Muttering impatiently, Xiao Chen deliberately pretended to walk away. "What a lousy day! Don't come to me again in the future!"
Unexpectedly, the door suddenly opened.
A head casually popped out from inside. It belonged to a woman with somewhat disheveled hair.
The light was dim, but one could still see the traces of time on her face. Although she didn't look very old, probably worn out by life, she looked rather haggard.
The woman looked up and sized up the two of them. When she saw the young and handsome Xiao Chen, her eyes lit up for a moment. Then, looking at the fat and bald Lao Li beside him, her eyes instantly turned vigilant.
She locked the safety lock and asked warily, "Who are you two? What do you want?"
While Xiao Chen was still hesitating whether to continue the lie, Lao Li rushed forward and shouldered Xiao Chen aside. He took out his police ID and said, "Open the door. We're the police. Please cooperate with our investigation."
The woman was skeptical. But due to the special nature of her job, she thought the police had come for her. Frightened, she tried to close the door. Lao Li was quick - witted. With a speed that seemed to make his figure blur, he put his foot between the door panel and the small gap left by the safety lock.
But the woman didn't notice and slammed the door hard.
Lao Li's expression instantly became extremely contorted. He wanted to let out a scream but managed to hold it back for the sake of his dignity.
The light was dim. Xiao Chen didn't see what Lao Li had done. Seeing his senior's face turn red then green, and finally black, he stepped forward with concern and asked what was wrong.
Lao Li gritted his teeth and said stiffly to Xiao Chen, "I'm fine."
Then he turned to the woman. Mentally telling himself not to scare her, he forced out a smile and said, "We're not bad guys, and we're not here to investigate you. We mainly want to ask about something else."
Hearing that they weren't here for her, the woman heaved a sigh of relief, and her expression visibly relaxed.
Then, with a heavy "creak", the old door was opened.
It was definitely not suitable for a young guy like Xiao Chen to open the door, but when it came to entering the room, a young and good - looking guy like him was undoubtedly more likable to the woman. So, having accomplished his task, Lao Li pulled Xiao Chen to the front and let him enter first.
Xiao Chen was completely confused, but since he was following his senior, he naturally obeyed the arrangement and walked in clumsily.
Seeing Xiao Chen, the woman showed an obvious smile on her face. "This little brother looks so unfamiliar. Are you just out of school?"
Xiao Chen scratched his head and replied honestly, "Yes. How did you know?"
Lao Li rolled his eyes. This woman was obviously a sly one, always sizing people up to decide how to treat them.
"Giggle, giggle." The woman laughed so hard that the crow's feet around her eyes showed up. Then she quickly stopped.
They entered the room. To their surprise, although the room was old, it was very clean and tidy, so tidy that it seemed out of place with the peeling wall paint, cracked wallpaper, and floor.
There was also a faint fragrance in the room. Xiao Chen followed the source of the fragrance and found that it came from several rose bushes the owner had planted, adding a bit of vitality and charm to the small room.
The woman smoothed her hair shyly, tidied up a few books on the coffee table, and greeted them, "Please sit down, gentlemen."
Lao Li sat down unceremoniously. This place was remote, and it had taken him a great deal of effort to get here. As he was getting older, his physical strength was no longer what it used to be.
Xiao Chen, on the other hand, had a bit of a favorable impression of the place and its owner because of the clean and warm small room.
Before entering, Xiao Chen had thought he would see a dirty and messy place with flies and cockroaches everywhere. But the actual situation inside increased his good impression.
He looked at the magazines and found that they were all fashion magazines about hairstyles. Looking at the woman's unique hairstyle and the barber's toolbox in the corner of the room, he had a rough guess about the owner's occupation.
Maybe she was a barber.
After putting away the magazines, the woman sat down on the side, looking a bit uneasy. She asked, "Police officers, what do you want to ask?"
Now it was Lao Li's turn to take the lead.
Lao Li took out a few photos from his briefcase and laid them on the coffee table. He said to the woman, "Take a good look. Do you recognize the person in the photo?"
The woman wondered secretly, not knowing when she had offended the police.
Because of the nature of her job, which wasn't a very formal barbershop, she was most afraid of anti - vice operations. So, she would get nervous instinctively at the sight of a police cap with a star.
When she heard that Lao Li was indeed asking about someone else, she felt relieved, and the hands that had been folded across her chest finally relaxed.
She picked up the photo with her calloused hands and carefully examined the information in it.
As soon as she saw the back view, the woman frowned.
Seeing that there was a lead, Lao Li quickly asked, "Do you know him?"
The woman looked at the other photos. First, she looked at them uncertainly several times. Finally, she showed a look of realization and said in a relaxed tone, "Isn't this that kid, Li Ming?"
"Li Ming?" Lao Li repeated. "You really know him?"
"Of course. I've known this kid since the third year I came here. We got in touch gradually because we're from the same hometown. He even chased me back then, but I wasn't interested in him."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Hey, police officer, let me tell you." The woman pinched her clothes shyly. "It's not that I'm speaking ill of him behind his back, but he's so timid all day long. He doesn't act like a real man. He just seems to have no future."
"If you look down on him so much, why do you still keep in touch?"
Lao Li didn't ask these questions without reason.
The photos from the surveillance clearly showed that the man and Wang Lin had walked out of this building together, but the man's home address was obviously not here.
"Well, it's a long story," the woman said somewhat sheepishly. "Police officer, you have to understand us migrant workers. If we don't stick together, we have nowhere to turn when we're bullied. Although he's a bit of a creep, he's still a man. He would come quickly whenever I needed help. Over time, we became friends."
Lao Li ignored her. He had seen many women like her during his many cases.
Xiao Chen was curious. "You hate him but still ask him for help?"
The woman felt a bit embarrassed.
"Xiao Chen, what are you saying? Can't you see that this young lady has her own difficulties? Not everyone is born into a local family in the big city with a lot of properties."
These words were clearly aimed at Xiao Chen to give the woman a way out.
The woman was grateful and provided more information.