Who moved her body?

Zhuang Buyi pulled a napkin from the gleaming gold napkin holder, wiped his mouth, and said, "I was just about to ask, Sister Meiqian, do you know what I'm doing?"

Zeng Meiqian's unwavering gaze told Zhuang Buyi that she didn't believe him at all. She leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, and looked Zhuang Buyi in the eye, saying, "If you don't have a girlfriend, what else do you have to do besides work?"

"It's definitely gone. Sister Meiqian has sharp eyes; nothing can be hidden from you."

"Hmph." Zeng Meiqian sneered, "Your flattery is as inexperienced as your dating skills."

Zhuang Buyi raised his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled awkwardly, saying, "Sister Meiqian really knows how to make fun of me. It seems I'd better keep an eye on the company when Guan Jie isn't around, otherwise it won't be so easy to get by."

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. You can eat slowly, I'm leaving now. There's a company meeting at 2 PM, and although I don't want to go, I have to rush back to the company to listen to those old men bragging." Zeng Meiqian stood up, and a waiter who was about three meters away almost ran over to pull out the chair behind Zeng Meiqian.

"You haven't finished your steak yet," Zhuang Buyi said, pointing to the bright red meat on the table.

"I'm not eating anymore."

Zeng Meiqian swayed gracefully and disappeared outside the door, and Zhuang Buyi lost his appetite.

He waved, "Check, please."

The waiter came over, bent down, and said, "It's already on Mr. Zeng's tab."

……

The sun outside was blazing; the midday sun at the end of summer was even more scorching than the sun in the height of summer. It seemed to be defying the consequences and fighting against autumn, scaring people on the street back into their homes and leaving empty streets.

"Isn't it Zeng Meiqian?" Zhuang Buyi was genuinely puzzled this time.

If it were her, why wouldn't she just say so?

As Guan Jie's fiancée, it's only natural for her to help him. Moreover, she knows that Guan Jie had a childhood sweetheart before her, so even if she knew Guan Jie's intentions for going to the desolate island, she would completely understand.

But she didn't say anything.

Zhuang Buyi began to doubt his own judgment. "Could Zeng Meiqian have really only called me for dinner? Was her statement that she 'wouldn't know the answer' just a casual remark?"

"It turns out the hardest thing to understand isn't the computer problem, but the human heart!" Zhuang Buyi pressed the start button on the car, rubbed his temples, and said, "Everyone says I'm a genius, but now I can't understand anything."

Zhuang Buyi gave a self-deprecating laugh.

When the car got onto the main road, Zhuang Buyi felt he should still go to the hospital.

……

The archivist at the First Hospital wasn't as talkative as Director He, but was much colder.

This is probably the difference between a hospital and a funeral home.

Ms. Qi received Zhuang Buyi. She coldly scrutinized him from behind the table, as if she could diagnose his intentions through his skin.

"Is there something you need?" Ms. Qi asked.

"I'd like to ask if anyone came to inquire about Song Xiaoxian's hospital records today. The person who came should be a tall man in black, or maybe two."

Ms. Qi gave Zhuang Buyi a cold once more look, then looked up at his face through her glasses and asked, "And who are you?"

"I'm a friend of Ms. Song Xiaoxian. Five years ago, she was in a car accident and was brought here, but she died despite all efforts to save her." Zhuang Buyi pointed to the chair in front of the table and asked, "May I sit down?"

Ms. Qi nodded, her guarded gaze seeming to lessen.

"Recently, the funeral home notified me that someone went to check Song Xiaoxian's cremation record. I don't know what the purpose of these two people is, so I came to the hospital to ask if these two people with unclear intentions have come."

Ms. Qi didn't move after hearing this, as if Zhuang Buyi had struck her pressure points.

"Hello, are you listening?" Zhuang Buyi asked softly, but the hairs on his body suddenly stood on end.

Ms. Qi nodded, and Zhuang Buyi breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that Ms. Qi was a good fit for the atmosphere of the funeral home; having her work there would be terrifying even in broad daylight.

"Wait a moment." After saying this, Ms. Qi stood up, went into the inner room, closed the door, and started making a phone call.

After the landline beeped a few times, Ms. Qi started speaking into the microphone. Zhuang Buyi couldn't hear clearly through the door, but he did hear the name "Song Xiaoxian." Soon, the microphone was put back in its place, and Zhuang Buyi quickly stepped back, took out his phone to browse the video, and pretended not to have heard anything.

Ms. Qi came out and sat behind the table again.

"Two people did come this morning asking about Song Xiaoxian's admission record. However, it's been a long time, and our hospital has moved, so the record you mentioned for Ms. Song Xiaoxian has been lost."

"Lost?"

"As you said, Song Xiaoxian is no longer here, and our hospital has no obligation to keep her hospitalization records. Please understand."

Did the two people who met that morning receive the same answer?

Ms. Qi glared at Zhuang Buyi.

"Song Xiaoxian's records are no longer available. I'm not lying; the answers they got from me are naturally the same as yours."

"No matter who asks, the answer is the same," Ms. Qi added.

……

As Zhuang Buyi left Ms. Qi's place, his tightly closed pores opened up, releasing the chill he had been holding in. He felt a surge of warmth throughout his body, as if the ice and snow of the whole world had melted away.

For the first time, Zhuang Buyi realized how warm the sunlight was in this season.

Once in the car, he sent an email to Guan Jie's inbox.

"Someone came to Senhai City to investigate Sister Xiaoxian's information. They went to the funeral home and the First Hospital. Strangely, Sister Xiaoxian's records were either retrieved beforehand or have been lost. Although I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, at least the people investigating Sister Xiaoxian won't contact her with you for the time being. If this was sent by Huangyan Island, you are still safe for now."

......

Guan Jie walked to the entrance and exit, where there was a weak mobile signal, which must have drifted over from the shore. On the island, there was only a wireless signal, and the mobile signal was blocked.

He turned off Wi-Fi and used mobile data to open an email account that only he and Zhuang Buyi knew about. He quickly read the email, closed the email account, and reconnected to Wi-Fi.

On the other end of the internet connection on the desolate island, Guan Jie's internet connection suddenly dropped and then reconnected. The technicians attributed the brief interruption to an accident.

After all, this newcomer is not an important figure in the research center, so there is no need to spend time and energy on him.

Guan Jie listened to the sound of the waves and leaned on the railing to look at the sea viewing platform not far away.

As cars gradually filled the bridge between the viewing platform and the shore, the viewing platform acted like a dam, steadily blocking the traffic on the other side, making the section of road between the viewing platform and Huangyan Island appear so incongruous and unnaturally empty.

Finally, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class drove off the viewing platform, breaking the solitude of this side of the road.

That was Xu Haiyang's car; a screen inside the security room at the entrance clearly displayed the car's moving image.

The driver's side window of the car was open, and Xu Haiyang's left elbow was resting on the window. His yellow shirt with red flowers was waving to the people on the island from afar, letting them know that he was back.

Several hundred meters from the entrance, Guan Jie could hear music coming from the Mercedes-Benz. The music was heavy metal, a mix of high-energy and intoxicating desire, like the dance music from the most famous nightclub in the biggest city, spreading the belief in instant gratification like a plague.

Guan Jie walked towards the entrance. Under the shade of the guard post, the security personnel in black suits and sunglasses turned their necks imperceptibly before resuming their robotic stance.