At 6:30 AM, the alarm rang, and Lu Yan reluctantly threw off her covers to get up.

It was Monday, and the department was holding its general handover meeting. According to regulations, everyone had to arrive at the department half an hour early.

Feeling dizzy and heavy-headed, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. The face in the mirror was notably paler than usual, with faint dark circles under her eyes.

She hadn’t slept well last night, dreaming throughout. Besides fragments of old memories, there were some bizarre and striking scenes.

In her dream, that lean and beautiful body held a fatal attraction for her. She was intoxicated, floating in ecstasy, holding tight and savoring every moment, refusing to let go.

Her dress and his clothes were carelessly piled by the bed. June’s distinctive cicada chirping filled her ears, and the air in the room rippled like ocean waves as she drifted up and down, tossing in their midst.

Something in his gaze made her tremble yet fascinated her. His sweat rolled down his handsome brows, drop after drop, repeatedly scalding her collarbone and chest.

His shoulders seemed broader than before, and the lines of his waist and back were so smoothly athletic that she couldn’t take her eyes off them. She kept nibbling and holding him, not nearly satisfied when the alarm went off.

When she woke up, she felt a trace of regret.

Just a dream.

Looking in the mirror, she added mentally: Yes, an erotic dream.

She wasn’t sure what had triggered such a reaction last night, but she guessed it was probably because of that mysterious gift she’d received.

Splashing water on her face, the cold finally helped reduce the heat in her cheeks.

By the time she finished washing up and left the bathroom, she was just like any other weekday morning heading to work.

That was the good thing about dreams – no matter how wild things got with someone in them, the person being dreamed about would never know. She could sit face-to-face with them and remain completely composed.

For instance, she could now eat breakfast very naturally in front of Jiang Chengyi.

He didn’t seem to have slept well either, his complexion slightly worse than usual. Strangely though, his appetite was quite good. He quickly finished breakfast, took his car keys, and waited energetically by the entrance.

She picked up her pace, finished eating in a few bites, changed into her high heels, and followed him into the elevator.

In the car, they were both quiet, neither speaking.

Feeling inexplicably stifled, she rolled down the window.

It was raining, a cold and damp morning. Though not yet 7 AM, traffic was already showing signs of congestion. Traffic police in raincoats directed traffic back and forth at intersections. There were many pedestrians, all bundled in winter clothes, their faces uniformly wearing that Monday morning weariness.

“When do you get off work tonight?” he asked, staring straight ahead, finally breaking the silence.

She quietly took out her phone and checked today’s schedule: “There are quite a few surgeries today, not sure exactly when I’ll finish. Oh right, it’s Monday – has that surveillance footage been retrieved?”

He didn’t respond.

Only after driving into First Affiliated Hospital did he say to her coolly: “I’ll come pick you up tonight.”

Then he left after dropping that line.

The entire day was busy. The operating room system was like a complex precision instrument, with everyone a screw in its machinery. During its operation, not the slightest error could be tolerated.

Lu Yan was responsible for one of the gynecology operating rooms today. The surgeries rotated quickly, and by the end of her shift, she had completed several laparoscopic procedures.

After carefully visiting the patients scheduled for anesthesia tomorrow, she went to the changing room to change clothes. When she came out and checked the time, things had gone well – all the day’s anesthesia and surgeries had gone smoothly, and it wasn’t even 7:30 PM yet.

After saying goodbye to her colleagues, she walked to the elevator bay and pressed the button. Remembering the morning’s conversation, she was wondering whether to send Jiang Chengyi a message when her phone rang.

It was Jiang Chengyi.

She answered.

“Off work?” he asked.

Adjusting her scarf, she cleared her throat: “Mm-hmm.”

“The surveillance footage is ready,” his voice revealed no emotion, “I’m waiting downstairs.”

In the elevator, she met several colleagues from other departments. Seeing Lu Yan, one commented with a smile: “Little Lu must have encountered something happy, you’re glowing.”

Lu Yan touched her face, feeling quite tired and wondering how she could be glowing.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, everyone walked out.

Seeing Lu Yan walk straight toward Jiang Chengyi’s car, her colleagues immediately understood and teased: “So our Dr. Lu is in love, now there’ll be many broken hearts in the hospital.”

Lu Yan opened the car door and gave them a helpless smile: “See you tomorrow.”

As she got in, she glanced at Jiang Chengyi and noticed his gloomy expression.

This morning, though he hadn’t said much, his face hadn’t been this dark.

After settling in, she looked at him for several seconds before taking the initiative: “Are we going to your district station now?”

“Mm,” he finally deigned to speak.

The Criminal Investigation Brigade of Anshan District was very close, only a ten-minute drive away.

