Ouyang Wen's words came from the heart. He didn't hide his personal desire for revenge for his father, but he was right about one thing: reinvestigating old cases and catching criminals was precisely what the police should be doing.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Qiao spoke without thinking," Qiao Huali said, his eyes full of self-recrimination. He patted Ouyang Wen's shoulder reassuringly, "I just don't want you to carry too much burden."
Ouyang Wen gave a soft hum, knowing that Uncle Qiao genuinely cared for him and Hu Jia.
"I'll submit the application to restart the case investigation, but don't get your hopes up too high," Qiao Huali said.
"I understand."
After leaving the Qiao family's residence, Ouyang Wen knocked on the door of the police station's archives. He wanted to look up the police number "Er Jiu Liu."
However, after poring over the police station's records for an entire night, he found no useful information.
"Uncle Wang, are all the personnel files from the past ten years here?" Ouyang Wen asked, his face weary, but he hadn't given up hope. The records in the archive room were too scarce.
"Everything you can see is here," Uncle Wang, the archive administrator, happened to be on duty that night. "Don't be picky; it was a Herculean effort to preserve what we have."
Ouyang Wen could only manage a bitter smile.
In 1918, the shooting occurred during the period when warlords dominated the political landscape. The police back then were completely different from today; they served the warlords.
Today, Old Xiong's people were in charge of the police. Tomorrow, if Old Wang gained the upper hand, Old Wang's men would take over. A few days later, someone like Old Zhou might appear, and before he could even settle in, Old Xiong would be back.
Therefore, it wasn't just in the Chongqing region; the frequent changes in police organizations across the country due to warlord conflicts made it incredibly difficult to find someone with the police number "Er Liu Jiu" in this vast sea of people.
...
Saturday, after school.
Lü Qingqing went directly to the Municipal Police Station, wanting to see if there had been any progress on the epaulet matter.
As soon as she entered, Tong Meng, like a fat cat spotting a white mouse, immediately pounced on her with great enthusiasm.
"Qingqing, long time no see. I was just thinking about you."
Lü Qingqing's hairs nearly stood on end. *You were thinking of me?*
Seeing Lü Qingqing instinctively take a step back, Tong Meng pulled her a little closer, "It's my birthday on Sunday, you absolutely must come and show your support."
Lü Qingqing felt a lump in her throat. *I really don't want to attend your event.*
"Oh, and remember to invite Captain Hu," Tong Meng winked, and Lü Qingqing immediately understood. Inviting her was a pretense; the real intention was to get Hu Jia to come.
"Uh, you can invite Captain Hu yourself. I can't make decisions for him." Lü Qingqing knew Hu Jia wouldn't go, and she didn't want to incur his displeasure.
"I'm just asking you to relay the message. Captain Wen said that Captain Hu only hangs out with the Special Operations Team. If you don't come, Captain Hu won't come either, because you'll spoil everyone's fun. Do you think that's a good thing?"
Tong Meng's words, delivered in just a few sentences, put Lü Qingqing on the defensive. This woman was not only capable of emotional blackmail but also moral blackmail!
"Even if I go, if Li Yang and Yu Yue don't, Captain Hu won't go either." Lü Qingqing had also learned to pass the buck.
"No, they definitely will come!" Tong Meng blinked, very confident.
Lü Qingqing paid no attention to Tong Meng's words, not even considering attending any birthday party. She offered a perfunctory response and then made an excuse to leave.
Seeing Ouyang Wen, the dark circles under his eyes startled her.
"Can you stop working so hard? Tell me if there's anything, and I'll have Li Yang and Wen Wu help you."
"Why didn't you come?"
"I'm here now, aren't I? You guys deal with the dark circles from staying up late, and I'll just hear the results."
"Heh, you're really something!"
After Lü Qingqing's light teasing, Ouyang Wen's spirits visibly improved.
"Any leads on that epaulet?"
"It's difficult. After all, the government has changed several times in the past twenty years. The archives lack unified collection and management, and a lot of information has been lost."
Ten years ago, Chongqing had six police precincts. It was impossible to determine which precinct "Er Jiu Liu" belonged to.
Ouyang Wen decided to adopt the most rudimentary method: he would find old police officers one by one and see if they remembered anyone named "Er Liu Jiu."
"Don't overwork yourself. Let Gao Liang and the others help, and Li Yang, Yu Yue, Wen Wu, or even me. You can ask for our help too." Lü Qingqing genuinely worried about Ouyang Wen, as the workload was immense.
"Aren't you afraid of dark circles?"
"Tch! Not all dark circles are unsightly. Did you know that in 1869, a Frenchman discovered a black and white bear in the Ya'an area? It was plump and adorable, its body wiggling as it walked, incredibly cute. Apparently, it just had dark circles, and foreigners in Europe were very fond of it."
"You're comparing yourself to an animal?"
"What's wrong with animals? Perhaps you're not as precious as it is."
"Keep boasting!"
The atmosphere in the office was warm and pleasant. Ouyang Wen enjoyed being with Lü Qingqing. It was a feeling of freedom, where he could say whatever came to mind without having to tread carefully.
Lü Qingqing was flipping through the "Er Liu Jiu" files, while Ouyang Wen watched her.
"It's time for dinner, let's eat together," Ouyang Wen invited.
"No, Hu Jia is waiting for me at home. He won't start cooking if I don't go back," Lü Qingqing refused directly.
Ouyang Wen paused, "Do you have to eat together every day?"
"Almost. Unless we have separate engagements. But usually, we don't," Lü Qingqing replied.
Ouyang Wen smiled, "You've worked hard, playing this role for him."
Lü Qingqing's movements faltered for a moment, but she quickly continued flipping through the next page. "Life is like a play, and besides, he's my friend."
Ouyang Wen's smile froze on his face. He had seen it clearly: Lü Qingqing's eyes had become distant. *Has she already gotten into character?*
At this moment, Lü Qingqing stared at the documents in her hands, not having read a single word. If Ouyang Wen hadn't mentioned it was an act, she would have completely forgotten that she was just a fake fiancée.
Every week, upon regaining her memory, she was introduced to him as his fiancée. It had become a habit.
Every night, their kitchen duets involved playful arguments over who would wash the dishes. It was a form of affection.
His every call of "Qing," Xiao Bao's every "brother-in-law," and Li Yang and the others' every "sister-in-law," constantly proclaimed their relationship.
And then there was the keychain. Hu Jia had bought it; they each had one. It only held two keys: one to open Hu Jia's door, and one to open Qingqing's door.
Yet, every day after school, Lü Qingqing would first open Hu Jia's door and chat before dinner, which had become second nature.
*Am I truly falling for him?*
Lü Qingqing was a little panicked. After all, this was completely different from how she understood relationships. Others built an emotional foundation first, then worked on their compatibility. But she and Hu Jia had slowly turned their pretense into natural behavior. When some things were repeated too many times, she could no longer distinguish between reality and pretense.
"Qingqing?"
Ouyang Wen's voice brought the absent-minded woman back.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah? Nothing. Uh, I'm leaving now."
Lü Qingqing fled in disarray.