Chapter 42 Part 2

“Stop screening the mall employees. Let’s focus the investigation on Cheng Guang. Feels like the lead has surfaced.” Lu Shimiao tucked her pen into her chest pocket.

“Once the court and Urban Construction get back to us, we’ll make another visit.” Li Siting strode towards the construction site entrance.

But he stopped mid-stride, glancing at the nearby workers’ dorms.

A few women stood at the doorway smoking. When they saw Li Siting and Lu Shimiao, they started whispering, then threw down their cigarette butts and turned back inside.

“What is it?” Seeing him stop, Lu Shimiao turned to look at the retreating figures.

“I think this site needs investigating.” Li Siting tossed away his cigarette. “Let’s meet up with Xiao Zhu.”

–

718 Serious Crime Unit Office.

“You’re slow as molasses just to pull a file! Can’t a major case investigation cut in line at the courthouse? This isn’t catching a thief, it’s not an assault case—it’s catching a criminal endangering public safety!” Li Siting slammed the case file down on the desk.

The officer being scolded was Sun Xiao, who just passed the exam to join the Criminal Police this year. He’d been assigned to run errands because the Serious Crime Unit was short-handed.

Sun Xiao ducked his head, opened the file, and said aggrievedly, “Captain Li, actually, there’s a reason I was slow.”

Hearing him talk back, Li Siting put his hands on his hips, ready to explode. Lu Shimiao quickly cut in, “Well, hurry and tell us what you found!”

“I went to the court to check Chengshang Construction’s lawsuits over the past five years and found they were involved in a class-action lawsuit a year ago. They were sued for ‘illegal subcontracting.’ The project sued over was Star Sea Mall. So I went to the Social Security Bureau for more documents, then pulled relevant arbitration files from the Labor Bureau.”

“I don’t know if this information is useful.” Sun Xiao only dared to speak quietly towards Lu Shimiao.

“Illegal subcontracting?”

Lu Shimiao’s heart lurched. She took the documents to examine them, and Li Siting leaned in.

The judgment from the Shanghai High People’s Court showed:

During construction, Chengshang had dismembered the project and subcontracted it in the name of subcontracting to a certain Wang, signing an ‘Economic Contract Management Agreement.’ Wang then subcontracted the labor portion of his specialized contract to a certain Li for construction. Li further broke the project down into rebar, masonry, plumbing, and other work teams, handing them to a certain Qian for supervision. And Qian…

Lu Shimiao felt dizzy reading it. One project had been passed through eighteen hands.

The plaintiffs: 25 in plumbing, 23 in masonry, 20 in carpentry, 16 in rebar. After liquidation, Chengshang Construction, under the guise of unpaid balances, owed the contracted units over 1.8 million yuan. Chengshang Company bore joint liability for the unpaid amounts to these 84 plaintiffs.

Lu Shimiao quickly summarized, “Chengshang Construction was involved in a case of withholding migrant workers’ wages.”

Cheng Guang wanted to be a middleman, skimming profit. The actual contractors also wanted to be middlemen, passing the project further downstream. After finishing the work, the actual construction teams couldn’t get paid for the New Year and reported Chengshang’s illegal subcontracting.

“No wonder Star Sea took two years to finish after starting.” Li Siting began recalling, “My wife mentioned years ago a big mall was being built nearby. It was supposed to be finished by year-end, but actually dragged on for two years.”

“I initially thought that secret passage was just a moisture-proof corridor for the building, but thinking again, there should have been load-bearing columns separating it.” Lu Shimiao recalled the survey scene from that afternoon.

“Cutting corners, probably,” Li Siting concluded. “Then how did it pass inspection?”

“The underground garage isn’t designated functional space. For a mall, having a moisture-proof corridor or staff corridor at the end connecting to the freight elevator and fire exits is normal.”

Li Siting paused. “The perpetrator knew about this corridor.”

Lu Shimiao looked down, searching the lawsuit details, running her finger over the text. She read aloud, “‘Economic Contract Management Agreement’ shows A certain Wang’s construction scope was: East Zone, Building B main structure…”

Midway through, Li Siting’s brow furrowed. He looked at Lu Shimiao. “Is that the building with the basement passage?”

Lu Shimiao nodded. “What’s the court enforcement status?”

The situation was urgent. Li Siting called his friend at the court on the spot. “Hey! This is really urgent. I’ll have someone bring the file request application tonight. Look up the case file: 2021 Hu Min Chu…”

After hanging up, Li Siting faced the search team. “What did you find at the victim’s residence?”

“We found a computer in Zhang Lin’s rented room. The seizure report has been submitted. The computer is with the Cyber Investigation Division for decryption.”

“Canvassing team.” Li Siting addressed them next.

