While others could nurse a cup of coffee at Starbucks for hours, Ling Lie sucked his straw until it gurgled in just a few sips—it was empty.

“Did you watch the surveillance footage?” Ling Lie asked.

Ji Chenjiao knew he was asking for his opinion on Shen Wei’s final words and nodded. “The high potential for crime in the funeral industry, and the Bi Jiang case.”

Ling Lie leaned in, completely disregarding personal space. “So what do you think?”

“Probably no one understands the Bi Jiang case better than Shen Wei. He believes the killer is someone Bi Jiang came into contact with while working in Country L. Bi Jiang unintentionally learned this person’s secret, and this person then returned to the country, imitating the Tan Fabin case to silence Bi Jiang. This might very well be the truth,” Ji Chenjiao said. “But investigating it would be very difficult.”

Ling Lie nodded. “Although it’s difficult, we have a direction now, don’t we?”

Ji Chenjiao was at a loss for words. “Of course, it’s easier for your special operations team to investigate than for the local police.”

Ling Lie seized the opportunity. “So, young man, are you interested in joining? Officially becoming my subordinate?”

Ji Chenjiao pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek, narrowing his eyes to study Ling Lie. Ling Lie grinned cheekily. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. If a temporary worker commits a crime, it’s easier for us to handle anyway.”

“…”

“For example, if some public opinion issue arises, we’ll just push you out and say, ‘Look, this person is a temporary worker!'”

Ji Chenjiao chuckled in exasperation and pushed Ling Lie’s forehead with his hand. “All you know how to do all day is persecute temporary workers.”

Ling Lie was unconvinced. “Who treated the temporary worker to this meal today?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…Fine, it was the leader.”

Only then was Ling Lie satisfied. “Shen Wei’s understanding of the funeral industry is also very interesting. If he didn’t have such a deep understanding of this industry, he definitely wouldn’t have thought of so much.”

Ji Chenjiao was also most interested in this point. Funerals were meant to let the deceased rest in peace, but in Shen Wei’s eyes, the industry provided fertile ground for many evils. Some people who shouldn’t have died had their bodies destroyed through unregulated funeral procedures, and some corpses became lost souls with no origin and no destination.

Although current forensic technology and cremation procedures made it less easy to casually burn a body, such crimes had existed in the past and might now be appearing in more hidden ways.

As forensic technology advanced, so did crime.

Moreover, Fengshi was a major city for funerals. Not only was funeral culture prevalent, but ghost and deity culture was also a signature feature here. Hadn’t the annual “Ten Thousand Ghosts Parade the Island” event in Fengchao County already begun?

Perhaps it was a detective’s intuition, but Ji Chenjiao felt a vague sense of unease.

“Shen Wei said the funeral industry is one that easily harbors filth. It’s more accurate to say that because of its special nature, it’s easily exploited by those with ulterior motives.” Ling Lie finished his small cake and stealthily started on Ji Chenjiao’s. “If local supervision is very strict, it could eliminate the problems. But Fengshi is also special to begin with. As a major city for funerals, it can’t be supervised everywhere like other cities. In that case, systematically harboring filth in this industry doesn’t seem to be a difficult thing.”

Ji Chenjiao looked up. “Systematically?”

“Mu Dianpei, Liu Xuelin, and even Bi Jiang were really just unorganized stragglers. But Tan Fabin had already consolidated most of the funeral services in Fengan County back then, forming a system.”

“You think Tan Fabin’s case is also related to this so-called ‘harboring filth’?”

Ling Lie shook his head. “In his case, the killer was undoubtedly Fu Shunan. But to extend it, he actually had the opportunity to organize crime. And if we bring the timeline to the present, there’s actually a group we didn’t have much contact with during this investigation.”

Ji Chenjiao thought for a moment. “Are you talking about ‘Gui Yong Tang’?”

“Right. ‘Gui Yong Tang’ is very systematic. Its scale is much larger than Tan Fabin’s loose organization back then. If a company like this wanted to exploit the dark side of the funeral industry, it might be much easier than you or I can imagine,” Ling Lie said. “Mu Dianpei and Liu Xuelin were willing to kill just to get into ‘Gui Yong Tang’ because it could provide them with a livelihood. And Mu Dianpei’s generation grew up during the chaotic period of the funeral industry. The perpetrators of those cases of randomly burning bodies back then were their peers. Their moral concepts were already relatively weak, making them the easiest to exploit.”

