Cheng Xinglang stood in front of the instrument table. The scalpel made a crisp sound as he neatly put each tool back in place. The second hand of the clock on the wall ticked, and the sound was especially clear.
As Ah Ben passed by, he stopped, leaned against the door frame, and glanced into the corner.
The young master of the Sheng family was sitting cross - legged on the ground, concentrating on playing with the evidence bag. Cheng Xinglang knew how to amuse kids. He filled the bag with water and sealed it. The little guy squeezed the plump evidence bag. His facial features scrunched up as he was clearly worried about getting splashed by the water. He was having so much fun on his own, his eyes shining brightly.
"No wonder," Ah Ben walked in, lowered his voice, and teased, "Suddenly becoming so diligent. So you're staying at the police station to take care of someone else's kid."
Cheng Xinglang didn't even lift his head. The metal tweezers made a crisp sound as they landed in the tray.
It seemed like a casual placement, but everything was clearly sorted.
Ah Ben leaned aside.
Everyone in the forensic department knew that Cheng Xinglang never worked overtime. But in the past few months, he not only submitted the reports for the serious crime unit ahead of schedule but also went to the forensic science department to urge for the DNA comparison results. Otherwise, he would look up cases of vegetative patients' surgical recoveries and bind them into books, or take a three - year - old kid for a ride on his motorcycle...
"Otherwise, why are you so fond of the kid's uncle?" He raised his eyebrows.
Cheng Xinglang looked up and said, "Maybe I'm just naturally fond of taking care of kids?"
"Alright," Ah Ben said, "I'll tell Sister Elly. When their twins come over during the summer vacation, I'll send them all to your office."
Cheng Xinglang let out a soft laugh and didn't reply further.
Those concerns in the name of friendship, those involuntary closeness, actually, he himself understood best.
"The case from back then is already closed," Ah Ben patted him on the shoulder. His tone was rarely serious. "You can't keep trapping yourself in the forensic office just because of a case that may or may not be reopened, right?"
The adults' conversation was in a low voice, but the sound of the hand patting on the shoulder was quite loud.
Little Sheng Fang was holding the evidence bag like a balloon and bouncing over. He imitated Ah Ben and patted "bang, bang, bang". Unfortunately, Fangfang was too short. Even when he tiptoed, he couldn't reach the shoulder. His little hand reached his broad back, as if he was knocking on a door.
"Little rascal," Cheng Xinglang squatted down and pressed on his head, "You learn fast."
He looked up and met Ah Ben's meaningful gaze.
"I'll leave the rest to you," Cheng Xinglang said, then picked up the kid and left.
Ah Ben was left standing there alone, shouting, "Hey—"
Little Sheng Fang knew that their family's Qingzi was so busy that she forgot about time. He didn't urge her, and neither did Dr. Cheng. Anyway, the two of them got along well.
It wasn't until the clock hands pointed to half - past seven that Zhu Qing rushed to the forensic office.
At this time, the little guy was sitting cross - legged on the office swivel chair, holding a professional book he had just randomly picked from the bookshelf. Fangfang pretended to flip through it, and from time to time frowned and nodded as if he understood, but his ears were pricked up.
Little Uncle thought -
Their family's Qingzi was so good at dealing with people. She would say sorry for delaying Dr. Cheng's rest time.
"It's okay," Cheng Xinglang leaned against the desk, his eyes swept over the kid pretending to read, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. "Anyway, I'm idle, and having this little guy to keep me company is quite entertaining."
Fangfang unconsciously wiggled his little feet.
He knew it! He and Dr. Cheng were friends!
The little guy quietly observed Zhu Qing's expression.
Silly Qingzi. She just said "He's done for", but then, being busy out of her mind, she forgot to teach him a lesson again.
Zhu Qing reached out to hold the little boy's hand. "Then let's go first -"
"Shall we have dinner together?" Cheng Xinglang suddenly asked.
The incandescent lamp was glaring, but Dr. Cheng's eyes were gentle and sincere.
There seemed to be no reason to refuse.
In the end, the three of them sat in a small shop on the street corner called "Sister A's Seafood Hot Pot".
The ingredients were directly from the fish market, and the fresh - chilled fish would still jump when it was served on the table.
