Chapter 51: Setting Out on a Journey — You can't wear so little during the summer!
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When Ji Zhe Yan returned home, Ye Zhen Zhen had already made dinner.
"Veggie salad, dried shrimp soup with winter melon, tomato eggs, shredded potato with green pepper, mung bean pumpkin soup…the overall nutrition is actually quite balanced." Ji Zhe Yan sat down at the table and glanced up at her.
Ye Zhen Zhen puffed out her chest and proudly declared, "I made it according to the 《Three Balanced Meals Comprehensive Guide》."
"Oh, then does the 《Three Balanced Meals Comprehensive Guide》 mention that it's not suitable to eat so much during dinner?"
"Then just eat the green pepper." Ye Zhen Zhen thinned her lips as she took a seat across from him.
Ji Zhe Yan smiled and picked up his chopsticks, tasting a bit of the shredded potato. "Although the knife work is still stuck at a kindergarten level, the flavor has already officially stepped up to the elementary stage."
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
Next time, she really really wouldn't cook him anything! If she did it again, she would be a puppy! 1
"Gou Dan'er, you're so obedient today. What did you do wrong?" Ji Zhe Yan set down his chopsticks, his mouth curving minutely.
Ye Zhen Zhen artificially twirled the end of her hair, shying away from his gaze. "It's just…that…that…"
"That?"
"OfficerZuoislettingmegotoDCitywithhim!" Ye Zhen Zhen rapidly rattled off this sentence in order to try to get away with it.
Ji Zhe Yan, however, heard every single word clearly.
He was silent for a moment before smiling slightly at Ye Zhen Zhen. "Mn, D City is indeed a pretty good tourist destination."
"No! We're certainly not going for tourism! We're going for research!" Look at my honest eyes!
Ji Zhe Yan pursed his lips and asked, "Just you two?"
"Haha, their chief is really stingy and only allocated this much funding…"
"For how long?"
"…Three to five days."
"Three to five days?"
"Three days!"
Ji Zhe Yan's eyes darkened. He did not speak further. The dining room was silent for a moment before Ye Zhen Zhen swallowed and nervously looked at him. "If you don't approve, I won't go."
"No need." Ji Zhe Yan glanced at her. "Returning to a familiar place might help you regain your memory."
Ye Zhen Zhen was a bit moved. Naturally, if Dr. Ji did not say this with an expressionless face, she would be even more moved."
That entire night, Ji Zhe Yan's face seemed to have the word 'unhappy' written on it. Ye Zhen Zhen also did not dare provoke him. After she washed up, however, she couldn't help but run to his room to glance inside.
Ji Zhe Yan was sitting at his desk, reading. Ye Zhen Zhen tiptoed in quietly to take a peek and discovered that Dr. Ji was reading a catalog with single-hearted devotion.
As if sensing her presence, Ji Zhe Yan subconsciously turned his head to look at her. After seeing Ye Zhen Zhen's wet hair, he couldn't help but frown. "Don't tell me you didn't blow dry your hair after showering? It's very easy to catch a cold like this."
"I, I was just about to!" Ye Zhen Zhen ran off with the wind behind her right after she finished speaking, but Ji Zhe Yan's weaponized legs were superior, arriving a step faster than her.
Facing her, he beckoned her closer, his mouth faintly curved into a smile. "Come here."
Ye Zhen Zhen obediently listened. Ji Zhe Yan pulled the chair out and had Ye Zhen Zhen sit down before turning on the blow dryer.
The humming sound of the wind reverberated throughout Ji Zhe Yan's room. The warm breeze brushing against her ears felt like Ji Zhe Yan's breath, burning Ye Zhen Zhen's face red.
She believed that after today, she would begin to love having her hair blown.
Ye Zhen Zhen's hair was quite long and quite thick. Ji Zhe Yan patiently blew all of it, the focused look of his making Ye zhen Zhen call to mind him standing in front of the operating table.
Her heartstrings inadvertently being stirred, Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes drooped, hiding the storm of emotions within them. Dr. Ji, do you know? Everything I like has some connection to you which has made it beautiful.
"Alright." Ji Zhe Yan eyed the damp hair in his hand and turned off the blow dryer in satisfaction. Ye Zhen Zhen returned back to reality, standing up with a small gasp.
Ji Zhe Yan put away the blow dryer and ruffled Ye Zhen Zhen's hair. "Have you packed for tomorrow?"
Ye Zhen Zhen opened her mouth and then suddenly hugged him. "Dr. Ji, I don't want to leave you."
Ji Zhe Yan took advantage of the moment to hug her, pulling her into his arms. "Three days pass by fast."
"It doesn't; the ancients say that one day apart seems like three years. The days not seeing you would be nine autumns of separation!"
Ji Zhe Yan couldn't help but laugh. "Your elementary level math is not bad."
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
She couldn't help but nip Ji Zhe Yan's neck.
"Truly a puppy; why are you biting?" Ji Zhe Yan rebuked her, but his tone overflowed with adoration. He brushed aside Ye Zhen Zhen's hair and rubbed her head. "The ancients also said that separating briefly only to reunite feels just like getting married."2
Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes brightened. "After I return, will Dr. Ji take me to a bridal room?"
Ji Zhe Yan released her and walked toward her room. "Okay, pack your things first."
Ye Zhen Zhen thinned her lips but followed him anyway.
Rummaging for a small luggage bag, Ye Zhen Zhen opened her wardrobe and began packing her clothes. She didn't have a lot of clothes in the first place, and she wasn't picky either, so she just casually packed two dresses. Ji Zhe Yan, who was standing to the side, stopped her, however. "Bring a coat."
Those slightly puckered brows made Ye Zhen Zhen believe that he was serious.
"But…it's summer right now."
"You can't wear so little during the summer!"
Ye Zhen Zhen pursed her lips and silently folded a coat into the luggage bag. Once she packed her things, Ji Zhe Yan worriedly warned her about something else. "Ye Zhen Zhen, you're not allowed to eat a lot of cold things when I'm not there. Eat as few of those street food snacks as possible. You cannot go to bed too late in the evening, and it's best that you drink a cup of warm milk before going to sleep. Furthermore, you must wear a coat and are not allowed to stand too close to Zuo Yi… Oh, that's right, you're staying…"
He couldn't finish speaking, as Ye Zhen Zhen's kiss stopped him. Ji Zhe Yan was stunned for a moment before reaching out to hold the back of Ye Zhen Zhen's head and take control of the kiss.
Ye Zhen Zhen's back was pressed firmly against the door. Her entire body felt as if it had melded to his. Slightly cool fingertips explored beneath her clothes, causing Ye Zhen Zhen's heart to throb incessantly. Pu-tong—pu-tong—
Ji Zhe Yan kissed her for a very long time before releasing Ye Zhen Zhen. The sensations he was feeling with his hands was too enchanting. He couldn't help but nibble at Ye Zhen Zhen's lips, gasping faintly. "Zhen Zhen…after you graduate, let's get married, okay?"
Tears began to bud within Ye Zhen Zhen's eyes. She stared at Ji Zhe Yan's vague outline, her chest rising and falling sharply. "N-now is good…"
Ji Zhe Yan laughed and lightly kissed her. "Do you have a household register?"
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
#Being An Unregistered Resident Is So Unfair!#
"Then we, we can go to a bridal room first…"
Ji Zhe Yan's eyes turned darker than before. He hugged Ye Zhen Zhen tightly and buried his head into her shoulder. "Be obedient, wait…"
Although Dr. Ji kept making her wait, she felt that in regards to their physical states, Dr. Ji was the one who could not wait.
Since it was like that, she added a bit more to the fire. Maybe Dr. Ji would lose control.
"Dr. Ji, I'm leaving tomorrow. Will you sleep with me tonight?" Her voice was soft and tender, giving off a sense of coquettishness while invoking pity.
Hearing herself, she did sound seductive.
Sure enough, Ji Zhe Yan hugged her a bit tighter. He was silent for a long while before he lifted his head and whispered into Ye Zhen Zhen's ear, "Are you deliberately testing me?"
Ye Zhen Zhen blinked. "Then you can't endure the test?"
Ji Zhe Yan chuckled softly, though Ye Zhen Zhen felt it sound a bit off. However, he merely hugged her again before letting go and returning to his own room.
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
It seemed that her charm really was still not enough.
