Lu Qingqing took a bath and changed her clothes, then remembered that she seemed to have forgotten to ask for leave from the training center. Graduation was just around the corner, and it wasn't good to be absent so often.
Thinking she should at least show her face, she arrived at the classroom only to have everyone stare at her like she was a rare specimen. "You're getting bolder and bolder, leaving whenever you please," Cai Xiaojuan said, leaning in.
"I didn't expect it to take so long. I originally thought I was just going to catch someone, but I ended up investigating a case along the way," Lu Qingqing mused, "Tong Hua didn't say anything about me, did he?"
"Does he have time to care about you? I heard he's transferring jobs and is busy with the paperwork."
"Transferring jobs?"
Lu Qingqing was puzzled. Did Tong Hua have the ability to transfer jobs? If he had that kind of capability, he wouldn't have stayed at the training center for so many years.
Just as she was about to inquire further, Zhan Ruoxuan walked in. The moment he saw Lu Qingqing, his eyes widened as big as ox eyes. "Hey? Didn't they say you were going to be an external support for something?"
External support?
Lu Qingqing was confused.
"Since you were gone the past couple of days, I've been writing you leave requests every day. When I went to submit them just now, Instructor Tong said you were called by the criminal investigation team to be external support."
Zhan Ruoxuan's words quickly made Lu Qingqing understand what was going on.
At the same time, she felt a warmth spread through her heart.
She hadn't asked for leave, and Zhan Ruoxuan thought to help her get one without being reminded. This showed a tacit understanding and familiarity.
And Ouyang Wen was also very thoughtful; thinking she wouldn't be able to return, he quietly used an "official" channel for her.
"By the way, did you know about Tong Hua transferring jobs? Where is he transferring to?" Lu Qingqing hadn't forgotten to inquire about this.
"I'm not sure. He can't possibly be transferring to your Special Operations Team, don't worry," Zhan Ruoxuan said with a smile.
Lu Qingqing pondered it, and it made sense. Where he was transferring didn't matter to her, as long as it wasn't their Special Operations Team. Moreover, given his personality and work history, he wouldn't be able to join the Special Operations Team anyway.
"Oh, Qingqing's back?" While everyone was chatting animatedly, Tong Meng entered.
Lu Qingqing really couldn't figure this woman out. One moment she was cold to her, and the next she acted as if nothing had happened.
"Was the Xicheng case solved?"
"Not yet!"
"Then you're back to see Master Liang?"
"Yes, I'm going tonight. I came back now to change clothes."
"You're wearing this?" Tong Meng scrutinized Lu Qingqing from head to toe. Lu Qingqing looked down at her clothes, wondering what was wrong with them.
Seeing Lu Qingqing's confused expression, Tong Meng suddenly pursed her lips. "It's nothing, it looks good!"
Baffling!
Although Tong Meng didn't appear to be involved in the Xicheng Prison case, Lu Qingqing still didn't dare to be careless. However, upon hearing her mention Liang Yingzhang, Lu Qingqing decided to visit him later; it was on her way anyway.
But what she never expected was to arrive at the Liang residence in the evening and see it draped in white mourning banners.
Hearing Mrs. Liang's sobs, Lu Qingqing felt a pang of sadness. She hadn't expected that Liang Yingzhang wouldn't make it after all.
"Sister-in-law, why are you here?" Luo Wenwu was surprised to see Lu Qingqing. After handling Zhang Hanghai's affairs, he had been assigned to protect Liang Yingzhang. Now that Liang Yingzhang was gone, he stayed to help out.
Seeing Luo Wenwu dressed in somber attire, and then looking at her own floral-patterned clothes, she finally understood why Tong Meng had said what she did.
"When did Master Liang pass away?" Lu Qingqing asked.
"It was announced this morning," Luo Wenwu replied.
Lu Qingqing found Luo Wenwu's wording a bit strange, but she didn't think much of it. She nodded, lit an incense stick, and consoled Mrs. Liang, "Don't worry, I will definitely catch the killer."
Mrs. Liang choked back a sob, looked at Lu Qingqing, and then suddenly burst into loud wails.
