Lawyer Lian Dazhang was officially promoted to senior partner at Zhongqi Law Firm today. Zhongqi Law Firm, the top law firm in Ning City. Lawyer Lian, a renowned name in Ning City’s legal circle.
Lawyer Lian, now forty-two years old, has been deeply involved in Ning City’s judicial world for over a decade, having won several high-profile cases. These included the divorce case of a wealthy Ning City businessman, where he left the businessman’s wife with almost nothing; and the case of an official’s son who caused injury and disability in a disco brawl, where the official’s son was ultimately sentenced to three years, with a two-year suspension.
He rarely failed to satisfy his clients, and likewise, his clients had to satisfy him.
It was a win-win.
Win-win was his life philosophy.
Now, his win-win life had reached a day of fruition. He and his wife walked into the hotel’s buffet restaurant, surrounded by colleagues. This was a five-star hotel in Ning City, and its restaurant had been booked out today to celebrate a solid step forward in Lawyer Lian’s career.
The buffet restaurant was already filled with fragrant aromas. The chefs had long prepared delicious dishes, just waiting for the diners’ patronage. But before patronizing the dishes, the diners first had to patronize Lawyer Lian.
The scene was lively, with several lawyers surrounding Lawyer Lian, each adding their own words:
“Now Lawyer Lian is truly deserving of his reputation. He’ll have to look after us more in the future.”
“Lawyer Lian has always been one to promote his juniors. When has he not taken care of us? Do you even need to say that?”
“Right, right, right, in the whole firm, Lawyer Lian is the best. His business is sharp, and he’s so enthusiastic in his dealings with people. For us to be able to learn a thing or two from him, that’s half a lifetime of good karma!”
The man at the center of the crowd smiled faintly, enjoying these fawning compliments.
He was in his prime, with a refined appearance, though a few deep lines fanned out from the corners of his eyes—remnants of frequent squinting smiles. Just looking at these lines, one could imagine how kindly he listened to his clients’ requests day after day, and then did his utmost to solve their problems.
His hair was black and shiny, yet his temples showed a touch of frost. It was unknown when this sprinkle of grey had crept onto his temples, but it did not detract from his charm at all, instead adding a hint of a story untold. Even his wife standing beside him was demure and beautiful.
This was a mature, wise man with a story. But what surrounded this man was not just these audible praises. In the distant corners, there were more whispered sneers:
“Look at how pleased he is. Just because he wins some cases for the rich and gets some dirty money, he thinks he’s the king of the world.”
“Let him show off. Let’s see how long he can keep it up.”
“He dares to earn any kind of money. He takes cases based on money, not on reason. In the entire judicial circle of Ning City, he’s the worst of the lot. I’m telling you, sooner or later, he’s going to get clubbed from behind, and he won’t even know who did it!”
In the center of the buffet restaurant, Lawyer Lian’s wife’s phone suddenly rang.
The wife took it out and saw the four large characters “Real Estate Agent” flashing on the screen. She took two steps to the side and answered. After a while, she seemed to have heard some bad news. Her expression suddenly changed. Her face, which had been bright just a moment ago, was now like a sun obscured by dark clouds, instantly becoming gloomy.
She returned to Lawyer Lian’s side and whispered, “Honey, I have something to tell you.”
Lawyer Lian looked at the others around him. These people were sharp and said:
“We’ve been talking for so long, I’m hungry. Let’s go get something to eat.”
“Let’s go, let’s go, see what good food there is.”
The couple was thus given a private space, and the wife’s gentle voice immediately became sharp. “The real estate agent just called me and said that the school district house we were looking at has been bought by someone else!”
“Bought? So quickly? Didn’t they say they’d hold it for us…”
“How could they hold something so in-demand? The house is gone. What are we going to do about Panpan’s schooling now?”
“If one house is gone, we’ll just buy another. Panpan is only in the ninth grade, it’s not that urgent. Don’t say any more. We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
“Ninth grade isn’t urgent? When will it be urgent? I told you to let Panpan go to a private school, which she can attend right here in Ning City. You disagreed, insisting on going for a public school in the provincial capital, and you couldn’t even get things done properly…”
The wife had an endless stream of complaints, but in the end, she managed to control her throat, put on a smile that was clearly pasted on, and went back to socializing with her husband.
