[02/19, 18:16, Nanyi City Bureau Criminal Investigation Department]
After a hearty meal, the delivered takeout was completely devoured. Sheng Guoning bit a toothpick and drank tea to cleanse the grease from his mouth. “Next time, don’t order from this place. The stewed intestines were too greasy. We middle-aged folks need to watch out for hypertension.”
“Ah, already worrying about hypertension before getting married?”
“Using marriage to poke fun at me again? I’m over thirty now, enough to start taking care of myself…” Sheng Guoning turned around, meeting Lin Heyu’s dark, cold gaze. His smile faded, and he coughed lightly, “Ahem, Ruirui, give Xiao Shao a call. Why is it taking so long to get a video from the traffic department? It’s not like it’s the SHIELD headquarters.”
“Got it.” Shen Ruirui quickly put down her lunch box and frantically searched for her phone. Yu Xue, feeling inspired, pulled out his phone from a pile of files and handed it over, “Wipe your hands first, they’re greasy.”
Shen Ruirui took a tissue and wiped her fingers clean. A round-faced female colleague next to her laughed, “Ruirui, your little nephew is so considerate, more adult-like than you.”
“Of course, our Xiao Xue has been outstanding since he was little,” Shen Ruirui said, dialing the number and patting Yu Xue’s back, “He’ll definitely be a heartthrob in the future! When finding a boyfriend, look for someone like him… Hello? Shao Shiqing, where are you?”
After urging him for a few sentences, Shen Ruirui hung up the phone and reported, “He’s on his way back. He got delayed because he helped a pregnant woman who was in labor get to the hospital.”
Sheng Guoning greeted Lin Heyu, “See, he puts the people first. Captain Lin, you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
“…” Lin Heyu responded, “I wasn’t rushing you.”
Your look says otherwise. It’s practically burning a hole in us. Sheng Guoning pursed his lips. He didn’t like imposing too many rules on his team, preferring a relaxed atmosphere. He believed that solving cases should focus on people first. No matter how big the case, you should approach it calmly and not put too much pressure on the team. Lin Heyu, however, sat there like a stern Buddha, expressionless, as if he were a high-ranking provincial official on inspection.
They only had a general understanding of the case and hadn’t seen the detailed investigation files. That afternoon, they received a request from Haijing for help tracking a car. Sheng Guoning sent someone immediately. Unfortunately, they lost the car due to an unexpected situation, which Haijing should understand. But when Lin Heyu arrived, he didn’t say a word, his stern expression spoke volumes, making everyone feel the pressure.
Sheng Guoning accepted it. Since the suspects were in their territory, it was their duty to assist in the arrest. The special task force would inevitably be composed of people from both bureaus. However, thinking about working with Lin Heyu in the future felt like a disaster to Sheng Guoning. Lin Heyu’s stern demeanor was off-putting and made any desire to communicate evaporate.
Yu Xue meticulously cleaned his aunt’s desk, put down the cloth, and wiped his sweat, just in time to meet Lin Heyu’s gaze. Lin Heyu’s eyes were deep and cold, staring at him for a long time felt like being sucked in. Yu Xue felt a bit strange. He was just a student, well-behaved and excellent in both character and academics, and had done nothing wrong. Why was this captain from Haijing staring at him?
Lin Heyu held his phone, the WeChat interface still on his conversation with Yi Shi. After the video call ended, Yi Shi hadn’t sent any more messages. He was probably discussing things with the Yu Xue on his side. This feeling was very subtle. Now, Lin Heyu was meeting the youthful Yu Xue, while the one beside Yi Shi was already the seasoned Captain Yu, with a time difference of twenty years between them. What about him and Yi Shi? Did they also have a time difference of several years?
He rubbed his forehead, subconsciously feeling that he should be very clear about what was happening, but frustratingly, he could remember very little.
