Pushing the door open, Si Hang’s eyes scanned the three hospital beds, and within a second, he identified the woman with sallow skin and wrinkles, leaning against the headboard and receiving an IV.

Matching the bed number confirmed it was her.

“Hello.”

The woman didn’t recognize the two uninvited guests at first and looked at them suspiciously, “…Who are you?”

“Sorry to disturb your rest,” Si Hang showed his police ID. “I believe you remember me. Two years ago, I handled the Luo City stone factory case.”

The woman recalled for a moment, then nodded excitedly, “I remember, I remember.”

To her, he was their family’s benefactor. Moreover, his striking appearance left a deep impression.

Si Hang quickly explained their purpose: “Now, Zhao Yuan is suspected of a murder case, and we need your full cooperation. Has he contacted you recently?”

The woman was shocked, immediately sitting up in bed, and said in imperfect Mandarin, “You must be mistaken. He fell at the construction site and is in a vegetative state, still in the city hospital.”

Xiao Meng’s expression froze, and after a couple of seconds, he sternly reminded, “If you don’t answer truthfully, any concealment is illegal. Do you understand?”

The woman anxiously waved her hands, “I’m not lying. It’s all true.”

However, Si Hang wasn’t surprised; he had anticipated this answer.

A while ago, Xie Kui had called the local police station, and Xiao Meng had previously investigated other victims in the area. The village officials and villagers all confirmed Zhao Yuan was hospitalized. Even if they wanted to deceive the police, they couldn’t all be so consistent. This indicated that Zhao Yuan’s scheme of pretending to be a vegetative state patient had fooled everyone in his hometown.

“Who is taking care of him in the hospital?” Si Hang asked.

“My father-in-law.”

“Have you visited him?”

The woman looked panicked but insisted, “I have health issues and severe motion sickness. My father-in-law updates me regularly.”

Si Hang stood in silence for a moment.

Xiao Meng continued, “Where is your father-in-law now?”

“At the hospital, taking care of my husband.”

“Has he come back recently?”

“He came back a month ago.”

“Does he have a contact number?”

“No,” the woman shook her head. “He doesn’t use a mobile phone. Occasionally, he borrows the landline at the small shop to call.”

Xiao Meng looked at Si Hang, “It seems we need to find Zhao Yuan’s father.”

Si Hang didn’t respond, giving Xiao Meng a look to indicate they should discuss outside.

As they reached the door, Si Hang suddenly stopped and told Xiao Meng, “Wait for me in the hallway.”

He returned to the bedside and took out his phone, showing a photo to Zhao Yuan’s wife.

She glanced at the screen, her expression slightly stunned.

Catching her reaction, Si Hang retracted the phone and asked, “Have you seen her?”

The woman cautiously looked at him and, after a moment of hesitation, admitted, “She came to my house before, saying she was a journalist who wanted to publish our story to help us. She was a good person.”

Si Hang nodded slightly, “She is Zhuang Hong’s youngest daughter from Ruihong Group and has provided testimony for you at the police station. Zhao Yuan is now planning to harm this woman. If he contacts you, you must tell him the truth.”

The woman was stunned, her eyes flickering.

……

After leaving the hospital, Xiao Meng asked him what he had gone back in to ask.

Si Hang didn’t answer directly.

In fact, he could have arranged for someone else to make this trip. The reason he came personally was to confirm something.

He remembered that along with the whistleblowing letter, there was also a recording pen containing the grievance of a woman who spoke imperfect Mandarin. If that person was indeed Zhuang Zi, she might not have met Zhao Yuan, but she definitely had met his wife.

He initially approached this with a try-it-and-see attitude, but unexpectedly…

Zhuang Zi, oh Zhuang Zi.

He looked up at the sky, taking a long breath, savoring the fresh scent of melting snow.

Like the faint fragrance he had smelled on her that day.

…

“Boss? Did she say anything else when you went back in?”

“No. But she definitely knows about Zhao Yuan’s situation now.” Si Hang walked down the steps with his hands in his pockets. “At first, I thought Zhao Yuan would even keep his wife in the dark, but when she said she hadn’t visited him in the hospital even once after the accident, it was clearly impossible.”

A husband severely injured and hospitalized, and she could stay at home calmly waiting for her father-in-law to report regularly—it was too unusual.

Not going to the hospital could only mean she knew Zhao Yuan wasn’t seriously hurt and was aware of the scheme.

Moreover, when he told her that her husband intended to harm the woman in the photo, her reaction was obviously off.

Xiao Meng asked, “What do we do now? Should we take her in for questioning?”

“Don’t alert the enemy just yet.” Si Hang pulled out his keys and unlocked the car. “Let’s go to the local police station and have them arrange 24-hour surveillance on her movements and communications.”

…

By the time they finished everything, it was past six in the evening, and the sky was completely dark.

Not feeling secure about the town’s inns, they drove to Luo City under the twilight and found a star-rated hotel to stay in.

Before sleeping, Si Hang habitually checked the messages in the work group. There were no special reports today, just a few people discussing the schedule for tomorrow.

Xie Kui had taken leave for his son’s first birthday tomorrow, and his work was handed over to another veteran detective. However, that detective was scheduled for the night shift tomorrow, so everyone was discussing who could switch to a day shift with him.

Someone suggested, “Xiao Zhao should be free tomorrow, right? He’s been protecting the victim lately, and that woman seems to be quite low-maintenance. As long as she doesn’t go out, Xiao Zhao doesn’t have any major tasks.”

After a while, Xiao Zhao responded, “I can cover the night shift tomorrow, but not during the day. Miss Zhuang is going out at noon to meet an important friend.”

Another person added, “What important friend? If it’s a boyfriend, Xiao Zhao, it’ll be awkward for you, haha.”

Xiao Zhao replied, “Looks like I’ll be a third wheel tomorrow. They’re meeting at the new Free Life restaurant in Wanda. It’s a great spot for a date.”

The group chat buzzed with lively chatter.

Everyone worked hard during the day, dealing with high stress, so they often joked around in the group chat in the evenings.

Si Hang wasn’t very interested. He put down his phone, folded his hands behind his head, and lay in the dark, lost in thought.

Free Life restaurant?

After a while, he frowned.

Hadn’t she said she had a very narrow social circle and no friends?

How did an important friend suddenly appear, and why meet at such a place for dinner?