I am a super cop

Chapter 3028: Idle Clouds and Wild Cranes
In the office, He Junchao, following Gu Chen's instructions, continued to retrieve Zhang Meng's information and slowly said:
"This Zhang Meng is a retired worker from a chemical plant, and I don't think there's anything wrong with him."

"But the problem is, Zhang Meng's family doesn't seem to be very wealthy, so why would he spend 32 yuan to buy an expensive watch?" Lu Weiwei asked, arms crossed.

"Who knows?" He Junchao leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Maybe it's just someone's peculiar hobby?"

"After all, it's not surprising to have all sorts of strange and unusual hobbies these days."

"Especially for these elderly people, when they were young they only knew how to work, and after retirement they feel particularly empty, so they develop all sorts of strange hobbies."

After a pause, He Junchao added, "Maybe this Zhang Meng just likes collecting expensive watches?"

"Regardless of whether it is true or not, we have to go there. After all, the stolen goods must be recovered," Gu Chen concluded.

Officer Wang took a sip of goji berry tea and said, "Alright, let's go over there and have Zhang Meng return the goods."

"After all, when it comes to luxury goods, Xu Lang has no shortage of them. We can just have Xu Lang sell him another watch later. There's no need to fixate on this one."

With a soft sigh, Officer Wang continued, "We need to do more persuasion work; I reckon Zhang Meng will return the items soon."

"Don't get too optimistic," Lu Weiwei said, pouring cold water on things after Officer Wang's suggestion.
"Some people are quite stubborn. You don't know what they're really thinking, so the situations you're describing are only in an idealistic state."

Turning to look at everyone, Lu Weiwei explained with an exaggerated expression, "Maybe this Zhang Meng is a lunatic?"

"Go away, Lu Weiwei, you're never serious." Seeing Lu Weiwei joking around, Officer Wang couldn't help but say a few words.

After Gu Chen finished organizing the documents, he asked, "Who will come with me?"

"Me, me, me!" No sooner had Gu Chen finished speaking than Lu Weiwei immediately raised her hand in agreement and quickly stepped forward, saying:

"Junior Brother Gu, I'll go with you."

"Okay, let's pack our things and leave right away. Senior Brother He, please send me the specific address and Zhang Meng's other details to my phone."

“Okay, I’ll send it to you right away,” He Junchao said.

Gu Chen and Lu Weiwei, having put on their police gear, went downstairs to get their car.

Just as she got into the car, He Junchao sent a message, which Lu Weiwei read aloud:

"Zhang Meng, a retired employee of the Third Chemical Plant, an elderly person living alone? An elderly person living alone?"

Upon seeing this, Lu Weiwei's eyes lit up.

Gu Chen turned to look at Lu Weiwei, and seeing her exaggerated expression, asked curiously, "Senior Sister Lu, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"

“Yes.” Lu Weiwei paused for a moment, then slowly said, “Elderly people living alone must feel empty, lonely, and cold. That’s when they need their companions the most.”

"Moreover, retired employees like Zhang Meng have substantial pensions and are at the age where they need to find a partner."

"At this time, it's definitely necessary to get to know some potential partners."

"So, Senior Sister Lu, what are you trying to say?" Gu Chen continued to press.

"It's very simple." Lu Weiwei turned to look at Gu Chen, her face also serious.

"Senior Brother Gu, I suspect that Zhang Meng is dating a middle-aged or elderly woman, and this woman must be quite sophisticated."

"They have high standards for quality of life, or they have a good temperament, perhaps they are artists or something."

"So if Zhang Meng wants to win over this lady, he will definitely have to pay a lot of price."

After a pause, Lu Weiwei added, "For example, giving someone an expensive watch on their birthday."

“Something that would normally cost 60 yuan in a specialty store, he could buy for 32 yuan and give it to the other party.”

"In this way, the other party will definitely be moved by Zhang Meng's sincerity, so they might impulsively agree?"

"After all, these kinds of people are the most pragmatic. If you give them such an expensive gift, then your heart is definitely there."

"Is that so?" Gu Chen was skeptical after hearing Lu Weiwei's analysis.

