The scene fell silent.
Huo Ranyin pondered for a long while. “Call me ge.”
Ji Xun: “Hm?”
Huo Ranyin: “Call me ‘ge,’ and I’ll carry you to the car.”
Ji Xun said lazily, “Why should I? Because you’re younger than me?”
Huo Ranyin: “How do you know I’m younger than you? I’m 30 this year.”
Ji Xun let out an unapologetic sneer. “30? More like 26. My dear Captain, your age has already made the rounds in the squad. There are several versions of the story guessing how you managed to become a unit captain at such a young age. Want to know the most popular version?”
Huo Ranyin: “No.”
Ji Xun: “The bureau chief is your dad.”
Huo Ranyin pointed out, “The chief and I have different last names.”
“Illegitimate son, of course,” Ji Xun said. “The eight o’clock melodramas love this plot, don’t they?”
Huo Ranyin said coolly, “I don’t think you’re dying anytime soon.”
After saying that, he dusted off his knees, stood up straight, and dragged away the scar-faced middle-aged man who had lost the strength to resist.
Ji Xun ignored Huo Ranyin and continued to lie there, resting with his eyes closed. Before two minutes had passed, he heard familiar footsteps approaching from a distance. Before he could open his eyes, he was hoisted off the ground. Huo Ranyin’s hair brushed against his cheek, a little itchy.
He turned his head slightly and blew a puff of air at the hair near his face.
The fine ends of the hair, completely unlike their owner, had a deeply submissive spirit, rising and falling with his breath.
Huo Ranyin felt it and glanced at him. “Itchy?”
Then he freed a hand and tucked the hair behind his ear.
Hmm—
Perhaps it wasn’t completely different. Deep down, the other man also had a hint of that submissive spirit.
After all, despite being called “little officer brother,” he still came back to lend a hand.
Ji Xun thought this as he was placed into the passenger seat. The scar-faced man was lying in the back. Huo Ranyin got into the driver’s seat himself. As he started the car, he said, “Your psychological issues are quite serious. Haven’t you seen a doctor?”
“Three times a week, and I take pills one more time a day than I eat meals,” Ji Xun said wearily. “Is that enough for you?”
Huo Ranyin said no more. He stepped on the gas, and the car pulled out smoothly.
After resting against the window for a while, Ji Xun spoke up, “Do you have a pen and paper?”
Huo Ranyin, keeping his eyes on the road, gestured with his chin toward the glove compartment.
Ji Xun opened it. Inside were neatly arranged common supplies; Huo Ranyin organized things with an almost obsessive-compulsive precision. He took out a pen and paper and began to sketch. “The man in the back isn’t the one who ran from the KTV. The one who escaped had yellow hair and was dressed in designer brands. I was chasing him to that spot when this guy suddenly jumped out and threatened me with a knife. While I was fighting him, the yellow-haired guy took the chance to run away.”
“Just him?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you explain the cigarette ash at the scene? The man in the back didn’t have any cigarettes on him.”
Ji Xun paused. “What cigarette ash?”
“To the left of where you fought, southeast, three steps away. Ash on the ground,” Huo Ranyin said with clear enunciation. “Not a large amount of ash, probably from two-thirds of a cigarette. Someone stood there and smoked almost a whole cigarette. The brand is Silver Double Lion.”
“Sherlock Huo, a pleasure, a pleasure. I’ve heard so much about you,” Ji Xun said, just short of clasping his hands in a formal salute.
“Do you think I’m joking with you?” Huo Ranyin chuckled softly. “Or do you think you’re the only smart person in the world, and everyone else is either deaf or blind, or both?”
He didn’t wait for Ji Xun to speak and continued:
“Silver Double Lion is a popular cigarette brand in the coastal regions. It’s very easy to identify because of its mellow taste and the nutty aroma it gives off when lit.”
“When I arrived at the scene, the nutty smell was still distinct in the alley. For the smell to linger to that degree in a well-ventilated outdoor space is enough to prove that the person had just left less than a minute ago.”
Huo Ranyin’s voice turned cold.
“Ji Xun, you concealed someone who was at the scene and left.”
“Oh, Captain Huo’s analysis does make a lot of sense,” Ji Xun said. “So, is Captain Huo going to take me back to the station for questioning too? You can pull back two suspects in one trip, save some gas.”
“No explanation?” Huo Ranyin asked.
“What is there to explain? The logic is flawless. Let’s have some applause.” Ji Xun nonchalantly tapped his notebook twice as if in encouragement. “But to correct one point, I never think I’m amazing, and it’s best if Captain Huo doesn’t think so either, or you’ll be greatly disappointed sooner or later—there, done.”
Ji Xun stopped drawing.
The scratching sound of the pen on paper that had filled the car finally ceased. The notebook was handed back toward the glove compartment. Before it was closed, Huo Ranyin glanced at it. It was a full-body sketch of the suspect.
