I slept with my sister's classmate, and she turned out to be my boss.

Three days later, five people were sitting in the makeshift meeting room of the fugitive pursuit team.

Chen Yuanda stood at one end of the long table, with a fax he had just received in front of him—a reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He glanced at it, then put it down.

"The Southeast Asian side has replied, agreeing to cooperate, but requiring us to provide complete evidence before initiating formal procedures. The same applies to Australia; the process takes time."

Captain Wu sat by the window, holding the Southeast Asian materials he had already read several times:

"The local police are willing to cooperate, but only if there is sufficient evidence."

The financial leads we currently have will need to be cross-referenced with local bank records before they can be used as official evidence.

He closed the document and paused for a moment:

"I suggested that I go there first, submit the materials to the local police, and at the same time coordinate the specific procedures after landing through the embassy."

Zhou Chu, sitting opposite him, picked up the conversation and said:

"The situation is quite different in Australia."

Zhao Yike has legal residency status in Australia, so coercive measures cannot be taken; contact can only be arranged through diplomatic channels.

I suggested that I first go and communicate with the embassy in person to understand the specific provisions of local laws regarding this type of situation, and see how far things can go.

After listening to what the two had to say, Chen Yuanda nodded:

"Then let's start on both lines simultaneously."

Captain Wu led a team to Southeast Asia, while Director Zhou went to Australia.

Dapeng stayed in China to be responsible for supplementing and coordinating materials from both sides.

Each of you should set your departure time and set off as soon as possible.

The group responded, "Okay."

……

Captain Wu set off that afternoon.

He brought an assistant and a translator with him, and his luggage consisted of only one carry-on suitcase containing copies of all the materials for Southeast Asia.

After the plane landed, he went directly to the embassy and handed the documents to the consular officer in charge.

Then, they contacted the local police through the embassy.

The next morning.

He met his contact person at the local police station.

A police officer in his forties who could speak some English.

Captain Wu handed over the materials through a translator. The other party glanced at them and said they needed time to review them before determining the next step.

Captain Wu didn't urge him and went back to the hotel to wait for news.

On the afternoon of the third day, the local police notified him to go and see a batch of investigation results.

When Captain Wu arrived at the police station, the other party spread out a map on the table and circled an area—a foreigner's settlement in a coastal city:

"Based on the identity information and photo you provided, we have narrowed down the scope to this area. Zeng Guosheng has been seen here before, but the specific address has not yet been confirmed."

Captain Wu took a picture of a map and sent it back to China, along with the following text:

"The scope has been narrowed down, and further investigation is underway."

When Chen Dapeng received the photos, he was organizing supplementary financial documents from Zeng Guosheng's side.

He looked at the photo for a while, then printed out the map and stuck it on the wall next to his desk.

He didn't linger and continued to arrange the stack of supplementary materials in chronological order.

Another day passed, and Lin Chen called.

Chen Dapeng answered the phone, and Lin Chen's voice was lower than usual:

I heard some news from the provincial chamber of commerce.

Someone in Southeast Asia contacted a local real estate agent through an intermediary, saying they wanted to find a more secluded place to stay.

The middleman had dinner with a friend of mine, and when they talked about this, the description matched Zeng Guosheng's.

Chen Dapeng gripped his phone tightly:

"Are you sure it's him?"

"I can't be completely sure, but the timing, location, and the way we found the agent all match up."

Lin Chen explained:

"That real estate agent should have some contact information or viewing records. If we can get that agent's information, we can further narrow down the scope of our investigation."

Chen Dapeng pressed further, "What's the agent's name? Which city is he in?"

"My friend didn't give a specific name, but said that the agent is quite well-known in the local area and specializes in renting for foreigners. If you can find any relevant leads, I can have my friend try to inquire further."

Chen Dapeng breathed a slight sigh of relief:

"Okay. Let me know when you hear anything."

After hanging up the phone, he walked to the map and added a line of small print next to the location of the coastal city:

"A middleman has contacted local real estate agents - to be verified."

Then, he returned to his seat and entered that line of information into Zeng Guosheng's material remarks column.

……

Meanwhile, in Australia.

After arriving, Zhou Chu went to the embassy first and met with the consular officials.

The other party told him that Zhao Yike's status in Australia was legal and that she had no record of violating local laws. Therefore, no restrictive measures could be taken against her, and contact could only be made through voluntary cooperation.

Zhou asked the embassy to help contact Zhao Yike.

The desire to "meet and talk" was conveyed through formal channels.

Zhao Yike neither refused nor agreed, only saying, "I need to think about it."

Director Zhou sent the situation back to China:

Zhao Yike has not yet made a clear statement; we are still waiting for a response from the other party.

After receiving the message, Chen Dapeng recorded the line in Zhao Yike's notes and then continued to focus his energy on organizing Zeng Guosheng's line of work.

That evening, Chen Yuanda placed two maps side by side on the table in the makeshift meeting room of the fugitive pursuit team—

Several points have already been marked on the Southeast Asia section.

There's only one note for the Australian section.

He didn't say anything, looked at it for a while, then put the map away and walked out of the meeting room.

After returning to his residence, Chen Dapeng first sent Lin Chen a message:

"Keep following up on the agent's line, and let me know as soon as you have any results."

Then, he dialed He Ying's video call, which rang twice before being answered.

He Ying leaned against the headboard, holding her phone in front of her.

She noticed that the background behind him wasn't the wall of their temporary lodging, and asked in confusion:

"Dapeng, where are you?"

"They just finished a meeting in the fugitive apprehension team's office."

Chen Dapeng smiled and added:

"The progress in Southeast Asia is slightly faster; they've narrowed down the scope of their investigation. In Australia, we're still waiting for Zhao Yike's reply."

He Ying paused for a moment, not mentioning the case, but only offering a reminder:

"It's getting colder where you are, wear more layers."

Chen Dapeng smiled again:

"Sister Ying, I understand."

He Ying glared at him, but with a hint of a smile.

"All you do is grin like an idiot..."

Chen Dapeng scoffed, "Sister Ying, I'm happy to see you. Do you expect me to cry?"

He Ying burst out laughing, lightly covering her lips with her fingers.

"No, that's not it..."

Chen Dapeng stared intently at her every move, every smile and frown.

"Sister Ying..."

"What's wrong?"

"You...have a really beautiful smile!"

He paused, then added:

"miss you……"

He Ying felt a warmth in her heart, but she scolded playfully, "It's only been a few days... is it really that serious?"

Chen Dapeng nodded: "Of course, of course... I want to see you every day."

He Ying couldn't help but laugh.

"I know, I'll just have to bear with it a little longer..."

Then, the two chatted for another ten minutes or so, not about proposals, but mostly about everyday things—

What did she eat today?

Did he eat dinner on time?

After hanging up the phone.

Chen Dapeng stared at the ceiling, thinking about the points marked on the Southeast Asia map and the intermediary clue provided by Lin Chen.

He put two things together in his mind—

The time point, city location, and characteristic description all match up.

If Lin Chen can get the specific information about the agency.

Then, the scope of the investigation should be narrowed down even further...