Shangshuang City, much like Yongquan City, is nestled close to mountain ranges, making it a fairly popular tourist destination. However, since it isn’t the provincial capital, its permanent population isn’t particularly large—though the crowds swell dramatically during peak travel seasons.
Guan Xia and the others arrived in Shangshuang City on August 9th. Located closer to the equator than Yongquan City, the moment they stepped out of the airport, a wave of scorching heat hit Guan Xia squarely in the face.
Since Xu Nian and his team needed to coordinate with the local police, the group didn’t leave together. After agreeing to meet up at the hotel that evening, Xu Nian waved at Guan Xia before turning away with Jiang Yingyao, Wang Yu, and Qi Bai to get into their car.
Guan Xia, after saying “See you tonight,” hurriedly boarded another vehicle with Pang Le, dragging their luggage along.
Uncertain how long they’d be staying in Shangshuang City, the two had packed quite a bit. With Zhong Xiaoyu and Ji An also in tow, the four had to split into two separate cars.
Once the air conditioning kicked in, Guan Xia immediately felt more comfortable. Letting out a relieved sigh, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue and asked Pang Le, “Didn’t you say before that if we ever got the chance to visit Ji An’s city, we absolutely had to go hiking? So… are we still doing that?”
Though she asked with a smile, her eyes were full of teasing—after all, Pang Le had been complaining nonstop about the heat during the short walk from the airport to the car.
Pang Le glanced out the window at the road shimmering under the blazing sun, hesitated for a couple of seconds, then nodded firmly. “Of course we’re going. Who knows when we’ll get another chance? I’ve been watching Song Yi’s recent videos and have my eye on a few hiking spots. We’ll see how things go—if we have time, we’ll do it.”
Guan Xia gave an impressed look, crumpled the tissue in her hand, and tucked it into the side pocket of her backpack to throw away later. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes, resting for the ride.
Her mind wandered to the purpose of their trip to Shangshuang City. Sometimes, having too many leads was its own kind of problem.
Their flight had landed at 11:20 AM, and by 12:30 PM, they had checked into the hotel.
Originally, Ji An had invited Guan Xia and Pang Le to stay at her place, along with Zhong Xiaoyu. But for convenience, they decided to book the same hotel as Xu Nian’s group. Wang Yu had gone to some lengths to ensure they were all on the same floor.
After carelessly dropping their luggage in their rooms, Guan Xia and Pang Le, without even bothering to unpack, immediately headed to Ji An and Zhong Xiaoyu’s room.
As expected, the two seemed to have anticipated their arrival—their suitcases were pushed into a corner, still unopened.
Ji An ushered them in while organizing some freshly retrieved documents. With a nod toward the sofa, she said, “Take a seat. While Xu Nian and the others are coordinating with the local police, let’s go over the details of the case we’re investigating.”
Guan Xia and Pang Le settled onto the small couch. Pang Le, curious, asked, “The local police—they’re your former colleagues, right, Ji An? Why didn’t you go with them? Having you there might’ve made communication smoother.”
Ji An replied offhandedly, “I’ve been gone for almost five years. Before I left, I only worked in the criminal investigation division for a little over three years. I was busy, cracked a few cases, but honestly, aside from my old precinct, I didn’t know many people. Besides, this case happened in a different jurisdiction. We interacted, but we weren’t exactly familiar.”
Pang Le made an understanding sound, then added, “So, since you’re back, are you planning to meet up with your old colleagues? The fact that they still reach out to you after five years must mean you were pretty close.”
Ji An paused briefly, a nostalgic expression crossing her face. After a moment, she said, “I will. After we wrap up the case, I’ll catch up with them.”
After a bit more casual conversation, Ji An handed identical copies of the documents to Guan Xia and Pang Le. “Take a look first. We’ll discuss after you’re done.”
Guan Xia glanced at Zhong Xiaoyu, who was standing by the window gazing outside, then shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa before focusing on the materials.
The first page had no text—just a blown-up, color-printed photograph. It showed a middle-aged woman with a little girl standing closely beside her, both smiling brightly. The girl’s grin revealed tiny, millet-white teeth.
Guan Xia already knew from Ji An that the woman had been 36 years old at the time of her disappearance. But in the photo, she looked younger than her age. Her slightly rounded phoenix eyes held a warm, contented glow, her nose was not particularly high-bridged but had a delicate tip, and her lips—neither too big nor too small—gave her an unremarkable yet gentle and approachable appearance.
Perhaps because the little girl had been under the woman’s care since before she was even one year old, despite having no blood relation, Guan Xia could still detect a faint resemblance in their expressions.
Looking at the photograph, Guan Xia couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. As she studied it intently, she asked, "Sister Ji, I remember you mentioned before that she adopted the girl because of her congenital uterine dysplasia. What about her husband? When did they divorce—before or after the adoption?"
"After," Ji An replied. "It was at the end of the same year she adopted the girl. According to my classmate, her whole family supported her sister's decision, but her brother-in-law was firmly against it. He claimed they had finally adjusted to a child-free, DINK lifestyle because of her condition, yet she went ahead with the adoption without his agreement. They argued countless times, each refusing to back down. Even their parents' mediation failed, and by the end of that year, they finalized their divorce."
Guan Xia pondered this before pressing further, "And after the divorce? Did the ex-husband remarry?"
