1993, Pengcheng Police Affairs

Hou Hao was caught off guard by Gu Huai's sudden remarks.

He looked at Gu Huai with a slightly strange expression, assuming he was just a newcomer about to show off.

"Xiao Gu!"

Just as Hou Hao was about to quietly reprimand Gu Huai, the baby in the cradle started crying.

"Wow……"

The baby's cries instantly threw the atmosphere into chaos. Jenny immediately abandoned the two of them, picked up the baby, and began to soothe him.

"Ms. Liu..." Hou Hao wanted to continue asking questions, but Liu Yanni glared at him and stopped him.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Hou Hao could only sit sullenly to the side and wait for her to calm the child down before continuing.

However, Liu Yanni was a new mother and didn't know how to soothe her child, so she tried for a long time without success.

Zhang Shengli, who was in the inner room, was also drawn by the crying and poked his head out to ask Liu Yanni, "Yanni, what happened?"

"Second Uncle, the child is crying. Could you please ask these two police officers to come again next time?" Liu Yanni was clearly on the verge of a breakdown.

The baby crying incessantly in her arms made her instinctively want to escape.

Although finding her husband is the most important thing for her right now, and the two policemen in front of her are the ones who can help her the most, people tend to enter a state of self-isolation when they are extremely agitated, and once they do, they don't want to do anything.

Gu Huai saw all of this.

He knew very well that he had to intervene at this point.

If he returns empty-handed today, it's questionable whether he can continue investigating this case at all.

Seeing Liu Yanni's almost collapsing expression, Zhang Shengli felt a pang of pity.

He walked up to Gu Huai and whispered, "Comrade Gu, how about we call it quits for today?"

"How about I try to coax him?" Gu Huai certainly wouldn't give up.

"Will it work?" Zhang Shengli swallowed hard, unsure of himself.

"It should be possible." Gu Huai tried his best to keep his tone gentle. "I've helped take care of children for relatives before."

"Xiao Gu, please don't be stubborn," Hou Hao said in a low voice as he walked to Gu Huai's side. "Her emotions are very unstable; don't upset her."

Although Hou Hao intended to show off his experience to Gu Huai before entering, when things actually happened, he still didn't want to see Gu Huai make mistakes because of his bravado.

In his opinion, the best course of action now is to leave and come back another time.

"Brother Hou, don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Gu Huai gently patted Hou Hao's shoulder, slowly walked to Liu Yanni's side, and whispered, "Can I give it a try?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yanni instinctively hugged the child in her arms tighter: "No need... I can soothe him."

"Of course, I have no doubt about that." Gu Huaixian affirmed her words, so that she wouldn't be so wary.

Seeing that Liu Yanni's expression softened slightly, Gu Huai continued, "You've been working so hard, and there are so many things at home waiting for you to take care of. I just wanted to help out."

As he spoke, he reached out his hand tentatively closer. Perhaps because her words had made her feel understood, Liu Yanni did not stop him.

Gu Huai took the child from Liu Yanni's hands, placed him in his arms, and let the child's head rest on his chest, gently and rhythmically rocking him.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he managed to lull the child to sleep.

Although Gu Huai spent most of his time making money in his previous life, he had still held children before, so he had some experience in that area.

He gently placed the swaddled child back into the cradle and whispered, "Can we continue our previous conversation now?"

"Okay." Liu Yanni nodded, her emotions having calmed down a bit. "Officers, you can ask me anything you want to know."

Gu Huai nodded slightly, then glanced at Hou Hao.

Hou Hao was puzzled by that look until he noticed Gu Huai looking at the notebook the next second, and then he realized that Gu Huai wanted him to take notes.

He wanted to argue and regain control, but when he thought of Gu Huai's unquestionable gaze and the fact that Gu Huai had just solved the problem, Hou Hao inexplicably walked to the stool, picked up a pen, and prepared to take notes.

I'd like to see what kind of questions you can ask.

Clearly, Hou Hao didn't believe Gu Huai could ask any crucial questions.

He was ready to step in and take charge once Gu Huai showed weakness.

"Could you tell me where your husband usually works?"

