AFTER class, Su Manhua returned home, only to be greeted by the emptiness of her house. The silence was overwhelming, leaving her feeling hollow inside.

　　Even though they had just parted yesterday, it felt as if a lifetime had passed.

　　Well, she wondered that she was falling apart!

　　She used to cherish her time alone, but now, barely a day had gone by, and she already found herself afraid of solitude.

　　After washing up, she lay down on her bed. As her bare arm brushed against the soft fur of a stuffed toy, she turned over, hugging the plush bunny tightly, burying her face into its warm body.

　　She missed Ding Yi terribly!

　　But she wasn’t able to call him. She was afraid that hearing his voice would only make her miss him even more.

　　During the day, she could keep herself busy, but now, alone with nothing to do, she found it increasingly difficult to suppress her longing for him.

　　It was as if she was under a spell, missing him so much that it hurt. She had never known that missing someone could feel this way.

　　Finally, she understood why her mother had been so insistent on not accepting their long-distance relationship. Her mother, having experienced it herself, must have known all too well the pain it brought.

　　Her phone rang—it was Ding Yi.

　　“What are you doing now?” Ding Yi asked. His voice was still deep and powerful. Su Manhua wondered if he missed her too.

　　“Lying in bed, reading a bit before sleep,” she replied, though she had no intention of sleeping.

　　Ding Yi glanced at the time and said, “Sleep? It was only eight o’clock.”

　　“I’m used to going to bed early,” replied Su Manhua.

　　“Oh! Then I guess I came all this way for nothing!” Ding Yi said.

　　Su Manhua sat up in surprise and asked, “What do you mean?”

　　“I’m at the gate of your complex. Want to go on a date? Or would you rather rest?” Ding Yi chuckled and asked.

　　“Give me five minutes!” Su Manhua said immediately.

　　Ding Yi parked his car in a nearby space, thinking she’d take some time to change and do her makeup. He got out of the car, leaning against the door and lighting a cigarette. But he had barely taken a few puffs when he saw her appear at the gate.

　　The spot where Ding Yi had parked was a bit far from the entrance. Seeing her looking around, he waved and said, “Here!”

　　Su Manhua quickly walked over, her eyes dazzled by the sight of him leaning against the car, smoking. Usually, because of work, he was always dressed in a suit and tie, but tonight, in casual clothes, he exuded a different kind of charm that made her heart race and her face flush.

　　“It’s so late, where are we going?” she asked and was grateful that the tall trees along the road blocked the streetlights, so he probably couldn’t see her blushing.

　　Ding Yi took a large bouquet of roses from the back seat and handed it to her. She was a bit taken aback, asking, “Why the flowers?”

　　“Do you remember that I am suppose to start courting you again?” Ding Yi asked instead. There was warmth in his eyes and smile. He found that she hadn’t put on any makeup, which explained how quickly she had come out. Her skin was really good, flawless even without any makeup.

　　She burst into laughter and replied, “I just wanted you to spend more time with me.” Material things didn’t matter much to her, but this was the first time he had given her flowers, and she was delighted, hugging them tightly.

　　After placing the flowers in the back seat, Su Manhua got into the car and remembered to ask him, “You just get off work today, right? How do you have time to come back to Hedong?”

　　“The head office pulled me up to participate in a special self-inspection task. I only arrived in Hedong this afternoon,” replied Ding Yi.

　　After dinner at home, he had come straight out to find her. They had just parted yesterday, yet he already found himself missing her. No wonder people said that it seems many years if they fail to see each other.

　　Regardless of why Ding Yi had returned, knowing he would be in Hedong for a week made Su Manhua secretly happy, thinking that she could see him every day after work.

　　Their date followed the typical pattern—dinner, a movie, a walk. They had both already eaten, so their first stop was the cinema. Worried that Ding Yi might fall asleep, Su Manhua deliberately chose a mind-bending suspense film.

　　During the movie, she noticed that Ding Yi was particularly engrossed, and when they left the theater, he said something that left her puzzled.

　　“You really are my lucky star,” Seeing her confusion, Ding Yi smiled and said, “I’ll explain later.”

　　He wasn’t entirely sure himself yet. The movie had given him an idea, a bold guess that he needed Jhan Syudong to verify.

　　After the movie, Ding Yi took Su Manhua to Hedong’s most famous night market. They enjoyed good food and fun, staying out until after eleven, when Ding Yi finally took her home.

　　When Ding Yi got home, it was already past midnight. He opened his laptop and found a folder containing the inspection records of all employees.

　　He opened Lee Mu’s file and once again confirmed his family information. The section for his father was blank, and his mother was listed as a retired employee of a well-known insurance company.

　　He remembered someone from the Linghai branch gossiping about Lee Mu. They had mentioned that Lee Mu’s father was a truck driver who had died in an accident when Lee Mu was very young.

　　Ding Yi called Jhan Syudong, not expecting much, but to his surprise, the call was answered quickly.

　　“You’re still up? I was just trying my luck,” he said.

　　“I just got back to the station after an assignment. Looks like it’s going to be another sleepless night,” Jhan Syudong replied.

　　“Any news on Gu Wei?” Ding Yi asked.

　　Jhan Syudong sighed deeply and replied, “He’s dead!”

　　A few days ago, they had issued a wanted notice with a reward. Tonight, a tip had come in, revealing Gu Wei’s hiding place.

　　Jhan Syudong led a team to capture Gu Wei, but by the time they arrived, Gu Wei had already been hacked to death. The killer, covered in blood, was sitting nearby, panting. He was also badly injured, clearly after a fierce struggle.

