1
The taxi hadn't moved ten meters before getting stuck.
This large supermarket doubled as a local wet market. Morning crowds flooded the streets.
Inching forward, Qin Guan leaned out the rear window, neck craned, eyes glued to the red taxi ahead.
Suddenly, his baseball cap was ripped off.
"Qin Guan! Nowhere to hide now!"
A disheveled man with stubble roared, reeking of body odor as summer heat fermented his unwashed clothes. Li Yang.
2
"You're avoiding me! Guilty conscience makes you hide!"
Li Yang's bloodshot eyes and slurred speech suggested lingering drunkenness. For days, this leeching good-for-nothing had bombarded Qin Guan with calls and texts, stubbornly suspecting an affair with Qi Min.
Qin Guan had blacklisted his number, banned him from both residential and office premises. Without evidence, mere ravings posed no threat - just nuisance noise.
3
"Lunatic! Get lost!" Qin Guan shoved Li Yang.
The man clung like sticky plaster, grimy hands vise-gripping Qin Guan's arm.
"Explain your relationship! Why'd she dump me after your business trip? Where are you hiding her? I can't find her anywhere!"
"Give her back!" Li Yang's voice cracked near tears.
Qin Guan glanced forward - Zeng Demei's taxi had vanished around the corner. Losing her trail spelled disaster.
"Release me!" Qin Guan kicked Li Yang to the ground.
4
"Stay away or I'll jail you!" Qin Guan raised a fist, snarling.
"I don't want you! I want her back!" Li Yang scrambled up, lunging blindly. "Return my wife!"
Clearly unhinged.
"Madman!" Qin Guan shoved him aside, barking at the driver: "Go! Now!"
As the car sped off, Li Yang collapsed on the roadside, scrolling through Qi Min's photos amidst gawkers. A new message pinged:
"Qi Min's dead. Want her killer's name? Want revenge?"
5
Li Yang's ambush cost Qin Guan the trail.
On the main road, Zeng Demei's taxi had dissolved into traffic. Calmly, Qin Guan called a taxi company manager - connections forged through years of networking.
Within minutes, coordinates arrived: Zeng Demei had alighted near a newly built, unopened park bordering low hills. Sparse saplings offered no cover. Only one narrow path led uphill to dilapidated houses.
Qin Guan smiled. Unless she'd grown wings, escape proved impossible.
He marched uphill. Before reaching the target house, furious shouts erupted inside.