After finishing a delightful meal where both hosts and guests were thoroughly satisfied, Zhong Xiaoyu finally settled down. Happily munching on post-meal snacks, she cheerfully remarked, "Another 100,000 yuan in the bank. I have to say, my uncle really has an eye for things. Thanks to him, I’m now a little rich girl."
Pang Le, who was peeling an orange, casually handed half to Guan Xia and said with a hint of envy, "Wow, just a little work and you’ve already made 100,000 yuan. Hey, why don’t you ask your aunt if she’s open to adopting a goddaughter? If not, maybe she could loosen the gender restrictions a bit and consider me? I’m pretty and have a great figure too."
Pang Le even stood up and struck a few poses, making everyone burst into laughter.
Zhong Xiaoyu laughed for a while before suddenly remembering something. "Oh right, my aunt transferred money to you guys too—except for Captain Xu and his team, of course. Given their official positions, she knows the rules. She told me she donated the money in their name to the Yongquan Branch. You’ll probably hear about it soon."
This announcement left everyone, including Guan Xia, stunned.
"What? Your aunt sent us money too?" Pang Le exclaimed, feigning shyness as she rubbed her hands together. "That’s so unnecessary! We’re friends with Sister Ji, which makes us friends with you. How can we accept money for helping a friend? How much did she send?"
Pang Le initially tried to maintain a composed demeanor, but by the end, she couldn’t hold back her grin, revealing a full set of pearly whites.
Zhong Xiaoyu waved her hand dismissively. "Come on, friendship is one thing, but money is another. Even I got paid for helping my aunt investigate my uncle’s case. I don’t know the exact amount, but knowing how my aunt throws money around, it’s probably at least 100,000 or 200,000 yuan."
Hearing this figure, even Guan Xia’s eyes widened in disbelief. "This money… we can really take it?"
Zhong Xiaoyu slung an arm around Guan Xia’s shoulders and said firmly, "Take it. Captain Xu and his team are cops—solving cases is their job. But you guys aren’t. Honestly, even I’d feel guilty if you didn’t accept it."
Guan Xia still hesitated. "But this case… we didn’t really solve it. We just uncovered a few clues before Wu Xiaozhen killed the culprit. If anything, she’s the one who avenged your uncle."
"We pulled two all-nighters, and we’re probably in for another one tonight. That’s hardly ‘nothing,’" Zhong Xiaoyu countered seriously. "We did a lot. As for Wu Xiaozhen, since she’s a suspect, my aunt might not have heard about her yet. But knowing her, once she finds out, she’ll probably arrange for a good lawyer and send some money to her parents."
She then circled back to the main point. "Just take the money. If my persuasion isn’t enough, my aunt will step in—and she’s way more persuasive than me. She might even think you’re refusing because the amount’s too small and add more."
With Zhong Xiaoyu insisting like this, Guan Xia stopped objecting. She exchanged a glance with Pang Le, both unable to hide their joy over the unexpected windfall.
As they leisurely chatted over fruit, Guan Xia suddenly remembered something just as they were about to leave. She turned to Pang Le and asked, "Oh right, Pang Le, earlier on the phone, Zhong Xiaoyu mentioned you guys found something this afternoon but wanted to tell me yourself. What was it?"
Pang Le slapped her forehead in realization. "Oh! Right!" She quickly grabbed her phone from the table, scrolled for a moment, and handed it to Guan Xia. "Look."
Guan Xia leaned in and saw a short video clip, about ten seconds long. The room in the video resembled Chen Yuanwei’s hidden lair from their earlier search, but upon closer inspection, there were noticeable differences.
First, the photos were different. While the previous room had mostly featured the four victims, here, the victims occupied only a small section. The majority of the space was covered with photos of Chen Yuanwei’s parents.
Many of these photos had been cropped and enlarged, showing only faces. What stood out were the countless tiny holes punctured into the images, as if someone had repeatedly stabbed them with a sharp object.
Guan Xia quickly made the connection. "These photos… were used as targets?"
Pang Le nodded. "Yeah. When we entered, the floor was littered with scattered darts, chopsticks, and small knives. There were also shredded photo fragments in the corner. From all this, it’s clear Chen Yuanwei really hated his parents."
Guan Xia didn’t know how to react. She couldn’t fathom the depth of Chen Yuanwei’s hatred and could only speculate wildly.
For 24 years, Chen Yuanwei lived as the heir to a wealthy family, only to lose everything overnight. Once carefree about money, he now found himself burdened by financial struggles. At first, he may have only been troubled by the drastic change in lifestyle, but as time passed, he gradually accepted that he could never return to his former life on his own. The crushing weight of debt forced him into hiding, and resentment festered—toward his father for bankrupting the company and his mother for abandoning him to go abroad alone.
The more life disappointed him, the deeper his hatred grew. Simple acts of venting his emotions no longer brought him peace, and eventually, he turned to murder.
Guan Xia had initially analyzed the case with seriousness, but at some point, she suddenly laughed at herself. She felt like she was going mad from overthinking the investigation. A killer with no moral boundaries—unlike Wu Xiaozhen—why should she care what drove Chen Yuanwei to kill? Her only question was his motive for selecting those four victims.
The topic Guan Xia brought up sparked another round of discussion among the group before they finally stood from their chairs and followed the host out.
They had arrived as a trio, but now they were returning to Tong'an District Station as a larger group.
However, since their cars were parked in different areas, they waved goodbye at the entrance and split into two groups heading in opposite directions.
