Blank Charge

The topic suddenly changed, and Yang Shiyu was visibly taken aback. He then smoothed his furrowed brow and asked lightly, “Is your room tidy?”

If we go back nine years, Jin Zhou’s room was indeed always untidy.

Clothes and socks were casually thrown on the bed, and sometimes the desk was so messy that there was no place to tutor him on, and Yang Shiyu had to always tidy up for Jin Zhou.

Every time Yang Shiyu tidied up Jin Zhou’s room, Jin Zhou would lazily lie on the bed and look at Yang Shiyu, saying, “Little Teacher Yang, you’re so hardworking.”

Yang Shiyu would then say to Jin Zhou, “You have to learn to tidy up yourself.”

In the first few years of living alone, Jin Zhou’s home was as messy as a dog’s kennel. Clothes would pile up for a week without being washed.

But many things in life change suddenly, like suddenly not playing games anymore, suddenly wanting to study, suddenly learning to tidy up the room, suddenly becoming sensible.

Jin Zhou, now twenty-seven years old, having lived alone for nine years, his household skills became top-notch. Besides smoking and drinking,he let go of his previous bad habits.

“My room is very tidy,” Jin Zhou said. “If you don’t believe me, you can go and see for yourself.”

Yang Shiyu obviously didn’t believe it. “Are your sheets folded?”

Well, okay, that was a direct hit.

The sheets were the one thing Jin Zhou couldn’t fold. If he slept well, he would casually fold them a couple of times, but if he didn’t sleep well, he wouldn’t fold them at all.

The previous night, because Yang Shiyu kept tossing and turning, his sheets were naturally in a messy state.

“They’re folded,” Jin Zhou said without changing his expression. “Why, do you want to sleep with me?”

Yang Shiyu glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up, and walked towards the door. “You can leave now.”

Just as he had taken a sip of water, he was given the order to leave. Jin Zhou wasn’t annoyed either. He got up from the sofa and followed behind Yang Shiyu. However, when he reached the door, he suddenly took a step forward and hugged Yang Shiyu from behind.

{He had just been emotionally hurt by the towel, so he had to figure out a way to seek some comfort.}

{Oh well, let’s stop the nonsense. He had been eyeing Yang Shiyu’s waist since the minute he walked in.}

” Little teacher Yang ” Jin Zhou tilted his head slightly and bit the anti-slip chain behind Yang Shiyu’s ear, whispering softly, “Sleep with me tonight.”

Yang Shiyu’s back stiffened suddenly, but he didn’t react at all.

From Jin Zhou’s perspective, Yang Shiyu’s eyes were staring blankly ahead, and his thick eyelashes trembled slightly behind his glasses.

Actually, Jin Zhou didn’t come up with that line on the spot. After all, he had never said such things to his precious lovers.

It was back in the spring festival of their senior year in high school when Yang Shiyu had dinner at Jin Zhou’s house. Jin Zhou’s parents wanted him to stay overnight, and Jin Zhou pulled his sleeve and said, “Little Teacher Yang, sleep with me tonight.”

It was also on that night, amidst the sound of firecrackers bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, that Jin Zhou felt a strange impulse towards Yang Shiyu for the first time.

The same lines, empty of the innocence they once had, now carried a hint of seductive allure.

Jin Zhou leaned his chin forward again, and the fragrance of the shower gel acted as the best trigger, finally giving him the courage to do what he didn’t dare to do in the past.

As he lifted the hem of Yang Shi Yu’s short sleeves, his palm touched the warm skin. The muscles in his abdomen tightened, and in the next instant, Yang Shi Yu’s chin slightly turned to the side.

The gaze that was just blank a moment ago was now tinted with a trace of killing intent, appearing cold and serious behind the golden frame of his glasses. Yang Shi Yu, as a sacred judge holding the scales of justice, could see through any vile behavior.

Jin Zhou had long prepared himself to be dealt with and took the opportunity while Yang Shi Yu hadn’t erupted yet. He quickly smacked his butt and slipped away, leaving only a graceful figure behind. “Goodnight, Judge Yang.”

That night, Jin Zhou slept soundly, and the next morning, he unusually folded the sheets neatly when he got up.

When he arrived at the auto repair shop, it was already close to noon, and Xiao Wu was busy with his work, humming happily.

Jin Zhou felt curious. “Why are you so cheerful today?”

“Oh, Jin Zhao,” Xiao Wu said cheerfully, “I got back together with my girlfriend.”

Jin Zhou: “…And you still owe me money for drinks.”

“I realized,” Xiao Wu continued fixing the car, “that you have to pamper your girlfriend. It doesn’t matter if she’s angry or not, just keep pampering her.”

“Is that so?” Jin Zhou stroked his chin, contemplating, “Indeed, men and women are very different. Men don’t need sweet words.”

In the afternoon, the shop quieted down again. Jin Zhou asked Liu Yongchang to inquire about Wei Ge’s situation and asked Sun Yi to help investigate Wang Da Rong’s girlfriend. He spent the entire afternoon preparing the case materials for Luo Xueqing, with his hands constantly busy.

In the evening, when Xiao Wu asked about dinner, Jin Zhou finally moved his gaze away from the materials, stretched lazily, and decided to go to the neighboring street to pack two portions of lamb noodles while taking a walk.

