Red Makeup Serial Murder Case (21)

In the second half of the night, Zhao Yuting was out of danger. When the doctor walked into the corridor to deliver the news, Zhao Leiting hugged his face with his arms, squatted on the ground and burst into tears.

Meng Siqi stayed with him the entire second half of the night. She understood Zhao Leiting's feelings. He must have been releasing his tension and sadness, so he cried loudly. Her eyes also became red.

Outside the window, the rain had stopped long ago and the dawn began to rise. The hospital corridor was slowly filled with sunlight and was no longer quiet and deserted.

"Lu He hasn't come back yet?"

When Lin Tao came back here again, Meng Siqi asked.

Lin Tao told her at midnight yesterday that Lu He went back to the scene after bandaging his wound. Meng Siqi knew that Lu He was the kind of person who didn't know the seriousness of the matter. He secretly went to the scene to look for clues even though his wounds hadn't healed yet, but she didn't know what to say. In the morning, she still wanted to ask about his condition and was worried about his health.

"Team Lu is fine, Xiao Meng." Lin Tao soothed.

"Why haven't you come back all night?" Meng Siqi didn't believe that Lu He stayed there all night unless he went back to the police station.

"Well..." Lin Tao hesitated, "Well, don't worry, Team Lu is fine."

Meng Siqi could tell there was something wrong from his evasive expression and hesitant tone, and she hurriedly asked, "Brother Lin Tao, are you hiding something? What happened to the team?" She stood up and stared at Lin Tao.

Lin Tao swallowed, hesitated for a long time and said: "Team Lu didn't let me tell you, he is still unconscious now."

"You." Meng Siqi was so angry that he was about to cry.

Last night, she was worried about Zhao Yuting's condition. Lin Tao also said that Lu He left the hospital after being bandaged. As a result, she didn't see him all night. She never expected that Lu He's injury would be so serious.

At this time, Lin Tao took her to another inpatient ward, and Meng Siqi realized that Lu He's condition was much more serious than she had imagined. He was sleeping in the quilt, his face was extremely pale, and his lips had no color, almost whitish white. He looked very similar to how he looked when he was sick at home, but he looked even less bloody.

Lu He must have lost too much blood from the bullet, and he didn't want to make her worry, so he acted as if nothing had happened in the billiard hall.

She thought he was just grazed by a bullet yesterday, but unexpectedly he was shot. Even after being shot, he kept pretending to be fine. She even remembered that he hugged her with his arms and comforted her not to cry. He must have been unable to hold on at that time.

Her eyes were red, and she was worried but hesitated to speak. She quietly retreated to the door and asked Lin Tao in a low voice: "Did you lose too much blood? What did the doctor say?"

Lin Tao swallowed and said solemnly, "Team Lu went into hemorrhagic shock after arriving at the hospital last night, and had an emergency bullet removal surgery. But don't worry, there is no danger to his life. Team Lu is in good health and will be discharged from the hospital in a few days."

"...Thank you, Brother Lin Tao." Meng Siqi tried hard to control his tears and not let himself be sad.

In the morning, upon learning of the serious incident last night, leaders and colleagues from the bureau rushed over. Liu Maoping ran around the hospital to see the patients and their feelings. Qi Zhengping was the instructor, and after seeing Lu He, she shed tears at the door.

Afterwards, Liu Maoping and Meng Siqi learned everything that happened last night, and Meng Siqi calmly recounted everything.

At this time, Meng Siqi's whole body was wet and dirty. Her shirt was like a piece of mud hanging on her body. The white of the shirt was stained red because of Lu He's injury, and there were no telling how many wounds there were on her body.

Liu Maoping saw this and felt very uncomfortable. He couldn't help but praise: "Xiao Meng, you did a great job. You are the pride of our Municipal Bureau!"

Meng Siqi felt that there was nothing to be proud of. She did not catch the murderer and her colleague was injured. In fact, she felt guilty. But this was the first time that Director Liu praised her in person. She had always hoped to be praised by the leaders, but today she was not happy at all. She saluted and said, "Director Liu, I am a police officer. My duty is to arrest criminals, but I did not arrest criminals. I feel guilty. I'm sorry!"

"Xiao Meng." Liu Maoping said in a low voice, "No police officer dares to say that everything will go smoothly in his life and he can arrest all criminals. Don't get hurt, don't sacrifice, and live a peaceful life. This is what I plead with you!"