Everyone offered enthusiastic expressions, while secretly exchanging knowing, amused smiles.
This scene of joyous harmony lasted for about ten minutes, but then, suddenly, a loud groan echoed through the restaurant.
It was Lawyer Lian!
Lawyer Lian clutched his stomach, letting out intermittent, pained gasps. He turned to his side and, as if in slow motion, slowly toppled from his chair to the floor.
“Hgh—”
The commotion then radiated outwards from this point like a shockwave. The wife screamed first, throwing herself onto her husband.
“Honey, what’s wrong with you?”
The sound of panicked footsteps rang out.
A group of men in suits and leather shoes rushed forward, scrambling to help up the fallen Lian Dazhang.
“Lawyer Lian? Lawyer Lian, are you okay?”
“Something’s happened, call an ambulance, quick!”
“What ambulance, the hospital is right across the street. Hurry up and get Lawyer Lian over there—”
They scrambled to carry Lawyer Lian out of the buffet restaurant. In the blink of an eye, the restaurant was left with only overturned chairs and a messy table. And on the table where Lawyer Lian had fallen, a wrapper from a “Little Rabbit” brand milk candy lay quietly.
Everything happened extremely suddenly. The interrogation of Xin Yongchu had to be temporarily suspended due to his unexpected threat.
Yuan Yue urgently convened a small meeting with the members of the First Branch, but no one spoke. The air was silent, like spoiled milk—thick, lumpy, and emitting an unbearable smell.
After a long time, the youngest officer, a man named Fang Xinjue, spoke hesitantly. “I think… he’s lying, right?”
He was not the only one who held this view.
The vast majority of the police officers present, including Yuan Yue, had considered this possibility.
Yuan Yue’s brow was tightly furrowed, his tone uncharacteristically severe. “Don’t harbor wishful thinking. The police must prepare for the one-in-a-million chance that’s thought to be impossible.”
The square-faced police officer who had partnered with Yuan Yue before, whose name was Ju Zhengguo, said, “The suspect’s personality is rather persistent and extreme. Combined with the simple method of obtaining silver nitrate, the feasibility of using it for poisoning is very high, and the source is difficult to trace. We must be on guard. We need to expedite the interrogation and find a way to pry more information about the poisoning from his mouth.”
“Urgently retrieve Xin Yongchu’s recent activity logs, call records, and spending records. Observe whether he has had contact with suspicious individuals or entered public places such as supermarkets, convenience stores, or small shops. For random poisoning, letting the victim unknowingly put it in their shopping basket is the first choice. Also, some shops that are accustomed to placing candies at the entrance for customers to take at any time, that possibility is also very high,” Yuan Yue said, rubbing his temples, and added, “I’m going to the Chief’s office to report.”
Everyone in the First Branch fell silent again. Their scalps were tingling. This case, which had originally been very clear and simple, was now sprinting towards becoming a major case, with no turning back.
And this was different from the last major case. It directly threatened public safety, and the social impact was even more severe. Presumably, after Yuan Yue reported it, the Chief would spend fifteen minutes cursing in his office, and then, within a few hours, a special task force would be formed—
The police station was already in a state of chaos. In the interrogation room, Xin Yongchu still had that same honest look as when he came in, but the words he spoke were more and more chilling.
“Officer, I know what you want to ask. Where these milk candies went, when they will take effect—actually, I’m not very clear myself. Everything is random, but I did indeed put them out there.”
“If you’ve decided to reopen the case, then use the Ningzhou Public Security Online’s new media account to issue an announcement, publicize the progress of the Accountant Tang case, and attach a tagline inviting public supervision. I hope I can be the one to write it.”
“But it’s not all over after the announcement. If you don’t regularly release the police’s progress on the reinvestigation of the Accountant Tang case, more and more people will die outside. Accountant Tang was innocent, and these people are also innocent. I don’t think the police would ignore the safety of so many people just for a few criminals who killed Accountant Tang, right?”
“If you want to write something, someone has to see it. Speak. How many accomplices do you have outside? Are they all related to Accountant Tang!” the pre-trial interrogator who had accompanied him in spoke up, his first sentence like a scalpel, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
By this time, Ji Xun had already left the police station.
The 9/18 Skull-Crushing Case from 22 years ago had little to do with him. It was mainly Yuan Yue’s concern. It was an old case that Yuan Yue cared a lot about, but due to its age and limited evidence, it had never made enough progress.
