Bathed in the warm winter afternoon sun, You Mingxu stood outside the internet cafe, quietly observing.
Even on a weekday, the place was filled with teenagers and young adults having fun. Behind the dark-tinted glass, they seemed completely cut off from the outside world.
This was the place where You Mingxu, accompanied by Yin Feng, had first found Li Biran.
It was also the intersection where Li Biran and Liu Ruoyu had met, become familiar with each other, built trust, and initiated their murder exchange.
Where the story began was where the hidden truths should be uncovered. You Mingxu walked in.
After several months away, the place seemed largely unchanged. As she passed row after row of computers, her gaze inadvertently drifted to the farthest corner—the spot where Li Biran used to lie on a sofa. The sofa was gone now.
What are you looking at those for! You're not allowed to play games.
Oh...
The memory of that soft, aggrieved voice seemed to linger in her ears. You Mingxu maintained an expressionless face as she approached the counter. A young man was slumped behind it, looking listless.
You Mingxu leaned over and asked with a smile, "Hey, handsome, where's your boss?"
The young man, noticing she was an attractive woman, softened his tone. "He's not here. Can I help you with something?"
You Mingxu replied, "Oh, Boss Xiang and I are from the same hometown. He helped me out with a small matter a few days ago. I just got back from out of town and wanted to treat him to a meal."
The young man asked, "Don't you have his number?"
You Mingxu naturally had it—it had been recorded during the initial investigation—but she answered without batting an eye, "I called, but it didn't go through." She wasn't worried about the young man contacting Xiang Rong; even if he did, Xiang Rong would remember who she was. Today, she was just here to casually feel things out.
The young man said, "Oh, well, I don't know then. The boss is sometimes busy, and his phone can be unreachable. We can't get in touch with him either."
You Mingxu smiled. "Oh?"
The young man added, "The boss went out of town, said he had some family matters to attend to. You can try calling again later, or you can leave your name and contact info with me. I'll try to pass it along when I get the chance."
You Mingxu said lazily, "No need. If I'm inviting someone to a meal, I should be the one taking the initiative. I'll come by another time."
As she stepped out of the internet cafe, fragments of the witness statements she had read in the case files over the past few days flashed through her mind:
The first time she and Yin Feng had come to question Xiang Rong, he had said, "That boy? He comes here often. He was here yesterday with a friend."
The second time, Xu Mengshan, following her instructions, had come to ask Xiang Rong for the surveillance footage from a few days prior. Xiang Rong had volunteered, "Someone else just came by asking for the footage too, but I didn't give it to them. Another kid, surname Liu or Chen, I think. He always comes here with Li Biran. He just left."
At the time, it hadn't seemed significant. But now, considering Gu Tiancheng's words and Yin Feng's earlier "godfather" deduction, Xiang Rong's remarks seemed somewhat suspicious. Usually, when the police came around, internet cafe owners preferred to avoid trouble. Yet, he had twice proactively mentioned Li Biran's "friend," making one wonder if he knew something hidden, or was intentionally guiding or hinting to the police.
After all, it was at this very internet cafe that Yin Feng had discovered the overlapping movements of Li Biran and Liu Ruoyu, exposing their murder exchange.
And Xu Mengshan had also uncovered a previously overlooked detail in the case files.The alliance between Li Biran and Liu Ruoyu was further strengthened by the fact that they hailed from the same hometown—Taoling Village, Chenxi County. It was even possible that they had played together as children.
Xu Mengshan, being sharp as ever, had a sudden idea to check Xiang Rong’s registered hometown. To his surprise, he discovered that Xiang Rong was also from the same village. Although Xiang Rong had been working away from home for years, his family had remained in the rural village until eight years ago, after which they moved to Xiangcheng.
This made things rather interesting.
Could the connection between these three individuals have started earlier than the internet café lead?
However, without more concrete suspicions, You Mingxu wasn’t planning to approach Li Biran and Liu Ruoyu hastily. Firstly, the two teenagers hadn’t revealed any information about this before, so questioning them again might not yield results. Secondly, for some reason, You Mingxu felt that this matter required extra caution to avoid alerting anyone prematurely.
As soon as she stepped out of the internet café, she received a call from Xu Mengshan. He said, “I’ve already arrived at Taoling Village. Xiang Rong’s house is still here, but it looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time. I’ll go scout it out in a bit.”
You Mingxu replied, “Be careful. He might have returned to Taoling Village.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll check out his place in Xiangcheng to see if I can find anything. Let’s meet up tonight.”
“If Lao Ding asks, cover for me,” Xu Mengshan said.
You Mingxu answered, “Understood.” Rumor had it that the higher-ups were planning to reinvestigate the Gu Tiancheng lead, but there had been no visible action or assigned tasks. After all, with two cases already closed, it was difficult to justify a full-scale reinvestigation based solely on Gu Tiancheng’s statements. You Mingxu guessed that the higher-ups were focusing more on apprehending Gu Tiancheng. That was understandable. But how could she and Xu Mengshan sit still? As two highly capable detectives, learning that there might be something sinister behind the cases they had solved was like having a hundred claws scratching at their hearts—they were desperate to uncover the truth overnight.
Moreover, You Mingxu’s demeanor at the police station had been noticeably tense. Ding Xiongwei had also heard the gossip about Yin Feng’s recovery and move back home. Everyone noticed that the writer who usually followed her around had suddenly disappeared, and most guessed that something had happened between them. With no other major cases at the moment, You Mingxu was pouring her energy into this one. As her partner, Xu Mengshan naturally followed without question. Even Ding Xiongwei turned a blind eye. In his view, his subordinates were a bunch of energetic young tigers. Moping over a broken heart? Better to throw themselves into a case and exhaust themselves—it was far more meaningful.
—
Xiang Rong’s home was in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of Xiangcheng. As it was a newly developed area, the neighborhood was sparsely populated, with a low occupancy rate.
You Mingxu stood outside the building for a while, observing, then decided to scout the place.
Xiang Rong lived on the first floor. It was a simple house with a small garden in front and tightly drawn curtains.
You Mingxu knew that Xiang Rong had divorced his wife years ago, and his son had died in a drowning accident several years earlier. Now living alone, and with Xiang Rong away, the house was naturally empty. Feeling no reservations, she glanced around—no one in sight, no surveillance cameras—and climbed over the garden wall to get inside.When a detective engages in sneaky activities, it comes naturally. With just a glance, she spotted a ventilation window high up in the kitchen that was open—just the right size for her to slip through. In a few quick moves, she scaled the wall and began squeezing through the window.
A thought automatically surfaced in her mind: If Yin Feng were here, she wouldn’t need to climb through windows. A few pokes with a wire, and he’d walk right through the front door openly.
Her climbing motion faltered slightly—why was she thinking of that bastard again?
So what if she couldn’t pick locks? She could still get in just fine!
OpenNovel