Ling Lie raised his head, his eyes a bit wooden, showing a hint of grievance. “I don’t want to eat.”

Ji Chenjiao sat down opposite him. “Then how about McDonald’s? I’ll buy you as many chicken wings as you want.”

Ling Lie: “I’ve already quit.”

The more obedient he looked, the worse Ji Chenjiao felt. But he also understood that it was normal for Ling Lie to be disappointed. After all, Ling Lie was the one with all the connections to “Xue Tong.”

“Leader, I’m going back to Xiarong in a few days. Are you coming back with me?” Ji Chenjiao asked.

Ling Lie pursed his lips. “Uncle Wei’s case still has one unsolved part.”

He was referring to the second case in Feng’an County, the Bi Jiang case. Originally, after solving the Tan Fabin case, they were supposed to immediately start on this case, but they were sent to Fengchao Island by Huang Yi for a vacation, which led to a series of other cases. This seventeen-year-old cold case seemed to have become invisible.

But Ling Lie had not forgotten it for a moment.

Ji Chenjiao: “I was just about to bring up this case. How about we cheer up and find some clues before I go back to Xiarong City to end my leave?”

Now, because of “Xue Tong” and the underground lair, a joint investigation team had been formed by several affected cities. There was ample police force, and the special operations team was also involved. Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao had no tasks for the time being. It wasn’t that they were excluded, but that everyone had their own duties, and in the current situation, they couldn’t play a significant role.

Ling Lie stared at Ji Chenjiao without speaking. His eyes were very bright and beautiful, and when veiled with a bit of mist, they had a bewitching quality. Ji Chenjiao didn’t look away either, meeting his gaze for a long time. In the gentlest tone possible, he said, “Are you hungry?”

Ling Lie pouted. “In your eyes, I’m just a glutton.”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” No, in my heart, you’re a very dog-like and monkey-like cat.

Ling Lie: “You’re badmouthing me in your head.”

Ji Chenjiao: “You can even tell that?”

Ling Lie’s mood improved a little. “I’m hungry.”

Ji Chenjiao was waiting for those words. Just as he was about to take him to eat something expensive, Ling Lie said, “Let’s go to the wet market.”

“?”

“Cooking to release some stress.”

Feng City was by the sea, and it was the season for delicious seafood. The two bought a lot at the market and cooked in the dormitory that Huang Yi occasionally stayed in.

It wasn’t until he saw Ling Lie throw a large squid onto the cutting board and start butchering it that Ji Chenjiao understood what Ling Lie meant by releasing stress.

The large squid was chopped with a series of “thwacks.” Not just the person doing the chopping, but even the person watching from the side felt quite de-stressed.

Ling Lie buried his head in his work and didn’t speak. Ji Chenjiao knew he wanted to be alone for a while, so he didn’t stay by his side, but sat on the sofa to organize his thoughts on the Bi Jiang case.

Shen Wei had previously offered an idea: Bi Jiang had likely learned a certain secret in Country L. Bi Jiang himself didn’t know it was a secret, but the murderer had to silence him because the murderer’s later movements were within the country.

Huang Yi had already found out that after Bi Jiang’s family left Feng’an County, they had moved through many cities and were currently settled in Dongye City.

They needed to make a trip to Dongye City.

Thinking of Dongye City, Ji Chenjiao couldn’t help but think of that Captain Xiao Yu’an who had frustrated Ling Lie so much.

Every time Ling Lie mentioned Xiao Yu’an, his feelings were very complicated. This was the person who had pulled Ling Lie back from a wrong path. Without him, Ling Lie would not be the Ling Lie of today. He made Ling Lie a member of the special operations team, and for so many years, Ling Lie had willingly risked his life for him. Ling Lie thought such days would never change, that Xiao Yu’an would always be his captain, and he would always serve the special operations team.

But Xiao Yu’an had “abandoned” the special operations team and went to the Dongye City bureau to be the deputy chief in charge of criminal investigation. The special operations team had many elites, but only Ling Lie felt abandoned.

Ji Chenjiao didn’t know the reason for Xiao Yu’an’s choice, but he couldn’t help but side with Ling Lie and had some prejudice against Xiao Yu’an, thinking he was an irresponsible captain.

However, even to the point of cutting off contact, Ling Lie still held absolute trust in Xiao Yu’an. Last time, he had only asked Ling Lie why he didn’t suspect Xiao Yu’an, and Ling Lie had shown a very surprised expression.