It was drawn in great detail—physique, facial features, clothing, hair color—everything was there. Next to it was Ji Xun’s brief analysis of the suspect. It was complete enough to track him down.
Huo Ranyin pulled the car over to the side of the road, opened the door, and got out.
Ji Xun, sprawled on the passenger seat, was too lazy to move and didn’t care what Huo Ranyin was doing.
A few minutes later, the other man returned with two drinks. He handed one to him. “Here.”
Ji Xun looked at it, his eyebrows furrowed and then relaxed. “What’s this? The carrot after the stick?”
“Consider it an apology.” Huo Ranyin placed the hot drink in the car’s cup holder. “There are indeed suspicious points about the scene, and I stand by my opinion that you told a partial lie in this matter. But by the same token, you also contributed a huge clue—you are not a suspect.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Captain Huo, for your sharp eyes and keen insight.”
“You’re welcome. Standard procedure.” Huo Ranyin started the car again. “Never wrong an innocent person, and never let a guilty one go.”
“What if they’re a mix of good and bad?”
“Then we’ll first have to see how bad he is.” Huo Ranyin glanced at Ji Xun. “No matter how cunning a criminal is, even if they can cover up lies for a time, their true self will be exposed eventually.”
“Time certainly does decide many things,” Ji Xun casually agreed.
“It’s not time that decides, but the people who tirelessly dig for the truth over time,” Huo Ranyin said in a cool tone.
“Those words seem to be pointed at someone,” Ji Xun said with interest. “Captain Huo, from the first time you met me, you’ve had a preconceived notion about me, am I right?”
“You’re not wrong,” Huo Ranyin admitted frankly.
“Then let me ask you another candid question: We’ve had quite a bit of contact from the beginning until now, and you’ve probably never thought I was a good person—so why has your attitude toward me gotten better and better?”
“Because I’m smart.”
“…?”
Ji Xun thought he had misheard, but of course, he hadn’t. Huo Ranyin continued in the same steady tone:
“First, you being bad doesn’t affect your ability to investigate cases. Second, it is precisely because you’re bad that I need to get close to you, understand you, and get a hold of your weaknesses, and then…”
Huo Ranyin paused intentionally.
Ji Xun finished for him: “And then bring me to justice?”
“No,” Huo Ranyin’s answer was unexpected.
Just then, the light turned red. He stopped the car, pulled the handbrake, and after securing the vehicle, he rested both hands on the steering wheel and turned to give Ji Xun a slight smile. The neon lights from the roadside illuminated his face, and the beauty mark under his eye shimmered in the light, adding a captivating charm to his smile.
“First, I’ll threaten you, use you, squeeze out all your remaining value, and then bring you to justice.”
Ji Xun let out a low laugh.
He picked up the drink Huo Ranyin had bought and took a sip. It was hot milk. The rich, sweet taste lingered on his taste buds, just like their conversation tonight.
It was at this moment that he finally took a real interest in Huo Ranyin.
He leaned against the window for a while, trying to catch a hint of sleepiness in the gentle vibration of the moving car. That sleepiness was always like a mischievous child, playing hide-and-seek with him every day. “Tell me about Tang Jinglong.”
“The ID card and bank card Tang Jinglong used when renting in the Lizhu Community both belong to Tang Zhongde. According to information from the household registration office, Tang Zhongde is sixty-three years old, from the same hometown as Tang Jinglong, and has never left the countryside his entire life. Tang Jinglong probably bought his ID and bank card from Tang Zhongde for some money.”
Huo Ranyin began his narration in a slow, deliberate manner.
“On this bank card, besides the rent for the Lizhu Community, there’s another transaction that will interest you. Between 2014 and 2015, he made two payments to Lü Danying’s account, 150,000 each, for a total of 300,000. Combined with what you said last time, Tang Jinglong was the direct handler for Lü Danying’s surrogacy.”
“Mm,” Ji Xun said nonchalantly, thinking of the blue and white thermos that Tang Jinglong and Lü Danying both had. “No need to tell me things I’ve pretty much already guessed. Anything else? It’s impossible that they found nothing at Tang Jinglong’s home.”
“There was a hidden safe in Tang Jinglong’s home,” Huo Ranyin said.
“Hmm… I’m guessing there wasn’t any direct, decisive evidence in the safe, otherwise Captain Huo wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of finding me so late at night.”
“Business cards.”
“What?”
“The safe was filled with business cards.”
“A single one?”
“Several boxes, all placed neatly in rows.”
“Ha…” Ji Xun thought for a moment. “A bit unexpected, but not entirely. Tang Jinglong was a sales representative. To him, his network is what’s valuable, so it’s not strange for him to store business cards so carefully. Anything else?”
