Chapter 418 Lulu
Zhou Yi and Chen Yan returned to the car and exchanged information.
The general information is the same. Some people have indeed seen this man in black, but most of the time it happens at night, so it is difficult to attract other people's attention, let alone see his appearance clearly.
On Chen Yan's side, an old lady provided some very useful information.
It is said that one time when the old lady was pouring water from a pot, this man happened to pass by and was so scared that he screamed.
The old lady said with certainty that the voice sounded like a woman.
She even asked the other person if he was burned, but the person didn't say anything and just ran away.
As for the information from Zhou Yi, it was roughly the same. The only thing that was wrong was the words from a five-year-old boy.
"I'm not sure if what the child said is true. After all, a five-year-old child may have limited discernment."
Chen Yan asked curiously, "What did the child say?"
"He said the man was a monster."
"monster?"
Zhou Yi nodded. "Well, the child said he saw that man's face. He looked scary, like a monster. But his parents also said that the child likes to watch cartoons like Ultraman and often points at others and shouts, 'Monster, I'm going to destroy you!'"
Chen Yan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry after hearing this. It was indeed difficult to judge the truthfulness of a five-year-old's words, let alone their legal effect.
"No matter what, at least the information we have now can confirm that this woman wrapped in black does exist. Let's go back and urge Director Fang to get the information and start the investigation as soon as possible."
The two then drove back to Hongda, but did not go directly to the task force. Instead, they went to the Student Affairs Office to find Director Fang Gexin.
But the staff on duty said that Director Fang went home shortly after get off work. When they asked about the specific time, it turned out that it was after they finished their meeting and Xiang Jie asked someone to call Fang Gexin to tell him the necessary information.
In other words, Fang Gexin didn't take the task force's requirements seriously at all.
When asked, the staff on duty said they had not received any instructions from Director Fang.
Zhou Yi was so angry that he called Fang Gexin immediately.
The phone rang for a long time before it was connected. The other party asked impatiently, "Who is it, so late at night?"
"Director Fang, I'm Zhou Yi from the task force. When can you give us the information we requested before you leave work today?" Zhou Yi asked loudly.
"Oh, it's from the task force. Well, I've already arranged it. It will be delivered to you tomorrow."
Fang Gexin was about to hang up when Zhou Yi said, "No, not today!"
He was taken aback, a surge of anger rising. He spoke in an official tone, "Why are you acting like that, young comrade? Don't think you're the only one whose work is hard. Ours isn't easy at all. We'll work all night and night to find you whatever materials your task force needs. I'm telling you, we're all equal. Don't think you're superior. Watch your attitude."
Well, it’s still that familiar taste.
However, Zhou Yi is not Wu Yongcheng, and he will not use the same official language to leave him speechless.
Zhou Yi only knows how to use force.
"Director Fang." Zhou Yi sneered, "You have a vice-president named Zhang at Hongda, right?"
"What?" Fang Gexin had a domineering look on his face, but he was suddenly stunned.
"There's also a dean named Chen, right?"
"You...you know Principal Zhang and Dean Chen?" The attitude on the other end of the phone softened instantly.
Zhou Yi snorted coldly, "Of course I know them. Two leaders from your Hongda came to our city bureau today to express their support. They said that Hongda will fully cooperate with us in solving the case and restore Hongda's reputation as soon as possible. The two leaders also said that if anyone does not cooperate with our work, we can go to them directly without any further ado and they will handle it for us."
"Hey, Director Fang, I'm afraid I remembered it wrong. How about I check with you the contact information of your Principal Zhang and Dean Chen?"
Zhou Yi didn't know that Fang Gexin on the other end of the phone broke out in a sweat.
He said repeatedly, "No, no, no need to trouble the two leaders. Please wait a moment, I will arrange it right away, right away."
As soon as Zhou Yi hung up the phone, the phone on the duty officer's desk rang.
The man glanced at Zhou Yi, picked up the phone, called out "Director Fang", and then said "yes" several times in a row.
After hanging up the phone, the staff on duty came with a bunch of keys and said that Director Fang had instructed him to find the information for you right away.
