“Talking about Zhuang Zi,” Xie Kui said, “If it wasn’t for her brother-in-law calling the police in time, it would have been another fatality.”

“Calling the police in time?” Xiao Meng stirred his noodles, glanced at Si Hang, and suddenly smiled meaningfully. “It was clearly our boss who was the timely hero.”

Si Hang gave him an inscrutable look, ignoring his teasing and continued to eat slowly.

Xie Kui was taken aback, also looked at Si Hang, smiled, and asked, “I almost forgot, boss, you know Zhuang Zi, don’t you? What’s the story?”

“Know her?”

Xiao Meng’s eyes lit up, recalling just now seeing Zhuang Zi going to the office to find him. His gossip-minded brain reflexively jumped to a keyword—ex?

But he didn’t say it directly and instead asked tactfully, “An old acquaintance?”

“Boss should be very familiar with her parents, right?” Xie Kui pressed.

Si Hang let them speculate while he slowly drank his milk.

Xiao Meng suddenly realized, so they had already progressed to meeting the parents!

He then gave Si Hang a mischievous smile, “So, the boss likes this type of beauty.”

Xie Kui chuckled.

Si Hang also smiled faintly, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, “What gave you that illusion?”

Not to mention that he had known Miss Zhuang for no more than three days—no, they couldn’t even be said to know each other. He was puzzled by how this kid had such a misunderstanding.

Xiao Meng had a helpless look on his face, “Boss, is it that hard to admit you have a personal affair with Zhuang Zi?”

“Not hard.”

He answered so straightforwardly that Xiao Meng and Xie Kui were both surprised.

But before they could get excited, they heard him add slowly, “Provided that I actually have a personal affair with her.”

Xie Kui looked disappointed.

He thought the boss had finally developed feelings and was going to pursue a girl.

It seems that the young policewomen’s private assessment of him is indeed accurate—cold as ice, unapproachable, and indifferent even to the girls who admire him. Such a person is either too proud to consider ordinary girls or only interested in his work, intending to remain alone forever.

Si Hang himself is aware of these evaluations. He doesn’t oppose this view but feels the need to correct it a bit—he is a combination of both types.

He had once considered what type of girlfriend he might have in the future, thinking she should at least have qualities he admired. Perhaps this is why he has remained single to this day. There are many beautiful women, but almost none who truly catch his eye.

He knows that if he wanted to, there would be plenty of girls to date, but he is unwilling.

He has always been rational and composed, knowing clearly what he truly wants. He doesn’t want to experiment randomly, doesn’t want to play around, and has no time to waste on women not worth his effort.

“Today I saw the boss,” Xiao Meng insisted, determined to expose him, “A beautiful woman came to the office to see you, saying she had some personal matter to discuss. That’s definitely not normal!”

Si Hang frowned slightly, puzzled—she came to talk about personal matters?

After a brief thought, he seemed to guess what it might be about.

Xie Kui was also full of questions and curiosity, but he had a bold guess in his heart.

From Zhuang Zi’s attire, that coat she wore wasn’t luxurious but should be worth tens of thousands, and last night he saw she drove a BMW. This suggests she comes from a wealthy family.

Zhuang Zi also said that Si Hang knew her father.

Everyone knew that Si Hang had a complicated background. Although he had overcome his difficulties, his childhood was quite tough. During those years of hardship, it was said that a benefactor helped him graduate from the police academy.

Could that benefactor be Zhuang Zi’s father?

But that wouldn’t make sense—if the Zhuang family had helped him, why would he avoid getting involved in Zhuang Zi’s case?

Xie Kui couldn’t help but ask, “What’s the relationship between you two that’s so mysterious?”

“You could say that,” Si Hang put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and with a tone that mixed casualness with slight teasing, said, “I’m half her enemy.”

Both men were stunned.

He leisurely wiped his mouth with a napkin, “Her father is Zhuang Hong, the former director of Ruihong Group.”

Xiao Meng’s mouth slightly opened in surprise, seemingly taken aback by this news, his face full of incredulity.

Xie Kui asked, “And then?”

Si Hang didn’t say more, stood up with his phone, “Then, it’s time to work!”

Xie Kui: “…”

After Si Hang left, Xie Kui looked at Xiao Meng, who seemed even more bewildered, his eyebrows furrowed, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Meng slowly closed his mouth, his expression still somewhat exaggeratedly incredulous, which only piqued Xie Kui’s curiosity further.

“Spit it out!”

Xiao Meng: “Do you know about a major responsibility accident in Luocheng two years ago?”

Xie Kui thought back. Although he was in a neighboring province at the time, he had heard a bit about notable cases in the industry.

He remembered that the case was quite complicated, eventually leading to the arrest of several officials colluding with merchants. Because of its wide implications and special nature, the city bureau did not publicly disclose the details. Xie Kui had only heard rough details and was not clear on the specifics.

“That case was handled by the boss.”

Xie Kui’s mind turned, vaguely piecing things together, his eyes flashing with understanding, “Could it be?”

“The person responsible for the accident was Zhuang Hong, the former director of Ruihong Group!”

Xie Kui’s eyes widened slightly, fully grasping the situation.

To sum up: two years ago, it was Si Hang who personally arrested Zhuang Zi’s father and sent him to prison. Since then, her family fell into ruin, losing everything.