Chapter 157 Newlyweds: With you by my side, I'm not tired.
In the autumn of 2003, the sycamore leaves in Yancheng began to turn yellow, and the wind carried a chill, but it could not dispel the fire that had been burning in Liang Jiushan's chest all night.
He and Jiang Ling finally got married.
There was no grand wedding, no complicated ceremony; they simply went to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate on a sunny Friday afternoon, and then treated their closest colleagues and family to dinner that evening. Jiang Ling didn't like crowds, so Liang Jiushan indulged her in everything.
Their new house is in an old neighborhood near the provincial government building. Liang Jiushan bought it a few years ago. It's not big, but it's very quiet. The decoration is in Jiang Ling's favorite simple style, mainly black, white and gray. Only the bedding in the bedroom is a warm orange that Liang Jiushan secretly changed, which has a slightly clumsy but cozy feel.
The fireworks set off by Xiaoyong's family in the community were beautiful, adding a brilliant and bright touch to the couple's wedding night.
On their first night as newlyweds, both of them were a little reserved.
Although they had already committed to each other, being in the same room and sharing a bed was still different. Jiang Ling came out of the shower, wearing a thick cotton nightgown, her hair still dripping wet, and sat in front of the dressing table slowly drying herself. Liang Jiushan, wearing the same nightgown, stood behind her, took the towel, and gently dried her hair.
The mirror reflected their slightly flushed cheeks.
“Sister Ling,” Liang Jiushan’s voice was a little hoarse, “Shall I help you blow-dry your hair?” Sister Ling was a title that accompanied him through his adolescence after he turned 15, carrying with him a budding crush and a persistent longing. Even after getting married, he still liked to call Jiang Ling Sister Ling.
Jiang Ling gave a soft "hmm".
The hairdryer hummed as his fingers ran through her hair, the warm air brushing against her neck. Jiang Ling closed her eyes, her body stiffening slightly. She was still unaccustomed to such intimate contact, even if it was with Liang Jiushan.
Liang Jiushan noticed this and became even gentler, as if handling a fragile treasure.
After turning off the lights and lying down, their breathing was clearly audible in the darkness. Liang Jiushan turned to his side and carefully pulled her into his arms. Jiang Ling's body stiffened slightly at first, then gradually relaxed, obediently leaning against his chest.
His embrace was warm and firm, carrying a reassuring aura. Listening to his steady heartbeat, Jiang Ling's tense nerves slowly relaxed.
"Go to sleep, Sister Ling." He placed a light kiss on the top of her head. "Tomorrow is the weekend, you can sleep in a little longer."
However, things often turn out unexpectedly.
When Liang Jiushan said "go to sleep," he was not actually going to sleep.
From initial restraint and tentativeness to almost devout enthusiasm, Jiang Ling's heart was slowly melted.
He knew her too well, cherished her too much, and every touch he made was filled with endless love and patience as he guided her and waited for her.
At first, Jiang Ling passively accepted his gentle calls and almost uncontrollable infatuation, but her closed heart and body seemed to be soaked by spring water, softening little by little, and in the end she also gave a hesitant but brave response.
She kissed him first, and in the instant he was shocked and overjoyed by her response, she awkwardly deepened the kiss.
The moment his lips touched her warm lips, Liang Jiushan felt as if fireworks exploded in his mind, and all his restraint crumbled.
This night was very long.
The next morning, as sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, Jiang Ling woke up in Liang Jiushan's arms. His arms were around her waist, and his chin was resting on the top of her head; he was fast asleep.
He woke up the moment she stirred slightly.
"Good morning, Sister Ling." His voice was hoarse from just waking up. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his eyes shining brightly with undisguised satisfaction and love.
Jiang Ling's face flushed slightly. Avoiding his burning gaze, she softly hummed in acknowledgment. Her body felt a strange, soreness, but it wasn't uncomfortable; instead, it brought an indescribable sense of security and warmth.
Looking at the bright, undisguised smile on his face, she couldn't help but smile slightly as well.
However, the cozy morning did not last long.
