Chapter 25

It was 2 p.m. in the afternoon in the urban area of Nancheng. On a street near the Xinjia Public Square, the dilapidated van was parked on the side, almost scrapped. The Audi, on the other hand, only had minor scratches. This accident attracted numerous onlookers, sparking discussions.

Song Wen made a call and summoned a few colleagues to register the operation. He also contacted the traffic police, arranged for a tow truck to take away the van, and handed over the Audi to the insurance company. After going through a series of procedures, almost two hours had passed. The group of people sat in the police car, escorting Knife Third and his accomplice back to the city bureau. Lu Siyu led the team to take the suspects into the interrogation room, while Song Wen returned to the office.

Upon entering, Song Wen almost didn’t recognize the unit where he had worked for several years. The entire entrance was filled with chaotic footprints, and scattered pieces of gold and silver paper were everywhere. The office area looked like it had been hit by a hurricane, with paper money strewn all over. Then he saw Commissioner Gu, hands on his hips, scolding in the corridor, “This is outrageous! Littering everywhere, making a mess…”

Song Wen was puzzled. He draped his black coat over his white shirt, turned to Lao Jia beside him, and asked, “What’s going on? Why is Commissioner Gu so angry?”

Lao Jia, cleaning up while talking, said, “Ah, don’t mention it. Just now, people from Dong Fang’s family arrived, including family members and more than twenty construction workers. They first caused a scene at the school, and then came to the police station, demanding severe punishment for the murderer and seeking an explanation. Later, Commissioner Gu scolded them, and they just left.”

Song Wen breathed a sigh of relief, thinking it was fortunate he wasn’t there earlier. After all, Dong Fang’s family had lost their daughter, and with their wealth, they wouldn’t let the matter rest easily. Just as he was thinking about this, he heard Commissioner Gu’s voice: “Song Wen! Come over here!”

Song Wen turned around and followed Commissioner Gu into the office. Commissioner Gu sat down and, in frustration, ran his hand through his thinning hair. “Song Wen, let me tell you, if you’re not here next time, I won’t cover for you. You’ll have to clean up the mess yourself.”

Song Wen sighed and said, “I didn’t want to get involved in this case either. Besides, they’ve lost their daughter…”

“You’re still speaking up for them! Even if they’re the victim’s family, there are too many of them coming to the police station to mourn! “

“But what if they get upset and go to the media? That would be even more troublesome,” Song Wen said casually.

Commissioner Gu also calmed down. Song Wen’s words reminded him that he had been a bit too harsh just now. If this case was exposed, it would definitely be a headline in the media, and the pressure on the police would be even greater. He felt a bit regretful and said, “I’ll make a call later to appease them. To solve the problem, we need to solve the case as soon as possible.” After saying this, Commissioner Gu looked Song Wen up and down and asked, “Where did you go just now?”

Song Wen spoke the truth, “I went to the hospital first to inquire about the suspect, and then we caught two dog thieves.”

“Catching dog thieves?” Commissioner Gu snorted, “At this hour, you still have the leisure to play the hero?”

Song Wen said seriously, “The dog thieves were caught at the entrance of the pet shop where the suspect worked. Their drugs might be the source of the poison…”

After summarizing the progress of the case, Commissioner Gu, who had been concerned about the case, immediately changed his expression, raising an eyebrow, “Oh, well done.” He had always criticized his subordinates for their mistakes and praised them when they did well.

Song Wen further explained, “The suspect is lying. Once we clarify the source of the poison, we can identify the murderer.”

Commissioner Gu nodded repeatedly, “Good, combine the two cases, and I’ll give you credit later.”

Song Wen asked, “Is there anything else? If not, I’ll go interrogate the dog traffickers.”

Commissioner Gu pointed to his watch, “Remember the time.”

Song Wen extended two fingers, “Remember, still two days.”

After Song Wen left Commissioner Gu’s office, Lu Siyu had returned to his workstation. He was wiping the bloodstains from his cheek with a tissue. The public had gone to clean up the paper money and footprints at the entrance, leaving the entire office area empty, with only the two of them remaining.

Walking over, Song Wen leaned against the edge of the desk, “When your car is fixed, drive your luxury car back. Next time, use the police car more.”

Lu Siyu said, “Thank you.” Then he looked up at Song Wen, “Captain Song, are you worried that if you crash a few more times, you won’t have a car to drive?”

Song Wen shook his head, “No, using a private car for official purposes violates regulations. Luckily, your car wasn’t there just now; otherwise, it might have been vandalized by the crowd.”

Lu Siyu looked down and continued wiping the bloodstains from his face, remaining silent.

Song Wen, however, didn’t leave. He looked at Lu Siyu’s wound, “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital? Don’t leave a scar.”

