Lu Qingqing, in high spirits after dealing with Tong Meng, said, "I'm heading back to the Training Institute. I have a class this afternoon."
"Mm, come back for dinner. I'll make you sweet and sour pork ribs," Hu Jia said dotingly.
Watching the two sweethearts bid farewell, Tong Meng, sitting in the tea house, downed his strong tea in one gulp, his eyes filled with hatred.
Tong Hua found Tong Meng's demeanor very amusing. "Heh heh, told you not to go, but you insisted. You're truly a disgrace to the Tong family."
Tong Meng shot Tong Hua a resentful look. "If you hadn't constantly targeted Hu Jia back then, would I be in such a predicament? I might have married him ten years ago."
"Oh, stop dreaming. If you hadn't been so frivolous the moment you joined the Special Operations Team, calling him 'Brother Hu Jia' and throwing yourself into his arms, would he have avoided you like the plague?"
Tong Meng fell silent.
This was the beginning of the rift in their sibling relationship.
Tong Meng was determined to get close to Hu Jia, but Hu Jia, having had a past conflict with Tong Hua during their school days, also kept a distance from her. Helpless, Tong Meng resorted to a "honey trap," only to earn Hu Jia's disgust.
Therefore, for years, Tong Meng blamed Tong Hua for her inability to marry Hu Jia, believing he had caused the conflict.
It was precisely because of the breakdown in their relationship that Tong Hua stopped caring about Tong Meng's well-being and orchestrated her being pushed into Lian Xianhai's path.
As they bickered, a detective approached. "Miss Tong, we've found out. They were just looking for someone named Zhang Hangjiang."
"Zhang Hangjiang." Tong Meng narrowed her eyes. "Let's go take a look."
...
For the next two days, Lu Qingqing was busy with the daily classes at the Training Institute.
The program at the institute was only seven months long. Since enrollment in September, more than half the time had passed, leaving only two months until graduation.
The coursework was demanding, and there were many training sessions.
After entering the senior class, all students began specialized studies.
For example, Cai Xiaojuan, who already specialized in forensics, focused on "Forensic Science."
Lu Qingqing, Zhou Fengjiu, Guan Jinsong, Zhan Ruoxuan, and others still chose "Criminal Investigation."
Yu Xiaohui, however, chose "Intelligence Studies," while Ye Fengyi opted for a more niche direction: "Police Dog Training." Initially, everyone thought he was just seeking novelty. But upon further consideration, with Ye Fengyi's agility in climbing trees and his extensive experience in the wilderness, he was likely a child of the mountains and forests who loved animals and was good at interacting with them.
Perhaps he would become a leader in the "Police Dog Training" field in the future.
Because Lu Qingqing was too busy, Hu Jia was substituting for her in visiting Zhang Hangjiang. For two consecutive days, Zhang Hangjiang refused to speak. On the third day, he simply disappeared.
Hu Jia initially thought Zhang Hangjiang had left temporarily, but he never returned that evening.
He was still missing on the fourth day.
It was then that Hu Jia realized the man had fled.
Hu Jia dared not look at Lu Qingqing's grim expression. He had messed up the task his fiancée had entrusted to him.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Lu Qingqing tapped her fingers on the table. "The timing of Zhang Hangjiang's disappearance is too perfect, choosing Monday morning."
It was precisely the day Hu Jia entered his period of amnesia. Was it a coincidence or deliberate?
But how could Zhang Hangjiang know Hu Jia's vulnerability on Mondays? It must be a coincidence.
Just as the group was preparing to search for Zhang Hangjiang with all their might, Li Yang called. He said he had intercepted a girl at Zhang Hangjiang's doorstep.
Her name was Zhou Yun, Zhang Hangjiang's girlfriend, a woman of loose morals.
According to her, they didn't live together and only met occasionally to satisfy their desires. They were supposed to have dinner last Sunday, but after waiting for him for a long time, she went to Zhang Hangjiang's house to find him.
