Chapter Forty-Five: Buying a Car

"Now that you mention it, I can’t help but feel uneasy. According to Wu Caimei, she suspects that Wang Yuluo’s aunt and uncle harbor some deeply hidden resentment toward Wang Yuluo’s father. And now you’re saying Wang Yuluo has started to act out..." Zhao Dabao’s expression grew complicated as he listened to Ning Shuyi.

Ning Shuyi glanced at her phone to check the time, then waved her hand at Zhao Dabao. “Let’s not dwell on this any longer. Since things have come to this, you’d better look into the business dealings of Wang Yuluo’s uncle, as well as any financial entanglements between him and Wang Yuluo’s father. Here are the bank records we managed to obtain today—see if they’re of any use. We’ll keep investigating other leads on our end.”

“It’s getting late. Let’s call it a day. Go home and spend some time with your wife. She’s at a delicate stage right now. Of course, if there are urgent tasks, there’s nothing to be done, but if you can spare the time, you should take care of her as much as possible.”

“Ah, you’re right. My wife’s really been suffering lately—when she throws up, it’s like the world is spinning. I keep worrying she’ll accidentally vomit up something essential from inside her!” Zhao Dabao sighed, his tone tinged with guilt about not being able to look after his wife. “But this case is at a critical point right now…”

“No matter how critical it is, the bank won’t stay open after hours just for you,” Ning Shuyi waved her hand at him. “Don’t worry. The perpetrator in Wang Yuluo’s case chose the victim with clear intent and went to great lengths to make it look like an accident. That much is obvious—they want to avoid exposure and profit from Wang Yuluo’s death.

I believe that after succeeding this time, it is unlikely the culprit will target anyone else in the near future. So, there’s no need to fear that a lack of urgency on our part will inadvertently lead to another tragedy.”

“That’s reassuring to hear. I’ll go home and cook something nice for my wife tonight!” Despite being several years older than Ning Shuyi, Zhao Dabao trusted his sharp and rational junior completely. Her words immediately put him at ease.

He then noticed Huo Yan, who had remained silent all this time, and felt a bit embarrassed, as if he’d been excluding their new colleague. He quickly gave Huo Yan a friendly smile and asked, “Have you been worn out these past two days?”

“Not at all,” Huo Yan replied succinctly, not offering a single unnecessary word to keep the conversation going.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Go home and cook for your wife!” Ning Shuyi, noticing Zhao Dabao’s discomfort, shooed him away.

Zhao Dabao grinned, gave Ning Shuyi a grateful glance, said his goodbyes to both of them, and left.

"It’s late—let’s wrap up for today as well." Ning Shuyi stood and stretched her stiff limbs, addressing Huo Yan. "There’s no sense in burning the midnight oil at a time like this. It’s not worth it."

Huo Yan nodded slightly. "Go ahead. I’ll leave in a minute."

Ning Shuyi knew this one was not the type to leave work with her. She simply nodded, waved, changed into her coat, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked out of the office.

Huo Yan sat at his desk, tidying up every stray item until everything was in perfect order. When he was done, he glanced at the office door—Ning Shuyi was surely gone by now. He stood, put on his own coat, walked to the cabinet, and retrieved the lunchbox Ning Shuyi had brought that morning. He opened it and inhaled.

Thanks to the perpetually poor heating in the precinct, the chilly early spring made it worse, and the temperature inside was especially low, particularly in the shadowed corner by the cabinet where the sun never reached.

Yet the little dishes inside the lunchbox still smelled wonderful, not the slightest hint of having spoiled after a day. Their color and sheen were just as appealing as ever.

Huo Yan’s stomach grumbled loudly. He looked around instinctively—no one else was in the office. Quickly, he snapped the lid on the lunchbox and stuffed it into his coat pocket, striding out of the office.

Ning Shuyi’s journey home that evening was far more arduous than usual.

As always, she headed to the subway station near her workplace, intending to take the train home. But as she reached the entrance, she was stunned. The iron gates were down, and the area was packed with people so tightly she couldn’t even see the notices posted ahead.

Only after some effort did she learn the cause: a wildly popular pop star was holding a concert in W City, and the subway line she usually took happened to be the main route to the venue. With the surge of passengers, the authorities had imposed crowd control measures to avert safety hazards.

With the subway out, she trudged toward the bus stop instead. But due to the restricted subway service, the bus stop was swarming with people—lines snaked endlessly, winding like a giant serpent with no end in sight.

Getting on the bus was no relief. The streets were jammed with traffic, and by the time she finally disembarked near home, her legs felt numb and unsteady. She checked the time—good heavens! She had spent a full hour and a half crammed into the bus.

If only she’d eaten near the precinct before returning home! She patted her empty, rumbling stomach, feeling a little sorry for herself.

For work, sometimes she went hungry or ate irregularly—she had no complaints about that. But what was this? Other people were out enjoying a concert, and after a long day, she had to stand in a packed bus like a sardine for ages!

When she finally walked through the door, the familiar warmth of home greeted her—soft light, the gentle aroma of home-cooked food in the air. Her mother immediately heard her, rose from the sofa to greet her. “Back already, Xiaoyi? Why are you even later than yesterday? Was the case difficult today?”

“Let me sit down and have a bite to eat first,” Ning Shuyi waved her hand wearily. “I’ve sacrificed too much for that pop singer!"

Her mother was baffled but, seeing her daughter exhausted and famished, didn’t press for answers. She quickly called for Ning Shuyi’s father, and together they brought out the food they had kept warm for her.

Only after Ning Shuyi had eaten her fill did her mother finally understand: the traffic chaos had been caused by the concert. She couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time.

“If you ask me,” said her father, who’d been quietly listening, “we ought to buy our girl a car!”