Sitting up in bed, Lu Linjiang rubbed his face. He rarely dreamed, and even when he did, he usually paid them no mind. Yet, things that should have been forgotten the moment he turned over were now replaying vividly before his eyes. It wasn't that his memory of the dream was particularly sharp, but rather that every detail in it had been a daily reality three years ago.
Jiang Cheng had been delicate since childhood. Before he had fully grown into his features, he possessed an androgynous beauty that made him a target for the neighborhood brats. As the self-appointed ringleader, Lu Linjiang had led his pack of followers into numerous brawls on his behalf—though for the boys, the thrill of the fight was the main draw; protecting Jiang Cheng was merely a convenient excuse. Later, they discovered that if they returned home after a fight and Jiang Cheng timidly claimed it was all because of him, the adults would spare them a thrashing. Only then did they truly start keeping the "dainty" Jiang Cheng by their side.
That companionship had lasted over a decade. Jiang Cheng had been like his shadow; no matter the time or place, Lu Linjiang only had to look up to see those clear, bright eyes.
But those eyes had vanished without him even realizing it. Jiang Cheng’s presence remained everywhere—in the meals on the table, the clean towel placed by the sink for his hands, the perpetually polished shoes—yet the man himself was nowhere to be seen. Lu Linjiang didn't even know when he found the time to do all those things.
Jiang Cheng had gone to extreme lengths to ensure everything was perfect, while simultaneously going to extreme lengths to avoid a face-to-face encounter. And what about himself back then? Lu Linjiang reminisced; he had never paced before Jiang Cheng’s door like he did in the dream, nor had he ever looked back. He had felt guilt, certainly, but that guilt hadn't driven him to approach Jiang Cheng. Instead, it had pushed him to run away, further and further. Jiang Cheng’s tactful cooperation in that evasion had actually made him feel a sense of relief.
Lu Linjiang let out a long sigh and rubbed his face again. Being reminded by a dream that he was a bastard was not a pleasant experience.
He ran into Tang Hua at the office door. Seeing Lu Linjiang carrying an unusually large bag, Tang Hua couldn't help but stare. "Captain Lu, did you buy breakfast today?"
"Yeah." Once they were inside, Lu Linjiang took out his portion and handed the bag to Tang Hua. "Take this over to Yang Bo. He’s with Luo Jia. Swap shifts with him while you're at it."
Tang Hua took the bag and glanced inside instinctively. "This much?"
"There’s some for you and Xiao Xu too. If you’ve already eaten, just give it all to Yang Bo."
Tang Hua turned to leave but doubled back after a few steps. "Captain Lu, the transcript from yesterday’s questioning of Wentworth is already on your desk."
He only left once he saw Lu Linjiang wave in acknowledgment. Xu Sichen entered right on his heels, a pancake in hand. "Thanks, Captain!"
Lu Linjiang had just flipped open the transcript. "Don't mention it. Tang Hua put the video from Jiang Langmin in the shared folder. Send it to Forensics first and have them check for any signs of editing. I’ll look over the notes you guys took; you should consolidate all the data and see if there’s anyone else we can interview."
"Yes, sir!" Xu Sichen answered, but her feet remained rooted to the spot.
Lu Linjiang looked up from the notes. "What is it?"
"It’s just... this is the first time I’ve ever eaten breakfast bought by you. Is today some kind of special anniversary?"
Their eyes met—one cold and silent, the other apprehensive. The atmosphere grew awkward for a moment. Fortunately, Xu Sichen’s survival instincts hadn't completely failed her. She smoothed back a non-existent lock of hair. "I just wanted to thank the boss and commemorate this special day. Anyway... I’m going to get to work now."
Lu Linjiang’s apartment was surrounded by main roads, leaving no room for breakfast stalls, and there were no shops on the ground floor. Breakfast was either homemade or eaten out. After several months of being poisoned by his own cooking, Captain Lu had completely abandoned the DIY route. But eating out required driving. The problem was that breakfast joints with parking didn't suit his palate, and the ones that did had no parking. The cafeteria was good, but he couldn't stand his ferocious colleagues, so he usually relied on Yang Bo—who also struggled to snag breakfast there—to bring him something.