After the dishes were served, Zhu Qing picked up a nearly transparent slice of fish.
"Six seconds is enough," the clerk reminded beside them. "One more second and it'll get tough."
Sheng Fang seriously counted down. "Five, four, three..."
"Why aren't you eating?"
Fangfang said in a milky voice, "We've already eaten!"
Zhu Qing was stunned for a moment.
She was the only one here who forgot to eat.
The fish melted between her lips and teeth, fresh, fragrant, and warm.
As the meal was coming to an end, little Sheng Fang had a competition with Dr. Cheng to see who could cook the sliced meat and seafood just right.
In the end, all the well - cooked ingredients ended up in Zhu Qing's bowl.
Settling the bill was the business of the two adults. Watching their backs, little Sheng Fang picked up Zhu Qing's mobile phone and dialed a number.
He found Sheng Peirong's number from the recent call list.
While having hot pot at "Sister A's Seafood Hot Pot", he couldn't help but miss Big Sister.
"Big Sister, how are you today?"
On the other end, Sheng Peirong couldn't help laughing. Her daughter had just called, and now her little brother's voice rang out.
Fangfang's milky voice was soft and full of endless things to say.
Suddenly, Big Sister caught the key point and became even more interested.
"You said you had dinner with Dr. Cheng?"
"What did they talk about?"
"They're paying the bill," Sheng Fang tiptoed to look far ahead. "Zhu Qing said, 'Let me do it,' but Dr. Cheng was quick as lightning and he won."
Sheng Fang acted like a little movie star, imitating their dialogue vividly.
"And then?"
"Dr. Cheng asked Zhu Qing if she was free to go to the movies."
Over there, his eldest aunt dragged out a very long tail note and said, "Oh—"
"What did Zhu Qing say?"
"She said of course she wasn't free."
Sheng Peirong was speechless.
Zhu Qing was working on a case. Where would she have the time?
Sheng Fang raised his hand and shouted loudly, "I'm not busy. You can ask me out."
Sheng Peirong: …
…
The uncle - nephew pair returned home, each with their own thoughts.
Little Sheng Fang was thinking that since movies were so nice, he could go in place of his niece!
Zhu Qing's mind was completely immersed in the case.
Zhou Yongsheng didn't have an outstanding appearance. He was of medium build and exuded a gentle and refined air in his every move. But there was no doubt about his talent. In his early twenties, he shot his first film that amazed the film industry, and later, "Eclipse" became a classic.
Over the course of ten years, three women had successively entered Zhou Yongsheng's life.
Three relationships weren't too many, but they were entangled into a mess. The whiteboard that had been gathering dust at home and was neglected in the storage room was moved out by Zhu Qing and put to good use.
On the soft carpet, Zhu Qing sat cross - legged in front of the whiteboard, holding a marker pen. With a "click", she popped open the pen cap.
Little Sheng Fang also sat down, with his little hands neatly placed on his knees.
Zhu Qing wrote the first name on the whiteboard.
Jiang Xiaowei, Zhou Yongsheng's first wife, had a son with him. They got to know each other because she was being harassed by an actor in the crew, and the director stepped forward to help her out.
"An ordinary family background, burdened with the livelihood of the whole family, mediocre and dull..." Zhu Qing recalled Jiang Xiaowei's exact words.
At this time, little Sheng Fang wasn't idle either.
He drew a little person in a white dress beside the first piece of information. Because his niece had said that when they took Jiang Xiaowei's statement, she was wearing a white cotton - linen dress.
Sheng Fang was a little police officer recognized by all the colleagues in the police station and had his own tools for handling cases.
The paintbrush in his hand was colorful. After drawing the white - dressed figure, he lowered his head and carefully selected other colors.
Zhu Qing continued to list the second piece of information.
The mistress, Gu Niman, according to the crew members, was a delicate girl who always looked up to the director. She had so many things that needed his care that even for exposed and dangerous shots, she needed a stand - in.
Little Sheng Fang's little hand clutched the colored pen, forming a round little fist.
He had watched Gu Niman's plays. Inspired, he drew a TV set beside her information.
"Number three, Shu Yingying." Zhu Qing softly uttered the name.
