1
Qin Guan felt his mind go blank as if all blood had frozen in his veins.
The stockings.
No wonder he'd felt inexplicably uneasy these past days when meticulously reviewing that day's events.
He had believed his actions flawless, yet never imagined overlooking the most crucial detail in his panic—the black stockings wrapped around Qi Min's neck, the very ones that had suffocated her!
After frantically untying the stockings, he'd instinctively tossed them under the bed in terror.
Later, as he watched Qi Min's life fade, his thoughts turned chaotic.
Then, with Li Yang's sudden arrival, he'd hastily stuffed Qi Min's body into the closet along with her scattered clothes and shoes.
Finally, when dressing her corpse and cramming it into the suitcase, he'd randomly thrown all her garments into two black bags...
Qin Guan's face alternated between ashen and pale—throughout this frenzy, he'd been too panicked to remember: Had those stockings been stuffed into a bag or remained under the bed? Were the stockings he'd burned in the bag the ones Qi Min wore, her newly purchased pair, or the murder weapon?
Women's stockings all looked identical.
He couldn't confirm!
One misstep meant total defeat—most lost lawsuits resulted from such fatal errors.
Those "breath play" stockings undoubtedly carried both Qi Min's and his epithelial cells.
They were the ironclad evidence that could condemn him.
2
The delivered stockings couldn't possibly be the real ones.
This was merely a warning.
Mechanically accepting the stockings from his assistant—black, sheer, with lace patterns at the hips matching Qi Min's usual style and the fatal pair—Qin Guan noted these were brand new.
"What's this? Who would do this? Lawyer Qin, let me throw them away," the young assistant frowned in disgust. "The delivery guy just left them at reception. Should I contact the courier company?"
"No need," Qin Guan swallowed hard, forcibly suppressing his panic. Wiping cold sweat, he smiled mildly. "Probably a prank. Just trash them."
Turning away, his legs felt cotton-soft and directionless.
He had to visit Chunli Cleaning immediately.
Now he understood the truth.
He could guess who was behind this.
A staff member from the lakeside villa hotel—they must have witnessed the incident, discovered the stockings under the bed, and seen him dump the suitcase in the lake.
Now blackmailing him.
That employee—likely the one who collected the 300,000 yuan in the park—had quit the villa job to work at Chunli Cleaning in this city for easier extortion.
The youth waiting outside Chunli Cleaning with an orange-red waist pouch must be their accomplice.
3
Exiting the elevator, Qin Guan calmly pieced this together while striding toward the parking lot, already planning countermeasures—how to handle this person once identified.
His phone rang before reaching his car.
Auntie Feng's frantic voice: "Sir! Where are you? Little Pear fell at kindergarten!"
Qin Guan instinctively frowned, irritation surfacing: "Where's Ruyi?"
His daughter had been cared for mainly by Auntie Feng and Xu Ruyi since birth. Why call him when Ruyi didn't work?
"Miss went to see the herbalist for her cough! She left her phone at home!" Auntie Feng sounded tearful. "Sir, I'm shaking... please come!"
4
Arriving at the hospital, Qin Guan found Auntie Feng holding Little Pear, accompanied by the kindergarten teacher.
"After lunch, the children were climbing the tall slide... we didn't see how she fell," the teacher apologized.
Auntie Feng wept as the lethargic child lay motionless in her arms.
The doctor found no external injuries.
"If there were bruises, I wouldn't worry!" Auntie Feng kissed the girl's cheek. "She hit the back of her head. Didn't even cry—just keeps saying she wants to sleep..."
The situation appeared serious.
Qin Guan grew concerned.
"Full examination needed to check for concussion," the doctor instructed, ushering them into the examination room.
5
After hours of busy activity.
Qin Guan had paced hundreds of laps outside the waiting room, his wristwatch practically worn out from constant checking - he was genuinely anxious, yet couldn't leave. How could anyone depart when their daughter had fallen?
Fortunately, Little Pear wasn't seriously injured.
After sending Auntie Feng and Little Pear home, Xu Ruyi still hadn't returned.
Her phone lay abandoned on the dining table.
Suppressing rising irritation - a stay-at-home wife unavailable during emergencies, endless calls from the law firm, hunger pangs from missing lunch - everything coiled around him like those black stockings, tightening his agitation.
"Sir, let me cook something. You must be hungry," Auntie Feng said gently, noticing his dark expression. "Miss had me buy your favorite crabs."
She immediately set Little Pear down for a nap and retrieved plump crabs from the kitchen: "I'll make crab noodles for you."
At least Xu Ruyi still cared.
Qin Guan relaxed slightly, stifling his frustration. Without a word or forced smile, he turned and stormed out.
How could he eat at such a time?
6
Arriving at Chunli Cleaning Services by 4 p.m.
As Qin Guan anticipated, someone had resigned.
"Not formally. Just called saying family issues, not coming back," the store manager complained. "We're a proper company with strict rules. Her behavior's irresponsible, treating work like child's play."
The woman's name was Zeng Demei.
Only a poorly photocopied ID with indistinguishable features remained. No wonder Qin Guan hadn't spotted her during previous visits.
"She worked here barely a week, still on probation. We don't recommend probationary staff to clients, so no photos or records."
When Qin Guan requested her address, the manager shook his head. "No idea where she lived. We provide meals, not housing."
Qin Guan's heart sank - in this vast city, how find someone who'd gone into hiding?
"I know!" A bony auntie squeezed forward. "She lived near Doumen Community! I saw her buying breakfast there!"
Doumen Community.
Qin Guan thanked her and bolted - he must catch her before she vanished again.
"Hey-" The gossipy woman yelled at his retreating figure, "What's this about? Everyone asks but no one explains!"
7
Doumen Community was decrepit.
After circling thrice, Qin Guan spotted a familiar figure - the man with an orange waist pouch buying crayfish at a market stall.
People need dinner wherever they hide.
Qin Guan hid, watching him purchase crayfish, two noodle portions, and beer. He tailed the man through the market, past the community, into nearby alleys.
Rows of dilapidated houses awaiting demolition.
Dusk deepened, alleyways lit by sporadic yellow bulbs.
Qin Guan crept closer, fists clenched, breath held, shadowing like a cat.
The man hummed with headphones, oblivious.
Suddenly, a dog lunged from shadows, barking ferociously.
The man whirled around, saw Qin Guan, and bolted.
Can't let him escape!
Qin Guan leaped over the dog and lunged. Frenzied barks mingled with nearby laughter, sizzling stir-fries, children's wails...
8
Qin Guan focused solely on the fleeing figure.
Closing in.
Finally grabbed the man's collar.
"Let go!" The man screamed, flinging hot crayfish and noodles at Qin Guan's face.
Blocking the projectiles, Qin Guan gripped tighter, oil-smeared hands unyielding. "Where's Zeng Demei?!"
The man crashed through a door.
Yellow light revealed a slender shadow darting past.
Another figure rushed by.
Dragging the man inside, Qin Guan seized the fleeing woman, yanking her into view.
Thick grease fumes permeated the room - no range hood, walls blackened with grime.
No time for disgust. Qin Guan spun the woman around.
Her terrified face lifted.
Qin Guan froze.