This massive spread today was the result of Lu Linjiang skipping his morning workout. In the early morning after the heavy snow, amidst the crunch of tires over slush, he had searched for a highly-rated stall and followed the map to pick up the food.
It truly was an unprecedented first. Lu Linjiang took a silent bite of his egg pancake and began flipping through the transcripts the two had brought back.
Lu Linjiang had done a basic background check on Wentworth. He was a professor at an American university and a prominent figure in virology research. Years ago, he and Tao Minxing had been in different years at the same university—essentially school brothers—and they had maintained contact since graduation.
Though they were close personally, the transcript suggested their relationship was primarily academic. Wentworth wasn't clear on the internal personnel dynamics of Tao Minxing’s Hughes Institute; what he knew was roughly the same as what Lu Linjiang had already gathered.
Luo Jia had joined Hughes years ago through a standard application and had been Tao Minxing’s assistant from the start, working under him for a considerable time. Jiang Langmin had joined a bit later and was considered outstanding among his peers; even Wentworth had heard Tao Minxing praise him highly. Jiang Cheng was the most recent addition. Wentworth recalled that Tao Minxing had almost never mentioned him; on the one or two occasions he had, it was only in passing regarding a new project. He was a figure with very little presence around Tao Minxing.
When Xu Sichen had tactfully asked about the institute's data, Wentworth hadn't even registered the question at first. When she cautiously clarified, he had practically jumped out of his seat in agitation, repeating, "Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! No one at Hughes would do such a thing!"
His reasoning was almost identical to Jiang Cheng’s: Hughes was a gold-standard brand in the industry. If a large-scale viral infection occurred, a sample would inevitably be sent to Hughes. At Hughes, one didn't have to worry about funding or research topics. Even if one didn't stand out there, they would still receive offers from major pharmaceutical companies—getting into Hughes was proof of ability in itself.
The idea of faking data at Hughes was more than just bizarre.
"Unless there’s some kind of conspiracy!" Wentworth had said with absolute conviction. "I don't believe anyone capable of entering Hughes would do such a thing, just as no Christian would try to prove that Jesus is not the Son of God!"
Lu Linjiang finished his breakfast without really tasting it. He was inevitably disappointed that no key evidence had been unearthed from Wentworth. He sat still for a moment, then pulled up the photo of the research paper on his phone. After a moment's hesitation, he called out, "Xiao Xu!"
Xu Sichen dropped her mouse, kicked her chair so it rolled to his door, then spun around nimbly and stood up as she entered his office. "Chief!"
"How was your biology back in school?"
Xu Sichen replied with mock solemnity, "Reasonably mediocre."
Lu Linjiang: "...Fine, I wasn't counting on you anyway. Stay in touch with Wentworth’s side. Later, send this document over for him to look at."
Xu Sichen looked at the phone on his desk. "Okay, send me the images in a bit."
"Be thorough with the background checks. Not just Tao Minxing’s, but Luo Jia’s as well."
Xu Sichen nodded.
"When Yang Bo gets back, tell him to come see me."
The two walked out of Lu Linjiang’s small office as they spoke. Xu Sichen pushed her chair back to her desk. Lu Linjiang looked at the empty office and felt that once this case was over, he really needed to go to the Director to ask for more staff.
Over the past two days, he had become a regular fixture in the Forensics Department. As soon as Guo Junyi saw him, he started teasing, "Captain Lu, how about I clear a desk for you here?"
"In your dreams. I’m short-staffed over at my place as it is." Their brief exchange ended as Lu Linjiang stepped into the audiovisual room. Sun Wen was currently checking the incoming data.
"How’s it going?"
Sun Wen glanced up at him. "Preliminary check passed. No signs of editing." She tapped the keyboard to bring up the footage for Lu Linjiang. "This is the laboratory floor plan."
Lu Linjiang watched as Sun Wen quickly pointed out the positions of the three cameras on the screen. He offered a casual compliment, "Not bad, you even drew up a floor plan."
Sun Wen opened the videos, playing the footage from all three windows simultaneously. "I don't have that kind of talent. This was bundled in the package they sent over."
Lu Linjiang paused. This Jiang Langmin was certainly more than just "thoughtful."
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