Feng Xingping and Yao Qingyan were both implicated in a homicide case, as was Lu Manqing. However, the difference was that Feng Xingping's stepfather, Yao Qingyan's biological father, stepmother, and half-sister died when they had just reached adulthood, before entering their youth, while Lu Manqing's uncle was killed during his adolescence.
After investigation by the special task force, it was discovered that when Lu Manqing was 14 years old, an uncle who had been closely connected to his family was murdered in his own home. The crime occurred late at night—the victim was stabbed in the heart by an intruder and died instantly.
The task force dug deeper and uncovered that Lu Manqing's parents had been involved in a car accident when he was six years old. One died, and the other was left paralyzed from the neck down. Although the perpetrator paid a hefty compensation to avoid jail time, the once ordinary and peaceful family was plunged into despair. Due to his paralysis, Lu Manqing's father, who had once been a quiet but emotionally stable man, became erratic and volatile. He would curse, blame, and vent his rage at every living thing he saw during every waking moment.
Lu Manqing and his older sister, who was two years his senior, quickly grew withdrawn after the family tragedy. They often bore bruises, cuts, and injuries from being struck—the worst incident being when Lu Manqing's sister was hit by a pair of scissors thrown by their father, leaving her arm bleeding profusely. Their father refused to pay for her medical treatment, and it was only after a concerned uncle heard about the incident and rushed over that she was taken to the hospital.
This uncle was their father's blood relative. He had been married once but divorced after two years due to his laziness and lack of ambition. Perhaps because he couldn’t change his ways, he never remarried, instead drifting from job to job across the country. While he was young, he would work just long enough to earn money for food and rent before quitting to laze around at home until his funds ran out.
It was unclear whether he had his eye on the compensation money, but once he arrived at Lu Manqing’s home, he never left. He stopped working altogether, instead lingering around the house, coaxing Lu Manqing’s paralyzed father while freeloading off the family.
Despite his many flaws, this uncle was, in a way, a better presence for Lu Manqing and his sister. Though lazy, he couldn’t stand to see the children doing heavy chores. Though he grumbled, every ten days or so, he would reluctantly help bathe and reposition their father. Over time, he even started fixing broken items around the house out of necessity.
After the uncle moved in, Lu Manqing and his sister suffered fewer injuries, and their grades even improved slightly. But the reprieve didn’t last. When Lu Manqing was 13, his sister took her own life.
Hearing this, Guan Xia’s heart sank, and an uneasy premonition crept over her.
Sure enough, Xu Nian soon revealed a horrifying truth.
Through the task force’s investigation, it was discovered that the uncle had stayed in Lu Manqing’s home for so long—and had taken on the task of caring for their father—not just for the money, but because Lu Manqing’s sister had been sold.
Lu Manqing’s father was unwilling to spend money on a caretaker, fearing he’d run out of funds and be left with nothing. Yet he had no qualms about trading his daughter’s body for reluctant care, even though she was still so young, her body not yet fully developed.
From the age of 10 to 15, Lu Manqing’s sister was exploited. She was taken to underground clinics twice by the uncle under the guise of "going out to play" to terminate pregnancies.
Children may be naive for a time, but not forever. By middle school, Lu Manqing’s sister had reached her breaking point. She knew that before college, she had little chance of escaping her father’s control. After five years of suffering in silence, she had tried but could no longer endure the torment. In the end, she chose death.
As Xu Nian recounted this, Guan Xia couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Now she understood why Lu Manqing had taken such a dark path—hatred.
Like Feng Xingping, Zhang Weiyan, and Yao Qingyan, he was consumed by an inescapable, deepening hatred. That was why they had willingly walked this road, sinking deeper and refusing to turn back.
"What happened next?" Guan Xia pressed. "Did the task force uncover more cases through Lu Manqing?"
Xu Nian nodded. Just as Guan Xia suspected, Lu Manqing was the result—and by tracing back from him, the task force solved eleven cold cases. They also confirmed that Lu Manqing had begun killing at just 18, four years after his uncle’s death. With someone covering his tracks, he had remained undetected until forensic technology improved and he started acting alone.
Xu Nian added, "While solving those cold cases, the task force also tried to trace the person who had helped Lu Manqing cover his tracks. But so far, they’ve found no leads."
