Guan Xia and the others split into two cars. Wang Yu, Qi Bai, and Lu Tingfeng headed to the Nanping District Bureau to investigate whether there were any overlaps in the behavioral patterns between Ning Ping'an and the missing persons cases in Shangshuang City during the years surrounding the disappearance of Ning Xin and her daughter.
Meanwhile, Guan Xia, Ji An, and Jiang Yingyao were tasked with examining Ning Ping'an's social connections. Though "examining social connections" sounded formal, Ning Ping'an was only four years old, so there wasn’t much to investigate. Their focus was primarily on tracing her movements from birth to her disappearance and identifying any unusual behavior among those closest to her.
Initially, Lu Tingfeng had strong objections to the grouping. He was straightforward about it, admitting he’d always been curious about Guan Xia and wanted to observe firsthand how she uncovered clues.
In the end, his protests were swiftly overruled by Ji An, and he reluctantly switched cars with Jiang Yingyao.
Watching him walk away, Guan Xia couldn’t help but chuckle. "Isn’t Lu Tingfeng around the same age as Xu Nian? I remember they were childhood friends and college classmates. How are their personalities so different? One is so steady he’s almost robotic—I’ve known him for months and can’t recall him ever losing his temper—while the other is so lively. How did they even become friends?"
"Guess it’s about balance," Jiang Yingyao replied from the passenger seat, fastening his seatbelt. "Before Lu Tingfeng left the force, Director Ren used to say Xu Nian finally seemed a bit more animated. But once Lu Tingfeng was gone, Captain Xu went back to his routine—just shuttling between home and the bureau."
He paused, then glanced at Guan Xia through the rearview mirror with a knowing smile. "Though lately, he’s seemed a lot more human. Guess being young means you should make more friends."
Guan Xia sensed there was more to Jiang Yingyao’s words but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she turned to Ji An. "Ji An, where should we start? With the live-in nanny who spent the most time with Ning Ping'an?"
Ji An restarted the car and replied casually, "Let’s go to Ning Xin’s place first. If Ning Ping'an’s disappearance really is as Zhong Xiaoyu suggested—that she was targeted for her organs—then it must be connected to a hospital. I remember Ning Xin mentioning that after bringing Ning Ping'an home, she prepared several large storage boxes specifically for her medical records—vaccination booklets, doctor’s notes, physical exam reports, everything was filed separately."
Guan Xia thought for a moment. "Given Ning Xin’s financial situation and Ning Ping'an’s medical history, it’s unlikely they’d have dealings with unlicensed black-market doctors. Ji An, do you think it’s possible that someone close to Ning Ping'an, someone who had access to her biological samples, leaked her information?"
She found it hard to believe a legitimate hospital would engage in organ trafficking. With so many patients and endless work, staff barely had time to sleep, and with countless eyes watching, it’d be nearly impossible to cover up such a scheme flawlessly.
Ji An nodded. "Possible. But based on previous investigations, none of the people around Ning Xin who had close contact with Ning Ping'an showed noticeable financial changes before or after the disappearance. Still, we might’ve missed something. Since the case has been reopened, we should explore every possible angle."
Guan Xia had assumed that, given Ning Xin’s substantial wealth, she would live in the city center. To her surprise, Ji An drove further and further out until finally stopping in front of an old residential complex.
Although the residential complex was old, there were many cars parked both at the entrance and inside the neighborhood. Guan Xia and the others had to search for a while before finding an empty parking spot.
After getting out of the car, Guan Xia instinctively began looking around. She noticed that despite the neighborhood’s age, it didn’t appear rundown. The greenery was particularly well-maintained, with several trees so large that one person couldn’t even wrap their arms around them—clearly, they had been there for decades.
Noticing Guan Xia’s observation, Ji An smiled and said, "Surprised Ning Xin lived here? Actually, this was her grandmother’s place when she was still alive. Maybe it’s because of the greenery, but Ning Xin once told me that whenever she stayed here as a child, her health would improve a little. So every winter and summer vacation before she graduated from college, she would stay here with her grandmother. After her grandmother passed away, the house was left to her."
It was clear Ji An had visited many times—her expression carried a hint of nostalgia as she glanced around.
Jiang Yingyao, however, focused on something else entirely. He suddenly remarked, "An old neighborhood like this means the roads are more open, and security and property management are lacking. When we entered earlier, I noticed there were no access gates at the entrances or exits, and no obvious surveillance cameras. If someone wanted to stalk someone here, it’d be easy."
Following Jiang Yingyao’s train of thought, Guan Xia suddenly recalled the other suspect whose identity still remained unknown. After a moment of consideration, she said, "Even if the management isn’t great, there are enough residents here. While the surveillance in alleys and side paths might not be well-maintained, the main roads probably have functioning cameras. If Geng Jing and that woman really stalked Ning Xin and her mother for a long time, it’d be hard to completely avoid the cameras. If we have extra time, we could check the footage at night—we might find something."
Jiang Yingyao chuckled. "We’re here to help our colleagues in Shangshuang City with their case, not to investigate our own. Let’s leave them some work to do."
Only then did Guan Xia realize that their previous cases had required countless hours of reviewing surveillance footage. Now that this case didn’t demand the same effort, it felt oddly unfamiliar.
As they talked, they followed Ji An into one of the buildings. Climbing up to the fourth floor, Ji An unlocked the door and, without hesitation, walked straight to a bedroom. She emerged carrying a box.
Guan Xia was surprised. "Sister Ji, you have a key to Ning Xin’s place?"
