THE day after returning to Hedong, Ding Yi arranged to meet Jhao Chin for lunch right after replacing his lost SIM card in the morning.

　　Given the need for privacy, Ding Yi booked a private room in an upscale Chinese restaurant. Jhao Chin, upon seeing him, was filled with mixed emotions.

　　Although Jhao Chin’s punishment back then wasn’t as severe as Huo Yanjhih’s, it still had a significantly negative impact on his career. As they reminisced about those days, Jhao Chin couldn’t hide his emotions, revealing some lingering resentment and sharing a few details.

　　At that time, Jhao Chin had just been transferred to the Xiyu branch for less than a month, and Huo Yanjhih had just transitioned from a teller to a loan officer. Both were unfamiliar with the clients in their district.

　　The batch of policy loans they were handling was part of the national Reform and Opening-up policy, with directives and a recommended list directly issued by the provincial government, requiring the loans to be completed within a specified period. To be cautious, both Jhao Chin and Huo Yanjhih visited each client for on-site investigations, including Jhang Yan.

　　A loan of 50,000 yuan was a substantial amount in those days. Jhao Chin and Huo Yanjhih personally visited Jhang Yan’s home and business premises for a detailed investigation, confirming his repayment ability before approving the loan.

　　In that era, loan management was not standardized, and loan officers managed numerous loan accounts. Because these were government-recommended and interest-subsidized loans, the interest was always paid on time, so no one conducted post-loan inspections.

　　It wasn’t until 1992 that this loan went into default. By then, both Huo Yanjhih and Jhao Chin, who had handled the loan and conducted the joint investigation, had been transferred from their original positions for many years.

　　Huo Yanjhih, punished and tasked with collecting the overdue loan, discovered when he met Jhang Yan that the person they had dealt with back then was an impostor. In those days, when ID cards were not yet common, such deceptions were surprisingly easy.

　　As for who framed them, Jhao Chin had no leads. He suspected that the leaders who pushed for their harsh punishment were all dubious.

　　Although Huo Yanjhih was clearly a victim too, the circumstances at the time seemed to insist on pinning the crime of colluding with outsiders to commit loan fraud squarely on him.

　　The rest of Jhao Chin’s account aligned closely with what Ding Yi had already uncovered.

　　After lunch with Jhao Chin, Ding Yi took a taxi to the repair shop where he had arranged to meet Jhan Syudong. Jhan was accompanied by Officer Jhang, who was handling the investigation of Ding Yi’s car accident.

　　Upon Ding Yi’s arrival, the technician presented the authoritative findings. The steering bearing and brakes had been tampered with, and the tampering was done with such skill that it was well-concealed and not easily detectable.

　　“Have you had any conflicts with anyone recently? Do you have any idea where your car might have been tampered with?” Officer Jhang inquired.

　　“No, my car is usually parked at my workplace. Before returning to Hedong, I deliberately took it to the 4S shop for maintenance. The only other place it was parked was at the Huayue Service Area for a while,” Ding Yi replied.

　　Although almost certain that Lee Mu’s mysterious backer was behind the sabotage, he didn’t mention this due to the complexity and lack of concrete evidence.

　　Finally, Officer Jhang reminded Ding Yi to think carefully and cooperate with the investigation, assuring him that he would be informed as soon as there were any results.

　　On the way back, Ding Yi and Jhan Syudong discussed the car accident.

　　“What have you been up to lately? It seems like someone is getting anxious and began to take action,” Jhan Syudong said, noting that resorting to such drastic measures indicated someone was seriously threatened by Ding Yi.

　　“Since I joined the Linghai branch last December, the only significant work I’ve been involved in was dealing with bad loans. Other regular audit projects were led by the audit department. After I returned to work following my hospital discharge, I was soon sent out by the provincial bank,” Ding Yi thought for a moment and replied.

　　“If it was about those bad loans, they wouldn’t have waited this long to act,” said Jhan Syudong. He was puzzled.

　　“Think carefully,” Jhan continued, “even if it wasn’t your direct responsibility, did you make any public suggestions or were involved in any significant events, especially just before you were reassigned?”

　　Ding Yi’s mind clicked. He remembered the lawsuit against Honglin. Inspired by Huo Yanjhih’s case, he had pushed for legal action and a police investigation against Honglin to prevent any loopholes.

