The petty thugs ran off, but the small supermarket was still a mess. After scaring off the thugs, Ping An helped the couple clean up.
"I can't believe you're still being bullied by people like that. Why don't you call the police?" Ping An asked, his foot aching more, with a touch of emotion.
"It's just the aftermath, all small-time thugs. They saw old Chen... Chen Nairong fall, and then wanted to bully me, see if they could squeeze some money out of me. They all thought that after being with Chen Nairong for so long, I'd have some money. I thought so too, and I should have done so. But you intervened, and now I've really left with nothing!" Liu Juan righted the overturned table.
"Do they come here to cause trouble often?" Ping An asked.
"Not people of status. Those who cause trouble are these small fry. I can handle them, no need to call the police," Liu Juan said. "Besides, Chen Nairong's matter isn't over yet. The police say, maybe, maybe I'm also guilty."
Disgusted by Chen Nairong's evil deeds and unwilling to be further entangled, Liu Juan had wanted to gather the courage to report Chen Nairong and then live a peaceful life. However, she hadn't expected to be beaten badly by the thugs before facing any retaliation from Chen Nairong's criminal group.
"Has Ren Liu been here?" Ping An asked.
"No, why?" Liu Juan asked.
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"He's dead, murdered," Ping An sighed. "I came today to remind you to be careful. Behind Chen Nairong, there's a bigger fish, but I don't know who it is. And, and I seem to have been schemed against."
"You're this kind-hearted?" Liu Juan teased.
"Of course not. So, I came to see you two for another reason." At some point, Ping An dropped his sympathetic expression and said seriously, "I can never see through you, yet I feel you are very familiar, as if I've met you somewhere before."
"I knew Chen Nairong for many years, we were close. After he met you, that's when the drug trafficking started. And now, it seems his drug trafficking was just a cover; there's something more important I haven't thought of," Ping An said. "Please forgive my suspicion, it's a professional habit."
This passage was a reflection of Ping An's inner thoughts. The couple before him, the husband passively watched his beautiful wife become Chen Nairong's "favorite," enduring it until now, and is still a suspect in Niu Jian's murder. The wife, seemingly weak, at a critical moment, decisively reported Chen Nairong's drug trafficking activities, and calmly continued to live with her husband. Although she was "dazzled" by a sum of money and almost took a risk to seize it. But for an ordinary person, this is also human nature. However, Ping An always felt something was wrong – like a fabricated news report – every part, every element was there, and it was all perfect, too perfect, which made him suspicious.
Behind every news event, there's something that people try hard to conceal. If everything were out in the open, it wouldn't be news, and there would be no need for an investigation.
This was something Ping An's master had told him. As a professional journalist, he always approached every piece of news, including every case he encountered, with a skeptical attitude.
Since the Niu Jian case broke out, followed by the Wu An case, the assassination, Chen Nairong's drug trafficking, and Ren Liu's case, Ping An had felt a deep sense of unease – the methods of the crimes became more bizarre with each one, yet the motives became simpler, even crudely simple.
The Niu Jian case was for revenge, the Wu An case was to silence him, the assassination was to cover up, thus exposing Chen Nairong's drug trafficking to the world. The aftermath of Ren Liu's case was to create presence, hinting at a "big fish" out there, so someone made a formal report, dragging Ping An into it.
Ordinary cases were simple and brutal – stabbed to death with one knife, strangled with a rope. Even in a chaotic crime scene, the police could find useful evidence. Then, by unraveling threads, they would identify suspects and often only know the motive after the arrest.
But the cases Ping An encountered were unbelievably bizarre. The three apparent murder cases almost all employed "impossible crime" methods, leaving seasoned detectives like Gao Xiaofei helpless, unable to trace the killer through effective evidence. Yet, the motives were obvious, understood without hesitation.
This wasn't solving cases! This was clearly being led by the nose!
It was under this feeling that Ping An always felt "arranged" when he discovered something. But the most critical thing was that to uncover what was behind the cases, he had to accept this "arrangement."
He had eaten, he had drunk soup, he had played the hero, they had talked past each other, but they had spoken.
Ping An left without a word, just nodding to Liu Juan and Gao Ming, waving goodbye, pushing open the half-broken supermarket door, and riding his motorcycle away aimlessly.
"Ping An, he's a good person. Why do you have to be like this?" Watching Ping An leave, Gao Min stood by the window, lit a cigarette, and said to Liu Juan behind her.
"Is he? Everyone has hard times in their lives." Liu Juan shook her head weakly and continued to clean up the mess in the room.
Three blocks away from the small supermarket, at the entrance of a nondescript one-way street, Su Xia, wearing a white traffic police hat, was issuing a ticket to a illegally parked vehicle.