However, Zhang Hangjiang seemed preoccupied that day, only giving her a perfunctory reply before sending her away.
Upon returning home, Zhou Yun grew increasingly uneasy, thinking Zhang Hangjiang had changed his mind. So she went to his house again.
It was already past midnight. To her surprise, she saw Zhang Hangjiang leaving.
Zhang Hangjiang appeared flustered. As he left, he only told his girlfriend one thing: "Don't tell anyone you know me."
They hadn't seen each other since.
Zhou Yun guessed that Zhang Hangjiang must have run into trouble, so she wanted to check his place. As soon as she knocked, she was stopped by the police.
"Did he say where he was going?" Hu Jia asked.
"He didn't."
"Was he alone at the time? Was there anyone else?" Lu Qingqing pressed.
"Anyone else?" Miss Zhou shook her head with certainty.
Lu Qingqing and the others were frustrated. They never expected Zhang Hangjiang to run.
The next day, everyone was looking for Zhang Hangjiang. From alleys to docks, from inns to restaurants, strangely, not a single person named Zhang Hangjiang could be found in the entire city.
It was as if he had vanished.
Finally, after two or three days, the recovered Luo Wenwu brought back some news.
"Boss! I found Zhang Hangjiang."
Everyone stood up.
"Where is he?" Hu Jia glanced behind Luo Wenwu. "You didn't bring him back?"
Luo Wenwu stammered, "Uh, I can't bring him back. He's in jail. He's been imprisoned for three years."
Huh?
What?
It turned out that to find Zhang Hangjiang, Hu Jia had asked Luo Wenwu to check the city's criminal records. He figured that since Zhang Hangjiang was unemployed and a local hooligan, they might be able to trace his connections through his criminal history and thus find his hiding place.
Unexpectedly, when Luo Wenwu checked, he not only found Zhang Hangjiang's name but even located the person.
But what was this about him being in jail?
Luo Wenwu said he found this record at a sub-bureau downstairs. It indicated that Zhang Hangjiang had been arrested and imprisoned three years ago for an assault case.
To rule out the possibility of a name coincidence, Luo Wenwu specifically went to the city prison. To his surprise, he actually saw Zhang Hangjiang there.
At this point, Luo Wenwu was bewildered. He even suspected he had misremembered Zhang Hangjiang's appearance.
To confirm, Luo Wenwu specially found Zhou Yun and asked her to identify the person in prison. As a result, Zhou Yun also said the person was Zhang Hangjiang.
Unwilling to give up, Luo Wenwu sought out a few of Zhang Hangjiang's neighbors. Without exception, they all said the person imprisoned was Zhang Hangjiang.
"Good heavens, this is stranger than a dung beetle climbing a tree!" Luo Wenwu was thoroughly confused. If this man was Zhang Hangjiang, and he had been in jail for three years, then who had been dating Zhou Yun for the past three years? Who had met with Lu Qingqing and Hu Jia?
Could it be that Zhang Hangjiang had escaped from prison to have a relationship?
Lu Qingqing and Hu Jia also found it hard to believe. They rushed to the city prison.
It was a man with a crew cut, slightly gaunt. Judging by his demeanor, he had clearly lost his freedom for too long.
With just a glance, Lu Qingqing and Hu Jia confirmed that this was Zhang Hangjiang. However, it was strange that when they stood before him, Zhang Hangjiang showed no emotional reaction, as if he were seeing them for the first time.
"Are you sure this is Zhang Hangjiang?" Hu Jia, having entered a new period of amnesia, couldn't recall Zhang Hangjiang's appearance.
"Yes, I'm sure." Lu Qingqing nodded without hesitation. She wouldn't forget that face.
"He doesn't seem to recognize you," Hu Jia observed the man closely.
"I find it very strange too," Lu Qingqing said.
After all this effort, they finally found him, only to discover he was in jail.
Strange!
Truly strange!