“There was one other unique item,” Huo Ranyin said. “But our exchange is over.”
“Don’t be in such a hurry. Tell me a bit more, it won’t kill you,” Ji Xun coaxed.
“No, unless you change your mind.”
“Alright, I’ve changed my mind,” Ji Xun replied readily.
“…” Huo Ranyin looked at him in surprise. “Really? Why?”
“There are many reasons. For example, the people’s police are the most reliable; I’m too lazy to spend energy on a massive investigation; we both benefit from cooperating and lose out if we don’t—all of these could be reasons for cooperation. But the truest reason…” Ji Xun took a sip of milk. “Being with you isn’t stressful.”
“In the past, I was a police officer, so I had to abide by the law, follow moral codes, and improve myself. But I haven’t been an officer for a long time now…”
“I’m also troubled by the fact that my friends always think I’m still a good person who is upright, just, and correct.”
At this point in the conversation, the two had reached a basic consensus, so Huo Ranyin revealed the “unique item”: “A finely crafted wooden model ship. On the ship was a string of custom copper coins tied with a red cord. One side was engraved with ‘Safe travels by boat,’ and the other with ‘Calm winds and waves.'”
Ji Xun thought for a moment and said playfully, “Guà Dòu Qián.”
“What does that mean?” Huo Ranyin furrowed his brow.
“I can tell Captain Huo is a staunch materialist who never burns incense or prays to Buddha,” Ji Xun laughed. “Guà Dòu Qián are coins hung around the neck of a deity statue, used to pray for health, peace, and prosperity. It’s a custom in the southern coastal regions. With all the references to boats and ships, and prayers for peace and wealth, the implication is quite obvious.”
“Does it involve a cult?”
“There’s no indication of that for now.” Ji Xun shrugged. “Guà Dòu Qián is quite popular in the southern coastal areas. It’s just that it’s a bit strange for someone in the pharmaceutical business to have something about safe boat travel and calm seas. It feels like he was praying to the wrong gods.”
They should have struck while the iron was hot and discussed more clues about Tang Jinglong, but there wasn’t enough time left on the drive. The police station was already in sight.
Ji Xun fell silent. When the car stopped at the station entrance, he said, “Let’s part ways here. I’ll grab a cab home.”
Huo Ranyin: “Wait for me for a few minutes, I’ll drive you later.”
Ji Xun said teasingly, “Captain Huo, open your eyes wide and look. The person standing in front of you is a twenty-nine-year-old adult man who is as tall as you, not nine years old. I’m not afraid of the dark or ghosts, and I don’t need to cling to my daddy’s arm to walk at night or go to sleep.”
“You’re dealing with drugs. I don’t want to wave goodbye now and be cordoning off a crime scene tomorrow,” Huo Ranyin said. “I’d drive anyone back in this situation.”
Ji Xun thought for a moment and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Huo Ranyin led the arrested man inside. Ji Xun didn’t follow, instead finding a seat in the station lobby and pulling out his phone to play a game. Not two minutes later, a familiar face, Tan Mingjiu, appeared from the end of the corridor.
Ji Xun made eye contact with him, the guy lit up like a sunflower seeing the sun.
He approached Ji Xun with a beaming face, sat down without being invited, and said mysteriously, “The Captain is talking to Captain Teng from the public security brigade.”
Ji Xun: “Oh.”
Tan Mingjiu: “Aren’t you curious about what they’re saying?”
Ji Xun played along. “What are they saying?”
Tan Mingjiu’s voice immediately dropped by an octave. “It’s related to a video recorded by a body cam tonight.”
Ji Xun’s heart skipped a beat; he knew what Tan Mingjiu was about to say.
He shot the other man a sidelong glance but didn’t reply.
Tan Mingjiu didn’t need a reply and happily continued on his own. “A buddy of my buddy was in the team on duty at ‘Liang Jing Jing’ tonight. We’re all bros, so everyone got a peek at that little video.”
He let out a mischievous laugh, his face full of admiration. He gave Ji Xun a thumbs-up and wagged it.
“Impressive. Truly, truly impressive.”
“Am I that impressive?” Ji Xun said, looking behind Tan Mingjiu.
“You are! An armful on the left and right, you swing both ways, if that’s not impressive, what is?” Tan Mingjiu said.
“Where did you see me swinging both ways?”
Tan Mingjiu slapped his thigh. “Hey, let’s not even talk about Qingqing, she’s already pregnant. Just tonight, you and the Captain were sitting thigh-to-thigh, looking like you were glued together. Don’t tell me you didn’t have a taste? I always thought the Captain was a block of ice, but it turns out he can be fiery and passionate when it counts!”
“…”
Ji Xun patted Tan Mingjiu’s shoulder and pointed behind him.
Tan Mingjiu turned around, confused. “What?”
Huo Ranyin was standing quietly behind him, watching.
