The night dew deepened, and a thin layer of frost settled over the bluestone paving in the alley behind the Pei residence.
Shen Qingya stood pressed against the wall, her fingertips tracing the gilded button in her palm. The cold sensation of the metal reminded her of that snowy night three years ago—the half-jade pendant her father had thrust into her hand before he drew his last breath bore the same entwined branch pattern engraved on the back.
"Take a look at this, Miss." Lin Qi vaulted down from the wall, cradling a blood-stained shard of porcelain in his palm. "It fell out of that man's sleeve just now."
Chapter 90