"Mr. Ji, take a look. Is this the person you are looking for?"
Mr. Huang pushed the laptop in front of Ji Rui. It was playing a not-so-clear video, clearly surveillance footage from a hotel or a public venue.
Ji Rui carefully examined the man in the video—a dium build, slightly dark skin, a gaunt, chiseled face—which did seem sowhat familiar.
"Send a copy of this video, and I’ll have soone verify it."
The person who stabbed Ji Rui is still in a ntal hospital undergoing observation and treatnt.
Lawyer Fan has not yet been able to find conclusive evidence to prove that this person deliberately attacked Ji Rui and was not rely in a state of ntal disorder.
The person’s bank account and several credit cards are all maxed out, aning he has a negative balance, with no valuable securities or assets. He lives in governnt-subsidized housing, where the room is bare, with not even a decent piece of furniture. From his financial situation, there is no evidence that he was paid to attack.
But if it were revenge, his past experiences show no chance of intersecting with Ji Rui’s life.
Based on the current progress, without finding other strong evidence, this person could likely be released as not guilty due to a ntal disorder at the ti.
Thus, Ji Rui must seek relevant evidence from other avenues.
The thin, dark man sat alone on the side for nearly ten minutes, when a tall man wearing glasses and a baseball cap approached him, exchanged a few words, then sat down. The two chatted for about half an hour before leaving sequentially.
"Do you recognize the tall man, Mr. Ji?"
Ji Rui stared at the screen for a good while and shook his head. "No, I don’t."
"So... is this clue useless?"
Mr. Huang was a bit deflated because the thin, dark man was an alcoholic and a gambler, usually seen in small underground casinos. Mr. Huang had reviewed many surveillance videos and only found this sowhat useful one, assuming that the tall man might be soone Ji Rui knew so they could start with him. However, these two only seed to be ordinary friends eting up with no suspicious behavior.
"No, it’s useful." Ji Rui rewound the video to where the tall man approached the thin, dark man’s table and watched carefully again.
"Investigate the tall man’s background."
Ji Rui did not believe that the person stabbed him purely due to a ntal disorder episode; there’s certainly a mastermind behind this. As for who, without solid evidence, Ji Rui couldn’t be sure which of his suspects it might be.
And of those he suspected, none were reckless individuals, making it unlikely they’d personally contact the perpetrator.
"Hmm! I’ll dig up this man’s background as quickly as possible."
Mr. Huang responded, and after exchanging a few more words quietly, Le Tong entered, prompting Mr. Huang to get up and take his leave.
As Mr. Huang slipped away and the door closed, Le Tong pointed behind her at the door, "Was that just now the private investigator you ntioned?"
Prior, Ji Rui had told her a detective would co to discuss so matters, while she attended a departnt eting as a silent observer.
"Yes, this guy is quite capable dostically. If he catches even the slightest clue, he can trace it back to find the person."
Le Tong had a look of understanding, thinking that back when she quietly left, he must’ve used this guy to find her. Otherwise, the strange and surprised look in the detective’s eyes upon eting her wouldn’t have been so pronounced.
"Oh..."
Le Tong showed no interest in this person but was concerned about Ji Rui.
"Did he find any substantial evidence?"
Even though Ji Rui had not intentionally hidden anything from her, she could largely piece things together, aware that the case had stalled with no progress.
"Not yet!" Regarding matters involving himself, Ji Rui appeared unhurried.
"This Mr. Huang has quite an extensive network..." Ji Rui paused, pursed his lips, and gave Le Tong a pondering look.
"Hmm?" Le Tong curiously raised an eyebrow, gesturing for him to continue.
"Your father’s matter... should we ask him to investigate it?"
Le Tong brought up her father several tis, her eyes full of lancholy. Clearly, she cared deeply about the father who disappeared nearly twenty years ago.
Thinking it over, Ji Rui could understand her feelings. For instance, he himself, if he hadn’t watched his mother die in front of him, and she had just disappeared suddenly, he’d likely still cling to the hope of seeing her again.
However, even though Ji Rui knew how much she cared, he dared not take it upon himself, so he deliberately had Mr. Huang co over to report the situation; otherwise, discussing it over the phone would’ve been possible.
Le Tong was taken aback, as if she had never considered this.
Nibbling her lip, she contemplated for a while before lifting her head and shaking it contrary to Ji Rui’s expectations.
"No, it’s unnecessary!"
Ji Rui was quite stunned, cautiously glanced at her a few tis, and had to admit that he didn’t really understand her.
For instance, now, her dark eyes were as deep as the ocean, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t decipher the real thoughts hidden beneath that depth.
"Why? Don’t you want to find him?"
Ji Rui felt frustrated and confused by his inability to see through her feelings.
Le Tong shook her head again, "No, I don’t want to."
How could Ji Rui know that Le Tong didn’t even know her father’s na, let alone his background or anything else?
She feared the truth might be like a clichéd TV drama: her father being a wealthy man, her mother a despised mistress, and herself, needless to say, a love child from an affair.
The re thought of such a truth gave Le Tong a splitting headache.
Thus, she lacked the passion and courage to uncover the truth and had always been carefully avoiding confronting it.
Since he had been gone for nearly twenty years, and her mother was already in another world, she preferred to hold onto the beautiful mories of her parents, letting those beautified old mories accompany her till old age, till death.
For her, the real truth was completely unimportant.
Ji Rui, unable to fathom her thoughts, instinctively felt that she wasn’t in a good mood. He reached out, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her forehead.
"Alright, if you don’t want to, then we won’t."
Ji Rui really wanted to ask why, but seeing her somber expression, he hesitated and swallowed back the question.
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