The note stayed hidden in Li Wei's sleeve for three days.
Not because he forgot about it.
Because he couldn't afford to move too quickly.
In his family, people noticed urgency.
They noticed patterns.
They noticed curiosity.
And curiosity was often more dangerous than guilt.
The Wrong Kind of Attention
Breakfast at the estate felt like a meeting disguised as a meal.
Li Wei sat across from his father.
His uncle sat two seats away.
Tea steamed between them.
Nobody touched it.
"You're spending a lot of time in the archives lately."
The comment came from his uncle.
Casual.
Too casual.
Li Wei looked up.
"I'm reviewing company history."
"Interesting hobby."
A faint smile.
The kind that never reached the eyes.
Li Wei returned to his breakfast.
"If I wanted a hobby, I'd start gambling."
His uncle laughed.
His father didn't.
The conversation moved on.
But Li Wei could feel it.
A warning disguised as small talk.
A Different Morning
Across the city, Yulan was helping unload sacks of flour behind the shop.
The delivery man was late.
The sacks were heavier than usual.
And Chen Hao was proving remarkably useless.
"Lift your side."
"I am lifting my side."
"You are emotionally supporting your side."
Chen Hao looked offended.
"There is a difference?"
"There is a very large difference."
The sack nearly slipped.
Both of them grabbed it at once.
The delivery man laughed so hard he had to lean against his truck.
For the first time in weeks, things felt normal.
At least for an hour.
The Stranger
The shop was busy by lunchtime.
Most customers were regulars.
Office workers.
Students.
Retirees.
The usual crowd.
Which was why the stranger stood out.
Not because of his clothes.
Because of the way he looked around.
Like he was checking exits.
Yulan noticed him immediately.
Years of working in a crowded shop had taught him one thing:
People who belonged somewhere acted differently from people who didn't.
The man ordered tea.
Nothing else.
Then sat near the window.
Waiting.
For someone.
An Unexpected Name
About twenty minutes later, another man arrived.
Older.
Rough-looking.
Dockworker, maybe.
He sat down across from the stranger.
Neither ordered food.
They kept their voices low.
But one sentence carried farther than intended.
"...Seventh Dock isn't safe anymore."
Yulan's hand stopped midway through wiping a table.
Only for a second.
Then he continued.
The stranger shook his head.
"They moved everything after the warehouse incident."
Warehouse.
Yulan felt something tighten in his chest.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The conversation dropped lower after that.
Too quiet to hear.
A few minutes later, both men left separately.
Without finishing their tea.
Coincidence
Maybe it was nothing.
Maybe it wasn't.
Yulan stood by the window.
Watching the crowd outside.
Thinking.
Chen Hao appeared beside him.
"You have that face again."
"What face?"
"The one that gets us involved in things."
Yulan sighed.
"I heard something."
Five minutes later, he regretted telling Chen Hao.
Because now Chen Hao was interested.
"Seventh Dock?"
"Yes."
"That sounds illegal."
"That's your contribution?"
"It sounds extremely illegal."
Inside the Estate
That evening, Li Wei finally found an excuse to leave the estate.
A legitimate one.
Business inspection.
Company property review.
The kind of thing nobody questioned.
The car stopped near the riverfront.
Far from the city center.
Closer to warehouses and shipping yards.
Li Wei stepped out.
Hands in his pockets.
Eyes scanning quietly.
The sign was old.
Paint peeling.
Rust spreading across the metal.
SEVENTH DOCK
So it existed.
The place looked inactive.
Almost abandoned.
Almost.
Which usually meant it wasn't.
Someone Else Arrives
As Li Wei walked farther down the dock, he noticed movement.
Not workers.
Not security.
A young man loading crates.
Alone.
The worker looked up briefly.
Then immediately looked away.
Too quickly.
Li Wei slowed.
Something felt wrong.
Not danger.
Recognition.
Like the man knew exactly who he was.
The Message
When Li Wei finally reached the end of the dock, he found nothing.
No records.
No meetings.
No obvious evidence.
Only a small piece of folded paper tucked beneath a rusted mooring post.
Someone had left it deliberately.
Li Wei unfolded it.
Four words.
Nothing more.
Stop looking. You're late.
For the first time all day—
Li Wei felt genuinely unsettled.
Because that note meant one thing.
Someone already knew he was investigating.
And they had known before he arrived.
End of Chapter 41
Li Wei stood alone at the edge of the river.
The note still in his hand.
The water moved quietly below.
Dark.
Patient.
For the first time, it felt like he wasn't chasing the mystery.
The mystery was watching him back.