Don't be fooled by Zhang Jian's cold demeanor, it's only because he hasn't seen any benefits yet.

Ling Shu has been in Shanghai for a few years, and even though he's on the side of the law, these days it's hard to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil. He knows all the tricks of the trade when it comes to the gray areas of the law, and he knows exactly how to deal with Zhang Jian.

In just a few seconds of smiling and joking around, Zhang Jian suddenly found himself holding a few pieces of paper.

They were light and flimsy, not even worth a silver dollar. Zhang Jian was not pleased and thought this person was not trustworthy. But when he looked down, his eyes widened in disbelief.

Those pieces of paper were not worthless, they were British pounds. The pound sterling may not be a commonly used currency in China, but its status is well-known.

It's easy to exchange for silver dollars, and in the concessions, it can sometimes be even more useful than silver dollars. Plus, the denominations are not small, so this gift is quite generous.

Although Zhang Jian's expression remained cold, his eyes softened a bit. This is what they call "money talks."

"Brother Zhang, we're all on the same team here. Can you give us a heads up on who reported the case and why you had to go through all this trouble?"

Based on the timing of Zhang Jian's arrival, it's likely that the maid immediately called the police when she discovered that Ling Shu had gone to the second floor.

He had seen a telephone on the first floor of the Sun family's house, so it would have been easy to call the police station.

But how could a maid know the phone number of the police station?

Moreover, breaking into someone's home is a serious offense, especially if it involves foreigners. The police station would have to rush over immediately.

However, the owner of this house is a widow with only one son, and her husband was just a wealthy farmer from the countryside. They had no significant background or connections.

It was highly unusual for Zhang Jian and his team to act so quickly.

Zhang Jian's face remained unchanged, but he whispered something quietly.

"The phone call was directly made to the Jiang residence. I happened to be a guest there, and as soon as Mr. Jiang received the call, he immediately asked me to come over."

Ling Shu was completely confused. "Which Mr. Jiang?"

He tried to recall all the famous people in Shanghai, but none of them seemed to fit the bill.

Zhang Jian replied, "Jiang He."

Him? Ling Shu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Another old acquaintance. On a rainy night, he was being chased and luckily ran into Jiang He. Jiang He helped him and even indirectly provided information about He Yao'an. They were even now.

After that, Ling Shu never had any dealings with Jiang He again.

It was as if he had disappeared from the world.

But that was because Shanghai was a big city. If you didn't want to see someone, you could make them feel like they never existed in your life.

Jiang He and Ling Shu were never really connected, and Jiang He probably didn't want to have too much involvement with Ling Shu.

But now, this familiar name suddenly appeared, declaring its existence.

What was the relationship between Jiang He and the widow Mrs. Sun?

Ling Shu's face became strange. Zhang Jian clearly knew what he was thinking, because half an hour ago he had the same idea as Ling Shu.

"Jiang He is this kid's godfather."

Lu Zude's godfather?

Ling Shu's expression became even more strange.

Jiang He is not someone who likes to meddle in other people's business.

How could he take a little kid as his godson?

Could it be that he has some connection with Mrs. Sun?

Could it be that Mrs. Sun's deceased husband's grave is already covered in green grass?

Seeing his unpredictable expression, Zhang Jian thought he regretted offending someone.

"You can either come with me now and apologize to Master Jiang, maybe it's not too late."

Ling Shu did want to meet Jiang He and ask him how he got involved with Mrs. Sun and her son, but now was not the time. He urgently wanted to figure out what was causing the noise in the wardrobe.

But with Zhang Jian here causing trouble, we definitely won't be able to investigate now.

"Alright then, I'll..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the excited voice of a maid interrupted him.

"Madam, you're finally back! Mr. Ling took advantage of your absence to search and rummage around, I don't know what he was trying to do. He even went up to the second floor and searched through all the rooms..."

The maid kept complaining as she followed Mrs. Sun up the stairs.

And indeed, it was Mrs. Sun, with her slender figure and the same height that Ling Shu remembered.

She looked pale, probably still recovering from a serious illness, but her expression was serious and devoid of the desperation and urgency from that night.

Ling Shu watched her climb the stairs and approached her.

"Ling Shu, what are you doing here?"

She didn't ask about Zhang Jian and the other officers, but instead questioned Ling Shu first.

Her tone contained an implicit accusation.

But her eyes...

Mrs. Sun stood in front of Zhang Jian and the others, very close to Ling Shu. This meant that no one else could see the expression in her eyes, except for Ling Shu.

Her eyes and tone were completely opposite. While her tone was strict and forceful, her eyes were filled with despair.

She was weeping, in pain and sorrow.