"Hold on! Hey, hey, I say, which unit are you from! I know your captain!" A short, stout man rushed out from the coffee shop at the street entrance, waving his short arms, signaling Su Xia not to "stick a ticket."
"Who do you know?" Su Xia suddenly turned around and had an intimate encounter with the fat man.
"Team Leader Su! Oh, I heard you joined the traffic police. Bad luck for me, getting caught by you." The fat man saw that the person in front of him was not the usual traffic cop he used to bully, so he quickly took out cigarettes and a lighter, acting very solicitous.
"I've circled your car several times. You clearly saw me, but you didn't come out. You waited until I was about to stick a ticket, then you rushed out pretending you didn't notice, right?" Su Xia forcefully stuck the ticket on the car's windshield.
"You can fine me, brother. If you're willing, I'll come every day to let you fine me!" The fat man's eyes rolled, he put away the cigarette and lighter, and then said sarcastically, "To put it bluntly, this is all the power you have now. Shouldn't I be considerate of you?"
This had turned into anger. It was understandable. Su Xia was no longer the feared captain of the criminal police. The thing clipped to his waist was no longer a gun, but a book of tickets. Since that was the case, why should he be afraid of him!
"Brother, I call you brother because I still respect you. How about this? Here's a thousand yuan. I'll pay for five tickets at once. You don't have to shiver in the cold issuing tickets. I'll buy them all at once, and you'll be done with it!" the fat man said arrogantly. "As for the points, I'm sorry, brother, I've never had a driver's license!"
The fat man in front of him was actually the owner of a foot massage parlor. He wasn't a thug, but he was arrogant because he was rich. This kind of person, in front of Su Xia before, didn't even have the right to offer a cigarette. Now, seeing Su Xia, dressed in a traffic police uniform, sticking a ticket on his car, and seeing many shop owners he knew gathered to watch, the fat man suddenly wanted to act "cool." In a fit of impulse, he uttered harsh words.
"Comrade, please move your car now. Parking is not allowed here, and please pay the fine in a timely manner according to the regulations." Su Xia, indifferent to the other's tone, spoke concisely.
"Don't, Officer Su, let me park a little longer. I have to pay the fine anyway, so don't let me pay for nothing!" the fat man became more and more animated.
Just then, a police car pulled up next to Su Xia.
"You fatso, are you tired of living? You dare to scold my master, huh!" A young man in a tracksuit got out of the car.
"Captain Wu! What is this?" The fat man retracted his maliciousness and said with a fawning expression.
The young man in front of him was named Wu Duan, one of Su Xia's disciples, now the deputy captain of the public security brigade. The fat man's foot massage parlor was often dealt with for its involvement in prostitution.
"Master, it's this late, time to get off work. Let's go, get in my car, I'll give you a ride!" Wu Duan reached out to help Su Xia, but Su Xia pushed him away.
"Fatso, drive your car and leave!" Wu Duan saw that his master was still staring at the fat man's car, and he understood everything.
"You let me go, I didn't know it was your disciple. Oh, Captain Su, I'm leaving, I'm leaving now." The fat man got into the car and left amidst the laughter of the onlookers.
"You go too. Come here to watch me make a fool of myself, are you that idle!" Su Xia said, showing no pleasant expression to his disciple who had come to his rescue.
"How could that be? I was passing by and guess who I met? Ping An, the big reporter. He pointed in your direction and said you were stuck with a piece of dog skin plaster, so he sent me here." Wu Duan smiled and pointed. In the crowd not far away, Ping An, riding a motorcycle, was drinking milk tea with a straw.
"No helmet, I'll fine you to treat me to lunch!" Su Xia laughed heartily, left his disciple, and walked up to Ping An.
"Old Su, you're back to work quite quickly? You're a deputy squadron leader after just a few days? Don't talk about your squadron leader, even your captain wouldn't dare order you around, right?" Ping An teased.
"Don't worry about it. I'm already very content. Let's go, let's go. Er Jie's Pig Intestine Noodles nearby are the most authentic!" Su Xia threw his gear into a beat-up police car, then plopped down on the back of Ping An's motorcycle, casually waved at Wu Duan, and kicked Ping An like he was ordering livestock. Ping An understood, and riding the motorcycle, they sped away.
Su Xia wasn't like this before.
Riding the motorcycle, Ping An could deeply feel Su Xia's mood at this moment.
Among the most famous snacks in Hechuan City, there must be Er Jie's Pig Intestine Noodles. The owner of the noodle shop is naturally Er Jie. Er Jie is not old, and if we consider the impoliteness of asking a woman her age, let's estimate her to be in her early forties at most. But regardless of her age, customers entering the shop, whether greeted by a waiter or not, would enthusiastically call out "Er Jie!" Then, after someone from somewhere responded, they would swallow their saliva, stick out their tongues, and in a greedy voice, whisper – "Two liang of thick noodles, double portions of pig intestines, one piece of dried bean curd, one braised egg. If you have fried tempura enoki mushrooms, bring a plate first. The noodles must be extremely spicy! Serve the noodle soup in a large bowl! Bring it quickly!"
