Cherish You as My Life - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

In the end, Ji Yao failed to be the hero who sent the beauty home.

Ji Yao called her mother to check about the blind date Han Xi mentioned, and when he came back, he found that there was nobody in the medical examiner’s office, so he had to call Zhao Jingjing to go to Li Zhuyang community because he didn’t have any other options.

As they were getting close to the location, Zhao Jingjing got a phone call from home out of the blue telling that his grandma fell and had to go to the hospital, so Zhao Jingjing had to go home.

It was the rush hour in the evening and it was hard to catch a taxi, so Ji Yao stopped the car on the side of the road and told Zhao Jingjing, “I’ll get a taxi to go there, and you take the vehicle.”

*****

Han Xi took the subway and walked to the community entrance after getting off the train.

The sign for the safe community at the entrance had been removed; the wall where the sign had been put up was much cleaner than the wall next to it. 

Xiao Zhou, the security of the community, was wearing his work clothes and was standing at the door, guarding. When he saw Han Xi, he smiled a little, but didn’t say anything. 

Han Xi could clearly see that he was forcing a smile to be polite, but it was obvious he was in a bad mood.

Before the two incidents happened, this friendly security guard would always say hello and call her “Ms. Han.”

Han Xi entered the community and glanced inside the security room as she walked by.

A box of cookies was on the table’s edge. Han Xi recognized this box well because she also received several boxes of cookies exactly like this from Xiao Yu before.

The City Bureau said that Xiao Zhou was the last person to see Xiao Yu before she jumped off the building and died. Someone took pictures and videos, and the small security guard cried and begged Xiao Yu not to worry too much and not to give up her life.

However, Xiao Yu cried and jumped off, and this security guard couldn’t save her. In this way, there was a big space that separated the living people from the dead people and it couldn’t be crossed.

Han Xi didn’t go straight home, but she went to Room 201 in the building: the place where Zhou Tong died.

Some police had shut the door, so she had to take her work badge and asked the person in charge of the building to open the door.

The scene stayed the same as it was before. The water in the bathtub where the body was put was a bit dirty and smelled bad, but the blood on the ground had dried and didn’t smell as strong anymore.

When Ji Yao finally got through the busy traffic in the evening and arrived at the dead person’s door, he saw that the door of the house was slightly open.

‘No one can go into the area where the crime happened until the police say, so is it possible that the killer has returned?’

Ji Yao became more cautious and peered through the small opening in the door.

Han Xi heard someone walking up the stairs and singing a song, and that person stopped at the door. She quickly turned to look at the door to see Ji Yao peeking from the door.

Ji Yao opened the door and walked in, smiling, “So lucky to see you here. “

Actually, Han Xi felt relieved when she saw that it was him.

‘Why do I suddenly feel secure when I see this person?’ She noticed her feelings were changing and couldn’t help but frown.

Ji Yao stepped carefully without trampling the blood on the ground and raised his eyebrows. He asked, “Why are you upset when you see me?” His voice was deep and attractive. 

She didn’t know if he said that on purpose to make fun of her or not.

Han Xi looked at him and stepped back before asking, “Why are you here?”

Ji Yao glanced around and said, “To try  find some new clues.”

Han Xi understood, and both of them started doing some tasks to get some clues.

When Han Xi worked, she was quiet most of the time, unless she needed to talk about initial ideas or give updates, because she was someone who thought evidence was more important than just guessing.

Ji Yao, a police officer who was catching criminals, was completely different from a doctor who examines evidence in court cases.  The police had to think of all the different things that could have happened, even if they didn’t have much information. 

Ji Yao walked to the balcony window, looked downstairs and said, “The man who climbed up the balcony was 1.6 metres tall. The strangulation test report provided by the physical evidence showed that the murderer who strangled the deceased with a belt was about 1.8 metres tall. Much taller than the 1.7-meter deceased, so the possibility of a gang committing the crime cannot be ruled out. It is also possible that the two people did not know each other and were from two groups.” He pondered for a while. “Who did this old man offend?”

