With the interrogations temporarily concluded, the killers in all four murder cases had confessed. The remaining question was whether someone had planned everything behind the scenes. The special investigation team shifted its attention to He Mei, the person most likely to have organized the anonymous messages. The evidence on hand, however, did not support that conclusion.
Her personality, way of handling things, and relationship with Zhu Yi were also completely at odds with the police profile of the organizer. Even Li Shu remarked that she truly did not look like the mastermind.
Huo Yewei’s case was mainly in the Mobile Unit’s hands, and there was little the Junan City bureau could do. Their workload had eased slightly compared with the previous few days. Seeing Chen Zheng gathering his things, Li Shu asked, “Captain Chen, are you heading back to Luocheng?”
Chen Zheng shook his head. “Not yet. I can’t let go of this He Mei business.”
Li Shu sighed. “Even if we prove she sent the messages, it would be difficult to convict her.”
Chen Zheng understood the difficulty. The anonymous messages had merely been a spark, and their contents could even be described as factual. They told the recipients that their choices had destroyed Zhu Yi and that every one of them bore guilt.
Human nature had its own savage power to branch out in unpredictable directions. Each person who received the message had their own thoughts as they attended the wedding and pretended everything was normal, all the while watching the others and guessing who had arranged the gathering. Some wanted to solve the problem; some wanted to preserve their ordinary lives; and in some, the malice they had kept hidden finally burst out into killing.
The organizer needed only to watch from afar, just as those interns had once turned a deaf ear to Zhu Yi’s suffering. Could the law punish them? No. It could punish Yi Lei and the others who had assaulted Zhu Yi, but the remaining people had slipped neatly through its reach.
“He Mei is no simple person,” Chen Zheng said. “Actually, there’s another case I’m concerned about.”
Li Shu thought for a moment. “The Gu Qiang case?”
Chen Zheng nodded. “A law firm like Gu Qiang’s, specializing in serving businesses and the wealthy, might be linked to a much more complicated network.”
Li Shu was emotional. “Captain Chen, you’ve been an enormous help this time. Detectives in a little city like ours rarely have the chance to develop your breadth of vision.”
Chen Zheng smiled. “You flatter me.”
A crowd of independent content creators had gathered outside Yongshen Law Firm. Someone had revealed that two of those who died at Weimo Mountain Resort had once interned at Yongshen, and that the surviving members of their group had been interns from the same intake. Netizens quickly speculated that something must have happened back then, until years later one of them finally took up the weapon of revenge.
As time went on, more information emerged online. Zhu Yi was identified as another intern from that year. Combined with the police announcements, people also unearthed Mei Rui’s story.
When Chen Zheng reached Yongshen Law Firm, He Mei was surrounded by streamers.
“Lawyer He, we hear you were the teacher of the Weimo Mountain Resort victims. Was Zhu Yi your student too? What happened back then? Do you know which intern killed someone? Why didn’t you save Zhu Yi? You must have known what had happened to her, right? Lawyer He, why did every intern resign after that? Lawyer He, people online are calling you a mistress. Is that true?”
Unruffled by the mass of cameras pushed toward her, He Mei calmly smoothed her hair. “You should be asking the police these questions. I’m just an ordinary lawyer. All I can tell you is that I had absolutely nothing to do with the murders at Weimo Mountain Resort.” As she spoke, her eyes met Chen Zheng’s. She smiled at once and pointed him out, and the streamers immediately turned toward him.
The streamers on the outside of the crowd rushed toward Chen Zheng. “Officer Chen, have you come to see Lawyer He? So she is involved in the case, isn’t she…?”
He Mei seemed utterly unconcerned by the damage to her reputation. She even winked at Chen Zheng and mouthed, Thanks for the trouble.
Taking advantage of his height and strength, Chen Zheng forced his way through the crowd without answering a single question, and stopped He Mei before she entered her office.
He Mei sighed. “All those people, and not one managed to stop you, Officer Chen.”
“Si Wei has confessed to killing Dong Jing,” Chen Zheng said.
