Dawn came in a flash, and before we knew it, Xu Xiaoli’s mother was awake.

　　“Auntie, since Xiaoli came back, has anyone else stopped by to see her?” I asked, already suspecting that Xu Xiaoli’s boss wouldn’t just abandon her after everything that happened. If he was ruthless enough to use his own woman to bait Zhou Yong, now that he had gotten what he wanted, he might want to make sure no loose ends were left behind.

　　Then again, maybe he did have a shred of conscience. He could’ve decided not to trouble Xu Xiaoli anymore and simply cut her off. After all, with Xiaoli losing her mind, she wasn’t exactly a threat to him anymore.

　　As expected, Xu Xiaoli’s mother thought for a moment, then said, “Yes, someone did come.”

　　Xu Xiaoli and I exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between us before she asked, “Mom, who was it?”

　　Her mother shook her head. “I’m not sure. It was a woman. She didn’t stay long, just said a few words and left.”

　　“A woman?” That threw me off. I was expecting her boss to be the one checking in on her, not some other woman.

　　“Did she come empty-handed, or did she bring anything?” I pressed.

　　“She brought some food for Xiaoli.”

　　“Where is it? Is there any left?” I asked quickly.

　　“It’s still here, in the west room. Xiaoli hasn’t eaten much of it.” With that, she turned and headed to the west room, and Xu Xiaoli and I followed close behind.

　　Inside, a table in the corner was stacked high with food. I moved in for a closer look and saw it was mostly snacks, some canned goods, and powdered orange drink—enough to fill the whole table.

　　“That’s quite a lot,” I murmured, surprised.

　　“Yeah, she made several trips back and forth to get it all in from the car,” Xu Xiaoli’s mother added.

　　“She came in a car? So she was driving?” I asked again.

　　“No, she had a car, but she wasn’t driving. It was clear she’s someone well-off—she had a chauffeur driving for her.”

　　“A chauffeur?”

　　Xu Xiaoli and I exchanged a look, then she asked, “Mom, do you remember what the chauffeur looked like?”

　　Her mother shook her head. “No, I don’t. The chauffeur didn’t come inside. I only saw him when I went out to see her off. He was sitting in the car, waiting for her.”

　　I thought for a moment and glanced at Xu Xiaoli. She looked puzzled, clearly having no clue who these people could be.

　　“What do you think, Feng?” she asked me.

　　I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I walked out into the courtyard, thinking about who that woman could’ve been. It was obvious she wasn’t from the police, but she also wasn’t the Zhang Ming Xu Xiaoli had mentioned. Could there be someone else involved?

　　Xu Xiaoli was just a naïve girl, blinded by emotions and used by Zhang Ming.

　　Even though she had told me that Zhou Yong really did commit suicide, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhang Ming was still connected to his death somehow.

　　“Auntie, Miss Xu, I’m heading out now,” I said to them.

　　“Leaving already? Xiaofeng, why don’t you stay for a meal?” Xu Xiaoli’s mother suggested.

　　I smiled. “No, thanks. I’ll head back now. Xiaoli just started to recover; let her get some rest.”

　　With that, I quickly made my way out, heading back to the city that same afternoon.

　　I had planned to look for Zhou Sheng and see if he knew anything about the mysterious woman, but when I got back to the guesthouse, someone told me a cop had come looking for me and had left a phone number.

　　I dialed the number, and the phone barely rang once before someone picked up.

　　“Hello, is this Mr. Wang? It’s me, Officer Liu Dazhuang. We met yesterday!”

　　The voice on the other end was indeed the officer I had met the day before. I chuckled softly, having expected his call, though I didn’t think it would come this quickly—it was only the second day.

　　“Ah, Officer Liu, what’s going on?” I asked casually.

　　“I’d like to see you,” he replied.

　　“No problem.”

　　“I’ll be waiting at the Nancun Noodle House, across from the First Hospital in Mountain City.”

　　“Got it,” I answered.