Ling Lie would suspect anyone but Xiao Yu’an.

Thinking of this, Ji Chenjiao felt annoyed again. He might as well take this trip to meet this Xiao Yu’an.

Ling Lie was making a spicy and sour seafood dish. He threw all the cooked seafood into ice, mixed a bowl of cold sauce, and then sealed the seafood in it. Normally, it should be refrigerated for a few hours to be most flavorful, but Ling Lie was too lazy to wait and brought it to the table after half an hour.

Ling Lie also made a pot of mung bean soup. He didn’t have time to chill it, but throwing in a few large ice cubes made it cool enough.

The moment Ji Chenjiao smelled it, his mouth watered. He wasn’t like this before; his appetite wasn’t large before. When Ling Lie cooked a pot of food, he would usually eat one-third, and Ling Lie would finish the other two-thirds.

But today, when there was only a little left at the bottom, he had eaten more than Ling Lie.

The two of them picked up the last squid tentacle with their chopsticks, neither letting go. Ling Lie: “Aren’t you trying to control your weight?”

Ji Chenjiao said shamelessly, “Seafood doesn’t make you fat.”

In the end, Ji Chenjiao still gave the last squid tentacle to Ling Lie. After slurping it down, Ling Lie said, “Xiao Ji, I’ve spoiled your appetite.”

Ji Chenjiao: “?” Why does that sound so familiar?

Ling Lie sighed again. “If you go eat other home-cooked food now, you’ll definitely spit it out after one bite.”

Xiao Ji: It’s not that bad.

But he also felt that what Ling Lie said made sense. Ling Lie was indeed very talented at cooking. He could learn anything casually and make it exceptionally delicious. Now when he looked at the light meals he used to buy, he felt they were all just like grass.

He and Ling Lie had basically spoiled each other’s appetites. The difference was that he used money, and Ling Lie used his cooking skills. In terms of sincerity, did it seem like he had lost?

After finishing this meal, Ling Lie’s mood was mostly sorted out. “Are you coming with me to Dongye City?”

Ji Chenjiao had just been pondering this. “Yes.”

Ling Lie showed a small, relaxed expression. Ji Chenjiao found it strange. “You don’t dare to go alone?”

Because of Xiao Yu’an?

Ling Lie actually admitted it. “There’s something troublesome.”

Ji Chenjiao asked knowingly, “Who?”

Ling Lie: “An annoying cat.”

Ji Chenjiao completely did not expect this answer. A cat? In Ling Lie’s heart, Xiao Yu’an was a cat?

He was bewildered. He had seen photos of Xiao Yu’an. Such a tall and calm man, how could he possibly be a cat!

A trace of sourness unknowingly welled up again.

Ji Chenjiao said sourly, “How dare you call someone else a cat?”

Ling Lie: “He is a cat. A purebred cat, a Ragdoll. Spoiled, always bullying people.”

In Ji Chenjiao’s not-so-rich knowledge of cats, Ragdolls were a very expensive and beautiful breed. Was this how Ling Lie saw Xiao Yu’an?

Ling Lie added, “Let’s go quietly, don’t let him find out.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t really agree. He was a criminal police officer from Xiarong City, and Ling Lie was a member of the special operations team. Going to Dongye City to find clues, they should inform the local police. Was Ling Lie so deeply hurt that he was unwilling to meet him?

Huang Yi found out that Ling Lie and Ji Chenjiao were going to Dongye City and personally sent them to the airport, expressing his gratitude several times. If it weren’t for them, the evil hidden in Feng City might never have been exposed to the light of day.

Ling Lie’s spirits weren’t very high. “What’s there to thank? The Wei Liang case, the ‘Xue Tong’ case, the Bi Jiang case are all unsolved. The Tan Fabin case was led by the nose by Shen Wei, and now there’s the Xiao Yishun case. Captain Huang, I didn’t do much.”

If someone else said this, it would be false modesty, a humblebrag. But having spent time with Ling Lie, Huang Yi knew he was genuinely unhappy because these cases hadn’t been solved. “You can’t say that. You eat rice one mouthful at a time, and you solve cases one by one. It’s been seventeen years for the Tan Fabin case, but haven’t we found the truth now? As for me, I’ve learned a lot from you guys this time. I think it was worth it.”

Ling Lie smiled but didn’t say anything.

Huang Yi enthusiastically talked about how the city bureau was full of fighting spirit recently, and everyone felt they could definitely uncover the truth behind “Xue Tong” and Xiao Yishun’s death. Many elites from other cities were now in Feng City, and this small seaside city’s passion for punishing evil was higher than ever.

