Chapter 11

Lu Jiu reassured, “Don’t worry, Uncle. The captain just mentioned that the person was only able to succeed because they used sedatives.” 

With that, Lu Guoqing began calling his brother and his two sons. 

“Hiss…” 

The next morning, Lu Jiu was woken up by her aunt’s cat stepping on her face. 

Perhaps due to her newly awakened connection with nature, her uncle’s orange tabby and dog had suddenly taken a strong liking to her. Last night, one lay beside her bed, and the other insisted on sleeping on her pillow, refusing to leave. 

If it weren’t for the fact that both were regularly dewormed and bathed, Lu Jiu would have been far less tolerant. 

“What happened?” Lu Xinxin, who was sleeping on the inside, asked groggily, startled awake by the noise. 

She had stayed up late worrying about the murderer and had only fallen asleep after a long time. Now, she was still extremely tired. 

Lu Jiu, one hand covering her face and the other rubbing the belly of the guilty orange tabby, half-laughing, half-crying, said, “I don’t know why it got so excited, but it was running wild around the room and stepped right on my face.” 

Lu Xinxin immediately sat up, her sleepiness gone, and leaned in worriedly, “Did it scratch you?” 

“No, no, it was just playing with me.” 

“That’s good.” Lu Xinxin sighed in relief and then started scratching the cat’s head. “You silly orange tabby, do you know how heavy you are? You’re like a little pig. If you hurt my beautiful little aunt, I’ll have to punish you!” 

Lu Jiu thought, So that’s what you’re worried about? 

“Are you awake? If you’re up, get out of bed. I heard the police just caught Zhao Dashan near our vineyard. Who knows if he messed anything up? Your uncle and I are going to check it out. You two should get up and have breakfast,” Jiang Hongmei said, knocking on the door after hearing the commotion inside. 

As soon as she said that, both aunt and niece lost interest in playing with the cat, quickly got out of bed, and put on their shoes. 

When they opened the bedroom door and pushed aside the bead curtain, they both said in unison, “We’re coming too!” 

Chapter 06

Theft, intentional injury, fraud, robbery… 

Criminal investigators always have endless work, but homicide cases are rare, often not occurring more than a few times a year. 

So, the massacre in Zhao’s village caused quite a stir. 

To quickly catch the culprit and prevent public panic, the municipal bureau dispatched a large number of police officers to conduct a search. 

From the time they received the report to the moment they captured the suspect, it took just 20 hours—a remarkably swift operation. 

As the team captain, Liu Hai seldom went on missions himself anymore, but looking at the handcuffed and dejected killer, he happily remarked, “If it hadn’t been for the darkness, we could have caught him in 10 hours.” 

“If it hadn’t rained, the guy might have escaped down the mountain sooner.” A heavy rainstorm had hit the previous night, not only slowing the suspect’s escape but also leaving the pursuing officers covered in mud. 

At that moment, Wei Shian had already taken off his loose T-shirt, wearing only a fitted work vest that exposed his muscular arms, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs. 

Liu Hai didn’t think much of it, “Hypotheticals don’t matter. Either way, you’ve earned another merit.” 

Wei Shian didn’t respond. He was starving and, after pulling an all-nighter, was in no mood for small talk. 

Another thing to consider is that catching the criminal doesn’t mean everything is over. There’s still a lot of follow-up work to do… 

With that in mind, and thinking about the grapevines that were knocked over during the arrest, he added, “Deputy Captain Liu, make sure someone checks which vineyard those vines belong to. A few were accidentally damaged.” 

This was something that needed to be compensated for, and Liu Hai agreed immediately. Just as he was about to continue discussing the next steps of the case, he noticed a group of people walking over from the crowd of onlookers. 

Lu Yousheng scanned the group of police officers, and his gaze finally settled on a middle-aged officer with two bars and two stars on his shoulder. Smiling, he approached, “Officer, may we go up the mountain now?” 

After saying that, he added a bit sheepishly, “I heard the criminal was caught in the vineyard. My parents are the ones who leased the land, and they’re a bit concerned.” 

Liu Hai understood at once and smiled, “Yes, you can go up now. But a few vines were knocked down during the arrest. I’m really sorry about that. Just let us know the exact damage, and there will be compensation.” 

“No need, no need at all. It’s just a few vines, they’re not worth much. You’re the ones who’ve worked so hard. By the way, would you like to come to our house for breakfast?” Lu Guoqing, who, like many of his generation, had great respect for soldiers and police officers, saw the officers looking dusty and worn out, and grinned as he made the offer. 

Jiang Hongmei also warmly invited them, “Yes, I heard you’ve been busy all night. It must have been tough. Come have breakfast at our place.” 

Liu Hai waved off the invitation, “That’s against the rules. We need to get back to the station. About the grapevines…” 

While her uncle and aunt, along with her cousins, were chatting with the officers, Lu Jiu subtly moved closer to the tall man. 

Of course, “subtly” was only her perception. 

Lu Jiu’s striking appearance made her the center of attention, even though she was dressed simply in a T-shirt and pants today. 

So, under the watchful eyes of those around her, she approached her target. 

When the man, his eyes bloodshot, looked over, she offered him a bottle of water. “Hello, would you like some water?” His lips were dry. 

Wei Shian didn’t immediately take the bottle. Instead, he lowered his gaze, carefully studying the girl who had suddenly appeared. She seemed somewhat familiar. 

Guessing that he might not remember her, Lu Jiu quickly explained, “A few days ago, on the rooftop of Lu’s Department Store…” 

At this, Wei Shian recalled the incident. His gaze swept over her face once more before he said, “You look different from that day.” 

It was a professional habit—once Wei Shian met someone, he could generally remember them. 

In his memory, the girl’s face was almost completely obscured by her bangs, her makeup was smudged, and she looked entirely different from how she appeared now. 

Lu Jiu, remembering the awkwardness of that day, felt a bit uneasy. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you back then… Thank you.” As she spoke, she pushed the bottle of water forward again. “Would you like some?” 

This time, Wei Shian hesitated only for a moment before taking the bottle. “Thanks.” 

“You’re welcome.” Seeing him unscrew the cap and gulp down half the bottle, Lu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out a pack of biscuits, offering them to him. “And here’s some biscuits.” 

The biscuits were small, but they almost completely covered the girl’s hand, leaving only a bit of her pink fingertips visible. 

Wei Shian, feeling a bit uncomfortable, averted his gaze, just about to refuse, when he noticed dozens of curious, excited, or teasing glances directed their way.