Rebirth 2014: I, the King of Criminal Investigation

Chapter 614 I'm right at the door
"I'm going out?"

Qu Tuotuo pointed to himself, his face filled with disbelief.

"Hurry up," Yu Dazhang waved his hand impatiently at her.

He'd been busy all day, and had just finished eating; all he wanted to do was get it over with quickly so he could go home and get a good night's sleep.

Su Mi also chimed in, offering her advice:
"Tuotuo, you go out first. He's doing this for work."

It would have been better if he hadn't tried to persuade her; the attempt only made Qu Tuotuo angrier.

"I'm not leaving," she said matter-of-factly.
“When the police are interrogating someone, there should be at least two people present. What’s the point of him being here alone? I request to be a witness.”

Listening in? Yu Dazhang was so angry he laughed.

She knows quite a lot; she even knows that two people are required to be present when the police are investigating a case.

“Who said I came here to interrogate?” Yu Dazhang explained:
“Su Mi is not a suspect. I’m just here to understand the situation. I won’t take any evidence or make any statements.”

He felt that Qu Tuotuo was acting a bit strange today.

She used to be very cooperative with my work; she rarely made phone calls during work hours.

Whenever there's a case, as long as she knows about it, she won't bother me.

What happened this time?
She should be happy that she just rescued her best friend, so why does she seem more worried than before?

"That……"

Qu Tuotuo still seemed a little worried:
How long are you going to talk?

Is this the question you should be asking...? Yu Dazhang patiently replied:
"If you're quick, it'll be done in a few minutes."

After he finished speaking, he felt that something was not quite right.

Why does this feel so awkward?

"Alright then." As Qu Tuotuo left, she didn't forget to turn back and remind him:

“I’m right at the door.”

What kind of talk is this... Yu Dazhang was completely baffled by her words.

Coming to the hospital to find out about the victim's situation is clearly part of his job, but now it's being made to look like he's having an affair.

Besides, she knows that she and Su Mi don't get along, so why is she being so defensive today?

Even if someone is paranoid, they shouldn't suspect us.

With a question in mind, Yu Dazhang looked at Su Mi:
"What's wrong with her?"

"It's nothing," Su Mi said with a smile.
"Women naturally can't stand seeing their men in the same room with another woman, not even their best friends."

That makes sense… Yu Dazhang nodded, then picked up a chair and sat down.

How many kidnappers were there in total?

"Six, one of them died at the unfinished building."

He asked Su Mi the same questions he had asked Bai Jincheng.

After confirming that their answers matched, Yu Dazhang asked the final open-ended question:
"Try to recall what those people talked about. Just say whatever you heard or remember."

He had asked Bai Jincheng before, and they said that when they were in the unfinished building, they were guarded separately.

After all, it's inevitable that two people will have some little interactions when they're together.

Because of their different perspectives and positions, the information they hear will naturally be different.

"It seems like they didn't say anything special."

As Su Mi spoke, her eyes gradually lost focus, as if she were lost in memories.

After a moment, she slowly came to her senses and turned to look at Yu Dazhang:
“Two kidnappers who were close to me whispered to each other for a while by the pillar behind me. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but I remembered it.”

She paused briefly, as if recalling the scene, before continuing:

One of them asked, "Where is your place? Let me see if it's close to me."

"The other person said, 'Don't try to trick me, we all get the same amount, don't try to get my share.'"

"The man then said, 'If you get out of prison before me, come visit me. I'll tell you the location then, and you can go and fulfill your filial duty for me. I trust you.'"

She paused here, as if considering whether she had missed any information.

After a while, she shook her head and said:
"That's all. After that, they all fell silent. A little while later, I heard the sound of a lighter being lit."

When they felt down, they would light a cigarette to relieve their frustration... Yu Dazhang could roughly guess their state of mind at the time.

It seems that, just as I predicted, each of them has chosen a place to hide their gold. That's quite a clever idea.

If someone can't withstand the interrogation, they will only reveal the place they chose in advance, which will not affect others.

Tan Rui was the only person who knew all the locations where the gold was hidden.

Among these people, he was the one with the strongest counter-surveillance ability and the most likely to withstand interrogation.

With only a few people, they actually figured out an organizational structure.

Having worked within a system makes a difference; there are some things you don't need to figure out yourself, you can just apply them directly.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Dazhang asked a new question:

"During the days you were kidnapped, besides those six people, did you see anyone else?"

While in the basement, he noticed that there were no hoods or blindfolds or similar items on site.

This indicates that their vision was not restricted.

"That's all." Su Mi answered readily.
"I've only met those six people; there are no others."

Her answer effectively ruled out the possibility that Tan Rui's wife was an accomplice.

Generally, kidnappers won't bring their family members into the mix, but this needs to be verified.

The victim's testimony is a very important part.

Just as Yu Dazhang was considering whether anything had been overlooked, Su Mi suddenly spoke up:

"Can I ask you a question?"

Yu Dazhang nodded:

"Okay, just ask."

His attention was entirely focused on the case, so he didn't notice Su Mi's change.

If he paid a little more attention, he would have noticed that Su Mi's attitude towards him had completely changed, and even the way she looked at him was different from before.

"Did you worry when you knew I'd been kidnapped?"

When Su Mi asked this question, her voice was very soft, but she was staring at Yu Dazhang as she asked it.

Yu Dazhang was initially distracted by her question, but upon hearing the second half of her sentence, he looked up and frowned at her.

No way... A strange feeling welled up in his heart.

Even a fool could understand what that sentence meant.

Qu Tuotuo was guarding the door, how could she say such things? Was she trying to harm someone?
Could it be that Qu Tuotuo is setting a trap for me, using Su Mi to test me...? Yu Dazhang had already started to have wild thoughts.

will not.

Even if it were a trap, they wouldn't use Su Mi as bait.

That means they're serious.

"Don't you feel awkward asking me this kind of question?" Yu Dazhang retorted.

As an adult, I naturally know that it's best not to answer such nonsensical questions.

The solution is very simple.

A rhetorical question.

This way, you can not only take the initiative into your own hands, but also bypass the difficult problems posed by the other party and avoid embarrassment.

"I don't feel awkward at all." Su Mi smiled.

“From Tuotuo’s perspective, we can be considered friends, and I am truly grateful to you for saving me this time.”

Do you know how many times you've ruined my plans...? Yu Dazhang almost blurted out what was on his mind.

Out of consideration for his pride, he could only explain softly:

"First of all, I have to correct you. It was the police who saved you. I don't have that kind of ability on my own."

"Also, a friend of mine once told me that in a tense or exciting environment, physiological reactions can be mistaken for being attracted to someone."

Finally, he added:

This is called the suspension bridge effect.

(End of this chapter)