Chapter 115

Chen Pu forced herself not to delve into why she, a growing female detective with a big appetite, had no appetite tonight.

He just softened his tone and coaxed, "Eat a little, okay? You didn't eat well at noon, and you're hungry now. The job of a police officer is stressful and you can't just ignore it once or twice, or you'll have stomach problems later."

"Okay." Li Qingyao picked up the lunch box and water on the ground, turned his head and looked around, found a piece of open space that had been explored and no longer needed protection, and sat down on the ground.

While everyone was resting, Chen Pu sat down beside her, wanting to talk to her, but he didn't know what to say. Because he knew that her mind and eyes were full of Luo Huaizheng's affairs, and it would be meaningless to say anything.

"Do you think... we can find it?" Li Qingyao spoke first.

"can."

His answer was too straightforward, so Li Qingyao asked, "Why?"

"Detective's intuition."

Li Qingyao lowered his head and smiled softly. While picking up the lean chicken cubes to eat, he said, "It's up to you, Captain. I hope your intuition is still good this time."

"It's a must," he said.

After a while, Chen Pu said again: "Don't push yourself too hard, just let it go."

Li Qingyao glanced sideways, looking at his silhouette in the night. He was wearing a loose black T-shirt and trousers of the same color. His shoulders were very broad, but his waist was empty. His two long legs were supported, his arms were on his knees, his head was slightly tilted, his eyes were looking forward, and his profile looked even more cold and persistent.

She said, "I know. Look, I've eaten so much. I didn't make your trip in vain." She showed him the half-empty lunch box. Chen Pu was very satisfied and said, "Eat some more."

She grumbled, finished her diced lean chicken, and started picking at the green peppers.

Chen Pu felt that although she was a little abnormal tonight for Luo Huaizheng, he was used to it and it was nothing. On the contrary, at this moment, she was less sharp and aggressive, not fierce at all, but well-behaved and easy to talk to. This made Chen Pu feel strange, as if something in his heart had become soft, but he also felt a little lost and couldn't grasp anything.

Li Qingyao suddenly put down her lunch box and pressed her chest. Although she tried to suppress it, she still made a retching sound. Then she covered her mouth tightly and looked around. Chen Pu reacted immediately, pulled the plastic bag containing the lunch box, took out the water bottle, and handed the bag to her.

Li Qingyao took it immediately, turned his back to him, and vomited out everything he had just eaten.

Chen Pu watched motionlessly.

Li Qingyao finished vomiting and said in a hoarse voice: "Sorry, I might have eaten too fast."

Chen Pu suppressed the pounding in his heart and handed her the water. She took it and rinsed her mouth, spitting it into the bag. She rinsed several times before she recovered. She turned to look at him, her face a little pale, and said with a smile: "I'd better not eat it. Let's talk about it after I'm done."

Chen Pu kept staring into her eyes, but she looked calm, as if she didn't notice. Chen Pu felt that deep in his heart, as if a thin layer of ice finally broke open, and waves of cold air began to rise, silently spreading through his internal organs, his chest, his throat and his eyes.

He took a deep breath and said, "Stop eating. Drink some water. It's my fault. I shouldn't have forced you to eat."

Li Qingyao shook his head: "How can I blame you? Maybe I feel a little uncomfortable today and have a cold."

Chen Pu reached out to take the bag of vomit, but Li Qingyao refused and stood up and said, "I'll throw it away myself."

Chen Pu insisted: "What does it matter? I've squatted in trash cans before. You sit down and take a rest. I'll do it."

Li Qingyao refused to eat and picked up his unfinished lunch box and walked towards the trash can outside the woods.

Chen Pu looked at her back, rubbed his forehead which was beginning to swell and ache from staying up late, forced himself to calm down, and quickly walked back to his work station.

At dawn, in a tree hole under an inconspicuous tree at the edge of the woods, a criminal policeman from the third team held up a dirty glass bottle and said, "Found it!"

Everyone ran over. The evidence officer carefully took the glass bottle from the criminal police, opened the lid, and found a piece of cloth whose color could no longer be seen. He immediately put the bottle and the cloth into the evidence bag, rushed down the hill, and drove it back to the police station as soon as possible.

Amid the boiling crowd, Chen Pu looked in the direction of Li Qingyao. She was the only one who didn't smile, nor did she look excited. She looked tired and calm. She watched the evidence personnel walk away with the things in their hands, just like watching a bird flying very far and high, and finally disappearing into the clouds and out of sight.

-

Two days later.

After receiving the police notification, Luo Huaizheng rushed to the police station immediately. He was wearing a simple dark grey shirt and trousers, with his tie still on, and it was obvious that he had just come from the office.

Ding Guoqiang, along with Chen Pu, Li Qingyao and several members of the second team, walked towards him. There were many police officers around looking over here. After all, this case could be called a shocking reversal, and the follow-up might cause a bigger sensation.

However, Luo Huaizheng, as the central figure of the case, did not seem to be too excited. His eyes were clear and determined.

Chen Pu, who was standing next to Ding Guoqiang, suddenly realized something.

