A little over a month after the bank’s gold robbery, a lead finally emerged. But before they could move in to make the arrests...

...the culprits had started fighting amongst themselves over an uneven split of the loot.

On top of that, with the Public Security Bureau conducting non-stop interviews and investigations, they couldn’t get rid of the gold bars, which only fueled their panic.

Of the six people involved, three were killed by their own accomplices.

The remaining three, as if tipped off in advance, started to flee in a car just as the police were on their way to apprehend them.

Pursued by the police and with nowhere left to run, their car sped into a fireworks factory. The crash ignited a massive fire, and all three men inside the vehicle perished in the blaze.

The fireworks factory also exploded.

The incident made the papers again.

The bureau chief was furious.

"All six suspects are dead now, but we haven’t seen a single ounce of the gold! What does the Public Security Bureau keep so many of you around for? Find the gold! In a meeting this morning, my superiors pointed at my nose and called me incompetent. Should I be pointing at your noses and calling you the same?"

"You chased a few suspects and ended up on the front page. You think that’s something to be proud of? Not only is the gold still missing, but now a fireworks factory has exploded. Who’s going to answer for that loss? It’s a good thing there were no casualties, otherwise, I’d have told all of you to pack your bags and get out."

After being chewed out by the bureau chief for over an hour, everyone trudged listlessly out of the conference room.

Xue Xingzhou’s spirits were low as well. All the suspects were dead, and there was no trace of the gold. He felt like they had missed something important, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

"Captain, I want to go back and check the bank again."

The criminal investigation captain told him, "Don’t go to the bank just yet. Come with me to the fireworks factory to look for clues. The three bodies were burned to a crisp, but maybe we can find something useful in the car."

"Alright."

Because the trail had gone cold, they were directionless. So, when quitting time came, they clocked out and went home.

When he got home, he found Xue Yue in the kitchen, cleaning a fish.

"What are you doing here?"

Xue Yue explained, "He Lang brought back some fish, and I wanted to give you one. You weren’t home, and my sister-in-law doesn’t know how to cook it. She said the auntie who cooks for you took the afternoon off, so I figured I’d make a stew for you."

Xue Xingzhou nodded. "That works."

Xue Yue was a little surprised to see her brother looking so listless. It wasn’t a common sight.

"What’s wrong? You look like you’ve lost your soul. My sister-in-law said you didn’t even come home last night. Have you been that busy?"

Xue Xingzhou shrugged. "Not busy anymore."

Xue Yue raised an eyebrow. "Case closed? Then how come I heard your Public Security Bureau was in the papers today, something about an explosion at a fireworks factory outside the city?"

Xue Xingzhou washed his hands and wiped them on a towel.

"You heard about that, huh? The case isn’t closed. We just got an earful from our chief. If this keeps up, your brother’s going to be out of a job."

Xue Yue was taken aback. "It’s that serious? What exactly happened? Can you tell me?"

Xue Xingzhou glanced at her and sighed. "It’s not really a secret anymore. On New Year’s Eve, a group of people robbed the bank’s vault. Now, all six suspects are dead, but the gold bars have vanished. That gold is state property. We’ve spent the last month looking for it. We’ve already searched the suspects’ homes, but we found nothing. It’s not like we can just tear the places apart; they’re all in residential buildings."

Xue Yue was silent for a moment. "Do you have any suspicions?"

Xue Xingzhou nodded. "Two things. First, the ringleader Wang Er’s home. He lived in the suburbs, not far from a large forest. Second is the bank itself. My gut tells me they had an accomplice inside, but the bureau has already investigated all current bank employees and found nothing suspicious. Besides, I find it hard to believe that six people could move that much gold in such a short amount of time."

Xue Yue analyzed it for him. "So you think Wang Er had the means to hide the gold, that there was an accomplice at the bank, and you also suspect that maybe not all the gold was moved, that it could be near the bank or even still inside it, just hidden?"

Xue Xingzhou nodded. That was exactly what he was thinking.

"Are you guys idiots? You checked the current employees, but what about former employees? I refuse to believe the bank has never had anyone quit. Even if not in recent years, what about further back? The bank must have been around for a while, right? But its layout probably hasn’t changed."

Xue Xingzhou froze, then a grin spread across his face. He walked over to Xue Yue and vigorously ruffled her hair.

Xue Yue slapped at his hand. "Hey! My hair!"

Xue Xingzhou laughed. "That’s my sister, a real genius! I’m heading to the Public Security Bureau. Tell your sister-in-law I might not be home tonight."

Then he turned and strode out the door.

Xue Yue sighed, watching Xue Xingzhou’s retreating figure disappear.

Entering the room, she found Zhang Qian applying lotion to Tun Tun. "Is your brother back? I thought I heard his voice."

Xue Yue said, "It was him, but he’s already left."

Zhang Qian wasn’t surprised. "The case probably isn’t solved yet. He’s so busy we never see him. Our son hasn’t seen him for over a week. Even when he comes home, it’s the middle of the night and our son is already asleep. He was calling for his daddy just now while I was bathing him."

Hearing the word "daddy," Tun Tun looked at Zhang Qian and called out, "Daddy."

Zhang Qian patted her son’s little hand. "Your daddy is busy with work, catching bad guys. Be a good boy. Your daddy will be back soon."

Xue Yue pressed her lips together. "My brother wanted me to tell you he might not be coming home tonight."

Zhang Qian only paused for a second. "Okay."

That night after the lights were out, Xue Yue thought for a long time before finally telling He Lang about the situation.

He Lang listened quietly. When she finished, he turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.

"What are you trying to say by telling me this?"

Xue Yue bit her lip. "I was just thinking if we could—"

He Lang cut her off. "No."

Xue Yue froze, then slowly sat up.

He Lang had never spoken to her so harshly.

They stared at each other in the darkness.

Finally, He Lang sat up and turned on the light.

He saw Xue Yue sitting there in a daze, her eyes red.

Seeing this, He Lang sighed in resignation and took her hand.

His voice as gentle as he could make it, he said, "Didn’t we agree before? That we would always keep this a secret? For Ruanruan’s safety."

"Yue’er, we’re just ordinary people. We can’t worry about everything. I just want to protect my own family. Don’t talk to me about the greater good of the country. I don’t want to hear it. All I know is that if other people find out about our daughter’s secret, it will put her in danger or allow her to be exploited. I will not let that happen."

A pang of hurt hit Xue Yue. "I’m not trying to put Ruanruan in danger. I just want my brother to know. Don’t you trust my brother? Couldn’t we just find a chance, to just take a look?"

"No. I don’t trust anyone but you. Xue Yue, don’t bring this up again. I don’t agree."

Xue Yue opened her mouth to say something more.

But He Lang had already turned his back to her and laid down.