Lian Ziho arrived at the café a few minutes early.Lian Ziho sat near the window and checked his phone. What does he want to tell me?...He put his phone down and looked outside. His thoughts drifted to Lu Cheng. After so many years, i still have no clear answer about what happened to him. He tapped his fingers on the table, then stopped when he noticed himself doing it. I hope this isn't another dead end...He picked up his glass, took a sip of water, and glanced at the entrance again.
Lian ziho put his phone beside his cup of water and glanced at the entrance once. Zheng Rui arrived several minutes later. He opened the glass door and paused, looking around the café before spotting Lian ziho. He glanced back at the entrance, then walked over. "Sorry to keep you waiting." He pulled out the chair opposite Lian ziho and sat down, keeping his jacket on."You're not late." Lian ziho replied. He studied Zheng Rui's face for a moment. "What did you want to tell me?"
Zheng Rui didn't answer immediately. He picked up the menu, glanced at it without much interest, then set it aside. "Have you heard anything about Lu Cheng recently?" he asked. Lian ziho's expression changed. He put down his glass and looked directly at Zheng Rui. "Why are you asking me that?" "Just answer the question." "No. Not since the last time I tried to find out where he went." Lian ziho leaned forward slightly, his eyes fixed on Zheng Rui. "What happened? Did you find something?" Zheng Rui glanced toward the counter as the server approached. He ordered a coffee, waited until the server had left, then rested his arms on the table. "I've been looking into his disappearance with Cai Lang."
Lian ziho stared at him. "Cai Lang?"Zheng Rui nodded."Yeah." "Since when?" Lian ziho asked,"And why didn't either of you tell me?" Zheng Rui shifted in his seat and looked down at his phone. "Because we didn't have much to go on at first." He rubbed his thumb along the edge of the phone before looking up again. "That changed recently." Lian ziho's gaze sharpened. "What changed?" Zheng Rui unlocked his phone and opened a folder of photographs. He scrolled through a few images before turning the screen toward Lian ziho. "We found these." Lian ziho leaned closer. The first photograph showed the university building.
The next showed Lu Cheng standing near the entrance, his face turned slightly away from the camera. Lian ziho took the phone and enlarged the image, moving his fingers across the screen as he examined it. "I've never seen this picture before." "I didn't think you had." "When was it taken?" "We're still checking the exact date." Lian ziho looked at him, clearly unhappy with the answer, but returned his attention to the photograph. He studied Lu Cheng's clothes, the people behind him, and the entrance to the building, trying to remember whether he had been there that day. Nothing came to mind. He handed the phone back. "Where did you get these?" "They were among the things we found while investigating." "Who took them?" Zheng Rui shook his head. "We don't know."
Lian ziho let out a slow breath and leaned back in his chair. "You don't know who took them, or why they were keeping pictures of Lu Cheng?" "Neither." "Then what exactly have you found?" Zheng Rui didn't answer at once. He swiped to the next photograph and turned the screen toward Lian ziho again. "Look at this one." Lian ziho glanced down, then stopped. His own face appeared on the screen. He was standing outside a building, looking toward someone beyond the frame. The photograph had been taken from a distance, partly hidden by the branches of a tree.
Lian ziho took the phone again and brought the image closer. His expression slowly changed as he noticed the angle. Whoever had taken it hadn't been standing nearby by chance. They had been watching him. "When was this taken?" he asked quietly. "Around the time Lu Cheng disappeared." Lian ziho lowered the phone, his grip tightening around it. "Someone was watching me?" "It looks that way." "For how long?" "We don't know." Lian gave the phone back a little more sharply than he intended. Zheng Rui caught it before it slid toward the edge of the table. Neither spoke for a moment. Lian ziho rubbed a hand over his face, then looked at Zheng Rui again. "Why would anyone follow me? I wasn't involved in anything." "I don't know, Lian ziho. That's what we're trying to find out." "And you expect me to believe this has nothing to do with Lu Cheng?" "I didn't say that."
