Good intentions will price you; Ji Fanyang was up till after three within the morning wandering within the deep evening with Lu Hui. 

At seven o’clock, Lu Hui opened his eyes. His gaze was clear and brilliant, with not one of the fogginess that normally comes with insomnia. He received up and went to the washroom to wash his face and brush his tooth, the sounds waking up Ji Fanyang. The younger man used the blanket to cowl his head, wrapping himself up right into a cocoon. 

“Stand up.” Lu Hui knocked his tooth brush towards the mug, “Rise and shine, lazybones.”

Ji Fanyang wrapped himself up even tighter, a muffled sound popping out of the cocoon: “Shut up and let me sleep.”

“I’m not your mother. Stand up, otherwise you’ll miss work.” Lu Hui prodded the cocoon, “The lifeless are ready, and it’s not good to carry them up.”

“He’s already lifeless! It’s not like he can file a criticism!” Ji Fanyang stored holding onto the blanket. 

Lu Hui’s temper was visibly higher. He jabbed on the blanket lump, and it rolled. He smiled in delight, then forcefully pushed the blanket lump up and doing: “Awake, child?”

“Ah—ow.” Ji Fanyang was sprawled out on the carpet. He rolled over and glared at Lu Hui, “You win.” In a huff, he pulled up the blanket and positioned it again on the mattress, then walked into the washroom along with his slippers to prepare. 

Successful would all the time spark pleasure; Lu Hui placed on his garments with a spring in his step, and when contemplating his typical chilly, gloomy self, this was already fairly the development. 

As Ji Fanyang smeared shaving cream onto his jaw, he requested Lu Hui: “Chief Lu, are you shaving?”

“No.” Lu Hui rubbed the stubble on his jaw, staunchly refusing Ji Fanyang’s suggestion. 

Ji Fanyang recalled Director Gao’s exasperated expression and couldn’t assist however advise: “Uh…which may not be consistent with rules?”

“It simply grew in, so it doesn’t depend.” Lu Hui resorted to sophistry. 

Ji Fanyang forged a sidelong look at Lu Hui’s 5 o’clock shadow, then deserted his persuasion. 

As soon as Ji Fanyang completed preparing, he and Lu Hui set out collectively. 

On the crime scene—the pond. From the appears of issues, the forensics technicians had already arrived fairly a while in the past and arrange their battle formation. 

“Overslept?” Shen Pei pulled a whiteboard out of the automobile and none too kindly shoved it into Lu Hui’s arms, “Sister Wu mentioned that there was nothing seen on the physique and no exterior accidents, an odd case of drowning. The ankle was lower just a few occasions by the bicycle’s pedal, which was seemingly triggered whereas attempting to stabilize the bike through the slip.”

“And the appraisal report?” Lu Hui carried the whiteboard sideways underneath his arm, “Let Ji Fanyang take a look.”

Shen Pei handed the report back to Ji Fanyang, then turned his head to say to Lu Hui: “Zhuang Ze’s group is over there. They’re answerable for surveying footprints.”

Lu Hui nodded to point his understanding, then rotated and wedged the whiteboard right into a fork of a tree trunk. He wrote 【Li Weiguo】,【Spouse and deceased sleeping collectively】.

Shen Pei frowned: “Can’t you be just a little extra discreet?” 

Lu Hui mentioned: “‘Dedicated adultery’ it’s, then.”

“Fantastic, high quality, high quality, ‘sleeping collectively’ is nice.” Shen Pei hurriedly waved a hand. 

Rao Feifei walked over simply in time to listen to this delicate intel. She requested uncertainly: “What about sleeping collectively? You all have made it to this step?”

“Don’t interrupt. Like anybody would sleep with him.” Shen Pei rolled his eyes, “I’m going to do work.”

Lu Hui referred to as out loudly: “Who’s ‘Work’?”[1]

Rao Feifei’s expression remained regular. After working for just a few months in staff three, which dealt with rape circumstances, she was no stranger to soiled jokes. She returned to the subject at hand: “Are we going to interrogate Li Weiguo?”

“Not ‘us’.” Lu Hui mentioned, “It’s ‘you all’, you and Sister Yang. Preserve Li Wenguo and his spouse separate through the questioning.” Lu Hui glanced on the forensics personnel taking samples by the pond, “Ji Fanyang and I are going to discover a sure ‘da-gege’.”

