Chapter 3: Robbery

Chang Hui’s head hurt as he looked at Lu Hui: “What do you mean by this?”

Lu Hui reached out his right hand and tapped on the dossier on the table: “This case has a problem.”

“What problem?” Chang Hui asked. 

“At the moment, it’s unclear. But, there is a problem.” Lu Hui gave him a very ‘solid’ argument, but failed to convince the captain of the seventh team. 

“This was found to be a suicide. How can you just snatch it and investigate it again?” Chang Hui rubbed his temples and felt that his head hurt even more now, “Did you let the captain of the third team know?”

“That’s not something I need to trouble myself over.” Lu Hui said, closing the dossier, “I want to go investigate the crime scene. Go tell the third team’s captain.”

“And tell her what? The new ‘Sherlock Holmes’ wants to investigate a case that has already been closed?” Chang Hui was a little offended by Lu Hui’s provoking attitude. 

“It’s not ‘already’ closed, but it will be closed soon.” Lu Hui picked up the dossier, making a display of getting up, “I specially stopped the document delivery personnel to pick it up.”

“This is robbery!” Blue veins popped out on Chang Hui’s forehead, “Do you have an ounce of discipline in you?!”

“Alright then, I’m going to investigate the case.” Lu Hui waved a hand as he left the seventh team’s office, leaving behind Chang Hui to sizzle with anger. 

From early to late spring, Lu Hui was almost driven mad by boredom. He’d occasionally passed by the third team’s office, stopping outside to listen in on the discussions within and beautifying these shameless actions by calling them “consulting.” He swaggered down the corridor, waiting for the young officer holding the dossier as they stepped over the threshold. And thus, the dossier arrived at the seventh team’s office at lightning speed. 

It started the moment the officer started to knock continuously on the seventh team’s door. Chang Hui pressured Lu Hui, but was ultimately unable to persuade Lu Hui to return the dossier. 

Lu Hui had not made a beeline for the scene of the incident. Instead, he went to the applied sciences department, looking for Wu Lingxue, a forensics expert, for clarification. 

Wearing a white lab coat and gloves, the woman’s entire face seemed covered in frost. Perhaps because of her occupation, Wu Lingxue’s narrow eyes always regarded others with a chilly look. 

“This suicide case, the one that occured half a month ago. Can I see the detailed report?” Lu Hui paused, then added, “Please?” 

Wu Lingxue laughed, her frigid face momentarily livening up: “If everyone was as straightforward as you, we could save a lot of time.” 

As if he had received some encouragement, Lu Hui took the report, browsing randomly through the pages: “Okay, I know. Fax me a copy of this report, the seventh team’s office.”

“Mm.” Wu Lingxue nodded. 

“Then…Bye?” Lu Hui said hesitatingly. 

“Bye.” Wu Lingxue’s smile was even more cheerful. 

When Lu Hui returned to the seventh team’s office, his team members had already assembled. Ji Fanyang held the recently faxed report and was scouring it. Rao Feifei asked: “Are we going to the crime scene to have a look?”

Qi Zhou voiced his disapproval: “This is obviously a suicide case, what’s there to investigate?”

“Then why can’t I see what’s ‘obvious’ about it?” Lu Hui’s daily call out of Qi Zhou: 【1/1】. 

“An examination of the contents of the deceased’s stomach revealed a mixture of antifreeze, sleeping pills, and fast food.” Ji Fanyang closed the report, then opened the dossier that Lu Hui stole from the third team and continued reading out loud, “Prior to their death, the deceased had severe depression, not leaving for a month and relying on their friend, Wang, to deliver food.”

“Severe depression leading to suicide.” Qi Zhou said, “What isn’t correct?”

“Unknown for the moment, but once we visit the crime scene, we will find out what isn’t right about it.” Lu Hui shrugged, “Get everything ready, we’re heading out.”

Rao Feifei and Ji Fanyang followed him swiftly, with Qi Zhou following after he had cooled down a bit. 

