Silver City.
In an ordinary residential building.
Duan Yue’e was busy in the kitchen. With the up-and-down stir of her spatula, the cabbage, glistening with a hint of lard oil, came out of the wok.
She carried the plate of cabbage to the dining table, lifted the lid of the electric pot, and took out the steamed buns that had already turned yellowish—no one knew how many times they’d been reheated.
“Old Jiang, come eat.”
Jiang Haiyuan, who had been dozing off on the living room sofa, woke with a start. He yawned, got up, and walked over to the table.
Looking at the stir-fried cabbage and the steaming buns in front of him, he didn’t say a word. He just picked up a bun and started eating.
While eating, he kept glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.
It was 6:28 in the evening. After finishing this meal, he needed to hurry out and drive for Didi.
In about half an hour, the peak-hour orders would start coming in. He wanted to make the most of that time and earn a little extra money.
“Eat slowly.”
Even as she said that, Duan Yue’e wasn’t eating slowly herself.
She had to be at the barbecue stall by 7 o’clock to help out, and she could make 50 yuan a night that way.
Even though their son had already paid them back the money, the elderly couple still felt uneasy. They couldn’t shake the feeling that their son’s money might have come from some dubious source.
After all, all the signs before had pointed to him being scammed. But their son insisted it was an investment, and now that he’d made money, he’d returned it to them.
Still, the only thing the old couple, who had lived more than half their lives, could think of was that their son had found some other way to make up the money.
Could money that had fallen into a scammer’s hands really be recovered?
That was simply impossible.
After finishing his meal in a hurry, Jiang Haiyuan put down his bowl and chopsticks, threw on his clothes, and was ready to head out.
Duan Yue’e didn’t wash the dishes either—she planned to do them when she got back late at night.
Just as the old couple was about to step out the door—
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came at the door.
The old couple exchanged a glance. Jiang Haiyuan called out “Who is it?” and walked over to open the door.
When he opened it and saw the two police officers standing outside, the old couple froze on the spot, and their faces instantly changed.
“Hello, is this Jiang Chuan’s home?” one of the officers asked with a friendly smile.
Jiang Haiyuan nodded. “May I ask who you are?”
“Hello, we’re police officers from Qingcheng Police Station. We’re here today to get some information.”
Qingcheng… Jiang Chuan…
The elderly couple couldn’t help but think—these two officers must be here because of their son. A wave of panic immediately swept over them.
But panic aside, they still wanted to know exactly what their son had done.
“Come in, come in! Hey, Yue’e, go get the officers some water,” Jiang Haiyuan said, shooting Duan Yue’e a meaningful look.
Duan Yue’e quickly snapped out of it, nodded absently, and turned around.
Jiang Haiyuan, meanwhile, guided the two officers to the sofa and sat them down. He asked with a sheepish smile, “So, officers, you’re here about my son, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Um, could you tell us what exactly our son has done?” Jiang Haiyuan tried his best to stay calm, but his slightly trembling hands gave away what was going on inside him.
Duan Yue’e came over with two glasses of water, set them in front of the officers, and then sat down beside Jiang Haiyuan. The old couple held each other’s hands tightly, their sweaty palms pressed together.
The officer who had been speaking watched the nervous elderly couple. Even though he felt reluctant, he steeled himself and asked, “Do you two know what kind of work your son is doing right now?”
The old couple exchanged glances.
“He said he works at a company called Haohai Technology—yeah, that’s the name,” Jiang Haiyuan said.
The officer in charge of taking notes immediately picked up his pen and jotted that down.
The speaking officer nodded. “Here’s the thing. Not long ago, your son fell victim to a scam. The amount involved was over 300,000 yuan. Were you aware of that?”
“Yes, yes, we know. Officer, 100,000 of that was our own money,” Jiang Haiyuan added.
The officer thought for a moment. “Did Jiang Chuan pay that money back to you?”
“He did. Just yesterday, he suddenly returned the money to us and said it was an investment, not a scam…” Duan Yue’e cut in, her eyes looking a little lost and uneasy.
The officer furrowed his brow and shook his head. “To be precise, that wasn’t an investment—it was a real scam.”
The old couple’s eyes widened. Their mouths fell open, and their faces were filled with shock.
The officer continued, “Right now, the scammer who conned Jiang Chuan is in our police station. And the only reason the scammer returned the money was that Jiang Chuan mailed him a real handgun. That scared the scammer into giving the money back. We now suspect Jiang Chuan of illegal possession of a firearm.”
Hearing this, the old couple sat there completely stunned.
A full half-minute of silence passed before Jiang Haiyuan finally moved his lips and stammered, “No, no way. Officer, are you sure you’ve got the right person? My son—there’s no way my son would have a gun. He… he’s usually such a well-behaved kid…”
Duan Yue’e covered her face and sobbed quietly, turning her head away and murmuring, “I knew it. I knew that money couldn’t have come from anywhere good. He… he…”
Jiang Haiyuan put his hands on his wife’s shoulders and whispered something to comfort her.
The officer looked at the old couple and let out a silent sigh. “Right now, we’re still only suspecting—nothing’s been confirmed yet. But I think if you’re able to reach Jiang Chuan, you should give him a call as soon as possible.
If this is all a misunderstanding, it’s best if he comes to the station quickly to clear things up, so there aren’t any bad consequences.”
“Officer, are you absolutely sure there’s no mistake? My son—my son couldn’t possibly have a gun. Could there have been a mix-up?” Jiang Haiyuan asked, his voice growing a little agitated.
The officer shook his head. “We’re pretty certain there’s no mistake. But right now, Jiang Chuan’s whereabouts are unknown. We really want him to come back as soon as possible so we can resolve this quickly. The longer this drags on, the worse it is for him, for you, and for us, don’t you agree?”
Jiang Haiyuan was dazed for a long moment, then nodded blankly. “Right, right, right. I’ll call—I’ll call that little brat right now!”
With that, he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts, looking for his son’s number.
He found it quickly and dialed it straight away.
Both officers looked at Jiang Haiyuan with hopeful expressions.
If this call from Jiang Haiyuan actually worked and brought Jiang Chuan back, they’d have made a major breakthrough. Everything would be resolved.
Otherwise, they’d have to keep investigating and knocking on doors.
And as their investigation went on, they’d come to realize one thing: getting useful information from Jiang Chuan’s parents and friends wasn’t very realistic.
After all, Jiang Chuan hadn’t come back home since graduating from college, and his family had no idea what he’d been up to.
If that weren’t the case, Jiang Haiyuan and Duan Yue’e wouldn’t be this shocked and flustered.
That kind of reaction couldn’t be faked.
After sitting on the sofa and waiting for a good while, Jiang Haiyuan put down his phone with a puzzled look. It was as if the busy tone from the call was still ringing in his ears.
“Officers… he’s not picking up.”
