Chapter 4: The Prodigal Leaves Home (Part 3)
She said, "I'm not arguing with you. Look at this wall—there's a gap there, but it's not a foyer or a window. What is it? A hole connecting to the neighbor's unit?"
I said, "The shared wall between Units 1 and 2 at Orchid Heights isn't load-bearing. That means the wall is thinner and provides less privacy. Normally, a luxury apartment would demand full privacy, but this was intentional—because both units are 142 square meters."
"What does the square footage have to do with anything?"
"Under national regulations, any unit over 144 square meters is classified as a luxury property and subject to a 3% tax. Wealthy people who want luxury living without the luxury tax use two separate purchase quotas to buy adjacent units, then knock out the shared wall and combine them into a nearly 300-square-meter mega-apartment—but they only pay the standard 1.5% rate. That's why Orchid Heights is so popular with the city's wealthy crowd."
Wendy Xu had a small epiphany. "Rich people really are cheap. I've known enough of them—always chasing privileges, dodging obligations."
I scrutinized the blueprint more carefully, puzzling over it. "I've been inside Victor Li's apartment, and I distinctly remember there was no opening in the wall."
She blinked. "Could it be... a secret passage?"
The possibility sent a jolt through me. This could be a major breakthrough. "It's possible. This is a crucial lead, but we'll have to verify it in person. Put everything back."
I photographed the blueprint, returned the documents to the drawer, and told the elderly couple I'd found what I needed and would come back another time. Then we hurried out.
Once we were out of Tai Sun's apartment, my nerves were still jangling. What should have been a straightforward case of Nora Zhao committing arson had grown more complicated the deeper we dug. The most important lead would have to be found at the scene itself!
Walking beside me, Wendy Xu said, "If you go back to the scene of the fire, the odds of being recognized are extremely high. Every resident and every security guard in that complex has probably seen your wanted poster!"
"You're right. If anyone identifies me, it's game over."
"So are we still going?"
I said, "Orchid Heights is an exclusive, private complex. Sneaking in undetected is hard—but not impossible. Those of us fighting for our rights as homeowners have been staking out Victor Li for years. We've developed... expertise."
"How?"
"Follow me."
Instead of heading straight for the main entrance, I led Wendy Xu around back to the garbage collection area.
Rows of dumpsters stood in a rank cluster, the stench overpowering. Wendy Xu pinched her nose. "What are we doing here?"
"Because the road behind here is still under construction, nobody comes through and no traffic passes. It's the perfect holding area. Several nearby complexes bring their dumpsters here for the garbage trucks to empty, then haul the empty ones back. That's how we get in!"
"That's how you people used to sneak in?"
"Not exactly. We had various methods, but they were all about avoiding property management. Today we need to avoid the residents, too."
Orchid Heights always emptied its dumpsters in the afternoon—the timing was about right. I scanned the rows and quickly found the ones marked with the complex's name. A quick look confirmed they were still full.
I found a concealed spot and settled in with Wendy Xu to wait. Eventually, the city garbage truck arrived, efficiently emptying the dumpsters into the compactor. After it left, cleaners from the various complexes came to haul the empty bins back.
After a long wait, I finally spotted the cleaner from Orchid Heights—an elderly man driving a small flatbed truck, loading empty dumpsters one by one.
Once the bed was half full, I whispered to Wendy Xu, "Now. Our chance."
Using the truck and dumpsters as cover, I climbed quietly onto the flatbed and pulled her up after me. I watched the old man carefully. When he turned to grab the next dumpster, I stuffed Wendy Xu into an empty bin, then climbed into the one next to it and pulled the lid shut behind me.
If we left the lids open, residents on higher floors might glance down and spot us through the dumpsters.
Crammed inside the bin, Wendy Xu couldn't help but crack the lid open and whisper, "I think I'm going to throw up."
"This is the best way we've got. Hold it in. And stay quiet."
After a while, I felt the truck begin to move. The old man was driving us right into Orchid Heights. Through the narrow gap in my lid, I watched the complex pass by.
