Chapter 39 39 I think you are really crazy, putting all your hopes on...
After watching Guan Xia's figure disappear into the unit door, Xu Nian withdrew his gaze and continued to sit on the bench without getting up.
He lowered his eyes to look at the sketch in his hand, his gaze fixed on the girl's beautiful facial features drawn with black lines, and easily recalled the case on November 17, 19.
Name: Huang Man, Age: 28, ballet teacher at the Starlight Art Training Center. Cause of death: mechanical asphyxiation. Time of death: around 4:00 AM on November 17, 2019. She had taken sleeping pills before death, so there were no obvious signs of struggle after death. The autopsy found no external injuries on the deceased's body, and all internal organs were intact and had not been violated. However, the murderer stayed in the deceased's home for a long time after her death, not only cleaning the scene, but also changing the deceased's clothes. He changed the deceased into a white dress and painted the deceased's hands and feet with clear nail polish. The fact that the police did not find any traces at the scene shows that the murderer was very calm when he left the deceased's home.
It was also because of this that the Chengxi District Criminal Police Brigade, which was in charge of the case at the time, believed that this was definitely not the murderer's first crime. While issuing a joint investigation notice to other districts, it also reported to the Municipal Bureau, which eventually attracted the attention of the Municipal Bureau and set up a special task force.
Xu Nian joined the task force as a police officer from the Pingjiang District Criminal Police Brigade. However, after nearly a month of investigation, they failed to find any breakthroughs. However, they did find something. They found five potentially related backlog cases in five cities across the province, but due to insufficient correlation, they were ultimately unable to successfully merge the cases. This case also became an unsolved case because there were no clues to support the investigation.
After retrieving the relevant information about the case from his memory, Xu Nian focused his attention on the second sketch.
Through his experience in the two previous cases, Xu Nian had great confidence in the clues provided by Guan Xia. However, when he looked at this face, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed. The criminal suspect that so many police officers had been busy with for nearly a month but still couldn't find the clue suddenly appeared in front of him?
It was only at this moment that he truly realized how important Guan Xia's talent was to them, the criminal police.
After sitting on the bench for a few more minutes, Xu Nian did not go home but drove to the police station.
Because there were no cases these two days, everyone in the Second Squadron went to get off work and came home as usual, and the office was pitch black, but the lights in the Third Squadron next door were still on, and people coming in and out were greeting Xu Nian.
After dealing with every colleague who greeted him, Xu Nian went into the office, turned on the lights and computer, and quickly found the person in the sketch from the database.
Xia Wenguang, male, 39 years old, from Jianyang City, Dingyuan Province, is a 2002 undergraduate graduate of the law major from Dongning University. After graduation, he worked as an intern at Jianyang Ruihai Law Firm for two years. He then resigned and opened a homestay in the suburbs of Jianyang City.
Xu Nian quickly looked through Xia Wenguang's information and searched his various social media accounts by name. He stopped when he saw a few lines of personal introduction. It showed that Xia Wenguang loved traveling and would go out for a trip every two or three years on average, with a duration ranging from 1 to 3 months. Various photos and locations showed that he not only traveled all over Dingyuan Province, but also occasionally visited the neighboring province, but he would not go far.
Xu Nian recalled the locations and times of the five unsolved cases that the task force had found to be related to Case 1117, and realized that he had found enough important clues to reopen the unsolved cases.
Putting down his phone, leaning back in his chair and letting out a breath, Xu Nian raised his wrist to check the time. Seeing that it was only a few hours until dawn, he gave up the idea of contacting his leader now.
After putting the two sketches away, Xu Nianguan locked the drawer, thought for a few seconds, and called Lu Tingfeng three times in a row. When no one answered, he took the car keys and walked out of the office.
Xu Nian first went to Lu Tingfeng's house. As expected, there was no one there. He walked around the living room and bedroom, and suddenly didn't know where to look. It was not until his eyes swept across a photo of the two of them on the TV cabinet that he remembered something and hurried out.
Sure enough, half an hour later, Xu Nian found the person in a very remote and somewhat dilapidated basketball court.
Lu Tingfeng was sitting on the ground, spinning a basketball around without any image. When he heard footsteps, he looked up and immediately smiled widely. "I knew you would come to see me."
