When Han Huaixiao saw that Xia Hang’s hospital bed was empty, he turned and went straight to the doctor’s office.
“Doctor Liu,” he asked, “Xia Hang’s been discharged. Is he alright?”
“Nothing serious,” Doctor Liu replied, “just take anti-inflammatory and circulation medicine for a few more days, and get proper rest.”
“Alright.”
After being up all night, Han Huaixiao planned to head home and get some sleep. But as he passed the nurses’ station, the nurse who had stopped him the night before called out again.
“Hey, are you the caregiver of Mr. Xia from bed 32? The one who just got discharged?”
Han Huaixiao looked at her. “Yes. What is it?”
“After he left, I went to change the sheets and found a phone on his bed. Take a look, does it belong to him?”
Han Huaixiao glanced at the phone in her hand. It was Xia Hang’s.
“Yes, it’s his.”
“Alright, then I’ll leave it with you.”
Taking the phone, Han Huaixiao changed direction and drove to Xia Hang’s place. At the entrance of the residential complex, he noticed a fruit shop. He hesitated for a moment, then parked and went in.
“Sir, what would you like?” The shop owner immediately lit up.
Han Huaixiao scanned the shelves, saying, “Two boxes of imported cherries, two bunches of Xinjiang red grapes, and two jin of Thai longan.”
These were among the more expensive fruits in the store, and the owner’s smile widened. “All great for replenishing blood and energy,” he praised. “Visiting someone in the hospital? Want me to pack them into a fruit basket?”
“No need.”
Carrying several bags upstairs, Han Huaixiao waited as Xia Hang opened the door. At a glance, he recognized the new clothes Xia Hang was wearing, the same set he had seen in the paper bag the other night.
Then he heard movement from the kitchen.
Someone else was here.
“Captain Han.” Xia Hang was clearly surprised to see him.
Originally, Han Huaixiao hadn’t planned to go inside, only intending to drop off the phone and the fruit and leave. But now, hearing someone in the kitchen, and seeing Xia Hang still standing in the doorway without inviting him in… he changed his mind.
“Not going to let me in?”
Xia Hang stepped back quickly, pulling the door open wider. “No, of course. Come in.”
As Han Huaixiao entered, Su Cheng came out of the kitchen, spatula in hand, apron tied around his waist.
“Xia Hang, where did you put the vine…”
Seeing them face each other, Xia Hang quickly introduced them. “Su Cheng, this is my team leader, Captain Han. Captain Han, this is…”
“I know him,” Han Huaixiao cut in. “Reporter Su.”
“Right, right, we’ve run into each other at scenes before,” Su Cheng reacted immediately. “I know Captain Han, too.”
Since they already knew each other, Xia Hang didn’t continue the introduction. He went to the table and poured a glass of water, saying, “Captain Han, have some water.”
Han Huaixiao had been inside for less than two minutes, but Su Cheng already felt something off about the atmosphere between him and Xia Hang.
Especially the way Han Huaixiao looked at him…
Critical.
Displeased even.
Su Cheng thought it over. He’d run into this well-known captain a few times at scenes, but he couldn’t recall doing anything to offend him. So where was that look coming from?
Han Huaixiao took a sip of water, asking, “You’re cooking?”
“Yeah. Well,” Xia Hang nodded, “Su Cheng is. I can’t cook.”
The moment that sentence landed, Su Cheng felt the look from Han Huaixiao shift from displeasure to something sharper.
Hostility.
A criminal police captain’s stare was no joke. And judging by the fact that Han Huaixiao clearly had no intention of leaving anytime soon, Su Cheng made a quick decision.
Yep.
Time to go.
“Well then, Captain Han, Xia Hang,” he mumbled, “I just remembered my mom asked me to take her to my aunt’s place at noon. You guys talk. I’ll head out first.”
With that, he moved fast, taking off the apron, setting down the spatula, and turning back to Xia Hang, who had followed him into the kitchen.