Ji Chenjiao frowned and, after a moment, said, “What you just said is just a hypothesis. The only connection ‘Gui Yong Tang’ has with this case is that Mu Dianpei and Liu Xuelin fought to the death to become a member. When Captain Huang went to ‘Gui Yong Tang’ to inquire about the situation, they were very cooperative.”

“It was just a hypothesis, not even a precaution.” Ling Lie shrugged. “Shen Wei gave me this line of thought. I have to expand on it, otherwise it’s no fun.”

Ji Chenjiao: “What are your plans next?”

Ling Lie: “To investigate the Bi Jiang case, of course.”

But plans were always bound to be disrupted. The two returned to the hotel and rested for half a day. Just as they were about to start investigating the Bi Jiang case, Huang Yi suddenly ran over, his face beaming, and solemnly placed small gift boxes in front of Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie.

Ling Lie reacted with lightning speed, retreating ten steps. “The special operations team absolutely does not accept gifts! The temporary worker can take a look.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Huang Yi: “…”

“What are you thinking!” Huang Yi was exasperated by him. “I’m a detective too, don’t I know the rules! This isn’t a gift, it’s a package ticket for the event on Fengchao Island, including two nights’ accommodation! The police provide security for the event, and this is a complimentary benefit!”

Only then did Ling Lie creep back, opening the small gift box. Inside were indeed two package tickets.

Huang Yi was very proud of his hometown’s culture. “Our bureau chief and Captain Wei are old teammates. You helped solve the case, and the chief is grateful. He doesn’t dare to send anything else, but watching the grandest event of the year in our Fengshi is fine, right? The event started the day before yesterday, but that was mainly a warm-up. The main events start tomorrow and the day after. You two can take a few days to rest and recuperate. I heard Captain Ji was on vacation anyway? Gosh, helping us with a case during your vacation, we feel so bad, so bad!”

Ji Chenjiao actually had no interest in the “Ten Thousand Ghosts Parade the Island,” but it was hard to refuse such kindness, so he had to accept the tickets. Looking at Ling Lie, the guy’s eyes were sparkling, looking just like a primary school student about to go on a spring trip.

“That’s settled then. I’ll get back to work.” Huang Yi waved his hand. “The boat is tomorrow morning, don’t be late. Although Fengchao County is an island, it has everything. No need to prepare anything in advance.”

Ling Lie was in a playful mood but hadn’t forgotten his work. He quickly stopped Huang Yi. “Captain Huang, please find out where Bi Jiang’s family is now. I’ll go find them when I get back.”

“Alright.”

As soon as Huang Yi left, Ling Lie came to pull Ji Chenjiao. “Xiao Ji, let’s go.”

The weather was hot, and the sun was blazing. If it wasn’t for a case, Ji Chenjiao didn’t want to go out. “Go where?”

“Shopping, of course.” Ling Lie said reasonably, “Aren’t we going on vacation to the island tomorrow? I have a lot of things to prepare.”

Ji Chenjiao was rendered speechless on Huang Yi’s behalf. “Did you just eat Captain Huang’s words?”

Ling Lie’s eyes darted around. “That’s different.”

“How is it different? You can’t buy what you need on the island?”

“A vacation is about a certain kind of fun. The fun isn’t just in the vacation itself, but also in the preparation process. Shopping is preparing for the joy of the vacation. The process of preparation can magnify the joy.”

Ji Chenjiao wanted to say what kind of twisted logic this was, but then he thought again. What did Ling Lie just say? Vacation.

Ling Lie considered the tickets from the city bureau as a vacation, a vacation with him.

A strange feeling stirred in Ji Chenjiao’s heart. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what this strange feeling was. It was a bit like the time Ling Lie had suddenly kissed his forehead. In any case… it wasn’t unpleasant.

Then let’s go shopping.

Half an hour later, the two arrived at a shopping center. Ling Lie turned and dived into a shop selling men’s swimwear. Ji Chenjiao couldn’t even hold him back.

The sales assistant’s face bloomed into a smile when she saw two customers with outstanding figures and looks arrive. She enthusiastically promoted this year’s new arrivals.

Many people disliked listening to sales assistants, but Ling Lie was different. Even when he went into a Watsons, he could patiently listen to the older ladies ramble, not to mention the sales assistants in a swimwear shop were far less long-winded than those at Watsons.

