Flower Museum Headless Dismemberment Case (2)

Around six o'clock in the evening, Meng Siqi took a bus and got off near the cinema. It was her first time to go to a cinema in the city.

The cinema is located on a busy street. There is a sign at the door and large posters posted. One is a romance poster, which is the movie ticket in her hand, and the other is a martial arts poster. There is a large speaker at the door that connects to the sound inside the theater. It sounds like a martial arts movie is playing. The fighting is fierce, stimulating the eardrums of passers-by.

When she entered, she found that many people were queuing to get in. After a while, the gate opened, and after the staff cut the tickets, she entered smoothly and walked into the box.

The box was not big, with about eight rows of seats. She chose a good seat, right in the middle of the fifth row. She followed the crowd and sat in her seat.

The movie officially began. The film quality was average, but the display was clear, with occasional white spots flashing on the screen.

She noticed that the seat next to her had been empty for five minutes even after the movie started. She guessed that the person who bought the ticket was delayed by something else, which was a pity for wasting a good seat.

She casually put her arms on the armrest next to her, enjoying the comfort brought by the two spaces.

At this time, there was movement next door, as if someone was looking for a seat.

She pulled her arm back, turned her head, and found that it was a girl in her twenties with a ponytail. She sat down smoothly.

Meng Siqi's gaze returned to the movie screen again. After a while, the girl asked in a low voice: "Isn't this the sixth row?"

The movie was a romance, and there was occasional silence. Meng Siqi nodded at her, and the girl seemed to realize that she had taken the wrong path. She slowly stood up, hunched over and walked out.

Meng Siqi didn't care and put her arm on the armrest next to her again. The reason she did this was simply because she felt the seat here was too narrow and she felt cramped, so she wanted to stretch her body out a bit.

She was immersed in the plot when a tall shadow pressed down on her, but the shadow seemed to stop halfway.

Meng Siqi turned his head away and was stunned. The light and shadow of the movie were slowly moving on the man's facial features. Because of the light, his facial features were half bright and half dark, becoming extremely three-dimensional.

His eyes were deep, hiding a flickering gleam, as if light and shadow were strolling on his eyeballs, sometimes bright, sometimes dark, sometimes cold, sometimes hot.

He leaned over, probably about to sit down, and noticed her, and even more so her arm invading the space between them.

With the palm facing upward, a thin wrist is revealed from the sleeve. Because of the bright light, the wrist looks snow-white and graceful.

Lu He's gaze stayed on her wrist for two seconds, and there seemed to be a burning feeling in his eyes that made Meng Siqi suddenly realize her own gaffe. She quickly withdrew her arm and hid in her chair.

Her movements were so quick that Lu He seemed to have no time to react. After a moment, he nodded slightly at her, said hello, and slowly sat down.

Meng Siqi obviously felt cramped at this time. The chair was narrow to begin with, and suddenly there was someone sitting next to her, someone she knew but not close to. However, they were leaning against each other to watch a movie, and it was a romance movie at that. It felt very awkward.

She was really grateful to Chen Jierong for choosing this prime seat for her. This dampened her interest in watching the movie and she seemed unable to concentrate on the rest of the story.

She even wanted to skip the scene where the hero and heroine of the movie were hugging each other, which made her think of the scene where Lu He hugged her twice before.

It was hot in the box to begin with, but at this moment she clearly felt her face was dry, as if it was being roasted by a small flame.

She sat upright, not at all relaxed.

After a few lighthearted scenes appeared in the movie, she slowly relaxed a bit, and even tilted her head slightly to check on Lu He.

Lu He sat upright just as she had imagined, making people feel that he was not here to watch a movie but to listen to a report.

In the light and shadow, she could see his profile clearly, and his Adam's apple rising and falling slightly like a mountain mist. The slight rolling of the Adam's apple slowly spread out in her field of vision.

At the end of the movie, the hero and heroine kissed each other, and the whole box was filled with the sound of their excitement. Meng Siqi swallowed and drooped his eyelashes slightly.

Ten minutes later, the movie ended and everyone walked out the door with a feeling of not having seen enough.

They were the only two still sitting there. She wanted to leave, but she had to say something before leaving, and she didn't know what to say.

After thinking for a while, she said, "You..."

Unexpectedly, Lu He also turned around and said, "You..."

They said the same thing almost in unison. Meng Siqi was silent for a moment, and Lu He's mouth curled slightly: "You, came here alone?"

"Um."

"Then let's go together."

"good."

The two of them stood up together. Lu He made a gesture to invite her to go first, and they walked out of the box door and out of the cinema together.

Standing on the side of the road, a neon light flashed before his eyes. Lu He asked, "How do I get back?"

"I'll take a taxi."

"Okay, I'll take a taxi and go your way."

"Are you on your way?" Meng Siqi remembered that he lived a few kilometers away from the police station and it was not on his way.