“The dishes are basically done. Just the cucumber salad, add some vinegar and mix it.”
“You’re not staying to eat?” Xia Hang asked.
Su Cheng thought about the king of hell sitting in the living room and felt like his stomach already hurt without even eating.
“No, I’ll eat at home. You and Captain Han go ahead.” On his way out, he even helped carry two dishes to the table, saying, “Captain Han, I’m off!”
“Mm.”
Xia Hang came out with bowls and chopsticks and looked at Han Huaixiao. “Have you eaten?”
Han Huaixiao walked over and glanced at the three dishes on the table. The presentation was… average.
“Your boyfriend?”
The question came out of nowhere, but Xia Hang understood.
“No. Su Cheng and I are just friends.”
Han Huaixiao looked at the dishes again…
They didn’t seem that bad anymore.
With that, he took the phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table, saying, “Your phone.”
Xia Hang looked at it: same model, same color as his, but…
“This isn’t mine. Where did you find it?”
“At the hospital. The nurse picked it up from your bed. It’s not yours?”
Hearing that, Xia Hang’s attention had already drifted elsewhere. So… Han Huaixiao had gone to the hospital.
Was he trying to pick him up?
Han Huaixiao tapped the table lightly, asking, “What are you spacing out for?”
Xia Hang grabbed his own phone from the shoe cabinet and dialed Su Cheng, saying, “Must be his. He probably left it on my bed.”
The phone rang, and on the screen, two letters appeared.
XH.
“It’s Su Cheng’s.”
“You’re using the same model?” Han Huaixiao glanced at the two identical phones. “Same color?”
“Yeah.”
Their work phones had all been handed in. When Xia Hang was resting in Lang City, he had asked Su Cheng to buy him one. When Su Cheng asked what kind he wanted, Xia Hang didn’t care, as long as it worked.
So Su Cheng had just bought the same one he was using.
Han Huaixiao’s gaze lingered on the screen.
“XH.”
Why not just write “Xia Hang”?
Xia Hang noticed and explained, “Su Cheng mostly covers social news. His phone got stolen before, and a lot of his contacts received threatening messages addressed by name. After that, he changed important contacts to initials.”
Han Huaixiao looked away. “What does that have to do with me? I’m leaving.”
Xia Hang stopped him. “Are you heading to the bureau?”
“Why?”
“Wait for me. I’ll go with you.”
Han Huaixiao frowned slightly. “You’re going back to work already?”
“I’m fine. The team’s busy. Doesn’t feel right staying home.”
“Suit yourself,” Han Huaixiao said, then glanced at the table. “But aren’t you going to eat lunch?”
“Then have you eaten?” Xia Hang glanced at the table.
Han Huaixiao looked at him for a moment, then walked toward the kitchen with a “No.”
By the time he came out after washing his hands, Xia Hang had already served the rice. After the meal, Xia Hang loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, wiped his hands dry, and said, “Alright. Let’s go.”
But Han Huaixiao didn’t move. His gaze lingered on Xia Hang’s clothes.
“Do you want to change?”
Xia Hang looked down at the outfit Su Cheng had bought for him, asking, “What’s wrong with it?”
“Victims’ families might come in this afternoon,” Han Huaixiao said. “It’s not appropriate to dress this brightly.”
Xia Hang looked down again at his off-white T-shirt.
Bright?
He didn’t quite understand, but he still went back to his room and changed into some of his old clothes.
………………..
Back at the municipal bureau, Xia Hang arranged a same-city courier. He left Su Cheng’s phone at the security desk and asked Old Wei to hand it to the courier when they arrived.
When Xia Hang reached the office, he heard Ling Yue speaking to Han Huaixiao.
“Captain Han, Captain Tang from Sanshan County is asking if he can connect via video.”
“Do they have something?”
“Sounds like it.”
“Alright. Everyone, come listen.”
