Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 453 [Extra Chapter: The Grand Case of the Previous Life]

September 3, 1996.

Today is the registration day for new students at Hongda University.

School officially starts tomorrow.

Xiao Bing walked through the campus with his head down. The road was full of puddles after the rain, reflecting his thin face.

"Hello...Teacher..." a voice suddenly called out cautiously.

Xiao Bing looked up at the sound and suddenly froze.

Standing in front of me was a girl with a ponytail, wearing a faded high school uniform and carrying a badly worn old backpack.

The girl was clutching a bag tightly in her arms, her fair and clean face showing some restraint.

"Are you a teacher?" the girl asked tentatively.

Xiao Bing was momentarily stunned; this girl really did look like Teacher Xiao Lu.

"Yes, I'm a teacher. Is there anything I can help you with, student?"

"Hello teacher, I found a bag. Inside are my ID card, admission notice, and..." the girl said, opening the bag in her arms to show Xiao Bing, "and money."

Xiao Bing asked in surprise, "Where did you find it?"

Then I picked up the acceptance letter from the bag and looked at it.

The girl explained the situation.

Xiao Bing muttered to herself, "Mo Youyou, majoring in financial management."

When Xiao Bing heard the girl say that Mo Youyou was in the same major as her, she asked in surprise, "You're also a freshman in Financial Management, class of '96?"

The girl nodded: "Yes, teacher, my name is Lu Xiaoshuang."

“Lu Xiaoshuang…” Xiao Bing remembered the name, then gave Lu Xiaoshuang directions and told her that she could hand the things over to the freshman registration office. If the other party called the police, they would contact the school.

After hearing this, Lu Xiaoshuang said "Thank you, teacher" to Xiao Bing, then pulled on the side strap of her backpack with her right thumb and left in the direction Xiao Bing pointed.

Xiao Bing took a few steps forward and couldn't help but look back.

Lu Xiaoshuang's simple yet energetic back view is very similar to Dong Lu's back then.

Xiao Bing's eyes welled up slightly, and she sighed.

……

March 21, 1997, evening.

Food street.

Xiao Bing came out of the noodle shop carrying a packaged bowl of braised beef noodles.

This was only his second time visiting this store; a few days ago, some colleagues from his department brought him here.

He packed a bowl of braised beef noodles to take back to Dong Lu, and to his surprise, she liked it.

So today he thought of buying another one to take home.

Just as I came out of the noodle shop, I heard a noisy argument coming from the barbecue restaurant next door.

He looked in the direction of the voice.

First, I saw a striking head of white hair, below which was a rebellious young face.

Then, he saw a somewhat familiar figure, and the person hiding to the side, trembling, turned out to be Lu Xiaoshuang.

Bai Mao kept yelling vulgarities at Lu Xiaoshuang, while the barbecue restaurant owner and waiters stood in the middle trying to calm things down.

But Xiao Bing noticed that Bai Mao's condition was clearly not right.

As Bai Mao grew increasingly deranged, Xiao Bing suddenly recalled Dong Lu, whose face was completely disfigured, lying on the hospital bed.

He was jolted awake, rushed over, and before anyone could react, grabbed Lu Xiaoshuang and ran.

It was as if he had grabbed not Lu Xiaoshuang, but Dong Lu from back then.

It was his regret that he couldn't stay by her side.

……

Monday, April 22.

Grand, a magnificent auditorium.

A banner hung above the stage: "Hongcheng University Spiritual Civilization Learning Conference, 1997".

Below is a striking slogan: Promote the exemplary conduct of teachers, establish a new style of civilization, and illuminate the path of education with the light of spirit.

"Comrades, the building of spiritual civilization is not just a slogan, but the foundation that is integrated into the entire process of our teaching and educating people," the leader on the podium declared eloquently.

Xiao Bing sat below, while the people in the stands gave her cold looks.

"This work is a never-ending journey, requiring us to sow the seeds of spiritual civilization more widely and nurture them stronger with a sense of responsibility that we can never let go of, so that they can become the deepest foundation supporting the high-quality development of the school."

