I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 44: Chapter 42: Talent Grab

After the meal, Zhuang Yanzheng led them to the conference room.

Su Miaoyi and Yan Cheng went to the autopsy center.

She wanted to see if she could glean anything more from the body.

But she didn’t see anything new.

The victim’s family had been contacted and were on their way back from out of town.

They would definitely want to see the body.

So, Yan Cheng did his best to make the decomposed face look a little better.

Although it wouldn’t be much comfort to the family, it was all he could do.

Su Miaoyi stood quietly by his side.

Yan Cheng didn’t ask if she was scared or felt faint at the sight of blood.

So, she didn’t have any reaction.

Yan Cheng even asked her a few questions, all of which she answered very well.

He felt she had the makings of a forensic doctor.

When everything was done, the two of them went to the forensic doctor’s office.

After sitting down, Yan Cheng asked, ”Have you considered becoming a forensic doctor?”

”Huh?” Su Miaoyi was taken aback for a moment.

Yan Cheng asked, ”Aren’t you looking for a job?”

”But I get faint at the sight of blood,” Su Miaoyi said.

”You don’t get faint if no one reminds you,” Yan Cheng said, looking at her.

Su Miaoyi shook her head. ”I can’t do this job. I only have theoretical knowledge, no practical experience.”

After saying that, she added, ”Actually, I don’t have theoretical knowledge either.”

’Those things just suddenly popped into my head. I don’t really know anything at all.’

”You can learn the practical skills,” Yan Cheng said. ”Besides, you’re very brave. I think you have a real talent for this.”

Su Miaoyi still shook her head. ”This isn’t my area of expertise.”

Yan Cheng looked at her.

”Thank you for your kind offer, Forensic Doctor Yan,” Su Miaoyi said.

Yan Cheng looked at her for a few more seconds, then said with a straight face, ”I’m going to bring this up again in a few days.”

Su Miaoyi: ”?”

Yan Cheng said, ”I won’t let you get away.”

Su Miaoyi: ”???”

A short while later, Zhuang Yanzheng came over after his meeting.

”Any new discoveries?” Zhuang Yanzheng grabbed a bottle of water, pulled up a chair next to them, and placed the file he was holding on the table.

Su Miaoyi glanced sideways at the file. ”No, I didn’t see anything.”

Turns out the cover was a blank sheet of paper, so she saw nothing at all.

After finishing his water, Zhuang Yanzheng pushed the file toward her. ”Information on the victim and the killer.”

Su Miaoyi looked at him, then flipped open the cover.

She quickly scanned through the key information.

Victim: Xiang Sisi, female, 28 years old, a Jinghai local. Her parents are migrant workers, so she spent a lot of time at home by herself. Occupation: programmer.

There was also a photo of the victim.

And more detailed information.

Killer: Liu Fan, male, 33 years old, a Jinghai local. He attended university and graduate school in Luo City. After graduating, he worked at a private hospital in Luo City before returning to Jinghai three years ago to open a hot pot restaurant.

He visited Xian City a year ago.

The timing matched up with a previous case.

His family home is on the border between the old and new districts.

The hot pot restaurant is also nearby.

”We’ve already searched the victim’s home and only found a small amount of blood. No trace of the killer,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”The killer studied medicine for eight years and worked in a hospital. We also went to his hot pot restaurant. The staff said Liu Fan personally prepares many of the ingredients, especially the meat. He likes to buy fresh meat and debone it himself. He has extensive experience in both anatomy and counter-surveillance.”

”Does he live with his parents?” Su Miaoyi had only seen Liu Fan’s parents’ address in the file.

”He rents a place,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”His parents said he hasn’t been back in over two months. Even though the restaurant is close to his parents’ house, he rarely goes back. Sometimes he won’t visit for half a year.”

”Are they on bad terms?” Yan Cheng asked.

”His parents said they scrimped and saved to put him through college, raised him to be an adult, and in the end, they raised an ungrateful wretch who doesn’t even come home. When he calls, he’s always short-tempered and sounds impatient,” Zhuang Yanzheng said, repeating what Liu Fan’s parents had told him.

