Qin Jun and Song Jing Li stood in silence as their eyes glued onto the man standing across from them. It was as if the floor underneath them had frozen along with their feet.
Lu Tian's words were the only things going in circles inside their head.
Lu Tian's cold gaze stayed on the two men for a long time. He concluded that he had spent enough time here and was the first to move.
"No need to see me out."
He walks away from the men and makes his way to the door. He did not come here to listen to a child's tantrum.
Qin Jun was the first to come to his senses of the two men. He cast a glare at Song Jing Li before running after Lu Tian.
His expression was enough for the young man to stop putting his emotions first.
Without any more care for his comrade, he soon reaches the door. He sees Lu Tian reaching for the doorknob and faintly slams his palm against it.
"I'm sorry for what happened just now. Please wait. There are a few important things we need to discuss."
Lu Tian kept a calm demeanor and looked at Qin Jun. He ponders over the man's words before slightly narrowing his eyes.
He doesn't say anymore and turns away, making his way back to where he had come.
Qin Jun sighed in relief, knowing he could stop Lu Tian. His back pressed against the door, and his legs wanted to give out, but he forced them to move.
Lu Tian is only giving them ten minutes. Any more, and the man is out of here.
As the two men returned to the room, Song Jing Li was now sitting down. He didn't make eye contact with Lu Tian but held a sulking expression.
"Things got a little too out of hands."
Qin Jun ignores the sulking boy and turns his head to the aloof man in the room.
"I apologize again for our rude behavior. I know you weren't lying when you said you don't trust us. It's normal since we're in your jurisdiction. However, I hope we can continue to work together without further issues."
He heaves a sigh and rubs his forehead.
"I lied when I said we weren't aware of your meeting with the chief. We must keep our guard up since we are in an unfamiliar country. We weren't sure if you're really on our side or not."
Lu Tian listened to the man, but his expressionless face remained unfazed. He stared at Qin Jun, and one could see that he was saying, 'I'm not the one with trust issues here.'
Qin Jun could only sigh again. He takes another deep breath and puts on an awkward smile.
"Don't worry about Jing Li. I'll take care of him."
He said what he needed to say, walked over to the many monitors, and typed a few codes on the keyboard.
Numbers and letters pop up on the screens before settling onto a specific page. However, like the other ones, this one also had numbers and letters, making it difficult for one to know what was going on.
"When we worked on this case, we thought we had all the information we needed."
He takes a step to the side to let Lu Tian see the screen.
"But it wasn't until recently that we learned we missed something."
Lu Tian walks over to stand next to the man. He looks at the monitor screen, and the more he scans the codes, the space between his eyebrows furrows.
"Kira was the one who came to find this out. He noticed that through every step we took, someone else was a step ahead of us."
Qin Jun's voice sounds from the side as his eyes also scan the screen.
While searching for Choi Li Sun, they learned someone was also looking for the man. No matter what they did or who they asked, no answers were given.
It was as if this person had sealed everything and everyone's lips.
The only answer they found is that this person is in Imperial.
However, despite knowing this, they couldn't conclude whether this person was a friend or foe.
"Kira came across an IP address that he wasn't familiar with and tried to hack into it. He became aware that it belongs to the person in question, but no matter what he did, he was either thrown off into a black hole or blocked."
Remembering the frustration that had happened when they came to learn this, he felt another same emotion stir in him.
"Judging from the person's skills, Kira said he or she is likely to be an expert in this field."
His lips pursed as he thought about this, and turns to look at the man next to him.
"Is there a possible chance that you might know who it is?"
Lu Tian doesn't answer right away but stares at the screen. His thoughts were kept closed, letting no one read what he was thinking.
After a long moment of silence passed, he finally spoke.
"I don't. If I did, I would be looking for this person and not working the case with you guys."
He turns away from the screen and walks to the chair he was sitting on earlier. The time he had given Qin Jun was up.
He grabs the coat he had left behind and puts it on.
"Forward the information to me."
Qin Jun's eyes followed the man's movements. When he hears Lu Tian's words, he frowns in confusion.
"Do you have a way of finding out?"
He was skeptical about Lu Tian finding a lead, but something inside told him that it would be him (Lu Tian) if anyone could find this person.
His gaze slowly looks elsewhere, and he nods as if he has concluded.
"That's right… You have connections all over the world. Even Liu—"
He spoke without thinking but caught himself in the nick of time. He swallows any remaining words he is going to say.
He glances at Lu Tian, only to see the man staring at him, and he swallows a hard gulp. He forces a smile and continues his words as if he didn't make a mistake.
"Your assistant, Xu Long. I think with his help, too, we might be able to get a clue."
He made sure his voice was stable, and nothing was amiss. He cannot let Lu Tian know that he and the others know Yue Ling.
Lu Tian stares at the man in silence. He had caught on to part of the name Qin Jun had blurted out, but he strides away without putting too much into it.
"I'll see what I can do on my end."
While watching the man disappear from the room, Qin Jun held his breath. It wasn't until he heard the door close, followed by the sound of a car engine starting, that he remembered to breathe.
"You should have just said it aloud."
Song Jing Li finally spoke after keeping a long silence. He doesn't get up from his seat but stares at the man with eyes void of emotions.
"Liu Shan. That name sounds common. He wouldn't have suspected anything. Besides, with noona's help, we'll be closer to finding Choi Li Sun."
Qin Jun looks at the young man and sighs inside. He leans against the table before massaging his head.
"That's true, but this is Lu Tian we're talking about."
He held his hands together in front of him and stared at the window across from him.
"If it had been anyone else, I would have said Liu Shan's name. However, Lu Tian would definitely look into it. He will want to know whether we have anything to do with Yue Ling."
His mind wanders to something that had happened in the past, and he looks at Song Jing Li.
"Also, don't forget. We made a promise not to involve her in any of our troubles. Let's try to keep that promise."
Song Jing Li wanted to refute but held himself back. He gets up and walks to his room. However, before entering his room, he looks back at Qin Jun.
"We indeed made a promise, but this is about Shin. She has the right to know the truth of what actually happened on that day."
He disappears from view, leaving Qin Jun alone in the room. He (Qin Jun) felt mixed emotions stir inside him but let out a sigh.
His head tilts back, and he stares up at the ceiling. It was like the roof of the building had disappeared, and he was searching for answers in the sky.
Song Jing Li was right.
Of all the people close to Shin, it is Yue Ling who needs to know the truth. She needed to know that on the day of her and Shin's wedding, he (Shin) didn't die because his heart gave out. He died because he was murdered.
And the person who murdered him is the same person they're trying so hard to find.
With her help, they will most likely be able to crack this case. However, as much as he wants to involve her, he knows he can't do it.
She just lost her unborn child. He cannot bring up the past and cause more pain to her.