Chapter 48
After leaving Yan Zheng’s office, Xia Hang had just come downstairs when he heard Han Huaixiao call out, “Ling Yue, come with me to Yuyou Welfare Institute!”
Remembering what Chief Yan had told him, Xia Hang interrupted, “Captain Han, Ling Yue and Brother Hua have been running around all day. I’ll go to the welfare institute with you.”
However, Ling Yue protested, “I’m fine, Brother Hang. This is nothing; I can still keep going. I’ll go with Captain Han.”
“Go where?!” Zhang Tianhua grabbed Ling Yue by the arm. “We’ve still got work to finish. Stay here and help me. Let Xia Hang go with Captain Han.”
Han Huaixiao wasn’t particular about who accompanied him, so he looked at Xia Hang and agreed: “Then let’s go.”
“…”
After they left, Ling Yue turned to Zhang Tianhua, whispering, “Brother Hua, why do I get the feeling you didn’t want me going with Captain Han? Why?”
“Why?” Zhang Tianhua smiled mysteriously. “For your own good… and for Captain Han and Xia Hang’s.”
“I’m still confused,” Ling Yue blinked. “How is that for my good, or theirs?”
Well, everyone in the office already knew about Han Huaixiao’s sexual orientation. After Zhang Tianhua’s remark, they thought back over some of Han Huaixiao and Xia Hang’s interactions, and realization slowly dawned on them.
“No way…” Wen Yu said, “Xia Hang’s only been here a short time. Don’t tell me Captain Han fell in love at first sight?!”
“Love at first sight?” Xia Ling snorted. “Have you forgotten? When Xia Hang first arrived, Captain Han kept picking on him and giving him a hard time.”
“Isn’t that just like middle-school boys?” Wen Yu grinned. “They like a girl, so they tug on her ponytail and deliberately annoy her just to get her attention.”
“Picking on Xia Hang and giving him a hard time… just to get Xia Hang’s attention?” Kong Qinmao frowned. “Is Captain Han really that childish?”
“No matter how capable someone is, once they fall in love, their IQ drops below zero.”
“Wait…” Xia Ling suddenly froze. “I just remembered something. Years ago, when we were chasing that fugitive at the border, didn’t Captain Han mention he had an ex-boyfriend?”
“That’s right!” Ling Yue immediately nodded. “I asked him what he was thinking about, and he said his ex-boyfriend! I even asked why they broke up, and he got all embarrassed and angry. Then Brother Hua joked that Captain Han must’ve been the one who got dumped.”
“Sister Ling…” Wen Yu’s eyes widened, “you’re not saying Xia Hang is Captain Han’s ex-boyfriend, are you?!”
“Otherwise,” Xia Ling nodded thoughtfully, “why would Captain Han have singled Xia Hang out the moment he arrived? He’s not the type to take his frustrations out on subordinates, especially a newcomer. The only explanation is that they already had history.”
“My god…” Wen Yu slapped the desk. “That means Brother Hang dumped Captain Han!”
“…”
Well… Now the entire office fell silent.
……………………..
Xia Hang drove Han Huaixiao’s car out of the Municipal Bureau. Once they reached the streets, Han Huaixiao noticed that Xia Hang was maintaining an extraordinary level of vigilance. He was watching every direction, listening for every sound, as though the streets weren’t ordinary roads but a battlefield where danger could appear at any moment.
After observing him for a while, Han Huaixiao asked, “What did Chief Yan talk to you about just now?”
Xia Hang glanced at the rearview mirror, confirming there was nothing unusual about the car behind them before answering, “Chief Yan asked me to move into your place for a while.”
“And what reason did he give you?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“He said the son of the mastermind from one of the major cases you solved years ago, the one who was sentenced to death, is planning to take revenge on you,” Xia Hang replied.
At that, the corner of Han Huaixiao’s mouth twitched.
As expected, the old fox was even craftier than he was.
He had asked Yan Zheng to come up with an excuse, thinking he’d handed the man a difficult problem. Instead, Yan Zheng had borrowed the existing excuse and shifted the danger surrounding Xia Hang onto Han Huaixiao himself. Once Xia Hang believed Han Huaixiao was in danger, with his personality, he’d certainly agree to move in. Not only that, but he’d also become more alert and cautious for Han Huaixiao’s sake.
Killing two birds with one stone.
That old fox, Yan Zheng…
“You agreed?” Han Huaixiao asked.
Xia Hang turned to look at him cautiously. “Yeah… You don’t want me to move in?”
“…Right.”
