He Yunqin said, “You can come. Just not while I’m here.”

These words verged on contempt. Lu Jingheng said angrily, “He Yunqin, don’t think you’re such a big deal. I’m not leaving today, no matter what—let’s see what you’re going to do about it.”

As he spoke, he provocatively propped both legs up on the chair in front of him, and his other arm brazenly moved to drape over Hongdou’s shoulder—fortunately, before it could touch her clothing, Hongdou fiercely slapped it away.

He Yunqin lowered his head with a smile, then looked up at Lu Jingheng. “Young Master Lu, I’ll give you one minute to think carefully about my suggestion. I’m not known for my good temper—I believe you understand that better than most.”

The words clearly carried an implication. Lu Jingheng’s face changed; the careless swagger he’d been putting on grew hard to maintain. His eyes fixed straight on He Yunqin, the line of his jaw growing tenser and tenser.

Just then, someone suddenly called out with a loud laugh, “So sorry, so sorry, to have missed such a lively gathering.”

Hongdou looked toward the voice and saw a rather portly middle-aged man, dressed in a brand new suit, an air of amiability about his brow—likely the manager of Xinya Teahouse or someone similar.

This man hadn’t been in the hall before; his sudden appearance was most likely because someone, seeing Lu Jingheng making such a scene, had specially gone to fetch him.

The man gave He Yunqin a smile, his tone familiar. “Zonglin, it’s rare for you to give a talk here—by rights I should stay and listen, but it happens to be month-end, and I’m busy going over the inventory with the staff, don’t even have time to sit down for a cup of tea, I’ll have to catch you next time. Looks like you were just getting to the good part—why’d you stop? We at Xinya Teahouse care most about our guests’ moods—go on, go on with your lecture, don’t let outside matters bother you.”

As he spoke, he cupped his hands apologetically, then walked briskly over to Lu Jingheng’s side and said a few words in a low voice.

Only then did Lu Jingheng use this as an excuse to climb down from his high horse, slowly lowering his legs.

He stood, glanced once more at Hongdou, smiled meaningfully, and with his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, left with the man.

Gu Yun tugged at Hongdou’s sleeve. “I once heard my father’s colleagues at the newspaper say that Nanbao Trading Company has some business dealings with the He family. Though it’s doing well now, being newly wealthy, it’s constrained on all sides by the He family. Don’t be fooled by how fearless Lu Jingheng seemed just now—deep down he knows perfectly well he can’t afford to provoke He Yunqin.”

Hongdou looked thoroughly unconvinced.

Though she didn’t know Lu Jingheng, she knew Nanbao was one of the top trading companies in Shanghai—otherwise her uncle’s salary wouldn’t be so generous. Yet judging by Lu Jingheng’s reckless swagger, mere concern over the two families’ business interests wouldn’t be enough to make him so wary of He Yunqin—there must be some other history between the two.

The tea gathering ended late; by the time they came out, evening mist had already gathered. For safety’s sake, Hongdou walked home together with Gu Yun and the others.

Fearing Lu Jingheng might come pester Hongdou again, Qin Xuekai volunteered to join their group.

As the group left the teahouse, Qin Xuekai, remembering Wang Bide, turned back and asked Hongdou, “Hongdou, are you really going to go find that Detective Wang?”

In front of her classmates, Hongdou didn’t want to bring up her brother’s investigation into the Chen Baidie case, so she said indifferently, “Why not? He’s got so many curious stories—just listening to him tell them would be fun.”

Gu Yun said, “Too bad Detective Wang only agreed to let you go to his detective agency alone—otherwise we could tag along and listen too. Ugh, I saw someone selling roasted sweet potatoes on the way here, wonder where they went—”

Just then, a rickshaw-car came up from behind, slowing to a stop beside them. Someone rolled down the window. “Senior Sister Yu.”

Hongdou turned her head—it was He Zhuyun, with He Yunqin seated beside her.

He Zhuyun rested her hand on the window sill. “Senior Sister Yu, where do you live? That Mr. Lu just now was so annoying—why don’t we give you a ride?”

“No need.” Hongdou smiled, glancing sideways at He Yunqin, who was also looking at her. “My house is very close by, and besides, I have so many classmates walking with me—there’s really no need to trouble you.”

