Over the next two days, Jiang Hezhou, along with his colleagues at the bureau, obtained most of the information on the noodle shop owner.
The intelligence provided by the police in the mountain town aligned with what Jiang Hezhou had previously uncovered. However, one small grocery store owner who’d been there for years casually mentioned something.
“Qiangzi? Yeah, I know ‘im! He used to come buy liquor from me all the time. Real honest, simple fella. Just had bad luck—lost his folks young, never had any relatives come looking for ‘im.”
“Anything strange? Nah, not that I recall. Oh, wait! I remember he got real sick once, years back. Holed up at home for months. When he finally came out, he’d lost so much weight he was hardly recognizable. At first, I almost didn’t know who he was!”
That one sentence provided very useful information. First, the noodle shop owner had once disappeared from society for several months. Second, when he reappeared, his appearance had changed.
Though everyone who looked at the photos felt the current noodle shop owner was indeed the same “Qiangzi” from back then, none of them were his real family. They’d only glanced at him casually, found him familiar, and assumed it was the same person.
When Jiang Hezhou received this testimony, he instantly felt foolish. No wonder Li Yuebai and that person had been laughing at him from the shadows all these years.
After all, he’d visited that noodle shop countless times over the years, spoken to its owner countless times. From strangers to slowly becoming familiar, they’d even sat together and chatted casually on occasion. Jiang Hezhou had even told him the reason he kept coming to the shop.
What had that person felt when he heard Jiang Hezhou say he was still looking for that mechanic from all those years ago? Had he comforted him on the surface while secretly mocking him?
Look—this man is as dumb as a dog. His enemy is right in front of him, and he still hasn’t figured it out.
Later, after meetings and discussions with the bureau, they collectively concluded that one diary and some neighbor testimonies were not enough. If they arrested and interrogated the noodle shop owner right now, they risked alerting the enemy. And whoever was behind him—someone who’d been able to secretly send him abroad, change his identity, and bring him back unnoticed—was clearly backed by formidable forces.
At this stage, they couldn’t afford another misstep.
So after half a day of deliberation, Jiang Hezhou decided to pay the noodle shop a visit himself—alone first.
The shop was located on an old street, not far from a school, so it usually had a steady flow of customers. When he arrived today, it was nearly full.
Seeing Jiang Hezhou walk in, the owner greeted him warmly as usual.
“You haven’t been here in a while—been busy at the bureau?”
“Yeah. We just closed a serial homicide case in the city. Now that it’s done, I finally have some free time.”
“Oh, that must’ve been tough work!”
The owner looked honest, with eyes that exuded a simple, unassuming sincerity.
He asked Jiang Hezhou: “The usual, then? Signature beef noodle soup, one braised egg, a bottle of water?”
“Sure.”
When the noodles arrived, they were just as always—rich broth, chewy and smooth. Jiang Hezhou ate the entire bowl at a leisurely pace. When he finished, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and went to the front to pay.
The owner was behind the register doing his books. Seeing Jiang Hezhou approach, he greeted him with another smile.
“Done eating? Same as always—21 total, just give me 20!”
He said this every time, but Jiang Hezhou never took him up on it. He always paid the full price.
This time was no different. When the electronic voice announced “Alipay received 21 yuan,” the owner gave another simple, honest laugh.
“You’re always so polite. I know you’ve got money, but this is just my way of showing appreciation for a regular customer!”
Jiang Hezhou looked at the man with a faint, indifferent gaze. After a long moment, he curved his lips into a smile—but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“You really shouldn’t be short on money. After that auto repair shop closed down, you must have gotten quite a good payout, right?”
The noodle shop owner’s face visibly paled. But he forced himself to stay calm, barely maintaining his smile as he said: “Xiao Jiang, what are you talking about? What auto repair shop…”
“You know exactly what I mean. The reason I’m here now is that I have evidence. But I’m also curious—how much did Jiang Qiyou give you back then, to make you willing to commit a crime, leave your home and business behind, go abroad, and then come back to completely abandon your old life?”