Lu Qingqing felt uncomfortable and patted her back. However, Mrs. Liang had only been crying by herself initially, and then she unexpectedly collapsed into Lu Qingqing's arms, weeping.
No, in Lu Qingqing's opinion, this woman was just putting on a dramatic act.
Lu Qingqing was at a loss, so she could only offer a few more words of comfort before leaving in a hurry.
In that moment, she couldn't help but suspect that Mrs. Liang wasn't truly grieving. After all, her wailing was so loud, yet there were no tears.
Perhaps Mrs. Liang just wanted to create an atmosphere?
It was already evening when she returned to Xicheng Prison.
The ground floor of the dormitory building was buzzing with activity, with many people gathered around.
"What's going on?" Pushing her way through, she saw Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen standing in the middle of the crowd, while Li Yang and Cai Yun stood to the side, seemingly guarding Cai Yun.
Ouyang Wen instinctively started to step forward when he saw Lu Qingqing enter, but just as he moved, he heard Hu Jia exclaim with joy, "Qingqing!"
All other emotions were instantly buried.
"The killer has been caught, it's him," Hu Jia said, as if seeking praise.
Lu Qingqing glanced at Cai Yun. Although she was a little surprised, she didn't show much reaction. After all, in every case, the most unassuming person was often the hidden mastermind.
"How was he caught?"
"Thanks to you!"
"Me?"
"Yes, when you said you were going to send me clothes, it made me think of sending information."
Hu Jia explained the situation in a few words and then stared at Lu Qingqing with wide eyes, as if saying, Praise me, praise me now!
Li Yang inwardly scoffed. How could this be related to Sister-in-law?
Lu Qingqing ignored him, flashed him a grin as a sign of encouragement.
It turned out that Hu Jia had recalled a detail.
They had searched everyone's room but found no bloody clothes. The killer might have avoided staining the ground, but it was impossible to keep their clothes from showing any traces. Even if there was no blood, there would be stains, wouldn't there?
After all, he had to transport the body to the rooftop to dispose of it.
But why were there no missing clothes in anyone's wardrobe?
It was simple: someone's wardrobe contained clothes that didn't belong to them.
Who wouldn't be concerned if their clothes went missing?
Only Fan Yafu!
Indeed, Hu Jia and his team checked Fan Yafu's wardrobe and found that a winter uniform was missing.
Suddenly, the target became clear. Whichever person's closet contained Fan Yafu's clothes was the killer. After all, the collars and linings of uniforms were numbered to prevent mix-ups.
Cai Yun's wardrobe was the first to be searched, and as expected, Fan Yafu's uniform was found inside.
This time, he had no way to deny it.
Seeing that his scheme was exposed, Cai Yun had no choice but to confess.
It turned out that on the afternoon of the incident, Cai Yun had lured Fan Yafu to the rooftop under the pretext of borrowing a uniform and then subdued him with tranquilizers.
It was known that prisoners with emotional outbursts were common in prisons, so tranquilizers were usually kept on hand to resolve issues quickly.
However, obtaining these drugs required requisitions and strict management, so Cai Yun couldn't get enough. Thus, he collected residual amounts from used tranquilizer bottles. But the quantity was still insufficient, and the effect weakened upon exposure to air, so Fan Yafu did not fall completely unconscious.
To prevent resistance, Cai Yun wrapped his clothes around a brick and struck Fan Yafu's head several times, successfully concealing the bloodstains with the ashes at the scene.
What happened afterward was known to everyone. After the murder, Cai Yun voluntarily took charge of cleaning the scene and Fan Yafu's body, thoroughly removing the ashes from the rooftop and Fan Yafu's head.
Under normal circumstances, his actions would have been suspicious, but when everyone assumed Fan Yafu had committed suicide and no one suspected any foul play, his actions seemed perfectly normal.
Of course, there were some risky moments in between. Cai Yun, unable to change clothes after the murder, went downstairs wearing his pajamas.
And that bloody shirt was brazenly carried out in his bag.
However, at the time, everyone believed Fan Yafu had committed suicide, so no one was suspicious.
To be honest, if not for Lu Qingqing and Hu Jia insisting on investigating the case, Cai Yun's deception would have succeeded.