"Did I misunderstand?"

"Jiao Yan is only two years older than me, so we should be considered the same generation."

"I can’t buy the teacher’s works, where did she get them?"

"If it’s not purchased, could she have asked someone for it, or maybe someone gave it to her?"

Chen Xiao’s mind began to brood with doubts.

But he was well aware that "Before and After People" was just one of the books on the desk.

This book was special in Chen Xiao’s mind only because it was authored by Wang Dahe.

At this moment, Chen Xiao couldn’t help but wonder if he was overthinking things, suspecting everything?

With a slight shake of his head, Chen Xiao brushed away the chaotic thoughts and continued discussing the work with Wang Dahe.

"From what the teacher said, you must have put quite a lot of effort into this work at the time, right?"

Wang Dahe nodded somewhat bashfully: "I did put in a lot of effort, but if it’s just for me personally, it naturally is a successful piece of work. However, in terms of the book market, I did let Qin Hao down."

Chen Xiao grinned slightly and proactively changed the topic.

"By the way, teacher, yesterday I talked a lot with Wang Jun, and he’s actually going through quite a bit."

Wang Dahe sighed: "How could I not know it’s hard for him? Maybe it’s just fate. He really tries hard and keeps striving, but his efforts always seem to go unrewarded. I’ve seen him smoke several times, putting them out without caring about the burning ash."

"I know he’s been through a lot and faced many challenges, but as a father, I often find myself less comforting than he is."

Chen Xiao placed his palm on Wang Dahe’s shoulder and gently patted it:

"For him, he probably doesn’t need your comfort, just more recognition would be enough."

Wang Dahe turned back, eyes full of gratitude, and said: "I haven’t seen you for two years, and you’ve really changed a lot. I can sense that you seem to understand people’s hearts well. Is this one of those mandatory courses for detectives?"

"Sort of." Chen Xiao smiled.

Wang Dahe didn’t ask further.

Soon, Wang Jun also came over, carrying quite a lot of medication prescribed by the doctor.

Since he came with the medicine, it meant they had to leave.

Chen Xiao didn’t wish to interrupt.

But internally, there was a bit of disappointment.

He initially thought "Before and After People" would enlighten him, but it’s much less than he expected.

Wang Jun pushed the wheelchair that Wang Dahe was sitting in, but Wang Dahe still said:

"Chen Xiao, you just asked me about that book, is there something else you wanted to ask?"

Chen Xiao thought for a moment and asked: "Teacher, did you have any specific audience in mind when writing ’Before and After People’?"

"I didn’t consider that much when writing, but later on, I thought the people who bought this book must have been moved by a character in it."

Chen Xiao nodded; "In the teacher’s opinion, which characters in your book are most likely to touch people’s hearts?"

Wang Dahe tried to recall.

But as time went by, he was rather uncomfortable.

"I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t pay attention, or if it’s just been too long, but after recalling, I can’t remember many characters. Only those with prototypes left a bit of an impression now."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao naturally didn’t pursue further.

Maybe as Wang Dahe said, it’s just been too long.

Chen Xiao watched them leave.

After they left, Chen Xiao also got in the car.

On the drive back to the police department, Chen Xiao’s mind was still fixated on how Jiao Yan acquired the book.

Was it given by someone?

Or did she request it from someone?

No matter the channel, Chen Xiao wanted to find out who that person was.

With this in mind, at a fork in the road, Chen Xiao steered away from the direction of the police department.

He wanted to meet Jiao Yan’s birth mother.

After ten minutes, Chen Xiao stopped in a village on the outskirts of the county.

After some inquiry, Chen Xiao found Jiao Yan’s birth mother, Si Ru.

Upon learning Si Ru’s name, Chen Xiao’s mind also connected with someone, namely Si Ying from the Swallow Lane Fishbone case.

This surname was the second time Chen Xiao came across.

After explaining his intentions, Si Ru became agitated.

"What on earth do you police want? I’ve lost count of how many waves I’ve dealt with, isn’t this over yet?"

Si Ru’s reaction didn’t surprise Chen Xiao.

Because in his understanding, Si Ru’s reputation couldn’t compare to the emerging Wei Rong.

In the Jiao family’s relatives’ words, Si Ru wasn’t a good woman.

Because she was addicted to gambling.

Regardless of gender, gamblers’ consciences are smothered as their gambling age and stakes increase.

A gambler’s world consists solely of winning and losing, nothing else.

Looking at Si Ru’s impatient demeanor, Chen Xiao remarked with a smile: "Do you have any cards at home? We can play cards and chat at the same time?"

Chen Xiao despised gamblers immensely.

Back in the day, he repeatedly stopped Luo Dali from gambling, infuriating Qiao Ye who ran gambling businesses on Phoenix Street.

But faced with a gambler, who was impatient even after her daughter’s death, Chen Xiao thought opening a gambling session might be a more effective communication method.

However, Si Ru remained vigilant.

"I’m not stupid. You’re a police consultant; wouldn’t playing cards with you be considered gambling? You can ask directly, and I’ll speak as long as I know."

Somewhat unexpected, Chen Xiao went straight to the point:

"Alright... my question is, does your daughter Jiao Yan like reading books?"

"Read... She doesn’t read, it’s all an act for her father’s sake."

"An act?"

"Yes, their whole family dislikes me, even my own flesh and blood is the same. But before the divorce, I was the only one awake in that family. Jiao Guoxuan is a rotten person; the longer you live with him, the more you’ll realize that. But, I don’t know why Xiao Yan always pretends to be a good girl in front of that rotten person."

"Later, I gradually realized she was indeed not aligned with me, so I lost heart and stopped caring about her."

At this point, Si Ru lowered her head, her shoulders occasionally twitching.

"When I divorced her father back then, I asked her if she wanted to follow me. Yes, I admit I’m a compulsive gambler, but if she followed me, could I neglect her food and drink? Even if living isn’t easy, it’s better than losing your life!"

Chen Xiao didn’t respond to Si Ru but continued to ask questions.

"In your memory, which friends did she have a good relationship with? Which friends were familiar with the Jiao family’s matters and even frequently visited before? Also, when Qiao Zhiyuan and Jiao Guoxuan argued earlier, was someone acquainted with Jiao Yan present?"

As Chen Xiao asked, Si Ru began to think quietly.

After a while, Si Ru looked up at Chen Xiao and said: "The person you’re asking about, isn’t it Qiao Zhiyuan!"