Zheng Tianming sat on the sofa, and Xu Mengyu sat next to him practicing her lines. If she didn't know them, she had to learn them; if she couldn't learn them, she couldn't escape being eliminated.

In this industry, if you don't have any outstanding works, your acting skills haven't improved in over a decade, and your popularity and appearance have declined, you will naturally be eliminated.

Xu Mengyu didn't want to comfortably enjoy the benefits when she should be working the hardest; this was her profession.

Zheng Tianming naturally put his arm around her shoulder: "What do you want to eat tonight? Have you been eating properly while I was away?"

"Don't even mention it. I've gained five pounds every time I step on the scale since you left." Xu Mengyu said, holding out her hand: "I can't gain weight, otherwise I'll look like a fathead fish on camera."

"Then I'll make you something nutritious but not fattening, like a steak, how about that?" Zheng Tianming thought to himself, I need to learn how to maintain my figure without lacking nutrition.

Xu Mengyu nodded: "I'll eat whatever you make."

"I still remember the fish soup you cooked for me, why was it black?"

No sooner had Zheng Tianming finished speaking than he received a heavy blow to the thigh.

"I originally wanted to fry it to remove the smell before boiling, but it burned. The only thing I could do was pour water on it." Xu Mengyu had to go through a lot of trouble at the time.

Zheng Tianming lowered his head and kissed Xu Mengyu's shoulder: "Why didn't you say so back then? If you had said so earlier, would I have been able to bully you?"

"Tch, you're saying you love me now, isn't it because..." Xu Mengyu hadn't finished speaking when Zheng Tianming's phone rang.

Zheng Tianming, afraid of delaying important matters, answered: 【Hello.】

Liang Dawei sat on the steps, his eyes red-rimmed: "Tianming, Li Fengmao just left."

Xu Mengyu didn't hear what was being said, but she saw Zheng Tianming's hand drop down and his face change.

"What happened?" Xu Mengyu asked softly.

Zheng Tianming was still on the other end of the phone. This wasn't the first time he had lost a teammate, but no matter how many times he had experienced it, he couldn't get used to it, even though they had just spoken on the phone not long ago.

Li Fengmao is still so young; his future holds limitless possibilities...

“My teammate has been killed,” Zheng Tianming said, holding his phone.

Xu Mengyu placed her hand on Zheng Tianming's shoulder. She could tell he was in great pain, but he was trying his best to endure it. "Then I'll call He Kai and wait for you to come back so we can go to the site together."

He Kai didn't have much free time, so Xu Mengyu was eager to go and take a look. After all, doing business requires real money, and her money didn't come from thin air.

But now is clearly not the time to make a choice.

Zheng Tianming's return already shows his stance; she can't push him to the brink, otherwise it won't benefit either of them.

“If the investment makes money, it’s yours; if it loses, I’ll cover it.” Zheng Tianming said, standing up. He looked at Xu Mengyu with a guilty expression: “I’m sorry. After this is resolved, no matter what you do, I’ll be with you.”

Zheng Tianming now had only one thought: to go back, investigate the case thoroughly, and execute those who deserved to be executed. He couldn't let good people die unjustly while bad people went unpunished.

“Go ahead,” Xu Mengyu said, standing up. “Before you rush to the front, be careful of your own safety.”

Zheng Tianming rushed back.

Liang Dawei sat on the steps. Had he known things would turn out this way, he should have personally submitted the sample for testing...

His teammates all looked rather grim. Li Fengmao left just like that. They had even gathered together at noon to eat steamed buns and discuss the case.

But they couldn't stop; they had to keep working.

Zheng Tianming arrived in the middle of the night. Liang Dawei was sitting on the steps outside the lobby, drinking beer. He couldn't quite describe the feeling.

Li Fengmao is talkative and cheerful. When he led his team over, his former teammates were very dissatisfied, so he kept trying to liven up the atmosphere between the two teams.

I've had drinks with him twice in private and we've had heart-to-heart talks. He wants to earn some money to save up for a down payment on a bigger house so he can bring his parents to live with him. I've also met his girlfriend; she's a very nice girl.

Zheng Tianming walked over and sat down next to Liang Dawei: "Have the test results come out yet?"

"Not yet, but based on my years of experience, that body should be the missing Lily." Liang Dawei said, bowing his head. "It's my fault, I'm incompetent. Otherwise, the higher-ups wouldn't have transferred you back, knowing I'm no good."

"I'll go check on the investigation." Zheng Tianming said, patting Liang Dawei on the shoulder. "Don't drink so much. We still have to go to the hospital to see your wife later."

