I’m Really Scared
Chapter 62: Our Newspaper Doesn't Have a Shen Dinghua

Li Zhiying put down her phone, looked up at the people in front of her, and smiled. "Guan Shan is on his way. It might take about ten more minutes. If you don't mind, would you like to have some tea first?"

Sitting on the sofa opposite her was Xia Lei, who had changed into a police uniform.

His appearance was already quite scholarly and righteous, and wearing a police uniform added a sharp and stern aura, exuding an intimidating presence. He looked more like a real police officer than a real one.

Of course, he wasn't fake either.

As an instructor of the Esper Special Squad with distinguished achievements, Xia Lei had a real military rank, though it was not known to the public. The credentials he used to deal with ordinary people were actually fake, created by official channels.

The public only knew the Special Security Group as a unique law enforcement agency.

This time, Xia Lei had brought along a few members of the logistics team. Although they were called logistics, they were actually true special forces soldiers, but on the battlefield of Espers, they could only play a supporting role.

As for the three-person squad, Gao Ye was injured and was resting.

Xia Lei shook his head and smiled. "No need to trouble you, Editor Li. We'll just wait a bit. More than tea, I'm interested in your opinion on Guan Shan. What kind of person do you think he is?"

Li Zhiying looked at him and said, "Although 'Hangzhou Evening News' is only a second-rate newspaper, we still have many interns and even more official employees. Five days ago, my impression of Guan Shan was that he was a well-behaved and hardworking individual."

It's normal for an intern's articles to be revised four or five times, and their quality is generally similar, so the task of reviewing them falls to the lower-level editors.

In such a situation, Li Zhiying naturally wouldn't pay special attention to any individual. Leaving an impression was already good enough.

She continued with a hint of helplessness, "However, since he argued with the deputy editor five days ago, I've come to realize I've underestimated him. His capabilities are quite strong, though not necessarily in writing articles—of course, his articles are good; I've personally reviewed them these past few days—but he's exceptionally strong in solving cases..."

She originally just wanted him to gather some clues and extract some information, but who could have expected him to directly solve the unsolved mystery!

Li Zhiying cautiously asked, "May I boldly ask, are you planning to recruit him to investigate some case?"

Xia Lei was taken aback, then laughed heartily. "Indeed, we hope to enlist his help. I didn't expect you to guess it. I hope you don't mind."

Li Zhiying shook her head. "Why would I mind? It's up to Guan Shan."

Xia Lei smiled and said, "I spoke with him a few days ago, and he shouldn't have any issues."

He then casually changed the topic, "By the way, I heard he has a very close girlfriend who also works at the newspaper?"

Yes, this was another reason Xia Lei came today.

Besides checking on Guan Shan, he wanted to gather more information about Shen Dinghua from those around her, hoping to find some clues.

Of course, Xia Lei considered safety issues, but from her attitude towards Guan Shan, at least if Guan Shan was around, she shouldn't act out too much.

After discovering abnormalities in Shen Dinghua's bone structure from her high school years, Xia Lei continued his investigation but found no further clues.

Guan Shan's parents' deaths were clearly documented: his father died in a factory accident, and his mother died in a traffic accident on the same day. Guan Shan then took a half-year break from school.

This was understandable; a high school student facing such a major blow in one day was unlikely to not break down.

That Guan Shan continued his studies and even performed well in college entrance exams after a six-month break was an inspiring story of resilience.

Shen Dinghua's family background was even more straightforward. Her parents were executives at a well-known domestic company, wealthy enough to live in a small villa in a secluded area for peace and quiet.

Xia Lei even considered the hypothesis that Shen Dinghua's parents didn't exist.

But he quickly dismissed it. The couple frequently appeared in domestic news and had a complex network of connections, making it impossible for them to be fake.

Although Shen Dinghua's parents had gone abroad for business a few days ago, Xia Lei still managed to have someone investigate. The results were consistent.

Using the pretext of interviewing them about Chinese education, her parents were happy to share their children's growth trajectories.

In their eyes, Shen Dinghua was always a well-behaved and sensible child, with an outstanding resume that had no suspicious points.

No matter how he checked, everything was flawless.

The only suspicious incident was three months after Guan Shan's parents' deaths, when a worker at his father's factory went missing, and the body was never found.

But this event was too far in the past. The factory had since closed down, and the remaining records were useless.

Further investigation would require more effort.

"If colleagues and superiors don't have useful information, at least I can meet Shen Dinghua in person today."

"The only time we met before was the night Guan Shan was hospitalized, passing by in the corridor... I have to admit, her disguise was impeccable. Even I thought she was just a worried girlfriend."

"But on the other hand, it proves she cares deeply for Guan Shan. This is a good entry point for conversation."

Xia Lei had already thought about how to get Shen Dinghua to stay and initiate a conversation, leaving the rest to the psychologist secretly observing.

"The best outcome is that Shen Dinghua's bone structure changed due to awakening her powers."

"The second best is that she was replaced by an Esper during high school."

"And the worst..."

A psychologist with mental and spiritual abilities could determine not only the nature of a personality but also whether the person was human.

However, to Xia Lei's surprise, Li Zhiying was stunned and said, "What girlfriend?"

Xia Lei was confused and then smiled apologetically, "I forgot, Guan Shan and Shen Dinghua haven't gone public. I should have said a very close girl."

He couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head. "Young people today are so secretive. They're already living together but still trying to hide it. Back in our day, we'd already have kids."

But Li Zhiying looked even more puzzled, frowning. "No, I mean... our newspaper doesn't have anyone named Shen Dinghua."

Xia Lei's expression froze, his pupils constricting as he realized something was wrong.

At that moment, there was a knock on the office door.

"Good morning, Editor."

Guan Shan's voice followed as he entered, with a petite figure behind him.

The girl leaned out from behind Guan Shan, looking at Xia Lei on the sofa with a polite smile.

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