As they were about to part, Huang Yi said, “We’ll have a chance to meet again, right?”

Ling Lie said, “I must find the truth of the Bi Jiang case. Do you think we’ll meet again?”

Huang Yi laughed heartily and even did a martial arts-style fist-clasp. “Good! I hope our cases here will also be solved by then!”

On the flight to Dongye City, Ling Lie fell asleep. Ji Chenjiao got him a blanket and peeked at him several times. Midway through, he frowned tightly, looking somewhat in pain. Ji Chenjiao couldn’t help but think of the Ragdoll cat, Xiao Yu’an.

Was Ling Lie feeling homesick, dreaming of his days with Xiao Yu’an in the special operations team?

Just as he was about to wake Ling Lie, Ling Lie woke up on his own, looking at the sea of clouds outside the window with some confusion.

The ones who moved to Dongye City from the Bi family were Bi Jiang’s sister, Bi Xuelan, and her parents. The whole family was still in the funeral business. Because they used the Feng’an County brand, they were quite famous and their business was good.

After getting off the plane, Ji Chenjiao’s intention was to go to the city bureau first. It would be easier to work with the assistance of the local police. Besides, it was a matter of etiquette when handling a case in a different jurisdiction. But Ling Lie just wouldn’t go, and wouldn’t let Ji Chenjiao go either.

Ji Chenjiao got angry and said abruptly, “Are you that afraid of seeing your old captain?”

Ling Lie was stunned for a moment. “Xiao Yu’an? He hasn’t been my captain for a long time.”

“Then what’s the harm in seeing him?”

“If I don’t want to see him, why should I?”

“This is work. If you have a clear conscience, what’s wrong with meeting him?”

Ling Lie was a little surprised. As soon as Ji Chenjiao said it, he regretted it too. Why did he say such a thing? But the momentary irritation was somehow impossible to suppress.

“I have a guilty conscience about Xiao Yu’an?” Ling Lie looked at Ji Chenjiao. “Is that what you mean?”

Ji Chenjiao wanted to deny it, but seeing Ling Lie’s unfamiliar expression, the words got stuck in his throat.

Ling Lie turned and walked away.

Ji Chenjiao stood for a while, then followed. “Ling Lie!”

Ling Lie didn’t look back. “I’ll investigate my case, it’s none of your business. Go back to your Xiarong.”

Ji Chenjiao was stunned by this shout and stopped in his tracks. Ling Lie grew smaller and smaller in his vision, until he was blurred by the pouring sunlight. The surrounding scenery also seemed to melt, becoming distorted and unreal.

Ling Lie had been to Dongye City before and knew the city’s layout. He hopped on a bus, got off at a stop near the western edge of the city, walked for a kilometer, and came to a crowded alley.

This alley was called Liuyun Alley.

The alley was lined with wreaths and paper houses, as if he were back in Feng’an County. But the scale was obviously much smaller than in Feng’an County. Counting down the row, there were only about ten shops.

According to the clue from the Feng City police, Bi Xuelan’s family made their living in this alley.

Ling Lie stopped an older woman and asked where the Bi family’s shop was. The woman enthusiastically pointed to the right side of the alley. “There, the one with the most wreaths is the Bi’s. Are you here to place an order?”

Ling Lie smiled his thanks and walked over. He saw an old woman with white hair holding a feather duster, dusting the wreaths at the shop entrance.

Having stayed in Feng City for this period, Ling Lie had already learned the local dialect. When the old woman heard the familiar accent, she quickly turned to Ling Lie.

This time, Ling Lie didn’t pretend to be a civilian, but directly showed his credentials, slightly altering his specific identity. He introduced himself as a police officer from Feng City. Of the two murder cases in Feng’an County back then, the Tan Fabin case had been solved, and they were now reinvestigating the Bi Jiang case, hoping for the family’s support.

The old woman was moved to tears, speaking incoherently. While calling her daughter and son-in-law’s names, she pulled Ling Lie inside. Ling Lie was afraid she would fall from excitement and quickly supported her.

Bi Xuelan and her husband, Old Qian, heard the commotion and ran out from the workshop inside. Both were wearing aprons, clearly in the middle of work. Bi Xuelan was surprised and supported her mother. “Mom, what did you just say?”

