I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 206: Chapter 204: Lu Zhishen

The next day, Su Miaoyi woke up early. As soon as she stepped out of her room and saw the boxes piled up in the living room, she thought she’d opened the door wrong and time-traveled.

As she was standing in the doorway, Cheng Yong and Ge Yu came out of their room carrying another box.

"Miaomiao’s awake," Ge Yu said. "Your uncle bought breakfast; it’s on the table."

"You packed this much?" Su Miaoyi was still a bit dazed.

She had vaguely heard the sounds of packing, but they were quite hypnotic, so she had just gone back to sleep and didn’t get up until her alarm went off.

She never imagined they would pack up so much.

"We couldn’t sleep, so we just packed everything up," said Cheng Yong, moving things. "Go wash up and get something to eat."

Su Miaoyi took what he was holding and helped him set it on the floor. "You didn’t sleep all night?"

"Couldn’t sleep," Ge Yu said with a smile. "The sooner we pack, the sooner we can relax. Go eat first. After you’re done, check your room for anything you want to take with you."

"Okay." Su Miaoyi went to knock on Cheng Jue’s door and wake him up.

She contacted a moving company while she ate.

Afterward, she packed up the things in her own room.

By the time she was more or less done, the movers had arrived and started carrying things out.

"How are you so strong?" Cheng Jue asked, watching her carry two large boxes.

Su Miaoyi glanced at him. "It’s so my punches actually hurt when I hit you."

Cheng Jue: "..."

"People always say you should hit your little brother while you can, because you won’t be able to win once he’s grown up." Su Miaoyi snickered. "I don’t have to worry about that. I can still take you."

"If you want to hit me, just say so. No need to get all fancy about it," Cheng Jue said.

Su Miaoyi just smiled.

When the neighbors found out they were moving, many came over to help.

It didn’t take long to load up the truck.

Su Miaoyi and Cheng Jue went to buy some fruit for the neighbors.

Then they waited downstairs for Cheng Yong and Ge Yu.

"Aren’t you going up?" Su Miaoyi asked, looking at him while eating a popsicle.

"They’re a married couple saying goodbye to the house, reminiscing about the past, having a heart-to-heart. I’d just be a third wheel." Cheng Jue stood in the shade of a tree. "Why aren’t you going up?"

"To be honest, I’m not that attached to this house. I haven’t lived here for very long." As she spoke, Su Miaoyi picked a small wildflower from the side of the path. "Uncle and Auntie are the ones with the attachment. They’ve been good to me ever since I arrived, raising me like their own daughter."

"What about me? Haven’t I been good to you?" Cheng Jue asked.

"You?" Su Miaoyi looked up at him and stuck the wildflower she’d picked in his hair. "I have no impression of that."

Cheng Jue: "...I knew I wouldn’t hear anything good from you."

Su Miaoyi laughed.

Once Cheng Yong and Ge Yu came down, they all left together for their new home.

Shen Yanzhou had found the new place for them.

It was a three-bedroom apartment, very spacious, and most importantly, very secure.

Shen Yanzhou didn’t show up himself; his assistant came instead.

The assistant helped them move their things, gave them the access cards and the rental agreement, and then left.

That left the four of them to unpack.

"The cleaning service came this morning and tidied up," Su Miaoyi said.

While Ge Yu and Cheng Yong were discussing the rent with Su Miaoyi, Cheng Jue picked out his room. "I’ll take this one. I’m moving my stuff in."

The other three just looked at him.

Cheng Jue walked over and stuffed a thick envelope into Su Miaoyi’s bag. "Just take it. It’s not like we’re strangers."

"It’s not like *we’re* strangers," Su Miaoyi retorted, throwing his own words back at him.

"Mom and Dad have money, so they should spend it," Cheng Jue said with a grin. "If you don’t spend it, and I don’t spend it, it’s not like the money is going to grow on its own sitting at home."

Su Miaoyi: "..."

While unpacking, Su Miaoyi put the money under their pillow. But the next morning, when she was leaving the house and opened her bag, the money was back inside.

She sighed, picked up a food container, bought some fresh flowers and fruit, and then took a taxi to the cemetery.

She had chosen a beautiful plot with a nice view for the real Su Miaoyi.

Shen Yanzhou and Zhuang Yanzheng had both been there on the day of the burial, so she hadn’t said much.

That’s why she had come again today.

She arranged the flowers and fruit neatly.

Then she opened the food container and placed it in front of the headstone. "Uncle washed the vegetables, Auntie cooked, and Cheng Jue steamed the rice. It’s all your favorite food."

After speaking, she fell silent for a moment.

The morning sun wasn’t too hot yet, and a gentle breeze blew in gusts.

She looked around, silent for another stretch, before speaking again. "Cheng Jue did very well on his college entrance exams, and on his art school exams, too. He’s already submitted his applications. The acceptance letters should be arriving in a few days."

"I moved Uncle and Auntie to a new place yesterday." She sighed. "I can’t remember so many things. I can’t remember who I am, where I was during the time I was dead, or what happened. I don’t even know the circumstances under which I met you."

"I only remember you saying a few things to me. I can’t recall anything else."

"So I’m really curious. Am I the only one who could come back? Or can lots of people? Why was I chosen? I had a feeling this identity would be dangerous, and it turned out to be really unsafe, putting Uncle, Auntie, and Cheng Jue in danger too."

"Well, maybe I am the only one. After all, something this bizarre can’t happen too often."

She sighed again. "I’ve already moved Uncle and Auntie. The new place is very safe. So you can rest easy. I won’t go back on my promise to you."

After that, she stayed for a long while longer. "Alright, I’m leaving now. I’ll come see you again another day."

...

After leaving the cemetery, she went to the municipal police department.

There were no new cases.

So Su Miaoyi organized some old case files.

Some of the cases had led to many other complications and were still under investigation, but there were no new leads.

Su Miaoyi sorted and reviewed the cases, and before she knew it, half the day had gone by.

After dinner, she headed over to the forensic sketch room.

Lu Zhishen hadn’t left work yet. He was sketching a portrait based on a blurry surveillance video.

He heard the door open and glanced over. Seeing it was her, he asked, "New case?"

Su Miaoyi shook her head.

Lu Zhishen added, "Help yourself to whatever you want to eat."

When there wasn’t a case, Su Miaoyi only came to his office for one reason: to eat.

Su Miaoyi didn’t stand on ceremony, opening his snack cabinet and helping herself.

Having already had dinner, she just needed some snacks to tide her over.

While snacking, she walked around behind him to look at the blurry figure on the monitor.

She just watched, not saying a word.

"It’s a fraud case. This is all they caught on camera," Lu Zhishen said.

"Can you draw a likeness from that?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Lu Zhishen nodded. "More or less."

The corner of Su Miaoyi’s mouth twitched.

’How can he draw that? You can’t even see it clearly, but he can still draw it.’

’Are his artist’s eyes built differently from mine? He must be able to see things I can’t.’

She had her doubts, but she didn’t voice them.

She went back to the snack cabinet, grabbed a few more things, and sat down quietly on the sofa to eat.

Before long, Lu Zhishen finished the sketch, took a picture of it, and sent it out.

Su Miaoyi looked at the portrait and gave him a thumbs-up. "I’m changing your contact name from ’Lu the Brawler’ to ’Lu the Divine’."

Lu Zhishen: "..."

’Can’t you just use my real name?’