That concludes my remarks.

As soon as he finished speaking, the people below began to applaud.

Sitting in the center of the stage, Liu Baoguo took the microphone and said earnestly, "Let us thank Dean Chen for his insightful speech. All of us teachers should learn from Dean Chen's outstanding performance in the construction of spiritual civilization."

Chen Gengyun, standing to the side, smiled humbly and waved his hand.

Then, Liu Baoguo gave a passionate summary for over half an hour, finally bringing the long and tedious conference to an end.

The leader on the stage left his seat, looking quite energetic.

The teachers in the audience, however, got up and walked towards the door, looking exhausted.

Xiao Bing looked at the huge crowd in front of him, stood still, and waited until most of the people had left before he left.

Just as I was about to reach the door, I suddenly caught a glimpse of something on the ground to the side.

When I went over to take a look, it seemed to be a photo with its back facing up.

He bent down and picked it up; surprisingly, there were several lines of French written on it.

Moreover, it was a few lines of hymn.

He smiled, flipped the photo over, but suddenly froze.

The photo was actually of Lu Xiaoshuang.

He involuntarily looked around; there were hardly any people left in the auditorium.

He looked at Lu Xiaoshuang's bright smile in the photo, but his heart was slowly sinking.

Because this photo looks like it was taken secretly.

Xiao Bing suddenly had a bad feeling.

It was as if a wild beast was baring its fangs in the darkness.

He discreetly slipped the photo into his pocket, then walked out of the auditorium against the light.

……

April 30th, 11:00 AM.

Xiao Bing hurriedly rode his bicycle from Daguan Street into the alleys of the old city.

There's a Labor Day performance this afternoon, and he's the instructor for our department's performance. But this morning when I left home, I completely forgot his script.

He's a meticulous person, and he didn't want anything to go wrong with the afternoon's performance.

I parked my bicycle, took out my keys to open the door, went inside, and closed the door.

Then, upon entering the inner room, I immediately saw the script placed on the writing desk.

He called out towards the basement entrance, "Lulu, it's me, I forgot something."

Since Dong Lu was burned, he has never called her Teacher Xiao Lu again.

Because he inadvertently shouted it once, Dong Lu's emotions collapsed and she lost control, and she began to self-harm.

At that time, he did not know that Dong Lu had developed a mental illness.

After saying that, he took the script and turned to leave.

When they reached the door of the inner room, they suddenly stopped and glanced at the entrance to the basement.

Then he walked over and pried open the entrance by the edge.

But it was pitch black inside, and there was no one there at all.

Xiao Bing sighed. He knew it was Dong Lu's original personality that had run away again.

Xiao Bing knew why Dong Lu's original personality was so persistent in running away; she wanted to find the man who set her on fire in this vast sea of ​​people.

But it's not that easy. He's been searching for so many years in Hongda, but still hasn't found anything.

If it weren't for finding clues about that man, why would he have endured staying in Hongda?

But she didn't dare stop Dong Lu, for fear of upsetting her.

Fortunately, Director Sun said that as long as she takes the medication regularly and there are no special stimuli, Dong Lu is still safe.

The thought of something particularly exciting made him sigh.

A little over a week ago, he found a photo of Lu Xiaoshuang.

After getting home, I forgot about it. When I got something, the photo fell out, and Dong Lu saw it and picked it up.

Dong Lu looked at the photo, then at the poem on the back, and before he could explain, she suddenly fell ill.

In a fit of emotion, she tore the photo to shreds, believing he had fallen for someone else who looked remarkably like her when she was perfectly fine.

She was having an episode and wouldn't listen to a word of his explanation, even saying some shocking things.

But Xiao Bing knew that this was not Dong Lu's intention; it was a scream from someone tormented by endless pain.

So he held her tightly and comforted her until she gradually calmed down.

He could never fall in love with someone else, because there is only one Dong Lu in this world, no matter what she becomes.

From that day on, he followed Director Sun's advice to increase the dosage of his medication for a week after the onset of his illness.

His condition stabilized later, but he still had to go out almost every night to look for someone.