　　With that, I hung up, already anticipating what might come next.

　　I hung up and immediately left the guesthouse, heading straight for the spot he mentioned. Yesterday, I noticed his face looked dark, and there was a heavy grayish aura clinging to him. It was clear he’d been under the influence of some malevolent energy for a while. If things didn’t change soon, bad luck was practically guaranteed—anything from a small financial loss to something much more dangerous.

　　Sure enough, when Liu Dazhuang spotted me, he rushed over in a hurry.

　　“Finally, you’re here! I went by the guesthouse to find you, but you weren’t there!”

　　“What’s going on, Officer Liu? Why were you looking for me?” I asked as we took our seats.

　　He let out a deep sigh and said, “Just like you said... something happened.”

　　“What kind of something?”

　　“It’s my wife—she had an accident. Broke her leg. She’s in the hospital right across the street. I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said yesterday, so I figured I’d better come find you.”

　　I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I glanced over at the hospital before turning back to him. “Officer Liu, would you mind taking me to see your wife? There are a few questions I’d like to ask her.”He hesitated for a moment, then said, “I’m still not sure if you really know what you’re doing.”

　　I smiled gently, shaking my head. “Just give me your birth date and time.”

　　After a brief pause, he reluctantly shared his birth information.

　　In my mind, I quickly set up a basic Qi Men Dun Jia chart. I considered the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and the positions of the Nine Stars, Eight Doors, and Eight Ominous Spirits., tracing out the significant events in his life so far.

　　“When you were twelve,” I began, “your father passed away. By the time you turned fourteen, you’d finished middle school and jumped straight into the workforce. But your first gig wasn’t as a police officer; it was something related to education. You didn’t become a cop until you were around nineteen. Then, two years later, you met your wife through an introduction. That matchmaker was actually a relative of yours—someone related to you by blood…”

　　“Wait, wait, wait!” Liu Dazhuang hurriedly stopped me, staring at me in disbelief. “You figured all that out just now?”

　　“What else?” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

　　He froze, his eyes wide with shock. “My dad did pass away the year I finished middle school. When I first started working, I was just running errands at the City Education Bureau. And my wife, Mengyun… she was introduced to me by my third aunt...” He muttered a few more things to himself, then suddenly looked up at me, his voice filled with amazement. “This is unbelievable!”

　　I gave a faint smile. “So, do you believe me now? Can you take me to see your wife?”

　　“Yes, yes, absolutely!”

　　Ten minutes later, I arrived at the hospital. Liu Dazhuang’s wife was propped up against the headboard, her left leg in a cast, wrapped tightly from top to bottom. “Mengyun, this is the Mr. Wang I was telling you about,” Liu Dazhuang said as he introduced me. “This is my wife, Wang Mengyun.”

　　“Mr. Wang.” Wang Mengyun tried to sit up, but I quickly intervened. “No need to get up. Just stay comfortable. I’m here to see how you’re doing and ask a few questions.”

　　“I didn’t expect Mr. Wang to be so young,” she remarked with a slight look of surprise.

　　I chuckled. “Please, don’t call me ‘Mr.’—that’ll make me feel old no matter how young I am. I’m Wang Xiaofeng. Just call me Xiaofeng.”

　　She smiled back, and the mood instantly lightened. “Alright then, Xiaofeng, pull up a chair and let’s chat.”

　　I glanced over at Liu Dazhuang, who nodded, and then took a seat by the bed.

　　Mengyun studied me for a moment, then her face softened with a warm smile. “You know, Xiaofeng, you can just call me ‘sis.’ I felt a sense of familiarity with you the moment you walked in.”

　　“Well, that’s a good sign! Xiaofeng, I’ve known Mengyun for years, and it’s rare for her to warm up to someone so quickly,” Liu Dazhuang cut in before I could respond, grinning as he spoke. Then, turning to his wife, he added, “You two go ahead and talk. I’m gonna step out and get some fresh fruit.”