“Understood.” Rao Feifei replied and left. 

Lu Hui didn’t instantly name Ji Fanyang over. He walked to the aspect of the pond and checked out its rippling water. The three-day downpour sustained by the world per week prior had rendered the soil right into a slippery mud underfoot. Then, six days of clear skies had dried the soil out afterwards, so the entire pathway had resumed its ordinarily arduous texture. 

Lu Hui took a step ahead in order that half of 1 sole was suspended off the sting whereas the opposite half was on stable floor, creating a way of hazard. 

“Hey!”

Ji Fanyang, who had simply come to the crime scene after shopping for breakfast, rushed ahead and grabbed Lu Hui’s arm: “What are you doing?!” He overlooked a breath as he hauled Lu Hui again just a few steps from the sting of the pond. He gave the breakfast to Lu Hui, “You may’t kill youself on an empty abdomen.”

Lu Hui held the breakfast, a trance-like expression flitting throughout his face. He took a chunk of the jianbing[2], then nitpicked: “I don’t like inexperienced onions.”

Ji Fanyang ignored his grumbling and took a number of large mouthfuls of the jianbing, one after one other, like he had a profound hatred of the factor. 

After experiencing an evening of ingesting and midnight walks, Ji Fanyang and Lu Hui’s relationship had taken a large leap ahead. As earlier than, Lu Hui’s mouth obstinately refused to acknowledge their friendship, however his perspective was fully totally different from earlier than. On the very least, he didn’t use his place of “Squad Chief” to oppress him, and he didn’t thoughts Ji Fanyang scolding or ignoring him. 

After all, Lu Hui didn’t take note of anybody’s scolding. He would simply mark it down in his ledger to pay them again later. 

As soon as he completed his jianbing, Lu Hui hung the plastic bag of jianbing on Ji Fanyang’s wrist in passing. He turned his head to look on the pond and stepped again to behind the pathway by the pond’s aspect. He scanned round and walked to the grass alongside the sting, bending on the waist to fastidiously observe the tussocks. 

Ji Fanyang stood on the pathway and watched his odd actions. His curiosity was involuntarily piqued, however he didn’t say something out of concern of breaking Lu Hui’s focus. 

Lu Hui stored strolling till he reached a distance of about thirty meters from the berm the place the deceased fell into the water. He took a deep breath, then bellowed: “ZHUANG ZE!!!”

“…” Ji Fanyang, who had been absorbed in every of Lu Hui’s actions, was nearly deafened. He pinched the bridge of his nostril to ease the shock. 

He noticed Zhuang Ze, who was squatting all the way down to survey footprints a ways away, scrabble to leap up: “What’s improper, what’s it?”

Ji Fanyang observed that Lu Hui deliberate to shout once more. He rubbed his ears and walked to Lu Hui’s aspect; on the berm was a set of footprints. He waved Zhuang Ze over. 

Zhuang Ze intuitively grabbed his instruments and walked over: “Did you discover one thing?”

“Right here.” Lu Hui pointed to the berm, “Prioritize this footprint.”

Zhuang Ze pulled out a marker with a “1” on his and positioned it beside the print: “Mm.”

“You’ve completed consuming?” Lu Hui requested Ji Fanyang, “Let’s go discover this so-called ‘da-gege’’.”

Ji Fanyang threw out the 2 greasy, plastic luggage within the trash can by the crime scene: “However we don’t know his title but.”

“Go ask.” Lu Hui commanded, “The previous woman sitting on the village’s entrance, the little children taking part in beneath the tree, or…” He raised his head, narrowing his eyes on the village’s entrance, “You may go ask the scholars at school.”

Ji Fanyang touched his personal cheek and thought once more of Lu Hui’s phrases, “Charming face”.

Lu Hui glanced on the younger man, and he instantly knew what he was considering of. He sneered: “So keen on strutting your feathers. Is your dream job being a duck?”

Ji Fanyang acted like he hadn’t heard him, and he tried firing again: “Possibly girls like extra mature males.”

“Tch.” Lu Hui unexpectedly sounded just a little joyful. 

In spite of everything, lately, Lu Hui got here throughout only a few individuals who dared to return hearth instantly, unafraid of his scathing sarcasm. Ji Fanyang was a distinguished presence among the many mighty armies who retreated in battle.