The Creator's Grace - Chapter 29

The encounter with Lu Siqiong at the mall finally offered Chi Yu a breath of fresh air amidst the dense fog of her investigation. When she told Qi Tong that Lu Siqiong was straight and had a boyfriend, Qi Tong was equally stunned.

“I never would have guessed. Seeing her stick to Ran Jin all day long, I thought…”

Chi Yu teased, “To think the great boss Qi didn’t notice this.”

Qi Tong let out a long sigh. “My little studio has its hands full. Investigating your sister’s case is incredibly difficult, then came Zhou Yu, not to mention those small clients who pay little but demand a lot. There are only four people in this studio including me; we’re exhausted every day. Who has the energy to check if a cop has a boyfriend? Besides, she and her boyfriend clearly don’t contact each other often, or I would have caught it.”

Chi Yu asked Qi Tong to investigate another matter first. Since it was relatively simple compared to the others, Qi Tong found the answer just three days after Chi Yu made the request.

Chi Yu went to Qi Tong’s studio to find her. As she sat down, Qi Tong, carrying two cups of coffee, spoke:

“That Wang Yan really did die in a drunk-driving accident. The night it happened, he had a party with a group of fair-weather friends—all people in the energy circle who had been crushed by the Chi Group. They used to hate your sister, and now that she’s gone, they’ve naturally shifted that hatred onto Ran Jin. That group spent plenty of time badmouthing her.

“Supposedly, Wang Yan got angrier as he spoke and even claimed he was going to go teach Ran Jin a lesson. His friends thought he was just talking drunken nonsense and didn’t take him seriously; one even mocked him for being all talk. Who would have thought that Wang Yan actually went to settle the score?

“He chased Ran Jin’s car in his Bentley for a long distance, all the way past the Sixth Ring Road. He tried to keep close to her, but while attempting to overtake, he was crushed by a semi-truck. Here, this is the surveillance footage. The speed was way too high; how many lives did he think he had to throw around like that?”

Watching Ran Jin’s car weave rapidly through traffic in the video, Chi Yu felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

In the past, whenever Ran Jin drove her to and from school, she was always cautious and meticulous; in all those years, she hadn’t even had a minor scratch. Sometimes Chi Yu complained she was too slow, and Ran Jin would reply: “I have to go slow while you’re in the car to ensure your safety.”

It turned out that the Ran Jin who usually drove like a tortoise could actually drive like that.

Even knowing Ran Jin was ultimately fine, Chi Yu’s heart leapt into her throat as she watched her forced to overtake between heavy trucks to evade Wang Yan’s pursuit.

There were several segments filmed at different locations. In the videos, Wang Yan followed Ran Jin relentlessly, looking truly crazed with intoxication. Seeing him so aggressive, it was terrifying to think how he might have treated Ran Jin if he had actually caught her. Fortunately, she escaped.

Wang Yan had tried to overtake to keep up with Ran Jin. Drunk driving is inherently dangerous, and he was attempting even riskier maneuvers. When his Bentley lost control, flew into the air, and was crushed by a truck that couldn’t brake in time, the shocking images were exactly as Chi Yu and Qi Tong expected.

Sipping her coffee, Qi Tong said, “So, while Wang Yan’s death is somewhat related to Ran Jin, she didn’t murder him like the rumors suggested. He brought it all on himself.”

The sharp, wounding glint in Chi Yu’s eyes began to dim, softening into a vague gentleness. “You could say that.”

Qi Tong was sharp enough to notice the change in her childhood friend’s attitude. She followed up: “In that case, Lu Siqiong isn’t her mistress and she didn’t kill Wang Yan. We might have misunderstood her quite a bit.”

Chi Yu thought of how Ran Jin had gone to the trouble of having the company staff teach her. She didn’t respond to Qi Tong’s comment immediately, instead asking: “Have you tracked down the person caught on camera dating my sister?”

Qi Tong almost cried. “Sister Yu, look at my little studio. It’s been twitching for a long time because of your affairs. We still haven’t found the most important piece of evidence to overturn your sister’s suicide ruling, and then we added Zhou Yu. I only give myself five minutes to eat now—I practically run with my bowl in hand. I know you’re anxious about this, and I’m trying my best. Please, bear with me? I promise to keep your priorities at the top of the list, okay?”

Qi Tong wasn’t really complaining; she was just venting to her friend out of habit, but her core message remained that Chi Yu’s matters were the priority. In the past, they would have traded barbs.

Instead, Chi Yu looked at her and said very seriously, “You’ve worked hard during this time, Qi Tong. Thank you for taking my matters so to heart.”

Qi Tong’s back stiffened, and her heart immediately softened.

“Oh, why say that? What’s our relationship? We grew up together; your business is my business. How could I not take it to heart?”