Zheng Rui leaned forward, lowering his voice as a couple at the next table glanced in their direction. "The photographs of you and Lu Cheng were taken around the same period. We can't ignore that." Lian ziho looked down at the table. His fingers tapped once against the wood before curling into his palm. "Did you show these to Cai Lang?" "Of course." "And what did he say?" Zheng Rui hesitated. Lian ziho caught the pause immediately. "What?" "He thinks there's something we missed." Lian ziho pushed his chair back slightly, the legs scraping against the floor. "Something we missed,or something he already knows?" Zheng Rui looked at him carefully but said nothing.
Lian ziho's expression hardened. "You think he's hiding something." "I think Cai Lang knows more about Lu Cheng than he's told me," Zheng Rui replied. "But I can't tell you what it is, because I don't know the whole story myself." Lian ziho looked away, his fingers tightening around his glass.He picked up the glass, but before he could drink, he set it down again. "And you thought I should find out about this now?" he asked. "I thought you deserved to know the investigation had started moving again." Zheng Rui leaned forward, his voice serious. "I didn't want you to hear about it from someone else, especially if whoever took those pictures is still around." Lian ziho studied him for a long moment, searching his face for any sign that he was holding something else back. "You said you've been investigating with Cai Lang. Have you found anything else? Anything about the last few days before Lu Cheng disappeared?"
Zheng Rui shook his head. "Not enough to give you a clear answer." "That's not what I asked." Zheng Rui pressed his lips together, then took a breath. "There are things we're still checking. I don't want to tell you something that turns out to be wrong." Lian ziho looked down at the phone between them. "Everyone keeps saying that. Everyone needs more time,more proof,another lead." He raised his eyes. "Meanwhile,years keep passing." Zheng Rui didn't interrupt. Lian ziho reached for the phone and slid it back toward him. "You think they're still watching me?" "I can't say for sure. But until we know who took those photographs, I wouldn't assume it's over." For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Lian ziho looked at the photograph on Zheng Rui's phone again, trying to place the day, the building, or anything else that might explain why someone had been watching him. Nothing came to mind. He rubbed his thumb against the side of his glass, then finally looked up. "Tell me everything you know," Lian ziho said at last. "Don't leave anything out just because you think it might upset me." Zheng Rui nodded. He pulled the phone closer and unlocked the folder again. "All right. I'll tell you what we've found."
After Zheng Rui left, Lian Ziho stayed at the café for a few minutes, checking the photographs on his phone. He put it away, gathered his things, and walked outside. Across the street, Shen Mo stood behind a pillar, watching him.When Lian ziho looked toward the street, Shen Mo quickly stepped back, keeping his face hidden. Lian ziho continued walking, thinking about the photographs, until he suddenly felt someone watching him. He stopped and looked around. Shen Mo stayed behind the pillar, barely moving. Lian ziho glanced across the street and noticed a figure moving away. He frowned and walked toward it. Shen Mo immediately turned the corner, trying to avoid being seen. "Wait!" Lian ziho called, quickening his pace. By the time he reached the corner, the figure was gone. Lian ziho looked down the empty street, but he hadn't seen the person's face. He stood there for a moment, wondering who had been watching him and why they had run away.
Elsewhere Han Yi spread the medical records across the table while Qin Yue sat beside him, scrolling through the photographs they had taken earlier. They had been looking at the same two documents for nearly twenty minutes, but neither of them seemed ready to let the matter go. One record stated that the patient had been declared dead. The other showed that the same patient had been transferred three days later. Qin Yue tapped the second document with her finger. "Tell me again how a dead person gets transferred to another hospital."
Han Yi adjusted his glasses and looked at the dates, rubbing his forehead."Maybe the hospital has better doctors than we thought." Qin Yue slowly turned toward him, her eyebrows raised. "Are you seriously making jokes right now?" "I'm trying to keep myself awake." He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his tired eyes before pulling the documents closer again. "Besides, if I don't laugh,I'll probably start tearing these papers apart." Qin Yue gave him a doubtful look and quickly moved the records out of his reach. "Please don't. We've already lost enough pages."
