By the time Chi Qing opened his eyes, the desk was already piled high with books.
Spread out right in front of him were copies of Principles of Machinery, Mechanical Design, and Mechanical Manufacturing.
“…”
Seeing him wake up, Xie Lin explained, “These are all the books Shen Xinghe borrowed from the school library over the past month.”
Chi Qing casually flipped through them and asked, “Does he want to major in mechanical engineering?”
“No,” Xie Lin replied. “I just asked his homeroom teacher. Shen Xinghe wants to apply to a medical university—the exact same major his younger brother originally wanted to study. He was likely influenced by his brother, or more accurately, he wants to carry on his brother’s dream. He loved his brother deeply.”
This was precisely where the contradiction lay with these books. There was no way he would randomly borrow so many irrelevant, highly specialized books at a critical juncture like this without a reason.
Ji Mingrui began packing up the books. “It’s getting late, and we’ve questioned everyone we needed to today. As long as he’s still in Huanan City, catching him is only a matter of time. Why don’t you two head back and get some rest?”
On the drive back, Xie Lin scanned the area for a decent restaurant before starting the engine.
As he did, Chi Qing spoke up from the passenger seat: “What were you and Ji Mingrui chatting about earlier?”
Having found a restaurant, Xie Lin tossed his phone aside. He kept one hand on the steering wheel while using the other to hold Chi Qing’s black-gloved hand, making up a story on the spot: “Oh, he said he’s incredibly envious of us and highly supportive. He said we’re the most well-matched couple he’s ever seen, and begged us never to break up, because if we do, he’ll lose all faith in love.”
“…”
“?”
“He also said he always thought you’d end up dying alone in this lifetime, so thank goodness I came along. He hopes you cherish me deeply.”
Chi Qing remained silent for a moment. “I was only asleep, not dead. Did you honestly think I couldn’t hear anything?”
The topic was quickly brushed aside as Xie Lin asked him what he wanted to eat. However, just as they were approaching the restaurant, Chi Qing suddenly blurted out, “Bad relationship.”
Xie Lin’s hand paused on his seatbelt, entirely caught off guard by the abrupt remark.
Before pushing the car door open to step out, Chi Qing added, “Not just the one from high school. I had a bad relationship with all of my desk mates. University was a bit better, but those were mostly large lecture classes, so we didn’t sit together like that. You don’t need to worry—there’s no one for you to be jealous of.”
After dinner, the two drove home.
By the time they arrived, it was already very late. Ren Qin used the excuse of checking on the cat to ask Chi Qing if she could come over to his place and sit for a while.
As Yu Lan’s close friend before her passing, Ren Qin still hadn’t fully recovered from the grief. After entering, she sat on the sofa for a bit, having no real heart to play with the cat. She asked with concern, “Is Xiao Lan’s younger brother doing okay?”
“Not very well,” Chi Qing answered honestly. He handed her a bottle of water. “There are glasses in the house, but it’s not very convenient for me to let you use them. Drink mineral water instead.”
Ren Qin accepted the brand-new, unopened bottle, thoroughly accustomed to Chi Qing’s various quirks by now. “…Thanks.”
With dark circles shadowing her eyes, she asked after a pause, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
Chi Qing wasn’t suited for this type of polite small talk. Ordinarily, he should have offered Ren Qin some words of comfort, but he couldn’t find the right vocabulary. He found himself thinking of Xie Lin, who had gone back across the hall to take a shower, wondering why he hadn’t made him stay a bit longer.
In the end, Chi Qing spoke the plain truth: “I’m afraid not.”
Ren Qin let out a disappointed “Oh.” Then, her gaze fell upon the stack of books on the table. “Mechanics? Are you studying auto repair recently too?”
The cat curled up on Ren Qin’s lap, letting out a series of soft meows.
Chi Qing froze slightly. “Auto repair?”
Ren Qin explained, “I have a younger cousin who didn’t perform well on his high school entrance exams, so he went to a vocational technical school to study auto repair. The books he brought home during his last vacation looked pretty much just like these. Aren’t you and Mr. Xie working with the police station? Why do you need to read these too?”