Han Xi came over while listening to Ji Yao’s analysis, and she carefully observed the traces around the balcony.

Ji Yao continued, “The deceased was outgoing and liked to watch the excitement. According to others, he never had any major conflicts with others. Although small  frictions did occur from time to time, there were no major problems. The neighbours who had disputes with the deceased in the past three months have been investigated and there is no suspicion.”  After pondering for a while, he said again, “There are no major conflicts, but small frictions. This kind of person is actually quite unpopular. In recent years, there have been many murders caused by a few quarrels. The murderer may not be someone familiar with the deceased, and it may not necessarily be because of any big grudge.”

Han Xi squatted down and saw an object the size of a mung bean next to the overturned flowerpot, which might be animal or human faeces.

When they showed up last night, the flowerpot had not yet fallen over. It was most likely blown over by the wind later, which exposed what was covered up by the flowers and leaves.

Of course, the greater possibility was that this thing was nothing and couldn’t prove anything.

A rule in forensic medicine was to keep all possible evidence, so Han Xi carefully picked it up, put it in a bag for evidence, and planned to take it back to the office for testing.

The two looked around but didn’t find anything else unusual.

When she went downstairs, Han Xi walked towards her apartment and saw that Ji Yao was following her.

 “Aren’t you going home?” she asked while looking at him.

Ji Yao put his hand in his pocket and smiled and said, “We’re here, why don’t you ask your colleague to come up and sit with you?”

Han Xi said, “No.”

Most people would act along with the situation, but Captain Ji was special. He smiled and said with gentle eyes. “I can cook. Do you have a pot?”

Han Xi used the key to open the corridor door and quickly entered, she then shut the door and said, “No,” and she walked away.

Ji Yao stood outside looking at the woman going up the stairs.

The hallway was dark, and the light made her shadow look really long on the wall. The shadow went away when the person walked off.

She looked very lonely. She didn’t want anyone to come in, but she stood nearby, watching the happy crowd with longing in her eyes.

So Ji Yao really wanted to tell her that there were many yummy things in the world, like banana milk, not just dumplings.

He moved away and gazed at the window of room 402, and saw the lights turned on inside.

Soon after, rain began to fall from the sky. The rain was not heavy, but it also wouldn’t make anyone feel cosy without an umbrella.

Ji Yao went to the bike shed to protect himself against the rain. 

He looked at the sky and was going to go out in the rain when a black umbrella fell from the sky and landed at his feet.

He saw that the window on the fourth floor was now shut.

He smiled, then he picked up the umbrella from the ground and opened it. A faint smell of lemon filled the air, making the rainy day more enjoyable.

‘She seems like the jelly beans I loved to eat when I was young. The outside has a tough covering. First, you need to melt the hard outer shell so you can enjoy the soft and sweet inside. Some people are not patient and just bite the shell open. The soft and hard parts come together with a squeak in their hearts.’

Ji Yao licked his lips and then walked into the rain with the umbrella.

Soon after he got into a taxi, he got a call from the elderly woman at home. “Son, set aside some time this weekend for a blind date with your third cousin’s cousin…”

Ji Yao was surprised by what he heard. He said to his mom, “Mom, I am straight, I am very straight.” He wondered if the old lady had gone crazy.

“I’m not done yet.  I met the financial director of your cousin’s company once, and I thought she seemed like a good match for you right away.”

Ji Yao: “I’m not going. “

The old lady played her last card. “If you don’t agree to the blind date, you can come home and receive the family property.  You can decide.” Then she said with a deep voice, “I have ten thousand ways to stop you from going to the police station. Decide now!”

Who was Ji Yao! He did not agree to go on a blind date or quit his job. He said, “I might be falling in love soon.” Then, he ended the call.

Ji Yao looked at the umbrella in a daze.  ‘What was she thinking when she threw the umbrella out the window?’ As he thought about it, he couldn’t help but smile.

End of chapter 6