America: The Gear-Up Detective

Hearing the voice, Rod felt relieved and chuckled softly, "Still not up?"

On the other end of the phone.

Liu Qingxi paused slightly in her breathing, followed by a soft gasp, and then the call was disconnected.

Rod smiled, knowing she was alright, and stopped worrying, sitting down on the stool to continue resting.

Feeling that he had recovered enough, he got up to take a shower, then sat in the car, waiting for Liu Qingxi's reply.

Rod took five minutes to shower and then waited in the car for about ten minutes, but still received no reply to the phone or message.

Deciding not to wait any longer, Rod drove directly to the hotel address Liu Qingxi had given him.

......

Westwood District, southwest of UCLA.

Plaza La Reina Hotel.

This is an apartment hotel with a strong Spanish manor style. The exterior walls are painted white, and the eaves are covered with red tiles. On the second floor of the hotel, there is also a Spanish-style courtyard surrounded by flowers.

Rod parked his car in the hotel's outdoor parking lot and was just about to get out when Liu Qingxi called.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rhodes?"

"It's me," Rod said, unable to suppress a laugh.

"Don't laugh!" Liu Qingxi's slightly embarrassed and annoyed voice came from the other end of the phone.

Rod could already picture Liu Qingxi's face turning completely red; it would be hilarious.

Then Rod asked, "Are you up? I'm already downstairs at the hotel."

"Ah?!" Liu Qingxi exclaimed softly, then said, "Wait a moment, I'll go down and find you."

"Okay, I'm not in a hurry, take your time."

About five minutes later.

Rod sat in the car, slowly rolled down the window, and watched Liu Qingxi jog over.

Today, she wore a light green striped tank top as an inner layer, a white short-sleeved shirt as an outer layer, and classic light blue washed denim shorts on the bottom, revealing her two fair and straight long legs. She also wore an indigo baseball cap.

She looked fresh and carefree.

Liu Qingxi saw the familiar pickup truck, opened the passenger door with practiced ease, and got in.

Only then did Rod notice that on Liu Qingxi's round, oval face, which was covered with light makeup, there were faint dark circles under her originally clear and bright eyes.

I guess he hasn't been getting enough rest these past two days because he's worried about Evelyn.

"How have you been these past two days?" Rod asked softly, looking straight ahead.

"That's it, class, get out of class over, back to the hotel..."

Liu Qingxi bit her lower lip, hesitant to speak, wanting to ask something but not daring to say it.

Seeing this, Rhodes steeled his heart, deciding that a short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one, and said in a deep voice, "Evelyn...we've found her."

Since the case has not yet entered the trial stage and has not been formally closed, details of the case, such as who the murderer is and what the evidence is, cannot be told to her, but Evelyn's condition can be discussed.

Liu Qingxi lowered her head and asked softly, "How...is she?"

Rhodes sighed. "I'm sorry, but by the time we found her, she had already been murdered..."

Tears welled up in Liu Qingxi's eyes and slid down her cheeks. She bit her lip and sobbed softly.

Rod took out a tissue and handed it to Liu Qingxi, but she grabbed his arm tightly.

Feeling the dampness on his arm, Rod didn't pull out. For a moment, the car fell silent, with only occasional sobs echoing softly.

After crying for a while, Liu Qingxi released Luo De's arm. Looking at the water stains on her forearm, she took a tissue and hurriedly wiped her skin. "Sorry!"

Rhodes shook his head, indicating it was alright, then asked softly, "Are you two on good terms?"

After a pause, Liu Qingxi answered softly, "She was my first good friend here. When I first arrived, my spoken English was always awkward, and she deliberately talked to me; I wasn't used to the lifestyle either, and she accompanied me shopping and helped me get familiar with the campus..."

As she spoke, Liu Qingxi's voice became filled with sobs again.

Rhodes slapped his forehead. "Comforting the victims' families is definitely the most troublesome thing!"

After thinking for a moment, Rod looked at Liu Qingxi, put his hand on her shoulder, and said in a low voice, "The outcome is already decided, but we have found the murderer who killed her, and she will receive the punishment she deserves."

"Mmm!" Liu Qingxi responded softly.

Seeing Liu Qingxi's dejected mood, Luo De thought for a moment and began to change the subject, "Actually, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about today."

Liu Qingxi raised her head, her slightly red and swollen eyes looking at Luo De with a puzzled expression.

Rod then said, "I'd like to rent a house. Could you come and help me take a look and give me some advice?"

"Huh?" Liu Qingxi was somewhat surprised. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate..."

Rod laughed and said, "It's alright, I'm not sure myself either, so I'll just take your opinion as a reference."

I've already asked a colleague to contact a real estate agency to view the apartment. What do you think?

Liu Qingxi nodded slightly and replied softly, "Okay."

Rod called the agent, and soon a futuristic Tesla Model S pulled up beside him.

An Asian man got out of the car and walked towards Rod, greeting him warmly, "Good afternoon, sir. I'm your real estate agent, Hou Wei."

You can also call me by my English name, Michael.

Rod got out of the car, politely shook hands with Michael, and then, looking at his face, asked, "Chinese?"

"Yes, as per your request, the company sent me here this time."

Because Rod likes Chinese food but doesn't want to drive to Chinatown every time, he made a request to the real estate company when looking for a house: he wanted to live in an Asian community, preferably with a large Chinese population.

Community culture is another major feature of the United States. Due to the historical inertia of residential segregation, many cities still retain the distinction between white communities and communities of color.

Of course, many white people can now form a community with Asians, especially Chinese, but it is absolutely impossible for them to live in a black community.

The supermarkets and restaurants near the Asian community are mostly geared towards Asian customers, making it much more convenient for them to eat out or buy groceries.

Furthermore, Asians are generally more honest and have a higher safety factor, which is why some communities are mixed white and Asian communities.

In addition, Rhodes made several other conditions, such as the commute time from the police station, as he did not want it to be too long.

Regarding the most important aspect of the budget, Rod took out 30% of his monthly salary, preferably around two thousand dollars, and no more than two thousand five hundred dollars.

Before long, Michael brought Rod and Liu Qingxi to a community.

This is a mixed community of white and Asian residents, though there are more Asian residents.

As Rod drove along, he felt that the community environment was nice, with neat rows of oak trees planted on both sides of the road and well-manicured lawns in every yard.

Rod could even smell the scent of soil mixed with grass.

The two cars stopped in front of a detached house in the community center.

Michael glanced at Liu Qingxi, who was getting off the bus with him, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes. Then he stopped looking at her and began to introduce the house.

"This apartment was recently rented by the previous tenant, so many things inside are still quite new," Michael explained. "The layout includes three bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a basement."

Next, we went to the right side of the room. "This is the garage. The previous resident didn't take any of the tools inside. We can pack them up and give them to you."

Rod nodded and pulled Liu Qingxi into the house.

The house was simply decorated, neither particularly good nor bad, but the bedrooms, living room, and even the bathroom were all spacious, making it convenient for Rod to move around.

Rod stood by the window, looking outside. The lawn in the yard was neatly trimmed and quite large, surrounded by grass and some distance from the neighbors.

It was less than thirty minutes' drive from the detective agency, which was within Rod's expectations.

Rod looked around, then turned to Liu Qingxi, who was glancing around, and asked, "How do you feel?"