He Zhuyun looked around and saw this was indeed true—Hongdou had at least a dozen or so classmates with her—and nodded with a smile. “Alright then. Everyone, be safe on your way home. See you Monday.”

Hongdou watched Qin Xuekai and the others’ figures disappear into the dark alley, then turned and went up the steps. Just as she pushed open the front door, she heard the sound of footsteps thumping down from upstairs, as if someone were hurrying down in a rush.

She listened for a moment, then reached up to switch on the hallway light and called out, “Brother?”

The voice answered, “Hongdou.” It was indeed Yu Chongyi.

“Why are you only just getting home now? It’s already dark out.”

“I went to a tea gathering with my classmates.” Walking further in, she noticed something odd in her brother’s expression and asked in surprise, “What’s wrong?”

Ever since starting university, she often went out with classmates to sketch and observe, and there were times when, after seeing a late movie, she wouldn’t return until dusk. Sometimes when her brother got home early, he’d stroll along the street outside waiting for her; seeing her out enjoying herself so much, he’d occasionally scold her a little, but always in an offhand tone—never with this kind of grave seriousness.

Yu Chongyi looked her over carefully, as if to confirm her safety, then pulled her inside. “Don’t go out at night from now on. Come straight home once classes are over.”

There was something inexplicably eerie about these words; Hongdou’s heart began pounding. “Brother, did something happen?”

Yu Chongyi climbed a flight of stairs in silence, then suddenly said, “That Wang Meiping’s been found.”

Wang Meiping? The girl from Shaoxing who’d come to Shanghai three months ago to seek refuge with Uncle? She remembered asking her brother about it just a few days ago, and he’d said there was still no news of the girl—how had she suddenly been found?

Her brother’s face was terrible, as though he’d been badly frightened. A wave of unease welled up in her, and she asked hesitantly, “Where was she found? Is she… still alive?”

Yu Chongyi shook his head.

Hongdou startled. “She’s dead?”

Dead, with her body pierced through with numerous foot-long wooden nails. In all his years on the job, he’d never seen such a bizarre way to die.

His sister kept pressing: “Was she murdered? Did she take her own life?”

Yu Chongyi cut off her line of questioning firmly. “In any case, things haven’t been peaceful on the streets lately. Don’t go wandering around without reason, especially at night.”

They had already reached the front door, and the two of them had no choice but to stop talking.

The house was filled with the rich aroma of yellow croaker and eel noodles; Sister-in-law Zhou bustled about in the kitchen, while Mother sat composed on the sofa knitting a wool sweater, her expression calm as ever.

As soon as the siblings entered, Mother set down her knitting and began bustling about to serve the meal. “You’re always so fond of playing, having to stay out until dark before coming home. You must be hungry—your brother hasn’t eaten either.”

Brother said not a word more about what had just happened. Hongdou had no choice but to set her school bag aside and sit down beside her mother as if nothing were amiss.

After the meal, seeing her brother showed no sign of leaving, Hongdou, feeling this was too good an opportunity to pass up, pulled him into her room and took out that card from Wang Bide. “Look, the famous Detective Wang Bide.”

Yu Chongyi took it and looked, astonished. “How did you get his card?”

Hongdou told him what had happened earlier, then crouched by the bed and dragged out the old newspaper box.

After rummaging for a while, she found the two newspapers and spread them out together on the table.

One was the missing person notice for Chen Baidie, the other the missing person notice for Wang Meiping. She turned and asked, “Brother, is this Wang Bide reliable?”

Yu Chongyi roughly guessed what his sister was up to, walked to the table, and gazed blankly at the small photo of Chen Baidie in the newspaper. “I worked with him once—I recall it was a money-shop robbery case. Thanks to his guidance, the thieves were found quickly.”

“So this man’s reputation isn’t undeserved after all.” Hongdou nodded casually. “Wang Meiping is dead, but Chen Baidie still hasn’t turned up. If I bring the card and ask Wang Bide to help find Chen Baidie, do you think he’d agree to help?”

