Chapter 81 03

Chapter 81.3

Morning at Meng Mian's apartment.

He Lin waited until Li Shang finished taking notes before asking, "Did the reporter from the original case ever come to see you?"

Meng Mian's expression shifted slightly. "Yes, he came a few years ago. He explained his intentions, but I didn’t want to deal with him. The tragedy that happened in our family is all his fault. I even resent him."

As she spoke, the girl lightly gritted her teeth, her lips trembling as if she were about to cry again.

He Lin asked, "But you talked to him eventually?"

Yu Jinghui's car had been parked downstairs for two hours, so they must have spoken for quite a while.

Meng Mian gave a bitter laugh. "I was too naive back then. That man knelt down and begged me. He said he thought there might be more to the story, that my mother had been wronged. If he could verify it, he would write a new article to clear my mom’s name. He also said he knew he was wrong and was willing to do anything to make it up to our family. I caved for a moment and talked with him for a while…"

The woman’s face flushed with anger as she continued, "But that liar never got back to me after he left! I texted him later, but he never replied."

When He Lin had called earlier, he had only told the girl that he wanted to ask about the kindergarten lunch situation from back then and hadn’t mentioned Yu Jinghui’s situation. Now, hearing her account, he told her.

"He went missing," He Lin said. "Not long after he met you."

Meng Mian was shocked by the news.

Then she got flustered. "I… I had no idea… I’m sorry."

He Lin said, "So, think back carefully. Did that reporter say anything important when he came to see you?"

Meng Mian lowered her head and thought for a moment. "The things he asked were similar to what you’re asking…"

Hearing this, Li Shang, who was nearby, asked, "Did he say why he wrote that news report?"

"He did," Meng Mian recalled after a moment. "He told me he received a tip from someone, then asked a few parents about the situation. He thought it was true and ran with the story. He never imagined there was something bigger going on behind it."

He Lin immediately understood why Li Shang had pushed the conversation in this direction. "Then did he say what the underlying issues were? How did he find out your mother was wronged?"

Meng Mian frowned and shook her head. "He never said…"

After a moment of silence, she added, "Reporter Yu… he said that someone was talking about it everywhere at the time. Even if he hadn’t written the report, someone else might have…"

Afterward, He Lin reviewed all the relevant details with Meng Mian again.

They obtained the kindergarten’s weekly menu from that time.

After repeatedly confirming that there were no omissions, He Lin and Li Shang prepared to leave.

By the time they finished, it was almost noon.

As they stepped out of Meng Mian’s home, He Lin checked his phone and saw a message in the group chat. Cheng Xiaoyi had already finished early: "I’m done!"

He Lin said, "Good. Look into Yu Jinghui’s sources regarding the kindergarten incident, including his email, text messages, and call history. Also, ask his colleagues in the same team if they know anything related."

After a moment’s thought, he added, "Also, check the rules for applying for the free lunch program for low-income kids from four years ago, as well as the designated company."

Wu Yunsheng said, "I’m almost done here too. What do you need me to do?"

He Lin delegated tasks: "Lao Wu, call and check in with the parents of the children who attended the kindergarten back then. Check on their current situation and ask if they still have the hospital examination results from that time. Investigate what actually made the kids sick."

Only Fang Jue sent a crying face emoji: "Am I the only one who has to work until the end of the day? I really want to help with the case too."

Wu Yunsheng comforted him: "It’s only a few more hours. We won’t leave you out. You can work with me later."

After sending the messages, He Lin turned to Li Shang and said, "I’ve already asked Xiao Cheng to check out that company. Logically speaking, just not ordering from them—the cost of meals for twenty children isn’t that much money. It’s hard to believe someone would resort to poisoning for such a small profit."

Li Shang thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it was to make an example of them?" He paused before adding, "Or perhaps this isn’t the right direction."

He Lin said, "I’m not sure if this company is related to the case, but it’s better to check it out anyway. I’d rather put in extra effort than miss a clue."

