Ji Chenjiao glanced at the message Jaco had sent and asked, “Have you contacted this person?”

“No. I left that decision to you,” Jaco replied with a smile. “I can’t judge whether this information is true or not. If I contact them rashly and they turn out to be a fake, it could lead to bad publicity when the story breaks. But if they’re real, then the police should be the ones to approach them—I can’t guarantee their safety.”

His words were watertight. Ji Chenjiao exchanged a look with Jaco for a few seconds and then thanked him.

Jaco said, “Of course, of course. We in the media also have a sense of social responsibility. It’s my honor to assist the major crimes unit.”

Ji Chenjiao forwarded the information from Jaco’s backend system to Shen Qi, who quickly verified the person’s identity. Her name was Xiao Xue, around thirty, originally from Tongqie County, but she and her family had long since moved to Xiarong City.

Xi Wan went to Xiao Xue’s workplace and explained the situation. Xiao Xue then drove her to see her mother.

“Mom, this is Officer Xi from our city’s police department. They’re investigating the little crayfish case and have traced clues back to our hometown. Remember I messaged Jaco for you? But Jaco isn’t the police—this is something that only the police can handle. Tell Officer Xi what you know, okay?”

Xiao Xue’s mother hadn’t expected to face the police in person and looked uneasy. “Can you really seek justice for Sister Xu?”

“We’ll do everything we can to get justice for the victims,” Xi Wan said sincerely.

Tears welled in the old woman’s eyes as she stared out the window. “Damei, don’t blame me… I’ve kept this secret for so many years… I have children of my own… I just didn’t dare to speak back then…”

Xiao Xue’s mother and Xu Yinyue had known each other since childhood. Xu Yinyue was three years younger. The Xu family, trying to make ends meet, had no choice but to work under the Kang family, at the very bottom of their power structure. Xu Yinyue was so little that sometimes her parents left her with the Xue family for care. The Xue family understood the Xu family’s hardship and helped when they could.

Xu Yinyue grew up happily with Xiao Xue and the other girls.

But when Xu Yinyue was in her early teens, both her parents died horribly while doing “dirty work” for the Kangs—their bodies were found dismembered. The decent families in the county hated the Kang lackeys and stopped associating with Xu Yinyue. By then, Xiao Xue’s mother was working in a factory, but she secretly gave food to the poor girl when she could—always afraid someone would see.

After a while, Xu Yinyue started her loach business. People bothered her less, though they gossiped about her being unclean. Meanwhile, Xiao Xue’s mother married and had children of her own. Their contact grew sparse.

Xu Yinyue later gave birth to a son, Xu Jiajia. Xiao Xue’s mother never knew who the father was—when she asked, Xu Yinyue always stayed silent.

One day, however, Xu Yinyue suddenly came to her in a panic. “Sister, you must help me!”

Frightened by her friend’s expression, she asked what had happened.

Xu Yinyue dragged her to her house, locked the door, drew all the curtains, and gently shut the bedroom door—her three-year-old son was sleeping inside.

Xiao Xue’s mother grew nervous. “What’s going on? Should I call my husband?”

“No! Don’t tell anyone!” Xu Yinyue’s eyes were red, nearly bleeding. “Sister, I was raped.”

A buzzing filled Xiao Xue’s mother’s ears. She couldn’t react for a long time. Even now—or especially back then—this was an unforgivable crime against a woman.

She finally whispered hoarsely, “Who… who did this? Tell me. We’ll go to the community, the police—”

“It was Kang Wanbin.”

A shockwave hit her eardrums again. “The Kang family?” She collapsed onto the sofa, realizing how ridiculous her earlier words were.

That was the Kang family. How could they dare to go against them?

Xu Yinyue wiped her tears and gently consoled her, “Sister, I’m not asking you to stand up for me. I’ll swallow this bitter pill. You’re the only person I’ve told.”

At that moment, a selfish, angry thought surged in Xiao Xue’s mother’s heart—Why did you have to tell me?

Better not to know… when nothing could be done.

