Chapter 61 "The Deliveryman" "You're trying to murder your husband, Jian Xiaoshi..."
At 5:30, at the noodle shop, everyone was unusually present except for Lao Ji and Sun Dali.
This season is also known as the "Autumn Tiger," and a layer of heat rushed towards the glass from across the street. Sun Dali, who had rushed back, hurriedly pushed open the door. Seeing that there were no customers outside, he immediately called out, "Jian Xiaoshi, come out, I have something to tell you!"
Jian Dieda and Sun Dali went outside to talk.
Sun Dali: "Old Ji didn't go to the station at all! He went to the vicinity of Nanping Police Station, I saw it with my own eyes!"
Jian Dieda's expression changed. There was always a related location on the map, Nanping Police Station, so it seemed there was a reason for it.
At this moment, a clue that was about to reveal the character's identity was right in front of him. Sun Dali was busy suspecting everyone. He whispered, "Is the pervert... someone we know at the noodle shop!"
Nodding in response, Jian Dieda no longer doubted his judgment. He told Sun Dali that they would act according to the situation that evening.
Later, he found Xiangxiang alone and said that he had good news to announce when Lao Ji returned that night. He knew who the suspect in the last spying incident was.
By six o'clock, it was completely dark. The other people in the shop thought that Lao Ji would definitely not come back for dinner, but unexpectedly, Lao Ji appeared at the door on his own initiative.
Sun Dali couldn't help but secretly steal glances at Jian Dieda.
Jian Dieda looked at the three employees in the store and said softly, "It's terribly cold outside, why don't we close the door?"
Old Ji shook his head and corrected him: "Our shop can't be closed. We business people can't say we're closing down before closing time."
Sun Dali said loudly, "Oh, it's nothing! We've been locked up for almost a day already! Ninth Brother is in a bad mood and hasn't come back! If Jian Xiaoshi hadn't said that if he didn't come back, no one would have anything to eat, he probably wouldn't have cooked dinner at all."
Old Ji was surprised.
Zhong Yinghuai immediately wanted to have a big fight with Sun Dali.
Xiangxiang, unaware of anything amiss, said, "Alright, I'll shut it down. Xiaoshi, tell me quickly, how should we catch this pervert?"
Sun Dali continued to glare at Lao Ji: "Of course we should call the police, Lao Ji, don't you agree?"
It was this one sentence that prevented Lao Ji from stopping Xiangxiang from closing the shop door, but he remained calm, as if he didn't notice that the atmosphere in the shop was strange.
Jian Dieda said, "Sister Xiangxiang, I think it's unnecessary to call the police."
Sun Dali and Xiangxiang asked in unison, "Why?"
Jian Dieda revealed the first clue: "The person who received the report is here."
After saying that, Jian Dieda poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Lao Ji.
Old Ji fell silent for a moment, and his palm trembled almost imperceptibly, which Zhong Yinghuai seemed to notice.
The water glass reflected the astonished faces of everyone present.
In fact, just a moment ago, he and Zhong Yinghuai had already noticed Lao Ji's hands. They were hands full of honors and should not belong to an old chef.
Zhong Yinghuai snapped out of his daze and immediately asked the oldest employee in the noodle shop.
Old Ji nodded: "Ninth Brother, I'm sorry, I lied. In fact, I have another job. I came to Nanping on official business."
This reversal was too big.
“Old Ji, you…” Zhong Yinghuai lit the lighter with one hand, his brows furrowed as he understood everything.
The waiter uniforms ordered by Brother Jiu's noodle shop are actually very common. Old Ji is already in his forties or fifties, but his tall and standard figure gives him a unique personal charm.
"Ninth Brother, Xiao Shi, what exactly happened? Old Ji, weren't you supposed to be a cold dish chef who was transferred to another job?" Sun Dali asked, puzzled.
Jane Dieda shook her head.
“Well, Lao Ji has been transferred, but he’s probably been transferred to an undercover post. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the chance to find the tall mule mentioned on the Spring Festival couplet for 107. The yellow goods have arrived, and there’s also the key to 107,” Jian Dieda looked at Lao Ji. “Lao Ji, these are all the physical evidence you guided us to collect. You’re a policeman, right?”
