Chapter 2 She Hadn’t Forgotten His Name

“Did you call the police?”

“Yes, it was me,” replied a man in a suit, looking slightly fatigued.

After asking a few basic questions, the police officer continued, “How did you discover that she had suicidal tendencies?”

Jiang Zhihao carefully recounted the situation from that morning.

He had scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist for Zhuang Zi for that morning. She had agreed to go, but when the appointment time passed, she neither went to the hospital nor called to explain why. Dr. Feng, whom Jiang Zhihao had arranged through a friend, called Zhuang Zi when she didn’t show up, but there was no answer. Dr. Feng then called Jiang Zhihao, worried that something might have happened, as psychiatric patients can be very dangerous.

After hearing the news, Jiang Zhihao tried to contact her several times, but there was still no answer.

“She’s been in a very bad state recently, sometimes even appearing dazed. Just yesterday, her ex-fiancé made a grand romantic gesture to another girl at Wanda Plaza, and it was all over the city,” Jiang Zhihao said painfully. “I was afraid she might have been upset and made a rash decision, so I called the police. Who knew it would really turn out this way!”

“Does she have mental health issues?” the police officer asked.

“Yes,” Jiang Zhihao frowned, his voice bitter. “She’s had a rough few years with numerous emotional and family setbacks. Six months ago, my wife, who was also her sister, died suddenly in a car accident. Zhuang Zi was so ill that she was hospitalized for half a month and hasn’t fully recovered. She suffers from chronic insomnia and headaches, and at times becomes very confused. Yesterday’s event only added to her stress.”

After understanding the situation, the police made a preliminary determination of an attempted suicide.

Before the two officers left the hospital, they gave Jiang Zhihao some stern advice and instructed him to take good care of the patient to avoid causing negative social emotions and wasting public resources.

…

When Zhuang Zi woke up, she didn’t know where she was or what time it was.

The room was quiet, and she felt a vague discomfort in her head and chest. An IV was attached to the back of her right hand.

Feeling uncomfortable, she frowned and looked around, realizing she was in a hospital.

Jiang Zhihao walked into the ward, quickly approaching her bed when he saw she was awake. “How do you feel now?”

Zhuang Zi moved her dry lips and weakly asked, “Am I in a hospital?”

“Yes, you are.”

Zhuang Zi looked pale and suspiciously at him.

“I didn’t expect your condition to be this serious,” Jiang Zhihao said, worried. “It’s not safe for you to live alone. After you’re discharged, I think you should move in with me to prevent you from doing something like this again!”

Confused, Zhuang Zi asked, “What do you mean?”

Jiang Zhihao sat down in a chair beside the bed, his expression serious. “When the police went in, the whole house smelled bad. The gas stove in the kitchen was on, and the water from the pot of dumplings had overflowed and extinguished the flame, causing a gas leak all night. Fortunately, the small window in the bathroom was open, or it could have been a disaster!”

Zhuang Zi’s mind went blank, and her face turned pale.

This… was impossible.

She had clearly cleaned the kitchen before going to the bedroom to shower last night. She would never leave used dishes and unfinished food overnight; it was a habit of hers.

Moreover, everything was normal when she went to sleep at 1 a.m. She didn’t have a habit of eating late at night and definitely hadn’t cooked any dumplings.

The cold liquid from the IV flowed into her body, sending chills through her heart and up to her scalp.

“I know you won’t listen to reason now. But if you keep treating yourself like this, don’t you think your sister would be deeply disappointed in you if she were alive?”

Zhuang Zi stared blankly at the ceiling, her mind in a daze.

“I’ve hired a caregiver to look after you,” Jiang Zhihao sighed, frustrated. “We’ll talk about other things after you get out.”

Zhuang Zi weakly said, “Give me my phone.”

“For what?”

Zhuang Zi looked at him with a pale face, swallowed her dry throat nervously, and said firmly, “Give it to me.”

Jiang Zhihao, puzzled, studied her for a couple of seconds but eventually took out the phone from his pocket and handed it to her.

With trembling fingers, Zhuang Zi dialed 110.

…

Half an hour later, two new police officers arrived at the hospital to handle the case.

Zhuang Zi was still receiving an IV drip. When she saw them come in, she slowly sat up in bed with the help of the caregiver.

The officers showed their badges, and one of them, named Xie Kui, asked her, “Were you the one who called us earlier?”

Zhuang Zi nodded. “Yes, it was me, officer.”

Jiang Zhihao quickly added, “We also called the police this morning about the incident at Nanxin Community, but there are other situations now.”

“What happened?” Xie Kui asked.

Zhuang Zi firmly denied, “I didn’t attempt suicide.”

“Not a suicide attempt?” Xie Kui was confused, having heard about the morning incident from his colleagues. “But your family reported that you had suicidal tendencies due to emotional and family issues.”

