Cherish You as My Life - Chapter 26.3

Chapter 26.3

She was an elderly woman, probably in her seventies or eighties. Her hair was completely white, with messy strands framing her face, and her eyes looked cloudy, lacking focus.  

Seeing the old lady at the door, leaning on a cane, Ji Yao quickly approached her and asked softly, “Is everything okay, Grandma?”  

The old lady tugged at her coat’s hem and replied, “Officer… are you the one handling murder cases here?”  

Everyone in the Criminal Investigation Team One turned their attention to her after hearing those words.

Usually, the security guards at the entrance wouldn’t let anyone in without proper procedure. Even if someone came to report a case, there was a specific way to do it, and just walking into the criminal investigation office was unusual.  

At that moment, a member of the missing persons team hurried over and said, “Captain Ji, sorry, but this is our case. We didn’t notice her, and she came here on her own. Grandma Xiao, please follow me.”  

Grandma Xiao waved her hands and insisted. “My granddaughter isn’t missing; she was murdered. She visited me in a dream yesterday, telling me she died tragically and asked me to seek revenge. She also mentioned wanting to eat the black sesame paste I make, which is good for health and hair. Her parents passed away early, and we relied on each other. I must avenge her.”  

Her voice was hoarse, typical of someone her age, but it also carried a sharpness from her sorrow, like a knife scraping against glass, stirring pain in the heart.

Without giving a chance to the officer from the mission person department to act first, Ji Yao helped the elderly woman to sit. 

Meanwhile, Zhao Jingjing filled a glass of water for the old lady and gave it to her.

The officer from the missing persons unit explained. “Captain Ji, here’s the situation. Grandma Xiao’s granddaughter went missing two months ago. We’ve been on the case, but there’s still no updates.”

Grandma Xiao clutched her cane tightly with her eyes filled with tears. “My Ningning is so caring. She would never leave me like this unless something terrible happened.”

Currently, this case would fall under the missing person’s department’s jurisdiction. They wouldn’t assume a missing person has been harmed just based on an old woman’s dream unless a body was discovered.

Suddenly, the old woman shouted.”Ningning, Ningning!” 

She stood up, forgetting her crutches, and wobbled toward Zhao Jingjing’s desk.

Everyone looked confused.

She reached Zhao Jingjing’s computer, touched the screen, then pulled back her hand, saying faintly, “This is my Ningning.”

There was a photo of Jiang Wei on the screen.

Ji Yao approached and helped Grandma Xiao into Zhao Jingjing’s chair. “Grandma, what made you think she was your granddaughter just now?” he asked, pointing at the screen.

Grandma Xiao gazed at the screen with a soft look. “Their hair is alike—long, soft, and smooth.”

Ji Yao then pointed to a long-haired policewoman at the opposite desk and inquired, “Do you think she resembles her?”

Grandma Xiao looked up and nodded. “Yes.”

‘It seems that as long as their hair grows, they all look alike.’He thought.

Zhao Jingjing reassured the old lady, saying, “Grandma, it sounds like you really miss your granddaughter. But don’t worry, as long as she’s out there, we’ll find some signs of her.” 

The officer from the missing persons department helped Grandma Xiao to her feet. “We’ll keep you updated with any leads we find. For now, could you head to the office where we took your statement and sign it? I’ll arrange for someone to take you home afterwards.” 

As Grandma Xiao made her way to the door, she paused, turned back, and noticed the poster of Jiang Wei on Zhao Jingjing’s computer. She murmured to herself, “She really does look like her.” 

Once the elderly woman left, Zhou Li picked up a magazine from the table featuring Ji Yao and Jiang Wei. “Captain Ji, what’s the story with you and this person? Everything good?” 

Without replying to that, Ji Yao looked over at Zhao Jingjing and said, “Oh, by the way, Deputy Captain Zhao, I need you to write an 800-word self-criticism about this situation.” 

Zhao Jingjing replied, “I’m not related to your rich second-generation drama, so I’m not sure how to help. Can’t you just write your own reflection?” 

Ji Yao responded, “Just take one of the old ones and tweak it a bit.” 

Zhao Jingjing asked, “Which one? You’ve done so many self-reviews before.” 

Ji Yao joked. “You make it sound like your brilliant Captain Ji has to write these all the time.”

Zhao Jingjing shot back, “Don’t you?” 

Ji Yao was left speechless. He then turned on his computer and started digging through the archives for information on professional thugs, looking for anyone who matched the description of the group that had confronted him in the alley that day.

After searching for ages, he couldn’t find any leads. 

‘It feels like the group has covered their tracks really well. Even the DNA test results from the flesh found under my fingernails didn’t match anything in the database, which meant these thugs had never been caught by the cops.’ 

The public security system kept records of DNA from all known criminals, so it wouldn’t be a big problem to find them if they were registered in the system before. 

Ji Yao shut down his computer, rubbed his temples, and glanced at the screensaver on his phone. 

This wallpaper was his favorite. It showed Han Xi with an angry look on her face. On the other hand, Ji Yao in the photo had a smirk on his lips. 

‘Could those thugs be connected to Han Xi?’

Ji Yao opened a bottle of banana milk, leaned back in his chair, and started mulling over different scenarios. 

‘If it is about some emotional drama, the guy could either be someone close to Han Xi. Hmm… the most likely suspect is Luo Haiyao.

Maybe it was a woman linked to Luo Haiyao, trying to stir up trouble and create doubt between Han Xi and Luo Haiyao.’

It all felt way too dramatic, so Ji Yao decided to ask Zhou Li for a second opinion. 

Zhou Li banged the table and declared, “From my years of reading in Jinjiang Literature City, the mastermind is probably part of some secret organization…” It was all just nonsense, no real insights. 

When work wrapped up, Ji Yao headed to the forensic lab.

****

Han Xi was busy typing. 

A cup of brown sugar water was sitting on the table, and a hot pack wrapper was crumpled up in the trash can nearby. 

Ji Yao strolled over, resting his hands on her desk. “You should head home and get some rest. I’ll make up some ginger tea for you later,” he suggested. 

Han Xi kept her eyes glued to the screen and replied, “I’ll be done soon. You can head back first. No need for the ginger tea; Director Ye sent some food for me at lunch, and there’s still some in the fridge. I’ll just heat it when I get home.” 

Ji Yao opened the fridge and spotted a green food storage container. He pulled it out and remarked, “Looks like Director Ye made this ginger tea himself. He taught me how to prepare it when I caught a cold.” He grabbed a chair, sat down, and smiled with anticipation. “Did Director Ye say anything else to you?” 

Han Xi finished filing her documents, shut down her computer, grabbed her bag, and stood up. “Nope.” 

Ji Yao was taken aback. ‘Didn’t Director Cai ask Director Ye to set up a blind date? How could she not have mentioned it? After all, I’m practically like a son to Director Ye, so she should be concerned about this, right?’

He helped Han Xi with the lunch box, and they made their way downstairs. As they walked, colleagues greeted Ji Yao with knowing looks, which made him feel pretty proud of himself.

As they got to the City Bureau’s entrance, a sweet voice rang out, “Captain Ji.”  

Han Xi turned, took a quick look, then grabbed the food container from Ji Yao and shot him a glance, saying, “Go look for your little model.”  

There was a hint of jealousy in her voice that she didn’t even realize.  

To Ji Yao, it felt like the green oranges on the trees in late summer—sour but with a touch of sweetness, making his heart race with that flavour.

End of chapter 26

Have a nice day!