Zhou Ning didn’t follow them. When he got ho, he saw a note on the table and a food container with plump and white dumplings still steaming hot.
The note was written by his grandfather. A smile spread across Zhou Ning’s lips. During holidays and festivals, the warmth that the word ’ho’ brings is irreplaceable, and even without his parents, he never lacked this love and care.
After washing his hands, Zhou Ning first called his grandfather.
"Xiao Ning, just got off work?"
"Yeah, I just stepped through the door and saw the dumplings. Grandpa, are you in the hotown or the city?"
"I’m in the city. I and your second uncle’s family have already eaten. You better eat your al quickly and rest well. Your second uncle said you’ve got a case, so don’t bother coming here."
Grandfather said this, clearly not wanting Zhou Ning to make the trip, understanding him best.
"Alright, I won’t co over today. You should also rest early. I’ll try to wrap up this case as soon as possible so I can spend the holiday with you."
Grandfather laughed, his voice filled with contentnt.
"Oh right, at noon today, your second aunt’s colleague ca over to our house. She brought a lot of special products from Guanxi and even chatted with for a while. According to your second aunt, she’s the teacher who taught you painting, Ms. Xia. She is very pretty, well-cultured, and speaks elegantly.
You should give her a call back. Ms. Xia didn’t co over just for a colleague’s visit; she ca especially to see . Do you understand what I’m saying?"
Zhou Ning was stunned. Xia Momo had actually visited his second uncle’s house to see his grandfather, which was beyond his expectations. But what did this an?
"What do you an, Grandpa?"
"Silly boy, I knew you wouldn’t think in this direction. If she was just a student, would she need to visit like this? The girl has feelings for you, understand? Don’t play dumb. Take this seriously. I approve of this girl for a granddaughter-in-law. If you ss it up, I’ll break your legs. Go on, return her call."
After saying that, the old man hung up the phone, leaving Zhou Ning still in a dazed state.
Xia Momo has feelings for ?
How could I not have noticed?
How could this be possible? That girl is beautiful and has a good job, with many admirers. Whenever she teaches classes, there are always bouquets of flowers at her door.
Zhou Ning never entertained this thought, just like today when Xu Zhanshan wanted to shake his hand. While so might find his profession mysterious and interesting, always feeling curious, most perceive it with fear and disgust.
Yet Xia Momo’s sudden visit still baffled Zhou Ning. It seed unrelated to him, let alone her having feelings for him. It seed a bit presumptuous.
After thinking it over, he found Xia Momo’s number and called her.
"Hello, did you get off work?"
"Yes, I just got ho. I heard from my grandfather that you visited my second uncle today, talked with my grandfather for a long ti, and brought him a lot of special products. Suddenly, I’m not sure what to say to thank you."
A gentle laugh ca from the other end of the phone.
"My dad brought back a lot of special products from Guanxi when he returned from a business trip. We have few people in our family, so we gave so to a few colleagues we’re close to. You don’t need to thank specifically. If you want to, you can treat to a big al, and I won’t object to that."
"Okay, but not until this case is over. The new year is approaching, and it’s hard to relax if I’m spending it with a case on my hands. Once it’s settled, I’ll treat you to a big al."
For so reason, Zhou Ning thought of that Western restaurant.
"Alright, I know you’re busy, so rest early. I’m on winter break now. Whenever you’re done, just give a call, and I’ll be sure to be hungry, ready to eat you out of house and ho."
"Alright, then I’m going to eat. Just slling these dumplings, I’m really hungry."
The two said goodbye and then hung up. Zhou Ning looked at the dumplings, his brows furrowed.
He had made the call.
But he hadn’t detected anything different about Xia Momo, who seed just like usual. Could it be that the old man was overthinking it?
...
The case was at a standstill.
No promising leads surfaced during the investigation on the 27th and 28th.
No third person’s fingerprints or hair were discovered in the deceased’s rented room. The dust on the floor was thick, indicating that it must have been uninhabited for at least a month, with nothing of value being found.
Early in the morning on January 29th, 2011, as soon as Zhou Ning turned on his computer, he checked his email. Having received an email the night before, he hastily printed out the forensic center’s report, looked it over, held up the X-ray for comparison, and quickly dialed Xu Dayuan’s number.
"Xu Da, the lab report is out. The two strands of hair found in the deceased’s mouth are dog hair, which, after DNA testing, belong to a black Labrador. Moreover, no miconazole was detected in the vaginal canal, only lubricant components.
As for the water found in the deceased’s lungs and the sample taken from the reservoir, after comparison, the composition is completely identical. This ans the victim was unconscious due to a head injury and then drowned after being subrged in the reservoir.
