55. The Ledger

To avoid arousing Zhan Yan’s suspicion, Lin Xingzi patiently endured dinner with him. The man sitting across from her was someone she had known for 20 years, yet she suddenly felt as though she had never truly understood him.

Not just in Haishi, but across the entire country, police officers sacrificed their lives in anti-drug efforts every year, while the source of the evil continued to operate with impunity, earning vast sums of money by taking others’ lives.

And her father might very well be involved.

The item in her bag felt heavy as a thousand pounds, pulling Lin Xingzi down. She stared blankly out the window, her face pale. Zhan Yan asked a question several times, but she didn’t react. “What are you thinking about? Are you feeling unwell?”

Lin Xingzi merely glanced at him indifferently. “How could I feel well eating with you?”

Zhan Yan laughed, exasperated. Miss Lin always had this temper; it hadn’t changed since she was little.

“Then let’s not eat. Let’s go to the hospital.”

“No need. I just didn’t sleep well.”

Lin Xingzi was vexed and didn’t want to spend another second with him. Zhan Yan insisted on driving her home. Lin Xingzi said she was staying at her parents’ house and it wasn’t convenient, so Zhan Yan finally gave up.

“Mom, is Dad back yet?”

“He called and said he’s working overtime tonight, told us to eat first and not wait for him. Do you need something from your dad?”

“...No.”

Li Qing didn’t think much of it, naturally assuming Lin Xingzi wanted to ask Lin Xudong for news about Jiang Yan. She was worried too, but in this situation, no news was the best news.

The ledger Ji Qiuchi gave Lin Xingzi wasn’t the original, but a photocopy. Every transaction was meticulously recorded: time, amount, and transactor. Although only a few pages, the stakes involved were astonishing.

The study was filled with Lin Xudong’s commendation banners and medals, all testaments to the injuries he had sustained and the honors he had received during his thirty-year police career.

Lin Xingzi had been doted on by Lin Xudong since childhood, but on matters of principle, he was never ambiguous. He always taught her to prioritize integrity over everything else. He held a high position, and countless people approached him every year, some seeking official posts, others seeking profit. Yet, he had never taken a single cent of illicit money. For decades, he lived on a basic salary, in the same old house from over a decade ago.

When she was little, only her mother would attend parent-teacher conferences. Classmates teased her for not having a dad. She would retort loudly with her head held high: My dad is a police officer; he’s caught many bad guys; he’s super amazing!

Lin Xingzi couldn’t believe that the father she was so proud of could be involved with drug traffickers.

But... reflecting carefully, Lin Xudong’s recent words and actions indeed had clues that she couldn’t explain away. She had also wondered if Lin Xudong was hiding something from the family, or if he was under too much work pressure, but she had never for a second doubted him.

If it were true, then what Jiang Yan was doing now would be so laughable.

The son-in-law risking his life to catch drug dealers and solve cases, while the father-in-law was the protective umbrella behind the criminals.

“What’s wrong with you, child?” Li Qing found her in the study. “I’ve called you several times, and you don’t say a word. Did Mom not give you ears or a mouth?”

Lin Xingzi hastily wiped her face, lowering her head and vaguely responding, “Trying to find a book. Can’t remember where I put it. The more I rush, the less I find it, and the less I find it, the angrier I get...”

“Oh, my dear,” Li Qing patted Lin Xingzi with a mix of tears and laughter, telling her to move aside. She asked for the book title and went to look for it on the bookshelf. “Your parents are still here now, but what will you do when we’re old and can’t move anymore? Parents can’t accompany you forever. Today you can’t find this, tomorrow you forget that...”

Lin Xingzi felt increasingly distressed, like a ball of water-soaked cotton clogging her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.