[02/26, 16:14, Turtle Back Mountain, Nanyi City]
For the past few days, Wen Huabei had been taking turns with the local police at Turtle Back Mountain to keep watch outside Pang Daozi’s home, but after several days, they hadn’t seen him leave the house. Officer Lu, who was used to this, explained that Zhu Xuying was old and bedridden for years, so Pang Daozi, the filial son, often stayed home and never left her side.
Even so, Lin Heyu found it odd. They didn’t live in a big city with all the necessary amenities nearby, so how could they go days without leaving the house? Turtle Back Mountain was surrounded by farmland and villages, with the nearest shops at the foot of the mountain. How did they manage their daily needs?
Yuan Maoqiu asked, “So how do they get their meals? Do food deliveries reach the mountain?”
“Not at all. There’s no good road up the mountain, and even couriers refuse to come up when it rains. Pang Daozi has an uncle who lives at the base of Turtle Back Mountain and has been bringing them food and groceries recently,” said Lao Wang.
The resident registration officer was clipping her nails and said, “He’s lucky to have such an uncle. When he got into trouble, it was his uncle who took care of his mother. The old lady’s survival is thanks to her brother, not her son.”
“Besides his uncle, has anyone else visited in the past few days?” Sheng Guoning asked.
“Yes, someone came twice, tall and burly, wearing a hat, with a scruffy beard. He only stayed for a short while, about half an hour, and then left quickly,” Lao Wang said, pulling up a photo on his phone. “It was this guy.”
Lin Heyu only needed a glance to recognize him as the one who took the ransom. His build was similar to the man in the explosion case file named “Zhao Chenghu,” a northerner, but the hat covered most of his face, making it hard to identify him precisely. Lin Heyu had already compared the shoe print photo taken outside Pang Daozi’s house with the one collected from the explosion scene, and they were an exact match—not just in size, but in the tread pattern and brand as well.
According to theory, the existing evidence only allows us to infer that Zhao Chenghu was the one at Pang Daozi’s house that day. We can’t determine if the person who later visited Pang Daozi was also Zhao Chenghu. Pang Daozi is about the same height as Zhao Chenghu, but he’s not as solidly built. Moreover, the subordinates at the bald old man’s place are not taller than 1.8 meters, so it’s entirely plausible to suspect that the person who came for the ransom, hid in Pang Daozi’s house (and left after the police knocked), and later went to see Pang Daozi is Zhao Chenghu.
“So, he had accomplices. No wonder that guy didn’t need to leave the house.” Sheng Guoning shook his phone, “Send me a copy of the photo. We need to figure out who he is.”
“Zhao Chenghu.”
“Zhao Chenghu?” Sheng Guoning showed a confused expression, “Who is that?”
“…Pang Daozi’s accomplice.”
“Eh? How do you know? Who exactly is this Zhao Chenghu?” Sheng Guoning felt baffled, “Are we even investigating the same case? It feels like I missed a lot of days of work.”
It’s not that he knew too little, but rather that Lin Heyu knew too much. Of course, these details couldn’t be revealed to Sheng Guoning. Lin Heyu thought for a moment and said, “It’s an inference. I’ve investigated Pang Daozi these past few days. He has a brother named Zhao Chenghu. They’ve served time together and apparently have a good relationship.”
“An inference? That means it’s not conclusive!” Sheng Guoning breathed a sigh of relief, “I thought I had missed some important meeting and was preparing to self-critique.”
“It’s not hard to find out who he is.” The resident registration officer said lazily, “Lao Wang, he’ll have to come back, right? Find an excuse to bring him back to the station.”
“…Huh? It’s not right to forcefully bring him back if he hasn’t committed a crime.”
Indeed, with the current evidence chain, they couldn’t conclusively prove that Pang Daozi and his accomplices were engaged in criminal activities or about to commit a crime. Even if they found a connection between him and the bald old man, they could only bring him in for questioning. Lin Heyu understood the situation and knew what would happen next, but he could only watch as things progressed slowly, feeling more anxious than anyone.
