The three found a table and looked at the case file. When they saw the picture of Yin Lin sandwiched inside, the young monk picked it up with agitation and tears in his eyes. “This is my aunt! Thirteen years! I can finally see a photo of a relative!”

Chen Shi allowed the young monk to bask in his emotions and continued looking at the file with Lin Dongxue. The file stated that in March of 2005, the neighbor called the police and said Yin Lin was missing. The reason that they found out was because Yin Lin had a dog. The owner hadn’t come back for a few days, so the dog went crazy with hunger and bit the wires and cables while wailing with lots of sadness.

When Chen Shi saw a Tibetan mastiff in the photo and said, “If she was able to own a Tibetan mastiff ten years ago, her family must be very rich.”

Yin Lin was indeed very rich. According to the information, she was a self-employed owner of a clothing business. She was a diplomatic and eloquent person in business. However, she was petite in the photo and looked sweet rather than a strong person.

Yin Lin's parents died early and her relatives lived far away at her hometown in Henan. She only had one sister in Long’an City called Yin Wen who was unable to be contacted during the investigation of the case.

The investigation of the case ended one year later and there were no clues. The police suspended the investigation and put the file on the shelf.

At this time, Xu Xiaodong called and was a little excited. “Brother Chen, I found Yin Wen’s information!”

The young monk came over excitedly to listen.

Chen Shi queried, “Where is she?”

“Missing. I have a missing persons report on hand. Should I bring it back?”

“Bring it back!”

Chen Shi hung up the phone and Lin Dongxue sighed. “God not only closed the door, but he welded the window shut as well.”

Chen Shi refused to give up. He pointed to the case file and said, “Some of Yin Lin's friends were mentioned in this. Shall we investigate?”

“Forget it!” Lin Dongxue shook her head. “This investigation is getting farther and farther away from our original intention. We only have four people! If we check it like this, we won't find anything out until next year.”

Chen Shi suddenly stood up, grabbed a police officer, and asked, “Comrade, who is responsible for this case?”

The policeman looked at the signature on the case file and said, “These three policemen are all old officers. Now there’s only one of them left here called Zhang.”

“I want to meet him!”

When they met Officer Zhang, he said that it was too long ago to remember and that the case was mainly investigated by his colleague, Liu Baiqin. Police officer Zhang said, “Old Liu had a donkey’s temper[1] He didn't show up in the unit at all while he busied himself investigating this case and was punished several times. Later...”

“What happened later on?”

“He was reprimanded by the director, who told him not to follow this case anymore. He slammed down his badge and resigned in a fit of rage.” Officer Zhang pointed to the time on the file. “The time he resigned was the time the investigation was suspended because other people really didn't have the patience to investigate this.”

“Can I meet him?”

“He works at a security company now. I'll copy his contact information down for you.”

The three rushed over but came out empty handed again. The night was looming on them and Chen Shi had run around a lot today, so he said, “Let’s continue investigating tomorrow!”

Although the little monk was reluctant, he nodded and said, “I will be with you tomorrow.”

“Yes, but under one condition!”

“Please let me know.”

“You have to eat tonight. Don't punish yourself. It has no merit in it.”

The young monk was silent for a moment, but clasped his hands together. “I understand.”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue returned to their residence. Chen Shi was exhausted and lay on the sofa. Lin Dongxue also went back to her room to lie down. After a while, Chen Shi actually started dozing off. He struggled and was ready to order a takeaway to fill his stomach.

At this time, Lin Dongxue sent him a message. “Old Chen, my shoulders are very sore. Can I... If you can’t, then don’t worry about it.”

With a look of helplessness, Chen Shi walked into Lin Dongxue's bedroom and said, “Sit up!”

“Why?” Lin Dongxue sat up puzzled.

Chen Shi started massaging her shoulders and Lin Dongxue screamed softly. Since he wasn’t sure whether she did that because she was surprised or sore, he toned down the pressure and asked, “Is this okay?”

“Yes, it’s really comfortable...” Lin Dongxue lowered her hair and her cheeks flushed red. “Why are you suddenly massaging me?”

“Didn’t you... What about your phone?”

“Tao Yueyue borrowed it to play.”

Chen Shi punched his fist in the air. This damn child! He could only play along. “I'm afraid you'll be too exhausted to investigate tomorrow.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The two were silent until Lin Dongxue suddenly said, “I will have to move away in a few days. In case my brother finds out...”

“Okay!” Although Chen Shi was a bit reluctant to let her go, how could he say that to her? “When this case is over, I’ll help you move.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“What are you being so polite for? It’s not like we’ve only known each other for a short time.”

“Do we count as good friends?”

“I guess so...”

“Oh!” Lin Dongxue felt a little sad in her heart. However, after thinking about it, since she asked it like this, Chen Shi couldn't exactly say no.

They didn’t speak to each other for the rest of the night. The next morning, Chen Shi was woken up by a message. Peng Sijue said in the group chat, “A human-like organism was found at the crime scene!”

Chen Shi jumped up and quickly put on clothes. Then, he went to get Lin Dongxue out of bed. As soon as he opened the door, he bumped his head into Lin Dongxue’s. Lin Dongxue held her head and asked, “Did you see it?”

“Yes, let's hurry over!”

The two went to pick up the young monk and rushed to the crime scene with him. The lights were not turned on and Peng Sijue was sitting on the side of the bed with his arms crossed. Chen Shi came in and asked, “Did you not sleep at all last night?”

“I'm used to staying up late. It has nothing to do with you.”

“What did you find?”

Peng Sijue raised his hand that held a test tube. There were a bit of flesh-like things in it. Lin Dongxue found that the wallpaper had all been peeled off and the cement coating on the wall had been scraped away. Peng Sijue had found it after going through the wall inch by inch.

“Specific tests are needed but without comparison samples, it’s meaningless,” Peng Sijue said.

“The comparison sample is here!” Chen Shi pointed to the young monk.

The little monk said, “Yes, it must have been left by my father!”

“I have something to say first. This bit of human tissue can’t be considered evidence of a murder… I’ll go back to rest for awhile and I’ll continue in the afternoon.”

“Old Peng, don't drive after staying up all night. Let me drive you… You need to pay for the car fare though!”

Peng Sijue made an expression of extreme contempt. “No thanks, I’ll take a taxi! You send this thing back to the bureau and let them test it! Also tell them not to come here. I can handle this tiny space by myself.”

The three returned to the bureau and handed the sample to the forensics department. Lin Dongxue said, “It's already the fourth day and we’ve only just found the victim's DNA. Isn’t this progress too slow?”

“Quantitative change causes qualitative change. I believe that soon, everything will become clear.”

“Is this comforting me, or is it comforting yourself?”

“I find that our team's morale is very poor. Why is everyone saying that this case can’t be solved?” Chen Shi's expression suddenly changed. “Oh no!”

“What happened?”

“We forgot to have breakfast. Let’s go to Yong'an soy milk!”

“You bastard! You scared me!” Lin Dongxue punched him with a smile.

1. As hardworking as a donkey.