Falling After Marriage - Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Who is Lin Jin to You? My Wife.

Ji Nanxing was carrying the closed case files she had just retrieved from the archives under one arm. As she turned the corner toward her office, she happened to run into Cheng Sangluo, who had arrived to report in.

The two stood on the stairs, one above the other, locked in a gaze. The atmosphere wasn’t terrible, but their tacit silence created an indescribably eerie tension.

Cheng Sangluo stuffed her hands into her back pockets and gave Ji Nanxing a polite nod. Though she appeared natural, her emotions were filled with resistance toward her surroundings—an unease and resentment born from her criminal record.

Her poor impression of police stations was understandable. She had spent a significant amount of time in places like this; she could practically recite the repetitive interrogation procedures by heart. Coming here felt like walking down a very familiar, unwanted road.

Ji Nanxing was not one for small talk, always wearing a cold, “keep out” expression. However, her attitude toward Cheng Sangluo was decent, likely out of respect for her former Special Forces status. After their brief staredown, a faint smile flickered on her lips.

“Good timing.” She shook the files tucked under her arm at Cheng Sangluo. “Come on, let’s go to my office and talk slowly.”

Cheng Sangluo’s gaze fell on the thick stack of brown manila folders. She froze for a second, then pointed toward the interrogation rooms with a slight delay. “Shouldn’t we go over there?”

“Whether or not you committed a crime isn’t up to me; it depends on the evidence and what you actually did. If the evidence were conclusive, I wouldn’t have called you—I would have arrested you myself. This is just a routine invitation for you to cooperate, so there’s no need to stay in that place.” Ji Nanxing’s meaning was simple: she currently had no direct evidence proving Cheng Sangluo had committed a crime.

She was famously nitpicky when tracing cases. To her, reports from others were often just words without proof. However, with Xu Songheng missing and a brawl involved, she had to “intimidate” Cheng Sangluo a bit to ensure someone with a record would cooperate fully.

Cheng Sangluo was smart and understood the arrangement, so she followed quietly.

Before long, they entered the Criminal Investigation office.

“Cheng Can, bring in a glass of water.” Ji Nanxing asked a team member to attend to the guest, then pushed open an inner door. “In here.”

Cheng Sangluo reverted to her usual taciturn state, head down as she walked in, instinctively scanning the unfamiliar space. Ji Nanxing’s private office was at the very back. The small space had good natural light and was organized with military precision. The desk was polished so clean it reflected light like a mirror.

Cheng Sangluo found it different from what she expected. The Criminal Investigation Detachment handled major cases; they usually worked around the clock, a process more grueling than training hawks. She hadn’t expected the room to be this incredibly tidy.

Ji Nanxing sat in her chair. Seeing the person across from her daydreaming, she raised her voice: “Cheng Sangluo, take a seat.”

“Here!” Cheng Sangluo’s response was a bit of a reflex. That sharp, immediate “Here!” (Present!) struck a nerve. It wasn’t that everyone calling her name triggered such a reaction; it was likely because Ji Nanxing was in uniform and her cold, powerful voice had triggered Cheng Sangluo’s muscle memory.

Ji Nanxing didn’t mock her. She turned to open the window to let fresh air in, allowing the dazed woman to settle her emotions. Fortunately, Cheng Can walked in with a cup of hot water, dispersing the awkward silence.

“Thank you.” Cheng Sangluo gave a dry smile and took the cup with both hands. She felt so out of place that she forgot the water was scalding.

“Do you want some tea leaves? I have some…” Ji Nanxing’s words were warmer than her face, perhaps trying to pivot the topic to make the guest feel better.

“No thanks,” Cheng Sangluo declined before the Captain could finish. She took a small sip and sighed. “Even if the tea here was the best in the world, to me, it would still taste bitter.”

“That’s true. No one likes ‘police station tea,’ do they?” Ji Nanxing nodded in agreement and got straight to the point. “This disappearance case was reported by Xu Songheng’s mistress. The local station searched for two days with no results. Usually, if a person can’t be found, it wouldn’t be handed to Criminal Investigation. But as it happens, someone reported that you were involved in a fight with him. So, the two cases were merged and handed to me. Tell me, what happened?”

Cheng Sangluo listened intently, her fingers picking at the rim of the paper cup. Without overthinking, she confessed everything about saving Lin Jin at the port that night.

“That night, I was watching the night view with Lin Jin behind the villa when we got news that her father was in critical condition. We rushed toward the convalescence center. On the mountain road, our path was blocked by a group of motorcyclists.

The leader was Xu Songheng. The situation was complicated. Our driver was Lin Jin’s assistant, Sheng He. While we were deciding how to react, Sheng He used a taser on me. I was later woken up by the alarm on Lin Jin’s phone. Her phone has tracking software; if she moves past a safe distance, it alerts me. I used that software to track her to a container terminal.”

Ji Nanxing was taking notes. She looked up when Cheng Sangluo paused. “Did you miss an important memory?”

“That terminal seemed to be under the Lin Group, if I remember correctly.”

“Okay, continue.”

“I found the container where Lin Jin was being held based on the GPS. Xu Songheng’s men were guarding it. I climbed onto the container to listen and heard Xu Songheng preparing to do something… ‘unclean’ to Lin Jin. The situation was urgent and there was no time to call the police, so I slipped in when he sent his men away.

