Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 190 Song Guifan

This is an unfamiliar face.

But it's not hard to guess his identity from his words.

However, before Wei Qingsong and Lu Jingming could react, Xiao Song, who had been so excited, had already squeezed to the front of the crowd and stared at the man in disbelief.

"elder brother?"

"Brother?!" Now it was Chen Jin's turn to be dumbfounded. He looked left at Xiao Song, then right at the young man, and then turned to glance at Wei Qingsong and Lu Jingming. Seeing that the two of them looked very calm, he shut his mouth, which was wide open in shock.

"Excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Song Guifan, and I'm a forensic artist from the Provincial Public Security Bureau." The man gave a friendly smile, walked over to Xiao Song, and put his hand on Xiao Song's shoulder.

"At the same time, he is also Song Yuanhang's older brother. He came to Tangzhou this time for two reasons. First, he was ordered by his superiors to do what he could. Second, he also took the opportunity to visit his younger brother who was making his way in the world on his own."

Wei Qingsong looked at him with a hint of inquiry and curiosity.

She had guessed that he was the portrait artist from the provincial department, but she never expected that he and Xiao Song had this kind of relationship.

That makes sense, since Xiao Song had just graduated from police academy and hadn't been with the municipal bureau much longer than Wei Qingsong.

People usually call him Xiao Song, and they don't really remember his real name.

The brothers' names are quite interesting: one is "Sailing Far Away," and the other is "Returning Home," conveying completely opposite expectations.

As the team leader, Lu Jingming naturally had to step forward and express his warm welcome to the comrades who had come from afar.

He stood up politely and stepped forward, extending one hand: "I am Lu Jingming, captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Tangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau. It's nice to meet you. Please take care of me."

“I know you. You’ve come to the provincial department to receive awards a few times before. You were on the stage and I was in the audience, so you might not know me very well.”

While Song Guifan uttered words of praise, the smile in his eyes was faint. He politely shook hands with Lu Jingming, then quickly withdrew his hand and put it back in his pocket.

Then, he turned his attention to Wei Qingsong: "I had heard that the city bureau's consultant Wei was extremely good at criminal psychological profiling. Seeing him today, I can confirm that his reputation is well-deserved."

Lu Jingming frowned almost imperceptibly. He felt that Song Guifan's gaze towards Wei Qingsong had a hidden meaning, which made him very uncomfortable.

Wei Qingsong remained calm and said half-jokingly, "Oh? I've never been to the provincial department to receive an award. How does Officer Song know about an unknown nobody like me?"

"Advisor Wei is too modest." Song Guifan still had a perfectly appropriate smile on his face. "Not long ago, I was following the whole process of the sensational serial murder case in Quyang County. I also read the report that Quyang submitted to the provincial department. The entire case-solving process was quite rapid, and the psychological profile of the criminal was also very impressive. It's no exaggeration to say that the entire provincial department has already heard about your outstanding talent."

"I see." Wei Qingsong raised an eyebrow, his face remaining calm, but he was puzzled in his heart.

The serial case in Quyang was indeed sensational, but there are more than a dozen prefecture-level cities in the province, and Tangzhou City has nearly ten districts and counties under its jurisdiction. How idle must the provincial department be for Song Guifan to have the mind to pay attention to this case from beginning to end?
Or is there another reason why he is paying attention to the case in Quyang?
Wei Qingsong silently withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and said with a hint of apology, "This time, we were eager to solve the case and find clues, so we asked the provincial department for help. We didn't expect to lock onto the target so quickly. We're sorry that Officer Song made a wasted trip."

"Not at all," Song Guifan laughed nonchalantly. "Although I wasn't of much help, it was an honor to witness Consultant Wei's brilliant reasoning firsthand. Besides, this trip was on official pay, so I didn't suffer any loss."

After saying this jokingly, he went back to the door, brought in a small leather suitcase, and took out a piece of paper that was folded several times from the outer layer.

"To be honest, on the way here by high-speed rail, I was bored and, based on the testimony you provided me, I have already drawn a portrait."

He slowly unfolded the origami, and everyone in the office curiously crowded around to take a look.

Everyone was stunned when they saw it.

Isn't that the woman in the third car in the portrait?
Although it's just a rough sketch, lacking many details, anyone who has watched the surveillance footage can recognize the person in the sketch at a glance.

