The next day at work, Officer Xiao Liang from the technical police department came to the office to report the progress to Si Hang.

Xiao Liang handed him a photo, saying, “This was retrieved from the surveillance at e-Times Internet Cafe. Because this person has a criminal record, we quickly identified him as Gao Yuan. Eight years ago, he was involved in an online fraud case and served three years in prison. After his release, he changed jobs frequently and never had a stable one. It seems his life isn’t going well, and he’s turned to illegal activities again.”

After he finished speaking, Si Hang asked, “Have we located him now?”

“We just pinpointed his current location this morning. He fled to a neighboring province, but our team is already on the way. We need to issue an additional arrest warrant.”

Si Hang grabbed the application form from the side, reviewed it, and handed it to Xiao Liang, “Hurry up and get the warrant signed.”

…

Zhuang Zi spent two very relaxed days at the Shen family’s home.

Although she felt a bit constrained living in someone else’s home, the harmonious interactions with the Shen couple gradually eased her initial tension.

Shen Jianbo and Zheng Ruzhi went to work during the day, and Xiao Mi was taken care of by Aunt Qin. Zhuang Zi was limited in her movements and couldn’t go out, so she stayed in her bedroom or on the balcony, reading and researching, occasionally taking walks around the villa.

In the evenings, when everyone was home, dinner time was when they all gathered to chat.

Shen Jianbo didn’t talk much but always had a gentle smile, listening to everyone else.

Zheng Ruzhi, on the other hand, was quite talkative, balancing her husband’s quiet nature.

Zhuang Zi occasionally asked, “Do you and Uncle work at the company?”

“No,” Zheng Ruzhi replied, “The company is mainly managed by my younger son. Your uncle only goes there occasionally. As for me, I run a calligraphy and painting studio.”

Zhuang Zi nodded, curious why Si Hang didn’t manage the family business but became a police officer instead, though she didn’t ask.

Zheng Ruzhi invited her, “Once your matters are settled, you must visit my studio.”

“Sure.”

“I was in poor health for many years and couldn’t work. Now that I’ve recovered, I want to do something I love while I can, so I won’t have any regrets if anything happens to me.”

From Zheng Ruzhi’s tone, Zhuang Zi sensed that behind this seemingly complete and happy family, there might have been some hardships.

As she was thinking this, Shen Jianbo interjected, “Why are you saying such depressing things?”

Zheng Ruzhi defended herself, “I was just expressing my feelings.”

“Isn’t everything fine now?”

“I didn’t say things are bad now,” Zheng Ruzhi glanced at her husband, then smiled at Zhuang Zi, “The only worry I have now is my disobedient eldest son!”

“…….” Zhuang Zi forced a smile.

“You see, he’s not in a hurry to get married, but I’m worried sick.”

Shen Jianbo sighed, “Here we go again!”

“You’re not worried, but can’t I be? He’s always working, and if he doesn’t get married, will he live alone forever?”

Shen Jianbo said, “Maybe he hasn’t met the right person yet.”

“What do you mean he hasn’t met the right person? That’s just deceiving ourselves! He’s in his thirties, I can’t believe he hasn’t met any good girls. I think he’s just too picky, like Shen Qiao was before. The girl Mrs. Yu introduced last time was perfectly fine, and the female officers at his unit are also good.”

Shen Jianbo didn’t want to argue with her, so he gave in, “Didn’t you say Shen Qiao was picky too? And now he’s married.”

Zheng Ruzhi was momentarily speechless, then looked at Zhuang Zi and smiled.

“…….” Zhuang Zi could only smile back.

Suddenly, Zheng Ruzhi changed the subject, asking her, “Why haven’t you found a boyfriend yet, Xiao Zi?”

Zhuang Zi calmly replied, “I haven’t met the right one.”

“It’s not that you haven’t met the right one. You’re probably too picky, right?”

Zhuang Zi shook her head and smiled, “No.”

“Then what kind do you like? Tell me, and I’ll keep an eye out for someone suitable.”

“……….”

Shen Jianbo also looked exasperated and lightly kicked her under the table.

This conversation sounded odd coming from her mouth.

Zheng Ruzhi lightly glared back at him and kicked him in return.

Zhuang Zi poked at the rice in her bowl and slowly said, “This can’t be forced. Maybe it’s like Uncle said, I just haven’t met the right person yet.”

Zheng Ruzhi smiled warmly, “Silly child. Sometimes, fate needs a little help.”

Zhuang Zi was silent for a few seconds, then smiled faintly.

…

After three days of pursuit, Gao Yuan was finally captured in a rented house in H City.

On Friday afternoon, during the routine meeting of the criminal investigation team, Xie Kui reported on the overall progress of their operations.

“In the morning, we interrogated Gao Yuan. He confessed that someone contacted him online and asked him to control Zhuang Zi’s phone. He doesn’t know who the person is, not even their gender. He took the job because he needed money to buy a house and get married.

Also, Xiao Meng reported that the investigation into the victims of the accident at the Luocheng Stone Factory is complete. Except for Zhao Yuan’s family, who are still in the hospital due to loss of mobility, the other victims have not left the village recently, and the villagers and local officials can attest to this.

As for the criminal who kidnapped Zhuang Zi that night, we’re intensifying our search. We’ve screened all male unemployed individuals between 1.7 and 1.75 meters tall in the city and have cleared two-thirds of them without finding a suspect. The criminal knows the police are after him and is likely trying to hide his tracks.”

After finishing, Xie Kui looked at Si Hang, “There are no abnormalities found in the Zhuang family, and their testimonies are solid.”

In the past two days, Xie Kui’s team had been investigating the Zhuang family.

After questioning them, he found that all the Zhuang family members, including distant relatives, showed indifference towards Zhuang Zi. No one seemed concerned about her safety or whether she was in danger.

Her brother Zhuang Jiao was particularly indifferent.

“Initially, everyone has an alibi. Only Zhuang Jiao, the eldest son, seemed impatient and nervous during questioning, even a bit resistant, but he also has an alibi.”

Xie Kui recalled Zhuang Jiao’s words when they left: “I can’t be the murderer. Even though I dislike her, she’s still a Zhuang. In the Zhuang family, she’s the coldest. If anyone harmed us, it would be her!”

Si Hang frowned, “Why did he say that?”

“I asked. He said it’s a family matter that Zhuang Zi should understand, but he wouldn’t elaborate.”

Si Hang was silent for a moment, then decided not to dwell on it, adding only one point, “Assign a team to focus the search on customers of all pharmacies in the city.”

Someone asked in confusion, “Pharmacies?”

“On the day of the incident, Zhuang Zi said the criminal was coughing due to the cold, which gave her a chance to escape.” His gaze was sharp as he looked at everyone, tapping the table, “If his condition worsens, won’t he need medicine? Hospitals require ID for treatment, so he’ll likely go to a pharmacy.”

…