Tran—X

“It is still early,” Jiang Ling said. “It is not even eleven yet.”

“Early?” Lu Hui said. “True, the cafeteria is not open yet. How about you go over there and kill some time on your phone?”

Jiang Ling: “…”

The other’s tone was calm, but from the way he spoke, Jiang Ling was certain that Lu Hui was mocking him.

It was supposed to be his first day reporting in, so why did this team already seem to have an issue with him? Could it be because he had involved them in a traffic police matter, and they were displeased about it?

“Team Leader Lu, how about I go with Jiang Yan—”

Before Jiang Ling could say anything, Lu Hui, as if he had not heard, hurriedly turned and walked away.

Jiang Ling stood there awkwardly. When he looked around, the office was empty except for him. Everyone else was rushing about with their tasks, leaving him alone, bored, and feeling out of place.

He picked up the report Lu Hui had grabbed earlier and settled into a corner. The desk there was stacked with clutter, clearly untouched for a long time.

Jiang Ling slowly opened the report, which recorded the casualties of the accident. His gaze stayed on the first page, where the female victim’s life was described in cold, straightforward terms.

Suddenly, the image of the red-clad spirit he had seen in the car that morning flashed through his mind. At that moment, the female ghost’s appearance matched the photo in the report perfectly.

His finger traced the page until it stopped at the date of birth column, and Jiang Ling’s gaze tightened slightly.

This date—

The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated. Jiang Ling glanced away and answered the call.

“Xiao Ling, how is your first day at work? When it is time for lunch, make sure you eat, or your stomach will start hurting again. I heard the cafeteria food is decent, but I do not know if you will like it. If not, I can have Auntie cook at home and bring it to you every day.”

“No need, Mom. The food is fine,” Jiang Ling replied quickly.

“That is good. By the way, how are you getting along with your colleagues? Are they treating you well?”

“It is fine. Everyone here is very nice and looks out for me,” Jiang Ling said casually. “Do not worry, Mom.”

After a few reassuring words and once his mother was completely at ease, Jiang Ling hung up the phone. Looking up, he saw a figure standing in the office doorway.

Seeing that he had noticed her, Jiang Yan gave an awkward smile, walked in, picked up a cup from her desk, and started to leave.

But she had not gone far before turning back and stopping in front of him, asking, “Do you want to have lunch together?”

…

“They have all gone out, so they will not be back for lunch. When Old Zhang is free, he usually goes home at noon, so it will just be the two of us. As for the cafeteria food… it will fill you up and will not upset your stomach, but do not expect it to be delicious.”

Along the way, Jiang Yan showed him around the cafeteria, giving a brief introduction. Eventually, they both got their food and found a table in the corner to sit.

Jiang Yan lowered her head to take a few bites but could not help glancing up at Jiang Ling, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

“Um—” she began tentatively, “Is your mother really Jiang Min, the richest person in the city?”

Jiang Ling paused for a moment and gave a hum of confirmation.

“No wonder I heard you even drive a Benz to work,” Jiang Yan exclaimed. “We both share the surname Jiang, so why am I so poor?”

“I am poor too,” Jiang Ling said, taking a bite of his food. “The car belongs to my mom, and my bank account has less than five figures.”

“Oh, come on, Young Master Jiang, do not joke with me—” Jiang Yan laughed. “By the way, do you know why we call you Young Master Jiang?”

She blinked mysteriously. “Actually, when we first heard you were coming, we were really happy. Our team is already short-staffed, and we are so busy we barely have time to drink water. Adding someone new was the perfect solution. But even before you arrived, Team Leader Lu kept getting called away for reprimands. The higher-ups kept telling him to take care of you—not let you get tired, not let you go hungry, not assign you dangerous tasks, not make you work overtime… Wow, if you had seen Team Leader Lu’s expression back then, it was so grim it looked like he was about to eat someone.”

Jiang Ling: “…”

He finally understood.

“Everyone was not very happy when they found out. Adding someone was meant to help share the workload, but it ended up feeling like we’d invited some VIP ancestor. And since we heard your family is wealthy, Chen Zifeng gave you the nickname ‘Young Master Jiang.’ But when I saw you, I did not think you were that kind of person. Were you not even asking Team Leader Lu for tasks earlier?”

Jiang Ling cleared his throat lightly: “Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding.”

“Do not worry, they will see what kind of person you really are sooner or later. Team Leader Lu is just a little upset for now—these past few days, I do not even know how many times he has been instructed on what to do,” Jiang Yan said. “Actually, he is really a good person.”

Jiang Ling paused for a moment: “Why do you call Team Leader Lu ‘Team Leader Lu’? Is he not the leader of our group?”

“Oh, Team Leader Lu is actually the deputy leader of our team and is currently temporarily serving as the group leader of our small team,” Jiang Yan blinked. “They did not tell you?”

Jiang Ling smiled and shook his head, steering the conversation elsewhere: “By the way, are you not going out this afternoon to investigate the deceased’s marital relationship?”

“I will leave right after lunch,” Jiang Yan said. “What is the matter?”

“I think there might be some issues between the couple,” Jiang Ling pondered for a moment and then carefully said, “Judging from the female victim’s date of birth, she probably did not have marital fate.”

“Marital fate?” Hearing him, Jiang Yan was dumbfounded. “What do you mean by marital fate?”

“It means lacking the emotional connection. A person like that, even if married, would have a very poor relationship with her husband,” Jiang Ling said.