Wei Qingsong was also somewhat surprised.

During the statement taking, Susan, Xiaoya, and the others each described in detail the female manager's physical characteristics.

Wide cheekbones, narrow chin, low skull, long and narrow eyes with upturned corners and a cold gaze.

Wei Qingsong could also imagine a beautiful yet extremely aggressive face through these words.

Ultimately, beauty is just a vague concept. She may have a general outline in her mind, but she can't pinpoint the specific facial features.

And yet, there are actually people in this world who can do it.

The police officers also began to whisper among themselves. They had been bewildered by Song Guifan's arrival, but now they all looked at him with admiration.

"Officer Song truly lives up to his reputation as a renowned detective." Lu Jingming's tone was indifferent, and his praise was rather perfunctory. He also casually responded to Song Guifan's earlier statement that he "didn't know" his subjective guess.

Song Guifan seemed to keenly sense his subtle hostility, and his smile faded slightly: "Have I... disturbed everyone?"

"How could that be? Officer Song has confirmed the target for us, so Xiao Song won't have to make an extra trip." Lu Jingming slightly toned down his aloof and unapproachable aura and said in a formulaic tone with a blank expression.

"Huh? Oh..." Xiao Song responded blankly, and for some reason, her expression looked somewhat disappointed.

But he quickly cheered up and slapped his forehead, saying, "Oh dear, I came here just now to tell you that Sister Wei asked me to contact Zheng Xun this morning to help restore the data on the hotel's computer, and he's already taken care of it."

"I knew it." Wei Qingsong wasn't too surprised and chuckled softly, "This guy is still so quick."

"Did you find anything?" Lu Jingming asked.

"There was no information about the perpetrators' identities left inside." Xiao Song shook his head in disappointment, then his expression turned indignant as he clenched his fists. "But there were many audio and video recordings of the victims, as well as their names, hotel membership lists, transaction ledgers, and so on."

Wei Qingsong and Lu Jingming exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious.

These are all cruel pieces of evidence proving that so many innocent girls have suffered so much abuse.

It is also the most powerful handle to manipulate and coerce them.

It is the shackles that imprison them.

The huge office fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was silent, and a sentimental policewoman's eyes reddened as she silently wiped away her tears.

In this atmosphere, Xiao Song swallowed and cautiously began, "There's one more thing... Zheng Xun said that their branch is sending people to our bureau for a month-long learning and exchange program, and they're on their way now."

He broke the somber atmosphere, and Wei Qingsong was somewhat surprised: "So sudden? I've never heard Director Wang mention this before?"

She turned to look at Lu Jingming, her eyes questioning.

Lu Jingming also shook his head: "Director Wang didn't mention it to me."

Finally, he added an explanation: "However, every year the district and county branches send young criminal police officers to the municipal bureau for training, and everyone is used to it. It's just that our bureau has been too busy this year and we've forgotten about it."

“That’s good. The bureau is short-staffed right now. Several teams must have been watching the surveillance footage all night yesterday. If the branch office could send a few more people, they could lend a hand.” Wei Qingsong was quite happy about this.

However, before she could be happy for long, Xiao Song weakly poured cold water on her: "Unfortunately, there weren't many people who came, only three: Zheng Xun, Officer Bai, and that Officer Song Zhiyuan."

Wei Qingsong remained silent.

That makes sense. The Quyang branch seems to have only a few people. They had already seen how insufficient the police force in Quyang was when they went there last time.

Disappointed, she withdrew her expectant gaze, but her peripheral vision inadvertently caught a glimpse of Song Guifan's face, and she paused slightly in surprise.

From the moment he stepped through the glass door, Song Guifan had a smile on his face. However, at this moment, his lips were taut, and the smile in his eyes had vanished, replaced by complex emotions.

He seemed surprised, yet also tinged with sadness, displaying an indescribable vulnerability.

Wei Qingsong calmly withdrew his gaze, seemingly lost in thought.

Just now, Song Guifan said that he was paying attention to the case in Quyang.

If she remembered correctly, Bai Rushuang had mentioned to her that the seemingly slovenly young criminal police officer, Song Zhiyuan, was someone who had been transferred from the provincial department to Quyang.

At the time, Bai Rushuang casually remarked that he and Xiao Song shared the same surname.

Could it be that Song Guifan and Song Zhiyuan actually have some kind of relationship?
(End of this chapter)