Chapter 145: Chapter 144: Sorry_1
Chen Chunxi nodded, seemingly oblivious to Xu Dayuan’s movements, continuing to explain at the same speed and tone:
"Yes, the project I’m in charge of is in Jingkou District. The construction line is quite long, stretching along Jiulongshan Road, Xingangshan Road, Lijiang East Road, and Changjiang Third Road. It’s a sewage pipeline laying project. There are three of us from our unit working on the entire line. I’m the chief person in charge; one is responsible for technical issues, and the other is in charge of scheduling."
Zhou Ning frowned slightly. When they had gone to Jingkou District, they had not chosen to take the tunnel because of a car accident. Additionally, an announcement a few days earlier mentioned that the tunnel was subject to traffic control because at the entrance in Dongtai District, an overpass was being built, and the traffic jam there was horrendous.
If Chen Chunxi, who frequently traveled to Jingkou District, knew more about the progress of the construction, he would know when it was possible to pass and when traffic was not restricted.
Thinking of this, Zhou Ning picked up his inspection box to leave, and Bai Ruixin hurriedly asked:
"Doctor Zhou, aren’t you going to wait for Mr. Xu to finish his questioning?"
"Have someone take me to see Chen Chunxi’s car. You know which one it is, right? I want to have a look. Also, ask Xu Da to stall for some time. I’ll be over after I’ve checked."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruixin quickly went out the door and called over a young police officer, instructed him briefly, and led Zhou Ning out of the monitoring room.
At this moment, Xu Dayuan next door asked the very question Zhou Ning had been thinking about.
"It’s not easy to travel that far back and forth. Do you usually take the underwater tunnel?"
Chen Chunxi shook his head.
"Unless there’s an urgent matter, I don’t take the tunnel. Our unit only provides a fuel subsidy, and it costs 30 yuan to cross the underwater tunnel once, which is not reimbursed. Besides, it’s been too congested there lately. Waiting takes too long, so it’s better to take the Huanwan Expressway."
"What time did you get to the construction site yesterday? Is there anyone who can prove it?"
"After taking Xiao Jing to the hospital, I went straight to Jingkou District. I got to the site around nine or a little after nine. Mr. Wang saw me getting off the car and even asked me why I was late. We chatted for a bit. As for the other workers on site, they pretty much all saw me. I can give you their phone numbers for you to verify."
As he spoke, Chen Chunxi opened his phone, found his contacts, and held it up. Xu Dayuan’s secretary stepped forward to take notes, but Xu Dayuan kept staring at Chen Chunxi and continued questioning:
"Are you single or divorced?"
Chen Chunxi pursed his lips tightly and paused before replying.
"I had a girlfriend I dated for ten years. We were preparing for our wedding when she suddenly died in a car accident. I was devastated, and at the time, I thought about not finding another and so delayed for a few years. Xiao Jing looks a lot like her, so..."
Xu Dayuan had a realization; the explanation seemed flawless.
A ten-year relationship gone in an instant, nobody could let go of that. But if one meets someone who resembles the lost love, even if that person is older or has a child, what of it? The word ’similar’ could perfectly accommodate all the incompatibility.
"Alright, we’ve basically got the information we need. Thank you for your cooperation. If we need further assistance with the investigation, we’ll call you right away."
Bai Ruixin saw that the questioning was over and felt anxious. If Chen Chunxi left, Doctor Zhou, who had just gone up, wouldn’t have completed his check. Chen Chunxi hadn’t been listed as a suspect; they didn’t have a search warrant, which was all against protocol. If this blew up, Doctor Zhou could at least get a reprimand.
He looked around and noticed a thermos in the observation room. He opened it to check—there was water inside, but it was not very hot anymore.
He picked up the thermos and hurriedly dashed outside, just as Xu Dayuan came out of the room, followed by Chen Chunxi. Bai Ruixin closed his eyes and deliberately smashed the thermos on the ground.
With a loud crash, the inner flask of the thermos shattered, scattering water and glass shards everywhere. However, Bai Ruixin’s aim was good; most of the water splashed onto Chen Chunxi’s pants. The light blue jeans instantly looked as if they were soaked in urine, with the crotch and the inner sides of both legs completely drenched, and water still dripping.
Everyone froze for a moment.
Bai Ruixin quickly pulled Chen Chunxi aside, ceaselessly striking his body and pants with the towel in his hand while incessantly apologizing.
"I’m so sorry, I didn’t see anyone coming out. My hand slipped, and now the thermos is broken. It’s a good thing the water wasn’t from today, otherwise it could have burned you. Don’t move around, I’ll help wipe off your body to make sure there’s no glass in it. The inner wall is especially thin, so if a shard pricks you, you might not even feel it."
As he spoke, Bai Ruixin pulled up Chen Chunxi’s arm, asking him to turn to the side. It was then Bai Ruixin started winking frantically towards Xu Dayuan, also making hand gestures. Although Xu Dayuan did not know what the young man was plotting, he understood the action—he was doing it on purpose, seemingly stalling for time.