In the meeting room, Wen Yu finished setting up the equipment. Soon, Tang Gaoxiong and Wei Jun appeared on the big screen.
Han Huaixiao skipped any pleasantries, asking, “Captain Tang, Captain Wei, did you find something?”
“After receiving your instructions yesterday,” Tang Gaoxiong nodded, “we immediately followed up on the leads you provided. We did find some things.”
“The place Liu Peng mentioned is on Qingshui Street. The hotel is called Weijia Hotel. It’s still operating, but surveillance footage from two years ago is gone.”
“We pulled all existing footage and already sent it to Officer Wen.”
“Received,” Wen Yu confirmed.
Tang Gaoxiong continued, “As for the taxi drivers, every day they carry so many passengers, they might not even remember customers from two days ago, let alone two years ago. We didn’t have much hope. At first, we asked quite a few drivers, and none remembered anything.”
“Then we found a veteran driver who’s been working for nearly ten years. He said he had a driver group chat from over a year ago and could ask there.”
“We had him post Jiang Tao’s photo, along with the drop-off location and approximate time from that night. At first, no one recalled anything.”
“And then?” Ling Yue couldn’t hold back.
“Then Captain Wei suggested adding that Jiang Tao picked up Liu Peng midway,” Tang Gaoxiong said, “and that the two look very similar, like twins.”
“That did it.”
“Soon, one driver remembered. He said that around two years ago, late at night, he did pick up two people like that.”
“He clearly remembered the first one got in near the night market entrance. He’d just finished a late-night meal, and the shop owner insisted he pay for a bottle of water he claimed the driver had taken. They almost got into a fight.”
“So after leaving the stall, Jiang Tao became his first passenger of the night. That’s why he remembered it clearly.”
“The night market?” Ling Yue frowned. “That’s the busiest place in the county at night. Too many people, Jiang Tao wouldn’t make a deal there.”
Tang Gaoxiong nodded, continuing, “He probably went there on purpose, to throw people off.”
“Not long after, another driver also recalled picking him up. The destination was the night market.”
“He remembered Jiang Tao because he usually kept a family photo of himself, his wife, and his daughter in the car. Most passengers would either glance at it and say nothing or compliment him. But Jiang Tao…”
“He kept staring at the photo.”
“The driver said there was something off about him. Hostile, obscene even. It made him uncomfortable, so he put the photo away. Then, when Jiang Tao got out, he said,” Tang Gaoxiong paused slightly.
“‘Your little daughter’s good-looking, brother.’”
“After that, the driver never displayed his daughter’s photo in the car again. He even stopped posting her on social media. That’s why he remembered Jiang Tao so clearly.”
“Does he remember where he picked Jiang Tao up that night?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“He does,” Tang Gaoxiong replied. “Near No. 8 Primary School. The old one, not the new campus. The abandoned one.”
Han Huaixiao exchanged a glance with Xia Hang.
“Isn’t that where Qu Mingzhe and his accomplices abandoned their car?”
Wei Jun, who hadn’t spoken much until now, nodded. “That’s right,” while Tang Gaoxiong continued, “Captain Wei led that investigation. I’ll let him explain.”
“We brought a team there and searched the entire campus thoroughly,” Wei Jun took over. “Found nothing.”
“They chose the location well. Over the past decade, the county’s development has shifted north, but the school is in the south. It was abandoned because the area became increasingly deserted.”
“In recent years, there’s been almost nothing there. No residences, no shops. Just a scrap collection station. We asked the owner if he’d seen anything unusual in the past one or two years, anyone going in or out of the old school.”
“He said he hadn’t noticed anything. But about two months ago, a well-dressed man came from that direction and borrowed a lighter.”
“He wasn’t sure if the man came from the school specifically.”
Han Huaixiao asked, “Any surveillance?”
Wei Jun nodded. “The scrap station does have cameras. Footage is kept for six months.”
