Chapter Thirty-Three: Qian Yuling Has Disappeared

Chapter Thirty-Three: Qian Yuling Has Disappeared

Standing beside the car at the station, Qin Ruonan hesitated, not getting in immediately. The image of Tao Yinying’s gaze from the previous night seemed to resurface before her eyes.

An Changpu, unaware of her inner turmoil, got into the car as usual, fastened his seatbelt, and then turned to find Qin Ruonan still standing by the vehicle, seemingly lost in thought. He couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

“Get in! What are you standing there for?” He patted the back of the front passenger seat, signaling Qin Ruonan to hurry up. “What’s wrong with you today? You’re acting strange.”

“Nothing,” Qin Ruonan quickly shook off the fleeting, chaotic thoughts clouding her mind, opened the door, and slid in.

An Changpu looked at her with suspicion but saw no intention to speak, so he silently started the engine and drove away from the police station.

That morning, both An Changpu and Qin Ruonan painfully experienced what it meant to have a rough start.

Their first stop was Qian Yuling’s home. The last time they had visited and spoken to her, Qian Yuling had mentioned that since her child had gone missing, she had no heart for work and had taken leave to rest at home. They had expected to find her easily, but to their surprise, the house was empty.

Could it be that Qian Yuling had returned to work after all? It wasn’t impossible—after all, she worked for a private hospital, not a government job with ironclad security. Since the hospital was a private enterprise, profit was paramount; the boss wouldn’t allow nurses to take indefinite leaves without consequence.

To keep her job, it would make sense for her to adjust and return to work. After all, this job was Qian Yuling’s sole source of income.

An Changpu and Qin Ruonan’s logic seemed sound, but when they went to the hospital, reality shattered their assumptions mercilessly: Qian Yuling had not returned to work at all.

Her approved leave had long expired. The hospital director had already expressed anger and ordered the medical department to demand her immediate return. If she didn’t report back, she was to be dismissed outright since there were younger, qualified nurses eager to take her place.

The medical department receptionist, a woman, was clearly anxious. She said she had tried contacting Qian Yuling multiple times over the past two days, but her phone remained switched off, and no one was home. She sympathized with Qian Yuling, a divorced woman struggling to support herself and her child. Otherwise, she would have reported to the director to hire someone else. For now, only the director could help by temporarily covering up the issue, hoping that Qian Yuling would be lucky enough to return before he remembered the matter again.

Qin Ruonan and An Changpu knew about Qian Yuling’s phone being switched off. After failing to find her at home, they had tried calling her, and when that failed, they came to the hospital—only to discover she hadn’t returned there either.

Since that was the case, the only place left to try contacting her was her parents' home in another city.

Qin Ruonan dialed the number she had obtained and soon reached Qian Yuling’s parents. The elderly couple said Qian Yuling hadn’t returned to her hometown in a long time. From their words, it seemed they were unaware of the disappearance of their grandson, Fang Wan.

Realizing this, Qin Ruonan became very cautious in conversation. After a few probing attempts and concluding the couple really hadn’t seen Qian Yuling, she quickly concocted an excuse to dispel any suspicions and ended the call abruptly.

Since Qian Yuling’s parents lived far from C City and seemed genuinely unaware of Fang Wan’s disappearance, Qin Ruonan thought it best not to reveal too much. The elders were old, and stirring up trouble over this matter might cause unnecessary distress or worse.

But this left Qin Ruonan and An Changpu troubled. Qian Yuling hadn’t gone to her parents’ nor her workplace. A living person simply vanished into thin air?

Both being detectives in the major crimes unit, they knew that if a violent murder had occurred in C City, they’d hear about it immediately. So far, no news of any woman being harmed had surfaced, which eased some of their fears about Qian Yuling’s safety.

Still, Qin Ruonan called to inquire if there had been any recent female suicides in the city. After all, Qian Yuling’s state when last seen was worrying. Qin Ruonan feared she might have been driven to despair by her son’s disappearance.

Although none of those involved in the search had given up hope for Fang Wan, days had passed with no news. Fang Da hadn’t received any ransom or threatening calls. Logically and experientially, the chances of the child surviving unharmed were slim. Fang Da and his family might cling to hope, but for Qin Ruonan and An Changpu, their main goal was to uncover the truth and prevent the child from vanishing without explanation.

With no way to find Qian Yuling herself, they still needed to investigate this “rough-looking” man supposedly close to her—whether he existed at all and what his identity was. They had no choice but to gather information indirectly through Qian Yuling’s acquaintances.

This slowed their investigation. After a whole morning of searching, they learned nothing about this man. However, from Qian Yuling’s colleagues, they heard something previously unknown.

Qian Yuling had been entangled with a certain doctor from her former hospital who had later caused her much trouble. They worked in the same department. The man was married, but after Qian Yuling’s divorce, he seemed to see an opportunity and courted her, hoping to have an affair and make her his mistress.

Qian Yuling naturally refused. The doctor felt insulted and began nitpicking and harassing her. After several disputes, Qian Yuling resigned to escape his harassment.

Qin Ruonan and An Changpu quickly investigated this doctor. Aside from being somewhat frivolous and having a reputation for loose morals, he hadn’t done anything outrageous. He was a key staff member and performed well at work.

Comparing his photo to the sketch Fang Da had helped create, there was no resemblance whatsoever.

That afternoon, after discussion, An Changpu and Qin Ruonan decided to split up. One would investigate the fitness center where Fang Wan last attended classes; the other would continue probing the troublesome doctor. The division was logical: Qin Ruonan, being female, could observe the fitness center more discreetly, while An Changpu’s male presence would better help him gather information about the doctor’s behavior, especially from the women who had interacted with him.

Once their plan was set, they went their separate ways.

Qin Ruonan arrived at the fitness center, where the owner was already familiar with her. After greeting, she headed upstairs, found a stair climber, and pretended to exercise. In reality, she had chosen a spot with a good vantage point: beside her was a women’s dance class room with glass walls, and ahead was another glass wall overlooking half the sports field downstairs, where the boys’ classes were held.

Qin Ruonan came early; the children had not yet arrived for their afternoon classes. After a while, a lively group of elementary school students rushed in, oblivious that a boy their age had mysteriously disappeared after attending class here not long ago. They only knew that this afternoon they didn’t have to stay in their classrooms and could play freely.

The fitness center was bustling with middle-aged and elderly patrons, and with the girls arriving upstairs for class, the second floor was lively. Soon, Chai Xiu appeared, urging the girls inside the classroom rather than playing outside.

With so many people around, Chai Xiu was focused on gathering the children and didn’t notice Qin Ruonan. Qin Ruonan, not wanting to draw attention, watched as Chai Xiu led the girls into the room and closed the curtains, then shifted her focus to the boys below.

She had met An Changpu a few times and admired the young coach Zhang Lei, who was loudly trying to organize the unruly boys into a running group. Despite his stern commands, the boys ignored him, continuing to roughhouse noisily.

After a long while, Zhang Lei finally managed to get the boys to run along the edge of the sports field.

Qin Ruonan then returned her attention to the girls’ dance classroom upstairs. She observed that occasionally, curious onlookers—both male and female—would peek through the curtain slits, some guessing which schools the children attended, others simply spying for unknown reasons.

During a break, Chai Xiu stepped out of the classroom and noticed Qin Ruonan outside. She smiled softly and waved before hurrying downstairs. A few minutes later, a shout came from below—it was Chai Xiu’s voice.

Qin Ruonan’s heart jumped. She rushed downstairs immediately.