Yu Xue carried the empty lunch box back. This weekend, there was a math competition, and he needed to go home and study. A young man in his twenties, with a fresh face, ran into the large office, panting and out of breath: “Captain Sheng! Sorry, I’m late!”
“Xiao Shao is back,” Yan Runping handed over a bottle of mineral water, “Why are you running so fast? Everyone knows you went to serve the people. Don’t be nervous, come, have some water first and then talk.”
Shao Shiqing sat down, took the mineral water, unscrewed it, and gulped down half the bottle. He wiped his mouth and glanced at the three unfamiliar faces. Shen Ruirui softly told him that they were from Haijing, and the imposing figure in the middle was their Captain Lin.
Shao Shiqing took a cautious glance. Yes, he could tell, the aura was obviously much stronger than the two beside him.
The traffic department had tracked the car’s route using the license plate and had found almost all the surveillance footage of its path. The projector screen was divided into four windows, showing the vehicle’s route through four different areas. The focus of the investigation was the highway exit, which had several intersections with signs pointing to five directions leading to neighboring cities and towns.
The Volkswagen was heading towards “Qiantang,” an ancient Jiangnan town that had been developed into a tourist attraction. In recent years, it had thrived as a popular short-trip destination for nearby provinces and cities. However, there was a construction site before the Qiantang town, and due to ongoing roadwork, the traffic facilities were incomplete, and the video signal was lost. Despite the traffic department setting up a checkpoint as soon as they received the notice, they still couldn’t intercept the kidnapper’s’ car.
They had also identified the car owner, Lin Erde, who was already dead, adding another useless piece of information.
Sheng Guoning spread out a map and circled an area with a black marker: “It’s here. This area is a mix of urban and rural settings, mostly self-built houses, with mountains and fields in the back. The terrain is a bit complicated.”
“The key is, it’s close to the scenic spot. The large flow of people would make it a headache to conduct a thorough search.”
“You should be glad it’s not the peak tourist season. It would be a nightmare during the May Day or National Day holidays.”
Lin Heyu carefully observed the map, looking at the area circled next to the mountains. He suspected that Tu Laogui and his gang had scouted the area in advance and might have already gone into the mountains. Their search in Haijing’s mountains wasn’t even complete, and now they had to search Nanyi’s mountains too. It seemed they would be running around the mountains with police dogs all the time.
“Let’s start the search tomorrow. Captain Lin, when will your Haijing team arrive?” Sheng Guoning asked.
“…” Yuan Maoqiu hesitated to tell Sheng Guoning that they hadn’t even had a meeting to report this yet. They didn’t even know if they were staying or going back.
Lin Heyu, however, remained calm and answered, “Very soon.”
“Alright then, let’s call it a day. Tomorrow we’ll arrange the action and catch the criminals as soon as possible, so everyone can have an explanation.” Sheng Guoning waved his hand, “Meeting adjourned!”
Yan Runping relaxed his shoulders, Shen Ruirui stretched lazily, and Shao Shiqing picked up his bag, all ready to head home. Lin Heyu still sat in place, unmoving. Yuan Maoqiu flipped through hotel listings on his phone: “Hey, it’s good there are still standard rooms available. I’ll book it. We’ll squeeze in.”
“Two beds, who will I sleep with?” Wen Huabei leaned over to Yuan Maoqiu, “Brother Yuan, shall we squeeze together?”
“Why don’t you squeeze with your Captain Lin?”
Wen Huabei covered his mouth and mouthed: I’m scared.
Lin Heyu finally stood up: “You guys go ahead. I’m going to find someone.”
Yuan Maoqiu and Wen Huabei exchanged glances, more in sync than ever: “The young guy in sportswear?!”
“…” Lin Heyu crushed their fantasy with a blank expression, “To find Xiao Zhi.”
Yuan Maoqiu looked disappointed, realizing that Lin Heyu was going to see his sister. Now that he mentioned it, Lin Zhizhi was interning in Nanyi. Lin Heyu’s visit wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t go see her.