Yes, no injuries, no sacrifices, this is Meng Siqi's lifelong pursuit for all his police colleagues.

Her eyes were moist. "I understand Director Liu. I will continue to work hard."

"Go back and rest immediately. I'll give you a day off. Can you do that?"

Meng Siqi hesitated for a moment, and under Liu Maoping's sincere gaze, she nodded, "Okay, Director Liu."

When Meng Siqi was about to go back, Feng Shaomin saw her. Feng Shaomin's eyes were full of worry, but he didn't ask much about what happened last night. He asked Tang Xiaochuan to drive her back to rest, and he would stay here with Zhao Leiting.

Meng Siqi made a request: "Master, if Lu He wakes up, please let me know. I'll wait for your call."

"Don't worry, go back and have a good rest."

Meng Siqi couldn't rest after she got back. She took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and applied some medicine to her wounds. These were minor wounds and nothing serious. Then she kept waiting for the call.

After waiting for a long time, the call finally came. Feng Shaomin said that Lu He had woken up and there was nothing serious, and told her not to worry. At that moment, Meng Siqi smiled and shed a tear.

The next morning, Meng Siqi returned to the scene with the technical department. Lu Yougang confirmed the bullet with her and found the empty bullet head. However, in the afternoon, Lu Yougang told her that after testing, the bullet was a very common standard bullet and it was difficult to use it as a basis for tracking down the criminals.

The team also investigated the Great World Billiard Hall. The hall was being sublet and had been abandoned for at least a month. Although they obtained the list of customers of the hall, everyone knew that the murderer could not have any connection with the hall.

That day, Meng Siqi got off work early and went home. She went back to cook some yam porridge and prepared to give it to Lu He. When she arrived at the ward, the nurse was complaining that Lu He had run away.

Meng Siqi suddenly became nervous. Normally, a person with a bullet wound in the arm should stay in the hospital for a few days. How could he run away after only one day? Liang Yunfeng, who was taking care of Lu He in the hospital, happened to arrive at this time. Liang Yunfeng was also very anxious. He said that Luo Xiaoguo had gone to the Great World Billiards Stadium to find him, and it was very likely that Lu He went there.

Maybe Lu He wanted to go back to the scene to take a look. Meng Siqi understood his feelings very well, but it was too worrying and he couldn't just ignore his own body.

Liang Yunfeng asked her to go back and rest and wait for his news.

Meng Siqi suggested giving him some yam porridge, but Liang Yunfeng refused as he had no appetite at that moment.

Meng Siqi took a taxi back to her residence. When she reached the third floor, she stopped on purpose. There was no light coming from the crack of the door, so Lu He definitely had not returned.

Meng Siqi sighed and walked up a few more steps, each step was heavy. She turned a corner and the lights on the roof came on. She was suddenly stunned. There was a person sitting on the top step of the corridor on the fifth floor.

Who else could that be but Lu He? He was sitting on the steps, his arms resting on his slender thighs, his palms hanging down. His white shirt was clean, except for a thick gauze tied around his right arm.

His expression was very calm, but the moment he saw her, the corners of his mouth trembled and bent. However, his face color recovered a lot, but it was still a little pale.

At that moment, Meng Siqi was both happy and sad, with tears in her eyes. She walked up the stairs and started to scold him: "Why did you leave the hospital without saying anything? Don't you know how many people are worried about you?"

She knew she was being impulsive, and she couldn't blame him anyway, but she just wanted him to know how worried she was about him.

But Lu He's mouth curved even more: "I'm sorry, Siqi, I made you worry. I was so anxious to leave the hospital just to come and see you."

Meng Siqi didn't know how to respond for a moment. She felt that Lu He had done enough for her last night. If it weren't for him, the bullet might have pierced her long ago.

"Why don't we meet anytime? Wait until you have to be hospitalized. Besides, I just happen to be looking for you." Meng Siqi was standing on the steps, just half a head taller than Lu He. She was almost looking down at him. Lu He looked up slightly and probably saw the thermos in her hand.

"Is that porridge?" he said casually. "I'm a little hungry."

"Come into the house quickly." Meng Siqi was about to help him, but Lu He stood up and took the thermos from her hand. At that moment, his knuckles touched the back of her hand, and a warmth came over her and spread across her skin.

Meng Siqi let go of his hand and the thermos fell steadily into his palm.

