RTEW Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A brief uproar

Yun Xiaoxiao stood on the ladder, shining her flashlight at the air vent. “Captain, are you sure I can crawl in there?”

“Give it a try,” He Wei said, holding the ladder steady. “Our abilities are limited. We wouldn’t have troubled you if any of us could actually fit inside.”

Yun Xiaoxiao was 165 cm tall and weighed barely over 80 jin (40 kg). She had a small frame and petite hands and feet, making her the only candidate on the team who could enter this air vent. She tied her ponytail into a bun, gripped the flashlight tightly, and carefully stepped onto the top of the window frame. She was about to stick her foot in first but felt something wasn’t right. “Captain, how should I go in? Head first or feet first?”

He Wei stroked his chin, mentally simulating the suspect’s vanishing act. If they grabbed the top of the window frame with both hands and leaped into the vent like in a movie, that would be a head-first, feet-last posture. It would also prove the person was highly flexible and had some martial arts foundation. But if they went in head first, it would be much more difficult, and they wouldn’t be able to do it so nimbly, squeezing into the vent in just a few seconds.

“Most likely, they went in feet first. But since we need to collect evidence, that posture isn’t convenient. Just crawl in straight ahead.”

“Alrighty,” Yun Xiaoxiao said and immediately started crawling. Although she looked frail as if a breeze could blow her over, she was clean and decisive in her actions and could endure however tiring or difficult working a field scene might be. That was precisely why she was able to stay on the front lines so long; otherwise, a delicate beauty like her would have submitted a report to transfer to desk duty long ago.

The two tech team colleagues were incredibly nervous, terrified that this bright sunflower of their criminal investigation team would fall. He Wei smiled, “You guys keep doing your thing. I’m watching Xiaoxiao. Make sure to check the area around the window frame and the louvered cover carefully.”

Yun Xiaoxiao rested her elbows on the air vent and used all her strength to crawl inside. He Wei supported her legs to give her a boost, and relying on the leverage, Yun Xiaoxiao finally got half her body inside, breaking out in a sweat.

“Captain, it’s very narrow in here. I feel like anyone who could get in must have a smaller build than me.” Yun Xiaoxiao’s shoulders were pressed against the top wall of the ventilation duct. It was a struggle even to shine the flashlight, so she could only search as best as she could. He Wei’s arms wrapped around her legs to protect her and prevent her from falling.

“The dust inside also has wipe marks. About half a meter in front of me… the suspect must have crawled entirely inside. There are so many dead bugs here, and cockroaches! So disgusting… Oh, this!”

Yun Xiaoxiao’s tone suddenly changed. She kicked her legs twice, crawling a bit further inside. Rustling noises echoed from within the duct. Slowly, she crawled back out. Her fair face was now smudged like a little dirty cat, and she shook the bag in her hand: “Biological evidence!”

He Wei smiled and safely helped her back to the ground. “Good work. Hurry and go wash your face.”

———

By the time evidence collection and statements were completely finished, it was past midnight, and He Wei’s team finally wrapped up and headed back. Yun Xiaoxiao yawned: “Captain, are we going straight back to the bureau, or…?”

He Wei raised his wrist to check his watch: “It’s 4:00 AM now. You all can go back and rest for a few hours.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Yun Xiaoxiao rubbed her cheeks. “I’ve been pulling all-nighters for a whole month. I’m going to turn into an old, haggard woman before I even get married.”

“Only you little girls care about that. Look at Lan-jie from our Shengzhou Municipal Bureau’s Forensics Department; she’s still fighting hard on the autopsy table right now,” Chong Zhen said.

Hu Songkai sneered: “Xiao-mei and Lan-jie have different goals. Lan-jie doesn’t need a man. You’d better just give up on that idea.”

Those words struck Chong Zhen’s sore spot. He had been pursuing Du Ruanlan for years, only to be mercilessly rejected by the cold-faced beauty every time. It wasn’t because she minded that he was two years younger, nor was it because she disliked his ruggedness and unkempt appearance. It was because Du Ruanlan had explicitly stated—she didn’t need a man, she didn’t need romance. In the future, she would select a high-quality sample from a sperm bank and raise an heir to her forensic career.

