Chapter 33: Mist Mist
The tedious symposium finally concluded. To Ji Feng's surprise, Director Deng immediately instructed his office director to book a private room at the Jixianghai Hotel. He then grabbed Ji Feng as he was about to leave and emphasized that all bureau leaders, including the heads of key departments, would be present at the evening's celebration banquet. He firmly declared that Ji Feng must be the guest of honor that evening.
Ji Feng felt helpless as he had to deal with these boring things for the whole day, but there was nothing he could do.
After humbly thanking Director Deng, Ji Feng was about to leave, but was stopped by Jiang Bo, who told him the only valuable news of the day: the Lan family had been detained by the Hong Kong police, and the provincial department was sending people to Hong Kong to escort them.
As Jiang Bo finished speaking, Ji Feng looked at him and said sincerely, "Captain Jiang, I'm really sorry, before..."
Without waiting for Ji Feng to finish, Jiang Bo waved his hand and said, "Stop, I know what you want to say. It's okay. If it doesn't work this time, there will be next time. I still want to work with you for a few more years." His tone was cheerful and without any grudges.
"But this time the impact on you is too great..."
"That's not true. I didn't have high hopes to begin with," Jiang Bo interrupted. "You've won such a great honor for the team. I can't thank you enough. No one is allowed to mention this again."
Ji Feng nodded, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Unfortunately, there is still no progress in Shen Zhaoran’s case.”
"There's progress." Jiang Bo's expression straightened. "Lin Wantang and Lu Chenzhou are actually the same person. There might be something else behind this clue. I suggest you go to the Modao City Bureau and find out about Lu Chenzhou's situation."
"I was planning to go there tomorrow."
"Let's rest for a few days. I'm very familiar with Captain Yang of the Modao City Bureau. I'll give him a call and ask them to prepare."
"I've recovered and can go tomorrow."
"No rush." Jiang Bo smiled and shook his head. "The director is planning to have you give a report at the general meeting of police officers. You're a typical figure."
"Making a report? Captain Jiang, you know I'm not good with words. Can you please excuse me? I want to do more practical work. I'll have to interrogate the Lan family after they return, and there's a lot to do."
"Haha, I guessed you'd say that." Jiang Bo patted his shoulder. "Leave it to me. I'll talk to the director."
Ji Feng raised his hand to check the time. There were still two hours before the celebration banquet in the evening. He finally had some time to be alone.
He sat down at his desk, a desk he hadn't used for nearly two months. The diligent young police officer had already cleaned it for him. The setting sun shone through the window panes, casting a warm golden glow on the desk. He closed his eyes deeply, trying to dispel the weariness of a long day of socializing. However, his thoughts drifted back to Shen Zhaoran's case and the image of Hua Ailing weeping at the airport—the latter, however, filled him with even greater anxiety.
He was silent for a moment, feeling a little upset, and simply called Hua Ailing directly.
A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, but it lacked the previous spicy and humorous tone, and added a touch of rationality and calmness. It seemed that Ji Feng's transformation had also infected her, which made Ji Feng feel an unusual subtle change.
"Back to Lan Valley?" Hua Ailing lowered her voice.
"Well, just got out of the symposium. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, why are you asking?"
"Nothing, I saw you at the airport this morning..."
Hua Ailing obviously wanted to avoid the topic and remained silent for a long time, not knowing what to say. The two of them fell into a suffocating silence, with only the background sound of the surrounding environment coming through the receiver to prove that the connection was still intact.
Ji Feng held his phone, unable to find a new topic.
"Is this the endorphin you're after?" she said, breaking the silence.
"Sort of. I enjoyed it."
"Alas, I can only say that you are different from ordinary people."
"Not really. The pursuit of endorphins has become quite popular recently. For example, in recent years, more and more people have joined the ranks of marathon runners. They are all advocates of the pursuit of endorphins."
"Compared to before you went to Ishijiang, your current body shape is indeed like that of a professional marathon runner, dark, thin and strong." Hua Ailing seemed to be making small talk.
"Like a dried old bacon, right?" Ji Feng said jokingly in order to ease the awkward atmosphere.
"I really admire you. I admit that I can't do what you do. Maybe it's because of the environment and climate that determine people."
"More men seek delayed gratification."
The two of them mechanically exchanged irrelevant sentences, and the air was filled with a lingering sense of stagnation.
"If there's nothing else, I'll hang up first. I have something else to do," she said softly. Most of the time, Ji Feng was the first to end the call, but this time, Hua Ailing's tone was resolute, more like an excuse, or perhaps there really was nothing left to talk about.
"Okay, goodbye." After ending the call, Ji Feng still didn't understand why he made this call.
Ji Feng became the unhappiest person at the celebration party. Not only was he upset by his unclear relationship with Hua Ailing, but the discussion with Xin Xiao about Lu Chenzhou also made him even more worried.
Lin Wantang = Lu Chenzhou = murderer? Neither he nor Xin Xiao could accept or comprehend this conclusion. It was like a fog, shrouding the truth and suffocating.