After parking, Jiang Chengyi led her inside.

They met Old Qin on the way.

Seeing them, Old Qin said to Jiang Chengyi: “I was just about to call you. Wang Ping and I finished the handover, our team got fifteen case files in total.”

Jiang Chengyi replied: “Good, thanks for your hard work. Let’s do a general organization first, then tomorrow morning we’ll have a team meeting to assign them one by one.”

Old Qin exchanged a few more words with Jiang Chengyi, then noticed Lu Yan’s confused expression and explained: “An old detective from the bureau retired and transferred some of his unsolved cases to Captain Jiang, some of which are quite old.”

Lu Yan asked curiously: “Generally speaking, what kinds of cases are they?”

Old Qin smiled wryly: “Some involve fugitives who, for various reasons, haven’t been apprehended yet. There are also homicides or theft cases where either the clues are fragmentary or the crime scene was too severely compromised, making investigation difficult.”

Lu Yan nodded, then looked around. Working overtime seemed to have become the norm here – even though it was past 7 PM, the hallways were full of people moving quickly about their business.

Reaching Jiang Chengyi’s desk, Old Qin insisted on making tea despite Lu Yan’s protests.

Lu Yan put her bag on Jiang Chengyi’s desk and quietly surveyed it. Besides a computer, the rest were all files, with almost no personal items.

Suddenly something bumped against her knee from behind. Looking down, she saw that Jiang Chengyi had moved the computer chair behind her.

She turned her head, but he had already opened the computer and was moving the mouse, searching for files.

Old Qin returned with tea just then and said to Lu Yan: “Dr. Lu, please sit. I spent quite some time today getting the paperwork done to transfer these two surveillance videos. We’ll probably need you to make a statement later.”

Jiang Chengyi opened a video and said to Lu Yan: “Take a look at this person in the video. Do you recognize them?”

Lu Yan felt her heart tighten. Out of an inexplicable fear, just like when she watched the Nanshan Lane surveillance footage two days ago, she couldn’t even bring herself to look at the screen for the first few seconds. After composing herself for a while, she finally began to carefully observe the footage.

The first video was from a street, timestamped Saturday at 7:37 p.m. The lighting wasn’t very bright, and there were many pedestrians, but Lu Yan immediately recognized the location as Songshan Road, where she had been hurrying through the cold wind among the crowd.

Nothing unusual was apparent in the first few seconds of the footage, but when passing an alley, a tall, robust figure suddenly appeared in the frame.

After emerging from the alley, this person didn’t immediately follow Lu Yan, but first lit a cigarette, casually looking left and right while smoking. After a while, he unhurriedly followed her, and after trailing for several dozen meters, began deliberately shortening the distance between them.

Jiang Chengyi paused the mouse on the man, enlarging his image. The man wore a loose black overcoat and a grimy cap, with one hand in his pocket and seeming to hold something in the other.

At first glance, he appeared to be casually holding the object but watching continuously revealed that he was intentionally adjusting its angle, keeping it constantly aimed at Lu Yan’s back.

Lu Yan struggled to identify it: “In his hand, is that…”

Jiang Chengyi: “A DV camera.”

“DV camera?”

Jiang Chengyi froze the frame on the man’s face with the cigarette: “This person has a criminal record. As soon as we retrieved the surveillance footage this morning, we verified his identity by evening. His name is Wang Qiang. Ten years ago, he was imprisoned for molestation and theft. After his release three years ago, on a fellow inmate’s suggestion, he bought a DV camera. Since then, he began long-term stalking and secretly filming women, selling the videos to illegal websites for profit. After being caught, he was imprisoned until this March.”

After explaining, he asked Lu Yan: “Have you seen this person before?”

Lu Yan shook her head: “Never.”

Jiang Chengyi pressed play, and the footage continued.

This time, Lu Yan in the video had reached an intersection. Due to a red light, many pedestrians were waiting at the roadside, with Lu Yan standing near the front left of the crowd.

Perhaps because the crowd had gathered together, Wang Qiang was no longer as cautious. Taking advantage of his height, he slowly weaved through some people and approached Lu Yan.

After standing there lackadaisically for a moment, an unexpected scene unfolded – Wang Qiang mischievously raised the front of his DV camera and touched Lu Yan’s back with it.

Lu Yan in the footage clearly noticed something and seemed about to turn around, but just then the light turned green. The crowd surged forward, and the scene quickly progressed.

Jiang Chengyi was about to open the next video when Lu Yan suddenly said: “Wait.”

As Jiang Chengyi looked at her, she pointed to someone in an inconspicuous corner of the frame: “Can you enlarge this person?”

