Chapter 42 QH663, Is That Pang Le’s License Plate?…

Chapter 42 QH663, is that Pang Le's license plate number?...

Soon it was the weekend. Guan Xia had finished binge-watching another series, put down her phone, and stretched with a big, lazy yawn. Doing the math, aside from her daily morning workouts, it had been two or three days since she actually left the house. As for recharging her halo, nearly half a month had passed since returning from Qu Spring City.

Xu Nian had kept in touch because of the case. Although two more cold cases related to the current investigation had been discovered and successfully merged, the first case was still under investigation.

Guan Xia figured it was time to go out. If nothing else, her taste buds were starting to protest—she was tired of takeout, and the food she made herself had reached the point where she couldn’t even stand to look at it.

Just as she picked up her phone to call Pang Le and ask her out for dinner that evening, Pang Le’s call came through first.

Guan Xia was pleasantly surprised and couldn’t help laughing as she answered. "I was just thinking of calling you, and here you are! We're totally in sync. Were you about to ask me out to eat too?"

Pang Le also laughed. "What a coincidence! Yeah, wanna have dinner together tonight? Same as usual—I’ll pick you up?"

Guan Xia happily agreed.

Forty minutes later, they met at the entrance of the residential complex. Guan Xia hesitated when she saw Pang Le’s outfit. "You’ve… changed your style again today?"

Pang Le usually wore her hair in big waves and form-fitting dresses that accentuated her figure. But today, her hair was long, straight, and black, paired with an ethereal white dress. Her makeup was natural, toning down her striking beauty by about seventy or eighty percent. If it weren’t for the untamable wildness still flickering in her eyes, Guan Xia would have thought she’d been body-snatched.

Pang Le waited until Guan Xia was seated in the passenger seat and had closed the door before flipping her hair proudly. "So? Stunned, aren’t you? I’m not exaggerating—I spent over two hours on this makeup today. The more natural it looks, the more skill it requires."

Guan Xia praised her a few times, then narrowed her eyes as a thought occurred to her. "Two hours? You called me just forty minutes ago. Looks like someone originally had plans with someone else."

Knowing she was in the wrong, Pang Le immediately softened her voice to coax her. "Sorry, sorry, my bad, sweetie, don’t be mad. You know how it is—you’ll always be the most important person in my heart."

Guan Xia humphed but wasn’t actually angry. Still, she couldn’t help asking, "So you called me last minute because you got stood up?"

Pang Le cautiously checked Guan Xia’s expression and, seeing no signs of anger, replied, "Yeah, we were supposed to have Western food tonight, but after I’d already done my makeup, he suddenly said something urgent came up—something really important that he couldn’t skip. So I had to let him go. But after spending two hours on makeup and another hour on my hair, I wasn't about to let all that effort go to waste."

"So you thought of me," Guan Xia humphed again. "Since you’re treating me as your backup, you’re paying for dinner tonight."

"Absolutely," Pang Le said, relieved that the topic was dropped, and happily started the car.

Guan Xia had assumed Pang Le would take her for Western food as originally planned, but instead, the car exited the highway onto a small road, twisted and turned several times, and finally parked in an alley that looked vaguely familiar.

After getting out of the car, Guan Xia asked curiously, "What are we eating tonight? This place feels familiar—have we been here before?"

"Yeah, we have," Pang Le said, locking the car and linking arms with Guan Xia. "It’s where we parked last time we ate with Xu Nian and the others."

Guan Xia remembered. "Are we eating at that same barbecue place?"

"Not quite," Pang Le said. "Last time I came here with some people from the gym, the front desk girl recommended a specialty hot pot place. I thought it was pretty good, so I brought you here to try it. The AC here is cranked up—don’t worry, we won’t be sweating while eating."

Guan Xia had been about to protest, but upon hearing that last part, she swallowed her words.

It was the same familiar route and food alley, but unlike last time, they didn’t go too deep inside. After just a few dozen steps, they reached their destination.

"Here we are," Pang Le said, holding the door open for Guan Xia. "So? Pretty crowded, right? I’m telling you, this place is a hidden gem."

Guan Xia looked around. The decor was ordinary, but the space was large, with dozens of tables already two-thirds full even though it was still early for dinner.

Pang Le led Guan Xia to a table by the window. "Let’s sit here. It’s not too far from the vent—we won’t get too hot or too cold while eating hot pot. Perfect. We sat here last time too."

Guan Xia had no objections. After the server brought the menu, they discussed and ordered together.