He has to hold up, otherwise the atmosphere in the investigation team will be very low.

Zheng Tianming was more heartbroken than anyone else. Li Fengmao had been with him for three years, and he had watched him grow step by step and handle murder cases independently. His high spirits would be buried with him forever underground.

As Zheng Tianming reviewed the documents, his eyes reddened. The truck and its cargo weighed over twenty tons. Li Fengmao was sitting in the truck at the time. He had many thoughts, but they were waiting at the traffic light, and it would take time for the truck to start.

What was he thinking at that moment?

Looking at the horrific scene in the photo, Zheng Tianming's heart pounded violently. He got up to get a glass of water, but choked as he drank it. Tears and violent coughing echoed in the quiet office.

Li Fengmao's family arrived quickly, including his girlfriend.

The whole family cried hysterically, especially his girlfriend, who was pregnant. She had originally planned to tell him the good news when she returned from her business trip, since the two of them were already engaged.

Zheng Tianming didn't go to the scene, but he heard from his teammates that Li Fengmao's mother woke up and then fainted. It's not easy for an ordinary family to raise such a child; only parents know that.

At noon, Liang Dawei sat in front of the hospital bed, lost in thought.

"Go ahead and get busy. The nurse said I'm not leaving anytime soon." Sun Hui said, holding Liang Dawei's hand. She didn't know what had happened, but something big must have happened, otherwise her husband wouldn't look like this.

Liang Dawei looked at Sun Hui: "Tianming is over there, I'll keep you company."

The doctor has stopped prescribing medication; how could he not know what's going on?

Sun Hui is in very poor condition. She doesn't even have the strength to speak. She tries to force herself to be energetic every day, but her body can no longer take it.

"Go, solve the case. Maybe I can attend your victory celebration one last time." After saying that, Sun Hui began to breathe heavily, her thin body moving with her breath.

Liang Dawei held Sun Hui's hand and said, "I've been so sorry for you in this lifetime."

I couldn't even spend a proper moment with her before I left.

Sun Hui was speechless. She reached out and touched the back of his hand. If a man doesn't give birth to a child, wouldn't he get a divorce and make a scene?

There were many disturbances at his home. When he got angry, he would flip the table and tell them to get out. After that, no one dared to mention it again.

He cared so much about her body and her health, but she contracted a deadly disease.

She really wanted to spend her whole life with him, to stroll in the park and shop for groceries together when they were old, and to watch the sunset together, but she couldn't hold on any longer.

"Go." If she could, Sun Hui wanted to keep him here. When people face death, they are afraid, afraid that they will fall asleep and never wake up.

But she didn't want to see him like this; he shouldn't be like this...

"Go to sleep. I'll leave once you're asleep. I'll stay here and watch over you." Liang Dawei said, making a gesture with his hands on his hips, instantly exuding an imposing aura.

Sun Hui couldn't help but laugh; it was childish.

After she fell asleep, Liang Dawei covered her with a blanket and left the ward.

Zheng Tianming couldn't eat or sleep. The autopsy results were in: it was Lily's, and the dean's and Xiao Moli's DNA didn't match at all.

The dean, enraged, roared in the interrogation room, "I think you've all eaten too much and are just too full!"

Liang Dawei, holding his teacup and taking a sip of water, said, "You don't need to yell at me. Where did that girl in the sunflower dress go three months ago? She's not on the adoption list."

"Before we could even register, her family came and picked her up." The dean finished speaking and glared angrily at Liang Dawei: "Why aren't you arresting the murderer, and instead you're making things difficult for me?"

Seeing that she wouldn't admit it until she was faced with a tough situation, Liang Dawei directly produced evidence: "All the children who went to the orphanage, except for those with disabilities, were sent away. Tell me, where were they sent?"

"I want to hire a lawyer." After that, no matter what Liang Dawei said, she remained silent and couldn't be persuaded to say anything.

Zheng Tianming went to see Xiao Moli. She would tell other people's stories as her own. It was impossible for a four-year-old to dissect the corpse so neatly. She must have seen something.

Someone must have lured her out, thinking she could be adopted, but she was thrown off the bus and had to walk back to the orphanage by herself.

Her medical report came back: she wasn't a dwarf, and her growth was age-appropriate—four years old. Even if she had the intention to kill, she certainly couldn't have committed murder, dismembered the body, and thrown it down the drain.

Little Jasmine sat on the hospital bed. When Zheng Tianming came in, she pointed to her nose and asked, "Am I sick? Am I going to die?"

“No.” Zheng Tianming sat down next to her. “Tell your uncle where Lily went.”

