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"Fenfen, Daddy is at work, and Mommy went to the market to buy ingredients for dinner," Fenfen replied while twirling her jump rope.

"Look here," Old Ma chuckled, fishing out a few candies from his pocket and juggling them. "These are sweets from America. Do you want some?"

Fenfen's eyes fixated on the candies. Without much thought, she wiped her mouth with her hand and nodded eagerly. "Yes, I do!"

Old Ma held the candies and turned around with a mischievous smile. "Grandpa Ma has plenty more in my room. If you like them, come with me and get some."

"Okay."

Fenfen hopped up the steps, following joyfully behind him.

The elderly man and the young girl slowly made their way upstairs.

Chu Yuening watched them, chewing on her gum. Once the pair had disappeared around the corner of the staircase, she got up and followed.

In another part of town...

The three of them scoured the vehicle impoundment center but failed to locate anyone.

Exhausted, Shi Boren slumped onto the floor and guzzled down a bottle of mineral water. After finishing it, he forcefully crushed the empty bottle in his hand.

"I swear, if I ever find that bastard, there's no way Ma Zhengqi will get away!"

Zhou Fengxu arrived with the center manager, seeing the three weary individuals sitting on the ground. He asked, "Did you find anything?"

All three of them shook their heads, looking dispirited.

The center manager brought along an assistant. "Detective Zhou, I've checked all the information you requested, and indeed, there's no record of a Mr. Ma Zhengqi here."

With a polite smile, he continued, "I understand the challenges of your work. You can take a rest in the VIP lounge while I attend to other matters."

Zhou Fengxu shook hands with the manager and nodded. "Thank you."

"No need to be formal, we're all part of one community," the manager replied before departing with his assistant.

Zhou Fengxu gazed at the ceaseless flow of people outside the hall, lost in thought.

Could it be that...

A miscalculation?

Was Ma Zhengqi not here?

Impossible. Chu Yuening could even create a life-saving talisman; how could she possibly make a mistake in her calculations?

He glanced in Shi Boren's direction and noticed the emptiness around them. He immediately frowned and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Who?" Shi Boren was momentarily confused, looking left and right. "Brother Xu, I really searched almost the entire area and didn't see anyone resembling Ma Zhengqi."

Zhou Fengxu had a nagging feeling that something was amiss. His eyebrows twitched as he asked, "Did you mean where Ning Ning is?"

Only then did Shi Boren realize his oversight and let out an "Oh."

"Maybe she's too tired and went to rest."

Shi Boren didn't find anything unusual about this. "She's still a young girl after all. It's normal for girls with delicate skin to need rest."

Zhou Fengxu felt that something was off.

Based on his understanding of Chu Yuening, she was an extremely diligent and responsible person; once she committed to something, she wouldn't leave it halfway.

Coincidentally,

an employee entered from outside.

Zhou Fengxu approached and said, "Excuse me, sir."

He gave a brief description of Chu Yuening's appearance.

"Oh, the person you're looking for, I just bumped into her at the entrance," the employee said. "But she seemed to have met someone she knew and left with an uncle."

"An uncle?" Zhou Fengxu grew alert. "Do you know him? Do you have any information?"

"Yes," the employee pointed to the opposite side of the street, to the Wah Yan Estate. "The uncle lives in that estate. If you're looking for him, that's where you should go."

"How old is this uncle?" Shi Boren hurriedly asked.

The employee recalled, "I'd say he's in his sixties."

In his sixties!

The three people sitting on the floor immediately jumped up in shock.

Shi Boren realized he had caused trouble and cautiously looked at the grim-faced Zhou Fengxu. "A... A man in his s...sixties? C...can it be Ma Zhengqi?"

Damn it, it's over now.

He had actually let Ning Ning follow that ruthless murderer to the public housing estate.

"Ma Zhengqi?" The staff member glanced at the form. "I don't know his full name, but he does have the surname Ma."

As soon as those words were spoken, four figures dashed out quickly.

They arrived on the third floor.

Old Ma's rented room was right next to the staircase, with a worn-out wooden door covered in peeling paint. The floor tiles, adorned with patterns, were stained with grease and smoke.

He lifted his sticky leather shoes and inserted the key into the lock on the doorknob.

In the heavy air, his breath quickened in anticipation of what was to come, a glint of determination flickering in his cloudy eyes.

Fenfen stood behind him, curiosity fueling her question, "Grandpa Ma, why aren't you eating your candy?"

"Grandpa Ma is old, I'm afraid of getting cavities," he replied. The key stuck, and the elderly man kept twisting it, growing increasingly frustrated as he pushed against the door.

"Why? Adults can get cavities too?" Fenfen asked, puzzled.

"Enough!" Unable to open the door, Old Man Ma's patience wore thin. Throughout their ascent up the stairs, Fenfen had bombarded him with endless questions.

His mind was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the cacophony of sounds.

Unfazed, Fenfen leaned in to examine the lock, "Grandpa Ma, you should change your lock."

With a click, the door creaked open.

Old Man Ma turned his head, a slow smile spreading across his face, "Yes, Grandpa Ma has grown forgetful. It's time to change the lock."

"Come, accompany Grandpa Ma into the room."

As he spoke, he reached out to hold Fenfen's hand.

Gazing at the little girl's sweet smile, he was reminded of that young missy named Zheng from eighteen years ago. It was also around this time of year when he had brought an eight-year-old girl back to their rented apartment.

In the dimly lit surroundings, the little girl's frightened sobs echoed.

A deeper sense of amusement flickered across Old Ma's face.

"Come, Grandpa Ma has lots of candies, all for you."