Chapter 45
"Where's the kitchen?"
Xu Guannan asked calmly.
As soon as the words came out, Wangcai's drooping ears instantly stood up, his eyes were full of hope, his pupils inadvertently brightened a little, and he wagged his tail and happily took Xu Guannan into the kitchen on the first floor.
After taking a look at the refrigerator, which was empty, Xu Guannan slowly put down his rolled-up sleeves and looked helplessly at Wangcai who was standing by. He frowned slightly and said,
"Looks like I still have to buy groceries."
The smile on Wangcai's face was silently retracted. He let out a whimper of grievance and his hungry stomach made a gurgling sound. Wangcai lay on the floor with a frown on his face.
Xu Guannan walked to the door, turned around and saw that Wangcai had not caught up, so he shouted to him,
"Let's go, I'll take you to the supermarket."
His two ears stood up instantly, and Wangcai suddenly became energetic, raised his happy dog paws and hurried to catch up.
When Lin Sheng woke up again, the sun had already moved to mid-sky. The aroma from the kitchen downstairs filled her nose, arousing the appetite in Lin Sheng's stomach. Her stomach kept rumbling in protest, urging her to get up.
Lin Sheng opened her eyes drowsily, and her thoughts slowly returned to her mind. Faced with the temptation of the fragrance, her mind became much clearer, and she reacted immediately. She threw back the quilt, slipped out of bed, washed up immediately, and ran downstairs without even bothering to put on her shoes.
Following the aroma, he rushed into the kitchen, picked up the chopsticks on the table and started eating without even looking up. Lin Sheng did not forget to say to the busy figure in the kitchen,
"Since Captain Xu is so sincere, I won't hold it against you for what happened yesterday. Captain Xu's cooking skills are pretty good, it would be better if it was a little spicier."
Xu Guannan saw her flash to the dining table, with a look of wolfing down her food, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised a curve. But when he saw that Lin Sheng was not wearing shoes, that curve quietly fell, his brows slightly furrowed, and there was a hint of blame in his tone.
"Why aren't you wearing shoes? Wash your hands before you eat."
Lin Sheng just swallowed the meat in his mouth, raised his eyes to look at Xu Guannan, his eyes fell on his hands, and answered hurriedly,
"I'm so hungry that I haven't had time to put on my shoes or wash my hands. What's the delicious food in your bowl? Let me see."
Hearing this, Xu Guannan's brows relaxed slightly, and he naturally placed the bowl in front of Lin Sheng, with a hint of joy in his eyes.
"Beetroot porridge, good for your stomach. Eat this first, then the others."
Lin Sheng couldn't wait to pick up the bowl of porridge and drink it. Seeing this, Xu Guannan immediately reached out to stop her and said something considerately,
"It's very hot right out of the pot, eat slowly."
Lin Sheng frowned slightly, exhaled helplessly, sat down, took the spoon handed to him by Xu Guannan, pursed his lips,
“Eating in small bites is boring.”
Xu Guannan suddenly laughed and asked,
"Where are the shoes?"
Lin Sheng held the spoon in his left hand and the chopsticks in his right hand, and said vaguely,
"It's the room on the second floor, the one without the talisman paper."
After saying that, Lin Sheng continued to eat, and Wangcai at his feet also buried his face in his own big bowl. The man and the beast wolfed down the food, looking like "starving ghosts" who had been hungry for several years.
When Xu Guannan came down from upstairs, he saw this scene.
With a gentle smile on his face, Xu Guannan walked to the table and placed his slippers at Lin Sheng's feet. His tone was not strange at all.
"Put it on first."
Lin Sheng said simply, put on his shoes, and did not forget to put a piece of meat in Xu Guannan's bowl, with a happy expression on his face.
"Captain Xu is handsome, a good cook, and so considerate. He is truly a model of a good man across the country. You should eat quickly, finish your meal quickly, and get back to work on the case."