Zhou Yi thanked him, smiled at Chen Yan, and quickly got the information.
In the middle of the night, when it was quiet, Qiao Jiali passed by an office and found two familiar figures sleeping on the table, with documents around them.
She looked at the two of them, shook her head helplessly, and turned away.
The next morning, when Zhou Yi and Chen Yan woke up, they found that a blanket had appeared on each of them.
Xiao Bing took the college entrance examination in 1983 and entered Hongcheng University to study French language and literature in the same year.
At that time, the French major was not very large and was affiliated with the School of Foreign Languages. It was only in recent years that it began to expand enrollment and became the French Department.
So there were only twenty-six students in the French class of 1983, and the number of students in the two classes above and below was about the same, neither exceeding thirty.
Zhou Yi and Chen Yan checked one by one. Among these 26 people, except Xiao Bing, only two people were from Hongcheng, one male and one female classmate.
The male classmate and Xiao Bing are not in the same dormitory.
Moreover, there were basically no telephones back then, so we could only look for them based on the household registration information, but we could only find these two people in Hongcheng first.
It is even more difficult to find these classmates from other places, after all, more than ten years have passed.
There are two classmates in Hongcheng, the boy is called Zhao Zhichao and the girl is called Yan Xuefang.
Zhao Zhichao's information was first found through the household registration files. Surprisingly, the name in the spouse column of Zhao Zhichao was Yan Xuefang.
This means that the two of them went from being classmates to being husband and wife.
Zhao Zhichao is the general manager of a company, and Yan Xuefang works in a public institution.
Zhou Yi contacted the two people. When Zhao Zhichao learned that the police wanted to find him and his wife to find out about Xiao Bing's situation, he said that they could make an appointment directly at the small teahouse downstairs of Yan Xuefang's unit during lunch break. He was more flexible and could go directly there.
Of course Zhou Yi had no problem with that. It was definitely better to ask together than separately. It would not only save time, but also help the two of them fill in each other's memory gaps.
Zhou Yi and Chen Yan arrived at the agreed location early. After waiting for a while, they saw a man and a woman walk into the teahouse and look around.
Zhou Yi waved to the two of them, and after sitting down, he showed his ID first.
Yan Xuefang looked at Zhou Yi with some surprise.
Zhou Yi felt strange and thought to himself, I have never seen you before.
At this time, Yan Xuefang said, "Officer Zhou, you've been on TV, right?"
Zhou Yi suddenly realized that this was the reason.
Yan Xuefang said that her unit had a cooperation with the TV station, so she recognized him.
After a few polite words, Zhou Yi went straight to the point and began to ask about Xiao Bing's situation.
"What kind of person is Xiao Bing in your impression?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhichao's answer surprised Zhou Yi and Chen Yan.
Zhao Zhichao said: "Xiao Bing, although I don't know him very well, I remember that he is a very nice person, optimistic and cheerful, and very motivated to learn."
Zhou Yi and Chen Yan looked at each other, and Chen Yan confirmed, "Are you talking about Xiao Bing? The one who stayed on as a teacher after graduation?"
Zhao Zhichao nodded: "Yes, there is only one Xiao Bing in our class."
He turned his head and asked his wife doubtfully: "Is... am I remembering it wrong?"
Yan Xuefang said, "Is my memory correct? I remember he was a nice guy. He could sing opera and write excellent French poetry. He was what people often call an artistic youth, but unfortunately he was a little short."
How come this is different from the impression Xiao Bing's colleagues have of him?
Zhou Yi frowned and asked, "Did you know that Xiao Bing had a girlfriend when he was in college? Or a woman he was close to?"
The couple looked at each other and shook their heads.
Zhao Zhichao said: "I haven't noticed that. I haven't heard that he is dating anyone."
Yan Xuefang said: "Anyway, there is definitely no such thing in our class. If there is such a thing, it is basically impossible to hide it among female classmates."
"Is it possible that the two of them were relatively low-key, so you didn't notice?"
Yan Xuefang smiled and said, "Officer Zhou, if that's the case, then we have no way of knowing."
