Chapter 28: The Strange Man

“Are we dreaming? Is this real? We actually cracked a major case!” After Wang Changhai left, Guo Ting looked at Fan Beixiao with obvious excitement.

“It’s all real! We’ve been promoted to official officers, skipping all the usual steps!” Fan Beixiao was just as incredulous.

“Yay, this is amazing!” Guo Ting grabbed Lin Ran’s hand, shouting in delight.

Lin Ran smiled as he watched Guo Ting immerse herself in joy. After enduring so many unbelievable events over the past days, her girlish innocence was finally reappearing; it seemed she had finally emerged from the shadow of fear.

“Ran, shouldn’t we celebrate properly tonight?” Fan Beixiao suggested.

“How do you want to celebrate?” Lin Ran looked at their eager faces. Guo Ting’s eyes, in particular, were filled with anticipation. Suddenly feeling a pang of guilt toward Guo Ting, he didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so he asked.

“I want street food!” Guo Ting had been waiting for this cue, and blurted it out immediately.

“Didn’t Officer Wang say from now on we’ll be working undercover? We should buy ourselves some cool new outfits!” Fan Beixiao chimed in.

Lin Ran looked at the two of them, speechless. One was a tech expert, the other a seasoned detective, yet they both had such an endearing side.

“All right! Whatever you want to buy, whatever you want to eat! But Beixiao’s paying for everything!” Lin Ran was swept up in their excitement and couldn’t help but tease them.

“I’ll pay, I’ll pay! No big deal!” Fan Beixiao patted his chest with mock bravado.

“I’ve never seen you so generous! Did a ghost kiss you or something? Did you lose your mind?” Guo Ting, who used to be afraid of ghosts, was now even joking about them.

Fan Beixiao wasn’t offended at all—he just made a funny face at Guo Ting, making her giggle.

The three of them left the precinct and caught a cab straight to the night market. The night market was the liveliest spot in Shanhe City after dark. As soon as evening fell, stalls selling all kinds of snacks would pop up. Usually, these stalls would set out a few tables and chairs, and serve ice-cold beer. Eating skewers, drinking chilled beer—it was the perfect way to beat the summer heat.

They picked a stall that wasn’t too crowded and sat down.

“Boss, bring us a dozen cold beers! Ten lamb skewers, ten grilled squid, six grilled chicken wings, and just throw in some other dishes—whatever you have!” Fan Beixiao slapped the table and called out.

“Oh, and ten skewers of kidney!” Fan Beixiao added as an afterthought.

“Alright, coming right up!” The vendor quickly grabbed ten lamb skewers and started grilling.

“Ten skewers of kidney? Are you trying to kill yourself? Is your kidney that weak?” Lin Ran joked, glancing at Fan Beixiao.

“I can't finish them all myself, that's what you two are here for!” Fan Beixiao looked at Guo Ting, then at Lin Ran, giving Guo Ting a suggestive wink. She rolled her eyes, as if to say, “I've done all the groundwork—now it’s your move.”

“I’m not eating that! You go ahead—it’s gross!” Guo Ting felt her face flush at Fan Beixiao’s lewd look and glared at him in mock annoyance.

But as she spoke, Guo Ting sneaked a glance at Lin Ran. When she saw he wasn’t paying attention, she felt a flicker of disappointment. Hadn’t he noticed her feelings? Or was his heart already taken?

Soon, the lamb skewers arrived. The sight of the generous portions made all three of them ravenous. They wolfed down the skewers, washing them down with icy beer, as if trying to banish the summer heat with every bite and gulp.

Just as they were enjoying themselves, Lin Ran suddenly had the distinct feeling they were being watched—like prey under a hunter’s gaze.

He looked around, following his instincts, and noticed a man sitting not far away. When the man saw Lin Ran looking over, he immediately lowered his head, so Lin Ran couldn’t see his face. The man was fiddling with something in his hands—maybe a couple of beads—but the light was too dim for Lin Ran to see clearly.

“What’s wrong?” Guo Ting was the first to notice Lin Ran’s distraction.

“Oh, nothing! Just a familiar face—I must've been seeing things. Let’s keep eating.” Lin Ran shook his head, snapping back to the moment.

Fan Beixiao and Guo Ting didn’t give it another thought. But Guo Ting, with her investigative instincts, caught on immediately.

“So greasy! I wonder if I’ve ruined my lipstick.” She took out her phone, used the camera as a mirror, then set her phone upright next to a beer bottle.

Lin Ran glanced at the phone’s placement—it was standing upright, and the screen was aimed directly at the strange man nearby, at just the right angle.

Guo Ting had understood his meaning at once—she was always the observant one. Fan Beixiao, oblivious, kept eating and drinking.

“Kidneys are ready!” The stall owner hurried over with a plate, moving Guo Ting’s phone and the empty beer bottle aside to set down the dish.

Without the beer bottle for support, Guo Ting’s phone fell over on the table, and the image on the screen blurred before vanishing.

“Watch what you’re doing!” Guo Ting scolded the vendor.

“Sorry, miss, it’s busy and my eyesight’s not so good—I didn’t notice.” The vendor apologized quickly.

Lin Ran turned to look where the man had been sitting, but he was already gone. He rushed toward the market entrance. Guo Ting saw him take off and hurried after him.

“Where are you two running off to?” Fan Beixiao stared after them, bewildered by their sudden dash toward the entrance.

Lin Ran searched some distance but found no sign of the mysterious man.

“Ran, did you lose him?” Guo Ting caught up, a little out of breath.

“Yes.” Lin Ran glanced around and nodded, puzzled. Who was that man, and how had he disappeared so quickly?

“What should we do?” Guo Ting asked, now sensing the man was no ordinary person.

“Let’s go back. We’ll keep an eye out for him in the future—he’s no simple character.” Lin Ran was frustrated he’d lost the trail.

“Hey! What were you two sneaking off to do?” Fan Beixiao greeted them with a mischievous grin as they returned.

“Just eat your kidneys!” Guo Ting rolled her eyes, grabbed a skewer, and stuffed it in his mouth. Who knew what nonsense was going on in his head?

“Hmph, fine, don’t tell me! Two single people slipping off together—what else could it be?” Fan Beixiao grinned even more suggestively, waving the skewer.

Looking at his smirking face, Guo Ting felt like kicking him right then and there.