Cangshui Town.

When Xi Wan found Elder Wan, the old man greeted her excitedly. “Did our Wan Yue do something big again? Why do so many people keep asking about him?”

Xi Wan asked immediately, “Who else has come looking for him?”

Elder Wan replied, “A young guy riding a three-wheeler with a little topknot!”

Xi Wan fell silent. She seemed to know who it was.

Elder Wan was full of enthusiasm as he talked about how Wan Yue had risen from a street punk to a man of status. When he noticed how pretty Xi Wan was, he couldn’t help rubbing his hands and asking, “Young lady, do you have a boyfriend?”

Xi Wan smiled. “Married.”

Elder Wan sighed in disappointment. “Then you won’t be living in our villa, I guess.”

Besides the Wan family, Xi Wan also tracked down more than a dozen of Wan Yue’s old classmates and gang friends.

One of them grumbled, “Wan Yue? Sure, he’s rich now, but that’s all thanks to having a mom who married well! If my mom could’ve sent me abroad, I’d be doing even better than him!”

Another, more timid one, said, “I’ve long turned over a new leaf. Why are the cops back to question me… I used to hang with Brother Wan, yeah, but I was just a small fry. All the real dirty work was done by Brother Wan and the others. He was especially ruthless, always liked carrying a knife.”

A gossiping one chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, you’re here to dig up dirt on Wan Yue, right? Let me tell you, he was a rotten kid! Loved bullying the small boys—and didn’t spare the girls either. He’d beat those boys till they were black and blue, but he didn’t dare break anything for real. You know what he did instead? He’d steal the girls’ pet rabbits or kittens, write the names of the boys he didn’t like on them… and then chop them up! Tsk tsk, we didn’t get it back then, but thinking about it now—he was seriously wicked!”

A more informed one said, “Wan Yue and Zhang Xuming weren’t always close—they ran with different gangs. Zhang hung out with the vocational school crowd; Wan’s circle was rougher. But later they started hanging out together a lot. Maybe ‘cause neither of them had moms? But for some reason they fell out. Where Zhang went after that—I don’t know. Never saw him again.”

Xi Wan asked if they remembered which girls Wan Yue and Zhang Xuming used to hang around with. Most couldn’t recall, but one person awkwardly admitted, “I used to hang out with them… we bullied… bullied a lone girl once.”

Xi Wan pressed: who was it, how did they bully her? The person was evasive, only saying that it had all been Wan Yue’s idea, that they hadn’t laid hands on her—just followed, laughed, threatened, verbally harassed. But he’d thought it pointless and boring, that bullying girls wasn’t as fun as brawling with guys, so he hadn’t kept it up.

Xi Wan asked if it was Tang Hongting. The man’s face turned pale. “Of course not! We never messed with her!”

Then Xi Wan showed him Li Aijie’s school registration photo. He studied it for a while, then uncertainly said, “I don’t really remember her face… but her last name was definitely Li. She had a younger brother, I think. And because of her, her brother even came to confront us once—got beaten up by Wan Yue.”

Xi Wan was thorough in her investigation, collecting full video and audio recordings. All the material was immediately sent to Ji Chenjiao.

“Boss, any thoughts?”

“Wan Yue was ruthless in the past, same as Zhang Xuming. Together they bullied Li Aijie, but never touched Tang Hongting. Yet Tang Hongting died, and now Li Aijie is involved… Back then, Li Aijie and Tang Hongting were similar—both the type gangs liked to target… What if…”

Ji Chenjiao braced himself on the desk, staring at the papers covering it. “What if Li Aijie, in order to escape being a victim herself, betrayed Tang Hongting? Like luring Zhang Xuming to harass her? Or something else that led to Tang Hongting’s death. She didn’t kill her directly, but she knew, she played a part… so now, twelve years later, she’s being dragged back into it?”

Liang Wenxian nodded. “That would tie together the early clues.”

