Blank Charge

Yang Shiyu used practical actions to show Jin Zhou what it meant to “think nonsense.”

Neither of them was willing to back down, so in the end, they pretended as if it hadn’t been brought up.

However, when Jin Zhou was lying in bed that night, he couldn’t help but feel that something was off. He was discussing Yang Shiyu’s feelings towards him, but how did the conversation suddenly come to an end?

The next morning, while Jin Zhou was still lazily sleeping, he suddenly received a call from the court clerk, asking him to bring the necessary documents for filing.

It was at that moment that Jin Zhou realized that Yang Shiyu had used that tactic to divert the topic. He didn’t actually need Jin Zhou to fulfill his request; Yang Shiyu would take care of the filing himself.

“Indeed, that’s your style,” Jin Zhou shook his head as he got up from bed and prepared to get ready and leave. “Your mouth is even rougher than a rooster’s.”

While brushing his teeth, he glanced at Yang Shiyu’s toothbrush and mumbled, “When will you ever stop being so stubborn?”

Spitting out the mouthwash, a vague thought flashed through Jin Zhou’s mind. Could it be that Yang Shiyu had been waiting for him to make a move?

It wasn’t entirely impossible.

The filing process went incredibly smoothly, without any obstacles. Once he submitted the documents, the case was filed within minutes.

He left the court in a good mood and made a detour to the auto repair shop.

Business had been increasingly slow recently, and even when Jin Zhou went to the shop, there wasn’t much to do. He could only chat with Xiao Wu.

But chatting was still better than being alone at home.

As the year drew to a close, the second hand shop next door was doing quite well.

There was still no news from Zhang Rui’s side. Jin Zhou was helping Yu He handle a few transactions but just then, Xiao Wu suddenly poked his head halfway through the shop’s entrance and said, “Jin Zhou, Officer Ren is looking for you.”

“Officer Ren?” Jin Zhou came out of the shop and saw a familiar police car parked at the door. “What brings you here today?”

“I have something to discuss with you,” Ren Wenli’s dark circles under her eyes were visible, as if she hadn’t slept well the previous night. “Can we talk inside your shop?”

Jin Zhou thought it might be some new development from Wei Jie’s side, but after leading her into the shop, he found out that another murder had occurred.

“What were you doing at Red Apple Elementary School yesterday afternoon?” Ren Wenli took out her notebook and waved her hand at Xiao Wu, indicating that she didn’t need any tea.

“I was there to pick up my friend’s son after school.” It wasn’t surprising that Ren Wenli knew his whereabouts since there were surveillance cameras at the school gate. “Is the murder related to the elementary school?”

“She is the victim.” Ren Wenli pulled out a photo from her notebook. “You spoke to her yesterday afternoon.”

Jin Zhou took the photo and realized it was the mother of “Peppa Pig.” “I don’t know her,” Jin Zhou said somewhat regretfully as he handed the photo back. “How did she die?”

Ren Wenli didn’t answer directly but instead asked, “What did you talk about?”

Jin Zhou immediately understood that Ren Wenli hadn’t ruled him out as a suspect yet.

However, Jin Zhou truly didn’t know that lady. His motive for going to the elementary school was very reasonable. After chatting for a few more minutes, Ren Wenli put away her notebook.

“She was strangled to death. Her daughter was locked in the bedroom at the time,” Ren Wenli said.

“Her daughter was at home?” Jin Zhou felt a sense of familiarity. “Wasn’t the previous murder in the apartment also with a child at home?”

“Yes.” Ren Wenli had a troubled expression. “This might be a serial killing case.”

Jin Zhou stroked his chin in contemplation. “That makes it interesting.”

As he said that, he suddenly felt Ren Wenli’s complex gaze and quickly corrected himself, “No, I mean it’s rare.”

No one would want a murder to happen, but once it had occurred, it was inevitable to feel curious about who did it and why. Who chose to commit murder?

“Is there a connection between these two victims?” Jin Zhou asked.

“No,” Ren Wenli shook her head. “They had no connection in terms of work or social circles. One was a convenience store cashier, and the other was a company employee. There’s simply no similarity between them.”

“Are you sure?” Jin Zhou said.

“They were both women?” Ren Wenli continued, “You don’t have to remind us of that.”

“No, they both had children.” Suddenly, Jin Zhou remembered something Yang Shiyu had said to him. “Have you considered the possibility that it was the children who committed the murders?”

“Children?” Ren Wenli gave Jin Zhou a bewildered look. “That’s impossible. Both of these children were terrified and they both said that the culprit was an adult male.”

“An adult male?” Jin Zhou rubbed his chin. “Could it be a deranged stalker? He became interested in these two victims but was rejected by them, so he turned to murder.”

“That’s not entirely impossible,” Ren Wenli said. “For now, what we can determine is that the killer’s activities are likely confined to the old district.”

In serial murders, whether they were planned before or random, the location of the crime scene was crucial information that could somewhat determine the killer’s usual range of activities.

“Perhaps you can investigate if there were any men present around these two victims at the same time,” Jin Zhou continued to analyze.

“If we use that as a filtering condition,” Ren Wenli paused, gazing at Jin Zhou with a hint of mystery. “There is indeed one.”

“Hey,” Jin Zhou immediately understood the meaning in Ren Wenli’s eyes. “Sis, it’s really not me.”

Jin Zhou himself hadn’t expected that he would be connected to both murder cases.

But on second thought, the two victims were both active in the old district, and there must be more men than just Jin Zhou who had some connection with them.

