By now, the sun was setting. The sky, already tinged a strange, blood-red hue, bloomed into a fish-scale pattern of crimson clouds. On the far western edge of the island—inside the most luxurious overwater presidential suite—Li Ye and Ada sat side by side on lounge chairs by the private infinity pool, silently watching the dusk roll in.
"Should we try lying in that thing?" Li Ye motioned toward the empty outdoor jacuzzi.
Ada hesitated. "Sure," she said, then quickly kicked off her shoes and, fully clothed, laid herself into the tub. Head tilted on the rim, eyes rolled up, tongue lolling out—like a corpse. "Do I look like one of them?" she slurred with mock dramatics. "You think this was the last thing they saw before they died?"
Li Ye burst out laughing at the sight of her.
"I was just trying to recreate the crime scene," he said, still smiling. "You didn't need to go full corpse on me." He knew she was being silly to cut the tension—it was a little awkward, after all, a woman climbing into a tub in front of a man she barely knew. So, he lay down too, joining in the strange fun, and mimicked her with rolled eyes and a lolling tongue.
The weirdness evaporated, replaced by something almost goofy.
But the actual deaths they were reenacting… were anything but goofy. They were downright disturbing.
That morning, when Li Ye had pulled back the sheets on the two newly discovered corpses, even he was taken aback. No overpowering stench like before, but the sight was just as jarring.
When Li Ye had pulled back the sheets covering the other two bodies in the warehouse earlier, he'd been startled. While there was no overpowering odor this time, the sight was jarring. The victims, a man and woman in their sixties, had wet hair. White and black, granular foam oozed simultaneously from their mouths and noses, resembling melted vanilla and sesame swirl ice cream. Their legs displayed a purplish-red, net-like pattern like burns. Their toes were rigidly pointed, as if frozen mid-ballet pose. Their hands were clawed in stiff, terrifying positions reminiscent of the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw（A martial art known in Chinese martial arts novels for its extreme finger strength）.In his experience, they had likely died from electrocution.
"These two were even more unlucky," Kevin had said, wiping sweat from his brow earlier. "They were Malaysian Chinese entrepreneurs, Chairman Wu Weihong and his wife. They came with their whole family – five people. The young Chairman Wu, his wife, and child are still reeling." To Kevin, the son's actual name was irrelevant; "Young Chairman Wu" was clear and efficient.
Just two days without reliable water and power, and they lost their lives?No one could understand it. Logically, someone as experienced as Mr. Wu, who had run a family business for decades, was meticulous and valued appearances and cleanliness, but after surviving the business world's fierce competition for decades, how could he not handle a temporary water shortage?
During the typhoon, the hotel had limited water and electricity in shifts. There was enough, if rationed. But their massive suite had too many people—too little time for everyone to shower. That morning, with power finally restored, Junior Wu had woken up to find both parents missing. Not in the restaurant. Not on the beach. Not answering their phones. A search party swept the island, until a housekeeper, prepping to clean the west-end presidential suite, found them.
They were lying together in the outdoor jacuzzi. Already cold. Already gone.
When Kevin told a security guard to move them, the guard screamed and quickly jumped back. That's when everyone realized that the typhoon had severed a wire that ran across the roof, and it had landed right next to the hot tub, creating a live current.
Ada guessed the couple had snuck in for a bath that morning. After all, that suite was the only one with an open-air jacuzzi facing both the ocean sunrise and sunset, plus its own private water supply—clean, full, ready to go. But no one could've expected that just as power returned to the island… they'd be electrocuted.
"Still," Li Ye said, eyes narrowing as he stared up at the dangling wire, "you're really sure it was an accident? What if they were electrocuted somewhere else, then dumped in the tub? Or drowned first, and the scene was staged?"
Ada sat up,"Not likely.You saw it. The upper half of both victims had the typical light pink lividity of a drowning victim, and their lower limbs had a reddish-purple webbed pattern, which is the result of a hemolytic reaction caused by electricity breaking down red blood cells.. It's textbook. Honestly, this one's simpler than the first two deaths."
Still, the moment turned awkward again—two people lying in a tub under the twilight sky. Ada suddenly stood up—but her foot slipped. With a yelp, she flailed toward the edge—only to be caught.
He held her arms tightly, as if to keep her from falling on top of him rather than to save her.
