After settling the bill and stepping out of the restaurant, Pang Le spent the entire walk tapping away on her phone.
Guan Xia occasionally glanced at her own screen, but there were still no replies.
For the first time, Guan Xia began to reflect on whether she was too much of a homebody. Aside from Pang Le, she really didn’t have many friends—so much so that when she tried to think of someone who could introduce her to other police officers, she couldn’t come up with a single name.
She glanced at Pang Le. Though she could ask her, now wasn’t the right time. Pang Le would definitely overthink it and dig deeper, so after some hesitation, Guan Xia decided to drop the idea.
Lost in her thoughts, Guan Xia noticed Pang Le suddenly stop walking out of the corner of her eye. She halted as well and turned to ask, “What’s wrong?”
They happened to be standing in front of a jewelry store. Pang Le was staring inside, clearly having spotted some piece of jewelry that caught her eye.
Guan Xia was used to this. She took a couple of steps back to stand beside Pang Le. “What’ve you got your eye on this time? Just buy it if you want—it’s not like you’re short on money.”
Pang Le pointed a slender finger toward a corner. “That bracelet is adorable. I remember your birthday is coming up, early May, right? That’s just a few days away. And gold prices dropped today—I’ll buy it as your birthday gift.”
Guan Xia glanced at the store’s poster announcing the day’s gold price and nearly rolled her eyes. The difference between today and yesterday was a measly two yuan—hardly a “drop.”
Before Guan Xia could argue, Pang Le had already excitedly dragged her into the store.
Realizing resistance was futile, Guan Xia sighed and said, “Our birthdays are only ten days apart, right? Let’s just buy gifts for each other now—you pick mine, I’ll pick yours.”
Pang Le brightened even more. “Perfect! Matching best friend bracelets. You never wear anything I give you anyway.”
Guan Xia mentally recalled the overly dreamy pink and purple necklaces and earrings she’d received over the past two years and immediately quickened her pace, walking ahead of Pang Le. “This time, I’m picking my own gift.”
After half an hour of back-and-forth, both Guan Xia and Pang Le were satisfied with their choices.
Guan Xia’s bracelet featured a cute pure gold rabbit charm strung on a black woven cord. Pang Le had initially planned to go with a zodiac theme too but couldn’t bring herself to pick a rat. In the end, she stubbornly settled on a dog charm, swapping the cord for a colorful one.
Once the bracelets were assembled, Guan Xia fastened Pang Le’s onto her wrist. Watching her friend’s delighted expression, she couldn’t help teasing, “This is the first time I’ve given someone a birthday gift that completely ignores their zodiac sign. Aren’t you worried Lawyer Shi will think you’re lying about your age?”
A dog was two years older than a rat. If Pang Le was supposed to be 28 this year but Lawyer Shi assumed she was born in the Year of the Dog, he’d think she was 30.
“Who cares what he thinks?” Pang Le ran her fingers over the golden dog charm, entirely unbothered. “I’d still be gorgeous at 40. The point is, dogs are cuter than rats. It’s my birthday gift—I’ll pick what I want.”
Guan Xia gave up, nodding helplessly. “Right, right. As long as you like it.”
Pleased, Pang Le pulled Guan Xia’s arm next to hers and snapped a photo before letting go to type on her phone again.
Knowing she was posting it on social media, Guan Xia waited patiently, idly scanning their surroundings. Her gaze drifted toward the store entrance—and there, once again, was the familiar giant figure of the panda mascot.
This time, however, the panda wasn’t looking at her. It seemed to be passing by, standing close to the glass wall while handing out balloons to a group of gathered children.
“Him again,” Pang Le muttered, her earlier cheer fading as she stared at the panda with a scrutinizing glare.
As if sensing their attention, the panda turned its head. This time, Guan Xia didn’t feel any hostility.
The panda’s gaze swept over them as indifferently as if they were strangers before it turned back to the children. Once the last balloon was handed out, it walked away down the hallway without a backward glance.
“Seems like he really was just passing by,” Guan Xia said, tugging Pang Le’s arm. “Let’s go back to the gym. That panda won’t be here tomorrow anyway—no need to worry about him.”
Pang Le paused at the entrance, peering down the hallway to confirm the panda was truly gone before her smile returned. She linked arms with Guan Xia, and the two headed back in high spirits.
...
Late at night, the office of the Third Criminal Investigation Team in Pingjiang District remained brightly lit.
Every desk was occupied, though it was unclear how long the detectives had been sitting there. Their eyes were glazed over from staring at screens, faces haggard with exhaustion.
Time slipped by silently until, suddenly, an excited voice broke the stillness. “I found it!”
Like a spell being lifted, the previously lifeless room burst into activity. Chairs screeched as detectives rushed over to the source of the announcement.
The speaker was a young woman in her early twenties with round cheeks and eyes. As the others gathered around, she manipulated the keyboard and explained, “I traced He Jiahui’s movements in the week before her death and found the suspect in surveillance footage from a hair salon, a convenience store, a courier station, and a car wash. But most importantly—I found this.”
