"It's me!" Rong Ling gently pushed away Lin Meng's hand, his expression unmistakably clear.
Lin Meng believed him, and when Rong Ling left, she didn't follow. Only when Rong Ling hung up the phone and returned it to her did she curiously ask, "What kind of video was it? Was it related to Su Xue?"
Rong Ling's expression was calm as she explained in a soft voice. "No, it's something else. My phone didn't get through to him, so he called you."
"Oh!"
She didn't suspect him.
He wanted to go out and told her to stay in the house properly, not to go out. If anything happened, she had to call him. Actually, he was going to see the person who was in charge of monitoring the recordings that day!
They reached a rather secluded private room. A young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties was already waiting there. He seemed restless, his face an unhealthy pale color as if he had been frightened by something.
At first glance, he was delighted. Then, he was astonished. Finally, he sat up straight and composed himself.
"You're the one who recorded that video that day?!" Rong Ling asked, sitting down smugly on one side.
That person trembled as they took out a U-disk from their pocket and handed it to Rong Ling, indicating that all the video content from that day was inside. The source files had already been destroyed by him.
This young man was originally supposed to only monitor things and hand them over to Wu Yong, according to his instructions. But when he saw Xiao Zhang being stabbed with blood flowing freely in the distance, he got scared. When he saw Xiao Yi easily knock down the two men with two punches, he couldn't hold it any longer. He secretly copied the video content and left without even caring about his own surveillance equipment. After all, doing this sort of thing was a crime, and this young man was still quite careful. He didn't dare to contact Wu Yong rashly, and planned to wait a few days before making a decision.
Then, this morning, he saw the news that two men had been killed in an online fight. He was immediately terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. These two men were acquaintances of his; they were precisely the two protagonists from the video he had recorded that day. Anyone who knew the inside story would understand exactly what had happened when they heard about these two men being killed!
<<>>>
He didn't overthink it, he just wanted to return the video to Lin Meng and then let the big person behind her spare his life!
"How many times have you touched the things here?!" Rong Ling asked.
That man was frightened out of his wits and hurriedly shook his head. "I haven't touched it since I copied this video from the machine yesterday. Really, I swear, I didn't make any copies or give it to anyone!"
He just sat there watching him, but didn't say a word, not revealing the slightest bit of his opinion. The man was terrified, sweating profusely in the heat, beads of sweat rolling down his face, quickly soaking through his shirt. He sat there for a while, and the longer he sat, the more uneasy he became.
"This big brother..."
Rong Ling waved his hand, cutting him off. His imposing presence spoke volumes; the young man was agitated like an ant on a hot pan, but he didn't dare say another word. He finally knew who the big figure behind Lin Meng was – Rong Ling! He had seen him in newspapers before. At this moment, he berated himself inwardly, calling himself an idiot for blindly doing whatever others told him.
After about ten minutes, the door to the private room was knocked three times. After Rong Ling said "come in," several people entered. Rong Ling handed the U disk in his hand to one of them and turned his head to say to the young man: "You better not have lied, otherwise, if things are found out and what you said doesn't match, then I think you should know what will happen to you!"
That young man turned pale with fright, shaking his head frantically and assuring them in a hurried voice, "I swear, I'm telling the truth! I swear, it's really..."
Rong Ling once again raised her hand and gave a slight shake. The man, as if suddenly having his throat blocked like a duck, made a sharp "ga" sound before immediately closing his mouth, terrified that if Rong Ling even showed the slightest sign, he would immediately comply.
Then, someone asked him his name, home address, and workplace. The young man answered truthfully, realizing that they were investigating him. Finally, everyone left, except for one person who remained in the private room, guarding the young man.
Later, Rong Ling returned and motioned for the person left behind to leave. He sat back down and spoke directly, "I can't be sure whether what you said is true or false, so just in case, I need to monitor you for half a month. During this time, I will have people take good care of you. As for your family members, I have already informed them that you will be back in about half a month."
Upon hearing this, the youth’s body trembled violently. He pushed back his chair and knelt on the ground.
"Big brother, I was wrong, I was wrong, please spare me, don't kill me, I really didn't mean it…"
He thought that everything Rong Ling said were just excuses. The so-called monitoring for half a month was actually finding a secret place to kill him, and then he would disappear completely from this world.
