Xiao Qi eyed Lu Qingqing with a scrutinizing gaze, feeling as if she had transformed.
The sprout of feeling that had just begun to grow in his heart vanished instantly.
Seeing the servant's eyes on him, he made a slight gesture, signaling him to tend to Lu Qingqing's wound.
After the servant finished bandaging the wound, Xiao Qi asked, "The boss isn't here, and the wound is treated. We should leave."
Lu Qingqing feigned anger, knowing when to stop. "He's lucky. If anything happened to this finger of mine, I'd still come back for him."
Xiao Qi's lips twitched. What could possibly happen with such a minor wound?
In truth, Lu Qingqing considered her task today accomplished.
Although she hadn't seen any obvious secret passage entrances or exits in that wardrobe, the fact that it was completely empty was telling.
Who would keep such a large wardrobe and not put anything in it?
Unless it wasn't just a wardrobe.
Lu Qingqing believed the wardrobe's bottom panel was another door to a secret passage.
Most importantly, through Xiao Qi's interaction with the servant, she had confirmed they knew each other, and the servant clearly obeyed Xiao Qi.
In other words, this servant was likely also a member of the Dao Ren organization.
After leaving the bookstore, Lu Qingqing and Xiao Qi parted ways, and Xiao Qi didn't try to detain her.
Lu Qingqing was quite pleased. It seemed her earlier rudeness had left a deep impression on Xiao Qi, successfully dispelling any romantic notions.
This way, the man inside, whose memory had been eaten by dogs, wouldn't be jealous.
Over the next half month, Lu Qingqing also met Xiao Qi a few more times, both intentionally and unintentionally.
It was from him that she learned about the large number of Dao Ren members being dispatched to Brazil.
Concurrently, with the establishment of the special task force, a large number of case interviews and old case files once again fell before the Hu family.
Hu Jia briefly skimmed through them. This was all outdated information. It could be said that everyone mentioned in these files, and the owners of certain pieces of evidence, were already dead.
Oh, wait. There was Feng Si, but Feng Si had been sent to Jiangjin to live out his leisurely life.
He was unlikely to appear again. Hu Jia wouldn't allow him to. Someone he had painstakingly saved shouldn't be lost at the last moment.
"So, based on this evidence and testimony, we have reason to suspect this was a robbery by vagrants."
"But even if they were just vagrants, as police officers, we must protect everyone's safety. On a larger scale, this is the stability of the nation; on a smaller scale, it is our duty."
"And now, our new police station has just been established. The public has expectations of us, and our superiors have expectations of us. By solving cold cases, we can show our superiors our capabilities and our loyalty to the public."
"Therefore, we must tackle the toughest cases and handle the most difficult investigations. Let us inject new vigor into the new police station with our best achievements."
Applause erupted!
Qiao Huali spoke with righteous indignation, while Hu Jia could only sneer inwardly.
Look at how eloquently he spoke, turning his own selfish desires into a matter of national and public welfare.
Furthermore, he clearly knew that the mastermind behind the scenes was the Dao Ren organization, yet he deliberately pinned the blame on vagrants.
This was a cover-up of the truth and protection for the Dao Ren.
After the meeting, Qiao Huali still appeared somewhat embarrassed. He called Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen into his office. "I know you must be surprised why I didn't reveal the true culprit. It's because we don't have the evidence."
Hu Jia remained silent, vaguely guessing what Qiao Huali was about to say.
"So I hope you will disclose all the information and evidence you have investigated regarding the Dao Ren. Once we have evidence, we can clearly define our direction and avoid detours."
Just as he expected!
This old fox!
By saying they should disclose the evidence and information about the Dao Ren, once this information was public, it would inevitably touch upon the true hidden factors behind the shooting incident.
For example, the lychee in Zhong County, the previously unknown Shui Liao and Leng Yan, and those four sentences.
"Alright, I'll go back and organize it." Hu Jia didn't refuse. Didn't he want evidence? Didn't he want clues? Fine, he would provide them.
But which ones would he give? Which parts would he reveal? That was entirely up to him.
Seeing Hu Jia's cooperation, Qiao Huali was also very pleased. As he thought about his people being spread throughout Brazil, he became even happier.
Suddenly, he felt that Tong Meng's suggestion to reopen the case was excellent.
Not only could they obtain some hidden information, but it also served to stall Hu Jia and the others.
See? It prevented them from going to Brazil together and competing with him for the Shui Liao and Leng Yan site.
Thinking about it, Qiao Huali became excited. "Someone, go and fetch Tong Meng for me."
He needed to vent his frustrations!
...
"Captain Wen." Li Han respectfully saluted Ouyang Wen.
"Mm, how is that theft case from last time?" Ouyang Wen nodded to Li Han, completely adopting a superior-to-subordinate demeanor.
"I still have a point of doubt that I haven't figured out."
"Doubt? Alright, while I have time, let's discuss it in my office."
With that, Ouyang Wen turned and walked away, with Li Han hurrying to follow. Behind them, a gaze was following them.
Ouyang Wen smiled. This Tong Meng, no matter how closely she watched, was useless if she lacked intelligence.
As soon as he entered the office, Ouyang Wen's expression changed. "How did things go?"
"Everything has been investigated, and I've communicated with several people. They don't want to betray you," Li Han said.
Mm.
Ouyang Wen nodded, believing Li Han's words.
After all, they had a life-and-death relationship, and he had been their captain for many years. If they weren't coerced, he believed these people wouldn't betray him casually.
It turned out that after learning in Zhong County that Tong Hua and Tong Meng had threatened his subordinates using their personal privacy and families to control them, Ouyang Wen had instructed Li Han to secretly investigate the reasons for each person's coercion.
Only by understanding the reason could the problem be solved.
For instance, a few days prior, Ouyang Wen had secretly rescued the younger brother of a teammate.
He had been framed for a huge gambling debt, and the other party used this to force the teammate to work for Tong Meng.
Ouyang Wen had simply sent the person away. Gambling debts, after all, were created through manipulation; it was fine not to repay them.
Now, Li Han had spoken to each person individually based on their circumstances. Once they heard that Ouyang Wen could help solve their problems, they naturally had no more reservations.
Now, Ouyang Wen had told them to outwardly cooperate with Tong Meng, but in reality, they were to report every instruction Tong Meng conveyed.
Only by knowing what Tong Meng wanted to do could they discern her motives and movements.
"By the way, Tong Meng said she hopes we'll support her in taking charge of the Jiangbei area inspection," Li Han recalled Tong Meng's latest directive.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Wen immediately understood Tong Meng's intentions.
Because they needed to search for vagrants, it was natural to conduct interviews and investigations throughout the city. Each person had their own district.
Tong Meng's desire for the Jiangbei area was simple: the headquarters of the Dao Ren was located in Jiangbei.
She was afraid of exposure.
"Fine, you can proceed as she wishes. However, I have one condition: you must go with her and partner with her," Ouyang Wen agreed without hesitation.
He had already known about the Dao Ren headquarters being in Jiangbei, so Tong Meng's efforts were in vain.
However, since they were going to play along, they would play the whole part. "You follow her, pay attention to her movements, especially who she contacts, how she contacts them, and where she frequently goes. Remember it all."
Ouyang Wen wanted to uncover Tong Meng's communication channels with the Dao Ren, perhaps to fish in troubled waters later.