Aunt Ping was sitting on the sofa, folding clothes. "She's had both losses and wins. So, did she end up losing or winning?"
Shu Yingying, the current wife of Zhou Yongsheng, was extremely mysterious. The islanders on Pingzhou Island said that she never went out during the day and only took walks with her husband at night. She was in poor health and even wore long - sleeved clothes in the middle of summer. Zhou Yongsheng treated her with the utmost tenderness and patience. Sometimes, when neighbors saw their cuddling backs, they couldn't help but envy their companionship.
From a suspected suicide pact to a possible murder, the case had been intertwined with a complicated web of emotional disputes from start to finish.
Zhu Qing frowned, lost in thought. What were the commonalities among these three women?
At that moment, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fang Fang draw two long - sleeved shirts next to the name "Shu Yingying".
Zhu Qing ruffled his hair.
This little boy who loved to get involved in everything could have just left it blank if he had nothing to draw.
Aunt Ping carried the folded clothes into the bedroom and looked at the niece and nephew on the carpet.
The little boy had somehow nestled into his aunt's arms, like a warm little stove. Zhu Qing rested her chin on his fluffy head, her mind still occupied by the case.
Fang Fang happily swung his little feet and held the yellow marker pen high.
He drew a little sun on the whiteboard, and the sunlight seemed to shower everyone with warmth.
Zhu Qing stared at it and suddenly had an idea.
The stories between Zhou Yongsheng and these three women might not be just simple entanglements.
At the beginning of each story, they all stood in the shadows.
And Zhou Yongsheng was always the one who reached out to pull them out of the gloom.
...
In the CID office early in the morning, Zhu Qing closed the case file and pushed the exclusive interview reports of Zhou Yongsheng to her colleagues.
Starting from the very beginning, these materials summarized the famous director's first love story.
The colleagues passed the documents around and the room was filled with discussions.
"I didn't know that the protagonist of Zhou Yongsheng's first movie... was actually based on his first love!"
"I remember that movie. I rented it from the video store before. It was really well - made, not like the work of a novice director."
"I recall that she was a girl from the acting academy. He paid her tuition, accompanied her to auditions, and taught her how to understand the lines. On the surface, it seemed like a relationship where they both improved together." Zeng Yongshan flipped a page and frowned slightly.
"The media packaged this story as a romantic one back then, but now it seems that it was limited by the era."
At the bottom of this column, there was a record of the interview with that girl at that time.
"She said... he wanted to control everything, and later she had no choice but to flee."
"The media's reports imply that this girl doesn't know what's good for her. They also say that if she had cherished the opportunity back then, she wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state."
"All that happened was that her life has become ordinary, and she didn't become a once - famous actress," Uncle Li snorted with a laugh. "Is this what they call being in a sorry state?"
After the morning analysis meeting, Zhu Qing and Xu Jiale drove to Jiang Xiaowei's residence again.
On the way, they kept flipping through the interview reports from that year and marking the key information.
Jiang Xiaowei and Zhou Yongsheng knew each other, fell in love, and were together for several years until his so - called "suicide for love".
No one knew more about Zhou Yongsheng's growth experience than she did.
"When he was a child, his family was in a terrible state. His father was an alcoholic, and his mother was always in tears. When Yongsheng was very young, he would stand in front of his mother. He always said he was a 'little man' back then."
Jiang Xiaowei often got lost in the memories of the past.
For her, this relationship was completely split into two parts. One part was the gentleman who used to shield her from the wind and rain, and the other part was the famous director who finally chose to "commit suicide for love" with someone else. It was as if they were two completely different people.
She remembered that she had explained to her relatives and friends countless times that "we are fine", but all she got in return were pitying smiles. They never contradicted her but just responded in a perfunctory tone, as if she was stubbornly defending her last bit of dignity.
After ten years, the hatred gradually faded away. Now, all that remained was an inescapable sense of confusion. Jiang Xiaowei still couldn't understand what had gone wrong with this marriage and why it had come to this.
Which one was the real him?
"Later, he was the same with me. He would always stand in front of me without hesitation. Sometimes I felt that his protection made me feel safe, but... I watched him running around for his family's affairs and always thought he was too tired."