Old Ji sat down and exchanged glances with his colleagues who were looking at each other. The middle-aged man with a scar on his face said quietly, "Yes, I am a policeman, and also an undercover agent for a major case from the provincial capital. You guessed it, Xiao Shi."
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, and the dark clouds that heralded the coming storm silenced everyone.
Everyone was in a daze, and the details of the case came to mind...
Did they really stumble upon a major case by accident?
Old Ji said to them, "I'm sorry for hiding everything, but if we hadn't used this method to protect the witnesses, I think everyone would have already been killed."
Zhong Yinghuai didn't realize at first what it meant for everyone to be murdered.
Old Ji confessed: "The recent disappearance of the female student in Nanping and the murders of Ruan Lili and Li Qian have many similarities. The fact that your store received ghostly takeout has also been a concern for our superiors."
Zhong Yinghuai was shocked. He and Jian Dieda had suspected this, but it turned out that the police had even sent an undercover agent to their store. This was too responsible.
Old Ji said, "The higher-ups don't believe in ghosts, but no one can identify this murderer except through ghosts. He keeps committing crimes repeatedly. Most of these people have been to prison before. These people are hard to change. They just confess but don't repent. What's worse is that leaks from the public during the investigation have led to copycats. For the past few years, I've had sleepless nights. I'm hiding here for fear of missing any evidence."
Jian Dieda felt that Lao Ji was not lying.
He needs to step up his efforts to gain the trust of this high-ranking police officer, because his performance over the years must have already caught the officer's attention.
Sure enough, the narrator reminded him that it was true.
[Ding! Old Ji's favorability +30!]
After hearing the system prompt, Jian Dieda shifted the virtual map to everyone present, drawing some of the attention of the NPCs to Xiangxiang being spied on.
With Lao Ji listening in, Jian Dieda recounted the story in detail.
At first, everyone thought that when the man in stockings approached Xiangxiang from here, the door and windows of the noodle shop should have been closed.
At this moment, Jane Dieda broke through the fabricated locked room, exposing a fundamental flaw in the case.
"Everyone, I suspect that the person who spied on Xiangxiang that night was not a random passerby, nor was he someone from the neighborhood who was waiting for an opportunity in the middle of the night. He was a rat hiding at the bottom of the rice jar."
Sun Dali: "What do you mean by that?"
Jian Dieda: "Sister Xiangxiang, can we find the last customer who came to eat noodles before closing time that night in the transaction log?"
Xiangxiang: "What? The last customer? Oh, no need to check the records, it's Zhou, the one who always tries to cheat on the bill when Ninth Brother isn't around."
“Master Zhou! I’ve disliked him for a long time, turns out he’s a lecherous old man!” Sun Dali interrupted.
Xiangxiang quickly said, "We've known Master Zhou for so long, this can't be, right? But I remember, I was too busy that day, and he was here. But no, this can't be."
Jane Dieda: "Sister, tell me, why is it impossible?"
Xiangxiang said, "He ate a bowl of noodles, and we even chatted and laughed for a while, but then he left. I remember clearly when I closed the door, he called out at the door, 'Xiangmeizi, I'm leaving. I'll settle the money next time.' At that time, I thought he was in a hurry to cheat and run away, and he didn't care about anything else, because when I got angry and chased after him to ask for the money, there was really only Master Zhou's empty bowl on the table."
Jian Dieda glanced at the table and the kitchen, while the others listened to Xiao Heipi's explanation.
"No, actually he didn't leave, he hid. He saw we weren't there, so he hid under the table to fool you first, and then after you took a shower, he decided to hide in the kitchen freezer. When you closed the shop and stayed inside, he climbed over to the outside of the bathroom while you were showering. The security camera was installed there, and those who know each other best know it. It's precisely because Master Zhou knows everyone at Brother Jiu's Noodle Shop so well that I guess he did something extra after hiding in the shop."
"What?"
"Take a look, see if the ledgers in the cashier have been torn up, and also check if the 200 yuan scratch card that Brother Jiu won last week, which he hasn't redeemed yet, is gone."
This was something the people at Brother Jiu's Noodle Shop had never considered. They had only ever heard of noodle shops overcharging customers, but it turned out that some customers were actually overcharging customers by checking the plates to scout out the place.
