The photo studio owner attentively led the way, taking Assistant Ding through two alleys and into a remote back street.
Assistant Ding glanced at the street sign on the wall - Jin'an Back Street.
The studio owner looked up and counted the windows as he walked a few steps before stopping and pointing to a window on the second floor with curtains drawn. He said to Assistant Ding:
"It was that room. I followed him all the way downstairs that day, and after he went upstairs, the light in this room came on."
Assistant Ding looked at the surroundings, then at the dark window, and frowned:
"Are you sure? This doesn't look like a home."
The photo studio owner nodded affirmatively:
"I'm sure I saw his figure in the window after turning on the light that day. I recognized him. It was him."
Assistant Ding didn't ask any more questions. The photo studio was located in Xiaohao Hutong. If the owner gave false information, he would be punished. It was not easy for him to get the 120 yuan.
"Okay, I'll go up and take a look first. If you have nothing else to do, you can go first."
The owner of the photo studio nodded hurriedly. He had been looking around like a thief all the way here, afraid that he would run into the man who was developing photos.
If someone finds out that he led the way, wouldn't they come to trouble him if something bad happens later?
Hearing Assistant Ding's words to chase people away, he couldn't wait to leave:
"Okay, since you're busy and my shop needs more people, I'll go back first!"
After the studio owner left, Assistant Ding didn't rush upstairs, but first observed the surrounding situation.
This is not a residential area, but more like an abandoned factory office building. The first floor was the original sales storefront. A tattered sign with blurred words is hung crookedly at the entrance of the stairs.
Who would live in a place like this?
He became alert and hesitated whether to go back and call a few people. After all, ordinary people would not choose to live in such a desolate and dilapidated place. There were not even any neighbors around. It was obviously not suitable for human habitation.
But thinking of the ultimatum Qi Mingyuan gave him, he decided to go upstairs first to take a look, as too many people would easily alert the enemy.
Assistant Ding walked into the dark corridor. An unpleasant smell of dead rats came from the dark and enclosed space, which made him frown.
The closer he walked to the room on the second floor, the stronger the smell of dead rat became. By the time he reached the door of the room, he couldn't help but pinch his nose with his hand. It was hard to imagine that anyone could live in such an environment.
He glanced at the crack in the door at his feet. No light came out of the room. Could it be that no one was at home?
At this point in time, it is indeed working time.
But on the way there, the owner of the photo studio revealed a situation to him: the man had irregular times for developing and picking up photos at the studio, often going in the middle of the morning or afternoon, like an unemployed vagrant.
The strange thing is that he has money to buy a camera and likes taking pictures. I don’t know where that person’s money comes from.
After listening to his description, Assistant Ding suspected that this man might be a private detective. This profession first emerged in Shanghai, but he didn't expect that it now also exists in Ning City.
He squatted down and tried to look through the crack in the door to see if anyone was home. However, as soon as his face got close to the edge of the crack, a disgusting stench of decay instantly filled his nasal cavity, causing him to fall to the ground and retch uncontrollably.
It was a stench that he had never smelled in his life, like the sour smell of countless dead rats mixed with rotten eggs that had been kept for who knows how many days, and there was also a terrifying smell of blood!
Assistant Ding's heart instantly began to beat wildly. Could someone be dead in here?!
He was so frightened that he rushed downstairs without a clue of where to go. Even when he reached the main road, his legs were still shaking.
No matter what, he didn't dare to break the door to confirm the situation. What if someone really died inside? He might get into trouble. After thinking it over, he found a remote public telephone booth and called the Xicheng District Police Station.
"Hello, is this the police station? There's a foul odor coming from a room on the second floor of a storefront on Jin'an Back Street. I suspect someone's dead in there. Send someone to check it out!"
After he said this, he hung up the phone in a hurry, rolled up his collar, moved to a secluded place, and waited quietly from a distance for the police from the police station to arrive.
No one dares to make a false report these days, let alone a case involving death. Soon, the Xicheng District Police Station sent several police officers to the scene.
Assistant Ding held his breath and watched the police officers check the shops one by one along the street. When they finally entered the dark corridor, his heart suddenly rose to his throat.
After a while, a young policeman rushed down the stairs with a pale face, holding onto a big tree next to him and vomiting.
After a while, a policeman with an ugly face came downstairs and said a few words to him. Then the young policeman left again, holding his stomach.
After a while, an ambulance came roaring in, and two people in white coats ran upstairs in a hurry. The light in the room finally came on, and people were seen walking back and forth inside.
Not long after, two police officers and a man in a white coat came downstairs carrying a huge woven bag and stuffed the bag into the car from the back.
Really...someone is really dead!
Assistant Ding almost fell down in shock after seeing this. How could it be such a coincidence that the person who developed the photos died right after they found him?!
After personally confirming that the police and medical staff had carried the person away, Assistant Ding did not dare to delay any longer and hurried to the Qi family to report this shocking news to Qi Mingyuan.
Who knew that just after entering the Qi family's door, before he had time to go up to the second floor, he was stopped by Qu Jingyun who suddenly appeared:
"Assistant Ding!"
Assistant Ding was shocked. He didn't expect Qu Jingyun to be at home. Normally, she should still be at work at this time.
He forced a smile and replied:
"Madam, you're back so early today."
Qu Jingyun didn't come back so early. She pretended to be sick today and didn't go to the art troupe at all.
Last night, when she heard Qi Mingyuan ask Assistant Ding to find the person and bring him back within a day, she was so panicked that she couldn't sleep the whole night. She felt guilty but didn't dare to confirm Du Anping's condition. The next day, she took sick leave and stayed at home, on guard against Assistant Ding really bringing the person back.
She thought that if Du Anping was not dead and was brought back by Assistant Ding, she would have to warn Du Anping before Qi Mingyuan and never tell anyone about her!
Poor her, she was so anxious that she didn't eat a single grain of rice at noon. She sat in the living room with an empty stomach, staring at the door. She felt uneasy and conflicted, not knowing when Assistant Ding would show up at the Qi family with his men. This worry was like a knife hanging on her neck, and she didn't know when it would fall.
At this moment, Qu Jingyun tried hard to control his nervousness and said calmly:
"I woke up feeling a little dizzy today, so I took sick leave. Assistant Ding... did you come here alone?"
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