"But Yongsheng never thought so. He was willing to solve all the troubles in his family and took it all in stride."
"But people grow up. I've matured, and I'm a mother now. How could I always be a little girl hiding behind him?"
Jiang Xiaowei ended up with a melancholy smile, with faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
Even after seeing the police out, she was still in a low mood, with her head down, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Xu Jiale, who had been holding back his words all the way, shook his head after they had walked some distance. "This Zhou Yongsheng is really a scumbag. If he wanted to be with someone else, couldn't he have gotten a divorce first?"
Back at the police station, Xu Jiale got out of the car and quickly walked towards the canteen.
Taking two steps at a time, he turned back and urged, "The timing is perfect. Let's have lunch!"
It was lunchtime, and the police station canteen was bustling with people.
Ben noticed something astonishing -
Dr. Cheng Xinglang was sitting beside Zhu Qing with a tray in hand. At this moment, the table of the Major Crimes Unit was the noisiest.
"Shu Yingying, who bought a ticket at the same time as Zhou Yongsheng, seemingly has no connection with him on the surface."
"Moreover, Shu Yingying's profile shows that she is married."
Zhu Qing was munching on a sandwich. Although she still opted for a convenient lunch, influenced by her little uncle, she was quite particular when ordering. She specifically asked Sister Xiao to add an extra serving of well - fried luncheon meat.
She opened her notebook and pushed it in front of Cheng Xinglang. "Take a look at this..."
There was indeed a cooperating psychologist at the police station, but Zhu Qing thought of Dr. Cheng first. Did all doctors' professional skills have something in common?
Maybe he could spot the similarities in the ways these three women interacted with Zhou Yongsheng?
Cheng Xinglang leaned forward slightly and listened to her attentively.
"Maybe it's just a lack of security," Liang Qikai interjected. "When a person has been used to being at the forefront since childhood and puts being needed first, once they are no longer needed, they will start to feel uneasy."
Zeng Yongshan looked up at him.
"How is this kind of psychology defined professionally?" Zhu Qing asked with a sandwich in her mouth.
Cheng Xinglang pondered for a moment and said, "Rescuer personality? Pathological manifestation of control desire caused by dependent salvation."
"Wow," Ben exclaimed exaggeratedly. "You even know this!"
"Yeah," Zhu Qing replied casually and continued flipping through her notes.
Cheng Xinglang: …
Ben gave him a look -
Don't worry. We're all brothers. We'll help.
...
As days passed by, although they seemed to be repeating, each day held subtle differences.
For example, on a Sunday, Sheng Fang carried a fruit basket to visit his elder sister.
He told Sheng Peirong that when handling the case of the fake dancer before, his niece was so busy that she didn't even have time to eat. That's how he and Aunt Ping brought fruits to visit -
to see his elder sister on his own behalf and to visit her mother on behalf of his niece.
Sheng Peirong had just finished her rehabilitation and was eating the fruits brought by her younger brother to regain strength.
"A fake dancer?" she said in surprise. "Is there such a strange case?"
Sheng Fang waved his hand. "Details of the case are confidential."
Sheng Fang looked serious with a straight face.
A policeman is a policeman. Even when facing relatives, they have to be impartial and show no mercy.
Aunt Ping leaned over and whispered in Miss Sheng Peirong's ear, "Actually, young master Sheng Fang himself doesn't know either."
Both Miss Sheng and Aunt Ping burst into laughter. Sheng Fang puffed out his cheeks, showing his dissatisfaction.
Zhu Qing was not around. Poor thing, he was always being bullied!
In the rehabilitation ward of the sanitarium, while others came here for treatment, Sheng Peirong seemed to be here for work.
Her rehabilitation courses were scheduled from dawn till dusk, and there were also thick company reports spread out on the bedside table.
Sheng Fang knew that his elder sister was working hard to return to Sheng Corporation as soon as possible, while Zhu Qing was busy trying to catch the criminals.
As for himself, he planned to have a good rest on this rare Sunday. He slumped on the soft sofa, munching on an apple with a contented look on his face.
Although he claimed to be here to accompany his elder sister, it seemed more like she was the one accompanying him.