Xiao Bing checked the time and thought that as long as she didn't hurt anyone, it would be fine.

He closed the door to the inner room and his gaze swept across the outer room.

Suddenly, he noticed that one of the knives was missing from the knife rack.

He was startled, and the words Dong Lu had said when she fell ill that night immediately popped into his mind.

Xiao Bing was terrified. He immediately went out, got on his bike, and rushed to Hongda.

"Lulu, please don't do anything foolish, please don't!"

……

May 1st, evening.

Jianghai Mansion, Villa No. 17.

Wrapped in a bath towel, Chen Gengyun touched his bald head and walked out of the bathroom.

He went into the bedroom and closed the door.

On the bed, Xu Liu lay sprawled, her eyes filled with seductive allure as she beckoned to Chen Gengyun with her finger: "Dean, I made a mistake, can you punish me?"

Chen Gengyun calculated the time it took to swallow the blue pill, untied the towel around his waist, and walked over with a lewd grin.

Suddenly, spring's beauty was revealed.

As their passion reached its peak, Xu Liu groaned and asked, "You... promised me before... when... you would send me abroad."

Chen Gengyun, panting heavily, said, "I'll get it done in a couple of days... I promise!"

Xu Liu's previously radiant expression immediately turned displeased. "It's always two days later."

Chen Gengyun didn't answer, he just kept exerting his strength.

Suddenly, Xu Liu whispered something in his ear that made Chen Gengyun's blood run cold.

"Dean Chen, I'm pregnant."

……

May 3rd.

Fan Tianyou called Chen Gengyun early in the morning because it was his mother Fan Chunyu's birthday.

He wanted to have dinner with Chen Gengyun that evening and buy a cake.

He and his mother had never celebrated their birthdays or blew out birthday candles in their entire lives.

He later reunited with Chen Gengyun and became wealthy, but he still never celebrated his birthday.

He felt that if he hadn't been born and hadn't come into this world, Fan Chunyu's life might have been different.

At least he can find someone to marry in Changfeng Ridge, instead of dragging along this bastard child as a burden.

So he didn't want to celebrate his own birthday, and besides, Chen Gengyun never thought of celebrating it for himself.

He even suspected that Chen Gengyun didn't remember his birthday at all.

But today, he wanted Chen Gengyun to celebrate his mother's birthday. He knew that even until her death, his mother would still have a sliver of hope for this man.

But Chen Gengyun did not answer his call.

He assumed the other person was busy and hadn't seen him.

I called several more times, but no one answered.

Unbeknownst to him, Chen Gengyun was plotting to eliminate Xu Liu at that very moment.

So, near the end of the workday, he went to Licheng Building to find Chen Gengyun.

But Chen Gengyun was not in the office.

He was about to turn around and go downstairs when he bumped into someone at the bottom of the stairs.

The other person was startled. Upon seeing this, he blurted out, "Dad!"

Chen Gengyun's expression changed drastically in an instant. He looked around nervously, thankfully no one was there.

"What are you doing here?" Chen Gengyun asked in a low voice.

"I called you but you didn't answer..."

"Let's talk in the office." Chen Gengyun pulled him into the office.

As soon as he closed the door, he said with dissatisfaction, "Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me directly at school!"

"I was thinking..." Before Fan Tianyou could finish speaking, Chen Gengyun, with a gloomy face, waved his hand and asked, "Just for this?"

Fan Tianyou was taken aback, but looking at the other person's expression, he knew the answer.

His face instantly fell, and he said coldly, "Excuse me, Dean Chen!"

After saying that, he slammed the door and left.

After taking only two steps, I heard the sound of a cup shattering inside the house, and I could vaguely hear Chen Gengyun cursing: "Fan Chunyu, when are you going to stop haunting me?"

Fan Tianyou, standing in the corridor, heard the sound of his teeth grinding together.

……

"Hello, we have a new store opening and we're having a promotion!"

"You can still take a look."

On the bustling street, Lu Xiaoshuang, wearing a gaudy hat and exaggerated clown glasses, was handing out flyers to passersby.