However, Mr. Zhou is indeed a veteran lottery player. He loves to scratch lottery tickets after meals and always dreams of winning the Hong Kong Mark Six lottery one day, which would bring good fortune to his ancestors.
Zhong Yinghuai had never won a big prize, but because he bought a lot of things, he had some luck. Master Zhou's fingerprints were found in the noodle shop drawer, which provided evidence of his theft, spying on Xiangxiang, and hiding in the shop as a pervert.
Old Ji, who had already trusted Jian Dieda, had an appreciative look in his eyes. He had no choice but to tell them, "It seems I was wrong before. I always thought that the person Xiangxiang met was the real culprit I was looking for."
Jane Diedda: "Perhaps we're not far from catching that big fish."
Old Ji would help them report the current situation to their superiors.
The noodle shop kept quiet.
Police on the other side immediately went to Zhou's workplace.
That day, Mr. Zhou fled, but his taxi company and his relatives were taken into custody by the police.
Perhaps considering the greater risks of fleeing, Mr. Zhou, who had not had time to take any valuables with him, turned himself in a day and a night later. In just half an hour, he confessed to his crime, which was his first offense.
"It was me... Waaah, I was so stupid! The Ma brothers forced me to steal from the noodle shop. They said if I could just scam Ninth Brother, I wouldn't have to pay to take the other brothers to the bathhouse for girls..."
Hearing this, Mr. Zhou's wife couldn't hold back anymore. As an ordinary woman, she was dressed like a hardworking and simple person when she went to the police station. All she could do was cover her face, sit on the ground, and curse: "Fuck your own father! Don't ever come out in your next life, officer! Lock this son of a bitch up! I'm going back to my parents' house."
With his next mission in mind, Old Ji, the undercover veteran policeman, returned to his unit first. Jian Dieda thought to himself that once tonight was over, he would definitely be one step closer to leaving.
He had just told Lao Ji about this idea.
Jian Dieda said, "Please go back and check the female witnesses in Fu'an Community. I actually suspect that someone was involved in Li Qian's murder."
When the corpse mentioned gender in the description, Jian Dieda immediately made another judgment: the murderer must have been an experienced killer and had a female accomplice.
The body was found to have strangulation and restraint injuries. The bruises on the joints from the restraint injuries were male, while the non-fatal strangulation injuries were caused by a rubber band. Police speculate that this tool used to assist in the murder likely came from the killer's hairstyle, which was designed to lure women into the trap. The victim was then taken to the murder site, brutally beaten by multiple people, and died. The final steps involved dismembering, disposing of, and disposing of the body.
Old Ji left immediately.
Jian Dieda thought that besides saying goodbye to Zhong Yinghuai, he should do it all today; he wouldn't wait for Zhong Yinghuai to change his mind.
Zhong Yinghuai heard Lao Ji drive away and was still lost in thought in the store, wearing a white vest and boxer shorts.
Everyone's mood has been fluctuating today.
His relationship problems with Jane Xiaoshi actually seem less strange.
Zhong Yinghuai sat in front of the computer with his legs crossed, drank a glass of red wine, and checked the stock market. He was about to go out to find the part-time worker who had solved the strange case when he found Jian Dieda squatting down, holding a washboard, washing clothes for his boss in the middle of the night.
Besides the shirt wrung out by hand, the most conspicuous item in the basin was the bachelor boss's triangular underwear, which was covered in white foam from being rubbed with a lemon-scented Safeguard soap.
Zhong Yinghuai could no longer walk.
The ears beneath that patch of black hair, the precocious Adam's apple, and the thin, youthful back evoked a feeling of tenderness and a desire to protect them.
There were many mosquitoes at night, and Jian Dieda's pert buttocks moved with her half-squatting posture as she crossed her legs and dragged the stool forward.
Zhong Yinghuai looked at Jian Dieda's loose waistband, his brain, which was burning on the spot, was playing dirty thoughts on a loop, and he felt that his heart was rotting.
Perhaps what overflowed from the red basin, besides his desire, was the skinny boy's slippery, wet hands. What if he went over and pretended to accidentally hug Jian Xiaoshi from behind, and then leaned down to kiss him on the lips?