She secretly followed Ji Zhe Yan to his room and realized that he was already in the bathroom, taking a shower. She pursed her lips and then called out, genuine and sincere, "Dr. Ji, it's not good to always take cold showers."
Ji Zhe Yan: "…"
Sometimes, he really wanted to rudely eat this little temptress up and see how she would bounce back from that.
That evening, the two naturally slept separately. Ji Zhe Yan did not have work the next day, so he drove Ye Zhen Zhen to the train station. Zuo Yi was already there. Whether it was due to his superior height or his cold, aloof temperament, Ye Zhen Zhen and Ji Zhe Yan could find him in the crowd with a glance.
Ji Zhe Yan felt that this man actually was not suited to be a police officer, too eye-catching.
"Officer Zuo, I believe you are an outstanding member of the police force, so I am asking you to do your duty well and protect her."
Ji Zhe Yan's words had no hidden implications, but it sounded a bit harsh to Zuo Yi. He felt it was probably because he always viewed himself as if he were viewing a kidnapper.
"Don't worry, Dr. Ji. We're simply investigating her identity and won't run into anything dangerous." Zuo Yi smiled at him and then turned to say to Ye Zhen Zhen, "Come on, the train is already here."
"Mn." Ye Zhen Zhen nodded. She glanced at Ji Zhe Yan, reluctance within her eyes. "Goodbye, Dr. Ji."
"Goodbye." Ji Zhe Yan rubbed her head and watched them enter the train.
On the train, Zuo Yi could no longer refrain from asking, "Aren't you feeling warm dressed like that?"
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
"Hehe, the train has air conditioning, how nice."
Zuo Yi nodded and didn't speak further, though his eyes accidentally took note of the multitude of vague red marks on her neck.
He turned his head, laughter bubbling in his chest. That Dr. Ji was indeed petty beyond his expectations.
The train traveled for four hours before finally reaching D City. D City deserved to be called a tourist city. The entire city's ambience was different from A City's. The pedestrians on the streets were not as hurried as those in A City, and the cityscape was also not only just high-rise buildings. Flowers could be seen everywhere, turning the city into a beautiful work of art.
"I already asked the police in D City ahead of time. They prepared a list of parks for me, so let's start searching in sequential order."
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Dog is an insult in Chinese. This sentence is similar in meaning to this one: if she did it again, then she'll write her name backwards. - Phi Basically means absence makes the heart grow fonderChapter 52: Jia Jia — Do you recognize me?
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Naturally, the first thing they did was get lunch.
It was past one already, but since they hadn't eaten much except for cookies on the train, they were still hungry. Since Dr. Ji had deliberately emphasized that she could not eat a lot of snacks while on the trip, and since the eateries by the train station were not very hygienic, the two of them walked down the street in search of a store with a somewhat neat appearance.
They ate beef noodle soup.
Ye Zhen Zhen looked at the piping hot noodles in front of her and took a while to pick up her chopsticks. "Officer Zuo you really like beef noodle soup?"
"Yes." Zuo Yi glanced up at her. "Are you really not thinking of taking off your coat?" The sun was at its cruelest at the moment. Wearing a coat like that while walking outside would cause her to get heat stroke sooner or later.
Ye Zhen Zhen thought for a moment before leaning toward Zuo Yi. "Don't tell Dr. Ji."
"Mn." Zuo Yi nodded with a smile. Ye Zhen Zhen took off her coat and placed it into her bag. She then picked up her chopsticks to eat. Her skin was very smooth and very white, looking like a freshly peeled egg. Because she had been walking just before, a light pink flush decorated her skin, which would absolutely make others' imaginations run wild.
Zuo Yi felt like he slightly understood why Ji Zhe Yan insisted that she wore a coat.
Withdrawing his gaze from Ye Zhen Zhen's person, Zuo Yi focused wholeheartedly on eating his noodles.
After eating, the two took a taxi to the first park on the list. Although D City wasn't as big as A City, the total number of parks were double the amount in A City. Prior to coming to D City, Zuo Yi already had people come investigate the park where Ye Kang Ping and Sun Qian met Ye Zhen Zhen, but Ye Zhen Zhen's drawing wasn't identical to that park. He then had others investigate the nearby parks, but none of them matched.
Zuo Yi increasingly felt that if he found Ye Zhen Zhen's identity, the case might have a breakthrough, so he decided to personally come to D City.
The first day of the journey did not go smoothly, however, as all four parks they visited were not similar to that park Ye Zhen Zhen remembered. Furthermore, no one recognized Ye Zhen Zhen.
Having lived in a city for so many years, the odds of running into an acquaintance should be higher than finding an unknown park. This was what Zuo Yi had previously thought, so he had intentionally brought Ye Zhen Zhen along… Wait a minute, although Ye Kang Ping met her at that park, it didn't mean she drew that specific one, but since she had gone there once, maybe there would be someone who would recognize her!
Zuo Yi smiled, somewhat annoyed. He had unexpectedly made such a simple mistake.
"It's getting late today. You must be tired after walking all day. Let's go find a hotel." Zuo Yi glanced at Ye Zhen Zhen's abused legs.
Ye Zhen Zhe nodded and said, "Okay." She really couldn't move. "Where are we going first tomorrow?"
"Bright Ocean Park."
"Bright Ocean Park?" Ye Zhen Zhen sent him a look of confusion. She recognized this name, having heard that this was where Ye Kang Ping had met her. "But that park wasn't the one I drew."
Zuo Yi smiled. It seemed he and Ye Zhen Zhen both missed this point; they had both assumed they needed to find the drawn park and had completely ignored the other trail of clues. "There might be someone who would recognize you."
Ye Zhen Zhen stared blankly at him before suddenly understanding. The two of them didn't dally and went to look for a nearby hotel. Ye Zhen Zhen took a shower and then laid on her bed to give Ji Zhe Yan a call. She hadn't even begun inputting in his phone number when Ji Zhe Yan called her instead.
Ye Zhen Zhen smiled and quickly accepted the call. "Dr. Ji~"
That undulating tone made Ji Zhe Yan pause slightly before humming in acknowledgement. "Have you eaten dinner?"
"Yes, already returned to the hotel and took a shower~"
The two words, 'hotel' and 'shower,' when paired together were really too suggestive. Ji Zhe Yan chuckled.
Ye Zhen Zhen's heart trembled. She quickly adapted and added, "Officer Zuo is staying in the next room over!"
"And?"
"…Hehehe, Dr. Ji, have you eaten dinner?"
"Did you wear a coat?"
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
She really didn't want to fight with Dr. Ji.
"I definitely did!" Ye Zhen Zhen bit the bullet and answered, even if she hadn't worn it the entire time.
Ji Zhe Yan heard her reply positively and asked, "What did you eat today?"
"Beef noodle soup, white rice, cabbage, steamed rice powder and pork, seaweed egg drop soup." Actually, she had also secretly eaten two ice cream cones, but she didn't need to tell Dr. Ji this.
"Mn, your behavior today is good."
Ye Zhen Zhen proudly smiled. "Then what's my reward?"
Ji Zhe Yan laughed softly. "I'll reward you when you return."
"Okies! Dr. Ji, honor your word!"
"Mn." Ji Zhe Yan couldn't help but smile. "Has there been any progress?"
Ye Zhen Zhen vented a bit when this topic was mentioned. "For the time being, no."
Ji Zhe Yan was silent for a moment and then asked, "Have you gone to Bright Ocean Park?"
"We're planning to go tomorrow."
"Mn, don't worry. There might be someone who recognizes you."
Ye Zhen Zhen couldn't help but smile. "Dr. Ji, are you a private investigator? You're not a police assigned to be undercover at the hospital, right?"
Ji Zhe Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her words. "This is a simple logical inference."
"Obviously it's because Dr. Ji is intelligent!" After Ye Zhen Zhen said this, she suddenly became quiet. "Dr. Ji, I miss you."
Ji Zhe Yan's eyes flashed and whispered softly, "I miss you, too."
Those simple four words completely shattered Ye Zhen Zhen's calm. Ji Zhe Yan's laughter could be heard through the phone. "Alright, it's getting late. Good night, rest well."
"Okay, Dr. Ji should also go to sleep early."
"Mn." Ji Zhe Yan heard the dial tone and absentmindedly stood there. After getting used to living together, Ye Zhen Zhen's absence suddenly made this room seem a lot bigger.
Meanwhile, Zuo Yi was in his room making a call.
"How are things?"
