“No one wants to be a criminal. I don’t believe they feel no remorse for the heinous crimes they committed. If it’s within my power, I want to preserve the last shred of dignity they have as human beings. Our duty is to uphold the rule of law, but any job must be approached with eight parts rationality and half a part humanity. If humanity is lost, the ability to think rationally will also be distorted.” After answering the young policeman, Wang Shen honked his horn twice to warn the stray dogs in the distance to run away as soon as possible.

Soon, Wang Shen's car stopped in front of an apartment building. The neighborhood where Xu Wen lived was quite nice, with more green space than most. The property management was also quite strict; Wang Shen and his group were questioned for quite a while when they drove in.

"1814, let's go up." After saying that, Wang Shen walked to the entrance of the apartment building and found that it was equipped with an access control system. Wang Shen walked to the electronic screen controlling the access control and pressed Xu Wen's apartment number. After a few beeps, there was still no answer.

Could Xu Wen not be home? Wang Shen and his two companions looked at the building's access control system, puzzled. Just then, a resident came out, and the three of them seized the opportunity to enter the building. The numbers on the elevator screen jumped rapidly. Ding! The elevator doors opened, and the three of them arrived at apartment 1814.

"It seems this woman lives quite comfortably," the older policeman remarked, glancing around the hallway.

Wang Shen didn't answer, but knocked on the door a few times. The result was the same as the feedback from the downstairs access control – no one answered. Wang Shen tried knocking a few more times, but the hallway was still filled with the crisp sound of knocking.

"Is she really not home? Her boss is dead, where could she be at this time?" the older policeman asked, frowning slightly. "Could it be that she knew her crime had been exposed and ran away?"

“If that’s the case, we’ll have to check it out,” the young policeman agreed.

"Don't rush, that's unlikely." Just as Wang Shenggang finished speaking, an elderly woman with gray hair came up carrying a bag of vegetables.

"Who are you?" The old woman saw Wang Shen and his two companions, and walked up to them carrying the vegetables in her hands, asking them.

“We are Xu Wen’s friends, and we’ve come to see her about something,” Wang Shen said with a smile to the old woman.

"Friends?" The old woman's eyes were filled with suspicion as she scanned the three people's faces, clearly not believing Wang Shen's words. "I've never heard Xiao Wen mention having any of you as friends."

"Grandma, are you and Xu Wen very familiar?" Wang Shen asked, continuing to inquire after hearing the old woman's question.

“Of course, we’ve been neighbors for several years. My children are all abroad, so it’s just my husband and me living here. This young lady always helps out when there’s anything going on at home.” When talking about Xu Wen, the old woman’s suspicion disappeared, and she immediately showed the love and appreciation of an elder for a younger generation.

"Xu Wen is such a kind-hearted girl," Wang Shen remarked, echoing the old woman's words.

“No, that’s right. She said her parents live in a rural area and don’t want to live in the city, so she takes care of us as her own. This girl is truly kind-hearted; she’s responsible for feeding all the stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood.” As the old woman spoke, a warm smile gradually appeared on her face. But after a while, her expression suddenly darkened, her eyes sharply fixed on Wang Shen and the other two. She took a small step back and said, “You still haven’t told me who you are? What are you doing here looking for Xiaowen?”

"Grandma, please don't misunderstand. We, we are Xu Wen's college classmates." The young policeman was taken aback by the old woman's defensive posture and came up with such an unrealistic reason.

"University...classmates?" The old woman was clearly surprised by the young policeman's explanation. "You do look like them, but those two..." The old woman then shifted her gaze to Wang Shen and the older policeman's faces. "Their ages...especially his." The old woman pointed to the older policeman, "They could be Xiaowen's father by now. Saying they were university classmates, who would believe that?"

After the old woman finished speaking, Wang Shen and the young policeman couldn't help but laugh at the same time. The older policeman, however, looked annoyed. "Grandma, what you're saying is really hurtful. This kid and I are the same age. Your preferential treatment is too obvious. At most, I can be Xu Wen's senior, but I can never be her father."

The old woman ignored the older policeman and even rolled her eyes at him.

"Grandma, it's like this, I am indeed Xu Wen's college classmate, and these two are my bosses. We also run a psychological clinic. Recently, I was chatting with Xu Wen, and she mentioned that she also works at a psychological clinic. We happen to have a psychological collaboration project on hand, so we wanted to talk to her boss about it. But for some reason, halfway through the conversation, Xu Wen stopped replying to messages, as if she suddenly disappeared. I live in the next neighborhood, so I thought I'd come with my boss to visit her and have her and her boss schedule a time to see if there's any possibility of collaboration." The young policeman, quick-witted as ever, concocted this reason in a roundabout way.

"Huh?" The old woman looked at the young policeman with a blank expression.

“Oh, right! Grandma!” The young policeman suddenly raised his voice, deliberately making it sound urgent. “These past two days, when I was chatting with Xu Wen, she mentioned that she’s been having some worries lately, but she wouldn’t say what they are. She’s always been a very stubborn girl since college. I’m worried… she might do something foolish, right?” He then widened his eyes, staring intently at the old woman.

“Xiaowen is a fairly optimistic girl.” The old woman’s voice softened. “However, she’s been acting strangely lately. I’ve asked her if something’s wrong, but she won’t tell me. So, could it be that Xiaowen has met some bad man?” The old woman suddenly exclaimed, taking a step closer to the young policeman and grabbing his wrist.

The old woman was indeed a seasoned veteran; she could guess that. Wang Shen and the other two looked at her, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Yes! Grandma, that's exactly what I'm worried about!" The young policeman's face showed even more intense worry, his eyebrows almost knitting together. The old woman and the young policeman chatted more and more enthusiastically, almost to the point of hugging and crying.

"Oh, right, I remember now. I ran into Xiaowen not long ago." The old woman suddenly let go of the young policeman's hand, slapped her forehead, and said in a startled voice.

"Huh? Where is it?" The young policeman stared at the old woman, his expression still showing anxiety.

“It’s right here,” the old woman said, blinking twice at the young policeman.

"Huh? Grandma, please explain it more clearly." The young policeman looked at the old woman with a blank expression.