Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 5 The Tower Near the Water
The kraft paper bag sat steadily on the table, with the four characters "Tangjing Baodian" written on it in a flamboyant, elegant script. The fragrance wafted out with the rising steam, as if every element was clamoring, "Open me now!"

As if possessed, Lu Jingming reached out and opened the paper bag, inside which lay four plump, white steamed buns.

When he was in high school, he insisted on staying at school and living in the dormitory. He couldn't stand the breakfast in the cafeteria, so Wei Qingsong couldn't bear to see him not eating breakfast. So, she brought breakfast for Lu Jingming for three whole years.

Many boarding students also asked Wei Qingsong to bring them breakfast from outside the school, but she refused outright.

“That won’t do. If everyone has it, it won’t seem special. What’s given to Lu Jingming can’t be anything less than special.”

Everyone at No. 3 High School knew that Miss Wei had a crush on Lu, the top student, so no one was surprised by it.

Wei Qingsong brought Lu Jingming breakfast in various ways, but his favorite was still the sauerkraut and vermicelli bun from the bun shop near the school gate.

Back then, Tangjing Baodian was just a small shop, using ordinary food plastic bags.

Today, that once unremarkable little breakfast stall has become a time-honored brand in Tangzhou, with four or five branches.

Time always passes silently and casually. Looking back, it seems like it was just yesterday, but now and the past are truly separated by countless yesterdays.

Memories flooded back, disrupting Lu Jingming's calm state of mind.

He snapped out of his daze, hesitated for a moment, took out a steamed bun, and took a bite.

It was his favorite pickled cabbage and vermicelli bun from high school.

Still a familiar taste.

However, he hadn't eaten pickled cabbage and vermicelli buns in a long time.

Xiao Song had just stepped inside when he saw this scene and almost dropped his jaw in shock, the steamed bun he was holding in his mouth falling to the ground.

Did he read that correctly?
Is Captain Lu having breakfast?

Lu Jingming is a workaholic. When he gets busy, he doesn't even eat breakfast, and sometimes he doesn't even sleep.

Is the sun coming out in the west today?

"Captain Lu... good morning." Xiao Song greeted Lu Jingming with wide eyes, her gaze suspiciously falling on the steamed bun in his hand.

Lu Jingming's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly put the paper bag away.

"Hmm." He responded expressionlessly and casually tossed the paper bag into the trash can next to the table.

Xiao Song was stunned for a moment, and before she could react, Lu Jingming said, "You might receive a hotline call today, so be careful."

"Huh? Why? Two days have passed, is it still possible to get any useful clues?" Having successfully changed the subject, Xiao Song quickly forgot about the bag of buns and looked completely confused.

"Seventy-two hours is the best time for witnesses to observe. After layers of verification, there is a high probability that witnesses will provide clues at this time."

Xiao Song suddenly realized, his expression brightening with joy, and he immediately nodded vigorously: "Okay, I understand!"

"It seems Captain Lu is quite confident. Shall we make a bet? Let's see if the identities of the victim and the suspect are as I say."

Lu Jingming looked over at the sound and saw Wei Qingsong leaning against the door frame of the conference room, arms tucked into her hands, looking at him with a bright smile.

Xiao Song glanced at Wei Qingsong, then at Lu Jingming.

The more he looked, the stranger it seemed. It was as if their Captain Lu and this new, beautiful expert didn't click. Lu Jingming stood up, met Wei Qingsong's gaze, and then quickly looked away: "There's no need for that. When Director Wang arrives, I'll explain to him that we don't need you here."

Wei Qingsong didn't insist any further, shrugging nonchalantly, but his gaze darkened slightly when it fell on the paper bag in the trash can.

As if on cue, Director Wang pushed open the door and saw Wei Qingsong and Lu Jingming standing face to face, both with calm and composed expressions, revealing nothing about their relationship.

Despite being middle-aged, Director Wang always appears energetic and spirited.

He asked with a smile, "How's the investigation into the headless female corpse going?"

Wei Qingsong said enthusiastically, "Director Wang, I have already done the profiling, and I believe there will be new progress soon."

"Great job, Xiao Song! Well done! With you here, our Municipal Bureau is truly like a tiger with wings, full of power!" Director Wang's face beamed with joy.

The case of the headless female corpse has attracted widespread attention from social media. The leaders above attach great importance to this case and have ordered them to solve it as soon as possible to avoid causing public panic.

Wei Qingsong's arrival provided a new direction, which naturally pleased him.

Lu Jingming, however, showed little interest and said indifferently, "Director Wang, I don't need the help of any psychological experts. I can still solve the case using traditional criminal investigation methods."

“Jingming, this is where you’re wrong. We need to unite all forces that can be united in order to solve the case as soon as possible and restore peace to the people.”

"Besides, the city bureau has equipped itself with psychological experts in order to improve the efficiency of solving cases. While we can't do without routine physical evidence investigation and door-to-door visits, we also need to keep up with the times and make good use of modern new investigative technologies. You're so young, how come your thinking is more outdated than mine, a middle-aged or elderly person? Times have changed, society is developing, and science is progressing. Criminal psychology is a legitimate academic study. If it can be combined with traditional criminal investigation, that would be a powerful alliance. How can you have any resistance to it?"

Director Wang, beaming with pride, launched into a long and eloquent speech.

Wei Qingsong chimed in, "Director Wang is absolutely right. He truly lives up to his reputation as a veteran comrade; his awareness is truly high."

Lu Jingming: "..." So annoying.

"Alright, that's settled then. From now on, you two should get along well and work together. I believe that with Xiao Song joining us, the case-solving rate of our city's criminal investigation branch will definitely reach a new level."

Director Wang made the final decision, and now no matter what Lu Jingming said next, there was nothing he could do.

After Director Wang left, Wei Qingsong put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows at Lu Jingming provocatively: "So, Captain Lu, shall we still make a bet?"

"Not interested." Lu Jingming coldly uttered these three words and went straight back to his seat, not even glancing at her.

Wei Qingsong was neither angry nor ashamed, and sat down leisurely in the seat that Chen Jin had arranged for her.

In fact, as a psychological consultant for the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Wei Qingsong does not need to come to the police station every day; he only needs to attend when analyzing cases.

But Wei Qingsong thought that being close to the water tower would give him an advantage, and being close to the Criminal Investigation Brigade's office would give him an advantage over Lu Jingming.

Therefore, she was more proactive in her attendance than anyone else, ostensibly to better follow up on the case.

Chen Jin was also a clever fellow. He wanted to ease the tension between Lu Jingming and Wei Qingsong, so the seat he arranged for Wei Qingsong was naturally exceptional and wonderful.

She could see Lu Jingming as soon as she looked up.

Just like when I was a student.

(End of this chapter)