Lu Siyu was only scratched by the fragments of the glasses on his cheek, and the wound was not too deep. The bleeding had stopped, and he blinked, saying, “I’m not that delicate. Later, when the Deputy Captain returns, I’ll borrow a band-aid from him.” If he had to go to the hospital for such a small injury, he would become the laughingstock of the entire police force.

“You’ve only been here for less than half a month, and you’re already so familiar with Deputy Captain.” Song Wen said as he opened his drawer, taking out alcohol swabs and band-aids. Since working in the criminal investigation, he always kept these items on hand. “Don’t be fooled by Fu Linjiang’s ordinarily nice guy persona, in fact he’s quite inexperienced in dealing with these things. Let me do it.”

Lu Siyu stood up and looked at him, blinking, “Captain Song, aren’t you in a hurry to interrogate Dao Lao San?”

Song Wen replied, “Let them wait; we’ll question them when the time is right.” As he spoke, he reached out to pinch Lu Siyu’s chin. Lu Siyu instinctively tried to dodge, but Song Wen said in a low voice, “Don’t move!” using an unquestionable tone. Lu Siyu flinched and blinked, obediently staying still.

With one hand holding his chin like white jade, Song Wen took a cotton ball and gently wiped the wound on Lu Siyu’s face. The cut, located below Lu Siyu’s right eye, added a touch of danger to his handsome face, now tainted with a hint of red. In an instant, Song Wen was reminded of the time when Lu Siyu exuded a murderous aura. Song Wen found it increasingly difficult to understand Lu Siyu.

When the cotton ball touched the wound, Lu Siyu winced slightly, tensing up. Song Wen realized, “It seems iodine would be more suitable, but we only have alcohol here. Bear with it; it’ll teach you a lesson.”

Lu Siyu remained silent. In the quiet office, Song Wen felt that the person beside him was extremely calm, which was hard to reconcile with the fact that just two hours ago, he had been racing through the city and then beating Dao Lao San. Unable to resist commenting, Song Wen said, “You drove too recklessly today.”

Lu Siyu whispered, “I was cautious. If it weren’t for the airbag…”

“This is being cautious? What if the lens had injured your eyes?” Song Wen spoke while exerting pressure, wiping inside the wound. During this time, a scab had formed over the wound, and now it needed to be opened up.

Lu Siyu made a sharp intake of breath. They were a bit too close, and Song Wen’s gentle gaze and his faint scent were noticeable. Lu Siyu had a high tolerance for corpses but was somewhat obsessive about people getting too close. However, facing Song Wen, he didn’t find his scent unpleasant.

Song Wen’s movements were gentle, his eyes warm, but the pain was inevitable as he reopened the wound with alcohol, as if tearing open an old scar.

Perhaps to distract Lu Siyu, Song Wen started to speak softly, “You know, I used to think you were quite delicate. Couldn’t endure hunger or thirst. But later, I figured it out. Look at me; I’ve been spoiled by my mom since I was a child. I rarely enter the kitchen, don’t bother washing clothes, and do everything casually.”

All the bloodstains were wiped away, leaving only a two-centimeter-long wound. Song Wen tore open the band-aid and carefully applied it to Lu Siyu’s face. “Habits are closely related to past experiences. You care for yourself so much; it doesn’t seem like you were overly spoiled. It’s because no one cared about you in these matters, so you learned to take care of yourself. Cooking, driving like this, and not worrying about family – in the end, it’s because no one paid attention to you.”

Song Wen’s voice was soft, entering Lu Siyu’s ears as if something had suddenly poured into his heart.

He looked up at Song Wen, nervously licked his lips, and then whispered, “Captain Song, it was too dangerous today when you confronted that dog trafficker.”

Being too close, Song Wen lowered his head, observing Lu Siyu. Lu Siyu’s face was now clean with the addition of a band-aid. His long eyelashes hung down, and he delicately ran his tongue over his crimson lips. Now he appeared docile again, reverting to his usual small animal-like demeanor, making him seem easy to bully. It made Song Wen want to ruffle his hair.

In that moment, it felt as if feathers had brushed against Song Wen’s heart. He let go of Lu Siyu, saying, “Alright.” He then organized various items on the table, returned the medicine to the drawer, and looked at Lu Siyu, who was still lost in thought. Inviting him, he said, “Let’s go, interrogate Dao Lao San.”

The entire interrogation process went surprisingly smoothly. Dao Lao San, who had previously remained stubborn, broke down as soon as he entered the police station and was handcuffed before being put into the interrogation room. Now, faced with the prospect of a coffin, he burst into tears.

At this moment, Dao Lao San had completely lost the imposing demeanor he displayed when confronting Song Wen at the intersection. He appeared extremely timid, and after a few scares from Song Wen, he spilled everything.

“It’s that little girl and the poison dog medicine I wanted. She works at Lao Wang’s shop. I’ve seen her a few times. I thought she was a quiet girl, always kind-hearted…”

Song Wen asked, “Tell me about the poison. What happened?”

