Thinking about it, He Yue probably had an affair and was too ashamed to tell the police, so he didn’t mention that there was a woman with him that night.

But, if He Yue really wasn’t a suspect that night, then who could it be?

Zhuang Zi sat aside, still pondering.

On the other side, Si Hang glanced at her lightly, and for some reason, the image of He Yue’s wife appeared in his mind again.

A woman in her thirties, dressed maturely, looked noble and dignified but with too much makeup. Unlike Zhuang Zi, who even without makeup at home, looked fresh and clean, with a soft temperament mixed with a touch of aloofness.

So, what’s the deal with those men?

Clearly, there was a jewel in front of them, yet they couldn’t discern its value.

…

Soon, Sister Qin’s meal was on the table.

After everyone sat down in the dining room, Xiao Zhang looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Sister Qin humbly smiled, “It’s just home-cooked food, I’m afraid you might not be used to my cooking.”

Xiao Zhang replied, “Not at all, just looking at it makes me hungry.”

The meal was relaxed and enjoyable. With Xiao Zhang there, Sister Qin, who usually had no one to chat with, seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and the atmosphere at the table remained lively. Unlike usual, when it was just Sister Qin talking and the other three listening silently, with no one interested in engaging with her.

After the meal, the two of them sat in the living room for a while. Since they had to return to the police station in the afternoon, Xiao Zhang got up to say goodbye and left with Si Hang.

As they reached the entrance, Si Hang turned back and said, “I’ll be back for dinner tonight.”

Sister Qin responded cheerfully, “Alright.”

…

After Si Hang and Xiao Zhang arrived at the police station, they didn’t immediately call a meeting to analyze He Yue’s situation, because Jiang Tianchen hadn’t been questioned yet. They had to wait for the results of the three interrogations to come out at the same time before drawing any conclusions.

So, he called Xie Kui into the office and asked about the progress of the search for Zhao Yuan.

Xie Kui was also troubled.

No one had anticipated that Zhao Yuan would be much more cunning than imagined. From the night Zhuang Zi had an accident to a few days ago when his suspicious identity was confirmed, so many days had passed with no results.

Apart from discovering his trace near the pharmacy on Longchuan Road that day, Zhao Yuan seemed to have vanished into thin air.

The police feared he had already fled, so they checked his ticket records. Except for a high-speed rail record from Luo Province to Yi Province at the beginning of the year, there were no other traces.

The current progress was really too slow. Si Hang sat at his desk, frowning as he stared at the computer in front of him.

“The only thing we can be sure of now is that he’s definitely still in Yi Province,” Xie Kui said. “We need to increase the police force to search the private rentals and less formal travel agencies in the city. He has to find a place to stay.”

“No,” Si Hang interrupted him. “Continue to stake out the pharmacies in the city. Don’t assign any other tasks. We can’t waste all our police resources on futile efforts.”

Xie Kui asked, “Now that he’s definitely hiding, what do we do next if we don’t continue searching?”

“Tomorrow, let Xiao Meng go to Luo City with me,” Si Hang looked at him, giving a final ultimatum. “We must find his hideout within a week.”

Xie Kui asked, “Do you want to question his family?”

Si Hang nodded, “He can’t possibly go this long without contacting his family. Even if he hasn’t, they must know something.”

Xie Kui expressed his concern, “I’m afraid we won’t get anything from them, and without evidence, what do we do?”

Si Hang didn’t respond.

Because he had another task to complete on this trip.

…….

Zhuang Zi is currently limited in her movements and has been struggling with what reason to use to ask Jiang Zhihao for her sister’s ID card.

She doesn’t dare to act rashly now. Besides nestling in Si Hang’s study every day to read professional reference books and trying to learn to analyze with agile thinking, she has no other feasible plans for the time being.

After making some notes, she got up to go to the kitchen to make coffee. As soon as she walked out, she saw Xiaomi sitting in the living room wiping her eyes, and she froze.

She stood at the doorway of the hallway for a few seconds, looking puzzled, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xiaomi rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, not speaking, but her small body was shaking slightly.

Faced with this scene, Zhuang Zi felt at a loss.

Why is this child suddenly crying?

After two seconds of hesitation, she braced herself and walked over to the sofa to sit down, asking again, “What’s wrong?”

Xiaomi covered her eyes with her arm, her small body shaking, and her voice choking: “Why… why hasn’t my dad come to get me? Yesterday… I dreamed of him.”

Zhuang Zi was suddenly stunned.

Such familiar words.