Rong Ling probably understood the young man's worries and fears. He didn't say much, just clapped his hands. Two people came in from outside. One grabbed the young man, and the other gave him medicine. Not long after, the young man softened, and then was helped out by the two men. Rong Ling sat inside for a while before getting up and leaving.
Actually, the young man wasn't lying. The men Rong Ling sent out followed the camera wire and indeed only found the remaining equipment, but no people. All the video footage on the equipment had been deleted. The technician he hired analyzed the U disk and showed that it was last accessed yesterday afternoon around 5:30 p.m., meaning the person put things into the U disk and never opened it again. This ruled out any leaks of the video content.
But Rong Ling was never a merciful person. While he wouldn't kill innocents indiscriminately, the man had still witnessed the entire process. Even if he gouged out the man's eyes, he couldn't silence him; silencing his mouth wouldn't stop his thoughts. The only way was to erase the memory! To make those things permanently disappear from this man's mind. What he needed to do next was contact foreign hypnosis masters. In half a month, he would have everything clean and clear!
<<>>>
He had run all day and was feeling a bit tired, but seeing her lying there so peacefully, he felt an unusual sense of calm in his heart.
A basic legal textbook lay across her face. He reached out and picked it up, but was surprised to see that her eyes weren't closed as he’d assumed. Instead, they were wide open, sparkling with a mischievous glint. When she saw him, she smiled.
"Didn't you sleep?!" he asked incredulously.
"Rong Ling!" she laughed, calling him softly.
He likes the way his name sounds coming out of her warm little mouth.
"How are you still reading with your eyes open?!"
"Hee hee, I tried to scare you, but it seems like I failed!"
He raised an eyebrow, though his facial expression remained unchanged, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
"Can you see in there?!" He pointed to the basic legal text at his hand.
She nodded. "It's okay, the cases on top were pretty good and not as dry. I feel like I'm the only one who is free here. You guys all seem so busy, running around for me. I was thinking of reading some law books myself, it should be helpful. It was Sister Miao Qing who found it for me, hihi, Sister Miao Qing is really amazing. She seems to have every kind of book here, I saw a whole shelf full of them. Sister Miao Qing said that at least three-quarters of the books on top were read by her personally, she's just too awesome!"
He chuckled, unable to hold back! This little woman, sometimes this kind of innocence, is so refreshing!
"When you grow to her age, you'll have a bookshelf just like hers."
"Well, I hope so too!"
She smiled and sat up from the sofa, instinctively leaning towards Rong Ling's side, reaching out to hug him. She rubbed her face against his arm but suddenly went silent.
He looked down at her. She had her eyes downcast, frowning as if troubled. He understood what she was thinking and fell silent too.
"Rong Ling na..." She whispered, almost to herself. "Su Xue's matter, it seems like there are no leads yet. You're right, in every way, I seem to be a suspect. Captain Lu just called and asked me several more questions. I asked him, he said that so far, there are no other suspects. I feel a little uneasy, like something bad is going to happen!"
"Don't get any ideas!" he interrupted coldly.
She pressed against his arm and shook her head.
He said again, "As long as I'm here, no one will dare to touch you!"
She chuckled softly. Actually, what she really wanted wasn't much, right? As long as this man could comfort and support her, she felt it was enough. She always thought, the clear will be clear, the turbid will be turbid. But Rong Ling’s words this morning were like a bolt from the blue, and she couldn't help but think about it more. After Rong Ling left, she also asked Miao Qing for advice, and she felt that her current situation was not good.
But, she still believed in the man beside her, he was so powerful, seemingly capable of anything. So, he must be able to find the real murderer!
"Rong Ling, if I didn't have you, what would I do?!"
She murmured, her mind racing, and before she knew it, the words slipped out. Immediately, the man beside her was stirred with passion. He turned, kissing her deeply, ravaging her mouth until her tongue went numb. He finally released her, gazing at her playfully, tapping her tender, red lips.
"You're good at speaking, aren't you?!"
She blushed, but after biting her lip, she leaned forward and took a big bite on his cheek, correcting him, "It wasn't bad words, it came from my heart!"
He chuckled softly, his deep voice like a cello playing a sonata. His handsome face was completely relaxed. His deep eyes sparkled with a different kind of brilliance.
