Chapter 4 Return to Hometown

  The rain in winter always falls non-stop, Wu Hui holds a cup of coffee and stares at the weather outside in a daze. This damn weather is really terrible, it's so cold and still raining, it's simply maddening.

  Wu Hui stood on the building, looking down at the people below, who were so small that he could only see the tops of their umbrellas, each one a different color, hiding their faces like masks.

  He recalled Hugo's words "Being unmasked by others is a failure, but unmasking oneself is a victory", did he really have the courage to remove the mask on his face?

  That day was probably the same gloomy weather, ever since Jingran went missing, Wu Hui had a strong dislike for rainy days. No, that day it was raining with snowflakes, winter had arrived, and it was time to start snowing again, he hated snow, anything related to that day, he strongly detested.

  It's been almost five years, and he still has no idea what to do with himself. He doesn't know why he's living day after day without any discovery. Jing Ran, where are you right now? You're so afraid of the cold, are you in a warm room? Have you eaten enough? Do you know how much I miss you?

  Since that night's nightmare, Wu Hui couldn't sleep well. He kept thinking about the signs of Jingran's disappearance in his mind, but he just couldn't figure out why Jingran would disappear from his life without a trace, and what method that person used to make him unable to find any clues.

  He even suspected that Jingran might not be alive in this world, but he soon dispelled this terrible thought. As long as her body was not found, she must still be alive somewhere in the world waiting for him to rescue her.

  Zhang Qiang got out of bed and saw Wu Hui standing alone in front of the window, dazed. Even after his coffee had gone cold, he hadn't taken a sip. He must have had another nightmare last night, but for some reason, Wu Hui seemed particularly irritable today. What was wrong?

  One person stands in front of the window motionless thinking about their own affairs, another person sits on the sofa staring at the person in front of the window motionless, guessing what's on the other person's mind.

  For more than four years, this scene has been played out in the room, and no one will mention the topic, fearing that once it is mentioned, the superficial calm of the past four years will be completely broken.

  Zhang Qiang knew that Wu Hui had not given up searching for Jing Ran all these years, and he hadn't either. Although he couldn't go out to search like Wu Hui, he could search online, and as long as he found a single clue, he wouldn't give up.

  For more than four years, once he found some clues, he would search day and night, the final result always disappointed him, but he never gave up, he believed that Jingran must be alive in this world.

  "Christmas massacre in 1225", is there something hidden behind that hasn't been dug up, was the captured killer just an executor and not a planner, did they really get it wrong with that case?

  Wu Hui began to suspect that the real culprit who was caught last time was not the mastermind. He started to doubt everything he had done before, and wondered if it was because of his own misjudgment that Jing Ran was taken away. What was the purpose of the murderer taking Jing Ran away? Was it to frame him? Did the murderer know him?

  Wu Hui had always felt that the murderer behind the "1225 Christmas Murder Case" seemed to be able to see through him, no matter what he did, that person could always be one step ahead of him. Until Jing Ran was taken away, Wu Hui started to panic and couldn't calm down to write anymore, which resulted in an innocent person being killed.

  Is the mastermind testing his psychological endurance? Why did he do this, and where did Jingran lock him up? If the mastermind is really testing Wu Hui, then the mastermind must be an extremely arrogant person. In that case, Jingran's chances of survival would be very high.

  Wu Hui interrogated the captured murderer all night, and from his behavior and language, it could be predicted that he was indeed the one who committed the crime, but capturing Jing Ran was not something he had done.

  There must be a mastermind behind the murderer. Who is it? So many years have passed, why hasn't he taken any action? Is Wu Hui really wrong?

  No, he can't just sit and wait to die, he has to take the initiative to attack, he must find out who the mastermind is, only by finding him can he find Jingran, Jingran you must hold on, I will definitely find you, it won't be too long, it will definitely not be too long.

  Wu Hui turned around to leave, saw Zhang Qiang looking at him thoughtfully, hesitated for a moment, and finally sat down. "Zhang Qiang, I want to go to the provincial capital."

  Perhaps it was too long since he last spoke, Wu Hui's voice was a bit hoarse when he first opened his mouth, Zhang Qiang was startled by Wu Hui, all these years Wu Hui had never been to the provincial capital, but often contacted Deputy Director Zhou by phone.

  Zhang Qiang didn't know why Wu Hui had changed, he wanted to ask, but he didn't know how. Actually, Wu Hui should have returned to the provincial capital long ago, and only by setting foot on the land of the provincial capital could he more clearly understand what happened back then. "Do you want me to accompany you there?"

  "No need, I just went to ask if there were any developments and see if anything was related to the case back then. It's better for me to investigate myself." Wu Hui waved his hand, Jing Ran was already gone, he didn't want Zhang Qiang to get into any more trouble, it's better for him to handle these things himself.

  "Alright, I'll wait for your news at home." Zhang Qiang knew Wu Hui's temper, since he wanted to go investigate, he would definitely go, and even if he begged him, he wouldn't let him follow.