Since she had put it that bluntly, what else could Chong Zhen do? He could only silently bury his affection in his heart. The matter was never brought up again, and they continued working on cases together just as they had before.

Yun Xiaoxiao stretched her arms. “I need to take good care of my skin these next two days. I’m going to a tour concert this weekend to see a huge hunk!”

“Concert? Whose?”

“Cheng Zesheng! That pianist who’s always trending lately!”

As an anime nerd, Xia Liang didn’t understand any of this. He curiously asked how much the tickets cost. When Yun Xiaoxiao threw out a number, he exclaimed in shock: “That expensive?! If you want to look at a handsome guy, don’t we have one right here on the team? Captain He is the number one face of our municipal bureau! You can look at him all you want, why waste that money?”

Chong Zhen chimed in: “Kid, how could you leave me out? Your older brother here is the Andy Lau of the Shengzhou Municipal Bureau!”

Hu Songkai raised his hand: “And me! The Jacky Cheung of the Shengzhou Municipal Bureau!”

He Wei was resting with his eyes closed, too lazy to join their banter. Listening to their noisy chatter, his tense nerves gradually relaxed.

He had gone straight to the crime scene from his home today. After wrapping up, he was heading straight to the dormitories at the bureau. Xia Liang and Chong Zhen were on the same route, especially Chong Zhen—the two lived on the same floor, practically like neighbors.

Chong Zhen and He Wei had been transferred to the municipal bureau at the same time and had worked together for five years. Being around the same age, they had grown from young men in their twenties to established men in their thirties, knowing each other inside and out. Seeing that Chong Zhen had uncharacteristically quieted down, He Wei figured he was stressing over Du Ruanlan. He nudged him with his elbow: “If it’s not meant to be, don’t force it. Someday I’ll have my younger brother introduce you to a few. There are plenty of beauties at his company.”

Chong Zhen was taken aback. “Drop it, your brother introducing me? Your brother is gay! His taste is completely different from us straight men.”

“His taste is definitely better than yours, as a straight man. I guarantee it.”

Chong Zhen fished a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, shook one loose, and handed it over. He Wei looked down and saw the tobacco spilling out. “Picked this up off the street? Look at how crumpled it is.”

“You have the nerve to say that? Weren’t you the one who made me and Er-hu play Spider-Man? I had these in my pants pocket. By the time I took the safety harness off, they ended up like this.”

“Did you find anything?” He Wei smoothed out the cigarette and lit it.

Chong Zhen waved his hand. “It’s break time right now. We’ll talk about the case when the sun comes up and we’re back at the bureau. Besides investigating cases, can you have some other hobbies? No wonder you look like that but still don’t have a partner.”

He Wei smiled faintly. He had only taken a few drags of his cigarette when he arrived at the door of his dorm. Chong Zhen kept his cigarette in his mouth, hands shoved in his pockets. “Didn’t Old Zheng say he was going to give you a new dorm after your promotion? Why hasn’t there been any movement until now? Want me to go hurry him up?”

The “Old Zheng” he referred to was Zheng Furui, the Chief of the Shengzhou Municipal Bureau. The old captain of the criminal investigation detachment had just taken early retirement this year, so Chief Zheng promoted He Wei and voluntarily offered to switch his dormitory. The bureau had plans for new dormitories a couple of years ago, built like trendy modern studio apartments, and they had already arranged one for him.

That was what was said, anyway, but there had been no subsequent movement. In the blink of an eye, three months had passed, and he still wasn’t living in the small apartment. He Wei wasn’t in a hurry. He didn’t care at all; to him, it was just a place to sleep. The new dorms were some distance from the bureau, and traveling back and forth would only delay his case work.

“What’s there to rush? It’s not like you’re the one moving, why are you so enthusiastic?” He Wei opened his door. “See you tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.”

