Case 106

Saturday.
Han Bin’s home.

"Yawn..."
Han Bin yawned, slowly opening his eyes. He glanced at the phone on his nightstand; it was already past eight o'clock.
Last night, Han Bin had treated everyone to barbecue. Li Hui had ordered four grilled lamb kidneys—Han Bin couldn't fathom why a single guy like him needed to eat so many.
Could he even sleep at night after that?

Han Bin got up, took a shower, tidied up the place, and then headed downstairs to his parents' home.
As soon as he stepped through the door, he called out, "Mom, is there anything to eat?"
"Have some fruit. It's already past nine; I'll make you something delicious for lunch." Wang Huifang tossed the mop aside. "Come here, I need to talk to you about something important."
Han Bin walked over to the coffee table, picked up an apple, and took a bite. "What is it?"
Wang Huifang produced a photo and placed it on the table. "Son, take a look. Is this girl pretty?"
Han Bin glanced at it. The woman in the photo had a heart-shaped face and delicate features. "She's quite pretty."
"Do you like her?"
"Weren't you going to set up my uncle? Why are you arranging things for me again?"
"Your uncle can wait. He's busy opening his antique shop right now. Once the shop is up and running, he'll have a proper job, and then we'll introduce him to someone," Wang Huifang said.
"You’re quite experienced, aren't you?"
"What do women look for? Either looks or a career—they have to have one of the two, right?"
"Maybe I should wait, too."
"What do you have to wait for? You’re handsome and have a stable job; it’s the same whenever you look."
Han Bin rubbed his chin. It seemed she had a point.
Wang Huifang flipped the photo over. A phone number was written on the back in carbon ink. "This is the girl’s number. Contact her; it’s the weekend, so try to meet up. If it works out, keep seeing her as friends. If not, I’ll find you someone else."
"You're quite the professional."
"Enough talk. Go contact her. Girls are shy; you need to be the proactive one," Wang Huifang urged.

"Buzz..."
Han Bin’s phone rang. It was a message in the Second Squad’s WeChat group. Han Bin opened it to find a voice message from Zeng Ping:
"We have a case. Everyone from the Second Squad report to the station immediately."
"Received."
Han Bin replied to the message and noted down the phone number from the photo.
"Mom, there's a case. I have to head back to the station. I’ll contact her when I have time."
"Go on then."
Wang Huifang waved him off. After watching Han Bin leave, she picked up the photo and stared at it. "Look how handsome that girl is!"

***

Half an hour later.
Han Bin took a taxi to the Yuhua Branch. As soon as he walked through the gate, he saw Zeng Ping standing in the courtyard smoking.
"Captain Zeng."
Zeng Ping took a deep drag and crushed the cigarette butt under his shoe. "We were just waiting for you. Get in."
Han Bin boarded an eight-seater police van. It was more spacious than the SUV. Li Hui drove, Zeng Ping sat in the passenger seat, Han Bin took the entire second row, and Zhao Ming and Tian Li sat in the back.
Zeng Ping buckled his seatbelt. "Let's go."
"Captain Zeng, aren't we waiting for the forensics team?" Li Hui asked.
"We’ll head over first; they’ll follow shortly."
"What kind of case is it?"
"A woman named Xie Rong called to report a crime at around seven this morning. She said her husband was knocked unconscious and his belongings were stolen. It’s at Building 4, Unit 3, Qingyuan Residential Complex. All the other squads are busy with cases, so it was assigned to us," Zeng Ping explained.
"Getting robbed early in the morning—that’s rare," Han Bin remarked.
"It’s possible the robbery happened last night, but because the victim was knocked out and no one found him right away, it didn't get reported until seven," Tian Li speculated.
"Look at that, our Sister Tian is sharp as ever, seeing through to the crux of the case in an instant," Li Hui teased.
"Of course, I’m hoping to win an 'Outstanding Individual' award, after all," Tian Li laughed.
"Bin, how does it feel to collect a 3,600-yuan bonus?" Li Hui asked enviously.
"What’s this? Why is all the fire directed at me? Were the kidneys from last night a waste?" Han Bin huffed.
"Don't even mention the kidneys. I couldn't sleep for half the night—it was miserable," Li Hui lamented with a bitter smile.
Tian Li spat, "Ugh, you shameless thing."
"Haha..."
The three of them burst into laughter.

***

Qingyuan Residential Complex was not far from the Yuhua Branch. It was an older neighborhood with low-rise apartment buildings. It had a low floor-area ratio and low population density; many people who weren't used to high-rises or property management rules loved this type of community.
After Han Bin and the others arrived, they saw a police car parked in the complex; the local patrol officers had likely already arrived.
However, when they reached Building 4, Unit 3, they didn't see any warning tape.
Just as they were about to head upstairs, they saw several men in police uniforms coming down. The leader was Zhou Yanjun, a sergeant from the Zhongshan Road Police Station.
"Sergeant Zhou, what’s the situation here?" Zeng Ping asked.
"Captain Zeng, I was just about to call you. I’m sorry to have had you make a wasted trip," Zhou Yanjun said, walking down the stairs to shake hands with Zeng Ping.
"Has the case changed?"
"The alert has been cancelled."
"A false report?" Zhao Ming frowned. He had sacrificed his Saturday off to come here.
If a robbery had actually occurred, he wouldn't have complained—that was part of the job. But if someone had filed a false report, that was a different story. Police officers were human, too, and everyone had their moods.

"It’s not exactly a false report. The victim was unconscious at the time, and the reporter didn't know the specifics. Now that the victim has woken up, we’ve learned he wasn't knocked out—he just passed out from drinking," Zhou Yanjun said helplessly. No one liked making a wasted trip.
"Alright then. You guys head back. We’ll go up and take a statement," Zeng Ping said.
"Sure. The victim is in Room 301," Zhou Yanjun replied, leading his officers away.
When they reached the third floor, Zeng Ping gestured for everyone to stay silent. He leaned against the door to listen for a moment, and hearing no movement, he knocked.
"Knock, knock."
"Who is it?" a woman's voice came from inside.
"Police."
"Didn't you guys already come by?"
"I’m from the Criminal Investigation Division. Open the door."
"Creak..."
With a dull sound, the door opened. A woman in her forties stood in the doorway.
"What is your name?"
"Xie Rong."
"You reported that your husband was knocked unconscious and robbed."
"I was mistaken. My husband just passed out from drinking." Xie Rong subconsciously touched her brow bone.
Some people, when they lie, feel shame and subconsciously touch their brow bone.
Han Bin showed his police badge, and the group walked into the apartment.
A man walked out from the bedroom. He was around forty, reeking of alcohol, with a bandage wrapped around his head and a grim expression.
"Are you the victim?"
"Yes, my name is Wang Deli," the man replied.
Han Bin looked him over and pointed to the bandage on his head. "What happened to your injury?"
"I bumped it when I fell over drunk," Wang Deli said. His lips pressed tightly together, and his brows dipped, furrowing deeply.
This micro-expression indicated anger.
The micro-expression lasted for an incredibly short time—less than a tenth of a second.
If it had been before, Han Bin would have had a hard time distinguishing it, but now that his micro-expression skills had reached an advanced level, things were different.
Micro-expressions couldn't directly determine if someone was lying, but they could determine a person's emotions.
If Wang Deli had truly fallen while drunk, his expression should have been one of regret or embarrassment, not anger.
Anger was usually the reaction to being bullied or harmed.
Han Bin suspected that this robbery case might very well be real.