“Sister, Kang Wanbin’s targeted me. He’s not just any Kang—he’s Kang Junlin’s youngest son.” Xu Yinyue was strangely calm now, telling the story as if resigned.

Kang Wanbin didn’t seem involved in the family’s illegal business. He was out of place even within the Kangs. His job was minor—patrolling the seafood market—but he was always lurking.

Three months earlier, Xu Yinyue had felt someone’s gaze stuck on her. It was him.

At first, he only watched from afar. Then he started following her. She was terrified but couldn’t seek help—not when the man was a Kang.

Last week, Kang Wanbin tricked her into his house on the pretense of collecting cleaning fees—and raped her. He threatened to kill Xiao Jiajia if she told anyone.

“He’s ruthless even at such a young age. Sister, I don’t care about myself—but I’m afraid he’ll kill Jiajia too. If I die, please… please take care of him.”

They wept in each other’s arms. She promised it would never come to that.

“But if Kang Wanbin kills us both… please, someday, tell the police everything. I don’t want to die in vain.”

She agreed. But both of them knew—when the time came, fear would hold her back.

A year later, Xu Yinyue and Jiajia vanished. By then, the secret between them had driven the two women far apart.

When the county police came asking, she said nothing—telling herself Kang Wanbin was overseas, so this couldn’t be his doing. There had to be another reason.

Years passed. The Kang family fell in a sweeping anti-crime crackdown. The police reopened old cases—including Xu Yinyue’s. Xiao Xue’s mother thought—this was the “right time” they’d spoken of.

But when she finally gathered the courage to report Kang Wanbin, she saw him on TV—celebrated as a clean, reforming businessman who had helped the authorities.

Numb, she turned off the TV and decided to bury the secret forever.

But seeing “Loach Beauty” trending online, her tears fell as she remembered her lost friend.

“I’m sorry,” she choked—not to Xi Wan, but to Xu Yinyue. “I spoke too late. I was a coward.”

Xi Wan gently rubbed her back. “Auntie… protecting your family doesn’t make you a coward. Thank you for telling us. Leave the rest to us.”

Ji Chenjiao listened silently to the whole report, tapping his finger.

Both Ji Nocheng and Xiao Xue’s mother pointed to the Kang family—specifically Kang Wanbin. Their delayed testimonies were consistent in one thing: fear.

But the more Ji Chenjiao thought, the more he sensed a contradiction.

Xiao Xue’s mother said Kang Wanbin raped Xu Yinyue at age 18. But when Xu Jiajia was born, Kang Wanbin would’ve only been 14.

When Ji Nocheng saw the Kang family member at the door, he was 18—meaning Kang Wanbin was just a child. That man couldn’t have been Kang Wanbin.

It may have been a Kang—but not him. So what would Kang Wanbin think when he learned Xu Yinyue’s child might share his blood?

Ji Chenjiao frowned. He’d noticed the real contradiction—hidden between Xiao Xue’s mother’s and Ji Nocheng’s statements.

From her account—Xu Yinyue was first assaulted by Kang Wanbin at 18. Yet she never hinted Jiajia’s father was anyone else—maybe she even loved the real father.

But Ji Nocheng claimed a Kang man forced entry into Xu Yinyue’s home—arguing outside before breaking in.

Their timings didn’t match. Xu Yinyue lived in a crowded apartment where any shouting would draw neighbors’ attention—not just a lone watermelon-selling Ji Nocheng.

Why had no one else witnessed it?

Unless… Ji Chenjiao’s eyes turned cold. Either Ji Nocheng or Xiao Xue’s mother was lying.

And judging from who contacted Jaco voluntarily—and who received his call passively—it was likelier that Ji Nocheng lied.

Ji Chenjiao redrew the timeline:

Xu Yinyue lost her parents at 13. At 16, she studied in Xiarong. At 18, she returned, gave up her dream of teaching, and ran businesses.

At 20, she first tutored Ji Nocheng—then 18.

He went on to university. At 23, she gave birth to Jiajia.