Ji Chenjiao walked to the whiteboard and drew an equal sign between Li Aijie and Wan Yue. Liang Wenxian raised an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

“Twelve years ago, Wan Yue and Zhang Xuming were alike. Li Aijie and Tang Hongting were alike. But now it’s Wan Yue and Li Aijie who are the same.” Ji Chenjiao turned to face him. “Wan Yue—once a punk with only a middle school education and a poor family—is now an elite with two international degrees. His life’s on an entirely different level, with a bright future ahead.”

“And he values that future. Going back to Cangshui to buy a villa for his grandfather wasn’t out of some deep filial piety—it was to make the people who once looked down on him jealous.”

“The Li siblings’ lives have also completely changed. Li Aijie’s job is average, but Li Aibing is worth millions—and spares no expense for his sister. They suffered thirty years, and now they’ve got good days ahead.”

“But just now, someone tried to ruin their bright future. Zhang Xuming’s life went badly—always badly. If these three—Zhang, Wan, and Li—share a secret involving Tang Hongting, maybe that bitterness made him resentful. Maybe he tried to blackmail them.”

Liang followed the reasoning. “And they teamed up to kill him? But what about Liu Yuchun?”

Ji Chenjiao paused. “I still can’t see how she connects to Tang Hongting’s death. But a mere witness? No way. Maybe she also blackmailed Wan and Li—she needed lots of money to keep up her image. But if Zhang Xuming and Liu Yuchun both blackmailed Wan Yue and Li Aijie, there’d be traces. But there aren’t any.”

Ji Chenjiao picked up the marker and drew a big X on the whiteboard. “All of that… is just baseless speculation.”

Then he drew a new figure. “Here’s the theory: Wan Yue and Li Aijie killed to silence someone. But what if it wasn’t Zhang Xuming or Liu Yuchun threatening them? What if it was a third party who knew the secret—and told them their good days were over?”

He put down the marker. “I need to see Wan Yue.”

“Getting him to talk will be tough,” Liang said. “He studied law, and we’ve got no hard evidence.”

“I know. But I’ll go see him first.”

Building No. 3, Jinrong Port—Quanyao Investments.

Wan Yue had just helped the executive office finalize an important contract and was on his way to the café downstairs when Ji Chenjiao stopped him.

Wan Yue gave him a puzzled look—there was a flicker of unease in his otherwise cold expression. “You are?”

Ji Chenjiao flashed his badge. Curious employees passing by glanced over. After a brief moment of surprise, Wan Yue smiled politely. “Shall we talk in my office?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Of course.”

Wan Yue’s office was private, sharply styled in a geometric design—sleek and minimalist. Ji Chenjiao glanced around as Wan Yue asked courteously, “Coffee, officer?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Have you been back to Cangshui Town recently?”

Wan Yue turned away, his lips tightening for a moment. But when he brought over the coffee, he was calm again. “Officer Ji, what are you investigating? Something happen back home?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Nothing now. But something did, twelve years ago.”

Wan Yue paused, then said, “You mean that Hualan Street case? Twelve years already… I cooperated fully back then.”

“Oh? How so?”

“I gave the police lots of leads—told them who hung around Hualan Street. I was a punk then, always in that area. They even investigated me, but I was home early that night. Didn’t see who did it.”

It was the perfect way to distance himself. Ji Chenjiao said, “Sorry, but the department’s reopening the case. I’ll have to ask you for info again.”

Wan Yue smiled. “A cold case reopened? Good. I support it. But it’s been so long—memories fade. Officer Ji, ask anything you like. If I remember it, I won’t hold back. That case has haunted my hometown long enough. I want the killer caught too.”

Ji Chenjiao sat on the guest sofa. “A recent murder involved someone from Cangshui. You might know him.”

Wan Yue looked surprised. “Who?”

“Zhang Xuming. The Wubin Avenue case last week—you’ve heard?”

Wan Yue’s mouth opened, but no sound came. His eyes were frozen in shock.

Ji Chenjiao waited. Half a minute later, Wan Yue seemed to snap out of it and slowly sat down. “Zhang Xuming… right, I remember him. We hung out as kids. Same age, I think. He went to trade school… How did he die?”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t answer. Wan Yue went on nervously, “You came because of him? But I haven’t seen him in over ten years. Didn’t even know he was in Xiarong. I probably can’t help much.”