Only then did Jiang Chengyi and Old Qin notice a woman at the back of the crowd, wearing a long black down jacket, of medium height, unremarkable, and blending into the crowd.

“Can you rewind the footage?” Lu Yan’s tone was tense.

Jiang Chengyi rewound the footage to the initial 19:37. As he dragged the progress bar, they could see this woman consistently staying near Lu Yan, appearing even earlier than the man.

Old Qin sensed something was wrong: “What is it?”

Lu Yan slowly shook her head: “This woman also appeared in the subway. If something unexpected hadn’t come up, I would have taken the same train with her. It’s strange, why does she seem familiar?”

Jiang Chengyi opened the X-line subway footage. In this segment, Wang Qiang employed the same tactics – initially just standing casually in a corner smoking, waiting until the subway was about to arrive before approaching Lu Yan. When the crowd finally congested the train doors, he deliberately positioned himself behind her, though due to blocked sightlines, it was impossible to see exactly what he did behind Lu Yan.

Coincidentally, the woman in the black down jacket remained in the frame throughout.

Unlike the tall Wang Qiang, she neither drew attention nor made any inappropriate moves, maintaining such a low profile that if Lu Yan’s group hadn’t specifically been observing her, they might not have even been able to confirm she was following Lu Yan.

When Lu Yan stood on the platform heading from “Station A to Station B,” she quietly stood there too. When Lu Yan entered the carriage, she followed, until Lu Yan received Jiang Chengyi’s call and unexpectedly pushed out of the crowd. Only then was the woman, already inside the carriage, unable to return to the platform under everyone’s watchful eyes.

Jiang Chengyi’s gaze flickered, and though uncertain, he opened another document.

It contained footage he’d copied from Nanshan Lane Police Station a few days ago.

Lu Yan had seen this video before, and when the image appeared, she quietly looked up at Jiang Chengyi.

He didn’t turn around, focusing intently on the screen.

In the video, the woman opened the entrance door to Lu Yan’s building, entered, and hurriedly left several minutes later.

After watching it several times, Lu Yan finally realized why the woman from the subway seemed familiar.

The women in the two videos appeared quite different at first glance: one dressed “fashionably,” the other wearing an unremarkable black down jacket. However, their builds and walking styles were highly similar.

Both were of medium height, both wore high heels and when walking, both took quick, large strides. That distinctive way of hurrying with the upper body leaning forward was quite identifiable.

“There are two suspicious points about these videos,” Jiang Chengyi paused the footage and turned to face Old Qin and Lu Yan. “First, if Wang Qiang chose to follow and film secretly, why deliberately draw attention to himself? Was his real intention to film or to intimidate? Just from the footage, it’s impossible to judge.”

Old Qin pondered for a few seconds before asking Jiang Chengyi: “Should we check Wang Qiang’s bank account?”

Jiang Chengyi: “You suspect someone hired him to frighten Lu Yan?”

Old Qin: “I’ve dealt with people like Wang Qiang many times. They won’t move without profit, and he just got out of prison earlier this year. He hasn’t had enough time outside to want to go back in so soon. There must be a reason for this unusual behavior.”

Lu Yan listened intently from the side, secretly marveling at how different professions were truly worlds apart. The same incident, when viewed by experienced criminal investigators, revealed completely different perspectives from her own.

Jiang Chengyi took out his phone and made a call, which connected quickly. The person on the other end seemed to still be at work. Jiang Chengyi walked aside, spoke for a few moments, then hung up and returned.

He looked at Old Qin: “We might have news tomorrow. Wang Qiang has developed some experience in counter-surveillance from his multiple prison terms. Besides investigating his finances, we should also check who he’s been in contact with these past few months.”

Lu Yan remained silent for a moment, then reminded him: “You just said there were two suspicious points about the videos. What’s the other one?”

Jiang Chengyi turned his attention back to the computer screen: “This woman wore a silk scarf once and a mask and hat another time, deliberately concealing her face both times.”

Lu Yan’s heart stirred: “Is that strange?”

Jiang Chengyi stared at the woman in the footage without responding, but Old Qin interjected: “Can’t quite put my finger on it, but this woman’s completely different appearance each time feels odd.”

Just then, several people noisily approached from outside, carrying a large bag. Upon reaching them, they said: “Captain Jiang, we just found this at Wang Qianqian’s house. This is the second search, there shouldn’t be anything left now. When her mother heard it was to help solve the case, she wanted to dig up even the drains for us. Look, we brought back quite a lot.”

While speaking, they first noticed Lu Yan, then saw the case files on the desk: “Oh, Captain Jiang, do we have new cases?”

Old Qin, being sharp, didn’t need Jiang Chengyi’s prompting and naturally led Lu Yan to another area: “Since we’re done with the footage, Dr. Lu, let’s come over here to take your statement.”