He headed straight for the underground garage—the first delivery point. My heart lifted. The garage was exactly where I needed to be.
When the truck stopped, he unloaded the outermost bins. I seized the moment, climbed out, and pulled Wendy Xu after me. While the old man was busy, we slipped away from the far side of the truck. He was entirely focused on his work and never noticed us.
Wendy Xu brushed off her clothes, grimacing. "Do you think we were caught on security cameras? I heard luxury complexes have people monitoring them."
"I know this complex's security system inside and out."
She looked at me with surprise. "You know it that well? Are you sure you didn't set the fire?"
"No—because those of us fighting for our homes used to sneak in all the time. We'd throw eggs or paint at Victor Li's car."
"Aren't you worried about getting arrested? I know he refused to deliver your apartments, but vandalizing personal property is still illegal."
"Only one of us ever got caught. A buddy of ours live-streamed himself throwing raw sewage at Victor Li's car—we all cheered and applauded. He got arrested pretty quickly because the group chat records were used as evidence. Three days of administrative detention. We respect him immensely."
"He... threw it with his bare hands?"
"With a scoop!"
"That's disgusting. But I understand—if I'd bought a stalled condo, I'd lose my mind too."
I led Wendy Xu through the garage, easily evading every camera. "We know every inch of this place," I told her. "Wherever Victor Li parked his car, we'd find a way to hit it with paint. See that utility room over there? We broke that lock ourselves. Sometimes we'd hide inside, or store leftover eggs and paint in there."
Wendy Xu shook her head in wonder. "You people would do anything to make Victor Li's life miserable."
Once inside the residential tower, I had Wendy Xu take the elevator to the fourteenth floor while I took the stairs—my face was too recognizable.
By the time I'd hauled myself up, panting, I could hear crying from the floors above. The closer I got to the fifteenth floor, the louder it became.
When I reached the fourteenth-floor landing, Wendy Xu was already waiting. She told me there were people arguing upstairs.
Arguing?
I crept up to the fifteenth-floor stairwell door and peered through the crack. What I saw stopped me cold.
Funeral wreaths and a portrait of the deceased had been set up outside Victor Li's apartment. Yellow police tape sealed the door.
His family was burning spirit money in the hallway. A body lay under a white sheet at the entrance—by local custom, the deceased must lie in state for three days before cremation.
But what froze me in my tracks was a slender figure kneeling on the floor before the family.
She wore a plain white dress—cheap, its hem already stained with dust from the floor.
A large blue backpack sat beside her, making her look even smaller and more fragile.
Her forehead was pressed flat against the floor, and she held the position for a long time without lifting it.
It was Elena.
Victor Li's family burned paper money and acted as if she didn't exist. His son, wearing mourning garb, was speaking in a trembling voice: "The killer hasn't even been caught, and you're offering us one million yuan for our forgiveness?"
Wendy Xu asked, "Who's that girl?"
I said, "That's Victor Li's only son, Howard Li. A spoiled rich kid who, relying solely on his own hard work—plus the millions in cash from his father—founded several companies. And with his own considerable talent—plus the generous contracts his father handed him—he's grown those companies into something impressive."
"I meant the girl."
"That's none of your business."
"It's not just one million..." Elena said, her voice fragile as she addressed Howard Li. "My grandmother passed away last month. I've talked it over with my relatives, and the portion she left me can be cashed out—I should be able to add another four hundred thousand. For the rest, I'll find a way to make it up to you."
"Make it up my ass!"
Howard Li hurled the spirit money at Elena's head and roared, "My father is dead, and you want to buy our forgiveness with money? Get out! I wish it had been you who died!"
She flinched as the paper struck her, then bowed her head lower and whispered that she was sorry.
I stood there, unable to move.
Last night in the park, she hadn't said it like this.
She'd said that even if the whole world turned against me, she believed it was the world that was mistaken.
But now—she didn't believe in my innocence at all, did she?
When the world condemned me, all she did was kneel on the ground and beg for its forgiveness.