"It's probably pretty close," Lu Weiwei said thoughtfully.

Gu Chen chuckled, started the car, and said, "Whether it is or not, we'll find out when we get there."

As the two were talking, Gu Chen started the vehicle, which then slowly drove out of the Furong Branch parking lot and merged into the traffic.

……

……

After an hour's drive, Gu Chen finally arrived at the residential area where Zhang Meng lived.

When Gu Chen arrived here, he felt something was off.

There are huge, towering trees here, which block out the sunlight from the road.

Therefore, even during the day, driving on this road will appear very dark.

Because this is a remote community with a very small population, many fallen leaves are scattered on the roads, and no one cleans them up.

Over time, the place began to look rather desolate.

An elderly woman with a cane was walking along the roadside when she saw Gu Chen drive by. However, Gu Chen stopped at the roadside and backed up to the same level as the elderly woman.

The old lady also looked at Gu Chen with curiosity.

Gu Chen rolled down the car window and politely asked, "Madam, are you a resident here?"

"Yes," the white-haired old lady nodded silently.

"How many people live here?" Gu Chen asked again.

"Not many, just a few scattered households," the old woman said.

"Just a few households?" Hearing this, Gu Chen hesitated for a moment, then asked the old lady:
"Grandma, where did the others go? Isn't this a residential area for families?"

"The others?" Hearing Gu Chen's question, the old lady smiled and said:
"This is indeed a residential area for family members, but the houses here are too old and the facilities are very basic."

“The wealthy people have all moved away, so this place has been empty and hardly anyone lives here.”

"Aren't you going to move?" Lu Weiwei, sitting in the passenger seat, asked.

"Hehe." Hearing Lu Weiwei say that, the old lady smiled and said:
“I’m already old, I’ve lived here my whole life, I have an emotional attachment to this place, why would I move away? I just like peace and quiet.”

After patting her back, the old lady said, "Actually, the people who live here all like peace and quiet. Those who don't like peace and quiet moved away long ago."

"It's because all these people have moved away that there are many houses here but few residents. Most of the people who live here are those who like peace and quiet. Isn't that great?" "But if you want to go on a long trip or something, it won't be very convenient," Lu Weiwei said with concern.

"No, that won't happen." The old lady waved her hand and continued, "I'm usually very healthy. If I want to go to the city, I just walk down this road until I reach the main road, and there's a bus stop right there."

"There's only one bus route. I can get on that bus and go to the city center. It's very convenient."

"If I get sick and can't walk, I can just call the community and the volunteers will help me make contact. Anyway, it's very comfortable living here."

"Hehe, it seems you really know how to enjoy life." Hearing the old lady say this, Lu Weiwei could only express her admiration.

Gu Chen quickly asked, "Grandma, there's a man here named Zhang Meng. Do you know where he lives?"

“Zhang Meng? That retired old man? Of course I know where he lives. He lives in that building over there, at the very back, on the first floor, the one by the road.”

"Oh, are you familiar with him?" Gu Chen asked, taking advantage of the fact that the old lady knew Zhang Meng, and subtly inquired about Zhang Meng's situation.

"We're not really close. When we meet, we just nod and say hello, that's all."

“We all work in the same unit and used to be colleagues, but we’re not really close. We’re just neighbors, but we don’t go out much, so we rarely talk to each other.”

"Then do you know what kind of person Zhang Meng is?" Gu Chen asked quickly, seeing that the old lady and Zhang Meng were former colleagues.

"What kind of person?" The old lady scratched her cheek, thinking seriously for a moment before slowly saying:

"Zhang Meng is a man of few words. His wife passed away early, and he usually likes to grow some flowers and plants in the yard. Oh, right, he also has a dog, which is quite annoying. It often urinates and defecates in front of my house."

"Haha." Hearing this, Lu Weiwei, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

"Well, his dog isn't well-behaved either."

"What a load of crap! Every time I see his stupid dog, I have to hit it. It won't learn its lesson if I don't hit it. It's really bad."

"Doesn't Zhang Meng plan to find a partner?" Gu Chen asked quickly upon seeing this.

