Behind the Murder Volume I

Chapter 3: The Missing

Gu Xiaofan, who had barely managed to survive the time at the scene and almost felt like she was about to vomit stomach acid, received such bad news as soon as she returned to the Public Security Bureau - the subsequent visits and investigations would have to be completed by her and the man named Zhong Han as a team.

"Why?!" Apart from holding back the urge to cry and protesting with a look of grief and indignation, Gu Xiaofan didn't know if she had any other choice. She looked at Tang Li pitifully, "Tang Li, I don't think I have offended you, right? Why is it me and not someone else?"

Tang Li had a helpless look on his face. He was an introvert and usually very frugal with words. He would try not to speak if possible. Now that Gu Xiaofan asked this, it was like forcing him to waste his words.

"You haven't offended me, but Gao Xuan and Tang Hongye have other things to do." He tried to explain to Gu Xiaofan as concisely as possible.

"Don't we still have you? You and I can be in a group, or you can be in a group with Zhong Han, it's all fine!" Gu Xiaofan did not give up.

"I don't like talking." Tang Li looked at Gu Xiaofan helplessly.

Fortunately, this was not the first day that Gu Xiaofan knew Tang Li, so even if Tang Li spoke very briefly, she could understand what that sentence actually meant. Tang Li was not talkative, so he did not like dealing with people like the victim's family, witnesses, etc., and he did not like being around this person. He has always been a lone ranger in the criminal police team, and everyone understood this. Gu Xiaofan actually knew that it was unrealistic to let Tang Li, who did not like dealing with others, to partner with Zhong Han. She was just making a meaningless struggle.

Perhaps because Gu Xiaofan looked so pitiful with a bitter face, Tang Li glanced at Zhong Han who was sorting out his personal belongings and said to her, "He won't eat people, it's okay."

Gu Xiaofan pursed his lips. It is true that Zhong Han would not eat people, but he could make you vomit out everything you have eaten!

She didn't say this out loud, but just thought about it silently in her heart. Zhong Han had just arrived, and even though she felt a little guilty about what happened before, she still didn't want to have a feud with the new colleague all of a sudden. Her parents had taught her since she was a child that harmony is the most important thing in everything, it is better to have less trouble than more, taking a step back will open up a new world, and don't hit a smiling person.

Yes, just do your own thing and don't worry too much. Gu Xiaofan silently encouraged himself in his heart.

After quickly adjusting her mood, Gu Xiaofan went back to work. Although going to the scene and examining the bodies were still arduous tasks for her, she was familiar with searching for missing persons who matched the local age and gender according to the age range provided by the forensic department in order to identify the possible identity of the deceased.

Soon she began to count and exclude the missing persons reported during the period that matched the time of death of the deceased. After asking Tang Li about the location of the Forensic Department, Zhong Han went directly there.

After a while, Han Lele came to find Gu Xiaofan again. When she entered the office, she found that the office was the same as it was early in the morning. Gu Xiaofan was still the only one working on the computer, and he seemed a little disappointed.

"Where is the new guy Zhong Han?" Han Lele approached Gu Xiaofan's desk and asked.

"It seems like he went to the forensic doctor. Why are you so interested in him?" Gu Xiaofan was a little puzzled. Although Han Lele, like most young women, had a strong interest in gossip, it was the first time that she was so eager to find out about someone since they met.

"I heard from Ni Ran that she seemed to see that guy being brought to your place this morning. She said he looked very energetic and elegant, so she was curious!" Han Lele said with a smile, "What if he is really a blue chip stock? Wouldn't it be nice to be close to him and get the first chance? By the way, what do you think of Zhong Han?"

"I don't know." Gu Xiaofan shook his head and didn't dare to say that he was a little afraid of this new man.

While they were talking, Zhong Han pushed the door open and came in, holding a portrait in one hand and a plastic bag filled with food in the other.

"This is a reconstruction of the deceased's appearance by the forensic doctor. See if you can find someone who looks like him," Zhong Han handed the portrait to Gu Xiaofan and took out a bottle of peanut milk and a sandwich from a plastic bag in his other hand and handed them to him. "It's almost noon now. I guess we don't have time to go out for dinner, so I bought some food. I don't know if it suits your taste."

Han Lele looked at Zhong Han with her eyes shining. If her eyes could write words, they would definitely write two words, and these two words would either be "handsome guy" or "gentleman".

"No, you eat by yourself. I... I'm not that hungry yet." Gu Xiaofan said. There was still a faint resentment in her heart. Although she had offended others first, when she thought of the scene in the morning when Zhong Han dragged her down to see the corpse and then she vomited all over the place, she always felt that this man clearly did it on purpose.

Facing her rejection, Zhong Han didn't seem too surprised, just a little aggrieved. His hands holding the sandwich and drink were still suspended in mid-air, and he looked at Gu Xiaofan innocently: "You... aren't you angry about what happened this morning? Then I can apologize to you, because I really didn't expect you to be so timid. You don't think I did it on purpose, do you?"

"Xiao Fan has never been very courageous. I can attest to that!" Han Lele interrupted at the right moment and nudged Gu Xiao Fan with his arm. "Xiao Fan, don't be so petty. You are a field worker who has been working for several years and you still vomit when you see the scene. You can't blame others for that."

Gu Xiaofan glared at the woman who valued love over friendship without any killing intent: "As if you would do better than me..."

"I can't do it either, but I'm an office clerk, hehe." Han Lele stuck out her tongue with a smile.

Because Han Lele was there and Zhong Han's attitude was particularly sincere, it would not be good if Gu Xiaofan did not know how to forgive others after they had said such things. So he had no choice but to take the sandwich and drink from Zhong Han and thank him.

Han Lele was a very outgoing person, and soon struck up a conversation with Zhong Han. Zhong Han was very polite to Han Lele, and his behavior could be described as gentle and refined. Gu Xiaofan was drinking heated peanut milk and eating a sandwich, and suddenly thought to himself, could it be that he really judged a gentleman by his own meanness? This man didn't seem to be the cunning fox that he had initially thought he was.

With the help of the portrait, the investigation became much easier. It didn't take long for Gu Xiaofan to find the missing person whose appearance and age were most similar to the portrait among those who had been reported missing in recent times.

According to the police report and household registration information, this man is named Ren Xuefeng, 49 years old, the boss of a private company, owns a factory, and is worth tens of millions. In a city like City A, which is neither big nor small, although he is still not considered a top rich man, his economic strength should not be underestimated.

The person who went to the police station to report the case was Ren Xuefeng's wife, named Xu Ruobei, who is 32 years old this year. The report was made nearly two months ago. Xu Ruobei reported that Ren Xuefeng had not been heard from for more than half a month. She searched all the places Ren Xuefeng might have gone and contacted all the people she could think of who knew Ren Xuefeng, but couldn't find him, so she went to the public security organs to report the case.

When Xu Ruobei reported the case, she said she suspected her husband had eloped with a secret lover, but she could not produce any evidence to prove this fact, so her suspicion was not accepted.

Now that the identity of the deceased had been determined, Gu Xiaofan called Ren Xuefeng's wife Xu Ruobei according to the contact information left by the reporter. When Xu Ruobei heard that her husband might have been found, she was a little surprised and seemed a little excited, and immediately agreed to go to the Public Security Bureau.