She took out her key and opened the door. Lu He followed her into the house and put the thermos on the table.

Meng Siqi unscrewed the bottle cap and said he would heat it up for him.

"It's okay, Siqi, it's just right." There was a spoon in the thermos, and Lu He picked up the spoon and started eating.

While he was eating porridge, Meng Siqi called the police station and said that Lu He went home to get something and was caught by her, so they could rest assured.

While eating porridge, Lu He said, "If I hadn't sneaked out, they wouldn't have let me go."

Meng Siqi smiled, not knowing whether he was happy or sad.

The porridge was warm, not hot. Meng Siqi sat opposite him and watched him eat the porridge. He ate neither fast nor slow, but seemed really hungry. In fact, she was worried that the yam porridge was not to her liking, as long as he liked it.

Lu He raised his head while eating, "Siqi, have you tried the salty taste?"

"Hmm?" Meng Siqi was worried that the porridge was too salty.

Lu He smiled and said, "It's very appetizing. Just give it a try."

She breathed a sigh of relief and watched him finish the bottle of porridge.

Lu He picked up the thermos again and licked the mouth of the bottle with the tip of his tongue, licking off a lone grain of porridge.

Meng Siqi: “…”

She was getting more and more confused about Lu He, but she wanted to laugh, so she quickly said, "Is it not enough? I'll go cook some more for you."

"No need, Siqi." Lu He put down the thermos, put the spoon into the bottle, and said with a smile, "It's very delicious."

Meng Si looked at the smooth silver interior of the thermos, not knowing how to answer, but feeling particularly touched. She seldom cooked porridge for others, and if Meng Xinghai had not been bedridden, she would not have learned how to make this porridge.

"Siqi, I have a new discovery." Lu He's expression gradually became more solemn.

It turns out that Lu He was looking for her so urgently because of a case. He would rather risk his illness to find her, which shows that his discovery is very important.

"What kind of road crane is it?" Meng Siqi asked hurriedly.

"We saw a figure when we went out last night. That figure should be the murderer who killed Zhao Yuting."

Yes, Meng Siqi did see that figure last night, but he soon turned into a wall, and she was desperately chasing him at that time.

Lu He continued, "While I was chasing him, I spotted a figure standing on the bungalow. There was a flash of lightning and I saw the gun in his hand, so I rushed towards you."

Meng Siqi remembered that the situation was extremely urgent at the time. She had no time to react at all. When Lu He rushed towards her, the gunshot had already sounded. Judging from the location of the gunshot, the bullet hit her head at that time. Because of Lu He, the bullet hit his arm.

Meng Siqi wanted to say something but stopped herself. She felt a little sad, but she suppressed her emotions and didn't let them show.

Lu He said: "The gunshot came from overhead not far away, and the figure we were chasing at the time could not have climbed to the roof so quickly, so I inferred that there were two murderers."

"Two people?" Meng Siqi was so focused on the figure that disappeared around the corner during the chase yesterday that he never expected two people to appear at the scene.

"Yes, the person who committed the crime against Zhao Yuting should be the one we saw the first time. There was another person who had been outside the billiard hall the entire time. He was keeping watch and guarding the scene. To be more precise, he was protecting the murderer from committing the crime."

It turned out that it was a two-person crime. Meng Siqi felt a chill on her back. She also understood that only two people could guarantee that the murderer could be fully committed and meticulous when making up the girl and cleaning the scene.

This is a "twin" criminal combination. Their intelligence, offensive power, cooperation, and self-protection ability are all terrifying.

So, this is why Lu He had to tell her after he was discharged from the hospital. However, Meng Siqi was a little sad. She felt that the case was becoming more and more confusing.

Lu He seemed to see through her anxiety and encouraged her, "Siqi, believe me! No matter how far the night is, we will definitely see the dawn!"

Of course she believed him and nodded heavily, smiling at each other in an encouraging way.

Before Lu He went back, he said, "Let's summon Meng Tingzhe for interrogation tomorrow. Who did he meet yesterday? His whereabouts that night were really too mysterious. Of course, we can't leave out Zhong Yanbin either."

Meng Siqi nodded. She began to imagine whether Meng Tingzhe had a "boyfriend" outside. From the group of photos in his darkroom, he should have had close relationships with some men. So could one of the men be his "boyfriend"? If so, then yesterday, it is possible that he and his "boyfriend" committed the crime together.