Pang Le rinsed the cups with hot water and filled them for both of them, casually asking, "Did you ask Xu Nian about what we discussed last time? What did he say?"

Guan Xia shrugged. "Pretty much what you said. But later, he mentioned he’d discuss it with his superiors. Still, I doubt it’ll work out. I was getting ahead of myself."

Pang Le rinsed the chopsticks with hot water and said, "I think your idea is a good one. After all, I'm the one who hangs out with you the most, so compared to them, I understand you best. But still… I don’t think you need to rush. Look, today is May 25th. If I remember correctly, it’s only been a little over a month since you first provided the police with a lead. In just one month, you’ve helped solve three cases, and now there’s a fourth under investigation. Even if it was unintentional, I’d say that’s not bad for making use of your talent. Most importantly, you’re still young, so there’s really no need to rush."

Because of that elusive halo, Guan Xia had indeed been feeling anxious lately. But after hearing Pang Le’s analysis, she suddenly realized it had only been a little over a month since she first activated the system.

It was as if the sword of Damocles hanging over her head had shifted slightly. Guan Xia instantly felt a bit more relaxed.

Leaning back comfortably in her chair, Guan Xia propped her head up with her hand and said, "You always say you’re not much of a thinker, but I think you’re pretty good at analysis. Look at you, coming up with one comforting remark after another."

Pang Le shot her a look. "I’m just lazy, not stupid. I’m used to using my hands, so I don’t bother using my brain much."

Guan Xia studied Pang Le’s face carefully and smiled. "With your skills and your looks, you’re already a winning combination. If you used your brain more too—wow, how could there be someone as perfect as you in this world?"

Pang Le burst out laughing at Guan Xia’s exaggerated praise.

As they chatted, several more groups of people entered the restaurant. The few empty tables left were soon filled.

Guan Xia noticed that most of the newcomers were young people. The rich aroma of food in the restaurant had already made her stomach growl, and now she was even hungrier.

Guan Xia said, "Looks like even though I’ve lived in Yongquan City for several years, I’m not much different from a newcomer. I hadn’t even heard of this restaurant, let alone this food street, until last time."

"That’s because you were busy surviving before," Pang Le said. "You only really started enjoying life in the last two or three years. Plus, you’re such a homebody. I can’t even imagine what you do at home for days on end without going out. Don’t you get bored?"

Guan Xia shook her head. "Not at all. Reading, binge-watching shows and variety programs, sketching when the mood strikes… I feel like there’s never enough time in the day."

Pang Le let out a low whistle in amazement. "It’s a miracle we became friends."

Guan Xia fully agreed with that and nodded with a smile.

Because the restaurant was crowded, it took about ten minutes for their food to arrive. Just as the pot finally started boiling and Guan Xia was eagerly digging in, she suddenly heard a man at the next table say, "What are they eating? It looks really good. Can you get me the same thing?"

Guan Xia instinctively turned and saw a man in his forties looking at their table while speaking to the server.

The man had a simple, neat hairstyle. His skin was fair but covered in large patches of red, as if sunburned. Though he was no longer young, he hadn’t gained weight. His eyebrows were thick, his eyes narrow and long, his nose not particularly high-bridged, and his lips a bit too thin. Individually, his features were ordinary, but together on his well-defined face, they unexpectedly made him look quite handsome.

As if sensing Guan Xia’s gaze, the man turned toward her after finishing his conversation with the server. Meeting her eyes, he gave her a gentle smile—not the cold indifference of a stranger, but one carrying a hint of warmth.

Guan Xia instinctively smiled back and looked away, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The man looked familiar.

And being familiar to her was never a good sign. As she continued eating, Guan Xia began to ponder.

Her first thought was the recent cases where she had provided leads to the police but which remained unsolved. She remembered what Xu Nian had told her before: although a suspect had been identified, because the crime scenes had been cleaned too thoroughly, there was no direct evidence to prove he was the killer. So they were only keeping him under surveillance and hadn’t arrested him yet.

Guan Xia steadied herself and tried hard to recall her earlier memories. Soon, the system interface appeared, and the previously played video replayed.

The face enclosed in the red frame enlarged. After studying it for a few seconds, Guan Xia broke out in a cold sweat—it was definitely the man at the next table.

Shocked and somewhat incredulous, Guan Xia thought, *Wasn’t that man from Jianyang City? His crimes always took place in September, October, and November. The rest of the time, he holed up in the homestay he ran. It’s only May now—why is he in Yongquan City? Xu Nian said they had him under tight surveillance. Are there police in the restaurant right now?*

Guan Xia tried hard to control her expression. She kept her head down, continuing to eat while discreetly scanning the crowd around her.

