Ling Lie asked, “Did you get plastic surgery?”

Yu Yesheng flew into a rage, “What do you mean?”

Ling Lie shrugged, “Nothing, just thought you look a lot more pleasing to the eye than before.”

Yu Yesheng was stunned. Two seconds later, his ears actually turned red. “You, you!”

Seeing his foolish look, Ling Lie suspected he had crossed eyes. Where was this pleasing to the eye?

The two arrived at where Ling Lie parked his car. Yu Yesheng uttered a threat: “I warn you, stop plotting against our family!”

Ling Lie held the car door with one hand, showing a cynical expression, “Oh? You warning me? Are you the police, or am I the police? Warning the police… Young Master Yu, go ask your father if he dares to warn the police?”

Yu Yesheng was rendered speechless, his face alternating between red and white. Ling Lie didn’t say much more to him, drove away, didn’t return to the city bureau, and drove straight home.

There was a convenience vegetable market downstairs selling fresh pig trotters. Ling Lie bought two. Calculating that chopping them would yield four pieces, he bought some side dishes and went back to make Garlic Braised Pig Trotter Noodles.

This dish requires time for braising and patience for chopping garlic. Originally, the garlic could have been chopped while braising, but Ling Lie looked at the round cloves of garlic and decided to wait for Ji Chenjiao to come back.

When Ji Chenjiao arrived home, the evening glow hung in the sky. The pig trotters were already braised soft, and the skin came off with a gentle tear.

Ji Chenjiao, who used to rarely eat pork, couldn’t help swallowing his saliva.

Ling Lie ran out wearing an apron, staring at his face, suddenly: “Huh?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Huh what?”

Ling Lie muttered to himself: “So that’s the reason for being pleasing to the eye.”

Although Yu Yesheng’s face didn’t look like Ji Chenjiao overall, the line of the chin and the shape of the eyes were somewhat similar. Yu Yesheng was not ugly; he was the most handsome of Yu Qianming’s three sons. The Yu family had discussed in the past that it was because his mother was a vixen.

Ling Lie looked at Ji Chenjiao again. Ji Chenjiao was creeped out by his indescribable gaze, “What are you looking at?”

Ling Lie imitated the tone on TV, “What’s wrong with looking at you?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Although he felt Ling Lie was annoying, Ji Chenjiao didn’t want to have trouble with dinner, “Is dinner ready?”

Ling Lie fished out the pig trotters to cool, preparing to boil water for noodles. Ji Chenjiao thought his part was done and was about to enter the room when he was suddenly stopped by the chef, “Xiao Ji, you participate in the labor too.”

Xiao Ji: How did he not participate in labor? Which time was it not him washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen?

Ling Lie said: “Mash those garlic cloves into paste.”

Xiao Ji’s vision went black. This would kill Xiao Ji.

But Ling Lie put the garlic paste artifact bought from Chaoxia County that day into Ji Chenjiao’s hand, “Don’t worry, there’s this.”

Ji Chenjiao pulled that screaming string. Ling Lie added: “Do you feel the joy of cooking with your boyfriend?”

Ji Chenjiao: Feel my ass.

But when he finished pulling the last garlic clove and poured a full plate of garlic paste onto the braised pig trotters, he admitted he felt it.

This dish was made by him and Ling Lie together, although he only pulled a few garlics.

The noodles were cooked. Ling Lie hummed a song and picked them into two large bowls—these large bowls were also bought in Chaoxia County. Looking plain, they seemed particularly atmospheric for holding Braised Pig Trotter Noodles.

Ji Chenjiao looked at Ling Lie’s profile, suddenly reached out, and brushed Ling Lie’s hair. Every piece of small junk Ling Lie bought seemed quite useful.

The pig trotters were soft and glutinous, mixed with the fragrance of garlic paste. The chewy noodles were soaked in the braising sauce, with plenty of green vegetables underneath. Ji Chenjiao ate this meal very satisfied, completely forgetting about the excessive carbohydrates in the noodles.

After the meal, Ji Chenjiao washed and rinsed in the kitchen. Ling Lie leaned against the door talking about meeting Yu Qianming. When mentioning that Yu Yesheng’s chin and eyes were similar to Ji Chenjiao’s, Ji Chenjiao suddenly turned around, without even wiping his wet hands, and pinned Ling Lie against the wall.

Ling Lie: “…Do you think you might be long-lost brothers?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…No, I’m thinking if you will shift your affection.”

Ling Lie was stunned for a while, laughing and burrowing into Ji Chenjiao’s arms.

