That night, Lü Qingqing couldn't sleep.
Tossing and turning in bed, Lü Qingqing found no rest. The creaking of the bed frame even woke up the soundly sleeping Duobao.
"Sis, what's wrong?" the little boy mumbled sleepily.
"It's nothing, just go back to sleep," Lü Qingqing replied softly.
She was worried about Hu Jia.
She knew Hu Jia would be sleepless again tonight.
Thinking of Hu Jia's state during the last zombie case made Lü Qingqing feel uneasy.
Lü Qingqing always believed that one shouldn't interfere with another's choices; it was a form of respect. But when she thought of Hu Jia not sleeping for days, in that instant, she felt Ouyang might be right.
Not letting Hu Jia be a police officer, not letting him get involved in cases, was the right thing to do!
What could she do to help him?
She couldn't possibly marry him, could she?
Besides, even if they did get married, Hu Jia might not give up being a police officer.
...
The case had reached its fifth day, and there was still no progress.
For the past two days, Hu Jia had been severely fatigued. He was like a lost soul, gradually drifting into his own thoughts if no one spoke to him.
Just this morning, Hu Jia had actually fainted.
It happened on the main road, which startled Lü Qingqing.
"Can't you rest? You'll collapse if you continue like this," Lü Qingqing said, a bit angry.
"I can't stop. As soon as I close my eyes, all I see are scenes from the cinema," Hu Jia managed a faint smile on his pale face. "Don't worry too much. Trust me. I'll solve the case soon."
Still thinking about solving the case at a time like this.
Lü Qingqing really wanted to smash Hu Jia's head open with a hammer to see what was causing him so much trouble.
"Fine, I'll go to the Criminal Investigation Team myself. You rest here." Today was the day Zhang Yue and the other person were to be apprehended. They had to return all the silver dollars and would be taken to the detention center.
"But I..."
"Obey!"
Lü Qingqing used the harshest tone to say the two most pleasing words, which utterly confused Hu Jia.
Obey?
She wanted him to obey?
...
Perhaps his mind was still inactive, or perhaps Lü Qingqing's assertiveness made Hu Jia forget to object. He actually sat down.
Meanwhile, Lü Qingqing went alone to examine all the evidence submitted by Zhang Yue and the other individual.
About an hour later, Lü Qingqing ran back to the Special Operations Team, her face beaming with excitement. It was clear she was truly happy.
It turned out that during the evidence examination, Lü Qingqing had found a clue.
This Zhang Hao had handed over two briefcases.
Two identical bags.
Except one was intact, while the handle of the other was broken.
This made Lü Qingqing wonder. Why would Zhang Hao use two briefcases for transferring the silver dollars?
Upon inquiry, she learned that one bag contained the silver dollars, and due to the broken strap, quite a few had spilled out. Old Wang Tou had helped him pick them up.
This small detail immediately alerted Hu Jia.
The silver dollars were exposed, so why hadn't Old Wang Tou said anything?
A terrifying suspicion formed in his mind: perhaps Old Wang Tou was the person hiding in the shadows.
But this didn't seem to add up, as the movers had stated very clearly that there was an extra person among the moving team. If that person was Old Wang Tou, the movers wouldn't have failed to notice.
Therefore, there must be a fourth person behind this case.
...
After reaching his conclusion, Lü Qingqing immediately called the Special Operations Team back. To her surprise, when she returned to the office, she saw Yu Yue packing her things.
"Are you going out?" Lü Qingqing asked.
"Huh? Qingqing's back?" Yu Yue grabbed her handbag. "Quick, we need to go to the hospital. Hu Jia's condition is quite serious this time."
"What happened to Hu Jia?" Hearing the word "hospital" made Lü Qingqing anxious.
"I don't know. A brother from the police station called and said he collapsed by the roadside, convulsing. Wen Wu and the others have already gone there."
Damn it!
Lü Qingqing remembered that Hu Jia had already shown signs of discomfort when she left.
Clearly, something abnormal had happened to him by the roadside, which led to him being sent to the hospital.
Lü Qingqing felt a pang of guilt. She hoped nothing had happened to that kid, otherwise, she truly couldn't forgive herself.
However, to her surprise, when she and Yu Yue rushed to the hospital, they were told that Hu Jia had already left.
Left?
He was fine now?
Just as Lü Qingqing was relieved, Yu Yue spotted a familiar figure.
"Li Yang!" Yu Yue cheerfully waved at him.
"Huh? Why are you guys here?" Standing next to Li Yang was Ouyang Wen.
"Where's your boss?" Lü Qingqing, not seeing Hu Jia, asked urgently.
"He left. As soon as I told him what was in your call, he left," Li Yang said.
"What?" He left while still unwell?
Lü Qingqing's anger flared. She had thought Hu Jia had recovered and left the hospital, only to realize he had rushed off to investigate.
Lü Qingqing's reaction baffled Li Yang. "What, can't he leave?"
If she hadn't known Li Yang's character, Lü Qingqing would have snatched the syringe from the nurse and injected him.
Is this how men think?
Actually, if you were to say Li Yang was wrong, he wasn't exactly wrong.
He was just too carefree.
After all, he saw similar situations all the time and wasn't as sensitive as Lü Qingqing.
Lü Qingqing had been with the Special Operations Team for a month and had integrated into this small group. She remembered the first time she solved a case with Hu Jia. Although he was a bit unusual, he had never fainted.
But ever since the Xiājiēzi case, Lü Qingqing noticed Hu Jia becoming more and more abnormal. She had specifically inquired with Yu Yue, and the side effects of Hu Jia's amnesia had become increasingly apparent over the past five years.
In the beginning, even if he couldn't figure out a case for a while, Hu Jia wouldn't have such extreme reactions. But later, Hu Jia gradually started to have consecutive sleepless nights, then he stopped eating, and this year, he began experiencing dizziness.
"The last time in Xiājiēzi Village, he fainted for the first time, and that day was the second time," Lü Qingqing said. As he encountered more cases, Hu Jia's physical condition worsened.
"You, following the boss every day, didn't notice anything," Yu Yue glared fiercely at Li Yang.
"Ah? Then what should we do?" Li Yang panicked.
How should I know what to do? Lü Qingqing was at a loss. She turned to look at Ouyang Wen. What was wrong with him today? This brother-complex guy hadn't said a word.
Seeing Lü Qingqing look at him, Ouyang Wen narrowed his eyes. "I told you before not to let him be a police officer, and you all argued with me. Now something has happened."
"Brother Wen..." Li Yang said with a mournful face.
Ouyang Wen gave him a displeased look and then said, "I have a method!"
What?
Everyone looked on with hope.
"Since we can't stop him from being a police officer, let's change our approach and reduce his workload," Ouyang suggested.
As he spoke, Ouyang Wen whispered something into everyone's ears.
Gradually, everyone's expressions shifted through a kaleidoscope of colors, especially Lü Qingqing, whose mouth remained agape.