Inside this fifteen-square-meter dorm room, everything was arranged with extreme precision. The only large pieces of furniture were a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. The bedsheets were entirely free of wrinkles, the blanket folded as neatly as a block of tofu, and the color scheme was a monotonous black and white. The entire room, from the windowsill to the floor, was spotless—so clean it felt almost devoid of life.

Chong Zhen peeked his head in and shook his head. “Still the same old look. How does this look anything like a single man’s place? Being a neat freak is an illness; it needs to be cured.”

He Wei couldn’t help but laugh or cry, telling him to scramble back to his own doghouse. Tossing socks on the floor for days and forgetting to wash them was what a real illness looked like, yet he had the nerve to sound so righteous.

Closing the door, He Wei went to take a shower. When he came out fifteen minutes later, the sky was already turning a hazy grey with dawn.

Well, there’s no point in sleeping now. He Wei pulled out the statement Yun Xiaoxiao had taken and began reading it carefully.

———

By eight o’clock in the morning, the municipal bureau was already bustling with activity. Carrying the steamed buns and soy milk he had bought from the cafeteria, He Wei was greeted by colleagues passing by with “Morning, Captain He” and “Hello, Captain He.” He ran into Heng Luzhou, the second-in-command of the Anti-Narcotics squad, who was hurriedly leading his team outside, clearly heading out on a mission.

“Leaving so early?” He Wei asked.

Heng Luzhou rushed over while throwing on his jacket: “You bet! We got reliable intel that the ‘Leopard’ has come out of the mountains! I’ve been hunting him for over two years; this time I’m absolutely catching him with my own two hands!”

He Wei told him to take care and wished his brother a successful mission. He had just stuck the straw into his soy milk when Heng Luzhou blew past him like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye, the steamed buns and soy milk in He Wei’s hands were gone.

“Haven’t had breakfast yet. How can I have the strength to fight drug dealers?!” Heng Luzhou took a bite of a bun and waved at He Wei. “Thanks, A-Wei! I’ll treat you to a meal later!”

“…” He Wei looked at his empty hands, then at the doorway, but the robbery suspect had already vanished without a trace. He muttered to himself, “How many times has he robbed me now? If you say you’re going to treat me, you actually have to do it.”

He walked into the large open office empty-handed. Everyone was busy with their tasks. Xia Liang was eating a scallion pancake while reviewing surveillance footage. Looking up and seeing his captain staring at him, he quickly shoved the pancake into his drawer. “I promise I’m watching the footage seriously, Captain He, rest assured!”

He Wei had absolutely no intention of stopping him from eating breakfast; he was merely contemplating whether he should go buy another portion. Right then, a carton of yogurt was held out in front of him. He Wei looked up to see the owner of the fair wrist smiling at him, her eyes crinkled. “I witnessed Brother Heng’s robbery at the door just now. Here, for you.”

“Thank you,” He Wei cast his eyes down at it—mango chunks yogurt—and didn’t reach out to take it. “I’m allergic to mangoes.”

“You’re allergic to mangoes too?” Zheng Youqing asked in surprise. “Captain He, do you just have an allergic constitution? Last time I brought you lychees and pineapples, you couldn’t eat those either.”

He Wei nodded. He was naturally prone to allergies to many foods. Sometimes it manifested on his skin as hives; other times, it affected him internally, causing throat swelling and difficulty breathing. Seafood, in particular, was the most severe—he couldn’t touch it at all. This was perhaps part of the reason for his cold and detached personality. “Food is the first necessity of the people,” but heaven had restricted his mouth. With so many things he couldn’t eat, he couldn’t even satisfy basic appetite, making his desires for other things even fainter.

Zheng Youqing went back to her seat and pulled a box of strawberries from her drawer. “You can eat these, right?”

Inside the clear plastic box were bright, luscious cream strawberries. He Wei took one and popped it into his mouth. “Are all the trace examination reports out?”

“Some of them are out. Just as we were about to wrap up last night, Lan-jie had Luo Ying bring more things over, so a few of the appraisal results aren’t out yet.”

He Wei put the lid back on the strawberries, returned them to Zheng Youqing, and asked Yun Xiaoxiao to call the Forensics Department on the internal line for an immediate meeting.

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