Neither Yan Cheng nor Su Miaoyi commented.

”We also checked out the apartment Liu Fan rents,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”It looks like he hasn’t been back in a few days, and he left in a hurry.”

”Did he run because he got home and realized he’d lost a cufflink?” Su Miaoyi asked.

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded. ”Very likely. Customer information for big brands like that is too easy to look up.”

”It’s been so many days. Could he have already left Jinghai?” Su Miaoyi asked.

”Anything’s possible. His counter-surveillance skills are too strong, so we have to consider all possibilities,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”We’re still investigating. We’ve also contacted the police in Luo City and Xian City.”

”What about the killer’s love life?” Su Miaoyi asked, looking at the several cases in the file.

”Currently single,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”Liu Fan’s parents said he dated someone many years ago, probably while he was in school, but they don’t know why they broke up. He gets agitated whenever his family asks. So his parents don’t know the reason for the breakup.”

Su Miaoyi said nothing more. After a moment, she took off the hat she’d been wearing and smoothed her hair back.

The hat had been pressing her hair forward, making her forehead a bit itchy.

Zhuang Yanzheng saw the wound on her forehead. ”Whoa, looks like you’ve opened your third eye.”

Su Miaoyi touched the wound on her forehead and glared at him.

Zhuang Yanzheng chuckled. ”How’d you get that?”

”Hit a tree before I jumped in the river,” Su Miaoyi said.

Zhuang Yanzheng’s brow furrowed slightly.

”I have some medicine for that. It works really well. Take some with you later,” Yan Cheng said.

”Forensic Doctor Yan is so much nicer,” Su Miaoyi muttered under her breath.

Zhuang Yanzheng snorted softly. After a moment, he said, ”How would you like to come work for the Criminal Investigation Division?”

Su Miaoyi heard him, but she was looking at the file and didn’t register it at first.

Yan Cheng looked at Zhuang Yanzheng.

Zhuang Yanzheng waited a moment.

Su Miaoyi finally processed it and looked at him. ”What?”

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t say anything.

Su Miaoyi pointed to herself. ”Me?”

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded.

”In what capacity would I be working?” Su Miaoyi asked.

Yan Cheng watched her.

She was clearly more interested in criminal investigation than in forensics.

”To join the police force through special recruitment, you’d need to take an exam,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”And my application for that would take time. You could start as a consultant.”

Even getting approval for the consultant position had required Zhuang Yanzheng to submit several reports to the chief.

”So, would I have to work regular office hours?” Su Miaoyi asked.

”You can if you want,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”We can set you up with a desk.”

Su Miaoyi considered it.

”It pays,” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi’s eyes lit up.

Zhuang Yanzheng pulled out the contract that was underneath the file, which she hadn’t gotten to yet.

”It’s the contract. You can take it home and look it over,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”You have time to think about it.”

”You already have the contract drawn up?” Su Miaoyi opened it.

Yan Cheng said, ”The forensic center pays a salary too, and the benefits are excellent.”

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at him. ”What do you think you’re doing? Trying to poach her right in front of me?”

”I’m just offering some fair competition,” Yan Cheng said.

”Fair competition? Fine,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”We don’t have to dissect bodies in the Criminal Investigation Division. We don’t have to eat while looking at internal organs.”

”We don’t have to be on the dangerous front lines,” Yan Cheng retorted.

”We don’t have to dissect bloated corpses,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”We won’t get teary-eyed from the stench of highly decomposed organs.”

”We don’t have to fight with criminals,” Yan Cheng said. ”Or chase fugitives.”

Zhuang Yanzheng rolled up his sleeves. ”We in the Criminal Investigation Division survive on five-yuan instant noodles.”

”The forensic center serves three dishes and a soup,” Yan Cheng said.

Listening to their argument, Su Miaoyi slowly scooted her chair back, then got up and walked toward the door.

Just as she reached the doorway, Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng both shouted in unison, ”Stop.”

One voice was brash and forceful.

The other was icy and stern.

Su Miaoyi paused for a second, then stepped out the door without turning her head.

’Stop?’

’No way!’