He didn't know if it was because he had completely lost some aspects of his judgment and ability to withstand pressure - he felt that Luo Huaizheng's expression at this moment was exactly the same as the expression Li Qingyao had when he looked at the evidence the night before. Ding Guoqiang looked at this ill-fated man and felt very sad. He patted Luo Huaizheng on the shoulder and said, "Luo Huaizheng, we are officially notifying you that the police have found key evidence in the Xiang Wei case seven years ago, proving that there is another major suspect who is related to Xiang Wei's death. Please cooperate with us and request a retrial of this case."

Luo Huaizheng moved his lips but no sound came out. At this time, his eyes met with Li Qingyao behind Ding Guoqiang, and Li Qingyao nodded at him firmly. He smiled bitterly and said, "Okay, thank you, you have worked hard."

Ding Guoqiang shook his head, took off his police hat, and said to him solemnly, "I'm sorry." As soon as he took off his hat, Li Qingyao, Chen Pu... everyone took off theirs too.

Luo Huaizheng's eyes finally turned red. He stared at the police seven years later, smiled again, and said only two words to them: "It's okay."

He said, it's okay.

Li Qingyao felt a lump in his throat when he heard this. Even the other members of Team 2, who were not familiar with him, felt uncomfortable.

Ding Guoqiang sighed, said a few more words of concern to Luo Huaizheng, and then led his team away, leaving Luo Huaizheng alone standing in the empty corridor of the police station.

Chen Pu walked a dozen steps, turned around, and saw that Li Qingyao had not caught up. She stood in front of Luo Huaizheng.

Being so far away, Chen Pu couldn't hear what they were saying. Li Qingyao had his back to him, so he could only see Luo Huaizheng's appearance.

Luo Huaizheng's eyes were redder than before, but he still looked gentle. It was like a peaceful lake, forever hidden in this man's heart. No matter how violent the storm or the whirlpool of thunder and lightning was, it could not shake his deepest soul.

When he was most hopeful, fate slapped him hard in the face, making him an outcast in life. Now that his injustice is finally being redressed, he has more right than anyone else to be angry, violent, and unwilling. But he just stood there quietly, like a tall tree, or a vast but moving painting.

Li Qingyao also looked at Luo Huaizheng like this.

“It may not be the right time to say congratulations,” she said, smiling, “but I’m really happy for you.”

The smile on Luo Huaizheng's face disappeared at some point. He just looked into her dark eyes. He read in them a sadness as light as the wind, as well as a joy that could not be concealed.

Luo Huaizheng stretched out his hands, leaned over and hugged Li Qingyao tightly. Li Qingyao was stunned for a moment, and then her eyes, which had been dry for several days, burst into strong and irresistible sourness, and tears rolled out. She closed her eyes and stretched out her hands to hug him tightly.

Chen Pu, who was not far away, let out a long sigh, straightened the brim of his hat, looked straight ahead, and turned away.

"Thank you, Qing Yao, thank you and your colleagues for everything you have done for me," said Luo Huaizheng.

"You're welcome." She leaned against his shoulder, face to face, and smiled, "I'm already a criminal police officer. This is what we should do."

I am already a criminal policeman, Luo Huaizheng.

The girl who once leaned on your shoulder, listened to the cicadas and wind, and watched the stars in the moonlight with you in that summer, has grown up. She is no longer the incompetent girl who lost everything, could not find a way out, and could only cry and be depressed all night. She has a new goal in life, a comrade-in-arms, and the closest partner. She has been working hard to make her eyes sharper than an eagle and her bones harder than iron. In this way, she can protect the people she wants to protect.

By the time you fell into the whirlpool of life and were forced to separate from her, she had already grown up.

As for you, the most handsome, pure and noble boy in the world, I am so happy that when we meet again, you are still the same as you were back then, pure and spotless. Maybe you are a little more depressed, a little more decadent, but when I see your eyes, I know that you have not changed.

In that summer, you, me, and Xiang Siling, three teenagers, suddenly ran into the darkest and deepest spider web. At that time, we were too young, too fragile, and vulnerable. From then on, the fate of the teenagers, like paper cranes blown away by the wind, slid in different directions.

But today, whether it's a lie or the truth, selfishness or innocence, we have finally forced our fate to come full circle.

Luo Huaizheng, you can finally repay part of what the world owes you.

Summer is almost over and autumn is about to arrive.

Dear young man, you can stop for a while, take a rest, and look at your life again. And I can also move forward with confidence.

The road ahead for criminal police is still long.

The story of seven years ago has not ended yet. In that fog that hangs over our lives, in that black, sticky, unknown fog, what awaits Chen Pu and me, will it be fruitful or withering?

<End of Volume 2>
Say a few words.

Looking back, I am quite satisfied with the overall rhythm and tone of the first volume. Although I was just starting to write and the writing was a little tight and not very relaxed, the structure is perfect.

The plot of the second volume has been completed as planned, and the emotional line is also complete. But because of the summer vacation, it does feel a bit too long and a bit dragged out. Looking back now, I feel that if it is updated normally, the second volume should be completed before mid-August, and the word count should be reduced by 8 words, the rhythm will be right, and the structure will be more compact.

However, the serialization of any book depends on fate. If I had not been motivated to start writing in June, after this summer vacation, I might have lost the urge to write and given up writing this book.

So let's just take it as the best arrangement. After this book is finished, I will try to revise and delete the second volume.

Thank you all for your continued understanding and support. Thank you for following my reading and bringing family-like warmth to the Mexicans who travel around the country.

See you tomorrow.