At a little past 1 p.m., the large conference room at the Nanyi Criminal Investigation Office began to fill with people from both teams, each finding a place to sit. After a few days of working together, the relationships between the two teams had noticeably warmed up, and they now sat together, chatting and laughing. If you added some sunflower seeds and fruit to the table, they could easily turn it into a tea party.
This was largely thanks to the leaders from Nanyi and Haijing, who set a good example, fostering a sense of camaraderie among the officers working together on the case. You couldn’t miss how Sheng Guoning kept hovering around Lin Heyu, calling him “Captain Lin” and “Big Brother-in-law” with such familiarity that you’d think he wanted to join his household right away.
In contrast, Lin Heyu remained aloof, his expression indifferent, embodying the cool, unattainable aura of a male model despite his handsome appearance.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, our Captain Sheng is really putting it all out there,” Yan Runping whispered to Shao Shiqing, who was seated next to him, gossiping. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think he had a crush on Captain Lin.”
Shao Shiqing nodded repeatedly, and Shen Ruirui propped her chin up with her hand. “What choice does he have? Our Captain Sheng is in his mid-thirties, his family’s pushing hard, and I heard he’s dropped all standards—just being a woman is good enough.”
“Really? That bad?” Jian Ru happened to overhear and chimed in, “If someone like Captain Sheng has no standards for a partner, then what hope do we have of ever finding someone?”
Shen Ruirui sized up the baby-faced young man. “Let me ask you, is the reason you’re single that you haven’t found the right person yet?”
“No,” Jian Ru said sincerely, “I’m too busy to pick and choose.”
With cases coming up every ten days or half a month, it was rare to attend a gathering. When he gets a call, he had to rush back to the bureau immediately. If he wanted to develop relationships, all the policewomen he met were already taken, leaving him no chance to even receive a “good person” card.
So after working for a year and a half, Jian Ru often wondered if he was destined to be lonely forever. He might have saved enough for a wife, but he did’t even know where she was.
“Well, it’s over now. Do you think the captain is just a figurehead? In reality, being a leader is even worse. Besides handling cases every day, you have to write materials and reports, cater to higher-ups, and almost live at the bureau.”
That was what they said, but there were exceptions, like Haijing, where there was a famous “flower gardener.” Yan Runping quickly countered: “These are excuses. Why don’t you look at how Yuan Maoqiu does things?”
Jian Ru made a face. How could he compare with Brother Yuan? He’s an expert! A master! Only recently broke up, and on his first day in Nanyi, he saw him exchanging WeChat contacts with two policewomen downstairs. It’s really feast or famine; he should just settle for a dating service in the next century.
Lin Heyu checked the time, it was exactly 1:30, and stood up to clap his hands. The meeting room gradually quieted down, and the previously light-hearted group switched to a serious working mode. The meeting officially began.
According to the process, everyone reported their work, sharing details about the investigations and searches from the past few days. As per the current progress, the investigation in Qiantang Town would be completed by tomorrow, but the whereabouts of that Volkswagen remained unknown, and no suspects matching the description were found. A breakthrough came from Zou Bin’s team, who had identified the individual responsible for the orchid trademark. If they could find the buyer, it could become an important lead.
“We’ll head out this afternoon and try to cover those three places,” Zou Bin said to Sheng Guoning, “and we’ll need to borrow a car.”
Sheng Guoning was easy-going about it, borrowing people and cars was no problem. Lin Heyu intervened: “Don’t waste time. This task can be handled by one person; the other two should go to the mountain.”
Wen Huabei was surprised: “Isn’t one of me enough?”
“Of course not,” Lin Heyu, now fully aware of Pang Daozi’s identity, was not comfortable with just one person keeping an eye on the bandit. He pointed at Jian Ru: “Jian Ru, you go. Xiao Bei and Zou Bin will go up the mountain.”
Yuan Maoqiu, who had been there with Lin Heyu yesterday, instantly perked up: “Do you think this case is related to the guy with the criminal record?”
“Remove the ‘think,’” Lin Heyu’s tone was decisive, “Tu Laogui came to Nanyi specifically to find him.”
The conversation was cryptic, and not only were the other team members confused, but even Sheng Guoning, who had been with them yesterday, was baffled: Who are they looking for? Weren’t they just wandering around cluelessly yesterday, and now everything is suddenly clear?
