"Huh?" Song Qingchun was started; she didn't seem to get what Su Zhinian meant.
"Phone, I mean where's your cell phone?"
"Oh." Song Qingchun rushed out of the bathroom and soon returned with her phone. Su Zhinian accepted it and opened her WhatsApp. As he did so, he asked, "You haven't deleted any messages, right?"
"I don't think so…" The moment Song Qingchun finished, Tang Nuan's voice reverberated through the bathroom.
"There… is… recorder… purse…"Song Qingchun couldn't follow what Su Zhinian was doing. She didn't understand why he would suddenly replay Tang Nuan's dying message. She frowned and stared at Su Zhinian, who was uncharacteristically focused listening to Tang Nuan's message. She whispered, "Have you found anything?"
Su Zhinian was silent for a long time. Instead of answering Song Qingchun, he posed her another question. "Where's your purse?"
Song Qingchun blinked blankly. "Which purse?"
"Where do you normally keep your bags and purses?" Su Zhinian clarified.
"In my closet…"
Before Song Qingchun finished, Su Zhinian rushed toward the closet. She hurried to follow. As she stepped into her closet, Su Zhinian asked, "Do you still remember which purse you were carrying the day we visited the orphanage?"
Song Qingchun had so many bags, and she changed the bag that she carried almost daily. However, while she might not remember the bag of any given day, she definitely had a good memory of the purse she carried the day they visited the orphanage. That was because on that morning, before she left home, her sister-in-law gifted her a new purse.Song Qingchun looked around the closet before pointing at the purse on the second row third one from the left. "That one."
"The LV one?" Su Zhinian glanced at the brand and asked for confirmation.
Song Qingchun nodded. Su Zhinian grabbed the purse and opened all the zippers to search through it.
"What are you looking for?" Song Qingchun walked forward to inquire. Su Zhinian didn't answer as he searched through every lining available in the purse. Finally, he pulled out a bug the size of a button from a small pocket that was buried at the bottom of the purse.
Song Qingchun's eyes widened to their maximum. Something seemed to dawn on her, but her mouth still fell open with disbelief. "Why— why is there such a thing in my purse?"
Su Zhinian bit on his lips. Ignoring Song Qingchun, he pulled out the electronic battery out from behind the bug before asking, "Did you buy this purse yourself, or was it a gift?"
Song Qingchun's face was pale. After taking a few deep breaths, she said, "It was a gift from my sister-in-law."
Sister-in-law? Fang Rou?
Song Qingchun and Su Zhinian shared a look. Even though they didn't say anything, the next second, they both turned around in unison to run toward the bedroom door. They first rushed to Fang Rou's bedroom. The room was empty. Then they ran downstairs; there was still no sign of Fang Rou.
After asking the maid, they were informed that Fang Rou hadn't returned home since the previous night…
Song Qingchun raced to the landline to call Fang Rou, but the phone wasn't in service.
Su Zhinian and Song Qingchun shared another look. Su Zhinian pointed at the ceiling, and they both returned to the bedroom as calmly as they could.
