My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

As soon as Jin Renguang returned to his hospital room, he asked Qin Weizhe. "Has the antipsychotic medication Nan Xukun consumed been tested in the lab?"

Although he didn't understand what Jin Renguang meant, Qin Weizhe still answered. "We have just confirmed the authenticity of Si Zhening's statement so my people are on their way to secure the evidence. It might be done by night at the latest. Why do you ask?"

"I know it's a pain in the ass." Jin Renguang stated seriously. "But I want all the pills tested, not only the sample."

Qin Weizhe's eyes widened. "Do you suspect—"

Jin Renguang massaged his brows. "Nothing is certain yet. I can only confirm it after I get Shi Nian and Si Zhening's statements in my hands." 

In a timely manner, Ru Meiqi returned and handed him the thick reports. Two labels were stuck on it, one by the name of Shi Nian and the other Si Zhening. 

"Thank you." He said. "I would like to read it by myself. Can you two please give me some room to think?" Spotting Ru Meiqi's concerned look, he smiled. "You can come and get me by the time the lab results come out."

Ru Meiqi sighed in surrender. "Fine. I will drag you out at dinnertime. If you need something, just give me a call. Let's go, Comrade Qin." Afterward, the two of them left, leaving Jin Renguang alone.

The man sat on the couch and tried to make himself comfortable. It was quite impossible, considering how each movement would stretch the wound on his back. It felt weird but he soon got used to it and started to open the report, starting from Shi Nian's. 

Word by word, he raked his eyes over the paper and immersed himself in it.

***

Due to Jin Renguang's abrupt request, the laboratory analysts ended up working their asses off and managed to get the tests done by the crack of dawn. As soon as Qin Weizhe read the report, he cursed out loud and dashed to the hospital even though it was way past the visiting hours.

Flashing his police badge to the receptionist in front, he made his way to the VVIP ward and strode down the hallway in large steps, his pace hasty and impatient. It was still 4 am in the morning and the hospital was eerily quiet. The entire floor was filled with police officers stationed in every corner with CEO Jiang's bodyguards mixing in.

He turned to a corner and met Ru Meiqi who was talking to a police officer, her face showing traces of fatigue. As soon as she caught sight of him, her eyes lit up. "Comrade Qin, has it been done?"

Qin Weizhe nodded with his face somber, unable to muster a smile at all. Seeing that, Ru Meiqi's heart abruptly sank but she covered it quickly lest the other sniffed out something was off. Afterall, Jin Renguang had strictly ordered for the matter to be kept confidential for the moment.

"Thank you for your hard work." She said to the police officer and gestured for Qin Weizhe to follow along. The two of them walked side by side to Jin Renguang's room.

"What is Captain doing inside?" Qin Weizhe asked.

Ru Meiqi shook her head. "I'm not sure. The last time I checked up on him was three hours ago, he was dozing off by then." She lifted her hand to knock. However, the act hadn't been done yet when the door suddenly slid open, revealing Jin Renguang who still looked as alert as ever even with short stubbles growing on his chin. The only sign which indicated his lack of sleep was the slightly bloodshot eyes and the messy hair.

"Come in." The man said quietly.

Qin Weizhe stared at him for a while and stepped in after Ru Meiqi. He couldn't help but think that there was something different about Jin Renguang yet he couldn't put his fingers in it. 

"I got the report." Qin Weizhe's expression was complicated. "Captain Jin, have you always been doubting Si Zhening?"

"At first, no." Jin Renguang answered. "I only started suspecting him after listening to Nan Xukun's answer. There's a few areas that don't add up."

"What is it?" Ru Meiqi asked in frustration. "Haven't we already gathered all of the truth?"

The corner of Jin Renguang's lips curled up. "Yes...but only on the surface. Whether I found this out or not, there's no difference, to be honest. We have caught the serial killer and secured all of the evidence we need. No matter how hard Nan Cheng resists, he will be defeated sooner or later. Si Zhening will also be apprehended as the serial killer's accomplice. Everything has been solved nicely. It's just that...I can't stand to see a stone unturned, regardless if it's a pebble or a boulder."

Qin Weizhe's eyes inadvertently landed on the reports on top of the low table behind Jin Renguang, shocked. The staples had been peeled off, making the papers spread all over the table messily. Scribbles written with red ink filled the blank spaces on the side of the papers and in one glance, it very much looked like someone had just scrawled curse words on it. 

Suddenly, realization dawned on him and he could finally word what was wrong with Jin Renguang. Everyone in the police station knew that Captain Jin of the SCI squad was someone with OCD, albeit his case wasn't as severe as the serial killer.

And someone with OCD wouldn't have let his space—and moreover himself—to be this messy. He gave Jin Renguang another scan; not only was his hair messy, but his hands were also stained with red ink and creases formed on his clothes. 

It was disconcerting, especially when Qin Weizhe recalled that he once bore the brunt of Jin Renguang's anger just because he didn't tidy his desk properly when that man was still his mentor. 

The instability was just one little, insignificant hint but Qin Weizhe couldn't shake off the waving red flag in his mind. 

What had bothered Jin Renguang so much to the point where he had even forgotten to take care of himself?

Unaware of the complicated thoughts running in Qin Weizhe's mind, Ru Meiqi asked impatiently, too lazy to play mind games with the Captain. "So what is on the report?"

.

.

.

A/N: What? What about Si Zhening? ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ

I want to give my special thanks for ArcaneMag!! Dear, you literally contributed more than half of the total amount of GTs! We have managed to cross 200 GTs! Thank youu so much, so happy to see you like the story ^^ 

Also Keepitquiet, scissors04, and everyone I can't check. Thank you so much! Now we're nearing the end and it is only possible because of your immense support! （￣ε￣ʃƪ）