Street Hustler and His Policewoman Wife

Chapter 520: Chapter 520: This Is the Real Contest!

Zhang Xian suddenly understood.

He understood Chen Xiao’s strange behavior.

And he also understood the reason behind Zuo Shu’s battle of wits with Chen Xiao.

As a former police officer, and a very competent detective,

he must be very confident in his domain.

Self-confidence can often lead to the pitfall of blind arrogance!

The real meeting where Zuo Shu and Chen Xiao sat at the same table was when the Luming Ridge case was discussed in Shencheng City.

At that time, Chen Xiao was nearly entirely confident he would secure the Yang Lake plot.

Yet despite this, the proud Zuo Shu still felt he had the grounds to negotiate with Chen Xiao.

Ultimately, Chen Xiao gave him no face at all.

Would Zuo Shu be convinced internally?

Certainly not!

But he likely learned about Chen Xiao’s case-solving history.

So when Zuo Shu lost the business competition to Chen Xiao, did he then decide to compete again with Chen Xiao in the field of crime investigation?

Something must have happened to him!

That event made him ready to face death.

But before facing death, as Chen Xiao said, Zuo Shu certainly started a battle of wits between them.

The information about the "Ten Demon Sons," seemingly unrelated to the case, appeared in Qingxi, which is evidence!

But besides hinting at a connection to Chen Yan...?

As Zhang Xian pondered, Chen Xiao suddenly spoke:

"Director Zhang, do you think Zuo Shu’s hints, besides pointing to Chen Yan, suggest anything else?"

Chen Xiao’s tone carried a certain intensity.

As Chen Xiao’s friend, Zhang Xian immediately felt confident inside.

He knew that every time Chen Xiao asked this way, it meant he was already onto something!

"What do you think it could be?"

"Lou Xiaodong!" Chen Xiao still spoke in a hushed voice, and after speaking, his face turned somewhat peculiar:

"That’s right. Why set this up specifically in Qingxi? The reason is simple. He knows that the Ten Demon Sons were given to me by Lou Xiaodong, so even if the setup in Qingxi seems awkward, he still chose that place to target me."

"Because there are two important people there, one is Lou Yang, who represents Chen Yan. The other is Lou Xiaodong, who represents... a former police officer!"

Upon hearing "a former police officer," Zhang Xian felt as if he was jolted!

"Yeah, Lou Xiaodong was also a police officer like him! But Lou Xiaodong was expelled from the police force after making a mistake, so in Qingxi, besides hinting at Chen Yan, the other hint could be... "

As Zhang Xian spoke, Chen Xiao interjected: "That event might very well be the reason Zuo Shu had to face death!"

Zhang Xian couldn’t stop nodding.

At this moment, he almost worshipped Chen Xiao’s thinking.

From the start, Zhang Xian knew this case would be extremely tricky.

Because they weren’t just dealing with a ruthless killer.

They were also dealing with Zuo Shu, a former police officer!

This combination raised the difficulty to a whole new level!

Considering Zuo Shu’s mentality, both Chen Xiao and Zhang Xian felt Zuo Shu’s hints wouldn’t be straightforward, not at all!

All his hints would silently awaken Chen Xiao!

But compared to Zhang Xian, Chen Xiao remained slightly more composed.

He wouldn’t cling to what Zuo Shu did; instead, he would deduce the best answers as quickly as possible.

"Elder Lou became responsible for a death during duty and left the police force."

"His story fills all who hear it with regret and an overwhelming sense of lament, despairing at the whims of fate. But now, we must face the facts."

"The fact is, Lou Xiaodong indeed killed a person! So, could the trigger that forces Zuo Shu to face death also be that he possibly killed someone too?"

"And this is a secret. Without exposure, he remains a once-excellent Shencheng City police officer! But if revealed, it would ruin any remnants of his influence in the police and collapse his image in Li Hai as the major boss!"

As Chen Xiao spoke, he then dismissed a suspicion he and Zhang Xian had discussed previously.

"Before, in our discussion, I didn’t explicitly say it, but I suspected Zuo Shu might have been brainwashed. However, since Qingxi has hints, is this the behavior of someone brainwashed?"

"No, so I probably guessed wrong then! Now, that suspicion should be corrected and refined. Whatever Zuo Shu did in Qingxi was not only to compete with me in crime investigation but also because, aside from being brainwashed, he might also be contending with whoever wanted to kill him!"

"And the outcome of our competition should be whether I can uncover that matter!"

"The key to uncovering that matter is to compare it with Lou Xiaodong!"

With that, Chen Xiao paused.

He had already picked up his phone to dial Hu Yue’s number.

The latter answered promptly, with a hint of ease in his tone:

"If you can call me, it means you’ve already solved your problem."

"Yes, I have no personal trouble, but the case is still unsolved," Chen Xiao clarified and then stated his purpose:

"I’m calling Captain Hu tonight to make a request."

"Alright, go ahead."

"I want to personally look at the files of the case where Elder Lou killed someone."

Hu Yue questioned: "Why does this suddenly involve my mentor?"

"It’s hard to explain over the phone, and time is tight now, Captain Hu... I need your help. Once everything’s done, I’ll explain the reasons to you."

Hu Yue hesitated a moment.

After all, Chen Xiao’s request wasn’t in accordance with the rules.

Unless the Dongzhou police liaised through official channels.

But doing so would waste a lot of time.

After thinking it over, Hu Yue agreed, possibly feeling this was somewhat unkind or for other reasons.

"Alright, I’ll handle it now and send you the electronic file later."

"Thank you!"

"You’re welcome, but I should clarify that when I found that information about you during the trial point, I was shocked. From a police perspective, I don’t think I’d be allowed to give it to your wife."

Chen Xiao chuckled: "I understand."

"Alright, let’s not dwell on it. Give me ten minutes."

"No problem."

The two resolved the matter quickly.

Chen Xiao hung up, silently reviewing all he knew about Lou Xiaodong.

But just then, the staff member Sister Yan had sent to contact a friend finally returned!