After an afternoon of investigation, Bo Xiao had no leads, but if he had consulted Lawyer Zhu, it would inevitably have made Ji Xingzhi aware. There was no doubt about that. Bo Xin then asked other things, such as where he had gone when he left—the station should have records—and who was with him at the time. That should also have records. However, three years ago, the documentation in Jiangcheng was not standardized, so it couldn't be traced. The person who left the orphanage with Sui Dongsheng was two years older, surnamed He. It was said they left together, but whether they remained together after leaving the orphanage, no one could guarantee. Bo Xin was speechless for a moment, then consoled herself that at least it wasn't completely unhelpful. As the male lead, the one who had ventured out with him back then was bound to be someone useful in the plot. Although she couldn't recall which character in the plot had the surname He. After hanging up, Bo Xin deleted the message before turning around. They were all tired from the journey, so mostly everyone went to their own rooms. Compared to an ordinary family, the living room had no TV, which seemed to lack the allure of gathering in the living room, especially since everyone in the house had their own temperament.
The first to come out was Ji Xingzhi. He moved very quietly, going out in the evening but wearing a black hat. His outfit looked strange no matter how you looked at it. Bo Xin cast a puzzled glance, and Ji Xingzhi instantly understood her meaning. He shone a flashlight under his chin. "The weirdness isn't just in the outfit." Bo Xin opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. He looked too much like the murderer in future films and TV dramas. She said dryly, "Why are you dressed like that?" Ji Xingzhi explained, "Dressing like this late at night keeps many people from getting close." Bo Xin thought, so he knew that this outfit didn't look like a decent person. She complained in a faint tone, "Grow up." "But this is one of the simplest ways to avoid trouble late at night." Bo Xin had to admit there was some logic to it, but the most important thing seemed to have been overlooked by Ji Xingzhi—what was he planning to do going out dressed like this late at night? Seeing that he couldn't hide it, Ji Xingzhi shrugged and decided to tell the truth. "I lost my wallet."
If Bo Xin remembered correctly, the wallet was a khaki dark-colored bag, simple in style, but with a scratch on the outside, said to be from the car accident. Bo Xin had commented at the time why he kept such an unlucky wallet. Ji Xingzhi had complained she was heartless, saying that wallet had been pressed against his chest; it hadn't shielded him from any harm, but thinking he still had money to earn gave him extra motivation to survive. So Bo Xin had a fairly deep impression of that wallet. They had gotten off the bus, and it had been in his bag. It should be around here. "Can you lose something so close?" Ji Xingzhi raised his hand, then corrected himself. "What does losing a wallet have to do with distance?" If you lose it, you lose it.
Seeing that she couldn't fool Ji Xingzhi, Bo Xin helplessly stood up. "Then I'll look with you." Ji Xingzhi was about to refuse, but Bo Xin had already pulled his wrist. "I can't let you go alone. Otherwise, if you faint by the roadside, your outfit in the early morning will scare some sanitation worker." Ji Xingzhi raised an eyebrow and took another flashlight. The two of them would find it faster. Their clasped hands were tight. Ji Xingzhi felt that this period of treatment had indeed brought them closer after years of estrangement, especially in physical contact.
They first searched the road downstairs. After half an hour, they took a small path back, meaning there were few people. To be safe, they even asked at the nearby police booth. The answer was no. Bo Xin searched for half an hour and thought someone might have picked it up. "How much money was inside?" Ji Xingzhi thought for a moment. "Not much." Bo Xin felt like giving up and considered the money a lesson. She had never lost a wallet when carrying one. It was Ji Xingzhi's carelessness. Bo Xin turned off the flashlight. "Let's go back." Ji Xingzhi decided to make one more effort. "But actually, it's not that little." Bo Xin remained unmoved and put away the flashlight. If it was a lot of money, in a place with few surveillance cameras, finding a wallet with a considerable sum meant it was unlikely to be returned. After all, who would refuse to use found money for a meal? So they might as well go back. But Ji Xingzhi didn't seem like someone who cared about pocket change; it couldn't be that he really cared about the wallet that had accompanied him in the accident. Ji Xingzhi sighed. "Inside were the photos printed from the camera." Bo Xin thought they could reprint them, but the negatives couldn't be in there too, could they? She gave him a look, and Ji Xingzhi rubbed his nose.