With the truth laid bare so plainly, even the dullest person would understand why he was here today.
Without a word, the owner made a sudden grab for the phone on the counter. But Jiang Hezhou was faster—he struck the man’s hand away, snatched the phone, and tossed it straight into the fish tank on the register.
Not planning to beat around the bush any longer, Jiang Hezhou fixed his gaze on the shop owner and said calmly: “He’s kept you alive all these years because you probably still have some key evidence that could expose him. Now that I’ve come here, whether anything comes of it or not, Jiang Qiyou will have gotten word by now. If I were to feed him some false information—let him think you’ve already handed the evidence over to me—do you think you’d still have a chance to stay alive? If I were you, at this point, I’d cooperate with the police. At least we can put you under witness protection.”
The shop owner’s face was as pale as paper. Jiang Hezhou’s words hit him like thunderbolts, striking the very core of the anxiety he’d carried for years.
When he walked out of the noodle shop, Jiang Hezhou had a USB drive in his possession.
Outside, the sky was overcast, and a cold wind howled. He stood at the shop entrance, expressionless, and looked up at the gloomy sky.
Maybe it would snow again today, he thought.
After a moment, he turned and began walking step by step toward where his car was parked.
Just then, several black commercial vehicles sped up from not too far away. They pulled over in unison at the curb, and more than a dozen black-suited bodyguards stepped out.
Jiang Qiyou sat in one of the middle cars. A bodyguard opened the door, and he stepped out in a sharp suit.
“Small world, isn’t it?” Jiang Qiyou smiled as if nothing was amiss, walking toward Jiang Hezhou with a relaxed stride. Despite the dozen bodyguards surrounding them, heightening the tension in the air, he moved as though the weight of the moment didn’t touch him. “You’ve mentioned this place’s beef noodles before. Don’t know why, but today I suddenly got a craving to try them. Fancy running into you here.”
Jiang Hezhou didn’t respond to his brother’s words. He just looked at him calmly, and after a long, long moment, spoke with a heavy voice: “You know it’s too late. No matter what you do now, it won’t change anything.”
Jiang Qiyou continued to play dumb, looking at him as if nothing was wrong. “What are you talking about? I just came here for a bowl of noodles. But since we’ve run into each other, there’s something I might as well tell you now. Grandfather said he wants to have dinner with you and your sister-in-law tonight. She should already be on her way to the old residence—the bodyguards went to pick her up. If you’re free, you might as well come back with me.”
Hearing this, Jiang Hezhou’s hands clenched into fists at his sides.
·
Chu Luyu had indeed been “invited” to the old residence by bodyguards. Those who came to pick her up seemed well-prepared. Not only did they jam the signals around the apartment so she couldn’t make calls, but when she refused to open the door, they resorted to unorthodox methods and forced their way in.
Chu Luyu knew something must have happened to Jiang Hezhou. She didn’t dare resist too much. While obediently going along with them, she frantically spoke to the system in her mind.
Chu Luyu: [Cuihua, have you found out anything? What happened? Why are the Jiang family suddenly being so forceful in taking me away?]
System Cuihua: [I found it, I found it… The male lead went back to Qiangzi Noodle Shop again. Remember how after reading Li Yuebai’s diary, you both thought there was something off about that shop? There is something off… The shop owner is the very mechanic the male lead has been looking for all these years.]
Chu Luyu was shocked: [What? He’s been hiding in plain sight that brazenly?]
System Cuihua: [Because someone has been helping him all these years—changing his identity, giving him a new face. If it hadn’t been for the accidental discovery of Li Yuebai’s diary, this man might have stayed hidden forever…]
Chu Luyu: [Someone with the power to change a person’s identity and appearance like that must have formidable connections.] Connecting this to the sudden summons from the old residence, her eyes went wide: [It’s not the male lead’s grandfather, is it?]
System Cuihua: [No—! It’s, it’s his eldest brother.]
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