The sales assistant recommended five swimsuits. Ling Lie thought they were all pretty good and called Ji Chenjiao over to help him choose. Ji Chenjiao walked over with a dark face and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, “What are you buying swimsuits for?”

Ling Lie blinked. “Aren’t we going on vacation?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Who told you a vacation means buying swimsuits?”

“Isn’t it?” Ling Lie was a little disappointed. “Isn’t a vacation about sun, beaches, hotel pools, and yachts?”

“Yachts, you wish. It’s just a ghost and deity culture event.”

“But Fengchao County is an island, and we’re staying in a hotel. There will definitely be sea and sun.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” He was surprisingly unable to refute that.

Ling Lie patted his shoulder. “So, better to be prepared with swimsuits.”

Ji Chenjiao accepted this point. But for something like a swimsuit, you just needed to look at the style and size and buy it directly. It wouldn’t take much time at all. He tolerated Ling Lie’s grand posture of wanting to pick through the entire store for a while, but then he couldn’t bear it anymore.

So he pulled Ling Lie aside again. “You’ve been chatting with that sales assistant for half an hour. Hurry up and buy something so we can go.”

Ling Lie gave him a “you don’t understand, kid” look. “But it’s so nice chatting with the sales assistant.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t understand and was greatly shocked. “What’s so nice about it?” He hated it most when someone followed him around chattering nonstop while he was shopping.

“Because he’s praising me!”

“…………”

Ling Lie returned to the sales assistant’s side and gestured for Ji Chenjiao to come over and listen.

The sales assistant: “Sir, your figure is even more perfect than our store’s models, and your skin is very fair. I recommend these swim trunks for you. They will accentuate the advantages of your figure to the greatest extent. And the name of this pair is also very cute, very suitable for the cute you!”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” He couldn’t listen anymore.

Ling Lie finally finished listening to the flood of flattery and left with his and Ji Chenjiao’s swimsuits. “What else do we need to buy?”

Ji Chenjiao: “You’re asking me?”

Ling Lie said with a straight face, “Because this is my first vacation. I have no experience, so please be considerate.”

Ji Chenjiao, however, was stunned. He stared at Ling Lie and only spoke after a long moment. “First vacation?”

With him?

Ling Lie ignored the strange emotion that had suddenly appeared in Ji Chenjiao and said to himself, “I never had the chance before. Our special operations team works very hard. Those captains have no humanity, especially that one surnamed Xiao. When we train, he trains us to death. On missions, one careless mistake and you could be gone. Anyway, I’ve never had a vacation.”

Ji Chenjiao felt that Ling Lie was telling a bare-faced lie. The reason he had been able to meet Ling Lie in Xiarong City was because Ling Lie had taken an indefinite leave, wasn’t it?

“That doesn’t count.” Ling Lie was very good at making excuses for himself. “That was because I was in a bad mood, and my psychological evaluation didn’t pass, so I couldn’t carry out missions. I was exiled. You call exile a vacation? Is it a vacation without sun, beaches, hotels, and pools?”

How did it get back to pools! Ji Chenjiao thought, if that was the standard, then he had never had a vacation either.

His thoughts drifted back to the past, before he came out to study, when he lived with Ji Nuocheng and Zhou Yun. His adoptive parents were very busy. Only during the Spring Festival or some other holiday would they take him on a short trip nearby. Although that was also a vacation, thinking back now, a child’s vacation and an adult’s vacation were fundamentally different.

After becoming a detective, he had never taken a vacation again. The occasional time he had for rest was just spent sleeping at home, casually passing the time.

Why not go on vacation?

Vacations were also tiring, and it seemed pointless to go alone.

Ji Chenjiao came back to his senses and looked at Ling Lie again. Ling Lie was already walking ahead, his small ponytail swinging.

If this was Ling Lie’s first vacation, then he might as well consider it his first vacation too.

He caught up. “Should we go buy some sunscreen and mosquito repellent?”

Ling Lie shot him a look. “Are you treating Captain Huang’s words as hot air? What don’t they have on Fengchao Island?”

Ji Chenjiao was about to die of anger. How could this person have such double standards? When he wanted to buy a swimsuit, Fengchao Island didn’t have it. When he wanted medicine, Huang Yi was brought up?

Huang Yi, who was diligently writing a case report, rubbed his red and hot ears and complained, “Damn it, which man is thinking of me?”

In the end, Ling Lie still fulfilled Ji Chenjiao’s “wish”—they bought sunscreen and mosquito bite spray, and also picked up a bag of braised snacks and a self-heating pot, looking for all the world like it was the night before a spring outing.