Little Jasmine twisted her clothes, and it was clear from the situation that she was about to lie. Sure enough, as she spoke, she subconsciously touched her neck, which was just below her ear: "She crawled away through the dog hole."

Zheng Tianming patted Xiao Moli's head: "You're not a bad child, you just want to be adopted, right?"

Little Jasmine looked at Zheng Tianming: "I climbed through the dog hole..."

"What about Lily?" Zheng Tianming knew she couldn't be agitated, and he had already spoken with the doctor outside about what she could and couldn't say.

You can't say anything that might provoke her, otherwise it will not only aggravate her condition, but you also won't get the truthful answers.

“Lily was…” Little Jasmine said, opening her arms, “She was hit by such a big hammer.”

That hammer is so big that a person can't even lift it, so obviously this statement can't be taken entirely at face value.

"And what's next?" Zheng Tianming stroked Xiao Moli's head, his voice soft and gentler than usual.

Little Jasmine got off the bed: "So much blood, so much blood." She gestured exaggeratedly as she spoke: "Then a girl named Lily shared a room with me. She was so pretty. She kept talking to me and even said she would take me away."

The more Zheng Tianming listened, the more uneasy he felt.

Lily was murdered shortly after she went in. Later, another little girl named Lily came in. She didn't leave the room, but only chatted and played with Jasmine.

He even promised to take her out, saying that many uncles liked her.

However, this person was not on the adoption list. Little Jasmine said that she could use a small wooden stick, which means that the person who came in later was very likely the dwarf he had always suspected.

The other party has been intentionally leading them in circles...

Zheng Tianming asked Liang Dawei to check the orphanage's surveillance footage. He wanted photos of all the girls, and he was sure that the one named "Lily" was among them.

Little Jasmine clung to Zheng Tianming's arm: "Uncle, can you take me home? Please take me home, I'm scared."

She not only had psychological problems, but also mental health issues, and doctors recommended that she be hospitalized for treatment.

She was different from others from birth. She grew up in an orphanage, and while the children around her came and went, she was the only one left behind.

Clearly, her adoptive parents didn't like her, and neither did those maggots lurking in the shadows. Such a young child suffered severe emotional trauma from long-term neglect and bullying.

"Take good care of yourself and get better." Zheng Tianming said, taking out some candy from his pocket and handing it to him.

Just as Zheng Tianming was about to open the door, Xiao Moli suddenly pounced on him.

"You're lying, you liar! You're not coming back! You don't want me! You won't want me!" Little Jasmine said, biting Zheng Tianming's arm.

Zheng Tianming did not struggle or forcefully shake her off. He squatted down and waited for her to finish biting before speaking: "I will not abandon you, but you are sick and need treatment."

Little Jasmine glared at Zheng Tianming with resentment, her teeth clenched tightly around his neck. "Liar! They're all liars! They said someone would want her if she crawled out through the dog hole."

It was thrown on the ground.

The dean said that as long as she ran to Uncle Zheng, he would adopt her and treat her like his own daughter. She also has an older brother who would play with her.

Everyone would like her, but no one does. Everyone hates her. Her parents hate her, and the children don't like her.

Uncle Zheng will abandon her and never come back. He will go very, very far away. She has no home, and she will never have one.

The beautiful doll belongs to someone else, and the warm bed is not hers either.

Tears streamed down Zheng Tianming's face, dripping onto the ground. He stroked Xiao Moli's head and said, "Don't be afraid. I'll come see you tomorrow. Your doll is still at home. I'll bring it with me tomorrow, okay?"

Little Jasmine looked at Zheng Tianming, at her doll, her first doll, which she named Sun.

She slowly opened her mouth and said, "Uncle, I'm sorry..."

"Eat your food and wait for me," Zheng Tianming said, leading her out.

The doctor came over immediately after seeing this: "Didn't I tell you? Why didn't you listen?"

I told Zheng Tianming before he came in that this child could hurt people, but I didn't expect him to listen at all. He bit too deep; the flesh is almost falling off.

Little Jasmine lowered her head.

Zheng Tianming smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll just apply some medicine later."

"The dean told me that if I throw myself at you, you'll really like me," Little Jasmine said, tears streaming down her face.

The doctor picked up little Jasmine: "Alright, it's time for us to watch cartoons." Then she looked at Zheng Tianming: "Don't upset the patient."

Zheng Tianming lit a cigarette after he went outside...

He had just gotten into the car when his teammate turned around and said, "Captain Liang went to the hospital; his wife is in critical condition."

“...”