Chapter 37

Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Seven: Family.

“Grayish-white, bones defatted and dried,” Yan Qiuyu said, raising her hand to take the bottled mineral water Wang Lai had twisted open. Standing by the car window, she added, “At least more than ten years dead.”

A temporary cordon was quickly set up. The dog that had first discovered the anomaly patrolled back and forth with its head held high, diligently preventing any unrelated personnel from approaching.

“Judging from the size, it should be a girl under ten years old. For more specific details, we’ll have to leave it to the forensic examiner,” after gulping down more than half a bottle to quench her thirst, Yan Qiuyu cracked her neck and shoulders. “You and Xiaotong take the kids to the hospital first. The girls will go in Xiaotong’s car. He Linfeng…”

He Linfeng consciously reached for the door handle. “I’ll make room for Gao Zixuan.”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Yan Qiuyu said. Police duty requires at least two people together, and she didn’t believe he would forget that. Besides, “There are three seats in the back.”

He Linfeng looked innocent. “I was just worried Captain Yan might be short of helpers.”

“First come, first served. We’ll talk after interrogating Shi Hong and the others,” after reporting back to the bureau, Yan Qiuyu explained, “Xiao Kong and the others are already on the way.”

Different professions have their specialties. Although everyone belonged to the larger department of “criminal investigation,” the most detailed evidence collection work still had to be handled by the forensic department.

However, an unidentified body with “more than ten years of age” would be extremely time-consuming to investigate. It would likely be difficult to make progress in the short term.

At a distance of several cars away, Song An’an’s system no longer spoke. It seemed this was not a case from the original storyline, and Jian Qing could not obtain any advance clues either.

Around the joints of his index and middle fingers were several bandages cut into appropriately sized strips. He habitually pushed up his glasses, then was quietly called from behind by Xu Hao: “Bro.”

“Can I borrow your phone?”

After leaving the filthy, oppressive warehouse and sitting in the air-conditioned police car for a while, he finally recovered completely and remembered to call his parents.

Jian Qing nodded in agreement.

His father was on a business trip, and Ning Shuyan had still not told him about their son being kidnapped. Although she had already learned that the hostage had been successfully rescued, her heart still hung in midair.

Suddenly receiving a video call from Jian Qing, she thought something had gone wrong again and quickly answered—only to see her own son’s silly face.

“You brat,” Ning Shuyan finally felt her soul settle back into her body. She laughed and scolded him, “You scared me to death.”

During the process of cooperating with the investigation, she had remained very calm and composed, even having the energy to comfort the self-blaming Jian Qing. But after truly confirming her son was safe, Ning Shuyan blinked rapidly and wiped away tears at the corner of her eyes.

Xu Hao, who had originally planned to make a funny face to cheer his mother up, panicked instantly. He held up the phone and turned it around everywhere. “Mom? Mom? Don’t cry, I’m fine—I’m really bouncing around, see for yourself if you don’t believe me.”

Jian Qing’s WeChat did not have beauty filters turned on. Ning Shuyan carefully examined him through the camera and noticed the deliberately lengthened sleeves Xu Hao was wearing.

But she did not expose him, only pretended to be fooled and smiled through tears. “My son is amazing.”

“Mom is waiting for you at the hospital,” she said, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Be good, don’t cause trouble for the police, understand?”

Normally, being lectured like a five- or six-year-old would have made Xu Hao a bit impatient, but now he only felt that it was truly good to still be able to hear his mother speak alive and well.

In such an ordinary yet extraordinary warm scene, He Linfeng had seen it many times in his career. However, never before had he been as focused as Jian Qing.

The other’s expression remained calm as he stared out the window in a daze, as if attracted by the newly unearthed bones, but in reality all his attention was on the front seat—like a stray cat cautiously peeking at a can of food that didn’t belong to it.

He Linfeng suddenly felt like hugging Jian Qing.

Leaning slightly to the side, he shifted into a lazy, boneless sitting posture and rested his head on the young man’s shoulder. “Tired.”

In the late autumn evening with dropping temperatures, the warmth of a similar body passed through layers of clothing, pulling Jian Qing’s thoughts back, turning into some invisible but comforting support.

The police car was small, and that person was long-limbed; this posture was not exactly comfortable for He Linfeng. Jian Qing pursed his lips, about to refuse, when the other seemed to have ESP, closing his eyes even more tightly than before.

Jian Qing: …

Forget it.

Just because the other party helped him rescue Xu Ha.

However, with He Linfeng making such a fuss, he completely lost the mood to pay attention to anyone else. The fluffy sensation brushed against his neck, and Jian Qing once again smelled that pleasant shampoo scent.

…He Linfeng, this person, it seemed that apart from his bones, everywhere else was soft.

Rarely, Wang Lai, who had been multitasking in the front seat, no longer felt heartbroken and distressed, but instead had a kind of resigned relief:

He and Buddha had both tried their best.

Indeed, He Linfeng’s obsession with Jian Qing was stronger.

Two minutes later, Gao Zixuan, who had just had a big argument with his parents, also got into the car. Anger and disappointment replaced the joy of being rescued, and he lowered his head, shrinking into a corner.

In the very beginning, every parent is a hero in a child’s eyes—just as Gao Zixuan had never imagined that his loving, gentle parents, who taught him to be brave and kind, would turn out to be deadbeat debtors who built unfinished buildings.