As usual, Guan Xia rode with Pang Le, Ji An, and Zhong Xiaoyu. But just as she opened the car door, she froze—her instincts prickling with the unmistakable sensation of being watched. Alert, she scanned the surroundings.
Pang Le, who had already climbed into the car, noticed her reaction and stepped back out. Mirroring Guan Xia’s vigilance, he asked, "What’s wrong? Did you spot someone suspicious?"
Hearing this, Zhong Xiaoyu and Ji An also exited the car, their expressions tense as they surveyed the area. "What’s going on?" Zhong Xiaoyu asked. "Did Guan Xia find another lead?"
Guan Xia didn’t answer. At first, she thought her heightened instincts—courtesy of the system—were warning her. But after a thorough look around, she found nothing.
The parking lot was eerily quiet. Aside from the sound of Xu Nian’s car in the distance and other vehicles driving away normally, there wasn’t a single suspicious figure in sight—not even a stray shadow.
When Ji An spoke up, Guan Xia half-expected the system interface to pop up with a prompt. But after several minutes, the system remained silent.
Shaking her head, Guan Xia finally said, "Nothing. I just felt like someone was watching me. Maybe I’ve been working too many cases—I’m getting paranoid."
Despite her words, Pang Le and the others didn’t relax. They meticulously checked the area again, confirming no threats, before finally getting back into the car after Guan Xia.
Zhong Xiaoyu started the engine but didn’t drive off immediately. After double-checking that the doors were locked, she turned to Guan Xia. "Think back—did that feeling of being watched just now feel the same as when we were at the crime scenes?"
The question caught Guan Xia off guard. After a pause, she shook her head. "Not quite… It’s hard to describe. This time, I didn’t sense any malice, but someone was definitely watching me—and for a while, too, since the feeling was so strong."
"Who would stare at a stranger in a parking lot for that long?" Pang Le mused, stroking his chin. "Could it be someone you know?"
Guan Xia instinctively shook her head, but then hesitated. She didn’t have any acquaintances in Jianyang City—but that didn’t mean someone she knew hadn’t come here.
Her first thought was Meng Lan. Among her friends, only Meng Lan traveled frequently for work.
After three seconds of hesitation, Guan Xia was about to text Meng Lan when—as if by fate—Meng Lan’s call came through.
Guan Xia answered immediately, barely getting a word in before Meng Lan’s excited voice rang out. "Guan Xia, you’re in Jianyang City?"
So it had been Meng Lan earlier. Guan Xia relaxed, smiling. "Yeah, I’m here for a case. Wait—you’re in Jianyang too?"
"I’m not," Meng Lan said. "I just got back to Linshan City a few days ago. But Wu Yang—President Wu—just called me. He said he saw someone who looked like you in a parking lot. Since he’s only seen your photo and never met you in person, he wasn’t sure, so he asked me."
"President Wu Yang?" Guan Xia was stunned. "He’s in Jianyang City?"
She tried recalling the portrait of Wu Yang she’d seen at the orphanage. It had detailed his achievements up to now, but it never mentioned that the company he built from scratch was based in Jianyang.
Meng Lan asked in confusion, "Yes, his company is in Jianyang City. Didn’t I mention that before? The last few business trips I took were to Jianyang City to discuss collaborations with President Wu. Although his company’s main business isn’t in construction, since we grew up in the same orphanage, he invested his own assets into my company. Last time we had dinner, he even brought you up, saying he’d read your most successful comic and found it very interesting. His game development team is currently evaluating the possibility of adapting your comic into a game and the potential profits. Who knows? You might get some good news soon."
This was truly an unexpected delight. Overjoyed, Guan Xia exclaimed, "Really? That’s incredible news! If I really do sell the rights, I’ll treat you to a feast!"
Buoyed by this unexpected good news, Guan Xia completely forgot about the earlier incident and excitedly chatted with Meng Lan for a while before hanging up.
By the time Guan Xia calmed down from her excitement, she realized they had already arrived back at Tong’an District Station, and the car was even parked. The three others had been waiting for her without getting out.
Finally, after she finished her call, Pang Le couldn’t hold back her curiosity. "Was that Meng Lan on the phone just now? I heard Wu Yang’s name—and something about him buying your rights?"
The thought of possibly striking it rich made Guan Xia giddy again. She nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes! It was Meng Lan. She told me President Wu saw me in the parking lot earlier, but since he’d never met me in person, he wasn’t sure and called her to confirm. She also said he’s very interested in adapting my comic into a game and is currently evaluating it. There might be news soon!"
Pang Le got just as excited and threw an arm around Guan Xia’s shoulders. "Remember me when you’re rich, sister! Today’s been such a lucky day—first we made a small fortune hours ago, and now this amazing news. I’ve got to buy a scratch-off ticket later. Maybe I’ll win a fortune!"
Dead serious, Pang Le turned to Ji An and asked, "Sister Ji, do you know where the nearest place to buy scratch-offs is around here?"
Ji An found it amusing but still pulled out her phone to check the map. "The closest one is in a mall about two kilometers away. What, you want to go scratch some right now?"
Pang Le checked the time and saw it wasn’t even 8 p.m. yet. "Yes, yes! Before the mall closes, I’ve got to ride this lucky streak and win some more!"
So, without even getting out of the car, the four of them headed straight for the mall. Unfortunately, not only did Pang Le fail to win anything, she also lost 200 yuan, which left her muttering in regret every now and then while reviewing surveillance footage that night.
Still, despite the financial loss, Pang Le ended up being the first to spot something important while going through the surveillance recordings later.