Han Yi glanced at the papers she had pulled away. "I wasn't planning to eat them.""Good. I don't want to explain to our supervisor why half the evidence is missing and the other half is in your stomach." Han Yi let out a quiet laugh and pulled the records closer. His smile faded as he checked the dates again. He picked up one document and pointed to the signature at the bottom. "Look at the signature." Qin Yue leaned over to see it. "What about it?" "The person who approved the transfer wrote their name and employee number. The handwriting matches the older records." He placed the two documents side by side and tapped the signatures with his finger. "If someone forged it,they did a good job."
Qin Yue crossed her arms and studied the page for a moment. "Or someone with access to the original records copied the details." "That's possible." Han Yi turned the paper toward her. "But we need to find out who it was." Qin Yue pulled her laptop closer and opened the search page. "Then let's find out before you make another joke about dead people." Han Yi pushed his glasses up and glanced at her. "I make one joke and suddenly that's my whole personality." "You make one every five minutes." She kept her eyes on the screen as she typed. "That's not true." he said, reaching for the next document.
Qin Yue paused and gave him a look. "Fine. Every three minutes."A smile appeared on her face before she returned to her search. Han Yi shook his head and slid the records into a neat pile. "Very funny." "I thought so." She turned the laptop slightly toward him. "Now help me find this employee before you start again." Han Yi pulled his chair closer and looked at the screen.They searched through the old staff files, checking names, employee numbers, and dates of service. Most of the records were incomplete, and some had been scanned so poorly that they could barely read the text.
Qin Yue squinted at a faded entry and leaned closer to the screen. "Whoever scanned these files must have hated their job. They made sure we'd hate ours too." Han Yi barely glanced at her. "Focus on the records." "I am focusing. I'm also suffering." She nudged his arm with her elbow. "Move a little. I can't see." Han Yi shifted his chair aside, then pointed at a name near the bottom of the page. "Go back." Qin Yue scrolled up. He leaned closer and read the entry carefully before checking the employee number against the transfer record. "That's him." Qin Yue tilted her head. "The person who approved the transfer?" "Yes. The employee number matches." She opened another file and searched for the name.
A moment later, her playful expression faded. "Han Yi." He turned toward her. "What did you find?" Qin Yue rotated the laptop toward him. "Looks like our employee won't be answering any questions." Han Yi stared at the screen. "He's dead?" She opened the attached document and checked the date. "There's even a death certificate. Very thorough of them,don't you think?" Han Yi ignored her and took the laptop to read the entry himself. His brows drew together as he compared the dates. "He authorized the transfer before he died." Qin Yue nodded and rested her chin on her hand. "So at least he was alive for that part." Han Yi gave her a brief look before returning to the screen. "According to this record,yes." He checked the access details again, his expression growing more serious. "Then why was his account used years later?"
Qin Yue sat up and pulled the laptop back toward her. "Maybe someone forgot to tell the computer he was dead." Han Yi gave her a serious look. "This isn't a joke. Someone used his account after his death." Her smile faded a little. "I know. I'm trying to think of a reason that doesn't make this worse." She searched the employee's name in the archive system, checking his old job title and access permissions. Han Yi picked up the transfer record and studied the signature again. "Check when his account was last used before his death."
Qin Yue typed a few words and opened the access history. She scrolled through the entries, then stopped. "Here. There's a login from a few days before we first visited the records building." Han Yi moved closer to the screen. "Open it." She clicked the entry. The system showed that the account had been used to access the same medical file they were investigating. Han Yi's expression tightened. "Someone accessed this file,removed two pages,and left the rest untouched." Qin Yue looked at the screen, her fingers resting on the keyboard. "So they knew exactly what they wanted." "And they had access to the system." Han Yi pointed to the timestamp. "Find out whether the account was used anywhere else around that time."
Qin Yue searched the older institutional records. Several results appeared, most of them unrelated. She scrolled through them until one entry caught her attention. "Wait a minute." Han Yi looked at her. "What is it?" She turned the laptop toward him. "This employee was listed in a university report,too." Han Yi read the entry carefully. The job title was different, but the name and employee details matched. He checked the date. It was from around the time Lu Cheng disappeared. "He had access to both places." he said quietly.