Only then did Xia Hang quietly let out the breath he’d been holding. The trip to Yuyou Welfare Institute went smoothly. They met the director, Shen Bing, a kind-looking man nearing seventy. After learning why they had come, he led them into his office.
“Director Shen,” Han Huaixiao said, “sorry for the sudden visit. This came up unexpectedly.”
“It’s only right that we cooperate with the police,” Shen Bing smiled. “What would you like to know, Captain Han?”
“How old was Xin You when she was adopted?”
“Twelve.”
“Did her mother know she was staying at your welfare institute all those years?”
“She should have. After all, she was the one who left the child at our gate.”
“Before taking Xin You home, did her mother ever visit her or bring her anything?”
“No.”
“When Xin You was adopted, did her mother and Xin Rong come together to pick her up?”
“No. Only her mother came that day. But before that, she and Xin Rong had visited together once. I believe they came to observe Xin You’s personality and character before deciding whether to adopt her.”
At that, Han Huaixiao nodded. “Your memory is impressive,” he remarked. “It’s been so many years, yet you still remember details like that.”
“That’s because Xin You was the most well-behaved child in the orphanage,” Shen Bing smiled kindly. “Even after she left, she came back often to visit the children and us old staff members.”
Han Huaixiao asked, “Did she ever tell you how she was doing after she left?”
“She said she was doing very well.”
“And what was Xin Rong like?”
“He was an executive at a large company. A little proud, perhaps, but always courteous and polite.”
“And Xin You’s mother?”
“She was quite beautiful and very smooth in the way she handled people.”
“For the first twelve years of Xin You’s life, she never contacted her. Do you know why she suddenly took her back when Xin You turned twelve?”
“I imagine it was because she’d married Xin Rong by then,” Shen Bing thought for a moment before answering. “She finally had someone to rely on and could afford to support Xin You.”
“All right. Sorry to trouble you.”
Shen Bing was so courteous that he insisted on walking them all the way to the entrance. As they passed the playground, Xia Hang noticed a little boy, about seven or eight years old, sitting beneath a ping-pong table. There were no other children outside, only him. Xia Hang looked over twice and realized the child was crying silently.
Just as he was about to walk over, Han Huaixiao had already beaten him to it. Crouching down, he asked gently, “Hey, little guy, what’s wrong?”
Shen Bing crouched down as well and reached under the table to coax the boy out: “Zhuang Zhuang, why are you hiding here? Hurry back to class. Teacher Li can’t find you and must be worried.”
The little boy timidly crawled out from beneath the table. Turning to Han Huaixiao, Shen Bing said, “Captain Han, I’ll take him back to class. I won’t see you out any farther.”
Han Huaixiao glanced at him, smiled, and took out a handkerchief. “It’s fine, Director Shen. Look at him, his face is covered in tears. Let me wipe it off.” He knelt in front of the boy before continuing, “Come on, Zhuang Zhuang. Tell this police uncle what’s wrong. Why are you crying?”
The child had been silently sobbing beneath the ping-pong table, but the moment Han Huaixiao asked, he burst into loud, heartbroken wails. Han Huaixiao simply patted his back gently and let him cry. Only after the crying had gradually subsided did he carefully wipe the tears from the boy’s face.
“Can you tell me what happened now?”
Still hiccuping between sobs, Zhuang Zhuang managed to say, “My… my best friend, Hao Hao… h-he… he died.”
Han Huaixiao’s hand paused. Just as he was about to ask another question, Shen Bing pulled Zhuang Zhuang gently to his side and signaled to a staff member nearby to come take the child away.
Then he said to Han Huaixiao, “Captain Han, I’ll explain in a moment. Let’s let Zhuang Zhuang return to class first. His health isn’t very good, and he shouldn’t cry too much. If he keeps talking about it, he’ll only become upset again.”
The staff member soon led Zhuang Zhuang away, and only then did Shen Bing continue: “Captain Han, perhaps you don’t know this, but most of the children sent to welfare homes have physical or intellectual disabilities of some kind. Otherwise, their parents wouldn’t have abandoned them. Healthy children with normal intelligence, like Xin You, are actually quite rare here.
“The Hao Hao Zhuang Zhuang mentioned had a serious congenital heart condition. He passed away from an attack last month. We were afraid Zhuang Zhuang would be devastated, so we’ve kept it from him this whole time. I don’t know how he found out.”
“Do children with medical conditions here receive proper treatment?” Han Huaixiao asked.
“They do. The government provides funding, and charitable donors contribute as well. But most of these children’s illnesses are quite severe. If they were easily treatable, their parents probably wouldn’t have abandoned them in the first place. Sometimes we’ve done everything humanly possible… but even then, we can’t overcome fate.”
