Chapter 34: Chi DuoDuo

Lin Ju also saw Yu Chu’s smile and abruptly turned his head to look at Xie XingMu.

Xie XingMu, who was staring at his glass of water, noticed Lin Ju’s gaze and cast a puzzled look, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Ju looked him up and down for a few moments, grunted from his nose, and turned his head back without saying anything.

The police officer in charge of the interrogation continued to ask Yu Chu, “You mean to say that the only thing Yu ShiQing touched that was suspicious was A’Bang?”

“Yes.”

“Yu Chu, do you know where this is?”

“Yes, the interrogation room.”

The police officer said in a stern voice, “This interrogation room of the Criminal Investigation of the Haiyun City Public Security Bureau. Right where you’re sitting now, countless attempts have happened to hide incriminating evidence or clues, and in the end they all spoke up. If you have a clue but don’t tell us and we find out, you will have to bear the serious consequences.”

Yu Chu cowered for a moment and said timidly, “I’ve done everything, I’m not hiding anything, I really don’t remember anything.”

Lin Ju behind the single glass sighed and said, “Acting.”

He no longer stayed to listen to Yu Chu’s interrogation, turned his head and headed for the door, Xie XingMu hurried to follow.

The two walked in the passageway, and passing police officers kept greeting him. Lin Ju nodded his head, and asked Xie XingMu beside him, “How’s Yu ShiQing’s trial going?”

Xie XingMu said, “I have been interrogating for three days. He didn’t admit to the crime at first, but the evidence was laid out in front of him, and he couldn’t deny it. Later, when he saw that he couldn’t get away, he simply didn’t talk, not even a word, and always refused to explain what was behind it.”

“What did you find out from his men?”

“Yu ShiQing is cautious, even his men that had been with him for more than a decade aren’t clear about the core secrets. Including his most trusted Wu ChengFeng, only that he does have accomplices behind him, but not clear who exactly.”

Lin Ju narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and asked, “Yu ShiQing’s crime can’t be escaped and with his attitude towards his own son, which is quite cold-blooded and ruthless, he refused to account for the accomplices behind this. What do you think this will end with?”

Xie XingMu sneered, “He thinks that if he holds on and doesn’t say anything, his accomplices can still think of saving his life. But to save themselves, they won’t care about him.”

Lin Ju reached out and pushed open the director’s office, and was about to go in when he turned back, frowning at Xie XingMu, “Go shave your beard. Look at you, go take a shower. You’re rancid.”

Xie XingMu turned around and walked backwards, waving his hand, “I can’t care, I have to go pick up DuoDuo now.”

“Why don’t you come over for dinner this weekend? Xiao Ting is back from vacation, her mom is going to make some food. You can bring DuoDuo to eat.” Lin Ju shouted from behind him.

“No, I don’t want to eat, I haven’t seen DuoDuo for a long time.”

In the interrogation room, the two policemen could no longer ask anything from Yu Chu, and their mouths were so dry that the one opposite only opened his big, innocent eyes and repeated, “I’ve lost my memory.”

“I don’t know.” 

“Xie XingMu also knows. If you don’t believe me, go ask him.” 

“I’m a victim, Yu ShiQing wants to kill me.”

When he finally left the interrogation room, the police officer who had been interrogating Yu Chu said tiredly to the police officer standing at the door, “That’s it for today, you can take him to the detention center and bring him back tomorrow for interrogation.”

The policeman hesitated and said, “But he’s not a suspect, he can’t go into the detention center. He has to be put in a hotel, and he has to be protected.”

The interrogator widened his eyes, “Who said that?”

The police officer gulped and came close to him and said, “Team Leader Xie ordered it.”

“What about Team Leader Xie?”

“He just left and went home.”

The interrogator said, “Our team is responsible for interrogation, and his identity is extremely sensitive. His own father, Yu ShiQing, has just been arrested. All the circumstances are still unclear. What if he’s really guilty and takes the opportunity to escape?”

The policeman looked around and said in a lowered voice, “Team Leader Xie said he had arranged for surveillance and that he would be responsible if anything happened.”

The interrogator closed his mouth and after a moment of contemplation said, “Okay, then let’s do what Team Leader Xie said.”

The two policemen exchanged words, with Yu Chu standing not far from them. Although he couldn’t hear what the two were saying, he knew they must be talking about him.

Li SiMing came over, and after greeting the two police officers, patted him on the shoulder, “Come on. Let’s get a room then catch up with the drama.”

