TCCI Chapter 26

“Taken care of?” The man kept his head down, continuing with his paperwork, showing not a trace of worry.

The secretary respectfully nodded. “Yes, it’s done.”

After a moment, the man suddenly looked up. “I’m still a bit uneasy.”

Tapping his pen on the desk, the man sighed in regret. “Forget it, just to be safe, make sure the job is thorough. Frame it as a suicide out of guilt.”

The secretary nodded, receiving his orders and leaving the office.

——

Zou Shuyang initially thought that losing track of Lin Shaohuai wasn’t a big deal. He could just look up Lin Shaohuai’s home address, phone information, and workplace—paying him a visit would be the same as catching him earlier.

However…

“Team Leader Zou, here’s the situation: the phone number Lin Shaohuai registered is inactive, and his home address is listed as a rental property that hasn’t been updated for years.”

Seeing Xiao Wang’s dejected expression, Zou Shuyang asked, “What about his family relations?”

Xiao Wang’s face grew even more somber. “Lin Shaohuai’s father passed away a few years ago, and his sister married and moved out of town. She hasn’t been back in years. His mother’s listed address is also that rental property.”

Zou Shuyang thought for a moment. “What about his workplace? Is it listed?”

Xiao Wang shook his head. “I just spoke with the labor bureau. They don’t have any employment records for Lin Shaohuai.”

After speaking, Xiao Wang shivered and quietly asked, “Team Leader Zou, does Lin Shaohuai even really exist? Being able to vanish like a ghost in this day and age—it’s terrifying, isn’t it?”

Pressing his lips together, Zou Shuyang picked up his phone and dialed Jian Mengyan.

“A-Yang?” Jian Mengyan’s voice sounded confused when she answered. They had just parted ways not long ago.

Zou Shuyang got straight to the point. “Mengmeng, do you know where Lin Shaohuai works? Where does he live? Do you have his contact information?”

“Huh?” Although puzzled, Jian Mengyan still responded obediently. “He works at Jiangyuan Group, apparently as an executive. He was bragging about it at the last class reunion. I didn’t pay much attention. I’ll send his contact info to your WeChat, okay?”

Zou Shuyang nodded, then realized she couldn’t see him and added, “Thanks.”

Jian Mengyan chuckled. “Why are you being so polite? Alright, talk to you later.”

Half a minute later, Lin Shaohuai’s phone number and home address appeared in Zou Shuyang’s WeChat chat log.

Seemingly afraid that Zou Shuyang might overthink it, Jian Mengyan added a quick explanation: “I didn’t specifically ask for Lin Shaohuai’s address. He was just showing off during the class reunion!”

Looking at Lin Shaohuai’s address—Yunshang Villa Community—Zou Shuyang thought it certainly was something worth boasting about.

Watching the entire exchange from the sidelines, Xiao Wang gave Zou Shuyang a thumbs-up. “What an impressive class reunion.”

Still warmed by Jian Mengyan’s explanation, Zou Shuyang replied with mock seriousness, “That’s what class reunions are about, isn’t it? Just a chance for everyone to compare who’s doing better.”

Xiao Wang, still young and inexperienced with class reunions, could only respond with: “I don’t get it, but it sounds impressive.”

Back at his desk, Zou Shuyang dialed Lin Shaohuai’s number.

The call connected, but no one answered.

As Zou Shuyang’s frown deepened, Xiao Wang asked, “Team Leader, what’s wrong? No answer?”

Zou Shuyang nodded and dialed Lin Shaohuai’s number again.

Still the same.

It connected, but no one picked up.

“How could this be?” Xiao Wang scratched his head. “Could he have already realized something was up and made a run for it?”

At that moment, Xiao Tang burst through the door, panting heavily. He collapsed onto the couch, catching his breath before saying, “Team Leader, we got a match. Based on Zhong Langming’s testimony, we found a photo of Lin Shaohuai, other than the graduation picture, and showed it to Jiang Hongye. After seeing it, Jiang Hongye immediately confirmed that the person who ran away when Shen Jun and the others attacked Shen Tinglan was Lin Shaohuai.”

He handed the photo they found to Zou Shuyang.

Xiao Wang leaned in for a look. It showed a boy with glasses, smiling shyly. His thick, bowl-cut hairstyle and thick black-framed glasses seemed to suppress any potential good looks.

Xiao Wang commented on the picture, “This guy looks like a pretty shy and quiet… good student.”

Xiao Tang nodded in agreement with Xiao Wang’s assessment. “I also called a few of the surviving students from Shen Tinglan’s class to ask about their impressions of Lin Shaohuai.”

At this, Xiao Tang’s expression grew complicated. “Every single one of them said Lin Shaohuai was a good class president, a good classmate. He was helpful, a good friend to his peers, and a reliable assistant to the teachers.”

Zou Shuyang interrupted Xiao Tang, “Doesn’t that sound a bit familiar?”

Xiao Tang shrugged. “I was just summarizing, but now that you mention it, doesn’t that sound a lot like how people described Ding Jing?”

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