"Leader, Qin Kong still isn't willing to talk."
Zuo Yi laughed. "Then keep going every day to bother the Qin family."
"Understood! Have you found any information over there?"
"Not yet."
Li Xin Ran paused and then suddenly remembered something. "Right, Leader, I nearly forgot. We discovered that Qin Kong previously hired a private investigator to investigate Ye Zhen Zhen. Eh, the fake one."
"Private investigator?" Zuo Yi frowned slightly. "Go and question that private investigator."
After hearing Li Xin Ran agree, Zuo Yi hung up and went to take a shower before heading straight to bed.
♕
Early the next morning, the two travelled by car to Bright Ocean Park. That morning, they did run into people who recognized Ye Zhen Zhen, but none of them knew who she was. Zuo Yi pursed his lips, quite vexed. Even if there were some familiar faces whenever one came to the park, not many introduced themselves by name.
"Don't be so discouraged. We still gained a few things. At least, we learned that you came here every Wednesday to sketch." Zuo Yi handed Ye Zhen Zhen a bottle of mineral spring water and sat down beside her.
Ye Zhen Zhen accepted the bottle and said her thanks before twisting the lid open to drink two gulps.
"Sister Jia Jia?"
Suddenly, a child's voice called out, startling Ye Zhen Zhen and causing her to choke on her water. She coughed and put down the bottle of water. She glanced down. "Ke—ke— you, you are…Dou Dou?"
Ye Zhen Zhen widened her eyes in astonishment. Wasn't this that Dou Dou from her dream?
The little boy called Dou Dou happily looked up at her. "Sister Jia Jia, you're finally back!"
Zuo Yi's eyes flashed. Today just so happened to be Wednesday.
Ye Zhen Zhen glanced at Zuo Yi and then patted Dou Dou's head. "Dou Dou, do you recognize me?"
"Of course I do." Dou Dou blinked, his thick eyelashes fluttering. "You come every Wednesday to draw. You even drew me a picture of Little Dou Dou, but then you disappeared before finishing."
Ye Zhen Zhen gazed at him with rapt attention and asked Dou Dou, "Do you know my name?"
"You're Sister Jia Jia."
Ye Zhen Zhen's lips downturned slightly. "Do you know my full name?"
"Oh…" Dou Dou hung his head and earnestly tried to recall. "Ah, I remember. You're Li Jia Jia!" Dou Dou looked at Ye Zhen Zhen with a very proud expression. "I know that you live on Vermillion Bird Street!"
Zuo Yi stood up and walked to the side to call Li Xin Ran. "Search for a Li Jia Jia who lives on Vermillion Bird Street in D City."
"Ah?" Li Xin Ran froze for a moment before gaining a flash of enlightenment. "Leader, you found it!"
"Not certain yet, so go check immediately."
"Got it!"
Zuo Yi hung up and returned. Ye Zhen Zhen was still talking to Dou Dou. "Dou Dou, how come you know where I live?"
"Because Sister Jia Jia told me…"
Dou Dou didn't finish speaking, as a young woman walked up and interrupted him. "Dou Dou, why did you run off?"
Dou Dou glanced around and called out to his mom, running up to her. The woman hugged Dou Dou and glanced at Ye Zhen Zhen sitting to the side. She suddenly froze. "Jia Jia, long time no see. Dou Dou talked about you a lot."
Ye Zhen Zhen was a bit embarrassed, not knowing how to respond. Zuo Yi walked up then. "Hello, police."
The woman saw him take out a police badge and stared blankly at him.
Zuo Yi gave her a basic overview of the situation and then asked her about Li Jia Jia. According to the woman, Li Jia Jia came here every Wednesday to draw. Dou Dou really liked her drawings, so they gradually became acquainted and had gone out to eat together twice. However, her knowledge ended with the name Li Jia Jia and residence on Vermillion Bird Street.
This information was already enough for Zuo Yi. He pulled out the list of parks; there really was a park located on Vermillion Bird Street. Zuo Yi then brought Ye Zhen Zhen there. Ye Zhen Zhen was still a bit skeptical while on the way there in the car. "Officer Zuo, the park where I dreamt of meeting Dou Dou is not Bright Ocean Park."
Zuo Yi thought for a moment and then said, "Maybe you got it mixed up when you regained that memory. We'll know when we reach Dancing Sun Park."
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Author's Note:
Expressing thanks to sponsors
Thank you, little angels, for throwing mines! Muah~!
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Chapter 53: Past — I'm your mom.
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Dancing Sun Park was located on North Vermillion Bird Street and was a small, very unremarkable park. Because there were quite a few neighborhoods nearby, there were normally a lot of people walking around the park.
Being close to noon, those people cooling in the shade had returned home one by one to eat lunch. Ye Zhen Zhen stood underneath a large tree, somewhat excited.
She had found it at last.
This park was nearly identical to the one she had drawn. Even the billboards arranged in front of the small supermarket across the street had not moved even the slightest bit.
Zuo Yi also realized this point. He glanced at Ye Zhen Zhen, drawing in hand. She surely was very familiar with this place, to be able to draw it so precisely.
A middle-aged woman exited the supermarket and went to write something on the billboard. When she turned her head and caught sight of Ye Zhen Zhen standing beneath a tree, the chalk she was holding fell straight to the ground.
Zuo Yi's brows furrowed and led Ye Zhen Zhen forward. The woman stared at the approaching Ye Zhen Zhen, several complicated expressions flashing across her face. She subconsciously took a few steps forward and asked Ye Zhen Zhen, "Jia Jia, you're back? Where have you run off to for these past few months? You didn't even call; don't you know how worried I am?"
Ye Zhen Zhen frowned slightly and asked the woman, "Who are you?"
The woman stared at her, a look of disbelief on her face. "Jia Jia, what are you saying? I'm your mom."
'Your mom,' these two words shook Ye Zhen Zhen. This person was her mom? But how come she felt so awkward?
"Hello, I'm a police officer." Zuo Yi stood to the side and smiled at the woman. "May I ask for your name?"
"I, I am Li Su." It seemed that Zuo Yi's identity was very surprising, as Li Su subconsciously shrunk back.
"You are Li Jia Jia's mother?"
"Yes…"
"Can we talk inside?"
"Su-sure."
Li Su welcomed them inside—although this was a supermarket, the store was not that much bigger than the other shops on the street. Zuo Yi took only five minutes to explain the entire story. After the woman heard it all, her complexion became as pale as white paper. "You're saying, someone from the Ye family had Jia Jia impersonate Ye Zhen Zhen, but when they got there, Ye Zhen Zhen had already died?"
"That's right." Zuo Yi took note of her expression and asked, "Although this may be a bit presumptuous, but I still should ask. Is Li Jia Jia your biological daughter?"
Li Su pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, Li Jia Jia is my adopted daughter."
Zuo Yi seemed to have expected this answer. He nodded and asked, "Can we take a look at your home? Perhaps she would remember something."
"Alright…" Li Su stood up after speaking, her gaze falling onto Ye Zhen Zhen's body. "Jia Jia, can you really not remember anything?"
Ye Zhen Zhen looked at her and shook her head.
Li Su didn't say anything else and closed up the supermarket before leading Zuo Yi and Ye Zhen Zhen to her home. Li Su's home was in an ordinary residential neighborhood, approximately five minutes walk from the supermarket. The houses were all old-fashioned in this neighborhood, with the highest building only being seven stories tall. Li Su took them to the sixth floor and opened the iron gate on the left.
"The house is small and simple. I've lived here for over a decade." Li Su turned to glance at Ye Zhen Zhen and then pointed to a room to the left of the living room. "This is your room."
Ye Zhen Zhen hummed and walked toward the bedroom. Although this house was old, and decorated simply, this room was Li Jia Jia's room. The pink style instantly made her recall that bedroom in the Ye Mansion.
While Zuo Yi asked Li Su questions in the living room, Ye Zhen Zhen pulled open a drawer and found an ID card inside.
Li Jia Jia, born 1993, January fifth.
Her eyes flashed. Her date of birth was the same as Ye Zhen Zhen's.
The photo seemed to have been taken a few years ago, but there was not much difference compared to her current appearance. She placed the ID into her bag and went to look at the sketches in the drawer.
There were a lot of sketches stored within the drawer, all neatly stacked together. The top drawing was of Little Dou Dou. Ye Zhen Zhen took it out to examine; it was more or less identical to the scene in her dream, but the background really was Bright Ocean Park and not Dancing Sun Park.