“Then the investigation is over? I ought to congratulate you, but they were all my former colleagues, and not long ago they came to my wedding…” He Mei lowered her head and sighed. “May the dead rest in peace.”
“The investigation isn’t over. There’s one final question left.”
Regret showed in He Mei’s eyes, but she was in no hurry to prompt him.
“Who brought them together,” Chen Zheng said. “No matter how I think about it, you’re still the only person who could have done it.”
He Mei paused in surprise. “Officer Chen, you’re a detective and I’m a lawyer. Our professions differ, but we have one thing in common: both of us must work with evidence.”
“That’s why I’m here looking for some,” Chen Zheng replied.
He Mei met his gaze for a moment, then smiled again. “Officer Chen, aren’t you afraid I’ll run away if you’re this blunt with me?”
“Do you know who was last in contact with Zhu Yi?” Chen Zheng asked.
“See? Another trap. I explained it clearly last time. I investigated what happened to Zhu Yi. A Xiu of Jianya Township crumbled under pressure and confessed everything, but I’m not a police officer. I could only infer what the interns did from the evidence available. I truly had no way to know whom Zhu Yi was contacting.”
“If it had happened to someone else, would you have been this invested?” Chen Zheng asked. “Secretly investigating, even acting as Liu Xun’s private investigator?”
He Mei had returned to her office. She gazed into the distance, then after a moment shook her head. “No.”
“Why? What was different about Zhu Yi to you?”
“She was the kind of woman I hoped I would become when I was young.” This time, He Mei did not dodge the question. The seriousness in her eyes made Chen Zheng feel that the words came from her heart.
“Strong. Independent. Kind. Full of ideals and energy. Someone who could throw herself into danger for the justice she believed in.” He Mei laughed self-deprecatingly. “I once thought I could become such a person. I chose law because I had convictions. But you can see how far the woman I am today stands from my ideals.”
He Mei spread her hands, a trace of resignation on her face. “My education no longer serves the people who truly need it. It’s simply a ladder for me to climb. I discovered that kindness gets you nowhere in this profession, and I might as well earn enough while I’m young to live comfortably for the rest of my life. From the moment I became Gu Qiang’s mistress, I could never become Zhu Yi. So when I looked at Zhu Yi, that vibrant child, I felt…”
She paused briefly, then shook her head. “I felt she was precious, like something beautiful you’ve already lost that can never be replaced.”
Watching He Mei, Chen Zheng felt she had laid her motives entirely bare.
But He Mei abruptly changed tack. “I regret what happened to Zhu Yi. If someone chose to avenge her, I might lend a hand, provided it didn’t affect my own interests. But I wouldn’t jump in myself. It would dirty my skirt and destroy everything I’ve worked so hard to obtain.”
The woman was shrewd and composed, and for the moment Chen Zheng could find no opening in her defenses. Fortunately, the evidence in the four murder cases apart from her involvement was clear. Chen Zheng raised Gu Qiang again. “By your account, Gu Qiang bears much of the responsibility for why you didn’t become like Zhu Yi. If you’d met a different person when you were an intern, perhaps another ‘Lawyer He,’ you might have held on to what you believed was right for a little longer.”
He Mei narrowed her eyes. After a long while, she said, “If there had been no Gu Qiang, there would have been a Wang Qiang or a Liu Qiang. What difference would it make? Countless people begin with ideals, but very few persist after seeing how absurd reality is. I don’t regret my choice. Gu Qiang was a terrible husband, but his professional ability was extraordinary. Many people wanted him dead, yet in the end a woman took his life.”
Liao Huaimeng, Gu Qiang’s first wife. As He Mei mentioned her again, a hint of guilt surfaced in her expression.
“Gu Qiang’s death taught me a lesson too,” He Mei said. “Never assume the weakest person around you will always be afraid of you. Once pushed beyond endurance, they can spring up and take your life.” She winked with a smile. “So, Officer Chen, I’m a very careful person. Your attempts to sound me out won’t work.”
Chen Zheng smiled too. “Were you Gu Qiang’s lover, or his closest ally?”