Although he had shamelessly eaten a bowl of sauce noodles at Liu Juan's place, sitting opposite Su Xia at Er Jie's Pig Intestine Noodle shop, and seeing the other diners eating heartily, Ping An couldn't help but order a small bowl again.
"You're treating, so I won't be polite!" Su Xia looked at Ping An with a rare greedy expression, ordered a large bowl of pig intestine noodles with gusto, and also ordered a large pile of snacks. Calculating that they would probably fill the bowl of noodles, he then closed his mouth somewhat impolitely.
"You don't need to be polite, but I just ate a bowl of noodles at Liu Juan and Gao Ming's. Now I'm accompanying you, I'm worried about my figure!" Ping An touched his stomach.
"What did you say? You dare to eat at that couple's place? Are you tired of living!" Su Xia said with some surprise. "Do you want to bet with me? That couple definitely has a problem!"
"Forget it. They're just a little greedy. If it weren't for me just now, they would have been badly beaten by those thugs." Although Ping An had been suspecting Liu Juan and Gao Min in his heart, he said this.
"I'm like this now. It doesn't matter what happens to the case anymore. But brother, if you want to continue investigating, you should guard against this dark couple." Su Xia said with a dark face. "Also, do you really think that couple is a real couple? Let me tell you, I investigated before, and they don't have a marriage certificate! They're not married!"
Upon hearing this news, Ping An's head suddenly rang like a bell.
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"How about it? Still dare to underestimate them?" Su Xia looked at Ping An and said. "Don't forget, Gao Min's suspicion hasn't been cleared yet. But as far as I know, the person who took over my case doesn't seem to care about Gao Min's suspicion and is stubbornly pushing it towards the drug case!"
"Is there something wrong with that?" Ping An suddenly felt like he had discovered something, but couldn't quite grasp what it was.
"The murder of Niu Jian wasn't as complicated as you think! It was a simple murder case with revenge as the motive!" Su Xia said. "If you take the Niu Jian murder case on its own, without considering his report or drug trafficking, isn't Gao Min, who was at the scene, the primary suspect? Brother Ping An, think about it carefully!"
Su Xia's words exploded like a bomb in Ping An's mind. Yes, no one had ever made him connect these cases. But why was someone always leading him by the nose in that direction? If you didn't consider the context, but looked at each case individually, they all seemed to fit the revenge motive. But who was leading him by the nose?
Seeing that Ping An wasn't eating, Su Xia finished his noodles in a few bites and then took Ping An's bowl. While eating, he said, "You always like to complicate cases. In fact, if I were still one of the people in charge of the case, I would focus on Gao Min's lead and stick to it."
"Old Su, how have you been recently!" Ping An thought for a moment and changed the subject.
"What good? Everyone has a hard time!" Su Xia sighed.
"I heard that not only has your position dropped, but your salary has also..." Ping An said with some embarrassment.
"Minor matters," Su Xia waved his hand.
"I remember your mortgage..." Ping An continued with embarrassment.
"Why bring that up? I'll be honest with you, I was actually planning to move back to the old house in the suburbs. No property management fees, no parking fees, no sanitation fees. These three alone are enough for my monthly expenses!" Su Xia said with a smile.
"But, the child's schooling..." Ping An continued with embarrassment.
"Stop with the 'buts.' If I need money, I'll borrow it from you! Okay!" Su Xia said decisively.
"I'm just afraid you'll ask me for money, so I'm asking in advance to see if I should look for you recently!" Ping An lowered his head even more awkwardly and told the truth for once.
"You bastard!" Su Xia cursed with a smile.
After wandering around, it was already four in the afternoon. Ping An, whose phone had been off all day, checked the time and decided to keep it off.
Along a small alley, following Su Xia's instructions, Ping An took Su Xia to his post.
"Get lost! It's best if you don't get involved in those cases. You're a big reporter, why don't you do something else!" Su Xia patted Ping An's back and said.
"Old Su, haven't you noticed you've changed? Others may not know, but I do. You used to think twice before saying anything. You used to always be polite to me. Why have you changed?" Ping An couldn't hold back anymore. "Uh, Su Xia, take my advice too. I can guess what you're thinking. Please, don't get involved in those cases either. You have a family, you really can't afford to risk it anymore!"
"Get lost!" Su Xia turned his back.
"Here!" Ping An took out a box from his backpack and threw it to Su Xia.
"What is it!" Su Xia asked after taking the item, and then saw Ping An rolling away.
Trembling, he opened the packaging box. Ten bright red hundred-yuan bills lay inside.
