Chapter 883: Chen Shi’s Efforts

Rubbing his arms, Xiao Li said, “Let’s talk outside. It’s freezing in here!”

They left the morgue. As they passed a large conference room, Lin Dongxue saw smoke billowing out as if there was a fire. A group of male officers was discussing the villa murder case, their passion burning as brightly as their cigarettes. The case orchestrated by Zhou Xiao had engaged all the elite detectives.

Lin Dongxue asked, “According to your hypothesis, was this planned, or was it a spur-of-the-moment act?”

“Both are possible… I think we should review the footage before and after the incident to see if there were any suspicious individuals at the scene.”

“I don’t mean to discourage you, but this sounds too coincidental, like that legal case where a man jumping to commit suicide was shot in the head mid-fall by someone firing out a window, turning the suicide into a murder.”

Chen Shi replied, “Coincidence is part of reality!”

Around noon, the three of them ordered takeout and continued watching the videos as they ate. Chen Shi, intensely focused on the monotonous footage, mechanically chewed on a rib bone, biting it five or six times after it was already clean.

Xiao Li, biting his nails and frowning, looked like he was cracking a complex code.

Lin Dongxue forced herself to keep watching the video, fighting off exhaustion.

Three hours later, Lin Dongxue exclaimed, “I can’t do this anymore! I’m going to die!” She reached into a drawer for eye drops. Xiao Li shouted, “You grabbed the wrong bottle! That’s Xiao Jia’s ear drops!”

Lin Dongxue brought the bottle closer and saw the label faintly read “Ear Drops.” She scolded, “You’re messing with me!”

Xiao Li laughed while Lin Dongxue used the correct drops. He then took the bottle and used it himself, asking Chen Shi if he needed any. Chen Shi said, “Do my eagle eyes need that? Let’s share our findings and see if there’s any overlap.”

Lin Dongxue glanced at her notebook, “I’ve noted three suspicious individuals… a man in a red coat, a man with a black hat, and a burly guy.”

Xiao Li said, “I watched the footage from the intersection. The suspicious people I noted were a woman with a bag, a man in a red coat, and a man with a black hat. This black hat was closest to the victim at the moment of the incident.”

Chen Shi asked, “What criteria did you use to determine they were suspicious?”

“They waited for a long time but didn’t get on a bus. Instead, they left right after the incident,” Xiao Li explained.

Chen Shi nodded, “Take a look at this!”

The two leaned in. In Chen Shi’s surveillance angle, at the moment of the incident, the man in the black hat stood next to Liang Zuoming. His hands were in his coat pockets, but a flesh-colored pixel appeared in the middle of his jacket for just one frame.

This single frame was critical. In the next eighth of a second, Liang Zuoming’s bike veered left, and a second later, he was hit by the bus.

Lin Dongxue was inspired and quickly checked her own footage. “I suspected this guy because he kept his hands in his pockets and only took them out after leaving the scene!”

“This is a pickpocket’s trick. The sleeves are empty, and the real hands are inside the coat. When the moment is right, a quick push, and since he’s at the front, no one behind him notices…” Chen Shi pondered, “I think this black hat guy is a professional ‘pusher.'”

Chen Shi suddenly thought of Zhou Tian’nan’s death, pushed from a building by a mysterious figure. Though unrelated to Liang Zuoming, it wasn’t the same perpetrator.

Lin Dongxue said, “So, Yueyue really didn’t kill anyone! But we need to find this black hat guy to prove it…” She glanced at the video, suspecting this black hat could reveal many truths.

“For me, knowing Yueyue didn’t kill anyone is enough. She ran away out of guilt. We should let her know she’s innocent through the media and bring her back!” Chen Shi said excitedly.

Xiao Li said, “I know someone at a TV station—my ex. I don’t like him much, but for Yueyue, I’ll contact him.”

Xiao Li went outside to make the call. Chen Shi finally relaxed, “Great, I really need to thank this black hat guy. He saved Yueyue from making a mistake.”

Lin Dongxue hugged Chen Shi and said, “Yueyue can finally come home.”

“When she does, I’m going to give her a good scolding!” Chen Shi said, both angry and relieved.

“Scold her?” Lin Dongxue chided. “When she comes back, we need to comfort her and cook her a delicious meal!”

Three days later, Long’an News broadcasted a story: “Recently, a fatal accident occurred on XX Road in our city. A middle school boy riding a bicycle was hit by an oncoming bus and died on the spot. During the police investigation, suspicions arose about this seemingly ordinary traffic accident. At the moment of the incident, a man in a black hat pushed the victim, causing him to fall into the path of the bus. The Long’an City Public Security Bureau urges citizens to stay safe and asks for information on this man. Please call the hotline number on the screen…”

In a small noodle shop in the old town, people started discussing the news, “Wow, anything can happen these days!” “Hurting a kid, is he even human?” “If I knew something, I’d get that twenty-thousand reward.” “Yeah, right, like you’d risk it? Those people are dangerous!”

Tao Yueyue looked up, noodles slipping from her mouth back into the bowl as her tears fell. Wiping her eyes with a dirty hand, she felt Chen Shi’s efforts through the screen, conveying a message: Come back, Yueyue!

Dressed like a tomboy, Tao Yueyue pushed her bowl away, paid, and picked up her sack, leaving the shop.

She headed to a secluded bridge, where plastic bags and a stray dog’s carcass floated in the dirty water. A young boy with a buzz cut sat under a makeshift tent, melting glue with a lighter to fix a broken toy car. Seeing Yueyue, he cheerfully said, “Yueyue, you’re back! Look what I found in the trash! I’ll fix it for you to play with!”

Dumping out plastic bottles from her sack, Yueyue said, “Ergou, thank you for taking me in these past days. I might have to go home now.”

“Go home?” The boy’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? You said you were an orphan like me!”

“I… I actually have an uncle. He’s looking for me on the news. But I’ll visit you often.”

The boy threw down his lighter and toy car, standing up in anger, “Why?! You said you’d be my friend! Why are you leaving me? Why do you get to have an uncle?!”

“I’m sorry I lied. I ran away from home, but now I have to go back. He’s really worried… I’ll talk to him about sending you to the best orphanage.”

“No, no, I don’t want an orphanage. I just want you!” The boy stomped, shouting.

Feeling sorry but determined, Yueyue walked away. The boy bit his lip until it bled, then pulled out a knife, rushing at her. Hearing footsteps, Yueyue turned, startled by the gleaming blade but remembering Chen Shi’s teachings. She grabbed the boy’s wrist, twisted it, and pushed him down.

The boy lay on the ground, kicking and crying, his sobs echoing like ghosts under the bridge.

Yueyue walked away without a word.

The boy felt the world grow darker, lonelier than ever. Time passed until footsteps approached again. He perked up, hoping Yueyue had returned, but it was a strange man with a terrifying smile.

“I heard a girl lived here. Where is she?” The man grinned menacingly. “I don’t have much patience, so you better tell the truth!”