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墨書 Inktalez
"What’s going on?" Old Shao turned his back, speaking into the phone, "Take your time, don’t rush."
Captain Liu replied in a hurried tone, "We just received a report; Zhuang Qinyun's parents called. Zhuang Qinyun is missing."
"Zhuang Qinyun is missing?" Old Shao was clearly taken aback, unable to comprehend that Zhuang Qinyun could disappear at such a time.
But in the next moment, Old Shao regained his composure and asked, "Did you ask Zhuang's Father and Mother when Zhuang Qinyun went missing?"
Captain Liu said, "I asked that too, but Zhuang's Father and Mother don’t know when she disappeared. Specifically, before they went to work, Zhuang Qinyun was still at home, around seven in the morning. However, when Zhuang's Father returned around ten o'clock, she was already gone."
"Ten o'clock?" Old Shao glanced at his watch; it was now around one in the afternoon.
"If she went missing at ten o'clock, why did they wait until now to report it?" Old Shao countered. "Zhuang Qinyun's Father is a legal consultant for a foreign company; he should know that when minors or women go missing, the police will immediately file a case upon receiving a report. Why did it take him three hours to remember to call? Did he forget about the note?"
Captain Liu replied, "I don’t know about that either. I just received the call and immediately notified you. What should we do now? Should I go check it out?"
It was indeed a troublesome time; with so many issues arising before they had even found the culprit, Old Shao felt somewhat irritated. But soon enough, he calmed down. He understood that anger wouldn’t solve anything; it was best to remain composed.
He looked at Jiang He, who had been silent all this time. Jiang He appeared far more composed than anyone else.
Old Shao sighed internally and said, "No need for that, Captain Liu. First, send someone to all the bus stations and train stations to compare photos of Zhuang Qinyun. The task force members are all out right now; we’ll head to Zhuang Qinyun’s house shortly. I have a new assignment for you: investigate what Wang Liguo mentioned about murder back then—find out who he killed."
After a pause, Old Shao continued, "I’ll have Guan Deng send you specific information shortly. If you find any leads, notify us immediately."
"Understood," Captain Liu replied.
"Then it’s settled." Old Shao hung up the phone and turned to Ge Dongyun. "You heard what I just said; it seems Zhuang Qinyun is missing. Let me ask you again: Was it Zhuang Qinyun who arranged to meet Xiao Xuanmiao?"
When Ge Dongyun first heard the news that Zhuang Qinyun was missing, he abruptly stood up from his chair, anxiously looking at Old Shao.
Upon hearing Old Shao's question, Ge Dongyun hurriedly replied, "Yes, it was me who asked Zhuang Qinyun to meet Xiao Xuanmiao. But this is all on me. If there really is a murderer, tell them to come after me and leave my friends alone!"
"So, Zhuang Qinyun and Xiao Xuanmiao are also good friends?" Old Shao quickly asked.
Ge Dongyun furrowed his brow, one hand resting on the chair as he responded just as quickly, "Not particularly close friends. Zhuang Qinyun wanted to invite Xiao Xuanmiao for hot pot, so Xiao Xuanmiao went along. After that, Zhuang Qinyun led Xiao Xuanmiao to that place, and almost everyone in Dragon City knows what happened next."
Old Shao frowned slightly but said nothing more.
"Can I go with you?" Ge Dongyun asked.
Old Shao shook his head and looked into Ge Dongyun's eyes. "No. Too much has happened now; it's best if you don't wander around. As long as you stay safe, that's the biggest help to us. If we have any new questions for you, we'll come find you. Be careful of strangers around you, don’t open the door to anyone you don’t know, and avoid eating anything suspicious. Understand?"
"Okay, fine," Ge Dongyun replied somewhat dejectedly but agreed immediately.
"Then let's go to Zhuang Qinyun's house," Old Shao said to the others.
"Are we leaving?"
As they reached the first floor, Stepmother asked from behind.
"Yes," Old Shao replied without thinking much and continued toward the door.
"By the way," Stepmother added quickly.
A few people turned their heads to look at Stepmother.
Stepmother spoke up, "If you catch the murderer, make sure to notify me right away. Otherwise, Ge Dongyun won't be able to do anything and will just have to stay at home."
"Okay," Old Shao replied.
"Make sure you remember to tell me immediately!"
As they walked out of the house, they could still hear Stepmother shouting from inside.
