“Ma’am, according to relevant laws and regulations, no citizen has the right to privately access someone else’s entry and exit records.”
“Alright, I’m not unreasonable. In that case, I want the surveillance footage from the terminal within the last three hours!”
“Sorry, that requires authorization from higher-ups.”
Xu Luling was in the airport security office, facing off with two security guards.
As soon as she got off work today, she didn’t even have time to change out of her business attire before rushing straight to the airport to pick up her boyfriend, who had just returned from attending a financial summit.
Her boyfriend’s flight had landed three hours ago, but she hadn’t seen any sign of him, and his phone had been off the entire time.
Her right eyelid had been twitching non-stop, and she felt incredibly uneasy.
Feeling something was off, she came straight to the security office and explained the situation, which led to the current conversation.
Despite the security guards’ attempts to reason with her, they couldn’t persuade Xu Luling. Seeing that the situation couldn’t be resolved quickly, one of the guards directly said, “If you keep this up, it could be considered causing trouble in a public place. We can call the police and let them handle it.”
Xu Luling responded bluntly, “Go ahead.”
The guard had said this to make her back off, but to his surprise, she agreed so readily. It was as if she was intentionally causing a scene, hoping they would call the police to speed up the process of finding her boyfriend.
In just a few minutes, two officers who were patrolling nearby arrived at the scene. One officer with a buzz cut was surprised to see that the person causing the disturbance on the phone was a delicate-looking woman.
In fact, she spoke softly, but her attitude was incredibly firm.
The rookie officer next to him started taking notes, while the buzz-cut officer began questioning her.
“First, fill in your personal information, then take your time explaining.”
After she finished, the buzz-cut officer asked, “Why did you say you suspected your boyfriend was kidnapped earlier?”
“I came to the airport to pick him up, but I haven’t seen him.”
“So, there’s no actual suspect for the kidnapping?”
Xu Luling hesitated, then didn’t deny it: “Not at the moment.”
“Then it’s more of a missing person case. These are two very different types of incidents,” the buzz-cut officer corrected her. “So how long has he been missing?”
Although she was corrected, it was clear from her expression that there was more to the story.
She didn’t argue. When someone goes missing, time is of the essence, and it’s a race against the clock.
She glanced at her watch.
“Three hours and twelve minutes.”
“…”
The officers had seen all kinds of strange cases, so they were accustomed to the variety of human behavior. The buzz-cut officer just twitched the corner of his mouth and said, “Ma’am, first of all, your boyfriend is an adult. It’s normal for something unexpected to happen, and being out of contact for three hours isn’t unusual. Secondly, an adult can only be considered missing after 24 hours, at the earliest.”
Obviously, the officer thought Xu Luling was just someone in the throes of a new relationship, unable to handle even a brief period without contact.
He even gave her some “life advice”: “Young lady, you shouldn’t be too caught up in romance.”
“No, it’s not like that…” When Xu Luling got anxious, she tended to lose her breath, so she paused, took a deep breath to calm herself, and was about to explain when another team of officers, who had also responded to the report, walked in. One of them, a plainclothes officer, recognized her and exclaimed, “Hey, aren’t you Miss Xu from the case where we found a bunch of hidden cameras in your home?”
With that reminder, even the buzz-cut officer remembered. Last week, Officer Yang’s team had gone to a woman’s home and found 23 hidden cameras.
Could this Miss Xu be the same person?
Since there were no fingerprints on the cameras, and the internal wiring had been deliberately damaged, they couldn’t trace the source, leaving the case still under investigation.
Though the case was minor, the behavior of the suspect was so disturbing that it had shocked many people.
Another reason Officer Yang remembered her so well was that Miss Xu was incredibly beautiful, no less so than a celebrity.
Xu Luling also recognized him and immediately said, “Captain Yang, you should remember that we also reported another case at the same time, where my boyfriend received multiple death threats!”
This was exactly why Xu Luling had wasted no time seeking help when she noticed her boyfriend had gone silent.
Of course, Officer Yang remembered that case. This couple had really had their share of misfortunes. What kind of bad luck had they run into?
His expression grew more serious. “Let’s first confirm your boyfriend’s travel details. By the way, what’s his name?”
“Pei Ruyin.”
“Flight number CA1716. I have his driver’s license.”
Xu Luling was thorough and had brought along some essential documents. After handing over the license, Officer Yang immediately used his authority to have the security staff check the entry and exit records.
And so, the long wait began.
Sweat beaded on Xu Luling’s forehead as she stared intently at her phone, hoping her boyfriend’s familiar name would appear on the screen again.
One of the security guards glanced at her again, confirming his earlier suspicions.
This girl was determined to stay here so that the investigation would proceed as quickly as possible, cutting out any unnecessary delays.
Strangely, he felt a bit envious of her missing boyfriend.
Xu Luling didn’t care about anyone’s gaze. Even if she ended up being detained, she would accept it.
Right now, she just hoped she wasn’t too late.
When Officer Yang returned, he met Xu Luling’s hopeful eyes and said, “We checked your boyfriend’s entry and exit records. He did take the flight you mentioned and has returned to the country.”
Her already tense nerves didn’t relax at all. She fell deep into thought.
He came back to the country, but he hasn’t shown up—doesn’t that make things even stranger?
Pei Ruyin was a responsible person who always saw things through. There was no way he would just disappear without saying anything.
She asked, “Officer Yang, do you have the authority to check the surveillance footage?”
Officer Yang replied, “It hasn’t been 24 hours yet, so we can’t get permission to investigate.”
This response was about what Xu Luling expected.
She wasn’t giving up.
“Based on the previous report, I still have evidence of the death threats he received. Can we apply for a special authorization?” Though small in stature, Xu Luling didn’t lack presence. Her words were logical and organized. “Officer Yang, human life is at stake. If he really is missing, waiting twenty more hours could be too late.”
Last week, she had sensed Officer Yang’s strong sense of justice.
Her words struck a chord with Officer Yang. Human life.
Frowning, Officer Yang was just about to nod when his gaze fell on a figure hurriedly approaching the security office door. He glanced down at the driver’s license in his hand for comparison. The man in the photo had a warm and gentle demeanor, and his eyes seemed to pierce through the camera lens.
Those eyes were quite memorable.
After comparing twice, he was certain.
Case closed!
Officer Yang smiled. “Miss Xu, take a look at who’s behind you.”