It seemed that Officer Zuo's guess was correct. Her memories did seem to have gotten scrambled, causing her to mix up the two parks.
Officer Zuo finished asking Li Su questions and went to look for Ye Zhen Zhen, only to receive a message from Li Xin Ran. It contained Li Jia Jia's date of birth as well as her family address, which was identical to the information he had just gained.
He glanced into the bedroom and told Ye Zhen Zhen, "Tonight, stay here. I'll go visit the neighbors this afternoon. We'll go back tomorrow morning."
"Okay." Ye Zhen Zhen nodded. She glanced at Li Su standing in the doorway and turned to say to Zuo Yi, "I'll go with you."
She really didn't know how to face Li Su. Although this person was her adoptive mother, to Ye Zhen Zhen, she was better off and closer to Zuo Yi.
Zuo Yi didn't argue. He spoke a few lines to Li Su and then brought Ye Zhen Zhen along. The two of them went to eat lunch at a small stir-fry shop downstairs. That boss seemed to know Ye Zhen Zhen and loudly exclaimed that it had been many months since she had shown up. Apparently, her disappearance was because she got a boyfriend.
Ye Zhen Zhen and Zuo Yi quickly finished lunch and left this hornet's nest. Zuo Yi went to talk to the neighbors. Ye Zhen Zhen had nothing to do and dithered in the alley before seeing Li Su come over.
Li Su also saw her caution and handed over a key to Ye Zhen Zhen, saying that she was going back to the supermarket, so Ye Zhen Zhen could just go back home first. Ye Zhen Zhen thanked her and took the short walk back to Li Su's house.
Li Su watched her leave. She stood there for quite a while before turning around and walking toward the supermarket.
After Ye Zhen Zhen returned home, she began exploring everywhere, like she had done when she was first at the Ye Mansion. She rummaged through her wardrobe and found not just photo albums, but even the contract she and Ye Kang Ping had signed.
She eyed the signature. Sure enough, she had actually signed it as Li Gou Dan. She curled her lips and placed the contract in her bag before flipping open a photo album.
Zuo Yi strolled through the park and caught sight of Li Su returning to open the supermarket. His eyes darkened. According to her confession just now, she and Li Jia Jia had a fight four months ago because of some trivial matters about life, causing the latter to leave the next day to live somewhere else. She originally thought Li Jia Jia would return after a few days instead of disappearing for four months without even a single message.
Her daughter left home for four months without a single form of contact, yet she unexpectedly didn't even call the police. Even if she wasn't her biological daughter, this was inexcusable. Furthermore, the reason for their falling out—he also felt that this was not as simple as a 'trivial matter about life.'
Li Su must be hiding something.
His gaze swept his surroundings before returning to that small stir-fry shop where he had just eaten. That boss seemed to be quite familiar with Li Jia Jia, but seeing how Lady Ye Zhen Zhen was sensitive, he didn't stay for long.
When the boss saw Zuo Yi return, the boss thought he had forgotten something inside, only for him to pull out a police badge. The boss stared at him for two seconds, eyes wide, before calling out in the direction of the kitchen, "Hua Mei'er, come quick. Jia Jia found a police officer as a boyfriend!"
This time, even Zuo Yi felt a bit uncomfortable. Several people rushed out of the kitchen, all staring at him like he was a national treasure.
Zuo Yi coughed lightly and ignored the curious gazes. "Do you know Li Jia Jia well?"
"I do. She and her mom had moved here when she was small, and then in a blink of an eye, she grew into a young woman." The boss said this while eyeing him strangely, as if suddenly realizing something. "You're thinking of fishing for information about Jia Jia to make her happy?"
"Yes." Zuo Yi nodded, smiling. "So please speak more in detail."
The boss regained his energy all of a sudden. There weren't a lot of customers in the shop at the moment, so he straightforwardly pulled over two stools and set them by the doorway so he and Zuo Yi could chat.
"When Jia Jia was little, she was clever. Although she didn't smile or speak much, she would top her grade on every exam. That son of mine simply can't compare." He paused here, shaking his head in regret. "Unfortunately, she got into a car accident six years ago, which scrambled her brains. Not only did she forget a lot of things, her grades were not as high as they used to be."
Lightning flashed through Zuo Yi's eyes. He stared at the boss with such rapt attention that the boss involuntarily became nervous. "Do you remember that accident still?"
The boss shook his head, saying, "I don't remember it that clearly. I heard Li Su mention it the next day and learned that Li Jia Jia was in the hospital due to a car accident. We live in an old neighborhood where there's no surveillance cameras, so the bastard who caused the accident ran away."
Zuo Yi fell silent for a moment before asking, "Apart from Li Su, were there any other witnesses?"
The boss furrowed his brows for a moment. "Now that you're asking me, it seems like everyone heard of this from Li Su. Furthermore, when this happened, she didn't report it to the police."
Zuo Yi pursed his lips slightly and continued, "How's the relationship between Li Jia Jia and Li Su?"
"It seems great. You're also aware that Jia Jia has a single-parent family; such families normally have a very loving parent-child relationship." The boss said this and then seemed to suddenly remember something. "Oh, that's right! I had heard that Jia Jia is not her actual child, since Li Su had adopted her."
"Isn't that obvious?" A middle-aged woman clad in an apron exited the kitchen, wiping her hands with a towel while saying, "Look at how little Jia Jia resembles her. How could someone like her possibly give birth to such a beautiful daughter like Jia Jia."
The boss glared at her and smiled apologetically at Zuo Yi. "This is my wife, her mouth is a bit broken, so don't treat her harshly."1
"My mouth is broken?" The woman heard him say this and raised her voice. "Did I say something wrong? If Jia Jia is her flesh and blood, wouldn't she have allowed Jia Jia to go to university?"
Zuo Yi stood up from his stool and said to the woman with a smile, "Sit down and take your time talking."
The woman flashed him a smile and coyly sat next to him. "Although you say Jia Jia's grades are no good, she's a gifted artist and passed the exam for the Academy of Fine Arts with great difficulty. Li Su didn't allow her to go."
"You also know the reason why she didn't allow Jia Jia to go study; a year's tuition at the Academy is too expensive. Li Su herself said that the family circumstances would not allow it." The boss promptly smoothed out the rough explanation.
His wife clearly didn't agree and snorted, mockingly saying, "Yo, like this old woman doesn't know. Don't you see how despite how small that supermarket of hers is, the location is good. Her business absolutely doesn't lack in comparison to ours. How could she not afford to pay for a year's tuition at the Academy? This old woman would die rather than believe that."
Zuo Yi heard this and asked, "Which Academy?"
"The one in A City, their main university."
Zuo Yi's eyes flashed. Maybe, Li Su just didn't want her to go to A City.
♕
Author's Note:
It's getting colder; everyone, remember to stay warm. By all means, don't catch a cold QAQ
This author unfortunately caught one and feels like she's dying qwq
《 ♕ ♕ 》
Mouth is broken = no brain-to-mouth filterChapter 54: Car Accident — How come you're not curious about who I am?
♕
Thinking of this, Zuo Yi recalled that Ye Zhen Zhen had also been in a car accident six years ago, also in D City. He muttered to himself for a bit and then asked, "Do you remember if any other car accidents happened six years ago?"
The boss thought for a moment and then frowned in annoyance. "It's been so long ago, who still remembers life back then, let alone something like a car accident. Those happen every day."
Zuo Yi was a bit disappointed, but the boss did not speak unreasonably. Someone who wasn't connected to the car accident would simply talk about it over a cup of tea and then forget about it some days later.
"Right, I remember!" The boss' wife slapped her leg and looked at Zuo Yi excitedly. "Six years ago, there really was a car accident that happened at the same time. Moreover, it was on the same day as Li Jia Jia's accident!"
The boss looked at her in disbelief. "Hua Mei'er, just because you think this police officer is handsome, doesn't mean you can talk nonsense."
"I'm talking nonsense?" The lady boss sent him a glare full of contempt and disdain. "This old woman remembers that Ye Hong Sheng's young daughter was caught up in the accident. I heard that the entire family of three came to D City to look around. In the end, his daughter and son-in-law both died, and only his granddaughter returned alive."
The boss heard her say this and seemed a bit impressed. "That Ye Hong Sheng of A City? This should have been a big deal back then."
