Soul Patch

Chapter 32 The Murderer Lin Tao

"Nothing much happened at the bureau yesterday, right?" Wenjie asked casually.

"Oh...no," Bai Yu paused, staring at the computer in front of him.

Wenjie glanced at Bai Yu. What's wrong with this guy today? He doesn't even want to talk.

Everyone has bad days, but Wenjie didn't seem to mind.

He's the same now. The pinhole camera he found in his Barbie doll last night felt like finding a fly in his food—disgusting and frightening.

Thankfully, I didn't do anything to Yang Shanshan last night. Who knows what kind of filthy eyes were lurking behind the camera?

He felt the apartment building's layout was awkward, and he always felt like he was being spied on when he went in and out of the bathroom...

It turns out it wasn't about whether or not to hang blackout curtains; someone was actually spying on us.

The spying had been going on for more than a day or two, and he had a vague feeling that the other person wasn't after him to film some private videos.

That's terrifying!

What to do? I'm in the open, and the other side is in the shadows.

Huff... Wenjie exhaled a breath of stale air.

Uh... it's simple. If you have a problem, go to the police. Isn't that a principle that even elementary school students understand?

Wenjie quickly sent the photos he took after discovering the hidden camera last night to Officer Cao.

Officer Cao replied quickly: "I have a case under investigation right now. I will have my colleagues record the situation you encountered. If there are any new developments, please call me anytime."

Make a note of this!

What's the point of making a record of this?

I provided the police with such valuable clues about a drowning case, and they just wanted to make a record of it and that was it? Sigh!

"The drowning case went... smoothly, right?" Wenjie was unwilling to give up and wanted to get some more information out of him.

"It went very smoothly! The murderer has been caught!"

Wenjie stared at this message for a full minute. Had the murderer been caught?

The investigation only started yesterday, and the case is solved today? Isn't that a bit too fast?

Wenjie immediately found Officer Cao's number in his contacts and pressed the call button.

He covered his ear with his phone with one hand and reached into his pocket for a cigarette with the other.

Clutching the cigarette and lighter in his hand, he got up and walked toward the smoking room in the corridor.

After a few beeps, Officer Cao's voice came through the receiver:

Hello Wenjie!

"Hello, Officer Cao!"

Wenjie strode into the smoking room, leaned against the window, lit a cigarette, squinted slightly as he looked out the window, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Officer Cao is so efficient! I saw the latest report on Qin Fen's drowning case on the police station's website this morning, and it's already closed so quickly."

"Now, can we ask who the murderer is?"

"sure!"

Officer Cao seemed to be in a good mood; his tone on the phone was gentle and cheerful.

Wenjie was taken aback. What do you mean, "okay"?

He was just asking who the murderer was!

I had no choice but to patiently ask again, "Who is the perpetrator in these drowning cases?"

"Lin Tao"

"Lin Tao? Who is Lin Tao?"

"I can't tell you that!"

Officer Cao's tone was still gentle, light, and cheerful, making Wenjie's teeth ache.

Wenjie bit down on the cigarette filter with resentment.

In his memory, Officer Cao was a serious and rigid person, and his answer just now wasn't unserious...

Well, Wenjie couldn't quite put it into words, but it made him very angry!

He angrily finished his cigarette in a few puffs, shoved it into the ashtray, politely said a few words to Officer Cao, and hung up.

After hanging up the phone, he smiled helplessly at the receiver.

Do they think that providing clues gives them the right to know?

Sorry, I was overthinking it!

……

"Wenjie!"

It was Director Wang calling him, and he came to his senses:

"Oh, I'm here!"

Wenjie put the phone in his pocket and hurriedly ran out of the smoking room.

Director Wang stood calmly in front of the glass door of the office area, looking towards the smoking room.

As soon as Wenjie showed his face, he saw Director Wang with a big smile.

Looks like the boss is in a good mood today!

Upon seeing Wenjie, Director Wang waved to him warmly and pointed to his office.