Originally, the two were planning to go back to the hotel after shopping, but Ling Lie was still thinking about having Huang Yi look up the whereabouts of Bi Jiang’s family. He strolled back to the city bureau and happened to run into the medical examiner and crime scene investigators heading out. Upon asking, he learned that someone had been murdered and thrown into the sea, and the branch bureau reported that it might be Cao Xinxin.

Ling Lie was taken aback. “Cao Xinxin?”

Cao Xinxin was the one who had stolen property from the dormitory and laboratory, then framed Lu Feixiang, leading to Lu Feixiang’s withdrawal from school. Zeng Shu and Xue Bin had just forced him to apologize to Lu Feixiang, and he was murdered right after?

Just as Ling Lie was about to grab someone to ask, he saw Huang Yi rushing down from upstairs. “Teacher Ling, I found Bi Jiang’s relatives. They’ve moved to Dongye City. The detailed information is in your office. I have to go out on a field assignment right now…”

Ling Lie stopped Huang Yi. “Cao Xinxin is dead?”

“You heard? It’s ninety percent certain it’s Cao Xinxin. We’ll handle this case. It won’t delay you and Captain Ji from going to the island.”

Ling Lie looked at the time and smiled. “Aren’t we leaving tomorrow? Have you contacted Zeng Shu and Xue Bin?”

“Haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Ji Chenjiao went back to the hotel to put their things away. Seeing that Ling Lie hadn’t returned for a long time, he guessed that Ling Lie must have latched onto a case. But he thought Ling Lie was handling the Bi Jiang case. He made a call, only to find out that Cao Xinxin was dead.

The police were currently still in the on-site investigation stage and had no clues, but the timing of Cao Xinxin’s death was too coincidental, making one inevitably think of Lu Feixiang’s withdrawal. Ji Chenjiao also grew tense. “I’ll be right there.”

Ling Lie: “Don’t! One of us getting in on the action is enough. You still have your mission!”

Ji Chenjiao was momentarily speechless. So you know you’re just getting in on the action, huh?

Ling Lie painstakingly explained over the phone, briefly mentioning that the criminal investigation detachment had already gone to the scene, while he was going to see Zeng Shu. “As for you, Xiao Ji, the leader has assigned you a very important task.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…Leader, please speak.”

“Didn’t we buy new swimsuits? You can’t just wear them like that. They have to be washed once first.”

“…”

“Alright, I’ve arrived. Bye-bye!”

Ji Chenjiao stared at his phone, the call already ended. He sat for half a minute before taking out the two brand-new swimsuits, which still smelled of fabric, from the shopping bag.

They were called swimsuits, but they were actually just swim trunks.

Ji Chenjiao went to the balcony, threw a plastic basin in the sink, turned on the tap, and then tossed the two pairs of swim trunks in. They tumbled happily under the summer water.

Washing the swim trunks wasn’t a strenuous task. Ji Chenjiao even found some laundry detergent, poured it in, and gave them a simple rub. But as he was rubbing, he finally noticed the vague sense of wrongness he’d felt when the call ended.

He was… washing… Ling Lie’s… underwear?

The two pairs of swim trunks hung on the clothesline, baking in the sun. Ji Chenjiao stood below looking at them for a while, feeling hot and bothered. He turned and went back inside, pulled the curtains shut, and decided not to look anymore.

Zeng Shu was in a low mood because of Lu Feixiang’s words before he got on the bus. She had refused everyone’s concern but had reconciled with Xue Bin due to their “shared misery” and was currently speeding in the suburbs.

Ling Lie chased after them in a police car, the siren blaring so loudly that everyone around turned to look.

“The traffic police are chasing us!” Zeng Shu said nervously.

“Ignore them.” Xue Bin was used to being arrogant abroad and hadn’t curbed his temper since returning.

Seeing that he couldn’t catch up, Ling Lie resorted to using the loudspeaker. As soon as Zeng Shu heard his voice, she quickly told Xue Bin to stop.

Ling Lie’s first words upon approaching were: “Where are you two headed? Fleeing to escape punishment?”

Zeng Shu was startled. “F-Fleeing to escape punishment?”

Xue Bin hadn’t interacted much with Ling Lie and stood in front of Zeng Shu. “What do you mean? We’re just out for a drive.”

Ling Lie: “Cao Xinxin isn’t with you?”

