Pursuit

After leaving the police station, Yun Xian rode her bicycle back to the spot where she had found the letter. The bushes lining the road cast dappled shadows beneath the setting sun. She stood still, her gaze sweeping toward the convenience store across the street.

A surveillance camera was installed above the store’s entrance, pointed directly at the road. After a moment of thought, Yun Xian pushed her bicycle over to the store.

The owner, a middle-aged man, sat behind the counter, his head lowered over his phone. Yun Xian entered and spoke with a sincere tone, “Sir, could you help me? I lost my wallet somewhere around here last night. It contained my ID and bank cards. Could you check the surveillance footage for me?”

The man looked up, slightly puzzled. “Your wallet? Are you sure you lost it nearby?”

“It should have fallen somewhere along this road,” Yun Xian gestured outside. “If it’s troublesome, I can offer a small compensation for your trouble.”

He hesitated, scrutinizing her for a couple of seconds before sighing. “Alright, there’s nothing much going on right now. I’ll help you check.”

Yun Xian stood by the counter, her eyes fixed on the screen. The owner pulled up the footage from the previous night, and she held her breath, quickly scanning through the frames.

Soon, a familiar figure appeared on the screen—Lin Wan’er. She stood by the roadside, arms crossed over her shoulders, looking somewhat anxious.

A few minutes later, a gray van slowly approached and stopped in front of Lin Wan’er. The vehicle was old, its windows tinted dark with protective film, obscuring the interior. The van’s body blocked the camera’s view, concealing Lin Wan’er from sight.

After a while, the van drove off, but Lin Wan’er did not reappear on the footage.

Yun Xian’s heart sank. Her gaze locked onto the rear of the van, faintly catching a glimpse of a blurry license plate number. She mentally noted the vehicle model and plate, then looked up at the owner. “Thank you so much. You’ve really helped me a lot.”

The man waved his hand. “Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Stepping out of the convenience store, Yun Xian stood at the entrance, watching the van disappear into the distance. After a moment of contemplation, she mounted her bicycle and rode off in that direction.

At a fork in the road, she stopped, surveyed the surroundings, and pushed her bike into a nearby fruit shop.

“Hello, I might have lost my wallet nearby. Could you help me check the surveillance footage?” she asked politely, though she knew results weren’t always guaranteed.

The shopkeeper shook his head coldly. “Not convenient to check.”

Yun Xian pressed her lips together and turned to leave. The night breeze was cool; she pulled her coat tighter and glanced sideways, noticing a small supermarket nearby with its “Open” sign lit.

She entered, grabbed a bottle of water, paid, then tentatively asked again, “Hi, I might have lost my wallet around here. Could you help me check the cameras? There’s my ID and bank cards inside—it’s very important. I can pay a fee if needed.”

This time, the young cashier hesitated but, seeing her earnest expression, finally nodded. “Alright, I’ll check for you.”

On the screen, the gray van appeared again, moving slowly toward the right side of the road.

Yun Xian frowned slightly, thanked him, then mounted her bike and continued searching along the right-hand road.

After riding a while, she reached an intersection. Nearby, a barbecue restaurant was open, the owner leaning against the doorway smoking.

Upon hearing her request, the owner flicked his ash and casually said, “Sure, I’ll check for you. No one else is here now anyway.”

However, the footage showed no sign of the van. Yun Xian’s expression grew serious. She left the barbecue place and rode back along the road.

Along the way, she noticed a stretch without obvious side roads but spotted an old residential compound not far from the convenience store.

The compound’s iron gate was half-open; several dilapidated bicycles were parked outside. The streetlamp cast a dim yellow light, and the surroundings were quiet and desolate.

Yun Xian turned her bike into the complex, slowly weaving through the buildings. The wheels occasionally rattled over gravel, making faint sounds.

Her gaze was alert and focused, searching every possible corner, silently praying to find the van soon.

Finally, after rounding an old building, she spotted her target—the gray van.

It sat quietly in a shadowed spot, blending into the rundown environment. Without careful searching, it would have been easily overlooked.

Approaching, Yun Xian examined it carefully. The vehicle was speckled with mud, its windows covered in dark protective film, concealing the interior, but the overall condition matched perfectly with the footage.

She shifted her gaze around the vehicle. The compound lacked property management; the apartment walls were peeling, weathered, and in disrepair.

On the first floor, a mahjong parlor was still open. Dim yellow light seeped through the door cracks, accompanied by the noisy chatter and clacking of tiles.

Hesitating briefly, Yun Xian parked her bicycle nearby and walked toward the mahjong parlor’s entrance.

Pushing the door open, a strong scent of smoke greeted her. Several middle-aged women sat around a table, fervently playing mahjong, their laughter and teasing filling the lively atmosphere.

Yun Xian stood at the doorway, her eyes fixed on the nearest table. Her voice was calm yet edged with urgency. “Aunties, may I ask whose black van is parked outside this building?”

A woman with permed hair looked up, her eyes wary. “Why do you want to know about that car?”

Yun Xian replied steadily, “That van hit me last night. I want to find the owner.”

Upon hearing “hit you,” the woman paused her game and scrutinized her. “Hit you? Were you badly hurt?”

“Nothing serious—just my leg grazed. But the driver didn’t stop. I need to talk to him,” Yun Xian said gently, though a hint of displeasure showed through.

The woman frowned, leaned back in her chair, and thought for a moment. “That van probably belongs to the couple living next door to me. They usually use it for hauling stuff.”

Yun Xian pressed on, “Do you know how to contact them?”

“They do. Let me ask for you.” The woman took out her phone and dialed a number.

The smoky, noisy parlor buzzed around her, but Yun Xian’s eyes stayed fixed on the phone in the woman’s hand.

After the call connected, the woman spoke casually, “Old Liu, someone’s asking about your van. She says it hit her last night. Was that your car?”

A muffled male voice came from the other end. “No, the van was lent to the guy in apartment 402 downstairs yesterday. He said he needed it to move some things. We didn’t drive at all.”

Hanging up, the woman turned to Yun Xian. “They said the van was lent to the guy in 402. You should go find him.” Yun Xian thanked her politely and quickly left the parlor.

Climbing the stairs to the fourth floor of the building, she stopped at apartment 402 and knocked on the door. No sound came from inside.

After waiting a while, she knocked more firmly, still no response.

Unease crept in. Her gaze hardened. Stepping back slightly, she took a deep breath and suddenly kicked the door with force.