When Jiajia was 3, Kang Wanbin was 18—and allegedly assaulted her. Ji Nocheng worked at Zhou’s factory by then.

A year later, Xu Yinyue and Jiajia vanished. Ji Nocheng married, moved away.

Kang Wanbin went abroad, returned eight years later—the same year the crackdown began.

Ji Chenjiao dropped his pen and rubbed his temple.

This timeline made Ji Nocheng’s testimony more suspicious. There shouldn’t have been a loud Kang man at Xu Yinyue’s door—or the neighbors would’ve remembered during the crackdown.

Xu Yinyue treasured Jiajia. He was likely the child of someone she cared for.

Why did Ji Nocheng lie?

A terrible thought surfaced. Ji Chenjiao grabbed his pen and scribbled wildly. “Impossible.”

Ling Lie appeared. “Captain Ji, what are you mumbling?”

He snatched the notebook. “Wow, even a first-grader scribbles better than this! Why’d you cross out Ji Nocheng’s name? Why erase your own father?”

Ji Chenjiao took the notebook back, his mind in turmoil.

Ling Lie grinned, his voice cold. “You wrote his name—again and again. You put him in the timeline. Then you finished sorting it… and crossed him out in panic. Captain Ji… do you know what that means?”

Ji Chenjiao glared sharply.

Ling Lie’s smile deepened. “It means you’ve figured out that he holds the key to this crime… but you don’t dare believe it.”

Ji Chenjiao gasped, staring at Ling Lie.

He couldn’t deny it. Ling Lie had seen straight into his heart.

Ling Lie pulled out his badge, waving it like a joke. “Now our manly Captain Ji is doubting life itself. Suspect—oops, I mean external consultant Ling Lie—must check on him. So… spill it.”

Ji Chenjiao was in turmoil. “Say what?”

Ling Lie was as calm as a gleaming sword. “Say that you suspect your foster father did something.”

Everything around them seemed to fall silent. Ji Chenjiao looked into those familiar eyes he had seen countless times. “…I was thinking, what if he was actually that child’s father?”

The moment those words left his mouth, Ji Chenjiao froze, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly. He hadn’t expected himself to say it out loud so easily under Ling Lie’s questioning. Not long ago, he hadn’t even dared to seriously consider such a possibility.

Ling Lie’s gaze was far too still, like a mirror with no end in sight. Ji Chenjiao felt as if everything about him was being absorbed into that mirror, and he couldn’t help but want to speak.

Was this some personal charm he had never encountered before? He had no time to think, because the words continued to spill out under Ling Lie’s calm and quiet gaze.

“Regarding Xu Yinyue being forced by Kang Wanbin, we can only learn through Madam Xue. If everything she said is true, then it’s clear that Xu Yinyue’s attitude toward being forced and being willing are completely different. I believe Xu Jiajia was the result of love between her and someone else. If you trace the timeline back, Xu Yinyue got pregnant when Kang Wanbin was only fourteen or fifteen years old. Technically possible, but unlikely. Combined with what Madam Xue later said, the one who made her pregnant shouldn’t have been him.”

“And at that time, my foster father was twenty, attending university in Liyun City. Although it was far away, he should have returned home for the winter holidays. Xu Yinyue refused to ever name the man, yet she openly told Madam Xue about Kang Wanbin—the contrast is too strong. She wanted to protect him, to bear everything alone. In Tongqie County back then, what kind of man was worth her doing this? A married man, or someone with a bright future.”

Ji Chenjiao, lost in thought, unconsciously picked up his pen and circled Ji Nocheng’s name over and over.

Ling Lie asked, “If you two weren’t foster father and son, would you suspect him?”

Ji Chenjiao was silent for a moment, then nodded. “I would. Because the clues he provided are suspicious. I doubt him not because Xu Yinyue once tutored him, but because he said he saw a member of the Kang family causing trouble outside Xu’s house. That doesn’t fit the possibility I’ve worked out.”

“Captain Ji, let me ask another bold question. Why did they adopt you?”

“Because they couldn’t have children.”

“Then if your guess is correct, the problem lies with your foster mother.”