He sat alone in a corner, his expression indifferent, in stark contrast to the lively celebration party.
My eyes passed through the crowd of people drinking and fell on the night outside the window, and my thoughts had already drifted away.
The refreshing and comfortable feeling brought by delayed gratification disappeared in the dark night like a flash in the pan.
Back home, lying in bed alone, these two thorny questions linger alternately
It lingered in his mind, preventing him from sleeping.
They had been classmates and colleagues for twenty years, so familiar with each other that they could read each other's minds with just a glance or a gesture. However, that was all, and that was the end of it! At least that was what Ji Feng thought.
His feelings for Hua Ailing were a complex and conflicting mix, tinged with a certain amount of confusion. He welcomed her approach, yet struggled to fully commit; he admired her sharp yet intellectual conversation, yet feared indulging himself too deeply. What kind of feelings could this possibly be? He wondered—was it instinctive conscience, or cowardice? Could this be love? A cascade of emotions tore at him silently, a mixture of vague acceptance and instinctive avoidance. It was like standing at a crossroads in the fog, his heart empty, unable to see the road ahead or discern his origins, he wandered aimlessly.
Looking up at the silent night, his thoughts were tangled like a tangled thread, and the confusion in his heart made it difficult for him to fall asleep until dawn.
Thanks to Jiang Bo's advance contact, the connection with Yang Jiaxu, the captain of the Modao Criminal Police Detachment, was indeed very smooth.
After some greetings, Yang Jiaxu said, "Captain Jiang told me that you two want to know about Lu Chenzhou's situation." Yang Jiaxu said straight to the point.
"Yes, Captain Yang." Ji Feng nodded in response.
"Lu Chenzhou's situation is a bit complicated," Yang Jiaxu said, adjusting his black-framed glasses. "At the time, I was still deputy detachment commander, so I may not know everything, but I do know his least-known fact."
"Little-known?" Ji Feng and Xin Xiao looked at each other in confusion.
"In order to crack a drug trafficking case, the bureau's Party Committee approved the assignment of then-renowned criminal psychology expert Lu Chenzhou, using the pseudonym Lin Wantang, to go undercover within the drug trafficking organization. However, he passed away shortly thereafter."
"Alias Lin Wantang?" The two looked at each other, and the same voice rose in their hearts: "That makes sense."
"That's right." Yang Jiaxu said calmly, "Even in our bureau, only a handful of people know his undercover identity. Most people only know that he died of illness." Yang Jiaxu was not surprised by the surprise expressed by the two people and continued.
"The person who knew the inside story best was Captain Chen Jianzhang, but unfortunately he retired long ago and passed away two years ago, so there are very few people who actually know the truth."
"No wonder there is so little news about Lu Chenzhou." Xin Xiao said.
"You should have heard about the case in Lan Gu City ten years ago, right?" Ji Feng asked.
"I only know the general idea, and the specific details are not clear. Chen Zhou is an introvert, but I still don't believe that he would kill anyone. It's just... there is still a question that I have not solved." Yang Jiaxu said.
"Please go ahead."
"The case was investigated by your Lan Gu Bureau, so I'm not very familiar with the details. I'm just curious, are the suspect at the crime scene and Lu Chenzhou, who died in the hospital, really the same person? After all, judging from the two locations, there doesn't seem to be a direct connection."
"You mean there was someone else at the crime scene, and he was not the same person as Lu Chenzhou, who was working undercover under the alias Lin Wantang?" Ji Feng said.
"Although the case has been closed, this question has always been on my mind." Yang Jiaxu said with a frown.
"Captain Ji was in college at the time and did not participate in the investigation of the case. Although I was young at the time and did not participate deeply in the investigation, I was also exposed to some of the details of the investigation. Let me report to you." Xin Xiao said.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to question your Lan Gu detachment. I just don't know much about the details." Yang Jiaxu explained.
"It's okay, Captain Yang. I understand how you feel. We were Chen Zhou's classmates, and we didn't want anything like this to happen to him either," Xin Xiao said sincerely. "After about a week of investigation, based on a blurry surveillance photo from the scene and the motorcycle the suspect was riding when he left, local residents identified the suspect as Lin Wantang, the owner of an auto parts store in the Chaohai District Auto Parts Market."
After taking a sip of water, Xin Xiao continued, "When the task force found the store, it was already deserted. Now we think he must have been hospitalized. Later, through DNA comparison, business license photos, and identification of surrounding businesses, we confirmed that the suspect at the crime scene was Lin Wantang."
"In that case, since there are photos, it should be correct. I also believe in Captain Jiang Bo's ability to handle the case and his character, but the result is indeed difficult to understand," said Yang Jiaxu.
Ji Feng took over the conversation and said, "Chen Zhou was a very close classmate of ours. We're extremely reluctant to accept this reality. It's too unbelievable! But... I'll sort through the chain of evidence chronologically. Can you see if there are any flaws? If it's confirmed that Chen Zhou isn't the murderer, that's even more desirable."
Yang Jiaxu nodded silently.
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