An expression of disgust immediately appeared on Zeng Shu’s face. “How could we be with someone like him.”

Ling Lie: “Then let me ask you something. After you said goodbye to Lu Feixiang, what did you do?”

At the mention of Lu Feixiang, Zeng Shu became very sad, her eyes red as she said, “I went home.”

Ling Lie turned to Xue Bin. “And you?”

Xue Bin was a bit irritable. “Back to the hotel.”

“And Cao Xinxin?”

Xue Bin’s eyes shifted slightly. “How would I know?”

“After you left the city bureau, did you all go home separately? Or did you talk for a while before going home?”

Zeng Shu said in a small voice, “I went straight home.”

Xue Bin: “Tsk, I went for a drink with Cao Xinxin.”

Zeng Shu was surprised. “You two even went drinking together?”

Ling Lie: “Where did you drink? When did you part ways?”

Xue Bin: “Why are you asking so many questions? Are you looking for Cao Xinxin? Then just go to his house and look for him.”

Ling Lie shrugged regretfully. “It’s because we can’t find him that I came to find you.”

Xue Bin was wary. “What do you mean?”

Ling Lie: “A body was found by the sea, and it’s highly suspected to be Cao Xinxin.”

Xue Bin instantly froze. Zeng Shu covered her mouth and screamed, “Impossible!”

Ling Lie: “Now you know why I came to find you? You have a conflict with Cao Xinxin. If the deceased is confirmed to be Cao Xinxin, then you have a high degree of suspicion.”

Zeng Shu shook her head continuously, tears instantly welling up in her eyes.

“So this drive is off for today,” Ling Lie said. “Come back with me to cooperate with the investigation. Explain clearly how you investigated Cao Xinxin, how you made him confess to the theft, and what happened after you left the city bureau yesterday.”

Ji Chenjiao was bored staying at the hotel. He got the location of the body discovery from the criminal investigation detachment and drove over.

The branch bureau had already given the DNA identification results. The deceased was indeed Cao Xinxin. This stretch of coast was on the northeast side of Fengshi, right next to the port for Fengchao Island. The medical examiner’s initial judgment was that Cao Xinxin had died from drowning, but from the injuries on his head and body, he hadn’t fallen into the sea but had been held underwater, dying after a repeated struggle.

This kind of drowning case required a diatom test to determine whether the victim drowned at the disposal site or drowned elsewhere and was then moved here.

Ji Chenjiao squatted beside the body and saw that Cao Xinxin had signs of being beaten on his face and chest, and they were very recent. Yesterday morning when Cao Xinxin arrived at the city bureau, he didn’t have these injuries; at least his face was clean. The medical examiner estimated the time of death to be between 2 and 4 AM this morning. In just half a day, why was Cao Xinxin beaten and drowned by the sea?

Fengshi was a coastal city with a long coastline. Some beaches were developed for people to enjoy, while others were used for aquaculture. But not all beaches were populated. A beach like this with poor scenery was not a tourist spot, and very few people would come here. The crime scene investigators were looking for suspicious footprints, but the tide had come in during the night and washed away any traces that might have existed.

Cao Xinxin’s body was taken back to the city bureau for an autopsy. The diatom test proved that Cao Xinxin had indeed drowned by the sea, but before drowning, his head and torso had been struck with fists. However, the injuries on his face were not all caused by blows; more were caused by hitting rocks while being held underwater.

At this time, Zeng Shu and Xue Bin had been brought back to the city bureau by Ling Lie. When Ling Lie looked at Xue Bin’s right hand, he subconsciously hid it.

“Is your right hand hurting?” Ling Lie asked.

Xue Bin was impatient. “I practice boxing.”

Ling Lie suddenly moved, grabbing both of his hands. How could Xue Bin be Ling Lie’s match? He couldn’t pull them back at all.

Ling Lie: “Strange. Shouldn’t both hands bear the force in boxing? Even if you’re right-handed and strike more with your right, your left hand should also strike, right? But why is your right hand slightly swollen, while your left hand is completely fine?”

Xue Bin shouted nervously, “I don’t know! I didn’t do anything!”

Ling Lie placed the autopsy report that Huang Yi had just delivered in front of Xue Bin. “The deceased has been confirmed to be Cao Xinxin. After you went drinking, what did you do to him? The fist marks on his face, were they caused by this right hand of yours?”

Xue Bin’s pupils instantly constricted. “Cao… Cao Xinxin, he’s really dead?”