Xu Guannan's face seemed calm and unperturbed, but ripples were inadvertently rising in his heart, and he responded indifferently.
After dinner, Xu Guannan explained the details to Lin Sheng.
"Yesterday, the fire department suddenly received a report of a crime at a residential building. When they rushed over, they found out that it was a prank by a resident, but the perpetrator was not found at the scene.
In addition, based on the information you provided, we checked Li Ke and found that she has not appeared since the live broadcast with you that night. It is very likely that something happened to her.
When Xu Guannan said this, his brows unconsciously frowned, and a trace of guilt for dereliction of duty arose in his heart.
Lin Sheng sat in the passenger seat and turned to look at him. As if he had seen through Xu Guannan's thoughts, he said in a relaxed tone,
"Don't worry, Li Ke is fine. According to her own guess, the murderer is the fake Lu Yu. The fake Lu Yu will not hurt her. If the fake Lu Yu really intended to attack Li Ke, he would not have waited until now."
Hearing this, Xu Guannan's frown relaxed slightly, his face became serious, and he suddenly spoke,
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you and delayed the investigation. I won't do it again next time."
Lin Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly, leaned back in the passenger seat, and looked at Xu Guannan's face. After a moment of silence, he said,
"No need to apologize. You're a police officer, and it's right to handle the case rigorously. I will bring sufficient evidence to the police station next time."
At this time, Lu Yu took Li Ke into a hotel, locked him in the room, and immediately asked for a long vacation from the company.
Li Ke stood by the bedroom window, opened the curtains a little, looked out the window, and scanned the floors. He seemed to be planning something in his heart, and he didn't even hear the sound of the door opening behind him.
A pair of hands suddenly wrapped around Li Ke's waist from behind, making her tremble all over.
The person behind him leaned his head on Li Ke's shoulder, pressed his body tightly against hers, and gently rubbed Li Ke's neck. His voice was very gentle, but the words he said made Li Ke feel a chill on his back.
"Keke, don't think about it. The floor is very high. If you fall, you will die. But I don't mind living with you as a vegetable. Coco will be very well behaved like that."
Li Ke came back to her senses instantly, her hands and feet were cold, and her heart trembled for a moment. Only then did Li Ke realize that she seemed to not understand "Lu Yu" at all.
Feeling the person in his arms instinctively shrink back, he moved a little closer, but inadvertently pleased Lu Yu.
Lu Yu held Li Ke's hand tightly, with a doting smile on his face and joy in his eyes. He said to Li Ke slowly,
"Baby, don't be afraid. As long as you don't leave, you can do whatever you want. I apologize for boring you these past two days. I've taken ten days off. I'll take you out for a walk the day after tomorrow. Have you decided where to go?"
This sentence made Li Ke's whole body tense up. He felt like a bird trapped in a cage. The more he struggled, the harder it was to get out, and his whole body became hairy.
Li Ke tried to break free from Lu Yu's hand, but was held tighter. She had no choice but to give up the idea, put on a very forced smile, and politely refused.
"I'm a little tired. I'll go out later. Let me have a good rest these few days, okay?"
Lu Yu did not speak directly. His eyes fell on Li Ke's face, watching Li Ke's expression. There seemed to be a layer of darkness in his eyes, and his expression was unpredictable.
Li Ke was frightened by his stare, and the hairs on her body stood up. Just when she thought Lu Yu was going to refuse, she heard a voice in her ear:
"Okay, no rush, we have plenty of time. However, we need to stay in the hotel for a few days. After this time, I will take you home."
The string that had relaxed in Li Ke's mind tightened again, and a stiff smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Lu Yu leaned on Li Ke's shoulder, closed his eyes peacefully, and rubbed his nose against Li Ke's body, causing the person in his arms to tremble unconsciously. He looked satisfied and his expression seemed to be nostalgic.
"Keke, what do you want to eat tonight? I'm going to the supermarket to buy some fruits and snacks now. You'll have to eat takeout for the next few days."