Ling Lie explained his purpose again. Bi Xuelan’s eyes also turned red, and she immediately invited Ling Lie into the inner room. Ling Lie looked around. The Bi family’s shop was divided into a storefront and a courtyard behind it. The courtyard was connected to their residence. Even on the edge of the city, a place of this size was not cheap.

It seemed the Bi family’s business was doing well.

Old Qian brought a pot of their homemade herbal tea. Seeing how young Ling Lie was, and that his demeanor wasn’t quite like a criminal police officer, he couldn’t help but be a little suspicious. “That case of our youngest, can it really be investigated? They said back then they couldn’t find the killer. We thought Feng’an County was jinxed, and it was a place of sorrow, so we moved out.”

Bi Xuelan felt her husband was being impolite to the police and slapped him hard on the back. “What are you rambling about? Officer Ling came all this way, and you’re making sarcastic remarks!”

The couple argued for a while. Ling Lie listened while drinking his herbal tea. He never minded the trivial matters of the masses; many important clues were hidden in these small things.

Old Qian was a bit of a henpecked husband. He was scolded by his wife until he had no temper left and went back to muttering while making wreaths. Before leaving, he even said, “All you know is to dote on your brother. If he wasn’t spoiled by your family, would he have provoked someone he shouldn’t have? Hey! And you complain I didn’t help. Who was it that ran to the bureau all day back then? Is it my fault the police couldn’t catch the killer?”

Bi Xuelan was about to scold him again when Ling Lie put down his cup and finally interjected, “Was Bi Jiang very spoiled at home?”

Bi Xuelan sighed and sat down on the bamboo chair opposite Ling Lie. “In our generation of the family, it was just me and him. You’re from Feng City, so you must know that in our line of work, it’s always the men who take over. The women just assist. Unless there’s no other choice, the family business would never fall to us.”

“I’m the older sister, and Bi Jiang is the youngest, so of course he was spoiled. But our family wasn’t particularly sexist. We were treated the same in terms of food and necessities. Our conditions were alright, so both he and I got to go to school. He was also very protective of me as his older sister. Whenever I got into trouble outside, he would always stand up for me. By the way, Officer Ling, you look young. Is Officer Yin your master? How is he now?”

Ling Lie was startled. Officer Yin? Who was Officer Yin?

“Which officer are you referring to?”

Bi Xuelan was also surprised. “The officer from your Feng City. He came to see us back then and said he would definitely solve Bi Jiang’s case. Alas, we haven’t heard from him for many years.”

Ling Lie could only say, “I’m a new officer, I don’t know the Officer Yin you’re talking about. What is Officer Yin’s full name? I’ll meet with him when I go back this time. We might find more clues.”

“Good, good. Thank you for not giving up.” Bi Xuelan brought a piece of paper and wrote three characters on it: Yin Hanshan.

Ling Lie was certain he had not seen this person in the Feng City police force.

“What did he ask you about? What year was it?”

“Oh my, it might have been ten years ago? I can’t remember clearly. He was also very young at the time, a particularly handsome young man. He asked us about Bi Jiang’s upbringing, going abroad, and things like that. Alas, he was a very responsible police officer. To be honest, at the time, we thought with him on the case, it would definitely be solved. But then many years passed, and he never appeared again. I guess he really couldn’t find the killer, so he was too embarrassed to come see us again.”

Ling Lie planned to call Huang Yi later. Who exactly was this Yin Hanshan? Perhaps a fake police officer? Perhaps the very person who killed Bi Jiang!

Even after so many years, Bi Xuelan still couldn’t hide her grief. Ling Lie waited for her to calm down a bit before saying, “Old Qian just mentioned provoking someone he shouldn’t have. What was that about?”

Bi Xuelan wiped the corner of her eye. “Ah, don’t listen to his nonsense. He just has an issue with us letting Bi Jiang go abroad. He thinks we spoiled Bi Jiang too much. But Bi Jiang went there to work, and he sent money back every year. It’s not like he went out to play. He always sees Bi Jiang going abroad as some rich second-generation studying abroad. How could that be? No matter how much we doted on our youngest, we couldn’t afford that. Besides, that was Country L. Who goes to Country L to study abroad?”

The experience in Country L was the only blind spot in Wei Zhiyong’s investigation back then.

Ling Lie said, “I’m actually also very curious. Bi Jiang was doing fine, why did he have to go to Country L? The society there is turbulent, gangs are at war, and the economic conditions aren’t good. Didn’t he have to inherit the family workshop?”