The parking lot was a bit of a walk, so the two continued discussing the case as they walked.

He Lin kept an eye on Li Shang’s expression as they talked. Li Shang was now standing straight again, walking slowly with his head down. He Lin wondered if he was still sick or if he was doing better now.

Distracted, He Lin didn’t catch what Li Shang said.

He Lin asked, "What?"

"I said…" Li Shang’s voice caught, and He Lin’s interruption made him forget what they were discussing. Li Shang said with a hint of annoyance, "Aren’t we here to investigate the case? Instead of focusing on the case, why do you keep looking at me? Do I have clues on me?"

His tone wasn’t harsh, just weak, like a sick kitten putting on a tough act.

A heartless little sick kitten at that.

He Lin hadn’t expected his concern to be met with such a response. No one at the department had ever accused him of not being dedicated to his work. He wanted to retort, but the thought that Li Shang might be working while sick, combined with his pale, delicate features that only made him look more striking in his weakness, softened He Lin’s heart.

Why am I even bothering with this? He Lin thought.

He said seriously, "This case can’t be rushed. It happened years ago—do you think we can solve it in a day? Besides, it’s already lunchtime. Even if we’re working on the case, we still need to rest and eat."

Li Shang didn’t respond, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets and walking silently with his head down.

After a few steps, He Lin asked him, "What do you feel like eating?"

Li Shang, uninterested, replied offhandedly, "Anything is fine."

He Lin remembered that Li Shang hadn’t had a sip of water all morning at Meng Mian’s place. His lips looked dry now, and if his stomach was bothering him, he might want something warm. "I know a place nearby that serves great soup. It’s not far from here."

Li Shang mumbled ‘okay’, and He Lin led him to the car and drove to the restaurant.

It was a Cantonese-style soup restaurant. He Lin ordered a few light dishes and then let Li Shang choose. Without hesitation, Li Shang picked plain rice porridge.

After eating a little, Li Shang’s color returned to his face a little, but his frown remained. He seemed tense, his mind stressed about the lack of progress in the case.

He Lin couldn’t bear to see him like this and changed the subject. "By the way, those fridge magnets I saw at your place last time… quite a few were from abroad, right?"

Li Shang hummed in acknowledgment.

Seeing that Li Shang was willing to engage, He Lin continued, "You’ve been to so many places?"

Li Shang, unsure if He Lin was recalling something, answered seriously, "Actually, some of those fridge magnets were bought by my friend." He hesitated, thinking about how to explain what happened next, and said, "He left them with me."

Who does that? He Lin made a sound of acknowledgment and asked casually, "Collecting those seems fun. If they were mine, I wouldn’t want to give them to anyone else."

At these words, Li Shang’s hand, holding the spoon, stiffened.

He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Should he have packed the fridge magnets and given them to He Lin back then instead of keeping them for himself? But they were the last things he had left from him—could he really part with them? The thought made his eyes burn.

He Lin only then noticed the shift in the atmosphere.

Li Shang’s face was especially pale today, and for some reason, the soup steam made his eyes red.

The stuff is here, but the person's gone... that...

He Lin suddenly thought of a possibility—it couldn't be that...

This so-called friend is dead, isn't he?

Li Shang is such a no-frills kind of guy, yet he brought those fridge magnets all the way from the base. They must be very important to him, right?

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, He Lin broke out in a cold sweat, wracking his brain for a way to backtrack.

Surprisingly, it was Li Shang who recovered first. Since He Lin didn’t remember now, what could he do even if Li Shang kept the items?

Thinking this, Li Shang felt relieved. He lowered his head and drank his porridge, casually remarking, "He didn’t want them anymore. It’d be a waste to throw them away."

Watching his reaction, He Lin felt a pang of regret. This topic was no good. He quickly changed the subject: "You worked overtime last weekend. Should I count it as two days of comp time for you?"

Li Shang refused outright: "No need."

He Lin blinked: "?"

