For the next day and a half, apart from Wang Yu and Lu Tingfeng investigating Liu Xiang's social connections, the rest of the team took turns surveilling Liu Xiang around the clock. However, Guan Xia's team was different—their task was to monitor the supermarket where Liu Xiang worked.
So when Liu Xiang clocked in, they did too, and when she clocked out, they followed suit. Despite being the busiest and most time-sensitive period, the three of them ended up living relatively routine lives.
Though their days were structured, they were far from easy. As long as the supermarket was open and Liu Xiang hadn’t left for meals or rest, Guan Xia and her team had to stay cooped up in their car.
At first, Guan Xia was energized, convinced she’d uncover another key figure like before, leading to another breakthrough in the case. But after a full day and night of surveillance, they found nothing.
Countless people came and went from the supermarket, yet none triggered Guan Xia’s instincts. Their theory had been that either Liu Xiang or Geng Jing would soon target someone new, leading to a major move—yet even Geng Jing hadn’t reappeared.
As evening approached again, Guan Xia sat in the backseat of the car, anxiously checking the time. Only six hours remained before the 48-hour deadline. If they found nothing, they’d have to arrest Liu Xiang to prevent her from fleeing.
Right on schedule, just like the day before, Liu Xiang appeared at the supermarket entrance, casually replying to messages as she headed toward the food street across the road.
About two minutes later, Xu Nian and Pang Le emerged, trailing Liu Xiang from a distance as they crossed the street.
Once all three figures vanished from sight, Guan Xia sighed and stretched. "We’re almost at the 48-hour mark. I thought surveilling Liu Xiang would yield something, but after a day and a half, it’s been dead quiet. Could our theory be wrong? Maybe Liu Xiang’s group isn’t planning anything soon?"
Zhong Xiaoyu stretched too, yawning. "Don’t rush it. With criminal groups like this, especially someone as cautious as Liu Xiang, the closer they are to action, the more patient they become. Something might still happen tonight. Since Liu Xiang’s gone to eat, let’s do the same. The cold noodle place from last night again?"
Qi Bai massaged her stiff neck from hours of surveillance and shrugged. "Fine by me. That shop’s right across from the supermarket anyway. We’ll take the same table as yesterday—we can still see anyone coming or going."
At the mention of food, Zhong Xiaoyu perked up, turning eagerly to Guan Xia. "What about you, Guan Xia? Cold noodles again? It’s the quickest option to save time."
Guan Xia’s mind was entirely on the case, so she didn’t care what they ate. She nodded. "Sure, let’s go there."
With unanimous agreement, Zhong Xiaoyu practically leaped out of the car. "Then let’s go! I’m starving. Hurry up—eat first, then back to work."
The three of them got out and walked just a few steps to the same restaurant from the night before.
It was peak dinner hour, so they waited about eight minutes before securing their preferred table. Each ordered a bowl of cold noodles with braised beef, eating while keeping an eye on the supermarket across the street.
Guan Xia had assumed they’d end the day empty-handed again, but halfway through her meal, a lanky young man—his arms thinner than Guan Xia’s—sauntered into Liu Xiang’s supermarket. What caught Guan Xia’s attention most was the sudden flare of her intuition, as if a spotlight had locked onto him, making it impossible to look away.
Her spirits lifted instantly. She’d known it—staking out this location had to pay off eventually.
Guan Xia’s gaze burned into the young man’s every move as he swayed into the supermarket. Only then did she look away, exchanging a glance with Qi Bai, who was hunched over her meal.
The three of them knew each other well. Zhong Xiaoyu and Qi Bai immediately grasped Guan Xia’s meaning, their questioning looks silently asking, "An accomplice?"
Guan Xia kept her expression neutral as she nodded.
Now it wasn’t just Guan Xia who was energized—Qi Bai’s eyes lit up too. She wolfed down the rest of her food, scanned the payment code, and they hurried back to the car.
Luckily, they were quick. The young man hadn’t emerged from the supermarket yet.
The moment the car door shut, Qi Bai fired off questions. "How many? Any distinguishing features? I’ll contact Brother Jiang—he’s on standby nearby with Sister Ji. They can tail him."
Guan Xia gave a brief description of the young man’s appearance, but as she spoke, she noticed Zhong Xiaoyu frowning, her eyes fixed outside the car as if she’d spotted something suspicious.
Instinctively, Guan Xia followed her gaze while asking, "What’s wrong? Did you see something?"
Zhong Xiaoyu stared a moment longer, as if confirming, then pointed. "Over there—the fruit stall. Third shop to the right of the noodle place, the one with the old man sitting out front."
Her directions were precise, so Guan Xia found it immediately. "Got it. What’s off? Which person?"
It was past rush hour, and the streets were crowded. Several customers were picking through fruit at the stall.
Zhong Xiaoyu kept her eyes on the scene. "That couple in matching outfits. They look like they’re shopping, but watch their eyes. Whether they’re selecting fruit or haggling, they glance across the street every second or two. That’s not normal. I think they’re surveilling too."
Qi Bai chimed in, "Yeah, it does seem that way. Their movements, their eyes—almost like they’re… colleagues?"
