Character Card

'An investigator from the Kangyang District Security Bureau? That's the unit where my cousin works in, they're looking for me?'

Zhang Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat. He was about to walk to the bedroom door to eavesdrop when he suddenly remembered something. He turned on his phone and deleted the chat and phone records he had sent to Brother Bing.

Then he folded the letter Brother Bing had written to him and pressed it under the potted plant on the windowsill.

Only then did he relax and open a crack to secretly observe.

Grandma's voice came from the entryway: "Why are you looking for him?"

Instead of inviting the investigator inside, she blocked the door.

We need to ask him something. Here's our ID."

The speaker was a girl with a sexy voice.

Grandma's gaze lingered on the ID, then she frowned and stepped aside.

Zhang Yuanqing opened the door at the right moment and examined the investigator who entered the living room.

The lead investigator was dressed in a formal black suit with a white shirt and black vest. He held an ebony cane. He had a thin face with a slight mustache, and his slicked-back hair was meticulously combed.

The European-style clothing and the mustache reminded him of an overseas Chinese gentleman.

On the gentleman's left was a beautiful young female investigator. Her facial features were well-defined, and she seemed to be of mixed blood. She was smiling, and her large eyes were very lively.

She was about 1.75 meters tall and had long legs comparable to a supermodel. She wore a formal suit. The hem of her shirt was tucked into the waist of her pants, outlining her slender waist and bulging chest. Such clothing was simple but effective at work.

The investigator at the end had a wooden expression on his face. He wore black-rimmed glasses, and his hair was slightly disheveled. He had the look of an engineer.

"I'm Zhang Yuanqing. What do you want from me?"

While Zhang Yuanqing examined them, the investigators studied the young man too.

The female half-blood investigator smiled.

"We're investigators from the Kangyang District Security Bureau. We have some questions for you. Please cooperate with the investigation."

"Okay…"

Zhang Yuanqing led them to the living room sofa and sat down. Grandma poured the three investigators a glass of water and then stared at her grandson with a puzzled expression.

She couldn't imagine that a warm and cheerful child, who was good at socializing, whom she had raised single-handedly, would need to assist the police investigators with something.

The young investigator with tousled hair and glasses pulled out a small notebook and pen.

The man with the slicked-back hair sat on the sofa, leaning on his stick with both hands. He said seriously: "Do you know Lei Yibing?"

As expected, they came for Brother Bing… so quickly.

Zhang Yuanqing answered truthfully, "We've been friends since we were kids. Why the sudden question?"

A suspicion flashed through his mind. His cousin was the captain of the Kangyang District Security Bureau's second team. Since these three investigators had come to visit, they must have checked his family background.

Logically speaking, shouldn't they inform and greet each other since the target was a family member of their colleague in the Security Bureau?

Didn't they know the ways of the world?

However, there was no sign of his cousin so he obviously didn't know. Otherwise, even if he didn't follow, he would have called in advance.

"Oh, you're best friends!"

The man stepped tapped his shiny leather shoes and said unhurriedly: "The thing is, Lei Yibing is missing. The Security Bureau in Hang City, Jiangnan Province, contacted us. They said they found out that a package was sent out the morning before he disappeared. The recipient was you."

He stared deeply at Zhang Yuanqing as if he could see through his mind, "Is that true?"

Zhang Yuanqing revealed a stunned and confused expression. "Missing? How is that possible…"

The engineer-looking guy who was in charge of recording the information reminded him: "Just answer yes or no."

"Yes, just now, I received a package, but the name of the sender was not written on it. I was still wondering who sent me the package." Zhang Yuanqing nodded with a heavy expression.

It was useless to deny it. Since the police could find out about the delivery, it was even easier to check the surveillance cameras in the neighborhood.

The man with the slicked-back hair nodded. He asked: "What's in the package? I hope you'll answer truthfully. This is a very important clue for us."

At the side, Grandma heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she couldn't help but worry about Lei Yibing.

She had watched that child grow up, even though he had moved away for many years.

Zhang Yuanqing replied: "There's nothing in the package. It's empty."

"Empty?" The man with the slicked-back hair narrowed his eyes as he examined Zhang Yuanqing with a gaze that seemed to read his mind.

Although I lied, the black card has indeed disappeared. It's no different from it being empty. I'm not afraid of you investigating…

Zhang Yuanqing did not dodge. He looked at him sincerely and said, "When I opened the package, I found it empty except for a fall-proof air cushion. By the way, the package is still in my room. You can look for it if you don't believe me."

If Brother Bing's disappearance was what he suspected, he would have to hide it now. He would explain everything when his cousin returned home from work.

It was naturally safest to discuss this matter with his family.

The man with the slicked-back hair motioned to his female subordinate with his eyes.

The latter entered the room with a smile. After a while, she returned to the living room and nodded at her companions.

The man with the slicked-back hair pondered for a moment and said: "We'd like to check your room, and the computer if that's convenient. Also, please show me your phone."

You can check the computer, but please don't open the history of the web browser and the learning folder's materials on the hard drive… Zhang Yuanqing unlocked the phone screen without blushing and handed it over.