The tables near the man were all occupied. Each table had two to four people—all adults, no children, of varying ages, chatting casually while eating. Guan Xia didn’t dare look too obvious, only glancing briefly before averting her eyes. She couldn’t tell if any of them were police, but based on what Xu Nian had said, there must be officers present. Given how brutal this killer was, there were probably more than just one or two.

Knowing the police were nearby, Guan Xia relaxed slightly, but internally she was screaming.

*You've got to be kidding me! It’s my first time going out in days, and it was a spontaneous decision—I didn’t even know where we were going until we got here. And I still run into him? Besides, based on his past patterns, he should be in Jianyang City right now. Why is he in Yongquan City? Did he glitch or something? Or has he suddenly changed his pattern and is now looking for new victims?*

The thought sent chills down her spine. Remembering that she had just made eye contact with him—and that he had even smiled at her—Guan Xia desperately wanted to get up and run.

But since Xu Nian and the others were still in the investigation phase, Guan Xia was afraid any unusual behavior might alert the man. She forced herself to keep eating, her face stiff with tension.

Pang Le naturally noticed Guan Xia's unusual behavior. Before she could even ask, she saw Guan Xia give her a meaningful look and immediately understood, digging in herself.

Normally, the two of them would take at least an hour and a half to finish a meal, but this time they finished in under an hour.

After leaving the restaurant, Pang Le, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't wait to ask quietly, "What's wrong? Did you notice something again?"

Guan Xia hooked arms with Pang Le, holding tight as if she'd found a solid support, finally daring to speak. "Don't look back, just keep walking. The man at the table next to us is the suspect from that case I gave Xu Nian tips on. They're still investigating."

Pang Le was surprised too and instinctively started to turn, but she stopped herself as soon as she moved her neck. She coughed twice and whispered, "What? Why hasn't he been arrested yet? Why's he still out roaming free?"

Guan Xia replied, "He's not just wandering around. Xu Nian and the others are already watching him while they collect evidence."

Pang Le finally relaxed. "So that's how it is. You scared me. I was even thinking about whether we should go back and restrain him." Her tone actually sounded a little disappointed.

Guan Xia, annoyed, pinched her arm.

Pang Le faked a pain yelp. The two walked arm in arm until they got into the car and finally let go.

Feeling extremely insecure, Guan Xia rolled the half-open car window all the way up. Seeing this, Pang Le rolled up all the other windows too and turned on the air conditioning.

Pang Le drove out of the alley and onto the brightly lit main road. She glanced at Guan Xia and asked, "Should you tell Xu Nian about what just happened?"

Guan Xia thought for a moment. "Probably not necessary... I heard from Xu Nian that they've set up a task force for this case. He must be part of it. The surveillance team must've reported the suspect's presence at that restaurant. I imagine every move he makes is being reported."

Compared to Guan Xia, Pang Le was much calmer. Though not panicked, her expression was still serious. "I noticed the suspect looking at you earlier. Do you think it's possible he's targeting you? Like that... that creep named He Something."

Guan Xia was immediately horrified. She wanted to say it probably wasn't that bad, but the words stuck in her throat.

Given that she had randomly run into him when she finally went out, she had no hope left when it came to luck. Besides, even though the suspect seemed harmless and even friendly when he made eye contact with her, he was still a murderer. Only he knew what he was really thinking when he looked at Guan Xia.

Guan Xia's mind raced for a while. She was about to ask Pang Le if she could stay with her for a few days when her phone rang.

Pulling it out of her bag, she saw it was Xu Nian calling.

Realizing what it might be about, she answered quickly. Before she could even speak, Xu Nian asked, "Is QH663 Pang Le's license plate number?"

Guan Xia instinctively glanced at Pang Le for a second before answering, "Yes, it's hers. Why?"

Xu Nian said seriously, "We just received a message from our surveillance colleagues. After you left X Restaurant, Xia Wenguang also left just two minutes later and followed you from a distance until you parked. I suggest you avoid separating from now on and try not to go out. I'll also be staying at home for the next few days and will arrange for colleagues to keep an eye on the area near the neighborhood."

Pang Le's speculation had now become reality. Though Guan Xia had mentally prepared herself, she couldn't help but sigh in fear. Her luck was really something else.

After agreeing, Guan Xia hung up and explained the situation to Pang Le.

Pang Le raised an eyebrow with an "I told you so" expression.

Guan Xia couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Looks like I'll have to bother you to stay with me for a few days again."