Before Guan Xia could respond, Pang Le interjected, "This is like a mentorship program—experienced killers training newcomers. But if Lu Manqing was hard to catch, his accomplice will be even harder. We only caught Lu Manqing by sheer luck—if he hadn’t let his guard down after a kill, letting Guan Xia spot his suspicious tattoo, we might never have cracked that case. That organization is just too careful, nothing like Wu Xingxian’s sloppy crew."
Zhong Xiaoyu nodded in agreement. "It’s the difference between the original and a cheap knockoff. But even a knockoff has a prototype. At least we’re getting closer."
Xu Nian looked at Guan Xia. "When I met with Director Ren a couple of days ago, he mentioned that because of the Kangjian Medical Center case, many experts on the task force believe you, despite your lack of experience, have a natural talent. Once the experts return from Shangshuang City, they might push for you to join the operation to capture Lu Manqing’s accomplice. Your recent breakthroughs in spotting clues from surveillance footage have been impressive. Director Ren said they’ve been eyeing your skills for a while."
Xu Nian’s words were encouraging, but Guan Xia didn’t seem particularly interested. Lost in thought, she absently spun a freshly refilled paper cup in her hands.
The others noticed. After a few minutes, Xu Nian ventured, "Do you have another idea?"
Guan Xia snapped out of her thoughts, glancing at Xu Nian and then at Pang Le, who had suddenly straightened up with interest. After organizing her words, she nodded. "I’ve been thinking. These past few days, I’ve been holed up in my study, piecing together the clues we have. But no matter how I look at it, our current approach isn’t efficient enough. We’re racing against time—to find a breakthrough before that criminal organization targets us, we need a different strategy."
Everyone was all too familiar with Guan Xia's tone when she spoke like this—it always meant she had a plan in mind. Immediately, everyone straightened in their seats, subconsciously leaning slightly toward Guan Xia, afraid to miss even the slightest detail.
Guan Xia didn’t speak right away. Instead, she glanced around before walking familiarly into Xu Nian’s study, pulling out a few blank sheets of paper and a pen, then returning to the living room to take her seat. As she wrote, she finally spoke.
“Here’s what I’m thinking,” Guan Xia began, first writing two characters on the paper—none other than Wu Yang—then filling in the existing clues from the bottom up. “Right now, the key leads we have—such as the orphanage, Yao Qingyan, Wang Huiqin, and Wu Xingxian—seem intricately connected to Wu Yang at first glance. But when we analyze them more deeply, we realize they’re actually quite disjointed from Wu Yang himself. Even Wu Xingxian, who appears closely tied to Wu Yang, doesn’t provide any concrete evidence linking him to the criminal organization. There are too many gaps between these leads and Wu Yang—too many missing pieces we’d need to uncover. Besides, the task force is already handling these leads. Rather than joining them, we should cut straight to the heart of the matter and start investigating Wu Yang directly.”
Jiang Yingyao listened hesitantly. “If Wu Yang is suspected to be the leader of this criminal organization, he’s bound to be far more cautious than the others. From what we’ve uncovered so far, this organization has been entrenched for a long time, with who knows how many members—likely more, not fewer. As the leader, Wu Yang wouldn’t dirty his own hands. On top of that, his public identity is that of a renowned entrepreneur who frequently engages in charity work. To me, he’s like a turtle that’s completely withdrawn into its shell—there’s no easy opening to exploit. And one more thing: after all these years, even if he did leave traces in the beginning, he’s had more than enough time to erase everything. Finding solid evidence against him will be nearly impossible.”
Wang Yu and Qi Bai seemed to share Jiang Yingyao’s concerns, nodding slightly in agreement after he finished speaking.
Pang Le, as always, stood firmly by Guan Xia’s side. Without hesitation, he countered, “I think Guan Xia makes a valid point. Right now, we haven’t been exposed to the criminal organization, but they’re no fools—they could discover us at any moment. Instead of circling around the edges, we should strike at the very center of everything: Wu Yang.”
Zhong Xiaoyu also nodded. “It’s like dismantling a stack of blocks. The most efficient way is to pull out the very first, most foundational piece. Once that’s removed, the entire structure collapses.”
This was the first time the team had diverged in their approach before even starting an investigation. But it was understandable—this case was unlike any before. Every decision had to be weighed carefully. In the past, the worst that could happen was taking a few wrong turns, but this time, a misstep could cost them more than just wasted effort—it could cost them their lives. Working with the task force, regardless of their efficiency, at least guaranteed safety.
Guan Xia understood Jiang Yingyao’s reservations, but after only a few seconds of hesitation, she spoke with renewed conviction. “I still believe we should start with Wu Yang.”
