Hotpot
After Song Yuhang left, Lin Yan couldn’t sit still. She picked up her bag and intended to leave, saying, “Brother, I’m sorry for today’s meal. I’ll make it up to you another day.”
Lin Ge also stood up. The situation had happened too suddenly, and he still held the chopsticks in his hand.
“Um… Yanyan, actually, I’ve been wanting to ask, are you two… together now?”
Lin Yan slowly turned around and looked at him, with a slightly unnatural expression on her face. “Why… why are you asking like this?”
Lin Ge smiled bitterly and put down his chopsticks. “When you like someone, even if you cover your mouth, it can still be seen in your eyes.”
Lin Yan was someone he had watched grow up since childhood. Although they often joked around, he had never seen that kind of affectionate look in her eyes, let alone someone putting their hand on her shoulder. The last time someone did that, she dislocated his arm, and it was him who stepped in to smooth things over.
Lin Ge was not a fool, and he had a keen understanding of worldly matters. He had known for a long time that there was someone in Song Yuhang’s heart, but he didn’t expect that person to be his beloved sister.
Since he had said so, Lin Yan felt that there was no need to hide anything.
However, she felt somewhat guilty towards Lin Ge. After all, Song Yuhang has almost become her sister-in-law, wasn’t she?
“I was the one who acted shamelessly in this matter. Don’t blame Song Yuhang. And as for how we got together, it was me who pursued her first.”
“Brother, are you not mad at me anymore?”
Lin Ge sat back down and put the cooked meat into his bowl. “Mad? My sister stole my blind date partner. It’s like a ridiculous melodrama, but…”
He changed the topic. “As long as you’re happy. Is Song Yuhang treating you well?”
Perhaps driven by guilt, Lin Ge, who was usually sensitive, didn’t notice that he had just mentioned Song Yuhang’s name directly.
Lin Yan nodded, and an unconscious sweet smile appeared on her face when he mentioned her. It was the look of someone deeply immersed in love.
Lin Ge pressed his lips with a tissue and picked up a piece of beef tripe. “Treating you well, and yet she left with just a phone call?”
Talking about this, Lin Yan also became somewhat worried. Xiao Wei’s mother may not be great, but the child is innocent.
“It’s different this time. There was a real urgent matter. After all, her sister is her only family.”
Lin Ge looked up at her. “And you’re my only sister.”
He often said these words, whether it was when they were young and she was being mistreated by Lin Cheng, or when they grew up and she broke ties with the family. Lin Ge was the only person who stood by her side.
She would always remember that year when she turned eighteen. She didn’t follow Lin Youyuan’s arranged choices for her college major, and Lin Youyuan flew into a rage, threatening to kick her out of the house.
Just like now, Lin Ge knelt down in front of Lin Youyuan with a thud and pleaded, “Uncle, please don’t. I only have Lin Yan as my sister.”
That scene would forever be etched in her heart.
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Lin Yan smiled and said, “Tsk, acting all affectionate like a girl. I’m getting goosebumps. No matter who I’m with, I only have you as my brother.”
If Lin Cheng were still alive, he wouldn’t deserve that title.
After saying that, Lin Yan glanced at her watch. She really had to leave. “I treated you to this meal today, don’t fight over it with me. See you on Friday.”
Lin Ge nodded silently, not saying anything further, as gentle as always. “Take care on the way.”
Lin Yan pushed open the door of the private room and walked away.
Behind her, Lin Ge put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, and pondered over that word: “Brother…”
The two of them returned to the municipal police station, one in front and the other behind.
Ji Jingxing was sitting on a chair in the reception room. Someone poured her a cup of hot water, but she didn’t drink it. She kept fidgeting with a handkerchief, her eyes reddened, looking lost and distraught.
“Where is she?!” Song Yuhang rushed in, covered in snow.
“She’s in the reception room.”
As soon as Ji Jingxing saw her, it was as if she had found her lifeline. She rushed over and tightly held Song Yuhang’s hand.
“Yuhang, Yuhang, Xiao Wei…”
Time was pressing, and Song Yuhang didn’t have time for small talk. She got straight to the point.
“When did she go missing? How did she disappear? Where was she last seen? Tell me quickly!”
Ji Jingxing forced her eyes shut for a moment, and a tear rolled down her cheek.
“I… I… She finishes her calligraphy class at 3:30 in the afternoon. I told her to wait for me at the cram school, around 4 o’clock. I left the company to pick her up.”
Despite the urgency, Ji Jingxing managed to maintain her composure. She knew she couldn’t panic now. She had to disclose all the facts so that Song Yuhang could piece together the clues and find Xiao Wei.
“When I arrived at the cram school, it was around 4:15,” Ji Jingxing said, remembering clearly because she always wore a watch.
“The teacher at the cram school said Xiao Wei left by herself. I was furious because we agreed that I would pick her up. She’s only in first grade. How could I let her go out alone?”
Song Yuhang pinched her brow. “Get to the point. After she went out alone, you couldn’t contact her anymore?”
Ji Jingxing nodded, releasing Song Yuhang’s hand. She clumsily fumbled through her bag and handed her the phone, looking anxious with tear-stained cheeks.
