Chapter 49

Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Distance.

The next day.

As always punctual, He Linfeng only arrived at the office close to eight. Wang Lai, holding a cup of hot coffee and yawning, couldn’t help muttering, “Look at those dark circles. Were you out committing crimes last night?”

“Just working overtime on a case,” He Linfeng said seriously, shaking the documents in his hand. “Almost caught two suspects too.”

Wang Lai rolled his eyes. “Cut it out. What kind of overtime leaves you looking so refreshed? Tell the truth—did you secretly go on a date with Mr. Jian behind our backs?”

“A date…” He Linfeng touched his chin and thought for a moment. “I guess so.” The location was just a bit special.

Wang Lai immediately shot up, eyes widening like copper bells. He had only been joking, but didn’t expect to accidentally hit the mark.

Single-dog critical hit.

“Alright, enough jokes, let’s get to business,” Yan Qiuyu said casually as she flipped through the files He Linfeng brought. She raised an eyebrow. “The 213 mass murder case? Why are you suddenly thinking about that?”

Although it was only media reports and rumor-filled speculation from forums, it had been over twenty years, and it was obvious He Linfeng had put a lot of effort into collecting it.

“My intuition tells me it might have something to do with Tong Tong’s disappearance,” He Linfeng said, deliberately hiding Jian Qing’s reminder and speaking half-truths. “Also, I kind of hope we can solve this cold case.”

Zhou Shan looked up. “Ambitious.”

Yan Qiuyu, meanwhile, watched as He Linfeng logged into the internal system and entered a name that was both unfamiliar and familiar: “Zhu Qiang?”

“Yes,” He Linfeng replied while narrowing the search scope as the page loaded. Given how large and populous China was, duplicate names were common. “Captain Yan, you remember him?”

“After all, it was a case I encountered during my internship,” Yan Qiuyu nodded. Although she hadn’t been qualified to take charge at the time, that didn’t mean she hadn’t followed it closely.

Frowning slightly, she recalled, “When Tong Tong went missing, Zhu Qiang had already been dismissed by the Jian family. The probability of him committing the crime is extremely low.”

To put it more directly—it was almost zero.

Even if Zhu Qiang had harbored resentment after being dismissed without reason, he should have targeted Jian Qing. What would attacking his employer’s neighbor’s daughter accomplish?

Unless he had abducted the wrong person when acting.

Moreover, the compensation the Jian family gave at the time was quite generous. The motive simply didn’t hold up—neither logically nor emotionally.

With how sharp He Linfeng was, he should have grasped the key point immediately. Why would he waste time on something like this?

“Since we’ve got no leads anyway, might as well try every direction,” He Linfeng said, shifting the topic as his cursor stopped. “Ah, found it.”

China’s identity records require periodic updates. The photo of Zhu Qiang showed a man clearly in middle age—no obvious wrinkles at first glance, but with faint gray at the temples. His overly thin cheeks gave him a somewhat harsh look. His skin was dark, likely from years of sun exposure, and his eyes were dull, appearing weary and weathered.

Yan Qiuyu crossed her arms and stared at the screen for several seconds before matching the man to the Zhu Qiang in her memory.

“He looks a bit fierce,” Wang Lai commented curiously as he leaned in. “Wouldn’t he scare kids into crying?”

“I remember him being quite gentle back then,” Yan Qiuyu said.

But He Linfeng was concerned about something else entirely. “The Jian family gave him a car, right?” Twenty years ago, selling it off casually would have been enough to buy a modest apartment.

Even in an undeveloped old district, he should have been able to live relatively comfortably.

“Life’s unpredictable,” Wang Lai said with the air of someone experienced. “So, how is it? Fox He, spotted any clues?”

He Linfeng replied calmly, “Give me a bit more time.”

He wasn’t some detective protagonist who could always get sudden flashes of insight like in novels.

“Heard from the forensic team that there’s been some progress,” Yan Qiuyu said, remembering the report she had received that morning. She turned back. “Xiao Tong.”

The girl who had been called by her superior immediately swallowed the last two mouthfuls of soy milk. “Coming.”

“Here’s the situation. According to the forensic colleagues’ identification, there are excessive signs of erosion on Tong Tong’s skeletal remains, and the texture is extremely loose. They compared similar domestic and international cases and found that the hollowing of Tong Tong’s bones is far more severe. It is very likely that she was once buried in moist soil near water.”

Wang Lai scratched his messy bedhead. “Near water… our city does have a river.”

Not to mention the nearby lakes and reservoirs.

“The exact location still needs to wait for the forensics department’s sampling and analysis,” Zhou Shan reassured. “Everything from the pit in the abandoned warehouse has been brought back. We should get something useful.”

Wang Lai clasped his hands together. “Pray that the killer didn’t clean away the original soil completely.”

“Pray?” Yan Qiuyu skillfully flicked him on the forehead. “Cut that out. We can’t rely entirely on high-tech either—we start from experience first.”

“Killers usually choose a place they personally consider safe when burying a body. It also needs to be concealed, controllable, and convenient for them to return and check at any time.”

“Re-screen the suspects from twenty-two years ago. See if any of them had a hometown or workplace near water. Compile the report and submit it to me.”

Everyone responded in unison.

He Linfeng took the forensic report and read it for a while, then sent Jian Qing a WeChat message:

【Do you want to pursue the matter of Tong Tong’s parents?】

Yesterday he had personally gone to No. 6 Qingshan Road. There really was a small pond inside, but the surrounding landscaping was seamlessly integrated, with no trace of renovation or reconstruction. If a body had truly been buried there and dug up, the police at the time would certainly not have missed it.