She paused the footage and zoomed in. The detectives easily recognized the two people embracing in the frame: He Jiahui and her ex-husband, Liang Da.
The young officer tapped the screen. “Look here.”
In the lower-left corner, about three or four meters from the couple, stood a person captured only from the shoulders up—a side profile. But thanks to the shop’s high-definition camera and the sketch provided earlier, everyone recognized him: the suspect.
“He hid well,” Qi Bai said through gritted teeth. “He’s definitely changed his appearance by now. If it weren’t for that sketch from the woman in Unit 501, we’d have had a much harder time uncovering him.”
Xu Nian studied the footage for a few seconds before asking, “When was this recorded?”
“April 22nd,” the young officer replied. “Seven days before He Jiahui’s death.”
A tall but slightly heavyset man behind Xu Nian spoke up. “You think the suspect chose her after seeing this?”
Xu Nian didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked, “What’s the earliest footage you’ve found of him?”
“So far, the earliest is April 19th,” the officer said. “He appears in footage from a courier station two kilometers from He Jiahui’s neighborhood. She’s seen walking past with a shopping bag while the suspect rides by on a bicycle. No interaction—just a coincidence.”
“Dig deeper,” Xu Nian said, eyes sharp. “Focus on the April 19th footage. He hadn’t chosen his target yet and wasn’t actively avoiding cameras. We might be able to track down his hideout.”
The team immediately perked up, divided the footage from the 19th, and hurried back to their desks.
Qi Bai scratched his head as he watched, unable to hold back his curiosity after a few minutes. He whispered, "Captain Xu, what did Jiang mean by that? What did he mean by ‘seeing that scene’ and ‘choosing her’?"
Xu Nian remained fully focused, offering no explanation. Jiang Yingyao, standing a short distance away, answered, "Because Liang Da and He Jiahui were considering remarrying. That would have mended their broken marriage, making it whole again."
The realization hit Qi Bai, and he cursed under his breath, glaring at his computer screen as if he could burn a hole through it.
The office fell silent again until dawn broke, rescuing the exhausted team with a triumphant voice.
"Found it," Jiang Yingyao announced, so excited he stood up. "I found the suspect’s possible residence—Xingfu Huayuan Community."
Everyone crowded around. Qi Bai couldn’t wait to ask, "Can we pinpoint the building?"
Jiang Yingyao replied, "It’s a resettlement community with no property management. The few cameras installed years ago are mostly broken now. The remaining ones didn’t capture the suspect."
"I’ll call the community officer," Qi Bai said, stepping aside to make the call.
About ten minutes later, he returned. "Got it—Building 9, Unit 3, Apartment 601."
The team checked their gear as a young officer chimed in, "The search warrant’s ready." Then, curiously, she added, "That was fast?"
Qi Bai scoffed. "Fast? That neighborhood’s in the suburbs, surrounded by self-built houses. Rent’s so cheap most landlords don’t bother with contracts, let alone registering with the community. This one’s no exception—he’s out of town and couldn’t be bothered to return. Rent’s paid via WeChat transfers. If he hadn’t kept a copy of the tenant’s ID, we’d still be searching."
After a quick explanation, Qi Bai threw on the bulletproof vest Jiang Yingyao tossed him and followed the team downstairs.
Twelve officers piled into three cars, speeding toward the location. Though they suspected the suspect had already fled, they held onto hope.
With morning rush hour yet to begin, they arrived in just over twenty minutes. Officers from the local precinct were already there with the keyholder—a middle-aged woman in her forties or fifties. Nervous but curious, she eyed the swarm of police.
As they stepped out, a middle-aged officer approached. "Captain Xu, I had my men secure all exits as soon as I got the alert. No sign of him."
Xu Nian nodded. "Appreciate it, Police Chief Zheng," then signaled to Qi Bai.
While the two exchanged words, Qi Bai took the initiative to retrieve the keys from the woman. After Xu Nian assigned tasks, he led the charge upstairs.
As expected, the suspect was long gone by the time Xu Nian and a few others carefully cleared the apartment.
"No one in the bedroom."
"Kitchen’s clear."
"Nothing on the balcony."
"Bathroom’s empty too."
Despite anticipating it, disappointment hung in the air.
Qi Bai holstered his gun and muttered, "That bastard’s fast, I’ll give him that."
"Captain Xu, take a look," called an officer searching the bedroom.
Everyone in the living room rushed in to find him staring intently into the wardrobe.
They crowded around, unsurprised yet still taken aback by the photos plastered on the back panel—candid shots of He Jiahui, her child, and her ex-husband Liang Da, some solo, some together, even a few group photos.
Qi Bai studied them, then remembered something. Pulling out his phone, he showed Xu Nian a photo forwarded by the community officer. "Captain, this is the ID copy the landlord kept."
Xu Nian took the phone. The face in the ID photo matched the sketch—familiar, with a name printed clearly: "He Wei."