“It’s all my fault… my fault…” Ji Jingxing sobbed, feeling lost and desperate. “I should have gone to pick her up earlier. I just thought… thought about taking on more cases… so I could take her on a trip abroad when the year-end performance evaluations came… She’s always wanted to go to Disneyland…”
Song Yuhang knew that Ji Jingxing had given Xiao Wei a small mobile phone early on for easy communication.
She stood up, pressed the dial button, and called Xiao Wei. The receiver emitted a cold system prompt tone.
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“Sorry, the phone you dialed is turned off.”
Song Yuhang felt a throbbing sensation in her temples. She was consumed with worry and pointed at Ji Jingxing, shouting, “It’s been four hours! What were you doing all this time?! You’re only reporting it now?!”
In the field of criminal investigation, there is a concept known as the “golden three hours” when it comes to locating missing children. Within these three hours, employing the “ten people, four pursuit” method maximizes the chances of finding the missing child.
After these three hours, the vast city of Jiangcheng becomes like searching for a needle in the sea. Within this time frame, criminals could have already taken the child to the provincial capital!
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I…” Ji Jingxing’s delicate makeup was smeared by tears. She ran all the way here, her neatly arranged hair becoming disheveled, and there was dust on the sleeves of her suit jacket. She had even lost one of her high heels.
Upon hearing Song Yuhang’s words, her body went weak, and she felt dizzy.
Song Yuhang quickly reached out to support her, and Ji Jingxing fell into her embrace, tears streaming down her face. “I… I searched… I searched… I didn’t want to bother you… but I had no other choice… that’s why I came to report the case…”
Song Yuhang remembered the argument on the street that night, the harsh words she had said to Ji Jingxing, and the fact that she had ignored the three phone calls Ji Jingxing made to her. She let out a sigh, feeling somewhat guilty. She pulled out a tissue from the table and handed it to Ji Jingxing, her tone softening slightly, and helped her sit down on a chair.
“Wait here for a moment. I will inform you if there’s any news.”
With that, she turned around and walked straight to the training room, making arrangements as she went.
“Field team, with the location of the disappearance as the center, conduct an urgent search radiating within a five-kilometer radius from the north, south, east, and west directions along the main roads.”
The patrol cars stationed on the street received the order and swiftly raced across the road.
“Field Team 2, go to the long-distance termnals, train station, bus station, tourist information centers, and other places to search for the person.”
“Field Team 3…” She pressed her throbbing head and walked into the training room, stating Ji Jingxing’s home address, “Send two people to stake out at the entrance of Building 48 in Jinrui Residential Area. The child knows the way, so check if she has returned home.”
Song Yuhang licked her dry lips, knowing deep down that this hope was too slim.
She also instructed another team to stay at the location where Ji Jingxing disappeared from the cram school. Just in case Xiao Wei returns there.
The remaining team rushed to Ji Jingxing’s workplace and kept watch downstairs.
Half of the Jiangcheng Police Bureau’s manpower had been deployed. Song Yuhang once again stood in front of the large screen, observing the surveillance footage. Lin Yan, seeing her busyness and witnessing the scene where Song Yuhang held Ji Jingxing just now, wisely chose not to disturb her and pulled a smile before returning to his technical investigation.
Whether it was investigation and arrest or surveillance, it had nothing to do with technical investigation anyway.
Lin Yan changed into a white coat and went to do what she had to do.
With all the commotion outside, Fang Xin in the laboratory also heard about it. Seeing her voluntarily coming back to work overtime was even more surprising.
“Sister Lin, did you spend the whole day doing experiments and strained your eyes?”
Lin Yan lazily took out a test tube from the constant temperature incubator. “Well, you’re not mistaken. The genuine Lin Yan is back.”
“Tsk, don’t you usually leave right after work?” Fang Xin teased her.
Lin Yan felt annoyed. “It’s just that…”
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If that sly fox spirit wasn’t around, she wouldn’t be absentminded for even a moment and would have already thrown herself at Song Yuhang. Who knows what trouble they might have caused when the two of them were alone.
Besides, the child hadn’t been found yet, and she couldn’t rest assured leaving. She also didn’t want to stay in the Criminal Investigation Department and witness their lovey-dovey behavior. So she had no choice but to return to the laboratory.
“What’s wrong?” Fang Xin smirked.
Lin Yan waved her hand, urging her to leave. “Alright, alright. You’ve worked a whole day too. Go rest. I’ll continue with the pending test results.”
Thanks to Captain Song’s permission, being able to hear these words from her was truly a blessing.
Fang Xin tearfully expressed her gratitude. “Have you finally shown mercy and stopped endlessly exploiting your employees?”
Lin Yan used a pipette with a rubber bulb to extract a drop of liquid and placed it on a glass slide. Then she turned around and scolded with a smile, “Enough already, hurry up and leave. Don’t make someone wait anxiously.”
Outside the glass door of the laboratory, a tall and thin figure could be faintly seen. Duan Cheng excitedly waved at them, as if afraid they wouldn’t see him.
Having failed at teasing and being teased instead, Fang Xin blushed slightly. She hung her white coat on the hanger, bid farewell to Lin Yan, and swiftly ran out.