Some people waved to her, some would reach out and take a look, and occasionally someone would take a look and then casually toss it away.

Although she was standing on a crowded street, the streetlights overhead only illuminated her solitary figure.

She rubbed her stomach, feeling a bit hungry, and thought that after she finished handing out all the flyers, she would buy two steamed buns to fill her stomach.

She saw peach shortbread being sold on the street when she passed by earlier. It smelled so good that she wanted to buy two pieces to take back to her grandma.

At 8:30 p.m., Lu Xiaoshuang finally finished distributing all the flyers and went to collect her wages from the boss.

She saw this new store opening a few days ago while looking for part-time work. It was a one-time job, but she could get 1.1 yuan per hour.

She carefully put the money she earned from handing out flyers and two peach shortbreads into her bag, then rode her old, dilapidated bicycle back to her grandmother's house.

As she was riding, a swaying figure suddenly appeared by the roadside. She couldn't avoid it in time and crashed into it.

She nimbly jumped off the bicycle, steadied herself and the bicycle, and did not fall.

The other person fell flat on their back, sprawling on the ground. The things they were carrying also fell to the ground, and the cake that fell out of the box landed on the road, the white cream standing out starkly in the darkness.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" Lu Xiaoshuang stopped her bicycle and quickly went over to help the other person. As soon as she got close, she smelled alcohol on their breath.

The other person looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "Professor Fan?"

Fan Tianyou, who was already looking listless, was stunned when he saw her: "Lu Xiaoshuang?"

……

Around 1 a.m., Chen Gengyun was awakened by a piercing Nokia phone ringtone.

He picked up his phone and looked at it, and instantly felt a surge of anger.

He slammed down the call button and yelled, "Fan Tianyou, are you sick in the head? Don't you know what time it is?"

Fan Tianyou's voice trembled as he said on the other end of the phone, "Dad... I killed someone."

In the talent apartment, Chen Gengyun looked at Lu Xiaoshuang lying motionless on the ground and asked through gritted teeth, "What the hell did you do?"

“I had a few drinks and bumped into her on the road. I... I pretended to twist my ankle and tricked her into taking me home.”

"After I delivered it, she was about to leave... I wanted her to stay and keep me company, so I lied and said it was my birthday and she had broken the birthday cake... and she softened..."

Chen Gengyun said with a look of disdain, "You fucking want to rape her?"

Fan Tianyou was clearly not mentally stable and said somewhat agitatedly, "No, I just wanted to hug her, really! I swear! Then she was about to scream, so I covered her mouth tightly with my hand."

"I told her I didn't mean to hurt her, I just wanted her to hug me, like my mom used to hug me when I was little. I really didn't mean to hurt her..."

Seeing that Fan Tianyou was getting more and more agitated, Chen Gengyun suddenly slapped him, "Calm down!"

Fan Tianyou was stunned by the slap and said blankly, "When I let go... she was already motionless."

Did anyone see her bring you back?

Fan Tianyou shook his head.

Chen Gengyun looked at Lu Xiaoshuang on the ground, then at Fan Tianyou's crotch.

He didn't believe Fan Tianyou's reasons; he was certain that Fan Tianyou had committed rape and murder.

Corpses cannot be disposed of at will; he had heard that the province was preparing to establish a DNA laboratory.

"Go get a new bed sheet, wrap the body up, and load it into the car."

Fan Tianyou asked, "Where...where are we going?"

"Jianghai Haoting".

……

In the bathroom on the second floor of Jianghai Mansion, Lu Xiaoshuang was lying in the bathtub.

Chen Gengyun, who was completely naked except for his underwear, squatted next to the bathtub. His clothes were in the bedroom, and he didn't want to get them dirty when he was dismembering the body later.

He told Fan Tianyou to take off his clothes as well, and then went downstairs to the kitchen to bring up a few knives.

Looking at Lu Xiaoshuang in the bathtub, he understood why Fan Tianyou had done this; the girl looked just like Dong Lu from back then.

Suddenly, he was horrified to discover that Lu Xiaoshuang's eyeballs under her eyelids twitched slightly in the bathtub.