“But he hasn’t touched police department affairs in ages—” Yu Chongyi thought for a moment. “What did he say to you at the time exactly?”

“He said as long as it doesn’t involve any large sum of money or violate any existing law, it’s fine.” Hongdou shrugged. “And there were so many prominent people present at today’s gathering—I don’t think he’d dare go back on his word. But from what you just described, Wang Bide doesn’t seem like the type to suddenly develop a big heart and meddle in others’ affairs out of the blue. Why would he suddenly think to play this game?”

“You’re worried he has ulterior motives?” Yu Chongyi scratched his head. “But… though he’s odd-tempered, he’s not bad at heart. And there were so many people at the gathering—if he meant you any harm, wouldn’t it be traced back to him quickly?”

Hongdou didn’t respond to that, lost in thought as she replayed the scene in her mind, full of doubts. “Oh, right, Brother—has there been any news about Chen Baidie? Have the kidnappers made any demands? Given how famous she is, the ransom can’t be low, can it?”

Yu Chongyi paused, then shook his head very slowly. “No. From start to finish, there’s been no call from any kidnapper.”

Hongdou said, startled, “Isn’t that just like Wang Meiping?”

But now Wang Meiping was dead—would Chen Baidie be next?

After a moment of silence, Hongdou suddenly said, “Brother, is it because the Chen Baidie case is so difficult that you’ve been thinking about changing jobs?”

Yu Chongyi stared blankly at Hongdou for a good while before saying, half-laughing, half-crying, “So that’s why you kept asking about Chen Baidie—turns out you were worried about your brother.”

Hongdou crossed her arms. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have bothered with Wang Bide’s game at all. What exactly is going on that’s making you want to change jobs? Does it have something to do with the Chen Baidie case?”

Yu Chongyi sighed. “These things are too complicated to explain in a hurry.”

Seeing her brother hadn’t outright denied her guess, Hongdou lowered her eyes and thought for a moment. “Since you don’t have any leads right now, why not try your luck with Wang Bide? Tomorrow’s Sunday—if you have time, come with me to Wang Bide’s detective agency.”

Yu Chongyi hesitated slightly, then nodded. “Alright. He’s on such bad terms with the police department—if he recognizes me, he might assume it’s the department’s idea and refuse to help even more. And since the card was given to you, it has to be you who goes to see him. I’ll go with you tomorrow—you go up and find him, I’ll wait at the entrance.”

Hongdou put the newspapers away. “Then it’s settled.”

Just then, downstairs, Mrs. Peng called out, “Mrs. Yu, is your eldest son home? There’s a call from the police department, sounds urgent.”

Yu Chongyi exchanged a glance with his sister, then turned and ran out. He took the call and came back up, changing his clothes to go out.

Mrs. Yu checked the time—it was nearly nine—and couldn’t help feeling a pang of worry, insisting her son drink a bowl of warmed milk before letting him leave.

Hongdou saw her brother out and asked him, “What happened?”

Yu Chongyi answered distractedly, “A body’s been found near the river mouth. They don’t know if it’s Chen Baidie—they want us to go take a look.”

“Ah.” Hongdou froze in place.

That night, Brother didn’t come home, and the next day there was no sign of him either.

Though Hongdou had a mind to go find Wang Bide by herself, worried it wouldn’t be proper, she could only stay cooped up at home.

By evening, Brother still hadn’t returned. She went downstairs to bring back a few newspapers to read; there wasn’t a single word about Chen Baidie, so she guessed privately that the female corpse from that night wasn’t Chen Baidie—otherwise Shanghai’s press would have already exploded with the news.

Monday afternoon had no classes; Hongdou rode her bicycle home at noon, and before she’d even reached home, she spotted from a distance a rickshaw-car parked at the mouth of the alley, and felt inexplicably that it looked familiar. Looking inside the car, wasn’t that Uncle’s mansion’s driver?

She went straight up the stairs, and before she’d even opened the door, heard the sound of suppressed crying inside. Entering, she saw Aunt half-collapsed on the sofa, already crying her eyes out, her once-fashionable permed hair now a disheveled mess, the dark gold georgette qipao on her body crumpled and wrinkled, her whole person looking as though she’d rolled through a pile of dust—nowhere near her usual grand, extravagant air.