The cell phone on the bedside table rang sharply almost simultaneously—it was an emergency hotline from the provincial department.
The two exchanged a glance, and the tenderness in their eyes was instantly replaced by a sense of alarm.
Liang Jiushan reached out and took the phone, answered it, and pressed speakerphone.
"Officer Liang, sorry to disturb your rest!" The urgent voice of the center's duty officer came through the phone. "We just received an urgent request for assistance from the Wuzhou City Public Security Bureau. They've had a series of burglaries and murders targeting elderly people living alone. The methods are brutal; three cases in three days, with extremely negative social impact. There are very few traces at the crime scenes, and traditional investigations have reached a stalemate. They've requested our center to immediately activate cross-regional crime prediction and high-risk area screening support!"
Jiang Ling sat up abruptly, her eyes sharp: "Has the data been sent?"
Upon hearing Jiang Ling's voice, the duty officer finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Hello Director Jiang, the data is being received. The preliminary on-site report and limited monitoring screenshots have been sent to your and Engineer Liang's intranet email addresses."
"Okay, notify the entire technical team to be on duty within 30 minutes and activate the emergency response plan." Jiang Ling spoke quickly, already in work mode.
"yes!"
The phone call ended, and the warm and romantic atmosphere in the bedroom vanished instantly.
Liang Jiushan got out of bed and quickly walked to his desk to open his laptop: "Sister Ling, you go wash up first, I'll take the data and do a preliminary screening."
Jiang Ling nodded without hesitation. The two quickly got to work, their coordination impeccable, as if their earlier tenderness was merely a fleeting dream amidst their busy schedule.
Fifteen minutes later, the two were dressed and ready to leave. Liang Jiushan handed Jiang Ling a glass of freshly made milk: "Drink some milk first, and take the bread with you on the way."
Jiang Ling took the cup, drank it all in one gulp, and then naturally handed the cup back to Liang Jiushan.
Liang Jiushan had been up most of the night, but he was still wide awake. As he took the cup, he leaned over and kissed the corner of her lips. When he looked at her, there was a hint of intimacy and tenderness that belonged to a newlywed husband.
Jiang Ling's heart stirred slightly, and she raised her hand to straighten the collar of his police shirt.
Liang Jiushan looked down at Jiang Ling, his eyes bursting with immense joy. He grabbed her hand, kissed it deeply, and said with burning eyes, "Let's go, Sister Ling. Together."
Inside the Provincial Crime Prevention and Analysis Center, the atmosphere was tense yet orderly.
On the large screen, photos, maps, and extremely limited, blurry silhouettes of the suspects from the scene were continuously scrolling. Technicians' fingers flew across the keyboards, the sound of their typing filling the air.
As soon as Jiang Ling and Liang Jiushan entered the hall, they went straight to the main control panel.
"What's the situation?" Jiang Ling asked in a deep voice.
"All three victims were elderly people over seventy years old living alone in an old residential area. The time of their deaths was between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. The perpetrator used lock-picking techniques or climbed balconies to enter the homes, stole valuables, and suffocated the victims with pillows. Almost no useful traces were left at the scene. The three crime scenes were scattered, but all were within the old city area," Li Zhenliang quickly reported.
"What about the social relationship investigation?" Jiang Ling stared at the map on the screen.
"There are very few points of intersection. The initial judgment is that it is a random crime committed by a mobile gang, but the modus operandi shows a certain habit and calmness, which is not like that of a novice."
Liang Jiushan was already sitting in front of his computer, pulling up a detailed electronic map of the old city of Wuzhou, and accessing real-time population data, property registration information, and mobile data that might reveal information about elderly people living alone, such as recent repairs and water and electricity bills.
“Sister Ling,” he pointed to several high-risk areas on the screen that were flashing rapidly and converging, “I’m conducting a cross-analysis based on the time and location of the incident, the characteristics of the victim, and factors such as the property management level of the old residential area, blind spots in surveillance, and nighttime lighting. The preliminary model has identified seven potential high-risk areas, and we are further narrowing down the scope.”