You should understand—with my skills, taking him down was easy, but his men were blocking the exit. I had to take him hostage to ensure Lin Jin could escape. Her foot was injured, so I made Xu Songheng have his men prepare a getaway car. Then it was a long chase. You can confirm all of this by pulling the road surveillance.”

Cheng Sangluo told the truth, but she hid a small detail. Given Xu Songheng was missing, he was likely dead, so she concealed the fact that she had stabbed him with a dagger.

Ji Nanxing stared directly into Cheng Sangluo’s eyes, as if deciphering how much of the story was true. She did a quick deduction—the timeline and locations matched up. It didn’t sound like a fabricated lie, though she still needed to check for other suspicious details. “Then do you know why Xu Songheng acted as a ‘roadblock’?”

“My words might not be objective. Can you even use that information?” Cheng Sangluo blew on the hot water. Talking about the past grievances now, even though the hateful man was likely dead, didn’t provide much relief.

“Then just tell me the objective things I don’t know,” Ji Nanxing requested.

Cheng Sangluo looked at her reflection in the water. She wanted to laugh. She had played her pieces perfectly to reach this point—successfully using the situation to establish a connection with Ji Nanxing.

How do you kill someone and keep your hands clean? You use a borrowed knife. Now, she was going to point all suspicions and fingers toward the despicable mastermind who deserved to be punished by the law anyway.

Cheng Sangluo uttered just one name: “Lin Sheng.”

Ji Nanxing frowned. “Lin Jin’s brother?”

“You don’t need to ask me or Lin Jin what kind of person Lin Sheng is. Go ask your girlfriend. Gu Shinian was at the convalescence center that night helping Lin Jin handle her father’s emergency. I don’t know exactly what happened there; ask a third-party bystander to explain.”

Cheng Sangluo dropped the fact that Gu Shinian was present. Her bright eyes watched a contemplative Ji Nanxing, her expression appearing entirely honest. Ji Nanxing knew Gu Shinian had gone to the center that night, but her elusive girlfriend never liked sharing her life, so she truly didn’t know the details.

Ji Nanxing sighed. “So what does that have to do with Xu Songheng?”

“Look into the relationship between Lin Sheng and Xu Songheng, and all the mysteries will be solved. Why did so much happen that night? The answer is simple. What effect does Lin Zhen being in critical condition have? It’s about inheritance. Xu Songheng and I have an old grudge—that’s a fact.

But even so, he wouldn’t go for a lethal move on me out of nowhere, especially since he has no direct conflict of interest with Lin Jin. He blocked the road and kidnapped her for one purpose: to stop her from reaching the center. I suggest you check what kind of deal he had with Lin Sheng.

Think about Lin Sheng. If the old man hadn’t survived that night, the massive Lin estate would have faced the inheritance issue. Who gets what? Whether the announced inheritance news later was even real… only ghosts know. If I hadn’t gone to save Lin Jin, she would have been dead. For Lin Sheng, wouldn’t that be ‘eliminating future troubles’ forever?

Regardless of whether Lin Jin lived or died during that kidnapping, the result would be the same—Lin Sheng would be the beneficiary of the fortune. Now that Lin Sheng has logically inherited everything, here’s a new question: Shouldn’t the people who know about his illegal deeds start disappearing?”

Lin Jin had never told Cheng Sangluo about the inheritance issues; these suspicions were all deduced by Cheng Sangluo based on what happened that night. She had accurately guessed the surface relationships, the secret entanglements, and even Lin Sheng’s motives.

Ji Nanxing was a veteran. She picked out the most important piece of information. “I understand. You’re suggesting Xu Songheng’s death is related to Lin Sheng. But here’s the problem: where is the body? Where are Xu Songheng’s men? Without witnesses or physical evidence, these theories are just subjective speculation.”

Cheng Sangluo knew the case wouldn’t be solved quickly. Establishing a chain of evidence to convict a cunning fox like Lin Sheng wouldn’t be easy; otherwise, he wouldn’t be giving a cop like Ji Nanxing a headache. Fortunately, this conversation acted as a catalyst, pushing her and Lin Jin’s grievances against Lin Sheng onto the right track.

Cheng Sangluo shrugged as if she didn’t care, tossing the problem to Ji Nanxing. “I’ve told you everything I know and experienced. Next, it’s up to you. Will you investigate this as a simple disappearance, or as a premeditated, gang-related murder to silence a witness?”

Feeling her throat dry, she checked the temperature of the cup. The water was no longer hot—the perfect time to quench her thirst. Just like her plan, everything was falling into place.

Revenge must be orderly.

Ring— Ring.

Cheng Sangluo’s phone rang, breaking the silence. She checked the time and realized the conversation had gone so smoothly that she had lost track of it. She saw it was a call from Lin Jin; she must have landed safely.

Cheng Sangluo smiled. “My wife is checking in on me. Can I take this?”

Ji Nanxing, still leaning back and thinking about the case, waved her hand. “Taking a call is your freedom. Wait…” She suddenly froze. “Your wife? Since when did you get married?”

The usually unflappable Captain Ji suddenly dragged her chair closer to the desk, craned her neck to look at Cheng Sangluo’s screen, and saw the name ‘Lin Jin.’

“Who is Lin Jin to you?!” she asked, her voice full of disbelief.

Cheng Sangluo grinned. “My wife.”

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