Pristine Darkness

Chapter 76

The plot thickens as Jian Yao makes her way into the lion's den . . . a new piece of information is revealed, and a new suspect appears . . . or is Ding Mo throwing us another red herring? Read on to find out more . . .

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Translator: shl

Editor/ Proofreader: Summer

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When Jian Yao knocked on the door of Block 2, Unit 3, Room 302 of Guangbo New Housing Development, panic flashed momentarily across Feng Yuexi's face.

Jian Yao smiled cordially. "You remember me, right? I am a criminal investigator looking into the Nie Shijun case. I suddenly thought of some questions I had to ask you."

Perhaps it was because Jian Yao had shown up so abruptly that Feng Yuexi's panic had numbed her brain, so she had no idea how to reject Jian Yao's request to come in and sit down. It was only after they had both seated themselves on the sofa that Feng Yuexi belatedly realised that she was trembling with fear and felt as if her life was hanging from a thread. However, after she had poured Jian Yao a cup of tea, she looked at her and noted Jian Yao's serene and amiable expression, like nothing had happened. This caused her to feel slightly more at ease.

Jian Yao accepted the cup of tea but had no intention to drink it. Setting it by her, she took the opportunity to assess the decor of the apartment. It was a one-bedroom apartment; the floor area was small, but it was still spacious and bright. The decor was modern, simple yet refined, very much in line with the taste of a girl like Feng Yuexi. There were still several packing boxes piled up in a corner of the living room, evidence that the occupant had recently moved in and had not yet had time to finish unpacking.

"This is the friend's place that you mentioned previously?" Jian Yao asked.

"Ah, no," replied Feng Yuexi. "Because I don't intend to stay there anymore, he helped me to rent this apartment."

Jian Yao inadvertently glanced at the scene outside the window and was stunned.

A cluster of grey, newly-built, modern buildings, among which was one sporting a sign on its rooftop: Jiamei Mingyuan.

Practically only a street apart.

The twilight descended upon them slowly. The two women sat opposite each other, both especially quiet. Jian Yao noticed that Feng Yuexi had a Pandora bracelet on her wrist, which she had not worn the previous two times they had questioned her. On the table behind her was a Gucci bag. There were several pairs of shoes in the shoe cabinet in the entrance hallway. Jian Yao's sharp eyes were able to discern the logo on the soles.

"You know, don't you?" Jian Yao asked out of the blue.

Feng Yuexi looked blankly at her.

"She's that kind of person."

Evidently, Miss Feng was not reacting as she had done the previous two times when she had been quick-witted and well-prepared. Her expression altered for a split second, but she still reacted quickly enough and did her utmost to maintain a calm exterior. She said, "I don't understand what you're saying."

"She loved you," Jian Yao stated, quietly rubbing her fingers together. "She was one of the many people who love you."

Feng Yuexi's face turned chalk-white, and she looked as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. Many things surfaced in her mind in that instant: Nie Shijun's every frown and smile, the way she looked profoundly into Feng Yuexi's eyes, that time she had held her hand and then shaken it off, held her hand and then shaken it off . . . and her lying in the middle of the butterfly painting, that cold and lifeless photograph . . .