Shen Kai Yiu and Cen Pei Lan appeared to have a harmonious marriage on the surface, but no one knew how they truly got along behind closed doors.
Back when Shen Zhicheng’s situation was brought to Shen Chongnian’s attention, Shen Kai Yiu had tried to distance himself and even threatened to divorce Cen Pei Lan. Although they eventually reconciled, from that point on, Cen Pei Lan always seemed to lower herself at family gatherings — at least within the Shen family, life had become difficult for her.
“If she’d harbored resentment for years and planned the murder, she could easily hide the conflict between them,” Li Heng frowned slightly. “At least on the surface, they seemed respectful and affectionate. But just now, she voluntarily admitted to the argument—”
“Since we can’t officially be part of the investigation, why don’t we look into it privately?” Shen Zhicheng’s eyes lit up. “Let’s compete with Team A — see who’s faster.”
Li Heng looked at him: “Let’s first figure out how to tell Grandfather.”
“I don’t even want to think about it.” Shen Zhicheng rubbed his temples. “Just let me off the hook.”
…
The siblings walked down the slope to the end of the mountain road before calling Shen Yong Xuan.
“Aunt — can you come pick us up now?” Shen Zhicheng asked.
Shen Yong Xuan’s leisurely voice came through the phone, as languid as that day she was doing her face mask — it even seemed like an effort to speak.
“I’m getting a facial — take a cab.” She didn’t ask anything, distracted as she reminded the aesthetician: “You’re too rough — you’ll pull wrinkles.”
The siblings got the address, hailed a taxi, and headed straight to the beauty center in Central.
The environment was elegant and quiet. Li Heng followed the directions inside, while Shen Zhicheng was stopped at the door.
“Sir — men aren’t allowed past this point.”
“I’m her nephew.”
“Sorry — nephews are still men…”
A couple of knocks, and Li Heng stepped into a private room.
The aesthetician had just finished the full treatment and was packing up her tools, her voice soft: “Miss Shen — the session is complete. Please rest at your leisure.”
She turned to Li Heng: “Would you like some rose tea or—”
“No need, thanks.” Li Heng declined.
The aesthetician nodded, quietly closed the door, and stepped out.
Li Heng looked at Shen Yong Xuan lying there so comfortably and remembered Shen Zhicheng saying she’d moved her entire beauty salon home.
“Want me to book you a full treatment too?” Shen Yong Xuan didn’t open her eyes. “I don’t have time to wait here — when you’re done, take a cab home.”
Li Heng didn’t respond to her teasing — she just called out softly: “Aunt.”
“Showing up specially like this — what’s happened?” Shen Yong Xuan finally opened her eyes, immediately catching her unusual expression. “You didn’t have to go to work today?”
She sat up.
The room was quiet. Shen Yong Xuan’s heart sank, her brow furrowing slightly.
After a long silence, Li Heng’s voice broke it once more.
The air grew deathly still.
Shen Yong Xuan thought she’d misheard, instinctively gripping Li Heng’s wrist for confirmation — until the truth finally sank in.
Only their breathing filled the room, followed, after a long moment, by a sigh from their aunt.
“How could this have happened…”
…
That evening, Shen Yong Xuan drove Li Heng and Shen Zhicheng to Repulse Bay.
On the way, the siblings exchanged a glance — their aunt was unusually quiet.
If Shen Chongnian were just an ordinary old man, they could have found a decent excuse — like a business trip abroad — and kept Shen Kai Yiu’s death from him. After all, they didn’t see each other often; it wouldn’t have been that hard.
But the problem was, even at his age, Shen Chongnian was sharp and shrewd — he could easily see through lies. Who could keep a secret from him?
It was better to tell him themselves than have him hear the news from someone else later.
Grief was inevitable — but having weathered so many storms in his life, Shen Chongnian would eventually come to terms with it.
It was dinner time. Shen Chongnian sat alone at the dining table.
The doorbell rang, and the butler hurried to open it. Seeing his daughter, granddaughter, and grandson arrive together, he looked pleasantly surprised and quickly instructed the staff to set out extra bowls and chopsticks.
Shen Yong Xuan walked in and sat down at the table.
Li Heng and Shen Zhicheng didn’t know how to start — they looked to their aunt.
