My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

"Xu Binchen!" Wang Chengbing hollered in annoyance. "Where the heck has he gone to?!"

"What's wrong?" Tang Wei popped his head out from behind the computer screen.

"His phone has been ringing for a while!" He pulled his hair out of frustration. "Someone, pick it up for him please!"

"Why don't you pick it up yourself?" Tang Wei rolled his eyes.

"Can't you see that I'm busy right now?!" Wang Chengbing hissed and shrank his neck the moment Jin Renguang entered. "Aiyah, so many things to do. Aiyah, I'm so hungry. When can I get off work and go to a nice restaurant?"

Unfortunately, Jin Renguang failed to receive his signal and instead went to Xu Binchen's table where his phone was vibrating. He took a peek and asked out loud. "Where's Xu Binchen? Shi Nian is calling him!"

"Shi Nian?!" Wang Chengbing instantly left his seat and went to pick up Xu Binchen's phone. "Hello, Niannian? This is Brother Wang! What do you need Xu Binchen for? Wait—wait a moment, slow down. What did you say? You can't get in touch with Jiang Jinyan?"

"Yes…" Shi Nian walked back and forth anxiously. "It's been a few hours since I sent him a text but he hasn't replied yet. I have also called him but his number is out of service. There's no one in his house either. Is it possible that Binchen gege has seen him?"

Wang Chengbing let out a laugh. "Aren't you a bit too anxious? It's just a few hours and he's a grown up man. Maybe he has something to do?"

"Is that so?" 

Shi Nian also knew that she was overreacting but somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. 

Jiang Jinyan had always informed her if he went somewhere and if she called him more than once, he would definitely return the call as soon as possible.

She texted him right after she got out of school and got no answer. She had also called him thrice and instead of a busy dial tone, his phone was out of service, proving that it had been turned off. What could he be so busy with that he would disappear just like that?

Five hours, Shi Nian counted. She messaged him at 5 pm and now, it was already 10 pm. Yet, he was still nowhere to be seen. 

"Yeah." Wang Chengbing answered casually. "Maybe you're overthinking. Don't worry. It's already so late. Go to sleep and tomorrow, he will come to your doorstep early in the morning."

"...Who are you talking to with my phone?" Xu Binchen's voice came from a distance.

"Binchen gege!" Shi Nian cried out, the rims of her eyes reddened. 

"Oh, it's Shi Nian." 

"Give it to me. Hello, Shi Nian?" His voice drew closer and unexpectedly, it was as if Shi Nian had found a place to vent all of her anxiousness. Relief flooded her chest, so much that tears welled up in her eyes. "Sorry, I left my phone in the office. Did something happen?"

Shi Nian hastily relayed her worry to him. 

"Wait a moment." He said. "Wang Chengbing, come here and help me track Jiang Jinyan's phone for a second."

"What?! Do you want me to die from overwork?! He's only out of touch for a few hours, for God's sake—"

"I will buy you two boxes of pig trotters."

"Deal! Let me search for it real soon. Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Hmm…it's weird. The last location I track from his phone is on Jianshan Intersection. He hasn't moved since five hours ago…"

Xu Binchen leaned over Wang Chengbing's laptop screen and frowned. "He hasn't moved for five hours? That means…"

Wang Chengbing continued his sentence. "...either he lost consciousness or he dropped his phone there." Gulping, he added. "Anyway, is something really fishy about it? What if he just lost his phone somewhere and is on his way home right as we speak?"

Xu Binchen pondered deeply. "No." He said in a firm tone. "Jianshan Intersection has nothing except for the abandoned construction site and an elite apartment complex. The direction was opposite to the apartment building he lived in or Sangzhe University. Why would he go there for?"

Both of them looked at each other. 

"What's wrong?" Jin Renguang came to check.

Xu Binchen straightened up. "Captain, I want to ask for a few hours' break."

"What do you want to do?"

He glanced down toward the call that was still connected and sighed inaudibly. "Searching for a lost person."

"You're really going, Binchen?! Seriously! Ah, wait—wait for me!" He hastily gathered his things and saluted Jin Renguang. "Captain, as a good teammate, I request to go with Xu Binchen!"

"Alright, go, go, go!" Jin Renguang directed a kick toward his ass.

Ru Meiqi entered the office at the same time when Wang Chengbing was on his way out. The two almost bumped into each other before Wang Chengbing hastily apologized and chased after Xu Binchen who had reached the elevator. 

"Where is he going in such a hurry?" She asked curiously.

Jin Renguang threw his gaze out of the window toward the dark, cloudless night and the powdery white crystal that started to descend gently. Finally, the Capital welcomed its first snow after five years. An unsettling premonition found its way to Jin Renguang's chest and he couldn't help sighing. "Searching for someone, I guess?"

Ru Meiqi showed a confused look.

Jin Renguang gave her a smile. "Let's hope that nothing happens."

***

"It's okay. Stay at home and don't go anywhere." Xu Binchen asserted. "I've got Wang Chengbing here with me. Alright, I will tell you if there's any development." After appeasing her for the next few minutes, he hung up on the phone and focused on the road.

Wang Chengbing couldn't resist stealing some glances. "I have never known you could be so gentle with someone." He tutted.

Xu Binchen rolled his eyes. "What are you following me for?"

"Hmph! It's in the middle of the night and see, it has started to snow! How can you search for a tiny phone like this?" Wang Chengbing felt his teeth become sour the more he looked at Xu Binchen. "I say ah, Binchen. Usually, you're so sharp but why when it comes to love, you become so stupid instead? Doing all of this for your love rival, is it worth it?"

Xu Binchen drove the car slowly, the windshield wiper moved rhythmically to remove the snowflakes. "I am a police officer above everything else."

Wang Chengbing almost rolled his eyes to the sky at his diplomatic answer. "Alright, alright, be a police officer for the rest of your life and stay single, okay?"

Xu Binchen merely scoffed.

With Wang Chengbing's navigation, they managed to reach Jianshan Intersection in less than half an hour. Parking his car on the road side, he scanned the surroundings and found a few working CCTV cameras above the streetlamps. "Where is it?"

"It's here." Wang Chengbing typed on his laptop. "Approximate distance is around twenty meters. But it's definitely here."

"There's no one around." Xu Binchen sighed and got out of the car. Harsh, biting wind slapped his face in an instant and the cold made him shudder. He wrapped his scarf until it almost covered half of his face before looking around. 

"Look! What is that sparkling thing on the ground?! Wang Chengbing pointed in a certain direction. "Yes, there! It reflects the ray from the streetlamp…yeah, right there!"

Xu Binchen bent down and narrowed his eyes. His gloved hand brushed against the asphalt. Buried under the thin layer of snow was a piece of silver metal case. It was broken so thoroughly that not even its original appearance could be seen.

"What is it?" Wang Chengbing caught up and followed Xu Binchen's line of sight. "Ah! Is that…a phone?"

Xu Binchen hummed lightly and gathered the broken pieces of the phone in his hands. He straightened up and said severely, his eyes brooding. "Hack the CCTV here and see what the fuck is going on. Right now."

Wang Chengbing was affected by the severity in his tone and grew nervous. "O—Okay! On it!"

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A/N: Xu Binchen QAQ he really put Shi Nian's safety and condition above everything else under the guise of being a police officer. Hmph (｀ε´)