My superior, Director Zhang, the head of the department, is my good friend.
Exactly two months ago today, I learned he had a daughter. However, his daughter had gone missing several years prior. He seemed to take it in stride, never mentioning it to us or investigating. I was curious and sought him out about it. Director Zhang told me he had offended someone.
Whom had he offended to such an extent that even a director like him lived in fear? My mind immediately turned to "the Organization."
"Director Zhang, rest assured, I will help you find her. Look, my sister is back, isn't she?"
"I understand, He Sheng. If you truly can find her... I think it's better if you don't."
"Director Zhang, I don't understand. Aren't you concerned about your own daughter? Look at my He Xin, even if she's not my biological daughter..."
"Alright, if you want to investigate, then investigate. But I won't hold out any hope..." After saying this, Director Zhang dismissed me. It was the first time I had ever seen him so indifferent towards me. What was going on with him? Was he going through menopause?
I was bewildered, finding his demeanor towards this matter unusually cold, which was not like him at all.
However, he didn't forbid me from investigating. So, I would investigate. After all, there were no other cases at the moment.
Since Guan Shansong was brought to justice, Guangming City had enjoyed a period of peace. I sometimes wondered if Guan Shansong was a key figure the Organization had stationed in our city. Once she was eliminated, perhaps the city's security would improve. However, the Organization might send others.
I asked the Missing Persons Investigation Department to follow up on the details of Director Zhang's daughter, Zhang Huihong. They quickly found her file. The girl had disappeared four years ago. Her last known location was the university she attended. Director Zhang's daughter had not reported her to the school. She was studying in the School of Media and Communications, intending to become an entertainer after graduation.
On the day she disappeared, she left class as usual on a weekend to go home. For some reason, she never returned. Strangely, Director Zhang only reported her missing two days later.
I pondered, perhaps Director Zhang hadn't realized his daughter was missing at the time?
I investigated their relationship and found they were biologically related, not adopted.
His wife had passed away several years ago, reportedly in an accident. That incident occurred not long after Zhang Huihong's disappearance.
If I were in such a situation, I would be desperate to uncover the truth. Director Zhang's behavior was peculiar; he never mentioned it to us. I secretly suspected he was being threatened by something, or perhaps there was another reason? There was one thought I dared not entertain, as Director Zhang would never do such a thing...
I didn't dare ask him. Lately, he seemed a bit off. Perhaps it was the impact of the case. I couldn't truly empathize with his feelings; I had never experienced such a thing. For this case, I would just investigate, hoping to find his daughter.
I decided to visit Guangming City Glorious Media Academy, where Zhang Huihong had studied, and set off with Liu Yuning.
The academy wasn't very large. Zhang Huihong's grades were likely not very good back then. I wondered how Director Zhang had raised her. Perhaps due to his busy work schedule, he had no time to manage his daughter and could only let her develop on her own.
After getting out of the car, Liu Yuning also said, "If I had a daughter and she didn't go to the police academy, I wouldn't want to be with her. I don't know what Director Zhang was thinking."
"Haha, don't overthink it. We haven't been parents, so we shouldn't be commenting here."
"Alas, you say that as if we don't have a daughter. Do you think He Xin isn't one?"
"I met her before I was familiar with you."
"So what? I've treated her like my own daughter all these years. Hmph, what do you mean? Do you want to have one with me?"
"No, that statement should be directed at you wanting to have one with me!"
"Alright, let's talk about that later, after we retire, okay?"
Have a child after retirement? Holy crap! What kind of concept is that? Could one still have children at that age?
I was speechless, knowing Liu Yuning was intentionally deflecting. But I didn't care; otherwise, I would have argued with her all these years.
Upon entering Guangming City Glorious Media Academy, when we mentioned Zhang Huihong, a professor seemed to recall her vividly. With excitement, she told us, "So this child had such a background? No wonder I felt she was different from others. She always seemed a bit proud, looking down on others, even..."
"Even what? Was she bullying others at school?" Liu Yuning became anxious at that moment.
The professor, a woman, shook her head vigorously. "Not exactly bullying, but she would force others to be her friend. Even if they didn't like her, she'd make them pretend to like her. I guess she was too lonely. But I didn't understand why the other children would be so obedient."
"Forcing others to be her friend?" I was completely bewildered. Such a thing had happened?
Liu Yuning and I exchanged glances. We then sought out other people from the school to investigate. After inquiries, we discovered that Zhang Huihong was considered an oddball during her time at school. Besides forcing others, she frequently organized games like coin divination and Ouija board sessions in the classroom.
Later, one day, she disappeared. Several girls from her dormitory recalled clearly that it was the evening of June 2nd, four years ago. Because Zhang Huihong left her dormitory that night and never returned.
In Zhang Huihong's dormitory, I asked Liu Yuning for details about Zhang Huihong from those girls.
"She was dressed up beautifully that day, more so than any other time we'd seen her. Then she took a set of clothes she had bought and left, not saying where she was going. We asked her, but she didn't respond, as if we were invisible. Oh, and this girl's mood wasn't very stable. She was often moody, exhibiting different personalities. Sometimes she was like a tough street girl, sometimes a萝莉, and other times a professional woman."
"Yes, it was the first time I had seen someone like that. I guess she was participating in some role-playing club, but we don't have one at our school. To be honest, we all unanimously agreed she was an oddball. We even wondered if her disappearance was related to her personality."
"We usually didn't talk to her much. This girl was very proud. Sometimes she liked to read books, or she would be gone all day. But actually, she wasn't like this before."