“Okay.” Jiang Ling leaned over, one hand on the edge of his desk, and carefully looked at the data stream on the screen. “Focus on people with prior convictions for theft, especially those who have targeted the elderly or committed burglary, particularly those who have recently moved to Wushi or have been released from prison.”
“We’re already comparing them.” Liang Jiushan’s fingers flew across the screen. “In addition, I’ve retrieved blurry surveillance footage from all the intersections around the three crime scenes during the time period of the incident. We’re using a new algorithm to sharpen the footage and track pedestrian trajectories. Although the chances are slim, we’re trying to see if we can capture any figures that match the psychological profile.”
Their heads were close together, and they could feel each other's breath. When working, they were perfectly in sync, understanding each other's intentions with just a glance.
The busy technicians around occasionally looked up and saw Director Jiang and Engineer Liang discussing in hushed tones, almost touching heads. Director Jiang would nod slightly from time to time for a precise operation or suggestion from Engineer Liang, her eyes revealing appreciation. And when she approached, Liang Jiushan would subconsciously push his water glass a little closer to her hand.
This unintentional display of intimacy is more natural and sweet than any deliberate gesture.
After several hours of continuous data analysis and model deduction, Liang Jiushan suddenly shouted, "Sister Ling, come and see!"
On the screen, an extremely blurry, algorithm-enhanced surveillance video was frozen in time. The figure of a tall, thin man wearing a baseball cap and carrying a backpack appeared at the entrance of an alley near the second crime scene at 2:15 a.m., walking hurriedly.
“The timing matches. Although we can't see his face clearly, his gait and body type closely match the preliminary profile provided by the psychological profiling team.” Liang Jiushan said excitedly, “I tracked his possible routes for the first half hour. Although the surveillance footage was intermittent, considering the time difference and the road network, he most likely came from this area—”
He tapped the keyboard, and the map of Wuzhou on the big screen instantly zoomed in, locking onto an old residential area.
"Yongshunli area?" Jiang Ling's eyes narrowed. "Immediately overlay the high-definition map with the actual population data! Focus on screening male tenants or local residents with prior convictions for theft or robbery, aged between 20 and 35, around 175 cm tall, of slender build, who may have recently lost their jobs or are experiencing unusual economic circumstances!"
"Yes!" several technicians replied in unison.
Data is scrolling, filtering, and matching at lightning speed.
A few minutes later, a short list marked in red was selected. At the top of the list was a 25-year-old man named Zhao Jun, with two prior convictions for burglary. He was 176 cm tall, of slender build, and had been released from prison three months prior. His registered residence was not in Wushi, but his temporary residence was registered in Yongshunli. Furthermore, according to community records, he had recently reported a financial dispute with a neighbor to the police.
"Highly suspected!" Jiang Ling immediately picked up the internal phone. "Connect me to the Wuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau's special task force!"
Once the call connected, Jiang Ling clearly and quickly relayed the screening results and information about the suspected cases.
The Wuzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau acted immediately, and an hour later, good news came—the suspect Zhao Jun was successfully apprehended in a rented apartment in Yongshunli, and some stolen goods and tools used in the crime were recovered on the spot! During the initial interrogation, Zhao Jun confessed to the crime.
A small cheer erupted from the center, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere.
Jiang Ling's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief.
Turning her head, she found Liang Jiushan looking at her, his eyes sparkling, filled with weariness, but also overflowing with pride and undisguised love. He handed her a freshly brewed cup of green tea, the temperature just right.
"Are you tired?" he asked softly, his fingers brushing naturally across her slightly weary eyes.
This time, Jiang Ling did not avoid it.
She took the tea, took a sip, then looked up at him, a clear and gentle smile curving her lips: "It's alright. With you by my side, I don't feel tired."
Liang Jiushan's heart felt as if it had been gently brushed by the softest feather, instantly filled with immense happiness and satisfaction.
He looked into her clear eyes, where his reflection was mirrored, and where they would strive together for a better future.
The morning sun shone through the windows into the command center, which had been busy all night.
A new day has begun, and a new case may be on the horizon.
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