He Mei seemed surprised. After considering it, she replied, “His most useful lover, perhaps.”
“Then perhaps you have some idea who wanted him dead.” Chen Zheng patiently pushed a sheet of paper and a pen toward He Mei. “Since I’m here anyway, you won’t mind answering a few more questions, will you?”
He Mei studied him in surprise. She could not understand why an investigation into the murders at Weimo Mountain Resort had suddenly veered back toward the long-closed Gu Qiang case.
“Listen to you.” He Mei smiled. “It’s our duty to cooperate with an investigation.”
He Mei began with the time she first started working under Gu Qiang and went on to describe his clashes and entanglements with numerous wealthy families. Halfway through, Chen Zheng interrupted her. “Gu Qiang once worked for Weihai Technology?”
After Liao Huaimeng killed Gu Qiang, every individual and business that had cooperated with him had been investigated. But when Chen Zheng had reviewed the records earlier, he had not seen Weihai Technology mentioned.
He Mei paused, thinking back. “I never actually saw him dealing with Weihai Technology. I only remember him saying that he’d handled matters for President Huo of Weihai.”
When He Mei first entered Yongshen Law Firm, she had admired Gu Qiang as a distinguished lawyer. Looking back now, that admiration was precisely what he had used to turn her into his mistress.
Gu Qiang appreciated her professional abilities to some degree. When they traveled on business together, he sometimes told her about things he had personally experienced, partly to help her adapt to the profession and gain experience, partly to show off before his lover. Whenever he mentioned Weihai Technology, he singled out Huo Xiling, saying the woman was ruthless but undeniably intelligent.
At the time, He Mei had thought Gu Qiang was giving her a pointed warning.
“Why didn’t you mention this last time?” Chen Zheng asked.
He Mei folded her arms and smiled. “Officer Chen, whether you believe me or not, I really forgot. That wasn’t the only thing Gu Qiang ever bragged about. Huo Yewei’s death was so sudden that I didn’t immediately connect it with Gu Qiang and Huo Xiling. That’s hardly strange, is it?”
Chen Zheng considered this, then asked, “From what you know of Gu Qiang, what sort of work might he have done for Weihai Technology?”
He Mei lit a cigarette and expertly drew the smoke into her lungs. “Any number of things. A company like Weihai always has dirty work it doesn’t want exposed. That creates a dilemma. Ordinary lawyers might not be trusted with it or capable of handling it, while many famous lawyers are too protective of their reputations. Once Gu Qiang rose in status, he stopped doing dirty work too. That’s why I never personally saw him dealing with Weihai Technology. But judging by his tone, what Huo Xiling asked him to do probably involved someone’s life. Ah…”
Chen Zheng looked up. “What?”
“Officer Chen, do you think there’s more behind Gu Qiang’s death?” Something seemed to click into place for He Mei. “He used to be a knife in Huo Xiling’s hand. The avenger first used Liao Huaimeng to get rid of Gu Qiang, and now it’s the turn of Huo Yewei, the most famous member of the current Huo generation?”
Chen Zheng smiled. “You really do think quickly, Lawyer He. Thanks for that lead today.”
He Mei smiled brilliantly. “Not at all. As I said, I’m happy to cooperate, provided Officer Chen doesn’t look at me as a suspect.”
Before leaving, Chen Zheng asked another question. “Do you know where Zhou Xijun is?”
He Mei looked perplexed. “Who?”
“The legal-aid lawyer who defended Liao Huaimeng.”
“Ah!” He Mei suddenly remembered. “Him. He was very talented.”
“You’d think that winning such an impressive case would make his name. Yet he went overseas not long afterward, and no one’s heard from him since,” Chen Zheng said. “From a lawyer’s perspective, why would he choose to go abroad?”
“Officer Chen, are you suggesting,” He Mei said, “that someone was behind him all along, someone who didn’t want Liao Huaimeng sentenced to death? That person rewarded Zhou Xijun for working so hard, then arranged for him to leave the country?”
Chen Zheng smiled. “Your mind really is quick, Lawyer He.”
