Chapter 84 More Difficult Problems
Zhou Yi's question made Lu Xiaoshuang lower her head, and she began to twist the corners of her clothes with the index fingers of both hands.
"When I was thirteen, I came to Hongcheng to go to school alone. I didn't know anyone."
"Grandma often chats with me, but her accent is so thick that I still can't understand some of what she says. She's also hard of hearing, so you have to speak loudly to her. If my aunt hears, she'll scold me."
"When I was in middle school, my classmates looked down on me because my family was poor, so I didn't have many friends. Of course, I knew my family was poor, so I studied hard and always ranked among the top in the grade," Lu Xiaoshuang said proudly.
"I was admitted to university last year and live on campus. My roommates don't look down on me, but because I have to work to earn a living, I don't interact with them very often."
"So, usually... I rarely chat with people."
Zhou Yi remembered that in the files of the Hongda case, when the police were investigating Lu Xiaoshuang's social relations, the character description they obtained after visiting many parties was: withdrawn, taciturn, unsociable, and rarely proactive in communicating with others.
It seems that no matter how detailed the investigation conclusions are, they may still be one-sided and superficial.
She is not a loner or a non-sociable person, but the pressures of life and environment have forced her to become the "lonely" person in the eyes of others.
Lu Xiaoshuang looked up and asked cautiously, "Brother Zhou, am I talking too much?"
Zhou Yi said without hesitation: "No, I really like listening to you talk. Here with me, you can say whatever you want, without any worries."
"Okay." Lu Xiaoshuang nodded happily.
It was very strange, the person in front of her gave her an inexplicable sense of security, as if she hadn't felt this way for a long, long time.
It seemed as if her entire life had been tied tightly to a string ever since she left that yellow land and her parents.
She really felt tired and wanted to stop.
But she was like a lonely boat drifting, pushed forward by the wind and waves, and could never stop to rest.
But now, she seemed to stop, because she knew that the man in front of her would protect herself.
Unconsciously, her eye sockets felt a little sore again, but Lu Xiaoshuang quickly wiped her eyes.
"What is your major at Hong University?" Zhou Yi asked.
Of course he knew the answer, but he needed to get more information through chatting and build Lu Xiaoshuang's trust in him.
But what Zhou Yi didn't know was that for this soft-hearted girl, he was now the person she trusted the most.
"Finance. When I was filling out my application, I asked my high school teacher for advice. She suggested that I study finance because it would make it easier to find a job in the future."
Zhou Yi suddenly had an idea and immediately asked, "Will you work at the barbecue restaurant in the future?"
Lu Xiaoshuang shook her head. "No, I'm not going. I've caused so much trouble for the boss, I feel embarrassed to go again. But I told the boss that I will compensate for the things that were broken today."
Zhou Yi was stunned, "Why do you have to pay?"
"You didn't ask me to pay, I offered to pay."
Zhou Yi was even more confused, "Why?"
"After all, this incident was caused by me, and the boss always said that running a business is not easy..."
Zhou Yi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. This girl was so kind that she was a little naive.
But on second thought, this is not her problem, her kindness is her nature.
But for a girl who left her parents at the age of thirteen and lived under the care of others, no one taught her how dangerous the world is, and no one taught her how to protect her rights.
Kind people always consider others and take the initiative to take more responsibilities.
Little did she know that the barbecue restaurant owner was brainwashing his employees by always saying that business was bad.
If it was really difficult, the store would have closed down long ago.
"Lu Xiaoshuang, you don't have to pay for this. If there's any compensation, it should be paid by those bastards who were arrested. If the barbecue restaurant owner wants to claim compensation, he can file a claim. The police will also hold the suspect accountable during the subsequent investigation."
"Really... I really don't have to pay for it?" Lu Xiaoshuang asked with wide eyes.
Zhou Yi nodded.
Lu Xiaoshuang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great, I was wondering what to do with so much money."
"Thank you, Brother Zhou."
Seeing that she was about to stand up and bow again, Zhou Yi quickly stopped her.
But it also made him feel sad. For children from poor families, money is sometimes more important than life.
"I'll tell my colleagues later and ask them to go talk to the owner of the barbecue restaurant about the claim."
"Hmmmm."
"So what are you going to do next?"
"I want to wait until after class tomorrow to look for a suitable part-time job."
Zhou Yi asked in surprise: "Are you in such a hurry?"
"Well, grandma's birthday is in two months, but her hearing is getting worse and worse. I want to save money to buy her a hearing aid."
"In another two months..." Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat.
Isn't that May? The grand case happened on May 6th. That is to say, in the previous life, Lu Xiaoshuang was killed before she even gave her grandmother a birthday present.
Zhou Yi's fists clenched tightly unconsciously in an instant.
"Brother Zhou... Your wound is bleeding!" Lu Xiaoshuang shouted in panic.
Zhou Yi then realized that because he had used too much force, the gauze wrapped around his right hand had seeped out blood.
Lu Xiaoshuang stood up and ran out, saying, "I'll go call a doctor."
This contact further strengthened Zhou Yi's determination to save Lu Xiaoshuang.
But at the same time, a more difficult problem was placed before Zhou Yi: how to lure the murderer out.
Even if Zhou Yi locked on the suspect through constant contact with Lu Xiaoshuang, it would be useless.
Because at this point in time, the murderer has not yet committed the crime, so it is impossible to catch him.
Even if Zhou Yi could prove that he had strong criminal intent, as a police officer, the most we could do was warn him.
He is not a judge, nor an extrajudicial punisher, and he cannot use violence or even illegal means to solve problems.
The only possibility is that the murderer was caught in the act of committing a crime.
But this means that Lu Xiaoshuang will be exposed to the threat of death, and if she is not careful, she may repeat the same mistakes and face a tragic fate again.
Zhou Yi would not allow such a thing to happen.
Zhou Yi could have prevented the dismemberment case from happening more than a month later by intervening, but this was a poor solution that only treated the symptoms and not the root cause.
Because the murderer is in the dark and Lu Xiaoshuang is in the light, the murderer can commit another crime at any time, but it is impossible for Zhou Yi to stay by Lu Xiaoshuang's side every minute to guard against her.
Soon, Lu Xiaoshuang came with a doctor. After removing the gauze and examining the bleeding wound, the doctor was very confused.
While changing the gauze, he reminded Zhou Yi that this hand should not be subjected to any stress and should not be exposed to water.
After repeatedly checking the bandage condition of the wound, the doctor left.
"Lu Xiaoshuang, how about I help you find a part-time job?" Zhou Yi suddenly said.
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