The officer in charge of reception looked Xiao Xiaoxiao up and down and said, “It’s our Captain Li. Young lady, may I ask why you’re inquiring about this?”
“I’m a friend of Yun Qingxue. I just received news about what happened to Qingxue and rushed back from abroad. I wanted to see her, but I don’t know where she is now, so I had to come to the police station to ask,” Xiao Xiaoxiao replied immediately.
The officer scrutinized Xiao Xiaoxiao once more before saying, “Wait here!”
With that, he left and soon returned with a middle-aged man. The man was also in police uniform, and the two approached Xiao Xiaoxiao.
The first officer introduced, “Miss, this is our Captain Li. Captain Li, this young lady claims to be a friend of the victim.”
Yun Qingxue stood to the side, quietly observing Captain Li. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square face that naturally exuded an air of honesty and loyalty. At first glance, his appearance left a very good impression.
Since Yun Qingxue was currently invisible and unseen by others, Captain Li’s sharp gaze locked directly onto Xiao Xiaoxiao.
“You’re Yun Qingxue’s friend?” he asked.
“Yes,” Xiao Xiaoxiao met his gaze, her eyes misting over as she said softly, “Please tell me where Qingxue is, and also Zhou Dao’s whereabouts. If it’s convenient, please let me know both.”
“When we rescued the victim, she was already unconscious. It’s been six months now, and she’s still in that state, so she’s been receiving treatment at First People’s Hospital. As for Zhou Dao, he’s been by her side the whole time, taking care of her.”
Captain Li’s eyes seemed slightly unfocused as he spoke, but they regained clarity the moment he finished.
“Could you please take me to see Qingxue?” Xiao Xiaoxiao pleaded sincerely.
Captain Li gave her a suspicious look, feeling that something was off about the way she had just met his gaze—though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
“How long have you known the victim?” he asked instead of immediately agreeing to her request.
“We were very close friends who shared everything. If I had to describe our relationship in one phrase, it would be ‘life-and-death friendship!'”
“Life-and-death friendship?” Captain Li eyed her skeptically. “But after the incident, we investigated her background. The records show she was an orphan, and her social circle didn’t seem to include your name.”
Xiao Xiaoxiao chuckled lightly and replied calmly, “I wasn’t raised in an orphanage. Very few people knew about my friendship with Qingxue. I believe you’re familiar with Zhou Dao, aren’t you?”
Captain Li frowned, unsure why she was bringing up Zhou Dao now.
“Zhou Dao and Qingxue grew up together in the orphanage—childhood sweethearts, you could say. Qingxue used to trust him completely. In fact, if not for that heart transplant surgery six months ago, she probably would have married him!”
Xiao Xiaoxiao smiled faintly at Captain Li, doing her best to weave her fabricated tale convincingly.
She continued, “But from the day I met Qingxue, I never liked that Zhou Dao guy. I always felt he wasn’t a good person, so Qingxue and I often argued about him. I repeatedly urged her to leave him, but that silly girl just wouldn’t listen! Later, my parents arranged for me to study abroad. Before I left, I tried one last time to persuade her to break things off with Zhou Dao, and we ended up parting on bad terms. She was so mad at me that we didn’t speak for over three years…
“Until recently, when I logged into my long-unused QQ account and found an email from six months ago… It was from Qingxue. She said Zhou Dao had gotten involved with some rich girl… I was so worried about her, but she wouldn’t answer my calls. I had to book the earliest flight back. After asking around, I finally learned what had happened to her.”
At the end, Xiao Xiaoxiao let out a sorrowful sigh.
Yun Qingxue, still invisible, watched the entire performance. She had seen liars before—people who lied without blushing, who spoke falsehoods as if they were truths—but this was the first time she’d witnessed someone spin such an elaborate lie on the spot, right in front of the police, without the slightest hint of nervousness.
Was it because this girl was no longer human that she could lie so effortlessly under pressure?
And if she hadn’t misseen earlier, the reason Captain Li had so readily revealed the whereabouts of her modern body was because Xiao Xiaoxiao had used a mind-influencing technique on him—a trick known among ghosts and mortals as “being led astray by demons.”
“Alright, I happen to have some business at the hospital. You can come with me. Also, based on what you just said, I have a few more questions. We can talk on the way.”
After hearing Xiao Xiaoxiao’s story, Captain Li’s attitude softened slightly, and his wariness toward her diminished.
“Great!” Xiao Xiaoxiao agreed cheerfully, winking at the invisible Yun Qingxue before quickly following Captain Li.
They left the office building and got into a police car parked outside. A young officer was at the wheel, while Captain Li took the passenger seat. The invisible Yun Qingxue and Xiao Xiaoxiao sat in the back.
“Miss Xiao, you mentioned earlier that Zhou Dao betrayed your friend?” Captain Li asked as the car started moving.
“That’s what Qingxue wrote in her email,” Xiao Xiaoxiao replied casually.
“Could I see that email?” he pressed.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible right now,” she said apologetically, though inwardly she felt uneasy.
Fortunately, Captain Li didn’t push further.
The car fell into silence, an atmosphere that made Xiao Xiaoxiao feel oddly unsettled… She couldn’t resist using a little more of her magic.
The police car soon arrived at the entrance of First People’s Hospital.
Captain Li, Xiao Xiaoxiao, and the invisible Yun Qingxue got out together and headed toward the inpatient ward.
After they left, the young officer still in the driver’s seat scratched his head in confusion and muttered, “That’s weird… The drive from the station to the hospital felt shorter today. Same speed as usual, but what normally takes half an hour only took fifteen minutes today…”
Captain Li led Xiao Xiaoxiao and Yun Qingxue into the inpatient building and took the elevator.
It stopped on the seventh floor, and he guided them confidently down the left hallway toward the patient rooms.
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