“We’ve screened 569 Agricultural and Commercial Cooperatives city-wide and are working through cross-referencing identity info of anyone who purchased potassium nitrate and acetone in the last two months.” The canvassing officer held up his notebook, flipping through a thick stack of records frantically. “But since suburban cooperatives have lax management, our screening is difficult.”

“Don’t just check two months. Check two years! I need a clear lead tonight.” Li Siting’s anger was palpable, his voice so cold the entire office barely dared to breathe. “What about the interview team?”

“Based on interviews with the mall manager, Zhang Lin’s job was arranged by Cheng Guang. Also, Zhang Lin and Cheng Guang frequently attended social events. Zhang Lin showed no abnormalities two days before her murder.”

“Wait, I’ve got a discrepancy!”

Brother Zhu from the interview team raised his hand to interrupt, adding urgently, “We interviewed a building material contractor who worked with Cheng Guang for ten years. He said he didn’t know Zhang Lin. If they frequently attended social events, how could this contractor not know her?”

Brother Zhu added, “Some workers said Cheng Guang sold his car recently, like he’s planning to run. A lot of workers are afraid to stay on the job.”

Li Siting paused, pointing at the screening team. “Redirect your focus to this Cheng Guang now. Trace his finances, company operations, everything. And the wage withholding leads—follow up with phone calls for any related clues.”

–

With progress in the case again, Lu Shimiao finally made it to the cafeteria on time for lunch.

The cafeteria was crowded. Lu Shimiao carried her tray to a corner, head down, chewing her carbs mechanically while her mind was stuck on the case files.

“Is this seat taken?”

A cool female voice spoke. Lu Shimiao’s chopsticks paused mid-bite. She knew it was Xue Tong without even looking.

Lu Shimiao looked up at her.

Facing her, Xue Tong had piled her hair high, pinned tight, as if forbidding even a strand from falling loose.

She wore a tight tank top today. The low neckline, collarbones, and shoulder line worked together to elongate her proportions. Simply standing in the cafeteria drew stares from all directions.

Lu Shimiao quickly lowered her head, her ears turning red. She was once again so stunned by Xue Tong’s beauty she couldn’t meet her eyes.

Xue Tong was long accustomed to Lu Shimiao’s delayed reactions. Those chopsticks seemed glued to her mouth.

Xue Tong reached out, grabbed Lu Shimiao’s hand, and plucked the chopsticks away. “Is this seat taken? That’s the second time I’m asking.”

“No one.” Lu Shimiao swallowed her rice quickly and obediently pulled her tray closer.

Xue Tong placed her tray opposite Lu Shimiao. The two sat facing each other. She didn’t pick up her chopsticks but spoke calmly.

“My exchange ended early. I’m leaving the precinct this afternoon.”

Ended early.

Leaving the precinct.

Lu Shimiao’s gaze settled on the rice. Her hand on the table didn’t move for a long time. Those two sentences caused her a catastrophe.

Over the years, busy with big and small cases, her nerves were constantly taut. Life at the precinct was chaotic, but it calmed her mind. Just like these past days buried in the arson case, she had no time to think about anything related to Xue Tong. She could exist without joy or sorrow, didn’t need to summon any courage.

Examining a bloody crime scene was enough to drain all her courage. Having feelings for someone required a lot of courage, but once that was exhausted, she could achieve a heart like still water, without ripples.

But the worst thing for still water was dormant feelings reigniting.

The moment she saw Xue Tong at the airport, she knew she was doomed again. When she desperately wanted to kiss Xue Tong, she knew history was repeating itself. The futile obsessions from the past tugged at her, making her lose composure, lose control, with dark currents churning inside. So sour, so painful. The long-buried joy resurfaced, those intimate embraces, rubbing back and forth against that deep scar.

Just now, when Xue Tong said she was leaving, another wave of bitterness hit her heart. The sudden tightness made it hard to breathe. Just six days of reunion, and her life was swept back into the storm.

When she woke, she wanted to find Xue Tong. When work frustrated her, she wanted to find Xue Tong. When she cried, she wanted Xue Tong’s comfort.

Everything reverted to her early twenties, easily swayed by another again.

Years had passed, each living in their own world. She didn’t want to pursue the feelings unspoken back then, nor remedy the reasons for the past absence. As long as she could suppress the internal tremors, she could fool herself. She knew well how painful the withdrawal symptoms were, but thankfully, she had pulled through. Joining the Major Crimes Unit, where there was no chance to sleep, was like giving herself an injection of sobering medicine.

Xue Tong was living well in Hong Kong. She was living well in Shanghai. Shanghai was six times bigger than Hong Kong. When Xue Tong disappeared, she searched Hong Kong for so long and never ran into her. So, as long as Xue Tong went to teach and she went to work, they wouldn’t meet again in Shanghai.

Stopping right here was good. At least everything was under her control, not pathetically passive.

Lu Shimiao’s eyes were downcast for a long moment. “Take care.”