Chapter 39: Another Disappearance Case

Zuo Dali pursed his lips. Qian Yuling’s deep worry and concern for Fang Wan seemed almost laughable to him, yet he restrained himself from showing it, mindful of the others present.

Qian Yuling was utterly oblivious to his attitude—or rather, at this moment, she was probably unable to perceive anyone’s thoughts. Her entire being was engulfed in a nearly collapsing wave of painful emotion.

“Why did it take so many days to explain the situation?” An Changpu questioned, puzzled by the gap in time.

At his inquiry, Qian Yuling’s body began to tremble uncontrollably, her entire frame shaking like a leaf. This reaction startled An Changpu, who believed his question was neither sensitive nor provocative. He couldn’t understand why it elicited such a strong response and even wondered if Qian Yuling might be epileptic.

Zuo Dali quickly steadied his cousin, firmly wrapping an arm around her shoulders, silently urging her to calm down. After softly soothing her for a moment, he finally helped Qian Yuling regain some composure, her trembling easing. Only then did he sigh and answer An Changpu’s question:

“Here’s what happened. Sister Yuling initially thought I had taken Fang Wan away secretly without telling her, so she wasn’t especially worried. It just so happened that during that time, I was on a short-haul transport job. When I returned, the child had already been missing for several days. Sister Yuling came looking for me, and I told her the child wasn’t with me. At first, she didn’t believe me, but when she finally did, she panicked and ran straight back to our hometown. It was only yesterday that my aunt and uncle persuaded her to come back with me to explain everything clearly to you.”

This explanation didn’t seem entirely convincing. After Zuo Dali finished speaking, neither An Changpu nor Qin Ruonan responded.

Suddenly, Qian Yuling lifted her head. Her once dim eyes now glimmered with hope. She leaned forward abruptly, grabbing Qin Ruonan’s hand tightly.

“Officer Qin, you’re the one I trust most! Tell me, have you investigated Xia Ying, that little vixen, based on the clues I gave you? Could my son’s disappearance be linked to her?”

Her grip was so strong that her fingernails dug into Qin Ruonan’s skin. Qin Ruonan winced in pain, wanting to pull her hand away, but seeing Qian Yuling’s desperate expression, she refrained.

Regarding Xia Ying’s suspected involvement, she and An Changpu had spent time investigating. Aside from the one time Xia Ying admitted to giving Fang Wan laxatives, there was no undeniable connection between her and the boy’s disappearance. At least, without new evidence, she was innocent in this matter.

Yet, Qin Ruonan found herself unable to voice this, fearing it might further upset Qian Yuling, whose mental state was already fragile. She worried that any additional shock could cause a complete breakdown.

Qian Yuling did not grasp the meaning behind Qin Ruonan’s silence, but Zuo Dali understood. He gently pried her fingers off Qin Ruonan’s wrist, offering an apologetic smile as he tentatively asked, “Could Sister Yuling rest somewhere for a while?”

Qin Ruonan glanced at An Changpu, who initially said nothing. After a moment, he nodded.

“Come, I’ll take you inside to rest.”

Qin Ruonan helped the limp Qian Yuling to a sitting room, settling her onto the sofa. She wasn’t sure whether Qian Yuling had come willingly, but given her current state, even if reluctant, she lacked the strength to refuse.

Once Qian Yuling was settled, Qin Ruonan quietly left the room, almost as if escaping. Repeated encounters had stirred some sympathy within her for Qian Yuling and her plight. Yet, alongside that sympathy was fear—fear of Qian Yuling’s neurotic tendencies and especially fear of her relentless accusations against Xia Ying, which were largely unfounded.

Returning to the office, Zuo Dali was speaking to An Changpu, his face filled with helplessness.

“You’ve probably heard about Sister Yuling and Fang Da’s situation. Even without probing, I bet you’ve heard it from her mouth a thousand times over,” Qin Ruonan said as she joined them. Zuo Dali was recounting Qian Yuling’s story to An Changpu.

“That Fang fellow is truly despicable! Don’t be fooled by how messy Sister Yuling looks now—back when she was young, she was quite spirited. Our aunt and uncle never approved of her relationship with Fang Da. Back then, Fang Da begged and swore he’d make Sister Yuling happy, that if he betrayed her, he’d be struck by lightning. But now, the child is only ten, and they’ve been divorced for so long!”

