[GL Mystery] Lost Tracks - Chapter 2

It always felt like a person vanishing was something far removed, but now it was happening, and the one missing was her only sister.

Ximo couldn’t calm down.

Never having felt panic before, she was afraid something had happened to Xiyan.

She felt a bit cold, got up, poured herself a full cup of hot water, and drank it down without pausing.

Looking around the quiet house, once hers and her sister’s home, she was now alone.

Xiyan’s disappearance happened a week ago.

That day, Ximo had just finished teaching and planned to call Xiyan to see what the girl was up to.

A few days earlier, Xiyan mentioned finding a fun place, but then there was no word from her. What was going on?

“Hello, the number you dialed is switched off.”

She turned off her phone! Ximo felt uneasy and called the house phone, hearing only a busy tone.

Checking the time, it was past four in the afternoon.

By Xiyan’s habits, she should be online now.

She wouldn’t leave without a word, would she? Xiyan never hid anything from her.

Perhaps it was a sisterly intuition, but a bad feeling surged. Ximo immediately called Xiyan’s best friend, Dingdang.

Dingdang knew Xiyan since childhood; they went to the same middle school and lived close by.

She was the one Xiyan contacted most after returning to the town.

“Is Xiyan with you?” Ximo’s voice was urgent.

“No, I haven’t seen her in days. I messaged her online, but she didn’t reply,” Dingdang answered honestly.

“When was the last time you contacted her?”

“Two nights ago,” Dingdang thought and replied.

“She said she was looking into an exciting adventure project and would tell me more once she knew details. But I got busy with work and didn’t follow up.”

“Dingdang, can you leave now? Can you check her house?” Ximo asked anxiously.

“Sure, I can step away for a bit. I’ll call you later.” Hanging up, Dingdang sensed something was wrong. She had never seen Ximo so worried; this wasn’t good.

Dingdang changed out of her work clothes, informed her boss, and hurried to Xiyan’s house. In less than fifteen minutes, she was at Xiyan’s doorstep.

She knocked—no response.

She rang the bell—still nothing.

Fine, she’d go in.

Dingdang reached into a wooden groove above the doorframe, pulled out a key, and opened the door.

Only she and Ximo knew where the key was hidden.

Inside, Dingdang’s sharp sense of smell told her Xiyan hadn’t been home.

She knew Xiyan’s scent well; if Xiyan was often home, the house would carry her faint fragrance.

Now, it smelled of dust and wooden furniture.

Without thinking much, Dingdang went to Xiyan’s second-floor bedroom.

It felt the same—cold, as if the owner hadn’t cleaned in a while. The desk and keyboard were covered in dust.

Dingdang wiped the desk lightly; the dust’s thickness suggested Xiyan hadn’t been home for at least two days.

If Xiyan was in town, she’d never not return home—unless she wasn’t in town, or… Dingdang didn’t dare think further.

She began carefully searching the house for clues.

Dingdang’s family ran the town’s only private detective agency, somewhat well-known locally.

Influenced by her family, Dingdang had a strong interest in investigations since childhood and trained in martial arts, making her quite skilled—three or four men were no match for her.

But her family didn’t want a girl in that line of work, so they got her a clerical job for a quieter life.

Lingering in Xiyan’s bedroom, Dingdang found nothing unusual.

She checked the bathroom; toothpaste and toiletries were neatly in place.

If Xiyan planned a trip, she wouldn’t leave without packing. Could she have been kidnapped?

Dingdang pondered, then returned to the bedroom, opened Xiyan’s computer, hoping for useful clues.

The screen lit up. She entered the password—a combination of the sisters’ birthdays.

Dingdang quickly checked Xiyan’s browsing history and recent files, finding Xiyan was indeed researching travel plans.

But these clues only confirmed Xiyan wanted to travel. What caused her disappearance? Dingdang couldn’t tell.

Her conclusion: Xiyan hadn’t been home in two days.

Later, Dingdang called her father to check Xiyan’s call records.

The last call was to Ximo, followed by some unknown numbers.

Dingdang noted them down to verify. That evening, she told Ximo everything.

Ximo was silent for a moment, then said she’d return to town tomorrow to meet.

That night, Ximo called her research lab director.

They had a good relationship; he was her mentor during graduate school, always praising her.

Their teacher-student bond grew into a friendship.

The director, a kind mother of a three-year-old, treated Ximo like a younger sister.

Hearing about Xiyan’s disappearance, she was very concerned, telling Ximo to focus on finding her sister while she handled lab matters.

The next morning, Ximo went to the train station and took the earliest train home.

Five hours later, exiting the station, Ximo saw Dingdang stepping out of her family’s old car, her slightly curly hair and fair skin almost glowing.

Dingdang took off her sunglasses, casually hanging them on her jacket’s zipper, gave Ximo a slight smile, and quickly helped with her luggage, putting it in the trunk.

They didn’t speak during the drive, both feeling heavy. It was the third day since losing contact with Xiyan.

They stayed silent until the car stopped at the sisters’ old house.

Dingdang spoke first: “Ximo, I know you feel bad. So do I. Don’t worry, we’ll find her.”

Ximo’s lips twitched slightly, but her expression remained blank.

They got out, Dingdang carrying Ximo’s luggage.

They entered the house and sat in Xiyan’s bedroom.

Dingdang poured a full cup of hot water she’d boiled before picking up Ximo, knowing Ximo needed it to calm down.

Though they rarely met, they knew each other’s habits well.

“How’s the investigation?” Ximo’s voice was calm, without warmth.

“Today, I called all the unknown numbers in Xiyan’s call records. Aside from routine business calls, I noted two suspicious ones,” Dingdang said, opening her notebook and pointing to the first.

“This is a project manager from a town travel club. Xiyan likely met her, and it’s probably related to her disappearance. The second number doesn’t connect—it’s invalid. Suspiciously, three days ago, right before Xiyan’s last call to you, she called this number for nearly half an hour. It’s unlikely it became invalid in three days. I had it checked; it’s canceled, with no user records. Coincidentally, both numbers end in 236, suggesting these people might know each other. Maybe the club manager introduced Xiyan to this unknown number. I checked the manager’s call records—her name’s Gu Yue. Sure enough, the day before Xiyan disappeared, Gu Yue contacted this unknown number.” Dingdang finished in one breath, then took a big gulp of water.

“So, Gu Yue is our only lead now,” Ximo said, narrowing her eyes slightly, then lowering them, her slender fingers tapping the table.

“Have you reported it?” Ximo suddenly looked up at Dingdang.

“Yes, I went to the police this morning and filed a report. But you know our town’s police force—they won’t take it seriously, especially since ours is the only recent missing person case,” Dingdang said, frowning slightly in frustration.

Ximo didn’t respond. She had connections in L City from doing research for government organizations. If there was no progress here, she’d return to L City for help.

Her expression softened slightly.

“Then let’s go find Gu Yue soon,” she said to Dingdang.

Dingdang nodded, thinking, “Let’s see who Gu Yue is. As long as she’s in town, I’m not worried, no matter how big her background is.”