Lin Heyu didn’t want to explain the source of the information directly, as the truth was too bizarre and might make them question his sanity under the pressure of the case. So, before the meeting, he had come up with an excuse: using yesterday’s search as a pretext, he had found a clue at Pang Daozi’s home, leading to the deduction that Tu Laogui had had some contact with him.
Pang Daozi’s information was retrieved from the internal network within minutes. Just seeing his appearance made everyone believe it. He looked fierce, and compared to Tu Laogui’s sharp-eyed gaze, his was more overtly menacing, fully illustrating the concept of “the face reflects the heart.”
“According to what you’re saying, the person hiding in his house is Tu Laogui?” Yuan Maoqiu slapped his thigh, “Then why not just arrest him directly?”
The meeting room buzzed with excitement. If the main suspect was caught, the case would be solved! Tu Laogui was the leader, and once he was captured, his subordinates, who lacked a strong leader, would be like a pile of loose sand. The hostages could be rescued in no time.
“Everyone, calm down. It’s not that simple,” Lin Heyu’s cold, deep voice acted like a bucket of cold water on the rising flames of excitement. “When I say they had contact, it only means there was some exchange of information. It doesn’t mean the person is currently there.”
“That’s easy; we’ll get Lao Yan to make him talk,” Shen Ruirui said.
“…Don’t make it sound like we’re going to use torture tactics,” Yan Runping didn’t want to take the credit for that, given the high-profile nature of the case. He added, “I don’t agree with arresting him right away. Tu Laogui is so cunning; he might not let Pang Daozi know his true hiding place.”
Sheng Guoning crossed his arms: “Both of them are habitual offenders with a long criminal record. If they’re teaming up, they must be planning something big!”
Lin Heyu shot a sidelong glance and hit the nail on the head. Sheng Guoning opened a file folder and quickly skimmed through the last report on explosives: “The last hostage used explosives, and the detonators are produced here in Nanyi… Could they be planning an explosion in Nanyi?”
The room was stunned. The case had always been considered a kidnapping case, and even though recent hostages were found with detonators, it was thought to be just a method of killing. Now, they might be planning something more drastic?
Linking “Nanyi” and “explosion” made locals think of the tragic mechanical factory incident years ago. That case caused a sensation, but curiously, there were no sealed records. After searching for hours, Lin Heyu still couldn’t find it in the Nanyi archives.
The online information was mostly fabricated by marketing accounts, providing no real value. Lin Heyu thought the most reliable information would come from Yi Shi, but given the timing, he’d have to wait until tomorrow for useful details.
Lin Heyu tapped the table: “What Captain Sheng said is correct. There is a high likelihood of this, so everyone must be cautious. This is not just a simple kidnapping case; the danger to the hostages is significantly greater.”
Once explosives are involved, it’s a matter of life or death, and the level of alertness changes significantly. After the meeting, people left the room, chatting among themselves. Yan Runping was silent for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, “Was Captain Lin searching the archives last night related to this?”
Lin Heyu, who was walking ahead, nodded: “Yes, there is some connection.”
Yan Runping’s hair stood on end. He grabbed Lin Heyu: “Let’s go search again. If it’s this important, we should turn the entire archives upside down today if necessary!”
—
As dusk fell, the versatile young man Yu Xue arrived at the city bureau with his lunchbox at his usual time. Shen Ruirui, as usual, showered the diligent and capable nephew with praise. Yu Xue, unruffled, carried his backpack and went to a side area to do his homework.
Qi Wenyu, who was waiting in Nanyi for his mentor, wandered over to the criminal investigation department out of boredom. As he entered the large office, he happened to see a child holding a pen in one hand and a phone in the other, with test papers and books spread out on the desk. Passing by, Qi Wenyu overheard the child say, “This can be solved this way. Just because you don’t understand doesn’t mean it can’t be done. It’s a fill-in-the-blank question; it doesn’t require a detailed solution. Why not use a quicker method?”
“Don’t believe me? Go get a math book from your sister and look at the formulas for trigonometric functions. Or don’t trouble yourself, since it’s not school homework anyway.”
Qi Wenyu paused, glanced at the problems, and indeed found that trigonometric functions made calculations faster and more convenient.
Having probably said enough, Yu Xue responded with a “suit yourself” and hung up. Noticing a shadow overhead, he looked up to find a young man with black-frame glasses standing behind him.
“You’re quite impressive. Are you in the first year of high school?”
“Grade 8.” Yu Xue turned the paper to the last page, and Qi Wenyu was surprised: “The f(x) function? Are middle school problems this difficult now?”
