He who knows the times is a hero
Even if Luo Yuwen wanted to be angry, he couldn't feel it when he saw Jiang Shuiying's smiling face. Besides, Jiang Shuiying was right, it would indeed be faster this way. Although it was a little different from what he had initially thought, at least he had started a conversation with Qu Qing.
In Luo Yuwen's original plan, he and Jiang Shuiying were going to pretend to be lovers in an ambiguous relationship, but the matter was already settled, and Qu Qing had already determined that the two were lovers, so it was futile to explain further.
The two of them were planning in the car that the reading day would be in five days, during which time they would pretend to be lovers and go to the bookstore to get to know each other. People always relax sometimes, and once Qu Qing lets down his guard, he would always be able to find clues.
After the plan was set, Jiang Shuiying sat in the car waiting for Luo Yuwen to take her back to Yan's house. Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and asked:
"Luo Yuwen, did Yan Ying look for you after we came back from City A?"
Luo Yuwen shook his head after hearing this and said that Yan Ying didn't even call him, so he didn't know what she was doing.
Jiang Shuiying sneered and replied: "What else can he do? Without his brother, he is nothing."
"Luo Yuwen, a man who knows the current situation is a hero. You should know this simple truth, right?"
Luo Yuwen turned his head and saw Jiang Shuiying with her arms folded over her chest, the smile on her face gone, waiting for his response.
He turned his head back and sighed, "...Got it."
It was almost nine o'clock in the evening when Luo Yuwen sent Jiang Shuiying back to Yan's house. Jiang Shuiying opened the car door, jumped out, and waved to Luo Yuwen through the car window.
"See you tomorrow, Detective."
***
It was already late when Luo Yuwen returned home from Yan's house. He sat on the sofa, hesitating whether to call Yan Ying.
Jiang Shuiying's question in the car actually woke Luo Yuwen up. Yan Ying was so anxious before and said that he would only give him one month. But since he made those harsh words downstairs last time, this person disappeared and has not appeared until now, nor has he communicated with him.
Judging from Yan Ying's previous attitude towards his brother, it is unlikely that he would give up investigating the case. Now that he has not contacted me, it means that he has either found out through other means or something has happened.
Luo Yuwen was more inclined to the second option, because he thought he was already making good use of his time, and he didn't believe Yan Ying could be faster than him unless he used unfair means.
After much hesitation, Luo Yuwen finally called Yan Ying.
“Beep—beep—”
"Hello?"
The call was actually connected, but Luo Yuwen heard Yan Ying's voice sound like she had just woken up.
"Hello, it's me."
"I checked everyone your brother had contact with before his death, and I couldn't find any evidence to prove that Jiang Shuiying killed your brother. Are you really sure your brother didn't commit suicide?"
There was silence on the other side for a few seconds. Luo Yuwen found that Yan Ying's tone was not as irritable as before, but contrary to his usual behavior, it even sounded a little desperate.
"I don't know... I don't know! I don't know what Jiang Shuiying said to my brother. My brother did tell me before that he would not commit suicide. I don't know why he died in the office!"
"No one is helping me anymore! Luo Yuwen! Only you can help me!"
"I promise, after you help me find out, I will tell you about your brother. Believe me, I'm the only one who knows about this!!!"
"I'm not in G City right now. If you find any phone numbers, tell me and we'll get in touch!"
After Yan Ying finished speaking this long paragraph, she hung up the phone, leaving Luo Yuwen alone in the dark holding the phone.
There were too many clues, like a tangled mess of silk threads that were impossible to sort out. Yan Ying was certain Yan Ming would not commit suicide, and her first suspicion was Jiang Shuiying.
According to his own investigation, despite many coincidences, Jiang Shuiying and Zhu Zhi both had perfect alibis. Yan Ming committed suicide; it was impossible for him to kill someone from a distance.
Who among these people is lying?
***
At six o'clock in the evening of the next day, in order to complete the act, Jiang Shuiying, still in professional attire, took Luo Yuwen's hand and walked into Qu Qing's bookstore.
Qu Qing was already fiddling with the coffee machine at the bar, smiling at the two of them, "Welcome, both of you."
Jiang Shuiying sat at the bar as usual and ordered a latte and a juice.
"Miss Jiang, why didn't you order two flat whites this time?"
