xue had said too much, though she admitted that suspecting Gu Xue of lying was only a guess.
• Su Qiao explained that people might give excessive, unprompted details to appear uninvolved and noted that Gu Xue had twice started to make small gestures before stopping herself.

Su Qiao explained how Gu Xue’s gestures and behavior suggested that she had lied and felt jealous while talking about Xia Xiaolin. Group Five’s investigators remained uncertain and had to decide whether to verify Su Qiao’s observations.

• Su Qiao described Gu Xue’s sweating palms and nose-rubbing as signs that she had been nervous and deliberately restrained herself.
• Su Qiao pointed out Gu Xue’s neck-touching, changed blinking rate, and relaxed posture as further clues to lying and jealousy.
• Little Li asked whether Gu Xue had told several lies, and Su Qiao said the investigators would have to verify her analysis themselves.
• Liu Liu recalled that Gu Xue had claimed she did not want to expose Xia Xiaolin’s flaws but had spent the conversation discussing them.
• Liu Dong said Gu Xue’s steady gaze had made her seem innocent.

Su Qiao explained how she judged Gu Xue’s smile and steady gaze, then advised Liu Dong and Liu Liu to keep observing her until they found Xia Xiaolin. Du Muhan arrived, questioned Su Qiao about her relationship with Little Li, and invited her to dinner after revealing he had cooked because an injured hand kept him from working.

• Su Qiao explained the signs of a genuine smile and said Gu Xue might either be telling the truth about everything except her jealousy or be prepared to deceive the investigators.
• Su Qiao advised Liu Dong and Liu Liu to observe Gu Xue until they found Xia Xiaolin, and Liu Liu thanked her.
• Su Qiao told Little Li that he and she did not have the kind of relationship that justified using him to reach her, and Little Li protested.
• Du Muhan arrived, asked Su Qiao whether she had a good relationship with Little Li, and opened the car door for her.
• Du Muhan invited Su Qiao to dinner and said he had cooked because his injured hand had temporarily taken him off work.