The resident registration officer’s chubby finger tapped the form on the desk, “Did you forget? The reimbursement form for Zhu Xuying hasn’t been signed yet. Last time you said you didn’t have time. We can’t keep delaying it.”
With this reminder, Lao Wang realized the timing. The man would still have a few days before he came, and they needed to figure out his identity by then.
Sheng Guoning’s phone rang, and he looked at it, handing the phone to Lin Heyu, “Big Brother-in-law, your little friend is here again.”
“He’s here?!” Lin Heyu frowned, wasn’t he told to stay with Zhizhi? Why is he at the police station again?
Sheng Guoning had no idea about Xiao Shitou’s intentions and said casually, “Maybe he missed you. I heard Zhizhi brought him here.”
“…” He was hoping the older one would look after the younger one, but it turned out the older one wasn’t very reliable either.
The figure in the photo was indeed Xiao Shitou, sitting alone in a corner, looking thin and lonely. There were several bags of snacks for children on the table, likely given by Shen Ruirui. However, the child showed no interest in the snacks, leaving the bags untouched.
He rubbed his brow, returned the phone to Sheng Guoning, and contacted Lin Zhizhi to ask why she had sent Xiao Shitou to the police station. Soon, Lin Zhizhi replied: [He said he missed you! A day felt like an year apart to him [cute]]
“…” Lin Heyu looked up at Sheng Guoning, suspecting he might be a prophet. However, Xiao Shitou’s visit was likely more about the gardenia flowers, and he was still considering whether to tell Xiao Shitou about his inferred conclusions.
After much hesitation, Lin Heyu instructed his sister: [Don’t make a fuss, bring him back.]
Lin Zhizhi: [Huh? Did I disturb your work? But today is the weekend, and there aren’t many people at the police station. Do I really need to pick him up?]
She also knew it wasn’t a workday, so she agreed to Xiao Shitou’s request, thinking her brother would be pleasantly surprised to see Xiao Shitou. Who knew he would react this way?
Lin Zhizhi propped her chin and sent a message to Sheng Guoning: [What’s wrong with my brother? Is he angry?]
Sheng Guoning looked back at Lin Heyu and replied: [It’s fine, his expression is the same as usual.]
After all, it was always that poker face, with sharp eyes and tightly pressed lips. During their time working together, Sheng Guoning had rarely seen Lin Heyu show any other expression.
Lin Zhizhi: [Then why does he want me to pick up Xiao Shitou? Did I really disrupt your work?]
Sheng Guoning turned around again, “Hey, Big Brother-in-law, since Xiao Shitou is already here, why make Zhizhi pick him up? We’re heading back anyway, so just take Xiao Shitou with us. Don’t make Zhizhi come again.”
Lin Heyu crossed his arms, his tone stern: “Then you’re responsible for taking him back?”
Sheng Guoning nodded quickly, agreeing to take him, and it was a chance to see his crush again. As for why not let Lin Zhizhi come, it was simply that Sheng Guoning didn’t want her to squeeze onto a bus again, given that their first meeting had been marred by an incident on the bus.
Back at the station, as soon as Lin Heyu walked into the office, Xiao Shitou’s eyes lit up, and he rushed over without calling. Lin Heyu caught him, not holding him but placing his hands on his shoulders, and looked down at his young face: “Why did you make Auntie bring you here?”
Xiao Shitou clutched Lin Heyu’s shirt, looking a bit guilty and avoiding eye contact. Sheng Guoning stepped in to smooth things over, “Alright, alright, no need to be so fierce just because you met.”
“How did we agree last time?” Lin Heyu’s attitude showed no sign of softening, “If you don’t listen, I’ll send you back to Haijing.”
Xiao Shitou weakly protested, “…I didn’t, I just…”
Lin Heyu interrupted him, “The police station is a place for adults to work. You coming here is an act of disobedience.”
