Chapter 1 Help

◎My baby is missing!◎

“Tuttuttutt…”

Zhao Xiangwan was awakened by a knock on the door.

It was quiet and dark everywhere.

The dormitory management at Hunan Public Security University is strict. The lights are turned off at 10 o'clock. After the lights are turned off, anyone who can knock on the door of the girls' dormitory is either a girl from the same building or a faculty member of the school.

The knock on the door was soft and gentle, with a hint of trepidation. Although he was in a hurry to find someone, he was still restrained, and it was obvious that the visitor was well-mannered.

Zhao Xiangwan, who was sleeping in the lower bunk, got up and got out of bed.

I opened the door and saw a plump middle-aged woman standing in the dim light of the corridor. Her short hair was disheveled, her expression was haggard, and there were tear marks on her cheeks.

"Teacher Zhou?"

The person who came was Ms. Zhou Qiaoxiu, the teaching secretary of the Criminal Investigation College and the head teacher of the 1991 Criminal Investigation Class. What was she doing here so late at night?

The call of "Teacher Zhou" startled the other three girls in the dormitory. Hunan Public Security University implemented militarized management, and the girls who had just entered the school and had undergone a month of military training quickly got out of bed, stood in a row at the door, saluted and greeted.

It was still hot in October in Xingshi, the capital of Hunan Province. The girls were wearing cotton pajamas and had sleepy eyes. They were a little nervous when they saw the teacher.

"Mr. Zhou, what can I do for you?"

"Did something happen in class?"

"Is there an emergency notice?"

The girls asked at once. Zhou Qiaoxiu pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something soothing, but she was so anxious that she had no other thoughts. She clenched her hands, her lips trembling as she said, "Zhao Xiangwan, I...I want you to help me!"

[My child, my baby is missing! I can't sleep. When I close my eyes, I hear my baby crying, looking for her mother.]

When Zhou Qiaoxiu's thoughts reached his mind, Zhao Xiangwan's expression became solemn.

The head teacher, Zhou Qiaoxiu, was a very gentle woman. She was very caring towards all 38 students in her class. She usually spoke softly and was full of maternal love. She must have been very worried when her child was lost.

Zhao Xiangwan's eyes gradually moved up from Zhou Qiaoxiu's tightly clenched hands to the tear marks on her cheeks: "Teacher Zhou, what do you need me to do? Please tell me."

Zhao Xiangwan's voice is calm and steady, carrying a power that makes people trust him.

Zhou Qiaoxiu's shaking hands gradually calmed down. She looked down at her watch and then looked around. A few incandescent lights were on in the long corridor, and all the dormitory doors were closed, except for the dormitory 316 in front of her.

[It's half past ten. I shouldn't come to look for students so late. This is against school rules. I disturbed the students' rest because of my own affairs. What's wrong with me? Why am I so upset? Lao Xu is right. I lost my mind when my baby was lost. I can't think straight at all.]

Zhou Qiaoxiu was constantly reflecting on herself in her heart, and she clearly knew that it was inappropriate to come to the student dormitory so late at night and wake up the students from their sleep.

Zhao Xiangwan did not urge and waited quietly.

Zhou Qiaoxiu explained hurriedly: "Zhao Xiangwan, I remember you said at the orientation class that the reason you applied to the Public Security University was because you were interested in criminal psychology. You also mentioned that people's facial expressions and body language would betray their inner thoughts, right?"

Zhao Xiangwan nodded.

Zhou Qiaoxiu stared at her intently: "I want you to ask someone for me, is that okay?"

Zhao Xiangwan listened carefully to Zhou Qiaoxiu's inner thoughts.

[The baby is missing. Meimei cried until she was hoarse. The police questioned her, but she just cried and refused to say anything. Lao Xu said Meimei was scared and I shouldn’t force a ten-year-old child. Lao Xu’s colleagues and the public security police all sympathized with Meimei, but... I didn’t believe her! I didn’t believe her! What should I do? What should I do?]

