Chapter Thirty-Three: Call the Police

"Xiao Qian, stop filming for now," Su Zitan said softly, gently moving Xiao Qian’s camera away.

Su Zitan wasn’t sure what Lin Ze intended to do, but the man inside the shop had already paid and was stepping out. Lin Ze wore a black short-sleeved shirt, holding a phone in his hand, his whole demeanor relaxed and nonchalant. His makeup was as usual, making him look about the same age as the man. After leaving the pharmacy, the man glanced around, stuffed the medicine into his pocket, and walked eastward.

Lin Ze hurried after him and tapped his arm. "Hey, brother!"

Startled, the man jerked his head around. "Who are you?"

"Bro, it’s me—we played mahjong together a few days ago, remember?"

Mahjong? The man sized Lin Ze up.

Without giving him time to think, Lin Ze grabbed his arm and led him forward. "Why haven’t I seen you these days? Been busy?"

"Uh..." The man’s expression shifted. "Work, you know. Been pretty busy lately."

"Playing today?" Lin Ze asked casually, his tone entirely natural. After a moment’s scrutiny, the man’s wariness faded.

"I won’t today, still have things at the company to handle. Maybe in a couple of days."

"Alright, I’ll be off then—let’s play mahjong together sometime soon," Lin Ze said, waving as he walked ahead.

At the corner, Lin Ze turned off to the side and disappeared.

The man stood for a moment, but seeing Lin Ze didn’t come back, he continued on his way.

Su Zitan, understanding what was happening, patted Xiao Qian’s shoulder, signaling him to buy drinks, while she followed from a distance.

When she reached the intersection where Lin Ze had vanished, a voice sounded by her ear. "Well? Where did he go?"

Lin Ze reappeared, now wearing a plaid shirt still slightly damp, as if it hadn’t dried yet.

"That way," Su Zitan pointed, glancing at Lin Ze.

Lin Ze had touched up his makeup, making his face appear older, his features subtly altered.

"What is it?" Su Zitan asked.

"We saw him the day we were begging. Something didn’t feel right. You call the police—I’ll follow and see."

"Alright," Su Zitan nodded immediately, then cautioned, "Be careful."

"Don’t worry," Lin Ze replied, nodding before following after the man.

As he drew closer, Lin Ze bought a bottle of glue from a nearby store and continued tailing him.

The man felt something odd but, after glancing around, didn’t notice anything amiss.

Su Zitan returned to the convenience store and gestured at the camera for Xiao Qian.

"Everyone in the livestream, watch something else for now. Lin Ze suddenly had a stomach issue, so I sent Xiao Qian to check on him. We’re closing the stream for now."

[What? Don’t end the stream!]
[Stomach problems? Maybe some herbal tea?]
[Don’t close it, please...]

"Wait for us—we’ll be back this afternoon," Su Zitan said with a wink at the camera.

The livestream abruptly went dark, leaving the audience exchanging confused glances.

[Was that... a livestream accident?]
[No worries, let’s take a lunch break and come back later.]
[Anyone checking out the neighboring creative channel? Those ladies are hilarious.]

After the stream ended, Director Zhang’s call came through.

"Xiao Qian, what happened?" Xiao Qian, still baffled, handed the phone to Su Zitan.

He hadn’t quite caught on to the situation yet.

"Director Zhang, call the police," Su Zitan recalled what Lin Ze had told her about his suspicions.

"The day we pretended to be beggars, Aunt Zhu’s child went missing. That night, while we were at the commercial plaza pretending to beg, we saw this man carrying a baby..."

"He was with a woman. Their bags contained a new baby bottle, diapers, and various other new baby items. Even the child’s clothes and shoes were brand new."

The director had watched the morning’s livestream, but based on just this, there wasn’t enough to go on.

"Anything else?" Director Zhang asked.

"And the most suspicious thing—the man’s way of holding the child was awkward; the way he supported the child’s bottom was reversed."

"Also, with all our commotion, the baby, standing so close, slept soundly and didn’t stir. That’s not normal."

Su Zitan’s words were all speculation, but the accumulation of coincidences was too much to ignore.

The child was already at that age, yet suddenly needed everything brand new—something didn’t add up.

"You’re right. Let’s call the police, just to be safe," Director Zhang agreed. "But now Lin Ze doesn’t have a phone. What if something happens?"

Su Zitan thought for a moment. "Isn’t there someone relaying messages to our phones via live comments? We can use that to send updates back."

Director Zhang’s eyes brightened. "Of course—that’s it!"

Meanwhile, the elderly group still sat in the hotpot restaurant. The pot had been boiling for ages, the meat nearly thawed.

"Where did they go to buy drinks, anyway? Can’t get used to domestic beverages, perhaps..."

Lin Ze, changing as he walked, had somehow acquired an old suit jacket. With more wrinkles drawn on his face, he now appeared to be in his fifties. He hunched slightly and altered his gait; even if he met the man face-to-face, he’d never be recognized.

Silently, Lin Ze trailed the man into an older, peripheral residential compound. The buildings had no elevators.

He followed unhurriedly into the complex. Someone brushed past him—it was Pei Xue.

Lin Ze pulled out his phone and sent a message to the account relaying the barrage comments to him.

"I just passed by Sister Xue."

The staff member responsible for relaying messages to Lin Ze and Su Zitan received it and immediately reported to Director Zhang.

The cameraman was still filming in the restaurant, while Pei Xue had returned to retrieve something the little girl had left behind the previous day.

After the message was sent, Pei Xue, puzzled, replied, "I just came out of the building—what’s wrong?"

From the building?

Director Zhang’s eyes widened.

Could it really be such a coincidence?

He dialed the landlord’s number. The entire building rented by the production team belonged to this landlord.

"Hello? Landlord, is there a couple living in your building?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, they’ve been here half a month."

"Sigh, those two... I asked for their IDs when they moved in, but they still haven’t given them to me. The community office keeps pestering me about it."

To think—they really were in the same building, and hadn’t provided any identification for the rental...

Strange.

"Did they bring a child?"

The landlord thought for a moment. "No, they didn’t..."