He had come into contact with this case during his time as Yuan Yue’s partner and had once wanted to go to Yi’an County to take a look. It wasn’t far, just on the outskirts of Ning City, but he was always busy, and then many other things happened, so this matter had been put on hold.
Who would have thought that today, 22 years later, it would reappear in everyone’s sight in this way?
But now, it was none of Ji Xun’s business. The criminal investigators at the police station would solve it sooner or later. He peacefully went to the Raccoon Bar, played his drums, received his adulation, and drank his wine—or rather, he hadn’t drunk it yet.
At the bar counter, Jenny handed him a cocktail decorated with a milk candy on the rim and said, “A Daydream, on the house.”
The bar’s rotating spotlights dyed the white milk candy in unpredictable colors.
Ji Xun picked up the glass, swirled it, put it down, picked up the milk candy, and asked, “Who’s buying?”
“So many people buy you drinks every day. Just drink it. Why care who’s buying?”
“This milk candy brand isn’t ‘Little Rabbit,’ is it?” Ji Xun asked again.
“You knew it—ha, I get it!” Jenny, thinking himself clever, said smugly, “You must have guessed from the brand of candy the bar gives to customers at their tables. That’s right, it’s Little Rabbit candy. It’s milky and pretty tasty.”
“Don’t eat milk candy for a while. Put away the milk candy in the bar. We’ll talk about it later.”
Jenny seemed to sense something and looked over with a confused and curious gaze, as if to say, Do you know something I don’t?
Ji Xun ignored him. He didn’t drink, but he took the milk candy from the rim of the glass and popped it into his mouth as he left the bar.
The first bite, he felt like he was biting into a depth charge.
Boom—
…Just kidding.
The bomb didn’t explode.
Only a rich, milky flavor spread in his mouth.
Hmm—an ordinary milk candy, very milky, decent ingredients.
He shrugged, finished it, and on his way back, out of extreme boredom, he took out his new phone.
Holding the new phone, he thought of Huo Ranyin. Thinking of Huo Ranyin, he thought of the little “elegant nickname” he had given him.
Ji Xun stared at the “Sarcastic generous cheapskate” on his WeChat interface for a moment, finding it indeed exceptionally conspicuous. So he sent a message to poke him: “How’s the situation now? It’s been three days, are you still staying up late working overtime? Same for Yuan Yue?”
Huo Ranyin did not reply immediately.
Ji Xun walked about a dozen more steps before he felt his phone vibrate.
Huo Ranyin said: “Yes, at the Third Hospital. The first case of silver nitrate poisoning from accidental ingestion has appeared. The patient had eaten a Little Rabbit milk candy before being sent to the hospital.”
Two minutes after this message was sent, Huo Ranyin, as if adding legs to a snake drawing, added: “Captain Yuan is also here. He has barely had a solid rest these past three days.”
Ji Xun looked at that line of text. No matter how he looked at it, he felt that Huo Ranyin was hinting at something.
He pondered for a moment and suddenly thought of Huo Ranyin’s little misunderstanding about his relationship with Yuan Yue.
He replied: “Oh…”
Huo Ranyin said again: “Just finished drumming and heading home? Bring some late-night supper to the Third Hospital, and while you’re at it, persuade Captain Yuan to go back and rest.”
Ji Xun: “What’s there to persuade? If he wants to work, just let him work. What, are you worried he’ll work too hard and become your superior, so you want me to go to the hospital and hold him back?”
He felt that there was nothing wrong with what he had said, but Huo Ranyin was able to pick out things from between the lines that others couldn’t see.
Huo Ranyin: “Don’t be emotional. You should be considerate of Captain Yuan’s difficult work. His body can’t take it.”
Ji Xun: “…”
He stared at the square characters on his phone screen, utterly amazed.
What was with Huo Ranyin’s tone, like a husband trying to placate his sulking wife and get her to take care of him? How many unknown forward steps had Huo Ranyin taken in his perception of his relationship with Yuan Yue?
And also, with what kind of mentality and stance was Huo Ranyin saying such things?
Didn’t he feel he was being a bit… “green tea”?
He probably really didn’t. Our Captain Huo is extremely busy on a daily basis and probably doesn’t know what “green tea” means.