As Qi Tong spoke, Chi Yu’s eyes began to redden, but she forced her emotions back down. This truly frightened Qi Tong, who rushed to pull out a few tissues. “Don’t cry, Sister Yu! We’ve known each other for so many years—haven’t we faced every storm together? No matter what, you still have me…”

Chi Yu didn’t cry. She took the tissues, but no tears fell. She gave Qi Tong a small smile. She had always believed she was strong and brave enough to face anything. But lately, countless unexpected events had been pulling at her heart, threatening to shatter the understanding of the world she had built over twenty years. She realized then that she, too, had weaknesses.

“I’m okay.” Chi Yu’s nose was slightly red. After taking a deep breath, she said, “Don’t work yourself too hard either. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

Qi Tong nodded vigorously. “Mhm!”

Before leaving Qi Tong’s studio, Chi Yu copied the dashcam footage from Lu Siqiong’s car on the day of the crime. This was one of Ran Jin’s most important pieces of alibi evidence. Chi Yu had seen it before, but only at high speed; she hadn’t been thorough.

Chi Yu spent the entire night watching the dashcam footage, repeatedly comparing it to the surveillance video from the back door of her sister’s lounge that she had copied earlier. No matter how she looked at it, the person in the surveillance video was Ran Jin; she couldn’t mistake that face. But the person speaking in the dashcam footage was also Ran Jin; she could distinguish that voice as well.

So why could one person appear in two places at once?

Chi Yu thought of Zhou Yu, who looked like himself yet didn’t. Was it possible that someone had impersonated Ran Jin to frame her for the murder? And Ran Jin, having anticipated this, had created a perfect alibi with Lu Siqiong on the day of the crime.

But if Ran Jin had known someone was going to kill her sister and didn’t tell her…

Chi Yu pinched the webbing between her thumb and forefinger. It wasn’t impossible. Since they had already broken up, Ran Jin had every reason not to warn her. What exactly had her sister gotten involved in?

“The shadow under the lamp, right? Some people you think you know very well—in reality, the truth may not be what you’ve decided it is.”

Lu Siqiong’s words echoed in Chi Yu’s mind. Combined with the care she had received from Ran Jin at the company lately, an idea inevitably surfaced—

Ran Jin might truly not be the killer.

Despite having not slept all night, Chi Yu—never one to leave things half-finished—had much work to do as an assistant and had to go to the company. She had Auntie Su pour her a cup of black coffee, took a few bites of milk toast, and headed out.

Ran Jin was going to see Dong Ling of the STAR Group this morning. The only reason Chi Yu had dragged herself to work today was because of this appointment. STAR Group had a massive influence on the domestic galactic navigation sector. Chi Yu had heard Dong Ling’s name often while abroad; STAR and FPIU were the two companies most coveted by orbital talent worldwide, which naturally made them competitors.

The three trans-lunar orbits Ran Jin had bought for a high price earlier were developed by STAR Group. Returning to them now, Ran Jin’s goal was undoubtedly more orbits. She might use the newly joined partner, the Zhou family, as bargaining capital, or use profit-sharing as bait to secure a new cooperation plan.

Ran Jin had already recruited Zhou Yu. If she gained STAR’s support, Chi Yu’s previous efforts to blockade the orbits would likely be in vain.

All morning, Chi Yu searched for an excuse to follow Ran Jin to STAR Group. She had listed over a dozen excuses in her head, but before she could speak, Ran Jin said: “Xiao Yu, you’re coming out with me in a bit.”

Chi Yu looked up at Ran Jin.

“We’re going to STAR Group together,” Ran Jin said.

Inside the warm building, Ran Jin had removed her coat and suit jacket, wearing only a white shirt with light blue patterns. Her cufflinks and wrists were perfectly aligned as always, and the tidy cuffs revealed a small section of her slender wrist. She was wearing a watch—Chi Yu remembered that it was a gift from her sister during Ran Jin’s second year with the Chi family.

She was still wearing the gift her sister gave her.

Not receiving a reply, Ran Jin looked at Chi Yu with some confusion.

“Mhm, okay,” Chi Yu answered.

“What’s wrong? Did you not sleep well last night?” Ran Jin noticed the signs of an all-nighter on her face.

Chi Yu didn’t answer. “Leaving in fifteen minutes?”

“Yes,” Ran Jin said. “I’ll go to a quick meeting first and be back in exactly fifteen minutes. You should rest for a bit if you’re tired.”

Chi Yu gave a nearly imperceptible “Mhm,” her answer almost a whisper.

Ran Jin didn’t go to a meeting after stepping out. Instead, she turned to the reception desk and asked, “Has my package arrived?”

“Yes!” The receptionist immediately pulled it out. “Would you like me to open it for you, President Ran?”

“No need.” Ran Jin gave a rare smile. “Just wipe down the outside of the box for me.”

“You got it!”

