At night, the hungry Captain Chu drove the car all the way to the crime scene - a bungalow in a rural suburb.
It was said that at this point, most people were asleep, but when the police arrived, the corner at the door was surrounded by people, and a bunch of villagers were watching the fun with flashlights.
"Captain Chu, here we come." A big face greeted him.
"Why are there so many people?" Chu Wuzheng said and glanced outside.
"The person who reported the crime was the landlord of this house. She lives next door. She saw the house with the lights on at night and came to take a look. As soon as she entered the yard, she got frightened and screamed, causing all the neighbors to wake up."
After all, all the neighbors in rural areas know each other, and one shout can bring up several families.
Seeing that this attracted onlookers, Chu Wuzheng became even more worried and quickly called a police officer to ask him to pull the cordon farther away.
"Captain Chu, he's not inside."
The big face stopped Chu Wuzheng who was about to enter the house.
"Here." He pointed to the location next to the house.
Chu Wuzheng followed him and walked over.
There is a piece of land there. According to the landlady, she used to grow some vegetables here, but then the house was rented out and the place became deserted.
The soil is very soft, and there are excavated soil clods on the surrounding cement ground. It is obvious that someone has loosened it recently.
There were several lighting lamps set up around the perimeter of the land, illuminating this small area like a booth.
There is nothing in the ground, only a few scattered weeds on the dark brown soil, which are very conspicuous when illuminated by bright light.
Also, she is a woman.
A woman stuck in a pit, buried up to her waist.
The soil that came out was piled up around her. There was a lot of water in the mud. Due to the freezing weather, it was as hard as a wall, and she stood upright there.
The woman's head was lowered, and her long hair fell covering her face.
Chu Wuzheng looked at the scene in front of him with a serious look on his face.
"The deceased woman was 25 years old and died within two hours." The forensic doctor said after placing the body on the cement floor for inspection. "There was a rope groove on the neck of the deceased. It is initially determined that the cause of death was strangulation."
"There are obvious signs of being slapped on the face of the corpse, and there are also some injuries on the body. It needs to be taken back for further examination."
"Where's Kerong?" Chu Wu Zheng asked.
"Chief Chen is off today." A forensic doctor answered.
Chu Wuzheng said "Oh" and glanced at the place where the body was just now.
At this time, there was a big pit with a circle of soil surrounding it. It looked like it must have taken a lot of effort to dig it.
This is no ordinary killing.
The way the body was disposed of was enough to prove that the murderer was not only satisfied with the blood after violence, but what was more important to him was seeing the appearance of the deceased after being played with.
It's true that it looks like a booth there.
For the murderer, this exhibition experience must be perfect.
When he returned to the police station, Chu Wuzheng discovered that Shen Shiyu had called him twice, half an hour apart.
He tried to call back and was quickly connected.
"You haven't slept yet?" He was quite surprised.
"I have something to ask you." Shen Shiyu said.
"What's the matter?" Chu Wuzheng yawned.
He raised his hand to turn off the light in the office and prepared to go back to the dormitory.
Shen Shiyu paused for a few seconds. "Do you have anything to do during the weekend tomorrow? I'd like to treat you to dinner."
"tomorrow?"
He has a lot of things.
Chu Wuzheng rubbed his hair, it was really not easy to wait for her to wake up, but it was a pity that he didn't have the appetite now.
Shen Shiyu understood the meaning of his silence.
"If not tomorrow, what about the day after tomorrow?" she asked again.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Chu Wuzheng smiled. "Can I still run away?"
"Stop talking nonsense." Shen Shiyu was not in the mood to joke with him.
When it comes to when he is free, Chu Wuzheng is also bored because he is so busy with this case.
But then he thought about it and realized that he still had matters to do with his consultant, so he told her, "You can come to the bureau tomorrow. I just have something to ask you for."
Chu Wuzheng returned to the dormitory and smoked three cigarettes in a row, which was probably enough for this month.
I had no choice but to turn off the lights, lie down on the bed, and count sheep at the ceiling.
In fact, it was true that he was tired, but it was also true that he couldn't sleep. After all, there were too many things on his mind that he couldn't help but think about.
This case is too difficult. Now the murderer's modus operandi has been upgraded once again, and there are so many more onlookers. With the pressure coming from above again, Chu Wuzheng gets a headache just thinking about it.
He opened the bedside drawer and took out sleeping pills.
Ever since he suffered from insomnia, he kept this medicine at home and in his dormitory.
Looking at the medicine bottle, Chu Wuzheng remembered the time when Shen Shiyu had just left.
In fact, he didn't feel much at that time. He ate well and slept soundly, just like a normal person.
But one year passed, two years passed, and three years passed. He didn't know when he started to feel scared.
The fear came quickly and fiercely, and for a period of time, it swept over him crazily regardless of time and place, as if it wanted his life.
It was like waking up suddenly, and he realized that he seemed to have entered a bottomless pit. Everything was invisible and intangible, only darkness and coldness.
He stayed inside alone, sleepless and restless, tirelessly warming his gradually cold heart.
...It was a really unbearable time to look back.
But these have been exchanged for today's good fortune.
Fortunately, she is back.
No matter how many years passed before him, he would still have a Shen Shiyu for the rest of his life, a complete Shen Shiyu, his baby.
He is satisfied.
Chu Wuzheng took two sleeping pills and managed to sleep for one night. It was not so easy for Shen Shiyu here.
Seeing that it was already early in the morning, she was still staring at a pile of barbecue picks next to the sofa in a daze.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Lan Youyin looked at her sideways while lying on the sofa.
"It's not because of you!" Shen Shiyu said angrily. "I'm almost bored to death! How can I still sleep?"
"I'm not trying to scare you. It's hard to be a stepmother." Lan Youyin took a sip of beer and continued to speak earnestly. "And she is a girl. She will definitely lose her temper when she reaches puberty. You are not her biological mother, so you can't beat or scold her. What should I do when the time comes?"
"Moreover, didn't you say that there are traces of the mistress in his home? I advise you to first ask if he still has that woman in his heart... If he will always leave a place for her in his heart, even so, you can Doesn’t matter?”
"Children are a bond that will keep two people connected for the rest of their lives."
These words kept ringing in Shen Shiyu's ears until almost dawn.
Lying on the bed, she kept describing Chu Wuzheng's appearance in her mind, his face, his hair, and his body.
For such a long time, she had restrained herself from thinking about it and forced herself to distance herself from past memories.
But today, she finally knew that she still had the right to miss that man, and she could still love him openly.
At that moment, she seemed to see herself teetering on the edge of the cliff, grabbing a strong rope, and then showing an extremely happy smile.
But Lan Youyin's words really poured cold water on her.
But what made her even more sad was that she had to admit that he was right.
The reason in Shen Shiyu's brain kept reminding her to think more about the future and not to act impulsively.
But the deepest part of her heart wanted her to rush over and tell Chu Wuzheng how much she had missed him in the past few years.
The intertwining of rationality and sensibility almost split her in half, and Shen Shiyu couldn't sleep.