Uncle paced back and forth in the parlor, his face ashen, seeming utterly dejected as well.

Hearing Hongdou come in, the couple both looked over, and seeing it was her, couldn’t hide their disappointment.

Uncle, retaining a shred of composure, forced out a smile. “Hongdou’s home.”

Hongdou thought that smile looked worse than crying, and frowned. “Uncle, Aunt, what happened?”

At these words, Aunt’s tears fell in streams, crying even harder.

Hongdou set down her school bag and sat beside Aunt, lowering her head to look at her face, and was secretly shocked—she’d never known a person’s eyes could swell so red. If she’d run into her on the street by chance, she surely wouldn’t have recognized her as Aunt.

Mother came out from the kitchen carrying a freshly cooked bowl of porridge, comforting Uncle and Aunt. “You two haven’t eaten anything for a day and a night. Even if you have no appetite, you should eat a little something—don’t let yourselves collapse too, once Yuqi is found.”

Hongdou froze. “Yuqi cousin is missing?”

Mrs. Yu, still perhaps holding a grudge over how Aunt had slighted the Yu family, kept her anxiety somewhat restrained on her face, and said to her daughter, “She went out Saturday and never came back—it’s been two days and two nights now. Your uncle and aunt have searched everywhere they could think of, but no luck. They reported it to the police station, but were only told to go home and wait for news. Two days straight, not a single word back. Afraid of ruining Yuqi’s reputation, your uncle and aunt didn’t dare ask friends around for help, let alone put a notice in the papers. With no other choice, they remembered your brother works at the police department, and came here.”

Hongdou’s heart sank abruptly. Saturday? Wasn’t that the day of the Xinya tea gathering? She remembered clearly seeing Yuqi cousin when she’d first entered the teahouse, but by the time the gathering officially began, her cousin was already gone. She’d assumed she’d left early—who would have thought she’d actually gone missing?

She looked up, about to speak, when the sound of a key turning in the door came from the entrance—it was Brother, home.

Yu Chongyi hadn’t had a proper rest in days, his face full of exhaustion; looking up and seeing the scene in the room, he froze in the doorway. “Uncle, Aunt?”

Aunt, as if seeing her savior, rushed up from the sofa and threw herself at him, sobbing as she clutched him tight. “Chongyi, Yuqi is missing!”

Lately, Yu Chongyi feared nothing more than hearing the word “missing.” His face instantly went pale. “Yuqi is missing?”

Uncle, keeping himself relatively more composed than Aunt, pulled her brother aside and recounted the whole story from beginning to end, then added, “We’re living in the French Concession now, so we reported it at the police station there—I don’t know if that counts as one of your colleagues, but in any case, we haven’t been able to get any news at all.”

Yu Chongyi wiped his face roughly. “Alright, I understand. Uncle, Aunt, I’ll head to the French Concession right away.”

Hongdou hurried to say, “Brother, I saw Yuqi cousin at Xinya Teahouse that Saturday. At the time she was talking with a middle-aged man—I remember he was dressed very properly, wearing a gold watch on his wrist. The two of them talked for a while, and not long after, Yuqi cousin disappeared. Uncle, Aunt, think carefully—among cousin’s friends, is there anyone matching that description?”

This only threw the couple further into panic. Aunt, her face wooden, thought hard for a moment, then suddenly looked up, saying anxiously to Uncle, “I can’t think of anyone like that. Could it be a friend of yours? You useless fool, your own daughter’s in trouble and you can’t do a thing about it! Why don’t you think harder!”

Uncle, vexed by the scolding, glared and snapped back wildly, “And you have the nerve to say that to me? If it weren’t for you insisting on marrying Yuqi off to some good family, would our daughter be in this mess? Half those friends of hers, you brought into her life!”

Aunt covered her face and wailed loudly. “Go ahead and scold me all you like—either way I’m caught between everyone. If something happens to Yuqi, I might as well not go on living either!”

Seeing things spiraling further out of hand, Mrs. Yu quickly urged, “Chongyi’s back now, and he’s about to go help find Yuqi. I think you two should head back to the mansion and wait for news there—in case the police department over there gets word of Yuqi, you wouldn’t want to be unreachable.”

