Chapter 10

Gan Qing took out her phone and pulled up the new addition she had made, "Is it Zhong or is it Qi": "Are these the two characters?"

My younger brother is missing and is suspected to have been kidnapped

She opened the door and reached out to turn over the wooden sign that read "Resting" at the entrance. To her surprise, as soon as she touched it, the sign fell down and split into two pieces

Yu Lanchuan looked at her in surprise

Whether it is the force of this footprint or the angle at which the soil has been disturbed, it does not resemble the casual act of a passerby grinding their heel into the ground. Instead, it appears as though someone was pulled down to the ground and dragged away, with their feet pushing against the ground in a struggle. Gan Qing's gaze shifted to the muddy handprints on the stone steps— the person being dragged may have realized that struggling was futile, and thus instinctively reached out to grasp something nearby. First, they clawed at the ground but failed to hold on, then they reached for the stone steps, which left behind the handprints.

Just as he turned to find the next person to ask, Gan Qing suddenly hesitated and called out to him: "What did you just say his name was?"

Only after listening to the other party's words without missing a single word did he take a deep breath: "... ... Alright then, I will contact my department's personnel to handle this, please wait a moment."

"It's not a big deal," he said, swallowing those words back again. "I will return to the company after I finish handling this matter, and we will stay in touch at any time."

This urban village has long been slated for demolition, but a few stubborn households have raised their compensation demands, and negotiations have yet to reach an agreement, leaving the situation in limbo. Meanwhile, the other residents who have received compensation have mostly moved out. Seeing that the demolition will not happen anytime soon, they have secretly started collecting rent and leasing the dilapidated houses to outsiders.

Meng Tianyi looked up and said, "Ah, Little Yu, Officer Yu?"

The master’s wife is already of considerable age, spending all day in the hospital attending to the senior brother, so exhausted that she can hardly stand up straight. Even if you are useless, you still go out drinking and causing trouble. I will beat you, you troublemaker!

He sighed heavily.

Gan Qing was puzzled: "Kick... the small accessory store's shop? Do you think it could be the neighboring grocery store that did it?"

There is nothing much to say; even if it is just a matter of losing a delusional younger brother, what difference does it make if one's own mother has passed away?

The small path in front of the Star Dream store has fallen into disrepair over the years, with a section of the tiles missing, exposing the underlying muddy ground. Recently, with the increased rainfall, those who are not careful may find themselves stepping into it, ending up with a sole covered in wet mud

Gan Qing lowered her head and fumbled for a while, eventually finding a button in the corner of the wall, with a thread still tangled on it, as if it had been violently pulled off

There is no surveillance in the alley behind the mud pit, so we can only determine through WeChat chat records that the young Liu Zhongqi was here around 10:30 PM the night before. There are several ominous marks at the store entrance, and a button—this guy Yu Lanchuan, who doesn't seem to be of any use, looked at it for five minutes but still couldn't confirm whether this button belonged to his younger brother

After being evicted from their rental house, they arrived at a village in the city to settle down

The natural disasters and human misfortunes of others, as well as the cycles of birth, aging, illness, and death, are all unwelcome guests that add to the chaos

She has not yet had the chance to apply that non-mainstream makeup, her lips are a very light color, her face is extremely pale, with a hint of color concentrated around her eyes, which stands out prominently against the pure white base, reminiscent of a flower unexpectedly blooming in the snow.

Yesterday, we closed early. The temperature has dropped these past two days, and there have been fewer customers, Meng Tianyi said, "It was not even ten o'clock."

Gan Qing shook her head

Meng Tianyi glanced at her and thought that this was indeed the case

She pulled out a broken wooden plaque from her bag and thought to herself: Is it really coming for me?

The bald man, who was being nagged by her, was squatting in the corner with a hangover, resembling a swollen mushroom.

Meng Tianyi leaned over, took a careful look, and shook his head: "No, I don't recognize it. Let me ask around for you—just a moment!"

How is that possible? Encountering a mugger on the street, if I don't have cash on me, I would even voluntarily transfer money via my phone. Every day, Grandma Zhang recites Buddhist chants as soon as she sees me. "Gan Qing helplessly spread his hands, took the split wooden plaque, and worried about how to stick it back together. 'Which hero got drunk and threw a punch at a turtle? Why are you looking for trouble with me? Look at me, what kind of sense of achievement can you get from bothering someone like me?'"