His burrowing wasn’t ordinary; he lifted Ji Chenjiao’s clothes and covered his head inside. He laughed hehehe, and Ji Chenjiao’s abs vibrated along.

Ji Chenjiao was tickled by Ling Lie’s hair, thinking what kind of habit is it to burrow into arms at the slightest provocation?

“Ouch ouch!” Ling Lie burrowed in and couldn’t come out, struggling blindly inside.

Ji Chenjiao deliberately tightened his clothes. The two played for a long time before Ling Lie was released. The rubber band tying his hair fell off. Ling Lie’s hair stuck up as if electrocuted, face full of disgust, “Xiao Ji, you stink of sweat.”

Ji Chenjiao was speechless. He hadn’t changed clothes since coming back. In such hot weather, could there be no sweat smell?

“Then let me smell.” Ji Chenjiao hugged Ling Lie and sniffed at his neck. Ling Lie laughed from ticklishness, “Xiao Ji, why are you like a dog?”

Ji Chenjiao: “You’ve said all the words.”

Ling Lie: “Hehehehe!”

Speaking of the case, the two became serious again. Including Chaoxia County, the Yu Group’s investments in four counties were related to fires, and people died in the fires. The Yu Group, always valuing feng shui, did not invite anyone to check feng shui or perform religious services. Moreover, the Children’s Palace and Rehabilitation Center all had some social welfare nature.

Yu Qianming said the county projects were Yu Qin’s responsibility, but it seemed he was not completely ignorant of the construction details of Rongmei.

These four investments of the Yu Group might all have problems, yet the overt procedures were all compliant. For the police to investigate, unless there were clear clues proving one of their lands had problems.

Ji Chenjiao said: “It doesn’t have to be these four projects having problems. If they explode other mines, we can also intervene to investigate. What are you looking at?”

Ling Lie shrunk on the sofa, the tablet he held displaying a feng shui encyclopedia.

“I want to find a few charlatans to interpret Rongmei’s layout,” Ling Lie said. “We outsiders who believe in science can’t understand what the Yu Group is hiding, but they definitely hid something.”

Ji Chenjiao also felt it necessary, but involving feng shui required explaining the situation to superiors. It wasn’t relying on feng shui to solve the case, but finding the evil hidden under the appearance of feng shui.

“I’ll go make a report to Captain Xie tomorrow.”

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Ling Lie adapted well to the local police procedures, “I’ll go myself.”

Early morning, the executive suite of the five-star hotel was pitch black. Heavy curtains blocked the brilliant lights of the city center. Only a mobile phone screen flashed dazzling colorful lights, volume turned to the maximum—

“The one taking home this year’s Most Popular Female Artist is… Let’s congratulate Luo Manchai!”

The host passionately praised Luo Manchai’s works over the past year. The woman wearing a white diamond-encrusted backless long dress gracefully went on stage, her figure extremely graceful, her body full of jewelry almost merging with countless starlights on the stage.

She smiled dignifiedly, calmly releasing female charm, took the trophy from the host, facing the camera, “Hello everyone, I am Luo Manchai.”

The person holding the phone laughed trembling all over. The phone fell to her feet. She hugged her knees, her waterfall-like long hair almost covering her face.

This video was from a platform’s year-end ceremony last December. She—that is, the radiant Luo Manchai on the screen—became the biggest winner.

For more than half a year, she watched this video countless times.

She under the magnesium light was so beautiful, like a goddess blessing all living beings; all men in the world fell for her.

They all said the shelf life of female stars is short, but she didn’t believe it. This year, next year, the year after… for at least ten years to come, she would be the darling of mortals!

After the video finished playing, Luo Manchai was still immersed in satisfaction. Three seconds later, the next video would automatically play. But in this short silence, she keenly sensed movement in the outer room.

“Who!” The moment she spoke, she turned on the bedside lamp. The brightness of the bedroom made the outer room seem darker. She frowned slightly with her slender eyebrows, got out of bed alertly. The princess dress-like fluffy white nightgown dragged on the ground, footsteps disappearing in the thick plush carpet.

She walked slowly to the outer room, didn’t see anyone, walked to the door again. The lock blocker was not used as usual; there was no sign of the door being opened.

She breathed a sigh of relief, lit a cigarette. Just after two puffs, she felt movement outside the window again.

The outer room was the same as the bedroom; curtains had been drawn long ago. She had no interest in the city night view.