But before interrogating Meng Tingzhe, they had to visit Zhao Yuting. Meng Siqi especially wanted to know what Zhao Yuting saw the night before. If the person she saw was Meng Tingzhe, then she would be the most important witness.

What she was most worried about was Zhao Yuting's condition. Although Zhao Yuting had improved today, she still didn't want to disturb her rest so early. But the case was equally important at the moment, so she had to go find her because it was very likely that Zhao Yuting had seen important evidence. She was the only victim who had escaped the murderer.

The next morning, Lu He went to the hospital with her. Since Lu He's arm was injured, Meng Siqi drove the car. After entering the hospital ward, she asked Lu He to rest outside. She planned to communicate with Zhao Lei Ting about Yu Ting's condition first.

After Meng Siqi knocked on the door of a VIP ward, the door opened, revealing the face of a middle-aged man. He was wearing a high-end jacket, had thick black hair, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked quite scholarly, but his face looked a little haggard.

Meng Siqi guessed that he was Zhao Leiting's father, Zhao Lixin, and she immediately introduced him, "Uncle, I am Zhao Leiting's colleague Meng Siqi..."

"You are Officer Meng." Zhao Lixin walked out and closed the door, his eyes full of emotion and admiration. "I heard from Lei Ting that it was you who saved my daughter this time. I really don't know how to thank you."

"Uncle, please don't say that. I'm a police officer, Zhao Leiting's colleague, and Yu Ting's sister. I have no choice but to do this. And you can just call me Xiao Meng from now on. Everyone calls me Xiao Meng."

Zhao Lixin smiled faintly: "Comrade Xiao Meng, thank you, thank you. The child's mother is very sad, I let her rest. Lei Ting hasn't slept for two days, and just went to buy breakfast. You must have something to do with him, I'll go find him now. By the way, you haven't eaten yet either."

"Uncle, you're too polite. I've already eaten. I just came to see Yuting." She was holding a basket of fruit in her hand. "I also have something to say to Yuting."

"Okay, Yuting told me when she woke up yesterday that she wanted to see you, too. I'll call her."

"Uncle, let her sleep a little longer. I'll go to her room to check on her."

"Okay." Zhao Lixin gently opened the door and welcomed her in. The room was filled with the scent of flowers and disinfectant. Zhao Yuting was sleeping soundly on the hospital bed. Her sleeping posture was particularly charming. Meng Siqi watched her for a while and was delighted.

Zhao Lixin poured her some water and sat for a while. Then Zhao Leiting came back and when he saw Meng Siqi, his eyes turned red. He didn't say anything, just stood there, holding breakfast in his hands, motionless.

Is this guy stupid? Meng Siqi smiled, stood up, waved to him, and said nothing.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot? Your colleagues are here." Zhao Lixin took his breakfast and reminded him quietly.

Zhao Lei Ting finally moved, walked towards her, and hugged her. He suddenly choked up and said in her ear: "Siqi, you are my greatest benefactor in this life. Whatever you ask me to do, I will go through fire and water for you."

Meng Siqi swallowed, this uncle is still here, they are not so close normally, looking at Zhao Lixin's smile, Meng Siqi licked his lip again, patted Zhao Leiting's back, "Let's go have breakfast first. You hugged me too tightly."

"Okay," Zhao Lei Ting slowly let go of her and smiled, "Siqi, let's eat together. I'll go buy another one."

"I've eaten it. Actually, today I came here..."

"No need to tell me, I know," Zhao Leiting said, "My sister has always wanted to see you, too."

When Zhao Leiting and Zhao Lixin went out for breakfast, Meng Siqi sat alone beside the bed in the ward. She tilted her head and looked at the warm sunshine outside the window in a daze for a while.

"Sister Siqi." A fragile but strong voice came over. Meng Siqi turned her head immediately. Zhao Yuting turned her head to the side and smiled faintly at her.

Meng Siqi also smiled, "How are you, Yuting?"

"I'm fine, Sister Siqi..." She seemed to have been thinking for a while, "I saw you in my dream. I saw you rescued me from the black hell. Sister Siqi, I knew you were my hero!"

Meng Siqi's eyes gradually turned red, and she gently stroked Zhao Yuting's hair, "Yuting, Sister Siqi will not be so late next time. I want to be the hero that comes whenever you call!"

"I'm so happy..." Zhao Yuting also had tears in her eyes.

