Chapter 8 05

Chapter 8.05

The sky had completely darkened, with a bright moon hanging in the air.

Most of the lights in the municipal police bureau's office were still on, including the one in the Missing Persons Investigation Unit.

When Li Shang went upstairs, Cheng Xiaoyi was still there, a steaming hot takeout container of rice noodles in front of her, ready to be enjoyed.

Seeing someone return, Cheng Xiaoyi paused slightly, "Why are you back alone?"

Li Shang showed her the car keys. "That location was closer to Fang Jue's place, so the others left directly. I drove the car back and also picked up today's new work laptop." After retrieving his items, he asked her, "Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Cheng Xiaoyi pointed to the files on the desk. "There's still a lot left to review. I'm worried about holding up the team's progress. Besides, I live alone in a rented place, and it's boring at home anyway. Might as well be productive."

"Need any help?" Li Shang asked.

"Sure. My eyes are a bit strained from reading all day." Cheng Xiaoyi didn't refuse her new colleague's offer and handed him a few of the remaining case files.

Li Shang took them and began flipping through the first one.

Cheng Xiaoyi's desk was diagonally in front of Li Shang's. When Li Shang had entered earlier in the day, she had found him striking, but as he was a colleague of the opposite sex and the office was crowded, she hadn't felt comfortable staring.

Now, in the evening, only the two of them remained in the office. The white fluorescent light illuminated Li Shang's face, making Cheng Xiaoyi momentarily lost in thought.

Li Shang's skin was a cool, pale complexion—a standout in the municipal bureau, which was full of rugged-looking men.

His features were also handsome. His eyebrows, naturally shaped, were light and elegant like distant mountain peaks, paired with eyelashes as dark as raven’s feathers. When he was quiet and not speaking, he exuded a calm, composed demeanor that was truly pleasing to the eye.

Cheng Xiaoyi found the handsome view improved her appetite. After a few bites of her noodles, she asked Li Shang, "Do you want to order some takeout?"

"No need, I’ll eat when I get back," Li Shang politely declined her offer. He kept his head down, focused intently. "These should take about half an hour to get through."

"Half an hour?!" Cheng Xiaoyi exclaimed in disbelief. "How is that possible? I spent the entire afternoon and only got through one-third of them."

If Cheng Xiaoyi were to handle the remaining files, it would take her at least five to six hours to finish.

"Now there are two of us, and I read pretty quickly," Li Shang said, as if describing something ordinary and effortless. Almost immediately, he set aside the file he had been holding.

"Wait, did you actually read that thoroughly?" Cheng Xiaoyi felt that Li Shang hadn’t grasped the importance of the task. "We can’t risk missing any details. If we overlook a connected case, it could not only make solving the case harder but also lead to serious consequences…"

She thought for a moment and gave him an example: "There was once a series of missing persons cases. The officer reviewing the cases didn’t find a connected case from a few years earlier. It was Captain He who discovered it while going through old files—he noticed a distinctive knot on the missing person’s shoe. That’s why we don’t use digital files for comparisons and insist on manually reviewing paper copies. Many cases have hidden connections, and copies can lose details…"

Instead of explaining himself, Li Shang handed the file he had just finished to Cheng Xiaoyi. "You can test me."

Cheng Xiaoyi set her noodles aside and took the file skeptically but curiously. "Alright then, tell me, when did the case occur?"

The question was straightforward. Li Shang proceeded to recount the time, location, the missing person’s name, ID number, and so on.

Cheng Xiaoyi’s eyes gradually widened...

"The missing person’s home address is Apartment 4-302, No. 543 Bailonggang Road. The license plate number is YB2783..." Not only did he remember these details, but Li Shang also briefly described the entire disappearance process... mentioning a small notation in the file.

Cheng Xiaoyi’s mouth slightly fell open. It wasn’t until Li Shang finished that she reacted, exclaiming in amazement, "Your memory is incredible."

More than incredible—it was practically a photographic memory.

Cheng Xiaoyi felt motivated and quickly finished her dinner before resuming the file screening. With Li Shang’s help, the pace sped up considerably.

Li Shang poured himself a cup of hot water and began working methodically, like a seasoned professional.

He taught Cheng Xiaoyi some simple review techniques. Together, they quickly skimmed through all the files, sorting them by relevance, and then focused on a few key ones.

They soon narrowed it down to three files. Li Shang handed them to Cheng Xiaoyi. "These need to be copied."

"Okay." Cheng Xiaoyi stood up. As she stood in front of the photocopier, she suddenly realized something felt strange. Why was she so obediently following Li Shang’s instructions?

Cheng Xiaoyi mentally reviewed the interaction.

At first, they had discussed things together. Li Shang wasn’t as quiet and obedient as he had been earlier in the day when he was with Captain He. Instead, he had his own opinions and ideas. His attitude was gentle and polite, and his suggestions were efficient and logical—clearly the better approach.

He had also taught her many efficient methods.

Somehow, without her noticing, Li Shang had gradually taken charge... and it all felt natural.

Once she figured it out, Cheng Xiaoyi felt at ease.

She wasn’t the type to get hung up on hierarchy. Whoever was more capable should take charge. If the sky fell, the tall ones can handle it. After all, the goal was to get the work done, and she was happy to cooperate.

Besides, Li Shang was highly competent. If he hadn’t been willing to help, she might have had to work late into the night, possibly even until the next day, to finish.

She was quite grateful for Li Shang’s assistance.

Apart from the humming sound of the photocopier, the office was quiet. Li Shang took a short break, and Cheng Xiaoyi casually asked him, "By the way, what did you do before this?"

Li Shang seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, "Special operations."

"Special operations?" Cheng Xiaoyi was slightly surprised. "So, were you in a desk job?"

