Chapter 112: A Twist in the Investigation

112th Chapter: A Little Tease

While on routine duty, I received a dispatch from the command center reporting an assault case with suspected murder. Cases like these are always handled by the criminal investigation team in our jurisdiction. I led a team out to investigate.

Li Shu, his expression grave, slowly recounted, “When two of my colleagues and I reached the reporting household, we found Ren Chang. Something about him just didn’t add up…”

“What’s wrong with him?” Xiao Yu inquired.

“First, his eyes were bloodshot, he looked completely deranged, and his speech was all over the place,” Li Shu explained.

Li Shu recalled, “Secondly, he was seething with anger—speaking loudly, trembling all over as if provoked. At first, I even thought a murder had taken place. I rushed to Jiang Dan’s flower shop, shut it down, then headed for her residence… Only to find him in person. Not only had he not been beaten up, he was completely unscathed—I can spot these things. It turned out to be a false alarm!”

“That sort of condition?”

Xiao Yu queried in confusion, “Could it be…”

“Yeah, I suspected it too. Since Ren Chang was acting odd, possibly on drugs, I even had him run blood and urine tests… but they all came back clear. And because he has autism, I merely gave him a light scolding and sent him on his way.”

Li Shu nodded and continued, “Then, just as I returned to the station, we got another call—this time from Ren Chang himself. His reason for calling? Abuse!”

“His girlfriend again?”

Xiao Yu’s face darkened. “Was it deliberate?”

“I thought so too at first, but regulations require that we respond,” Li Shu said.

Fuming, Li Shu added, “I first went to Jiang Dan’s residence and found her safe. Then, I brought her straight to Ren Chang’s home so he could face the truth about his girlfriend.”

“Go on,” Xiao Yu urged, his mind racing with analysis.

Li Shu continued, “At first, when Ren Chang saw Jiang Dan, his face lit up with pure ecstatic joy.”

His expression soon turned bizarre. “But after he embraced her, it wasn’t long before he looked stunned and, out of nowhere, started yelling at Jiang Dan, ‘She’s not my girlfriend!'”

“Hmm?” Xiao Yu was stunned.

Unbelievable, right?

She’s clearly his girlfriend, so why claim otherwise?

Could it be that he’s truly lost his mind?

If so, it’s entirely possible.

Xiao Yu, wary, asked, “Did Jiang Dan verify it herself?”

“Absolutely. There’s no way I would have missed it,” Li Shu affirmed.

With a slight smile, Li Shu noted, “Jiang Dan’s identity, appearance, and records all check out. There’s no chance of an impostor.”

“So, has Ren Chang been playing us all along?”

Xiao Yu sneered, “Or maybe he’s just out of his mind?”

Li Shu reported, “Jiang Dan, upset by his behavior, left.”

Li Shu continued, “After being duped twice, I was furious. I had let him off once, but this time, I decided to teach him a lesson. My colleagues and I subdued the increasingly deranged Ren Chang and sent him to the Detention Center. Since he’s still just a kid, we only locked him up for three days.”

At 26, Ren Chang was practically a child compared to the 43-year-old Li Shu.

Besides, Li Shu was known for his kind heart.

But as a police officer, kindness can sometimes lead to big problems.

For one misstep and his benevolence cost him—he was reprimanded by his superiors.

This lifetime, he would never rise above deputy captain!

Everything in the process had gone smoothly… Xiao Yu frowned.

He still had great faith in the veteran detective’s abilities.

The operation should have been flawless.

Could it be that I was really duped by someone presumed dead?

That would be utterly terrifying.

“You’re like a little cow skydiving—bold in the extreme!”

No…

The system’s task was still up there. It couldn’t be deceiving him!

A sharp, determined glint flashed in Xiao Yu’s eyes.

Besides, the irregularities on Ren Chang’s body were just too strange.

Li Shu had no further questions; the clues had to lie with the deceased and his girlfriend.

But how do you extract clues from the dead?

For one, Xiao Yu had three nagging questions.

Was Ren Chang really pretending to be a cop?

If not, could he be mentally ill?

Or did he actually witness his girlfriend being abused?

Xiao Yu mulled it over—the first two questions seemed plausible.

But the last one—was it even possible?

……

A police car cruised toward Ren Chang’s residence.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Xiao Yu took out his phone.

It was 7 AM. Doesn’t his sister usually leave at 8?

WeChat.

Xiao Yu: I had a candy this morning.

Xiao Yu: It had a sweet filling right in the middle.

Xiao Yu: Surprisingly sweet.

Xiao Yu: Want some?

Mu Qingwu: …

Mu Qingwu: Are you trying to say you fancy me? Is that some kind of hidden message?

Xiao Yu: … You figured it out so quickly? Why not become a cop too? The two of us could be an unstoppable duo—nothing would stand in our way!

Mu Qingwu: Ha… don’t be silly, little brother. Just focus on work; I need to take a shower before heading to the office.

Xiao Yu: A shower?

Video sent, video sent, video sent…

Mu Qingwu: Do you want me to tell your grandma to beat you to death?

Xiao Yu: No love? No spark? In the end, I’m the one left to bear it all!

Mu Qingwu: Haha… alright, you rascal, I admit defeat. What do you want?

Xiao Yu: Just say one word—’Sis’—in a voice message, and I’ll forgive you.

Mu Qingwu: Fine.

Xiao Yu: ‘Silly.’

Mu Qingwu’s voice message: “Silly love~ You? Huh? Ha… little brother, I’m not great at reading aloud. Can you do it for me?”

Xiao Yu: I love you!

Mu Qingwu’s voice message: I love you!

……

He put down his phone.

He’d just pulled a little teasing move on his sister.

Xiao Yu felt his heart swell with happiness.

Wait a minute…

Happiness?

Xiao Yu’s eyes suddenly narrowed as his expression darkened.

What kind of happiness could be so overwhelming that even a man, after choosing death, still wears it on his face?

Such happiness isn’t something family can provide, is it?

No one else could ever give it.

Only… your woman?

That’s not happiness—it’s love, right?

Xiao Yu’s expression shifted.

So, if one day I were to sacrifice myself…

Before dying, if I thought of my sister, could I really do it?

He wasn’t sure.

With all these system abilities and skills in this life, he found it hard to even consider ending it all.

Without truly walking in his shoes, it’s impossible to understand.

But Ren Chang managed to do it.

Is this the ultimate demonstration of love?

How can someone who loves so deeply push her away by saying she isn’t his girlfriend when they meet?

Or could it be that he loves someone else?

No—Li Shu mentioned that when Ren Chang first saw Jiang Dan, his face lit up with wild ecstasy.

If it wasn’t out of love for Jiang Dan…

The police car halted.

We’ve arrived at the home of the deceased, Ren Chang!