Only then did the couple seem to wake from a daze, standing up in a fluster, ready to head downstairs with Yu Chongyi. Mrs. Yu, mindful that her son hadn’t slept in two nights, quickly brought over a bowl of porridge. “Eating won’t take much time—you’ve already gone without sleep this whole while, if you don’t put something in your stomach, even an iron body couldn’t hold up.”

Yu Chongyi took a hasty sip, then pushed the bowl away. “I need to get word to the French Concession about the Xinya Teahouse business as soon as possible.”

Aunt watched from the side, a flicker of guilt seeming to cross her face, fortunately masked by the tear stains already there, not obviously showing through.

Mrs. Yu, sharp-eyed as ever, caught it at a glance. She’d expected to feel a certain satisfaction, but lowering her head to think it over, found her own heart wasn’t feeling much better than Aunt’s.

She saw the group off downstairs with her daughter; the two of them stood on the steps for a while in a daze. Hongdou looked up at the clear blue sky and suddenly said, “No, I need to go find Wang Bide.”

Mrs. Yu was startled. “Wang Bide? Who is that? What are you going to find him for?”

“A detective. Mom, you remember that famous actress Chen Baidie? I have a feeling Yuqi cousin’s situation isn’t so simple. If Brother comes back later, tell him I’ve gone to find Wang Bide—he knows the address, he’ll come find me.”

Hongdou said all this in one breath, then dashed upstairs to change clothes.

Running down to the hallway, she found the bicycle already gone—Brother had ridden off with it.

Fortunately, Wang Bide’s detective agency wasn’t far from Tongfu Lane—just two stops by tram. Getting off the tram, she went looking for Fuhua Lane, the address on the card.

After finally finding the address and about to head in, she heard two honks of a car horn behind her, as if someone were signaling to her.

She turned around, and just then a man got out of a car; recognizing him, her expression darkened.

What a small world—she never expected to run into that Lu Jingheng from Nanbao Trading Company here.

“Hey, Yu Hongdou.” Seeing her turn to walk away, Lu Jingheng caught up in a few strides. “Finally found out where you live. You ran off so fast earlier, I couldn’t catch up before you got on the tram. What are you doing here—do you have a friend living here?”

Yu Hongdou said coldly, “Mr. Lu, I’m in a hurry right now, I really don’t have time for you. If you know what’s good for you, step aside now, before I say something you won’t like.”

Lu Jingheng clicked his tongue. “Quite the temper. Let’s hear it then—what could you possibly say that’s so good? Come on, keep your voice down, just say it to me alone.”

Just then, someone about to enter Fuhua Lane, seeing this scene, laughed. “What bad luck, running into Young Master Lu harassing people again.”

The voice sounded very familiar to Hongdou; she turned her head—it was He Yunqin.

He wore a light grey shirt, and perhaps feeling warm, had undone one button at the collar, riding that half-worn bicycle of his.

Whatever grief Lu Jingheng had suffered at He Yunqin’s hands before, his face immediately turned cold, and without a word he turned and headed back to his car.

But once inside, he didn’t drive off right away, only resting his hand on the steering wheel, staring grimly in their direction.

He Yunqin turned to Hongdou. “Miss Yu, still not going in?”

Only then did Yu Hongdou realize he was deliberately staying to make sure Lu Jingheng wouldn’t cause her more trouble.

She waved the card in her hand and smiled. “I’m here to find Detective Wang.”

He Yunqin didn’t seem the least bit surprised, only raising an eyebrow. “That’s convenient then.” Once she’d entered the lane, he unhurriedly wheeled his bicycle along behind her.

The two walked one in front of the other, He Yunqin silent behind her the whole way. Hongdou walked a stretch, hearing only the creaking of that bicycle, and thought to herself, recalling He Yunqin’s languid, unhurried manner, that he must be the stingiest rich man she’d ever met—his bicycle so old and worn, yet he still couldn’t bear to replace it.

She thought it over, then turned back. “Thanks for earlier.”

Author’s Note: First time asking everyone for nutrient fluid, please help water Hongdou and He-er, thank you