Sheng Peirong's body hadn't fully recovered yet. By around two o'clock in the afternoon, she was so exhausted that she couldn't help yawning.
Sheng Fang jumped off the sofa and asked, "Elder sister, are you seeing the guests off?"
Sheng Peirong finally understood why Zhu Qing didn't let him watch TV.
Where on earth did he learn all these lines from?
When leaving the sanitarium, Sheng Fang
Spring Day
muttered contentedly that if every rest day could be like this weekend, he would never complain about being bored again. In such a good mood that he was practically skipping, he didn't even protest when he was stuffed into the minibus. He pressed his little face against the window glass, watching the scenery outside flash by.
Sheng Fang recognized some of the roads they usually took.
When the minibus turned into Mong Kok, he raised his little hand and shouted to the driver, "Excuse me, I'd like to get off!"
Aunt Ping quickly said, "We haven't reached the stop yet."
But the driver had already stepped on the brakes.
Sheng Fang walked to the door of the bus and hopped off with a "thud".
He weaved through the crowds in Mong Kok and finally slipped into a market.
After Aunt Ping saw the sign of the market, she looked up just in time to see Sheng Fang taking out his black card from his pocket and standing on tiptoe in front of the counter.
"Master Sheng!" She rushed forward in one stride. "Zhu Qing said you're not allowed to buy mobile phones!"
She remembered last time when Sheng Fang accompanied Zhu Qing to buy a mobile phone. The little master had a very far - fetched excuse, saying that he wanted to invite his classmates for tea. How absurd! Other kids didn't even have pagers!
Aunt Ping fulfilled her supervision duty again and took Sheng Fang's hand. "Master Sheng, be good. Let's go home first."
But Sheng Fang blinked his big eyes and said generously, "It's for you."
Aunt Ping was instantly at a loss. She waved her hands and shook her head repeatedly. "No, I can't accept this."
The young master was always full of sudden ideas. A mobile phone was too expensive, and she couldn't take it.
Aunt Ping was dragged by Sheng Fang to look at the models of mobile phones, but she stood there as steady as a mountain, her feet not moving an inch.
Little Sheng Fang was like a participant in a tug - of - war. Carelessly, he lost his strength, and Aunt Ping turned around and ran.
After taking care of the kids for a few months, Aunt Ping had become stronger. She ran out of the market and still turned back to see if the young master had lost her.
She ran a few steps and then stopped a few steps, just like in a game of "Eagle Catches Chickens", and finally stopped at the street corner across the road.
Aunt Ping bent down, supporting her knees and gasping for breath.
Sheng Fang's face was flushed. It was hard to tell whether he was angry or just out of breath from running.
Sheng Fang sighed.
It seemed that even when the young boss gave an order, it was useless. He still had to call in reinforcements.
"I don't want to talk to you, Aunt Ping!" The young master put his hands on his hips. "I'm going to buy something else!"
...
Zhu Qing and the colleagues from the Serious Crime Group B kept moving around everywhere, but they still couldn't find any trace of Shu Yingying.
They hadn't even found the person, let alone figure out her connection with Zhou Yongsheng.
The traces of life in that white cottage on Peng Chau were clearly visible. There were two pairs of indoor slippers by the door, long dresses in the wardrobe, and paired chopsticks and bowls in the kitchen... Obviously, there had been a mistress living in the house. But now, the mistress was missing. This "current wife" who had had an emotional entanglement with Zhou Yongsheng could piece together the complete ten - year life of Zhou Yongsheng, and she was the key to solving the case.
"In these ten years, Zhou Yongsheng wrote under different pen - names. After all, he was once a talented director. Even in anonymity, he lived a good life."
"This 'new wife' must have known his real identity. Otherwise, why would she be willing to accompany him to live a secluded life on an outlying island?"
There were very few clues at present.
Shu Yingying was married and childless. If she was really with Zhou Yongsheng, how did she manage to juggle between two men?
Mo Zhenbang divided the police officers into two groups. One group focused on tracing the whereabouts of Shu Yingying, and the other group, led by Uncle Li, investigated her legal husband.
"Could it be... that Shu Yingying's husband killed Zhou Yongsheng? It's a love triangle. It's not surprising to kill for love."
