The business trip arrangements were made by Zhou Qiming.
“The Hongyun case involves an investment company over in Shenzhen, and we need to send someone over to do an on-site check,” Zhou Qiming called me into his office. “You lead the team, and take Wen Ruzhou with you.”
I frowned: “Take her?”
“What, got an objection?”
“There’s no problem with her work capabilities, but she just arrived and isn’t familiar with the situation here. If something happens while we’re out…”
“I want her to get familiarized,” Zhou Qiming interrupted me. “You are the lead investigator, and she is the assistant investigator. If anything comes up, you cover for her. High-speed rail tomorrow morning—the tickets are already bought.”
When I came out of Zhou Qiming’s office, Wen Ruzhou happened to be walking over from down the hallway.
Seeing me, she smiled faintly: “Captain Shen, I heard we’re going on a business trip to Shenzhen?”
“You’re well-informed.”
“Brother Zhao told me.” She took a couple of quick steps to catch up. “I haven’t been to Shenzhen yet. I heard the dim sum there is delicious. Outside of work, could we—”
“No,” I interrupted her. “You are going there to handle a case, not to travel.”
She curled her lips slightly and stopped talking.
I walked a few steps, then suddenly halted.
“Head back to the dormitory to pack your things. Eight o’clock train tonight, arriving in Shenzhen at six tomorrow morning. Once we arrive, we go straight to the company. After wrapping things up in the afternoon, we take the high-speed rail back in the evening.”
“Just one day?”
“Yes, just one day.”
She froze for a moment, then nodded: “Alright.”
I turned and left, saying nothing more.
At seven-thirty in the evening, I arrived at the train station.
People were coming and going in the waiting hall, and boarding notices broadcasted continuously over the speakers. I found a corner seat and sat down, rechecking the materials brought for the business trip.
Laptop, external hard drive, letter of introduction, copy of the case filing decision document, along with a few prepared investigation outlines. The Shenzhen company involved in the Hongyun case was called “Huachuang Investment,” its legal representative named Wu Jianhua, with a registered capital of five million yuan, and its business scope listed as “investment consulting” and “asset management.”
The name was very similar to Hongyun.
The two companies were eight out of ten chance owned by the same boss.
The phone vibrated—a message sent by Wen Ruzhou: “Captain Shen, I’ve arrived. I’m at the east door of the waiting hall.”
I replied with a single word: “Come.”
Two minutes later, she appeared in my line of sight.
Still that navy blue trench coat, but inside she had swapped for a white turtleneck sweater. Her hair wasn’t tied up today, cascading down her shoulders, looking much softer than usual.
“Captain Shen,” she stopped in front of me and smiled faintly.
“Sit down. Twenty minutes until boarding.”
She sat beside me and pulled a box of biscuits from her bag: “Want some? Things on the train are expensive, so I bought these at the supermarket this afternoon.”
I glanced at the box of biscuits and didn’t take it: “Eat them yourself, I’m not hungry.”
She didn’t press it either, opening the box and eating them herself.
I pulled out my laptop to continue looking through the materials.
After a few bites, she suddenly asked: “Captain Shen, have you been to Shenzhen before?”
“A few times.”
“How is it over there?”
Without looking up, I replied: “Busy.”
She let out a soft laugh and stopped asking.
The broadcast sounded, announcing ticket collection. We stood up and followed the crowd toward the boarding gate. She walked beside me, carrying a small carry-on suitcase, her steps very light and brisk.
Once on the train, having found our seats, I stowed the luggage and sat down to continue reviewing the materials.
She sat opposite me, in the window seat. As the train set in motion, she turned her head to look at the platform rapidly receding outside the window, then withdrew her gaze and sat there obediently.
There weren’t many people in the carriage, and the lights had been dimmed, with most passengers resting.
I flipped through a few pages of data. My eyes felt a bit dry and sore, so I took off my glasses to rub them.
“Captain Shen.”
I raised my head: “What is it?”
“Would you like some water?” She pulled a thermal flask from her bag. “I brought two cups of hot tea.”
I looked at her, saying nothing.
She placed the thermal flask on the small tray table, sliding it in front of me: “Here you go.”
I didn’t take it: “Drink it yourself.”
She didn’t persist either, taking the flask back and taking a sip herself.
It was quiet in the carriage, with only the rumbling sound of the train running echoing in our ears. I shut the laptop, leaned back against the seat, and closed my eyes.
Unsure of how much time had passed, I was awakened by the ringing of a cell phone.
Opening my eyes, I found that the lights in the carriage were completely extinguished, with only the corridor emergency lights still on. Wen Ruzhou leaned by the window, seemingly asleep, the expression on her face very tranquil.
The phone was still ringing.
I pulled out my phone and looked at the caller ID.
It was an unfamiliar number.
I picked it up: “Hello?”