Xu Nian said nothing. He walked up to Lu Tingfeng with a somewhat aggressive step. Just as he was about to say something, Lu Tingfeng raised his hand and made a stop gesture. "Wait a moment, scold me later. Give me a hand, my legs are numb."
Lu Tingfeng threw away the basketball and grinned as he extended his hand. Xu Nian was silent for a moment before pulling him up. However, just as Lu Tingfeng stood firm, Xu Nian threw him back to the ground over his shoulder.
Lu Tingfeng's expression suddenly twisted. He hissed twice, looked at Xu Nian helplessly and said, "I thought you would just scold me, but you really hit me. Let me make it clear first, you can hit me, but don't hit me in the face. I rely on my face to make a living."
Lu Tingfeng pretended to cover his face with his arms and said in a muffled voice, "Hit me now, I will never fight back, really."
Xu Nian really wanted to beat someone up, but seeing Lu Tingfeng acting like a rogue, he started to laugh in anger. He kicked him twice on the legs in hatred, and then simply lay down beside him.
Lu Tingfeng waited for a while, and when he saw that Xu Nian really looked like he had let out some steam, he lowered his arms and put them behind his head. He turned to look at Xu Nian and asked, "Did Guan Xia look for you?"
Xu Nian glared at Lu Tingfeng again without saying anything.
Lu Tingfeng smiled and said, "I can't tell. This girl looks weak and delicate, but she's quite clever. She knows how to fool me. I was originally hesitant about whether to use her beauty trick, but now it seems that there's no need to think about it. She definitely won't fall for it."
As Lu Tingfeng spoke, he suddenly sat up, took out his phone from his pocket, and looked at his face in front of the camera. Seeing that he was as beautiful as ever, he put the phone away and lay back down. "It's okay, it's just that someone didn't know what I was looking at. It's not that I've become ugly."
Hearing this, Xu Nian kicked Lu Tingfeng again, "Can't you behave yourself a little?"
Lu Tingfeng didn't dodge, and took the kick head-on, saying with a playful smile: "If I behave properly, wouldn't I steal your image? I don't want to be like you. You've always been this old-fashioned since you were a child. It's boring."
Xu Nian couldn't stand it any longer and kicked twice more. Lu Tingfeng made a zipper gesture and said, "Okay, okay, okay, let's stop talking and talk about business."
Xu Nian took a few deep breaths before calmly asking, "Why did you come back? Why did you come to find Guan Xia?"
Lu Tingfeng answered casually, "It's just what you thought. I'm going to try to find her and see if it can help the case I've been pursuing."
Xu Nian felt his anger rising again, and asked with gritted teeth, "And then?"
"And then?" Lu Tingfeng could tell that Xu Nian wanted to beat him up again, so he finally became more serious and said, "I don't want to lie to you. I do plan to ask her for help. As long as she's willing, I can give her anything she wants."
Xu Nian couldn't help but raise his voice a little, "But she is just an ordinary person. No matter how talented she is, you shouldn't make choices for her in any way or by any means before she is willing."
Lu Tingfeng laughed and said in a gentle tone: "Xu Nian, I have always envied you. Really, from childhood to adulthood, all the choices were made by you. You chose which school to go to, and you chose which major to study. We are obviously about the same age, but you have always been very clear about the path you want to take in the future. Come to think of it, I seem to be similar, although not as clear-headed as you. I only applied to the Public Security University because the uniform looked good, and since you wanted to apply to that school, I also applied. But to be honest, if it weren't for what happened later, I would definitely be a policeman for life, because it's really cool, solving cases and saving people. Every policeman is a hero. But it's a pity that something that none of us wanted and none of us had ever thought of happened."
Lu Tingfeng still had a faint smile on his face, but his tone was very turbulent. "I know you can understand, and I also know it's not my fault, but I can't help thinking that way. You watched my sister grow up, and the most important thing is that she wouldn't have come to this world to suffer. My parents didn't plan to have a second child after giving birth to me because of their careers. It was me, I envied Junming for having a well-behaved and lovely sister, and I pestered my parents to have her. She came into this world because of me, but she only lived to the age of seven, and she died at the age of seven, and she died like that. I know I should look forward, knowing that the dead are gone, and the living should live well. If she has a spirit in heaven, I know she must want me to live well, and I don't want to let you down for your concern for me, but I really can't do it. As long as the murderer who killed her is not caught, I will never be at peace."
