Chapter 14 This Woman Really Doesn’t Let Anything Go!

Leaving the Shen family, Zhuang Zi thanked the two elderly people and  then told Zheng Ruzhi that in a couple of days, she would have Si Hang bring back the calligraphy by Mr. Zou from her collection and give it to her.

Although Zheng Ruzhi repeatedly refused, Zhuang Zi had made up her mind.

The kindness shown to her last night was like giving her charcoal in the snow. Perhaps she had encountered too little warmth in her life, so even a bit of kindness from others made her feel grateful to the core.

…

On the way to the police station, the car remained silent.

Only Xiaomi occasionally glanced at him and then at her.

Although she didn’t understand what had happened, she noticed that this uncle and aunt were very strange and didn’t like to talk much.

If Uncle Xiao Meng were here, it would definitely be lively, she thought.

They remained silent until they reached the police station parking lot. After getting out of the car, they walked into the large office of the criminal investigation department without exchanging a word.

Xiao Meng entered the office half a minute after them. He had seen the three of them entering the hall together while locking his electric bike in the parking lot.

By the time he entered the office, Xie Kui had already taken Zhuang Zi to the reception room for a statement.

Xiaomi was sitting on the sofa eating cherries, which Zheng Ruzhi had given her when they left the villa in the morning. Seeing Xiao Meng come in, she generously offered him some cherries to share.

Xiao Meng sat down next to her, tossed a cherry into his mouth, and smiled, asking, “Did you sleep well at the captain’s house last night? Is his house big?”

He had visited Si Hang’s apartment a few times with colleagues before, and it was very spacious, bright, modern, and stylish.

However, Xiao Meng didn’t know that Si Hang had gone to his parents’ place yesterday. Unaware of this, Xiaomi nodded heavily and said, “It’s big and beautiful.”

Xiao Meng grinned, glanced at Si Hang’s office, and his gossip cells started to stir. He lowered his head slightly and whispered, “Uncle has a question. Did the captain bring that pretty auntie home last night?”

In everyone’s eyes, Si Hang was almost indifferent to women. After they split up for their respective tasks last night, everyone was somewhat curious about how Si Hang would arrange for Zhuang Zi. However, they were too busy with work to gossip.

Seeing Xiaomi nod again, Xiao Meng’s eyes lit up. “He really took her home?”

Xiaomi said, “Auntie was injured and had nowhere to stay.”

A mysterious smirk gradually formed on Xiao Meng’s lips. He wanted to ask more but saw Si Hang coming out of the office with a stack of documents, catching him in his gossiping stance.

Xiao Meng immediately wiped the smile off his face, stood up, and greeted awkwardly, “Boss.”

…

Monday morning, the criminal investigation department held their routine morning meeting.

Xie Kui came from the reception room after taking the statement, not even having time for a sip of water before heading to the meeting room.

Last night, Officer Xiao Liang, who was responsible for examining Zhuang Zi’s phone, was reporting: “The perpetrator remotely attacked the target system three days ago at 10 a.m. from the E-Times internet café.

To track the perpetrator, I didn’t stop the hacking and monitored their actions. But this morning, they destroyed all electronic crime evidence. This person is very cunning, choosing the train station as the location. I have extracted and secured the easily lost electronic evidence. Next, we can only go to the E-Times internet café to retrieve surveillance footage and see if there are any traditional trace evidence left by the perpetrator.”

Someone added, “The internet café has high foot traffic, and with so many days passed, extracting physical evidence will be difficult. We can only check the surveillance footage and ask the admin for user information.”

Xiao Meng chimed in, “It seems the person who attacked Zhuang Zi last night deliberately hired a hacker to disrupt her phone, so even if she sensed danger, she couldn’t contact the police in time.”

Si Hang tapped his temple with his pen, turned to ask, “Xie Kui, what about your side?”

Xie Kui said, “I’ve already shown the surveillance video to Zhuang Zi. She doesn’t recognize the person at all and doesn’t think it’s anyone she knows. The person deliberately concealed themselves, wearing a scarf and keeping their head down to hide their face behind Zhuang Zi. The surveillance didn’t capture their appearance at all.

However, to know her movements so well, they must have tracked her for a long time beforehand. As for whether this is the same person who previously staged her apparent suicide, it’s too early to draw conclusions.

Regarding the suspect Jiang Zhihao, who we investigated a few days ago, Xiao Meng retrieved data on his vehicle’s route. After work that day, he went to the hospital with an employee who wasn’t feeling well and didn’t leave until he got the results. He has a solid alibi. But whether he’s the mastermind who hired someone to scale the walls and commit the crime in the Nanxin Community is still uncertain. We’ll have to monitor him when he returns to the country in a few days.”

Everyone listened attentively. Si Hang nodded and said, “I agree with your points, but I need to add a few more:

First: There might be two perpetrators targeting the victim. One has a deep grudge against the victim, while the other’s situation is more complicated.

Second: One of the criminals is male, about 170 to 175 cm tall, with a low level of education, currently living in this city without a job. We need to find this person quickly.

Third: Jiang Zhihao is not the perpetrator.”

After he stated these points, Technical Officer Xiao Liang nodded in agreement. “Yes. If the person who attacked last night is the same as the one who hacked the victim’s phone, logically, they should have immediately instructed the hacker to stop and erase the system information after the incident. However, the traces were only cleared this morning, which doesn’t make sense.”

Si Hang nodded and continued in his calm, deep voice, “Based on the perpetrator’s behavior, during the previous gas incident, they had a long period of lurking. Strange things have been happening at the victim’s house for months. If the perpetrator only wanted the victim dead, why deliberately draw her attention? Is their intention to harm or intimidate? We can’t conclude yet. However, the previous method was much more meticulous, leaving no suspicious traces and almost evading police investigation. How could the same person suddenly become so reckless to abduct someone in broad daylight?