“That’s fine.” Ji Chenjiao said, “I wanted to ask about your time in Cangshui.”

Wan Yue showed just the right amount of unease. “Sure. What do you want to know?”

“What did you boys get up to? Who’d you have beef with?”

Wan Yue said, “Fighting, drinking, gaming. Enemies? Hard to say. We’d fight drunk, fight over turf… I met Zhang Xuming in a fight. But we were dumb kids—no real grudges. I go back now and drink with guys I used to brawl with.”

Ji Chenjiao pressed on. “What about girls? Did you hang out with any?”

Wan Yue’s nose twitched. “Rarely. We didn’t bring girls along much.”

“But when we questioned people in Cangshui, we learned you and Zhang Xuming bullied a girl with the surname Li. Ring any bells?”

Wan Yue’s hands clenched on his knees. He shook his head instinctively.

“This lead’s important. It might tie into Zhang Xuming’s death. So if you remember anything—don’t hide it.”

Wan Yue stood, pacing several steps. “I think… maybe something like that happened. But we never touched her. Just said… said things.”

“Do you remember her name?”

“Li… sorry. I really don’t.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t press further, instead steering the conversation in a new direction. “Besides this Li classmate, did you bully any other girls?”

Before Wan Yue could answer, Ji Chenjiao asked again, “Did you have any contact with Tang Hongting?”

Wan Yue caught on and responded with a trace of anger in his tone. “Officer Ji, are you suspecting I’m the murderer from twelve years ago? Is that why you’re asking me all these questions?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Not necessarily. But according to the clues we’ve gathered, Zhang Xuming’s death is likely connected to Tang Hongting. If you can prove he harassed Tang Hongting, it would help with the investigation.”

Wan Yue looked lost. “I don’t get it.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “The Tang Hongting case has gone unsolved for years. Maybe someone is out there avenging her.”

Wan Yue’s eyes widened. “This…”

Ji Chenjiao added, “So if anything comes to mind—anyone who might seek revenge for Tang Hongting—contact me at once.”

“Okay, okay.” Wan Yue looked shaken. Ji Chenjiao watched him a moment, then ended the conversation for the day. Wan Yue walked him to the elevator, seeming somewhat steadier, and promised, “Don’t worry. I cooperated with the police twelve years ago, and I’ll do even more now!”

Back at headquarters, Ji Chenjiao had just stepped out of his car when a shadow flashed before him.

“…”

Ling Lie: “Ji—Sweetie!”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

After a long battle of wits with Ling Lie, Ji Chenjiao had learned one thing very well—sometimes, to beat magic, you had to learn magic.

So, mimicking Ling Lie’s tone, he replied, “Ling—Liar.”

Ling Liar was stunned for a second, then grinned and bounced over. “I’ve got a new idea!”

“What is it?”

“The person linked to Tang Hongting’s death twelve years ago might actually be Li Aibing. Just like Li Aijie once gave up her name for her brother, maybe this time she’s sacrificing herself for him again.”

Ling Lie had clearly been crawling through some dusty place; his face was streaked with grime. Ji Chenjiao handed him a wet wipe from the car. Ling Lie tore it open and wiped his face like a cat.

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

“Thanks.” Ling Lie tossed the crumpled wipe in the trash and casually brushed back his bangs. “I heard from Li Aijie’s classmates that after Tang Hongting’s death, when the police started cracking down on gang activity, she was relieved—not having to be harassed anymore. She probably just wanted to finish high school. She even listed No. 17 High School on her employment records, which shows she regretted not finishing school. But then she left suddenly after New Year’s—maybe because she found out her brother had something to do with Tang Hongting’s death.”

Ji Chenjiao nodded. “The siblings relied on each other growing up. They’d do anything for each other. We can’t confirm Li Aibing’s exact involvement yet, but it’s obvious he’s doing this for his sister.”

“As for now, the one being threatened is Li Aijie. Maybe someone’s using Li Aibing’s future to pressure her. As a sister, she’s trying to clear the path for her brother.”

Ji Chenjiao paused. “Li Aibing’s current behavior is very contradictory.”