Jiang Yan’s eyes widened as she stared at him in shock. After a long moment, she asked, “Could it really be true that you know metaphysics? That you can do fortune-telling? You can figure this out just from the female victim’s date of birth?”

“Just a little bit.”

“Wow, that is amazing! I will be sure to ask more properly this afternoon,” Jiang Yan could not help saying. “But do you not dare mention this to Team Leader Lu. I really like these metaphysical things, but to him, they are all just tricks used by charlatans. He did not have a good impression of you to begin with…”

Jiang Ling nodded and smiled. “I understand.”

After lunch, Jiang Yan did not even have time for a nap; she hurried off.

Jiang Ling spent a long time flipping through the report in the office, and it was not until the afternoon that people slowly began returning.

Once everyone had gathered, a few of them huddled together to share the information they had collected.

“According to the forensic report, the drugs found in the deceased’s body were common medications for treating depression, consistent with what she normally took. As for the cause of the car accident, the traffic authorities believe the driver was going too fast around a turn. They think he became distracted for some reason while driving, and by the time he tried to brake, it was too late, resulting in a direct collision. However, the driver, Zhao Qin, is still in a coma, so these details can only be confirmed once he wakes up.”

Old Zhang briefly summarized the information gathered from each department. Lu Hui gave a nod of acknowledgment and glanced at Chen Zifeng.

“I also checked with Mo Yuzi. The couple’s financial situation is solid. The woman’s family is wealthy—she alone owns four properties, each worth several million, and the rental income from them is more than enough to live comfortably. The man, Zhao Qin, is just an ordinary employee with a modest income, but they do not have any significant debts.”

“I did some checking too. Just as Fengzi said, Li Ai’s family is indeed very wealthy. However, her parents initially disapproved of her relationship with Zhao Qin. To marry him, Li Ai ended up cutting ties with her family. Later, her mother passed away, and her father remarried, leaving Li Ai essentially out of contact with them. According to the neighbors, Li Ai and Zhao Qin had a very good relationship—especially Zhao Qin, who was completely devoted to her and never argued with her.”

As Jiang Yan spoke, she could not help sneaking a glance at Jiang Ling. When she went to investigate this afternoon, she had expected to find signs of marital discord, but the facts turned out to be completely opposite to what Jiang Ling had predicted.

Lu Hui wrote down the key information one by one, then tapped the tip of his pen on the blackboard a few times. “For now, it seems there is nothing unusual.”

“Here is the plan,” he said, capping his pen. “Old Zhang, keep an eye on the hospital situation. Once Zhao Qin wakes up, go question him. For now, put this case on hold; follow up if there are any new developments. Any questions?”

“I have a question.” Jiang Ling raised his hand. “Team Leader Lu, I have a question.”

For a moment, nearly everyone’s gaze turned to him. Lu Hui glanced at him and lifted his chin: “Speak.”

Jiang Ling said, “I want to take a closer look at Li Ai and Zhao Qin’s relationship. Something does not feel right.”

Lu Hui furrowed his brows. “What do you mean by that?”

Jiang Yan, guessing what he was about to say, kept winking at him. Jiang Ling hesitated for a moment but finally spoke honestly: “Based on Li Ai’s date of birth, she likely does not have marital fate, so even if she is married, the relationship with her spouse would not be good. But the investigation results do not match this. Something here feels off.”

The room fell silent for a moment, then Chen Zifeng suddenly burst out laughing.

“So you really can do fortune-telling, huh? Forget it, Young Master Jiang. We are all staunch materialists here—we believe in science and do not put any stock in metaphysics.”

He grinned at Jiang Ling, a mix of teasing and joking in his expression.

Lu Hui remained silent, staring at Jiang Ling with cold eyes.

Jiang Ling insisted, “Let me try. Anyway, I have nothing to do in the office.”

“You could play on your phone, you know. Team Leader Lu said it himself—it is final,” Chen Zifeng added, unable to help himself.

Jiang Yan shot him a glance and joined in: “Actually, when I went to investigate today, I heard from people nearby that Li Ai’s been having bad luck recently, always running into strange incidents. Maybe there really is something unusual going on. Team Leader Lu, why not let Jiang Ling look into it?”

Lu Hui was silent for a moment. Then, after a while, he raised his eyebrows. “Alright, you go investigate.”

He paused. “Go tomorrow. For now, the day is over—you can leave. Chen Zifeng, you and Mo Yuzi finish writing the report for the previous case. Watch for typos; if I catch any again, do not expect to go home tonight. Jiang Yan, organize today’s information and enter it into the system…”

Amid the office groans, Jiang Ling stood up. “Team Leader Lu, I can actually stay and help too.”

However, Lu Hui ignored him. Chen Zifeng shouted as he dragged Mo Yu to the cafeteria for dinner, and Jiang Yan passed by, giving Jiang Ling a sympathetic look.

Old Zhang, the last one remaining, shook his head as he lifted his teacup.

“Using metaphysics to solve a case,” he snorted coldly. “I have been investigating cases my whole life, and I have never seen one solved by fortune-telling. If that worked, what would people like us even be doing? Nowadays, anyone could become a police officer.”

“That is not the case,” Jiang Ling said seriously. “You still have to go through formal police academy training to become a police officer. As for fortune-telling, that is just my personal hobby. Solving cases mainly depends on one’s own abilities.”

Old Zhang: “…”

He was left speechless.