Yu Chu understood that in his current situation, it would be best if he could stay in a hotel. Although he was being watched, it was a thousand times better than being locked up.

“Okay.” Yu Chu’s face showed a smile.

The hotel was just a few hundred meters next to the criminal police building, not big, simple three floors and a bottom, plain and simple in appearance, painted white walls with a few words: Regent Hotel.

The concierge seemed to be familiar with the police, and greeted them when he saw them, “Mr. Policeman, do you still want a standard room?”

“No, this time we want the VIP suite on the third floor.” Li SiMing waved his hand boldly, “Team Leader Xie said that this time the cost will be on his private account.”

“Good, good, Team Leader Xie won’t care about the money,” the concierge laughed.

The two follow the concierge upstairs after the check-in procedure. This hotel wasn’t luxurious, but very clean. Since it was located next to the criminal police brigade, they were friendly and the staircase corners and passageways had posters such as “Police love the people, the people support the police, the police and the people work together to ensure peace.” and other slogans, and the chibi version of the police were saluting.

The concierge left after opening the VIP room in the innermost room, and the two then entered the room. The VIP room was similar to an ordinary hotel, with a living room, a few couches and a coffee table, with two pots of greenery on the windowsill. The wall above the TV had the same eye-catching slogan: “Report clues of illegal and criminal activities, it is every citizen’s due diligence”.

Li SiMing was already eager to turn on the TV, changing channels with the remote control and saying, “Yu Chu, what episode of the last show did we see in the ward?”

“The red-faced pretty boy or the mother-in-law one?” Yu Chu asked.

“The mother-in-law one.”

“We’ve seen fifty episodes.”

Li SiMing was surprised, “The latest episode is already sixty-nine, we can watch it all at once.”

After watching for a while, Li SiMing answered a phone call, “Hello… The usual place, the VIP suite… Yeah, okay.”

Yu Chu waited for him to hang up the phone and asked, seemingly casually, “Who’s here?”

“Team Leader Xie,” Li SiMing said, picking up a French fry from the snack bag on the table and feeding it to his mouth.

“Is Team Leader Xie still busy these days?” Yu Chu asked. 

Li SiMing said, “Mn, he’s been on the case since the beginning and asked us to bring you to the hotel to rest, but now he’s home.”

“…Oh.”

Xie XingMu went to the parking lot and drove his Mercedes G601, leaving the Public Security Bureau and driving down the street. The luxurious and tough SUV had been parked for several months, and a thick layer of dust had fallen on the body of the vehicle. He didn’t go back to his home in the middle of the city, but drove south of the city.

Half an hour later, the big G parked in a painted parking space by the roadside and Xie XingMu jumped out of the car, went to the trunk to raise two large bags into a nearby alley. Both sides of the alley were single-family homes, and when he reached one, he slowed down and stood outside the carved iron gate looking in, a warm smile on his face.

In the courtyard, a four or five-year-old boy was squatting on the ground with a shovel in his hand, shoveling dirt into the red bucket beside him. He was playing very vigorously, but also very seriously. His cheeks and head were moistened by sweat, and his face was also flushed.

The old man with graying temples, carrying a watering can was watering the flowers, and the two of them were talking incoherently, not noticing Xie XingMu outside the iron gate.

“DuoDuo, fill the soil and bring it over to Grandpa Chen, let’s fill this moonflower again.”

The boy was surprised, “But doesn’t it already have soil?”

“I gave it a branch, and this one needs more soil.”

“Oh, Grandpa Chen, you’ve separated them.” DuoDuo let out a cry, “But that one is uncle’s.”

The old man didn’t have time to speak when outside the iron door there back to the road and a voice rang out, “Uncle’s is right next to it, so they won’t be separated.” 

The boy heard this familiar voice, abruptly widened his eyes, and took an astonished look toward the gate.

Xie XingMu pushed open the iron door into the courtyard, first greeted the old man, “Uncle Chen, I’m back.” Then he put down the things in his hands, smiling and squatting down, then opened his arms.

Bang!

The shovel fell to the ground, the red bucket was knocked over, and DuoDuo rushed towards Xie XingMu like a cannonball, diving into his arms and wrapping both arms tightly around his neck.

Although Xie XingMu would often travel, this was the first time he had been away for a few months. He felt DuoDuo’s body heaving violently, crying, so he patted his back soothingly with his hand and said softly, “DuoDuo, don’t cry, Uncle is back…”

Xie XingMu stood up with the boy in his arms and patted his back while walking around the courtyard.

