Chapter 83: Doomed Bonds
by xennovelChapter 83: Male Best Friends Should All Die
The afternoon sun hung in the sky.
Its warm light bathed the earth.
Capital City, a certain university.
Xiao Yu, dressed in plain clothes, stood at the school gate alongside Wang Dong.
“Capital City is the headquarters of National Security,”
Wang Dong laughed, “Once the case wraps up, I’ll take you to our office and treat you to some drinks!”
Xiao Yu: …
He felt an inexplicable sense that life and death hung in the balance.
A time-traveler, casually roaming National Security?
The night gave me a pair of black eyes,
yet I use them only to roll my eyes!
“Thanks.”
Xiao Yu shook his head, “I told you before—I’m not interested in National Security.”
“I don’t know why.”
Wang Dong studied Xiao Yu intently, “I always get the feeling you’re wary of National Security. Am I just imagining things?”
Wary?
What a crude choice of words.
For an educated man, that’s just what vigilance looks like!
“You’re overthinking it.”
Xiao Yu replied firmly, “I’m a cop—I have nothing to hide.”
Wang Dong thought for a moment, unable to argue.
The little guy hadn’t done anything wrong—in fact, he’d earned commendations at every turn.
He’s got medals for first, second, and third-class merits. It’s hardly an overstatement to say he’s contributed to the country.
How odd—could he really be overthinking it?
“Let’s get to work!” Xiao Yu strode into the campus.
Wang Dong shook his head, dismissing the nagging doubts…
……
He Yu, an undergraduate enrolled in a combined bachelor-master-doctorate program at this university.
A continuous degree program?
Only the top scholars are granted that privilege.
Indeed, He Yu is a true brainiac in the psychology department.
But who would have guessed she’d also turned out to be a criminal?
No—calling her a criminal is premature…
Inside the postgraduate dormitory.
He Yu’s old room had been left open.
Don’t be fooled by her being only 22.
She’s already a bona fide two-year master’s student.
Lucky her—she got a single room.
Small but neat.
A design combining the bedroom and lounge, plus a private bathroom.
Xiao Yu surveyed the room while Wang Dong began his search.
Meanwhile…
National Security personnel scoured the university for clues.
Everyone who had come into contact with He Yu was now a person of interest.
The focus was on the psychology department!
After an hour, Wang Dong finished searching and shook his head at Xiao Yu.
They found nothing.
Xiao Yu activated ‘Falcon’s Eye’…
Not because he doubted Wang Dong’s top-notch investigative skills.
Sometimes the human eye just misses certain details.
They say appearances can be deceiving—and that’s no empty talk!
In the end, Xiao Yu found nothing amiss.
Then…
Xiao Yu activated ‘Wangdie’s Nose’…
He Yu had already been arrested and detained, so why would he smell anything?
Not He Yu’s scent—but…
Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up.
Inside the room, he detected not only He Yu’s scent, but that of two other people.
Two men’s scents, in fact!
One was faint, the other strong.
The faint smell suggested it was from a while ago.
A strong scent meant someone had recently been in He Yu’s room!
“Pull up the surveillance,”
Xiao Yu ordered. Wang Dong didn’t argue and went out to retrieve the footage.
Half an hour later, Wang Dong returned with a tablet.
It contained all of the dormitory corridor’s surveillance footage…
Xiao Yu pored over the recordings until he reached the night of February 25.
A young man appeared at the door and entered He Yu’s room.
He stayed until the morning of the 26th, then left.
That afternoon, He Yu departed with a small suitcase.
Her travel records revealed she had hired a rideshare and arrived in Bincheng on the morning of the 27th.
On the evening of the 28th, a crime was committed!
On March 1, another crime occurred, and then Xiao Yu arrested her.
Even before traveling, she had met someone, and they spent the night together.
Need I say more about their relationship?
Pei Haiyang, 24, from a certain university…
Two hours later, the young man was brought before Xiao Yu.
He was quite handsome—the kind to catch a girl’s eye.
However, his face was pale, displaying panic and confusion.
Xiao Yu detected that his scent matched the strong odor recorded in the room.
Panic and confusion were natural reactions.
Anyone summoned by the police would be like this—let alone someone from National Security.
“You were here on the 25th, right?” Xiao Yu asked.
He then inquired, “What is your relationship with He Yu?”
“Yes, I was here on the 25th,” the young man admitted.
Pei Haiyang looked bewildered, “I’m her… friend.”
“Boyfriend?” Xiao Yu frowned.
“No, just a good friend.”
Pei Haiyang’s expression was complex. “I’m her… sort of like a best friend.”
Male best friends, huh? Xiao Yu’s impression of Pei Haiyang soured instantly.
Such people are truly repulsive!
“In truth, our relationship isn’t that close,”
Pei Haiyang awkwardly tried to explain.
“What do you mean by that?”
Xiao Yu sneered, “Between a man and a woman, as long as there’s any distance—any distance at all—it isn’t considered close.”
How can a relationship have a negative distance?
You’re intertwined with each other!
On the 25th, you even spent the night here.
How can you shamelessly claim you weren’t close?
“Take him away,” Xiao Yu ordered, not wanting to waste another word.
Wang Dong signaled, and two National Security officers handcuffed the pale Pei Haiyang and led him out.
“Anything wrong?” Wang Dong asked, puzzled.
His eyes didn’t miss a thing.
“Nothing,” Xiao Yu replied curtly, “but people must consider the consequences of their actions and words. Had he admitted that he was close to He Yu or that they were more than just friends, I wouldn’t have let him off lightly.”
“I see,”
Wang Dong nodded; the explanation made sense.
He decided to detain him for 24 hours to teach him a lesson,
so that he’d learn to speak honestly in front of the police next time.
It wasn’t about making a big fuss.
Sometimes, a single misstatement can derail an entire investigation.
Since this Pei Haiyang was merely He Yu’s fling, who then was the other person?
Reviewing the footage, Xiao Yu hit pause.
On January 14, a middle-aged man entered the room with He Yu.
Four hours later, the man left alone…
Investigation revealed that he was a professor at the university.
Ku Shi, 43, Associate Professor in the psychology department at a certain university…
“Damn it, is it him?”
Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.
Half an hour later, Ku Shi was brought from the office building to stand before Xiao Yu and Wang Dong.
He carried an air of refinement—that was Xiao Yu’s first impression.
With the bearing of a true academic, he wore glasses.
Facing National Security officers, he appeared surprised yet remained remarkably composed.
Can calm composure really mask deception?
Xiao Yu studied Ku Shi’s hands.
They say a person’s hands reveal emotions better than their face.
How many can tell when they’re excited, angry, happy, or anxious just by looking at their hands?
In such moments, most people don’t even notice their hands.
They never realize that in these states, their hands might unconsciously clench.
When Xiao Yu saw that Ku Shi’s hands remained completely still, without any sign of change,
his expression took on a strange twist.
“Is it you?”