Bubble

Chen Zili shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Then why are you so surprised? He’s been missing for so long, you should have been prepared for something like this,” Li Hui said, puzzled.

“I thought at worst she’d run off with that wild man,” Chen Zili snorted.

“What wild man?”

“It’s family business; I hadn’t planned to talk about it,” Chen Zili sighed.

“Someone used your wife’s phone to make a ransom call, and her ID was involved. The likelihood she’s been kidnapped is very high. We hope you can provide some useful clues,” Han Bin said, growing increasingly uncomfortable as he spoke. He found it odd that as an outsider, he was the one persuading Chen Zili about his own wife, He Yan.

The world is vast, full of strange things.

“Poor couples suffer in every way. We’ve had problems for a long time,” Chen Zili said.

“What kind of problems?”

“Just trivial matters, but it all boils down to money,” Chen Zili smiled bitterly, his face full of helplessness.

“Is it related to He Yan’s kidnapping?”

“Recently, I saw her using an app called Bubble.”

“What app?”

“Bubble.”

“What does it do?” Li Hui was genuinely unfamiliar.

“Social, chatting.”

“Is there anything special about it?”

“It’s full of strangers, lots of people looking for hookups.”

“So you suspect He Yan had an affair?”

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Do you know the man’s name?”

“No,” Chen Zili shook his head. “We had a fight about it, and she set a password.”

“You two have reached this point, why not just divorce?” Li Hui asked, confused.

“No matter what He Yan has done, she’s still my daughter’s mother. Divorce…” Chen Zili gave a self-deprecating smile. “With my circumstances, what right do I have…”

He lowered his head, unable to continue.

Han Bin shifted the topic. “So you think He Yan is with her lover?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where her lover lives?”

“No.”

“Any contact information?”

“I only saw they used Bubble to communicate. I don’t know anything else.” Chen Zili spread his hands.

“Why was your phone off?”

“I was afraid those debt collectors would cause trouble, so I turned it off.”

“Turn it back on. They won’t bother you for now.”

“So I should thank my wife, then?” Chen Zili said with a bitter laugh.

“You should focus on making an honest living. Don’t always look for shortcuts; it’ll only drag you deeper,” Li Hui admonished.

“It’s too late. I’m buried in debt. If I work, how long will it take to pay it off?”

“No one starves in this society. Even doing hard labor, you can make a few thousand a month, tens of thousands a year. Work hard for a few years and you’ll clear it,” Li Hui said.

“Easy to say, hard to do,” Chen Zili shook his head.

“In our village, to marry off sons, buy cars, build houses, pay dowries—the big three. Everyone borrows money, every family has holes. That’s how we get by.” Li Hui snorted, thinking Chen Zili was just lazy.

He was fond of comfort and averse to work.

“Let’s not get into that,” Han Bin steered the conversation back. “What’s your wife’s Bubble account?”

“I don’t know.”

“How did she register?”

“I’ve never used it.”

…

After finishing the statement, Han Bin allowed Chen Zili to leave.

Chen Zili got out of the car, hesitated for a moment at the entrance of the lottery shop, then, perhaps out of a pang of conscience, hailed a taxi and left.

“Bin, you’re just letting him go?” Li Hui asked.

“What else?”

“I feel like there’s something off about him.”

“Do you have any evidence?”

“No.”

“Then that’s that.”

Han Bin had been observing Chen Zili during the statement and saw no signs of lying.

“What do we do now?”

“Check the Bubble app account. See if we can pull He Yan’s chat history,” Han Bin suggested.

“Let’s report to Captain Zheng first. Without proper procedures and documents, the software company may not cooperate,” Li Hui replied.

“Let’s investigate the company first, so we’re not clueless when we report.”

Han Bin searched online for information about the software company. It was based in Pengcheng, a city known for its booming economy and concentration of high-tech industries, home to many well-known domestic tech firms.

He browsed a forum to check the app’s reputation: a small, poorly regulated platform, full of entertainment and mischief.

Li Hui tried registering an account, naming it Qindao Your Brother Hui, and explored the app’s features.

“Any discoveries?” Han Bin asked.

“A major discovery,” Li Hui boasted.

“Tell me.”

“To register an account, you must use a phone number for the verification code. The account itself isn’t real-name, but you can look up the phone number,” Li Hui explained.

Han Bin immediately understood. As long as they had He Yan’s phone number, they could find her account, extract its communication records, and see who she interacted with.

If they found a suspicious account, that person would also have registered with a phone number. Find the owner, find the suspect.

After discussing, they decided to return to the command vehicle and report to Zheng Kaixuan. The software company was far away in Pengcheng, and they’d need the local police to assist; Han Bin and Li Hui couldn’t handle it alone.

By the time they drove back to the command vehicle, it was already past six in the evening.

Besides Zheng Kaixuan and He Ru, Zhao Ming and Tian Li had also returned.

“You’re just in time. I’ve already ordered takeout,” Zheng Kaixuan said.

“Captain Zheng, what delicious food did you order?” Li Hui asked curiously.

“Don’t worry, it’ll shut you up for sure.”

He Ru spoke up. “Officer Han, my brother-in-law called just now. He’s home.”

“Yes, we’ve already taken his statement.”

“Is my brother-in-law involved in this?” He Ru asked, concern on her face.

“Currently, he’s not a suspect.”

He Ru breathed a sigh of relief.

“There are some issues between Chen Zili and your sister. You should try to persuade him. No matter their relationship, even if they divorce, she’s still Yuanyuan’s mother. For the child’s sake, I hope Chen Zili will cooperate with the police,” Li Hui suggested.

“What happened between my sister and brother-in-law?”

“Chen Zili suspects your sister has a lover,” Li Hui said.

“What? That’s impossible!” He Ru exclaimed, incredulous.

“It’s just a lead. We’re investigating.”

“I want to go home and ask my brother-in-law about it,” He Ru said, unable to sit still.

“You can. If Chen Zili provides more clues, let us know immediately,” Han Bin instructed.

“Alright.” He Ru agreed and left the command vehicle.

As they watched her leave, Zheng Kaixuan asked, “What’s this about He Yan’s lover?”

Han Bin relayed Chen Zili’s statement to Zheng Kaixuan.

Zheng Kaixuan glanced at his watch. “It’s past six. If we ask Pengcheng police for help today, it’s probably too late.”

“It’s best to apply tonight, and investigate first thing tomorrow,” Han Bin advised.

Zheng Kaixuan nodded. This lead was important. He stood up. “I’ll go report to the sub-bureau leadership.”