"Of course it was big! Do you know who Ye Hong Sheng is? The richest man in A City! News says that he set aside an inheritance of over a billion yuan for his granddaughter!" The more that the lady boss spoke, she more excited she became, as if she was Ye Hong Sheng's granddaughter. "That accident had occurred nearby on Dancing Sun Road, but the sky was too dark that night. There were no witnesses either. I had gone there to see, and all that was left was a pool of blood on the ground."
Zuo Yi bowed his head in contemplation for a moment. Like a strand of pearls snapping, everything fell into place.
"I am extremely thankful for all the useful information you gave." Zuo Yi stood up from the stool with the intention of bidding them farewell and leaving.
The boss stood up as well and scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward. "You flatter me. When the moment comes, don't forget to invite us to the wedding feast."
Zuo Yi: "…"
There would certainly be a wedding feast, but the groom would probably not be him.
After leaving the stir-fry shop, Zuo Yi went around the neighborhood to question the residents. Those who had just moved in did not know Li Jia Jia, whereas those who have lived there for a long time all said that her grades as a kid were very good, but that the car accident had left her brains scrambled.
Another additional hour of groundwork revealed that after the car accident, Li Jia Jia became more cheerful.
Apart from this, he learned that because Li Jia Jia hadn't attended university, she was hired by Li Su at the supermarket after graduating high school and would draw in her free time. Oh, that was right. Supposedly, many young men in the neighborhood liked Li Jia Jia, with several of them formally going to Li Su for her hand.
Who knew what Dr. Ji would think of this.
Zuo Yi decided to send this information to Dr. Ji, free of charge.
Because Li Su had someone at home today, she closed the supermarket early and bought several ingredients home as well. Ye Zhen Zhen was studying a locked box when she heard the door open and thus hurriedly stuffed the case back where it was.
She left the room and caught sight of Li Su standing in the kitchen doorway, a large bag of ingredients in hand. Ye Zhen Zhen paused and then stiffly said, "You're back."
"Mn." Li Su also felt uncomfortable. She awkwardly smiled and said, "Tonight, we're eating sweet and sour crucian carp. You loved eating this."
"Ah, mn." Ye Zhen Zhen indeed liked eating this. Dr. Ji frequently made fish, but sweet and sour crucian carp was her favorite.
"Then I'll go cook." Li Su said this and walked into the kitchen. Ye Zhen Zhen kept standing there for a moment, feeling seemingly bad about freeloading, so she thus went to go help.
Li Su saw her be so proactive and let her cut the celtuce. After Ye Zhen Zhen cut it in half, Li Su grabbed it to wash.
Seeing the tragic sight of butchered celtuce on the chopping board, Li Su recalled how this child had not done much in the kitchen previously, so she naturally shouldn't have a high expectation.
The kitchen buzzed with activity before a series of knocks on the door sounded, though Li Su nearly ignored it since it was not particularly loud. She wiped her hands clean on her apron and went to open the door.
Zuo Yi was standing outside. When he saw Li Su, he couldn't help but frown. Li Su did not seem to sense his mood change and politely welcomed him inside.
Zuo Yi glanced at the kitchen after entering. Li Su poured him a glass of water and then smiled, saying, "The meal is almost done."
Zuo Yi glanced at the water on the table but didn't drink it. He raised his gaze and focused on Li Su, not bothering to hide his interest. His gaze flustered her.
She wanted to find an excuse to return to the kitchen, but under Zuo Yi's gaze, she found it difficult to even move her legs.
"Why didn't you let her go to university?"
This sudden question caught Li Su by surprise, drawing a reaction from her. She sucked in deeply and then said to Zuo Yi, "Officer Zuo, as you can see, our family isn't well-off and cannot afford the expensive tuition."
Zuo Yi laughed coldly, his laugh feeling like a knife slicing into Li Su's cheek. "Mn, not permitting her to go to university allowed her at look after your small supermarket. A few years later, you would casually find someone to marry her off, trapping her here for the rest of her life, no?"
Li Su's face instantly became deathly pale as she looked at Zuo Yi in disbelief.
Zuo Yi pursed his lips, a cold light faintly exuding from his gaze. "She's only twenty-one; don't you think you're being too selfish?"
Li Su took a deep breath, tears unknowingly beginning to slide down her cheeks. She turned around. "I'll go check on the dishes."
She entered the kitchen and looked at Ye Zhen Zhen, who was standing in the doorway. With pursed lips, she said, "You can go back. I'll manage fine on my own."
"…Mn." Ye Zhen Zhen agreed and left her alone in the room.
Dinner that night was very rich in flavor, but none of them had an appetite. Chopsticks were thus set down after eating only a little. Li Su went to place the leftovers into the refrigerator. Zuo Yi walked toward Ye Zhen Zhen's room and said to her, "I won't stay here tonight and be a burden. I will head back to the hotel first and come pick you up tomorrow at eight, so don't go to sleep late."
Ye Zhen Zhen paused but said, "Okay."
Zuo Yi nodded and left Li Su's residence. Ye Zhen Zhen didn't know how to face Li Su, so she took a shower and went to bed early. One more night, and then she could see Dr. Ji.
She didn't know why, but she really missed him now.
She took advantage of Li Su washing the dishes to take a rushed shower and then quickly returned to her room, closing the door. Taking out her phone, she lay in bed and called Ji Zhe Yan.
The phone didn't ring for long before it was picked up. Ye Zhen Zhen didn't wait for him to respond and proactively called out, "Dr. Ji."
Since he had interacted with Ye Zhen Zhen for quite a long time by now, Ji Zhe Yan could hear Ye Zhen Zhen's mood simply from her voice. He furrowed his brows slightly and asked, "What's wrong? Is there still no progress?"
"No…" Ye Zhen Zhen rolled over and hugged a pillow. "I already found my identity, so we're returning to A City early tomorrow."
"Then how come you're so dispirited?"
"Oh…Dr. Ji, have you eaten?"
Ji Zhe Yan didn't want to get to the bottom of why Ye Zhen Zhen suddenly changed topics. He glanced at the nurse waiting beside him and smoothly replied, "I have."
"Really?"
"Mn."
"Okay." Ye Zhen Zhen paused and then asked, "How come you're not curious about who I am?"
Ji Zhe Yan chuckled and said, "As far as I am concerned, you're still the same to me."
Because on this earth, you are unique and unmatched.
While this line remained unspoken, another left his mouth. "Zuo Yi already told me."
"Yi? Officer Zuo is so annoying. Obviously I should be the one to tell you this."
"Heh."
Ji Zhe Yan's laughter sent shivers down Ye Zhen Zhen's spine. She swallowed and asked, "What did Officer Zuo tell you?"
Ji Zhe Yan laughed again. "We'll spend time talking when you return."
Ye Zhen Zhen: "…"
This specific phrasing normally did not indicate good things.
Up until Ji Zhe Yan hung up, Ye Zhen Zhen was constantly worrying about her fate.
Seeing Ji Zhe Yan hang up, the nurse continued walking to the next ward with him. She didn't know who he was on the phone with just now, but from his expression, she could guessed that the other person must be very important.
It seemed that the rumor floating around the hospital about Dr. Ji being in love had some truth to it.
She stared at Ji Zhe Yan's tall and straight back and couldn't help but speed up her steps to catch up to him. "Dr. Ji, you haven't eaten. How about eating first before continuing to make visits?"
Ji Zhe Yan thought for a moment and then answered, "No need, there are only three wards left. I'll eat after my rounds."
The nurse pursed her lips and didn't speak up again.
Ye Zhen Zhen felt that she probably had trouble sleeping in a bed other than her own. She reclined on the cozy bed but could not fall asleep for some reason. She didn't know how much time passed when she begun hearing faint noises come from the living room. Her mind fought itself for quite a while, but in the end, she couldn't help rising from bed and quietly walking over to her door, cracking it open a smidge.
The living room was not lit, so Ye Zhen Zhen could only vaguely see, with the assistance of the moonlight, Li Sun sitting on the sofa, crying over a photograph. Her cries were soft and muffled, and although quiet, the grief embedded within would touch the hearts of others stronger than wails would.
Ye Zhen Zhen unconsciously furrowed her brows. She took another glance before lightly closing the door.
After returning to bed, Ye Zhen Zhen felt that she was even more restless. She kept tossing and turning, her thoughts in turmoil. Who was Li Su crying over?
