Chapter 29
Because they had already got off work and were returning to the office to work overtime, Li Qingyao and Chen Pu both dressed casually. Li Qingyao wore a loose linen short-sleeved shirt and wide-leg pants. Chen Pu originally wanted to wear a vest at home, but he got scared before going out and changed into a white T-shirt and a pair of sports shorts.
Li Qingyao saw that both of his thighs were exposed and asked, "Aren't you cold?"
Chen Pu laughed: "If it wasn't for the fact that it doesn't look good at work, who would have the patience to wear long pants all day? It's so hot."
Li Qingyao also saw how much sweat he produced during the day and nodded to show his understanding. He even wanted to say "you have beautiful legs" but swallowed it back. She still remembered how he turned into a moral guardian and taught her a lesson about not provoking others.
Li Qingyao turned around, picked up a pen, and wrote down the names and identities of several people on the whiteboard:
Li Meiling, 45 years old, wife.
Xiang Siling, 25 years old, stepdaughter.
Qian Chengfeng, 32 years old, is Xiang Siling’s ex-husband, Luo Hongmin’s subordinate, and the marketing director of the group’s e-commerce subsidiary.
Wu Xu, 52, competitor, general manager of Xingjiayi Group.
Zheng Shuhuai, 49 years old, competitor, deputy general manager of Junengtang Company.
Xie Rongcheng, 58, competitor, chairman of Huading Group.
While she was writing this, Chen Pu rested one elbow on the table, holding up his chin and reading. His thighs, which had finally cooled down, were still shaking slightly.
The top that Li Qingyao wore today was loose and relatively short. When she raised her arms, the hem of the clothes gently rubbed her waist, and her white curves appeared and disappeared from time to time.
All the information she wrote was what Chen Pu knew. He glanced at it for a few seconds and then glanced down.
When she stopped writing and turned to look through the character file, he immediately put his palm to his lips, looked up with a serious expression. After a while, Chen Pu lowered his eyes and stared at the ground. His expression gradually became serious. When he raised his head again, his gaze was fixed on the whiteboard and he never looked down again.
But that touch of white is still eye-catching even if you don't look directly at it.
Li Qingyao finished writing and looked back, only to find that Chen Pu had a stern expression and a red face. She said in surprise: "You are still hot!" The air conditioner in the office is on! She felt a little cold.
"I was born with a fire body." Chen Pu said coldly, "Talk about the case, don't worry about these details."
The two discussed for a while. At present, they have only contacted the first two of these six people. The alibis of the two men were also investigated by other members of the criminal police team according to routine procedures. Their situation has not been fully explored yet.
As for the latter four, the police have not yet questioned them.
"First investigate the three competitors, then the three family members." Chen Pu said, "This case took a detour in the early stages because the direction of the investigation was set too specifically at the beginning. Now that there is no clue, the scope of the investigation should be appropriately expanded first, and then narrowed accurately."
It was the first time that Li Qingyao heard such a practical theory, and he immediately copied this sentence into his notebook. At this moment, she sat next to him, holding her chin with her hand and said, "According to what you said, six people is not a wide range. What if there are other murderous people around him, but the contradiction has not been exposed, or we have not discovered it? How can we ensure that the scope of the investigation is just right, without missing anything and wasting police resources?"
Chen Pu was naturally happy that his sister was so studious and sharp, and she asked the right question. He smiled and said, "First of all, there are only two of us now. The scope of six people just covers the two main relationships of the deceased's family and career, which is more appropriate.
Secondly, many character relationships and important events were discovered gradually, even accidentally, during the investigation process. In my experience, there are many cases where it is discovered that the real murderer is very different from the suspect initially suspected. We start with these six people. It doesn't mean that we limit the suspects to them. Rather, how should I put it? We use these six people as anchor points and entry points to find out the network of relationships around the deceased. The real murderer must be somewhere in this web, near or far.