　　He explained the situation and the current status to Jhan Syudong.

　　“Let’s review the whole situation. The loan to Honglin Building Materials was initially eligible for write-off. Once written off, Honglin would effectively escape a twenty million debt to your bank. However, your audit team discovered that Honglin had transferred funds, specifically to Fonghan Real Estate. So, Fonghan is a crucial link and we need to investigate them thoroughly,” Jhan said after a moment of silence.

　　“Furthermore, Sun Weidong, the former owner of Honglin Building Materials, wasn’t a fool to have reached his position. Why would he willingly play into Fonghan’s hands? And more importantly, he died in a mysterious car accident less than three months after the loan was approved.”

　　“Upon investigation, surveillance footage indeed shows Sun Weidong himself signing the loan contract at our bank. However, the fingerprint comparison revealed that the fingerprints left on the loan documents do not match Sun Weidong’s actual fingerprints.”

　　Thinking about Sun Weidong, Ding Yi mused. Since it was a corporate loan, the resolution from Honglin Building Materials’ shareholders’ meeting to apply for the loan was legitimate, which is why the Linghai branch ultimately won the lawsuit.

　　Even though they won, Honglin was left as an empty shell, unable to repay the debt. Linghai branch had no choice but to file a lawsuit against Fonghan Real Estate. This case was still under investigation, but there hadn’t been much progress.

　　“Fingerprints don’t match? Have they been compared with the fingerprint database?” Jhan Syudong asked.

　　“I asked Ling Yueh about the specifics. She said they compared them but didn’t find any matches,” Ding Yi replied.

　　“Nonexistent fingerprints?” Jhan Syudong repeated thoughtfully, chewing over the phrase as a thought flickered through his mind.

　　Ding Yi felt like he had been struck by a sudden realization. He turned to Jhan Syudong and couldn’t help but laugh, “Yes, nonexistent fingerprints!”

　　Jhan Syudong was so excited that he immediately pulled over to the side of the road and parked. He called his colleagues back at the station, instructing them to take the fingerprints of the fake Jhang Yan to the Economic Crime Investigation Department and compare them with the mismatched fingerprints from the Honglin case.

　　Though it was just a hunch, Ding Yi had a strong premonition that they were onto something significant today. Not feeling rushed to go home, he decided to accompany Jhan Syudong to his house.

　　Jhan Syudong’s father, Jhan Yeh, was a well-known real estate developer in Hedong. The Jhan family originally owned a villa in a prestigious area of Hedong.

　　Three years ago, a devastating fire severely burned Jhan Yeh and reduced the villa to a mere skeleton. Believing it to be inauspicious, Jhan Yeh moved to a different townhouse in a development he had built himself.

　　Ironically, Jhan Yeh’s visits were so infrequent that they could be counted on one hand each year. Now that he had a development project in Linghai, he hardly ever came back.

　　From Jhan Syudong’s perspective, his parents had always had a distant relationship. Since the fire, they had been almost completely separated.

　　When they arrived at the Jhan residence, it was only three in the afternoon. After his nap, Yangyang insisted on taking the dog for a walk. Unable to refuse him, Jhan Syudong and Ding Yi accompanied the child outside.

　　The scorching August sun beat down relentlessly, making the ground seem to sizzle under its intense heat.

　　In the residential area, there wasn’t a single person in sight. After walking around for a while, they found some shade under the trees. Yangyang was dragged by the big Golden Retriever, Duoduo, into the bushes and the grassy flowerbeds behind them. Knowing the dog needed to relieve itself, Ding Yi and Jhan Syudong found a stone bench to sit on and wait.

　　Just then, Jhan Syudong’s phone rang—it was a call back from his colleague. As Ding Yi had predicted, the fingerprint comparison revealed that the fake Jhang Yan and the fake Sun Weidong were indeed the same person. Why he bore such a striking resemblance to Sun Weidong was still under investigation.

　　“Did you contact Ms. Su after you got back last night?” Jhan Syudong asked Ding Yi a seemingly unrelated question after ending the call.

　　Ding Yi shook his head. He had gotten home late and intended to check if she had arrived safely. However, remembering that she had lost her phone, he decided against it.