An Changpu looked at Zuo Dali with a gentle smile and said casually, “Your aunt and uncle are Qian Yuling’s parents. I didn’t expect you to be so invested in this distant cousin’s affairs.”

Zuo Dali waved him off. “No, officer, I don’t know if you’re older than me or not, so I won’t presume familiarity. I have little education, so let’s speak plainly—no beating around the bush. Since I’m here, I’ll be honest; I have nothing to hide. Besides, I never had any ill intentions.”

An Changpu merely smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

“My concern isn’t because I’m a particularly caring cousin. It’s that our whole family circle knows the situation clearly. We’re not the kind to gossip about trivial matters.”

Zuo Dali continued, “I didn’t have much contact with Fang Da. What I know about how he wooed Sister Yuling is partly from my aunt and partly from Sister Yuling herself. I don’t dislike him personally; I’m just protecting our family’s interests. But there’s one thing I have to say.” He paused. “Fang Da and his second wife live quite ostentatiously, which I don’t like. But according to my aunt and uncle, before divorcing Sister Yuling, there was no sign of infidelity. Sister Yuling once let slip to family that Fang Wan told her Fang Da met a young, beautiful woman, which upset her terribly. After that, she only said Fang Da’s relationship with that woman was an affair. Since I returned from out of town, Sister Yuling, desperate to fight for custody, has been a bit unhinged. She really thought I’d foolishly take the child away without telling her, so she wasn’t worried at first. After discovering Fang Wan wasn’t with me, her first reaction was to find evidence against that woman. If my aunt and uncle hadn’t brought her back home and talked sense into her, she might never have faced reality.”

“We will take this into consideration,” An Changpu nodded. “When did you leave the city for that short-haul transport?”

Zuo Dali thought for a moment and quickly gave a date, two days before Fang Wan disappeared. He didn’t wait for a question before answering when he returned to the city, spanning nearly a week in total.

“That short-haul transport took that long?” Qin Ruonan expressed some doubt.

Zuo Dali sneered disdainfully, as if hearing a foolish question. “You really are naïve. A week is long? Do you think I’m driving passenger routes? Transporting goods isn’t about hauling a full load there, unloading, and returning empty. Even if I wanted to do that, my boss wouldn’t agree—it would be a huge loss for him!” He explained, “I have to stop at several logistics hubs to unload and load. That takes time. I don’t know about other companies, but at ours, with multiple shipments, returning in a week isn’t considered long-distance at all.”

Qin Ruonan felt a flush rise to her cheeks at his ridicule, her pride stung.

“Everyone has their expertise. For us police officers, logistics is foreign territory—it’s normal not to understand,” An Changpu said to Zuo Dali in a casual tone, but it carried a subtle rebuke of Zuo Dali’s mockery of Qin Ruonan.

Qin Ruonan glanced at him, her heart warmed by his support.

Sensing the underlying meaning, Zuo Dali wiped away his earlier smirk and smiled conciliatorily. “Alright, alright. If you ask me how to solve the case, I’m completely in the dark—can’t answer a thing.”

“Can your whereabouts during that entire trip, including the travel time, be verified?” An Changpu asked sternly, his usually easy smile replaced by a tense expression. It was unclear whether this was due to the seriousness of the matter or lingering displeasure with Zuo Dali’s earlier attitude.

Zuo Dali noticed the subtle shift and dropped his smile, answering seriously, “Yes. There’s a driver who switched shifts with me, and our company has driving records. You can check for yourselves to see if I’m lying.”

After Zuo Dali and Qian Yuling left, An Changpu and Qin Ruonan went to verify whether his alibi held. Even after Zuo Dali’s departure, An Changpu’s expression remained dark.

“My questions earlier were quite amateurish, and given the sensitive situation, no wonder Zuo Dali found them unpleasant,” Qin Ruonan said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable after being mocked, but comforted by An Changpu’s backing and his somber demeanor. She even found herself trying to console him.

Watching her, An Changpu suddenly smiled. “It’s strange—today, it seems like our reactions are completely reversed!”

Qin Ruonan couldn’t help but laugh.

Yet their mood didn’t lighten for long. Soon came a piece of unsettling news.

Another disappearance case had occurred. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please consider voting and supporting. Your encouragement is my greatest motivation.)