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墨書 Inktalez
No one expected that when Zhao Xiu saw Wang Yedan again, she would rush at her and start fighting. Judging by their physiques, Wang Yedan was definitely no match for Zhao Xiu. Yuan Jun witnessed this scene and hurried over, trying to separate Zhao Xiu and Wang Yedan.
However, Zhao Xiu had a firm grip on Wang Yedan's hair. She shouted at Wang Yedan, "It's you, you bitch! You are the one who killed my son. Look at how you dress, all flashy and gaudy; you clearly aren't a decent girl. You killed my son, and you must pay for his death!"
Wang Yedan was obviously stunned and cried out, "Auntie, Luben's death wasn't my fault; he jumped off the building himself."
"If it wasn't you, how could he possibly be dead?" Zhao Xiu spat angrily, her emotions boiling over as she spat in Wang Yedan's face.
Jiang He and the others rushed over and struggled to pull Zhao Xiu away.
Xu Yiman approached Wang Yedan and gently helped her up, asking, "Are you okay?"
Wang Yedan shook her head and said, "I'm fine, but I need to go home now. I understand everything that happened today. I apologize for what I said earlier, but I don't think I was wrong. I turned him down multiple times and never took advantage of him. I've already completed my statement; I'm going home."
"Go ahead," Old Shao said.
Wang Yedan nodded, adjusted her scarf, and said to Old Shao and the others, "Then I'll take my leave."
With that, Wang Yedan took out her car keys and walked out of the police station. Soon after, a modern vehicle drove past the entrance; that must have been Wang Yedan's car.
Zhao Xiu cursed fiercely, "What a loose woman! What kind of girl drives a car? Someone like her will end up ruining herself sooner or later."
The others shook their heads.
Old Shao turned to Lu Wei and Zhao Xiu and said, "Let's go through the procedures and sign some papers. I'm sorry about your son's situation; it's clear he committed suicide. We just need to determine if it was assisted suicide or something else; we need to investigate thoroughly. It's already early morning; after signing, you should find somewhere to rest."
Before Old Shao could finish his sentence, Zhao Xiu interjected, "My son is dead! Can't your police station provide us with a place to sleep? We came here without any money. If I had known earlier, I would have demanded that loose woman return all the money my son spent on her while dining out! Eating out costs at least ten bucks a dish, especially for meat dishes!"
Old Shao had already stepped onto the stairs when he turned back and said, "We don't provide accommodations here; there's an inn across the street for about fifty yuan. Also, if you believe she owes you compensation, you should sue her in court. This is a criminal investigation unit; we only handle cases related to crimes and arrests—not economic disputes."
"It's so unfair to my son! I won't let this go! I will definitely sue that loose woman! My son died because of her, and she still has the nerve to drive around!"
With that, Zhao Xiu dragged Lu Wei out while continuing to curse loudly.
Lu Wei took a few steps before turning back. He approached Old Shao and pulled out a red envelope from his chest pocket. As he handed the envelope to Old Shao, he said, "Leader, please accept this. We don't understand what the underlying reasons are, but we appreciate your help. My family has only had Luben for three generations, and who would have thought he would die like this? Our family is devastated..."
Old Shao glanced at Lu Wei's red envelope and replied slowly, "There's no need for this. We will conduct a thorough investigation."
He pushed Lu Wei's hand back gently.
Zhao Xiu witnessed this scene and walked over to Elder Shao. "There's quite a bit in there—five hundred. That should cover several meals for you. My son's living expenses are only seven hundred a month, and this is equivalent to his entire monthly allowance."
Suddenly, Zhao Xiu grew angry again. "Later, they even added three hundred just so he could chase after that loose woman! Hmph! Just take it; I can see you're all secretly pleased with those five bright red Renminbi notes."
Old Shao shook his head. "I understand clearly now. You should take this money back; it’s enough for you to stay at the guesthouse across the street for ten nights."
"Is five hundred too much for you to accept? How about three hundred?" Zhao Xiu suggested.
Old Shao felt helpless. He turned and walked inside, saying, "Come back tomorrow morning to sign the papers. For tonight, get some good rest and discuss your son's arrangements."
Upon hearing about her child, Zhao Xiu wiped her tears again, but thankfully she did not cling to Old Shao anymore.
Watching Zhao Xiu and Lu Wei leave, several people felt a mix of emotions. It was evident that Zhao Xiu loved her son deeply, but it was also clear that she could be unreasonable; these two aspects were not contradictory. Zhao Xiu held onto Lu Wei's arm as they supported each other while making their way toward the guesthouse across the street, their steps unsteady.
