Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Xia Qing stood by the folding table of the breakfast stall, his shoe stepping on a discarded soy milk bag carelessly thrown on the ground. His refined air stood out starkly in this chaotic environment. He looked at Xu Zhangying and said, "Good morning, Officer Xu."

"Morning," Xu Zhangying replied. By the time he realized it, he had already put down his chopsticks and, out of habit, grabbed two napkins to wipe down the stool beside him—just like he had done eight years ago.

To his surprise, Xia Qing actually sat down, still carrying his bag on his shoulder. His striking face stayed blank, and he didn’t initiate conversation, merely staring at the basket of steamed buns in front of him for a few seconds.

Xu Zhangying felt a sudden surge of emotions he couldn’t quite process, and before he knew it, he huffed a quiet laugh.

Hearing this, Xia Qing glanced at him. Xu Zhangying chuckled again and asked, "Professor Xia, have you eaten yet?"

"No."

"Alright," Xu Zhangying called out to the stall owner in Cantonese, "Auntie, add an order of wontons and har gow!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Xu Zhangying regretted it. He’d reflexively ordered Xia Qing’s usual, but now, Xia Qing had barely spoken to him. He wasn’t sure if it would come across as presumptuous. He glanced at Xia Qing, relieved to see no hint of unease—he was simply waiting quietly.

Noticing that Xia Qing was still carrying his bag, looking like a student scarfing down breakfast, Xu Zhangying smiled and said, "Professor Xia, are you going to eat with your bag on?"

Xia Qing looked up. "No place to set it here."

"You’re not used to places like this. Here, give it to me," Xu Zhangying said, standing up and taking the bag from Xia Qing’s shoulder. He placed it on another stool after covering the seat with a napkin.

The food arrived quickly. Just as Xu Zhangying set the bag down, the stall owner brought the wontons and har gow and placed them in front of Xia Qing. As she straightened up, she caught a glimpse of Xia Qing’s face and immediately exclaimed, "Wow, you’re a looker!"

A familiar warmth spread through Xu Zhangying’s chest. Xia Qing was still the same—pretending not to care when people complimented his looks. He lowered his head to snap apart the chopsticks, but since Xu Zhangying couldn’t help but keep staring, Xia Qing calmly looked up and asked, "What is it?"

Xu Zhangying couldn’t very well say, "I just wanted to look at you because I haven’t seen you in so long," so he awkwardly played along. "From a distance earlier, I thought you were some college student I didn’t know. It took me a second look to realize it was Professor Xia."

"Xia Qing."

"Huh?" Xu Zhangying blinked. "What?"

Xia Qing picked up a shrimp dumpling with his chopsticks and looked at Xu Zhangying calmly. "My name is Xia Qing."

Xu Zhangying immediately played along. "Ah, nice to meet you, Xia Qing. I’m Xu Zhangying."

Xia Qing lowered his head and began eating.

As Xu Zhangying watched Xia Qing’s hair, he thought to himself that Zhao Yang’s description of him as cold and distant didn’t seem quite right. The current Xia Qing was way friendlier than the one he had first met years ago. Back then, it had taken him so much effort just to get a word out of him. Could memories really affect a person’s personality this much?

Picking up his chopsticks again, Xu Zhangying changed his form of address and asked, "Xia Qing, are you here to investigate the victim’s family too?"

Xia Qing murmured 'Mn' in response. He ate neatly, but his pace was decent—especially paired with his face. Within minutes, a few girls had settled at the next table. Xia Qing looked up and said, "Captain Yan mentioned you arrived twenty minutes before me."

Xu Zhangying nodded. "Dropped by randomly. The old lady went to take her grandson to kindergarten, so we can finish eating and head over just in time."

But then Xia Qing suddenly asked, "Why didn’t you come with Zhao Yang?"

Xu Zhangying blinked. "Why would I come with him?"

Seeing his confusion, Xia Qing explained like he was stating facts, "The clothes you’re wearing aren’t yours."

Only then did Xu Zhangying remember—as a beta, he couldn’t detect pheromones, but an alpha’s clothes would carry their scent. And Xia Qing, now a top-tier alpha with sharp senses, would naturally notice. He backpedaled, "Last night, Zhao Yang, Qi Feng, and I had some drinks. I’m an early riser, so I woke up while they were still asleep. I just threw on whatever was handy and came to take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Zhangying caught the weirdness. He asked, "Xia Qing, are you close with Zhao Yang?"