The executive suite was above the 40th floor; it was impossible for anyone to be outside. She still walked over and pulled the curtain half open. At this look, her pupils shrank sharply, suddenly falling to the ground, so terrified she couldn’t even scream.

About ten minutes later, she recovered from the huge shock, pulling the curtain open again with extreme caution.

Nothing was there, except clusters of annoying spotlights.

She picked up her phone, wanting to wake up her assistant A’Xi to change rooms for her, but her fingers kept trembling, failing to dial successfully.

Soon, she took a deep breath, muttering to herself: “Can’t say, can’t tell anyone.”

She couldn’t let anyone know that secret.

The next day, “Wind Willow Smoke Wave” continued filming. Luo Manchai arrived at the crew a full two hours late. But no one dared to say anything to her face. Luo Manchai was in the limelight; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her the queen of the crew. Even the director had to give her some face.

Luo Manchai was in poor condition, NG-ing repeatedly. Director Wei Sheng simply let her rest.

In the same city, different stories were staged in different corners. Ling Lie came to Xie Qing’s office, explained the situation, and Xie Qing immediately approved his application.

But he didn’t leave immediately, staring at Xie Qing.

Xie Qing was, after all, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. The bureau chief in charge of criminal investigation was about to retire and didn’t care much about frontline affairs anymore. So bluntly speaking, Xie Qing was effectively the number one figure in the Xiarong City criminal investigation system now. Few people would stare at him so straightforwardly.

Xie Qing smiled: “Teacher Ling has something else to say?”

Ling Lie: “Captain Xie is Ji Chenjiao’s senior brother?”

Xie Qing was slightly surprised. This person stared at him for so long just to ask such a question?

“When we first put on police uniforms, we were both personally led by the previous captain of the serious crime squad, benefiting greatly.”

“Ning Xiechen?”

Xie Qing hadn’t heard this name for a long time. Various past events rose in his heart, “Yes, he went missing.”

Ling Lie: “Together with that informant of his?”

Xie Qing raised his eyebrows, “You know Yan Xi?”

Ling Lie: “Heard Ji Chenjiao mention him.”

Xie Qing thought for a while, “Then what do you want to know?”

Ling Lie: “Ji Chenjiao said before that I am very similar to Yan Xi, not in appearance, but in the feeling I give him.”

Xie Qing stood up and walked to the window, “That was a very mysterious person. I only met him once, knowing nothing about his origin or anything. At that time, I was already investigating cases independently. Captain Ji just arrived at the detachment, led personally by Captain Ning. How they got along, I’m not clear. But since you mentioned Yan Xi today…”

Xie Qing turned around, most of his eyebrows and eyes hidden in the light, “Let me ask first, Teacher Ling, in what capacity are you having this conversation with me?”

Ling Lie: “Member of the Special Operations Team.”

Xie Qing nodded, “Alright, I can tell you one thing. Back then because of Yan Xi, I had a very fierce dispute with my master, Captain Ning. After this dispute, until he went missing, I never had any communication with him outside of official business.”

“Why?”

Xie Qing sighed deeply, passing through the gauze-like sunlight outside the window, as if seeing the city as it was many years ago.

Ning Xiechen was his guide on the path of criminal police, teaching him experience hand in hand, taking him to scenes. He was Ning Xiechen’s apprentice for two years, later worked independently in the sub-bureau for three years, and was already an elite capable of leading a team when returning to the municipal bureau.

At that time, he and Ning Xiechen led different teams respectively, almost never collaborating, but he still regarded Ning Xiechen as a teacher. When both were free, they would eat together, drink some wine, chat about recently handled cases; the relationship had never been distant.

But all this changed after Yan Xi appeared.

Although Xie Qing and Ning Xiechen were master and apprentice, there were significant differences in their case investigation styles. Ning Xiechen cultivated many informants. To use an inappropriate analogy, Ning Xiechen was like a puppeteer manipulating countless threads simultaneously; the informants’ eyes were his eyes.

Xie Qing, however, didn’t like relying on informants.

The reason was that Ning Xiechen was born from the grassroots, while Xie Qing was a thorough academic. He couldn’t convince himself to trust those who already bore sins or had unclear backgrounds.

Those informants indeed could only be mobilized by Ning Xiechen.

Seeking common ground while reserving differences, Xie Qing didn’t interfere with Ning Xiechen because of his own likes and dislikes before. He believed his master could control these informants well. But after Yan Xi appeared, he became increasingly worried.

Ning Xiechen seemed to rely exceptionally on this informant, asking Yan Xi’s opinion on any case. What Xie Qing found most incomprehensible was that Ning Xiechen actually threw his little apprentice to Yan Xi!