He had never seen someone who loved working this much.

"Don’t worry about me. My current workload is much better than before," Li Shang added, "I like working overtime."

He Lin fell silent. He was certain now—when Li Shang didn’t want to talk, no matter how hard he tried to steer the conversation, Li Shang could kill the conversation in no time.

Neither of them spoke further, eating quietly for a while.

He Lin noticed that Li Shang’s hand seemed to want to press against his stomach, but each time he raised it, he restrained himself and moved it away.

As the meal was nearing its end, Li Shang spoke up: "Captain He, could you try to quit smoking?"

This was a topic Li Shang had brought up a few times. He Lin had already cut back a lot.

Lately, with the heavy overtime in the department, He Lin occasionally got headaches and would still step out for a smoke. Every time he passed Li Shang’s desk upon returning, Li Shang would frown.

"I didn’t used to smoke, but working here, sometimes Director Chen smokes, and every bigwig at the table lights up. Not smoking at all would seem a bit odd," He Lin explained, then asked Li Shang, "In all this time, have you never smoked at all?"

"Occasionally, a few cigarettes. Sometimes it was part of the job," Li Shang answered honestly, "But I don’t like the taste."

He Lin didn’t really have a nicotine addiction; he just occasionally needed a cigarette to clear his head. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Then I’ll try."

Just as the conversation reached this point, Li Shang stood up and said, "Excuse me, I need to hit the restroom."

The Cantonese restaurant was well-decorated, with single-toilet restrooms. Li Shang entered, locked the door, and bent over, vomiting everything he had just eaten.

He had indeed been feeling unwell since morning, his old injuries acting up again, but he felt it wasn’t severe enough to warrant skipping work. Plus, after that breakdown at He Lin’s place earlier, he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of He Lin.

He thought he had hidden it well, but He Lin’s question this morning had thrown him.

He disliked showing vulnerability in front of others and never complained about pain. Sympathetic looks and being coddled made him uncomfortable.

In the past, he could have revealed these things to He Lin as his lover, but now, He Lin wasn’t. Since He Lin didn’t remember, Li Shang kept him at a distance.

He Lin had noticed his discomfort but didn’t press further, so Li Shang kept up the act, pretending nothing was wrong. He held out until noon. The soup was kinda greasy, and when he brought up smoking, just the thought of the smell turned his stomach.

He didn’t like He Lin smoking, not because he detested cigarettes that much, but because the smell on He Lin felt off.

This unfamiliarity was both physical and psychological.

He noticed He Lin had become more easygoing, adapting to the ways of the 8th Precinct. Smoking was a bad habit he’d picked up from the old-timers there—a whole different world from before.

Now, He Lin interacted with all sorts of people daily—colleagues, superiors, families of the missing, suspects—and had forgotten many of the rules and habits he once had, retaining only a few.

His physical discomfort, combined with these thoughts, had him feeling down, as if the things he had been holding onto were slowly drifting out of his reach.

Li Shang hadn’t eaten much in the morning and even less at lunch. After vomiting, the cramping in his stomach subsided. He took a minute in the stall, rinsed his mouth, and stepped out.

As soon as he left the restroom, he looked up and saw He Lin waiting for him right outside.

He Lin’s sharp, dark eyes were fixed on him, as if seeing straight through him.

Li Shang turned his face away, avoiding direct eye contact.

But thankfully, since he didn’t say anything, He Lin didn’t ask.

Just then, his phone buzzed.

Li Shang picked it up and said, "The 8th Precinct sent over Cui Qiao’s death file."

The branch precinct's death records were nowhere near as thorough as ours at the 8th Precinct. The entire report was only a few pages long.

At the time, two parents happened to pass by the kindergarten and noticed the lights were on. They went in and found Cui Qiao hanged. They quickly cut her down and tried to take her to the hospital. They called 120, but when the ambulance arrived, she had no pulse, so they didn’t take her and instead called the police.