Zhao Yuting came back from the gates of hell. Although she had survived the danger, her face was still very weak, but she was very strong. Meng Siqi actually didn't want to talk to her about what happened the night before, but Zhao Yuting took the initiative to bring it up and told her what happened on that rainy night.

Meng Siqi felt particularly uncomfortable listening to this. Zhao Yuting had a headache and kept sobbing when she recalled it. She said that she was attacked by a man in a black raincoat and soon lost consciousness, but she vaguely remembered that she seemed to be abandoned in a shaking car. Later, she felt very cold, as if she was lying on a piece of grass, and someone began to cut her with a knife. She thought she had entered hell.

Suddenly, she felt something wet covering her mouth and nose. She wanted to breathe, to escape, but her body kept giving way.

She felt her whole body shaking until her fingers were in so much pain that she wanted to crawl out of hell.

Zhao Yuting burst into tears at the end of her description, and Meng Siqi quickly held her face with his hands and wiped away her tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Sister Siqi..."

"Yuting, you are very brave. Your sister Siqi will protect you all her life."

"Woo woo...I want you to hug me..."

Meng Siqi stood up, bent down, and buried her head in her arms. Zhao Yuting sobbed in her arms and gradually found peace.

Meng Siqi also realized that Zhao Leiting and his father Zhao Lixin must have kept them in the ward on purpose so that she could communicate with Zhao Yuting.

After Zhao Yuting calmed down, Meng Siqi's mood also gradually calmed down. She was thinking about one thing. This time, it seemed that Zhao Yuting did not mention the "ah ou ah ou" sound from beginning to end. When she hugged Yuting, she asked softly: "Yuting, did that person make the "ah ou ah ou" sound this time?"

Zhao Yuting in his arms was silent for a while, then replied, "It seems not."

Isn't it the same person? No, Meng Siqi thinks that even if there is asthma, it can be controlled with medication.

"Sister Siqi," Zhao Yuting raised her head. She seemed to remember something and wanted to tell her. Her wet eyes fell into Meng Siqi's eyes again. Yuting said, "I...I saw someone when I left the TV station that day."

Meng Siqi was stunned.

Yuting said: "I remember him. After the TV interview, I saw a man in a black raincoat holding a black umbrella. Because of the heavy rain, I couldn't see his face clearly, but he seemed to be wearing a white mask. The night before yesterday... I met him again. It was him, wearing the same white mask, like a smiling face."

A white mask with a smile? Meng Siqi was almost stunned, but she didn't show it so obviously in front of Zhao Yuting. She controlled her emotions and said, "Do you remember other characteristics? Height, weight, gender?"

Zhao Yuting seemed to be racking her brains to recall the past. After a while, she suddenly shook her head, fear in her eyes, "He was very strong, like a man. I seemed to, I seemed to, scratched his wrist, and there seemed to be a scar on his wrist."

"There's a scar?" Meng Siqi's eyes were sharp. "Yuting, is it on the left or right hand?"

"It seems to be the right hand."

"He was wearing gloves, but there was a scar. How big do you think it was?"

"I, I really don't remember, Sister Siqi..." She started crying again out of fright.

"Okay, it's okay, Yuting." Meng Siqi stroked her hair gently.

It turned out that on the day she left the TV station, Yu Ting not only saw a suspicious person, but the white-faced man also appeared again.

Meng Siqi silently accepted her message and decided not to get to the bottom of it. After all, the features she could capture in the rain that day were limited, but the feature of "scar" might be crucial.

When she decided to leave the ward, Zhao Yuting's face was covered with a happy smile, "Sister Siqi, I still have a lot of candies. I will bring them to you when I am discharged from the hospital."

"……good."

Zhao Lei Ting walked her some distance, gave her the car keys, and let her drive his car for a while.

Lu He went to the infirmary to change his medicine. As usual, the doctor complained a few words about him, but because of his special job, he did not request to continue staying in the hospital. After he came back, he waited in the hall for a while, and saw Meng Siqi walking towards him.

Lu He stood up and smiled at her. He felt that he would never be able to leave her again in this life. If the bullet had pierced her head that day, he didn't know what the meaning of living in this life would be.

Meng Siqi walked towards him, feeling Lu He's smile, looking at Lu He's arm that was bandaged like Popeye, she also tried to smile, thinking silently in her heart, Lu He, after this case is over, I can consider your pursuit!