Bi Xuelan shook her head, a helpless look on her face. “This is what Old Qian always complains about. We really didn’t restrict Bi Jiang much, which led to his independent streak. From a young age, he wasn’t very keen on inheriting the family business. He wanted me to be the female boss. That year, he suddenly said he wanted to go to Country L to make money, because he saw on the news that in a place like Country L, they needed a lot of workers for infrastructure projects. A few years of hard work there would earn more money than our workshop.

“Of course we didn’t agree for him to go. He would wheedle and pester. In the end, we couldn’t do anything about him, and he still went. I actually know why he insisted on going. One, he wasn’t interested in the funeral business, and two, he wanted to give the business to me. It was an unspoken understanding between us siblings. After he went there, he would call back every month to reassure us. Alas, he lived just fine in a place like Country L. I never thought that after coming back…”

Ling Lie asked, “Did Bi Jiang ever say what specific job he did?”

“He did. Mainly infrastructure, mining. But he said the working hours there weren’t long, and he did other part-time jobs.”

“What part-time jobs?”

“There were some parties there, and he worked as a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard?”

Bi Xuelan gave a bitter smile. “I also think it’s quite ridiculous. With his build, what kind of bodyguard could he be? Guess what he told me? He said the local situation was unstable, so there were some groups that specifically trained fighters. The instructors were all mercenaries, very formidable. Although he didn’t learn anything, just by saying he came from this or that gang, it was no problem to get a job at a party.”

“Talking to Bi Jiang on the phone, I also learned a lot. If he hadn’t experienced it himself, I would have thought the place was so poor they couldn’t even afford to eat. But the rich people there are truly rich, the kind that have professional bodyguards at home and are always throwing parties.”

Ling Lie asked again, “Did Bi Jiang ever mention anyone he was on good terms with? Or anyone he had conflicts with?”

Bi Xuelan said, “I remember for a period of time, he was always mentioning a girl. It seems he met her at a party. She was a guest, and he was a bodyguard. He definitely liked her a lot, but he also knew the gap between them. There wasn’t even a possibility of pursuing her.”

“Every time he talked about this girl, his tone was different from usual. One time, I encouraged him to try. After all, he had been in Country L for so long, his foreign language skills should at least be conversational. He said the person wasn’t from Country L, but a fellow countryman. I was surprised. Meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land, wasn’t that fate?”

“Then what happened?” Ling Lie pressed.

Old Qian, who had been working halfway, wandered out and said grumpily, “He came back a bachelor, at an age where he wasn’t young anymore. His sister and I tried to introduce him to people, but he wasn’t willing. He was always talking about how great Miss Alice was. No matter how great she was, was she his?”

Ling Lie: “Miss Alice?”

Old Qian looked at Bi Xuelan. “Is that her name?”

Bi Xuelan wanted to shoo Old Qian away again, but Ling Lie stopped her. “Brother Qian, please recall more. It will be helpful for our investigation.”

Hearing this, Bi Xuelan stopped shooing him. “Quick, tell Officer Ling.”

Old Qian said he had asked Bi Jiang if Miss Alice had come back, what her real name was, surely it wasn’t really Miss Alice? But besides boasting about her beauty and gentleness, Bi Jiang wouldn’t say anything else.

Bi Xuelan couldn’t help but defend Bi Jiang. “He only boasted for a year or two. Didn’t he go back to working honestly afterwards and never mentioned Miss Alice again?”

Ling Lie drew a timeline in his head. Bi Jiang went to Country L at seventeen, returned four years later at twenty-one, was obsessed with his fellow countryman Miss Alice for two years, and then reintegrated into the small county where he was born and raised, officially taking over the family responsibilities.

In the years after his return, there seemed to be no abnormalities. People, including himself, gradually forgot about his experience in Country L. So when he was murdered, neither the police nor his family connected his death to Country L.

Now, the mysterious Miss Alice seemed to be the only explanation for this murder case.

So what was the motive?

Did the killer know about Bi Jiang’s feelings for Miss Alice and felt that the difference between them was too great, that Bi Jiang was a toad trying to eat swan meat?

But why wait so many years? Wouldn’t it have been better to do it in Country L?

Was the killer jealous of Bi Jiang? But Bi Jiang was average-looking, perhaps not even considered a rival in love.

The glamorous parties of Country L, the dazzling Miss Alice in Bi Jiang’s words. Then, Bi Jiang was not the only one who coveted her.

Ling Lie’s brow furrowed tightly. No matter how he looked at it, the motive was not sufficient.