With all that going on, some of the evidence at the scene was compromised.

The forensic examination confirmed death by hanging based on surface observations, but an autopsy would be needed for further confirmation.

The kindergarten lunch incident had caused quite a stir at the time, and Cui Qiao had just taken loans out to compensate all the parents. Meng Mian and the investigating officers believed Cui Qiao had been overwhelmed by the pressure and chosen to take her own life.

So, in the end, Meng Mian never signed the autopsy consent form, and the case was closed as a suicide.

Now, years later, after learning about the complexities behind it, He Lin and Li Shang weren’t taking any chances. They carefully examined the records.

He Lin took the initiative to study the photos.

Li Shang focused on the investigation report, reading aloud to He Lin: "That day, Cui Qiao was supposed to be resting at home, but for some reason, she went to the kindergarten…"

He Lin scrutinized the photos of the woman’s death.

Some were scene photos: Cui Qiao’s body lying on the ground, ligature marks below her neck, her face turned bluish from hanging. Under the rope on the beam were a kicked-over stool and she had voided herself—all consistent with death by hanging.

Other physical evidence was also photographed, but the footprints were messy due to the number of people who had been there.

At this point, He Lin let out a quiet 'huh'.

Li Shang leaned in and asked, "Is there a problem?"

He Lin frowned: "There are some strange water stains on the ground…"

Li Shang looked; it seemed like water from mopping or something had overflowed.

"And here," He Lin pointed, "the stool."

In the photo was an old-fashioned wooden four-legged chair, the one she used in the hanging.

Cui Qiao must have kicked the stool before her death, causing it to fall over. The stool left an arc-shaped scrape on the ground, and it ended up right under the body.

He Lin frowned slightly: "I’m not sure if her thrashing while hanging could have made the stool fall over like this."

"Indeed, this chair doesn't look light. It would be difficult to leave such a long, noticeable scrape on the ground just by kicking it during a hanging," Li Shang paused and asked, "Can we go to the scene now? I want to recreate the scene."

He Lin said, "I'll make a call to arrange it."

The area involving the kindergarten was somewhat complicated.

Decades ago, it was still a village. This was the homestead of a village official, with private plots in front and behind the house. It was later rented out as a warehouse. Eventually, the elderly owner and his son passed away one after another, and the several single-story houses were handed over to the nearby local street office.

As part of local efforts to generate municipal revenue, one initiative was to rent out these vacant spaces. Thus, the location was leased to Cui Qiao’s private kindergarten.

Later, the kindergarten went under. With the place having been the scene of an incident and a death, the local street office had no immediate use for it and left it as it was.

He Lin made his way through the chain of command and finally found a staff member who said he had the keys and could go over to open the door for them.

After setting a time, He Lin drove toward the old site of the kindergarten.

On the way, He Lin stopped at a convenience store, got out, and bought some bottled water from the heated display, which he handed to Li Shang.

Li Shang said nothing, twisted off the cap, and drank some while it was still hot.

Parking near the kindergarten was difficult, so they left the car across the street and walked over.

From a distance, He Lin could see several words mounted on the single-story structure: "Xixi Kindergarten."

The sign was originally made in rainbow-colored font, but after years of exposure to wind and rain, it had faded into an unappealing mix of colors, looking gloomy even in the middle of the afternoon.

Outside the kindergarten was a high wall, about 2.5 meters tall, brick-built.

The two waited at the entrance. He Lin looked up at the wall, his gaze moving from bottom to top, and then mused, "I was thinking..."

Back at the Tianning training base, there were walls like this for training. One of the exercises was wall climbing—taking a running start, kicking off the wall, and using arm strength to get over.

He Lin used to be the most agile at climbing walls back in the day.

Now, seeing this wall, his fingers twitched...

Before He Lin could finish, Li Shang already knew what he was thinking and said coldly, "No!" He glanced around to ensure no one was nearby and lowered his voice, "Remember you're a police officer."