In just a moment, it seemed as though she had experienced the most hopeless thing in the world, and was now drowning in an ocean of misery.

It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over Ling Shu's head, soaking him from head to toe.

The shock he felt inside was far more intense than the mild surprise that showed on his face.

Mrs. Sun was a widow with some wealth, and her life was not difficult. Even though she had a strained relationship with her in-laws, she had already moved to Shanghai where the elderly couple couldn't interfere much.

While it was unfortunate that she had lost her husband, there were many others in the world who had suffered greater misfortunes than Mrs. Sun.

However, Ling Shu had never seen anyone with the same look in their eyes as Mrs. Sun's.

She was pleading for help with her eyes.

It was like the night when she had slipped him a note with just two words: "Save me."

But this look was far more powerful than those two short words.

What had Mrs. Sun gone through?

One could fake a plea for help, but one could not fake a look in their eyes.

If Mrs. Sun had even faked this look, Ling Shu would truly have been in awe of her.

Is there something she can't say, or is she in some kind of danger and can only send a distress signal to Ling Shu in this way?

If she's in danger all around her and can't escape it, where is this danger coming from?

Could it be related to Jiang He?

As thoughts raced through his mind, Ling Shu continued to respond according to his own train of thought.

"Last time I came to visit, I saw that Mrs. Sun was unconscious and the maid was negligent. Lu Zude even privately told my superior, Captain Yue, that you're not his real mother and there seems to be some hidden situation, so he's worried about your safety and came to check on you again."

Mrs. Sun spoke with a stiff voice, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ling. I naturally welcome your visit, but searching around without the host's permission like a thief, how can my maid not misunderstand? I really don't understand your behavior, Mr. Ling. However, I am grateful for your help in finding Zude earlier. Please don't do this again in the future."

After speaking, she turned to Zhang Jian and said, "Thank you for coming in such a timely manner, Officer Zhang. However, Mr. Ling is the younger brother-in-law of my friend. Please don't hold it against him. Song, bring some tea and wine money and send it to all the officers."

The maid, Song, quickly responded.

Zhang Jian looked at Ling Shu and then at Mrs. Sun.

"So, Mrs. Sun doesn't want to pursue this?"

Mrs. Sun said, "As long as Mr. Ling doesn't trespass into private residences like this again, I won't pursue today's incident."

Zhang Jian asked, "What about explaining to Master Jiang?"

Mrs. Sun replied, "I will bring my child to thank Master Jiang in person on another day. Mr. Zhang doesn't need to worry. I will send someone to speak to Master Jiang."

A maid came over with a tray full of shiny silver coins, and everyone around Zhang Jian burst into smiles.

Zhang Jian nodded. He was only running an errand for someone else and had already received payment from both sides. Naturally, he didn't want to cause any more trouble.

"Brothers, let's go!"

Before leaving, he even patted Ling Shu's shoulder.

"Let's go."

Ling Shu had no choice but to leave.

He couldn't find a chance to speak alone with Mrs. Sun at all.

The maid, Sister Song, stuck to Mrs. Sun like glue and never left her side.

Mrs. Sun lifted her chin slightly.

"Please, Mr. Ling, next time you come, be more honest and upright. Don't do things that only thieves would do!"

Ling Shu smiled and said, "I'm sorry, today I was in the wrong. I don't know when Mrs. Sun will be available next, but I will come and apologize again."

Mrs. Sun remained cold and silent, "Let's talk about it another time. Mr. Ling, please go, I won't see you off."

As they descended the stairs, Shen Renjie, who had been stopped downstairs, saw that Ling Shu was safe and sound, and breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to explain to Yue Dingtang.

Ling Shu and Shen Renjie were somewhat pressured to leave the Sun residence by Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian took his money and, since they were all government officials, he wanted to leave a way out for himself, so he joked with Ling Shu.

"Mrs. Sun is quite wealthy. Even though she's a widow, anyone who marries her won't lose out. I understand you, but you're too impatient," he said.

Ling Shu's mouth twitched. "She's a person of Master Jiang's. How could I dare to covet her? I just thought that the maid might be plotting something, so I took the liberty to barge into her bedroom and have a look."

Zhang Jian didn't believe him at all.

He patted Ling Shu's shoulder and said they should go drink when they have time, then led his brothers to disperse.

Shen Renjie scratched his head, feeling that today's incident was really unlucky.

Why did they have to coincide with the host's return?

And how did that woman suddenly have a powerful backer?

"Did you find anything?"

"Nothing at all."

"Ah, forget it. In my opinion, you're just wasting your kindness. The widow is shallow and ungrateful. Let her be. Let's wrap things up and go back. It's too hot for hotpot. How about some Cantonese cuisine? I know a good Cantonese restaurant..."