With Director Wang in front and Wenjie close behind, the two entered the office.

Close the door.

Director Wang maintained his smile.

Wenjie turned around, gently closed the door, and went to Director Wang's desk, waiting for his superior's instructions.

"Wenjie, the bureau has given us a spot for a temporary assignment, and after thinking it over, I think you're the most suitable candidate in the business team."

So we'd like to send you, but we don't know if you'd be willing to go.

Director Wang finished speaking with a smile, which made Wenjie feel very comfortable.

Wenjie considered it carefully for a moment, then cautiously asked:

"Director Wang, may I ask what kind of temporary assignment or training program this is? I only have some knowledge of statistical research, and I'm wondering if this is related to temporary assignment or training?"

"Here's the thing, the Second Branch's service hall is currently short-staffed. You can go there for a temporary assignment to gain experience. If you can handle it, you can be directly hired after the internship."

Many interns would love to have such an opportunity! You know, the chances of an intern staying on are very low!

After a moment's thought, Wenjie understood what Director Wang meant.

There are five people interning in their business group at the General Administration, and it's estimated that only one will be retained in the end.

But Director Wang... was the first to give up on him!

Wenjie knew exactly what was going on, but he kept a smile on his face and said a few polite words of thanks to the leaders for their guidance.

He didn't even know how he left Director Wang's office; he just felt a sense of emptiness inside.

He knew he couldn't compete with Bai Yu, whose family was from M City and whose parents worked in government departments, giving them connections.

It's a bit hard to accept that he was reassigned before his internship was even over.

Walking into the office area, I looked around blankly at my busy colleagues and felt a sense of melancholy at the passage of time.

……

After Wen Jie left the office, Director Wang called Director Guo of the Second Branch:

"I'm sending an intern over next Monday, can you help me make arrangements?"

Oh! No need... just leave it in the service hall!

There were no instructions... Old Guo, look at you, we're just the ones being phased out.

After finishing the call, Director Wang leaned back in his office chair, leisurely picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

With the internship period coming to an end, Director Wang had to consider the future of these interns.

Of the five people, Bai Yu and Wen Jie are better than the other three interns in all aspects.

Bai Yu is clever and knows how to get along with people, but he is too lazy and playful. Wen Jie is highly skilled in his profession and hardworking, but he is dull and immature.

In fact, Director Wang was quite inclined to keep Wenjie, after all, Wenjie was recommended because he had the highest professional grades.

Unexpectedly, Bai Yu submitted a research report yesterday. The report was detailed, logically sound, and its analysis of employment prospects and predictions of the employment situation over the next three years were well-founded.

It's clear that Bai Yu isn't as flamboyant as he seems on the surface. This kid has ideas and methods; he's a promising talent!

Wang Ju's scales began to tip in Bai Yu's favor.

This morning, Chief Zheng from the Eastern District Police Station called him and said that the station had reinvestigated the drowning case and all the files had been retrieved and consolidated.

Actually, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong when Qin Fen had her accident.

Director Zheng's message confirmed his guess. He pondered for a moment and asked, "Old Zheng, everything should be alright, it's been so long."

"Don't worry, Lao Wang. It's just that Lin Tao is a bit crazy, he won't let go of this matter, so this situation has arisen."

"I can tell from Chief Zheng of the Eastern District Police Station that he is very displeased," he said in a stern voice.

"Was it Wenjie who reported it yesterday?" Director Wang's brows furrowed unconsciously.

"Cao Guoqiang from the criminal investigation team said it's a man named Wen Jie. How come... you know him?"

Director Zheng asked, somewhat surprised.

"Um"

Director Wang responded and hung up the phone. In his mind, he was already cursing Wenjie to death.

This Wenjie, he seems to be clueless about some things, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's immature.

Why get involved in this kind of thing? Being sent down to the grassroots level to handle business is just a favor to him.

(End of this chapter)