Lu Qingqing followed the resolute man upstairs to the second floor.
She had expected the second floor to be filled with small rooms like the first, but to her surprise, it was empty. Any equipment present was neatly arranged and pushed against the walls.
"Are you the only one in this entire building?" The place was too vast, devoid of any sign of life.
"I like quiet, and the feeling of being able to see the end at a glance," the man replied.
Lu Qingqing shrugged. Everyone had their peculiar habits; there was nothing strange about it.
The man led Lu Qingqing around, traversing every corner, as if walking in circles.
Just as Lu Qingqing was starting to feel peculiar, he suddenly turned and a dagger grazed her throat.
Lu Qingqing was startled, Sidestepping to the left, she narrowly dodged the blade. The man then launched a side-kick, aiming for her lower body.
Lu Qingqing blocked the kick with her leg and moved to attack the man with her hands.
They exchanged four or five blows, back and forth.
Finally, at a moment of stalemate, Lu Qingqing executed a somersault, clearing the man's back. With a swift hand chop, she disarmed him, the dagger now pressed against his neck.
Their gazes met, a spark igniting in the air for those brief seconds.
At length, the man's eyes dimmed.
Lu Qingqing flipped her wrist, concealing the dagger in her sleeve, and released the man.
"I'm from the Special Operations Team," Lu Qingqing stated, glancing at the man before her, confident he would understand.
"Hu Jia?" The man looked at Lu Qingqing with shock.
Lu Qingqing nodded. "Then I'm not here to kill you." With that, she returned the dagger to him.
The man hesitated before accepting it. "I am Li Yongqiang, the one you are looking for."
Lu Qingqing's expression remained unchanged. She had guessed his identity the moment he attacked her.
Li Yongqiang had likely suspected she was an assassin and thus initiated the assault.
However, before Lu Qingqing could speak further, Li Yongqiang cut her off, "I have nothing to say, and nothing to tell you."
Lu Qingqing paused slightly. "You may not believe me, but you will believe Ouyang Wen. If you remember anything, meet me at Shibati at 9 PM tonight."
With that, Lu Qingqing left without a second thought.
She knew the man before her still harbored doubts about her identity.
The emptiness of the second floor was clearly a measure taken by Li Yongqiang to guard against ambushes.
The circling he had made earlier was, in fact, him checking for anyone hidden behind the equipment.
How could someone who had lived in hiding for four or five years, someone so cautious, completely trust her based on a simple introduction?
Therefore, she understood the necessity of involving Ouyang Wen.
Watching Lu Qingqing disappear down the stairs, Li Yongqiang unconsciously tightened his grip on the dagger.
Five years ago, his father had disowned him to save his life. Five years later, his father had still died at the hands of the same enemy.
He had eked out an existence for so many years, confined to this small space, hidden in the shadows. He couldn't be by his parents' side, nor could he join them for any festivals.
Was this life of self-imposed avoidance to continue?
Could this woman be trusted?
…
"Nuan Nuan, darling, would Uncle take you to buy some candy?" Hu Jia tried to soften his tone as he addressed the little girl.
"No, I want Daddy to play with me," the girl continued to cry. This child, only four or five years old, seemed not to grasp the meaning of death. Her distress stemmed from her father's lack of response.
Hu Jia couldn't understand why the man in the black cloth shoes would commit suicide. Even if he had been discovered during surveillance, it shouldn't have led to such an act.
"Boss, the identity has been confirmed. He's a martial arts instructor at a boxing gym, with no prior record, no bad habits, and was known for his kindness and diligence. However, after his wife passed away from illness last year, he became withdrawn, his world revolving solely around his daughter."
Luo Wenwu handed Hu Jia a stack of documents. "This is a record of interviews and investigations. Please pay attention to the last page."
Following Luo Wenwu's hint, Hu Jia's gaze immediately shifted to the final page.
A sentence was written there: "Devastated by his wife's death, he had attempted suicide multiple times."
Suicide?
Hu Jia looked at Luo Wenwu, who nodded. "I found four attempts, and according to information gathered by other officers, there were at least five or six more."
This left Hu Jia somewhat bewildered.
It seemed the man in the black cloth shoes suffered from severe psychological issues. Could it be that he wasn't being tracked and his sudden suicide had nothing to do with him?
Was it merely a coincidence?
But the coincidence was too profound.
Hu Jia turned back to the little girl. "Nuan Nuan, darling. Daddy is tired and needs to sleep for a while. You come with Uncle, we'll go buy candy, and your aunt will be here to pick you up."
The man in black cloth shoes was dead, leaving only his daughter behind. Fortunately, her aunt lived in the countryside, providing a place for her to stay.
Hearing this, Nuan Nuan finally stopped crying. "Then wake me up when Daddy wakes up."
"Okay!" Hu Jia smiled and took Nuan Nuan's little hand.
Due to the fatality, a large area had been cordoned off. Weaving through the onlookers, Hu Jia intended to take the child to the nearest police station.
At least there, there would be no blood.
"Uncle, I want that candy!" Nuan Nuan pointed to a sugar stall on the street.
"Alright! Let's pick out a red one." Hu Jia indulged her request.
"No, I already had red. This time I want yellow," Nuan Nuan's childish voice was pleasant.
"Okay, we'll pick yellow." Hu Jia led Nuan Nuan to the stall.
The vendor, seeing Nuan Nuan, was delighted. As he handed over the candy, he teased, "Little girl, you're so lucky to have an uncle buying you candy. Make sure not to drop it this time."
Nuan Nuan thanked him in her childish voice, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Shortly after arriving at the nearby police station, Nuan Nuan's aunt arrived.
As soon as she entered, she began to wail, holding Nuan Nuan and lamenting the child's misfortune. This made Hu Jia's heart ache.
"Zhu Sishui, that scoundrel, he didn't keep his word. He couldn't even uphold the oath he made before my father's memorial." Speaking of Nuan Nuan's father's suicide, her aunt started crying again.
She explained that Zhu Sishui had indeed had suicidal tendencies and had attempted suicide several times, but had always been rescued.
However, that was two years ago.
Ever since Zhu Sishui had sworn at his father's memorial not to be foolish and to raise Nuan Nuan well, he had never attempted suicide again.
"Who knew that after enduring for two years, he would still leave Nuan Nuan behind," the woman's account further corroborated Luo Wenwu's investigation into Zhu Sishui.
After offering a few words of comfort, Hu Jia left the police station.
Despite the inexplicable nature of Zhu Sishui's suicide, it had happened right before his eyes.
Life, after all, was unpredictable.