066: Twists and Turns

“Could it be that your brother-in-law is missing too?”
“No, that shouldn't be the case. When I went to the police station, she said she was going to look for my sister.” He Ru frowned slightly.
“What’s his phone number?”
“138xxxxxxxx.”
Han Bin took out his phone and dialed the number.
Moments later, a tone sounded from the phone: “Sorry, the number you dialed is powered off.”
Li Hui shook his head. “To have his phone off at a time like this, your brother-in-law must have nerves of steel.”
“Exactly, it just doesn’t add up.”
“Your sister has been gone for a whole day, and now you can’t reach your brother-in-law. What do we do now?” Li Hui spread his hands.
“Officer Han, Officer Li, I’m at a loss too. Maybe you two can think of something.”
Han Bin hesitated for a moment. “Yuanyuan, have you eaten?”
“Yes, I ate with Grandma.”
“In that case, why don’t you go home and keep Grandma company? Otherwise, she’ll be lonely by herself, okay?”
“Okay.” Yuanyuan replied, said a few more words to He Ru, and then headed home.
After watching her leave, Han Bin asked, “How is the relationship between your sister and her child?”
“They get along well.”
“Do you think she could abandon her child?”
“My sister cares deeply about Yuanyuan. She’s never left her unattended, let alone stayed away for a whole day and night.” He Ru sighed, then pressed on,
“Officer Han, where should we look now?”
“Let’s eat first, then go to your brother-in-law’s workplace to make some inquiries.” Han Bin was feeling helpless as well.
He Yan still hadn’t been found, and now her husband was unreachable.
With the nature of the case unclear, there was no way to take further action.
If they mobilized a large investigation and it turned out to be just a marital dispute, it would only waste police resources and taxpayers' money.
The three went to a nearby restaurant for a meal.
Han Bin ordered a pork rib rice set, Li Hui had seafood noodles. Both had big appetites and weren’t full, so they ordered a plate of potstickers and a cold dish. He Ru, worried about her sister, had no appetite and just ordered a bowl of wontons.
After the meal, He Ru wanted to pay the bill, but Han Bin refused.
Han Bin wasn’t short on money; there was no need for the complainant to treat them.
Afterwards, He Ru led Han Bin and Li Hui to her brother-in-law’s workplace.
He Yan’s husband, Chen Zili, worked at Hua Fei Express Company.
The company manager’s surname was Li; he was short and sported a crew cut.

“Officers, what brings you here?” Manager Li asked.
“Does Chen Zili work here?” Li Hui inquired.
“He used to work here as a sorter, but he doesn’t anymore.”
“When did he quit?” Han Bin was a bit surprised.
“Not long ago, just a few days back.”
“Why did he leave?”
“He didn’t take his job seriously—one minute he’d be here, the next he’d vanish, delaying the work. I had to fire him.” Manager Li snorted.
“My brother-in-law isn’t the kind of person to slack off. Could there have been some misunderstanding?” He Ru interjected.
“When he first started, he was quite diligent—always ready to work and kept an eye on things.” Manager Li smiled. “But after a while, things changed.”
“Stop beating around the bush. Tell us straight, what happened?” Li Hui pressed him.
“Hey, look over there.” Manager Li pointed across the street. “About a hundred meters that way, there’s a lottery shop. He’s most likely inside.”
“You mean, he got hooked on buying lottery tickets and neglected his work?”
“That’s right.” Manager Li gave a thumbs-up. “A little hobby is a good thing—everyone needs a goal in life. But once you lose yourself in it, you’re done for.”
“All right, thank you. We’ll let you get back to work and take a look over there.” Han Bin said.
“Take care.” Manager Li waved them off, humming a tune as he returned to his store.
“Did you know your brother-in-law was into buying lottery tickets?” Han Bin turned to He Ru.
“My sister mentioned it a few times, but lottery tickets are cheap—I never took it seriously, just ten or twenty yuan for fun.” He Ru said.
“From what Manager Li said, it doesn’t sound like your brother-in-law was just playing around.” Li Hui shook his head. Anything, once you get obsessed, stops being fun and starts controlling you.
The group walked to the nearby lottery shop. Inside, there were seven or eight men, smoke thick in the air. A woman in her thirties sat by the computer, helping people pick numbers.
“Are you the owner?” Han Bin asked.
The woman glanced over. “Wait a bit, you’re next.”
Li Hui took out his police badge. “Police.”
The customers buying tickets moved aside, glancing at Han Bin and then at the owner.
She paused her work and stood up. “Officer, what can I help you with?”
“Finish with him first,” Han Bin gestured.
“Thank you,” said the man buying tickets.
The owner quickly finished entering the numbers, handed the tickets to the man, then turned to them. “What brings you to my shop?”
“Do you know Chen Zili?”
“Oh, I know him. He comes here often.”
“Did he come in today?”
“Not today, but…” She hesitated.
“But what?”
She glanced around, then spoke quietly, “A few people came looking for him today.”
“What kind of people?”
“I don’t know.”
“When did they come?”
“Around noon, I was having lunch.”
Han Bin glanced around, pointing to the security camera next to the register. “Give me a copy of the video.”
“Ah, officer, I’m just a business owner. I don’t want any trouble.” She looked uneasy.
“Don’t worry, we’ll keep everything confidential. No one will bother you because of this,” Han Bin reassured her.
She hesitated, but finally agreed and copied the footage.
After leaving the lottery shop, Li Hui spat, “Damn, a missing person case, and it’s tangled up with so many things.”
“Officer Han, do you think my sister’s disappearance could be connected to my brother-in-law?” He Ru’s brow furrowed.
“You know them better than we do. What do you think?” Han Bin replied.
“I don’t think so, I really don’t.” He Ru murmured, almost as if convincing herself.
Buzz… a text message alert sounded.
He Ru quickly checked her phone. “My sister sent another message.”
“What does it say?”
He Ru opened the message and read aloud, “Little Ru, I’m going out of town for work. Please transfer six thousand yuan to me—it’s a loan.”
“Call her.”
He Ru dialed the number, but the call was immediately rejected.
Han Bin glanced at the message. “Do you feel like your sister actually sent it?”
He Ru thought for a moment, puzzled. “Our family isn’t well off—my sister knows that. She wouldn’t borrow money from me.”
“So, it’s likely someone else used her phone to send the message?” Han Bin guessed.
“I just realized—no wonder it felt strange. My sister never calls me ‘little sister,’ she always calls me ‘Little Ru.’”