Now it was dark, and the two searched all the flower beds along the way. If they still couldn't find it, it would be a waste of time. Ji Xingzhi paused, then remembered a possibility. "Wasn't there a child who fell on the bus? I helped him up, but actually, that kid might have been a pickpocket." Bo Xin recalled that on the bus, it was crowded and bumpy. She had to take care of two children and one patient. Ji Xingzhi's face had been pale; it was normal not to realize he had been pickpocketed. On the bus, when a child fell and he instinctively helped him up, Bo Xin had already been very surprised. "Should we report it to the police?" Ji Xingzhi rubbed his chin. "First, we need to consider whether the police will accept the case." Bo Xin sighed. "If it's his first time, and he's really pitiful, let him off. If he's a repeat offender, we'll leave it to the police to investigate." They couldn't just have the police track him down and then not press charges—that would be a waste of money. Of course, the photos were important. Bo Xin had to think about how to describe it tomorrow. She hadn't seen the child's face very clearly. Ji Xingzhi pointed at his wrist and said, "There's a scar on his wrist, a big one. I remember it clearly." Bo Xin sighed helplessly. "What strange things do you pay attention to?"
The two went home, and Ji Xingzhi cooked while Bo Xin assisted, though most of the prep work was still done by Ji Xingzhi, as everyone knew prep was the main part of cooking. Ji Xingzhi was now very skilled. "What do you think of my cooking now?" Bo Xin thought for a moment and said, "It's delicious. You can bring out the flavor of the ingredients themselves." Ji Xingzhi was peeling prawns with precision, inserting and flicking out the vein from the spine. Hearing this, he couldn't tell if she was praising or criticizing him. "If it's just the flavor of the ingredients, that should be bad, right?" Ji Xingzhi's previous taste had been heavy on salt and spice; he hated bland food. But Bo Xin, because of her weak stomach, seemed to have eaten such bland food since childhood. From the start, the two had all kinds of incompatibilities. For example, now Bo Xin asked, "Do you think it's bad?" Ji Xingzhi didn't know what to say. While he was hesitating, Bo Xin patted his shoulder. "Don't dwell on it. Anyway, now you're on the same starting line as me. If you keep reminiscing about the good food of the past, it will only make your current life harder." Ji Xingzhi exerted force, and the prawn snapped in two. He wondered if he should thank Bo Xin for the psychological counseling.
After they cooked dinner and everyone ate, Bo Xin arranged to go to the police station with Ji Xingzhi tomorrow, while the children went to school as usual. Ji Xingzhi rode a bicycle, and Bo Xin sat behind. It was chilly, and the person in front would be more comfortable, but there was no choice. Even though Ji Xingzhi was now thinner, he still outweighed her. On a bicycle, the heavier person should ride in front for stability. Bo Xin grabbed the waist of Ji Xingzhi's back. Her nails were neither long nor short, somewhat round. When she grabbed his back, she felt his spine stiffen. Ji Xingzhi spoke up from the front. "Do you have to grab me like that? Can't you do it differently?" Bo Xin tentatively made a hugging motion and asked, "Maybe you'd prefer this?" Ji Xingzhi said, "...Then stick with the old way." Bo Xin was fairly good-tempered and indulged Ji Xingzhi's moodiness.
At the police station entrance, there were quite a few people. Bo Xin listened for a moment and was surprised that the kid really was a repeat offender. He didn't look like someone who would stoop to theft for money. A police officer came up to Bo Xin with a clipboard. Bo Xin asked first, "Is this kid a habitual pickpocket?" "Yeah, we don't know if he was trained, but he's very slick. He knows there are plenty of rich people on this bus line, and this is where he usually commits his crimes." Bo Xin tilted her head. "Since you know so much, catching him should be easy." The officer said it wasn't that simple. "He also scouts the place. If he spots our plainclothes officers, the slightest hesitation and he'll run off." Bo Xin was taken aback. He had strong counter-surveillance awareness. The officer finally started questioning. "What did you lose?" "Two hundred yuan and some photos." Bo Xin specifically reminded, "The negatives of those photos are more important to me." The officer scratched his head, unable to guarantee anything. "Because these thieves only want money. Useless things are often glanced at and thrown away by the roadside, so..." The officer stopped mid-sentence, realizing he was addressing the victim. "In any case, we'll do our best." Bo Xin pretended not to have heard, maintaining a harmonious police-citizen scene. "I believe we'll find them. Of course, if you need help from the public, please call on me. I'll actively cooperate." After all, her clothes made her look like a wealthy person. Posing undercover as a helpful citizen assisting the police might be a good experience. "After all, I want to catch the thief who stole our things—personally."
Author's Note: None.