I used to work in real estate in Dongxing. Knowing that my husband is a police officer, my clients and friends wanted to send us "gifts" before asking for help in some way. Dongxing is a small place and it's hard to separate our lives and connections.

Eventually, I moved to a district in Fangchenggang city, a 40-minute drive from the police station, to avoid being compromised.

The longest my husband and I were out of contact was 58 hours. Eventually, I texted him saying, "Officer Liao, I would like to report that my husband has been missing for 50 hours." He replied that he had been busy in the interrogation room. What could I say?