After processing Wang Lu’s words, Ji Chenjiao asked again, “Regarding her ‘seeing ghosts,’ what do you think is the reason?”

Wang Lu raised his right hand. “I absolutely do not believe that ghosts exist in this world. As I said last time, she claimed to see a ghost on her first day of hospitalization, before she had even started receiving treatment. This means it’s impossible for me to be the cause of her hallucinations.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Has anything similar happened before?”

Wang Lu: “Some patients have experienced hallucinations, but none as severe as hers, and they weren’t seeing ghosts.” Wang Lu tried his best to defend himself. “I have no reason to harm her; it would damage my reputation. Instead of investigating me, you should be looking at her coach and her teammates.”

Wang Lu was getting agitated. “She came in through the B-class channel. If I had known this would happen, I never would have taken her case.”

Ji Chenjiao asked, “What is the B-class channel?”

Wang Lu explained that the Rongmei Rehabilitation Center had three channels: A, B, and C. A was equivalent to a VIP channel, offering first-class services at a very high cost that most people couldn’t afford, but there weren’t many of these clients. B was the most common channel, for ordinary people. The center would charge a certain fee, but it was far below the average cost of rehabilitative therapy.

Wang Lu emphasized, “Psychotherapy is very expensive. In this regard, Rongmei is basically doing charity, making it possible for ordinary people to afford a psychologist.”

As for C, it was completely free, but there were criteria for who qualified for treatment, targeting people who had made certain contributions to society.

After hearing this, Ji Chenjiao couldn’t help but feel puzzled. Rongmei’s facilities and equipment were top-tier in the industry, and they hired the best experts and doctors. If they couldn’t make a profit from their patients, how did they cover their enormous annual expenses?

Wang Lu said, “That’s why I say Rongmei is doing charity. This apartment I live in was also arranged by Rongmei.”

Leaving the Wang residence, Ji Chenjiao felt the fog of mystery deepen. Wang Lu received a generous salary and lived in a high-end apartment, believing Rongmei was doing charity. But the real charity was being done by the Yu Corporation, the group behind Rongmei.

But why would the Yu Corporation do this? Large corporations have annual charity quotas, but they usually publicize them. What was the Yu Corporation’s objective?

His train of thought turned to the focus of public discussion—the fire that had occurred nine years ago at the general store market on the original site of the rehabilitation center. Several large companies had inspected the land and then given up on it because of its bad feng shui. So why did the Yu Corporation dare to take it? If it were highly profitable, it could be explained as a merchant’s pursuit of profit. But Rongmei looked glamorous, while the Yu Corporation was making a high investment for a negative return.

Ji Chenjiao sat in the driver’s seat, wanting to take out his notebook to jot down his thoughts, but after searching for a while, he remembered Ling Lie had probably taken it.

“That damn dog,” Ji Chenjiao said, speechless. Ever since Ling Lie had also developed the habit of writing things down, he often took his notebooks. He had even prepared a “couples’ notebook” for Ling Lie, but Ling Lie always forgot it and would grab his whenever he wanted to write.

Ji Chenjiao drove toward the rehabilitation center. Besides the attending doctor, the reactions of the nurses and other patients were also important.

Inpatient Building No. 3 was currently overcrowded with county police and onlookers from other inpatient buildings. Fortunately, the security was effective, keeping out live-streamers and reporters trying to cash in on the buzz.

Ji Chenjiao walked from the scene of the incident, following Jiang Yunduo’s path to the back door of Inpatient Building No. 3. The building had elevators, emergency stairs, and a wide walkway staircase for patients’ convenience, which was located opposite the nurses’ station.

Jiang Yunduo had used the emergency stairs. No one else appeared on the surveillance footage during that time, and the nurse on duty had not noticed anything unusual.

The incident had terrified the nurses, and some had already resigned.

A slightly older nurse told Ji Chenjiao, “The first time Jiang Yunduo mentioned seeing a ghost, I comforted her and reported it to the doctor. But our treatment here follows a set of guidelines. Nurses don’t watch over patients 24/7; patients need to overcome these things themselves.”

Ji Chenjiao felt a hint of arrogance in the nurse’s words, as if she had encountered similar situations so many times that she easily dismissed Jiang Yunduo’s experience as a hallucination from a confused mind, and was eager to distance herself from any responsibility.

