He couldn’t drink alcohol, but downing enough soft drinks could still give him a buzz.

While he was feeling it, the conversation turned to Jiang Qi, so Shen Xin casually asked Gu Dawei about the contents of the envelope.

As the captain of the economic investigation unit, Gu Dawei’s lips were sealed tight.

He just smiled, urged Shen Xin to eat, and refused to say a word.

But seeing the smile he could barely suppress, Shen Xin had a pretty good idea.

’It must be a major case, especially since it involves a bank.’

As the dinner was winding down, Shen Xin said, "Captain Ding, to be honest, I don’t even know why Liu Zhi sent me."

"But when the higher-ups give an order, what can I do? You have to understand my position."

"Besides, before I left, my superiors specifically warned me. They said, ’Kid, when you get there, don’t think you can get by on clever tricks just because you’ve solved a few cases. You need to learn from them properly.’"

"So, Captain Ding, I’m really here with the intention to learn. Please don’t read too much into it."

"I just want to see if my humble abilities can offer a new perspective on your case."

People in leadership positions are rarely fools.

They can tell whether you’re being sincere or just offering empty compliments. But then again, who doesn’t like to hear nice things?

With Shen Xin being so deferential, whatever reservations Ding Junbao might have had, he felt he could no longer hold onto them.

"Shen Xin, don’t overthink it. This case has gone on for so long, it’s time it had a resolution. So, I’ll say just one thing: you have my full support!" Ding Junbao raised his teacup and drained it in one gulp.

Shen Xin quickly followed suit with his own cup, thanking him repeatedly.

It was getting late, so Ding Junbao arranged for someone to take Shen Xin and his partner to their hotel, where he had already booked rooms for them.

After seeing the two off, Ding Junbao and Gu Dawei stood on the roadside, watching them leave from a distance.

"Old Gu, what do you think of this kid?" Ding Junbao asked.

Gu Dawei thought for a moment, then smiled. "He’s a bit of a smooth talker."

Ding Junbao shook his head. "That’s not being smooth, that’s being smart. He understands the ways of the world, but he isn’t arrogant about his talents. For someone his age, that’s quite rare."

Some talented young people look down their noses at everyone.

Others are all talk and no substance.

Someone like Shen Xin, who possesses both talent and social grace, is a rare find.

"I heard from Liu Zhi that his family is quite wealthy—they own a factory. He probably developed those skills through constant exposure growing up."

"Of course, the most important thing is that he’s capable. The kid is genuinely impressive. I looked into the cases he’s solved, and if it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to crack them."

Never mind the Wu Jiawang case; just look at the Liu Laibin case. If that had happened in Songling, it would probably still be a cold case today.

Gu Dawei said in surprise, "That’s some high praise. What, are you thinking of poaching him?"

Ding Junbao laughed. "I’d love to, but the problem is Nanjiang would never let him go."

Just based on the fact that Shen Xin can train police dogs, Nanjiang would never release him.

Gu Dawei nodded.

Talent like that is hard to poach.

After a moment’s thought, Gu Dawei said, "Well, let’s see. The Han Xiaolong case has been cold for years. If he can actually solve it, I’ll be convinced too."

With that, he waved goodbye and left.

Meanwhile, Shen Xin had followed a colleague from Songling to a nearby hotel.

It was a budget hotel, but clean enough.

They got two rooms. It was still early, so the two of them got together to discuss their plan for the next day.

They decided to start by examining the relevant evidence.

This key evidence was still being kept in the evidence room at the Songling Branch.

After that, they would head straight to Wuba Village to find the dog and then re-interview all the key witnesses.

With the passage of time, re-interviewing them might yield new results.

"The key is evidence. Even if we identify a suspect, building a chain of evidence will be a huge problem," Shen Xin said, leaning back in his chair.

The murder weapon was a rock. They didn’t find it back then, and it’s even less likely they’ll find it now.

It would be useless even if they did.

And there wasn’t much physical evidence at the scene.

Forensic technology was already quite advanced back in ’12. It’s not like there’s something they couldn’t test for then that they can test for now.

Even with today’s improved technology, Liu Jie has been obsessed with this case. Wouldn’t he have had everything re-tested already?

It just means the killer didn’t leave any obvious physical evidence behind.

If they had left DNA, a village-wide DNA test would have identified the killer long ago.

Without the murder weapon and without the killer’s DNA, creating a complete chain of evidence is no easy task.

This is the frustrating part about so many cold cases.

After discussing and confirming their plan, the two of them turned in for the night.

Early the next morning, they went to the branch office to retrieve the evidence.

The evidence collection was very thorough.

They had all of Han Xiaolong’s belongings, including his clothes, hair, and other relevant biological samples.

And after examining the evidence, Shen Xin was certain that the reason this case remained unsolved was definitely not because Liu Jie and his team hadn’t worked hard enough or done their job properly.

They had even preserved evidence like the aquatic plants from the well and soil from the primary crime scene.

They had even conducted a scientific analysis of the plants and soil later on.

They had also taken blood samples from everyone in the village, except for the children, and created a DNA database.

For the case to remain unsolved after they’d gone to such lengths, it could only mean the conditions for solving the crime at the time were just too poor.

"Captain Lai, let’s go."

After carefully examining all the evidence to get a clear picture, Shen Xin turned to the middle-aged man beside him.

His name was Lai Yong, the deputy captain of the criminal investigation division.

He was nearly forty and looked like a veteran detective—always on the move, with rough, weathered skin.

He was a big guy, with a faint scar next to his ear that was probably his own personal badge of honor.

Ding Junbao had promised his full support and specially assigned Lai Yong to accompany Shen Xin to Qingyuan Town.

Most importantly, back when the case first happened, he had been one of the investigating officers.