Jiang Cong stared at Chen Er's cigarette - holding hands with a cold look on his face and said, "She doesn't smoke."
Ignoring the curious looks from Qin An and Yang Heng, he said, "Look at her cigarette - holding hands."
Yang Heng looked carefully all around but saw nothing. Qin An curved his eyes, as if in deep thought.
Only then did Chen Er notice them. She waved her hand and walked towards them step by step.
Jiang Cong watched her quietly. It was the first time he had a clear look at Chen Er's face.
She was estimated to be just over 1.6 meters tall and looked rather petite. Her short hair was casually tucked behind her ears, and her features were delicate. Although not strikingly beautiful, she had a touch of the gentle and demure charm.
She smiled at Jiang Cong and said, "Isn't this Professor Jiang? Long time no see."
Yang Heng lowered his voice and murmured to himself, "A delinquent girl."
Unexpectedly, Chen Er heard this. She glanced at Yang Heng and retorted sharply, "Big - mouthed and narrow - minded, always haggling over every detail."
Qin An watched the two going head - to - head, wanting to laugh but holding it back.
Tired of arguing, Chen Er asked Jiang Cong nonchalantly, "Professor Poker - Face? What brings you here this time?"
Hearing this nickname, Yang Heng was startled, while Jiang Cong, the person concerned, didn't even lift his eyes, seemingly reluctant to respond.
Although Chen Er hit a wall with Jiang Cong, Qin An came to smooth things over with a smiling face. "Just routine work. Nothing special."
"Humph. You're just here to ask about Sheng Qingqiu. What's there that I don't know?" Chen Er snorted and mumbled.
Qin An's eyes instantly lit up. He asked more amiably and eagerly, "Really? You know everything? That's great!"
Qin An had thought that a matter so well - hidden even from Xia Qing must have been quite embarrassing on campus. To protect the school's reputation, students must have been told not to spread rumors. He didn't expect Chen Er to know about it.
"Do you know about the fight among the boys for Sheng Qingqiu?" Qin An asked.
Jiang Cong looked at Chen Er, trying to catch the slightest change in her expression. The latter tossed her hair, gave a soft laugh, and was about to speak when someone came rushing over, shouting.
Xiao Li was out of breath. It took him a while to catch his breath and speak clearly. "Professor Jiang, someone came to report that their child is missing. It happened suddenly, and it may be related to the case. Chief Wang sent me to ask for your opinion."
Jiang Cong gave a soft "hmm" and began to listen to Xiao Li's report.
Qin An chatted cheerfully and led Chen Er away, actually to prevent her from hearing about the case.
Twilight was falling, and the sky was still bright.
Yang Heng was driving. Qin An sat in the front passenger seat, while Xiao Li, Chen Er, and Jiang Cong squeezed into the back row.
Yang Heng drove reluctantly, stealing glances at Chen Er in the back row through the rear - view mirror from time to time. He couldn't understand why Jiang Cong insisted on involving her in the case. What good could a delinquent girl be?
Taking advantage of the idle time, Xiao Li began to talk methodically about the missing - person case. "The reporter is Zhang Lu's mother. She said that when she went to visit her son last weekend, he wasn't at home. She thought he was just throwing a tantrum and running away from home. But after waiting for several days and still not seeing him, she came to the police station to report the case."
After listening, Jiang Cong asked, "So, what's the connection with the case?"
"Zhang Lu was also in the alley that day," Chen Er interjected casually.
Xiao Li nodded in agreement. "Moreover, Zhang Lu had excellent grades and had been recommended to a top - tier university. The time of his disappearance is set as the evening of May 8th, which was the same day as the incident in the alley. Chief Wang suspects that he may have fled out of fear of being punished."
Yang Heng turned his head and said sarcastically, "Something's not right. How could a recommended student hang out with a bunch of riff - raff? Are you sure you've got the right person?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Er looked up and gave Yang Heng a cold stare from head to toe.
Yang Heng shivered. He suddenly felt that the delinquent girl's look was somewhat similar to Professor Jiang's.
By the time Yang Heng stopped the car, it was completely dark. They had arrived at their destination - the place where Zhang Lu lived.
Jiang Cong unbuckled his seat - belt, stretched out his long and strong legs, and opened the door first.
Yang Heng followed behind Jiang Cong, looking around at the surrounding neighborhood. "This... the neighborhood is so old. It must be quite a few years old. It seems that Zhang Lu's family doesn't have much money."
As he spoke, he secretly observed Jiang Cong's expression out of the corner of his eye.
Jiang Cong's sharp eyes shone with a piercing light. His thin lips parted slightly. "Not necessarily. Judging people by appearance is the stupidest thing to do."
Although most of the residents they met on the way were the elderly, the truth was far more complicated.
A poor but hard - working and virtuous student - all these qualities seemed to fit Zhang Lu perfectly. It was just too suspicious.
Yang Heng didn't understand Jiang Cong's reasoning. His confident conclusion was easily refuted by Jiang Cong in just a few words. He felt embarrassed and scratched his nose, lowering his head like an ostrich.
The group walked quietly towards the unit building where Zhang Lu's family lived.
Chen Er walked straight ahead at the back. Where Jiang Cong couldn't see, there was a brief flicker in her usually calm eyes, but it quickly disappeared, and her eyes returned to normal.