“I hope there was someone like that,” He Mei replied. “Liao Huaimeng’s children may have abandoned family affection, but genuine kindness still exists in the world.”
Chen Zheng visited Liao Huaimeng in prison again. She greeted him with a serene smile. “Hello, Officer Chen.”
Chen Zheng placed a photograph of Zhou Xijun in front of her. A small gleam appeared in Liao Huaimeng’s eyes. “Lawyer Zhou.”
Then she suddenly understood something. “Has something happened to Lawyer Zhou?”
Chen Zheng shook his head. “I’d very much like to know whether something happened to him. He disappeared not long after defending you.”
Liao Huaimeng stared blankly at Chen Zheng, then lowered her head after a moment. “How could that be…?”
“I know you’ve answered this countless times, but I have to ask again. Did you kill Gu Qiang entirely on your own?” Chen Zheng asked.
Liao Huaimeng took a deep breath and replied calmly, “Yes. You always think women lack the ability to kill men, but you overlook the power of rage.”
“Then who added fuel to your rage?” Chen Zheng asked.
Liao Huaimeng was silent. Half a minute later, she shook her head. “No one needed to. Gu Qiang was enough.”
“Bro.” Ming Han was eating noodles when Chen Zheng called.
“You’re still keeping an eye on Huo Xiling, right?” Chen Zheng asked.
Ming Han glanced at Weihai Technology across the road. “Of course. Got a lead?”
“Yes.” Chen Zheng relayed what he had learned from He Mei. “Bring up Gu Qiang and see how Huo Xiling reacts. Their relationship may be more complicated than it appears.”
Ming Han quickly slurped down his last two mouthfuls of noodles. “I’ll go right now.”
Huo Xiling did not look pleased to see Ming Han. Her face suggested she regarded him as a roadblock on the way home. “What is it now?”
Ming Han knew his way around Weihai Group by now. He pointed toward a nearby meeting room. “People keep passing through the corridor. I don’t mind, but it might be inconvenient for you, President Huo.”
Frowning, Huo Xiling entered the meeting room a moment later and regarded him in silence.
“We’re investigating Gu Qiang,” Ming Han said without preamble.
At first Huo Xiling did not react, as though the name meant nothing to her. Several seconds later, her expression changed. “You mean the lawyer whose wife killed him because he had an affair.”
“So you weren’t particularly close to him?” Ming Han asked.
“Who sent you here to investigate Gu Qiang?” Huo Xiling demanded.
“I’m watching you anyway. What’s wrong with asking?” Ming Han replied carelessly. “Never mind who sent me. All you need to know is that during our investigation of Gu Qiang, we found he once did work for you, but not under an ordinary, legitimate employment arrangement. President Huo, what did Gu Qiang do for you?”
Huo Xiling did not answer immediately. She seemed to be thinking.
“Gu Qiang’s death wasn’t a straightforward case of a crime of passion. His wife’s behavior was rather unusual,” Ming Han said, watching Huo Xiling’s eyes.
Huo Xiling caught on quickly. “You mean someone was targeting Gu Qiang and used his wife to do it?”
“It’s possible,” Ming Han said. “The investigation back then found no evidence for that, and Liao Huaimeng’s account was fairly clear. But if he had been working for Weihai Technology, it becomes a different matter.”
Ming Han deliberately slowed down. “First Gu Qiang died. Then something happened to Huo Yewei…”
Huo Xiling stood and paced a few steps, her face growing strained. Ming Han’s gaze followed her, but he said nothing more.
“Gu Qiang… Jin Chiye was the one who introduced him to me.” Huo Xiling’s brow furrowed. Beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
“So he was a member of Heaven-Measuring Ruler?” Ming Han asked.
Huo Xiling shook her head. “You can’t put it that way. Gu Qiang and I were both clients recruited by Heaven-Measuring Ruler. They did things for us, and in return they got what they wanted from us. I don’t know what they specifically did for Gu Qiang, but I suspect what they demanded of him was his ‘expertise.’”
“His abilities as a lawyer.”