Jiang Shuiying smiled, looked at Luo Yuwen and then at Qu Qing, and then answered her: "He can't drink coffee at night. I'm allergic to caffeine, so anything is fine for me."
"The main reason is that the beans here are very fragrant. Once I came here, I always wanted to come here."
Upon hearing this, Qu Qing smiled back at Jiang Shuiying: "Thank you for your support, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Shuiying is not only talkative, but also gives Qu Qing advice from a customer's perspective. For example, the coffee area and book area in the store are not separated, which makes it easy for them to affect each other.
This kind of feedback from customers was very useful to Qu Qing, a small boss. Soon the two of them were chatting animatedly again. Luo Yuwen was listening nearby and found that it had nothing to do with the case, so he just stood aside and served as a background board diligently.
"Thank you for your advice, Miss Jiang. I will take it into consideration."
"No, no, just saying it casually. Miss Qu, you don't have to be so polite."
Jiang Shuiying was talking until her mouth was dry. When she looked at the time, she found that they had been chatting for almost an hour. She picked up the coffee and took two sips. Then she realized that the juice in front of Luo Yuwen was only a little less. It seemed that he had only taken two sips.
"Oh, I was so engrossed in chatting with Miss Qu that I forgot you were there. Sorry..."
Jiang Shuiying pretended to be intimate and moved towards Luo Yuwen. Their arms were pressed together. Jiang Shuiying supported her chin with one hand and let the other hand hang at her side with a bright smile.
"Why don't you drink it? Don't you like it?"
Her hanging hand pinched Luo Yuwen's waist hard, wrinkling his leather jacket.
Well, the feel is still the same, but why is this idiot not saying anything? Didn't he say he was going to act? Why is he just sitting there blankly?
Luo Yuwen's body stiffened. He understood the anxiety in Jiang Shuiying's eyes, then took two sips of the juice.
"No, I like it."
Qu Qing in front of her saw that the two people's voices began to become lower, so she walked to the other side tactfully, but the bar was so small that Jiang Shuiying's voice was loud enough for her to hear.
Jiang Shuiying's hair was scattered, and she lowered her head slightly and whispered softly in Luo Yuwen's ear. They looked like a pair of lovers whispering tenderly.
"Well...my husband is on a business trip, would you like to..."
“Cough…cough cough!”
As expected, Luo Yuwen was choked again, and Qu Qing also looked over here. Jiang Shuiying rolled her eyes in her heart - they have been cooperating for so long but his ability to accept is still so poor.
Despite thinking about it, Jiang Shuiying still picked up the tissue beside her to wipe Luo Yuwen's mouth, and her gentle voice sounded again:
"What's wrong with you? Are you so happy knowing my husband is not around?"
Unexpectedly, Luo Yuwen acted out of character and directly grabbed Jiang Shuiying's wrist and rubbed it carefully. His face also changed, his expression became ambiguous and forbearing, and his voice was low and hoarse:
"Of course, ma'am, you know, I'm always here whenever you need me..."
After saying that, he did not forget to hold up Jiang Shuiying's hand and rub his chin, which was already starting to grow stubble.
This time it was Jiang Shuiying's turn to be stunned. She didn't expect Luo Yuwen to be so tactful. However, she was only stunned for two seconds before she followed Luo Yuwen's movements and began to stroke his tightened jaw.
"So good today?"
Jiang Shuiying knew that if they continued to act, they would lose their composure. She pulled her hand away, coughed lightly twice, and spoke to Qu Qing, who was busy looking around at the side.
"Miss Qu, we're leaving first. We'll come back next time."
Qu Qing looked relieved and quickly said goodbye to the two of them.
"Have a nice day, both of you."
The two stood up and left, still holding hands, as they walked out of Qu Qing's bookstore hand in hand. When they were far away and about to return to the car, Jiang Shuiying tried to pull her hand away, but found that no matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't move it. Luo Yuwen's big hand held her tightly, leaving her no room to escape.
Jiang Shuiying: “?”
Luo Yuwen: "You have to do the whole act, you said it yourself, Jiang Shuiying."
Jiang Shuiying: “…”
Okay, just hold your hand, we’re already in the car.
