Ghost Alley

Chapter 4

Director Sun: "What is it? You need my help again? Are you trying to pick up some female student?"

Feng Junzi: "I'm looking for female students, but I'm afraid I can't pick them up. I want to check the files of two girls from your school's 1997 class, one named Qiao Fangsi and the other named Han Shuang."

Qiao Fangsi is Piaopiao's real name, and Han Shuang is the other girl who went to the bar with Piaopiao on the night she died. Director Sun was not surprised to hear this and replied, "Professor Song told me that you want to see the files of two students. This is simple. I will retrieve them. You can come whenever you are free."

Feng Junzi: "Director Sun, don't be so quick to say it. I have to make this clear to you. This Qiao Fangsi is none other than the girl who died mysteriously two years ago at your Light Industry College. I know your school is very reluctant to talk about this matter. I have no other intentions. It's purely a private matter. I just wanted to take a look at the information. I will absolutely not spread it to you."

Director Sun was taken aback: "So that's what it is. I know about this, but I don't know the girl's name. Mr. Feng, what exactly are you trying to do? The school has already compensated the family, and this matter is now closed."

Feng Junzi: "This matter has nothing to do with your school. It's because when I was in Qingdao, a friend's relative had the same thing happen to him at the university. I'd like to see the relevant information from that time, which might be helpful."

Director Sun: "Qingdao? Which university?"

Feng Junzi had no choice but to continue making things up: "Ocean University, Director Sun, please don't ask anymore. I won't tell anyone else about your school."

Professor Song was also somewhat surprised, but he had seen many strange things done by Feng Junzi, so he wasn't too surprised. He chimed in, "Director Sun, please do me a favor. This Mr. Feng Junzi considers himself a metaphysician and likes to study these bizarre things. It's just his personal research. I can guarantee that it won't have any negative impact on your school."

Seeing that Professor Song also said so, Director Sun had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The matter was indeed very simple; two days later, Feng Junzi saw the two documents. The student files kept by the school were very simple, consisting of only a thin file folder. Feng Junzi opened the file and first saw Qiao Fangsi's photo. Only then did he completely believe that the female ghost Piaopiao had not lied to him. Qiao Fangsi in the photo was smiling and had long, flowing hair; it was indeed the female ghost Piaopiao he had met in Jimo.

Feng Junzi discovered that the file was missing a lot of information. Flipping to the very end, he found several A4 printouts listing the missing documents, indicating that the police had taken them. It seemed the police had also made copies of the remaining documents, suggesting that Piaopiao's case was probably still ongoing. Feng Junzi suddenly noticed the signature of the police officer who had reviewed the documents—Chang Wu.

Feng Junzi sighed – what a small world! Chang Wu was his high school classmate, and now he also worked in Binhai. He used to be the head of the local police station, but in the last six months, he was transferred to the Ganquan District Public Security Bureau as the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team. It seemed that he had also been involved in Piaopiao's case back then. Feng Junzi was both surprised and delighted. This way, he wouldn't have to bother asking others anymore; he could just go directly to Chang Wu.

Feng Junzi opened Han Shuang's file again. He paused when he saw the photo, his first impression being that the girl was very beautiful, yet she looked strangely familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before. He suddenly remembered seeing a familiar face, Lulu, inexplicably a couple of days ago while lecturing at the Light Industry College. The feeling was exactly the same as now. So who was this Han Shuang? Thinking of Lulu, Feng Junzi suddenly had a flash of inspiration and finally remembered: this Han Shuang was the prostitute Shuangshuang who accompanied Old Dong back to the hotel that night at midnight!

"Damn it!" Feng Junzi cursed under his breath. The things that had happened recently were too bizarre, with too many coincidences. It seemed that fate had dragged him into this matter.

2-4. Unexpected Gains

Feng Junzi called Chang Wu, only to find that Chang Wu was out of town on official business and wouldn't be back for a few days. Feng Junzi's curiosity was surging like a tide, and he couldn't just sit at home. He decided to go to the Midnight Nightclub to meet Han Shuang. As he left, he thought about how expensive the drinks were and felt a pang of regret for his wallet. But then he thought again, and the thought of being an undercover detective investigating a case added a touch of excitement and novelty.

As expected, Manager Chen of Midnight Nightclub was a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry. Although they had only met once, she recognized Feng Junzi as soon as he entered the door and quickly came up to him, saying, "So it's Brother Feng, welcome, welcome. Are you here alone tonight or with friends?"

Feng Junzi: "I'm all alone, find me a small private room."

Supervisor Chen: "So Brother Feng likes to create a romantic atmosphere. Don't worry, I'll definitely find you a nice room where you won't be disturbed."

The foreman, Chen, led Feng Junzi through a winding corridor and, sure enough, found him a small, intimately intimate private room in a dimly lit corner. He then asked, "Which lady would you like, Brother Feng? Would you like to choose a table?"