What was Yan Xi’s background? On what basis could he guide a top student from the Public Security University? Xie Qing couldn’t stand it and tactfully argued with Ning Xiechen. This conversation made Xie Qing feel that Ning Xiechen seemed to be a different person, bewildered by Yan Xi to the point of near senility.

But he didn’t explode on the spot, investigating Yan Xi behind his back. If Yan Xi had no problems, guiding Ji Chenjiao wouldn’t matter, but he just couldn’t find Yan Xi’s details. This person’s experience before coming to Xiarong City was a blank, seemingly coming from the border.

What was his purpose in approaching Ning Xiechen and Ji Chenjiao? What waves did he want to stir up in the criminal investigation system?

Xie Qing finally couldn’t sit still, found Ning Xiechen again, asking how much he knew about Yan Xi. Perhaps because his emotions were too agitated, his words were sharper. Ning Xiechen got angry at him for the first time, defending Yan Xi limitlessly, listing the contributions Yan Xi made since becoming an informant, how many cases he helped Ji Chenjiao handle.

The two talked past each other, neither convincing the other. Xie Qing dropped a sentence: “You are just confused by his deception!”

Ning Xiechen was silent for a moment, saying: “Is this how you see me as a master?”

Xie Qing also realized he had gone too far, but he was in a fit of anger, unable to give an inch.

Ning Xiechen waved his hand in disappointment, “How I investigate cases doesn’t need you to teach.”

After this, Xie Qing stayed out of it, too lazy to ask about Ning Xiechen and his apprentice anymore. But a few months later, Ning Xiechen went missing together with Yan Xi. He was one of the few who believed from beginning to end that Ning Xiechen did not betray the organization.

“Yan Xi’s identity was a mystery. Captain Ning’s habits changed before going missing, so the mainstream view at the time was that Yan Xi was a member of some criminal organization, and his purpose was to instigate Captain Ning to defect. But two years after the disappearance case, Captain Ning’s disappearance didn’t seem to have a negative impact on Xiarong City’s security. No police intelligence leaked, and no case was related to Yan Xi and Captain Ning.” Xie Qing said: “They seemed to have just disappeared ordinarily.”

Ling Lie: “Captain Ning had no problem, but Yan Xi definitely had a problem.”

Xie Qing was stunned, laughing: “On this point, our views are the same. But Captain Ji doesn’t think so.”

Ling Lie: “He trusts Yan Xi?”

“Not entirely. He thinks it’s more likely that Captain Ning and Yan Xi were tracking a clue privately and were discovered, so they both fell into a trap together.” Xie Qing said: “During that time, Captain Ning indeed seemed to be investigating something secretly.”

Ling Lie: “Do you know what it was?”

Xie Qing shook his head, “Don’t know, just judged from his behavior.”

Ling Lie: “It wasn’t that Ning Xiechen and Yan Xi investigated a clue together and were discovered, but that when Ning Xiechen investigated something, he found Yan Xi had a problem, and the one who acted was Yan Xi.”

Xie Qing: “I think so too, otherwise Yan Xi’s strange background cannot be explained.”

Ling Lie paused for a while, propping up his chin, “So, what would Ning Xiechen be investigating at that time? Did Yan Xi approach him for what he was investigating?”

Xie Qing: “I’ve thought about this question countless times. No major cases happened in Xiarong City at that time, and there were no clues in the items he left behind.”

“Might have been cleaned up.” Ling Lie checked the time, took the form signed by Xie Qing, and made a move to leave.

Xie Qing was somewhat surprised, “Leaving already?”

“Hmm?”

“I thought you wanted to investigate Captain Ning’s disappearance.”

Ling Lie: “Ah, just chatting casually.”

Xie Qing: “…”

“Ji Chenjiao mentioned his master’s informant several times; I was curious.” Ling Lie said in a very plain tone: “So came to ask you, this senior brother.”

Xie Qing walked Ling Lie to the door, “I actually hope more that when you have time, you can help me reinvestigate Captain Ning’s case.”

Ling Lie said honestly: “No time.”

Xie Qing: “Time for gossip, no time for work.”

Ling Lie looked at Xie Qing, then said: “My curiosity about Ji Chenjiao is reasonable curiosity.”

Outside the detachment leader’s office, Ling Lie’s shadow elongated in the corridor. Xie Qing watched for a while, suddenly realized—

Reasonable curiosity, like his curiosity when pursuing his wife back then?