“Director Shen, you’ve worked hard.”
“I’ve held this position for so many years that it no longer feels difficult,” Shen Bing smiled faintly. “I just feel sorry for these poor children, so I do whatever I can for them.”
“Your compassion is admirable.” Han Huaixiao nodded, and Shen Bing waved his hand modestly, disagreeing. “You’re giving me far too much credit, Captain Han.”
However, after leaving the orphanage, Xia Hang noticed something unusual about Han Huaixiao’s expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you think of Shen Bing?” Han Huaixiao asked instead.
Xia Hang considered for a moment before answering, “He’s impeccable and careful enough that you can’t find any flaws. But I don’t think he’s actually as devoted to the children as he claims.”
“Why do you say that?”
“There were several group photos of him with the children hanging on the office wall. His office, furniture, even the windowsills were spotless. But those photographs had a layer of dust on them that was visible to the naked eye.”
“Did you also get the feeling he didn’t want Zhuang Zhuang talking to us?” Han Huaixiao nodded.
“I did.”
It was already dinner time when they arrived at the orphanage. By the time they left, it was after eight o’clock. Once they got into the car, Xia Hang asked, “Where are we going now?”
Han Huaixiao replied matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you agree to Chief Yan’s arrangement and move into my place to protect me? We’re going to your apartment to pick up your things.”
“…Oh.”
Neither of them had eaten dinner yet, so they stopped somewhere along the way for a meal. Back at Xia Hang’s apartment, there wasn’t much to pack, so five minutes later, everything was ready.
Looking around the nearly empty apartment and the pitifully small amount of luggage Xia Hang owned, Han Huaixiao once again had the unmistakable feeling that Xia Hang never intended to stay in Lang City permanently.
One day, he would leave.
Otherwise, no matter how little interest Xia Hang had in material possessions, he wouldn’t own so few things. It was obvious he had deliberately kept himself ready to leave at any moment.
As they went downstairs, Xia Hang sensed Han Huaixiao’s mood had grown subdued. Assuming he was thinking about the case, Xia Hang didn’t disturb him, and they remained quiet all the way to Maple Grove No. 1.
The security gate recognized Han Huaixiao’s car automatically, and the barrier lifted. Following Han Huaixiao’s directions, Xia Hang drove smoothly into the underground parking garage.
The elevator was right beside the parking space, and before long they arrived on the twenty-second floor.
Han Huaixiao’s apartment was even larger than the one he had owned in B City, and Xia Hang estimated it was well over 300 square meters. Perhaps because Han Huaixiao actually lived here most of the time, the apartment felt warm despite its understated luxury. The furnishings and layout were simple yet elegant, and it was obvious the owner had put genuine thought into decorating it. It wasn’t the sterile, lifeless show home Xia Hang had imagined.
Han Huaixiao opened the room next to the master bedroom, asking, “Will this room do?”
Xia Hang wasn’t picky. He could sleep in a tree or a mountain ravine if necessary, so having a proper room was already more than enough. Especially when this room had its own bathroom, shower, wardrobe, balcony… everything.
“It’s perfect.”
“Everything in this apartment is yours to use,” Han Huaixiao nodded. “Help yourself to anything. The housekeeper’s phone number is on the refrigerator. If you need food or anything else, call her, and she’ll have it delivered.”
“Okay.”
“We’ve got work tomorrow. Get some rest.”
“Okay.”
After quickly washing up, Xia Hang threw himself into bed and fell asleep almost instantly. The next morning, when the alarm woke him, his very first thought was:
I could sleep in this bed until the end of the world. How can a mattress and pillow be this comfortable?!
He wondered how much a mattress with such perfect ergonomic support cost, and whether he could ever afford one. After sleeping on something this comfortable, going back to his tiny apartment felt like it would guarantee insomnia.
So Xia Hang lingered in bed until Han Huaixiao knocked on his door. When he finally shuffled over to open it, Han Huaixiao asked, “Didn’t sleep well?”
“I slept too well,” Xia Hang replied honestly. “What brand is your mattress?”
“What, thinking of buying one?”
“Just tell me the price so I can give up.”
“My mother had it custom-made,” Han Huaixiao smiled. “Want her phone number?”
“…No, thanks.”
“Hurry up and get ready. Breakfast’s waiting.”
After washing up, Xia Hang walked out to find an elaborate breakfast already spread across the dining table. He looked at Han Huaixiao in surprise, mumbling, “What time did you get up?”