"I'll take you there. After all, there aren't many people outside at this time."

Meng Siqi understood what he meant. It was almost nine o'clock, and it was not safe for a girl to take a taxi outside. She didn't know how to respond. After a second of silence, she took it as her agreement.

Lu He hailed a taxi, opened the back door, and let her get in first. He got in later.

Perhaps because of his colleague, he did not sit in the front passenger seat.

The two of them sat in the same space again, which made Meng Siqi feel the same as when she was watching a movie. Lu He didn't say much. She didn't know what to say, which would be very embarrassing. But she remembered something, "Captain Lu, I forgot to give you the clothes. If you are free tomorrow, I will give them to you."

"It's okay. I'm not in a hurry to put it on."

"Thank you for your help last time."

"You're welcome. Remember to bring an umbrella next time it rains."

"I know. That time...were you wearing wet clothes the whole time?" She remembered that Lu He also got wet that day and ran away without changing his clothes.

"I've been at the scene for two hours and my body is dry. Unlike you, you are too small to be exposed to the rain."

"I've got that in mind. Please take care of yourself in the future."

They didn't talk much along the way. When they felt they were almost home, Meng Siqi asked him a question: "Captain Lu, do you like watching movies, too?"

"…Occasionally, relax."

The air was silent again, but Lu He took the initiative to ask her: "What about you?"

"Actually, Sister Rong gave me the movie ticket. I thought the movie was pretty good, so I watched it for her."

Lu He's eyes paused slightly, and Meng Siqi didn't notice it. Suddenly, he realized that the car had arrived, "By the way, Captain Lu, I'm getting off."

Meng Siqi opened the car door and just walked into the night, he saw Lu He also got out of the car on the other side. He urged him, "Have a good rest."

"You too, thank you for sending me off, bye, team."

In the night, Lu He was tall and his shadow, stretched by the street lights outside the yard, looked like a pine tree that pierced the sky. He was wearing a brown leather jacket, with his hands in his jacket pockets, watching her walk into the yard and into the brightly lit house.

He didn't know why, but his gaze lingered on the lights for a long time. He didn't know if it was because of the warm atmosphere of the lights or because of Meng Siqi. He always felt that he had watched her many times before, and her back went away time and time again. That back was like a brand, which made him feel stunned.

"Beep, beep..." The taxi was urging him to go. Lu He came to his senses, turned around slowly, and opened the car door with his bony fingers.

Back in the car, he thought of something. Because of Meng Siqi's words, he realized that Director Liu had deliberately arranged for him and Chen Jierong to sit together in this movie.

He is quite familiar with Chen Jierong and they can be considered as close comrades at work. Without Chen Jierong's support, he would not be able to solve many cases.

In his eyes, she is a very outstanding colleague. Precisely because of his seniority and the position of team leader, he may know Chen Jierong better than others.

Five years ago, police officer Xiang Jie from the second team died while on duty. That was the darkest period for the entire police station. To this day, the murderer has not been brought to justice, and Xiang Jie's name is still a name that people fear.

But he knew that Xiang Jie had been pursuing Chen Jierong and the two were very close. If Xiang Jie had not made sacrifices, they would have definitely gotten married.

He respected Chen Jierong, and although Director Liu had mentioned her name to him a long time ago, he had never thought about it that way. He would never think about it that way.

Lu He looked at the night outside the car window and the fleeting neon lights. His eyes gradually became heavy. He firmly believed that he would find the murderer and bring him to justice under the blue sky and white clouds of Jinyang City.

Two years ago, the provincial department wanted to transfer him there, but he refused, one of the reasons being Xiang Jie.

He hopes to stay in Jinyang, because there are still many unsolved cases here, and he wants to do his best with his meager strength.

*

After Meng Siqi returned home, she was still thinking about the cinema. She didn't believe that Lu He had time to go to the movies. He was usually busy with work, to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. Although this romance film was not bad, she didn't believe that Lu He bought a ticket specifically to watch it. She guessed that no one in the entire police station would believe it.

She knew that Lu He was single, and he might have his own reasons for not getting married for so many years. Meng Siqi didn't feel comfortable asking about it, but she was a little curious about the fact that he suddenly went to watch a romance movie.

But because of her criminal work, she would think more about everything. Lu He might not take the initiative to buy tickets, but others could, such as Chen Jierong.

Chen Jierong is very familiar with both her and Lu He, and they have a close relationship. It is very likely that Chen Jierong bought the ticket for Lu He and got him to the cinema with some reason, and Chen Jierong gave her another ticket with the same seat. Her purpose may be to bring her and Lu He together.

Thinking in this way, it seems to make sense, but Meng Siqi only thought about this. She doesn't care about these things. She just wants to work hard at her job now and doesn't want to have a romantic relationship. Of course, she won't resist having a boyfriend or girlfriend. She believes in that kind of slow feeling. One day, no matter whether it is Lu He or someone else, she hopes that it is a mutual admiration and a natural outcome.