“Let’s eat first,” Shen Yong Xuan said gently.
Shen Chongnian’s eyes were warm: “Zhining — the soup Uncle Cheung sent you last time — did you finish it all?”
At last week’s family dinner, Li Heng had had two extra bowls of soup, and the very next day, her grandfather had sent over two thermoses of double-boiled soup.
“It was delicious,” she said softly. “My colleagues all wanted some — luckily there was enough for one bowl each.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” Shen Chongnian smiled. “Next time, a whole thermos for each person — so no one has to fight over it.”
Shen Zhicheng ate his meal in silence.
Truth be told, the one who’d been the most eager in the station was him. But now, he didn’t want to bring up anything about work — it would only upset Grandfather further.
At the table, they made small talk about everyday things.
Shen Chongnian had become the most ordinary kind of elder — genuinely interested in his grandchildren’s lives, his face warm with smiles.
The meal dragged on far too long.
Each of them carried their own heavy thoughts, staying by the old man’s side, trying their best to put him at ease.
None of them had figured out how to break the news.
But to their surprise, after dinner, Shen Chongnian looked at the three of them and said slowly: “Just say what you need to say.”
Li Heng paused, and Shen Zhicheng’s face showed surprise.
“You’ve been unusually well-behaved — sitting through this whole meal so obediently, but clearly restless. What’s happened?” Shen Chongnian’s gaze was steady, his hand gripping his rosewood cane, tightening slightly. “Go ahead — no matter what it is, Grandfather can take it.”
The siblings looked to their aunt.
Shen Yong Xuan rose slowly and walked over to her father.
Shen Chongnian — always stern and commanding, used to looking down on everyone — now tilted his head up slightly, quietly watching his daughter.
“Dad — Second Brother is gone.” Shen Yong Xuan reached out and gently touched his shoulder.
Shen Chongnian froze. A long silence followed.
He tried to push himself up with his cane — but no matter how hard his fingers pressed, his body wouldn’t move. He couldn’t get up.
It was a long and painful night.
They stayed by Shen Chongnian’s side until late, until the old man finally fell asleep.
Shen Yong Xuan stepped softly out of the bedroom and said to Uncle Cheung: “Uncle Cheung — prepare a guest room. I’m staying tonight.”
Uncle Cheung said quietly: “Your old room — the master has kept it all these years, exactly as it was. Sometimes he’d go in there and sit for hours.”
Shen Yong Xuan stood by the door, looking at her father, his brow still furrowed even in sleep.
Only then did she truly see — he had aged so much. His hair was white, his skin weathered — no longer the man she remembered.
She couldn’t speak, but her heart tightened.
All those old conflicts and rifts suddenly seemed trivial in the face of life and death.
When she saw Li Heng and Shen Zhicheng to the door, her eyes were slightly red.
“Go on — you two have work tomorrow,” she said gently. “I’ll stay here.”
…
Their aunt stayed behind with their grandfather. Late at night, the siblings left Repulse Bay and took a taxi home.
Their hearts were heavy, but what was done was done.
Now, the most important thing was to find the real killer — to give Grandfather some peace.
After a few brief exchanges, they naturally started trying to piece the case together.
“Too bad we don’t have a whiteboard at home,” Shen Zhicheng said. “Next time, Madam — just confiscate the one from the station meeting room and bring it home!”
They walked along, passing an old-style dessert shop in Kowloon City.
Shen Zhicheng glanced over and saw Li Heng had stopped, looking at the menu.
“Want some sweet soup?” he asked.
An old blackboard stood by the shop entrance, listing the day’s desserts and specials in colored chalk.
“Barley with beancurd skin and ginkgo, walnut paste, almond paste…” He read aloud, then called into the shop: “Boss — that’s all you’ve got?”
“That’s all that’s left tonight — everything’s made fresh daily. It’s late — we’re about to close.” The owner came out from the kitchen with a smile. “What can I get you?”
Li Heng asked: “Boss — would you sell that blackboard?”
The owner was taken aback, shaking his head with a laugh: “Don’t joke—”
Before his sister could say another word, Shen Zhicheng was already pulling out cash.
Li Heng softened her tone: “We really do need it urgently — please, let us take it.”