"This Zhao Xiu really makes it hard to know how to deal with her," Yuan Jun scratched his head and said. "She seems like someone living in her own world, never realizing that this world is no longer what she once knew."
Old Shao spoke softly, "This isn't just her fault. The world changes rapidly; perhaps this woman has never left her village in her life. This is her first time out here, and there are so many things she doesn't understand about the world now. However, if she gets too attached to Wang Yedan, life will become difficult for him."
"That's true," Xu Yiman added. "From my brief interactions with Wang Yedan, I feel he is quite well-mannered."
"Being well-mannered doesn't mean one won't kill," Elder Shao remarked. "We still need to verify whether Wang Yedan had any contact during the time Luben jumped; that's still unknown. But as I said before, it's easy to confirm whether Wang Yedan is lying—just check the surveillance footage."
"What do you think?" Old Shao asked Jiang He.
Jiang He replied, "I believe it shouldn't be related to Wang Yedan but rather has a significant connection to the Criminal Consultant. No matter how simple a case may seem, once he gets involved, it always leaves people wondering what will happen next. Just like in the last case where the Criminal Consultant hardly intervened."
"Yes." Old Shao nodded. "The Criminal Consultant lives at the crematorium. Zhang Haitao must know about it."
With that, Old Shao climbed the stairs. "Everyone go back to sleep. Tomorrow, let's check out Wang Yedan's school. It shouldn't take long for the Criminal Consultant to find him; he must have been observing for quite a while. To figure out what he plans to do, we’ll have to let him lead us, which is really uncomfortable."
Back in the dormitory, Jiang He lay on his bed but couldn't fall asleep. His mind was filled with thoughts of Wang Chao and the Criminal Consultant. He recalled the first time he met Wang Chao and Xu Yiman; it had already been two years.
For Jiang He, Hyperthymesia meant he had no sense of time. Even events from when he was ten years old were vivid in his memory, as if they had happened just yesterday. Yet, when he thought of Wang Chao, he felt a sense of distance, as if Wang Chao had been gone for a long time.
This was the first time Jiang He experienced such a feeling. Suddenly, he understood something. Xu Yiman and Old Shao had mentioned before that sometimes they envied Jiang He for not having emotions or for being unable to find his feelings because that way, he wouldn’t feel sadness.
But they didn’t realize that without sadness, there could be no happiness; that was truly tormenting for a person.
Jiang He pulled out a cigarette case from his clothes, which he had found at Wang Chao's home. There were only two cigarettes left inside. In fact, there had originally been three; Jiang He had smoked one on the day of Wang Chao's burial.
That was Jiang He's first time smoking.
"You should call her," Wang Chao's words echoed in Jiang He's ears.
Jiang He took out his phone and dialed Shui Xinlan's number.
"Hello?" Shui Xinlan sounded excited upon hearing Jiang He's voice. "Why are you calling me?"
"How are things at home?" Jiang He asked.
"Pretty good," Shui Xinlan replied. "I've been studying for exams lately, just reviewing at home. What about you? You haven't come back in half a month; how's the case going?"
"Not bad," Jiang He said.
After a pause, he added, "Make sure to study well and pay attention to your surroundings."
"Haha, am I going to lose focus?" Shui Xinlan teased playfully.
"That's good," Jiang He said. "Hang up now, and make sure to study well."
Before Shui Xinlan could say anything else, Jiang He hung up the phone. The call had been far too brief.
Shui Xinlan stared at her phone, feeling a strange emotion welling up inside her.
Early the next morning, the members of the project team rose early. Old Shao led everyone to Long City University to investigate the second-year Finance Management Major students. A Second-Generation Crime Consultant always took their time observing before making a move; they couldn't rely on any clues from dorm mates.
As they gathered in the courtyard, they coincidentally ran into Zhao Xiu and Lu Wei coming from across the street.
Zhao Xiu grabbed Old Shao's hand and said, "Leader, we're planning to go to the school to collect my son's belongings. I heard from a police officer that you are also heading there. Please take us along. My son is dead; this is something you police should help us family members with."
Old Shao felt helpless but still told Yuan Jun, "Get two cars ready and take these two along."
The two police cars left the Public Security Bureau and headed toward Long City University.
On the way, Old Shao contacted Director Xi, and the car drove directly to Luben's dormitory building.
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