Lu Linjiang stared at the delicate face on the screen. The thought that this person might be connected to Jiang Cheng sent his heart plunging into a volcano, the searing heat leaving him restless and irritable.
"It looks like they’ll be busy for a while. Manager Cheng, gather everyone in the company whose name contains the sound ‘Jiang.’ Let’s see if any of them recognize her."
Cheng Hao clicked his tongue. He felt not the slightest bit of shame in asking a criminal investigation captain like Lu Linjiang to look into what appeared to be nothing more than a bit of romantic drama. "There’s no better way. Captain Liu, lead Captain Lu to Minister Yue’s office. Let me know if you find anything."
Despite Chu Juxian’s instructions to look after the company, Lu Linjiang’s temperament usually left him with zero patience for Cheng Hao’s trivial nonsense. Yet, he actually spent the entire morning holed up in Micro-Big’s Human Resources department, questioning every person whose name contained the sound "Jiang" in a desperate attempt to discover a link to the woman who had delivered the letters.
However, the morning proved to be an exercise in futility. The woman possessed such an exquisite face that everyone’s first reaction was remarkably genuine—they all deeply regretted having no connection to her whatsoever. After scouring the entirety of Micro-Big, the only potential candidates left who might be related to the sender, male or female, were Jiang Cheng and Jiang Langmin.
It wasn't until Jiang Cheng felt a wave of dizziness that he realized he had missed lunch and was suffering from low blood sugar. He glanced around the lab. Despite his claims that the research might not succeed, Jiang Langmin worked like a man possessed, showing no intention of stopping for a meal.
Realizing his lightheadedness was worsening, Jiang Cheng gave up the struggle. He packed up his things and called out to Jiang Langmin to join him for food. Once they had finished decontaminating and changing out of their suits, they found Lu Linjiang waiting outside the door.
Jiang Cheng instinctively checked the time. "Why are you here? Did something happen to Guo Junyi?"
"No." Lu Linjiang held a photo of the letter-sender in his hand. "Let’s eat first. We can talk afterward."
Micro-Big’s cafeteria was open twenty-four hours a day. Although the lunch rush had long since passed, a few people were still scattered about the tables. Lu Linjiang waited until they had finished eating before producing the photograph. "Have either of you seen this person?"
The two of them leaned in simultaneously. After getting a clear look at the woman in the photo, both turned blank expressions toward Lu Linjiang. "No."
Lu Linjiang breathed a silent, somewhat pathetic sigh of relief. "What about you?" he asked, turning to Jiang Langmin.
Jiang Langmin raised an eyebrow mockingly. "I just said I haven't seen her." He squinted at the woman in the photo, studying it for a moment. "This looks like the entrance to Micro-Big. What’s wrong with her?"
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng regained a bit of interest and re-examined the photo. "It really does look like the entrance. Is there something wrong with this person?"
Lu Linjiang spread the letters out on the table. "The security guards found these in the mailbox recently. Five of them in a row. They asked me to see what’s going on."
Jiang Cheng looked at the letters in confusion. "'JIANG'?" He glanced at Jiang Langmin. "It really is. It looks like a phonetic spelling of a name."
Jiang Langmin studied them half-heartedly. "The handwriting is hideous... Honestly, if she’s looking for someone, couldn't she be more direct? With all this beating around the bush, anyone intentionally hiding from her would have bolted long ago."
Lu Linjiang’s mood had been exceptionally bright ever since Jiang Cheng denied knowing her. "Perhaps it’s something else. I’ll look into who she is later."
Only then did Jiang Cheng react. "You’re investigating without even knowing what the issue is?" Since when did the cases that reached Lu Linjiang’s desk sound so trivial?
Lu Linjiang gave a light cough. "I’m just returning a favor. Whether I find anything depends on the circumstances." As long as it had nothing to do with Jiang Cheng, this "case" Cheng Hao had forced upon him was of no importance. He would just go through the motions to give Cheng Hao some face.