The surveillance in the inpatient building was a major problem. There were no cameras in the corridors, only at the nurses’ station on the left and the emergency stairs on the right, making it impossible to see what happened in the hallways.

The nurse’s explanation for this was that the North District housed patients with psychological or mental issues, and their families had previously objected to installing cameras in the corridors, so the hospital had removed them.

As for ensuring safety after removing the cameras, the nurse said that entering the ward area required passing either the nurses’ station or the emergency stairs, both of which had cameras. The access control downstairs was also very strict; without a registered fingerprint, no one could enter or exit at night.

The hospital’s statements basically insisted that Jiang Yunduo must have had a hallucination, and the cause of the hallucination was unrelated to her treatment.

Ji Chenjiao then found Jiang Yunduo’s two roommates. They were both young, in their twenties, and one had already been discharged.

They were worried, their faces pale. They said that on the day Jiang Yunduo arrived, they had kindly shown her around, but she hadn’t said a word and had started sleeping in the afternoon.

At the time, they found it understandable; everyone is like that when they’re in a bad mood. But that night, probably because she had slept too much during the day, Jiang Yunduo kept making noise, getting up and pacing around the room. They barely managed to fall asleep late at night, but not long after, Jiang Yunduo suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream.

They all woke up, and a nurse rushed in. Jiang Yunduo was hiding under the bed, saying she had seen a ghost in a white dress, its face hovering over her quilt. The nurse immediately checked the surveillance footage. No one had entered the corridor from either end, and the other wards were quiet.

The two roommates suddenly became very scared. On one hand, they worried there might really be some supernatural force at play; on the other, having such a roommate was terrifying.

So, afterward, neither of them stayed in the ward, opting for a hotel instead. They had no idea what happened to Jiang Yunduo during the subsequent nights.

Ji Chenjiao asked if anything strange had happened in the building before Jiang Yunduo arrived. Both shook their heads, saying the nurses and doctors at Rongmei were very nice.

Ji Chenjiao had wanted to see Tu Binghua, who was also receiving treatment at the center, but her condition was very poor, and the doctor advised against disturbing her for now.

Ji Chenjiao sent a message to Ling Lie, but he didn’t reply. Staring at his phone, Ji Chenjiao muttered to himself, “Where did he go?”

“It’s definitely ghosts, what else is there to say? So many people died under this Rongmei place, and the police are still trying to cover it up!”

About a kilometer away from the rehabilitation center, at the Hui Rong Mall, a group of vendors gathered, cracking melon seeds. Ling Lie, hands in his pockets, squeezed in among them, posing as a pure gossip enthusiast.

This Hui Rong Mall wasn’t a modern shopping center like those in big cities. It was just a five-story building divided into many small storefronts, which vendors rented to sell clothing, small appliances, and cosmetics. The goods were cheap, and you could bargain. Although the county had more formal shopping malls, ordinary residents still preferred to shop here.

The moment Ling Lie heard the name “Hui Rong,” he found it strange. Many places in Xià Róng City were named after “Xia” or “Rong,” but “Hui Rong” seemed ill-conceived. Didn’t it sound like “disfigurement”?

As soon as he mentioned this, the vendors immediately treated him like one of their own.

“Of course it means ‘disfigurement’! Little brother, do you know what this mall used to be?”

Ling Lie’s eyes, full of curiosity, twinkled. “What?”

“The general store market that burned down! That fire, tsk tsk, it was tragic. Dying in the fire was almost a blessing. The ones who didn’t die, who were burned, scarred, disfigured… their whole lives were truly ruined!”

The topic shifted to the fire, and Ling Lie took the opportunity to ask, “Were you all making a living at the general store market back then?”

People chattered all at once. Some were, some weren’t, but those still in business today were the ones who hadn’t been injured, who had run fast, though their merchandise had been destroyed.

Ling Lie asked, “How did that fire start?”

“Hah, the market had poor air circulation, and it was winter, right? Lots of people were selling fireworks and firecrackers, and right next to them were clothing stalls. Someone was smoking, didn’t put out their cigarette butt, and it instantly ignited the flammable stuff. The flames shot up so high and spread so fast. I didn’t open my shop that day and escaped with my life!”