"However, if this Miss Shu is really Zhou Yongsheng's lover, she is really brave. Zhou Yongsheng had a wife and children, and she herself had a husband and was also involved in a murder case... She still dared to be with him."
"Maybe for them, love means going against the whole world. The more unacceptable the relationship is, the more they feel like they are fighting against the world. Isn't Zhou Yongsheng's 'Lunar Eclipse' also about such a forbidden love?"
The police were making every effort to investigate the lead related to Shu Yingying, but they found that there were pitifully few traces associated with her.
Shu Yingying had no employment records and no registered relatives. At the same travel agency, her plane ticket was issued almost at the same time as Zhou Yongsheng's, but it wasn't bought by him. Instead, they purchased their tickets separately.
Was it out of caution or a tacit attempt to cover up?
"According to the travel agency records, Shu Yingying bought her ticket with cash," Hao Zai reported. "We traced the contact number she left and found it was a public phone booth on the street. This Shu Yingying deliberately made it hard for people to reach her."
She was clearly a real person, yet she seemed to have deliberately erased her own traces.
"If it really doesn't work, we'll just go to Kai Tak Airport next Wednesday to intercept her," Hao Zai said. "Anyway, it's only a few days away. We'll just block the security checkpoint at Kai Tak Airport. She won't be able to escape even if she has wings."
"Wait until next Wednesday?" Mo Zhenbang glared at him impatiently. "Do you think Inspector Weng will agree to us just waiting around like this?"
The police officers who had been on the go all day returned empty - handed.
On the way back to the police station, the atmosphere in the car was dull, and someone couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
At critical moments, Inspector Mo was always the backbone who stabilized the team.
He was sitting in the passenger seat and turned around to comfort them, "Solving a case isn't that easy. Take it slow..."
Before he could finish speaking, his mobile phone suddenly rang.
Liang Qikai's voice came from the receiver.
"Inspector Mo! Records from a private hospital in the New Territories show that they once admitted a patient named 'Shu Yingying'."
"Which hospital?" Mo Zhenbang immediately sat up straight.
"It's - "
Before the voice on the other end of the phone could finish, without waiting for orders from above, the car suddenly changed direction with a sharp turn.
Mo Zhenbang quickly grabbed the handrail inside the car to avoid being thrown to one side by the inertia.
Zeng Yongshan and Hao Zai in the back row had already grabbed the handles and remained calm.
It wasn't their first time working together at a crime scene. The moment they heard the mobile phone ring, they were already prepared.
"You - " Mo Zhenbang steadied himself.
"Inspector Mo, are we going to the New Territories hospital?" Zhu Qing stepped on the accelerator and asked.
Mo Zhenbang: …
If she didn't become a police officer, she could switch to racing.
She'd be a champion.
...
This new lead turned the investigation around and made it go smoothly.
Shu Yingying's name was very unique, especially her surname, which was quite memorable.
"I remember her," the nurse at the private hospital in the New Territories recalled. "When I was registering her, I even complimented her on having such a nice name. But when I looked up and saw her injuries, I couldn't smile anymore."
"Was it two years ago?" Mo Zhenbang opened the medical record and asked. "Was she badly injured at that time?"
"It was the middle of summer, but she came to see a doctor wearing long sleeves and long pants. Her collar was buttoned up tightly, as if she was afraid of being seen by someone she knew."
"So we guessed that she must have deliberately avoided the nearby hospitals and taken a long bus ride to get here."
Listening to the nurse's words, Zhu Qing and Zeng Yongshan exchanged a look.
This description matched the woman in the Pingzhou residents' accounts who always wore long sleeves.
"How badly injured? Not just badly! She had a cracked rib, soft tissue contusions on her wrist, bruises on her face, and even a chunk of her scalp was missing. It made one wince just looking at her."
"After the doctor treated all the wounds that could be bandaged, he specifically told her that he could help contact a social worker. But she just shook her head and said she didn't need it."
"A lot of domestic violence victims are like this," the nurse added in a low voice. "They're clearly injured, but they still don't dare to fight back. They don't even know how to protect themselves. They just endure it. When will it ever end?"
Mo Zhenbang asked, "Domestic violence?"
