As evening approached, the stifling air suddenly started to move, and a breeze made it much easier for the breathless people.
The sky was a mix of red and yellow, pulling up a sky full of colorful clouds, dyeing the clouds brilliantly and causing the hurried passersby to stop and admire the view rarely.
Mrs. Huang was easily restrained by the military police who were called in as she tried to flee the neighborhood.
Old Huang tied a baby up with a rope and left it at the base of the wall behind the building. He then walked out of the building empty-handed, swaggering, and secretly circled back to pick up the baby and leave through the side door. Liu Jiaming, who had timely intercepted them, caught them red-handed with evidence.
The baby was immediately taken to the hospital for a health check-up and a blood test was conducted.
Lin Wangjiu just waved the search warrant in front of Old Huang, who was caught in the act, and he completely lost the mood to verify the authenticity of the search warrant.
At the scene, they found an iron pot filled with ashes, which was sent back to the forensic department to see if they could pick out a piece or two of unburned cloth that could be tested for the victim’s blood or DNA.
After the evidence collection was completed, the team returned triumphantly.
In the interrogation room, the Huang couple did not resist much and confessed together.
“They were unhappy as a couple, she cried saying she wanted to die with the child.”
“Our biggest worry now is that our son will have no descendants, and no one to care for him in his old age.”
“People want a child so badly and can’t have one, yet she, clearly pregnant, didn’t want it.”
“We really didn’t want to kill her; she didn’t want to live anymore. The child is innocent, why not give it to us… We are not really evil people, maybe by doing this, we actually saved the child’s life, officer…”
Mrs. Huang cried while making a passionate plea for her innocence, as if she truly was completely blameless.
Yet such people, together with her husband, methodically cut through a living being, taking away everything from someone else.
Lin Wangjiu pulled out a cigarette, flipped his lighter in his hand, and left the police station without a word.
Liu Jiaming turned off the high-wattage lamp that was shining on the criminal and escorted Mrs. Huang out of the room.
Fang Zhenyue stood at the door of the interrogation room with his hands in his pockets, looking away through the corridor window at the distant moon.
The cold, bright light could not penetrate this small room.
The statements of the Huang couple were recorded separately, and when compared, they were exactly the same.
After sending the criminal to be detained, the heavy case team returned to their base, exhausted, their minds heavy as if filled with lead.
In the office, everyone found a spot to slump down, and no one spoke a word.
The air conditioning roared, sending out cold air, and Liu Jiaming’s shutdown brain rarely moved, forming five words: “Driven by hunger and cold.”
When Yi Jiayi came in carrying big and small bags, what she saw was a room of people who had solved the case yet were utterly gloomy.
She blinked, adjusted herself, displayed her most innocent and friendly smile, and with the lightest voice, stepped into the room saying:
“Detectives, the takeout has arrived!”
Fang Zhenyue, who had his eyes closed in relaxation, suddenly felt a warmth near his ear. When he opened his eyes, a streak of light flashed into the room, bringing with it a sweet and warm fragrance that instantly dispelled the fatigue enveloping him.
“Officer Fang said he’d treat everyone, so he asked me to get some delicious food for the team. Just so happens my brother was coming to bring me food, hehe, might as well keep the good stuff within the family, right? So I ordered from Yi Ji.”
“My brother’s specialty egg tarts, still hot.”
“The silk stocking milk tea has such a rich and smooth texture, anyone who drinks it would love it.”
“Super soft and tender chicken feet in black bean sauce, melts in your mouth, with a rich and flavorful sauce.”
“My brother’s hand-beaten beef meatball and glass noodle soup, the meatballs are super bouncy. One of our neighbors loves it so much, he can eat over a dozen in one sitting!”
“Seafood porridge, fresh and nourishing, good for both body and stomach.”
“And then there’s the stir-fried beef ho fun, wow, the beef chunks are so big, all from marinated beef tenderloin, super tender and fragrant. Hmm~ full of wok hei, come and eat!”
Yi Jiayi opened a food container, announcing each dish with an expression that matched the enticing aroma, making several detectives salivate uncontrollably.
“I’m literally drooling!” Liu Jiaming was the first to step up, moving tables together to form a large one, dragging his chair over and grabbing a cup of milk tea. He gulped it down and then theatrically sighed with a blissful expression, “Jiayi, you really are our guardian angel!”
“It was Sir Fang who treated us, I’m just in charge of delivery and service.” Yi Jiayi crisply snapped apart pairs of disposable chopsticks, smiling as she handed them out to each detective.
As Fang Zhenyue took the chopsticks, he briefly touched the soft fingertips of the young policewoman, just as warm as he had imagined.
Such a warm-hearted young lady, able to make one forget the dark shades of work and taste the rare sweetness of this world.
Seeing that everyone was engrossed in their meal, Yi Jiayi quietly pulled over a chair, sat down like a thief, scooped up the remaining bowl of stir-fried ho fun, and grabbed a chicken foot. As she ate, she sneakily glanced over at Fang Zhenyue.