She picked up her phone from where she left it by the headboard and dialed Zuo Yi's number to send him a message. 「Officer Zuo, Li Su is sitting in the living room, crying over a photo. Should I pretend to not have seen it, or should I pretend to not have seen it? 1」
Zuo Yi's reply came quickly. 「Did you clearly see who was in the photo?」
Ye Zhen Zhen curled her lips and sent a reply. 「The skill Clairvoyance has not been unlocked. This information is temporarily unavailable.」
Zuo Yi smiled and typed: 「It's already past one. I think you should go to bed early. Tomorrow is an early day.」
Ye Zhen Zhen's mouth twitched as she placed her phone to the side.
He also wasn't asleep, so how dare he have the nerve to scold her.
♕
Author's Note:
Everyone, be really careful to not get sick QAQ
Today the author had to get an IV, which meant losing three days of updates and no money to buy clothes QAQ
Because I didn't want my right hand to have a needle shot, I intentionally chose to have my left arm's skin to be tested. When the nurse came to give me my IV, the skin of my left arm was tested, and it cannot get an IV 【smiling while crying】
#Nurse, you really didn't deliberately mess with me, right? :)#
《 ♕ ♕ 》
It's a real dilemma - PhiChapter 55: Laughing-stock — Qin really is the motherfucking worst surname on Earth.
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The reason why Zuo Yi had gone to sleep so late was because of this.
After he left Li Su's place, he hadn't gone straight to the hotel and instead tried to find the police officer in charge of Ye Zhen Zhen and her family's car accident. He learned more about the circumstances and grasped some important information as well.
For example, according to the marks on the pavement, the car Ye Zhen Zhen had been riding had suddenly turned right, leaving clear brake marks on the ground. But to the right side of the road was Dancing Sun Hill. The brake distance was too short, causing their car to go straight up.
The police believed believed that an emergency had occurred, causing the driver to suddenly make this judgment. The police was not certain what the emergency was and only speculated that it might be someone suddenly appearing on the road—because according to what they had noted, there was an unexplainable, ambiguous trace left behind.
But if the car really had run someone over, why did that person quietly disappear?
This suspicious point had, until now, not been solved.
Additionally, there was another point that Zuo Yi paid attention to. Reportedly, a couple months previously, Ye Hong Sheng had sent people to make inquiries about the accident six years ago.
He lay in the hotel bed, mind whirring with all the information collected these past four months. Two Ye Zhen Zhen, a suddenly amended will, homicide motivations, a tangled and complicated relationship between the murderer and the victim…
The entire case took clear shape within his mind, in the form of arteries and veins.
Zuo Yi closed his eyes, having a premonition that they were not far off from solving the case.
♕
The next morning, he went to Li Su's place to pick up Ye Zhen Zhen. Ye Zhen Zhen was already waiting downstairs. He silently laughed. It seemed that this girl really was anxious about returning.
The returned at the same time they left. With a four hour travel time, Ye Zhen Zhen felt like the day was very long. When the train came to a stop, she immediately glanced outside and caught sight of Ji Zhe Yan outside. Even though there was a crowd, that silhouette still stood out from the masses.
Ji Zhe Yan also saw her, because she and Zuo Yi were a very dazzling sight.
"Dr. Ji!" Ye Zhen Zhen saw Ji Zhe Yan, and, like an ant seeing honey, she stuck to him with lightning speed. Ji Zhe Yan caught the person flying at him and picked up her bag. He looked down at her. "What did you bring back? How come it's so much heavier?"
"Oh, I'll tell you when we get back home." Ye Zhen Zhen curved her lips into a smile and buried her head into Ji Zhe Yan's chest again.
Zuo Yi couldn't stand looking at them and left. Just as he left the train station, he received a call from Li Xin Ran. "Leader, are you back? We have a servant from the Qin family who confessed!"
Zuo Yi's footsteps paused for a brief moment. He said with a low voice, "Confessed what?"
"The day of the crime, she saw Qin Kong leave the Qin residence at around seven o'clock!" Li Xin Ran's voice sounded more excited than if he had won the lottery jackpot.
"I'll be at the police department soon." Zuo Yi hung up after saying this and entered his car.
Once he arrived at the police department, he saw that Li Xin Ran really was dancing and gesticulating for joy. Patting his broom-like hairstyle, Zuo Yi asked for the specific details. According to Li Xin Ran's words, that servant had been unwilling to speak until now because she was afraid the Qin family would fire her. But since the police had recently been coming to their door for the past several days, she became even more afraid and finally couldn't endure the pressure.
"Leader, this method of pestering is really useful!" Li Xin Ran punched Zuo Yi and asked, "What do we do now?"
"What do we do?" Zuo Yi smirked. "Naturally we ask the Third Young Master Qin to come drink some tea."1
"Yessir!" Li Xin Ran dragged Hou Zi, and they scampered off like dogs. He recognized Leader's expression and immediately wanted to free himself from this sea of bitterness. He simply wanted to set off firecrackers!
♕
Qin Residence; the First Young Master Qin was currently pacing back and forth, irritated. "I'm asking you, when all is said and done, did you kill Ye Hong Sheng?!'
Qin Kong sat on the sofa and glanced up at him, still not saying a word.
Qin Lang kicked the glass coffee table. Kuang-dang—the glass immediately shattered. "So that slut's son is a lowlife too. You knew the consequences yet involved our Qin family anyway!"
Qin Kong's expression finally shifted. He tightly clenched his fists by his waist and glared at the fuming man before him, a haze of red clouding his vision.
"What are you going to do, looking at me like that? Eh? Are you thinking of killing me too?!" Qin Lang grabbed Qin Kong's collar and lifted him up from the sofa. "I found it strange that you suddenly went with me on my trip that night. So, it turns out, you planned to escape arrest! Eh?"
When the last word left his mouth, the veins on his head pulsed.
The butler came running into the room, body bent in half in a bow. Trembling with fear, he dared not raise his head. "First, First Young Master, those two police officers are here again, saying, saying they want to invite Third Young Master to return for questioning."
Qin Lang clenched his teeth and released Qin Kong's collar before throwing him back onto the sofa. He took two steps before looking back with a very fierce glare at Qin Kong. "I will have Lawyer Song come as soon as possible. Before he gets there, you better not say anything incriminating!"
A murderer coming from the Qin Family, this would surely turn them into the largest laughing-stock in A City!
As if reading his mind, Qin Kong laughed in contempt and straightened his collar as he stood up from the sofa.
♕
In the interrogation room were Zuo Yi and Li Xin Ran like usual.
Zuo Yi didn't start the interrogation hurriedly and instead silently stared at Qin Kong. The Qin Kong he was seeing now was like a new person compared to who he had seen before. His dark, ink-black eyes seemed to radiate complex emotions that were completely contrary to his previous image.
Unwillingness, anger, contempt, malice.
"Full name?" Zuo Yi finally spoke up.
Qin Kong tugged at his necktie and asked, "Can you just directly ask the next question?"
Zuo Yi smirked. "You seem to be displeased with your name."
Qin Kong laughed. "Qin really is the motherfucking worst surname on Earth."
Zuo Yi didn't speak further. After going through the standard round of questions, he went straight to the point. "From seven o'clock to nine o'clock on the evening of March 13th, where were you and what were you doing?"
Qin Kong frowned and said, "Don't remember."
"Don't remember?" Zuo Yi raised his brows. "But you previously said that you stayed in your room the entire time. Oh, but this verbal statement has already been overthrown."
Qin Kong looked at him, brows furrowed, but remained silent.
"Why did you previously lie?"
"Because I didn't want to be suspected as the murderer."
Zuo Yi paused and suddenly switched topics. "According to our investigation, you are not the biological son of Mr. Qin and Mrs. Qin, instead being the son of Mr. Qin and a mistress."
Zuo Yi lowered his voice at the last second, sensing Qin Kong's anger sharply increase. The expression being directed at him was full of ruthless savagery.
Zuo Yi whistled and flashed him a smile. "That look is not bad, more pleasing to the eye than your previous one."
Qin Kong took in a deep breath and kept his eyes closed.
This matter would bring extraordinary shame and humiliation to the Qin family, so he had hidden it very well this entire time. How could their investigation reach this point?
Zuo Yi glanced at him and said, "We found out that you hired a private investigator to investigate the fake Ye Zhen Zhen. What did you want to know?"
Qin Kong frowned but remained silent.