However, until noon, He Linfeng still hadn’t received a reply.

Confirming that the other party had been fine when they parted last night, He Linfeng guessed that the CEO was probably busy with work again, and casually reminded him:

【Remember to eat.】

Silently, the phone on the solid wood desk lit up.

The secretary who had come to deliver lunch softly reminded, “Mr. Jian…” She had just seen it clearly—a super cute Samoyed profile picture, tongue sticking out goofily. It absolutely didn’t match the style of any company client.

But the young man, holding a pen and reviewing documents, only glanced at it faintly and let the screen dim again. He nodded. “Go take a break.”

The secretary quietly placed down the lunch box, her mind uneasy:

So… were they arguing or breaking up? Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen that handsome, witty man downstairs for a long time. The internal forums had already discussed it several times.

The conclusion was always the same: the boss clearly loves work more.

Maybe someday there will be another news report about a deranged stalker committing violence.

But if the secretary had been more observant, she would have noticed that although the young man appeared unmoved, the page in front of him had not been turned at all.

The office door closed.

The room returned to silence.

Jian Qing took off his glasses and lightly pressed the bridge of his nose.

He and He Linfeng had grown too close.

Last night, when he had mistakenly thought the other man was about to kiss him, he had actually only dodged—rather than punching him in the face.

That was not normal.

And it was dangerous.

There had never been a precedent of “transmigrators” occupying the bodies of public officials. But what if it was a public official closely connected to the protagonist? Even Yu Xiumei, whom he had only met once, had become a target selected by the system. Perhaps one day, He Linfeng would also be implicated by him—and disappear without a trace.

So many years had passed, yet Jian Qing had only ever encountered one exception—Bian Shao. It was completely irregular, maintaining an intentionally neither close nor distant relationship with his maternal aunt’s family, also out of caution.

Now, he had to control the distance before things got worse.

In any case, this kind of handling had long become second nature to him.

For Tong Tong’s case, he had already provided every clue he could. With He Linfeng’s ability, the truth would eventually be uncovered—there was no need for outsiders to worry.

Quickly scanning the schedule posted in the corner, Jian Qing coldly dialed the internal line. “Hello?”

“Arrange a flight to City A for me tonight.”

“What? So Mr. Jian is going on a business trip?”

Like a starving tiger pouncing on food, Wang Lai slurped a big mouthful of noodles, his left cheek puffed out as he teased, “No wonder you had time to eat with us. This meal’s on you.”

After surviving last month’s “storm of chaos,” things in North River City had recently been very peaceful. The Major Crimes Team only had the old Tong Tong case left, and they were getting off work on time every day.

“So? Why do you look so gloomy?” Wang Lai asked sharply when he sensed the low pressure around him, exaggerating his tone. “Don’t tell me Mr. Jian is going away for a long time?”

He Linfeng: “…He didn’t tell me.”

No reply on WeChat, no answer to calls. Ever since returning from Qingshan Road, that person had gone completely out of contact, as if suddenly trying to cut ties.

“Then it’s definitely you who pissed Mr. Jian off,” Wang Lai said bluntly while shaking his chopsticks, then quickly panicked. “You’re not like those seniors who got arrested by us, are you…”

He Linfeng gave him a sideways glance, and Wang Lai immediately shut up obediently.

He admitted that night the atmosphere had been too good—he really had wanted to kiss Jian Qing—but that had only been a passing thought in his mind. He shouldn’t have shown it.

Yet after Wang Lai’s reminder, He Linfeng suddenly wasn’t so sure.

Like a stray cat, more like a stray cat than anything.

He Linfeng sighed helplessly. He had only taken half a step forward, and the other person had already been frightened into retreating.

“Cough,” Wang Lai cleared his throat when he saw his friend drifting off again, lowering his voice. “Actually, it’s not bad to separate for a few days. You can calm down too. What’s that saying… right, the suspension bridge effect.”

“People at the edge of life and death are most likely to develop illusions.” Disfigurement, kidnapping, catching criminals—normal life doesn’t have that kind of intensity, does it?

He expected He Linfeng to get angry, but instead the other man curved his lips slightly.

Wang Lai felt a chill creep up his spine. “What’s with that?”

“I’ve had many colleagues I’ve worked with,” He Linfeng said, raising his fingers one by one. “If the suspension bridge effect really worked that well, I’d at least have ten exes by now.”

“Including you.”

Wang Lai choked.

Just imagining the scene described made him feel a wave of disgust.

Even if that fox-like guy was exceptionally good-looking.

“Got it now?” He Linfeng patted Wang Lai’s shoulder affectionately. “Eat. Eat more.” Just like his reaction, if he hadn’t met Jian Qing, he would never have considered men.

In fact, he rarely even considered women.

So, anything outside matters of life and death was just a minor issue.

Whether it was the cufflink that “accidentally” Yu Xiumei left at the crime scene, or Xu Hao who was “coincidentally” dragged into the case, or even Tong Tong who was “just so happened” buried beneath the abandoned warehouse—everything was far too coincidental, as if an invisible hand behind the scenes was manipulating and pulling the strings.

Jian Qing was not the indecisive type. If he truly wanted to refuse, he could have said it directly to his face.

The fact that the other party was avoiding him might have other reasons as well.