Xiao Shitou raised his chin, his dark eyes staring at him, remaining silent for a long time. Sheng Guoning sighed inwardly, thinking that Big Brother-in-law was being too strict with a child. Is it really fair to expect a kid to understand everything and not make mistakes?
Shen Ruirui hid behind Sheng Guoning and quietly complained, “Captain Lin is so fierce, even scolding such a pretty child.”
The two exchanged glances for a few seconds. Lin Heyu kept a stern face, making it seem like he had a metal plate welded to his face. Just as he was about to speak and ask Xiao Shitou if he realized his mistake, Xiao Shitou’s eyes filled with tears. Then, as he blinked, a tear unexpectedly fell.
That single tear seemed to open the floodgates, and as he blinked more frequently, the tears fell like pearls on a broken string, continuously streaming down.
There were no shouts or even a hint of sobbing; Xiao Shitou just stared at Lin Heyu, shedding tears silently and quietly.
“…” Lin Heyu’s heart softened instantly.
Shen Ruirui let out a light sigh and hurried to grab a box of tissues from the table. Sheng Guoning, also flustered, said, “Oh no, you made the child cry! Xiao Shitou, come here, come to Uncle. We won’t pay attention to him anymore.”
Xiao Shitou refused to move, his eyes fixed firmly on Lin Heyu, his delicate, fair face streaked with tears. His hands clutched the edges of his clothes tightly, and despite Sheng Guoning and Shen Ruirui’s attempts to persuade him, he wouldn’t let go. Shen Ruirui, helpless, could only use a tissue to wipe his tears.
Lin Heyu also looked at him silently, but his expression had changed from stern to one of tenderness. He didn’t like seeing boys show weakness. He was about to coldly tell him to stop crying, but the words turned into a soft whisper: “Don’t cry.”
He reached out, using his calloused thumb to wipe the tears from Xiao Shitou’s face. Xiao Shitou grasped his hand, pressing his cheek against the palm, his voice hoarse and pitiful: “I didn’t break the promise. I really wanted to see you. Please don’t be angry.”
Anyone who was pleaded with so tenderly by a hurt little creature couldn’t stay stern, not even Lin Heyu. Shen Ruirui almost wanted to snatch Xiao Shitou and comfort him herself, but unfortunately, Xiao Shitou’s gaze was fixed solely on the cold and unfeeling Captain Lin, ignoring her and Sheng Guoning entirely.
There was nothing he could do. Lin Heyu crouched down to Xiao Shitou’s level, reached out to stroke his black hair: “Now that you’ve seen me, should I take you back to Auntie?”
Xiao Shitou shook his head, clinging to Lin Heyu’s neck, tightly hugging his shoulders, trying to become a large accessory.
“If you don’t go back, are you going to come with me to the hotel tonight?” Lin Heyu said, and immediately felt that this sounded strange, as if he were touching a live wire.
“Mm.” Xiao Shitou nodded, burying his face in Lin Heyu’s shoulder, his voice barely audible, “Let me come with you. I’m very worried about Gardenia.”
This was the purpose he had guessed. Lin Heyu felt helpless, thinking it wasn’t something a child could solve by worrying. However, he happened to have a bunch of things left by the little girls in his pocket, so he could listen to Xiao Shitou’s opinion. Since the situation had arisen, it was best to let things develop naturally.
Sheng Guoning spread his hands, well, he missed an opportunity to see his crush.
Yuan Maoqiu, standing by, rubbed his chin and said to himself, “Do I need to book another room?”
Shen Ruirui, seizing the opportunity to gossip, asked, “Eh? Why?”
“I’ll tell you, it’s like last time at night, when Lao Lin brought someone… Hey hey hey, let me finish before you leave!”
Lin Heyu, holding Xiao Shitou in one arm and grabbing Yuan Maoqiu by the collar with the other, used absolute force to clear the office.
