Chapter 112: Stirring Up Trouble

“At that time, we were on routine patrol and received a dispatch from the command center about an assault case, possibly a murder. Cases like these are definitely handled by the Criminal Investigation Division, and since it was within our jurisdiction, I led the team to investigate.”

Li Shu had a serious expression as he spoke slowly, “When I arrived at the informant’s house with two colleagues, it was Ren Chang. He was acting very strange.”

“How was he acting strangely?” Xiao Yu asked.

“First, his eyes were very red, he seemed crazed, and his speech was incoherent,” Li Shu recalled. “Secondly, he was extremely agitated. He spoke loudly and trembled all over, as if he had been provoked by something. At that time, I really thought there had been a murder, so we went straight to Jiang Dan’s flower shop, which was closed. Then we went to Jiang Dan’s residence… and found her perfectly fine. She hadn’t been assaulted at all. In fact, she was completely unharmed, which I could easily tell. We confirmed it was a false report.”

“This behavior?” Xiao Yu was puzzled. “Could it be…?”

“Yeah, I suspected the same. Since Ren Chang’s behavior was so erratic, I thought he might be using drugs. I took him for a blood test and a urine test. Both were negative. Because he has autism, we decided to be lenient, reprimanded him, and sent him home.”

Li Shu nodded and continued, “But to my surprise, as soon as I got back to the team, we received another call. The informant was Ren Chang again. This time, he claimed abuse and murder.”

“Was it still about his girlfriend?” Xiao Yu’s face darkened. “Was it intentional?”

“That’s what I thought at the time, but there are regulations, and I had to respond,” Li Shu said with some anger. “This time, I first went to Jiang Dan’s place, and she was fine. Then I brought Jiang Dan directly to Ren Chang’s house to let him see his girlfriend face to face.”

“Go on,” Xiao Yu’s mind was quickly analyzing.

“The result… At first, Ren Chang was overjoyed and excited when he saw Jiang Dan,” Li Shu’s expression grew more peculiar, “But after hugging Jiang Dan for a short while, he looked incredulous. Later, he suddenly went crazy and started yelling, pointing at Jiang Dan and saying she wasn’t his girlfriend.”

“Hmm?” 

Xiao Yu was stunned. It didn’t make sense. Why would he say she wasn’t his girlfriend when she clearly was? Could it be as I thought, that he really went mentally ill? If so, it might indeed be possible.

Xiao Yu stayed cautious and asked, “Did you verify Jiang Dan’s identity?”

“Of course, how could I overlook something like that?” Li Shu smiled, “Jiang Dan’s identity, physical characteristics, and information files all confirmed that she was herself, with no possibility of impersonation.”

“So, was Ren Chang playing us all along?” Xiao Yu sneered, “Or is he just mentally ill?”

“Jiang Dan got angry because of Ren Chang’s reaction and left,” Li Shu said, fuming. “I was played twice and was very angry. Plus, I had already let him off once, so this time I decided to teach him a lesson. My colleague and I subdued the frenzied Ren Chang and sent him to the detention center. But seeing that he was still a kid, I planned to only hold him for three days.”

At 26, Ren Chang indeed seemed like a kid to the 43-year-old Li Shu. Besides, Li Shu had a kind heart. 

However, being kind-hearted as a police officer could lead to big problems. Li Shu had faced an issue because of his kindness during a case and was reprimanded by his superiors. He was destined to remain at the rank of deputy captain for the rest of his career.

There was no apparent issue with the process. 

Xiao Yu frowned. He trusted the abilities of an experienced criminal investigator like Li Shu. The process shouldn’t have gone wrong. Could it be that he was really played by a dead man? That would be terrifying. It would be like a cow jumping out of a plane—unbelievably audacious. 

No…

The system task was still there. It couldn’t be wrong. 

Xiao Yu’s eyes flashed with a sharp, knife-like glint. Additionally, there were too many discrepancies on Ren Chang’s body. 

There was nothing more to ask from Li Shu. He could only find clues from the deceased and his girlfriend.

How to find clues from the deceased?

First, Xiao Yu had three puzzling questions.

Was Ren Chang really pretending to be a police officer? If not, was Ren Chang mentally ill? Or did Ren Chang really see his girlfriend being tortured?

As Xiao Yu pondered over these questions, he felt the first two were somewhat plausible. 

But the last one… was it possible?

***

A police car drove towards the residence of the deceased, Ren Chang. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Xiao Yu took out his phone. It was 7 Am. His wife usually left at 8 AM, right?

WeChat.

Xiao Yu: I ate a piece of candy this morning.

Xiao Yu: It had a filling.

Xiao Yu: Unexpectedly sweet.

Xiao Yu: Do you want some?

Mu Qingwu: …

Mu Qingwu: “I love you”? An acrostic poem*?

Xiao Yu: … You figured it out so quickly? How about you become a police officer too? We, the Black and White Duo, would be unstoppable together!

Mu Qingwu: Haha… Stop messing around, little brother, get back to work. I’m going to take a shower and then head to the office.

Xiao Yu: Shower? Sending video request, sending video request, sending video request…

Mu Qingwu: Do you believe I’ll tell mom to come beat you up?

Xiao Yu: You don’t love me anymore? No feelings anymore? In the end, I’m the one bearing all the burdens alone!

Mu Qingwu: Haha… Okay, naughty brother, I was wrong. What do you want?

Xiao Yu: I’ll type two words, Sis, you say them aloud, and I’ll forgive you.

Mu Qingwu: Fine.

Xiao Yu: 歪腻** (I love you)

Mu Qingwu’s voice message: 歪爱~你? Ah? Haha… Brother, I can’t pronounce it, you say it for me?

Xiao Yu: I love you!

Mu Qingwu’s voice message: I love you!

Putting down his phone, Xiao Yu felt a wave of happiness wash over him after teasing his sister.

Wait… Happiness?

His pupils suddenly contracted, and Xiao Yu’s expression turned serious. What kind of happiness could make a man die with a smile on his face?

Such happiness couldn’t be given by family, right? Others definitely couldn’t provide it, could they? Only… his woman could?

That’s no longer just happiness, it’s love, isn’t it?

Xiao Yu’s expression changed. So, if one day he sacrificed himself, would thinking of his sister be enough to make him smile in his final moments?

He wasn’t sure. With all the system abilities and skills he had in this life, dying was difficult. Without putting himself in that situation, he couldn’t truly understand.

But Ren Chang did it. Was this the ultimate expression of love?

If he loved someone so deeply, how could he push her away when he saw her and say she wasn’t his girlfriend? Or was it that he loved someone else?

No, Li Shu said that when Ren Chang saw Jiang Dan, his face showed wild joy. If he didn’t love Jiang Dan…

The police car stopped. They arrived at the home of the deceased, Ren Chang.