"Her injuries were completely consistent with the characteristics of domestic violence, but she insisted that she had fallen down the stairs. However, the bruise on her forehead was clearly caused by someone grabbing her hair and hitting her head against the wall."
"That is to say, from a medical perspective, these injuries could never have been caused by a fall..."
The police officers fell silent, and the only sound in the air was the flipping of the medical record pages.
Zhu Qing noticed the blank contact information section in the medical record.
"Is there any way to contact her?"
The nurse shook her head helplessly. "She didn't fill in her address or leave a contact number. She probably didn't want us to find her. In a situation like this, even if we want to help her, we don't even know where to start."
At this time, the half - closed ward door was gently pushed open.
Another nurse walked out with a record book in her hand.
"Are you asking about Miss Shu from two years ago?" she said. "I remember that Miss Xiang from the women's shelter came to distribute brochures and stopped to have a chat with her. It seems... she even left her a business card."
Twenty minutes later, the police officers arrived at the women's shelter mentioned by the private hospital nurse.
In the office, after Miss Xiang, the volunteer, understood the police's intention, she got up and took out a file from the cabinet.
"I gave the business card to Miss Shu. Actually, I didn't have high hopes at that time because she even avoided making eye contact. Even with such obvious injuries on her face, she still insisted that she had fallen."
"She first came to our place a year and a half ago," Miss Xiang opened the record book. "It was raining heavily that day. She was soaking wet all over and trembling all over. She still said it was a fall injury, but I found that her back was full of bruises."
"Miss Shu told us that at first, her husband wasn't like this," she said softly. "The first time he laid hands on her, he knelt on the ground and begged for her forgiveness, saying he was just drunk and swore he wouldn't do it again. At that time, he would still buy her flowers and chocolates to make her happy, and he would rush to do the housework at home, acting like a model husband."
"And then?"
"Then, he said he had a lot of work pressure, and beating and scolding became a common occurrence. He wouldn't even apologize after hitting her."
"In the past year, he went to the Chinese mainland to take on projects and only came back once every few months. Every time he came back, Miss Shu would have new injuries on her body."
"Hasn't she ever called the police?"
"She tried to call the police," Miss Xiang smiled bitterly. "Every time the police came, he would apologize humbly, saying that some of the injuries were from her own falls and some were due to his momentary impulse. Moreover, her parents were always being held hostage..."
"Not until the beginning of this year, when the two old people passed away one after another, did Miss Shu..."
"It's been many years. Like many women in need of rescue here, it takes a long way to go from fear to understanding, back to fear again, then to acceptance and forgiveness... and finally to face the truth. But there are always people who can make it out. That's the meaning of our perseverance."
"She finally made up her mind with great difficulty to leave her husband," Miss Xiang hesitated for a moment. "Please... don't alert anyone."
Zeng Yongshan immediately turned around and said to Mo Zhenbang, "Boss, quickly tell Uncle Li not to contact her husband!"
The solemn atmosphere was broken by Inspector Mo's laughter.
"Do you still see me as your boss? You've all learned to give orders."
Even so, Mo Zhenbang still took out his mobile phone and immediately informed Uncle Li.
Hao Zai's pen tip slid across the note - taking paper, jotting down dense words.
"Has her husband often traveled between the two places in the past ten years? Didn't the couple often live together?"
Miss Xiang flipped through the files to confirm and said, "That's right. He's only been living there permanently in the past six months. Miss Shu said she suspected he had a family on each side, but even so, he still wouldn't let her go free. She's mentioned divorce many times, and her husband even threatened her with a knife..."
Zeng Yongshan was calculating the timeline in her mind.
If Shu Yingying was really the woman from Peng Chau, this period of being apart was indeed long enough to develop an underground affair.
"Zhou Yongsheng? Qin Wen?" Miss Xiang frowned and thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head, her voice filled with certainty. "Miss Shu has never mentioned these two names."
"Based on my understanding of her, this is unlikely. You didn't see... I've seen it too many times, the way Miss Shu came to the shelter covered in wounds."
A person who has been so deeply hurt, how could she dare to place her hopes on another man again?
After a brief silence, Miss Xiang suddenly seemed to remember something.
