He frowned. Why is it switched off? There’s nowhere else she could go to except school, and the school is practically empty at this hour. He turned towards the man and asked, “Did she say where she was going?”
The man shook his head and replied, “No, but she’s probably on her way to the crematorium. Where else would she be taking the body to, right?”
“Got it.” Shen Peichuan took a look at the time. The person working at the crematorium should have gone off duty by now…
He was about to step out of the office when he suddenly remembered something and called out to the man, “Is the address to her old house mentioned in the file?”
“It’s in Jiang County.”
“Do you have the exact address?” Shen Peichuan asked.
“I don’t remember what it is, but it is stated on the file.”
“Give me the file,” Shen Peichuan said and headed back inside the office.
The man retrieved the file and handed it over to him.
“You may get off work now,” Shen Peichuan told him as he glanced at the address on the file. Jiang County is a rural area, and it’s a little far away from B City. I planned on sending someone there with Sang Yu if I wasn’t able to make it on time. She’s a girl, after all. Judging by the looks of things now, she has probably gone off on her own…
He closed the file and slumped against his chair, feeling worried about her safety as there was no way for him to track her exact location.
In the end, he got into his car and set a course for Jiang County on his GPS before driving off.
Little did he know that Sang Yu had yet to leave B City. As she wasn’t planning on coming back, she had to complete the withdrawal procedures from the university first.
Shen Peichuan had his men look her up at dawn, but they weren’t able to find anything on the train and plane tickets purchased under her name.
“You mean she hasn’t bought any plane or train tickets?” Shen Peichuan felt his heart skip a beat. How is she heading back then?
“That’s right, sir. It’s possible that she took a bus or cab, but we can’t really say for sure. Most of the buses don’t pick up their customers from the station, and a lot of people don’t purchase the tickets with their real name either.”
“All right, I understand.” Shen Peichuan hung up the phone after saying that.
Still worried, he decided to have a look at her old house.
Having taken care of things at the university, Sang Yu made a trip to the police station. She wanted to bid Shen Peichuan farewell as they wouldn’t ever meet again after her departure.
“The deputy chief isn’t in.”
“Where did he go?” Sang Yu asked.
“I’m not sure. Maybe you can drop his house and have a look.”
Sang Yu hesitated for a bit before asking, “In that case, could you tell me where he lives?”
She thanked the officer and left the station after getting his address.
Sang Yu then took a cab to his house and knocked on the door, but there was no response.
She waited outside until it was time for her bus to depart; there was still no sign of him. I was hoping to say goodbye to him in person, but I guess I can only do so via phone call now…
Sang Yu was in a bad mood after cremating her mother, so she had her phone switched off yesterday and locked herself in the hotel room.
She switched her phone on and dialed his number. To her dismay, all she heard was the automated message telling her that his phone had been switched off.
Shen Peichuan’s phone had run out of power after having the GPS on the entire night, and he was purchasing a charger from a rest stop at the time she called.
With some assistance from the police officers in the area, he was able to locate Sang Yu’s old house relatively quickly after arriving in Jiang County. However, the house had been abandoned for a long time, and the neighbors all claimed that the woman hadn’t returned.
Instead of leaving immediately, Shen Peichuan asked around about Sang Yu’s family. What he heard was pretty much the same as what she had told him.
Her mother went to prison after her father’s death, and the house was abandoned when she left for university.
The house was poorly constructed, to begin with, and it seemed uninhabitable after the prolonged lack of maintenance.
It was already afternoon when Shen Peichuan left the village. He rested for about two hours in a hotel before driving back to B City.
The long drive made him very exhausted, so he skipped the police station and went straight home.
He slept soundly through the night and was only woken up by the ringing of his mobile phone the next morning.
He grabbed the device and answered the call. “Where are you right now?” Captain Song sounded rather anxious.
“I’m sleeping at home,” Shen Peichuan replied.
“Sleeping? You’d better come over to the station right now!” Captain Song ordered.
Shen Peichuan became wide awake when he heard how urgent Captain Song sounded. He quickly hung up, showered, and rushed to the police station.
Captain Song was attending to the men from the Prosecutors’ Office. “That’s impossible! I know Shen Peichuan very well! There’s no way he would take bribes!”
“The higher-ups received a report about it, and they sent us here to investigate the matter. We don’t think any of our law enforcement officers would do such a thing either. Trust me; we will get to the bottom of this.”
Captain Song poured them all a glass of water. “Of course I trust you, but I also trust Shen Peichuan. After all, I trained him, and I’m sure you know my character very well.”
Captain Song was very well-known and highly respected in the force for his integrity and righteousness.
“Yes, we know that. Rest assured, we will investigate this thoroughly and clear Deputy Chief Shen’s name if he really is innocent.”
Shen Peichuan went straight to Captain Song’s office when he arrived at the police station. He was a little shocked when he saw the men in black uniforms waiting inside.
These guys are from the Prosecutors’ Office! Who are they investigating?
“Come here, Peichuan,” Captain Song called out to him. Shen Peichuan figured that the investigation was probably related to him. Captain Song wouldn’t have sounded so anxious on the phone otherwise.
He walked over, and Captain Song whispered into his ear, “Someone has accused you of bribery. These men are here to investigate you, so you’d better be prepared.”
Shen Peichuan froze. Bribery?
A prosecutor stood up and asked, “You’re Shen Peichuan?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Shen Peichuan replied.
“The higher-ups have received a report about you taking bribes. We’re the prosecutors assigned to your case. Here’s the warrant,” The man said while placing a warrant on the desk. “You’re not allowed to participate in any police work until this investigation is over. Please give us your full cooperation.”
Captain Song frowned. “Why not? That’s practically suspension! Do you know how serious that is?”
“Yes. He is to be suspended until his name is cleared,” The prosecutor said matter-of-factly.
Captain Song was about to say something further in protest, but Shen Peichuan quickly stopped him. “You have my full cooperation.”
He wasn’t afraid of being investigated for something he knew he didn’t do.
“Very well. Please ensure that you are reachable via mobile phone at all times as we may contact you at any given time.”
“Got it,” Shen Peichuan replied.
“What on earth is going on here?” Captain Song asked after the prosecutors left.
Shen Peichuan gave it some thought and replied, “Someone might be trying to set me up.”
“Did you offend anyone lately?” Captain Song asked.
Shen Peichuan recalled everyone he had been in contact with and analyzed every possibility he could think of. Gu Bei is the only one capable of doing something like this is…
“I think so,” he answered.
Captain Song looked perplexed. “But you’re not the kind who would act rashly, so how could you have possibly offended anyone?”
Shen Peichuan stayed quiet at that remark.
“I’ll do my best to help you out with this.” Captain Song sighed.
“Thank you,” Shen Peichuan said sincerely.
“There’s no need to thank me. I’m not from the Prosecutors’ Office, so I can’t really help much either.” Captain Song took his hat off in frustration. I know Shen Peichuan would never take bribes, so whoever did this to him must be quite powerful. My options are very limited here. This could affect his future if it isn’t handled well…