They pushed open the rusty security door of the unit. The flickering motion - sensor lights in the narrow corridor added to the eerie atmosphere.
Qin An was a typical atheist. Having worked in the police station for many years, he was naturally very brave.
In contrast, as an ordinary high - school student, Chen Er shouldn't have been so calm.
Chen Er keenly sensed Qin An's inquisitive look. She had an idea and pretended to stumble on the stairs and fall forward.
Chen Er, who was prepared to have a hard fall, didn't feel the pain she had expected.
She slowly opened her eyes and met Jiang Cong's cold and distant gaze.
The faint smell of tobacco from Jiang Cong wafted into Chen Er's nostrils, making her a little dazed.
"Aren't you going to get up?" Jiang Cong's sexy and deep voice sounded, but he still held Chen Er in place.
From Yang Heng's perspective, in the dim light, there seemed to be a hint of ambiguity in the air.
Yang Heng forcefully shook off those unrealistic and amorous thoughts in his head.
A man like Jiang Cong would never fall for this young and inexperienced delinquent girl.
Chen Er grinned. Her small face was full of life, but the words that came out of her mouth were like those of a hooligan. "Hero saving the beauty. Should I promise myself to you now?"
Qin An quietly stepped aside to reduce his presence. He secretly gave Chen Er a thumbs - up for her bold move.
This girl had a lot of nerve to flirt so openly with the legendary cold - faced professor.
Qin An had thought that Jiang Cong would either fly into a rage or just ignore Chen Er.
But the next second.
The words that came out of Jiang Cong's mouth left Qin An completely stunned and doubting his life.
"You?" Jiang Cong seriously sized Chen Er up and down, then mercilessly said, "Too flat. You look malnourished. I'm not interested in you."
Hearing such a direct comment from the man, Chen Er was instantly ashamed and angry. A blush crept up her ears.
"You! How do you know? You've never seen!" Chen Er said provocatively, as if determined to pick a fight with Jiang Cong.
Jiang Cong ignored Chen Er's outburst, but he seemed to be in a good mood. He walked briskly up the stairs.
Chen Er lifted her feet and instinctively chased after him.
At this moment, Chen Er was just like any other teenage girl, full of energy and vitality.
She chattered in Jiang Cong's ear, correcting his mistakes.
Although Jiang Cong still had a cold look on his face, the slight curve of his lips gave him away.
Yang Heng's three - view of the world had been shattered during the conversation between Chen Er and Jiang Cong.
Now seeing the two walking away, Yang Heng managed to regain his composure, but the gossip - fire in his heart was burning fiercely. "Cough, cough. Do you think this young grass really has feelings for the old cow?"
Qin An was shocked by Yang Heng's crude metaphor. Although he also secretly thought that Chen Er and Jiang Cong seemed to be a strange but compatible pair.
He rolled his eyes at Yang Heng. "It's not our place to interfere in Professor Jiang's affairs. As a police officer, how can you be so gossipy!"
After saying that, he quickened his pace up the stairs, leaving Yang Heng behind.
Yang Heng shrugged, quickly caught up with Qin An, and resumed his usual serious and expressionless look.
The group stopped on the sixth floor.
Yang Heng had just knocked on the door twice when the neighbor on the other side opened her door and asked cautiously, "What do you want with that family?"
The neighbor, who was in her sixties or seventies, heard the noise outside and thought someone was looking for her. But when she opened the door, she saw them knocking on the opposite door.
"Hello," Qin An stepped forward. Wearing plain clothes, his black shoulder - length hair made him look more approachable and innocent. "Grandma, we're here to learn something about Zhang Lu. Could you tell us something about him?"
The old woman took the police ID that Qin An handed her and looked at the four of them again. They didn't seem like bad people.
She finally felt relieved and began to talk. "My surname is Wang. I've lived in this neighborhood for over thirty years. The Zhang family moved here a few years ago, I heard, for Zhang Lu's convenience in going to school."
Qin An listened attentively to every useful piece of information from Grandma Wang and motioned for her to continue.
"That boy is very polite. He always greets me when he sees me," Grandma Wang said with white hair and a kind smile. She couldn't stop praising Zhang Lu.
Jiang Cong and the others already knew about Zhang Lu's character from the outside world.
But they didn't interrupt Grandma Wang's memories and narration.
"The last time I saw Zhang Lu was the other night," Grandma Wang had been standing for a long time and her back was hurting. She hunched over.
Chen Er silently walked closer to Grandma Wang and supported her.
Jiang Cong gave Chen Er a meaningful look and then turned his attention to Grandma Wang. "Do you still remember the exact time?"
Grandma Wang tried hard to recall the exact date.
Qin An and Yang Heng exchanged a look, and they both saw excitement in each other's eyes.
Finally.
Grandma Wang remembered the time. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkled as she spoke. "It was the evening of May 8th. I saw him go home that night. After that, I never saw him again."
Hearing the key date "May 8th", everyone was startled.
Could Zhang Lu really be involved in Sheng Qingqiu's murder?
"Go and inform the forensic identification department in the bureau to come to Zhang Lu's house," Jiang Cong said to Yang Heng. He put his hands in his pockets and pondered the possible connection between the missing Zhang Lu and the case.