“Yes.” Huo Xiling hesitated, then told him. Back then she had been far weaker than Huo Yingzheng and Huo Meishen. Bringing them down would not have been easy. She asked Jin Chiye for help. Rather than offering her advice, he introduced her to a young lawyer shortly afterward.
That lawyer was Gu Qiang.
Gu Qiang had been unknown at the time. Huo Xiling had been deeply dissatisfied, suspecting Jin Chiye of trying to fool her. But Jin Chiye had smiled. “You want a famous lawyer, but what famous lawyer is willing to risk their reputation doing the dirty work?”
Greed and cunning shone in Gu Qiang’s eyes. His first suggestion was to get the always-abstemious Huo Yingzheng addicted to drugs, thereby creating an indelible stain on his record. After that, they would not need to lift another finger. Huo Meishen would smell the opportunity and pounce.
Huo Xiling was stunned by the cruelty of the plan. Gu Qiang merely smiled with gentlemanly elegance. “If you can’t harden your heart, how will you ever rise above the rest?”
Gu Qiang’s methods were low and vicious, stopping at nothing. He kept a gang of thugs on hand to carry out his orders. Every plan he proposed exposed some new depth of human ugliness. Huo Xiling finally understood why Jin Chiye had introduced them. The man was sufficiently devious and cruel, yet he also knew the law inside out. He was a brilliantly gifted thug.
With Gu Qiang’s help, Huo Xiling’s opponents fell one after another. He operated in the shadows while she stood in the light. She knew their paths would eventually part.
Sure enough, once she had largely secured her position, Gu Qiang told her with a smile that he too wanted to become a famous lawyer who received public applause. She gladly saw him off and privately breathed a sigh of relief.
“I don’t know whom he worked for after that. We haven’t had dealings for at least eight years,” Huo Xiling said, troubled. “His appetite was too great. Jin Chiye sent him to help me, but he was someone I could never control. Even if he hadn’t left of his own accord, I would have found a way to part with him amicably.”
Meanwhile, in Junan City, Xu Chuan and Xie Wuming had traveled back and forth to Gezi Town several times to collect evidence of Yi Lei and Li Jiangbao’s crimes, and to verify whether women were still being bought and sold in Gezi Town and its surrounding villages. Zhu Yi’s death had finally allowed a shaft of light into those backward, superstitious places. But uprooting entrenched customs would take time and the efforts of many more people.
“Director Chen, I have to go back.” Xu Chuan came to say goodbye, looking a little embarrassed. “I’ve stayed here too long. If I don’t return now, I won’t be able to justify it.”
“You should head back,” Chen Zheng replied. “What about Xiao Xie?”
“Sister Xie will probably stay a while longer, at least until Yi Lei is transferred to the procuratorate.” Xu Chuan sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Zheng asked.
Xu Chuan shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s just that Sister Xie has been really down lately. She thinks Zhu Yi actually had a chance to survive, if only Sister Xie had shown her more concern at the time.”
Chen Zheng understood that feeling. Kind people tended to blame themselves, assuming responsibility that was not theirs. He did not know Xie Wuming particularly well, but he knew she would inevitably feel despondent over Zhu Yi.
“Director Chen, should I try to comfort her more?” Xu Chuan asked anxiously. “But last time I tried, she told me to stop bothering her.”
“No need,” Chen Zheng replied.
“Huh? N-no need?” Xu Chuan lowered his head in disappointment.
“She’s an adult, and one who has the courage to step forward in dangerous situations. She can work through it herself,” Chen Zheng said seriously. “People aren’t machines. Negative emotions are perfectly normal. Sometimes they can even nourish growth. Once she’s processed them and absorbed what they have to teach her, she’ll move on. She doesn’t need someone else bringing them up over and over.”
Xu Chuan seemed to understand, though not entirely. “I see.”
“You’re leaving today?” Chen Zheng asked.
Xu Chuan immediately perked up. “I originally wanted to stay another couple of days, but Sister Xie told me to go back and request leave from Director Bin in person.”
Chen Zheng nodded. “That’s appropriate. And tell Director Bin I won’t be returning to the institute yet.”