He Lin was really just talking and had no intention of actually scaling the wall, but for some reason, he enjoyed seeing Li Shang’s stern expression when it came to his antics—it felt particularly thrilling.

Seeing that Li Shang was genuinely annoyed, He Lin quickly smiled apologetically and said, "I know, I was just saying."

A while later, the staff member with the keys arrived. As he searched for the keys, he said to them, "Look around all you want. Just leave when you’re done. I’ll come back later to lock up."

Li Shang, accustomed to strict protocols, was quite surprised by his casual attitude and asked, puzzled, "Won’t stuff get stolen?"

The staff member laughed. "This place is a haunted house—a notorious spot. Anything valuable was cleared out long ago. What’s left to steal?" Then he looked at them and asked, "You’re investigating this place? Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?"

He Lin replied with righteous solemnity, "We’re public safety officers—why would we fear ghosts? Besides, we’re working a case for the ghost. Shouldn’t she help us?" Then he asked, "Aside from us, have you opened the door for anyone else in the past year or two?"

The staff member shook his head. "No one. The wall might look high, but if someone wanted to climb in, no one would stop them. Besides, this cheap lock—anyone who knows how to pick it could get it open in a minute or two."

Once the door was unlocked, the staff member turned and left, not wanting to stay a moment longer.

He Lin thanked him and led Li Shang inside.

Li Shang looked at the run-down courtyard before them and said, "Xixi Kindergarten wasn’t originally here. It was about a ten-minute walk away. The problems started some time after they moved to this location..."

The place had front and back courtyards, with a row of single-story buildings—three rooms in total, two larger ones and a smaller one beside them.

The yard had little vegetation and felt quite desolate.

Having been uninhabited for so long, the air carried an unpleasant mildew smell.

The largest room in the middle was likely the kindergarten’s classroom, with some old small chairs scattered about.

The adjacent room, which seemed to be a living area, had two larger tables, suggesting that small beds might have been placed there originally.

In the yard, there were also small rocking horses, seesaws, and other play equipment, all long worn out. The wind blew, stirring up chilly drafts.

A few small toys lay scattered on the ground.

Li Shang silently picked up a teddy bear that had fallen to the ground, gently patted off the dust, and placed it on a nearby windowsill.

To the side was a small room that had once been the kindergarten’s kitchen.

Both of them had seen this room in the video. Inside, one side had a rural-style earthen stove, with a cutting board placed on the table beside it.

Along the wall stood a row of hip-high cabinets holding some dishes. In the corner was a faucet, and below it stood a tall, large bucket for washing vegetables.

At the very center of the room, about a meter below the ceiling, ran a horizontal beam—the very spot where Cui Qiao had hanged herself.

Even after all these years, the rope used back then still hung from the middle of the beam. It wasn’t an ordinary rope but a children's speed rope. The stool from the incident had been picked up and placed in the corner of the room.

The floor had been hastily cleaned.

This was the scene of Cui Qiao’s death four years ago.

He Lin carefully examined the floor. Beneath a thick layer of dust, faint scuff marks from the chair’s friction were visible.

Li Shang looked up at the rope knot, then took out a notebook and a tape measure, preparing to conduct an experiment.

Seeing this, He Lin volunteered, "I’ll do it. You just handle the measurements."

Li Shang grunted in acknowledgment.

He Lin went to the corner and brought over the stool, placing it directly under the rope knot. Then he stood on the stool.

Cui Qiao had been fairly tall for a woman, nearly five-foot-seven, while He Lin was almost eight inches taller.

The noose hung in front of him.

He Lin looked at the noose, reached out, and tested the rope to test its sturdiness. The knot was tight, and because it was made of speed rope material, the middle section was rigid, making the noose stiffer than regular rope and forming a curved shape.

He Lin gripped the rope that Cui Qiao had used years ago, his movements uncannily resembling those of someone preparing to hang themselves. Seeing this, Li Shang felt a pang of discomfort but forced himself to overcome it.