Feng Junzi: "No need to choose a channel. Just call Shuangshuang over, and I'll go find her."

Supervisor Chen: "Oh dear, I'm sorry, Shuangshuang didn't come to work today."

Upon hearing this, Feng Junzi became a little anxious and said, "Then call her and tell her that there are guests waiting for her here. Just ask her to come over."

Foreman Chen: "She went home. Her family lives in another city, so she can't come to work for the next few days. Brother Feng, why don't you find another girl? Or I can bring you a few to take a look?"

Feng Junzi's enthusiasm for becoming a detective was dampened. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way, but since he was already there, he felt embarrassed to just turn around and leave. Suddenly, he thought of Lulu and said to the supervisor, "Then you should call Lulu over."

Supervisor Chen agreed and went out, but returned a short while later. He said apologetically to Feng Junzi, "Brother Feng, I'm really sorry, Lulu is currently working and won't be coming down for a while. Why don't you choose another girl?"

Feng Junzi was disappointed again, thinking to himself that he was having a really bad night. He hadn't come looking for a prostitute in the first place. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's okay, I'll wait for her. Lulu can come over whenever she gets off the stage."

Foreman Chen laughed: "Is Brother Feng just infatuated or fickle? One minute he's looking for Shuangshuang, the next he's waiting for Lulu. We have plenty of beautiful ladies here."

Feng Junzi: "Can't someone who is devoted to love be affectionate? Have you ever heard of Jia Baoyu? If not Jia Baoyu, you must have heard of Duan Yu, right?"

Supervisor Chen: "Brother Feng, please sit down. I'll call the waiter to bring you drinks, and then I'll call Lulu over to have a drink with you before you go back."

After a while, Lulu pushed open the door and walked in. As the saying goes, half of a man is a woman. Usually, successful men are surrounded by beautiful women to add color to their lives. And half of a woman is her clothes and makeup. Lulu looks pure and beautiful in her student clothes in class, but in the nightclub, she wore a tight-fitting halter dress, and in the dim light, she immediately gained a seven-point alluring temperament.

Lulu seemed surprised to see Feng Junzi, her expression a mixture of joy and sadness. She said to Feng Junzi, "So it's Teacher Feng. You haven't forgotten me..." Then she seemed to hesitate.

Feng Junzi noticed Lulu's expression and felt it was a bit strange. Since she called him Teacher Feng, it meant she had recognized him in class that day. This didn't seem like the style of a nightclub hostess. Nightclub hostesses usually wouldn't address guests like that in this kind of setting unless the guests mentioned their jobs.

Since the other party had already addressed him that way, Feng Junzi had no choice but to reply, "I'm here to apologize. I said a few unintentional things in class that day, and you seemed very unhappy."

Lulu suddenly laughed: "Brother Feng, you're overthinking it. Do we in this line of work have to worry about what others say? Actually, I should thank you properly. Last time you stayed to keep me company, and I later found out that you were protecting me from people. I've been looking for an opportunity to thank you, but I didn't even know who you were. Now that's alright, I'll definitely keep you company tonight."

Lulu had a drink with Feng Junzi. Not wanting to make things too difficult for her, Feng Junzi said, "Alright, I know you're still working at the bar. Don't keep the customers waiting. Go on over there."

Lulu: "Brother Feng, please sit down first. I'll come and keep you company as soon as I get off the stage. Or should I find a lady to sit with you first?"

Feng Junzi: "No need, I feel quite comfortable drinking alone."

The waiting time was much shorter than Feng Junzi had expected. Less than an hour later, Lulu rushed over again. She said to Feng Junzi, "Brother Feng, I'm off the stage now. Let's have a few drinks together."

Lulu accompanied Feng Junzi for drinks, but Feng Junzi seemed hesitant to make any advances, and Lulu also seemed hesitant to flirt with Feng Junzi. Although the two were sitting on the same sofa, they felt a bit awkward, not like a nightclub customer and hostess, so they didn't talk much.

To lighten the mood, Feng Junzi asked Lulu, "You used to be a student at the Light Industry College, so why did you lie to me last time and say you were from the University of Science and Technology? I really thought you were my junior."

Lulu: "The madam here taught me to say that. The Polytechnic University is a national key university and the best school in the coastal area, so the guests are more interested in it."

Feng Junzi was both amused and exasperated, and cursed, "The rankings between universities are actually affecting nightclubs, that's really something."

Feng Junzi hadn't forgotten the purpose of his trip, so he tentatively asked Lulu, "I guess there's more than one college student here; from what I've observed, there are several others."

Lulu asked curiously, "Brother Feng, can you read fortunes? Do you come here often?"