The slicked-back man took the phone while the female investigator reentered the room.

The man with the slicked-back hair held the phone in one hand. After a few simple swipes of his thumb, he returned it to Zhang Yuanqing and waited patiently.

Half an hour later, the female investigator with long legs walked out. This time, she shook her head.

The man with the slicked-back hair nodded slightly and said gently: "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll leave now."

Zhang Yuanqing quickly asked, "Can I ask about Lei Yibing?"

He was both sincere and trying to "perfect" his lie. It would be too suspicious if he did not ask about the situation after hearing that his childhood friend had gone missing.

The man with the slicked-back hair answered patiently: "Lei Yibing disappeared from the dormitory. The surveillance cameras in the corridor did not capture him leaving. According to a roommate, when he got up to use the bathroom that night, he also saw Lei Yibing sleeping in bed."

"But when they woke up in the morning, he was gone. Twenty-four hours later, because they couldn't contact anyone, their counselor notified the school, and the school immediately called the police."

"For more details, you'll have to call and consult the local Security Bureau."

This was just as Uncle Lei had said. It seemed that the local Security Bureau was making no progress at all. Well, maybe this guy didn't want to tell him more…

Zhang Yuanqing nodded, "I got it."

The slicked-back man led his two subordinates toward the security door. He stopped halfway, turned, and said: "If there are any clues, you must let us know in time. Don't keep anything from us."

Zhang Yuanqing was about to nod when he heard him say with a meaningful smile, "Otherwise, you might be the next one to go missing."

I'll be the next one to go missing?

What does he mean by that? Is he threatening me? Is he going to make me disappear like Brother Bing unless I hand over the black card?

Anyway, what happened to the card? It disappeared into thin air… I can't hand it over even if I want to.

"Thanks for the warning!"

He showed a smile that could barely be seen.

Anyway, I'd better wait until my cousin gets back from work.

Brother Bing must not have wanted the card to fall into the hands of the Security Bureau. Otherwise, he would not have sent it to me.

Besides, as his best friend and childhood friend, he trusted Brother Bing not to screw him over.

Grandma's face darkened and she said coldly: "I won't see you out."

What was wrong with this person? Why was he cursing her grandson for no reason?

The man with the slicked-back hair smiled, fumbled a business card out of the left pocket of his suit, and handed it over. "Call me if you need anything."

After Zhang Yuanqing took it, he led his two subordinates away.

"Why is Bing missing? Sigh, I'll take some time to visit his mother," Grandma said worriedly after they left.

The two families used to be neighbors. After seeing each other for more than ten years, there was still some affection between them.

Zhang Yuanqing said wearily: "Grandma, I didn't sleep well last night. I'll go back to my room and rest first. If I don't get up at noon, you don't have to call me.

"When Grandpa comes back, tell him about this and ask him to contact Uncle Lei."

Last night, he had played with his aunt until two or three in the morning. In the morning, his old illness relapsed when he woke up. He was already lacking sleep, but in order to find Brother Bing, he had forcefully overloaded his brain.

At this moment, he was so tired that his brain was dizzy.

After his grandmother nodded, Zhang Yuanqing returned to his room.

Closing the door, he took off his shoes and plunged into bed, immediately falling asleep.

....

In the black car, Li Dongze sat in a leather armchair. His gold-studded cane with the handle leaned against the side of the chair. He held a goblet in his palm and swirled the red wine.

"Guan Ya, what did you find in the room earlier?"

He turned to the mixed-blood beauty in the seat beside him.

Guan Ya leaned lazily on the armchair, her long legs pressed together tightly. Her pretty face was solemn.

"I've made a major discovery."

"Tell me," Li Dongze said sternly.

The engineer in the back row also looked away from his phone and over.

Guan Ya said in a serious tone: "That kid has a stockings complex. His study folder's materials are full of mature sisters, but his trash bin is so clean. It doesn't make sense."

"His social circle is very wide. He has all kinds of groups, but he's only active in the gaming group and the 'dirty' group. The other groups are all muted… His room doesn't have any entertainment except for the game console. This kid is actually a little antisocial… By the way, Chief, you know what 'dirty' means, right?"

The mixed-blood beauty smiled and made a stroking gesture.

Her two companions were stunned. Li Dongze quickly raised his hand to interrupt and said angrily: "Oh, my God, I could kick your ass with my boot. I'm talking to you about serious business. Why are you talking all this nonsense? I've told you many times not to take liberties or make dirty jokes. It's a very bad habit for you to have. It's so inelegant."

The long-legged lady was not afraid of her angry superior at all. She smiled and said, "Don't be so boring. Appropriate banter helps liven things up."

Her smile faded slowly. She said: "I didn't find anything suspicious in his computer, but under the flowerpot on the windowsill, I found the letter Lei Yibing sent him. It's most likely a character card if nothing else, but I don't know what class it is."

Li Dongze was silent for a few seconds, resting his eyes.

"We'll come again tomorrow, hmm, if he's not missing by then."

...