Zhao Xiangwan has the ability to read minds. In order to show her special ability openly, she chooses to apply for the criminal investigation major at the People's Public Security University. Under the guidance of an American doctoral book "Introduction to Human Kinesiology", she figures out how to combine the recognition of lies with the subtle reactions of facial expressions, language, and actions.

At the welcome party, Zhao Xiangwan stood out in the "I gesture, you guess" game. She was not afraid of the challenge from the sophomore seniors. Her eyes swept across the audience, as if to say: No need to say anything, I know what you are thinking.

Although she seldom spoke, her classmates all knew that no one could lie in front of Zhao Xiangwan.

Teacher Zhou Qiaoxiu is also aware of this outstanding ability, so she came to see her tonight.

A mother who lost her child, even though she was almost mentally broken, still maintained her love and respect for her student and carefully sought her help. Seeing Zhou Qiaoxiu like this, Zhao Xiangwan softened his tone: "Teacher Zhou, don't worry, I will go with you."

Zhang Yalan, who lived in Zhao Xiangwan's shop, was a little worried and said to Zhao Xiangwan, "I'll go with you."

Zhao Xiangwan glanced at Zhou Qiaoxiu and saw that she looked troubled. Knowing that she didn't want more people to know, he shook his head and said, "Teacher Zhou lives inside the school, not far away. I can go there alone."

Zhou Qiaoxiu was impressed by Zhao Xiangwan's insight in her heart, and said to the girls, "You all go to sleep. I will send Zhao Xiangwan back after I'm done."

【Teacher Zhou came so late to take Zhao Xiangwan away, I still feel a little uneasy.】

[What is it that we freshmen need help with? ]

[I heard that Teacher Zhou’s spouse is the leader of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. If there is something that cannot be solved, why does she have to ask Zhao Xiangwan to go? ]

Hearing the inner thoughts of his classmates, every word of which was filled with concern and worry, Zhao Xiangwan felt the warmth of the group and smiled at everyone: "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

The residual light from the corridor fell on Zhao Xiangwan's face, and his deep and cold eyebrows and eyes were more gentle than usual.

There are four girls in dormitory 316, all of whom are freshmen of the criminal investigation major this year. Zhao Xiangwan is the youngest, cold and quiet, usually alone and not sociable. Although her smile today was shallow, it brought the classmates closer.

"Okay, then we'll wait for you to come back." As she spoke, Zhang Yalan stretched out her hand and tried to climb onto Zhao Xiangwan's arm.

Zhao Xiangwan reacted quickly by retracting his arm, avoiding Zhang Yalan's intimacy, taking a thin sweater from the bedside and putting it on, then followed Teacher Zhou out of the dormitory.

The campus was quiet, and the only sounds I could hear were two people's footsteps walking on the cement road.

Zhou Qiaoxiu took a deep breath in the darkness of the night, and cried, "Zhao Xiangwan, I'm really sorry for bothering you today."

Zhao Xiangwan responded in a gentle voice: "Teacher Zhou, please tell me first."

Because of her anxiety, Zhou Qiaoxiu's words were not very logical and were a bit confusing. Zhao Xiangwan listened silently and slowly sorted out what happened.

Zhou Qiaoxiu and her husband Xu Songling had been married for many years but had no children. They went to the hospital for examination and treatment. Seeing that the children of their peers were all in high school, they adopted a five-year-old girl from the Xing City Orphanage and named her Xu Zhenmei, nicknamed Meimei.

Meimei was already sensible when she was adopted. She was cute and well-behaved, and she called her dad and mom affectionately. Zhou Qiaoxiu's maternal love now had a place to rest. She loved her to the core, taking care of her food and clothes. She wanted to give her the best things in the world to make up for the five years of loneliness when she was abandoned.

Meimei grew up to be more and more beautiful. When she was seven years old and started primary school, Zhou Qiaoxiu suddenly found out that she was pregnant. She was so happy that she didn't know what to do. Xu Songling held Meimei in his arms and spun around, saying that she was a lucky star who brought a brother and sister. Meimei also giggled and was happy for her parents.