The crippled man, with smoke coming out of his seven orifices, limped up to the bald man, raised his hand, and delivered a flurry of slaps: "Are you out of your mind! Did you drink counterfeit liquor yesterday! Did you also squirt your brain matter out with urine!"

If it is said that this alone cannot determine that the child did not leave voluntarily, then the mobile phone found in the trash can an hour later can certainly clarify the issue

A colleague politely asked: "Mr. Yu, is everything alright at home? Is there nothing wrong?"

Yuan took off his hat, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and ran over, panting: "Boss Meng, it is wonderful to see you here."

"Get lost, you are being unreasonable." Meng Tianyi did not smile, his expression darkened as he stared at her, "Have you been getting into fights with someone recently?"

"Uncle Meng," Gan Qing turned to Meng Tianyi, who was preparing ingredients next door, and asked, "What time did you finish last night?"

The first impression Yu Lanchuan left on her was that of his open-chested demeanor that day, with his eyelids drooping, exuding an air of arrogance as if he were being followed by a row of cameras, waiting to capture his poses in hard shots

What has happened again

The question is, how did she know?

No, everything has been quite peaceful all day. What happened?

The alert has been escalated; the incident of a teenager running away from home in a fit of anger has turned into a kidnapping case

The bald man has a drinking problem. When he returned, he drank alcohol. A while ago, he was being watched by his senior brother and sister-in-law, so he managed to restrain himself. However, last night, with both of them absent, he felt a sudden urge and couldn't control himself, going out to drink to the point of drunkenness. The more he thought about it, the more he felt humiliated about the last time in the muddy alley.

After speaking at length, Yu Lanchuan felt parched and dry in the mouth. He recalled once more to ensure he had not overlooked anything, and then said to his colleague: "Alright, that's the matter. Thank you for your hard work, you may go now"

Upon closer inspection, it appears that there are some traces of blood on the fingerprints on the stone steps

The entire world is spinning at a high speed, and everyone is exhausted from the relentless pace.

The bald man, feeling frustrated, let out a loud "Aah" and struck the closed sign hanging at the store entrance. Just as he was about to smash the glass, he heard someone nearby say, "What are you doing? I've called the police!"

Liu Zhongqi, the 'Zhong' in Bozhong Shuju, Qi is ... ...

Gan Qing noticed that, in addition to the dried mud handprints on the stone steps, there was also a footprint in the muddy ground— it was not a full footprint, but rather one made by the heel, pressed very deeply.

Meng Tianyi heard a noise and walked over, picked up the broken wooden sign, took a glance, and frowned: "Chopped by hand—what does this mean? A challenge? Or is someone causing you trouble?"

He had not finished speaking when he was interrupted by the person on the other end of the phone. Gan Qing, standing a few steps away, saw Yu Lanchuan irritably take off his glasses and throw them onto the roof of the police car, repeatedly rubbing his nose bridge. His expression was as if he wanted to kill someone, yet his speech remained polite and calm, as if his mouth had detached from his body and was acting independently: "I understand... Yes, I understand. How about this, when I return to the company, I will ensure that at the first opportunity..."

Gan Qing was putting contact lenses into her eyes when a lash accidentally fell in. The foreign body sensation immediately brought tears to her eyes. Hearing Boss Meng call her, she peeked out with tear-filled eyes and said, "Hmm?"

With a crisp sound of "pa," Yu Lanchuan lost control of his strength and broke the leg of his glasses

For some reason, when Yu Lanchuan's gaze met hers, he instinctively averted his eyes

Alcohol emboldens the timid; the bald man disregarded the old lady's advice and drunkenly went to challenge the establishment, only to find it had long since closed its doors.

Yu Lanchuan: "I ... ... "

As she stepped into the muddy alley, Ganqing suddenly paused, recalling the bald man who had been following her that day. It was no wonder she hadn't thought of it immediately; after all, this incident had occurred nearly a month ago. At that time, she was preoccupied with making a living, her mind filled with thoughts of rent, and such trivial matters had not registered in her mind.

His accomplice, Scarface, was pacing around like a donkey turning a millstone, sighing with each complete turn. At that moment, the limping man rushed in, still out of breath, and upon seeing Liu Zhongqi tied up in a corner, nearly twisted his other ankle as well

Yu Lanchuan fell silent, expressionless as he raised his head and squinted at the glaring sunny sky

"Could you please take a look at this child?" Yu Yan quickly handed over the photo, "Do you have any impression?"