Ji Chenjiao thought of the scenes of his foster parents together. They had told him they couldn’t have children because of physical reasons, but never specified who had the problem. He couldn’t tell either.

Ling Lie glanced at the messy notebook. “Xu Yinyue and your foster father were once young lovers, but for some reason, they kept their relationship secret. During one holiday, your foster father crossed the line with Xu Yinyue. Afterwards, he returned to university to continue his studies, while Xu Yinyue bore the pregnancy alone and gave birth to Xu Jiajia. Was Xu Jiajia called that name from the beginning?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Yes, the earliest record we could find shows that five months after he was born, Xu Yinyue registered his household and gave him that name.”

“In other words, from the very beginning, Xu Yinyue intended to raise the child by herself. And how old was your foster father at the time?”

“Twenty-one, a junior in university.”

A heavy fog gradually cleared before his eyes. Ji Chenjiao seemed to see an eighteen-year-old Ji Nocheng, full of ambition, walking on campus. After his junior year, life entered a new chapter as he was about to step into society.

The young man from a small county had grown used to city life. Once he thought the love from his small hometown was warm and beautiful. Now he realized such love couldn’t bear the weight of the life he wanted ahead.

His classmates, the women he met during internships—they were all more fashionable and knowledgeable than Xu Yinyue. They were the ones who could stand beside him and fight for a future in this city.

He had to break up with Xu Yinyue. But Xu Yinyue gave birth to their child. It must have been a bolt from the blue for him, making him regret his youthful recklessness.

And then? What did he do?

Ji Chenjiao closed his eyes, letting sharp emotions pierce his nerves. Human selfishness and baseness were magnified—and so were love and tolerance.

Ji Nocheng returned to Tongqie County to break up with Xu Yinyue, begging her not to tell anyone about their affair. He had little hope—but Xu Yinyue actually agreed.

She kept this secret for the rest of her life.

Was this the truth? Ji Chenjiao silently asked. And what about what happened after? Was Ji Nocheng involved?

“This thread could have ended when Xu Yinyue registered Xu Jiajia’s household,” Ling Lie said, marking the notebook. “For the next few years, Xu Yinyue’s life improved, and she had no further contact with your foster father. But then she encountered that scum Kang Wanbin. Madam Xue believes Kang Wanbin must have caused her disappearance. What do you think?”

“Impossible to verify,” Ji Chenjiao said. “Xu Yinyue was worried that Kang Wanbin would harm her and the child—that’s understandable. But her disappearance happened nearly two years later. What happened during those two years, Madam Xue has no idea.”

Ling Lie said, “And more importantly, when she disappeared, Kang Wanbin was abroad. But who happened to be in Tongqie County? Your foster parents.”

Ji Chenjiao abruptly looked up, instantly understanding what Ling Lie was implying.

“Kang Wanbin might have asked the Kang family to deal with Xu Yinyue, but what would be his motive? It doesn’t seem like he had any. Besides, he always kept his distance from the Kang family. If Xu Yinyue’s disappearance were really related to him, someone would’ve confessed during the anti-crime campaign that year.”

Ling Lie chuckled. “So compared to him, your foster parents seem much more suspicious.” He paused and added, “But all this depends on the assumption that our guess about the truth is correct.”

Ji Chenjiao didn’t speak for a long time. Ling Lie waved his hand in front of his face, and Ji Chenjiao reflexively grabbed it before he realized.

The two of them stared at each other from a close distance. Ji Chenjiao let go and suddenly said, “Thank you.”

Ling Lie raised his eyebrows but, this time, said nothing annoying or sarcastic. He merely patted Ji Chenjiao on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, due to the media’s ongoing coverage, public outrage against Kang Wanbin was growing louder, with increasing calls for the police to reopen the investigation into the disappearance of Xu Yinyue and her child.

On Shen Qi’s screen was Jaco’s profile. Ji Chenjiao had previously asked him to investigate Jaco, and this task was nearly complete.

“Bro, Jaco’s parents are from country Y. He also has another name—Xu Yage.”