Although taxi drivers can run all over the city and don't have a fixed place to work, Gu Huai knew that they basically all had a fixed place to wait for fares.

They are most familiar with these places, and they know when and where the crowds are, which allows them to earn more money.

In his previous life, Gu Huai had heard of cases where unlicensed taxi drivers fought over fixed customer locations.

Liu Yanni shook her head: "I don't know. Every time he comes back, he's so tired that he falls asleep right away. He never talks to me about these things." These words seemed to touch a sore spot for her, and she sobbed softly as she spoke.

In her eyes, her husband worked day and night to earn money for the family, but now he had been missing for several days, which inevitably brought her great sorrow.

"Yanni, don't be too sad." Zhang Shengli, who was squatting to the side, stood up and gently comforted her. Then he explained to Gu Huai, "Zhenhua is like me during the day, usually looking for work near the airport. But I leave in the morning and come home in the afternoon, while he usually works until night. I don't know what happens at night."

He taught Zhang Zhenhua how to drive a taxi, which is why he was so busy helping to find Zhang Zhenhua.

"What about the taxi company?" Hou Hao suddenly interjected. "Haven't they said anything?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Huai immediately turned to look at him, signaling him not to speak.

Before Hou Hao could react, Liu Yanni's sobs grew even louder.

Hou Hao was, after all, a newcomer who had only recently entered the workforce and knew too little about the dangers of society.

Seeing Liu Yanni sobbing incessantly, Gu Huai knew that he would have to wait until she calmed down before he could continue questioning her.

However, based on what I've just learned, this case is gradually overlapping with the cases he remembers.

Apart from a slight discrepancy in time, the location and people match up perfectly.

Thinking of this, Gu Huai glanced at the baby in the swaddling clothes and had an idea for the next question.

Of course, he couldn't ask Liu Yanni this question directly, because the question was a bit sensitive, and asking it would be like provoking her.

So he stood up and waved to Zhang Shengli and Hou Hao: "Master Zhang, come out with me for a smoke."

After saying that, he pulled Hou Hao and Zhang Shengli out the door without saying another word.

As soon as they stepped outside, Hou Hao immediately pulled Gu Huai aside and whispered, "Gu, why were you glaring at me just now? What's wrong with contacting the company after something like this happened?"

Faced with the questioning, Gu Huai sighed softly: "Brother Hou, you're right. If Zhang Zhenhua really has an accident, the taxi company will of course have to take care of it. Even if they don't, the insurance company will still have to pay compensation."

But now the police station suspects Zhang Zhenhua has fled to Hong Kong, so the company naturally bears no responsibility, and the insurance company will certainly not pay compensation.

As he spoke, Gu Huai sighed slightly, "If Zhang Zhenhua is ultimately defined as a fugitive from Hong Kong, the taxi company will not only bear no responsibility, but can also demand compensation from the Zhang family for the lost taxi."

"This...but..." Hou Hao wanted to argue, but he didn't say anything.

After seeing Liu Yanni's miserable state, Hou Hao's simple desire to help others made him want to help her, but he also knew that Gu Huai was right.

No company will take responsibility for those who flee to Hong Kong.

Although Captain Wu felt there was something fishy about the matter, as a police officer he knew that everything required evidence.

After hesitating for a long time, Hou Hao finally spoke: "Is there really no way to help her?"

"Isn't this what I'm trying to do?" Gu Huai said, gesturing towards Zhang Shengli with his chin.

Hou Hao understood that Gu Huai had a question for Zhang Shengli, so he immediately stepped aside.

Seeing Gu Huai approach, Zhang Shengli took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to him.

Gu Huai clasped his hands together and bowed slightly: "No need, Master Zhang, I don't smoke. I called you out because I have a question I want to ask you."

"This..." Zhang Shengli was a seasoned veteran; he knew that Gu Huai would never make up a reason to call him out unless it was a sensitive issue. Thinking of this, he put away his cigarette. "Comrade Gu, please ask me any questions you have. I will answer them to the best of my ability."

Gu Huai nodded slightly and, under the gaze of the two, asked the question that had been on his mind.

"Does Zhang Zhenhua have a habit of visiting prostitutes?"