“About ten minutes before you.”
Remembering the housekeeper Han Huaixiao had mentioned the night before, Xia Hang quickly realized Han Huaixiao hadn’t made breakfast himself.
No wonder so many people dream of being rich, he thought. You wake up to a lavish breakfast without lifting a finger… sleep on a bed that’s comfortable enough to ruin all other beds… live with smart home appliances…
Only now did he notice the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. Outside flowed the Lang River, and beyond it lay Lang City’s largest forest park, famous for its lush greenery. Green mountains, clear water, breathtaking scenery… it was both beautiful and soothing to look at.
Taking a seat, Xia Hang sampled the breakfast. He wasn’t a picky eater, but after only a few bites he could tell the ingredients were exceptionally fresh, and every dish had been prepared flawlessly. This wasn’t the work of an ordinary chef.
Only then did it truly sink in that Han Huaixiao really had grown up in one of the country’s wealthiest families.
After breakfast, they left for work together. By the afternoon, the investigation had finally made new progress.
Kong Qinmao walked over carrying a stack of files, shouting, “Captain Han, here’s the information you asked me to collect on Yuyou Welfare Institute! Every year, a few children there die from illness, but starting five years ago, the number increased dramatically. Over the past five years, sixteen children have died of illness.” He handed over another file. “These are all their records.”
Han Huaixiao opened the folder. Some of the children had complete medical histories. Others had died inside the orphanage, with detailed reports documenting everything. On the surface, nothing looked wrong, but his instincts kept telling him something was very wrong.
“Keep digging.”
“Does this have something to do with Ju Jiezhen, Xin Rong, and Li Cheng’s case?” Kong Qinmao blinked.
“Even if it doesn’t,” Han Huaixiao replied, “the orphanage itself deserves a thorough investigation.”
“Understood.”
Just then, Zhang Tianhua hurried into the office. “Captain Han, Liao Yongqing and the boatswain, Bao Qinglong, have problems! You asked me to verify what they did after the ship docked,” he continued. “A few crew members said they didn’t see either Liao Yongqing or Bao Qinglong for two to three hours after docking. They only saw them again after two in the afternoon.”
“I questioned Bao Qinglong. Once he realized he couldn’t bluff his way through it, he admitted he’d hidden some foreign cigarettes in the cargo hold and had Liao Yongqing help him retrieve them after docking.”
“He even took me to the cigarettes. They were really there. But when I questioned Liao Yongqing, he refused to explain what they’d actually been doing during those two-plus hours. He only kept saying he was with Bao Qinglong.”
“Is he afraid admitting the cigarette smuggling will get him into trouble…” Ling Yue frowned, “or is he afraid his story won’t match Bao Qinglong’s?”
“Leave him alone for now,” Han Huaixiao said calmly. “We’ll interrogate him again later.”
Around the same time, He Zhengye returned with another forensic report, reporting, “We’ve finished testing Liao Wenwen’s samples.”
Everyone looked over.
“…We found semen both on her clothing and inside her body. It belonged to Xin Rong.”
Han Huaixiao asked, “What about Li Cheng?”
“No traces.”
Ling Yue scratched his head, mumbling, “Xin Rong and Li Cheng sleeping with Ju Jiezhen was already bizarre enough. Now her poor daughter, Liao Wenwen’s involved too.”
“…”
“Xin Rong’s semen was only found on Liao Wenwen. Li Cheng’s semen was only found on Ju Jiezhen… Then Ju Jiezhen, Li Cheng, and Xin Rong all die from a drug overdose, yet there’s no drug packaging at the scene, so we still don’t know whether it was accidental or murder.”
“Liao Yongqing originally had an alibi from Bao Qinglong, but now we’ve discovered the two of them disappeared for more than two hours. And we only went to the orphanage to investigate Xin Rong, yet now it turns out all those children who died there might be suspicious too.” He sighed. “The more we investigate this case, the more it feels like one giant tangled ball of yarn. We can’t sort out a single thread, and new ones just keep appearing.”
Han Huaixiao remained silent.
In his mind, he methodically sorted through every clue. Indeed, they looked hopelessly tangled, but… if he could find the single thread that mattered most, the rest would eventually unravel. When he reached the point concerning the overdose and the missing drug packaging, his instincts suddenly screamed that he’d overlooked something.
A moment later, the case of the child victims who had their medication switched flashed through his mind and his eyes widened. Without another word, he strode straight to the forensic lab.
He Zhengye looked up, already sensing his plans to leave work on time had just vanished.
“…What now?!”