A few minutes later, seeing that Sir Fang had no intention of asking her to leave, she finally felt secure enough to thoroughly enjoy her meal.
Yi Jiayi thought she had slipped into the Major Crime Unit’s dinner group unnoticed, but she didn’t see the glance Fang Zhenyue gave her when she bowed her head.
After everyone had their fill and looked refreshed and brighter-eyed from the meal, Yi Jiayi picked up a bag of tomatoes and placed them on the table, in front of the detectives:
“These are from the parents of the infant kidnapping case victim. They grew these themselves and brought them specially from Tin Shui Wai in a netted bag, asking me to deliver them to you. They said the detectives have worked hard, investigating day and night, and they are grateful to you for catching the criminal.”
“I’ve already washed them, you can eat them directly.”
The agents looked at the scene before them, their emotions a mixture of feelings.
Fang Zhenyue was the first to pick up a tomato. He bit into it, savoring the rich, sweet, and sour juice that soothed the weariness of staying up late.
Seeing this, the other agents began to pick up their own tomatoes, eating them like fruit. They paired the tomatoes with meat and egg tarts to cut through the greasiness and refresh their spirits.
After swallowing a tomato, Fang Zhenyue wiped his mouth with a napkin. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a large red circle drawn around the murderer’s name on the whiteboard. Turning to Lin Wangjiu, he said:
“Uncle Jiu, you truly are a veteran detective. You’ve caught onto the suspect’s dubious traits before any of us.”
Lin Wangjiu, who was intently gnawing on a chicken claw, looked up in confusion at the praise. After swallowing his food, he humbly laughed and said, “Oh no, not at all.”
Then, puzzled, he raised an eyebrow and asked, “How come it was me who noticed the suspect first? Wasn’t it you who realized the murderer’s son had an accident that cost him his ability to have children, and that was the motive for murder, leading to the arrest?”
Fang Zhenyue furrowed his brow and pointed to the red circle on the whiteboard, “Wasn’t that drawn by you?”
“!” Yi Jiayi’s eyes widened in shock, nearly choking on her egg tart.
Why suddenly call someone out while eating a good meal?
“No, I thought you drew it,” Lin Wangjiu commented, unable to resist adding, “Look, it’s so big and bold, just like your personality.”
“……” Fang Zhenyue.
“……” Yi Jiayi.
“I saw this circle and thought Uncle Jiu had spotted something suspicious about the couple in room 302, which made me think deeper about their motive for murder… Wasn’t it you?” Fang Zhenyue fixed his gaze on Lin Wangjiu, his eyes narrowing slightly as if to say: Confess, you can’t escape my keen observation.
Lin Wangjiu hurriedly waved his hands and laughed, “If it were something good like that, wouldn’t I admit it?”
Fang Zhenyue’s piercing gaze then turned to Liu Jiaming.
Liu Jiaming quickly shook his head, “I always thought it was the deceased’s husband who committed the murder. I was thinking how Sir Fang could have noticed something off about those two old folks from 302 right away. Truly a keen observer.”
“I have keen eyes, but I didn’t draw that circle,” Fang Zhenyue huffed, then looked towards Gary and Sanfu, both of whom also waved their hands, indicating they knew nothing about the bold red circle.
Finally, Fang Zhenyue’s gaze landed on the last person in the room, and then met a pair of innocent, clear eyes.
Oh, this one wasn’t from the Major Crime Team B, just a sweet little helper who had shown up at the right time.
He then turned his gaze back to the whiteboard. It was just a circle with no handwriting, impossible to tell who had left it.
As for the red marker, it surely had the fingerprints of everyone there, perhaps even those of the cleaning lady, and of sister Yin or Yi Jiayi, who distributed markers to the offices.
People from other departments don’t know the situation with this case, so why would they randomly draw circles on the whiteboard and directly pinpoint the culprit?
Fang Zhenyue’s gaze thus swept towards his subordinates again, forcing everyone to look up from their delicacies and shake their heads and wave their hands to prove their innocence.
“That’s strange…” Fang Zhenyue tapped his fingers on the table, his face showing the focused expression he only displayed when solving cases.
Taking advantage of Sir Fang’s distraction, the others quickly stuffed the last of the chicken feet, egg tarts, and beef balls into their mouths, feeling full and satisfied, hardly able to suppress their burps of contentment.
Yi Jiayi’s gaze lingered on Fang Zhenyue’s face, her eyelashes trembling with each glance.
Seeing him deep in thought and troubled, her mood became increasingly exhilarated.
She gently lowered her gaze, hiding a smile in her eyes. Quietly, she reached for a tomato and held it in her palm, nibbling and softly sucking the juice.
It turned out she had played a significant role in solving this case.
She could also enjoy a big tomato.
As the tomato juice filled her stomach, she licked her lips and silently replied to Fang Zhenyue in her heart: Sir Fang, you’re welcome.