Ring, ring, ring...
A phone ringing pulled Zhou Ning out of his sleep. He fumbled for his phone and upon seeing the name "Xu Da" on the caller ID, he instantly perked up and quickly sat up to answer the call.
"Xu Da, good morning!"
"You haven't gotten up yet?"
"Um."
Zhou Ning blurted out the truth unconsciously, but why would his boss suddenly be concerned about whether he had gotten out of bed?
Wait, could it be that the case had progressed? He recalled that yesterday they had mentioned taking in the ex-boyfriend mechanic for questioning and that the rich heir, currently the boyfriend, was also cornered at the airport. Could there be a discovery?
"Xu Da, has there been progress in the case?"
Xu Dayuan laughed.
"Come to the station once you're awake, there's work for you."
After freshening up, Zhou Ning headed straight out the door and took a taxi to the criminal police team. Normally, he would walk, but he was genuinely anxious this time.
That unease was because the moment he put on his glasses, the countdown timer sprung up before him.
35:27—the time had suddenly reduced by a quarter.
According to the rules of that temporary mission, he had to find the vehicle and the driver responsible for hitting Su Manli. This was not as simple as picking option A or B in a multiple-choice question—if he made a mistake, he would lose everything he had obtained thus far.
Shortly after, Zhou Ning arrived at the criminal police team, jumped out of the taxi, and saw Xu Dayuan standing in front of the building smoking and waving at him.
"Making money now, are you? Why take a taxi?"
Zhou Ning felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head as he spoke.
"The moment Xu Da mentioned progress in the case, I got anxious. I wanted to get here as soon as possible. Let me know what you need me to do. Just command me, Xu Da!"
Xu Dayuan was very pleased with Zhou Ning's proactive attitude and pointed toward two cars at the corner of the yard.
"We found the cars—one belongs to that current boyfriend, Yang Yufei, the Nissan GT-R he drives. The other is a Volkswagen CC found in Mr. Su's Volkswagen 4S shop maintenance garage, exactly where the ex-boyfriend, Wang Fuhao, works, concealed under a car cover.
I called you here to help us determine if this car was involved in the accident because, from the exterior, no traces of the accident seem to be visible, and as for that tire track testing you mentioned before, it's not feasible right now."
Zhou Ning nodded, trying to contain his excitement, and looked in the direction Xu Dayuan had indicated.
The two cars were parked side by side in the northwest corner of the building, seemingly brand new, and especially the CC which could be described as totally new. The sides of the tires were black as night, even the sprue from the injection molding completely intact.
The more carefully he looked, the less confident Zhou Ning felt.
This was the car involved in the accident?
Don't panic, the suspects have been apprehended and questioned all night; there's got to be something to go on, right?
"Xu Da, have neither of the suspects confessed to anything?"
Xu Dayuan stubbed out his cigarette, clearly exhausted.
"Both admitted to illegal racing on the Northern Outer Ring Road, betting on who would win Su Manli. The loser would back out. Neither, however, confessed to hitting anyone.
When asked what cars they drove, Yang Yufei said he drove the Nissan, but the mechanic, Wang Fuhao said they switched cars during the race. He drove the Nissan, claiming it was fairer since neither was familiar with the car's condition."
Zhou Ning was taken aback, trying to calm himself.
The suspects had been caught, and the cars were found. If it came down to it, he could just get closer and feel for any clues, hoping the system might provide a prompt. With that thought, Zhou Ning looked up at Xu Da.
"According to the ex-boyfriend, Wang Fuhao, they switched cars to drive. If we find Wang Fuhao's fingerprints in the Nissan, that could prove Yang Yufei is lying. As for the CC, I need to find the traces of the impact from hitting a person, right?"
Xu Da patted Zhou Ning on the shoulder with such force it almost knocked him over.
"Doctor Zhou, you're onto something! I've been at a loss for an hour, if I'd known, I would've called you at five in the morning."
Zhou Ning's face twitched—so ruthless!
But now, Zhou Ning was the one eager to find the hit-and-run car, so he ignored Xu Dayuan's excitement, contemplating how to attempt completing his task.
"Xu Da, I need a few helpers. I have to collect fingerprints from both suspects and inspect the vehicles. Oh, and bring Zhao Xinli over to help me; he knows cars better."