Meng Siqi recalled the scenes in the romance movie and slowly fell asleep. In fact, she had been busy with work and was often nervous. She rarely relaxed like this, so she fell asleep quickly.

The next day when she went to return the clothes, she was actually a little bit uneasy. As a result, she found that Lu He was not there. As she had talked to Lu He last night, she just put the clothes on Lu He's desk. Liang Yunfeng happened to be in the office and asked her, "Siqi, deliver something to Team Lu."

"Oh," Meng Siqi smiled slightly, "someone asked me to deliver it to Team Lu. Team Lu should know about it."

Liang Yunfeng looked at Meng Siqi's leaving back, then looked at the handbag on Lu He's desk. He thought about it for a while and felt that it was not what she said, but he didn't think much about it.

Meng Siqi took two days off, dressed himself up and bought a new set of clothes. He couldn't always wear those old windbreakers when he went out in plain clothes to handle cases.

Back at the bureau, Han Changlin called everyone together to summarize the two cases, the B&B murder case and the Dandelion Textile Factory case. Although he did not participate in the second half of the work, he carefully read the files and the case closing report, and expressed high recognition for everyone's work in the entire case.

He praised the work of Feng Shaomin, Zhao Leiting and Tang Xiaochuan one after another, and finally turned his attention to Meng Siqi, "Xiao Meng, I didn't praise you just because of the summary of the case closing report. Your master, Lao Feng, told me privately this time that you have not only become a qualified criminal policeman, but also played a key role in this criminal investigation. Whether it is Kong Yang or Gui Xiangyang, you performed very well in both investigations. You are worthy of being a good criminal policeman of our Municipal Bureau's Second Team!"

Everyone applauded and looked at her with smiles on their faces. Zhao Leiting applauded and praised her, saying, "Siqi, you are the best."

"The best, that's a must." Tang Xiaochuan agreed.

Feng Shaomin also nodded in agreement.

Zhao Lei Ting was in high spirits, "Siqi, you remind me of the glorious images of women in the long history of China!"

"Tsk tsk!" Han Changlin shook his head and laughed.

Feng Shaomin couldn't help curling his lips and said jokingly, "After all, Xiao Zhao is going to be the director in the future."

"Haha..." Amid the laughter, Zhao Leiting blushed for once.

Meng Siqi was initially embarrassed to receive everyone’s praise, but in this relaxed atmosphere, her smile gradually blossomed beautifully. The Korean team praised everyone this time, but she remembered that when they praised her, they mentioned “the good detective of the second team.”

When she first came, she was afraid that she would not be able to fit in this team, and for many reasons, the family in Team 2 did not welcome her very much. But they were all kind and lovely, and in the process of getting along with them, she got help, support, and affirmation. Step by step, she has come to where she is today, gradually becoming the person she wanted, and her eyes were slightly moist.

Han Changlin continued: "Although I don't have such beautiful words as 'Director Zhao', I must say that Xiao Meng is the pride of our second team."

Meng Siqi was more and more moved and said sincerely: "Thank you Korean team, thank you master, thank you all, I will definitely work harder!"

"Okay, we're all family, why are you saying so many polite words?" Zhao Lei Ting joked.

"Your family really touched my heart," Han Changlin said with emotion, "When I was suspended from work, I wanted to come back every day, and then I realized that this place was my second home..."

Everyone was listening to what Han Changlin said when Director Liu Maoping walked in from the door.

Everyone's expression became a little serious. Liu Maoping stood in front of everyone and said with a smile: "Everyone is here."

Everyone politely responded, "Hello, Director Liu."

Liu Maoping said with great energy: "First of all, I must commend you for your performance in the 2.24 B&B murder case. This case is linked to the old case of the Dandelion Textile Factory. You uncovered the truth layer by layer and made contributions to our Municipal Bureau. Your performance also reminds me of the excellent police images in the criminal investigation resume!"

For some reason, everyone looked at Zhao Leiting, but Zhao Leiting pursed his lips tightly, with a clever look in his eyes. Han Changlin winked at Feng Shaomin again, and the meaning was probably very obvious, because he did not participate in the whole process of this case, so he let Feng Shaomin say a few words.

Feng Shaomin quickly understood and responded, "Director Liu, this is the achievement we have made under your leadership and that of the Han team!"

Han Changlin's Adam's apple moved slightly.

Liu Maoping said: "Okay, I must praise your achievements. I will remember each of your performances."

When Liu Maoping said this, Meng Siqi noticed that he looked at her on purpose. She was a little flattered, but she also realized that Director Liu probably didn't say this to her on purpose.

"In addition, recognition is one thing, but we still have important work to do next."