He took a taxi to Lin Zhizhi’s rented apartment, a place he had helped choose last fall. But when she moved in, the kidnapping case had just happened, and he had been too busy to visit. Half an hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of Magic Cube Youth Apartments. Lin Heyu took the elevator to the 5th floor and knocked on the door of room 503.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
The door’s sound insulation wasn’t great, and the girl’s bell-like voice was clear. The door opened, “I was starving… Brother?!”
Lin Zhizhi looked up, dumbfounded, staring at Lin Heyu before suddenly throwing herself into his arms: “Wow, why are you in Nanyi?! You didn’t even tell me!”
“Just passing by.”
“This ‘passing by’ is perfect timing. Come in, come in.” Lin Zhizhi pulled Lin Heyu’s arm, “I just needed to change a light bulb. It costs 20 yuan to hire someone! And I bought a cabinet that costs 100 yuan to install! Brother, you’re my savior!”
“…” For some reason, Lin Heyu felt like he came at the wrong time. Lin Zhizhi seemed so happy because she found free labor.
As expected, after entering the apartment, Lin Heyu first changed the light bulb, then assembled the cabinet, tinkering for over an hour. During this time, Lin Zhizhi brought in takeout, eating from a plastic bowl while watching him assemble the cabinet.
Lin Heyu tightened the screws with a Phillips head screwdriver: “Eat less takeout. Learn to cook for yourself when living outside.”
“That’s a skill I plan to master after I get married.” Lin Zhizhi adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and twirled the chain around her fingers. “Right now, my mood going to work is heavier than visiting a grave. I’m exhausted when I get home, so cooking is out of the question. Being able to order takeout is already a luxury.”
“Is it that tiring?”
“Yeah, being a designer… I thought it was about living for art, but it’s actually about being tortured to death,” Lin Zhizhi tilted her head. “No, more like dying from exhaustion, trapped in the mysterious brain circuits of the clients.”
The difficulties of Lin Zhizhi’s industry were beyond Lin Heyu’s understanding. He could see that she had been working hard during her internship. She looked pale, her apartment was messy, and her eyesight had deteriorated to the point where she had started wearing glasses.
Lin Zhizhi took off her glasses: “They’re plano lenses, no prescription.”
“…Then why wear them?”
Lin Zhizhi burst into laughter: “Because they look good! These are vintage chains, you know. Didn’t you see all those girls wearing them online?”
Lin Heyu remained silent and continued assembling the cabinet. Lin Zhizhi shrugged. Her brother was a bit old-fashioned and had narrow, monotonous interests, almost out of touch with society. She picked up his phone: “Should I download some video apps for you? You can kill time watching them when you’re free. Hey? Brother, someone messaged you on WeChat. Didn’t you see it?”
Lin Heyu took his phone and saw a message notification in the shortcut bar. He had probably swiped it away during the meeting without paying attention. He took off his gloves and opened WeChat. It was a message from Yi Shi, simply saying: [Thank you.]
Lin Heyu smiled and replied: [You’re welcome. Did you solve it?]
Lin Zhizhi’s eyes widened as if she had discovered a new continent: “Brother, who are you messaging? You smiled! Oh my, did I just see that?”
“…” Lin Heyu was speechless, “Is it that strange?”
Lin Zhizhi nodded seriously: “Very strange. I’ve never seen you smile at your phone in my life.”
The phone vibrated again, and Yi Shi replied quickly: [Yes. Still awake?]
Lin Heyu looked at the time, not yet 9 PM. He was in his thirties, not sixties; he didn’t need to go to bed that early for health reasons.
On the other side, Yi Shi was fighting off sleepiness to reply. He was a light sleeper, and the vibration of his phone on the bedside table woke him. Lin Heyu had replied. It was 3 AM for him. Was he just waking up or had he not slept at all?
[Too early, will sleep later.]