"You want people, you've got people. I'll send Mr. Zhao and the others to help you. As for the suspects' fingerprints, we already have them; they were sent to your forensics office in the middle of the night."
Xu Dayuan gestured and several police officers came running out, with Zhao Xinli holding two egg-stuffed pancakes, walking up to Zhou Ning with a grin and stuffing one of the pancakes into his hand.
"A blunt knife doesn't hinder the chopping of firewood, hurry up and eat!"
Zhou Ning smiled; this guy really was thoughtful. He didn't hesitate to take it.
Xu Dayuan, just about to say something, was interrupted by the sound of a car braking urgently.
Zhou Ning and the others turned their heads to see two cars had stopped in front of the police's small two-story building.
The first to get out was a girl in a red dress. She was petite and not particularly beautiful, but her curved smiling eyes added much charm.
Swiftly, she walked to the back door of the luxury car, assisting an exceptionally dignified middle-aged woman to step out, while a man dressed in a suit got out of the car next to them.
Seeing this middle-aged woman, Zhou Ning instantly guessed who she was: the mother of the rich second generation, Yang Yufei, and the Chairwoman of Lihua Group, Yang Lihua. It seemed his mother had brought people to their doorsteps. He quickly glanced at Xu Dayuan.
Xu Dayuan didn't move. The girl in the red dress led Yang Lihua up to Xu Dayuan, speaking first.
"This is Yang Yufei's mother. We would like to know when the related investigation on Yang Yufei might be concluded?"
Xu Dayuan nodded and glanced at his watch.
"Please understand, family members, the deceased was Yang Yufei's girlfriend. We need to confirm some matters with Yang Yufei and get information about the deceased.
However, on another note, he participated in illegal racing; we're entitled to detain him. Having him here for 24 hours for the investigation, I think, is reasonable."
"Ah, how can this be acceptable!"
The girl in the red dress, perhaps regretting having spoken out, turned her head away, but from Zhou Ning's angle, her face and the shape of her mouth were clearly visible—it looked like she muttered a curse under her breath.
Yang Lihua patted the girl in the red dress and turned to Xu Dayuan.
"Wenxuan, don't be anxious. I've brought a lawyer. Our company is public and can't withstand such issues. After all, no one wants to affect the city's economic development, right? We do hope that the Criminal Police Team can release him as soon as possible. As for the racing matter..."
Yang Lihua smiled, and a man dressed in a suit behind her stepped forward, handing Xu Dayuan a phone.
Xu Dayuan's brows furrowed, but he took the phone nonetheless, responding with nods and affirmatives like "Mhm, mhm, okay."
Yang Lihua nodded slightly, smiling gracefully.
"Then, we'll entrust this to you, Xu Da. We'll be leaving first."
After speaking, the girl in the red dress supported Yang Lihua and turned to leave.
At that moment, Zhou Ning, with his sharp eyes, noticed a small slit near the bottom of her backpack.
The edges of the slit were frayed, and there seemed to be purple-black marks at the bottom. Zhou Ning quickly looked at Xu Dayuan, wanting to speak, but Xu Dayuan raised his hand, stopping him.
These people hurriedly got into their cars and sped away.
Seeing the people leave, Xu Dayuan's expression grew even more solemn.
"Hurry up with your actions, go check those two cars. We don't have much time. Someone from the city is applying pressure. By the way, Zhou Ning, what did you want to say?"
"Check the identity of that girl in the red dress. There's a hole near the bottom of her backpack. The edges looked like they had bloodstains. Don't forget, Su Manli's cause of death was a stab wound!"
Xu Dayuan was taken aback, grabbing Zhou Ning's hand.
"Did you see clearly? Are you certain?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I'm not certain, but when you mentioned the deceased, she muttered to herself, and then I saw her curse under her breath. You know the saying, respect the dead. No matter how much she may dislike or disdain, the person is already dead, yet her reaction was so much like... so like..."
Zhou Ning couldn't find the right words at the moment, and Zhao Xinli, having finished the last bite of his egg-filled pancake, interjected unclearly.
"A love rival!"
"Right, a love rival!"
Xu Dayuan fixed his gaze into Zhou Ning's eyes, as if trying to find some answer on his face.
"Why didn't you say sooner?"
Zhou Ning was speechless. How had this become his fault?
However, recalling what Yang Lihua had said, he hurriedly added:
"Yang Lihua called that girl... Wenxuan!"