Liu Maoping's relaxed expression suddenly disappeared and turned serious. "After the February 24 incident, we found that the disappearance of several female workers from the Dandelion Textile Factory eight years ago might be related to the drinking incident at the textile factory. Changlin, Shaomin, you should still remember that at that time, the textile factory closed down and a few female workers went out to work, but there was no news of several female workers. We once thought that they might have changed their names, but today it seems that it might have a lot to do with the drinking incident at the textile factory. I think our municipal bureau must investigate this matter again."

Everyone's expressions became serious as Liu Maoping described. Meng Siqi understood that during that absurd time, the main leaders in the factory had committed illegal acts, and a few female workers may have become victims. Due to the limitations of conditions at the time, the truth was not found out.

Now that time has passed, the main leaders of the factory are probably dead or stupid, and only Gui Xiangyang is left. Although he is not the mastermind, or may not know about this matter, if there are clues, Team Two must follow up on this case and conduct as much investigation as possible.

Liu Maoping continued, "Recently, Hong Kong businessmen Jin Weirong and Shen Jiuxiang were arrested by Guangdong police for smuggling. They may know some inside information. Please confirm it as soon as possible."

"Director Liu, don't worry, we will follow this matter closely." Han Changlin stated immediately.

"Okay, I won't delay your work. Go ahead and get busy."

After Director Liu left, Meng Siqi was also thinking about this matter. This Jin Weirong should be the guest Jin Ya or Jin Zong who accompanied Long Shanwen for drinking at that time. Maybe because of this case, Director Liu discovered the clues, so he asked the second team to continue to investigate.

Han Changlin said: "Well, I will go to Guangdong and confirm the situation in person."

Feng Shaomin hurriedly said, "Captain Han, you still have to take charge of the work at home, so I'll go."

"Mr. Feng, you don't need to persuade me. I'll go."

Meng Siqi immediately realized what Han Changlin was thinking. Perhaps because of his suspension, he felt that he had not contributed during this period, so he wanted to make up for it.

Feng Shaomin did not stop him, and Tang Xiaochuan said, "Captain Han, I'll go with you so that we can take care of each other."

"That's fine. Xiaochuan and I will go together. It will be more convenient to record the statement."

Han Changlin instructed again: "This time Xiaochuan and I are going on a long trip, so you should take care of the house, Old Feng. Also, when you return to Xiangyang, take Xiaomeng and Xiaozhao to interrogate them when you have time. Maybe he knows something too."

Gui Xiangyang has not yet revealed the details of the factory drinking incident. In his description of the murder of Kong Qushan, the description of the drinking incident was very vague.

He confessed once that he was just a bystander at the time and the masterminds were the deputy factory director and other major leaders. Considering his act of "saving" Long Shanwen, his words may be true. If he was the mastermind, he would not have gone against them.

In Gui Xiangyang's confession, he also revealed the photo evidence that Kong Qushan was holding at the time. He said that after killing Kong Qushan, he discovered that the photo in Kong Qushan's hand was fake. Later, he sent people to Kong Qushan's home to search for it, but they never found it.

Because this incident was not exposed later, Gui Xiangyang believed that it was a lie told by Kong Qushan in order to force him to sign the contract.

Later, Gui Xiangyang sent people to Kong Qushan's house to search, which prompted Kong Yang to think that it was Gui Xiangyang who was looking for his shoes, so no one could understand the fear that the nine-year-old Kong Yang felt at the time.

Han Changlin and Tang Xiaochuan took the train to Guangdong early in the morning of the 2nd. Because the official business might take some time, Feng Shaomin temporarily took over the work of the second team.

He brought Meng Siqi and Zhao Leiting to interrogate Gui Xiangyang, but did not obtain any particularly useful information.

However, Gui Xiangyang provided an important clue, that is, Kong Qushan’s friend from the newspaper. If that friend from the newspaper really got the photos taken by Kong Qushan, perhaps he could solve a scene in that past event.

At Feng Shaomin's suggestion, the three went to the newspaper office again to find out the situation. However, Kong Qushan's friend had died in a car accident several years ago, which meant that this clue was completely gone. Now they could only hope that Han Changlin could pry out some useful clues from the Hong Kong businessmen.

That morning, when the three were discussing in the office, a policeman ran in through the door and said breathlessly, "Brother Feng, this is an important murder case. Director Liu asked me to call you to join a team to investigate the case. They are leaving, so hurry up and act."

Feng Shaomin immediately put down the chalk in his hand and said, "Okay, Xiao Meng and Xiao Zhao, get ready to go out on the scene immediately."

Meng Siqi immediately became nervous. He returned to his seat, put on his police ID, walkie-talkie, pistol, and put on his police hat.

While preparing, the police officer was explaining the case to Feng Shaomin: "The Flower Museum was crowded with people today, and it was quite lively, but a female corpse was found without a head!"