Qin Yue looked between the report and the medical record. "You think this connects to Lu Cheng?" "It might." Han Yi placed the documents side by side. "We need to find out what his role was at the university and whether he had any connection to Lu Cheng." Qin Yue wrote down the name and date. "And if someone is still using his account,they might be able to access the university records as well." Han Yi nodded. "Which means we shouldn't report this until we've checked what we can on our own."
Qin Yue glanced at him. "You want us to keep this quiet?" "For now. If someone has been removing records,an official inquiry could give them time to destroy the rest." She closed the laptop halfway, thinking. "Fine. But if we end up in trouble for keeping this from the team,I'm telling them it was your idea." Han Yi gathered the papers into a neat pile. "You can tell them whatever you want. Just make sure you have the evidence to support it." Qin Yue gave him a small grin and reopened the laptop. "See? This is why I leave the serious thinking to you." Han Yi didn't respond. His attention had returned to the screen, where the employee's name appeared beside the access record.
Before he could close the file, a new notification appeared. He stopped moving. Qin Yue noticed his expression and leaned closer. "What now?" Han Yi opened the alert. The same medical file had just been accessed again, using the same retired employee's account. Qin Yue stared at the timestamp, then slowly looked at him. "Someone's still using it." Han Yi saved a screenshot of the alert. "And they might know we're looking into it."
Han Yi saved the screenshot and checked the access details again. "We need to find out where the request came from." Qin Yue pulled her chair closer and looked over the information. "Can the system show us the location?" "Not always. It depends on how the account was accessed." He opened another page and began checking the login records. Qin Yue rested her chin on her hand, watching him work. "You know,for someone who spends so much time telling me to be serious,you look pretty angry right now."
Han Yi didn't look at her. "I'm not angry." "Of course not. You're just staring at the screen like you want to arrest it." He paused and gave her a brief look. "Do you want to help or not?" Qin Yue straightened immediately. "I'm helping. I'm also keeping you from losing your temper." She turned back to the laptop and began checking the time of the previous login. After a few minutes, she found something unusual. "Han Yi,look at this. The account accessed the file from a different terminal this time."
Han Yi leaned over to read the details. "Different from the last login?" "Yes. The earlier request came through the archive's internal system. This one came through a remote connection." She pointed at the screen. "Someone is accessing the same account from outside the building." Han Yi's expression grew serious. "Can you trace the connection?" "I'll try." Qin Yue entered the available information, but the system returned only a partial record. She frowned and tried again. "That's all it's giving me." Han Yi studied the result. "Save it. Don't keep trying if it risks overwriting the log."
Qin Yue saved a copy and leaned back. "So someone has access to a dead employee's account,and now they're using it remotely. That's comforting." Han Yi gathered the records and placed them in a folder. "We need to check the university report tomorrow." "And find out who else had access to his account," Qin Yue added. She shut the laptop and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Please tell me we're done for tonight. If I look at one more old document,I'll start seeing signatures in my dreams." Han Yi put the folder into his bag. "We're done for now." They were about to leave when his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and stopped.
Qin Yue noticed and lowered her arms. "What is it?" Han Yi read the message twice before showing it to her. It was an automatic notice from the archive system confirming that the medical file had been opened again. This time,however,the request had come from an account they hadn't seen before. Qin Yue's expression changed as she read the details. "That's a different user." Han Yi nodded. "And they accessed the same file within minutes of the other account." Qin Yue looked at him. "Two people?" "Or one person using two accounts." Han Yi locked his phone and slipped it into his pocket. "Either way,we need to find out what they were looking for." He picked up his bag and headed for the door. Qin Yue followed, but before leaving,she glanced back at the closed laptop.
Meanwhile at suo ran home, Suo Ran was sitting on the sofa when Jun Wei came into the living room carrying a small bowl of snacks. He climbed onto the sofa beside him and carefully placed the bowl between them. "Ge-ge,these are mine." Suo Ran glanced at the bowl, then at him. "Then why did you bring them here?" Jun Wei thought for a moment. "Because I want to eat them here." Suo Ran nodded as if that made perfect sense. "Of course. My mistake." He reached for a piece, but Jun Wei quickly covered the bowl with both hands. "I said they're mine!" Suo Ran stopped and looked at his little hands covering almost the entire bowl. "I'm only checking if they're safe to eat." "You can check with your eyes."