Then, with both hands pulling on the rope, He Lin leveraged his body upward and kicked the stool. The stool made a clatter as it fell to the side.

He Lin’s body hung in the air, sagging slightly.

Li Shang crouched down, flexible tape measure in hand, ready to take measurements, when he saw He Lin use his arm strength to do a pull-up.

Li Shang: "..."

A pull-up—utterly meaningless, on par with shooting an imaginary basketball...

Li Shang, who had been worried just moments before, felt a surge of anger at the sight and said coldly, "He Lin, just hang there then!"

With that, he stood up and turned to leave, only to hear He Lin call after him: "Hey, wait... Let me explain..."

Li Shang stood up too quickly and had only taken two steps forward when his vision blacked out suddenly.

Realizing something was wrong, his body swayed unsteadily, and he staggered and dropped to one knee, bracing himself with a hand on the ground.

He Lin leaped down from above and rushed over to support him. Uncertain of the situation, he didn’t dare pull him up recklessly. Seeing Li Shang’s pale face, eyes half-shut, and the thin layer of sweat on his forehead, He Lin guessed it might be low blood sugar.

He Lin quickly pulled a piece of candy from his pocket, tore it open, and pressed it to Li Shang’s lips.

After kneeling for a few seconds, the blackness in Li Shang’s vision gradually cleared, and he could breathe again. He felt something touch his lips and smelled a sweet scent, instinctively parting his lips to take it in.

Soon, a sweet, milky flavor spread through his mouth—it was White Rabbit candy.

He remained in that position for half a minute until he recovered, then slowly stood up with He Lin’s help and sat on the nearby doorstep.

With the candy in his mouth, the atmosphere grew somewhat awkward. Having broken out in a cold sweat, the last traces of his earlier anger dissipated in the breeze. He mumbled an explanation, "Maybe... I got up too fast just now..."

He Lin had been about to say something, but Li Shang’s words cut him off completely, and he couldn’t recall a single word he had intended to say. Any tension that might have led to an argument vanished entirely.

Crouching in front of him, He Lin explained, "I wasn’t messing around earlier—I was taking measurements. This rope is still too high for Cui Qiao’s height."

Hearing this, Li Shang suddenly understood the issue. He Lin, who was so tall, could just reach the noose while standing on the chair. That meant the chair wasn’t high enough.

If Cui Qiao had stood on the chair, even on tiptoe, she wouldn’t have been able to reach the noose.

What person attempting suicide would place the rope so much higher than their own height?

The detectives from the precinct at the time lacked experience. The body had already been taken down, and the chair was overturned. In the chaos of the scene, they hadn’t conducted a thorough comparison. Based on Cui Qiao’s height, after the chair was set upright, there would have been a gap of over 5 centimeters from her feet.

Admittedly, she could have jumped up repeatedly to reach it, and maybe, after several attempts, succeeded once or twice.

But to kick over such a heavy chair while also matching the marks on the ground—jumping up to do it would have been extremely difficult.

This meant that unless Cui Qiao, at the time of her hanging, had to act just as He Lin did—kicking the stool away and doing a pull-up to get her head into the noose...

The reason for all this was that it wasn’t suicide but murder. Coupled with the water stains on the ground, she might have been held underwater in the basin until she was weak from lack of oxygen, then lifted and hung on the rope.

The stool was used by the murderer to reach the rope. After use, it was kicked over casually to make it look like a suicide.

The person who tied the rope was likely a tall, strong man. He had tried to tie it as low as possible, but the child’s jump rope had limited length, resulting in this situation.

The murderer dumped the water out. Because it was summer and the weather was hot, the water dried quickly, but some suspicious traces remained.

Unfortunately, these traces were later disturbed by the parents who discovered the scene.

And since Cui Qiao didn’t die from drowning—she truly died from hanging and suffocation—nothing showed up on her body during the surface examination.

Even Cui Qiao’s suicide from back then had issues.