Last night, Zhao Yang and Qi Feng had insisted that their relationship with Xia Qing was basically strangers now. But if Xia Qing could recognize Zhao Yang’s scent, then they couldn’t have been just passing nods.

Xia Qing nodded slightly. "I met Officer Zhao four years ago. We worked together back then, so I know him fairly well."

Four years ago—that would likely refer to the Xishan serial murder case. It was the case that first put Xia Qing in the public eye and also a minor turning point in Zhao Yang's life. It was during that investigation that Zhao Yang was injured while distinguishing himself, propelling him from a rookie beat cop straight into the Major Crime Unit.

But Zhao Yang wouldn’t lie to him. Xu Zhangying pondered silently. Did Xia Qing actually remember them better than Zhao Yang thought?

At that moment, Xu Zhangying heard Xia Qing ask, "Xu Zhangying, are you a foreign national?"

Snapped from his thoughts, Xu Zhangying saw Xia Qing’s amber eyes fixed on him. He shook his head. "No, I happened to go abroad in my early twenties. Later, I met AGB’s then-head of North America and joined their training program before officially working there. AGB doesn’t restrict by nationality."

The reply dodged the question. Just as Xu Zhangying was about to relax, Xia Qing cut straight to the point: "Then why did you stop painting?"

Xu Zhangying’s heart skipped a beat. He froze for two full seconds before stammering, almost panicked, "How did you know I used to paint?"

As he spoke, images flashed through his mind—shattered frames, torn canvases, and scattered papers—along with the blurred face of someone kneeling amidst the wreckage.

"Your right hand. The damage is too severe—it takes years to develop," Xia Qing set down his chopsticks, his gaze lightly resting on Xu Zhangying’s hand.

Xu Zhangying’s fingers trembled slightly around the chopsticks. He looked down and let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Ah, this? Xia Qing, your observational skills are really sharp—far more professional than mine."

Then, remembering Xia Qing’s question, he shook his head with a smile. "I never got anywhere with it. Plus, I owed a lot of money back then and didn’t have the confidence to attend art school. But once, by chance, I helped a child involved in a sexual assault case at a medical center. The sketch I drew of the suspect cracked the case, and I realized I might be better suited for criminal investigation. So I switched careers. In that sense, my art training wasn’t wasted."

"Mhm." At 28, Xia Qing was far more talkative than he’d been at 15. He lowered his head and continued eating breakfast with refined manners. Watching his profile, Xu Zhangying couldn’t resist asking, "Do you like the food?"

"It does. Sometimes when I go home, my family makes it for me," Xia Qing replied.

Xu Zhangying’s chest tightened like a needle had pierced it. He feigned nonchalance as he continued, "You don’t go home often?"

"I live on my own, but my mother and grandfather often invite me back for meals."

The praise left Xu Zhangying strangely uneasy. He hadn’t meant to pry, but... "I see. You must have a big family—are they all good to you?"

The Lin family of Xing’an—Lin Guangji’s three married daughters, plus extended relatives, made for a sizable household. Xu Zhangying watched Xia Qing’s composed expression and quietly relaxed.

Both ate quickly. After finishing, Xu Zhangying scanned the QR code to pay, and the two slowly walked down the alley together.

Walking beside him, Xu Zhangying felt the past he remembered slipping away, replaced by the unfamiliar present. He held back but ultimately couldn’t resist. Turning to Xia Qing, he asked, "Xia Qing, didn’t you study biological genetics? Why the interest in criminal investigation? Was it an LSA requirement?"

Xia Qing had a reputation in AGB, and a quick social media search of his name flooded the screen with clips—all inevitably circling back to the labels of "elite alpha from a prominent family" and "genius biologist." But after the Xishan murders four years ago, Xia Qing began expanding into criminal investigation, a field entirely unrelated to his biological research. Not only did he pursue a degree in criminal psychology, but his lab also consistently assisted domestic and international investigative organizations with compound analysis.

Xia Qing’s face gave nothing away. "Same as you. I realized my expertise could contribute in this area, so I kept at it."

The praise left Xu Zhangying strangely uneasy, and he scratched his head sheepishly. "I wasn’t that noble. Back then, I was just struggling to get by. AGB’s high subsidies and salaries were the main reasons I chose this job."

