Chapter 4-Resentment I

"Welcome!" Yang Jiahui greeted the police, assuming they were on their break. 

They approached the cashier. The female police officer inquired, "Hello, my name is Tang Mi, and this is my co-worker Ma Youwei. I would like to know if the cafe's owner is currently present?"

Yang Jiahui tilted her head to the side, realizing that the police were likely not there as customers. Nervously, she responded, "He's here. Hold on." and hurriedly walked to the kitchen to inform Zhao Bojing.

Zhao Bojing stepped out. "Hello, I'm the owner. How may I help you guys?"

They introduced themselves again. Ma Youwei then said, "Sorry to disrupt you during your work, Mr. Zhao. By any chance, do you know a woman named Zhang Tongtong?"

As Zhao Bojing recalled that Zhang Tongtong hadn't shown up and hadn't responded to his calls, and now the police were at the cafe, he had a bad feeling. Regarding how the police knew his name even though he hadn't mentioned it, he guessed they might have conducted some checks before coming. "Yes, I know her."

"If it's convenient, we would need to talk with you and your employees," Ma Youwei requested.

Zhao Bojing glanced at the clock. With only a few customers remaining and closing time approaching, he decided to put up the closing sign first. "The cafe is closing soon. Could you guys wait about 30 minutes to let us finish things up?"

The officers nodded and took a seat at a table while the three individuals finished up their work.

Once the cafe was closed, Lu Xiyun, Zhao Bojing, and Yang Jiahui took seats across from the two police officers.

Tang Mi began speaking, "Firstly, we appreciate your time. Let's start by asking for all of your names and the relationships you have with Zhang Tongtong." Although they already knew the names of the three individuals, they initiated the conversation with a basic inquiry.

Zhao Bojing introduced everyone. "We are friends, at most, with Zhang Tongtong. We met her when she visited our cafe because she was interested in featuring it on her blog. I agreed, and we exchanged contact information. We either met up at the cafe or had discussions over the phone regarding the content... Has something happened to Tongtong?"

"We have received numerous calls and emails from Zhang Tongtong's followers. They suspected something might have happened to her because she hasn't updated her blog for a week. She usually interacts with her fans every day, and if she can't, she informs them."

After a momentary pause, as if thinking whether to share more, she continued, "We visited her house, but no one was home. According to our conversations with the neighbors, there hasn't been any activity in or out of the house for a while. We suspect it's a missing person case, and we are now reaching out to her family and friends."

Tang Mi allowed them a moment to absorb the news before continuing, "Based on the latest update on her blog, she mentioned attending the opening day of your cafe. Did she indeed come that day?"

Zhao Bojing glanced at Yang Jiahui to answer the question since she was the front cashier, while he was in the kitchen most of the time that day. He only greeted Zhang Tongtong when she arrived and left. As for the other details during her time here, he had no idea. Yang Jiahui took a moment to recollect the events of that day. After all, it had been a week ago.

Lu Xiyun, on the other hand, maintained his usual impassive expression while subtly fidgeting with his fingers, oblivious to the conversation.

"Tongtong arrived around the opening time. She ordered some of the signature pastries and drinks, and she sat alone at that table," Yang Jiahui pointed towards a table near the window. "She was writing in her notebook while eating, probably taking notes about the food. Around noon, she had to leave because she had something to do."

Ma Jiawei then followed up, "Do you know what she needed to do?"

"No, she didn't mention what she was going to do."

After Yang Jiahui provided her answer, Zhao Bojing added, "She didn't come the next day or the rest of the week. I made multiple calls, but there was no response. We assumed she might be occupied with something and didn't want to disturb her."

Tang Mi and Ma Jiawei paused their questioning, thinking if there was anything they might have overlooked.

After a minute of silence, Ma Jiawei directed her attention to Lu Xiyun, who had his gaze fixed downward. Feeling a gaze on him, Lu Xiyun looked up briefly before returning his gaze downward.

Ma Jiawei, aware of Lu Xiyun's hearing impairment from the introduction, turned to Zhao Bojing and Yang Jiahui. "Could you please ask Lu Xiyun if he noticed anything unusual that day?"

Zhao Bojing wasn't confident in conveying all the details to Lu Xiyun, but he could explain the key points. ""I'll try my best, as I can only use a mix of hand gestures and pictures to ask him. The most I could convey is probably that you guys are looking for Tongtong." It took about 10 minutes to pass the message. Lu Xiyun shook his head, indicating that he didn't know anything.

Ma Jiawei asked, "Could we access the CCTV footage from the day Zhang Tongtong was here?" Zhao Bojing agreed and went to retrieve it.

The police left their contact information before departing, as there were no further questions to ask.

The three individuals remained in silent. Zhao Bojing found himself grappling with the weight of the news about Zhang Tongtong. It hadn't been a long time since they had met Zhang Tongtong. She found out Zhao Bojing and Lu Xiyun were not local people. So, she had taken them to good places to eat and shared local tips such as affordable and enjoyable places to visit.

As for Lu Xiyun, he didn't feel much. He just acknowledged that he wouldn't see Zhang Tongtong in the future. After all, people come and go all the time. To him, Zhang Tongtong, Zhao Bojing, and Yang Jiahui were just individuals he knew better than those passing by on the streets.

Zhao Bojing proposed, "Let's grab a bite to eat." It was already dinner time, and despite their concerns for Zhang Tongtong, they needed to attend to their own needs. They headed to a nearby restaurant and ordered mushroom egg drop soup, honey walnut shrimp, beef with black bean sauce, and three bowls of rice.

Whenever Lu Xiyun encountered a new dish, his typically expressionless eyes would light up slightly, a habit he had developed recently without even realizing it.

Zhao Bojing only noticed this recently, particularly during their meals at home. Finding it endearing and triggering his instincts as an older brother, he began placing extra portions in the teenager's bowl, often resulting in Lu Xiyun being unable to finish it all. Each time, this gesture elicited responses such as widened eyes, nods, or even the occasional monosyllabic sound. Given Lu Xiyun's typically expressionless and quiet demeanor, these reactions became quite amusing to Zhao Bojing.

After finishing their meal, Yang Jiahui headed home, while Zhao Bojing and Lu Xiyun returned to their apartment. Before bedtime, Zhao Bojing mentioned, "We'll go grocery shopping tomorrow. We don't have much left at home," as he showed Lu Xiyun pictures of a street market and indicated the date for the next day. Lu Xiyun nodded in acknowledgment.