He was startled, then extended his right index finger and placed it under Lu Xiaoshuang's nose.

There was still a faint breath!
After only half a second of hesitation, Chen Gengyun used his right hand to tightly cover Lu Xiaoshuang's mouth and nose.

……

August 16, 1997.

Haicheng Airport, international flight boarding gate.

With a beaming smile, Xu Liu hugged Chen Gengyun's face, kissed him, said "I love you," and then dragged her luggage into the security checkpoint without looking back.

Chen Gengyun stood still until Xu Liu's figure completely disappeared before turning away expressionlessly.

After the Hongda case occurred, the special task force was stationed at Hongda for three months to investigate.

Fortunately, he arranged a solid alibi for Fan Tianyou, and since Fan Tianyou and Lu Xiaoshuang didn't have much contact outside of class, they were able to successfully evade the investigation team's investigation thanks to the alibi.

But this also made him afraid to touch Xu Liu again, because Xu Liu and Lu Xiaoshuang were roommates and were also within the scope of the first batch of core investigations.

With Xu Liu taking the opportunity to press him further, he ultimately had no choice but to pay the price by using the research association's project funds to send Xu Liu abroad.

Only if Xu Liu is no longer in the country will this time bomb not explode.

As for what happens after he leaves, he has already decided that after a period of transition, he will gradually cut off Xu Liu's living expenses.

She's just a young girl; she won't last long in a foreign country. Let her fend for herself.

The real troublemaker is Fan Tianyou.

He had made up his mind: Fan Tianyou had to die!

He has already used his trustworthy connections to obtain a colorless and odorless heavy metal.

He wanted to slowly and quietly eliminate his last threat.

……

It was a weekend in October 1999.

in the afternoon.

Dong Lu was reading a book in Xiao Bing's basement when she suddenly heard a loud thud from above.

Her heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition enveloped her.

She quickly climbed out of the basement, then ran out of the inner room and saw Xiao Bing lying on the floor of the outer room.

"What's wrong?" Dong Lu asked anxiously.

She turned Xiao Bing over and found that his face was deathly pale, his right hand was clutching his chest tightly, and he looked extremely painful.

"Teacher Xiao, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" Dong Lu cried out in panic, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls.

But Xiao Bing could only groan in pain and couldn't say a word.

Dong Lu looked at Xiao Bing with tears in her eyes, then at the large door.

With a determined look, she opened the door and rushed out without hesitation, shouting, "Someone help us..."

The intense afternoon sun outside the door blanketed Xiao Bing like a quilt.

……

In the ward, a white blanket was covering Xiao Bing.

His eyes were closed, and his temples were already turning gray.

Opposite the ward is the nurses' station, and the electronic display screen above it shows the date as May 4, 2020.

Beside Xiao Bing's hospital bed, Dong Lu, wearing a hat, was peeling an apple. She wasn't wearing glasses, gloves, or a mask; she looked just like a normal person.

Since that afternoon when she rushed out of that door to save Xiao Bing, she has never hidden her scars again.

Twenty years have passed, and she has become accustomed to the strange looks from strangers.

But that's not important.

The elderly woman in the next hospital bed was scrolling through her phone when a news article suddenly caught Xiao Bing's attention.

"Dear viewers, we have found the real identity of the elderly scavenger who went viral online. Although he was mentally unstable, he became an internet sensation after being filmed and having his poems recited fluently. According to feedback from Hongcheng University, they have confirmed that the elderly man is Chen Gengyun, a retired professor from their university."

Xiao Bing opened her eyes, looked at Dong Lu, and was about to say something.

Dong Lu handed him the peeled apple and said calmly, "It's all in the past. That's life. I can stay with you, this old man, until you grow old. That's enough."

Xiao Bing took a bite of the apple and smiled.

"I'll go downstairs to get the list and see if I've paid enough," Dong Lu said, rubbing her lower back as she stood up.

Watching her walk out of the ward, Xiao Bing sighed.

I'm already over fifty, and I'm afraid I'll never be able to reveal the truth to Dong Lu in this lifetime.