Ren Qin was a highly pragmatic person. Having entered the workforce at a very young age, she didn’t understand academic research, nor would she view this matter from the perspective of an elite student’s curriculum like they did. The only thing she could associate with these subjects was what kind of job one could secure after learning them.
Chi Qing was a man of few words. Normally, when the silence stretched too long and he didn’t want the atmosphere to turn awkward, he would find something to say. Ren Qin continued on the topic of her cousin: “Actually, although auto repair looks unglamorous, it’s quite lucrative. In the small county town back in our hometown, working as an auto mechanic can bring in a pretty good income.”
As Ren Qin spoke, she took another look at her surroundings.
Chi Qing’s apartment was spotlessly clean, without a single speck of dust. Every item was meticulously arranged in the exact same spot she had seen it last time. Aside from the unavoidable presence of cat hair, the entire apartment felt completely devoid of human warmth—save for a few items that had unconsciously accumulated, like that soft blanket draped over the sofa, which she recalled seeing at Mr. Xie’s place before.
Chi Qing’s hair seemed to have grown a bit longer. Sitting across from her, had it not been for his pale skin, his entire form from head to toe would have nearly been swallowed by the shadows.
Finally, Ren Qin remarked, “But since you want to read, keeping the room this dark can’t be good for your eyes…”
In the darkness, Chi Qing’s fingers twitched slightly. His pale digits tapped twice against his knee. “I take back what I said just now. You actually helped a great deal. Thank you.”
The moment Xie Lin stepped out from his shower, he received an unread message from Chi Qing.
The number of times this particular gentleman actively messaged him could be counted on one hand. The chat box contained only three words: Come over when done.
Moving his fingers, Xie Lin replied bare-chested: So eager? Do I need to wear clothes?
Chi Qing replied almost instantly: …
By 11:30 PM, the two returned to the underground garage. Xie Lin had not only put on his clothes, but he had also wrapped himself tightly in a jacket. The night wind was chilly. He remarked with a hint of regret, “And here I thought you wanted me for something else, but it turns out we’re heading out to look for Shen Xinghe.”
Chi Qing: “If you want to strip right now, go ahead. No one’s stopping you.”
Xie Lin thought to himself what a heartless soul he was.
The car rounded a corner. “Do you know where Shen Xinghe is?” Xie Lin asked.
Instead of answering directly, Chi Qing brought up another seemingly entirely unrelated matter: “Do you remember when the car you’re driving right now was tampered with before?”
Of course he remembered it vividly. Back when they were forcing the contract killer to come after them, the car had been the very first thing tampered with. Messing with a vehicle was the simplest and most convenient method.
The two didn’t need many words to understand each other. Xie Lin caught on instantly: “If he merely wanted to flee, there was absolutely no need for him to read those books. Everyone operates with a purpose. His previous attempt to frame Jiang Yiyun proves that Jiang Yiyun is also on his hit list. The fact that he could methodically tidy up his desk and dormitory after realizing the hotline was a trap shows that running away isn’t his most urgent objective.”
“The thing he truly wants to do—is make Jiang Yiyun disappear from this world, just like Wang Yuan and the others.”
Although they didn’t know his true motive for wanting to kill Jiang Yiyun, how would someone choose to kill another person without drawing attention?
As two individuals who had been hunted themselves, Xie Lin and Chi Qing arguably held the greatest authority on the subject.
In other words, tracking a suspect hiding within Huanan City to evade the police wasn’t their forte; compared to professional criminal investigators, they couldn’t offer much help with a city-wide dragnet. But finding someone who wanted to murder Jiang Yiyun? They were all too familiar with that routine.
Late into the night, Jiang Yiyun was already fast asleep when her phone rang. She answered it in a daze, her voice groggy: “Hello…?”
She hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Every time she closed her eyes, she would dream of those deceased students.
Wang Yuan was just as obnoxious in her dreams, openly defying her during class. Then, for some reason, her line of sight in the dream bypassed Wang Yuan and landed on a certain familiar seat, where the student was obediently copying the notes from the blackboard. Yet, she couldn’t see that person’s face clearly. She could only see his thin hand holding the pen and his clean, slightly oversized school uniform draped over a frail frame.