"Right. I know she's been secretly learning Spanish. Miss Shu has a cousin who immigrated a long time ago, and she's always wanted to leave, but she just can't bear to leave her parents behind."
Zhu Qing listened quietly, her brows furrowed.
Something was off, completely off.
The Shu Yingying described by this volunteer was a woman who was trying every means to break free from the shackles by herself. Even though the situation was shrouded in mystery, she struggled and tried to find her own way out. But Zhou Yongsheng - he had always been in the image of a savior.
When buying the plane ticket, Shu Yingying deliberately didn't leave her contact information. Perhaps it was just to avoid being tracked by her husband.
It wasn't to hide any identity secrets.
"Can we contact her now?"
Miss Xiang hesitated for a moment and finally nodded. "It should be possible."
When they left, Hao Zai and Zeng Yongshan headed straight for Shu Yingying's current residence.
Zhu Qing and Mo Zhenbang drove back to the police station.
"Could it be just a coincidence that the tickets were issued at the same time?"
Mo Zhenbang was silent for a moment. "Buying tickets at different counters of the same travel agency one after another... such a coincidence is indeed possible."
But if that was the case, where had the mysterious "new wife" gone?
The street scenery outside the window flashed by quickly.
Mo Zhenbang slowly said, "If Zhou Yongsheng and the 'new wife' really had a deep relationship -"
"Would she still leave Hong Kong as originally planned?" Zhu Qing continued his sentence.
Mo Zhenbang raised his eyebrows.
This young police officer who had graduated from the police academy just a few months ago had gained experience in a short period of time, become more composed, and was able to accurately grasp the rhythm of solving the case.
The news of Zhou Yongsheng's murder was all over the place, making a big stir.
If they were really as affectionate as the neighbors said, how could this current wife leave Hong Kong as originally planned?
She would stay.
"We shouldn't check the passengers on the same flight," Zhu Qing said. "We should check the refund records."
"The ones who refunded the tickets are the real travel companions!"
Group B immediately launched a new round of action.
When Zhu Qing and Mo Zhenbang rushed back to the police station in a hurry, there was new progress in the case investigation.
"This flight did have a woman refund her ticket, and it was after Zhou Yongsheng's death."
"The surveillance footage caught it."
The police officers immediately surrounded the computer.
In the blurry airline surveillance footage, a short-haired woman walked past quickly with her head down.
The camera only captured her figure for three seconds.
Although the picture was extremely unclear, it could be seen that she was wearing big sunglasses that almost covered half of her face.
...
"Huang Jiewen, thirty - one years old." Hao Zai read out the ID information on the ticket refund record.
Mo Zhenbang made a prompt decision: "Check her detailed information and retrieve her ID photo."
"Go to the airline." He grabbed the car keys again. "The staff who handled the ticket refund at that time should have an impression of her."
Little Sun let out a long sigh. He hadn't even sat down properly yet, and it was another round of non - stop work.
However, despite the complaints, the truth was right in front of them, so the few of them rushed out of the office.
When Zhu Qing was walking downstairs quickly, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure not far from the public parking space.
"Aunt Ping?" She stopped in surprise.
Aunt Ping put a finger to her lips, signaling "shh", and winked in another direction.
Looking in the direction of her gaze, Zhu Qing saw a chubby little figure.
Apparently, Sheng Fang, the little kid, had come specifically for this "chance encounter".
And with Aunt Ping's cooperation, the grand entrance was successfully staged.
At this moment, Sheng Fang was wearing children's sunglasses and pedaling a brand - new baby tricycle. The bell hanging on the handlebars rang non - stop.
"Dinglingling... Dinglingling..."
In the afterglow of the setting sun, Fangfang pretended to ride past Zhu Qing super casually, pedaling his little short legs extremely hard.
When he stopped, he proudly looked at his niece.
The unromantic niece showed a look of confusion.
There was no need to worry about falling with a tricycle. What was he being so proud about?
Sheng Fang pushed the sunglasses on his nose with one finger -
His two little feet still firmly on the pedals.
He said calmly with a straight face: "I can ride a bike now."
After saying that, Baby Sheng Fang turned his cute little face.
Waiting for Qingzi to praise him!