Yu Xue flipped the cover of the paper: “Typical Problems in Olympiad Mathematics.” Qi Wenyu realized it was Olympiad math, and understood that this kid was a top student.
Despite having a stranger watching from behind, Yu Xue remained calm and focused on his work, unaffected by the distraction. Qi Wenyu bent over, hands behind his back, observing him. He occasionally thought of offering hints, but before he could speak, Yu Xue had already corrected any mistakes, erasing and rewriting with swift precision, leaving no room for Qi Wenyu’s input.
Lin Heyu, returning from the archives during mealtime, saw Qi Wenyu standing behind Yu Xue and his eyelids twitched: “Qi Wenyu!”
Qi Wenyu looked up and hurried over: “Captain Lin, did you need something?”
“What are you doing here?” Lin Heyu asked, noticing Qi Wenyu standing next to the child.
Qi Wenyu stood obediently: “Just wandering around.”
Lin Heyu glanced at Yu Xue and asked in a low voice, “What were you doing just now?”
“Huh?” Qi Wenyu scratched his head, “Just looking around. Captain Lin, whose child is this?”
“… Why are you asking this?” Lin Heyu became alert. He felt uncomfortable about the future relationship between Qi Wenyu and Yu Xue.
Qi Wenyu grinned, showing his two little tiger teeth, smiling innocently: “Just asking. He’s quite interesting. I wanted to get to know him.”
“Interesting”? What’s interesting about a kid this young? To Lin Heyu, it sounded inappropriate, given Yu Xue’s age. He found it hard to associate a middle school student with Qi Wenyu.
“Captain Lin, can you tell me his name?” Qi Wenyu asked again.
Clearly very interested. Lin Heyu felt conflicted and troubled.
Though Yi Shi had said they only got together after Yu Xue came of age, nowadays young people mature quickly and might have secret relationships. Out of a sense of responsibility to protect minors, Lin Heyu subtly advised: “I know what you’re thinking, but he’s too young. It’s not appropriate.”
“Captain Lin, you noticed?” Qi Wenyu felt more embarrassed, his ears turning red, “I won’t bother him. It’s just… I rarely meet someone so to my liking and wanted to see…”
“…What are you trying to do?! Put away your foolish thoughts! He’s just a kid, and don’t you feel embarrassed?”
Qi Wenyu felt wronged. He merely wanted to discuss math problems with this top student, but Lin Heyu made it sound so sordid.
Despite Yu Xue’s age, his knowledge was extensive, and his problem-solving methods were fluid and clear. Sometimes his ideas were quite creative. Qi Wenyu, rarely encountering such a smart kid, had subconsciously overlooked his age and didn’t mind the six-year difference.
“Finish your work and head back to the hotel next door. We all stay there, so don’t wander around the bureau. Don’t cause trouble; go back soon, understood?”
Qi Wenyu nodded, watching Lin Heyu leave, then turned to Yu Xue, who was also looking at him.
Yu Xue extended a clean little hand and waved at him.
Qi Wenyu stretched his neck to look outside, confirming Lin Heyu had left before returning to Yu Xue’s side. Yu Xue rested his chin on his hand and said, “Did you get scolded? Because you don’t want to work and prefer going back to school to do homework?”
“No, it’s after work hours now,” Qi Wenyu sighed, “I’m not sure why I got scolded. Maybe it really was my fault.”
Yu Xue handed him a pen and picked up a book titled “Sudoku Games” from the table: “Since your leader is gone, here’s something to pass the time.”
Qi Wenyu was a bit surprised and flipped through the book: “This will pass the time too quickly. I’ll finish it in no time.”
? Yu Xue adjusted his glasses: “You’re the second person to say that.”
“Who’s the first?”
“Me.”
Qi Wenyu found Yu Xue increasingly interesting, put down the book, and sat across from him: “Let’s do this advanced 9×9 Sudoku together and see who finishes first.”
“Is there a prize or punishment?” Yu Xue asked.
“If you win, I’ll treat you to something. You can pick whatever you like,” Qi Wenyu smiled at him. “And if you lose?”
“We’ll see about that,” Yu Xue said indifferently, implying he was confident he wouldn’t lose.
That evening, the Sudoku competition ended with a score of 3-2, with Qi Wenyu losing. He went to the supermarket downstairs and bought a bunch of snacks. When he came back up, Yu Xue had packed up his lunchbox, put on his backpack, and happily carried a bag of puffed snacks home.