Xu Chuan said, “Actually, Director Chen, there’s something I meant to report a while ago, but I got so busy I forgot.”
“What is it?” Chen Zheng asked.
Xu Chuan was uneasy. “Sister Xie and I haven’t been able to reach Director Bin. We went to see him on the day we left but couldn’t find him. We figured you’re our immediate superior, so we just came. Yesterday Sister Xie called the institute again. She still couldn’t reach him.”
“Did you ask the others?” Chen Zheng asked in surprise.
“Yes. None of them knows where he went. You know how our institute works. Director Bin doesn’t supervise us researchers directly and comes and goes as he pleases. If Sister Xie and I didn’t actually need his approval for leave, we wouldn’t pay much attention to whether he was around.”
Chen Zheng thought for a moment. “Go back first. If you still can’t find him, tell me immediately. Or go straight to Kong Bing.”
After Xu Chuan left, Chen Zheng was about to ask about the situation in Luocheng when he encountered Xie Wuming in the corridor. The recent days had been exhausting, and she looked more worn down than she had at the institute, with two large dark circles beneath her eyes.
Chen Zheng had no intention of bringing up Zhu Yi with her. As he had told Xu Chuan, Xiao Xie understood her own feelings; and he knew that she understood.
Instead, Xie Wuming volunteered, “Captain Chen, I’m going to Gezi Town again tomorrow.”
Chen Zheng listened patiently. Xie Wuming explained that Aqiong, the woman married to Yi Lei, had finally revealed how she truly felt. She had never wanted her parents to sell her into marriage like merchandise. She wanted to leave and live on her own terms. Aqiong had brought several other women forced into marriages to speak with the police. They were willing to testify that Gezi Town was a place that devoured people.
Xie Wuming’s eyes reddened. She pressed her cool fingers to them. “What Zhu Yi waited for in vain when she was alive is finally happening. Director Chen, I want to stay until this whole investigation is complete.”
“No problem,” Chen Zheng said.
“There’s one other thing,” Xie Wuming said. “Zhu Yi has no family. Once all this is over, I’d like to apply, in the institute’s name, to receive her ashes and plant a tree for her on the hill behind Han Province University of Political Science and Law. She was a child who came from that university. If there’s nowhere else for her to rest, could we bring her home?”
Chen Zheng sighed softly. “I’ll do everything I can.”
Tears shone in Xie Wuming’s eyes. “Thank you.”
The first thing Xu Chuan did on returning to Zhuquan City was look for Bin Fa. He followed procedures to the letter, and on the high-speed train he had prepared business-trip reports for himself and Xie Wuming, ready for Bin Fa to sign.
Bin Fa’s office was empty. His desk and shelves were meticulously tidy; the potted greenery by the window was withering in the cold wind. Xu Chuan found the gatekeeper, who said he had seen Director Bin come to work either two or three days ago, but not during the past couple of days.
The administrative office had Bin Fa’s home address. It was in the old residential compound for staff of Beiye Sub-bureau. The institute occupied what had once been the sub-bureau’s old offices. When the bureau moved, it built a new staff compound, leaving the old one to the institute. But young employees like Xu Chuan and Xie Wuming did not live there.
It was dark by the time Xu Chuan reached Bin Fa’s home. He knocked for a long while, but no one answered. A retired police officer next door opened his own door and said he had not seen Old Bin for some time. He had assumed Bin Fa was away on business.
The more Xu Chuan thought about it, the more wrong it felt. He went straight to Beiye Sub-bureau.
As soon as Kong Bing saw him, he called out, “Isn’t that Teacher Chen’s little apprentice? Has Teacher Chen come back?”
“No, Officer Kong,” Xu Chuan hurriedly said. “Teacher Chen told me to come report something to the police!”
Kong Bing went on alert. “Report something? What happened to whom?”