Ling Lie was going to see a “master”, actually a charlatan. Packed up early in the morning, ready to go out.

Ji Chenjiao wanted to go with him. He patted Ji Chenjiao’s shoulder, saying earnestly: “Captain Xie only approved me to go alone. Xiao Ji, as the captain of the serious crime squad, it’s better for you to have less contact with these ghostly things.”

Ji Chenjiao listened with twitching eyebrows, attention shifting to Ling Lie’s attire at this moment—wearing a sun hat with light gauze covering the face like a heroine in old TV dramas, wearing a light green short-sleeved T-shirt. This one was very fashionable because he bought it for Ling Lie. But what was with the sun protection arm sleeves on his arms!

Sun hat, sun protection arm sleeves were all bought by Ling Lie at Huirong Mall last time, two sets, couple outfits. Ji Chenjiao wouldn’t use them even if he died. Ling Lie failed to force him, so he used them himself first.

“I’m leaving.” Before leaving, Ling Lie didn’t forget to urge Ji Chenjiao to pay attention to sun protection.

A while ago when the two went to Dongye City, Ling Lie was teased by Ming Shu for tanning into a monkey’s butt. After being stuffed with a box of sunscreen, he started paying attention to sun protection, but stubbornly refused to use Ming Shu’s sunscreen. If asked, it was poisonous; there was a wicked “Ming” trying to harm the Emperor.

Ling Lie: “Arm sleeves and hat are in this cabinet. If you…”

Ji Chenjiao: “I can’t possibly wear them!”

Ling Lie: “If you don’t wear them, many years later I’ll still be beautiful as a flower, and you’ll already be a little old man.”

Ling Lie slipped away after speaking, leaving little old man Ji standing dumbfounded. What beautiful as a flower! You are just a Ruhua!

But half an hour later, it was Ji Chenjiao’s turn to go out. He buckled a baseball cap on his head, hesitated several times, and still stuffed the sun protection arm sleeves into his pocket.

In the morning, Ji Chenjiao came to Xi Wan’s side, cleared his throat, but didn’t speak immediately.

Xi Wan was puzzled, “Boss, something wrong?”

Ji Chenjiao dragged a chair to sit down, “In this weather this year, what sunscreen do you buy for your husband?”

Xi Wan smiled: “Him, he doesn’t like using it. I force him to use some of mine.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Then what kind do you ladies generally use?”

Xi Wan tapped a few times on her phone, finding the brand she used, “This one.”

Ji Chenjiao noted it down, then asked: “Then do you ladies wear sun protection arm sleeves?”

Xi Wan almost choked, shaking her head like a rattle drum, “I don’t use them, but I see the retired big sister downstairs loves using them.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Then… men?”

Xi Wan: “Honestly haven’t seen any.”

Ji Chenjiao returned to his seat, quickly ordering the sunscreen Xi Wan mentioned. Afraid one wasn’t enough, after all, there were two people in their family with long arms and legs, so he bought two.

Rarely slacking off during work hours, Ji Chenjiao felt a bit guilty. After buying, he quickly put down his phone, paying attention to the investigation situation in Chaoxia County.

Ling Lie was particularly eye-catching walking on the road, giving a sobering shot to the “corporate slaves” rushing to work. He transferred buses twice, arriving at “Fengshi Ju” located in the old residential area of East District.

Ling Lie: Why not Rheumatism Ju? (Fengshi sounds like rheumatism)

This “Fengshi Ju” was on the first floor of an eight-story residential building. Several other households were mahjong parlors. Although it was still morning, old card friends were already shuffling tiles loudly. Ling Lie looked up at the crooked plaque of “Fengshi Ju”, thinking it was probably shaken loose by listening to mahjong sounds day and night.

Ling Lie kindly brought a stool from the mahjong parlor, was moving the plaque, when suddenly heard a loud shout full of energy, “Hey! What are you doing!”

Ling Lie turned around, seeing an old man wearing a black kung fu robe carrying a bag of vegetables, standing angrily behind him.

The old man’s hair was sparse and gray but kept quite long, probably wanting to pose as an immortal with Daoist bones, but in this environment surrounded by mahjong parlors, it was really hard to pose.

Ling Lie dusted off his hands, “Dan Charlatan, what vegetables did you buy?”

The old man’s stage name was Dan Yuntu. Looked quite impoverished, but was the “master” Ling Lie was looking for this time. Although this “Fengshi Ju” was dilapidated, it was quite famous in the feng shui circle.

Dan Yuntu looked Ling Lie up and down, “Are you that policeman who contacted me?”