"This kid, heh!" Su Xia shook his head, carefully put the box into his bag, sighed softly, took out his ticket book, and walked towards an illegally parked Mazda.
Across the street, a person wearing sunglasses and a mask was riding a tricycle, looking in Su Xia's direction. After Ping An rode away on his motorcycle, he quickly stepped on the pedals with all his might, but accidentally broke the chain.
"Damn Ping An! Couldn't you wait for me! It's so hard to see you!" The fat face under the mask was none other than Chen Nairong.
Since being pursued by the police, he had lived a life worse than a dog. In fact, he could have escaped the city and hibernated elsewhere, but for some reason, he insisted on returning, and he absolutely had to see Ping An.
Ping An, who had been wandering aimlessly all day, didn't know that Chen Nairong was looking for him. After leaving Su Xia, he went for tea for another two hours, had a foot massage, and estimated that his sister had already made dinner before returning home refreshed.
As soon as he entered the door, he was met with Mei Qian's displeased face.
"Where have you been? Director Yan has been looking for you all day, almost resorting to strong measures! Do you know you're about to become a criminal suspect? Niu Jian's son has reported you by name. If it weren't for me and Captain Gao holding the line, Huang Sha would have opened a case against you."
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"Investigate if they want. My conscience is clear, what's there to investigate!" Ping An said perfunctorily, slumping onto the sofa, pretending to be tired.
"Teacher, you're back." Lin Dang sat opposite Ping An and greeted him obediently.
"I've read your recent articles, and they're indeed very good! Oh, right, thank you. Your article helped me resolve a big doubt." Ping An said with a smile.
"What doubt is more important than eating!" An Jing, with anger, popped her head out from the kitchen.
Dinner was very rich. Ping An, who had eaten noodles all day, was happily eating a large bowl of rice with gusto.
"Knock, knock, knock!" Just then, the door was hammered.
No need to ask, whoever knocked like this must be Gao Xiaofei.
"Do you know..." Gao Xiaofei, who entered the house, saw Ping An eating leisurely and said angrily.
"I know!" Ping An shoved a bowl of rice into Gao Xiaofei's hand and said calmly, "Even if I'm executed tomorrow, let me eat my fill first!"
For some reason, Gao Xiaofei, who had been nervous all day, suddenly felt relaxed after seeing Ping An. He stopped talking and picked up the rice bowl. He glanced at the dishes on the table and saw a large bowl of oily chicken soup, clearly of high quality. Without a word, he picked up the ladle and poured two spoonfuls into his rice bowl, then took a sip, his mouth full of fragrance. He glanced at the crab roe tofu placed in front of Ping An, unceremoniously took it over, and ate it with chicken soup and rice with great enjoyment.
After a satisfying meal, just as Ping An was about to slip into his room, Gao Xiaofei grabbed him.
"Ancestor! The world is burning, and if you don't give me a clear answer today, you might get an arrest warrant tomorrow!" Gao Xiaofei said with a choked voice.
"Is it that serious?" Ping An scratched his head and asked.
"Teacher Yang, you didn't answer your phone all day. In fact, the chief editor has been looking for you all day, wanting you to explain the relevant举报 to the unit's disciplinary inspection room as soon as possible, otherwise your position will be suspended." Lin Dang interjected.
"Didn't you want to investigate first?" Ping An said impatiently.
"It's a report by name! And there's evidence!" Mei Qian also said anxiously. "What evidence?" Ping An asked.
"Discipline! Discipline! I can't say! But you're really in danger this time!" Gao Xiaofei said, grabbing Ping An by the neck.
"Then won't Su Xia also be finished!" Ping An suddenly asked.
"Su Xia is already finished! Why are you bringing him up?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"I've always wondered, dealing with me is one thing, but why deal with Su Xia? Why
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Deal with Su Xia first!" Ping An stared into Gao Xiaofei's eyes and said, "Tell me, what did Su Xia find out?"
"Are you crazy?" Gao Xiaofei exclaimed.
"No, I'm just sleepy. Let me sleep, and do whatever you want tomorrow!" Ping An said perfunctorily.
"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, the municipal bureau will hold a case analysis meeting. Vice Mayor Wang will personally attend and has specifically requested your presence. Be careful." Gao Xiaofei stopped speaking.
"See you tomorrow!" Ping An closed his room door, leaving the people in the room sighing.
"Is this the super-powerful great detective you told me about?" Mei Qian looked at Gao Xiaofei askance and said, "He can barely protect himself! Do you still believe he can solve all these mysteries?"
Having said that, Mei Qian picked up his backpack and prepared to leave.
"Where are you going?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"I'd rather rely on myself objectively. Let's see if I can help him tomorrow, ah, tomorrow, with the chain of evidence." Mei Qian glanced at An Jing, saw her nod, and left without looking back.
"What the hell kind of case is this!" Gao Xiaofei growled.