“She asked me for that thing, saying it’s for a sick cat. At first, I wanted to give her pills, but she said they wouldn’t work for cats. That’s when I gave her the dog poison syringe. I didn’t dare to give her the poison itself.”

“Specific time.”

“About a month ago.”

“How much did you give her in total?”

“Not much. Just one dose.”

Lao Jia, who was nearby, raised an eyebrow and continued, “And you call that ‘not much’? After causing such a big incident, taking two lives, you can’t escape responsibility! What else do you know about other matters?”

Dao Lao San was on the verge of tears, “I really thought she wanted medicine for a cat. How could I have known it was for killing people? If I knew, I wouldn’t have given it to her. You see, I was doing well with my business. Why would I bring trouble upon myself?”

Lao Jia sneered, “Your business? What a load of crap! It’s still illegal. We’ll settle the score for this when the time comes.”

With a forced smile, Dao Lao San nodded as if crushing garlic, “Ah, ah, I’ve confessed and cooperated. I beg for lenient treatment.”

After Dao Lao San and his accomplice were interrogated, their confessions matched. Song Wen had Lao Jia and others keep an eye on them writing their statements. When they came out, they encountered Lin Xiuran, who had already compared the drugs in the syringe with the residues on the chocolate box. He handed a result sheet to Song Wen, saying, “After comparing, the two drugs are confirmed to be identical. The poison source is correct.”

Having found the source of the poison, they were one step closer to the truth. Song Wen was relieved and called Fu Linjiang, but he didn’t immediately reveal the progress on their side. After the call connected, Song Wen directly asked him, “Linjiang, how’s the investigation going on your end?”

Fu Linjiang had previously gathered information around the school, but there was still no progress on crucial issues like the poison source.

Song Wen said, “Don’t worry about the school. The poison source is confirmed, obtained from outside, and the evidence is solid. Come back tomorrow.”

Upon hearing that there was progress in the case, Fu Linjiang relaxed a bit. “Ah, Captain Song, if you’ve already figured it out, why ask me?”

Song Wen replied, “I called you as soon as I got the news.” Then he remembered something else. “By the way, inform Brother Chang at the sub-bureau. The dog thief he couldn’t catch back then has been caught by me.”

After wandering outside for a while, Song Wen returned and reviewed Dao Lao San’s testimony. Zhu Xiao was there supervising, saying, “Hey, make it clear. Your description is too vague. When and where did you give the medicine to Lin Wanwan?”

“Lin Wanwan?” Dao Lao San, upon hearing this name, furrowed his brows and raised his head. “I didn’t give the medicine to her. I gave it to that girl who seems to be surnamed Guo.”

“Guo?” Zhu Xiao asked, frowning. He was almost about to ask in surprise, how could it be Guo?

Song Wen, listening on the side, was also a bit surprised. This situation was different from what he had anticipated. They had traced the line from Lin Wanwan’s phone, and now it had turned into evidence involving Guo.

Suddenly, he remembered when he was at the pet shop, the girl mentioned that Lin Wanwan had quit, introducing her friend instead. Could this friend be Guo?

“Yes, it’s her. A quiet girl who doesn’t talk much. I didn’t expect her to ask me for medicine for her sick cat,” Dao Lao San nodded.

The results were somewhat different from what Song Wen had expected, but it still made sense. With the poison source identified and a motive for murder established, although there was no direct evidence, with Lin Wanwan’s testimony and the poisoning incident involving Guo Hua, the case seemed to be solid.
However, why did Lin Wanwan lie before? What was she hiding?

Song Wen pondered, walking out of the interrogation room to inform the others of the latest developments.

Upon hearing the news, everyone fell silent, especially Lu Siyu, who lowered his head, biting his finger while gazing down.

Is this the whole truth? Somehow, it still felt like something wasn’t quite right…

After a busy day, they wrapped up and finished work. As soon as he reached home and entered the hallway, Song Wen felt the aftermath of staying up late and physical activity. After a day of rushing around, he felt like he had been through a rough patch. Opening the door to his home, he called out, “Mom.” The house was pitch-black and silent, with no response. Song Wen turned on the lights himself, and his mother’s shoes were no longer at the door. Just like when she arrived, his dear old mother left quite suddenly.

Song Wen looked around the tidy little house, where everything had been cleaned up. Various washed clothes were neatly hung and folded on the sofa. On top of the stack were his jeans.

On the table, there were three dishes and a soup, with a small note underneath: “Son, Mom can’t rest assured about your dad, so I’m leaving first. I won’t bother you with messages since you’re busy. Take care of yourself, and remember to eat on time.”

Reading this note, Song Wen sat on the sofa, feeling that all the fatigue in his body had been melted away by these words.