Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

The deaf old woman stopped pretending to be deaf, came out with her cane to persuade people, and openly and secretly criticized Liu Haizhong's wife.

Liu Haizhong's wife retorted, accusing her of taking advantage of her age, meddling in other people's business, and being shameless.

After what happened last time, Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady lost face. Everyone in the courtyard knew what kind of people they were.

Liu Haizhong's wife doesn't take her seriously at all now.

When Lin Weidong returned, the deaf old lady was so angry that she raised her cane to hit him, but she couldn't be sure of her aim and couldn't bring herself to strike.

Lin Weidong stood at the entrance to the middle and back courtyards, watching the commotion and dealing with the enthusiastic greetings from his neighbors.

He was dissatisfied. This old Yi was really something. He came out but didn't go home. Didn't he know that his wife had been beaten?

It was a complete waste to let him out.

Old Liu is the same; they're all grown men, but when their wives are fighting, they just run off somewhere and never come out to intervene or break up the fight.

The onlookers all rushed to compliment Lin Weidong.

Gao Cuilan and her companion, having been swayed and instigated by those around them and exhausted from fighting, agreed to stop the battle as the deaf old lady had suggested.

He stopped what he was doing, but he didn't hold back with his words, continuing to curse and swear.

Lin Weidong had no interest in listening to the insults and foul language. He turned around and went home. When he glanced at the crowd to check his status, he saw Bai Ling standing next to Jin Lu's wife. He was secretly pleased. No one can resist watching the fun!

Bai Ling, with her hands in her pockets and dressed in a plain gray cotton coat, looked even fairer than before. Seeing Lin Weidong walking back, she immediately followed.

She was watching the spectacle, keeping an eye on things, to make sure the two didn't actually fight and cause serious injury. She had no reason to ignore it, as it would have a bad impact if word got out.

Of course, based on what she had just seen, she felt that both of them were equally at fault, one muttering to her face and the other speaking without thinking.

It's a good thing I'm not wearing a uniform right now, otherwise I wouldn't be able to figure out these kinds of trivial family conflicts when solving cases.

He followed Lin Weidong into the house and asked about the day's events.

"It was alright. I practiced shooting for half a day and then came back. On the way, Officer Hao said he didn't find anything unusual. Oh, by the way, he dropped me off at the door and then went back to the station, saying he would come back later tonight."

"I have a situation here, but I need to ask for your opinion first. Liu Haizhong from your courtyard came to see you three times from the time you left in the morning until the afternoon, asking what you were doing and when you would be back."

Bai Ling held up three fingers to indicate her presence and asked with a serious expression.

"When we asked him what was wrong, he seemed anxious but hesitated and wouldn't say. Based on my experience... it didn't look like a good thing."

Lin Weidong thought to himself, "He's quite good at judging people. What good things could Liu Haizhong possibly have for me?"

"He probably contacted me to ask how to catch enemy spies. That guy with the fringe, he's got a thirst for power!"

"What addiction? The addiction to power?" Bai Ling blinked, wondering if she had misheard.

Lin Weidong filled the kettle with water from the vat and placed it on the stove. He then picked up two teacups from the square table, sipped some tea leaves, and added them in, waiting to brew tea.

Seeing that Bai Ling still looked confused, he took out a cigarette from his cigarette case and offered it to her.

"Just like most people are addicted to smoking and drinking, Liu Haizhong is addicted to becoming an official, and he's always scheming about it."

"I understand that. What I mean is, isn't Liu Haizhong a worker? He's never been an official, so how could he have an addiction?"

Bai Ling frowned, even making a bold assumption in her mind: if the person in the bangs was an enemy agent or someone with ulterior motives, his behavior could be explained. Otherwise, what normal person would do such a thing?

"It's probably something that was unattainable when he was young, so he keeps thinking about it... Just like some people who are determined from a young age to be this or that when they grow up. This guy probably saw officials from the old days lording it over others when he was young and has been envious ever since. Even in middle age, he still has this obsession and is addicted to it."

Bai Ling remained silent for a while, putting aside the matter of Liu Haizhong, and then thought about the other people in the courtyard. She first made bold assumptions, and then carefully verified and ruled them out one by one.

Faced with the tempting tactics of enemy agents who were willing to go to any lengths, everyone in this compound was likely to betray Lin Weidong's whereabouts.

If we narrow the scope further, those who have had conflicts with Lin Weidong are even more willing to see him suffer.

Human nature and motivation are the investigative techniques she learned while studying in the north, which basically cover the causes of 80% of cases.

Based on this analysis, the person in the institute talking about today, Yi Zhonghai, is more likely...

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. How serious is your conflict with Yi Zhonghai? Is it possible that he might be manipulated by someone, or that he might intentionally reveal your whereabouts?"

Lin Weidong threw away his cigarette butt, realizing for the first time that the system's status bar wasn't omnipotent.

Seeing that the status displayed was "thinking", he assumed that Bai Ling was still confused and wondering why Liu Haizhong wanted to become an official.

Unexpectedly, Bai Ling was thinking about official business the moment she walked in.

"I have no personal conflict with him. I just can't stand his way of morally blackmailing others, so I scolded him that day. If you ask about his attitude, he definitely hates me, but as for whether it's possible, I can't say for sure. The most valuable thing about a person is that he knows how to be sensible and is smart. Putting aside everything else, Yi Zhonghai is definitely smarter than Liu Haizhong."

As Lin Weidong spoke, he picked up the kettle and poured tea. The boiling water fully brought out the aroma of the jasmine tea, making it rich and fragrant.

Bai Ling involuntarily sniffed, her thoughts interrupted, and her attention returned to reality.

"Thank you! Oh? Where did you buy this tea? It looks so beautiful!"

Bai Ling stretched out her hands to support the teacup, and looked down to see three or four dried jasmine flowers unfurling and swirling on the yellowish-green tea.

Just by looking at it, you can tell this tea tastes delicious, much better than what's sold in the market.

An appreciative expression appeared on her face. She couldn't help but sniff again, and suddenly smelled another fragrance, very faint, yet very strong.

Like two distinct lines, they did not blend into the rich aroma of jasmine tea, but went straight into her nose.

Bai Ling couldn't immediately identify the smell or describe the sensation; it simply smelled pleasant, relaxing, and comforting.

She followed the scent to find its source, and at that moment, she suddenly felt that the jasmine tea, which she had previously enjoyed so much, was now too strong and irritating.

Then, her gaze fell on Lin Weidong's well-defined hands, and she froze.

It was hard to believe, and even more so, it felt absurd and embarrassing.

The fragrance was actually emanating from Lin Weidong's hands? Why would a grown man like him wear perfume?

But what had she done? She had actually smelled it on a man's hand!?

Oh no! Lin Weidong probably saw this, right? How will he view my actions?

Good heavens!

A palpable panic appeared on Bai Ling's face; she was mortified and embarrassed.

Lin Weidong successfully baited the bait, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

He poured water into his teacup, then took out a small packet of jasmine tea from the cabinet and handed it to Bai Ling personally.

"I got the tea from my brother's house. I don't know where he bought it. You can drink it for now, and I'll ask for some more another day."

"Huh?" Bai Ling hurriedly reached out her hand in a panic, but then realized what Lin Weidong had said and quickly pulled it back.

"No, no! I was just asking casually."