She sighed inwardly: This man is so handsome!
For a moment, I was blinded.
He noticed, reaching out to cup her slender waist. He lightly kissed it over and over again, from subtle to intense, gradually adding a sensual flavor. She was pinned down on the sofa by him, his tall frame pressing down on top of hers. His large hand rested on her waist, gently stroking up and down.
She hummed softly, touched by it.
He began to kiss her ear, and she couldn't help herself. She reached out with passion, slipping her fingers into his hair and holding the back of his head as she resisted him playfully. But when his big hand suddenly slipped under her clothes, she was startled, her body stiffening for a moment. Then, she reached out and hugged him tightly, preventing him from moving further.
He sensed it, withdrawing his hand from under her clothes, only to brush against her earlobe with a light kiss, just a soothing touch. Then he rested his chin on her shoulder, pulling her close and holding her tight, motionless. It was natural for her to feel some apprehension about intimacy after what she had just gone through. And he was willing to be patient!
She felt grateful for his thoughtfulness and reached out, resting her hand on his back as she hugged him. Holding each other like this, she felt a strange sense of peace. Closing her eyes slightly, she genuinely hoped that they could stay this way forever.
However, the situation still looks bleak.
When Miao Qing came back, she brought the investigation report.
On the day of Su Xue's murder, the situation was probably like this:
Li Qing's family had a daughter with intellectual disabilities, so they hired tutors to teach her. This tutor was Su Xue. She had been doing this job for about half a year, ever since her father was diagnosed with uremia. At first, Su Xue took on several tutoring jobs at the same time. The school also considered her special circumstances and allowed her not to attend evening study sessions so that she could work part-time and take care of her hospitalized father.
Later on, Su Xue excelled in her work. Li Qingjia was very satisfied with her performance and hired her full-time to care for her intellectually disabled daughter. The pay was also generous.
So, in the past two months, Su Xue's social circle has been rather limited, to be precise, quite narrow. She's been running back and forth between school, Li Qing's house, and the hospital.
That night, when Su Xue was murdered, she went to Li Qing's house but didn't stay long before leaving. According to Li Qing, her family knew about Su Xue's predicament and were considerate of her having a seriously ill father, so her tutoring hours were more flexible. If neither Li Qing nor her husband had anything else to do, they would let Su Xue go back earlier. That day was just like that.
It is worth mentioning that Li Qing's husband is a painter and spends most of his time working in his home studio. Thus, when he is not painting, he has time to care for their daughter, which also allows Su Xue to leave earlier.
That night, when Li Qing returned from work, Su Xue had already left. Afterwards, Li Qing went out for a dinner with friends at their invitation.
Su Xue's murder came to light thanks to her father. Su Xue's father, who was in the hospital, felt something was wrong. Logically speaking, his daughter should have visited him at the hospital before 11 pm every day, but today she didn't come for a long time. So, Su Xue's father called, but Su Xue's phone was clearly on but no one answered. There was no way to do anything about it. Su Xue's father first called Li Qing and then learned that she had already gone home. He then called a nearby neighbor to see if Su Xue was home. This is how they discovered that Su Xue had been murdered. The door was wide open, and she was killed at home.
To die in one's own home, logically speaking, it should be done by someone close to them. Otherwise, how could they possibly enter someone else's house? Su Xue's death was mainly caused by a head injury from hitting the wall, and it is speculated that she was pushed against the wall by the murderer.
When investigating the suspect, Li Qing's family was also naturally investigated. However, based on the forensic deduction of Su Xue's death in her own home, Li Qing's family had alibi evidence - at that time, Li Qing's husband should have been at home with his daughter, and Li Qing should have been on her way home from work, or just arrived home. Considering the distance between Li's house and Su Xue's house, it would take about half an hour by car, which further ruled out Li's family suspicion.
"It looks pretty clean!" Miao Qing said. "I didn't find any recent contacts of Li Qing with anyone particularly important."
Rong frowned, his intuition telling him that something was still amiss. He had long since seen through the officialdom and business world of his own country; who would believe in such a person who "served the people wholeheartedly"?!
"Keep investigating! The case shouldn't be left unsolved. Don't stop investigating the Li family until it's cracked."
Miao Qing nodded. |
Like
Hate