What “for his sake,” what “trying to maintain his quality of life”—a so-called “rich second generation” whose parents owed money and refused to repay it, was that really more honorable than an ordinary, clean-handed person?

But no matter what, family is still family. Afraid that the police would take his parents away, Gao Zixuan could only hide all his emotions. When Xu Hao looked at him worriedly, he shook his head and lied, “I’m fine.”

“Police uncle,” after coming out and catching a glimpse of the blood everywhere in the shabby tin house, after hesitating for two seconds, he gathered his courage and asked, “Li Ming… how is he?”

Ever since being called “uncle” by a burly man in his thirties, Wang Lai had become completely immune to that word. While driving, he comforted him, “Still being rescued.”

“He’ll be fine.”

For people without professional training, it is actually very difficult to kill with a single blow. Qian Weiqiang was probably committing murder for the first time; seeing that Li Ming stopped moving, he didn’t continue stabbing, unintentionally leaving him a thread of survival.

Unfortunately, although the knife was misaligned, it still pierced flesh and injured the heart. By the time Captain Yan and the others found him, Li Ming had already gone into shock from excessive blood loss. The rescue was essentially a race against death; whether he would wake up was truly uncertain.

The city lights began to turn on.

Police cars flashing red and blue lights jolted away from the pitch-black cornfields, one after another turning onto the highway, eventually merging into the bustling neon of Bei River.

Jian Qing had a rare good dream.

There was no crackling firecrackers, no cold wind pouring in. In the dream, Qing Mountain Road No. 6 was warm and bright. A boy wearing a cat-pattern sweater stood steadily on a small stool, washing apples under a faucet, while beside him a clay pot soup bubbled and a mother chopped vegetables with a rhythmic “tap-tap-tap.”

“Good baby,” the smiling woman bent down and quickly kissed the boy’s face. “Mom made your favorite pork rib and corn soup today. Do you want to taste it first, Qingqing?”

Steadily turning off the faucet, the boy said in a soft childlike voice, “Okay.”

His head was round and chubby. The rubber handle had a Doraemon print, and the whole spoon was only about the length of an adult palm—clearly a child’s utensil.

A small bowl of soup was blown on again and again by his mother before being brought to his mouth. “Ah.”

“It’s sweet,” the boy answered seriously, like a little adult, with a straight face. “Next time I want to do it myself.”

In two more months, he would be five years old.

The woman nodded. “Okay.” Then she pinched his cheek in mild distress, very gently. “But Mom likes Qingqing too much sometimes and can’t help it.”

“Qingqing must remind Mom.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the boy’s feet suddenly lifted off the ground. Someone wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted him up, spinning him around in childish circles. “Airplane time, airplane time.”

It was Dad.

Just back from work, even after taking off his coat, there was still a trace of coldness on him, but his hands were warm—like he had specially breathed on them just to hold him.

The boy silently gave up struggling.

Anyway, in a little while, Dad would stick to Mom again.

“Wife, you’ve worked hard. The neighbor just sent over some little cakes—they’re especially pretty. We can show off our skills too,” the man said, lightly placing their son back in his original spot and giving the woman a quick kiss on the lips. “Give me the apron, you go rest in the living room.”

Then he remembered to cover the child’s eyes. “Indecent viewing is not allowed.”

As if sharing a tacit understanding, two overlapping hands wearing wedding rings covered the boy’s little face together.

The world fell into darkness.

But it did not feel frightening.

The young man curled up at the edge of the bed slowly opened his eyelashes.

The alarm had not yet rung. The duvet dutifully wrapped him in warmth. He did not get up immediately, instead curling himself back into a ball under the covers.

Until the sharp ringing of “beep beep beep” cut through the quiet of the morning.

A pale, cold hand reached out, swiped left with practiced familiarity, then quickly retracted.

“Buzz.”

The bed vibrated.

“Buzz buzz.”

More than ten minutes later, it rang again.

With some irritation, he threw off the blanket. Jian Qing turned on the screen. A stupidly smiling Samoyed dog avatar popped up with unread messages: 【Breakfast, want some?】

The attached image was a bowl of beef rice noodles with clear broth, steaming hot, sprinkled with fresh green scallions on top.

The second photo was an empty bowl.

Two voice messages followed.

“It’s gone,” the man laughed, along with the sound of a shop door being pushed open. “I need to head to the bureau early today, no time to deliver it to you. Drive carefully.”

Jian Qing guessed it was because they were wrapping up the kidnapping case.

Yet he couldn’t help suspecting the other party might have been affected by his “impulse” yesterday.

The warehouse was sealed on all sides. He could hear the system’s exclamation to know a murder was about to happen inside, but He Linfeng… he was just an ordinary person. Yet he was willing to trust his judgment completely, even at the risk of being punished.

Silently, the screen—still waiting for input—dimmed, then completely shut off. After who knew how long, Jian Qing finally moved his fingers: 【Anything urgent?】

One minute later, He Linfeng replied: 【Interrogating suspects.】

【I’ll report to Boss Jian once I’m done.】

As expected.

He really must have been out of his mind to worry about that guy.

Casually heating a cup of milk for breakfast, Jian Qing—who rarely overslept—arrived on time at the company entrance.

“Notify the PR department to organize all false reports targeting the Jian Corporation,” he said as the elevator doors closed, politely turning to instruct the secretary standing beside him. “No matter the cost.”

“Every single one.”

“I’m going to sue them all.”