He couldn't help but stare intently at the basin, then at the person, imagining the inappropriate things that should have happened between the two men, with the subjects being nothing more than two obscene words.
Pretending not to know, Jian Xiaoshi remained completely oblivious. He picked up the scrubbing board, applied laundry detergent, and foam began to form.
This action triggered a chain reaction. The white foam flowing down his underwear made Zhong Yinghuai's daydreaming mind fly away. Soon, a while later, Jian Dieda, who had finished his work, sat back down on the small stool. He was wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand when he turned around and saw Zhong Yinghuai with that strange expression on his face again.
Using laundry as the final step in a gay couple's breakup—family, he didn't do it this time, did he? Why is Boss Zhong glaring at him?
Jian Dieda: "Ninth Brother, I just happened to see your underwear and rubbed it, I forgot that this kind of thing should be done by your sister-in-law."
Mr. Zhong was greatly alarmed.
He put on a show of utter shock from head to toe, expressing the shame and indignation that only an old man would feel at having his underwear, such a private thing, touched by an employee.
"She's deliberately trying to provoke him," he thought bitterly, feigning a fierce glare at Jian Dieda. "Who told you this world to be so chaotic and deceiving? Jian Xiaoshi is taking advantage of my...kindness as an adult."
Hating in his heart, Boss Zhong turned his face away. He refused to look at the underwear and answer any questions. Coupled with the atmosphere of the two of them being alone, his heart began to feel heavy. He felt the taste of red wine rushing into his head, and his mouth, which usually couldn't utter a kind word, was sealed shut.
The two awkwardly started talking, focusing on their current predicament of breaking up.
Zhong Yinghuai asked, "What would you do without me? Study?"
Jane thought for a moment: "Without you, I would probably leave." He had no ties to him, and once he finished his mission, he would definitely return to reality.
So Jane shook her head: "No, it's because I don't have you that I'm leaving this world that doesn't welcome me. I couldn't leave before because someone said he would support me for life with one million, two million, and two property deeds. I've never seen so much money before. I feel that since his love is worth a thousand pieces of gold, I should agree to be his wife."
"..."
Having been completely fooled by Jian Xiaoshi, Zhong Yinghuai was already so angry he couldn't sleep. Now, a mouthful of hot porridge choked him, and he coughed in disbelief, his eyes red.
A few seconds later, Zhong Yinghuai suddenly panicked. He grabbed his hair and struggled for a moment before losing control and kneeling on the ground with a pleading face, saying, "Jian Xiaoshi, where are you going? You're going to abandon me, isn't that what you meant just now?"
As he spoke, he was filled with regret. Zhong Yinghuai had never expected that his little wife, whom he had finally won over, would run away.
Looking back on his life of more than thirty years, all he can think about now is being alone with Jian Xiaoshi. He even smiles with happiness whenever the two of them are together. How can he explain this to others?
He even recalled his childhood as an orphan and his youth, which was severely impacted by poverty.
Thinking of these sad things, Zhong Yinghuai's eyes welled up with tears, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips. "When I was little, my parents went out to work and never came back. My mother made noodles for me. I thought about it for over twenty years before I opened this noodle shop. So, actually, it was you who gave me a home, making me feel that whether I open a noodle shop or not doesn't matter anymore, because I have a home for the rest of my life."
Jian Dieda still felt a surge of anger.
He instinctively wanted the man to show him affection, yet he didn't want to linger in the latter half of the story. For this reason, he avoided Zhong Yinghuai's gaze all day, and now, in a state of inexplicable grievance, he forcefully bumped his forehead against Zhong Yinghuai's shoulder.
A blast of cold air hit his lungs, and Zhong Yinghuai grimaced, his eyes filled with helplessness: "Are you trying to murder your husband, Jian Xiaoshi?"
Jane Dieda put her hand over her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to bang her head against him to get out of the way. "I'm leaving. I don't have a husband."
Not allowing him to be willful, Zhong Yinghuai opened his arms, and a strong hand pressed down on his head, then slid from the back of his neck, shoulder to arm, and pulled him into his arms: "You're not allowed to leave. I've told you many times, if you leave I'll break my own legs. If I really become crippled one day, then Ninth Brother won't like you anymore."