I said expand first, then accurately shrink. But at the beginning we didn't know how small it would shrink or in which direction it would shrink. This kind of thing is actually very much about feeling. Sometimes, an inconspicuous detail passes by your eyes, and other police officers may not notice it, but you happen to see it and realize that there is something wrong with this detail. That feeling is really exciting. Remember, don't let it go easily. Trust your intuition. Even if others think it is unimportant, don't care about it.
You have to hold on to this line like a smart and stubborn hound and never let go. As long as you keep chasing it, you will usually find the key to solving the case and catch the real culprit. Hey, I’ll take you to check it out this time so you can get a feel for it. After you have handled many cases, you will understand what I mean. ”
Li Qingyao felt very satisfied and relaxed both physically and mentally after hearing what he heard. She also knew that although solving a case was mainly based on logic and facts, for some experienced criminal police, the process of solving a case was quite mysterious. Just as Chen Pu said, it was very much based on intuition.
Their intuition is not talent or luck, but a very comprehensive and high-level judgment derived from a large amount of solid investigative experience accumulated over time, coupled with a smart and flexible mind. Even if there are still a lack of clues, they can rely on their intuition to find the only correct path among the chaotic information. They are not the monster-like detectives in TV dramas, but old detectives with their feet in the mud and great wisdom in their hearts.
As for Chen Pu, Li Qingyao looked at his short flat hair that didn't quite suit his face shape, his white T-shirt and sweatpants that couldn't be simpler, his facial features that were actually pretty if you looked closely, and his slightly rough skin. Obviously, this once pampered and arrogant rich boy has now become that kind of old detective. Otherwise, the bureau would not be able to let him take charge at the age of 29.
"Why are you looking at me?" Chen Pu said, "Are you impressed by my handsomeness?"
"Don't dream. I'm thinking about what you said. So, let's make an appointment with the three business competitors tomorrow, and then dig deeper into the information of Xiang Siling, Li Meiling and Qian Chengfeng. After going through them all, find out the person or thing that we think is the most wrong, and continue to dig deeper?"
Chen Pu nodded: "This young man is teachable."
Li Qingyao glanced at him and said, "Please teach me more in the future." This glance was light and light, neither like an order nor a request, as if he should do so.
Chen Pu's heart trembled when he was looked at, he felt that this look was full of coquettishness.
He lowered his head, clasped his hands together, and subconsciously began to shake his legs. As a result, his thigh touched Li Qingyao's leg. Her clothes were just like her, thin fabric, with a smooth and cool feel, touching Chen Pu's thighs. Chen Pu suddenly moved his thigh away.
Li Qingyao was taking notes with his head down. He said without raising his head, "Hey, why are you hiding? Are you afraid that I will take off my shoes and hook your calves with my toes?"
Chen Pu's face darkened, but after all, under her constant training, he had developed valuable defensive abilities. He said calmly, "Who knows? After all, I have never been seduced by anyone."
The tip of the pen in Li Qingyao's hand paused, and he couldn't think of anything awesome enough to say in response. He immediately became unhappy. Chen Pu was going to make a scene.
So after they finished their overtime work, they walked back to their home in Chaoyang together. Li Qingyao was silent and quite reserved. Chen Pu didn't know what he was thinking and didn't say anything.
The roads in the old residential area are narrow, and there are no sidewalks in many sections, so people can only walk along the roadside. Li Qingyao walked inside and Chen Pu walked outside. When a car came, he had to lean inward, and their arms inevitably rubbed against each other. But Chen Pu did not overreact, and Li Qingyao naturally did not start the mocking mode again. It seemed that neither of them noticed.
Another minibus came, which was relatively wide. Chen Pu dodged inside. As luck would have it, the back of Li Qingyao's raised hand just happened to touch his thigh, so she quickly retracted her hand.
However, after using the air conditioner all night, his skin felt cool, and her fingers even gently stroked the hair on his legs. Li Qingyao had noticed it a long time ago. Like other men, he also had hair on his legs. It wasn't the kind that was terribly thick, nor was it the kind that was white and hairless. The muscles are very tight, the skin color is slightly dark, the body hair is not too much or too little, and he looks very sporty and healthy.