Xu Nian listened quietly until Lu Tingfeng's agitated mood subsided, then he spoke, "I understand you, and I understand your thoughts. I want to catch the murderer just as badly as you do. I'm a police officer and also your friend. I should do anything for you, but Guan Xia is not like that. She's just an ordinary stranger who has even contributed to society. You can't treat her like this."
After listening to this, Lu Tingfeng suddenly sighed, sat up, looked at Xu Nian and said, "I didn't want to say such sharp words, but it seems I have to say it."
Xu Nian frowned and sat up.
Lu Tingfeng rubbed his face, sorted out his thoughts, and then spoke: "You have known Guan Xia earlier than I did and have more contact with her. You should know better than me how precious Guan Xia's talent is. She is like a gold ingot buried in the rubble. Even if her brilliance is temporarily obscured, it will be discovered sooner or later. I also understand that her talent is best achieved through cooperation with the police. It can protect her safety to the greatest extent and bring out her talent. But you are a police officer, and I have been a police officer too. We both know that once we deeply cooperate, it is not as simple as just solving the case. Can you ensure that you will give Guan Xia absolute freedom and that no one will interfere with her?"
Xu Nian's brows were almost wrinkled into a "川" shape, and he remained silent.
Lu Tingfeng smiled. "I know my colleagues in the police force at the time, so after you found out about Guan Xia, someone definitely tried to get in touch with her. But if I'm not mistaken, she must have refused, right? She didn't want to be a police officer, and she had never even thought about it."
Xu Nian still didn't say anything.
Lu Tingfeng propped up his face with his hands and looked at Xu Nian with a gentle smile. "Although I've only met Guan Xia once, this brief contact has given me a preliminary understanding of her. This girl was born an orphan and has come this far entirely on her own. She only appears easygoing and easy to talk to, but I suspect she's actually quite stubborn. She absolutely doesn't take kindly to anything we used to accept. So, do you still think it's best to work with you?"
Xu Nian sneered, "Then why do you think she'll cooperate with you? Since you know she's stubborn, you know she won't buy into your tricks. I've said before that no one can or should force her unless she's willing."
Lu Tingfeng sighed again, "Xu Nian, you really haven't changed in all these years. There are not so many shoulds and shouldn'ts in this world. Okay, even if I listen to you and give up my plan, I stay away from her and never get close to her again, but there are so many unsolved cases in this world. Even if I'm not there, there are still other people. How do you know there won't be another me to get close to her? She's a person, not a pet. You can't watch her 24 hours a day. The most important thing is that she has legs and she has a good mind. She definitely won't stay in Yongquan City forever. She will definitely run away. What can you do then?"
Xu Nian took a deep breath after hearing this, and his expression showed that he was about to kick him again.
Lu Tingfeng quickly retracted his legs and moved a little further away from Xu Nian.
After observing Xu Nian's expression, Lu Tingfeng coughed before continuing, "But I'm different. If she's willing to cooperate with me, I'll give her absolute autonomy. I'll treat myself as her pendant, following her wherever she goes and solving whatever cases she wants. I'll just protect her safety and provide her with the information she wants. Most importantly, if she solves more cases this way, she'll gain more prestige. Then, when she cooperates with your police in the future, she'll have a say, and she won't be led around by anyone in a confused state. This way of cooperation is the best way for both parties, what do you think?"
Xu Nian sneered, "Since you know how important her talent is to the police, you understand how devastating it is to criminal suspects. How can you guarantee her safety alone? And give her the information she wants. Don't forget, you've already left the police force. Although many of your classmates are police officers, due to confidentiality regulations, I don't believe they would be so bold as to reveal so much information to you."
Xu Nian's words were very impolite, but Lu Tingfeng couldn't help laughing. He looked at Xu Nian helplessly and said, "You're trying to trick me, right? If you want to know, just ask directly. I won't refuse to tell you. Why use such a roundabout way? Okay, I'll tell you what I've done over the years. I've met a lot of people like me. Those who have money contribute money, and those who have strength contribute strength. So don't worry. I may look like one person, but there are actually many people standing behind me. I swear to you, all of us will protect Guan Xia with our lives, as long as she is willing to help us."
Xu Nian looked at Lu Tingfeng for a long time and let out a long sigh, "I think you are really crazy, putting all your hopes on a stranger."
"Because there is no hope." Lu Tingfeng answered calmly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