Ji Xun was amused. His mood improved, and he didn’t mind making a trip to the hospital. He really did buy some wontons and congee from a late-night stall on the roadside and ambled over to the Third Hospital, which was not far ahead.
The incandescent lights in the hospital always had a coldness that the outside world lacked, as if countless eyes were hidden behind the lights, silently watching everyone who passed by.
The silver nitrate poisoning patient was in the inpatient department. It was already past visiting hours. The corridors of the inpatient department were empty of the usual coming and going of family members, leaving only the circulating cold air and the occasional pained gasp—quiet and desolate.
Led by a police officer downstairs, Ji Xun went up. Upstairs, he first saw Huo Ranyin. Huo Ranyin was talking to Yuan Yue. The two of them were standing by the window, light and shadow crisscrossing over them, every line drawn silent and resolute.
“Hi.”
Ji Xun greeted them from afar. He walked up and handed them the late-night supper he had, wontons for Yuan Yue, congee for Huo Ranyin.
A flicker of surprise passed through Huo Ranyin’s eyes as he took the congee.
He probably didn’t expect to get some too. Ji Xun mused with a wicked sense of fun. He wondered if receiving a late-night snack from him along with Yuan Yue would spark any interesting associations in the other’s mind.
Huo Ranyin managed to keep a straight face. “Thanks.”
Ji Xun didn’t answer, just shook the phone in his hand.
Huo Ranyin said again, “You two talk. I’ll take a walk.”
He left the space for Ji Xun and Yuan Yue and walked forward himself. After a short distance, he stopped at the corner of the corridor. He was indeed not deliberately eavesdropping, but the air was a medium for sound transmission. With his ears slightly turned back, he could still hear the conversation between Ji Xun and Yuan Yue.
“What’s the situation now?”
“A lawyer has been poisoned.”
“Oh, that’s troublesome.”
A leisurely voice came from inside. This tone, which was hard to fault but genuinely infuriating—like watching a fire from the other side of the river—few people besides Ji Xun could pull it off so perfectly.
It was indeed troublesome.
When the people at the police station found out that the poisoned person was a lawyer, their heads basically swelled a size.
A lawyer’s social circle is complex, and they come into contact with a wide range of people. Starting the investigation from his side would be very difficult.
He didn’t want to hear about these things. He wanted to know more about what was behind this case, the thing that both Ji Xun and Yuan Yue cared about. He thought Ji Xun had deliberately come over today for this reason as well.
Perhaps the two people inside heard his thoughts.
A moment later, Ji Xun said again, “What do you think of the 9/18 Skull-Crushing Case?”
Yuan Yue: “It must be reopened. Not because of Xin Yongchu’s threat, but because the case now has new leads. According to procedure, it is bound to be reopened.”
Ji Xun: “Hmm.”
Yuan Yue suddenly said, “Do you still remember what you promised me back then?”
Ji Xun: “I’ve promised you many things. How can I remember each and every one?”
There it is again.
The eavesdropping Huo Ranyin sneered slightly.
Who doesn’t know you have a good memory? Saying you can’t remember, who are you kidding? He had basically guessed what Ji Xun had promised Yuan Yue back then, and he believed that on this matter, Yuan Yue would not let Ji Xun get away with being vague.
Yuan Yue indeed did not.
“You promised you would help me solve this case.”
“Ah…”
No suspense left. Ji Xun will agree, right? Huo Ranyin thought. After all, it’s Yuan Yue. After all, it’s his past promise. Maybe he won’t just agree, but agree willingly, naturally. If anyone can pull Ji Xun out of his evasion of the police station and solving cases, it would have to be Yuan Yue.
As long as Ji Xun can come out smoothly—
This is actually a good thing for me, Huo Ranyin mused. Maybe I can give them another push. After all, Ji Xun’s concern for Yuan Yue is obvious to all. The fact that Ji Xun, who usually avoids me like the plague, sent me a message tonight just to get some inside information on Yuan Yue’s real situation is enough to prove this point.
He had thought a little too far, and didn’t even hear the hurried footsteps coming from the elevator at first.
“Captain Huo—”
He came to his senses and looked over.
Running over was Wen Yangyang. The young female officer was covered in cold sweat on a cold winter day, her face alternating between horror and anger.
“Something’s happened. A media outlet has exposed the poisoned milk candy case. It’s now number one on the hot search!”