"Careful, miss. This is a crime scene," Li Ye said with exaggerated caution, releasing her arms as if they were radioactive, wary of any misinterpretation.
Ada rubbed her stinging arms where he'd gripped her, shooting him a glare. "If you really want to simulate the scene, do it properly. What's the point lying in an empty tub? Shouldn't we fill it with water? Like the victims?"
Li Ye's eyes lit up. "Fill it with water?"
"Yeah, filled right to the brim, level with the edge, ah—" She suddenly shrieked, "What are you doing?!"
Before she could finish, Li Ye had stripped off his shirt, revealing a well-defined torso. Ada's ears flushed crimson.
"I want to test what it feels like with the tub full, two people lying in it," he stated matter-of-factly.
Ada instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. "What do you mean?"
"Don't misunderstand," Li Ye said, handing his discarded shirt to her. "Miss Ada, I need a favor. Could you fill the tub, turn on the jets, and lie in here with me to simulate the scene? You're about the same height as Mrs. Wu. You could put this on over your clothes first, so yours don't get wet."
Minutes later, they lay rigidly side-by-side in the churning Jacuzzi. Ada was paralyzed with awkwardness. The only sounds were the gurgling jets and the rhythmic crash of waves outside. The water level rose, creeping towards Ada's neck. Her body began to float, but she desperately tucked her legs in to avoid contact with Li Ye.
"How does it feel?" Li Ye asked.
"I'm so tired. I can't breathe," Ada's voice trembled because of the massage jets.
"Exactly," he muttered, switching off the jets and rising with effort. "Something's off."
Ada stared at him—more stunned by what she saw than what he said. Several deep, brutal scars ran across his back. She inhaled sharply.
What the hell had he been through?
Li Ye grabbed a towel and wiped himself dry. "In a tub like this, if you're reclining and the water's over your heart, you start feeling pressure—can't breathe. Normally, people don't fill it all the way. So why were the victims found in a tub filled to the brim?"
"You're saying…"
"I'm wondering if… someone put them in after they were dead. Then filled the water."
Ada frowned. "Maybe. But I still think they got in alive and were electrocuted right away. One of the housekeepers told me the water was still running when they found them. It didn't overflow, though—these tubs have an overflow drain and a hidden floor drain." She pointed to several small grooves near the base. "The water level stays full, but doesn't flood."
Li Ye looked disappointed. "So you think all four of these bizarre deaths were just… accidents?"
She paused, then said something seemingly unrelated: "Actually, Officer Li, I understand how you feel." Her gaze softened as it lingered on the scars on his back. "I'm Chinese too. Living here hasn't been easy. So yeah, sometimes I'm overly cautious. Maybe even paranoid. Always thinking the worst." She smiled sadly. "But maybe that's just your police instinct, too."
"Why are you suddenly saying all this?" Li Ye was confused.
"Did something bad happen to you?" she asked, pointing at the scars on his back.
He didn't answer, quickly pulling his shirt back on. "What does that have to do with the case?"
"Nothing, of course. I was just thinking aloud about myself. But I don't think it's wrong. We guard ourselves because others guard against us too. Look at these four victims, all Chinese elites. But in their own countries, weren't they minorities too? It's only on this little Thai island they get VIP treatment, even bossing us around. Locals always think Chinese have money and cunning. Isn't it because we have fewer opportunities? If we could enter civil service normally, without hitting a glass ceiling, who'd choose business? If we could just coast, who'd push so hard?" Ada spoke thoughtfully. "But back to the case… this is what I know. Ultimately, it's your call."
She climbed out of the water and headed inside to change.
Li Ye lingered, her words echoing in his mind. Something about them stuck with him. He lit a cigarette, half tempted to say something sentimental—"Even now, I'm just a deputy captain…"—but before he could finish the thought, Ada strode out and snatched the cigarette from his mouth.
"Hey!" he protested.
"Hey!" Ada shouted angrily. "This is the presidential suite! No one is allowed to smoke in here except the guests! Chinese people say Thais love to drink and are lazy, but do you know what Thais say about Chinese people? They love to smoke because they care more about money than their own lives."
He stared at her, stunned.
She blushed, rummaged through her purse, and pulled out a coconut candy. "Sorry. Work rules. Want one? I grabbed it from the buffet."
Li Ye popped the candy in his mouth. Coconut flavor bloomed across his tongue.
Then he froze.
"Coconut… wait. No—something's wrong."