Realizing all this, Li Shang suddenly felt a sense of guilt toward He Lin and apologized, "I’m sorry..."

"What is there to be sorry for?" He Lin didn’t want to embarrass him and asked earnestly, "How are you feeling now? Better?"

Li Shang nodded and said, "Yeah," his brow relaxing.

The candy melted in his mouth, so sweet.

Seeing that Li Shang was finally in a better mood, He Lin quickly said to him, "We’re colleagues working together. Everyone has moments when they’re not feeling well. If you don’t say anything, I can pretend not to notice. But I hope that if you ever can’t hold on, you’ll think of me. You should trust me. We’re not just supervisor and subordinate—we’re friends, the best partners. You’re very important to me."

Li Shang lowered his head without speaking, but He Lin’s last words made his heart feel as if it were soaking in seawater—bitter yet swelling.

He Lin knelt opposite him, watching Li Shang’s pale, handsome face.

After this period of adjustment, he and Li Shang had grown closer. Li Shang had finally let go of the caution from their early acquaintance, but he still carried a strong sense of rules, an almost perfect and demanding work attitude. He would occasionally unintentionally reveal a tone and presence of authority.

Like when He Lin was doing pull-ups earlier and Li Shang yelled at him—somehow, it felt familiar. He didn’t feel suddenly reprimanded and angered; instead, he instinctively felt a sense of guilt and subconsciously wanted to apologize.

He Lin didn’t know why, but he only knew he didn’t reject this instinct.

But now, sitting on the doorstep, Li Shang’s hand resting on his waist, his upper body bent low against his legs, sweat beading on his temples. He was weak but pushing through, refusing to show weakness, like a rare flower on a cliff edge—within sight yet out of reach.

He Lin couldn’t describe his feelings at that moment. The contradictory state of the person before him fascinated him, making him want to step closer, to understand him, even greedily wanting to hold him in his arms.

Thinking this, He Lin reined in his wandering thoughts slightly. After calming down, he stood up and sat beside Li Shang. His tone was somewhat light, but his gaze toward Li Shang was extremely serious.

"Li Shang, you’re the most outstanding person I’ve ever met. I’ve been in the Criminal Investigation Unit for so long and have never encountered someone like you. Compared to you, the rest of us feel almost inadequate."

The compliment was heavy, but coming from He Lin’s mouth at that moment, it sounded utterly sincere.

"When I did everything I could to keep you here, it wasn’t so you could exhaust yourself and shoulder all the work alone. You come from a SWAT team background—driven in everything, striving to excel everywhere. I understand, respect, and deeply admire your attitude. As you can see, we come from similar backgrounds, but I truly can’t be like you. This is your habit, your strength. I don’t deny that going solo isn’t necessarily worse than working in a team."

"But..." He Lin’s tone shifted, filled with concern, "I don’t want you to always be like this. While you’re here, at least with me by your side, try entrusting your back to me. Let’s work together to find the truth."

Li Shang knew, had always known.

He Lin was right—the problem lay within him.

It had been a long time since he’d heard such comforting words. Once, someone had told him to trust him to have his back.

But after that person left, no one had ever said such things to him again. He had grown accustomed to facing everything alone.

Compared to the City Bureau, Tianning Base was like an ivory tower—the people were straightforward, and all he needed to do was focus solely on completing tasks.

The difference between the two was vast.

But this was the City Bureau, not Tianning Base.

He Lin had long since moved on; it was Li Shang who had been left behind.

He was the one who had never wanted to admit it.

Li Shang suppressed the dull ache rising inside him, his heart beating gently.

He lifted his head to look at He Lin.

But now, he was no longer alone. He was by his side again.

He should move forward. He should move ahead.

Just as they reached this point, Li Shang suddenly snapped his head around, alert, his body went rigid immediately. There was a third person here!

He Lin followed his gaze and saw a figure dart past the doorway. He shouted, "Who’s there?!" and turned to chase after them.