“But that man… intentionally or not, he seemed to avoid the cameras. Only half his face was captured when he lit his cigarette.”
Han Huaixiao said, “The lighter, still there?”
Wei Jun shook his head. “The owner said it was just a cheap disposable lighter. Once it ran out of gas, he threw it away.He collects scrap all over, doesn’t remember where.”
That was everything.
“Captain Tang, Captain Wei,” Han Huaixiao said, “thanks for the hard work. Jiang Tao likely made more than one transaction in Sanshan County. Please continue digging. See if you can find other locations.”
“Understood,” Tang Gaoxiong said. “We’ll keep at it.”
The call ended.
Wen Yu leaned back slightly, praising, “Taxi drivers are impressive.”
“They usually have multiple group chats,” Xia Ling added, “all taxi drivers. Those groups are basically a city-wide intelligence network. They’re everywhere, all the time. If something happens, someone at the scene posts it immediately.”
“They get information faster than anyone.”
“I kind of want to join one,” Wen Yu laughed. “Must be full of gossip.” As she spoke, she suddenly received a video from Kong Qinmao, asking her to enhance the image.
“Captain Han, looks like Old Kong found something.”
Han Huaixiao had received the message as well. Jiang Tao’s death had happened under Kong Qinmao’s watch. Guilty, he hadn’t slept all night, pushing himself to track down leads.
The suspect had been fully covered inside the Second Affiliated Hospital, deliberately avoiding cameras. No single camera had captured a full image.
After a long search, Kong Qinmao finally found a figure in the surveillance footage of a fast-food restaurant behind the hospital.
Highly similar.
But the footage quality was poor.
Wen Yu worked quickly. After processing, the image became much clearer, and she stared at the screen for a moment.
“Look at this… isn’t this the same person Captain Wei mentioned? The one who borrowed the lighter at the scrap station?”
Xia Hang, seated closest to her, leaned over to look.
“…Looks like the same person.”
“Both have a mole on the back of their left hand. Same spot.”
“Wen Yu, run a comparison immediately and confirm whether it’s the same person,” Han Huaixiao said. “If this man is the one who made contact with Jiang Tao, then he’s likely connected to those entertainment venues. Xia Ling, send both images to our informants, see if anyone recognizes him.”
The toxicology report on Jiang Tao and the pharmacy audit results from Second Affiliated Hospital came back soon after. Whoever poisoned Jiang Tao clearly knew his condition well and knew about his heart problem. Every medication dispensed that night had been tampered with, laced with substances capable of triggering a cardiac episode.
Luckily, none of the other patients that night had heart conditions. After taking the medication, they showed no significant reactions. Only Jiang Tao, just as his IV drip was nearly finished, went into sudden cardiac distress.
When the results came out, the hospital’s leadership broke into a cold sweat, and the director nearly knelt on the spot.
If other patients had also collapsed that night… the consequences would have been catastrophic!
Not long after, feedback came in from their informants.
The man who poisoned Jiang Tao was a mysterious middleman, a broker who operated within high-end entertainment circles. He kept a low profile, rarely seen in person. His clientele consisted mostly of VIPs, and his job was to procure companions tailored to their preferences.
“So…” Xia Ling snorted. “A pimp.”
“Have the informants keep tabs on him,” Han Huaixiao said. “The moment anyone spots him, report immediately.”
Xia Ling snapped her fingers. “Got it!” Then added, “We checked the club that transferred money to Yang Xiaoyu. Guess what? Looks filthy on the surface, but when we dug in, it was cleaner than purified water. Not a single trace linking it to Chen Zhengde.”
“Then don’t investigate what’s visible,” Han Huaixiao replied. “Change direction. Look into who’s really behind the club.”
“On it.”
………………….
Near the end of the workday, Chief Yan called Xia Hang upstairs.
He motioned for him to sit by the tea set and poured him a cup, asking, “Xia Hang, how’s your health? I should’ve visited you in the hospital, but I’ve been tied up in meetings at the provincial bureau.”
