Lu Linjiang tapped his forehead. "I’ll be as quick as I can. Let’s get you... all settled in first."
When the three of them returned to the Immortal’s Abode, Yang Bo had just woken up. He hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to show up. Taking advantage of the time spent helping them settle in, he stole several glances at the man. He had to admit, purely in terms of appearance, the ex-husband was truly exceptional. If Jiang Cheng were interested in women, likely no one would be able to refuse him.
It was just a pity he had crossed paths with Lu Linjiang.
All four of them were essentially in a state of having had no sleep all night. Lu Linjiang asked if anyone wanted breakfast, but received a unanimous "no."
"Alright, I’ll brief you on the information we have so far." Lu Linjiang gave a general overview of the situation. "So, this inn is currently our breakthrough point. Regardless of whether Guzman came here to eat something specific, this place can provide us with clues."
After listening, Jiang Cheng asked with a look of doubt, "Since Cui Bin’s abnormal reaction makes you think there’s something wrong with this shop, can’t we just pose as tourists and try to 'fish' for it?"
Yang Bo’s expression went blank for a moment, and he slowly turned his face to look out the window. Lu Linjiang coughed awkwardly, his nose seemingly haunted by a lingering scent of raw brine. Trying his best to sound natural, he said, "Yes, that is indeed a method."
Jiang Cheng noticed Lu Linjiang’s brow furrowing slightly and his hand rising as if to cover his mouth before dropping halfway. He immediately knew they had already tried this method, but something had gone wrong along the way, and it had failed.
Shen Lei didn't notice the awkward atmosphere and spoke up in agreement. "Exactly. I’ve contacted the Tuocheng CDC; they spent all of yesterday investigating and found nothing. It makes sense—no one is stupid enough to admit to selling bushmeat when they know they’ll be fined. We might as well try to drop some hints to the owner; maybe we can find some substantive evidence."
Jiang Cheng looked at the two of them and said, "However, wouldn't that risk being seen as entrapment? And..." He cut off Shen Lei, who was about to speak. "The key issue is that once the food is cooked and served, we won't be able to confirm exactly what it is. Even if we use testing methods, it would be far too much of a waste of time for us."
Shen Lei looked at Jiang Cheng with confusion, but upon further reflection, she realized he wasn't wrong. "Then what should we do?"
Jiang Cheng looked at Lu Linjiang. "Well, Captain Lu, do you have a plan?"
Lu Linjiang hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to move past the topic so quickly. While he was relieved he didn't have to make up an excuse, he thought for a moment and said, "Cui Bin is the breakthrough. We can start with him."
Although they decided to start the investigation with Cui Bin, the man was not easy to corner. When the four of them headed out early in the morning, he was already gone from his room, his whereabouts unknown.
"Let's split up and look." With four people together, the target was too large. Thus, the group naturally split into two pairs: Lu Linjiang with Jiang Cheng, and Yang Bo with Shen Lei.
Aside from the mission to find Cui Bin, this was likely the first time in nearly five years that Lu Linjiang and Jiang Cheng were alone together. Standing in the crowd, Jiang Cheng looked a bit lost. "Where are we going?"
"Let's just wander around for now; maybe we'll run into him." Lu Linjiang led Jiang Cheng in the opposite direction of Yang Bo’s group, strolling down the street with feigned casualness.
Jiang Cheng seemed quite dazed. When he inadvertently almost collided with a passerby for the third time, Lu Linjiang finally couldn't help himself and pulled him closer. "Why aren't you watching where you're going?"
Jiang Cheng shifted slightly to the side. "I'm not used to walking aimlessly. Do you have a photo of Cui Bin?" Lu Linjiang knew what Cui Bin looked like, but Jiang Cheng didn't. Although they were supposed to be searching for someone, in reality, he was just following Lu Linjiang around. Soon, Jiang Cheng’s expression grew increasingly blank, his eyes losing focus. Even though the surrounding scenery was reflected in them, it was as if he saw nothing at all.
This state finally overlapped with the Jiang Cheng that Lu Linjiang was familiar with. Lu Linjiang used his body to shield him from the surrounding crowd. "I didn't take one. Do you always act like this when you go out alone?"
Jiang Cheng subconsciously scratched his head. "No, I never go shopping." A moment later, he realized the phrasing was off. "I mean, I haven't gone out like this in recent years. I really haven't had the time."
"What about before?" Lu Linjiang asked almost instantly. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized it might be a poor question, but unfortunately, spoken words cannot be retracted.
"Before that..." Focus finally returned to Jiang Cheng’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I would decide what I needed to buy, make a list, buy it, and leave."
The two fell into silence. The hustle and bustle of the crowd around them had nothing to do with them. Jiang Cheng tried hard to concentrate, but it seemed to have little effect. He had been like this since he was a child, possessing a natural resistance to such chaotic crowds. If they were in a city, it would be fine; at least the orderly streets were safe for his semi-trance-like state. But on Liucheng Island, where the roads were half-asphalt and half-dirt pits, the situation was a bit precarious. A vegetable garden might be right by the roadside; with Jiang Cheng’s way of walking, he might accidentally trip into a radish hole if he wasn't careful.
Lu Linjiang glanced at his slight frame. Under the chestnut sweater, he looked quite hollow. Normally, light-colored sweaters have a visual broadening effect, yet Jiang Cheng somehow looked emaciated—he was simply too thin.