"It seems like Stepmother is quite concerned about Ge Dongyun, but Ge Dongyun's attitude towards her stepmother is far from flattering," Xu Yiman remarked.
Yuan Jun had already started the car and said, "Maybe Stepmother really is a third party, which is why Ge Dongyun dislikes her so much."
Amidst their discussion, the car headed towards Shangdong Garden.
Since they were all in the same school district, the distance wasn't too far. It took about twenty minutes of driving before they arrived at Shangdong Garden.
After parking the car, they made their way to Shangdong Garden.
They pressed the doorbell, and within a second, the door swung open.
An anxious man's face appeared at the entrance; it was Zhuang Qinyun's father.
"Come in," Zhuang Qinyun's father said as he opened the door.
As soon as he walked in, he saw Zhuang Qinyun's mother sitting on the sofa, her tear-streaked face and red eyes clearly showing that she had been crying.
Old Shao didn't bother with pleasantries and spoke directly, "I heard you got home at ten o'clock. Why did you wait an hour to call the police? Do you realize that three hours have passed? If there really is a murderer, they could have already taken Zhuang Qinyun out of Dragon City."
"Exactly," Zhuang Mother lifted her head and said, "You don't even know if your own child is in the house. How can you still call yourself a father?"
Zhuang Father was getting anxious as well, shouting, "Was it my choice? How could I possibly know she wasn't in the house?"
Old Shao closed the door and sighed, "So what exactly happened? What were you doing at ten o'clock? Didn't you have to work?"
"Work?" Zhuang Father scoffed. "Ever since that incident, both of us have been struggling without jobs."
With that, Zhuang Father let out a long sigh and sat down on the sofa, running his fingers through his already messy hair as he continued, "Almost everyone has seen that video. Naturally, our superiors have seen it too."
Zhuang Father sneered, "Or perhaps the entire Dragon City knows by now. I'm a legal consultant for a foreign company, and she's a sales manager at another firm. It's ironic how people think that the kind of daughter you have reflects the kind of parents you are. Our jobs require credibility and image."
"But look at us," Zhuang Father pointed to himself and then to Zhuang Mother. "What credibility do we have left? Who would want a father of a delinquent daughter as their legal consultant? Which client would want to collaborate with a mother of a delinquent daughter on product management? Both her mother and I are unemployed now. If it weren't for some matters that still need to be handed over, we would have been out of here long ago."
It seemed that Zhuang Father had a lot of resentment bottled up inside him. But he wasn't wrong; after such an incident, which larger company wouldn't rush to handle crisis management? Dismissing them was the most effective yet least damaging solution.
"Your daughter caused you to lose your jobs; I understand," Old Shao's focus was elsewhere. "You need to complain and vent; I get that too. But right now, your daughter is missing. Whatever issues you have can wait until after we find her."
Zhuang Father sighed before finally speaking up, "Today was the last time I went to the office to hand over some work. I finished around ten o'clock and made sure to check the time when I left. This morning when I left home, I told Zhuang Qinyun to stay in the house; that was around seven-thirty."
Zhuang Father glanced toward a bedroom. "So when I came back, I naturally assumed Zhuang Qinyun would be in her room. To be honest, after such an incident, I feel embarrassed and ashamed. I've always taught Zhuang Qinyun to be kind to others, but what she did is something I cannot forgive or understand."
"I didn't pay her any mind and just sat outside watching TV. Around twelve o'clock, my wife came back. Neither of us spoke; she went straight to the kitchen to cook. To be honest, we've been really troubled lately, more than usual. After she finished cooking, I went to call her for dinner."
At this point, Zhuang Father felt a bit frustrated and said, "But I called her several times, and there was no response from the room. I found it strange and went to open the door. When I did, I saw that the room was completely empty; there was no one there."
Zhuang Father ran his fingers through his hair. "I was scared at that moment and quickly called her, but her phone was left on the bed. I thought something might have happened, so I immediately reported it to the police, and then you all arrived."
"Where's the phone?" Old Shao asked.
Zhuang Father hurriedly pulled out an Apple Phone from his pocket.
"Guan Deng," Old Shao said, "check if there are any clues on the phone."
Guan Deng nodded.
"Now, you need to call your relatives at home right away and see if anyone knows where Zhuang Qinyun has gone," Old Shao instructed Zhuang Qinyun's parents.
Then, he turned to Jiang He. "Come with me to the bedroom; first, we need to determine if anyone else has been here."
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