Who knew that, just as they left the office, they would run into Captain Wei, who was there to visit Lu Hui. 

“…” Lu Hui took a step back, bumping into Ji Fanyang, who had been following him closely. 

“Xiao Lu.” Wei Congjia anticipated him and called out his name, taking a large step forward toward Lu Hui. 

“So this was your plan the whole time.” Lu Hui slanted his gaze at Ji Fanyang blocking the way. 

“…???” Ji Fanyang, who was inexplicably glared at, looked back at him innocently. 

“We were just going to go to a crime scene.” Lu Hui said, “Duty calls, we’ll be leaving now.”

“Wait.” Wei Congjia stepped to the side to block him, “Did you sn…stick your hand into another team’s case?” He left the word “snatch” unspoken. 

Chang Hui and his big mouth, Lu Hui muttered under his breath. His face tightened, not revealing anything: “This case isn’t right.”

“How isn’t it right?” Wei Congjia looked like he wanted to closely question him, but he knew Lu Hui’s idiosyncrasies very well, “Your intuition, again?”

“…I’m going to the crime scene.” Lu Hui slanted his body and dodged Wei Congjia, relying on the fact that Captain Wei would not use force to hold him there. He rushed out of there faster than a loach. 

“…Sorry.” Ji Fanyang said unassumingly, internally marveling at Chief Lu’s unorthodox manner as he followed him out. 

Rao Feifei and Qi Zhou also apologized, then speedily stepped out after Lu Hui. 

Wei Congjia, captain of the Bureau of Public Safety’s sixth criminal investigation division at the provincial level, as well as Lu Hui’s senior1 of the same teacher, was really breaking his heart over him.2

In the space of one breath, Lu Hui had run to the parking lot. Director Gao honestly could not stand by and watch Lu Hui in his rinky-dink car, so he gave him a police car to redeem his image slightly. 

Ji Fanyang sat in the passenger seat, with Rao Feifei and Qi Zhou in the back, and Lu Hui in the driver’s seat. He stepped on the gas, heading straight to the Fengye residential area, Linhua district. 

Fengye residential area was in the suburbs of Linhua City, broken-down and ancient. The police car stopped at the entrance of the residential area. Lu Hui had no choice but to wait for the rusty gate to lift up slowly, but who knew that as soon as the gate lifted up halfway, it would cry out and fall back down. 

“…” The people in the car looked at each other helplessly. 

An old man ran out of the control booth, smiling cheerfully as he reached out and lifted up the gate, waving the police car through as he said: “Sorry about that, police comrades. The gate should have been repaired before, but property management doesn’t care about an old place like this.”

The police car sluggishly passed through the entranceway, and after several turns, they arrived at the scene of the incident, but they couldn’t find anywhere to park along the cramped street. 

“Park on this lawn, there’s not much grass here.” Rao Feifei said. 

“Mm.” Lu Hui rudely drove up onto the lawn and found a bald spot to park on. 

Ji Fanyang opened the door, raising his head to look at the yellowing six-story apartments, the exteriors covered in peeling, bumpy paint: “People can live here?”

“They can.” Lu Hui said, “My place is worse.”

“…” Ji Fanyang felt that Lu Hui’s temper was definitely bad today. 

“Stop looking, go over there.” Lu Hui pressed. 

Rao Feifei followed, her face full of concern: “Will this building collapse when we’re halfway up?”

“It won’t.” Ji Fanyang said, “Chief Lu’s building hasn’t collapsed yet.” 

“…” Lu Hui lightly pushed open the half-suspended unit door, “Tread carefully, you’ll have to pay for the door if you break it.” He even spoke softly. 

The people behind him tip-toed in gingerly, like they had guilty consciences. 

1 学长, upperclassman, something like a senpai

2 真是为他操碎了心, lmao, like when a person in a relationship does a bunch of stuff for the other and they don’t really care.