Wan Laiming walked over to the desk and sat down.
He looked at Ruan Xingyao, gave a small cough, and asked, “Xiao Ruan, how is it? Have you managed to get anything out of this yet?”
Ruan Xingyao nodded and said, “This is indeed a premeditated trafficking case.”
At these words, Wan Laiming’s expression instantly grew serious.
His gaze was sharp as a blade, still holding some doubt about what Ruan Xingyao said.
Ruan Xingyao continued, “Bugou told me that, during the week before Wang Tianping took Zhang Tiantian on that trip, he’d been in constant contact with a man named Brother Zhong. Several times, he mentioned that as long as he brought Zhang Tiantian to Yuancheng, they’d be able to ‘swap her out’ and send her wherever he wanted.”
Wan Laiming asked, “Did he say where that was?”
Ruan Xingyao shook her head and said, “Wang Tianping was extremely cautious about that.”
This was what frustrated her the most — Bugou had suffered so much, yet they still couldn’t directly bring Wang Tianping to justice.
Chen Yu picked up Wang Tianping’s statement again and flipped through it.
He said, “If Wang Tianping’s personal data is accurate, he should come from a well-off family. But his actions don’t match his background at all.”
Ruan Xingyao nodded in agreement and said, “He makes me think of a saying.”
Chen Yu: “Harsh mountains and troubled waters breed unruly people.”
Ruan Xingyao held out a hand to him and said, “Bingo!”
Chen Yu immediately high-fived her, then said, “If it were just me thinking this way, maybe it’s my problem. But now that we both think so, there’s one more point that needs investigating.”
Wan Laiming said, “No problem. I’ll have people look into it right away. But as for that Brother Zhong, do you have any more information?”
Ruan Xingyao shook her head and said, “Wang Tianping is very cautious. I think instead of focusing on Brother Zhong, you’d do better to start from their movements after arrival. Since there’s a swap involved, it must have been arranged in advance. For you, that shouldn’t be difficult.”
Wan Laiming agreed with this.
He simply kept looking at Ruan Xingyao, his eyes full of probing curiosity.
Ruan Xingyao ignored the expectation in his gaze.
She only said, “Alright, my work here is done. I’m leaving.”
With that, she stood up.
Just then, Bugou seemed to sense her movement and opened his sleepy eyes.
He looked at her pitifully and barked, “Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!”
[Human! You said when Dog woke up it would see its mom! Where’s mom?]
Looking at the little guy, Ruan Xingyao’s heart instantly softened.
She patted his head, then pointed at Wan Laiming and said, “This uncle will help you find your mom, sweetheart. Just follow him!”
Bugou looked at Wan Laiming but shrank back.
“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof! Woof woof woof woof!”
[Human! Dog doesn’t trust other people! Dog only trusts you! Human! Can you take Dog with you?]
His mom’s boyfriend had treated him badly and abused him every day.
There’s no way he would believe this stranger would be kind to him.
Ruan Xingyao felt a little helpless.
Being too adored by animals could also be a source of trouble.
If this were Ningcheng, she would have already agreed without hesitation.
But now, she was in Changcheng, and she simply couldn’t.
Hardening her heart, Ruan Xingyao said, “No, sweetheart. I’m only here temporarily, and I’ll be leaving very soon. I can’t take you with me.”
The moment Bugou heard this, he became heartbroken.
He collapsed weakly onto the sofa, and this time, even his trust in Ruan Xingyao was gone.
He whimpered softly, full of grievance.
“Woo woo woof woof! Whimper whimper!”
[Dog understands… Dog will never see Mom again. Dog should just quietly find a place to wait for death.]
Those words made Ruan Xingyao ache terribly inside.
But she truly was powerless.
All she could do was look at Wan Laiming and earnestly plead, “Uncle Wan, could I trouble you to take good care of him, at least until his mom is found?”
This was the gentlest tone Wan Laiming had ever heard from Ruan Xingyao since meeting her.
Although he couldn’t quite understand how she could have such strong feelings for a dog—especially one she had just met—he still said, “Don’t worry. If this case is successfully solved, whether or not we find the person, it will still count as a major contribution. We will treat him well.”
Those words came sincerely from Wan Laiming’s heart.
Ruan Xingyao felt the truth in them, and her heart softened even more.
She bit lightly on her lip, looking torn and conflicted.
After a long moment, Ruan Xingyao finally said, “Uncle Wan, could you give me a piece of paper and a pen?”
Without asking why, Wan Laiming immediately handed her an A4 sheet and a ballpoint pen.
Ruan Xingyao sat back down on the sofa and began quickly writing something about Zhang Tiantian.
Chen Yu leaned in, wanting to sneak a glance, but Ruan Xingyao blocked him with her arm.
She lifted her head and glared at him. “Some things are private. Don’t be so nosy.”
Chen Yu immediately pulled back, though his eyes were full of puzzlement.
Wan Laiming was equally confused, not understanding what exactly she was writing.
Several minutes later, Ruan Xingyao finally finished.
She put the pen down, folded the A4 sheet once, then again, before handing it to Wan Laiming.
Ruan Xingyao said, “Read it after we’ve left. I hope it’ll be useful to you. That’s all I could gather from Bugou. We’ll be going now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ruan Xingyao got up and walked out, not waiting to hear whether Wan Laiming agreed or not.
Her footsteps were brisk and decisive, her stride much longer than usual, carrying a sense of fleeing in panic.
Chen Yu hurried to catch up, but then paused when he heard Bugou’s barking behind him.
Turning back, he saw Bugou standing on the sofa, clearly wanting to jump down and chase after Ruan Xingyao.
However, it only stood there, gazing pitifully toward the doorway.
In its wet eyes was nothing but deep disappointment.
In that instant, Chen Yu understood why Ruan Xingyao’s steps had been so hurried.
She was afraid that if she didn’t leave quickly, she would definitely soften.
There was nothing Chen Yu could do to fix the situation either.
All he could do was pull his gaze back and quickly catch up with Ruan Xingyao.
Wan Laiming was supposed to escort the two of them out of the police station, but since Ruan Xingyao was walking so fast, he didn’t bother following.
It wasn’t until their figures had completely disappeared that Wan Laiming unfolded the A4 sheet.
Written on it were Zhang Tiantian’s private matters.
She was a girl who had escaped from the mountains.
Her mother had been a female college student abducted into the mountains over twenty years ago.
Forced to bear children for the men of the village, she gave birth to more than ten.
The boys were kept and raised, while the girls were either drowned or abandoned in the mountains.
Zhang Tiantian was the last child her mother gave birth to.
Her mother risked her life to lift her out of the mountains, allowing her to become a university student.
— The end of the Chapter–
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