The old lady was also taken aback when she heard this.

Seeing this, Gu Chen quickly asked, "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"Zhang Meng is looking for a partner? Someone who doesn't like to go out, who usually prefers to stay in his yard and grow flowers and plants, does he have the energy to look for a partner?"

"No?" Hearing the old lady say that, Lu Weiwei felt that it was probably not true, so she asked the old lady again:
"Besides growing flowers and plants, does he have any other hobbies? Like collecting things or something?"

"Then I don't know," the old lady waved her hand and said slowly.

“I’m not interested in him, and I don’t really like to ask about Zhang Meng. If you want to know, go ask him yourself.”

"Is he home?" Gu Chen asked.

"Hmm, he's probably at home," the old lady said.

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen quickly expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you very much."

"You're welcome."

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, Gu Chen restarted the vehicle and drove towards Zhang Meng's house.

Following the old lady's directions, Gu Chen quickly found Zhang Meng's house.

The old family housing here was built in parallel, with each building having three units, and each unit having only four floors.

The residents on the first floor all had a yard. Gu Chen parked the car outside the yard, and then he and Lu Weiwei got out of the car and went to the gate.

The two did not knock on the door immediately. Since the courtyard was not high, Gu Chen first stood on tiptoe outside the wall to observe.

There was a rocking chair in the yard, and an old man was lying there sleeping.

Beside him lay a small yellow dog. The dog was clearly not very alert; it didn't notice any strangers approaching the yard and was fast asleep.

Back at the entrance, Lu Weiwei quickly asked, "Junior Brother Gu, how did it go?"

“Zhang Meng is sleeping in the yard. Let’s just knock on the door and find him,” Gu Chen said.

"Okay." Seeing that Gu Chen had said so, Lu Weiwei quickly knocked on the iron gate of the courtyard.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk."

As the iron gate was knocked on, the little yellow dog, which was still fast asleep, was immediately startled awake and began barking at the gate.

As the barking continued, Zhang Meng, who was fast asleep, was awakened. Seeing someone knocking on the iron gate of the yard, Zhang Meng asked, "Who is it?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Zhang Meng's home?" Lu Weiwei asked from outside.

Zhang Meng took a deep breath, stretched, and then slowly stood up and walked towards the door.

As Zhang Meng pulled the bolt off the iron gate, the courtyard gate was opened.

Seeing Gu Chen and Lu Weiwei standing outside, Zhang Meng looked puzzled and quickly asked, "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"We are from the Furong Branch of the Public Security Bureau. Did you buy a watch from Xu Lang before?" Lu Weiwei asked.

Upon hearing Lu Weiwei's explanation, Zhang Meng's expression became somewhat subtle, and he slowly asked, "Who is Xu Lang?"

“Uh, Xu Lang is… he’s the gentleman you’re talking about. His nickname is ‘Gentleman.’ Isn’t that what you all call him?” Lu Weiwei said.

"Oh, you mean this gentleman?" Upon hearing Lu Weiwei's explanation, Zhang Meng sighed softly and slowly said:

"Yes, I bought a watch from him. What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's like this. That watch was actually stolen. It was stolen by a woman who then sold it to Xu Lang, who is also known as the Gentleman."

"The thief has now been apprehended, and we are currently pursuing all the stolen goods. At present, all the buyers are actively cooperating with our police to return the stolen goods."

"Having learned that you bought one of the watches, we thought..."

"Why should I return something I bought myself?" Zhang Meng's expression immediately turned ugly as he realized Lu Weiwei and Gu Chen's intentions.

Seeing this, Lu Weiwei smiled apologetically and said, "Mr. Zhang, you see, this is stolen goods and it needs to be recovered."

"Of course, it won't be a complete waste of money. You'll get back everything you paid for it, but you have to take the stolen goods back with you."

Listening to Lu Weiwei's patient explanation, Zhang Meng didn't seem to appreciate it. He turned around and lay down on the rocking chair, yawned, and continued to rest with his eyes closed.

Zhang Meng's actions left Lu Weiwei completely bewildered; it seemed that Zhang Meng had no intention of listening to her explanation.

……