As Shen Renjie continued to ramble on, Ling Shu tuned him out and walked around to the back of the small house.

He gazed up at the second-floor windows, lost in thought.

"What are you looking at?"

"The space between the windows of those two rooms. The gap seems too wide. I remember that wall not being that thick. That area should be a closet...based on this distance, there should be another partition behind the closet."

Shen Renjie couldn't understand what he was saying.

"You're not actually interested in that widow, are you?"

Ling Shu looked at him and suddenly asked, "Have you noticed anything strange about the Sun family?"

Shen Renjie said, "It's strange how they suddenly got Jiang He as a backer, he's one of Lu Tongcang's."

Ling Shu silently shook his head, realizing that Shen Renjie was completely off the mark.

What he found strange was Mrs. Sun's behavior.

Her arrogance and condescension, and that contrasting look in her eyes.

If Yue Dingtang were here, he would surely feel the same way.

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

"I think we need to pay another visit to the Sun family," Ling Shu said.

Shen Renjie suddenly had a bad feeling.

"What do you mean by 'we'?" he asked cautiously.

"Literal meaning, you and me," Ling Shu replied.

Shen Renjie laughed, "Don't joke with me!"

Ling Shu pointed to his own nose, "Do I look like I'm joking?"

Shen Renjie said, "I suddenly remembered that there's something going on at home. My 80-year-old mother is bedridden and I need to go back and check on her!"

As he spoke, he tried to slip away, but unfortunately, his arm was grabbed before he could leave.

Shen Renjie realized that he couldn't break free from Ling Shu's grip.

"Young Master Ling, don't use me to vent your anger. You already searched the Sun family's house earlier. If I go there again and get complained to the authorities, you have the backing of Captain Yue, but I'm just a small officer with no background or connections. I'll become cannon fodder!"

"It's not as bad as you make it sound," Ling Shu said. He grabbed Shen Renjie's shoulder and pulled him closer.

"Although Mrs. Sun's words were polite, she gave me a hint that made me even more certain that there's something fishy going on in the Sun family."

Shen Renjie was skeptical. "What hint?"

Ling Shu said, "Just one look."

Shen Renjie: ...

Ignoring his expression, Ling Shu continued, "Mrs. Sun came to me for help. If she's really in danger, it must be a matter of life and death. Even if I'm caught, at most, Old Yue can mediate. Besides, I know Jiang He, but it's not like I'll be in trouble. But if I can save Mrs. Sun's life, it's worth the trouble."

Shen Renjie was helpless. "So what do you want to do? Break in again?"

"I want to go in and take a look, but not now. I'll wait until it's dark and sneak in. I've already scoped out the area. I'll slip in through the back garden and into the kitchen. There aren't many people in Mrs. Sun's household, and there's no guard, so it's easy to fool them."

Shen Renjie asked, "Shouldn't you talk to Captain Yue first?"

If it weren't for his arm being held hostage, he would have run away long ago.

Ling Shu said, "Of course I have to talk to him. I also want him to go find Jiang He, so we can split up and attack from both sides."

Shen Renjie eagerly raised his other hand.

"I can go as a messenger!"

So, please don't hold onto me anymore!

Ling Shu smiled slyly, "No, you have to come with me to explore the Sun family. I can't do it alone, and if something happens, I won't be able to pass on the message."

Shen Renjie frowned, "Brother, I'm here to keep watch, not to steal!"

Ling Shu said, "Let me tell you the truth, old Shen. If this is really a big case with layers of investigation, you might even get a big reward. Even if we don't find anything in the end, I'll take the blame for Jiang He's side. What are you afraid of?"

Shen Renjie thought to himself, 'I'm afraid of trouble.'

But Ling Shu paid no attention to his concerns and pulled him outside, analyzing the situation as they walked.

"Let's grab a bite to eat first, then come back at ten. And don't worry about reporting anything to Jiang He, it's not necessary. I just happened to run into an acquaintance..."

His voice trailed off as they walked further away.

...

For the third time, Yue Dingtang checked his pocket watch.

He suspected that Ling Shu had completely forgotten about their plans.

Today was supposed to be the day they went to see "Dr. Mabuse," a suspense film that had been released over a decade ago. It had recently been translated and was now playing in theaters.

Ling Shu had expressed interest in seeing it, so Yue Dingtang had arranged for the tickets to be purchased and delivered to their office in advance.

Now they had the tickets and the time was almost up, but Ling Shu was nowhere to be found.

The door to the Criminal Advisory Office of the City Bureau was knocked on.

Yue Dingtang said, "Come in."

He thought it was Ling Shu, but it wasn't. Instead, an unexpected guest arrived.