　　“Why do you ask this?” he asked.

　　“She’s been asking me about that student, Lin Chian. My colleague just told me that a body was found in a river on the west side of the city this morning. It was confirmed to be Lin Chian,” Jhan Syudong replied, looked serious. After saying this, Jhan Syudong called Su Manhua and broke the news to her.

　　Seeing Jhan Syudong hang up, Ding Yi hesitated for a few seconds before asking, “How is she... how is she taking it?”

　　“Not well. She sounded really upset. As she was talking, she suddenly went silent. I think she might have started crying. After all, she taught that student for three years,” Jhan Syudong looked at Ding Yi with a half-smile and replied.

　　“Papa, Mr. Ding, look what I found!” the little boy said excitedly at this time.

　　Yangyang let go of the dog leash and came running toward them, holding something in his hand, looking thrilled. Behind him, Duoduo, the Golden Retriever, happily chased after him, dragging the leash.

　　“What did you pick up this time? I have told you do not pick up things randomly for many times!” Jhan Syudong scolded, his face stern.

　　“No, I saw your picture inside, so I brought it to you,” Yangyang said. He felt wronged but still handed over the item.

　　It was an old pocket watch, covered in dirt. The cover had been opened by Yangyang, revealing a photo of a smiling Jhan Syudong and his father, Jhan Yeh, inside.

　　Ding Yi looked at Jhan Syudong in surprise.

　　“Isn’t this the pocket watch you bought for your father when you started working? How did it end up here?”

　　“Son, where did you find this?”

　　“Duoduo pooped, so I found a stick to dig a hole and bury it. While digging, I found this.”

　　“It must have been dropped by my dad. Let’s go home, it’s too hot out here.”

　　Jhan Syudong put the watch away and started walking back home. No one noticed the slight tightening of his lips. He hadn’t seen his father wear that watch for the past two years. When he asked about it, his father had said he put it away to avoid losing it. Why did he lie?

　　Not long after they got home, Jhan Syudong’s phone rang again. After taking the call, he set off for Linghai, saying there was a lead in Lin Chian’s case. The reward notice had received a response. Ding Yi decided to catch a ride back home with him.

　　When he arrived home, his father, Ding Hecheng, had just woken up from his nap. Ding Yi played a few rounds of chess with him. After a few games where both had their wins and losses, Ding Hecheng got bored and went out to find his old comrades to pass the time.

　　Ding Yi sorted through the textbooks he needed for the next day’s classes. As he worked, his thoughts drifted to Su Manhua, and after a moment of hesitation, he put down his phone.

　　Just as he set it down, it rang. However, he felt a pang of disappointment when he saw Jhan Syudong’s name on the screen.

　　Before Ding Yi could respond, Jhan Syudong’s urgent voice came through.

　　“Ms. Su called me just now. She said she found something Lin Chian hid at great risk, something that looks like Lin Haichao’s account book. I’m worried she might be in danger. Can you go help her?” he asked.

　　Hearing this, a wave of anger surged through Ding Yi.

　　“You’re shitting me! Why did you let her go and get it for you? What if something happens to her? Can you afford that?” he said angrily.

　　There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a few muffled chuckles. Realizing he had misspoken, Ding Yi quickly tried to explain, “When we were going back to Hedong, her father entrusted her to me.”

　　“I know, no need to explain!” Jhan Syudong said, his laughter grew louder. “Just call her quickly. I’ll explain everything when I get back.” He was already on the highway and, given the urgency, could only turn around at the next exit to head back to Hedong.

　　Although he had already notified the local authorities in Hedong, dealing with an intercity case involved a lot of red tape, which might cause delays. Thus, he called Ding Yi, knowing it would be the quickest solution.

　　Ding Yi immediately dialed Su Manhua’s number. However, the phone rang and rang, with no answer, making his heart rate spike. The call was finally connected and a familiar voice came through, filled with anxiety and tension.

　　“Hello, who is this?”

　　“Where are you?”

　　“Mr. Ding?”

　　“Yeah. It’s me, Ding Yi!”

　　“Oh, thank goodness!” Su Manhua said in a panic. She sounded on the verge of tears. “Help me! I think someone is following me!”