“Good to hear.” Pei Zheng paused before adding, “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay. If the police solve the case, let me know, so I can stop worrying.”

“Sure.”

Just as she was about to hang up, an idea struck her, and she called out, “Pei Zheng.”

“What’s up?”

Feeling nervous, Zhuang Zi bit her lip and quietly asked, “Do you know where I could get a fake ID?”

She knew it was illegal, but she was desperate. Si Hang had already applied for the call records, but finding evidence and checking records were contradictory tasks. It wouldn’t work.

Even if she got a fake ID, it wasn’t for any wrongdoing—she just wanted to uncover the truth. Once she had the call records, she’d destroy the fake ID immediately.

“A fake ID?” Pei Zheng was puzzled, “Why do you need that?”

Hesitating, Zhuang Zi regretted asking and quickly denied, “Never mind, I just asked out of curiosity.”

Pei Zheng, despite her denial, used his lunch break to find a phone number and sent it to her.

When Zhuang Zi received the WeChat message, she was surprised that he had actually gone and found it.

Pei Zheng wrote, “I got this from a street ad. I’ve already communicated with the person. The price and location details are in the message. Did you see it?”

“Yes, I see it.”

Sensing her reluctance, Pei Zheng didn’t press further, “If you really plan to go, I’ll take the afternoon off and go with you. It’s not safe for you to go alone.”

“No,” she quickly stopped him, “You don’t need to come.”

She didn’t want to involve him.

Besides, she hadn’t made up her mind yet and was still torn about it.

Pei Zheng didn’t argue, pausing for a second before saying, “If you decide to go, call me. Don’t go alone, okay?”

“Okay.”

Hanging up, she stared at the phone number and address, feeling tempted.

Should she just give up on this lead?

Now that she had a way to investigate, it required taking a risk. If she didn’t go and missed this chance, she would regret it forever.

But another troubling thought lingered—what if she went out and couldn’t find the clue, and ended up being tracked and kidnapped again like last time?

She wasn’t afraid of dying; she was afraid of dying too soon. If she died, who would investigate the truth for her sister?

She sat by the study’s window, listening to the sound of the wind and rain outside, feeling isolated and alone.

The sky was dark and heavy, like the end of the world.

After a period of indecision, her mind gradually calmed.

Since her sister’s phone number was still active, it was more reliable to find a way to get the ID from Jiang Zhihao.

If that failed, she could consider more risky options later.

……

Having not slept well the night before, Zhuang Zi got up and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea before returning to the study to continue reading.

It wasn’t until Aunt Qin called her for lunch that she came out to the living room for a bit.

After lunch, feeling increasingly sleepy, she decided to take a nap. Having not slept a wink the previous night, even an iron man couldn’t hold up.

She went back to her bedroom, drew the curtains, and lay on the bed, trying to fall asleep. Just as she was dozing off, the phone rang suddenly, startling her awake.

Answering the call, the person on the other end identified themselves as from the Chengbei Police Station, instantly erasing any trace of sleepiness.

The officer asked, “What is Pei Zheng to you?”

Startled, she immediately sat up in bed. “He’s my colleague.”

“You need to come to the Chengbei Police Station immediately. He got arrested for trying to get you a fake ID!”

“………”

Zhuang Zi hung up the phone, quickly got dressed, and hurried out.

In the living room, Aunt Qin was doing a thorough cleaning, and Xiao Mi was helping water the plants on the balcony.

Making up an excuse, she told Aunt Qin, “An old colleague came to see me. I’ll be back soon.”

Aunt Qin, a bit worried, asked, “Did you call that colleague of Si Hang’s?”

Despite her anxiety, she still had her wits about her. Calling a police officer to accompany her to bail out someone who was getting her a fake ID would be a huge joke.

But now Pei Zheng was in trouble because of her. Not going to bail him out would be ungrateful.

Besides, since the incident, he was the only one who still called to check on her.

Maybe there were too few people in this world who truly cared for her. So now, even if a stranger risked everything for her and got into trouble, she would do everything to help them.

“I already called. He’ll be downstairs soon.”

Aunt Qin smiled, “Alright then, will you be back for dinner?”

“I will.” Looking at the stormy weather outside, Zhuang Zi asked, “Do you have an umbrella?”

When Aunt Qin returned with an umbrella, she hurriedly left.

In the elevator, she put on a mask and pulled her coat’s hood over her head, covering her face completely. This way, no one would recognize her.

She hoped, against all odds, that she could just drive to the police station and return without any trouble.

Silently, she prayed that she could successfully bail out Pei Zheng and that nothing would go wrong.

…….

Yesterday afternoon, there was a murder case in Yang County. Si Hang received orders from the director and rushed there overnight with Xie Kui and Xiao Meng.

They returned to the police station at around 3 PM today.

As soon as he entered the Criminal Investigation Department’s office, Xiao Zhao ran over to report, “Boss, yesterday we found a suspect near a pharmacy on Longchuan Road who might be the one who kidnapped Zhuang Zi that night. The surveillance footage is here. Do you want to take a look?”

Without even taking a sip of water in his office, Si Hang turned and headed to the screening room, asking Xiao Zhao, “Is anyone watching him?”

“The pharmacy owner provided the tip. By the time we got there, he had already fled. He must know the police are after him and doesn’t have a fixed hideout.”

In the screening room, the officer operating the surveillance equipment immediately pulled up the footage.

Standing in front of the large display, hands in his pockets, Si Hang frowned as he watched the footage.

The surveillance was from the street outside a pharmacy, timestamped at 7:42 PM the day before yesterday. Since it was nighttime, the lighting wasn’t very clear. The man wore a mask, and his long hair almost covered his eyes.

Si Hang asked them to freeze the frame and zoom in on the man’s face. He quickly realized the man was wearing a wig.

He frowned, staring at the man for a long time. The figure seemed familiar yet unfamiliar, but he couldn’t recall immediately.

At that moment, the officer at the computer called out, “Captain Si, look!”

His gaze shifted, and his heart sank.

The officer pointed at the screen, “This footage just came in. It’s the same man.”

The timestamp on the video showed 1:51 PM today, and the location was across the street from Baijiang Apartments—his home!

That man had found out Zhuang Zi was staying at his place!

A sudden sense of foreboding hit him. He quickly pulled out his phone and called Zhuang Zi.

The ringing continued incessantly. Watching the man on the screen, Si Hang’s expression grew increasingly grim, but there was no answer on the other end.

Cursing under his breath, he turned and strode out, just as the call was finally answered.

He stopped abruptly, his voice low, “Zhuang Zi?”

There was a brief silence.

As she didn’t respond, he was about to speak again when he heard a trembling voice, “Si Hang…”

For some reason, hearing that voice made his chest tighten painfully.

His voice tense and hoarse, he asked, “What happened?”

Her breathing seemed unsteady, and she said shakily, “I… I messed up.”

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The author has something to say: Captain Si: A day away from home, and you’re tearing down the house!