Ran Jin had been worried it wouldn’t make it in time. This was something she had managed to get through an overseas partner at an auction. It was calculated to arrive a week ago, but there were issues in transit that caused a long delay. The courier had only arrived in the city in the middle of the night. Ran Jin had pressured the courier several times, and it had finally arrived. Fortunately, she hadn’t missed the deadline.

Chi Yu called Dong Ling’s secretary. The other person was extremely enthusiastic, calling her “Young President Chi” and saying President Dong had cleared his entire morning and was waiting for them.

After hanging up, just as Chi Yu was about to get up and move around to clear her head, her phone rang. It was a WeChat message from Qi Tong—a voice message followed by a long string of cake emojis.

Chi Yu was a bit dazed. She played the message; it was Qi Tong’s loud voice shouting “Happy Birthday!”

Today is my birthday.

Chi Yu realized that yes, it was indeed her twenty-third birthday. No wonder there were so many unread notifications in her work app this morning; she hadn’t opened them, but they were likely birthday wishes. Her aunt and uncle had also sent her messages. Her mind, foggy from lack of sleep, gradually began to liven up amidst the blessings.

While she was replying one by one, a push notification for a new email arrived. Seeing the sender’s name, Chi Yu’s expression froze instantly.

[Sender: Chi Li]

[Subject: Happy 23rd Birthday, baby!]

A numb sensation shot up from her spine to the top of her head. Chi Yu watched as the notification with her sister’s name appeared before her. Even after the notification vanished, she hadn’t reacted.

Sister?

With cold, trembling hands, Chi Yu opened the email app. It wasn’t a hallucination from lack of sleep; it really was an email from her sister. A video.

Is it really Sister? Is she still here?

Chi Yu didn’t know how she felt at that moment; countless theories and a tiny sliver of hope crashed through her heart. She took several deep breaths, blew warm air onto her hands to steady herself, and finally opened the video.

“Xiao Yu! Baby! Mwah, mwah, mwah!”

The person in the video really was her sister. She blew several loud kisses at the camera.

“Oh my god, our little baby is going to be twenty-three! Time flies too fast. In my memory, you’re still that little brat who followed me around and only knew how to act spoiled. In the blink of an eye, you’re about to graduate from university. Sigh, time’s a shuttle; you’ve grown up, and I’m getting old.”

Her vibrant sister, and that voice she hadn’t heard in so long, made Chi Yu’s tears fall instantly. In the video, Chi Li was sitting on the sofa in the Chi family living room, wearing loungewear, her makeup still on. She seemed to have had a bit to drink and was very excited.

“Last year I was busy and forgot your birthday, and you gave me quite the scolding! This year I recorded the video early and scheduled the sending time so I definitely won’t miss it—you won’t be able to catch me this time! Ha! So, this video is specifically to celebrate my baby’s birthday. A gift… I still have to think. You know how picky you are? It’s really not easy to give a gift that hits the spot; I’m going bald from thinking. But your sister already has a general idea, and I promise you’ll love it!”

This had been recorded by her sister while she was alive to ensure she never missed a birthday. But the person in the world who loved her most was gone.

Ran Jin stood behind Chi Yu, clutching the package, and heard Chi Li’s voice playing from the phone.

Chi Yu heard Ran Jin’s footsteps returning. She lowered her head to wipe away her tears and turned back, trying her best to maintain a calm expression. “Are we leaving now?”

Seeing her struggle to hold back tears, Ran Jin felt as if her heart were being wrung; the pain was intense. Chi Yu’s gaze shifted uncontrollably to the package in her arms, and Ran Jin sensed her faint expectation.

Chi Li had died before she could prepare a gift for Chi Yu; Ran Jin knew this. She also knew that to the current Chi Yu, a gift personally selected by her late sister would be a hundred times more precious than anything an “expired” sister-in-law could give.

“This is… a gift your sister prepared for you,” Ran Jin said, handing her the package.

Upon hearing those words, Chi Yu’s eyes indeed lit up.

“I’ll help you open it.” Ran Jin opened the package and took out a somewhat worn leather notebook.

It was the work log of a scientist who had died young, whom Chi Yu admired most. Ran Jin knew Chi Yu had been searching for this log for a long, long time. Ran Jin had been quietly helping her search for it and had finally found it at an auction three months ago.

Chi Yu gripped the notebook until her knuckles turned white. She lowered her head, trying to control the surge of emotion, but Ran Jin still saw tears drop from her bowed face.

Distressed, Ran Jin reached out her hand, wanting to stroke her head and comfort her as she used to, but… the hand hanging at her side only moved slightly and did not lift. Ran Jin brought her tissues and stayed at a distance, quietly accompanying her.

After her burst of emotion, Chi Yu saw the recipient on the package.

The recipient was not “Chi Li,” but “Ran Jin.”