“Is this Shen Lihan?” The other party’s voice was deep, impossible to tell male from female.
“Who are you?”
“I’m from the Provincial Prison Administration Bureau.” The other party paused. “There’s a matter I want to confirm with you. Your father Shen Zhenyuan’s personal belongings haven’t been collected by any family members. According to regulations, we need to dispose of them. How would you like us to handle it?”
My hand tightened around the phone.
Father.
Personal belongings.
My breathing hitched for a moment, then I kept my voice as steady as possible: “How to handle it?”
“If it’s convenient for you, you can come to the provincial capital to sign for and collect them.”
“What items?”
“Some personal belongings,” the other party said. “And a box with some documents and his diary inside.”
My fingertips were trembling.
“Captain Shen?” The other party called out to me again.
“I understand,” my voice was somewhat raspy. “I’ll head over as soon as possible.”
“Then that’s all, goodbye.”
The call hung up.
I stared at the phone screen, remaining still for a long time.
My father had been dead for eight years.
In eight years, I hadn’t gone to collect his belongings even once. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t dare. Those items kept in the prison warehouse felt like a piece of the past I was unwilling to touch. Every time I thought about facing those relics, I would recall those five words he wrote in the letter: Your dad is innocent.
I believed him.
But I had no evidence.
“Captain Shen?”
Wen Ruzhou’s voice pulled me back to reality.
I raised my head to find she was already awake, looking at me. The lighting in the carriage was dim; I couldn’t see her expression clearly, but I could feel her gaze was very gentle.
“It’s nothing,” I stowed the phone away. “Just took a call.”
She didn’t probe further.
She simply stood up, pulled out the thermal flask from her bag, poured another cup of hot tea, and placed it before me.
“Have something warm,” she said. “Three hours left until we arrive.”
I didn’t say anything, picking up the teacup and taking a sip.
The tea was warm, just right to drink.
She sat back in her seat, leaning against the window, saying nothing more.
Quiet returned to the carriage.
Staring at the pitch-black night outside the window, watching the sporadic lights in the distance flash past rapidly, I didn’t know what I was thinking.
After a long time, her voice came softly from opposite:
“Captain Shen, if you’re tired, get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
I didn’t answer.
But I closed my eyes, leaning back against the seat, allowing myself to zone out for a while.
The phone sat in my pocket; through the fabric, I could feel its presence.
Father’s belongings.
His diary.
What would he have written inside?
Would he have written the words he was unwilling to say to me?
Would he have written what actually happened back then?
Would he have written that the evidence for those five words was hidden somewhere he left behind?
I didn’t know.
But I suddenly felt a strong urge to go to the provincial capital soon.
At five-thirty in the morning, the train arrived at the station.
Day was just dawning over Shenzhen, and there was a damp smell in the air. I carried the luggage off the train, with Wen Ruzhou following behind me, the two of us walking toward the exit together.
“Sleepy?” I asked.
“I’m alright.” She rubbed her eyes. “Slept for a bit on the train.”
I glanced at her without speaking.
The dark circles under her eyes were somewhat heavy; she clearly hadn’t slept well. But she didn’t complain, simply following me silently.
Exiting the station, I hailed a taxi and gave the driver Huachuang Investment’s address.
Huachuang Investment was located in an office building in Futian District, renting half a floor. I had researched this company before: registered five years ago, legal representative named Wu Jianhua, but in reality, this Wu Jianhua was just a nominal figurehead, with the actual controller of the company being someone else.
Who this “someone else” was, however, remained unfound so far.
Forty minutes later, we arrived downstairs at Huachuang Investment.
It was a twenty-story office building, with Huachuang on the fifteenth floor. I checked my watch—6:45 AM; the company likely wasn’t open yet at this time.
“Breakfast first,” I said. “We’ll come back at seven-thirty.”
Wen Ruzhou nodded: “Alright.”
There was a dim sum restaurant downstairs with red lanterns hanging at the entrance, looking quite authentic. I led her inside, finding a corner table to sit down.
The server handed over the menu, and I casually ordered a few items: shrimp dumplings, rice roll, char siu buns, plus a pot of Pu’er tea.
Wen Ruzhou sat opposite, surveying the decor of the restaurant: “So this is the legendary Cantonese dim sum?”
“Just eat.”
She smiled faintly, saying no more.
The food came up quickly. I had little appetite, eating only two shrimp dumplings before losing interest. Wen Ruzhou, on the other hand, ate with relish, one after another, eating very earnestly.
“Captain Shen,” she suddenly asked, “once we go to Huachuang later, how do you plan to investigate?”
I thought for a moment: “First inspect their business license and office premises to confirm the company is operating normally. Then retrieve their bank statements and financial statements to check for anomalies.”
“What if they don’t cooperate?”
“Compulsory retrieval,” I said. “We have the case filing decision document; they must cooperate.”