“The general store market was too old, and there were no fire exits. It was only a matter of time before something happened. It’s just a shame about those dozen or so lives. The ones who were seriously injured are even worse off, sigh!”

“If I were one of the people who died in there, I’d come back and cause trouble too. Hey, you build your fancy rehabilitation center, but have you ever considered us who died in there? Has your Yu Corporation held a single religious service in all these years? Nothing! And you still build on top of us!”

Ling Lie: “Wait, wait, wait! What kind of religious service?”

“A service to commemorate the dead! That whole area was a complete ruin. A lot of ‘experts’ came to look. They said if you want to build and do business on this land, you absolutely must appease the spirits of the deceased!”

Ling Lie knew this was all baseless superstition but continued to ask, “The Yu Corporation didn’t do anything?”

“Nope! They just started building as soon as they got the land, without a single service! They were probably just taking advantage of the fact that no one else would compete with them for this land! Because everyone who looked at it felt the bad feng shui couldn’t be changed, that the bloody disaster couldn’t be suppressed. So they did whatever they wanted, with no basic respect for the dead!”

Ling Lie: “But I heard they properly took care of the living.”

Everyone’s expressions turned a bit strange. Someone said sarcastically, “Yeah, those of us who only suffered property damage and were unharmed were just sent here to fend for ourselves.”

Ling Lie understood. The Yu Corporation had taken good care of the injured and the families of the deceased. Many of them now worked at Rongmei or other propertiesของ Yu Corporation with stable incomes. But the rest of the vendors only received basic subsidies and still had to work hard in this Hui Rong Mall to make a living.

Their outward emotions were dissatisfaction and jealousy.

Jealousy could drive a person to do anything.

Ling Lie switched to small talk. “I see that many of the buildings in the county were built by the Yu Corporation. They’ve made quite a contribution to our area.”

“What good can a capitalist do? Those houses weren’t built for us locals; they were all sold to the rich people from the city, right? And they drove up the housing prices.”

“Speaking of which, I heard the Yu Corporation was reluctant to build the rehabilitation center at first. It seems they compromised and dealt with that unwanted piece of land in order to get more land at a low price to build commercial housing.”

“Anyway, if you ask me, since you built on top of people’s corpses, you shouldn’t skimp on the annual memorial services. If you don’t respect the dead, don’t blame them for haunting your business!”

Ling Lie didn’t just listen. Before leaving, he bought a bag full of things. The vendors all thought he was a nice, enthusiastic young man who paid promptly.

But when Ji Chenjiao saw Ling Lie’s bag, he slowly looked up, confused. “What did you buy all this for?”

Socks for ten yuan a three-pack, boxers for twelve yuan a three-pack, a fifteen-yuan old man’s tank top, ten-yuan sun-protection sleeves, a twenty-yuan portable mini-fan, a seven-yuan garlic-mashing tool…

Ling Lie: “They’re for you.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

I need an old man’s tank top?

Ling Lie: “If you don’t wear it, I will.”

Ji Chenjiao hid the bag behind his back. “You can’t wear it either.”

The argument over who would wear the old man’s tank top didn’t last long. Ji Chenjiao said, “Why didn’t you reply to my message?”

Only then did Ling Lie take out his phone to look. “Oh, I was in the middle of talking to people about the religious services after the fire.”

The two exchanged the clues they had gathered from their different angles.

Ling Lie hugged his legs in the passenger seat. “The Yu Corporation built this Rongmei center just to do charity? I find that hard to believe.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “It’s also possible they’re using Rongmei to expand their reputation. The high-end real estate market in Zhaoxia County is now controlled by the Yu Corporation. Many wealthy people from within the province come here to buy houses. But there’s one problem: no matter how large a county’s economy is, it has its limits. For such a grand project as a rehabilitation center, wouldn’t it be better to choose a big city?”

Ling Lie: “They had to choose Zhaoxia County? They had to choose that specific piece of burned land?”

Ji Chenjiao was silent for a moment. “But the general store market had no connection to the Yu Corporation. Before building the rehabilitation center, they had never entered Zhaoxia County. What reason would they have to choose only that piece of land?”