However, shortly after leaving the auto repair shop, Jin Zhou ran into an old acquaintance, Ren Wenli. He saw Ren Wenli leading several plainclothes officers, holding photos in their hands, and going door-to-door asking about something.

Jin Zhou took the initiative to greet her, “Officer Ren, what are you doing?”

Ren Wenli didn’t hide the photos in her hands. Jin Zhou glanced at them and saw an ordinary young woman.

“We’re investigating a case,” Ren Wenli sighed and let her subordinates continue inquiring, then handed the photo to Jin Zhou, “Do you know this person?”

Jin Zhou tilted his head and carefully examined it before shaking his head, “I don’t know her.”

“She’s the victim in the apartment building case,” Ren Wenli said, “She worked at a convenience store nearby.”

That case had some connection with Jin Zhou, and he was somewhat curious. “Wasn’t it the ex-husband or boyfriend who committed the crime?”

When he was observing outside the police line before, Jin Zhou heard that the victim was a single mother. Cases like that were usually related to domestic disputes, and the culprit was often the victim’s husband or lover.

“No, her ex-husband doesn’t even live in this city, and she doesn’t have a boyfriend,” Ren Wenli said, “We asked her colleagues, but there were no known enemies.”

Most real-life homicide cases are not complex. The investigators start by examining the people around the victim, one by one, to find a motive, and they can quickly locate the culprit. However, if they can’t find the motive, the case becomes tricky.

“What about relatives?” Jin Zhou asked.

“We checked, but her social connections were relatively simple. We couldn’t find a breakthrough,” Ren Wenli sighed with a headache.

“Perhaps it’s a crime of passion,” Jin Zhou suggested, “For example, a thief caught stealing…”

As he said this, Jin Zhou suddenly remembered that he had guided Yang Shi Yu, who was dressed in black, and referred to him as a thief. To avoid complicating things, he decided to stop there, but unexpectedly, Ren Wenli directly refuted him.

“No, the killer planned the murder and brought their own tools. I won’t tell you the specific details, but this case is not that simple.”

A premeditated murder, investigated all around but no motive found; it was getting strange.

Difficult murder cases often stumble upon the evidence. Sometimes, even if the suspect is caught, they might be released due to insufficient evidence during the trial.

But in cases where the motive couldn’t be found from the beginning, that was quite rare.

Jin Zhou just pondered about it randomly. After all, he was an outsider and couldn’t be of much help. However, since he encountered Ren Wenli, he naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to inquire. He asked, “By the way, did Wang Da Rong mention anything to his girlfriend?”

He didn’t expect Ren Wenli to answer truthfully, but he hoped to gather some information from her reaction.

However, Ren Wenli looked at him strangely and asked, “What do you mean? We haven’t found anyone.”

Jin Zhou was taken aback. “You haven’t caught Wang Darong?”

“No,” Ren Wenli assessed Jin Zhou with her eyes. “How do you know everything? And how do you know we’re investigating Wang Darong’s girlfriend?”

“I heard that Judge Yang personally went to the southern prison.” The term “heard” could come from various sources, so it wasn’t surprising that Jin Zhou knew if Yang Shi Yu had publicly gone to the prison.

“Yes, the rape case has gained significant social attention. Judge Yang wanted to reach a verdict quickly, but it’s not going smoothly ,” Ren Wenli explained. She then advised Jin Zhou, “You can rest assured that the judge is more anxious than you and will provide you with a result.”

Jin Zhou verbally agreed, but after bidding farewell to Ren Wenli, he turned and went to the residential area where Yang Shi Yu lived.

When he handed Wang Darong to the police, he mentioned a fight in the alley behind the bar. The police should have arrived within five minutes.

However, Ren Wenli said that Wang Darong had not been caught, which meant that he had already left the alley before the police arrived. The police might have assumed that the people involved in the fight had dispersed, and they didn’t want to make a fuss over nothing.

Jin Zhou didn’t believe that a killer would coincidentally appear within those five minutes and take Wang Darong away. The only person who knew where Wang Darong was, besides himself, was Yang Shi Yu.

Arriving in front of Yang Shi Yu’s house again, Jin Zhou knocked on the door but received no response even after a long wait.

Checking the time, it was just past 6 pm, and Yang Shi Yu was likely still working at the court.

Feeling bored from waiting, Jin Zhou looked at the smart electronic lock and whimsically entered Yang Shi Yu’s birthday. He had no intention of breaking in; he was merely killing time.

December 31st, a reserved Capricorn man. The door didn’t open, which was expected by Jin Zhou.

If Yang Shi Yu had set such a simple password, Jin Zhou would have thought less of him.

What other significant dates could there be?

Jin Zhou pondered for a while and then tried entering the day Yang Shi Yu became a judge, but the door still didn’t open.

The password might not necessarily be a special date, but Jin Zhou couldn’t think of anything else. He decided to try the most significant day for him—his parents’ memorial day.

With a beep, the door unexpectedly opened.

Jin Zhou was completely stunned. He had never expected that he would actually be able to open Yang Shi Yu’s door.

After regaining his composure, he couldn’t help but find it amusing. Yang Shi Yu usually appeared like a mysterious and impassive figure, and no one knew what he was thinking. Who would have thought he would care about his parents like that ?