Chapter 39: Where’s Yu Bai? Didn’t She Come with Captain Zhou Today?

Sitting in the car on the way to Second Hospital, Han Wei asked Zhou Hui, “Where’s Yu Bai? Didn’t she come with you today, Captain Zhou?”

Because Yu Bai had recently been working at the Police Bureau as a consultant, and Zhou Hui had been looking after her in the hospital, Han Wei naturally turned to Zhou Hui for information about her condition.

“Yeah, she’s not feeling well, so she took some time off.” Zhou Hui felt helpless about it too. Yu Bai had called her a little after three in the morning the previous night, saying she felt unwell and needed a few days off.

Zhou Hui was a light sleeper, and that middle-of-the-night call had left her wide awake and bewildered. She had tossed and turned for the rest of the night, worried about Yu Bai’s condition. She had almost called back to check on her, but then she remembered seeing Zhao Min leaving her house the night before. A sour feeling stirred in her heart. After hesitating for ages, she settled for sending a text message in the morning to ask how she was doing.

Once she received a reply saying it was nothing serious, she dragged herself to work sporting dark circles under her eyes. To anyone looking at her, Zhou Hui appeared severely sleep-deprived, her eyelids drooping nearly to her chin.

Han Wei glanced at Zhou Hui and, concerned for his superior’s health, said, “Captain Zhou, I think you need to take a day off and get some proper rest too. Those dark circles are brutal.”

“Me?” Zhou Hui waved him off casually as she turned the steering wheel. She told Han Wei, “Your Captain Zhou doesn’t need rest. We have to wrap up the Jiang Jiwen case fast, and our River Channel Murder Case is still unsolved! Solving cases as quickly as possible is my top priority right now. This is a vicious murder with a terrible public impact. Closing it one day sooner gives the victim and the citizens some closure.”

Han Wei replied offhandedly, “Hey! With guys like Wu Guojiang and Jiang Jiwen—drug trafficking, murder—what crime or atrocity haven’t they committed? Everyone in the office is debating who did the public a favor by taking out those scumbags…”

Zhou Hui turned her head, her gaze carrying a meaningful weight as she cut him off. “Han Wei, those words shouldn’t be coming out of your mouth.” She said gravely, “Yu Bai is your mentor, and I get that she’s influenced some of your methods, but don’t forget—you’re a police officer.”

Han Wei froze for a moment, realizing what he’d said, then grew serious. “Captain Zhou, you can rest easy. I definitely won’t cross any lines.”

Zhou Hui’s expression eased somewhat. Truth be told, she knew Han Wei pretty well after so many years of working together. On tough cases, he stayed calmer than she did. She had never doubted him before and had no business doubting him now. She felt like Yu Bai had her on edge lately, jumping at shadows and even suspecting her own team.

Especially after last night, when she’d seen Zhao Min emerging from her house. An indescribable feeling gnawed at Zhou Hui’s heart. Her thoughts kept circling back to that moment Zhao Min left Yu Bai’s place, replaying Yu Bai’s odd behaviors from their time together over and over. Zhou Hui couldn’t rein in these emotions.

Han Wei watched Zhou Hui’s demeanor and grew concerned about her state. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke up. “Captain Zhou, you don’t seem yourself today. Seriously, I think you need to take a break. A little rest will make you sharper on the job.”

Zhou Hui shook her head, trying to banish all thoughts of Yu Bai from her mind once and for all. But she couldn’t escape them. Those illogical scenes only sharpened in her memory. During Jiang Jiwen’s interrogation the night before, she’d picked up on a subtle tension in the air. Right after leaving the hospital, she’d crossed paths with Zhao Min at home. Jiang Jiwen was the man Zhao Min had brought in, and Zhou Hui couldn’t shake the suspicion that Yu Bai knew something about his capture.

The mysterious informant Zhao Min kept touting—the one feeding her all that intel—was starting to merge with Yu Bai’s image in her mind, growing ever clearer.

Whoever it was had access to information beyond even the police internal systems: the source on the Shao Yuan Case, the Wu Guojiang Case, and now Jiang Jiwen. None of that was within reach of a little policewoman like Zhao Min.

But Yu Bai? She had an information network Zhou Hui couldn’t fathom, tied to a past Zhou Hui knew nothing about. Zhou Hui had no clue just how vast that network was, leaving her with nowhere to start. And yet she could spot the irregularities in Zhao Min’s sources at a glance.

It looked like she needed to keep a closer eye on Zhao Min.

Zhou Hui turned to Han Wei. “Is Zhao Min at Second Hospital too?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Han Wei slowly pulled a puzzled expression. “Huh?”

Han Wei paused for two seconds before replying, “She came with Captain Xu—must’ve been around eight in the morning. The Narcotics Squad is taking this case just as seriously as our Criminal Investigation Team does. They’re probably grilling Jiang Jiwen right now!” After he spoke, Han Wei grinned and leaned in closer to gossip with Captain Zhou. “So, Captain Zhou, what’s the deal with the Little Princess? Spill the beans—don’t tell me you’re playing matchmaker for me… Just kidding.”

Captain Zhou shot him a withering look. “Only you could come up with something like that.”

Han Wei: “……”

Han Wei couldn’t help but think his brain must be on the fritz today. With Captain Zhou’s stern, no-nonsense demeanor, she could snap even the red thread of fate tied by the God of Marriage himself. As if she’d ever play matchmaker for him.