Every day after that, Meimei read stories and sang songs to Zhou Qiaoxiu's belly, happily waiting with her parents. As expected, their daughter arrived and was named Xu Zhenbao.

The couple cherished their daughter as if she were a treasure. Zhou Qiaoxiu was worried that she would neglect Meimei by taking care of her daughter, but she didn't expect that Meimei was a very qualified sister, accompanying her sister tenderly without feeling wronged at all.

At this point, Zhou Qiaoxiu became emotional and spoke faster and faster: "I thought she was just a child. I thought she really wanted to be a good sister. I never thought she would deliberately lose the baby! But Lao Xu didn't believe me. He said Meimei was just a child and she didn't do it on purpose."

Xu Zhenbao is three years old this year. He is not used to kindergarten and cries every time he is sent to kindergarten. Today is a rare Sunday. The family of four originally planned to go to the nearby Benlong Park for fun, but Xu Songling had to go on a police mission, so Zhou Qiaoxiu took the two children out.

The amusement facilities in Benlong Park are unique in Xingshi and are especially popular with children. They are crowded on weekends. The baby wanted to take a rotating airplane, so Zhou Qiaoxiu asked Meimei to wait with the baby while she queued up to buy tickets. After buying the tickets ten minutes later, she turned around and found that both children were gone.

Zhou Qiaoxiu was so frightened that she looked everywhere in the noisy crowd. Finally, she found Meimei, but the baby was lost.

The loving mother's heart seemed to be crushed. Zhou Qiaoxiu burst into tears while speaking: "The baby is only three years old and can't even recognize the way home. Where can she run to? When I bought the tickets, I told Meimei not to let go of her sister's hand. She just stayed where she was and didn't move. Who knew she would disappear in the blink of an eye!

People around me said that the child was kidnapped by a kidnapper, and I called the police, but I don’t know why I always felt that something was wrong with Meimei. She was already eleven years old and went to school by herself, so why couldn’t she take care of her sister? The baby was very well behaved, and she wouldn’t have left if Meimei hadn’t been taking care of her.”

Zhao Xiangwan interrupted her crying and asked calmly: "Did the police question Meimei? What did she say?"

"She said she was so engrossed in watching the rotating airplane that she didn't know when the baby let go of her hand. When she found the baby was missing, she panicked and forgot to tell me, and she kept looking for her everywhere. She kept crying and crying, and there was no useful clue. Lao Xu blamed me for putting the blame on the child. Meimei was usually so good to her sister, and she was more worried than anyone else when her sister was lost, but..."

Zhou Qiaoxiu suddenly stopped, her eyes slightly glazed over.

[Am I crazy? I lost one child, so I want to lose another one? It's a blessing that Meimei was not kidnapped by kidnappers. Why do I, as a mother, suspect that she deliberately lost the baby? She is usually very good to the baby. When there is something delicious or fun, the first person she thinks of is her sister. She is more patient than me when playing with her sister. Yes, why would I suspect? Is it because she is not my biological child? ]

Zhao Xiangwan heard her inner struggle and didn't say much. It was too early to judge now. Whether Meimei did it on purpose or unintentionally, she would know once she asked.

Zhou Qiaoxiu slowly came to her senses and said to Zhao Xiangwan, "Today, Lao Xu led the police to visit all over Benlong Park, and also had people guard the train station and bus station. My heart was boiling like a frying pan. I asked Meimei to think about it again, to think about whether she met any strange people or noticed where the baby ran away, but she just cried!"

Crying? Maybe it's out of guilt, maybe it's to escape, maybe it's to cover up the true emotions.

Zhao Xiangwan's eyes flickered, and he pointed at a little girl in a flowery dress standing by the flowerbed of the apartment building and asked, "Is that Meimei?"

Without waiting for Zhou Qiaoxiu to answer, the little girl came running over like a butterfly, threw herself into Zhou Qiaoxiu's arms, and said with sobs, "Mom, where have you been? I'm so scared!"