　　“Did you get anything out of him?” Ding Yi asked and suspected that Gu Wei had been silenced.

　　Jhan Syudong sighed again, saying, “The killer’s name is Liou Hao. He used to work for Gu Wei. Because he got close to Gu Wei’s daughter, Gu Wei broke his leg and threw him into a river, nearly drowning him. When he saw that Gu Wei was wanted, he took the opportunity to get revenge. But to his surprise, despite Gu Wei’s age, he was still strong enough to put up a fight, so Liou Hao had to kill him in self-defense.”

　　“How did he know where Gu Wei was hiding?” Ding Yi found it odd and asked.

　　“He said someone called and told him. We traced the call, and it came from a public phone,” Jhan Syudong replied and chuckled. Ding Yi really did have a knack for detective work.

　　Ding Yi’s heart sank. They had pinned a lot of hopes on Gu Wei, and now that he was dead, with nothing to gain from the killer, would the case stall again?

　　Ding Yi couldn’t help but sigh. Then a thought occurred to him.

　　“Is there still something we can get out of ‘Crab’ s’ mouth?” he asked.

　　“When we interrogate someone, we need to know their identity first. Only then can we ask the right questions and break them. But every time we mention his identity, he shuts up tight, and no one can get a word out of him,” Jhan Syudong replied.

　　“You said that ‘Crab’s’ real identity is likely one that’s been erased, someone who’s dead to the world, right? I saw a movie tonight that gave me an idea. The main character bought an insurance policy to give his family a better life. After the policy took effect, he killed someone and destroyed the body to fake his own death. His family then received a huge payout from the insurance company,” Ding Yi said. He didn’t go on with the plot since the rest didn’t matter.

　　“What do you think?”

　　“You mean ‘Crab’ might have done something similar?”

　　“Lee Mu and ‘Crab’ have been in contact. The way they interact makes me think they’re very familiar with each other. Did you know that Lee Mu’s father died over thirty years ago, and at that time, his mother worked for an insurance company? Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch, but it wouldn’t hurt to test him. If we’re wrong, we’re wrong, no harm done.”

　　The timeline roughly matched. The loan in Huo Yanjhih’s case was issued thirty-five years ago.

　　Jhan Syudong became excited. He ended the call and immediately had “Fake Jhan Yeh” brought into the interrogation room. He also looked up the household registration records, confirming Lee Mu’s father’s name and basic information before entering the room.

　　Once inside, he sat down and barked, “Lee Jhihgao, confess honestly. Did your wife use her position to help you commit insurance fraud?”

　　The half-asleep “Fake Jhan Yeh” jolted awake and asked, “What does this have to do with her?”

　　If it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation, Jhan Syudong would have laughed out loud. Ding Yi had guessed right.

　　Lee Jhihgao quickly realized he had slipped up and clammed up, refusing to say another word no matter what Jhan Syudong asked.

　　But Jhan Syudong didn’t waste time arguing. He had Lee Jhihgao sent back to his cell. Now that they knew his true identity, how could they not get him to talk?

　　The next day, Jhan Syudong assigned people to investigate Lee Jhihgao’s family and social connections.

　　Earlier, Jhan Syudong had handed over the clues he had gathered about Syu Yujhou and the photos of the account books to the Commission for Discipline Inspection. The commission responded, expressing a desire for the two departments to share their findings and strengthen cooperation in the ongoing investigation.

　　With the information from the photos, Lee Lesi was soon invited by the commission for a “chat.” Jhan Syudong took the official letter from his unit and went to the commission to understand what she had confessed. Apparently, she hadn’t put up much resistance and admitted her crimes.

　　She confessed that Fonghan Group had been laundering money for Syu Yujhou for years and helping him transfer funds abroad. She also admitted that the money recorded in the account books was indeed what she and Lee Fonghan had received from Lin Haichao, with Syu Yujhou being the real mastermind behind it all.

　　Syu Yujhou’s involvement in illegal brokerage activities was undeniable. The strange thing was, while he admitted to taking money from Lin Haichao and promised to promote him, he insisted that the amount recorded in the account books was incorrect.

　　Ding Yi felt that this wasn’t the full truth. There were still too many suspicious points. Now, it all depended on when Jhan Syudong could pry open Lee Jhihgao’s mouth. Even if they couldn’t get all the answers, at least they wouldn’t remain as passive as they were now.

　　On Ding Yi’s second day in Hedong, he reported to the head office as scheduled. The leader of the inspection team for this investigation was Siao Ming, the Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission. That morning, the chairman of the head office, Le Binwei, gave a motivational speech, and the rest of the day was dedicated to training on the implementation plan for the investigation.

　　After the training, the office arranged for the inspection team members to have lunch at the employee cafeteria, with Chairman Le Binwei and Secretary Siao Ming joining them.

　　At the meal, Chairman Le once again encouraged everyone, urging them to be unwavering and impartial, showing no leniency toward any illegal or improper conduct.

　　After the meal, the inspection team, numbering more than a dozen people, gathered around the two leaders, determined to see them off properly. Ding Yi, not wanting to stand out, followed along with the others.

　　Just then, Le Binwei’s phone rang. He took the call as he got into the car. He signaled the driver to roll down the window while he quietly listened to the person on the other end of the line. After they finished speaking, he lowered his voice and said, “We’ll talk about it at home.”

　　Ding Yi observed Le Binwei thoughtfully.

　　With a warm smile and a friendly tone, Le Binwei said, “The next few days will be tough on all of you. Make sure to get some rest.”

　　Even after his car had driven off, Ding Yi remained standing there, lost in thought.