Ling Lie: “The Yu Corporation rarely acquires land in counties, it seems.”

Ji Chenjiao nodded. “I’ve verified this. Besides Zhaoxia County, there are only eight other counties.”

Ling Lie furrowed his brows. “The Yu family is very superstitious. The bigger their business gets, the more they believe in ghosts and gods. And like other wealthy families, they are profit-driven. Without a huge benefit, they wouldn’t make a move.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “The county’s economy is definitely not a big prize for the Yu Corporation, so there’s no need for them to invest? Is that what you mean?”

Ling Lie nodded. “And given the Yu family’s level of superstition, taking this piece of land is even more ridiculous. Other developers didn’t dare to, so why did they? And according to the locals, they didn’t perform a single religious service.”

A car accident with superstitious overtones had led to an even more perplexing fog of mystery. Why did the Yu Corporation build the Rongmei Rehabilitation Center? But whether it was Jiang Yunduo’s death or the origin of the center, the police investigation was hamstrung. The former was because the process was clear, and the latter was because the Yu Corporation’s land acquisition process had no irregularities, making a direct investigation impossible.

And on this day, a mysterious person, wrapped up from head to toe, arrived at the Rongmei Rehabilitation Center.

At Rongmei’s North District Expert Building, an elevator reserved for a select few took the woman to the VIP area. When the doors opened, three nurses were already waiting to greet her. The woman wore a black baseball cap, her hair tied in a bun, and was masked and wearing sunglasses. She was dressed in a gray sun-protection jacket and baggy sweatpants, appearing臃腫 (yōngzhǒng) – bulky and overweight.

Even in the VIP area, where there were very few people, she did not take off her sunglasses. The nurses were sharp and didn’t ask any questions, simply leading the way.

The group stopped инновационный (innovatsionnyy) – innovative a door. A nurse knocked, and a gentle, rich male voice came from inside, saying, “Please come in.”

The nurse opened the door, and the woman walked in.

It was a very spacious office. The curtains were wide open, letting in the summer sunlight without reservation, dazzling and intense. But the air conditioning was strong, keeping the sun’s scorching heat outside the window.

Once the door closed, the woman finally took off her glasses. She wore no makeup, but her bare face did not detract from her beauty. She had snow-white skin, electric eyes, and a nose like a proud, small mountain ridge.

“Dr. Zhuo.”

Zhuo Suyi came forward to greet her. “I said we’d arrange a place in a few days, but you came yourself today. You weren’t followed, were you?”

The woman shook her head. “There’s no time, I have to go to the countryside soon. Axi sent me. I wasn’t followed.”

Zhuo Suyi had just brewed her favorite herbal tea. He added ice cubes and poured it into a glass teacup. It was a translucent,幽绿 (yōulǜ) – dark green color, looking cool and refreshing just by sight.

Zhuo Suyi handed her the cup and sighed, “You actors have it so tough once you start filming.”

Feeling hot, the woman unzipped her sun-protection jacket, revealing a graceful figure. The bulky appearance was just a deceptive illusion. Although she wasn’t tall, her figure was impeccably good. If any of her fans were present, they would have immediately recognized her as the recently skyrocketed female star, Luo Manchai.

“It’s not that tough. Most things are done by others. I just stand in front of the camera and say a few lines,” Luo Manchai said with a smile. “As long as the pay is good enough.”

Zhuo Suyi said, “You’re honest.”

Luo Manchai: “Why pay for a psychologist if you’re not going to be honest? By the way, why the sudden job change? Wasn’t it good in Country A?”

Zhuo Suyi: “For the same reason as you.”

“Huh?”

“This Rongmei place that headhunted me, they just offered too much.”

They both laughed. After chatting for a while, Zhuo Suyi began Luo Manchai’s targeted therapy. At the end, he asked about her medication and prescribed some others.

Luo Manchai stood up, disguised herself as short and plump again, scheduled her next appointment, and left the room.

When Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao got home, Ling Lie had planned to buy groceries and cook, but Ji Chenjiao, feeling tired after a long day, pulled Ling Lie to a casual dining restaurant instead. Though they had cooked at home after busy days before, things were different now. Ji Chenjiao’s mindset had changed; he didn’t want Ling Lie to cook.