Xu Dayuan also approached and gave Bai Ruixin an earful.
"Do you have eyes on the back of your heels? Always so absent-minded. This water isn’t hot, but what if it were? Could’ve caused burns, right?"
Chen Chunxi kept waving his hands and even tried to calm the fuming Xu Dayuan.
"Officer, I’m fine!"
Bai Ruixin moved closer, a smile on his face, and glanced at Chen Chunxi’s pants.
"Never mind fine. You can’t go out looking like this. Come with me to the dorm; you and I seem about the same size. I have some pants you can wear. Don’t mind changing into them, please don’t refuse, I already feel bad enough as it is."
Seeing Bai Ruixin insisting, Chen Chunxi nodded with a smile, appearing very amiable.
"Alright, then I’ll trouble you."
As they spoke, the two headed upstairs. Xu Dayuan watched them leave and then raised an eyebrow to the person beside him.
"What’s Bai Ruixin up to?"
"I don’t know, but doesn’t it seem like Mr. Bai is doing it on purpose?"
Xu Dayuan of course knew he was doing it on purpose, but stopping Chen Chunxi certainly had a purpose, yet what could that be?
Suddenly, he thought of something and walked to the neighboring observation room. Not seeing Zhou Ning’s figure, he picked up the phone and dialed Zhou Ning’s number.
"Where are you?"
"Ah, I’m in the parking lot, has Chen Chunxi come out yet?"
"Bai Ruixin spilled water on him, he’s gone to change his pants. What are you up to?"
"I wanted to check out Chen Chunxi’s car, so I had Bai Ruixin hold him back. I’ve finished checking; you can let him out now."
Xu Dayuan was somewhat surprised, but having worked with Zhou Ning for so long, he knew him to be not someone who acted on whim; there must have been some discovery or suspicion.
Of course, there was one more reason Xu Dayuan kept Zhou Ning close.
As long as this man was by his side, luck seemed to be on their side even more than a mascot—complicated cases would be solved smoothly.
Just like the previous Red Dress Serial Murder case, which had kept the city bureau busy for over five years with provincial department collaboration and oversight by the Ministry of Public Security. They sifted through all the details time and again, yet they casually solved a case that brought the serial murders to light, with evidence so solid it was nearly used as teaching material.
Since then, not to mention taking on big cases, even interrogations went smoother when Zhou Ning was standing in the observatory. But that was something Xu Dayuan would never share with others—talk too much, and you’d end up getting your cornerstone poached, wouldn’t you?
"Don’t need to keep the car? Without the keys, you can’t see inside, right?"
Zhou Ning laughed.
"No need, I’m already back. Should I come straight to your office?"
"Yes."
After hanging up the phone, Xu Dayuan went straight back to his office. From the window, he could see Bai Ruixin sending the person off, and the car left, the driver still waving goodbye. Hearing footsteps behind, he turned around.
Zhou Ning put down his case and handed a camera to Xu Dayuan.
"I heard your conversation earlier and thought we should check Chen Chunxi’s car. However, this observation room doesn’t have a calling device, so I had Bai Ruixin stop him. Did I cause you any trouble?"
Xu Dayuan waved a hand dismissively.
"Tell me, what did you find?"
Zhou Ning found some photos and pointed them out to Xu Dayuan.
"I think we need to look into his relationship with Wang Wenjing more carefully. The car is covered in a lot of mud and has many scrapes, both new and old. You can tell it’s been used on construction sites for years. I’ve taken samples of these mud stains to compare with their construction sites.
But here’s something peculiar, look Xu Da, this looks like the paint has blistered and burst open, but underneath it seems to be a scratch, like it was made by a hard object. I’ve collected a sample and sprayed it with Luminol reagent, which revealed traces of blood that aren’t visible to the naked eye."
Xu Dayuan looked carefully and, indeed, beneath where the paint was damaged, there was a faint white scratch that seemed like it might have been rubbed against something. Since the underlying layer was brick red, it was hard to tell if there was any blood.
"Then let’s send it for testing. I’ll have someone look into this man thoroughly, but it’s not unusual for someone who works on a construction site to get injured. Seems we’ll have to check the inside of the vehicle later."
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I’ve already looked inside. He didn’t lock the car at all; the keys were left on the driver’s seat. Inside were blueprints and some files, various recorded booklets, and lots of tools in the trunk. I sprayed everything with Luminol, but there were no special findings."
Xu Dayuan sighed. Though the lab results hadn’t come back yet, this man’s suspicion had been further reduced. It seemed they were back to square one, having to look for clues from Sun Yannian and Wang Mengmeng again.
"Not finding anything is also a discovery, at least it rules out this person. Go ahead with the testing and comparison, and let me know the results as soon as you have them."
Zhou Ning stood up, picked up his case, and returned to the lab where Mr. Zhao greeted him.
"Why were you gone so long?"
Zhou Ning briefly explained what had just happened, then handed over a bunch of samples to Sun Gaotie.
"I’ve marked everything clearly; just send it straight to Mrs. Cui. As for the fingerprints, give them to Mr. Xia. Did you find anything here?"
