After returning home, Zhuang Zi followed his suggestion and called Dr. Yuan.

When Dr. Yuan talked about Zhuang Yao, she sounded both regretful and sorrowful. “If you hadn’t mentioned it today, I wouldn’t have known that I was the last person she contacted before she died. When I first heard the news, I couldn’t believe it. Just a few days ago, she came to me for medication. How could she be gone so suddenly?”

Even people who barely knew her found it too sudden and hard to process. At the time, her sister had just brought her dumplings the day before, and the next day, the hospital informed her that she had died in a car accident.

She still couldn’t bear to recall how utterly devastated she was when she first heard the news.

Some sadness is better left unmentioned, for bringing it up only makes the pain more vivid.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Zhuang Zi tilted her head back to blink away the mist in her eyes before continuing to ask, “Dr. Yuan, I’m sorry to bother you, but could you tell me what my sister said during her last call with you?”

Dr. Yuan seemed puzzled. “What did she say?”

“The forensic report determined that she died because an allergic reaction to urticaria triggered respiratory asthma, leading to an accident while driving.” Zhuang Zi’s voice grew slightly deeper. “But she was always on medication to control her condition. How could it suddenly worsen? Don’t you think it’s odd?”

There was a two-second pause on the other end of the line.

“Oh, that’s right.” Dr. Yuan suddenly remembered. “I recall now. The last time she called me and the last time she came to the hospital for medication, she mentioned that the medicine I had prescribed wasn’t working as well as before and asked if I could change it.”

Zhuang Zi immediately asked, “Did you change it?”

“No,” Dr. Yuan replied. “I had prescribed her the medication with the least side effects. I was planning to switch her medication, but she suggested trying it for another week. The last time she called me, it was about the same issue—she said the previous medicine was becoming less effective and asked if she could increase the dosage.”

…

After hanging up the phone, Zhuang Zi sat alone for a long time.

She felt confused and began to doubt herself.

Could it be that her previous suspicions were unfounded and that her sister’s condition really did just suddenly worsen?

But something still didn’t seem right. Just like she didn’t know who, besides Zhao Yuan, she might have offended, yet someone was trying every possible way to take her life.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t capable of analyzing it all herself right now.

She could only wait for the police to catch that person, and then all the mysteries would be unraveled.

As for her sister’s situation…

She wasn’t sure if Si Hang would be willing to help her review her sister’s case files to see if there were any loopholes or suspicious points.

Given his extensive experience, if he also found nothing unusual after reviewing it, then it really might be her overthinking things.

She decided to ask him about it that evening, but Si Hang didn’t come home that night.

Today was Xie Kui’s son’s one-month celebration, and after work, Si Hang went to Xie Kui’s house with his colleagues.

After dinner, they left Xie Kui’s house around nine o’clock. On the way back, they suddenly received a call saying that Zhao Yuan’s whereabouts had been discovered.

Everyone immediately returned to the police station, including Xie Kui, who had been busy with family matters all day but was called back to work due to the urgency of the situation.

They quickly gathered at the station to devise an arrest plan, and Si Hang led a small team out.

According to reliable information, Zhao Yuan’s father had bought tuberculosis medicine at a pharmacy on Changhe Road the previous afternoon. Undercover officers had tracked him to their current temporary hiding place.

After some discreet reconnaissance, they confirmed that Zhao Yuan hadn’t returned yet, and only his father was there. To avoid alarming him, they decided to wait.

They weren’t sure when Zhao Yuan would return, so they took turns keeping a 24-hour watch near the rented house on Changhe Road.

From ten o’clock the previous night to one o’clock the next afternoon, more than fourteen hours passed, and no one dared to close their eyes.

They continued to wait from midday until after six in the evening.

As dusk settled in and the streetlights began to flicker on, residents of the area gathered in groups to dance in the square, practice Tai Chi, play chess, and engage in various other activities. Meanwhile, the undercover officers remained hidden among the crowds, ready to spring into action.

Changhe Road is a bustling old district, and directly across from the alley where Zhao Yuan’s rented house was located, there was a senior community. In front of the community, under a large camphor tree, several elderly men were playing chess, surrounded by spectators. Si Hang blended in with the crowd, his focus on the road across from him.

In the nearby bustling market, the supermarket entrance, and the lively park plaza, several plainclothes officers waited patiently.

Time ticked by, and everyone endured the cold and hunger, waiting for over two more hours.

At around nine o’clock, during the busiest time of the evening, a tall, thin middle-aged man in a black down jacket and wearing a mask got off the No. 23 bus at the bus stop.

In the bustling, chilly night, his sharp, wary gaze swept around before he walked from the bus stop toward the iron gate of the rented house.

Si Hang kept a close eye on him, timing it perfectly before signaling with a hand gesture for “go.” In an instant, several agile figures emerged from various inconspicuous corners and rushed toward Zhao Yuan.

Zhao Yuan reacted swiftly. Hearing the urgent, rapid footsteps around him and noticing the startled passersby, he immediately turned and ran without looking back!

But there was no way Si Hang would give him the chance.

The crowd, stunned by the sudden burst of action, hadn’t yet grasped what was happening when they saw a swift figure dart through the street like an arrow, tackling Zhao Yuan to the ground.

People gasped, stepping back to avoid getting caught in the scuffle.

Si Hang crouched down to restrain him, but Zhao Yuan was prepared, pulling out a sharp blade and stabbing backward. Si Hang reacted quickly, dodging to the side, but with limited room to maneuver, he was still grazed on the arm. Ignoring the pain, he twisted Zhao Yuan’s arm behind his back, pinning his wrist and forcing him to drop the blade.

Zhao Yuan cried out in pain as several officers rushed into the house to arrest Zhao Yuan’s father.

Si Hang pulled out handcuffs and secured Zhao Yuan, pressing him firmly to the ground. The other officers quickly surrounded him, lifting Zhao Yuan off the ground.

As he stood up and stepped back, Si Hang reminded them, “Put on masks; he has a contagious disease.”

Zhao Yuan was escorted back to the car by the officers.

Under the curious gaze of the surrounding crowd, Si Hang stood by the roadside for a moment. Once the others had brought Zhao Yuan’s father out of the house and assigned two officers to wrap up the operation, he walked back to the car.

After getting in the car, Xie Kui noticed that the blood from Si Hang’s arm had already soaked through his down jacket. He said, “Let’s take you to the hospital first to get that treated.”

“It’s fine,” Si Hang said, leaning back in the rear seat and gritting his teeth as he slowly removed the torn jacket. “Just take me home.”

“What about your wound?” Xie Kui asked.

“I have a first aid kit at home.”

To him, it was just a minor injury, hardly worth worrying about, and he could take care of it himself. With his years of training and good physical condition, he’d be healed in two days.

In the past, when carrying out missions in remote mountain areas, he’d faced much worse without any convenient medical care.

But today, he intentionally wanted to bring the injury home, and the more severe,

 the better.

After all, there was a woman at home who liked to secretly meddle in his affairs. Maybe she’d feel sorry for him.