Guan Xia and Zhong Xiaoyu exchanged a glance before turning to Qi Bai. "You’re saying they’re also cops, here because of the young man Guan Xia mentioned?"
Guan Xia wasn’t entirely surprised. In a criminal group like this, it’d be stranger if none of them had records.
Qi Bai nodded. "Judging by where they’re looking, it’s definitely the supermarket. We’ve been here all day and never saw them. They showed up right after that young man—they’re tailing him."
Guan Xia glanced toward the supermarket across the street again and immediately spotted the young man appearing at the entrance. Her eyes darted to the man and woman nearby, and sure enough, she noticed subtle shifts in their expressions—changes so slight that only careful observation would catch them.
"It looks like they're definitely tailing that young man," Guan Xia said. "What do we do now? Should we approach them? Would that tip them off?"
Qi Bai frowned in thought before responding, "Let's wait. Don't make contact yet—four people would be too conspicuous. I'll report to Captain Xu and see what he says."
As Qi Bai lowered her head to type out a message, Guan Xia kept her eyes fixed on the supermarket. The young man stood at the entrance for a few seconds, spat on the ground, then shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered off in the same direction Liu Xiang had gone earlier.
Guan Xia’s instincts told her he was heading toward Liu Xiang. She turned to Qi Bai. "He's moving—the skinny one in the black T-shirt with the skull print. Looks like he's going after Liu Xiang."
Qi Bai continued typing without looking up. "Got it. I’ll update Captain Xu."
Guan Xia turned her attention back to the man and woman who seemed to be undercover officers. Sure enough, they had left the fruit stand, walking arm in arm in the same direction as the young man, though separated by the narrow street.
As Guan Xia watched the three cross the road, Zhong Xiaoyu suddenly spoke up. "Look—Geng Jing is here too."
Guan Xia tensed and turned to see Geng Jing stepping out of his ride-hailing car. Instead of heading straight into the supermarket, he lingered by the roadside, lighting a cigarette.
"Seriously," Guan Xia muttered. "First none of them show up, and now two arrive at once. Do you think that young man and Geng Jing know each other?"
Zhong Xiaoyu shook her head. "No idea. But I doubt it—their vibes are completely different. Probably not the same crowd. My guess is the young guy’s part of another small group, doing similar work to Geng Jing."
Qi Bai, still rapidly typing, chimed in between messages. "If that’s the case, our earlier theory holds—Liu Xiang really is a key figure. But that means the officers following the young man might’ve also traced things back to her."
Her brow furrowed. "That complicates things. We don’t even know which precinct those two are from. We’ll have to ask Captain Zhou to coordinate with them later—otherwise, if we’re all working separately, we might accidentally interfere with each other’s plans."
The three continued discussing while updating Xu Nian. About ten minutes later, Guan Xia saw Geng Jing finally stub out his cigarette, grinding it under his heel before heading into the supermarket.
As before, he didn’t stay long—just enough time to buy cigarettes and a lighter before stepping back out. Guan Xia expected him to drive off immediately, but instead, he returned to his car and sat there, engine off, as if waiting for Liu Xiang.
"This isn’t like him," Guan Xia murmured, puzzled. "He’s unusually insistent on seeing Liu Xiang today. Does that mean they’re about to act soon? Is that why he’s so determined?"
Zhong Xiaoyu kept her eyes on the car. "Could be. Since Geng Jing’s here, Captain Zhou’s team must be nearby too. Should we check in with them?"
Qi Bai, who had just put her phone away, pulled it back out. "I’ll call Captain Zhou and ask."
A few minutes later, she hung up. "Captain Zhou says they’ve been tracking Geng Jing for days and have identified several suspected members of his group. Since the day before yesterday, their interactions have increased. They think the operation’s happening soon—maybe even within the next couple of days."
Guan Xia nodded. "No wonder Geng Jing’s so desperate to see Liu Xiang today. Based on the Ning Xin mother-daughter disappearance case, he’s probably using Liu Xiang’s friendly, welcoming demeanor to lower the victims’ guard—just like before."
A thought struck her, and she turned to Qi Bai. "By the way, has Captain Zhou’s team figured out their target yet, after tailing Geng Jing for so long?"
Qi Bai shook her head. "He didn’t say. But based on past experience, as long as they haven’t lost him and have kept close, they should’ve identified the target by now."
Just as the three were wrapping up their discussion, Guan Xia caught movement in her peripheral vision—Liu Xiang and the young man were returning. The young man wore an awkward, almost ingratiating expression, while Liu Xiang’s smile didn’t quite mask the impatience in her body language.
Before Guan Xia could speak, Geng Jing flung his car door open and strode toward them, his movements aggressive.
From the brief glimpse of his face as he turned their way, his expression was tense—mouth pressed into a thin line, brows drawn low. He didn’t look happy.
Combined with his forceful approach, even Guan Xia felt a chill. Qi Bai tensed. "This is bad. Geng Jing looks like he’s about to cause trouble."
The three exchanged uneasy glances, but for now, all they could do was watch from the car and see how things unfolded.
