Chapter 73 Friend Request
The air in the monitoring room seemed to freeze; only the static, fruitless images on the screen silently proclaimed the stalemate in the investigation.
The deep blue mother-of-pearl button, inside the transparent evidence bag, reflected the cold indoor light, like a silent and eerie eye.
Su Xiaonuan gently touched Zhao Liyue's arm, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Officer Zhao, that button... might be a breakthrough."
Zhao Liyue nodded slightly; that was exactly what she was thinking.
In the absence of effective visual clues, any physical evidence is extremely valuable.
She immediately turned around and instructed her colleague in charge of evidence collection: "Keep this button safe and send it back to the bureau immediately for detailed examination. The more detailed the information, the better: material, brand, production batch, possible sales channels, etc."
"Yes, Sister Zhao!"
The on-site investigation is still ongoing, but it seems that the core clues have been extracted.
Zhao Liyue glanced at her colleagues, who were still repeatedly checking the surveillance footage with furrowed brows, and then at Su Xiaonuan beside her, who was equally focused. She had already made up her mind.
She walked over to the police officer in charge of the scene, whispered a few words, and indicated that she needed to take Su Xiaonuan away first, citing "other official business".
A hint of confusion flashed in Su Xiaonuan's eyes, but she still obediently followed Zhao Liyue out of the oppressive monitoring room.
Only after she was back in the car, shut out of the noise and tension outside, did she finally ask, "Officer Zhao, are we leaving now? Aren't we going to keep looking?"
Zhao Liyue started the car and drove smoothly away from Maple Forest Park. Only then did she turn her head to look at Su Xiaonuan, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable composure: "Xiaonuan, I know you care about the case and want to help. But you have to understand, there's not much point in us staying there now. Our professional forensic and image analysis colleagues will conduct a thorough search, and the button examination will take time. We're not frontline investigators; if we intervene rashly, it might disrupt their rhythm, or... attract unnecessary attention."
She paused, then added meaningfully, "Especially you, with your special status, and always... well, sharp 'intuition'. When the case is unclear, being too conspicuous isn't a good thing. Some things need to be done behind the scenes, or, wait for the right opportunity."
Su Xiaonuan was not an ignorant person; as soon as Zhao Liyue pointed it out, she immediately understood the implications.
She thought of the system, of the unspoken "coincidences" she had, and of the potential threats lurking in the shadows, threats that even Zhao Liming had warned her to be wary of.
She was definitely not suited to linger in the heart of the police investigation.
“I understand, Officer Zhao.” Su Xiaonuan nodded obediently, a look of “I’ve learned something” on her face. “Then let’s go home and wait for news.”
Night had fallen, and the city's neon lights flowed past the car window.
However, the car hadn't gone far before it got stuck in traffic.
There seemed to be a traffic accident ahead; red brake lights stretched as far as the eye could see, and the faint, anxious honking of horns and the clearer sound of police sirens in the distance could be heard in the air.
Zhao Liyue leaned forward and looked ahead. Based on her experience and the flashing police lights in the distance, she roughly judged the situation: "It seems that a black sedan and a motorcycle have collided. The motorcycle has been thrown off. The situation may not be optimistic."
She withdrew her gaze, sighed softly, and said with a calm acceptance of life's unpredictability, "On nights like this, speeding can easily lead to accidents."
Su Xiaonuan followed her gaze. Although she couldn't see clearly, she could imagine the horrific scene and felt a pang of regret and reverence for life.
She nodded silently, without saying anything more.
The traffic jam lasted an exceptionally long time.
The two sat in the car, listening to soothing music on the radio, each lost in their own thoughts.
Su Xiaonuan's thoughts were still lingering on the case of Fu Lilian's disappearance, with the button and the strange footprints swirling in her mind.
Zhao Liyue, on the other hand, was more focused on the direction of the case and the possible directions for the subsequent investigation.
Time passed slowly, and it wasn't until nearly 10 p.m. that the road was finally cleared.
It was late at night when they got home.
After the terrifying evening, the somber atmosphere at the scene, and the traffic jam, both of them felt exhausted.
After a quick wash, they said goodnight to each other and went back to their rooms.
Su Xiaonuan had just thrown herself into the soft quilt when her phone vibrated twice.
She picked it up and saw it was a WeChat message from An Ran.
[Anran: Xiaonuan, are you asleep? Are you free tomorrow night? I'd like to ask you out for dinner, just the two of us. There are some... personal things I want to talk to you about.]
Looking at An Ran's name, Su Xiaonuan felt a complex warmth in her heart.
Before she could reply, a new friend request popped up in her WeChat contacts.
When she clicked on it, the applicant's profile picture was a profile of a man who looked calm and refined, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His WeChat name was "Qin Haochu," and the verification message was only three simple words: "I am Qin Haochu."
Qin Haochu?
Su Xiaonuan held her phone, stunned for a moment.
This name hasn't appeared in her life for a long time.
Back in college, that academically excellent and charming senior was indeed a hazy and beautiful dream she had when she first fell in love.
But that was just a dream, like admiring a beautiful work of art through a glass window, never thinking about actually owning it.
She knew very well that it was just a natural appreciation and naive affection for outstanding men when she was young, and it didn't even count as a real ambiguous relationship.
Su Xiaonuan has always been clear-headed, and she is even more discerning when it comes to relationships.
So when she later realized that An Ran and Qin Haochu were getting closer and closer, and even eventually got engaged, she chose to keep quiet, step back silently, and sincerely wish them well.
It would be a lie to say that there was absolutely no sense of loss, but the feeling was more like a faint regret for a youthful interlude that ended before it even began, lasting a pitifully short time.
In her life philosophy, the most important thing is always herself, her own life and feelings.
A man she only had a slight liking for is not worth her being heartbroken over, much less cause her to harbor resentment towards her childhood best friend.
Betrayal? She never imagined that word would be used to describe An Ran.
Anran was her best friend since they were toddlers, someone who understood her better than family.
She trusted Anran as much as she trusted herself.
The reason An Ran chose to be with Qin Haochu back then was perhaps... more or less because of the subtle admiration she had once expressed for her senior in front of her.
If that's the case, then it's not a betrayal at all; rather, it's more like a serendipitous encounter.
Now, Qin Haochu is An Ran's fiancé.
For both emotional and rational reasons, she cannot and will not accept his friend request privately.
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