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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 9: The Deep Symbolic Mystery (Part Seven)
Someone called out to the smoky man, "Zheng Kai, someone is looking for you."
I locked onto my target; Zheng Kai was the deceased's husband. He wasn't handsome but had a certain charm. Dressed in a well-fitted suit, he appeared particularly spirited. From my perspective, he didn’t look like the husband of the deceased at all; rather, he seemed like an unrelated person here to help, as there was not a trace of sorrow on his face.
"Who is looking for me?"
Qin Jian was the kind of person who was serious to the core. No matter the situation or the person, he always wore a distant expression that seemed to repel others. "I am," he replied.
Upon seeing Qin Jian's stern demeanor and hearing his deep, authoritative response, Zheng Kai didn't dare to be dismissive. He quickly offered a cigarette and spoke in a flattering tone, "Are you from the bureau? Please, have a seat."
Then someone hurriedly brought over a Korean sofa and placed it behind Qin Jian. Another person brought me a chair, repeatedly saying, "Sit down; the chair is clean."
When Fat heard that someone had arrived, he glanced our way and swaggered over. With his pretentious air, even I felt compelled to lower my head—not out of respect but because I was searching for a brick to throw at him. I couldn't remember the name of that song, but it fit him perfectly.
He approached us with an air of authority, forced a smile, and greeted me and Qin Jian. "Qin, Brother Qi, you’re here."
Zheng Kai brightened up upon hearing that Fat knew us and said with a grin, "As long as you know each other, this will be easier. I’ve entrusted everything regarding this matter to Teacher Zhu. Since you all know each other, I won’t need to introduce anyone." His words implied that he knew us first and then got acquainted with Fat because of this incident at home. He felt that all difficulties were easily resolved due to these connections.
Then we got straight to the point.
Qin Jian didn’t wait for Zheng Kai to speak and took the initiative: "We are here to ask about your wife. This matter can only be discussed privately with you; I hope there are no unrelated people present." Upon hearing this from Qin Jian, Fat's face flushed red. He chuckled awkwardly and wisely stepped away.
The remaining unrelated individuals also began to leave slowly.
Even so, Qin Jian was still not satisfied with the situation and insisted, "Let’s talk in your room!"
"You are from the bureau; have you found any clues? Who killed my wife? I swear I will tear them apart!" His words came out with fervor as if he wanted to eliminate any suspicion against himself while vowing revenge on the murderer—he really was quite dramatic.
Qin Jian ignored Zheng Kai's outburst, his gaze sharp as knives cutting into Zheng Kai's face. Perhaps someone couldn’t withstand such direct scrutiny; he deliberately turned away and stood up, pointing towards the unit door. "Let’s go; we’ll talk at my place."
Zheng Kai led the way, followed by Qin Jian in second place, with me trailing behind.
Fat stood in a corner of the Shed, calling out to me in a loud voice, "Brother Qi, Brother Qi." He waved his hand as if he had something particularly important to say.
I turned to Qin Jian and said, "You go ahead; Fat seems to need to talk to me."
Qin Jian quickly glanced at the awkwardly smiling Fat and nodded in agreement. He then added, "Come up quickly; I want you to check the deceased's bedroom."
"Okay," I replied, turning toward Fat. Had he recently struck it rich? His hair was slicked back, and he wore a suit and tie—what was going on? Even when he first met Peng Yan, he hadn't dressed this formally. Here he was, handling someone else's affairs while dressed like a best man.
I looked down on Fat's sycophantic behavior and couldn't be bothered to look at him. With my hands in my pockets, I asked casually, "What is it?"
"Brother Qi, there's a reward for reporting something, right?"
Had the station started offering rewards for tips? I didn't think so! I hadn't heard Qin Jian mention anything about it. Besides, the deceased, Bao Hui, had just died; there were no clues yet, so it wasn't a cold case that warranted any reward for information.
I wanted to tell him he must be crazy for thinking about money like that, but instead, I held back and asked, "Did you discover something? You can tell me."
"Hey, Brother Qi, you know how it is—only important clues can solve cases. If I give you this information, will you give me a little reward?" Fat scratched his chin and glanced around sneakily before mimicking counting money with his hands.
"I'm just a friend of Qin Jian; I'm here without a job. You think I'm some rich tycoon?"
Hearing this, Fat looked visibly disappointed and let out an "oh." But soon his expression brightened again as he said, "So then, my grandfather's deal with the station hasn't been canceled? I can still take jobs?"
"Sure, as long as you're willing. It all depends on your performance," I hinted at him to share what he knew so that I could speak well of him in front of Qin Jian.
"Hey, Brother Qi, don't forget what I said in front of Qin Jian—your one word is worth more than ten of mine. If this works out, I'll tell you what I know."
"Alright," I said reluctantly as I wanted to leave Fat behind.
"Brother Qi, listen to this: Bao Hui's death is quite tragic. From what I've observed, her death has nothing to do with her husband but is related to a man she was involved with outside."
I hadn't considered that Bao Hui might have had an affair. Intrigued by Fat's revelation, I pressed further, "How do you know?"
"Think about it, Bao Hui has been married for so many years without having children, yet there are several records of abortions. Someone saw a tall, handsome man visiting her the night before the incident, and they were whispering to each other, exchanging glances. I believe Bao Hui is a femme fatale who has willingly fallen into depravity, and tragically died in such a filthy place."
On the night of the incident, I actually went to Bao Hui's stall to buy fruit. Could this man be me?
Thinking this way, I kept to myself the fact that I had bought fruit from someone who had passed away long ago. I didn't want Fat to know too much about Qin Jian. In Fat's mind, Qin Jian was quite mysterious and exuded an aura that ordinary people lacked, like an imposing statue that demanded respect.
In a word, he was just like my master.
"That's fine; let's leave it at that. I need to see what Qin Jian is up to."
"Okay." Fat nodded and watched me enter the building before leaving in frustration. It was only natural for him to doubt my words; anyone with a brain could observe that Qin Jian and I were not just out for fun.
Moreover, Fat was aware of Qin Jian's rare bold move when he pulled out a contract and asked me to sign it—black and white on paper with a big red stamp. He didn't believe I was just hanging out with Qin Jian and was half-skeptical of my words. This made it clear that Fat wasn't stupid; he just didn't like using his brain.
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