Jun Wei pushed the bowl farther away. Suo Ran couldn't help laughing. "You're getting clever." "I'm already clever." Jun Wei picked up a snack and ate it proudly. Suo Ran leaned back against the sofa. "Then you should know that eating all of those at once will give you a stomachache." Jun Wei froze with another piece halfway to his mouth. He looked at the snack, then at Suo Ran. "How many can I eat?" "That's for you to figure out,Mr. Clever." Jun Wei narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious of the answer, before putting the snack back into the bowl.
A few minutes later, Suo Ran noticed Jun Wei watching him. "What?" Jun Wei shook his head quickly. "Nothing." Suo Ran turned back to his phone, but he could still feel the jun wei staring at him. After a while, he lowered the phone again. "Jun Wei."Jun Wei looked at him."Yes?" "Do you need something?" Jun Wei hesitated, then slowly held out a small cushion. "Can you put this behind me?" Suo Ran looked at the cushion and moved it behind his back. "Is that better?" Jun Wei nodded and settled against it. Then he leaned sideways until his head rested against Suo Ran's arm.
Suo Ran glanced down at him but said nothing. He simply shifted a little to make him more comfortable and returned to his phone. Jun Wei stayed quiet for a while, his small fingers playing with the edge of Suo Ran's sleeve. Then he looked up. "Ge-ge?" "Hmm?" "Can I ask you something?" Suo Ran locked his phone and placed it on the table. "Of course. What is it?" Jun Wei played with his fingers for a moment before asking,"Have you talked to Cai-ge recently?" Suo Ran's fingers stopped on the edge of the table. For a moment, he didn't move. Then he drew his hand back and looked down at Jun Wei. "Why do you ask?" "I just wanted to know."
Jun Wei lowered his eyes and picked at a loose thread on the cushion. "He hasn't come to see us." Suo Ran's hand lifted as if he wanted to pat Jun Wei's hair, but he paused before letting it rest gently on his shoulder. "We've been busy lately." he said quietly. Jun Wei looked up again. "Is he busy too?" Suo Ran's lips pressed together. He glanced at the phone lying on the table, then turned it face down without checking the screen. "Probably." Jun Wei nodded and looked back at the cushion.
Suo Ran watched his small fingers tug at the loose thread until it nearly came free. He reached over and carefully tucked it back into place, giving Jun Wei's hand a gentle squeeze before letting go. "Will he come here again?" Jun Wei asked. Suo Ran's hand remained on the cushion between them. He opened his mouth, but no answer came immediately. After a moment, he pulled Jun Wei a little closer and smoothed his hair. "I don't know,Jun Wei." Jun Wei nodded, though his shoulders drooped slightly. "I hope he comes." Suo Ran's arm tightened around him for a brief moment. He looked away, then rested his cheek lightly against Jun Wei's hair. He stayed that way until Jun Wei leaned against him again.
After a little while, Jun Wei sat up and pointed toward the toy cars scattered across the floor. "Ge-ge,play with me." Suo Ran blinked, then looked at him and gave a small smile. "What are we playing?" Jun Wei immediately pointed at the largest car. "You're the driver. I'm the boss." Suo Ran looked at the car, then at him. "Why am I always the one doing the work?" "Because you're good at it." Jun Wei answered so quickly that Suo Ran had no reply for a moment. Then he laughed and got up to sit on the floor with him. "Fine,boss. Where are we going?" Jun Wei handed him the toy car and pointed toward the other end of the room. "Over there. And don't drive too slowly!" Suo Ran pushed the car forward at an extremely slow pace. Jun Wei stared at him in disbelief. "Ge-ge!" Suo Ran looked perfectly innocent. "You said not to drive too slowly. You didn't say how fast." Jun Wei grabbed another car and bumped it into Suo Ran's. "You're fired!" Suo Ran laughed as Jun Wei burst into giggles.