New Case 168

"Where is that scumbag Lu Feihang? I want to see him, I want to see him right now!" shouted Luo Cuishan.

Zhao Zikan and the others also rushed onto the rooftop, completely surrounding Luo Cuishan.

Han Bin handed Luo Cuishan over to Zhao Zikan's custody.

"Officer Han, Officer Tan, thank you both. If not for your help, this would have been really difficult to handle," Zhao Zikan said, shaking Han Bin's hand in gratitude.

"We're brother departments, it's only right," Han Bin replied.

After expressing his thanks, Zhao Zikan asked for their police badge numbers. One of them was from the sub-bureau's criminal investigation team and the other from the municipal bureau's publicity department, so he certainly wouldn't dare try to steal credit from either of them.

With the person rescued, the crowd gathered below the mall gradually dispersed.

Luo Cuishan was escorted into a police car and taken to the police station to have her statement recorded.

Tan Jingya let out a sigh of relief and patted her ample chest. "That scared me to death."

"Congratulations, Officer Tan, on a successful hostage rescue," Han Bin smiled.

"Thank you, Officer Han. Without your assistance, I wouldn't have been able to complete the mission so smoothly." Tan Jingya blinked her bright, expressive eyes as if they could speak.

Han Bin glanced down at his watch. "It's getting late. Let's grab a bite together."

"Alright. To thank you for your help, I'll treat you," Tan Jingya said gracefully, making a gesture of invitation.

"Are you going to cook personally?" Han Bin smiled.

"In your dreams," Tan Jingya made a playful face, looking extremely cute.

The two had a meal near the mall. Around eight o'clock in the evening, Tan Jingya left driving a white Toyota.

Han Bin hailed a cab to go home.

...

Halfway there, Han Bin received a WeChat message from his mother asking him to drop by.

Wang Huifang knew about the date and was probably eager to fish for details about how things were going.

As soon as Han Bin opened the door, he saw three people sitting on the living room sofa: Han Weidong, Wang Huifang, and Wang Qingsheng.

"What is this? Are we holding a family meeting?" Han Bin said, half-laughing and half-crying.

"Bizi is back. Let's open a bottle of red wine to celebrate," Wang Qingsheng said as he unscrewed the cap of a red wine bottle.

"Uncle, what are we celebrating?"

"Celebrating your successful return from the date," Wang Qingsheng laughed.

"Don't listen to him. He just wants to drink and is looking for an excuse," Wang Huifang said as she brought out four goblet glasses; she wanted a drink herself tonight.

Four glasses of red wine were poured, accompanied by a bag of squid strips and a fruit platter to serve as snacks.

Han Weidong raised his glass and said, "Come, come, let's toast together and strive to be promoted to the next generation of elders by this time next year."

Han Bin: "..."

Wang Huifang took a sip of the red wine, put down her glass, and asked, "Son, how was the date today?"

"Not great."

"Wasn't the girl pretty?"

"She was pretty."

"Bad temperament?"

"Quite good."

"Then what are you unsatisfied with? Could it be that the girl didn't take a fancy to you?" Wang Huifang pressed further.

"That shouldn't be the case. The two of you spent so much time together; if the girl wasn't satisfied, she probably would have left long ago," Han Weidong analyzed.

"Everything else was fine, but a little accident happened during the date." Han Bin briefly filled the three elders in on what happened this afternoon.

"Oh dear, for something like that to happen, it really is quite annoying," Wang Huifang sighed.

"Fundamentally, this had nothing to do with you. You should keep in touch with the girl; maybe she doesn't mind today's incident," Han Weidong said.

"You weren't there at the scene. That Luo Cuishan acted like she was deliberately opposing me. I handed Tan Jingya a bottle of water, and she somehow connected it to her ex-boyfriend," Han Bin laughed bitterly.

"Oh, don't think too much about it. Ask her out again when you have time. If she's willing to come out, there's still a chance," Wang Qingsheng advised.

"Exactly. Anyway, you've already taken the first step. If it works, it works; if not, Mom will introduce someone else to you. My son is so outstanding—if she ignores you just because of this trivial matter, it's her loss," Wang Huifang said with a resolute tone.

...

The next day.

Yuhua Sub-bureau, Team 3, Squad 2 Office.

Han Bin sat at his desk, still feeling that this place was the most comfortable.

Zhao Ming walked in holding a bowl of instant noodles and asked with a curious expression, "Brother Bin, how does it feel to participate in a special investigation team?"

"Why are you always eating instant noodles?"

"To solve that burglary case, the four of us stayed up for several days straight. We finally cracked it, but I haven't fully recovered yet, and I overslept this morning, so I have to make do with this," Zhao Ming yawned as he said.

"Brother Bin, solving two consecutive murder cases this time is truly amazing. Tell us all about it, won't you?" Sun Xiaopeng wore an expression of admiration; he had never had the chance to touch a murder case and always felt it had a certain air of mystery.

"Hey, hey, I participated in this case too. The two of us worked on it together, why are you two only swarming around him?" Li Hui complained with dissatisfaction.

Tian Li wiped her desk and asked, "Li Hui, I heard that Bureau Chief Dai is going to apply for a personal Third-Class Merit for Han Bin. Could it be that you're included in that too?"

"Ahem..."

Li Hui coughed lightly. "Well, merits don't count by quantity, and citations don't matter by size. As long as you work steadily and strive to crack cases, you're a good police officer."

"Thanks for the praise," Tian Li spread her hands.

Han Bin smiled and tried to smooth things over. "Since everyone wants to hear about it, let Li Hui tell it. His eloquence is better than mine."

"Naturally! When it comes to eloquence, that's also a matter of talent," Li Hui patted his chest and began recounting the process of the investigation.

Tian Li poured a cup of chrysanthemum tea, preparing to sip her tea while listening to the story. Based on her experience, this was going to be a very long process.

With nothing better to do, Han Bin sent a WeChat message to Tan Jingya. Ten minutes later, she replied with a single character: "Busy."

Chasing a girl was inherently a protracted battle, and Tan Jingya was a great beauty with both figure and temperament. Winning her over wouldn't be easy, and Han Bin was mentally prepared for that.

"Congratulations to police officer 577533 for gaining the gratitude of the suicidal jumper."

"Merit value +2."

"Oh, an unexpected harvest. This girl thought things through after sleeping in the detention cell for a night. The police station really is a good place," Han Bin laughed.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

A series of footsteps rang out as Zeng Peng walked in from outside and clapped his hands. "Clap, clap. Quiet down, we've got a case."

Zhao Ming slurped the last of his instant noodle soup. "Captain Zeng, a case already? I haven't recovered yet."

"Cut the crap. Han Bin and Li Hui were busy in the special investigation team for days without complaining, so you brat better behave yourself," Zeng Peng pointed at Zhao Ming.

"Hehe," Zhao Ming let out an awkward laugh and didn't dare talk back.

"Captain Zeng, what kind of case is it?" Sun Xiaopeng stood up, rubbing his palms together eagerly. Zeng Peng nodded inwardly; this was why the criminal investigation team needed to recruit newcomers. Although they lacked experience, they had more drive than the veterans.

"A kidnapping case," Zeng Peng said, then shouted toward the outside of the office, "Li Gaobo, come in."

A moment later, a boy of about fourteen or fifteen walked in looking timid and extremely nervous. He had a schoolbag on his back and gave a slight bow to everyone present.

"Hello, police uncles and aunties."