The Romance of Police Flower

After getting Wang Dali settled in, Huang Xiaotao sent me a text message: “Song Yang, come to the parking lot quick, something happened!”

I thought something serious had happened, so I rushed to the parking lot and almost laughed when I saw what was going on.

It turned out that Luo Weiwei had been driving Huang Xiaotao's black BMW and scraped some paint off the side of the car on a concrete pillar while pulling out. The car door was jammed against the pillar in an awkward predicament. It looked like Luo Weiwei didn't have great driving skills!

Huang Xiaotao was hopping mad about the damage to her precious car. Luo Weiwei shrugged and said, "No big deal, I'll pay you back for the paint job!"

Huang Xiaotao waved her hand dismissively, "Forget it, I have insurance on the car, it's just a hassle to deal with the claims people."

Huang Xiaotao asked me to help get the car out of its stuck position, but I said I wasn't very good at this kind of thing either! In the end, it was Wang Yuanchao who effortlessly extricated the car in no time. Huang Xiaotao clicked her tongue in admiration, "What a pro, as expected from an experienced driver!"

I asked her, "Do you know what ‘lao shi jiang’ (老司机) really means?"

"Doesn't it just mean an experienced driver?" Huang Xiaotao looked puzzled.

I was speechless. It seemed Huang Xiaotao didn't spend much time online.

I was starting to regret letting Luo Weiwei drive. She was too stubborn and insisted she'd be fine once she got on the road. After a hair-raising exit from the parking garage, her driving on the road was passable.

Half an hour later, we arrived at the crime scene, an old street lined with shops, but they were all closed now. The buildings here were haphazardly constructed with laundry hanging overhead. Because it was almost noon, residents were cooking lunch at home, and cooking smells and oil fumes drifted from the windows.

Luo Weiwei said this old street had been around in Wugu for years. The shops used to sell sundries, but as large supermarkets sprang up nearby, younger folks didn't want to shop here anymore, so it had fallen into decline...

Luo Weiwei led us to a two-story house in front of which crime scene tape was strung. The door had a police seal on it. Huang Xiaotao said, "I thought the victim's family was rich. Why don't they live in an apartment building?"

Luo Weiwei explained, "The victim inherited this street-front house from her father who used to run an art and calligraphy business here."

I asked Huang Xiaotao, "I bet you've never lived in an old house like this?"

She shook her head. "Never. It can't be as comfortable as an apartment building right? I grew up in apartments."

I grew up in the Song family's old house. These wooden structures were cool in summer and warm in winter without even needing air conditioning. Super comfortable. When I started college and lived in a dorm for a long time, I had a hard time adjusting.

We tore off the police tape and went inside. The first floor had a spacious open layout, clearly once a shop space. With no lights on, the first floor felt creepy and eerie. Huang Xiaotao said, "It's like a scene from a horror movie!"

Luo Weiwei mocked her, "You scared so easily and you're a cop?"

Huang Xiaotao glared at her. "Shut up! Who was the one who fainted just now?"

"I just tripped and fell, that's all," Luo Weiwei denied lamely.

"Yeah, foaming at the mouth and all. Go get a CT scan at the hospital and make sure you didn't hit your head," Huang Xiaotao taunted back.

"Why you...!"

Afraid they would start bickering, I told Luo Weiwei, "Miss Luo, please go buy me a bag of all-purpose flour."

She had been staring daggers at Huang Xiaotao and snapped at me grumpily, "What do you need that for?"

"Just go!" I ordered.

Very reluctantly, Luo Weiwei left. Huang Xiaotao sighed, "Good looks but a nasty temper. I bet she's been spoiled rotten by her official's son boyfriend."

"I think her looks are just average, not as pretty as you," I said.

I was just making casual conversation, but Huang Xiaotao reacted strongly, happily grabbing my hand, "Song Yang, do you really think so?"

I admitted bashfully, "Um... yes!"

Luo Weiwei was certainly a beauty, but I felt her attractiveness was 'sharp' - pointy chin, upturned eyes, willow leaf brows. Not as gentle and agreeable looking as Huang Xiaotao.

In temperament though, Huang Xiaotao was capable, carefree, exuding a dashing poise and valor befitting a policewoman. Luo Weiwei gave off an air of pampered willful stubbornness, a total spoiled miss vibe.

As the saying goes, there is no harm without comparison!

Huang Xiaotao nudged me with her elbow, "By the way, we've known each other for a while now, but I still don't know what kind of girl you like."

"Uh..." I glanced at her, my cheeks suddenly feeling hot, "Long hair, cute girl!"

Huang Xiaotao said in surprise, "What? The complete opposite of me! You're not just saying that because you're too shy to say you like my type, are you?"

"No, absolutely not!" I denied vehemently.

We went up the creaky wooden stairs to the second floor. From the top of the stairs, the dining room where the murder occurred was in plain view.

It was a complete mess inside. The table was overturned, the window smashed, broken crockery and chopsticks scattered on the floor, blood splattered all over the walls, nearly obscuring the original wallpaper pattern. The outline of the victim's body was marked on the floor with white rope. Combined with the heavy curtains blocking the sunlight, the scene was as eerie and sinister as one could imagine.

I frowned, "The feng shui of this house is bad."

Huang Xiaotao asked in surprise, "Oh, you know feng shui?"

"Feng shui isn't really that mystical. My grandpa told me it's basically the first impression a house gives you, whether it feels comfortable or not," I explained, pointing out, "Look, the bedroom and dining room doors face each other with no privacy. The stairs are so steep, it must be hard for an elderly person with poor mobility to go up and down. The bathroom is so far from the bedroom, you have to go down stairs in the middle of the night to use the toilet in winter. Cold and creepy..."

"Good point. When I buy a home in the future, I'll be sure to consult Feng Shui Master Song!" Huang Xiaotao nodded enthusiastically.

"You flatter me," I laughed.

The house only had flawed design. It likely had no real connection to the murder. Feng shui and crimes probably weren't related.

We went into the dining room where the kitchen flowed seamlessly into the space. The kitchen was also very messy, ceramic shards all over the floor. The police had already taken away the scattered knives and utensils. An outline of a human form was traced in white tape in front of the preparation area.

I observed quietly for a while, trying to recreate the entire sequence of events in my mind. Logically, there was no need to solve this case further since the perpetrator was dead. But we wanted to uncover any abnormal aspects and the underlying reasons behind it!

I pulled open the curtains and noticed an empty house across the way. Then I stared absently for a long time at a decorative mask on the wall. Huang Xiaotao said, "Do you like that thing? I'll buy you one later!"

"No, I was thinking about something else," I replied.

"Got any leads?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

I shook my head. "None at all. This case is too bizarre..."

"I can't find any clues either," said Huang Xiaotao.

She then asked Wang Yuanchao, "Wang Yuanchao, you're so experienced. See anything?"

Wang Yuanchao silently stared straight faced for ten seconds. Huang Xiaotao sighed, "Okay, thanks for your valuable input."

Just then, footsteps sounded from downstairs. Huang Xiaotao said, "Must be Miss Luo coming back right?"

She was about to head down when I stopped her, cocking my ear to listen closely.

The footsteps didn't sound like Luo Weiwei's. I tensed up immediately, "Something's wrong, someone else came in!"