That’s right, if an underground relationship can be known to others, it is no longer called an underground relationship.
Besides, there is no need to hide the relationship between two normal college students. It is not shameful.
"Are there any female classmates in your class who are in a similar situation to Xiao Bing, orphans?"
The two people opposite were stunned for a moment and asked, "Is Xiao Bing an orphan?"
"You don't know?"
Zhao Zhichao said: "He never mentioned it to anyone, except where he lived. I...we didn't know he was an orphan."
Zhou Yi waved his hand and said, "It's okay."
It seems that although Xiao Bing was cheerful and optimistic when he was in college, he was actually a sensitive person at heart, which is why he avoided talking about his family situation.
After starting work, his personality began to become more withdrawn. Sure enough, something happened that caused his change.
Yan Xuefang thought for a moment and said, "I don't think I've ever heard of any female classmates being orphans."
"Then are there any female classmates who lost contact after graduation?"
Yan Xuefang said: "I'm not sure about that. Although there aren't many people in our class, we're all scattered all over the place, so we can't get together."
Zhou Yi understood this very well. After all, it was the limitation of the times. It was impossible to have WeChat groups and QQ groups like later, where everyone was in the group and they could just find someone to shout at.
It seems that the shortcut is no longer feasible, and we have to go back to the most basic method and ask one by one.
"And in our major, about one-third of the students are abroad."
Yan Xuefang's words made the two of them feel depressed, and that would make things even more troublesome.
At this time, Zhao Zhichao spoke up, "Officers, I've remembered someone who was also our classmate. He and Xiao Bing had a very good relationship back then because they both loved French opera. They even staged an opera for a performance during a college event."
Yan Xuefang asked her husband: "Is it Wu Zhonghua?"
Zhao Zhichao nodded: "Yes, it's him."
The couple were both smart people and had already realized that since the police kept asking Xiao Bing and his female social relations, something must have happened.
As for what it is, they are smart people and won't ask too many questions.
"That's great. Do you have the contact information for Wu Zhonghua?" Zhou Yi asked hurriedly.
"Old Wu went abroad six years ago." Zhao Zhichao's words made the two of them feel depressed.
"But I have business dealings with him, so I can contact him."
Well, Zhou Yi and Chen Yan's moods were like a roller coaster, up and down.
"How about this, if it's convenient for you, could you just make a phone call for us?"
"No problem, but my phone can't make international calls. If you're not in a hurry, why don't you come back to the office with me? It's quite close." Zhao Zhichao looked at his watch. "It's a little after midnight here, and it should be around five in the morning over there, Old Wu."
Afterwards, the two of them went back to the company with Zhao Zhichao, which was a foreign trade company. Zhao Zhichao said that a boss had invested in him, and the boss held the majority share, while he held a smaller share, but he had the final say in the company's operations.
He and Wu Zhonghua are now business partners. After all, the most important thing in foreign trade is smooth overseas channels.
"Ah, but this business is not easy to do. We are restricted by many things overseas and face unfair treatment everywhere." Zhao Zhichao sighed.
Zhou Yi casually said, "Mr. Zhao, don't be discouraged. Although there are indeed difficulties now, the international foreign trade business will have huge business opportunities in the future."
Zhao Zhichao nodded. "Yes, I think so too. Hong Kong Island will be returned to China soon. By then, there will definitely be many policies that are beneficial to trade between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. I am also very much looking forward to it."
"Yes, and that's not all." Zhou Yi said, looking at the city outside the car window, "There will be more opportunities in the future. After all, our country is thriving every day."
Zhao Zhichao was surprised and asked, "Really? Officer Zhou, do you have some inside information?"
Zhou Yi looked out the window, smiled but said nothing. In four years, our country will join the WTO, and that will be when international trade business will really take off.
…
In Zhao Zhichao's office, Zhao Zhichao enthusiastically wanted to make tea for the two of them.
Zhou Yi waved his hand and said it was no trouble as he had already drunk quite a bit.
The implication is that you should call quickly.
Zhao Zhichao understood, returned to his desk, put the phone on speakerphone, and started making an international long-distance call.