She nodded, asking no more.
Finishing breakfast, it was about time. We settled the bill and went upstairs to find Huachuang Investment.
The elevator doors on the fifteenth floor opened, and I saw a sign hanging at the end of the hallway: “Huachuang Investment Co., Ltd.”
The door was closed, but movement could be seen inside.
I walked over and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” A man’s voice came from inside.
“Economic Crime Investigation Detachment of the Public Security Bureau.” I flashed my credentials. “We have some circumstances to verify.”
The door opened a crack, revealing a wary face. Forties, wearing a suit, hair combed very neatly.
“What is this about?”
“My surname is Shen, the lead investigator for this case,” I said. “Hongyun Investment Company is suspected of illegally absorbing public deposits, and we traced that a portion of Hongyun’s funds flowed to Huachuang. We are here today to get an understanding of the situation.”
The man’s complexion shifted.
He hesitated for a few seconds, then opened the door to let us in.
The office wasn’t large, the decoration very concise. Various qualification certificates of the company hung on the wall, with several potted green plants placed in the corners. A few employees sat at their workstations; seeing us walk in, they all raised their heads, their expressions somewhat nervous.
The suited man closed the door and turned around: “Officer Shen, I am the company’s administrative manager, surname Fang.”
“Manager Fang,” I swept my eyes over the office, “where is your boss?”
“President Wu isn’t here today; he’s away on a business trip.”
“When will he be back?”
“Probably… next week.”
I looked at him without exposing his lie. I had checked beforehand; Wu Jianhua rarely came to the company, with actual operations handled by subordinates. Saying he was on a business trip might be true, or he might just be dodging us.
“Let us see your business license and financial statements first,” I said.
Manager Fang’s expression turned even worse: “This… needs time to prepare…”
“How long?”
“At least… an hour or two.”
“I’ll give you one hour.” I found a chair and sat down. “We’ll wait right here.”
Manager Fang hesitated as if wanting to say something, but ultimately nodded, turning and leaving.
Wen Ruzhou stood beside me, waiting until Manager Fang was far enough before speaking: “Captain Shen, do you think he has a problem?”
“Yes.” I stared at that closed door. “He’s too nervous.”
“Why nervous?”
“Don’t know.” I stood up and walked to the window. “But his reaction isn’t normal. If the company were truly squeaky clean, what attitude should they have seeing the police?”
“Cooperate with the investigation,” Wen Ruzhou said.
“Right.” I turned around. “But his first reaction was finding excuses to delay; this shows he has a guilty conscience.”
She fell silent for a few seconds.
“Captain Shen, what do we do next then?”
I looked at my watch: “Wait. See what stuff they can bring out after this one hour.”
She nodded, asking no more.
An hour later, Manager Fang returned with a stack of materials.
I took the materials and flipped through them: business license, articles of association, last year’s financial statements, and a bank statement.
It looked very complete.
But I knew these were all superficial facades.
The real key lay in that bank statement.
I read through it carefully and spotted an issue.
Huachuang’s account capital transactions were indeed very frequent, but most were small-amount transactions, single amounts rarely exceeding one hundred thousand. Moreover, the timing nodes of these transactions were strange—concentrated at the beginning and end of the month, looking like regular, systematic transfers.
“What are these?” I pointed at those few large transfers and asked.
Manager Fang’s expression shifted again: “This… is normal business transactions for the company…”
“Normal business?” I stared into his eyes. “What kind of business can move millions in and out within a few days?”
He opened his mouth, unable to speak.
I didn’t press further, instead noting down the dates and amounts of those transactions, then shutting the materials.
“I’ll take these back to review,” I said. “Additionally, I need to retrieve your company’s complete bank statements and corporate account details from the past three years. I hope you will cooperate.”
Manager Fang’s face had already gone pale.
“Officer Shen, this… requires the boss’s approval…”
“You are the administrative manager,” I looked at him. “The boss isn’t here, so you can’t make the call?”
He faltered, unable to utter a full sentence for a long time.
I paid him no more attention, turning to Wen Ruzhou: “Let’s go, heading back.”
She followed behind me, walking out of Huachuang’s office.
While waiting for the elevator, she suddenly whispered: “Captain Shen, I took a look at the dates of those large transfers just now and noticed a pattern.”
“What pattern?”
“These transfers all occurred before the fifteenth of every month, and the amounts were all whole numbers.” She paused. “I suspect this is some form of fixed dividend or commission.”
I looked at her: “Go on.”
“If this money were normal business income, it wouldn’t be this regular. There’s only one possibility—someone is regularly taking money out of this company.”
The elevator doors opened; I walked in, and she followed up.
I didn’t reply to her words, but I already had a judgment in my heart.
Huachuang’s problem was even bigger than I thought.
This was not a normal investment company; this was a money laundering channel.