Back in '93, not only was the Sky Eye system still nowhere in sight, but other criminal investigation technologies were underdeveloped as well. So even without fleeing abroad, people who had committed crimes could vanish under assumed names for decades.
Take Cong Jinhong, for example. She had never been found.
So when Shang Bin and Zhuo Minglan suddenly lost contact, many people suspected that he had caught wind of something in advance and run off with his mistress, just like Huang He.
But since the capital had notified Li Ye, and Dong Shan was also looking for them, Li Ye had to at least put on a show and search for them.
To his surprise, he actually found them.
Li Ye found them through Captain Pang Zhongxian. And when they did find them, both Li Ye and Dong Shan wore extremely colorful expressions.
It turned out that Shang Bin and Zhuo Minglan had gone to Tianchi for a trip a few days ago. When they checked into lodging at night, they were "invited away" by Captain Pang's colleagues because they had no marriage certificate. It should originally have been nothing more than a fine according to regulations, but Zhuo Minglan pulled a whole string of outrageous stunts and even dragged Geng Yunping into the mess.
Captain Pang wore a bitter expression as he apologized awkwardly to Li Ye. "I'm sorry, Brother Li Ye. It was supposed to be a small matter, but your leader refused to reveal his identity or work unit, and—
and his secretary had such a sharp tongue that she cursed my colleagues black and blue. She kept going on about freedom to love and how outsiders had no right to interfere. That was how such a huge misunderstanding came about.
But don't worry. I've already contacted