A Silent Farewell

小白琅上海牧神文化出版公司Dec 2025

2.5

Word count: 105K words
Chapters: 22

Summary

In 2005, Su Wanyue, a girl at Jiangzhou No. 1 High School, was murdered, and top student Chen Yuanhang was wrongly imprisoned on the basis of "ironclad evidence." Twelve years later, Zhao Feng, connected to the case, is killed in a car accident and Lin Xiaoman is attacked late at night. Detectives He Jia and Li Lijun investigate deeply and uncover the fabricated evidence, an extramarital affair, and a chain of revenge from years before; a crime buried for twelve years is finally brought to light.

Editor's review

Silent Farewell takes the 2005 murder of a girl at Jiangzhou No. 1 Middle School as its starting point, setting up a striking rift between the "ironclad evidence" and the top student Chen Yuanhang, who is wrongly imprisoned. Twelve years later, Zhao Feng's car accident and Lin Xiaoman's attack tear the old case open again. Xiaobailang's approach blends social mystery with a revenge narrative: forged evidence, an extramarital affair, and a chain of revenge interlock layer by layer, while the investigation led by detectives He Jia and Li Lijun works to dismantle the lies. The novel's real draw is not the single-point twist of "who is the real killer," but how each person lives with that old case across twelve years—silence, cover-up, atonement, or continued wrongdoing, all given weight. Pay attention to the word "silent": it refers both to the victim's inability to speak and to the collective hush of bystanders inside and outside the system. Suitable for readers interested in old school cases, wrongful-conviction exonerations, and the ethics of revenge; reading it in one concentrated weekend session brings out the oppression and release of the long time span.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Mystery readers who enjoy old school cases and wrongful-conviction exonerations
Readers interested in forged evidence, judicial correction, and the ethics of revenge
Readers of genre fiction who prefer dual-detective perspectives and multi-threaded narratives
Readers who can handle heavy social issues and are willing to follow a long time span

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting light campus youth stories or pure romance
Readers sensitive to or needing to avoid violent attacks, wrongful imprisonment, and similar content
Readers who prefer single-thread, fast-paced stories and do not want to juggle multiple character relationships

Reading tips

First memorize the character relationships at the time of the 2005 crime, then read the twelve-years-later section; the time contrast will be clearer.
Use the "ironclad evidence" as an anchor, asking as you read how evidence is manufactured; this improves your understanding of the forgery thread.
After Zhao Feng and Lin Xiaoman's ordeals appear, look back at earlier details to test whether the revenge motive was properly set up.
After finishing, try sorting out each relevant character's "reason for silence"; this is where the book sets itself apart from ordinary mystery fiction.

About the publisher

上海牧神文化出版公司

Shanghai Mushen Culture Publishing Company is a cultural publishing house whose main publishing focus is suspense and mystery fiction; its catalogue currently contains two titles. Based on the available书目, the company develops content around suspense and mystery themes, with representative books including Echoes of the Dark River and The Silent Farewell, involving authors such as Queqi and Xiaobailang. According to the existing information, its publishing characteristics lie in a sustained attention to suspenseful storytelling and mystery elements, with titles that tend to value both atmospheric build-up and plot momentum. Because details such as the founding year, location and English name have not been confirmed, public information is limited, and a fuller account of its development and overall publishing structure cannot yet be given; the above introduction is based only on the in-catalogue titles and category information and may be improved as further material becomes available.

版权信息
01 离奇的车祸（一）
02 离奇的车祸（二）
03 2005年：陈远航与苏晚月
04 2005年：江州一中的恩怨往事
05 初入苗江医药
06 深夜遇袭
07 2005年：苏晚月之死
08 2005年：案件调查
09 二探苗江医药
10 刘静与陈远航的往事
11 林晓蔓的秘密
12 三访江子成
13 隐秘的旧线索
14 孙玉芬的调查
15 对苏晚月案的新分析
16 危机
17 真相（一）
18 真相（二）
19 对方卉案的一些假设
20 尾声
番外 2005年的另一个真相

FAQ

The story spans twelve years—will it be easy to confuse while reading?

The author distinguishes between the 2005 timeline and the timeline twelve years later in the chapters, and character relationships echo across both. It is advisable to pay attention to chapter markers when you start and jot down the core figures at the time of the crime; the confusion will be noticeably reduced.

Does the revenge thread overshadow the mystery portion?

The two are intertwined. The investigation by detectives He Jia and Li Lijun handles dismantling the forged evidence and the chain of cases, while the revenge thread provides motive and ethical tension. If you expect pure logical deduction, you will need to adjust your expectations.

Is it suitable as an entry-level mystery read?

Yes, but the themes are on the heavy side. The book involves wrongful imprisonment, murder, and an extramarital affair, and the narrative runs on multiple threads, so entry-level readers need some patience. If you prefer lightweight mystery, start with something shorter.

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About the author

小白琅 Author

Xiao Bailang is a Chinese-language author about whom little public information is available. Only one work by this author is currently confirmed in the catalogue: the suspense and mystery novel Silent Farewell. As details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, English name, and personal background have not been clearly recorded, a full picture of the author's creative output remains difficult to sketch. Judging from the existing work, Xiao Bailang writes within the framework of suspense and mystery. The title Silent Farewell suggests a restrained tone with a sense of unease, hinting that the book may emphasize atmosphere and plot momentum rather than relying on gore or sensationalism. For readers who prefer quiet suspense and carefully built narrative tension, this author offers a point of entry worth watching. Given the limited number of works and the scarcity of public information, whether the style will remain consistent and where future writing will go can only be judged once more works and details come to light.