“I’m fine, Chief Yan. Thank you.”
“Really fine? Don’t push yourself. If you’re unwell, rest. Cases never end.”
“I’m really fine.”
Yan Zheng studied him. “Other than your health… anything else?”
“Chief Yan,” Xia Hang caught the undertone, “what do you mean?”
“Nothing, nothing. Don’t be nervous. Just asking casually. You ran into two major cases right after joining. I was worried you might have trouble adjusting.”
“I’m adapting well.”
Yan Zheng refilled his cup. “I met Deputy Minister Mu Zhan at the provincial bureau yesterday. He mentioned you.”
Xia Hang paused. “He was my father’s superior when he was alive.”
“I didn’t expect you had that connection.” Yan Zheng looked surprised.
“He’s always been considerate toward his subordinates.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Xia Hang realized how they might sound, like a comparison, like criticism, so he stiffened slightly. “Chief Yan, I didn’t mean anything by that.”
Yan Zheng hadn’t thought much of it, but seeing Xia Hang suddenly tense up, he couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s fine. You can go.”
After leaving the office, Xia Hang felt a wave of frustration. Talking to people, especially superiors, was exhausting.
He’d rather get into a fight than navigate conversations like that.
Zhang Tianhua noticed his expression, asking, “What’s wrong? Did Chief Yan chew you out?”
“No.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“I said something wrong in front of him.”
“What did you say?” Ling Yue leaned over, curious.
Xia Hang rubbed his nose. “I praised another leader for being more considerate toward his subordinates.”
The office burst into laughter, and Xia Ling patted his shoulder, saying, “You’re way too straightforward. Don’t worry, Chief Yan won’t take it personally.”
Inside the captain’s office, the half-open door let their conversation drift in. Hearing Xia Hang’s words, Han Huaixiao let out a quiet chuckle.
…………………….
Two days later, the same message spread across taxi driver group chats throughout Lang City.
“Hey, did you hear? Something happened at the Children’s Hospital.”
“What happened?”
“Several kids died after being treated there!”
“Why do parents always insist on going to the Children’s Hospital? For common colds and fevers, a regular hospital works fine. Appointments are hard to get there, it’s crowded, and the meds are expensive!”
“What, did the doctors prescribe the wrong medication?!”
“No way multiple kids got the wrong prescription!”
“Then what, deliberate harm?”
“People these days are full of anger! Something’s always happening.”
“It’s not that people are worse now; it’s just that everything spreads online faster.”
“Raising a child is hard enough… those parents must feel like the sky has collapsed.”
“Go to the hospital, risk wrong medication. Go to school, risk bullying. Being a parent is constant fear.”
“Exactly. I worry about my daughter every day.”
“It might not be a prescription issue. In outpatient care, prescriptions are double-checked at the pharmacy. In inpatient wards, nurses verify dosage repeatedly. It shouldn’t be that easy to make a mistake.”
“Yeah… if it were that easy, that’d be terrifying.”
“No matter where the mistake happened, no punishment can bring those children back.”
“God… those parents… how are they supposed to go on?”
“I heard one child’s grandmother had a heart attack on the spot after hearing the news… she died too.”
“That’s just… devastating.”
“How are the parents supposed to live after this?”
“What’s actually going on? What did the police say?”
“They’ve only said the case is under investigation.”
“If your kid gets sick, maybe don’t go to the Children’s Hospital for now…”
“Could it be some kind of virus?”
“No idea. Let’s wait for the police report.”
“…”
At the same time, at Lang City Public Security Bureau, Yan Zheng strode quickly toward the Major Crimes Unit.
“A case just came in from a lower precinct,” he said, face tense. “Something’s happened at the Children’s Hospital.”
For a veteran officer like him to look that shaken… Everyone in Major Crimes felt their hearts sink.
This was not going to be a simple case.
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