The construction site.
Qin Guan quickly arrived at the spot where he had dumped the suitcase early that morning.
Seeing the familiar location, his heart settled back into his chest with a thud.
The area had already been filled with cement—the massive pits he'd seen at dawn were now completely sealed under solid concrete.
After a full day under the scorching sun, the cement had dried completely.
By daybreak, construction on the basement would likely begin.
After that, floors of the high-rise would rise from the ground—once the building was erected, whether completed or not, there'd be no tearing it down without solid evidence.
Only then did Qin Guan let out half a sigh of relief—this was the only good news of the day.
The suitcase buried underground, the one containing Qi Min, would never see daylight again unless some divine intervention occurred.
By the time Qin Guan returned to the hospital, it was already 11 p.m.
Regardless of everything, the woman lying in that hospital bed was still legally his wife. If he didn't show up now, everyone would grow suspicious of him.
Though he and Xu Ruyi had silently "seen through" each other's facades, Qin Guan understood the principle: If the enemy doesn't move, neither do I.
Before heading to the hospital, he had thought long and hard. Without fully grasping Xu Ruyi's intentions, his best strategy was to stay passive.
He'd pretend to know nothing and observe Xu Ruyi's next moves to devise countermeasures. If she demanded a divorce, he had plenty of ways to handle it. If she tried to use Qi Min as a weapon against him, she was sorely outmatched.
As long as Qi Min's body remained undiscovered, no one—not even the law—could pin this case on Qin Guan, a seasoned criminal defense lawyer.
Besides, technically, Qi Min hadn't even been reported missing yet. During her stay at the Xinhe Hotel, the police had surely already tracked her down.
An adult had to be missing for over 24 hours before they could be officially declared "missing."
Once Qin Guan settled on this reasoning, his composure returned.
Before going to the hospital, he calmly ate a satisfying dinner at a restaurant, went home to shower, and changed his clothes.
However, he didn't tidy his daughter's messy room.
There was no need—when he returned home, he noticed Auntie Feng had already come back once and seen the disarray.
Let her see it. It didn't matter.
After all, Auntie Feng was Xu Ruyi's accomplice.
She had lied to him too—that story about "the young mistress being brutally beaten by a vixen" was fed to him by that old woman. Wasn't it her words that drove him to confront Qi Min in the first place?
The old woman had sat right in front of him, spinning her tale flawlessly and earnestly, making him believe every word.
If he hadn't been cautious, if he'd fully trusted her, Qin Guan would still be acting like an idiot, oblivious to the police investigation at Tianfu Hotel and groveling in gratitude toward Xu Ruyi.
Qi Min's phone must have been taken by Auntie Feng—cleaning the study had always been her responsibility. She must have discovered it.
Even in Qin Guan's private study, who else had easier access than their own housekeeper?
In short, the two women were clearly in cahoots.
Standing at the hospital room door, Qin Guan peered coldly through the crack as Auntie Feng fed soup to Xu Ruyi. He should've suspected it sooner
Their tacit understanding doesn't make them look like servants or masters? More like a mother and daughter.
Qin Guan was about to push open the door and resume his act as the perfect husband when a commotion erupted from the hallway.
Turning around, he saw a familiar face.
It was the police officer who had questioned him several times alongside Li Yang regarding Qi Min's disappearance. He recalled the officer's surname was He, a team leader from the criminal investigation division.
"I called you multiple times, but you didn't answer! I had no choice but to come here to fetch you!" The man's face was icy, his tone brimming with suppressed anger. "You're free now, right, Lawyer Qin? Come with us. We need your cooperation in answering some questions."
Qin Guan glanced at his phone and saw several missed calls—his day had been chaotic, leaving him in no mood to answer.
He couldn't fathom why they were summoning him at this hour.
Steeling himself, he arrived at the police station. The moment he stepped inside, a familiar voice rang out.
Li Yang's shouts preceded his arrival: "Him! It's him—Qin Guan! I told you all along he's the one who took my wife! He did it! He admitted it himself! You heard it too, didn't you, officer?"
Li Yang clung to the arm of a young officer—a member of Old He's team who had accompanied another officer to question Xu Ruyi at the hospital the previous night.
"Right outside that supermarket, Qin Guan confessed! He said he was sleeping with my wife and that he killed her! Don't you remember?" Li Yang yelled hysterically.
Qin Guan certainly remembered those words. At the time, he had just parted ways with Qi Min at the park, freshly aware of how thoroughly she had deceived him. Returning to his car outside the supermarket, he had lashed out at Li Yang's relentless pestering in a fit of rage.
Those heated words, now thrown back at him, left Qin Guan unable to defend himself with the same boldness.
"Is this why you brought me here?" he retorted calmly, masking his scorn—Is this guy insane?
On the morning of the body disposal, Qin Guan had used Qi Min's phone to send Li Yang a message, directing him to Dewang Tobacco & Liquor Store near the train station. Li Yang must have retrieved the travel bag containing Qi Min's clothes and read her scornful messages, realizing she had left him out of disgust. How dare he still show up here to cause trouble?
"Alright, Li Yang, I know you're anxious. I understand completely," Qin Guan said soothingly, though inwardly cursing. "But those were just angry words I blurted out in the heat of the moment. They weren't true. I said them because Qi Min had just left me, and you kept harassing me. It was frustrating, so…"
"They were true! Not just anger!" Li Yang roared, eyes bloodshot. "I've searched for days and still haven't found Qi Min! Not a trace! She sent me a message, but it was off—something wrong with it! I gave it to the police! The clothes she stored—I asked the shop owner. He said a man dropped them off, not her! I don't believe she had some lover. It was you! Dewang Tobacco & Liquor has no cameras, but I'm checking the street surveillance! You won't get away with this!"
Qin Guan's heart skipped a beat. Since when did this idiot grow a brain?
If Li Yang really tracked down the taxi driver…
His throat tightened as Old He interjected, "Lawyer Qin, Qi Min disappeared after traveling with you on a business trip. Do you have anything to add?"
What does this mean?
Qin Guan turned sharply—weren't they here about Xu Ruyi's assault? Or the issues at Xinhe Hotel? Were they still fixated on Qi Min's "disappearance" from the business trip?
He felt momentarily disoriented. That "disappearance" should have been resolved long ago. Could they really have failed to find Qi Min all this time?
Impossible. She had returned days ago, stayed at Xinhe Hotel, bought new clothes and shoes…
Qin Guan swallowed, scanning the room. He tried to maintain his smile, but every officer's face was grim.
"Qi Min has been missing for three weeks. Three weeks," Old He said darkly. "You, Qin Guan, were the last person to see her."