Suo ran sat there his eyes continued staring at the photograph. "Jun Wei, I still can't find you." For a moment he closed his eyes as fear, exhaustion, guilt and helplessness crashed over him all at once. "Dad..." he whispered toward the darkness surrounding him. "If this has something to do with Wei Wei, then tell me what I'm supposed to do."
Then suddenly his phone vibrated inside his pocket he pulled it out and answered without checking the screen. "Did you find Jun wei?" A confused male voice came through the speaker. "What? Jun wei is missing?" Suo Ran frowned immediately and glanced at the caller ID. His expression changed the moment he recognized the name. "Zheng Rui?" he asked in surprise."Yeah!" Zheng Rui replied. He sounded genuinely confused. "Since when is Jun Wei missing?"Suo Ran rubbed a hand over his exhausted face, "After school." he said quietly. "A teacher saw him leave with someone familiar. Nobody noticed anything was wrong until he never came home." "Damn..." Zheng Rui muttered.
Suo ran closed his eyes and took breathe then he asked , " But Why did you call me? " He continued "You work for Cai Lang." Zheng rui replied" yeah, I know!" Suo ran asked
"So why are you calling me at this hour?"
On the other end of the line, Zheng Rui sighed."I've been trying to reach Cai Lang for almost an hour. He isn't answering." Suo Ran's grip tightened slightly around the phone. He lowered his gaze toward the scattered files around him."Of course he won't answer." he muttered quietly.The bitterness slipped out before he could stop it.
"Who knows what he's busy with now."
"What?" Zheng Rui asked. "I thought you said something."Suo Ran's expression stiffened.After a brief pause, he replied flatly, "Nothing."Zheng Rui sounded unconvinced but didn't press further.
Suo Ran frowned as he pressed the phone tighter against his ear. "What do you want then?" he asked tiredly.On the other end of the call, Zheng Rui remained quiet for a moment before speaking again. He sounded far more serious than before. "This isn't about Cai Lang. It's about your father."Suo Ran's attention away from the documents scattered around him. His eyes lowered toward the faded photographs and relocation papers spread across the dusty floorboards while unease slowly settled inside his chest. "My father?" he asked quietly. "Yes." Zheng Rui replied. "I found something."
Suo Ran's grip tightened around the photograph of Wei An. After everything he had uncovered tonight, he wasn't sure whether he wanted to hear another secret or not. Still, he forced himself to ask, "What did you find?" Several seconds passed before Zheng Rui answered. Faint keyboard sounds echoed through the phone. "I was going through old archive files connected to your father's investigation. Most of them were damaged. Some looked corrupted, while others appeared to have been deliberately erased years ago. I couldn't recover much, but one report survived partially."
Suo Ran listened silently then he asked "What was in it?" Zheng Rui exhaled slowly. "Not enough. Most of the details are missing. Entire sections have been removed. Names, dates, explanations everything important is gone but there was one sentence that appeared repeatedly throughout the report."
Suo Ran glanced down at the old relocation papers beside him and felt an inexplicable sense of dread. "What sentence?" he asked. Another brief silence followed before Zheng Rui read it aloud. "'If they discover the child survived, everything collapses.'" For several seconds neither of them spoke.
Suo ran's eyes slowly drifted toward the photograph still resting in his hand."The child survived..." he murmured almost to himself. "Who was the child?" Zheng Rui replied, "That's exactly what I can't figure out. Every part of the report that should identify the child has been removed. It's like somebody wanted the entire person's existence erased." Suo Ran swallowed slowly. Without realizing it, his gaze had already returned to the relocation documents his father had hidden. "My father hid records too." he said quietly.
Zheng Rui became alert. "What kind of records?" Suo Ran lowered his eyes toward the faded papers. "Relocation documents. Identity reassignment files." The keyboard sounds stopped completely. "Do you know who they belong to?" Zheng Rui asked. For a moment Suo Ran simply stared at the name written near the bottom of the page. His voice became barely above a whisper. "The new identity listed in the file is Wei An." several long seconds passed without a single word. Only faint breathing came through the speaker. "Zheng Rui?" Suo Ran asked. When the man spoke again, something in his voice had changed. He no longer sounded merely curious. He sounded unsettled. "Suo Ran... how much do you actually know about Jun Wei's life before the orphanage?" The question made him frown immediately. "Nothing." he admitted. "He was barely one or two years old. There wasn't much for him to remember." "Exactly." Zheng Rui said quietly. Another heavy silence followed.