At this question, Ji An's expression turned faintly mocking. "He did. Just three months after the divorce, my classmate showed me photos from his wedding. Even though it was his second marriage, the ceremony was as lavish as a first. The most telling detail was the six-year-old ring bearer—a little boy who bore a striking resemblance to the ex-husband. Anyone could see the truth: this man had been preaching about embracing a DINK life while secretly having an affair and fathering a child. He’d likely been hiding it all along, waiting for his wife’s poor health to secure her assets."
Pang Le let out a disgusted scoff. "No wonder he was so vehemently against adoption. Typical man."
After a few more scornful remarks, Pang Le added, "Do you think there’s a chance your friend’s sister and her adopted daughter’s disappearance is connected to the ex-husband? Given his past behavior, he’d have a strong motive."
Ji An shook her head. "After they went missing, every social connection was investigated, including the ex-husband. Nothing suspicious turned up. On the day of their disappearance, both he and his new wife had solid alibis, completely ruling them out."
Pang Le stroked his chin. "So their disappearance really is tied to drug traffickers? I’ve been thinking about it lately—when they vanished, over three years had passed since the girl’s biological parents’ sacrifice. Plus, they lived far from the city where her parents had worked. And correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the identity of narcotics officers strictly confidential, both online and offline? If this was truly a revenge plot, how did the traffickers even find the girl’s identity and address? Maybe the surveillance footage showing drug dealers nearby was just a coincidence, and someone else is responsible."
Ji An nodded. "I’ve considered and tried to verify those points during my investigation, but without evidence, it remains one of our speculative leads."
Though Zhong Xiaoyu had been gazing out the window, she’d been following the discussion. Now she interjected, "Basically, because every other avenue has turned up empty, we’re left chasing even the least likely possibility."
Guan Xia understood—Ji An and the others also doubted the drug-trafficking revenge theory, but with no other leads, they clung to this faint hope.
Pang Le sighed. "Let’s hope the recently uncovered bodies give us a solid trail. Otherwise, we’ll have to dive into the drug underworld. I’ve never dealt with them before—are they really as armed as they are in crime dramas?"
Ji An stayed silent, but Zhong Xiaoyu chuckled. "The serial killers we’ve hunted before were vicious, but compared to drug cartels? They’re small-time."
Guan Xia and Pang Le exchanged uneasy glances, took a deep breath, and refocused on the documents.
The first page held photographs; the second listed details about the missing pair. The information on Ji An’s classmate’s sister was thorough, but the child’s was sparse—only her birthdate and adoptive mother’s name. As for her biological parents, aside from their names, nothing else was recorded.
Guan Xia learned that the missing woman was named Ning Xin, and her daughter was Ning Ping'an. Born in 1983, Ning Xin had been frail since childhood but exceptionally intelligent. A top student, she was admitted to a prestigious university at 17, started her own business during college, and achieved financial independence by 27.
Aside from her ex-husband, her life had been flawless.
According to the records, although Ning Xin had lived with her ex-husband for nearly ten years after marriage, she was an extremely rational person. She wasn’t particularly bothered by his infidelity or departure, and aside from maintaining the daily operations of her company, she devoted all her time and energy to her daughter, Ning Ping'an, caring for her with meticulous attention.
The two went missing on April 12, 2019. On the day of their disappearance, their behavior had been completely normal.
It was a weekend, and as usual, Ning Xin drove her daughter to an amusement park. On the way back, they took the same main road they always used. Based on the usual travel time and past habits, Ning Xin and her daughter should have returned home by around 4:30 p.m. However, that evening, they never arrived. The live-in nanny waited until after 10 p.m., but calls to Ning Xin’s phone went unanswered. After contacting Ning Xin’s parents and confirming they hadn’t seen the two either, the nanny grew uneasy. Although adults must be missing for 48 hours before a case can be officially filed, because a child was involved, the nanny reported the disappearance to the police that same night.
The local police station began the investigation, tracking Ning Xin’s phone via GPS. They later discovered signs of a car accident and traces of blood about 1.7 kilometers from where the phone was found. The officers immediately escalated the case, transferring it to the criminal investigation division of the district police bureau.
When Ning Xin’s phone was recovered, it had already been damaged and powered off. The forensic team managed to restore some data, uncovering a short recording. In the audio, Ning Xin could be heard trying to coax information from two unidentified individuals—a man and a woman—but the pair avoided direct answers, resorting instead to verbal threats. Later, the situation escalated to physical violence.
The recording lasted only a few minutes before abruptly ending, likely because Ning Xin had hidden the phone, only for it to be discovered and violently thrown out of the car window, resulting in its damage.
Though the subsequent events weren’t captured in the recording, the evidence from the crash site and bloodstains suggested that after the phone was found, the assailants became enraged, attacking both Ning Xin and her four-year-old daughter. Ning Xin must have resisted, causing the moving vehicle to veer off the road and collide with a tree.
The blood at the scene belonged to both Ning Xin and Ning Ping'an, while DNA analysis also detected traces from two other individuals. Unfortunately, no matches were found in the database, leaving the case at a dead end and eventually classifying it as a cold case.
At this point, Guan Xia asked, "Ji An, do you have that recording? Can we listen to it?"
Ji An shook her head. "The case is still under confidentiality protocols. I only heard the audio while assisting with the investigation and wasn’t given a copy. But Xu Nian’s team should be able to access it. If things move quickly, we might hear it tonight."
Guan Xia nodded and said, "Alright."
Perhaps guided by intuition, Guan Xia had been particularly fixated on the mention of the recording as she read through the documents. She had a strong feeling that listening to it would yield crucial clues.
Checking the time and realizing it would still be a while before Xu Nian and the others returned, Guan Xia steeled herself and continued reviewing the files.