Ling Lie, scrolling through an e-book app, found the novel Li Aibing was serializing. “His beloved sister is missing, possibly dead, yet he still goes to the gym, shops, and cooks every day—he doesn’t act like someone worried about her. But he’s stopped writing. For an online author, stopping updates means ruining your livelihood. And his leave note sounded like he didn’t plan to return.”

They spoke at the same time:

Ji Chenjiao: “I think he’s planning something.”

Ling Lie: “He must be waiting for something.”

Their eyes met. Ling Lie chuckled, “Looks like we’re thinking the same thing.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “What, are you getting addicted to being a police associate? Still planning to perform with the waist-drum team?”

Ling Lie sighed dramatically. “The waist-drum team’s disbanded! Captain Ji, solve this case quick! I only help you so I can make money drumming again!”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Ling Lie: “Don’t forget you promised me a new phone!”

Although Shen Qi was still in Cangsui Town, Ji Chenjiao had him investigate Wan Yue’s recent whereabouts.

“Brother, got it. Take a look.”

Wan Yue, a legal advisor at Quanyao Investments, had a light workload. His days were routine. Between April and now, he had only attended three business dinners: April 18, April 23, and May 5. The rest of his time was unaccounted for.

He owned three properties in the city, all in upscale communities. Two were bought while he was still studying abroad, gifts from his mother and stepfather.

Although his stepfather ran a pharmaceutical business, Wan Yue had chosen not to join the family firm and instead worked elsewhere.

Apart from the three dinners, he had about twenty days of untraceable activity in the past two months.

Ji Chenjiao asked, “Untraceable?”

Shen Qi said, “Sometimes he’d return home at 2–3 AM. Sometimes he wouldn’t come home at all. This includes the night Liu Yuchun was murdered—April 26 to the early hours of April 27.”

Ji Chenjiao: “So many nights away… is he covering something up? Was he like this before?”

Shen Qi replied, “We can only check surveillance from March. To dig deeper, we’ll need to look at his social circle and spending records.”

Ji Chenjiao immediately filed a request for access through Xie Qing.

While the investigation into Wan Yue continued, he unexpectedly showed up at the major crimes unit, claiming he had an important lead.

“You should check out someone named Huang Ke. He used to have a crush on Tang Hongting.” Wan Yue cleared his throat and put on his best business-smile. “Officer Ji, like I said, I helped back then, and I’ll help now. After you left, I racked my brain and remembered this guy.”

Ji Chenjiao had seen the name “Huang Ke” in the records from Cangsui Town, but only in passing. He hadn’t been treated as a suspect and was never mentioned by Tang Hongting’s teachers, classmates, or even her neighbors.

Feigning surprise, Ji Chenjiao asked, “Really? Who is Huang Ke? Tell me more.”

Wan Yue looked pleased with Ji Chenjiao’s reaction and visibly relaxed.

“I met him back when I was in Cangsui Town. He’s two or three years older. His dad was a truck driver, and he sometimes helped out. But mostly he didn’t work—just hung around with us.”

Wan Yue rubbed his nose, a little embarrassed by his past, then continued.

Huang Ke often hung around pool halls and arcades, got into fights, and never ran with a gang—he was a lone wolf. People thought he was weird.

Most of the young thugs had girlfriends, but Huang Ke seemed afraid of women, avoided them, and no one wanted him anyway—he was ugly and mean-looking.

But twelve summers ago, he kept watching one girl from afar.

That girl was Tang Hongting.

After the college entrance exam and before results came out, Tang Hongting worked constantly to save money for university. Hualan Street was chaotic, but jobs there paid well, so she worked at various pool halls, restaurants, and arcades.

That’s when Huang Ke noticed her. Maybe it was love at first sight. Maybe they’d met before. Either way, Wan Yue saw him staring at her with an unusual expression.

“Of course, I didn’t know it was Tang Hongting at the time,” Wan Yue explained. “But a lot of the guys saw him watching her. You can go ask around in Cangsui Town.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “So you think Huang Ke knew who killed Tang Hongting and is now avenging her by killing Zhang Xuming?”