They had just pulled up to the hospital entrance. Han Wei flashed a smile, quietly opened the door, and slipped out of the car—as if he hadn’t said a word.

Captain Zhou parked in the hospital lot and headed upstairs to Jiang Jiwen’s ward.

Inside the ward, Xu Zhixin and Zhao Min were in the middle of interrogating Jiang Jiwen.

Captain Zhou lingered outside the door, where she could hear Xu Zhixin’s voice carrying from within, laced with frustration. “Jiang Jiwen, cut the crap and tell the truth. Who exactly was involved in the Shao Yuan Case two years ago?”

Lying on the bed, Jiang Jiwen spat curses. “Officer, I’ve confessed already—I’ve told you everything! There were six of us: me, Wu Guojiang, Xu Wenliang, Chen Pinzhang, Liang Jiaming, and Zhang Lin. The six of us killed that stinking cop and his entire family. I’ve confessed, so why the hell are you still hounding me? What do you want? You rotten cop, keep asking if you dare. Just wait till I get up—I’ll end you.”

“Jiang Jiwen—” Xu Zhixin’s voice doubled in volume as he jabbed a finger at him in warning. “Get your act together and tell me the truth, and maybe I can put in a word for leniency. Keep bullshitting me like this, and you can forget any chance of a deal. There were only five perpetrators in the Shao Yuan Case—you’re lying. What are you hiding?”

Jiang Jiwen drawled out his response in irritation. “Xu Wenliang was on the periphery back then—he didn’t take part in wiping out that cop and his family of five. I already told you: he handled the outside work, the periphery! What more do you want me to confess to? And you cops act like you’re so damn great, always bragging on the news and TV about cracking this murder in days or that arson in hours. If you’re so hot shit, why can’t you figure this out? Go eat shit instead!”

Xu Zhixin’s temple veins bulged; he looked like he was seconds from lunging at Jiang Jiwen.

Han Wei leaned against the doorframe, peering through the glass panel above it at the restless man on the bed inside. He turned to Captain Zhou. “You know, even I want to slap that bastard silly. After you all left last night, he carried on for hours, cursing every cop from top to bottom—dragged our ancestors through the mud too. The doctors had to sedate him before he calmed down even a little. And now the meds are wearing off, so here we go again.”

Captain Zhou eyed the scene inside. “Jiang Jiwen knows he’s facing the death penalty for sure this time—five lives on his hands. No amount of talking his way out will clean that slate. If he weren’t stuck in that bed, he’d probably come at us swinging. Bet on it.”

Han Wei glanced at Xu Zhixin, who looked ready to explode. “You might be right about that.”

Captain Zhou peered into the room, her brow furrowing. “Still, Captain Xu doesn’t seem himself today. He’s been with Narcotics Control for years—he shouldn’t be this rattled.”

Han Wei sighed. “It’s understandable, though. Shao Yuan was one of their Narcotics Squad guys. Then the ‘725 Case’ went unsolved, Ji Shen flipped, and dozens of undercover agents in the drug dens got killed. Captain Xu takes this personally. Once he heard Jiang Jiwen was one of the killers in the Shao Yuan Case, he rushed over to question him.”

Captain Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise. “Shao Yuan was Narcotics Squad? I thought he was a provincial plant for the ‘725 Case’?”

Han Wei shook his head and explained. “Not exactly. The province coordinated a joint operation back then—every department sent people to help crack the ‘725 Case.’ You weren’t around, so you missed it. When Ji Shen turned traitor and sided with the dealers, Captain Xu nearly tore the whole precinct apart.”

“There’s more to it than I knew,” Captain Zhou said. She had been off in a neighboring city working another case at the time and couldn’t get away. By the time she returned, the entire bureau—from top brass down—had clammed up about the whole affair.

At the time, Captain Zhou found it very strange. Such a major case had been handled without a single whisper of it leaking out—not even within the police department itself. But since it wasn’t a case under her purview, her curiosity eventually waned, and she put it out of her mind. That is, until now. With the links between the River Channel Murder Case they were investigating and the Shao Yuan Case growing ever deeper, Captain Zhou finally decided to dig into the details.

She’d picked up a few tidbits from Zhou Boyan, but they were just peripheral scraps—nothing comprehensive. Take the situation Han Wei had just brought up, for instance. She hadn’t known a thing about that.

Captain Zhou arched an eyebrow. “So you’re saying Captain Xu and Shao Yuan have more than a casual connection.”

Han Wei nodded. He glanced toward the hospital room, then leaned in and lowered his voice. “More than casual? Rumor has it the two of them went undercover together on the same drug ring back in the day. When Yu Bai was hauled back to the station by Bureau Chief Zhang and Director Bai from the Provincial Department—top brass from upstairs, internal affairs inspectors, the works—they grilled her five or six times over, back and forth. Didn’t squeeze a single useful word out of her. In the end, they had no choice but to cut her loose. If Bureau Chief Zhang and Director Bai hadn’t held him back as Yu Bai stepped out the City Bureau doors, Captain Xu probably would’ve gone right for her throat right there on the spot.”

Captain Zhou’s eyelids twitched. In a grave tone, she asked, “Have we checked Xu Zhixin’s alibi?”