In the substances extracted from the head wound, motor oil and traces of an unknown male’s DNA were found. I’ve just carefully examined the morphology of the fracture, the width, and the curvature of the depressed area, and it matches the size of a 32mm ratchet wrench C-shaped side head, which is a standard tool for a Prado."
Xu Dayuan grunted in acknowledgnt, and then the door to the forensic office opened. Zhou Ning turned his head to find Xu Dayuan walking in, his beard unkempt, and his eyes bloodshot, clearly indicating a lack of progress on his end.
Zhou Ning hung up the phone, stood up, and handed the report to Xu Dayuan, who glanced at it. Zhou Ning had already outlined the key points for him.
"We haven’t found the cloned vehicle. Everyone at the hospital, from the security guards to the nurses of all departnts, who knew the victim has been screened. Now, aside from Xu Zhanshan and Wang Suyun, there is not a third person that has seen Zhang Jiahui get out of that Toyota Prado.
The investigation is at a dead end, but why would there be Labrador hair in the victim’s mouth?"
Zhou Ning shook his head—he too had pondered over this question without any clear answers.
"I haven’t figured it out yet, but according to what Xu Zhanshan says, his sexual proclivities are quite extraordinary, and Zhang Jiahui matched with him so well because she’s presumably of the sa ilk, so... I’m too young, I don’t understand!"
Such a remark turned Xu Dayuan’s old face red with embarrassnt, and he smacked the report down on Zhou Ning’s head.
"Cut the crap with ."
Zhou Ning thought for a mont and then looked up at Xu Dayuan.
"Since the investigation hasn’t made progress, how about I perform another autopsy? I’ve already notified Mr. Cui to thaw the body. Maybe we overlooked sothing, given that we have so few known facts and can only suspect the cloned Toyota Prado."
Xu Dayuan nodded.
"I was thinking the sa thing. Call Mr. Zhao over, I’ll go with you to have a look."
Zhou Ning hurriedly called Zhao Xinli. After a while, the young man ran up holding a bunch of books. Seeing the stack of books, Xu Dayuan was sowhat surprised.
"What’s gotten into you, reading books now?"
Zhao Xinli grimaced.
"Thanks to your kind favor, these are all books Doctor Zhou ordered for , telling to morize them. How can I possibly morize this many?"
With a wave of his hand, Zhao Xinli, despite his burly fra, agilely dodged Xu Dayuan’s attempt to smack him, and neatly placed the books on the table.
"Don’t hit , if I get hurt, I’ll take sick leave, and then I won’t have to take the exam."
"As if I’m pleading with you. Cut the talk, just drive, let’s go."
"Where to?"
"The Eighth Hospital."
...
The station wasn’t far from the Eighth Hospital—after passing four intersections and turning east for five to six hundred ters, they would arrive at the Eighth Hospital.
While waiting for a traffic signal, a Toyota Prado sped past. Zhou Ning watched the vehicle closely for several monts, but the license plate wasn’t the cloned 74110.
"Heh heh, you’re just like . Now every ti you see a Toyota Prado on the road, you want to take a second glance, wondering if it’s the 2010 model and if the license plate matches. We’re almost obsessed!"
Zhou Ning didn’t respond, and Xu Dayuan nudged Mr. Zhao’s shoulder.
"Enough with the chatter. Why not follow it and see for ourselves?"
Zhou Ning looked at Xu Dayuan in surprise, realizing he wasn’t joking, and quickly grabbed onto the door handle. Zhao Xinli cracked a smile.
"I love this kind of action. Brace yourselves!"
With that, he floored the gas pedal, bolting forward as the yellow light counted down to one. Zhou Ning was pressed back into his seat by the force, stretching out his legs in front of him. This guy’s driving skills were truly impressive, as he made sparks fly from the gear stick.
Weaving through traffic, they were closing in on the Toyota Prado. However, the vehicle suddenly signaled a turn and stopped in front of the Eighth Hospital. Zhao Xinli uttered a surprised sound and quickly slowed down as well.
Just as they were about to pass the Eighth Hospital’s entrance, a white-haired man got out of the car—a compact figure with glasses who looked genteel, nodding and greeting the person next to him continuously as they walked inside. This person was clearly an employee of the hospital.
Who was he?
Zhou Ning hadn’t seen him before and turned to look at Xu Dayuan, who paused for a mont.
"The anesthesiologist Shen Guanlin."
"Oh?"
While they were talking, the Toyota Prado had already started up again, overtaking Zhou Ning’s vehicle and driving ahead.
Zhao Xin felt a touch of urgency and urged them,
"Boss, make a decision quickly. Are we following that car, or are we going into the Eighth Hospital?"
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