Zheng Rui spoke again, choosing every word carefully. "The report talks about a surviving child. Your father hid records about a child. The child's identity was changed, and according to what remains of the archive, your father spent years protecting someone." Suo Ran stared at the photograph in his hand. "Just say what you're thinking." he said quietly. Zheng Rui hesitated one more time before asking the question that immediately froze the air in Suo Ran's lungs. "What if the child mentioned in that report wasn't some stranger? What if the person your father spent years protecting wasn't connected to the case by coincidence? What if that child was your brother?" For a moment Suo Ran forgot how to breathe. His eyes slowly lowered toward the smiling child in the photograph.
"But why?" Suo Ran asked. His voice sounded strained. "Why would someone change a child's identity?" He lowered his head and stared at the relocation documents scattered around him. "What reason could possibly be important enough to erase someone's name?"On the other end of the line, Zheng Rui fell silent for a moment. Suo Ran could hear faint keyboard sounds before they stopped completely. When Zheng Rui spoke again, his voice carried obvious frustration. "I don't know," he admitted honestly. "And that's the problem." Suo Ran slowly closed his eyes.
There had to be a reason. There had to be some explanation for why a child's identity had been erased and hidden for so many years. (...)
"Then what is it?" he asked quietly. Tired sigh came through the phone. "If I knew that, we wouldn't still be searching through fragments." Zheng Rui replied " The files were incomplete, with part of the evidence hidden by your father and the rest seemingly deleted by someone else.
Suo Ran lowered his gaze toward the scattered documents around him. The photograph of Wei An rested beside his knee while the relocation papers remained spread across the dusty floorboards. Everything pointed back to his father. "My father knew." he said after a long pause.Zheng Rui didn't disagree.He simply replied that " Your father probably knew exactly who Wei An was and probably knew why the identity had been changed as well and he's the only person who can answer any of this." Silence between them.
Zheng Rui sighed and reminded him that whatever happened back then, his father hadn't hidden those records without a reason."What are you saying?" Suo Ran asked quietly. Zheng rui replied ,"I'm saying your father went to enormous lengths to protect that child." "Then whoever took him..." he said. Zheng rui understood hesitation in his voice was obvious when he answered. "They may already know the truth."
If that possibility was real, then Jun Wei's disappearance wasn't random. (...)
It wasn't an accident. It wasn't bad luck.
(....)
Someone had known exactly who he was.
(...)
Suo Ran stared down at the name written beneath the photograph.
Elsewhere, across the city, Cai Lang stood motionless in front of the bathroom mirror and faint sound of dripping water broke the stillness.His dark hair was still wet from the shower. Droplets rolled slowly down his neck and disappeared beneath his shirt collar, but he barely noticed. His attention remained fixed on his own reflection.Cai Lang gripped the edge of the sink and stared at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. Water continued dripping slowly from his wet hair, sliding down his jaw before disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt.He stared at himself for several seconds before quietly murmuring, "What happened that night...?"
His vision blurred instantly for a split second, the bathroom vanished and hospital corridor appeared before his eyes. He heard running footsteps echoed through the hallway, voices shouted over one another and someone was crying.Cai Lang grabbed the sink harder as his breathing became uneven. His knuckles turned white from the force of his grip. The memory shifted again before he could fully understand it. A woman appeared. He couldn't see her face clearly. Everything seemed distorted and distant, as though he was watching through fog. Yet her fear was unmistakable. Her voice trembled with desperation as she shouted at someone.
"Take him and leave!" His eyes widened.
He stumbled forward slightly and caught himself against the counter before he could lose his balance completely. His fingers dug hard into the edge of the sink while he struggled to steady his breathing. "What..." he breathed shakily. The sudden pain pulsing through his head made his vision blur again. "What was that?" Before he could gather his thoughts, the hospital corridor flashed through his mind once more. Bright lights stretched endlessly overhead while hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway and voices overlapped one another in panic.
Somewhere in the chaos, a child was crying. The sound felt clear this time, as though it was happening right beside him rather than inside a forgotten memory. Cai Lang's breathing became uneven. A strange sense of urgency gripped his chest. For a brief moment, the memory felt so real that he could almost smell the sharp scent of disinfectant lingering in the hospital air.Then the scene shifted again.A tiny hand appeared in the middle of the fragmented memory. Small fingers desperately clutched the sleeve of someone's shirt holding on with all their strength and refusing to let go.The image lasted less than a second before disappearing.