"No, not exactly," Li Shang denied but didn’t elaborate on what he did.

Cheng Xiaoyi grew even more curious.

Li Shang’s polished demeanor didn’t match her image of special ops personnel.

Cheng Xiaoyi added, "I heard that Captain He was also in special ops before."

"Mm," Li Shang responded softly.

Compared to Li Shang, Captain He was taller, standing at 6'2", with a more athletic build and long legs. He worked efficiently and decisively, which seemed to fit Cheng Xiaoyi’s image of special ops more closely.

When she first met Captain He, she had sensed an intense presence—he was like a harnessed force of justice, bringing light and warmth to people. Li Shang, on the other hand, was refined and quiet, like a cool and collected person.

Cheng Xiaoyi asked, "Did you know him before?"

Li Shang paused slightly and didn’t answer directly. "He’s exceptional."

It seemed the two might have worked in related divisions before.

As they reached this point in the conversation, the photocopier made a clicking sound. Cheng Xiaoyi brought the copied materials over and handed them to Li Shang.

Li Shang gave her a note. "We need to check these details."

Cheng Xiaoyi sat at the computer, compiled the information, printed it out, and obediently handled the administrative tasks.

A short while later, Li Shang picked out three of the files. "One of these might be related. The other two haven’t been ruled out."

Cheng Xiaoyi glanced at the time. It had taken thirty-eight minutes total—exactly as Li Shang had estimated, a little over half an hour to complete the work.

She flipped through the file Li Shang had ultimately identified as related. It was a missing persons case file from the Second Precinct.

The missing person is a 26-year-old woman named Liu Yushu, and the person who filed the report is her family member.

She frowned and asked, "What are the common points in these two cases...?"

Compared to Tang Ailian, Liu Yushu is younger, more beautiful, and has a higher educational background.

The circumstances of the missing persons in these two cases are completely different, with a significant age gap and different living areas.

It's hard to imagine any connection linking these two missing person cases.

Li Shang pointed out, "Both were reported by their husbands, the husbands are suspected of domestic violence, the family situations are similar, and most importantly, the location and time of the disappearances."

He opened the Yuncheng map on his phone, zoomed in, and showed it to Cheng Xiaoyi—it was the drop-off point where Liu Yushu last got out of a taxi.

Cheng Xiaoyi was surprised: "It's just one intersection away from the bus stop on Route 827, just minutes away..."

Moreover, due to the special location of the intersection, which straddles two different administrative districts, the case was assigned to the Second Branch of the police.

Two months apart, disappearing at nearly the same location—this is indeed a significant point of suspicion.

Li Shang said, "Let’s wait for Captain He to assess it tomorrow."

After tidying up the office, Cheng Xiaoyi turned off the lights, and the two of them stepped into the corridor.

Cheng Xiaoyi walked ahead. After holding back for a long time, she finally asked the question on her mind.

"Li Shang, this afternoon when Captain He asked for your analysis of the case, you clearly jotted down more notes on the paper. You even circled Route 827. But why didn’t you mention it initially? Why wait until Captain He wrapped up before speaking up?"

He Lin didn’t know, but from Cheng Xiaoyi’s angle, she saw it clearly.

Most newcomers would be eager to showcase themselves and impress their supervisor. Li Shang’s behavior puzzled her.

Cheng Xiaoyi turned to look at her new colleague, waiting for an answer.

Li Shang looked up. Just then, a loud pop echoed from downstairs, followed by a car alarm that went off. The blaring sound echoed through the quiet courtyard.

In that instant, under the dim hallway light, Li Shang’s eyes became sharp, and his body tensed slightly. He turned, searching for the origin of the noise, as if he had become a completely different person.

Cheng Xiaoyi, who had turned around, was startled by the sound. She stumbled, nearly twisting her ankle, and lost her balance.

Li Shang remained standing but quickly raised his hand, grabbed her arm to steady her, and pulled her upright.

As Cheng Xiaoyi was supported by him, she felt the strength in his arm. Li Shang’s expression and posture made her feel pressured.

Then, Li Shang looked across the street, where a balloon vendor stood next to a car with its alarm flashing.

He quickly confirmed that the sound had likely come from there—the vendor’s balloon had popped, and in his panic, he had triggered the car alarm before muttering curses as he left.

The alarm sound stopped abruptly, and the tense atmosphere dissipated.

Only then did Li Shang turn back to explain to her: "When Captain He asks me, I answer truthfully. If he doesn’t ask, I supplement what's missing. As for what you mentioned, Captain He should be able to deduce those points himself. There was no need for me to say it."

Cheng Xiaoyi lowered her head in thought. From the sound of it, Li Shang seemed to be deliberately hiding his capabilities to show respect to Captain He as his superior.

Then Li Shang added, "By the way, no need to mention to anyone tomorrow that I helped you."

"Oh, okay," Cheng Xiaoyi hurriedly nodded in agreement. She found this new colleague even more enigmatic. "Thank you."

On the bus ride home, Cheng Xiaoyi recalled the look in Li Shang’s eyes earlier.

She no longer doubted Li Shang’s special ops training—sharp, alert, and radiating intensity, like a predator poised to attack.

Cheng Xiaoyi suddenly remembered something else.

Is Li Shang really an INTP?

Could it be... he’s an INTJ?

Cheng Xiaoyi felt a jolt. Once she figured this out, all her confusion suddenly made sense.

So, when he told her before, did Li Shang remember incorrectly? Or did he test incorrectly?

But for a logically precise INTJ, such a mistake would be absolutely impossible.

There’s only one possibility: he did it on purpose. He might be hiding something, or simply acting.

It was just an insignificant disguise—a mask he casually tore off when no one was watching.