In an instant, the signal crossed thousands of mountains and rivers and reached the country on the other side of the ocean.
The phone rang about six or seven times before it was picked up.
A man greeted me in a dazed English.
"Old Wu, I'm Zhao Zhichao."
The person on the other end yawned and replied in Chinese, "No, it's only 5:30 here. It's not even daybreak yet. What happened so early?"
"No, it's not a business matter. I have two criminal police comrades here. They want to know something about Xiao Bing."
"Xiao Bing? I haven't been in touch with him for many years. I just know that he stayed at the school as a teacher."
"Not now, but during college. So, I'm on speakerphone, so I'll let the officer question you directly."
"OK."
Zhao Zhichao pushed the phone forward, and Zhou Yi leaned over and said, "Hello, Mr. Wu. I'm from the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Hongcheng City Public Security Bureau. My name is Zhou Yi."
"Hello, Officer Zhou."
"Mr. Wu, how was your relationship with Xiao Bing when you were in college?"
"It's OK. He and I both love French opera, so we were kindred spirits at the time. We originally wanted to start an opera club, but few people signed up, and we couldn't get enough people, so we gave up."
"Mr. Zhao said you guys have performed together before?"
"Hey, that's old news."
Zhou Yi nodded. At least Wu Zhonghua had more contact with Xiao Bing than Zhao Zhichao and his wife.
"Mr. Wu, as far as you know, did Xiao Bing have a girlfriend when he was in college?"
"Girlfriend? Let me think about it." Wu Zhonghua paused for a moment and said, "I don't think so..."
Just when Zhou Yi and Chen Yan were feeling a little disappointed, Wu Zhonghua suddenly said, "I remember this. It was about that time when we performed the opera. We asked the teacher to borrow an empty classroom. During one of the rehearsals, a girl came to the door waiting for her. The way she looked at Xiao Bing, wow, her eyes were full of smiles."
"I even teased Xiao Bing at the time, saying that you were a very capable person and you were hiding your true potential."
Zhou Yi hurriedly asked, "Is she a girl from your major?"
"No, I haven't seen him. I don't know what his major is. After the rehearsal, he took the girl away."
"Did you see that girl later?"
"I only saw him once after that, downstairs. I think he was also waiting for Xiao Bing. I haven't seen him since then. After all, we started internships in our senior year, so we didn't have many classes in school."
"When is the opera rehearsal you mentioned?"
"Junior year, second semester of junior year."
"Mr. Wu, can you recall the appearance of this girl?"
"Oh, it's been over ten years now. I really don't remember what he looked like. I've only seen him twice."
"It doesn't matter. Any information will do, like height and body type."
Wu Zhonghua thought for a moment and said, "As for height... he seems to be slightly shorter than Xiao Bing. If they walk side by side, there's not much difference."
"Then... I remember she had a ponytail, and she looked quite innocent."
When Zhou Yi heard the word "ponytail", his heart skipped a beat, because he immediately thought of Lu Xiaoshuang, who always wore a ponytail.
"Is this girl pretty?" Zhou Yi asked.
"She's beautiful, that's why I teased Xiao Bing about her hidden talents."
"Oh, right, I remember now. When Xiao Bing left, I heard him call that girl Lulu."
"Lulu?"
"Well, either her last name is Lu, or her name has the character 'Lu' next to 'Wang', or the character 'Lu' in 'Dew'. Either way, it must be pronounced this way."
"Ah, so many years have passed, and I don't know if Xiao Bing finally married this girl."
…
On the way back to the task force, Zhou Yi immediately called Xiang Jie and told him the clue.
This woman named Lulu is definitely not Xiao Bing's classmate. Zhou Yi and Chen Yan had already looked through the information last night. There was no girl in the class of 1983 with the surname Lu or with the character Lu (Lu) in her name.
Moreover, Wu Zhonghua also clearly stated that he had never seen it.
Then we have to expand the scope of the investigation.
The targeted ones are students from the same major and the same grade, and Xiao Bing’s high school classmates.
If there is no suitable match here, we can only expand the scope to the entire school.