Cai Lang sucked in a sharp breath and straightened abruptly. His heart was pounding now. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to hold onto the memory before it vanished entirely, but it was already slipping away from him.The hospital corridor faded and voices disappeared.His fingers tightened against the sink until his knuckles turned white. Something about that child unsettled him more than anything else. He couldn't see the child's face. He didn't know their name. Yet the image of those small fingers desperately refusing to let go stirred something deep inside him. It felt familiar in a way he couldn't explain.
For several long seconds, he simply stood there staring at himself in the mirror while water continued dripping from his hair. Slowly, his lips parted."Who were you?" he whispered.Cai Lang lowered his gaze and pressed both hands against the sink. His headache still throbbed behind his eyes. The fragmented memory had already begun fading, becoming harder to grasp with every passing second."Damn it!" he muttered.
He squeezed his eyes shut"If I've never seen you before..." he murmured quietly, "then why does it feel like I have?"
Cai Lang stared at his own reflection again.
"What are you trying to tell me?" he asked softly.After a moment he laughed bitterly and rubbed a hand across his forehead."First Suo Ran." His jaw tightened."Then Lu Zhen."
His eyes darkened slightly."And now this..."
Everything felt connected somehow.
Across the city, Lian Ziho sat alone at street beside him several empty coffee cups.Jun Wei's disappearance refused to leave Lian Ziho's mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Suo Ran standing alone in the rain, desperately calling Jun Wei's name until his voice broke from exhaustion. The image lingered stubbornly, making it impossible to rest. With a tired sigh, Lian Ziho rubbed his eyes and reopened the CCTV screenshots taken from the school surveillance footage.
The black vehicle appeared on the screen once again. He stared at it silently, feeling that same nagging sense of unease. Something about the images continued bothering him. Something important was hidden there, just beyond his reach.
Slowly, he began zooming in. The vehicle became increasingly grainy as the image enlarged. Soon the windshield reflection occupied most of the screen. Lian Ziho narrowed his eyes and leaned closer. "Come on..." he muttered under his breath. "There has to be something." He continued enlarging the image, pixel by pixel, even as the reflection became heavily distorted.
His attention gradually shifted toward the far edge of the frame near the school entrance. A distant figure stood partially hidden beside the vehicle. At first glance it seemed meaningless. Just another person passing by. Just another blurred shape caught by the camera but then something caught his eye. His expression immediately changed. He zoomed in again and again.The image quality deteriorated further with every enlargement, but one small detail remained visible enough to identify. There was shoulder badge.Lian Ziho froze."No way!"
His eyes remained locked on the screen. The badge number wasn't fully visible. Part of it had been lost to distance and image distortion. Yet enough remained.Lian Ziho knew that badge because he remembered an old case. A corruption investigation from years ago and it had ended with multiple arrests, missing evidence, and one officer officially declared dead.His breathing slowed.
The badge belonged to that officer.... that dead officer.For several long seconds he simply stared at the screen, unable to process what he was seeing. His mind rejected the possibility immediately, yet the image remained right in front of him."That's impossible." he whispered. "He died."
Lian Ziho's gaze remained fixed on the badge visible in the blurred reflection. The longer he looked at it, the more uneasy he became.
Because if a dead officer was somehow connected to Jun Wei's disappearance, then this case was far bigger than any of them had imagined.Lian Ziho immediately grabbed his phone and opened the old case files he had collected earlier. He searched through archived articles, investigation summaries, and departmental records related to the corruption case.
The name of the officer appeared again.
*Official status: Deceased.*
*Case closed.*
*Investigation concluded.*
*Death confirmed.*
Lian Ziho frowned.
People could fake evidence or alter records.
But faking an officer's death for years?But that required resources. (...)
Lian Ziho slowly rubbed his face."What exactly are we dealing with...?"His voice sounded tired.For a moment he considered calling Suo ran then stopped.Lian Ziho lowered the phone. He is already carrying too much. Jun Wei's disappearance alone had pushed him close to his limit. If he learned about dead officers, manipulated records, and a corruption case that should have been buried years ago, he would only force himself deeper into the investigation while blaming himself for everything that was happening. He thought ."Not now." Lian Ziho muttered quietly, shaking his head. "Just focus on finding Wei Wei. I'll deal with the rest myself." After one last glance at the CCTV screenshot displayed on the monitor, he grabbed his jacket, shut down the computer, and left for home.
