Chapter 607: Chapter 606: 580: Clues and Inspiration

“At this time, isn’t it great for you to go home and be with your fiancée? She’s also a suspected target of the suspect,” Lin Zeguang asked.

Yu Minglang shook his head.

“I’ll deploy patrols to monitor the phone booths near the radio station to catch them immediately if someone continues to make harassing calls. I’ve already arranged a top-notch bodyguard for my fiancée, so there shouldn’t be any issues. I’m more afraid that someone might be surveilling her, and my presence would deter them. It’s better to set a trap.”

Providing effective protection doesn’t necessarily mean hovering around her. Capturing the suspect as quickly as possible would protect Xiaoqian more than staying by her side all the time. Yu Minglang doesn’t like passive approaches; he prefers to take the initiative.

“Who’s so reliable, more reliable than you?”

Yu Minglang snorted. Although Liu Mei wasn’t as strong as Yu, she was more than capable of dealing with ordinary thugs.

“I feel something’s off with the case details. Let’s go in, and you can go over all the information you have in detail.” Yu Minglang’s intuition kicked in again.

Lin Zeguang led him inside and repeated some of the details.

As they talked about the first victim’s information, Yu Minglang suddenly made a pause gesture.

“I know what’s wrong now. You said both victims were killed after night shifts, but the first victim in the shopping mall finished her shift at 8 pm. Why would she appear alone near the mall after midnight?”

This detail might be insignificant to others, but Yu Minglang noticed it based on intuition.

“Maybe she had dinner after work?” Lin Zeguang guessed, as many restaurants operate 24 hours.

Yu Minglang shook his head and unfolded the map of Lin City.

“Look for yourselves. There’s no 24-hour restaurant in this area. She rode her bike alone to the closed shopping mall on purpose. What was she doing there?”

The area was a commercial district, and her route home wasn’t convenient. No one would purposely visit at that time of night, raising suspicion.

“Maybe it was for a date or something, does it matter?” someone casually mentioned.

Yu Minglang shot him a calm look. “Everything you think is unimportant may hold the key to the case. Deviation from the norm is suspicious. Investigate what she was doing at the closed mall so late!”

Yu Minglang was doing everything he could to help Xiaoqian resolve her issues. Even though these events seemed unrelated to her, an invisible thread connected them both, intertwining their fates.

While they conducted a thorough investigation, Xiaoqian continued her work.

Liu Mei, following her brother’s instructions, stayed close to Xiaoqian.

Boss Qian wasn’t easy to get along with, and few people managed to win her favor. But Liu Mei didn’t bother her.

Being a martial artist, Liu Mei was straightforward with no hidden agenda. It was evident that she had excellent upbringing, and though her parents worked in the government sector, she showed no signs of arrogance. As a child, she had a weak body and was sent to learn martial arts. She trained hard alongside rowdy boys, developing a boyish personality.

This was a genuinely carefree person, unlike Bai Lian, who pretended to be one just to gain Xiao Qiang’s affection.

Although Liu Mei was straightforward, she was also considerate, not disturbing Xiaoqian’s everyday life and taking great care of the household appliances.

One morning, Xiaoqian woke up to see a still-hot breakfast and thought Xiao Qiang had returned, but there was no sign of Liu Mei.

Within minutes, Liu Mei returned carrying a sandbag.

“Good morning, beautiful Sister Qian~”

“You could’ve practiced at home, why go out and tire yourself?”

“No problem, my boxing practice at home is noisy, and I don’t want to disturb your sleep. Carrying this sack is like a workout, haha~”

Seeing such a carefree smiling face early in the morning brings joy. Xiaoqian smiled back at her and handed her a towel.

“Wipe your sweat. You look exhausted. Don’t go out tomorrow. I have a mobile clothing rack for you to hang your sandbag. The soundproofing in this house is good, so it’s fine.”

“Ai Ma, you’re so gentle, no wonder Brother Lang likes you so much. This girl’s got it right~”

The dialect at the end made Xiaoqian laugh.

“Hey gorgeous, is this towel expensive? It feels extraordinary. I don’t want to ruin it by wiping sweat. Don’t worry, I have my towel!”

Liu Mei looked at the towel Xiaoqian gave her and returned it.

“I have another one at home, use this for now. It’s not a waste if it’s doing its job, and I haven’t even opened this towel yet. Just don’t be picky.”

“Then I won’t stand on ceremony. Sister-in-law, you’re so generous! I like your personality!”

During the day, Xiaoqian received a call from Lily Tang, asking her to meet a client. Clients with high status preferred to keep their illnesses confidential, so Xiaoqian went alone. Knowing that Liu Mei had a poor sense of direction, she asked her to wait at the mall and not leave.

True to her reputation, Liu Mei got lost. Hoping to find sports gear, she instead ended up in the daily necessities section, where she spotted the towel Xiao Qian previously gave her.

The price tag left her tongue-tied – it was so expensive!

Her phone rang – it was Yu Minglang.

“Where’s my daughter-in-law? Why can’t I reach her?”

“She went to meet a client. She said her phone would be off when she’s with clients and would be on again afterward. She’s in the coffee shop underneath the mall.”

“Were there any problems?”

“No, Sister Qian is good. She doesn’t chat much but treats me well. She even likes my braised pork. I like her!”

“Of course. How could the woman I chose be wrong? Protect your sister-in-law properly, and I’ll treat you to a feast after. Eat whatever you like!”

“There’s no need. Sister Qian has given me plenty, like new toiletries and a high-quality towel -”

“Brother Lang, what does Sister Qian like? I’ll buy something for her, like a gift in return.”

“No need, my fiancée isn’t stingy. If you’re too polite, she won’t be happy. Just protect her, and all will be well.”

“I know, but I still feel like I’m troubling her. I just saw the towel she gave me, and it’s super expensive! A small towel for 40 yuan! That’s almost my weekly allowance! How can the store be so greedy?”

Without realizing it, Liu Mei had angered the sales associate.

“How could a customer speak like this! Ours is an imported towel from the Island Country’s Yunbrand, and we’re the only store in the entire province to carry it. Import tariffs and other costs are all included in the price. As a customer, your words are very unpleasant!”

Yu Minglang clearly heard the associate’s voice followed by his straightforward cousin’s apology. Then, something clicked in his mind.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

So that’s how it is!