In the end, Shen Zhicheng carried the blackboard, while Li Heng held two boxes of complimentary chalk as they took the elevator upstairs.
In the middle of the living room stood the old blackboard.
Li Heng held the chalk and wrote down every clue she could think of, line by line.
Shen Zhicheng sat on the floor, leaning back against the sofa, hands behind his head — completely at ease.
A piece of chalk flew toward him.
“Sit up straight,” Li Heng said.
He immediately straightened up.
As if he were sitting in Inspector Li’s criminal investigation class.
Except this wasn’t a training session for auxiliary officers — it was a real, cold murder case.
More and more lines filled the blackboard.
Li Heng held the chalk, resting her chin on one hand, muttering to herself: “Who’s suspicious? Who hasn’t shown up yet…”
Shen Zhicheng sat in the front row, inhaling chalk dust, and couldn’t help thinking back to his school days.
Those were the days of being the troublemaker in class.
His sister would never understand.
Someone like her — a top student — had never experienced that.
…
The next morning, the two arrived at the station on time as usual.
The moment they stepped into the CID room, the officers swarmed around them — finally free to discuss the gossip they hadn’t been able to get into the day before.
“I knew it — you two have a special relationship.”
“Otherwise, why would Madam only make you mop and run errands and never assign us those jobs?”
“You like that?” Shen Zhicheng said with a straight face. “Next time, I’ll have her assign them to you.”
Lin Jiacong leaned in with a teasing grin: “Alright, little bro — you’ve been keeping secrets pretty deep.”
“Don’t call me that.” Shen Zhicheng grabbed a newspaper that had just come in and raised it as if to swat him.
Lin Jiacong dodged nimbly: “I was wrong!”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Li Heng never joined in the fun. Caught in the middle of the crowd, she finally found an opening and slipped back to her office.
After the laughter died down, Gao Zijie let out a sigh by his desk.
“You guys have it easy — you don’t have to work this case. We were stuck with statements and evidence yesterday, short-staffed, and didn’t get done until late.”
“My alarm went off three times this morning before I could drag myself up,” Lin Jiacong chimed in. “This case is a mess — what are we supposed to do now…”
They lowered their voices in discussion.
With Madam recused, the team suddenly had no leader. Everyone felt unsettled, unsteady.
“Do you think this case might just get handed over to Team B?”
“No way — the rules are clear. Our team did the initial scene work and evidence collection. By precedent, the whole case won’t just be transferred.”
Old You said with concern: “It won’t be transferred, but if Team B is too idle, the higher-ups might send their Senior Inspector Tse to take over.”
The officers’ expressions shifted, all of them resistant.
“Not Tse?! Might as well bring back Sir Tam.”
“How is that possible? Sir Tam’s retired from frontline major cases.”
“If Tse takes over, life’s going to get even harder.”
Their heated discussion echoed through the CID room.
Just then, footsteps approached.
Everyone looked up and saw Pan Liqin enter, accompanied by a stranger with a cold, sharp presence.
“Inspector Li is recused from this case due to her relationship to the deceased. Headquarters has approved the transfer of Senior Inspector Man Hei Wan from another district to temporarily take over Team A and lead the investigation.”
Standing beside Sir Pan, Man Hei Wan slowly swept her gaze across the officers and gave a slight nod.
Li Heng came out of her office at the sound and looked over.
The questions surrounding her parents’ car accident were still unresolved — and now her Second Uncle had died suddenly. She couldn’t access the evidence or statements, her instincts were useless — she had no leads at all. And Grandfather had to bury a child again — she didn’t know if he could bear it.
All these thoughts tangled together, and Li Heng felt lost.
Until now — when that familiar figure appeared before her.
“Madam Man!” Li Heng stepped forward quickly.
It felt like being back in her rookie days.
As long as this superior was around, no matter how difficult the case or how tangled the leads, someone steady would hold things together.
Man Hei Wan glanced at Li Heng, her tone knowing: “I should’ve guessed — you’d be the one making work for me.”
Li Heng stood quietly before her, her expression softening.
Man Hei Wan paused briefly, then said, with certainty: “Don’t worry.”
Shen Zhicheng and the other officers watched them —
Their usually cool Madam — strangely docile all of a sudden?
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