Feng Junzi: "This is my second time here, but I'm sure there were college students among the ladies I met last time."

Lulu: "There were four girls working at the bar last time, but these three are not them. You've mistaken them."

Feng Junzi: "I'm not talking about those three. Have you forgotten who stepped in for you in the end? Shuangshuang looks like a college student, but she doesn't seem to be in school. She looks like she graduated and has been working in society for two years."

Lulu: "Brother Feng has a good eye. Shuangshuang is my senior, also from the Light Industry College. She graduated exactly two years ago."

Upon hearing that there was an opportunity, Feng Junzi continued to subtly trap him: "So you two went to the same school. Let me guess, you're two years apart, so you might have known each other back in school. So, you came to work at this nightclub, most likely through a mutual introduction, right?"

Lulu was surprised: "Brother Feng is indeed an expert. You guessed exactly right. Shuangshuang did introduce me to work as a prostitute at Midnight. We have a very good relationship here. Otherwise, why would she have agreed to help me that day? We even live together."

Feng Junzi sighed inwardly, "Luckily! I guessed right. It seems that although Lulu is a prostitute, she has no guile at all and is too easy to get information out of her." Then, feigning surprise, he asked Lulu, "You live together? Why don't you live on campus?"

Lulu glared at Feng Junzi and replied, "It's so late every night, how am I supposed to get back to school? I have no choice but to rent a place off-campus. Besides, my roommates don't want me to go back."

Feng Junzi: "Is it a shared apartment between the two of you? What kind of place is it?"

Lulu: "It's about 70 square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room. It's simply decorated and has a water heater and a TV. Shuangshuang and I each have our own room."

Feng Junzi: "How much is the rent per month?"

Lulu: "Seven hundred."

Feng Junzi continued to probe, "A house like this is very cheap in Binhai. There definitely aren't any in the city center. It must be in the suburbs. I'm guessing it's near your school?"

Lulu: "Yes, it's very close to our school, right in Huashan Community, which makes it convenient for us to go to class."

Feng Junzi chuckled inwardly. Lulu was almost revealing her hideout. He continued, "Why don't you invite me to your house sometime when you have some free time?"

Lulu blushed a little because the phrase "visiting someone's home" had a different meaning in this context, but she thought that Feng Junzi might not have meant it, and replied, "Of course I welcome Teacher Feng if he wants to come."

When Feng Junzi suddenly heard Lulu address him as Teacher Feng again, he realized that his words had been clearly flirtatious. He also remembered that Lulu had stated she would not perform outside of her workplace. So he explained, "Don't misunderstand, I just went to take a look. I didn't have any other intentions."

Nothing was said that night. When Feng Junzi finished paying the bill and offered a tip, Lulu resolutely refused to accept it, saying to Feng Junzi, "I haven't had a chance to thank you for what happened last time, so how can I accept your tip tonight?"

Feng Junzi didn't want things to go this way. Although he didn't dislike Lulu, he didn't want to get involved in this kind of situation. He said to Lulu, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since you've been drinking with me tonight, you should give me a tip. You can thank me for what happened last time, but you don't need to thank me here."

Lulu seemed a little disappointed. After accepting the money, she said to Feng Junzi, "Teacher Feng, if you insist on being so clear about the distinction, then I'll accept it. I'll treat you to a meal another day. Even if it's a student treating a teacher, you must agree."

Feng Junzi replied perfunctorily, "Definitely, definitely." Then, thinking that Han Shuang lived with her and might discover something from her, she changed her mind and said, "I'll make an appointment with you in a couple of days. Give me your phone number."

2-5. Cause of death

Two days later, Chang Wu returned to Binhai, and Feng Junzi found an opportunity to invite him out. The two of them ate skewers, drank, and chatted at a barbecue restaurant.

Feng Junzi asked Chang Wu, "Chang Wu, I asked you out today because I want to ask you something. Two years ago, you handled a case where a girl from the Light Industry College was murdered. Her name was Qiao Fangsi. Do you remember her?"

Chang Wu was surprised: "How did you know? This case is still unsolved. It's such a pity that the girl died. She was about to graduate from university."

Feng Junzi: "I was giving a lecture a few days ago, and I heard it from the teachers and students at their school." He paused and then said, "There are still rumors at the school that the dormitory where this student lived before his death is haunted."

Chang Wu sighed: "I don't know if it's haunted or not, but this case is really bizarre. I still get chills when I think about it. I can't believe there are such terrifying things in the world!"

Even Feng Junzi was taken aback and asked Chang Wu curiously, "You've been a policeman for so many years, how can you be so timid? Is this case really that scary? Can you tell me about it?"

Chang Wu said slowly, "If you hadn't asked, I really wouldn't have wanted to bring it up again..."