“He doesn’t understand the situation,” Zhuang Zi shook her head and added, “I would never do something so foolish over an unworthy man.”

The two officers were slightly taken aback.

Xie Kui asked, “Then what happened? Please explain.”

Zhuang Zi looked at them with a serious expression. “Recently, some strange things have been happening at home. I installed surveillance cameras in the living room. A quick check should reveal the truth.”

“What strange things?”

Seeing that Zhuang Zi was struggling to speak, Jiang Zhihao answered for her, “Things inexplicably appearing in places they shouldn’t be. The strangest instance was a flowerpot in the living room mysteriously moving to the balcony. The community checked the surveillance, and no thief had entered the house. We thought it might be her doing things in a daze and then forgetting about it.”

The two officers exchanged a quick glance and asked, “Are you sure it’s not something you did yourself?”

Zhuang Zi thought for a moment and shook her head. “The surveillance should have recorded everything.”

After a brief pause, Xie Kui said, “Alright. When would be a good time for us to check your surveillance? If there’s evidence of a break-in, we’ll open a case for investigation as soon as possible. However, once you’re feeling better, you’ll need to come to the station to file a detailed report.”

Zhuang Zi, feeling extremely anxious, was eager to get to the bottom of this. “My brother-in-law can take you to my house now. I’ll go to the station to file the report as soon as I finish my IV.”

“That works.”

…

By the time she finished her IV, it was already past 6 p.m.

On the way to the police station, Zhuang Zi pondered deeply.

Thinking about everything that had happened the previous night, she felt increasingly uneasy.

It was terrifying upon closer reflection!

If she had died quietly at home last night, it would have been deemed either a failed suicide attempt or an accidental death, just like her sister.

Although she had no evidence, she was becoming more certain that there was something suspicious about her sister’s car accident.

Who would want her dead for no reason? And who was responsible for her sister’s death?

…

At 7 p.m., the police station in Beiyan District, Yicheng City, was brightly lit.

The on-duty officer led her to the Criminal Investigation Department office. Xie Kui was not there; he was likely still at her house checking the surveillance footage.

The officer told her to come back at 8 a.m. the next day. Since it was the end of the workday, Xie Kui might not return to the station.

Zhuang Zi, still recovering and having just been exposed to the cold wind outside, felt a dry, painful sensation extending from her lungs to her throat, causing her to cough violently. The cough triggered pain in her temples, making her head feel dizzy and swollen. She weakly grasped the sofa beside her for support.

The caregiver who had accompanied her looked worried at her pale face. “Are you alright?”

Zhuang Zi waved her hand to indicate she was fine.

Still concerned, the caregiver turned to the police officer. “She’s still in the hospital. Could she stay here for a bit to drink some hot water before leaving?”

Seeing her genuinely unwell appearance, the officer nodded in agreement.

The caregiver helped her sit on the sofa and went to the water dispenser to get her some hot water.

In the vast, empty office, the sound of water gurgling from the dispenser echoed clearly.

The Criminal Investigation Department had only this one large office, with more than a dozen desks. Apart from the innermost meeting room and the captain’s private office, everyone in the department worked in this large office during the day.

At this moment, the private office door was closed, but the meeting room lights were on, and a few figures could be seen moving inside.

From her angle, she could see a man’s back directly opposite her.

He leaned casually against the edge of a desk, smoking silently while someone spoke to him. He turned slightly to tap the ash off his cigarette, the bright light outlining the firm contours of his profile.

Zhuang Zi’s gaze lingered on that smooth silhouette for a few seconds, as if trying to recognize something.

Before she could come to any conclusion, the caregiver brought her the water.

She carefully took it, and the warm water soothed her throat, making her feel much better.

At that moment, the meeting room door was fully opened from the inside.

A group of people walked out.

Instinctively, Zhuang Zi looked up.

Leading the group was a man in a black leather jacket with a stand-up collar. His straight posture filled out the jacket perfectly. With his hands in his pockets, his tall and lean frame stood out among the crowd, looking both efficient and stylish.

When she saw his face clearly, she was slightly taken aback.

“Captain Si,” a police officer beside him asked, “What if we still can’t reach the kid’s father?”

Captain Si…

She had heard this title in her dazed state when she was carried out of the bedroom that morning.

As the man walked toward her, he seemed to sense someone watching him. He looked up, and his sharp, cold eyes met hers.

Zhuang Zi did not avoid his gaze.

But after only a second, his indifferent eyes moved past her, and he continued discussing work with his subordinates.

“Try to contact other relatives,” he said.

As he passed by, he walked straight out of the large office and disappeared down the hallway without looking back.

Unable to help herself, Zhuang Zi watched his retreating figure and suddenly remembered an incident from two years ago.

The Beiyan District Police Station in Yicheng Province—it wasn’t really a coincidence.

It was understandable that he didn’t remember her, but—

She hadn’t forgotten his name.

Si Hang.