The car drove away, and Chen Pu's body immediately swayed to the side, creating a little distance.
He looked ahead, concentrating on walking, as if he felt nothing.
After walking a few more steps, Li Qingyao tried to hold back, but couldn't hold back any longer. He raised his hand, curled his fingers, and said doubtfully, "It feels icy cold to the touch, not hot. You're still bragging about having a fire body. I think it's yang deficiency."
Chen Pu tilted his head to look at her. There was smile, helplessness, and something dark and silent in his eyes.
Li Qingyao wanted to continue her efforts and say a few more words, preferably to make him blush and run away in shame. She was thinking about whether to say "Should I recommend you a kind of kidney pills that my mother sells in her clinic" or "Don't get me wrong, I haven't touched many thighs", when she suddenly felt a heat on the back of her neck. A big, strong hand covered her and pinched the back of her neck neither lightly nor heavily.
Chen Pu came closer, and the distance between their bodies was closer than ever before. Half of his chest was lightly touching her back, but not too close. She could feel the heat radiating from his chest, his palms.
"Aren't my hands warm yet?" he said, "Please stop saying that men are weak all the time."
His words were neither hurried nor slow, as if he was trying to reason with her. Li Qingyao couldn't see his face, but he could clearly feel an aura called "Chen Pu" enveloping him, even stronger than the feeling when he was hugged in the afternoon. At this moment, she felt like a chicken being pulled to the edge of the oven. Her body was slightly stiff and her steps were a little unsteady.
But how could Li Qingyao show his cowardice? She said calmly, "Okay, you pass."
Chen Pu stopped talking.
But his hands remained there without moving.
Clearly she had taken a small step back out of admirable favor, but he seemed to have forgotten that his stinky hand was still around her neck and continued walking forward with a serious face, as if he was deliberately trying to pinch her for revenge, or as if he was half hugging her.
After walking several steps, his hand slid to the side and reached her shoulder. The strength of his hand was not completely released. It felt like he gently hugged her shoulder and then let go completely.
Li Qingyao's expression remained calm and he didn't say a word. After he put his hand down, she tilted her head to look at the store on the side of the road. Her attention seemed to be attracted by something and her face was burning.
At this moment, Chen Pu seemed to have taken a mute drug. He put his hands back into his trouser pockets and walked with his head down.
When the heat on his face subsided, Li Qingyao was naturally revived and looked at him straight in the eyes like lightning. What a joke, how could she let him go? Shy and nervous is not Li Qingyao's name. As long as she is fierce enough, it will be others who run away!
She said with a fake smile: "Chen Pu, were you touching me just now? Hey, did you add leopard gall to the beef and tripe noodles tonight? This is really impressive. Chen Xiaopu, how can you be a dog who is attracted by beauty!"
But despite her fierce attack, Chen Pu seemed to be in a daze, or as if he didn't hear anything, and didn't react like a piece of wood.
Li Qingyao immediately poked his forearm with his finger again.
He then turned his head and Li Qingyao looked at him. The light was not bright enough at night and he couldn't tell whether his face was blushing or not. He said calmly, "What are you talking about? Am I not your brother? There is no point in touching each other between siblings. It hurts the relationship."
Li Qingyao: ...
I almost spit out a mouthful of blood.
Although she always bickers with Chen Pu, in her heart, Chen Pu has always been a true gentleman.
But it was not until today that Li Qingyao realized that a gentleman could be so shameless.
Seeing Li Qingyao's angry look, Chen Pu laughed. In the dim light, he stood tall, with a faint gleam in his eyes. Li Qingyao realized that there seemed to be many things hidden in those eyes, but also there seemed to be only one emotion, tenderness.
Humph... Li Qingyao turned his head away and ignored him.
At this time, the two of them had walked downstairs to her house. Li Qingyao said nothing and turned around and ran.
But he heard Chen Pu say softly: "Don't be angry, I'm definitely not a bastard."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com