I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 22: Chapter 20: What a Strong Grip, Suspected Again?

The sketch artist’s room.

Su Miaoyi looked at the person in front of her.

After the suspect’s sketch was finished, Lu Zhishen took it and left for a bit.

Su Miaoyi had wanted to leave with him, but Lu Zhishen told her to wait a moment before going.

She didn’t think much of it and waited in the sketch room for a while.

When Lu Zhishen returned, he closed the door, sat down across from her, and asked, ”Why are you always the witness?”

Su Miaoyi hadn’t expected him to ask that. She was stunned for a few seconds before replying, ”A coincidence, I guess.”

Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng had discussed her situation, but they hadn’t told the sketch artist, so she didn’t say anything either.

Lu Zhishen watched her, his gaze fixed. ”Usually, people who have this kind of ’coincidence’ three times end up in a Jinghai City prison.”

Su Miaoyi remained silent.

Lu Zhishen leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. He had a nonchalant air, and with his long, soft-looking hair, he gave off an almost gentle, unassuming vibe. He slowly narrowed his eyes. ”Keeping secrets from me. You’re all forming a clique and leaving me out.”

Su Miaoyi’s eyes widened. ’Talk about being thrown under the bus!’

”I’m going to report this to the chief!” Lu Zhishen said, his tone still nonchalant.

Su Miaoyi opened her mouth, but no words came out. Then she smiled slightly. ”Have you ever heard of aliens?”

Lu Zhishen looked at her, a hint of seriousness appearing in his calm eyes. ”What about aliens?”

”They have nothing to do with what we’re talking about right now,” Su Miaoyi said.

Lu Zhishen: ”...”

Su Miaoyi gave an innocent smile, gathered her things, and stood up. ”I just remembered, my great-aunt’s husband’s cousin’s second grand-aunt’s cat is having its one-month celebration party today, and I have to go give a gift. I should get going.”

With that, she walked to the door to open it.

But after she pushed the handle a few times, the door wouldn’t open.

Su Miaoyi instinctively tried turning the lock below.

It wasn’t locked, but the door wouldn’t open.

Su Miaoyi looked over at Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen sighed faintly and searched the desk for his phone. ”That door is broken. Sometimes when it’s closed, it won’t open from the inside, only from the outside. I’ll call someone to come...”

Before he could finish his sentence, he heard a sharp CRACK.

He looked up to see Su Miaoyi, hand on the doorknob, slowly raising... the lock assembly she had just pulled from the door.

Lu Zhishen stared at the lock in her hand and the hole in the door, then slowly turned off his phone screen.

Su Miaoyi looked at him.

A laugh escaped Lu Zhishen’s lips.

Su Miaoyi glanced back at the lock in her hand, gently placed it on a nearby cabinet, opened the door, and walked out.

’I was never here today.’

Su Miaoyi walked out hurriedly.

Once she reached the main hall, she broke into a run.

Zhuang Yanzheng and Shen Yanzhou were walking over from the investigation area across the hall and saw her running toward the entrance.

”Stop! What are you running for?” Zhuang Yanzheng called out to her.

Hearing his voice, Su Miaoyi instinctively froze in place.

Zhuang Yanzheng walked up to her in a few strides.

Su Miaoyi turned her head, but the first person she saw was Shen Yanzhou behind him.

She tilted her head to look past Zhuang Yanzheng at Shen Yanzhou. ”It’s you?”

He looked a bit more disheveled than the last time she’d seen him, but it didn’t detract from his overall air.

However, she could sense a trace of anger beneath his gentle features.

Shen Yanzhou’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before he asked Zhuang Yanzheng, ”Does she work for the city bureau?”

He had seen her run over from the office area.

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t answer, asking instead, ”You two know each other?”

”We’ve met once,” Su Miaoyi said.

Shen Yanzhou looked at her.

Zhuang Yanzheng glanced between them, then sidestepped to stand between the two, blocking Shen Yanzhou’s view.

Shen Yanzhou frowned.

Zhuang Yanzheng asked Su Miaoyi, ”What were you running from?”

”Nothing,” Su Miaoyi said.

”She ripped the lock off my studio door,” Lu Zhishen said, chasing after them while holding up the evidence—the ”door lock.”

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at Su Miaoyi.

Su Miaoyi pressed her lips together and looked at him without a word.

Zhuang Yanzheng then turned to Lu Zhishen. ”If the lock is broken, report it for repairs. That busted old lock of yours needed replacing anyway. You keep getting it fixed, but it never works right.”

Su Miaoyi nodded.

Lu Zhishen: ”???”

Shen Yanzhou also glanced at Zhuang Yanzheng.

’Based on his many years of knowing him, the man was fiercely protective of his own people.’

’This young woman...’

”What’s your name?” Shen Yanzhou asked.

Su Miaoyi looked at him. ”Su Miaoyi.”

Hearing the name, Shen Yanzhou’s pupils trembled slightly.

Su Miaoyi caught the minuscule change in his expression.

Zhuang Yanzheng said, ”Alright, everyone go on home.”

Lu Zhishen looked at them, clearly displeased.

Su Miaoyi said, ”I’ll be heading back then.”

”Mm.”

Su Miaoyi left, and Lu Zhishen returned to his studio.

Only Zhuang Yanzheng and Shen Yanzhou remained.

Shen Yanzhou began, ”That girl...”

”You suspect her?” Zhuang Yanzheng saw right through him.

”Don’t you think it’s all too much of a coincidence? Her appearance, even her name... That person is brazen enough to openly provoke the police. Wouldn’t planting someone right under your noses be an even greater provocation?” Shen Yanzhou said.

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t speak.

’There were indeed too many suspicious things.’

’Especially with the current case, which made Su Miaoyi seem even more suspicious.’

’But he didn’t know why... ’

’His intuition was telling him to trust her.’

Shen Yanzhou said, ”This is all your business. I can’t be bothered to get involved.”

He started to walk away as he spoke.

Zhuang Yanzheng followed him for a few steps. ”You haven’t been cleared of suspicion. Don’t leave Jinghai anytime soon.”

Shen Yanzhou didn’t respond.

”Did you hear me?” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Shen Yanzhou took a deep breath, turned to face him, and said coldly, ”Do you think I *can* leave? Until this case is solved, I probably can’t even leave my own house.”

Zhuang Yanzheng raised an eyebrow.

Shen Yanzhou shot him a glare.

Zhuang Yanzheng said, ”Do you know what kind of message I received less than ten minutes after you entered the interrogation room?”

”What else could it be? Just that you should investigate the case thoroughly, that the Shen family will cooperate fully, and that I shouldn’t be given any special treatment,” Shen Yanzhou said.

Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t reply.

’That was more or less the message he’d received.’

Shen Yanzhou snorted. ”Your Minister Qin doesn’t even care about the sacrifice of his own daughter. What do I, a nephew with no blood relation, count for in his eyes?”

Zhuang Yanzheng frowned. ”Shen Yanzhou! Watch your mouth. Minister Qin...”

Shen Yanzhou cut him off. ”I don’t understand your faith, nor am I as noble as you all. I’m just an ordinary person. I just wanted my sister to live.”

Zhuang Yanzheng swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Both of them fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Shen Yanzhou said, ”The bracelet... when she started college, my grandfather personally polished the beads and made it for her as a gift. It’s not anything valuable, just ordinary wooden beads, but I hope that after the case is solved, Captain Zhuang can return it to me.”

Without waiting for Zhuang Yanzheng to say anything, he turned and left.

Zhuang Yanzheng stood at the entrance, gazing at the sun outside. After a moment, he went back into the police station...