Before Lu Linjiang could finish his silent observation, Jiang Cheng finally lost his footing during a lapse in focus. Seeing him about to tumble into a field ridge, Lu Linjiang, who had been watching him closely, reached out a long arm and caught him by the elbow, successfully pulling him into his embrace.
"I just said it, how can you be so careless!" Lu Linjiang said in a low voice.
Jiang Cheng’s face flushed for no apparent reason. He pulled himself out of Lu Linjiang’s arms. "I wasn't paying attention..." Seeing Lu Linjiang’s furrowed brow, Jiang Cheng said apologetically, "I've caused you trouble."
Only then did Lu Linjiang realize his tone might have been too harsh. "No, I didn't mean it like that."
Jiang Cheng smiled. "I know." He had been focused on Lu Linjiang since they were young; probably no one knew better than Jiang Cheng whether Lu Linjiang was truly angry or just speaking out of habit.
Lu Linjiang subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. "Since you've come back, the words I've heard most from you are 'I'm sorry.'" He looked at Jiang Cheng and said seriously, "But to be honest, I don't think I have the right to accept your apologies. In fact, logically speaking, I'm the one who should be apologizing."
Jiang Cheng’s gaze finally focused on Lu Linjiang’s face. "Aside from asking me for statements or the matter with Guo Junyi, the most common topic between us seems to be these old stories." Perhaps because they were finally discussing something concrete, the spark in Jiang Cheng’s eyes returned slightly. "It’s quite meaningless. What would it change even if we cleared everything up? I was the one who started things back then; I’ll just take it as a lesson learned."
Jiang Cheng smiled. "Or do you think we should have a competition of apologies to see who wins?"
Lu Linjiang gave a rare, awkward cough and took the opportunity to change the subject. "I looked at your file. The papers you've published seem very impressive." Seeing Jiang Cheng look over, he explained, "Necessary for the investigation."
Because they were discussing a specific topic, Jiang Cheng no longer drifted off while walking. "I did spend three years on it, after all."
"It must have been very hard?"
"It was alright," Jiang Cheng said nonchalantly. "While it would be a lie to say it wasn't exhausting, at least I produced results."
Lu Linjiang suddenly remembered that Jiang Cheng didn't seem to have a personal social media page. Recalling what he had just said about not having time to go out, Lu Linjiang looked at Jiang Cheng’s loose-fitting clothes and felt that the reality wasn't as simple as he made it sound.
But the other man had no intention of recounting his hardships. "If you want to gain something, you have to pay the price. Talking about how hard it was is rather pointless."
A sudden gust of wind blew, making Jiang Cheng shrink his neck. His face, which was barely larger than a palm, hid into the high collar of his sweater. Lu Linjiang realized that he had never truly understood the person standing before him.
He didn't know what to say for a moment, but fortunately, his phone rang, rescuing him. The call was from Xu Sichen. Lu Linjiang picked up and heard Xu Sichen speak rapidly: "Captain Lu, Cui Bin has been working away from home these past few years. He started on construction sites. He’s a quick learner and gradually picked up many skills. In the last two years, he’s even started his own small contracting team, registered under a construction company. He’s doing quite well for himself."
"So, he shouldn't be short on money."
"He definitely has money. I checked; he barely took any time off in the last two years, moving from one site to another."
Then Cui Bin’s return definitely wasn't because he couldn't make it elsewhere, as everyone assumed. Lu Linjiang asked, "Did you find out why he suddenly came back?"
"There was nothing unusual about him, and the projects he worked on were mostly in the North. He almost never contacted anyone from his hometown, except for a girl named Cui Xiaoye. she went to the North for university from Liucheng Island and is the same age as Cui Bin. Cui Bin sent money to this girl several times; looking at the dates, it can be inferred that he was paying for her tuition."
"Cui Xiaoye graduated last June. In October, she married a man named Cui Wenxing. After that, once Cui Bin finished the project he had on hand, he stopped working."
Cui Wenxing... Lu Linjiang felt the name was extremely familiar. Before he could figure it out, Xu Sichen briskly revealed the answer: "Cui Wenxing is the son of Cui Bin’s uncle, Cui Shihai."
Lu Linjiang pondered for a moment. "Any other news?"
"Also, in May of last year, Cui Bin bought a second-hand house in full in Lianjiang—at a site where he had previously worked. He even moved new furniture in. But in August, he wanted to sell the house. Due to policy reasons, the sale didn't go through, and he hasn't done anything since. He never lived in it. That’s all."
"Alright, I understand." Lu Linjiang hung up the phone and said to Jiang Cheng, "I can probably guess where Cui Bin went. Let’s go take a look."
He signaled for Jiang Cheng to follow him. "Cui Bin and Cui Xiaoye—his cousin’s wife—used to be in a relationship. He probably came back for her. If it’s for Cui Xiaoye, I think I know where they are."
Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang again. This time it was Yang Bo.
"Captain Lu, I see Cui Bin. He’s right here by the back wall of the primary school. Do you remember? We walked past here last night and mentioned how isolated the school is."
Lu Linjiang’s nerves tightened. "There should be someone else with him, right? Is it Cui Xiaoye?"
"Cui Xiaoye? Who’s that?" Yang Bo said. "There is a woman. I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before."
"Then it’s Cui Xiaoye. She’s the daughter-in-law of Cui Bin’s uncle. Wait there, I’m coming over immediately. Whatever you do, keep an eye on them." Hanging up the phone, Lu Linjiang grabbed Jiang Cheng and said, "We need to hurry."
***