Lu Yan picked up her bag and followed Old Qin.

They hadn’t gone far when they heard Jiang Chengyi say: “Take Wang Qianqian’s belongings to forensics immediately. Don’t mess around, there are no new cases. Just some old cases transferred from Old Wang. We’ll assign them tomorrow.”

Someone lowered their voice: “Oh, right, Captain. Didn’t we have a farewell party for Old Wang at the bureau recently? At dinner, he mentioned one case similar to Wang Qianqian’s – both victims were dumped in the artificial lake after death. Unfortunately, the killer was too cunning, and after three years, the case remains unsolved. I heard the victim was a wealthy merchant’s wife. These challenging cases are great for gaining experience. Now that it’s with our team, if we investigate properly, we might solve it before year’s end.”

“Keep it down, you lot,” Old Qin stood up and called out, half-serious, half-joking, “We’re taking a statement here.”

Thanks to Old Qin’s seniority and good relationships, his shout not only met no objection but quieted the group considerably.

However, after finishing the statement, Old Qin himself couldn’t help sighing: “The longer a case goes unsolved, the harder it becomes. Evidence of the crime gradually fades away, but as long as the perpetrator hasn’t been brought to justice, we must keep investigating. Think about it – what family wouldn’t suffer from something like this? The relatives often can’t escape the shadow for many years.”

Lu Yan: “Yes, such things are truly unfortunate.”

She was still thinking about Wang Qiang from the video. If someone had hired him to target her, who could it be? After some speculation, she seemed to have an idea.

Jiang Chengyi appeared to have no intention of leaving work yet, so she decided to put aside these thoughts for now and asked Old Qin: “Officer Qin, where’s the restroom?”

Returning from the restroom, she found someone chatting with Old Qin over a steaming cup of tea: “Old Qin, you just mentioned how murder victims’ families can’t escape the shadow, but in my view, suicide victims’ families can’t accept reality either. You must know about that strange case, right? About eight years ago, a middle school girl committed suicide by jumping into a lake. For seven consecutive years afterward, someone kept sending anonymous letters to us, claiming the girl’s death was suspicious. They listed numerous reasons why the girl wouldn’t commit suicide, strongly demanding the police reinvestigate. The leadership took this seriously and opened an investigation. But after a thorough examination, including reviewing the surveillance footage of the girl’s suicide that night multiple times, it was confirmed as suicide. There was no possibility of homicide.”

Lu Yan froze in place.

The person continued: “Even so, this anonymous letter writer still sends letters every year, year after year, attaching their collected ‘evidence’ and demanding police reopen the case. In all my years in criminal investigation, I’ve never seen someone so persistent. It’s quite sad. We once suspected it might be the girl’s parents, but after comparing handwriting samples several times, it wasn’t them. I just can’t understand – after so many years, who would still be so hung up on this?”

Lu Yan’s heart sank heavily, and she approached: “Excuse me, was this suicide girl from No. 7 Middle School?”

The person hesitated, quickly changing the subject: “Just casual chat.”

At that moment, Jiang Chengyi walked over, and the topic was dropped.

Old Qin said: “Captain, time to call it a day, right?”

Jiang Chengyi smiled: “Yes, good work everyone.”

Noticing Lu Yan’s unusual silence, he approached and looked at her knowingly: “Let’s go.”

Lu Yan felt indescribable emotions clogging her chest, but hearing his words, she casually picked up her bag and walked out.

By the time they got in the car, Lu Yan’s expression had returned to normal.

While fastening her seatbelt, she happened to turn her head and found Jiang Chengyi watching her.

But the next moment he turned away, asking briefly: “Hungry?”

Lu Yan answered honestly: “Yes.”

Jiang Chengyi began turning left, preparing to drive onto Songshan Road’s main avenue: “My parents are entertaining guests tonight, and their cook is overwhelmed, so Aunt Liu was called away temporarily.”

Lu Yan blinked, not quite following.

Jiang Chengyi: “No one’s cooking tonight, so if we want to eat, we’ll have to cook ourselves.”

Passing a fresh food supermarket, Lu Yan went in to buy several fresh vegetables. As for other ingredients, Aunt Liu had probably stocked the refrigerator before leaving.

She only knew how to cook a few simple home-style dishes, her culinary skills were quite limited, but they should be more than adequate for someone like Jiang Chengyi who had never even entered a kitchen.

Entering the house, Aunt Liu was indeed absent. While changing shoes, Lu Yan’s eyes swept over the hem of Jiang Chengyi’s suit pants, and inexplicably, fragments of last night’s dream flashed through her mind, making her feel guilty for no reason.