That day I was on duty. At nine o'clock in the morning, I received a call from a hotel reporting that a teenage girl had been found dead in the bathroom. The scene was extremely bizarre; a girl of about seventeen or eighteen was lying naked in the bathtub, with partially melted ice beneath her body. Later analysis suggested the time of death was around one o'clock in the morning. Judging from the scene, the bathtub was filled with ice… It wasn't rape; the girl showed no signs of sexual assault before her death.

Feng Junzi interjected, "Then how exactly did she die?"

Chang Wu seemed not to hear Feng Junzi's words, still immersed in his memories, and continued:

"The girl's body had no wounds on the front, but there were two thin, long cuts on her back. Because she had been lying on ice, her skin had turned deathly pale, while the cuts were a strange dark red. The girl was beautiful, with long, flowing hair, but at the time she looked very... The forensic examination revealed that both of her kidneys had been removed... There was a note next to the bathtub that read, 'Call the police immediately, or you will die!' But the girl never called the police; she may have died before she saw the note."

Hearing this, Feng Junzi felt a chill run down his spine, his scalp tingled, and his lower back began to ache slightly. The beer he was drinking tasted sticky and bitter. He couldn't believe Piaopiao had died like this, but he knew she hadn't seen the note. Composing himself, he asked Chang Wu, "Has the killer been caught? Who did it?"

Chang Wu: "The case has remained unsolved. The people who booked the rooms used fake IDs, and the hotel staff couldn't remember what the guests looked like. None of the suspects have been found."

Feng Junzi was startled. It turned out that the police didn't know that Han Shuang had been with Piao Piao that night. He originally wanted to tell Chang Wu that he could investigate Han Shuang, but then he thought that there was no way to explain this to Chang Wu. If he just told Chang Wu that Han Shuang was also at the scene, he might become a suspect himself. He decided to find an opportunity to tell him anonymously.

Although Feng Junzi was shocked, he remained clear-headed. He reminded Chang Wu, "It is too cruel for these criminals to steal organs from living people. However, the stolen organs must be for transplantation. Have you checked which hospital later performed the kidney transplant surgery?"

Chang Wu: "These criminals usually operate across regions, and may even be transnational, making it extremely difficult to investigate them."

Feng Junzi: "What you said is all possible, but don't forget one thing: organs can't be preserved for long, and there's a high chance they'll be resold in the local area. This kind of surgery can't be done in a small hospital. Large hospitals should have organ sources for this kind of surgery. Check the records of the hospital in Binhai City at that time; you might find some clues."

Chang Wu: "You're right. I wasn't in charge of this case at the time, so I don't know if they investigated it. If there are any records of this, I'd really like to take a look."

Feng Junzi: "I suggest you check the hospital records. If you find them, could you show them to me as well?"

Chang Wu: "Old Feng, you're always so curious, but it's a good deed. I haven't forgotten this case in the past two years, and I always think about the girl lying in the bathtub. Since you brought it up, I'll go check the records again and let you know if I find any clues."

Seeing that Chang Wu was already very interested in Piaopiao's case, Feng Junzi decided to wait and see the results of Chang Wu's investigation and didn't say much about Han Shuang's matter for the time being. At this moment, he wondered if he should ask Lulu to meet him.

2-6. A Perverse Love

The next afternoon, Feng Junzi timed his get out of class break perfectly and called Lulu, inviting her out for a meal. Lulu seemed delighted and insisted on paying. They discussed what to eat, with Feng Junzi choosing a Western restaurant for the sake of conversation.

Lulu was dressed as a student today. When she arrived at the restaurant, Feng Junzi had already been waiting for a while. The two quickly ordered their food and sat down to chat.

Feng Junzi said, "I think we should be fair to each other. Now you know my name and what I do, but I don't know your name yet."

Lulu: "My surname is Hu, and my name is Hu Shiwei." As if afraid that Feng Junzi wouldn't believe her, she even handed over her student ID.

Feng Junzi was slightly surprised by Lulu's straightforwardness. He took the student ID, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "So you're from Harbin. I finally believe the saying that beauties come from the cold. You have very fair skin and a great figure."

Lulu: "Where is Teacher Feng from?"

Feng Junzi smiled and recited: "Jiangcheng is like a painting, the mountains are clear at dusk. Two rivers embrace a bright mirror, twin bridges fall like rainbows. Smoke rises from the cold orange and pomelo trees, autumn colors age the paulownia trees. Who remembers Xie Lingyun on the north tower, braving the wind? Can you guess?"

Lulu: "Teacher Feng is so interesting. You're from Xuancheng, right?"

Feng Junzi was surprised once again: "You really surprise me. There are not many college students nowadays who have read Li Bai's poem, and even fewer who know its source. I guess your parents must be very learned people."

Lulu lowered her head and said softly, "My grandfather was indeed very learned, and my father was also very well-read, but he passed away when I was young."