After Xu Chuan finished explaining, Kong Bing’s brows twisted like a pretzel. “Your institute director has disappeared? At a time like this? Strange…”
Xu Chuan gave a statement as required. Kong Bing tried every way he could think of to contact Bin Fa, but without success. Bin Fa had once been a detective in Suiguang City. Though Suiguang was smaller than Zhuquan City, it bordered Luocheng and was effectively part of the wider Luocheng economic area, making it much more developed than Zhuquan. A Suiguang detective was almost like a Luocheng detective and could transfer fairly easily to a Luocheng district bureau or even the municipal bureau.
Yet Bin Fa had not transferred to Luocheng. Instead, he had come to the research institute to drift along in an unchallenging post.
Kong Bing used to have little respect for the institute, but his experience with Chen Zheng had changed his view. Now he also thought this old man might be more than he seemed, someone with talent and a story of his own, just like Chen Zheng.
Beiye Sub-bureau’s investigation established that Bin Fa had divorced twelve years earlier. His ex-wife had been a traffic police officer. Their relationship had apparently been good, so the divorce might have been related to work.
Before his transfer to Zhuquan City, Bin Fa had already retreated from frontline duty. With his former rank of criminal investigation squad captain, he could easily have transferred to Luocheng, or stayed in Suiguang City and continued making himself useful. Instead, he had moved from the municipal bureau to a district bureau and taken the administrative post of deputy director.
Bin Fa had no friends in Zhuquan City. Everyone he associated with was a colleague from the institute. He took no part in outside activities, and he appeared to have cut ties with old acquaintances in Suiguang City.
His apartment was furnished simply and plainly, just like his office at the institute. Several potted plants on the balcony were half-dead from the cold. Xu Chuan hurried to bring them inside and give them a little water. Kong Bing found no evidence that an outsider had entered. Bin Fa appeared to have left on his own. But why would the director of an institute leave without a word? Had he abandoned all professional discipline?
Kong Bing had spent enough years immersed in cases to sense something serious was wrong. He immediately called Chen Zheng. “Director Bin going missing may not be simple. To investigate his relationships, though, we may need to start in Suiguang City or Luocheng.”
Chen Zheng was silent for a moment. “Captain Kong, Suiguang City is my hometown.”
Kong Bing froze. “Then… do you have any ideas?”
In fact, Chen Zheng had not yet had the time or energy to consider what Bin Fa’s disappearance might involve. “Captain Kong, send out whoever you need to send and get a clear picture of his personal connections first. If you run into difficulties in Suiguang City or Luocheng, contact me or Ming Han. We’ll work something out.”
Kong Bing did not possess Chen Zheng’s natural instinct for cases and leads, but he had a bold, decisive way of doing things. With Chen Zheng’s go-ahead, he immediately assigned officers to travel to Suiguang City.
Chen Zheng was preparing to leave Junan City as well. He and Ming Han had come there while pursuing Lin Dong. They had failed to locate Lin Dong, but Huo Yewei, who might have been connected to Lin Dong’s disappearance, had been brutally murdered. Chen Zheng had assisted the local police in solving the four murders at Weimo Mountain Resort. Although several questions remained, those would have to be left to Li Zhi and Li Shu.
According to the Mobile Unit’s current intelligence, Huo Yewei’s killer was connected to Heaven-Measuring Ruler. The murderer had deliberately used Lin Dong’s sneakers to leave footprints at the scene, either to frame him or to convey some deeper message. Chen Zheng needed to hurry back to Luocheng, regroup with the Mobile Unit, and plan their next moves.
“Captain Chen, Liu Xun says she wants to see you,” Li Shu said, catching up with him after his handover to Li Zhi.
Chen Zheng knew what Liu Xun wanted to say. Sure enough, the moment she saw him, her voice choked. “Officer Chen, I regret it so much. I shouldn’t have done those things. Zhu Yi… she wouldn’t have wanted me to become an accomplice either.”
Chen Zheng listened quietly.
“I really have confessed everything I did. I used Mei Feng. And Zhu Xiaodi never deserved what happened to him. Of that group, I just thought he would be the easiest to target. He happened to be near ‘lake’ that day, so I lured him to Mei Feng. He… he didn’t deserve to die.” Liu Xun raised her pale face. “If I’d stayed home to look after Qingqing, she wouldn’t have slipped out and gotten hurt. It’s my fault! This is my punishment! But why didn’t the punishment fall on me? Why did it have to hurt my little sister? Officer Chen, is my sister still alive?”