Zuo Yi opened his mouth to say more, only for a knock to resound from the door. Hou Zi entered and whispered in Zuo Yi's ear, "Leader, Qin Kong's lawyer is here. He requests a private meeting with Qin Kong."
Zuo Yi quirked his lips but nodded, smiling. "Alright." Once he said this, he turned to look at Qin Kong. "Your lawyer is here. For now, he will come in and talk to you alone."
After leaving the interrogation room, Li Xin Ran looked at Zuo Yi with a somewhat baffled expression. "Leader, why are you so happy about that Lawyer Song arriving?"
Zuo Yi smiled and said, "I am naturally happy. After he finishes talking with Qin Kong, Qin Kong might be willing to confess."
Li Xin Ran jerked his mouth to the side. What alien logic was this?
In the interrogation room, Qin Kong sat across from Lawyer Song. Lawyer Song was a childhood friend who Qin Lang had grown up with, close male friends who shared vile habits. Qin Kong glanced at the gold-bespectacled man dressed in a well-ironed suit without even a single crease sitting across from him and merely sneered.
Lawyer Song saw the ridiculing look on Qin Kong's face but recalled that Qin Lang trusted him to handle this matter, so he didn't get angry. "Young Master Qin, I do not care if you killed someone. The police only has a few witness testimonies, and the murder weapon has still not been found. As long as you deny everything, they cannot do anything to you."
He saw that Qin Kong didn't feel like replying to him after he finished explaining, and the loathing in his heart simply deepened. So this bastard was actually a bastard; he didn't even know this.
"Young Master Qin, I hope you realize how greatly this impacts the Qin family. You are usually left alone and able to just laze about. Don't drag the Qin family down by the leg this time."
Qin Kong eyed him, his gaze callous enough to shoot icicles. Lawyer Song subconsciously pushed up his gold-rimmed spectacles on the bridge of his nose and stood up from his seat. "I have said all that I can. I hope Young Master Qin does his best."
Zuo Yi and Li Xin Ran leaned against the door, waiting. When they saw Lawyer Song exit, Zuo Yi straightened and turned to face him. "Lawyer Song, you're done talking?"
"Mn, I want to bail him out now."
Zuo Yi smiled and said, "Possible, but I still need to ask him a few questions."
Lawyer Song raised his head to look straight at him. He had heard of the famed Zuo Yi, the so-called Demon of the Police Zuo Yi. There had never been a case he left unresolved.
He pursed his lips and nodded, saying, "I request to accompany him for the rest of the questioning."
"No problem." Zuo Yi—in a rare, pleased mood—pushed open the door to the interrogation room once again.
Qin Kong was leaning his head back over the chair. When he saw the door open again, he glanced over before turning back to watching the ceiling. Zuo Yi sat across from him with Li Xin Ran, while Lawyer Song walked over to Qin Kong's side and pulled out the other chair to take a seat.
This time, Zuo Yi didn't make any opening remarks and directly asked, "Did you kill Ye Hong Sheng?"
Lawyer Song turned to look at Qin Kong, whose posture had not changed at all, and continued to not say a word.
Zuo Yi eyed him and then said, "Since you don't want to respond to this question, then I will change it for another." He looked meaningfully at Li Xin Ran after he said this, causing the other to withdraw several photographs from a document pouch. He arranged them one by one on the table.
"This is taken from the surveillance camera situated outside a small store that sells tasers, taken around four-ten in the afternoon on April 21st. This man in the mask and hat…" Zuo Yi pointed at the man in the photo. "We once asked if this was you, and you denied it."
He pointed at the other photo next to it after he said this. "We obtained recordings from all surveillance in the area. After examining each one, we noted this same man in different places, so we have theorized the path he had taken."
Qin Kong's brows wrinkled.
"Although this man deliberately took a large, circular path, he ultimately arrived at this parking lot." Zuo Yi pointed at a photo. "Although his back is to the surveillance camera the entire time, you can see that he has taken off his hat and mask. From his attire and build, it's easy to infer that this is the same person. His face is not clearly visible, however, this orange-yellow Ferrari, isn't this your car?"
Lawyer Song sent Qin Kong a look of disbelief. He thought that Qin Kong was merely suspected for the murder of Ye Hong Sheng. How come there was another case?!
Qin Kong stared at the photos silently. Zuo Yi paused before asking, "We now suspect that you attempted to kidnap Ye Zhen Zhen in order to murder her; your motive is…"
"To silence her." This time, Qin Kong didn't wait for Zuo Yi to finish speaking. Qin Kong raised his head and stared fixedly at him.
♕
Author's Note:
First of all, I apologize to everyone in the world with that surname QAQ, I don't agree with what he says; if you want to beat someone up, please beat him up! QAQ
I originally predicted to finish this novel in 180,000 characters, but it's already past that. It seems that I surpassed the character count, hehehe!
PS: Winter IV really has cold as fuck rhythm QAQ, plus, the medicine is especially painful when entering my bloodstreams QAQ
Because the weather is getting colder, I will update as early as possible. Everyone, don't sleep too late or you'll get sick~ Muah~!
《 ♕ ♕ 》
Slang meaning 'interrogated by the police'Chapter 56: Murderer — I only stabbed him once.
♕
After Qin Kong spoke, the other three people within the interrogation room immediately shot penetrating gazes at him, the sharpest stare being that of Lawyer Song's. "Young Master Qin, please think before speaking again!"
Zuo Yi didn't look at him and fired off a question at Qin Kong. "You admit to killing Ye Hong Sheng?"
Qin Kong looked at him with an indifferent expression. "I indeed killed Ye Hong Sheng."
"Qin Kong!" Lawyer Song suddenly slammed his hands onto the table, standing up from his seat. Zuo Yi finally glanced over at him, a slight trace of impatience within his gaze. "Lawyer Song, if you continue to obstruct our questioning, I have the right to request that you leave."
Lawyer Song's lips drew extremely taut as he glared at Qin Kong as if the other had killed his own father. He clenched his fists but sat back down.
Li Xin Ran, in charge of taking notes, was already dumbstruck. He stared at Zuo Yi incredulously. This development truly was as he predicted. Could it be that Lawyer Song was the amusing idiot that he invited to come? Oh, no, the reinforcement?
"How did things play out at that time?" Zuo Yi eyed the person opposite him as he serenely continued his questioning.
Qin Kong took in a deep breath and then slightly leaned forward, both his hands resting naturally on the table. "From my earliest memories, I knew I was different from my two older brothers. At home, anything delicious was surely eaten by them first; any new toy was also given to them first. I had been young at that time, and I thought that since I wasn't as outstanding as my two older brothers, dad and mom disliked me. So, I studied hard, scoring first on every exam, but they still didn't give me a single smile."
Qin Kong's voice deepened. In this narrow room, his voice echoed, carrying with it a mysterious magnetism, like a late night radio host. Slowly, he weaved for his audience a very long, depressing tale. "Later, I finally realized that the reason why they didn't like me was not because I was not outstanding enough, but rather because I am a bastard!" Qin Kong's tone suddenly sharpened, his hands clenching into fists and banging against the table surface lightly. "No matter how hard I try, it is impossible for me to change my bloodline!"
This line was too powerful and resonating. Once it left his mouth, the following silence was tense and oppressive.
He closed his eyes, as if he was trying to calm down the restlessness coursing through his blood. "I easily passed the university entrance exams, got my MBA, and suffered countless hardships that only I know of, but after returning back home, what did I get? An empty title like Product Development Manager?" He couldn't help but laugh coldly at this point. "Even the company's cleaning lady had more actual power than me. At the very least, she could decide whether or not to switch the paper on this floor's restrooms!"
This analogy threw Li Xin Ran for a loop, but he couldn't help sighing inwardly. Qin Kong actually wasn't a spoilt rich kid without a single good point; contrary to expectations, he had very high grades during school and was even the favorite pupil of his teachers. The Qin Zhi Corporation had not valued him, not because his ability wasn't enough, but because of his volatile identity.
The interrogation room fell quiet. When Qin Kong opened his mouth again, his expression became incomparably callous. "What the Qin family could not give me, I could obtain from the Ye family."
Zuo Yi pursed his lips and stare at him unblinkingly. "So your motive to kill was Ye Hong Sheng altering the will?"
"That's right." Qin Kong admitted this readily. "Although Ye Zhen Zhen had a betrothal contract, I knew she didn't like me, but what did that have to do with anything. I just wanted the Ye family to provide me with a future."