Xia Qing suddenly stopped walking. He tilted his head slightly, studying Xu Zhangying. "I don’t think being driven by necessity is anything to be ashamed of."

Xu Zhangying froze for a second before bursting into laughter. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he grinned at Xia Qing. "Xia Qing, not only are you brilliant, but has no one ever told you your emotional intelligence is off the charts too?"

Xia Qing: "Never."

Xu Zhangying laughed harder. "That’s because they’re too embarrassed to say it to your face!"

It was nearly eight o’clock. The quiet alley still saw the occasional hurried office worker passing through. Given the narrow space, Xu Zhangying ducked behind Xia Qing to make way...

Before he knew it, Xu Zhangying was trading questions and answers with the 28-year-old Xia Qing, who answered every question. "I heard from Qi Feng that you’re swamped these days—working at Xing’an, teaching, running experiments. Didn’t you just get back from the UK yesterday? Won’t taking this case on overload you?"

Xia Qing: "I just wrapped up a project, so I’m not too busy. The school term is also ending soon."

"No wonder you're a scientist. At our age, you've accomplished so much."

"Everyone's circumstances are different. Your work at AGB can't be easy either."

"It's alright actually. Finish one job and another pops up—like a video game with endless new maps and quests. Just two days ago, I was still in Burkina Faso."

"West Africa? Working there?"

Xu Zhangying said with genuine admiration: "Wow, Professor Xia, you're really impressive! Yesterday, when I mentioned it to Zhao Yang and Qi Feng, they'd never even heard of it—there was a child sexual assault case there. I stayed for a month. Can't you tell I got darker?"

Xia Qing shook his head: "You're not tanned."

Xu Zhangying felt his heart swell with emotion. "If you keep this up, I might actually cry, I'm so touched."

Xia Qing: "..."

Xia Qing: "Do you come back often?"

Xu Zhangying: "Not often. The last time I came back three years ago was to Hong Kong. I haven't been back in eight years."

Xia Qing fell silent for a moment before asking: "Don't you have any family left here?"

Xu Zhangying shook his head: "Nope, all gone. That's why I'm perfect for this job. I bet the only reason this beta keeps his AGB job is because I handle so much work."

Xia Qing remained silent, not responding. Xu Zhangying rubbed his nose and turned to ask him: "Why did you think I come back often?"

Xia Qing: "You seemed right at home buying me breakfast."

Xu Zhangying chuckled: "That's just one of my survival skills. I can quickly find food in any country or region I go to."

Xia Qing looked up: "How long will you stay in the country this time?"

Xu Zhangying calculated seriously: "Depends on how the case goes. Once we've mostly wrapped things up, we’ll leave. I estimate I’ll be here for about three months."

Xia Qing’s expression remained unreadable as he simply said: "Alright."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two stopped in front of an old-fashioned courtyard gate. The courtyard was formed by two dilapidated residential buildings, only four stories high, with about seven or eight families living there.

Xu Zhangying had already been here once before. He knocked on the iron gate again, but when no one answered, he pushed it open and strode inside.

A woman in her fifties was emptying a basin of vegetable-washing water over some scallions in a plastic crate. The moment she looked up, her eyes were full of wariness as she barked in heavily accented Mandarin: "Who are you people?"

This was none other than Zhao Xiuzhen, the person they were looking for. Her automatic reaction showed she had been approached for questioning many times recently. Without wasting words, Xu Zhangying pulled out his badge. "Auntie Zhao, we’re from the Municipal Police Department. We just need to talk to you briefly—it’ll only take about 20 minutes."

As expected, Zhao Xiuzhen flared up. She waved her hands, shooing them away: "Go, go! You cops should just arrest me already! Coming here every day—who can stand this? Hurry up and leave! I still need to go buy groceries!"

Xia Qing stood motionless like a birch tree and said coldly: "There have been new developments in the case. We need to ask the victim’s family for some additional information."

Just as the woman was about to push them away with her basin, she caught sight of the black chip behind Xia Qing’s ear. Then, taking a closer look at the young man’s face, the curses died on her lips.

"Fine, make it quick! I still have to cook for the whole family!"

With that, Zhao Xiuzhen turned and went upstairs. Xu Zhangying and Xia Qing exchanged a glance. Blinking, Xu Zhangying didn’t notice the other’s momentary pause in expression. Instead, he took a big step forward and followed her up the stairs.