Similarly, while Jiang Zhihao might have inappropriate thoughts towards the victim, he doesn’t have the capability to stage a seemingly normal suicide. If he were meticulous, he would have realized the police’s suspicion after talking to Zhuang Zi and wouldn’t have deleted the call records and sent her screenshots to prove his innocence. So, he indeed didn’t receive a call from Zhuang Zi, and he is not the perpetrator.”

Another officer asked, “How can we be sure last night’s perpetrator is a jobless local?”

Si Hang replied, “The police have been protecting the victim closely. If the perpetrator had restricted working hours, they couldn’t have accurately seized the opportunity when the victim was alone. This indicates constant surveillance rather than intermittent tracking.”

Xiao Meng added, “The perpetrator’s Mandarin is not standard, indicating their education is below high school level. With such education, they would typically have labor-intensive jobs, leaving them too exhausted to follow the victim late at night.”

“And one more point,” Si Hang said seriously, looking at everyone with sharp eyes. “The victim’s family background is very complex. Someone who wants her dead must have a deep grudge against her or her family. Based on the perpetrator’s social status, it’s possible they are one of the victims of the stone factory accident in Luocheng years ago. The other motive is unclear but definitely involves a deep relationship with the victim.”

Xie Kui added, “Zhuang Zi mentioned she has no conflicts with her ex. Besides, her ex has been married for at least two years, and they haven’t been in contact.”

“Besides romantic partners, close relatives are also possibilities,” Si Hang said. “Moreover, the victim is currently homeless, with no relatives coming forward to help, which is unusual. We need to investigate all relatives connected to the Zhuang family closely.”

After hearing these analyses, everyone suddenly felt enlightened.

The key investigation directions were now clear:

1. Search the city for the perpetrator who abducted Zhuang Zi last night.

2. Continue tracking the hacker lead.

3. Investigate relatives closely connected to Zhuang Zi.

4. Review all victims related to Zhuang Hong’s accident case.

After assigning tasks, Si Hang announced the end of the meeting.

Everyone returned to the office and fully immersed themselves in their work.

Xiao Meng was about to go on a business trip to another province. After receiving the information about the victims he needed to visit, he slipped into Si Hang’s office, grinning as he sat in front of his desk. “Boss, I’ll be gone for several days to investigate the stone factory victims. There’ll be no one to take care of Xiaomi. Can you continue to look after her?”

Si Hang glanced at him, a slight smile on his lips, but his voice was cool, making Xiao Meng feel dejected. “Do you think I have nothing to do?”

“It’s not that, Boss. The problem is, she won’t go with Xie Kui,” Xiao Meng said, shrugging innocently. “She only wants to stay with you because you’re too good to her.”

“Get out.”

…

Xiao Meng knew that although Si Hang didn’t agree verbally, he wouldn’t just leave Xiaomi unattended.

After leaving the office, Xiao Meng explained a few things to Xiaomi, then left early to pack for his trip.

In the evening, Si Hang was working late as usual, while Xiaomi sat on the office sofa reading comics.

When he finished his case files and looked at the time on his computer, it was already nine o’clock. Xiaomi, lying on the sofa and half asleep with her mouth open, woke up instantly at the sound of him turning off the desk lamp.

She rubbed her eyes and saw Si Hang putting on his coat. She quickly slid off the sofa. “Uncle, are we going home?”

Si Hang picked up his phone and car keys and headed out, tilting his head towards the door. “Let’s go.”

Xiaomi smiled and immediately followed him, bouncing along behind him all the way to the parking lot.

…

The night was tranquil, with moonlight as gentle as water.

The dark blue sky was sparsely dotted with a few bright stars.

Si Hang walked out of the office building with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his car keys.

“Uncle,” Xiaomi approached him, pointing in a direction, and asked softly, “Will Auntie come home with us today?”

He raised his eyebrows and followed her gaze.

Ahead, Zhuang Zi was leaning against the hood of a white BMW, her hands in her coat pockets, looking up at the sky, seemingly waiting for someone.

The moonlight made her skin look even softer and fairer than during the day, her delicate profile outlined faintly in the moonlit night.

Xiaomi called out, “Auntie.”

Zhuang Zi paused and turned to look at them.

The two of them exchanged a cold glance without speaking a word.

The next moment, Zhuang Zi walked towards them.

Si Hang stopped and watched her quietly as she approached, stepping through the cool moonlight.

Her expression was indifferent as she handed him a long red velvet bag and said, “Please give this to Auntie.”

She had brought it along earlier in the evening when Xiao Zhang accompanied her to Nanxin Community to get her clothes.

Si Hang pulled out his hand from his pocket to take the bag.

After handing over the item, Zhuang Zi turned and walked away.

Si Hang watched her back, and just as he was about to look away, she suddenly stopped and turned around.

Standing a few meters away, her gaze was distant. After a brief pause, she faintly curved her lips, and her calm voice carried a hint of cold retaliation: “I have no interest in you either!”

“……”

……

One headed south, the other north, each turning and walking in opposite directions.

Si Hang drove out of the parking lot, brushing past her car.

As he drove further away, almost involuntarily, he glanced at the rearview mirror.

The woman hadn’t gotten into her car; she was still leaning against the door talking on the phone.

The figure in the rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller. He looked away, and after a moment, his lips curved in a smile that was half amused.

In the morning, wasn’t he just casually saying something to appease his mother?

This woman, she really pays attention to every detail!