“…” Yi Shi looked at the message, his eyelids too heavy to keep open. Something flashed through his mind, but he couldn’t grasp it before his head nodded, and he fell back asleep.
Lin Heyu waited for a while but didn’t receive another reply from Yi Shi. Only one door with a full-length mirror remained before the cabinet was complete. Lin Zhizhi held the door, genuinely admiring her brother: “Brother, you’re amazing. You’ve been great at crafts since you were a kid. The big clock at our house’s entrance, you made it all by yourself…”
“No, it was the carpenter from the east end of the village.”
“I know, but didn’t you make the hour and minute hands? I’ll just pretend you made the whole thing,” Lin Zhizhi laughed. “Even though that clock is big, clumsy, and a bit ridiculous, you often made some weird adjustments to it. But it doesn’t change the fact that I admire your craftsmanship!”
Lin Heyu seemed not to hear her, only asking after a while, “What weird adjustments?”
Lin Zhizhi blinked: “Don’t you remember? You taught me to tell time using that big dial, moving the hour and minute hands, but it was never right! At 8 o’clock, you set it to 4 o’clock; at 10 o’clock, you set it to 2 o’clock and made me remember. The key is, I foolishly believed you!”
Lin Heyu’s mind conjured up several sets of mirrored images. He lowered his head in deep thought. That was many years ago. Why would he teach Zhizhi those things? Had he already known Yi Shi at that time?
Impossible. His memories of Yi Shi had always been of his current appearance. If they had met as children, given their ages, Yi Shi would have been a little runt younger than him.
This reminded him once again of the time difference between them. It was 9 PM here, and it should be 3 AM for Yi Shi.
No wonder he asked why he wasn’t sleeping. His reply, “still early,” must have seemed strange.
Lin Heyu carefully considered it, deciding to make a schedule to communicate with Yi Shi at more appropriate times.
It was getting late. Lin Heyu prepared to leave. Lin Zhizhi saw him to the door: “Brother, you saved me 120 yuan today. I’m so grateful! How long are you staying in Nanyi? I’ll find time to treat you to a meal.”
Lin Heyu waved it off. They didn’t know how long the case would take. If they got busy, there wouldn’t even be time to drink water, let alone eat.
The next morning, around 8 AM, Lin Heyu went to the Nanyi police station with Yuan Maoqiu and Wen Huabei. At the entrance, they met Lin Zhizhi, dressed in a bright pink cashmere coat, looking cheerful and waving at him: “Brother! I brought you breakfast. Are you touched?”
Yuan Maoqiu couldn’t help but feel envious: “Having a sister is so nice. So considerate.”
Lin Zhizhi handed another bag of buns and soy milk to Yuan Maoqiu: “Brother Yuan, you don’t need a sister. You have various girls bringing you breakfast. If I hadn’t seen on your Moments that you broke up again, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
“…” Yuan Maoqiu realized that the biggest traitor was his social media.
Wen Huabei was a bit pitiful. Lin Zhizhi didn’t know he was with Lin Heyu this time, so she hadn’t prepared anything for him. He had to share with Yuan Maoqiu. Yesterday, they shared a room, and today, they shared breakfast. Their friendship was quickly growing.
At the police station entrance, Sheng Guoning arrived, holding a pancake. He was stunned to see Lin Zhizhi standing with Lin Heyu.
Lin Zhizhi looked even more beautiful than when she came to present the banner yesterday. She sweetly smiled at Sheng Guoning: “Officer Sheng, what a coincidence. Good morning.”
“Uh… good morning.” Sheng Guoning greeted calmly. Lin Zhizhi checked her watch and patted Lin Heyu’s arm: “I need to get to work. I’ll leave now. Let me know if you have time. I’ll be waiting for your call.”
Have time? Waiting for your call? Is it for a date?
Sheng Guoning’s heart shattered into pieces. Yesterday, a spark of attraction had just ignited, and today, it was ruthlessly crushed.