***
These days, Jiang Shuiying and Luo Yuwen would appear in Qu Qing's bookstore on time every day when it was time to get off work, looking like regular customers, and Qu Qing's attitude towards them became more and more familiar.
When Luo Yuwen and Jiang Shuiying were in the store, they still maintained a "lover" relationship. Jiang Shuiying said shocking things from time to time. Having learned from the previous lessons, Luo Yuwen responded very well. While dealing with Jiang Shuiying, Luo Yuwen did not forget to observe Qu Qing, and found that every time she looked a little lonely, and then quickly recovered her composure.
Luo Yuwen also discovered that Qu Qing was actually a very thoughtful person. She could accurately remember the preferences of every guest who came to her. She even remembered to serve juice instead of coffee to herself, who rarely spoke.
Jiang Shuiying's communication with Qu Qing over the past few days was not in vain. The two women talked about everything, and finally Jiang Shuiying got some useful information out of her, which was that Qu Qing was actually an orphan.
According to Qu Qing, she grew up in an orphanage, worked part-time to pay for her university education, and after graduation, worked as a designer for a few years. She saved up a little money and opened this small shop. In her spare time, she enjoys making coffee and often travels to find delicious beans, which indirectly helped the shop's business grow.
Luo Yuwen pretended to read a book and wrote down this information in a notebook.
This means that Qu Qing’s bookstore has nothing to do with Yan Ming at all, and she is also a small boss who has no worries about food and drink. Why would she choose to be Yan Ming’s lover?
If it's not for money, then it's for love.
Luo Yuwen couldn't help but think of Zhu Zhi. Zhu Zhi was forced, so what about Qu Qing?
On the day before the reading day, the two appeared in the bookstore as usual. Luo Yuwen was thinking about the case, but Jiang Shuiying did not chat with Qu Qing as she did in the previous few days. Instead, she lowered her head and looked at her mobile phone, which seemed a little abnormal.
Luo Yuwen was lost in thought when Jiang Shuiying suddenly pinched his strong thigh under the bar.
"?"
Jiang Shuiying raised her chin towards him, and soon the phone in Luo Yuwen's pocket dinged. He took it out and saw it was a message from Jiang Shuiying.
"Act a scene with me, Mr. Detective."
Acting? What kind of acting?
Luo Yuwen didn't understand, but Jiang Shuiying's playful eyes made him feel uneasy. The last time Jiang Shuiying looked at him like this was when she said he was her lover.
The clock hanging on the wall ticked away. The weather was not very good today. It was drizzling outside and there were almost no people in the bookstore.
The clerk was a young girl, drowsy beside the bookshelf. Seeing that her head was about to hit the ground, Qu Qing asked the clerk to go back and he would close the shop.
The clerk immediately became alert when he heard that it was time to get off work. He changed into his uniform and ran out. Before leaving, he didn't forget to say to Qu Qing:
"Boss, it's going to rain soon, remember to bring an umbrella!" After saying that, the man disappeared in a flash.
Qu Qing smiled and said nothing. At this time, there were only three of them left in the store.
Jiang Shuiying still looked down at her phone without saying anything, seemingly uninterested in what was happening. Qu Qing also noticed that something was wrong with Jiang Shuiying and said softly, "Miss Jiang, why are you so quiet today? What happened?"
Jiang Shuiying just shook her head when she heard that and said she was fine. Then she continued to look at her phone nervously with a slightly frown on her face.
Luo Yuwen was waiting anxiously, he couldn't understand what this woman was going to do.
The rain outside the window gradually intensified, and the clock on the wall showed that it was already eight o'clock in the evening. Without Jiang Shuiying's voice, the shop was surprisingly quiet. Qu Qing was wiping the countertop, while Luo Yuwen placed his hands folded on the table, waiting for Jiang Shuiying's action.
At this moment, Jiang Shuiying stood up and almost knocked over the coffee cup in front of her, startling Qu Qing and Luo Yuwen.
Jiang Shuiying held up her cell phone, looking panicked, looking at Qu Qing and then at Luo Yuwen.
Qu Qing still held the rag in his hand and stared blankly at Jiang Shuiying, "Miss Jiang, what's wrong with you?"
Jiang Shuiying didn't answer her, but turned to look at Luo Yuwen, her voice a little unstable: "Luo Yuwen, hide quickly, my husband is here to check on me!"
"ah?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