Jiang Langmin understood the situation as soon as he heard the mention of returning a favor. It wasn't the first time Cheng Hao had played around with his connections. He figured the City Bureau probably didn't have much to gain from the company right now, so they were using even this tiny, insignificant matter as an excuse to be helpful. He looked at the photo with waning interest and said, "I’m going to check on my mice. I hope they’re still alive."
Having eaten, Jiang Cheng felt his strength returning. Seeing Jiang Langmin heading back to the lab, he hurried to follow. "Yeah, I’m heading back too."
Lu Linjiang checked the time. From the moment he saw them preparing to leave the lab on the monitor to this point, barely an hour had passed. "Are you sure you don't want to rest a bit more?"
"No," Jiang Langmin said, stretching. "There’s a mountain of work."
Jiang Cheng, usually a slave to his phone, surprisingly hadn't checked it during the break. He felt as though something was missing today. He instinctively followed Jiang Langmin for a few steps before remembering. "Lu Linjiang, how is Guo Junyi doing today?" Usually, Lu Linjiang would send him updates via WeChat, and Jiang Cheng would check them during his breaks.
"He was still asleep when I checked yesterday afternoon. His condition was the same as in the morning. I came straight here early today. Let me give them a call." Seeing him pull out his phone, Jiang Cheng slowed his pace and stood by to listen.
When Ren Lifei answered the phone, his voice was thick with uncontrollable excitement. "The temperature is under control! It’s dropped to thirty-nine degrees!" Lu Linjiang looked down at Jiang Cheng’s eager expression. "Director Ren, wait a moment. I’ll let Jiang Cheng talk to you."
He handed the phone over. Jiang Cheng froze for a second before happily taking it. "Director Ren, it’s Jiang Cheng."
Ren Lifei was equally delighted to hear Jiang Cheng’s voice. He tirelessly described Guo Junyi’s condition once more, exclaiming excitedly, "It seems the direction of the vaccine research is correct! Guo Junyi can be saved!"
Half the weight on Jiang Cheng’s heart lifted. "That’s wonderful. At a conservative estimate, we need one more week. I’ll bring over another sample of the Group Two mutation this afternoon."
Jiang Langmin, walking ahead, had clearly overheard. He waited for Jiang Cheng to hang up before saying, "Might as well send it over now. Once you step into that lab, who knows when you’ll remember to come out again."
Jiang Cheng hesitated. It was indeed the best time to deliver the materials. "But I have a set of tests that are almost timed out. I need to keep working on them."
Jiang Langmin glanced at Lu Linjiang. "Then I’ll go. I’ll make the trip."
Jiang Cheng didn't hesitate and immediately agreed. "Alright. I’ll put on my suit to go grab it. Wait for me outside."
Before Lu Linjiang could even begin to look forward to some alone time with Jiang Cheng, the person sitting in his car became Jiang Langmin. The two of them truly had nothing to talk about, nor were they willing to search for topics just to avoid awkwardness. The car was so silent that only the sound of the engine could be heard. Jiang Langmin simply took the opportunity to doze off. Lu Linjiang glanced at the sleeping Jiang Langmin in the backseat and felt a pang of regret. It should have been Jiang Cheng out here; then he could have gotten some rest.
In this suburban area, traffic was only slightly heavy during commuting hours; at any other time, the roads were clear. Under such conditions, having a car tailing them closely was undeniably strange.
Lu Linjiang wasn't driving fast. The other driver could have easily overtaken him with a tap of the accelerator, yet the black car insisted on following them through four intersections.
Lu Linjiang glanced at the rearview mirror and recognized the license plate. It was the same car that had nearly crashed into him while speeding around a turn the other day. Without hesitation, he tested the waters by clicking his turn signal and pulling over to the side of the road.
Sure enough, the car followed suit and pulled over. Lu Linjiang glanced at Jiang Langmin in the back but decided to turn off the engine and step out alone. The person in the other car didn't get out. Lu Linjiang walked over and tapped on the window. When the glass rolled down, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Sitting in the car was the very woman who had been so persistently delivering letters to Micro-Big.
...What in the world?