Qin Kong folded his hands together, remaining silent for a spell before continuing, "But our wedding was set for a year later. I worried for countless nights, my dreams filling with every unfavorable outcome possible. Therefore, I thought—what if the rice was cooked."1
Zuo Yi couldn't stop himself from frowning upon hearing this. "So that night on March 13th, you went to the Ye Mansion to…"
"To sleep with her, of course." Qin Kong laughed carelessly. "I knew that only Ye Hong Sheng was home that night, so it was easy to do."
"You raped her!" Li Xin Ran, who had been silently taking notes till now, couldn't help but interpose.
Qin Kong still exuded an indifferent air. "The Ye family and Qin family won't allow it to become rape. If such a matter spread to the public, Ye Zhen Zhen would have no choice but to marry me."
Lawyer Song was almost unable to continue listening. He hadn't even reached his point, yet he had already added many more charges onto himself?
"After that?" Zuo Yi indifferently asked, looking calm and collected.
"When I reached the Ye Mansion, I first went to confirm Ye Hong Sheng's whereabouts. At that time, he was in his room, talking on the phone. The door was ajar, so I clearly heard every single word that he said——he wanted to donate his entire estate, all twelve hundred million yuan, to charity!"
Zuo Yi mulled this over and asked, "So you got into a fight with him?"
"That's right. I was very angry at that time. Once he hung up, I rushed in and argued with him. I questioned him closely to find out why, but he said it was Ye family business and that it didn't concern me." Qin Kong paused before suddenly exploding. "How does it not concern me! I had planned for so long, waited for so long, and one simple will from him will thoroughly extinguish my dream? Do you know the feeling of being trampled on casually by others?!"
Unlike Qin Kong's violent behavior, Zuo Yi remained strangely calm. "The Ye family's estate naturally has absolutely no relation to you."
Qin Kong looked like he wanted to retort, but he couldn't find a powerful argument and could only funnel his anger into his glare.
Zuo Yi said, without a change in expression, "How did you kill him?"
Li Xin Ran heard this and subconsciously straightened.
They still hadn't found the murder weapon. This was their glaring error. Before, when they had interrogated Ye Kang Ping, he had confessed that the murder weapon was a paring knife. According to how he described it, and compared to how the forensic investigators had determined Ye Hong Sheng's wound to be inflicted, it matched. After interrogating housekeeper Zhou, she also mentioned how Ye Hong Sheng's room was short one paring knife. That paring knife was of the exact brand and model as the ones in the kitchen. The forensic investigators had used the kitchen's paring knife to compare the wound inflicted on Ye Hong Sheng's body; it was near identical.
In addition, the investigation of Ye Hong Sheng's room unearthed a sliced apple. The cut was identical to the knife wound Ye Hong Sheng had, so it could be concluded that the same knife was used. Analyzing the oxidation level of the apple revealed that this cut had been made not long before the crime occurred, proving that the paring knife was actually present when the crime occurred. However, they hadn't found the paring knife in the room after the crime.
The information above was kept absolutely confidential. If Qin Kong's description of the murder weapon matched the information they unearthed, then even if they hadn't found the murder weapon, this evidence could form a solid case, which meant they could raise a charge against Qin Kong.
This was the shining moment; the hand Li Xin Ran was writing with was coated with a thin sheen of sweat.
Qin Kong pursed his lips and said, "There was a paring knife on the fruit tray. I easily grabbed it." If it had not been so easy, he also wouldn't have angrily stabbed Ye Hong Sheng.
Li Xin Ran simply wanted to cry tears of joy. Right, right! It all came fit! He excitedly glanced at Zuo Yi. This case was finally closed!
Qin Kong's expression changed though, as he assed, "But I only stabbed him once; I didn't hide the murder weapon."
Li Xin Ran: "…"
He really wanted to sob.
Zuo Yi's mood was still steady. He asked Qin Kong, "After you stabbed him, what happened?"
Qin Kong frowned. "Ye Zhen Zhen was at the doorway and shouting. I didn't know when she came, and I was also scared and stressed out then. I wanted to explain to her, to say I didn't do it on purpose, but she was very afraid. When she saw me turn around, she ran off. I hurriedly chased after her, and fought with her at the top of the stairs. In the confusion, she grabbed the knife from my hand. In a moment of anxiety, I pushed her down."
"And then?"
"I wanted to go check on her condition, but I realized that Ye Kang Ping and Sun Qian had come, so I was forced to leave."
"Where did you leave from?"
"The back door."
"Who did you come across?"
"No one."
Zuo Yi paused and then focused his gaze fully on the other. "You didn't knock housekeeper Zhou unconscious?"
"Housekeeper Zhou?" Qin Kong eyed Zuo Yi. "She was also there at that time?"
Li Xin Ran: "…"
He now thought of a line from a poem and modified it to fit——Even the heaven and earth has an end time; this case will last forever and never end. 2.
Zuo Yi didn't say anything else and called for Hou Zi to take Qin Kong away. As Qin Kong stood up, he suddenly turned to smile at Lawyer Song. "Go back and tell my big brother that even if I die, I will drag down the Qin family with me."
Lawyer Song pursed his lips, his expression exceptionally ugly, and left the interrogation room.
Zuo Yi didn't move, so Li Xin Ran also did not dare to move. He reread the notes he had taken and subconsciously twirled the pen in his hand.
Ye Hong Sheng's chest had been stabbed twice, but Qin Kong said he only stabbed Ye Hong Sheng once. Then who made the remaining wound? Furthermore, why did the murder weapon disappear without a trace? Could what housekeeper Zhou had previously said be true? Or was housekeeper Zhou the one who made the second wound?
He turned to look glance at Zuo Yi, who had his brows tightly furrowed. Cautiously, he asked, "Leader, there shouldn't be another perpetrator at the crime scene, right?Qin Kong knocked housekeeper Zhou unconscious, stabbed Ye Hong Sheng again, and then hid the murder weapon. But why did he stab him again? Don't tell me he was worried that Ye Hong Sheng's death was not a certain outcome?"
Zuo Yi's brows rose. "Perhaps Ye Hong Sheng hadn't been dead at that time…" Wait a minute! He seemed to realize what housekeeper Zhou's aim was!
Seeing Zuo Yi's expression suddenly change, Li Xin Ran instinctively swallowed. "What's wrong?"
"Do you understand about inheritance laws?"
"Ah?" Li Xin Ran was dumbfounded by this suddenly asked question. "I don't have an inheritance to inherit, so how would I know about that?"
Zuo Yi smirked lightly and looked at him. "If you can't break a case, as a police officer, what would you do?"
Li Xin Ran: "…"
Leader, I am in the wrong. Don't kick me out of the police squad! Li Xin Ran looked at him miserably.
Zuo Yi withdrew his gaze and said, "Suppose after Qin Kong stabbed Ye Hong Sheng, Ye Hong Sheng died on the spot. At the time of his death, Ye Hong Sheng died before Ye Zhen Zhen. With these circumstances, the will goes into effect. In other words, when Ye Hong Sheng died, Ye Zhen Zhen would have immediately inherited the estate. After that, Ye Zhen Zhen had died from falling down the staircase, and since she hadn't drawn up a will, the inheritance left to her by Ye Hong Sheng would be inherited by her heir." Zuo Yi paused here and turned to look at Li Xin Ran. "But, what if when Qin Kong stabbed Ye Hong Sheng, Ye Hong Sheng did not immediately die?"
Li Xin Ran pursed his somewhat chapped lips and didn't say anything.
"Combining Ye Kang Ping and Qin Kong's confessions, Ye Zhen Zhen died immediately after falling down the stairs. Suppose that Ye Hong Sheng had not yet died by this point in time. If the heir dies before the benefactor, the will is invalidated. In other words, after Ye Hong Sheng dies, the inheritance will be bequeathed to the next person in the legal line of succession."
And the legal line of succession was first the spouse, followed by the children and then the parents. Illegitimate children counted as well.
♕
Author's Note:
This is the first update, another one in the evening, muah~!
I read the comments and realized that everyone thinks that Qin Kong is not the murderer, actually…
From the very beginning, I had established that he was a pervert
《 ♕ ♕ 》
"The rice is cooked" = "what's done is done" A parody of the line "天长地久有时尽,此恨绵绵无绝期" from Bai Juyi's poem 《》; it tells the story of Yang Guifei (719-756), concubine of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.