Ling Lie was unhappy from the moment they started ordering, complaining about this and that. It all boiled down to there being too little grease; it was a visual loss. Ji Chenjiao used to quite like coming to this place. It was expensive, but the ingredients were fresh, and it strictly controlled carbs and calories. But this time, when the food arrived, he also felt like he was eating grass.

Ling Lie, holding a fork, looked up from his avocado salad. “Grassy, isn’t it?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…Grassy.”

Never coming back here again.

But they were full, as the steak portion was generous. Ling Lie even let out a burp. “Let’s go, we still have things to do back home.”

What Ji Chenjiao thought he meant was continuing to analyze the relationships between Rongmei, the Yu Corporation, Jiang Yunduo, and the general store fire. But in fact, Ling Lie was referring to—washing that pile of cheap goods.

Ling Lie stood by the sink on the balcony, water splashing as he first washed the brightly colored boxer shorts, hanging them all over the balcony. Then he washed the socks, then the sleeves, and finally, the old man’s tank top.

Ji Chenjiao could almost see a decrepit version of himself. The old man’s undershirt with two holes in the front and three in the back, worn to shreds but still stubbornly hanging on his body.

“Let’s make a deal.” Ji Chenjiao hooked his arm around Ling Lie’s neck, pulling him closer.

Ling Lie hadn’t finished washing. He held up his wet hands and hopped backward on one foot like an uncoordinated zombie. “Hey, hey, hey! Don’t just assault a police officer whenever you feel like it!”

Before he could finish, he bumped into Ji Chenjiao’s chest. He turned around, his eyes darting from Ji Chenjiao’s face to his chest, and then… poked it.

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Now that’s assaulting a police officer!

Ling Lie: “What deal do you want to make with me?”

Under the fluttering, colorful boxers, Ji Chenjiao said, “Can we forget about the old man’s undershirt? I’ll wear the boxers.”

Ling Lie’s eyes widened in disappointment. “That’s such a shame.”

Ji Chenjiao: “A shame how?”

Ling Lie: “Your chest muscles are so well-developed, and your back muscles aren’t bad either. You’d look so… virile in an old man’s undershirt.”

“?”

“You think only old men wear old man’s undershirts? Once it’s dry, you try it on. A body like our Little Ji’s would make it a handsome guy’s undershirt.”

The corners of Ji Chenjiao’s mouth couldn’t help but lift. Ling Lie’s mouth was sometimes annoying, sometimes sweet, and just now, it had definitely sweetened him up.

Fine, he’d wear it. It was a gift from his boyfriend, after all.

The next day, the two did not go back to Zhaoxia County but continued to pay close attention to the events at Rongmei Rehabilitation Center. Ling Lie took the portable fan he had bought from the vendors to the forensics team’s office area. He悄悄 (qiāoqiāo) – quietly walked up behind Shen Qi, who was slacking off, and hung the mini-fan around his neck.

Shen Qi jumped up in fright. Seeing it was Ling Lie, he nearly rolled his eyes out of his head, frantically patting his chest to calm himself. “You scared me to death, scared me to death! I thought it was Captain Xie or Team Leader Ji! What’s up, bro?”

Ling Lie took over his seat. “What are you looking at?”

Shen Qi scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He was looking at entertainment gossip. The popular actress Luo Manchai was recently filming a new drama, and there were leaked photos saying it was right here in Xià Róng City.

Ling Lie looked at the bright and captivating face on the screen. “Your girlfriend?”

Shen Qi beamed. He did have a bit of a crush on Luo Manchai, and Ling Lie saying “girlfriend” so seriously made him feel wonderful. “Yeah, but she’s a celebrity, so we have to keep our relationship a secret.”

Ling Lie said very seriously, “I’ll keep it a secret for you.”

Shen Qi adjusted the mini-fan around his neck, finding it quite comfortable. “Bro, you still haven’t told me what you need.”

Ling Lie got down to business. “Besides Zhaoxia County here, the Yu Corporation has acquired land and developed commercial real estate in at least eight other counties or towns. I need you to check if any accidents happened in those places before the Yu Corporation acquired the land.”

Shen Qi rubbed his hands together. “You got it. I’ll get back to you as soon as I have news.”