Xiao Bing was a junior in college in 1986. All the girls who were in school at that time were screened.
This is a very scary number, as it is in the tens of thousands.
And the premise is that the girl is a student of Hongda University.
What if it wasn't? After all, no one knew how Xiao Bing and this girl knew each other.
Zhou Yi also left Wu Zhonghua's contact information, because he was the only one who had seen the girl, and he had to find him to confirm.
After hearing this, Xiang Jie took a deep breath and said that he would report to Team Liang immediately. If the task force was left to investigate alone, it would take three days and three nights to finish.
But there were not enough police forces outside because most of them were devoted to searching for the remains and arresting Xiao Bing.
People have to be stationed at some important traffic arteries, train stations and bus stations.
It is difficult to spare manpower for regional searches and security patrols.
It seems that this case is not as serious as the Long Zhiqiang case, to the point where the whole city is under martial law, but in fact the police force deployed is not less at all.
Because the Long Zhiqiang case was almost clear in the later stages, but the Hongda case was different. The Hongda case is still a confusing mystery.
Even though Xiao Bing is being hunted now, there are still many doubts about him that do not match the case.
Zhou Yi didn't make too many suggestions. He knew that Liang Wei would definitely think of it. The only solution was to put pressure on the school and let the school mobilize a large number of faculty and staff to help.
But this is the leaders' business and has nothing to do with me.
Now he just wanted to know where Xiao Bing was hiding?
And was that woman in black taken away by Xiao Bing, or was she killed by him?
…
Hongcheng, in a dark corner diagonally across the road from the long-distance bus station.
There is a pair of eyes staring at the bus station in the distance.
As night falls, there are fewer and fewer cars parked in the square outside the bus station.
The eyes disappeared into the darkness again, shrinking back into the dark corner.
Then a man lowered his voice and said, "Be good, don't run around, wait here for me, I'll go buy the ticket."
"I'll take you away from Hongcheng, okay?"
A woman's voice replied, "Yes."
"Don't run around, okay?"
A few seconds later, a man in a hat came out from the corner.
He had a bag on his back and immediately lowered the brim of his hat when he walked under the street light.
Then he stuck close to the roadside, avoiding the streetlights as much as possible, and walked along the edge of darkness.
Just as he was about to reach the bus station, the man's steps suddenly froze.
Because a policeman appeared in front.
At this moment, the man happened to be in the shadows. If he took another step forward, he would be discovered by the other party.
The man was so frightened that he didn't even dare to breathe, and slowly moved backwards.
After putting some distance between them, the man ran away.
This reaction made the policeman not far away notice something was wrong, and he shouted, "Who are you? Stop!"
Then he chased after him.
The man in front ran back to the dark corner like crazy.
Rushing in, he shouted, "Lulu, run! Police..."
His mind suddenly exploded with a buzzing sound.
Because the corner was empty, there was no one.
Behind me, I heard the police shouting.
Without thinking too much, he dived into the nearby bushes and ran away.
It was too dark and he didn't know where to escape. He only knew to run wherever it was dark.
Gradually, there was no sound of pursuit from behind.
But he still didn't dare to stop, for fear that he would be caught if he stopped.
Even though the tension and running made him feel like his lungs were about to explode, he still didn't dare to stop.
He was not afraid of being caught, but the problem was that Lulu was missing. Lulu could not be caught by the police, otherwise it would be over!
He must find Lulu, otherwise what would be the point of everything he did.
He rushed out of a bush, tripped, and fell out rolling.
Just as a car was driving past, a dark shadow suddenly appeared, startling the driver and causing him to slam on the brakes.
With a sharp brake sound, the front of the car stopped less than twenty centimeters away from the man.
If the driver had braked a second or two later, he would have been run over by the car.
This sudden scene frightened the man on the ground.
He wanted to get up, but found that his legs were weak and trembling.
At this time, the driver got out of the car and slammed the door shut.
It was obvious that he was extremely angry at this uninvited guest who almost got him into trouble.
But when the driver saw the person on the ground clearly under the car lights, he was surprised and said, "Xiao... Teacher Xiao?"
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