The steamed bun shop by the street, the electric tricycle carrying passengers, the delivery personnel wandering around—all of them could potentially have interacted with both victims.

Ren Wenli also knew that the possibility of Jin Zhou being the culprit was very low. She sighed and chatted with him, “The previous apartment building case remains unsolved, and now it’s even worse with another murder.”

“Is there a lot of pressure from higher-ups?” Jin Zhou asked.

In the same district, two murder cases occurring within a few months would undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on the police.

“Can you blame them for being anxious?” Ren Wenli said with a headache. “They’re not willing to definitively classify it as a serial killer case yet.”

Once the authorities classified it as a serial killer case, the case wouldl undoubtedly face immense public pressure.

For someone like Jin Zhou, who had mingled in various circles, the thought of a serial killer lurking in his residential area was very unsettling.

“Have they given you a deadline to solve the case?” Jin Zhou asked again.

“Not yet,” Ren Wenli replied. “The prosecutor has already intervened in advance. If it’s confirmed as a serial killer case, there’s a high chance that they will give strict orders.”

Normally, after the public security agency clarified the facts of the crime, they would submit the case to the inspection agency for examination and prosecution.

If a prosecutor intervened in the investigation of a case in advance, it indicated that the nature of the case was indeed very serious.

Jin Zhou was just a lawyer and couldn’t be of much help. He could only offer a few comforting words and bid farewell to Ren Wenli.

After taking a nap at home, when it was time to leave work, Jin Zhou consciously went to the entrance of the courthouse.

Although he didn’t have much experience in soothing people, he knew that after making Yang Shiyu angry, he had to behave well.

He sent a text message to Yang Shi Yu, then lit his last cigarette before going inside.

Since he started living with Yang Shi Yu, Jin Zhou had significantly reduced his smoking habits.

Even when Yang Shi Yu wasn’t at home, he didn’t dare smoke inside because Yang Shi Yu would definitely smell it.

And with Yang Shi Yu not allowing him to go out at night, he could only smoke when he went for a walk during the day.

Previously, a pack of cigarettes would only last him two days, but now it lasted a whole week.

Jin Zhou exhaled a puff of smoke into the air, enjoying the dizzying sensation brought by the nicotine. The evening sun appeared from behind the clouds, casting a sunset glow on the entrance of the courthouse, giving him an inexplicable sense of unpredictability.

A few months ago, his interactions with Yang Shi Yu only happened in his dreams, and he couldn’t even dare to imagine that one day he would be able to sleep with Yang Shi Yu in the same bed.

The city was divided into many districts, each with its own People’s Court, and Jin Zhou happened to be in the old district. Besides his own home being located there, it was also where Yang Shi Yu worked.

Although they had frequently crossed paths over the years, they had never communicated with each other. But they were both silently aware of each other’s presence.

Jin Zhou suddenly had a feeling that Yang Shi Yu had also been paying attention to him all those years. It was just that because his parents’ case had not been solved, Yang Shi Yu had been keeping his distance from him.

In that sense, it was fortunate that the rapist had accused Wang Da Rong; otherwise, Jin Zhou would still not have found an opportunity to reconnect with Yang Shi Yu.

But then again, even if it was for his safety, Jin Zhou couldn’t accept Yang Shi Yu’s abrupt departure which left him depressed for years.

Perhaps at that time, Yang Shi Yu was also young and didn’t know how to handle such a situation. But the pain in Jin Zhou’s heart hadn’t gone away.

So.

He made a decision.

He must regain what he had lost in bed.

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Jin Zhou looked at the setting sun with a sense of devastation. Suddenly, he felt something stirring inside him.

Snuffing out the cigarette in his hand, Jin Zhou made up his mind. That night, he would forcefully take the lead.

“Why are you standing here like an idiot?” Yang Shi Yu’s voice abruptly brought Jin Zhou back to his senses.

He quickly suppressed the obscene thoughts in his mind and caught up with Yang Shi Yu’s pace. “What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll make it for you, my husband.”

Yang Shi Yu glanced at him indifferently. “Why are you in such a good mood?”

Jin Zhou’s mood was clearly written on his face. He restrained himself and said, “no reason in particular.”

Yang Shi Yu didn’t ask further and continued walking ahead.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two, their shoulders touching, merging their shadows with the busy atmosphere of the market.

As they reached a junction not far from the market, Jin Zhou’s phone suddenly received a message from Yu He.

Opening the picture, it was Liu Qian’s Patek Philippe watch.

[Yu He: Jin Zhou, is this the one?]

[Yu He: The person didn’t make a move, just inquired about the price.]

Very good, the fish had taken the bait.

Presumably, Zhang Rui had received the notice of filing from the court and was feeling somewhat uneasy.

Jin Zhou put away his phone and nudged Yang Shi Yu with his elbow. “Can you help me with the wrongful retaining case?”

Yang Shi Yu had already unconditionally helped Jin Zhou with the filing, and now Jin Zhou was making another request, which seemed a bit too much.

Seeing no reaction from Yang Shi Yu, Jin Zhou was about to explain his plan in detail when he heard Yang Shi Yu casually ask, “Have you decided to give me a blowjob?”

Not only did he say such vulgar words, but he also said them in public.

Jin Zhou was so angry that his face turned red. “Yang Shi Yu!! I’m really getting angry!”

Looking at Yang Shi Yu’s calm and composed figure, Jin Zhou suddenly realized that something was off.

So it turned out that Yang Shi Yu’s previous appearance of being detached from worldly desires was all but an act?