Outside, the city felt strangely emptyThe wet pavement reflected rows of streetlights, turning the road into a blurred river of yellow and white. Only a handful of vehicles passed by in the distance. As Lian Ziho walked toward his parked car, his thoughts remained trapped on the image he had just discovered. The officer's badge that he supposedly dead.A cold gust of wind swept through the alley beside a convenience store as he took a shortcut toward the main road. Water dripped steadily from pipes and rooftops overhead, creating a steady rhythm in the darkness.
A figure suddenly crashed into him from the side with enough force to nearly knock him off balance. Instinctively, Lian Ziho turned, irritation already rising. "Watch where you're going..."Before his brain could fully process the situation, he felt a hand slipping inside his jacket not toward his wallet but toward his phone.Without hesitation, Lian Ziho seized the stranger's wrist. The man's eyes widened beneath the shadow of his hood for the briefest moment before he jerked backward. The movement confirmed every suspicion instantly. This wasn't an accident it wasn't a random thief looking for money. The stranger's attention never left the phone.
"What the hell are you doing?" Lian Ziho snapped.The man didn't answer instead, he lunged forward.
The next second became a blur of motion. The attacker tried wrenching the phone free while Lian Ziho twisted his arm away. A fist came flying toward his face. Lian Ziho ducked instinctively and drove his shoulder into the man's chest. Both of them stumbled across the rain-slick pavement. Water splashed beneath their shoes as they fought for balance. The stranger recovered surprisingly fast and reached for the phone again. That single action sent a chill through Lian Ziho.The man ignored everything else. His wallet remained untouched. His keys remained untouched. He wanted only one thing and it was phone.
Lian Ziho's expression darkened as he tightened his grip on the attacker's wrist. "Who sent you?" he asked through clenched teeth. The attacker didn't answer instead, he suddenly drove a knee into Lian Ziho's side. Pain exploded through his ribs.The force knocked him backward several steps across the rain-slick pavement. Before he could recover, the attacker lunged again and a fist slammed into the side of his jaw, snapping his head sideways. For a moment his vision blurred. Rainwater mixed with blood where his lip split open. "Damn it..." Lian Ziho muttered, wiping at his mouth and tasting iron. The stranger reached for the phone again.
Lian Ziho reacted instantly. He caught the man's wrist and slammed him hard against the nearby wall. The impact echoed through the narrow alley. The attacker grunted in pain but recovered almost immediately, driving an elbow directly into Lian Ziho's already injured ribs. Pain shot through him again. His grip loosened involuntarily. The stranger tried taking advantage of the opening and both men crashed into a stack of plastic crates outside the convenience store. The crates toppled over with a loud crash, scattering across the wet ground.
The noise shattered the quiet street then light suddenly switched on inside a nearby apartment building then another.A window opened overhead. One of elder said "What's going on down there?" Then another man shouted "Who's fighting?" Several voices echoed through the alley. Lian Ziho took one slow step forward.The stranger took one step back.A bitter smile appeared on Lian Ziho's face."Running already?"For one brief second the attacker simply stared at him then he turned and bolted. "Hey!"
Lian Ziho chased after him despite the pain shooting through his ribs. Rain splashed beneath his shoes as he ran through the darkness.The attacker darted around a corner, disappeared between two buildings, and vanished into the maze of narrow side streets beyond the alley.Lian Ziho eventually slowed to a stop. His chest rose and fell heavily. Every breath made his ribs ache. Blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth while rain continued falling quietly around him.
By the time he returned to the alley entrance, several curious pedestrians had gathered nearby. One of lady noticed his would and asked ,"You okay?" And beside her man asked, "What happened?" Then another said, "Should we call the police?"Lian Ziho shook his head."I'm fine." His voice sounded tired.The people lingered for another minute before gradually dispersing once they realized the fight was over. Eventually the street became quiet again.Lian Ziho stood alone beneath the rain.Slowly, he looked down at the phone still clutched tightly in his hand."This is getting out of control..." he muttered.His jaw tightened."We need to find Jun Wei soon."Then he started to walk again.
Far across the city, an old archive building stood quietly beneath the rain. Most of the lights had already been turned off hours ago, leaving only a single desk lamp glowing near the front entrance. An elderly security guard slowly made his final patrol of the night, suppressing a yawn as he walked through the nearly deserted halls. Nothing unusual ever happened here. The building contained little more than forgotten paperwork, dusty records, and decades of old files that nobody cared enough to look at anymore.
As he passed a storage room near the back of the building, he suddenly stopped.He noticed door was slightly open.His brow furrowed and said," I clearly remembered locking it earlier." For several seconds he simply stood there staring at the narrow gap.
Then he called out. "Hello?" No answer came.