  Wu Hui saw Zhang Qiang agree, so he picked up the car key and left. Before leaving, he also deliberately looked at Zhang Qiang to make sure he wouldn't follow him, only then did he leave with peace of mind.

  Zhang Qiang stood where Wu Hui had just been standing, looking down at the building below. Before long, he saw a white Jeep emerge from the garage - it was Wu Hui's car.

  Watching the car disappear from view, Zhang Qiang was certain that Wu Hui would not return, so he put on his coat and went out.

  Wu Hui has not set foot in the provincial capital for over four years, he is afraid, deeply afraid, worried that once he sets foot on this land, he will never be able to leave again, perhaps this is where he will meet his demise.

  When he arrived at the entrance of the Provincial Public Security Bureau, Wu Hui saw that the security guard in the security room had been replaced. The new security guard should not know him, and to get in, he would have to call Deputy Director Zhou again.

  He called Deputy Director Zhou and told him he was downstairs. Because it was Monday, Zhou Hao was busy and didn't have time to come down to meet Wu Hui, so he made a call to the security booth.

  The new security guard answered the phone, looked at Wu Hui standing at the door, hung up the phone and walked to Wu Hui's face. "Deputy Director Zhou asked you to go directly to his office to find him."

  "Alright, got it." Zhou Hao had changed offices, and Wu Hui was somewhat unfamiliar with the route. Fortunately, a kind-hearted detective led him to the door of Zhou Hao's office.

  "Knock knock knock..." Wu Hui raised his hand and knocked on the door a few times.

  A middle-aged man's voice came from inside. "Come in!"

  Wu Hui pushed the door open and went in, seeing Deputy Director Zhou on the phone. Deputy Director Zhou saw that it was Wu Hui, pointed to the sofa with his hand, and asked him to sit down and wait for a moment, it would be soon.

  Wu Hui didn't stand on ceremony either and sat down on the sofa waiting for Director Zhou's phone call.

  I remember when Wu Hui left four years ago, Zhou Hao was still the captain. I didn't expect that after more than four years, he has become a deputy director. Time really flies, everything is changing, but Wu Hui remains unchanged, just like when he left.

  Zhou Hao is obviously much fatter than four years ago. It seems that after not going out for work, his life has become more comfortable and enjoyable.

  "Alright, alright, I know. Let's just leave it at that." Zhou Hao hung up the phone and hastily sat down in front of Wu Hui. It had been over four years since they last saw each other, and as soon as Zhou Hao saw Wu Hui, he was reminded of the scenes from when they used to work together.

  "You little stinker, you finally know to come and visit your old brother. I thought you'd never come see me again." Zhou Hao smiled, his eyes already had very deep wrinkles, just four years time, he seemed to have aged a lot.

  "You've changed a lot." Wu Hui said with a profound meaning as he looked at Zhou Hao's figure.

  "I've aged, not like in my younger years. Although it's only been a little over four years, since I took this position, I've come to realize how carefree being a detective was. Now, I'm not my own master." Zhou Hao shook his head, and Wu Hui noticed that after becoming the deputy director, Zhou Hao had become much more worldly and tactful.

  "It's better this way, at least your sister-in-law and kids won't blame you anymore."

  "Besides, these years your sister-in-law has been mentioning you all the time, asking why you don't go visit her. Now that you're here, don't leave again. Come home for dinner tonight, I'll give your sister-in-law a call and let her know." As he spoke, Zhou Hao took out his phone to make the call.

  Wu Hui pressed down on Zhou Hao's hand just as he was about to make a call, "No need, don't bother, I'm just here to ask some questions, after I'm done asking, I'll leave."

  Zhou Hao knew what Wu Hui wanted to ask, as every time Wu Hui called Zhou Hao in the past few years, he would always bring up that one thing. "You're referring to Jing Yan's matter, right? I know you've never given up on finding her all these years. Don't take it the wrong way, but as her brother, it's been so many years and there's been no news from her at all. According to procedure, a person who has gone missing for four years is considered dead."

  "I know, but I also know that Jingran is still alive. Is it true that there's no news of her at all after so many years?" Wu Hui knew that asking this question was futile, but he still had to ask.

  Zhou Hao shook his head, a sad expression on his face. When he saw Wu Hui today, he was indeed startled. Over the years, Wu Hui had become much more haggard, and the sparkle in his eyes was gone. The past four years had changed Wu Hui quite a bit.

  "Is there anything I can help you with? If so, just say it." Wu Hui didn't distrust Zhou Hao, he was worried that some of the people under him might have missed something.

  "I understand what you mean, don't worry, all these years I've been paying attention, but I haven't found the person you mentioned." Zhou Hao had some doubts over the years whether the mastermind behind the scenes that Wu Hui talked about really existed or if Wu Hui imagined him to comfort himself into thinking that Jing Ran was still alive.

  Sometimes Zhou Hao would wonder if it was because of Jingran's disappearance that Wu Hui developed delusions, imagining such a person.