Uncle Chen looked on with a smile and waited until DuoDuo’s crying subsided before asking, “Is the mission complete?”

“It’s done.” Xie XingMu said.

“What about the finishing touches? Do you want to go back to the island?”

DuoDuo, who was still crying by Xie XingMu’s neck, lifted his head when he heard this and looked nervously at Xie XingMu’s face. His face was full of tears and snot, and when he looked up, the snot pulled a transparent line on Xie XingMu’s shoulder.

“No more, the closing work is for the other groups.” Xie XingMu looked around trying to find toilet paper, Uncle Chen hurriedly pulled out two from the tissue box on the stone table and handed them to him. Xie XingMu took the tissue, put it to DuoDuo’s nose and said, “Blow it.”

DuoDuo just pulled out the snot line, was a little bashful, and also forgot to continue to cry. He very lightly blew his nose.

“Harder.” Xie XingMu said.

DuoDuo huffed and puffed twice more.

Xie XingMu threw the tissues aside into the trash can and pulled clean ones to wipe the tear marks on DuoDuo’s face.

“Let me see, have you grown taller? If you’ve grown taller, we’ll cut you down.”

Chi DuoDuo choked and asked, “How much will be cut?”

Xie XingMu pinched his knuckles, “This much.”

Uncle Chen was a retired police chief and also Xie XingMu’s former mentor. He didn’t insist that Xie XingMu talk more about the matter, heard the words and only said, “It’s good it didn’t take longer. DuoDuo missed you.”

“I agree.” Xie XingMu lovingly kissed DuoDuo on his forehead and pushed his moist head aside.

DuoDuo pouted and said, “Grandpa Chen is wrong, I didn’t miss Uncle.” But both arms wrapped tightly around Xie XingMu’s neck.

Old Chen laughed and said, “Good, good, Grandpa Chen was wrong, our DuoDuo didn’t draw letters to uUncle, hiding in the bed at night and crying.” After saying that, he asked Xie XingMu, “Staying here for dinner? I’ll ask Mrs. Wang to go to the street to buy good food.”

“I can’t today, look at my face. I just wanted to pick up DuoDuo and take a bath, I’ll see you some other time when I’m done.” Xie XingMu said.

DuoDuo sniffed and showed a disgusted expression, “Uncle, you stink.”

“Stinky and still hugging me? Why are you still letting me carry you? Should I put you down so you can walk by yourself?”

“No.” DuoDuo wrinkled his nose, but didn’t want to be put on the ground.

Old Chen said, “Okay, take DuoDuo back to rest. This time was hard, look at this face, you’re so much darker.”

“I spent every day on the island in the sun, so of course I’d be tan.” Xie XingMu laughed.

Xie XingMu also went to look at his face, then noticed that he had an extra layer of beard on it. He curiously touched it with his fingers, but withdrew his hand right away when he got stabbed.

Xie XingMu talked to Old Chen for a while and carried the valuable tonic that was on the floor into the house. Old Chen went to pack DuoDuo’s clothes and supplies for this period of time, handed them to Xie XingMu in a large bag, and gave DuoDuo his school bag on his back.

“Bid Grandpa Chen goodbye.” Xie XingMu carried the big bag in one hand, and shook DuoDuo, who was holding him, with the other.

“Bye Grandpa Chen.”

Xie XingMu took DuoDuo back to the car, the child was obviously excited, sitting on the passenger side flinging both legs, and very sticky. When Xie XingMu leaned over to fasten his seatbelt, he blew a kiss on the side of the child’s face.

“Ouch, it stabbed my mouth,” he said as if pouting.

Xie XingMu moved the car, “I’ll shave off my beard when I get home.”

The sky was already dark, the lights of the traffic converged into a long band of light, DuoDuo looked out the window, turning his head from time to time to call, “Uncle.”

“Yes.” Xie XingMu answered.

“I want to get a cat.” DuoDuo said.

Xie XingMu looked at the square plate, “Who will feed it? When I have to travel, what if the cat gets hungry?”

DuoDuo begged, “I’ll take care of it! It will be my cat, so I’ll take care of it, Uncle…”

“Let’s discuss it in a few days. I can’t promise you now, cats aren’t that easy to keep…”

Xie XingMu only gave perfunctory words, but saw Yu Chu’s face in his mind.