Chen Zheng could offer Liu Xun no guarantee. The despairing woman wanted only an affirmative answer, as though simply hearing him say Liu Qing was alive would ensure nothing bad had happened to her.
Almost coldly, Chen Zheng said, “I don’t know.”
Liu Xun burst into tears and reached for him, utterly losing her composure. “How could you not know? You’ve solved so many cases. You must know!”
“I’ll solve Huo Yewei’s case too,” Chen Zheng said. “But I can’t promise your sister will still be alive by the time I do.”
Liu Xun’s cries echoed down the corridor. Chen Zheng strode downstairs. The car taking him to the high-speed rail station was waiting.
He and Ming Han had driven together when they arrived in Junan City, but Ming Han had taken their car when he left, so Chen Zheng had to catch the high-speed train. It was faster than driving anyway. Two hours later, he arrived at Luocheng South Station.
The South Station had opened after Chen Zheng transferred away. It was huge, crowded, and designed with a rather futuristic feel. As he stepped out into the station for the first time, he briefly failed to work out which way to go.
His phone rang. It was Ming Han. “Bro, you’re out already, right? How come I can’t see you?”
“I…” Chen Zheng was certainly not about to admit he was lost. “I stopped by the restroom. I’ll be out in a moment. Where are you?”
Ming Han was quiet for a beat. “Wait, Bro. You’re using a restroom out in the open?”
Chen Zheng: “…”
“My location shows you’re already in the East Square. Weren’t you supposed to come to the West Square?” Ming Han asked.
Chen Zheng coughed. “I was thirsty, so I came out to buy a bottle of water. I’ll be right over.”
A low chuckle came through the phone. “Don’t. Stay there and drink your water. I’ll come find you.”
“No, there’s no need. I’ll find you,” Chen Zheng said quickly.
“Old Tang told me to pick you up as fast as possible so we can get back for a meeting,” Ming Han said.
“I know,” Chen Zheng replied.
“So I’ll be the one to suffer through a huuuge detour to find you,” Ming Han said as he maneuvered the car. “Otherwise, if it takes you a few hours to reach me, Old Tang and our uncle won’t lecture you. They’ll save the sermon for me.”
Chen Zheng: “…”
After ending the call, Chen Zheng muttered, “I never get lost.”
He rarely did. Excellent detectives seemed to have an innate sense of direction. However complex a city’s layout, they could remember it after a single look. Thinking about it, this was the only time he had ever gotten lost, and of course he had to embarrass himself in front of Ming Han.
It was rush hour for traffic at South Station, so Ming Han needed time to drive around to the East Square. Chen Zheng bought two bottles of unsweetened tea from a vending machine. He tucked one into his coat pocket and opened the other for himself.
Ten minutes later, Ming Han arrived. Chen Zheng swallowed the last of his tea and searched for a trash can. Seeing him wander farther and farther away, Ming Han finally whistled.
With Ming Han’s lung capacity, the whistle was louder than an actual whistle. Chen Zheng opened the front passenger door and said, “You really were a bird in a previous life, weren’t you?”
“What bird? A melodious skylark?” Ming Han asked.
“A duck,” Chen Zheng replied.
Ming Han was about to protest when Chen Zheng handed him the bottle of tea. “Thanks for going to the trouble, Bird Bro.”
Ming Han hefted the plastic bottle. “Bro, it’s the middle of winter, and this is what you’re treating me to? Isn’t drinking this going to chill me to the bone and freeze my heart?”
Chen Zheng gave him a sidelong look. “I just drank one myself. Are you calling me coldhearted?”
Ming Han laughed and produced a thermos. “Learn from me. I brought hot tea for you.”
Chen Zheng unscrewed the lid. A cloud of steam immediately rose. It was black tea.
Ming Han bobbed his head smugly. “No need to thank me. We little brothers have always been considerate.”