Ji An nodded. "Her parents gave it to me. When they found out I quit my job to investigate Ning Xin’s case, they drove overnight to hand me this spare key. Over the years, I’ve come back occasionally to see if I missed any clues."
After a brief explanation, Ji An placed the box on the living room coffee table.
Though Ning Xin and her mother had been missing for five years, the apartment wasn’t dusty—someone had clearly been cleaning it regularly.
Opening the box, Ji An quickly divided the thick stack of documents inside. "Everything’s here. Let’s split up and go through them. If anyone finds anything suspicious, we’ll discuss it together."
Guan Xia and Jiang Yingyao each took a pile and settled onto the sofa, adopting comfortable positions before diving into the material with full concentration.
From the stack of medical reports and examination records in hand, it was clear that Ning Xin had taken extremely meticulous care of Ning Ping'an. Perhaps it was precisely because of this excessive care—lacking exercise and opportunities to build resistance to bacteria and viruses—that Ning Ping'an frequently fell ill.
Guan Xia only flipped through a few pages before noticing that Ning Ping'an had almost been taken for medical checkups every few months. Sometimes it was due to a cold, other times due to digestive issues. No wonder that by the age of four, Ning Ping'an had already filled a quarter of a large cardboard box big enough to hold a computer.
Guan Xia spent over an hour carefully reviewing the documents, nearly word by word, but found nothing particularly unusual.
Setting the papers down and rubbing her neck, she was about to speak when she looked up and noticed Ji An’s strange expression—filled with confusion, hesitation, and a hint of uncertainty.
Seeing Ji An lost in thought, Guan Xia swallowed her words and instead stood up, leaning over to peek at what Ji An was examining.
It was a highly detailed medical examination report, issued by a health center named Kangjian.
Guan Xia scrutinized it but couldn’t spot any issues. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally asked, "Sister Ji, what’s wrong? Is there something off about this health center?"
Ji An took a few more seconds to gather her thoughts before responding. Instead of answering directly, she flipped through the pages several times and then said, "It’s not the health center itself that’s suspicious. The problem is that two checkups were conducted too close together, yet the reports show no abnormalities. I can’t figure out why Ning Xin would take Ning Ping'an for two full examinations within just a month."
"Maybe the first one didn’t cover all the necessary tests," Guan Xia suggested. "So, to be thorough, Ning Xin took her to another place for a follow-up?"
As she spoke, Guan Xia took the reports from Ji An and laid them side by side on the coffee table for comparison. While some items differed, the results all fell within normal ranges. Apart from a few slightly low values, Ning Ping'an appeared to be a generally healthy child.
While Guan Xia studied the reports, Ji An gathered all the other medical records and spread them out. "Look," she said, "these are all from hospitals Ning Xin regularly visited. From the time Ning Ping'an was brought home at one year and two months old, she never changed her routine. Only this one is different. From what I know of Ning Xin, she rarely alters her habits—whether it’s daily necessities or frequented places—unless someone close or trustworthy recommends a change."
With this explanation, Guan Xia also sensed something odd. "Are you suspecting that this health center is problematic, or that the person who referred her there might be?"
Ji An shook her head. "It’s too early to say. I just find it unusual."
Jiang Yingyao acted swiftly. While Guan Xia and Ji An discussed the matter, he took photos of the sections in the reports that mentioned the health center’s full name and sent them to the group chat, specifically tagging Wang Yu and instructing her to pay special attention to it while investigating missing persons cases in Shangshuang City.
Guan Xia crouched down to examine the reports again, only standing up when her legs grew numb. Leaning against the coffee table, she asked curiously, "Sister Ji, have you heard of this health center before? Have you ever been there?"
Ji An steadied Guan Xia with a hand and thought for a moment before saying, "I haven’t been there, but I’ve heard about it. It’s been around for quite some time. The first time I heard about it was when I’d just joined the criminal investigation team—around 2016 or 2017, I think. I remember a colleague mentioning that a new chain of health check-up centers had opened in the city, offering very affordable packages. Many of their family members had gone for check-ups. If it weren’t for the annual physicals arranged by the precinct, they would’ve gone with their families too."
Guan Xia looked surprised. "A chain?"
Ji An nodded. "Seems like it."
Guan Xia pulled out her phone. "Let me check."
The search results loaded quickly. Guan Xia scanned the information—the health center, named Kangjian, was indeed a chain. So far, it had seven branches across Ningyun Province, covering all the major cities with relatively large populations.
She read the details aloud softly, then hesitated. "A chain health center should be pretty reliable, right? The earliest one opened in 1998, according to this."
The more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed that a health check-up center could be a criminal hideout.
Ji An didn’t respond immediately, frowning in thought before finally saying, "Whether this Kangjian Health Center is involved or not, we’ll find out once we investigate."
After briefly discussing the new lead, Guan Xia and the others returned the retrieved documents to their original place. Just as Ji An put the box back and stepped into the bedroom, Guan Xia’s phone on the coffee table rang.
Not just hers—Jiang Yingyao and Ji An’s phones also buzzed at the same time. The three of them immediately understood: someone else had made a discovery.
Sure enough, when Guan Xia opened her phone, she saw a message from Qi Bai. While tailing Geng Jing separately that day, they had unexpectedly noticed that the owner of a small convenience store where Geng Jing stopped to buy cigarettes matched the description of the second female suspect Guan Xia had heard about the day before.
They had split into another team to investigate the middle-aged woman.
Guan Xia suddenly felt that every time they went out to investigate a case, things went surprisingly smoothly. This time was no exception.