As soon as Gan Qing spoke, she regretted it so much that she almost bit her own tongue. She quickly smiled and, with a swift movement, slipped away.

However, the "young master" spoke on the phone with both politeness and refinement, forming a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. Gan Qing heard him say: "... I am truly sorry, but I really have some matters at home right now and cannot leave..."

The bald-headed figure clutched his head and fled: "Second Brother, hey, Senior Brother, don't hit me, I was wrong..."

The two individuals pondered for a while, feeling perplexed and without any clues, and had no choice but to go about their respective tasks. At that moment, several police officers hurriedly approached, showing a photograph to everyone they encountered and asking questions, with Yu Lanchuan following behind them.

Gan Qing handed over the chat records to the police and was questioned. After the questioning, there was nothing more for her to do here, so she bid farewell to Boss Meng and prepared to go home. As she reached the small path, she saw Yu Lanchuan making a phone call.

Yu Lanchuan put down the phone and noticed Gan Qing a few steps away, nodding slightly at her: "Troublesome."

Colleagues merely offer a perfunctory "my condolences," sweetening their words with a polite "if you need anything, just let me know." Yet, in their hearts, they surely harbor doubts—why is it that the busier someone is, the more issues they seem to have? With the boss's mother having passed away, do we still need to express our condolences? Alas, such matters of joy and sorrow always seem to arise at the end of the month; it is only when one is not financially strained that such events occur.

Gan Qing asked again, "Was there a fight here yesterday?"

Yuan: "Yes, that's the one who tried to scam me last time here. You even helped me call the police, his name is Liu Zhongqi! Have you seen him around here?"

Thus, everyone no longer needs to open their shops, nor do they need to prepare food. The area in front of the Dream Gate of Star and - Picture - Book has been cordoned off, with a large group of police officers bustling in and out.

Oh, it's nothing. Gan Qing stepped around the footprints and fingerprints on the ground, suspecting that she might be overly suspicious—perhaps it was just some drunkard who had fallen here, struggling to get up after flailing about on the ground.

Then, he began making phone calls to the remote department, directing his subordinates to get to work, asking one to modify the materials and another to attend a meeting on his behalf. Gan Qing saw him leaning against the police car, his eyes half-closed, meticulously reminding his colleagues of the key points for the meeting, his fingers continuously kneading the legs of his glasses.

However, with this pervasive network of connections, their information is quite well-informed

"Don't mention it, it's that unfortunate kid again," Yu Yan said, taking out a photo of Liu Zhongqi. "It's this boy. He had a quarrel with his family yesterday and ran away from home. His phone's location is nearby. Have you seen him?"

The upright Liu Zhongqi clearly did not learn from the last lesson, nor did he grasp the principle of "mind your own business and be cautious in your actions." As a result, he has now become an angry zongzi, bound tightly and gagged, thrown into the corner, attempting to "shoot" those big pieces of trash with his glare.

Gan Qing looked for a long time and said: "Isn't this that ... ... "

He is a dapper young master

The mobile phone was violently smashed to the ground, the screen shattered into pieces, and the body has already been broken apart

It was only after her reminder that Yu Lanchuan recalled. It is said that before the liberation, the ever-present Yang Dage was once the leader of the Beggars' Sect. Later, society changed, and such gangs and factions fell out of favor; everyone was expected to find jobs or retire. Now, the elderly members of the Beggars' Sect generally only keep a few patches on their clothes as a way to maintain tradition, living ordinary lives most of the time. Occasionally, they conduct educational activities promoting "civilized begging, resisting begging during peak hours on the subway," or intervene and mediate when conflicts arise among beggars over territory. Now, the elderly members of the Beggars' Sect generally only keep a few patches on their clothes as a way to maintain tradition, living ordinary lives most of the time. Occasionally, they conduct educational activities promoting "civilized begging, resisting begging during peak hours on the subway," or intervene and mediate when conflicts arise among beggars over territory.

On the other end of the phone, there was a continuous "yīng yīng yīng" barking, seemingly endless

Gan Qing, in a moment of impulse, blurted out: "You can ask Uncle Yang for help"