Li Ke's eyes lit up slightly, and just as he was about to speak, Lu Yu interrupted him.
As if seeing through Li Ke's inner thoughts, Lu Yu interrupted and said,
"I can go alone. Since you are tired, just rest in your room and get a good sleep."
His eyes dimmed instantly, Li Ke showed an unhappy look, pushed Lu Yu's hand away, pretending to be angry.
"I have no appetite. You can buy it yourself."
Lu Yu had no intention of letting her go out. Seeing that she was angry, he could only speak in a flattering manner.
"Then I'll bring you a small cake and buy some of your favorite food. Don't be angry, there's still a lot of time, and I don't want to keep you locked up."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Yu put the key in his pocket and went out, locking the door from the outside, with no intention of giving Li Ke a chance to escape.
Li Ke stared at the door and remained motionless for a while. After making sure that Lu Yu would not come back, Li Ke instantly breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.
He turned to search the bedroom and living room. Li Ke's expression was tense, with a layer of cold sweat on his face. He was anxiously muttering to himself,
"Where is it?"
While searching, he kept looking back at the door, fearing that Lu Yu would suddenly appear. Li Ke searched for a long time but found nothing. He was like an ant on a hot pan, sweating profusely with anxiety.
Lin Sheng and Xu Guannan were the first to find Li Ke's new address based on the community address provided by the fire department. They knocked on the door, but no one opened it.
Lin Sheng looked inside the doorway, but didn't see anyone. He put his ear to the door, but couldn't hear any movement inside. It seemed like no one was living there at all. The two of them simply went to the property management to inquire about the situation.
"Where are the residents who had the fire yesterday?"
The property manager looked at the two of them with a defensive expression.
Xu Guannan took out his ID and spoke to the property management in a slightly cold tone,
"The police are investigating the case normally, please cooperate."
The property manager's eyes instantly became clear, and his expression became more serious.
"His family situation is a bit unusual. The fire was a hoax. His girlfriend is mentally unstable and was locked up at home with no one to look after her, which is why the fire started. Officer, what crime did he commit? Did he kill someone?"
This thought came to the mind of the property, and then he turned worried, moved closer, and whispered,
"Could it really be a murderer? Officer, please don't let other residents know about your investigation, otherwise I won't be able to sell my house!"
Lin Sheng raised his lips slightly, raised his hand and patted the property manager's shoulder, and said in a deep voice,
"Don't worry, it's just a suspicion now, we can't be sure yet, so don't just spread rumors. However, your neighborhood has good feng shui, it's a treasured place."
Lin Sheng's words seemed to have a second meaning, which made the property management unable to grasp it for a moment, but they also clearly felt the warning in it.
The property manager shrewdly avoided the topic and happily took over the conversation.
"You have a good eye. The company built the residential building here specifically because of the good feng shui of this area. In the past few years, the business of the residents living here has been thriving."
Lin Sheng looked at the property manager, and when he saw that his guard was gradually lowered, he asked,
"The feng shui is excellent, but the property management is not good. Otherwise, how could a fire have happened?"
The property manager's face suddenly changed, and he tried to stop Lin Sheng from speaking, denying it flatly.
"I swear in front of the police, it's absolutely impossible. Our equipment is top-notch, and our employees are all diligent and conscientious workers. I dare not say anything nonsense."
As he spoke, the property manager kept looking at Xu Guannan's face, fearing that he would be angered.
Lin Sheng took out his phone, found the video on it, pointed at Li Ke on the screen and asked,
"Have you seen this person? The resident where the fire happened, is she the one?"
The property manager looked at the photo, searched in his mind, shook his head doubtfully, and denied it.
"No, but the owner did say he had a girlfriend, but I haven't seen her, so I can't help you."
Lin Sheng still didn't intend to give up, and asked,
"Are they the latest residents?"
The property manager shook his head and said,
"No, he came a month ago, but his girlfriend never left the house."
"A month ago?"
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