Han Huaixiao asked, “When you examined Ju Jiezhen, Xin Rong, and Li Cheng, did you detect aphrodisiac compounds in their systems?”
“I did. They matched the aphrodisiac box found at the scene.”
“Some aphrodisiacs actually contain narcotic components,” Han Huaixiao said quietly, “Is it possible that what you identified as aphrodisiac ingredients were actually part of the drug they overdosed on?”
He Zhengye stared at him. “You mean… they never took an aphrodisiac at all?! The so-called aphrodisiac compounds in their bodies were actually components of the drug?”
“Exactly.”
He Zhengye immediately turned toward his laboratory, saying, “I’ll run the tests again!” But Han Huaixiao handed him the evidence bag containing the aphrodisiac package recovered from Ju Jiezhen’s home, ordering, “Test the package first. See whether it contains the same narcotic compounds found in those three child victims.”
“Don’t tell me…” He Zhengye’s eyes widened. “Another medication swap?!”
“I suspect so.”
“Got it! I’ll have the results as soon as possible.”
The results came back quickly, and the contents of the package did contain the same narcotic components found in Ju Jiezhen, Xin Rong, and Li Cheng.
“So someone replaced the aphrodisiac with drugs?” Zhang Tianhua frowned. “Ju Jiezhen, Xin Rong, and Li Cheng mistook the drugs for an aphrodisiac and took them?”
“Then who switched the medication?” Ling Yue asked.
“But these kinds of pills usually come wrapped in plastic,” Xia Ling thought aloud. “After the wrapping was removed, only Xin Rong’s fingerprints were found on the package. That means Xin Rong was the only person who handled it after it was opened,” she frowned. “Could Xin Rong have deliberately committed suicide… while killing Li Cheng and Ju Jiezhen at the same time?”
“But why would Xin Rong kill himself?” Xia Hang shook his head. “He doesn’t seem to have had any motive.”
“Then someone else switched the pills,” Kong Qinmao said.
“Liao Yongqing?”
However, Han Huaixiao shook his head, commenting, “Only Xin Rong’s fingerprints were on the package. That means Xin Rong brought the medication with him. Liao Yongqing probably never had a chance to get near it.”
“The person who knew Xin Rong would be taking aphrodisiacs, and who had an opportunity to replace them, was most likely someone close to him.”
“…Could it have been Xin You?” Kong Qinmao hesitated, but Wen Yu immediately disagreed: “Xin You’s only nineteen. Her life revolves around school and home, and according to He Zhengye, this is a new synthetic drug. Getting it requires connections. I don’t think Xin You would have access to something like that.”
“Investigate everyone who had frequent contact with Xin Rong.” Han Huaixiao gave the next order, while Zhang Tianhua added, “I think there’s another important question.”
“How did Li Cheng and Xin Rong both end up involved with Ju Jiezhen? I’m not looking down on Ju Jiezhen, but realistically speaking, if Li Cheng and Xin Rong wanted an affair, they had countless better options. So why did they both choose her?”
“Maybe they had a thing for married women?” Ling Yue guessed.
“Then what about Liao Wenwen?” Zhang Tianhua countered.
“…”
“Could Liao Wenwen have been their real target?” Ling Yue paused. “Maybe Ju Jiezhen was only incidental.”
“Then why,” Zhang Tianhua asked, “was Xin Rong’s semen the only one found on Liao Wenwen?”
“And Ju Jiezhen only had Li Cheng’s.”
“So… maybe Li Cheng was interested in Ju Jiezhen, while Xin Rong was interested in her daughter?”
“But according to their neighbor, Auntie Han,” Zhang Tianhua pointed out, “before Li Cheng ever got involved, Xin Rong had already been visiting Ju Jiezhen alone. They were already flirting physically, so their relationship was obviously more than ordinary.”
“That really is strange,” Xia Ling nodded. “Even if they preferred married women, with their status and methods they should have had countless choices. So why Ju Jiezhen?”
“Xia Ling, investigate Ju Jiezhen,” Han Huaixiao began assigning tasks. “Find out whether there’s anything unusual or distinctive about her.”
“Qinmao, investigate Xin Rong and Li Cheng. See whether either of them had any unusual preferences or fetishes. Also, continue digging into the children who died at Yuyou Welfare Institute.”
“Brother Hua, continue investigating Liao Yongqing and Bao Qinglong. Find out what they were doing aboard the ship behind the other crew members’ backs.”
Finally, he turned toward Xia Hang.
“Xia Hang.”
“You and I are going to Xin You’s university.”
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