And then she woke up.
On the other end of the line, a voice spoke with the cold detachment of an artificial machine: “Are you at home right now?”
Jiang Yiyun: “Huh?”
The voice asked again: “Do you usually drive to school yourself, or does someone pick you up?”
This voice and manner of speaking were highly recognizable. It took Jiang Yiyun a few seconds to recall who it belonged to. She answered, “I drive myself, but…”
Jiang Yiyun wanted to say ‘but my car broke down these past few days’. Before she could even utter the words, the voice on the other end cut her off: “Did your car break down?”
“…” How did he know?
Jiang Yiyun pulled the phone away and stared at the screen, wondering if she was still trapped in a dream. “Yes, it broke down. I just sent it to the auto repair shop two days ago…”
Having heard the crucial detail, Chi Qing had no time to waste on pleasantries. He asked directly, “Which auto repair shop? Send me the address.”
Jiang Yiyun had no idea why someone from the main bureau would call her in the middle of the night to ask about her car instead of investigating the case. Still, squinting through her sleepiness, she sent the address over. Not long after pressing send, she collapsed back into sleep.
Her dream actually picked right back up where it had left off. The boy who was copying notes from the blackboard slowly lifted his head halfway through writing, calling out to her: “Teacher Jiang.”
Only then did Jiang Yiyun see his face clearly, remembering that the person who sat in that seat was Xu Xingzhou.
The address of the auto repair shop forwarded by Jiang Yiyun was immediately sent to Ji Mingrui, who was still working the night shift, as well as the search team leader.
The moment everyone saw this address, their reactions were identical: An auto repair shop?!
Xie Lin didn’t have time to explain in extensive detail, choosing to highlight only the critical points: “Get over there right this instant. I’m also on my way. Remember to look for unregistered black-market laborers—specifically those under the age of 18, those who cannot produce an ID card or are using fake ones, and those who haven’t signed an official contract with the shop. Target those individuals. It’s highly probable that Shen Xinghe is among them.”
Half an hour later, the closed gates of the auto repair shop were forced open. A man who had just gotten up in the middle of the night to use the restroom was shivering from the cold as he passed the front yard. He blurted out, “Holy shit.”
“Who the hell are you guys?” The man looked at them vigilantly. “What are you doing here? Who are you looking for?”
Ji Mingrui walked at the absolute front, flashing his badge: “Police. Where is your staff dormitory? Lead the way.”
The yard of the auto repair shop was littered with cluttered items—discarded tires, motor oil, several vehicles brought in for repairs, and a massive pile of mechanical equipment filled the space. Walking inward from the front yard led to a standard reception lounge, and at the end of the lounge corridor was a small door. Pushing it open revealed the staff dormitory.
Their arrival was so sudden that it gave the people inside the dormitory absolutely no time to react.
The dormitory was a communal bunk room, packed to the brim with people within its cramped confines. Most of them were fast asleep, while a select few who couldn’t sleep were gathered in a corner playing cards. Their bedding was universally covered in a layer of dusty gray, carrying a distinct odor of motor oil.
Several workers wearing tank top undershirts while playing cards piped up one after another: “Who are you guys looking for? Why are so many people turning up in the middle of the night…”
“Qiang-zi—what’s going on?!”
Qiang-zi was the man who had just led them in from the front yard. He shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know either.
The dormitory was highly disorganized, but sweeping a glance across the room, there was only one person’s bunk that stood out—it was excessively clean.
The person on that bunk wasn’t asleep. His position was close to the corner, his body half-sitting with his back turned to them. He was unhurriedly folding the blanket on his bed in half, finally smoothing it into a sharp, distinct “tofu block”—exactly like the one they had seen in the student dormitory at Guangyuan High School during the day.
Then, the person stepped off the bed, walking out from the dim corner step by step.
As he drew closer, they finally beheld a face that was virtually identical to the one on the student records. The youth wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking completely out of place among this crowd even while standing inside the dingy dormitory.
“Are you Shen Xinghe?” a criminal investigator asked.
The youth did not evade their gazes, stating flatly, “I am.”