Downstairs in the hospital building, Dong Lu pulled out a bill on the machine.

Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice asked from behind, "Grandma, are you an angel?"

Dong Lu was taken aback. She turned around and saw a cute little girl, about four or five years old, wearing a dress, looking at her.

"Little friend, are you asking me something?" Dong Lu asked, puzzled.

The little girl blinked her big eyes and nodded.

Dong Lu squatted down curiously and asked, "Why do you ask that? Don't you think Grandma looks a little scary?"

The little girl shook her head, her pert little ponytail swaying slightly.

Then she raised her left hand, revealing a large burn on her arm, and said earnestly, "My mother told me that this is what angels got burned by the sun when they descended to earth, so people with this on their bodies are angels."

Dong Lu was stunned for a moment.

The little girl said in her childish voice, "I want to know if my mom is lying to me."

Two lines of tears streamed down Dong Lu's cheeks. She shook her head and said, "Little friend, your mother didn't lie to you. You are the little angel who descended to earth."

Just then, the young woman holding the receipt and her phone called out to them, "Xiaoshuang, let's go see Grandma."

The little girl named Xiaoshuang waved to Dong Lu, then skipped back to her mother, took her hand, and happily said, "Mom, you didn't lie to me, I really am an angel."

As Dong Lu gazed at the little girl's figure, she suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she were seeing an old friend she had never met before.

Suddenly someone called out in the hall, "Mom, Mom."

Immediately afterwards, another voice called out, "Zhang Qiuxia!"

"Hey, hey, over here." An elderly woman with a full head of white hair walked towards a middle-aged man. "What are you yelling about in public? You're a police officer, for goodness' sake."

"Comrade Zhang Qiuxia, you're really something. You can even go and chat with people while I'm paying a fee, right?"

Even when they're sick, they don't stop.

……

"Zhou Yi".

Chen Yan handed a letter to Zhou Yi.

"This is?"

Zhou Yi saw that the envelope was covered in English.

"It's the foreign university recommendation letter that Chen Gengyun wrote to Xu Liu on the 27th," Chen Yan said. "To be honest, Xu Liu is really stupid. How could she send a letter abroad via regular mail? It got returned. We didn't find it in Chen Gengyun's office earlier because the letter was in the mailroom after it was returned and we didn't pick it up."

Zhou Yi took out the letter from the opened envelope and found that the handwriting on it was indeed very beautiful.

The dense English text was giving him a headache.

"Brother Yan, my English isn't very good, you can just read it."

Even so, Zhou Yi still took a look.

Suddenly, he noticed the only Chinese character in the letter: Xu Liu.

Next to Xu Liu's name is an English name: Michel Xu.

Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment, and a string of memories suddenly rushed into his mind.

Michelle Xu?

This English name is not as common as Linda Amy; at least in the 1990s, not many Chinese people would choose such an English name for themselves.

Zhou Yi couldn't be sure if this Michelle Xu was the same person from her memories of her previous life.

In his previous life, he had seen a news report about an academic spy.

This woman is named Xu Qiulu, whose English name is Michelle Xu. In her early years, she was a government-sponsored student studying abroad. During her studies overseas, she used her beauty and cunning to seduce several professors. She accumulated wealth and academic credentials through multiple marriages and divorces, and finally transformed herself into a beautiful professor who returned to China.

But in fact, this woman had long been infiltrated and turned by foreign forces. Her core purpose in returning to China was to steal my country's academic secrets for foreign forces.

The case was eventually solved by the National Security Bureau, and the perpetrators were brought to justice.

Xu Qiulu is also known online as the "Academic Daji".

Zhou Yi had seen this woman's photo on his phone; she looked like she had high-tech equipment and hyaluronic acid injections.

He looked at the letter in his hand with some surprise.

I wonder if the academic Daji from my previous life was Xu Liu after she had plastic surgery and changed her name.

"What's wrong? Did you find something else?" Chen Yan asked.

Zhou Yi put away the letter, shook his head, and said, "No, it's all over."

(End of this chapter)