Wan Yue replied, “Come on, Officer Ji, I’m just a citizen offering a lead. I’m not here to make judgments.”

Ji Chenjiao nodded. “It’s a valuable lead. But it’s been twelve years. Would Huang Ke really still be obsessed with Tang Hongting?”

“He’s not normal.” Wan Yue tapped his temple. “Go ask around. Nothing he does would surprise me.”

Ji Chenjiao asked again, “Why didn’t you mention this back then?”

“Huh?”

“A strange thug was watching Tang Hongting. If you’d said that, the police would’ve focused on him. That kind of person could easily be the killer.”

“I… I was nervous back then,” Wan Yue stammered. “Didn’t others mention him either?”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t even need to check. If anyone had mentioned Huang Ke, he wouldn’t have been overlooked in the original investigation.

After providing the tip, Wan Yue got up to leave, but Ji Chenjiao stopped him for a little more “chat.”

“What are your hobbies, Mr. Wan?”

Wan Yue’s face twitched slightly. “My job’s easy. If I don’t have a social engagement, I like to hit bars and clubs.”

Before Ji Chenjiao could speak, Wan Yue added, “I know it’s not a great habit.”

Ji Chenjiao smiled. “We’re all adults. No shame in going to clubs.”

Wan Yue offered, “If you’re ever interested, we can go together.”

“I’ll pass,” said Ji Chenjiao. “Not really into bars.”

Wan Yue nodded. “Makes sense. Different social responsibilities. I studied law, could’ve gone into prosecution or the courts, but I lacked the idealism. Law firms were too tiring, so I took it easy as an in-house counsel.”

“Since we’re being open,” Ji Chenjiao asked, “can I ask something personal?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why not work for your stepfather’s company?”

Wan Yue smiled. “Biopharma’s not my field. I’m better at finance and investment.”

After Wan Yue left, Ji Chenjiao immediately contacted Xi Wan in Cangsui Town to look into Huang Ke.

The deputy chief flipped through old case files. There were no real leads on Huang Ke, and he had an alibi during Tang Hongting’s murder—he was in another town helping his sick father deliver goods.

Ji Chenjiao instructed, “Verify where Huang Ke is now, and ask Wan Yue’s old buddies and people from Hualan Street what kind of person he is.”

Xi Wan replied, “On it.”

The sudden lead made Ji Chenjiao thoughtful. He picked up his phone, intending to call Ling Lie—then paused. Tsk. That little liar.

With help from local police, Xi Wan gathered statements. Everyone described Huang Ke the same way: reclusive, gloomy, weird. He had no friends, but no one dared mess with him. Thugs avoided him instinctively, sensing danger.

No one brought up Tang Hongting—until Xi Wan probed, “I heard Huang Ke used to watch Tang Hongting a lot.”

Someone hesitantly said, “Maybe… she worked at a pool hall he liked… but I don’t really remember.”

Unclear. Maybe. All their answers were vague. It was possible they had crossed paths.

But whatever suspicions existed then had vanished now. Huang Ke’s father died of illness three years ago, and relatives handled the funeral—Huang Ke never came back. They were furious at his lack of filial piety.

When asked when Huang Ke had left town or what he did, the relatives couldn’t say. For over a decade, he’d come and gone unpredictably. His father never said what he did. People assumed he was freeloading.

Before he died, Huang Ke’s father was in the hospital for over a year. Huang Ke never visited, never sent money. Relatives covered the bills—and cursed him for it.

Xi Wan reported all this to Ji Chenjiao, who immediately checked the ID-linked bank cards and phone records.

Huang Ke’s phone was deactivated five years ago. His bank accounts have been dormant since then. No train or flight records either.

This man had been missing for five years.

—

The man turned on the room light and walked in while drinking a cup of freshly heated milk. He was initially headed to the computer desk, but midway, he noticed the unfinished game of military chess on the coffee table. So, he stopped, picked up a cannonball, and destroyed a brigade commander.

He laughed to himself and muttered, “What about you? When will you make your move?”

__

Author’s note:

Ji Tiantian: You think I won’t fight back?