After returning home, the first thing Luo Fei did was hand the 3,000 yuan bonus he had received from the station at noon to Wu Yan. The moment she heard it was a reward from the police station, she happily accepted the money.
Seeing that it was almost time to view the rental property, Luo Fei and Wu Yan headed to Hongtianba, where they met Zhang Haiyang’s wife’s classmate, Zhang Qian, who had already been waiting for them. She was a woman in her forties who still retained a fair amount of charm.
After introductions were made, Zhang Qian led them to inspect the apartment.
The property was located in Hongtianba rather than the county center. According to Zhang Qian, the owners were an elderly couple who had originally purchased the apartment for their son. However, after graduating, their son had found work elsewhere, gotten married, and settled down outside the county. Since he no longer needed the place, the couple decided to rent it out.
The apartment had four bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. It was spacious, fully renovated, and came equipped with all the necessary appliances. There was no need to buy any additional furniture or electronics.
Wu Yan was extremely satisfied with the place. Everything about it was excellent—except for the rent, which she felt was a bit expensive.
Luo Fei also thought the apartment was ideal. Finding another place this suitable at a reasonable price would not be easy, so he was already leaning toward renting it.
After discussing it with Wu Yan and finally persuading her, he negotiated with Zhang Qian. In the end, they agreed on a monthly rent of 1,150 yuan, provided they paid six months upfront.
For Luo Fei and Wu Yan, that condition was perfectly acceptable. In fact, they would have preferred a long-term lease so they would not have to worry about moving again anytime soon.
They signed the contract on the spot and paid six months’ rent in advance. Zhang Qian then handed over the keys.
The apartment was officially theirs. All that remained was moving in.
Coincidentally, the next day was Saturday, and Luo Fei did not have to work. After discussing it, he and Wu Yan decided to move then.
Originally, they had planned to hire a moving company. Unfortunately, every quote they received was far too expensive. Neither Luo Fei nor Wu Yan could bear the cost, so they decided to handle the move themselves.
Luo Fei borrowed Wu Wei’s pickup truck. When Wu Wei learned they were moving, he immediately volunteered to help. Luo Fei’s second aunt also took time off work to lend a hand.
Thus, on Saturday, the moving operation began in full force.
Luo Fei, Luo Hao, and Luo Xiaoxiao were responsible for carrying items. Wu Yan and Second Aunt handled organizing and unpacking. Wu Wei drove the pickup truck back and forth transporting everything.
By the time they had emptied the cement factory dormitory and finished arranging the new apartment, it was already four in the afternoon.
To celebrate moving into their new home, they went out for hot pot that evening.
The meal cost over 600 yuan in total, averaging more than 80 yuan per person.
Wu Yan said nothing while they were at the restaurant, but as soon as they returned home, she began complaining about how expensive it had been and declared that she would never eat there again.
Knowing that they each now had their own room, Luo Hao and Luo Xiaoxiao were especially excited. Throughout the move, both of them had worked with unusual enthusiasm.
At nine o’clock that night, Luo Fei lay on his bed reading Criminal Psychology.
Suddenly, his phone rang.
It was Zhang Haiyang.
Luo Fei frowned in confusion. It was already late. Why would his master be calling now?
‘Something happened,’ he thought immediately.
As expected, Zhang Haiyang informed him that he needed to head to Longxugou near No. 1 High School right away. A robbery had just occurred there.
Without hesitation, Luo Fei put down his book, slipped on his shoes, and informed Wu Yan—who was still organizing things in the living room—that he was heading out.
Then he hailed a taxi and rushed toward Longxugou.
By the time he arrived, Zhang Haiyang, Director Zhou, and Wu Wei were already at the scene.
Several curious bystanders had gathered nearby.
Zhang Haiyang was questioning a fashionable young woman in her twenties whose hair was disheveled. Unsurprisingly, she was the robbery victim.
“What was inside the bag that was stolen, Ms. Zhou? Were there any valuables?” Zhou Weimin asked while taking notes.
“One thousand yuan in cash, an iPhone, a lipstick, and a bottle of sunscreen spray,” the woman replied calmly.
“If you saw the two boys who robbed you again, would you be able to recognize them?” Zhou Weimin asked.
“They grabbed my bag and ran almost immediately. It was also very dark here, so I never got a clear look at their faces.”
Hearing that, Zhou Weimin frowned.
Meanwhile, Luo Fei learned the basic details from Wu Wei.
The woman was a teacher at No. 1 High School. At around 8:40 p.m., after finishing a game of mahjong, she was riding her electric scooter back to the school.
When she reached this section of the road, a boy suddenly jumped out from around the corner, startling her.
She instinctively hit the brakes.
Just as she was about to scold him, another boy emerged from behind her, snatched her handbag, and fled down a side path that cut across the area.
She had wanted to chase after them, but seeing that there were two suspects, she did not dare.
Within moments, both boys had disappeared.
Only then did she call the police.
By the time Zhou Weimin and the others arrived, Liu Haiquan and Zhang Da had already pursued the suspects in the direction they had fled.
Luo Fei surveyed the surroundings.
The robbery had occurred right at a bend in the road—a natural blind spot.
Although there were streetlights, they were dim and barely illuminated the roadway. Unless someone was standing very close, it was nearly impossible to make out facial features.
“What were they wearing? Approximately how tall were they? Can you describe them in more detail?” Zhou Weimin continued.
The female teacher thought for a moment before answering.
“The boy who jumped out was wearing a white T-shirt. He was about 1.72 meters tall and roughly the same height as that officer beside you.”
She pointed toward Wu Wei.
“The other boy was wearing a yellow T-shirt. He was a bit shorter than the one in white, but he was more heavily built. Everything happened so suddenly that those are the only details I can remember.”
After gathering all the information he could, Zhou Weimin instructed Wu Wei to escort the victim home.
“Haiyang, Luo Fei, let’s conduct a more thorough search of the scene,” Zhou Weimin said. “See if we can find any useful clues.”
With that, he switched on his flashlight and began carefully examining the area.
Luo Fei had not brought a flashlight, so he shared one with Zhang Haiyang.
“This is where the boy in the white T-shirt jumped out,” Zhang Haiyang explained, shining the beam onto a poplar tree by the roadside.
The two searched the surrounding area but found nothing.
They then moved to the location where the boy in the yellow T-shirt had supposedly been hiding.
Again, there appeared to be no obvious clues.
“Hm?”
Just as Luo Fei was beginning to think they would come up empty-handed, something caught his eye.
Not far from the yellow-shirted suspect’s hiding place lay a crumpled ball of tissue paper.
Luo Fei walked over, put on a pair of gloves, and picked it up.
Unfolding it slightly, he discovered fresh mucus that had not yet dried.
He glanced back toward the hiding spot.
Almost immediately, he formed a hypothesis.
There was a very high probability that the tissue had been discarded by the boy in the yellow T-shirt after blowing his nose while waiting in ambush.
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