Chapter Forty-Three: Searching for the Little Girl in the Trash Bin

The viewers in the live broadcast room began to sense something, a subtle excitement stirring within their hearts.

“After stealing the child, the two left the residential complex, passed through the commercial plaza, and were noticed by Mr. Lin.”

“At the time, I just felt something was off. If only I had caught them right then and there,” Lin Ze shook his head.

“Mr. Lin was already very vigilant,” the police officer nodded slightly and continued, “Just yesterday, while having lunch, Mr. Lin overheard Wang buying sleeping pills at the pharmacy. He tested him and confirmed something was wrong.”

“So Mr. Lin put on a disguise, followed Wang home, changed his appearance again, and had Director Zhang call the police.”

“According to the criminal’s account, Mr. Lin disguised himself as an elderly lady…”

“Ahem, let’s gloss over that,” Lin Ze said hurriedly.

“Alright!”

“Mr. Lin first tricked them into opening the door, then threatened to call the police, luring both into the hallway—this prevented them from using the child as a threat.”

“Then, in the hallway, Mr. Lin fought with Wang, who had a spring-loaded knife, threw him down the stairs, frightened Zhang into tears, and finally rushed into the room, locked the door, and waited for our officers to arrive.”

[Ah?]

[I love that phrase from Lin Ze’s fans: ‘Ah?’]

[Mock? What right do you have to mock Brother Lin? While you were busy calling those cat-faced pretty boys ‘Brother,’ my Lin had already fought two child traffickers!]

The police officer turned, revealing another officer behind him.

The officer handed Lin Ze a thick envelope.

“Would you mind taking a photo?”

Lin Ze tidied his clothes and hair.

He and the officer each held one side of the envelope, smiling for the camera.

Then Aunt Zhu, who had brought the banner, took a photo with Lin Ze as well. The banner bore eight bold characters:

“Star of the Arts, Keen Eye and Pure Heart!”

“Little Lin! Auntie truly doesn’t know what to say. All I can do is thank you. If my grandson had just disappeared like that, I really wouldn’t know how to go on…” Aunt Zhu grasped Lin Ze’s hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lin Ze was slightly embarrassed by Aunt Zhu’s words.

“It’s alright, Auntie. Our orchestra has been waiting for you for ages. The finals are coming up—you’ll return, won’t you?”

“I will! Definitely!” Aunt Zhu shook hands with Su Zitan. “Oh, this girl’s so lovely. Little Lin, good people are blessed!”

“Thank you, Aunt Zhu,” Su Zitan replied sweetly.

As their villa was still in the village, Aunt Zhu needed to ride back with the police, so she didn’t linger.

“Oh my, Your Majesty? Today I’ve seen the real emperor…” Aunt Zhu looked at Chen Weiguo in surprise.

Chen Weiguo was speechless.

Aunt Zhu glanced around at everyone—these were all celebrities she’d only seen on TV before.

With a wave, she followed the police to the car.

They watched as the police car drove away.

“Wait…” Ji Chen said, a bit confused, “Are we really filming a show? Why do Little Lin and Zitan have such eventful days?”

“Even getting hit with a slingshot didn’t involve me… Mmmpf!” Lin Chunshui covered Ji Chen’s mouth. “You talk too much!”

“Little Lin, it’s simply a crime against heaven that you’re not famous,” Chen Weiguo sighed.

“Oh, thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Get lost!”

That evening, the official Tong County Police account posted a group photo.

“We thank Mr. Lin for assisting in capturing child traffickers Wang and Lin, preventing a major cross-provincial child trafficking case. However, if you notice signs of crime, please prioritize calling the police. Where flowers bloom, safety remains; the police and people together, happiness follows.”

Soon after, Sichuan Provincial Police reposted the message.

“Police and citizens unite, evil bows its head!”

At night, everyone had fallen asleep.

Lin Ze and Su Zitan cuddled together.

At this hour, only the most fervent fans and internet trolls stayed awake.

They were so wild that they even dared to charge at the official accounts.

The next day, Lin Ze was full of enthusiasm, intending to practice a new rock song, but unexpectedly received another secret mission.

“Secret mission: Today, find a little girl in a large trash bin outside Riverside Park, and avoid her parents who will be searching for her.”

“Ah?” Lin Ze was stunned.

What kind of bizarre task was this?

He saw Director Zhang smiling mischievously, and knew he must be up to something.

Well, it’s just hide-and-seek, isn’t it?

The two rode the show’s car to Riverside Park, went in to greet Old Wang and the others, and then searched along the road outside the park for any large trash bins.

This river formed a U-shape, nearly enclosing the entire old city of Tong County. Riverside Park stretched along the road, making it genuinely hard to find.

But since Director Zhang had assigned the task, it wouldn’t be far from their usual activity area.

Su Zitan looked around for a sanitation worker, having just seen an aunt she meant to ask about any new large trash bins in the area.

“Let’s go!” Lin Ze grabbed Su Zitan’s hand. “I’ve taken a guess and already know the direction!”

“….” Su Zitan followed Lin Ze with a helpless expression.

Soon, Lin Ze had retraced all the places he’d been before, but found no sign of a large trash bin. He could only lean against a supermarket entrance, sipping an iced drink.

[I glanced at the Tong County map—there’s no way to find this.]

[But since the director said it’s possible, it must be a familiar place, or somewhere you can reason out.]

“Strange, where could it be? Did Director Zhang really put the person across town?” Su Zitan eyed Lin Ze’s iced drink, feeling tempted.

But Lin Ze had already calculated that Su Zitan’s period was coming, so iced drinks were absolutely forbidden.

Su Zitan scanned the surroundings, spotting an orange tabby cat lounging on the lawn, and suddenly had an idea.

“Watch me.”

She bought two sausage sticks and approached the cat.

“Hello, kitty~”

Su Zitan unwrapped a sausage and placed it in front of the tabby.

The orange cat sniffed the sausage and ate it delicately.

“Have you seen any new trash bins around here?” Su Zitan asked, gesturing to the cat.

Lin Ze crouched down and patted the orange cat’s back.

“Is it useful to ask a cat? Isn’t it only for finding cats that you ask them?”

“Well, nothing else is working, so why not trust the kitty?”

The orange tabby finished the sausage, stretched lazily, then rubbed against Su Zitan’s leg, and trotted upstream along the river.

After a few steps, seeing Su Zitan and Lin Ze hadn’t followed, the cat turned back and meowed impatiently.