This time, Jiang Yingyao didn’t voice any further objections. Seeing Guan Xia’s determination, he instead fell into deep thought.
Xu Nian had remained silent until now, but at this moment, he looked at Guan Xia as if something had occurred to him. “You want to trace things back to the beginning—to find the first crime Wu Yang committed, either when the organization was just forming or before it even existed?”
Guan Xia nodded, feeling both relieved and moved. Xu Nian had always been a man of few words, but whenever he spoke, his insights were razor-sharp. He had an uncanny ability to follow her train of thought, understanding her intentions and methods almost instantly. And after weighing the risks, he always supported her decisions.
Sure enough, after receiving Guan Xia’s confirmation, Xu Nian continued, “While reviewing the case files these past few days, I’ve also been thinking about how to approach this investigation. At first, I leaned toward working alongside the task force. But recently, I uncovered something that changed my mind—now I agree with Guan Xia. We should strike directly at the heart and start with Wu Yang.”
The team perked up at this. Guan Xia couldn’t contain her eagerness. “What did you find?”
Instead of answering immediately, Xu Nian went to his study and returned with an envelope. He opened it, pulled out a stack of photos, and handed a few to each person before explaining, “I looked into someone who seemed suspicious, but no matter how deep I dug, I couldn’t find anything concrete. Still, just because I couldn’t find anything doesn’t mean Guan Xia won’t.”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Guan Xia with unmistakable expectation and trust—as if she were capable of anything.
Guan Xia felt a little self-conscious under his stare and pretended not to notice, pressing her lips together as she looked down at the photos. There were eight in total: six men and two women, all middle-aged except for the two younger women. Two of the men were familiar faces—Wu Yang and Wu Xingxian. However, one of the women’s photos stood out—it was noticeably less clear, slightly blurred, with a yellowish tint, as if it were an old photograph.
Xu Nian, who had been watching Guan Xia closely, noticed her lingering gaze on that particular photo and explained, “This photo was taken in 2001. The woman in it went missing in 2003 and hasn’t been seen since. Legally, a person can be declared dead after four years of disappearance, but neither her husband nor her daughter ever filed the paperwork. I contacted the local police station that handled the case. According to them, the husband reported that she had suddenly left one morning without a word. He questioned the neighbors and searched for her for a long time, claiming there were witnesses who saw her leave with another man. The police suspected she had abandoned her family to elope, but they never found conclusive evidence. Meanwhile, her daughter insisted her mother loved both her and her father deeply and would never run off with someone. The police suspected the daughter knew more, but no matter how much they pressed her, she never revealed anything further.”
Guan Xia studied the old photo for another moment before picking up the other photo of the young woman. “Is this the missing woman’s daughter?”
Xu Nian nodded. "The woman went missing in 2003 at the age of 28. At that time, her daughter was five years old. This photo was taken in 2019, when the daughter was 21, and now she’s 29. I checked her household registration records—she’s unmarried and works as a Chinese language teacher at an elementary school in her registered hometown. I contacted the local police station there and learned that she remains single, with no boyfriend and very few close friends. She commutes daily between the town where she works and her home village, living with her father. Her life is almost strictly two points and a straight line—she goes nowhere else."
Guan Xia picked up on something and asked Xu Nian, "When did this man return to the village where he now lives?"
Xu Nian replied, "In 2007. I looked into it—he returned to the village with his daughter in a rather high-profile manner, even causing quite a stir. Reportedly, he drove back, brought a large sum of cash, and built six houses in one go—one for himself and the others for fellow villagers. But out of those six, he was the only one who actually returned. He raised his daughter alone, never remarried, and to this day, he still looks after the other five houses. He doesn’t work but isn’t short on money either. Occasionally, he takes cleaning tools to tidy up the other properties."
Guan Xia understood the implication. "So, among the six people who entered the orphanage after the fire back then, he’s the only one who isn’t with Wu Yang. On the surface, it seems ordinary—like he’s just helping others renovate and watch over their ancestral homes. But if you think about it carefully, there’s something off. After all, Wu Yang later made a fortune, earning an enormous amount of money. Human nature being what it is, unless there are special circumstances, no one would willingly give up such easily accessible wealth to live this kind of retired life. Clearly, his return to the village must hold some secret."
"That’s what I think too," Xu Nian said. "And then there’s the missing woman’s daughter—I also find her behavior unusual. It feels like she might genuinely know something."