Jane Diedda: "..."
"How about a kiss?" Zhong Yinghuai said with his eyes closed, holding the child in his arms in a humble manner. "I like you so much, I raise you, you little liar, and feed you, can't I even teach you a lesson?"
"..." The wronged child still didn't want to move. Ever since he met this person who could hold him tight, hug him, and kiss him tenderly, he no longer felt that the salvation in fairy tales was fake.
And he felt the man pulling at him.
"The schoolbag was bought for my little wife, and the pig heart soup was also made for my little wife. What's there to be angry about? When it comes to you, I have no principles. I'll let you hit me to vent your anger. Come on, one, two, three, hit me."
Jane shook off the hand and replied, "You talk differently than you did yesterday. I'm not a stray cat."
Zhong Yinghuai said, "Who said you're a stray cat? It's only natural for me to bicker with my wife behind closed doors, but you're not my wife yet this month. Let's wait until next month. I'm eagerly waiting to be with my wife, okay?"
After Zhong Yinghuai finished speaking, he didn't dare to breathe loudly.
Time seemed to slow down.
During this process, Jian Dieda knew that it was useless for him to agree not to leave, as the system was the one with the decision-making power. However, he still went over. Then, the young man with fluffy hair behind his ears lowered his head and hugged his neck. His wet, soft tongue touched the handsome man's lower lip, mouth, and Adam's apple.
This is a behavior of a young animal searching for its parents.
Standing beside the broken things, Zhong Yinghuai felt a lump in his throat; he wanted to lick the child's face.
Upon reflection, he wondered how he could have spoken such harsh words to Jian Xiaoshi that morning.
His hand, yearning to touch Jane Dieda, trembled uncontrollably, and the violent heat of sweat gushed from the man's brain onto his well-defined back.
It took a lot of force to suppress his thoughts. Zhong Yinghuai, who was panting heavily, looked like he wanted to possess Jian Dieda completely, right now.
Once this twisted idea took root, he began to feel that he deserved to die. He was not only mentally unstable and gay, but he also made Jian Xiaoshi follow him around at such a young age. He was a criminal, a pervert, a beast, but also a good man who would swear to love his wife to death for the rest of his life.
Zhong Yinghuai pressed his nose against Jian Dieda's shoulder, his lips roughly biting the strap of his vest. "Baby, Ninth Brother will wait for you next month. We won't be doing anything for now, no, we can even just not do anything this year. We'll go back to our hometown and close the shop, okay? As long as you never look at those teachers posted by Sun Dali again..."
If he agrees to Zhong Yinghuai's request now, he will be a liar who steals other people's love for the third time.
Jian Dieda didn't know when the narrator would let him 'reincarnate', so he could only look towards the door and change the subject, "Brother Dali."
He wanted to talk about the case, but Sun Dali stood there dumbfounded, watching the two people kissing passionately inside the room, unsure whether to leave or call out.
Zhong Yinghuai roared, "Sun Dali! What are you staring at with those dead fish eyes? Haven't you ever seen a man coaxing his wife? Believe me or not, I'll have Lao Ji come back and beat you up!"
Sun Dali was so scared he peed his pants!
What the heck? His boss is yelling like that, is he on drugs?
And Ninth Brother, your bloodshot eyes and cannibalistic look are terrifying! Have you gone mad?!
However, Jian Dieda changed his attitude towards Sun Dali this time. He sincerely said to his colleague, "Brother Dali, you're right, we really like this kind of thing. Please don't tell anyone. Brother Jiu and I will thank you for the rest of our lives."
With a pained expression, Sun Dali raised his limbs, which he had just learned to walk upright, and said, "Boss, little boss lady, I'm just a cowardly straight man. How dare I wish you a long and happy marriage and many children!"
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Author's Note: I'm here!
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-12-27 00:32:08 and 2024-01-15 01:40:36!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: Jinjin (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Jianyanjiuhao 20 bottles; Nianqingqing 16 bottles; Wanzichichi and Yuanweishupian 11 bottles; Chaxiaobai 5 bottles; Duanweimaque 3 bottles; and Dajiangyoude and Baoyinbingshibanxingbanshui 1 bottle.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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