when the moon whispers

Chapter 561: Rose - False Alarm (Part )

Case Seven Rose
Forty-three false alarms (Part 1)
Over the past decade or so, the old neighborhood near Qianyang Shopping Mall has been almost completely surrounded by newly built residential areas. The parking lot open to the public is right next to a sloped road section that has been refilled and repaved but not yet covered with asphalt. The gravel splashed during the construction was scooped up by the security guards and filled into the potholes at the entrance of the parking lot. It was then carried into the parking lot by the wheels of the vehicles coming in and out, and rubbed against the road surface.

The wind blew rapidly between the buildings, sweeping across the cement ramp and into the empty space in the parking lot with a thick cloud of smoke.

Han Lu held a cigarette in his mouth, leaning against the car door, raising his hand to disperse the slightly acrid gray smoke that had entered his lungs. He squinted his eyes and looked at the black jeep that was slowly turning. His eyebrows raised with a look of deep hatred, he quickly stood at attention and nodded at Jiang Mo, who had parked the car and opened the door first.

"How come this... alarmed Officer Jiang?"

"The road is being repaired near Qianyang Shopping Mall. It will take a while for a taxi to get here during this rush hour." Jiang Mo waved his hand, raised his chin and nodded at Boss Shao who was heading to Han Lu's co-pilot seat to sign the contract. "There's no case in the team that I can take on right now, so I'll come with him to take a look. Is that convenient? If not, I'll wait for you in the car."

"No, no, no... It's not inconvenient. You guys actually knew about Candy's situation a little earlier than I did. Besides... I want to see her, but now... it's not very convenient for the two of us to go there alone..."

It was only about half a month since they last met. Han Lu, who had been giving off a frivolous vibe since they met, was so thin that his cheeks were almost sunken, and his face was half drooped by dark circles under his eyes, which were covered by dirty cement. He smiled bitterly and clasped his fists to thank Jiang Mo for his caring glance, turned around to put out his cigarette, and reached out to hold Shao Jie who had signed the car door and slammed it.

Shao Jie looked up and was startled by his haggard face, "Why do you look so tired?"

"I was working on a major paper at school, and my dad had a minor illness recently and had just been discharged from the hospital after surgery. And my dad—he was running back and forth between the two companies for more than half a month, and he was so busy that I couldn't even open my eyes."

"And just after two days of peace, I started to worry about Yang Tangguo again."

Shao Jie bent his elbow and nudged Han Lu, then turned around and glanced at the dusty roadside: "Why do we meet here... Yang Tangguo didn't go back to school?"

"Go this way - someone reported Luo Shi's matter to the school."

Han Lu shook his head and led the way forward. "Things like 'keeping a mistress'...if it doesn't get out of hand, it's just a topic of conversation at best. But once it's discussed to the point where everyone knows about it, it will be very difficult for the school to deal with it...Tangguo...the college gave her the highest penalty for her work style, and reported the situation to her parents...She didn't dare to go home, and couldn't stay in the school dormitory. I wanted to let her stay at my place temporarily...I don't know what she was thinking, but she booked a hotel herself. There are too many acquaintances near the school, and the price in the city center is high. This is an old business district, with sufficient supporting facilities, cheap, and convenient."

Shao Jie looked at Han Lu's dejected look without saying much. He glanced at Officer Jiang who was following behind them and said with a sigh, "Do you two... count the points or not?"

"Tangguo asked for a breakup, but I...haven't agreed yet. Her parents think she is a disgrace and want to cut off ties with her. I can't add fuel to the fire now, can I? I have to wait for her to get through this period and for her relationship with her family to ease."

Han Lu spat irritably, chewing his teeth tightly, "But no matter how I explained to her, she refused to listen. She seemed to be possessed by a demon and said that there was still a chance for an audition, and she insisted on having everything explained to that Boss Luo!" Jiang Mo listened to the voice that floated over with the wind, and after thinking for a while, he raised his eyebrows, "Who did Luo Shi and Yang Tangguo meet? Did they come into contact with any addictive substances? It's hard to explain to you directly."

"...I really don't know the details, she insisted that I stay out of it. Not to mention asking her who she had contact with, she even checked her arms to see if there were any needle holes... She said that if I didn't trust her, I shouldn't pretend to be nice... I didn't want to irritate her, so I didn't ask any more questions."

Han Lu shook his head in embarrassment and secretly looked back at Jiang Mo, "But... I was worried that he would not take care of anything, so I found that Boss Luo privately."

Jiang Mo thought about it for a while, "According to the time you mentioned to Shao Jie, during the days when Yang Tangguo wanted to go to Luo Shi to negotiate, Luo Shi should have been under police supervision, and the two of them had no chance to meet."

"...Yeah." Han Lu glanced at the chain hotel at the end of the gentle slope, smiled bitterly and nodded, "Luo Shi told me, and he also said... he did use his connections to take Tang Guo to try out a newly introduced dance drama, but the teacher's requirements are very strict, so there will probably be no chance for her to perform on stage. The producer thought she had good conditions, so he just said that if she didn't mind giving up shortcuts and enduring some hardship, she could stay in the dance troupe to train first."

Shao Jie also followed Han Lu's gaze and looked in the direction of the hotel. "She didn't go."

"She is now competing with herself. She has been practicing hard but has not gotten any good results. Now she has taken a step on the shortcut. Even though she knows it is a pit of fire and a quagmire, she is unwilling to return to the right path. She always feels that she has already sacrificed her body... She can't just run away in disgrace without getting anything."

Han Lu took out his phone and recited his earnest advice for several days. "I called her for several days, but her phone number and WeChat account were all blocked. She only answered the phone once the day before yesterday when she was really annoyed with me and added me as a friend. She said she had her own life to go on and asked me not to bother her... I-I was so angry at the time! I thought, if she didn't appreciate my good advice, there was no need for me to pay for it, right? I left her alone for two days... but I still felt that this matter had to be discussed. After all, I had promised her parents that I had to at least ensure her safety... so... I found a way to find the hotel where her phone was located."

Shao Jie blinked, raised his eyebrows and looked at Officer Jiang quietly. His eyes met hers. He covered his lips and coughed twice, then frowned at Han Lu seriously: "Where did you get this location? Is it legitimate?"

"......?" Han Lu turned his head blankly, staring at Jiang Mo's expressionless face for two seconds before waving his hand in sudden realization and glaring at Shao Jie, "No...what are you thinking about! I don't have the habit of gathering information or planting spies...it's a couple app we downloaded before, and she didn't log out and uninstall it, so I...I'm not worried-"

Han Lu's face turned red, and he stood on the gentle slope and explained for a long time. At this moment, the passengers of the bus who had just landed in front of the chain hotel, which was only a minute and a half away, suddenly made a commotion, shouting so loud that the ringing alarm in the hotel building, which sounded like a fire alarm, was covered up by the noise of chattering.

Jiang Mo's scalp tightened, he looked up at Shao Jie's worried eyes, and stepped forward to press his right shoulder.

"I didn't see any flames, so I guess it's not a big problem. Don't worry, I'll go over and take a look first."

Due to work and health reasons, I will be working on another day~
"When you use it to give up, your actions are hidden in me, so why not sit back and watch them."