周昭昭愣了一分多钟,才终于理清了发生的事情,深吸一口气,胸口一丝兴奋.所以——他认出了她.
陆烈已经回到了他的办公室.堆积如山的工作等待着他,但他的纪律却坚定不移.他很快就恢复了自己的职责,短暂的相遇几乎没有在他的镇定中激起一丝涟漪.然而,在他的任务开始不到五分钟时,门又吱吱作响地打开了.
他甚至懒得抬起头来;光是脚步声就透露了他的访客的身份.
宋和靠在桌子对面,傻笑着调侃道:"消息传得很快——你给人留下了相当深刻的印象.真的让那个可怜的女孩在这么闷热的天气里跑圈吗?
作为同事和长期战友,宋和经常与陆烈开玩笑,他们通过共同的考验和实地考察建立了融洽的关系.
陆烈的表情依旧冰冷."别忘了,把那个女孩带进外勤小队是谁的绝妙主意.你和刘主任的.
"我在想你,伙计.看看这支球队——一个充满睾丸激素的阵容.是不是有点...单调?
陆烈冷笑一声."单调?那我应该感谢你吗?
"不用感谢我.都是服务的一部分,"宋和假装庄重地宣布.
陆烈没有多看他一眼,站起身来,不耐烦地从他身边擦过."移动.你挡住了我的路.
他大步走到书架前,拿出一份文件,略过一遍,明显变得烦躁起来.手腕一弹,文件就落在了桌子上.他掏出一根烟,点燃,默默地将烟包递给宋和.
宋和笑了笑,挥手打断."老婆的命令.我不干了.
"你放弃了?"陆烈眉头一挑,眼中不屑一闪,烟雾从他的嘴唇中蜿蜒而出."就因为你有老婆就放弃了?这是什么逻辑?
宋禾的笑容变得狡黠."没指望你能明白——你是个单身汉.你没看过那些模因吗?'男人结婚后戒烟是标准礼仪.'
陆烈嗤之以鼻."如果结婚就意味着不抽烟,那我就一辈子单身."
"著名的遗言,"宋和咔嚓一声说,笑着退出了办公室.
陆烈轻笑一声.
他一路不停地工作,直到将近五点半.直到脖子上的僵硬变得难以忍受时,他才终于站起来,走到窗前.
六月的天气变化无常.中午时分,太阳炙烤了人行道;现在,不祥的乌云若隐若现,雷声划过天空.几分钟后,天空打开了,大雨倾盆而下.
当他抽完烟时,他看了一眼时钟.该下班了.
三个月来,陆烈第一次按时下班.他拿起雨伞下楼,却发现周昭昭独自站在台阶上,看着雨幕.她的身影在灰暗的灯光下显得虚弱.
她陷入了沉思,直到身后传来一个低沉的声音,她才注意到他的靠近."没有伞吗?"
她吓了一跳,转过身来,这时一个阴影笼罩着她.一把黑色的伞在她的头顶打开.
她轻轻地点点头.
Lu Lie stood beside her, eyes forward, expression unreadable. He held the handle toward her. "Take it."
Zhou Zhaozhao instinctively accepted it. By the time she came to her senses, he was already walking away, unbothered by the downpour, one hand in his pocket, his pace calm and steady.
The warmth of his hand still lingered on the umbrella's grip. Watching his silhouette fade into the rain, she lingered in a daze before finally stepping into the storm.
At home, Ms. Jiang had already prepared dinner. The delicious aroma hit Zhou Zhaozhao the moment she stepped inside. She hurriedly changed her shoes and set the rain-drenched umbrella to dry on the balcony. She glanced at it again before finally turning toward the living room.
Just as she reached for a piece of braised pork ribs, Ms. Jiang emerged from the kitchen and smacked her hand away.
"No manners—go wash up first!"
Zhou Zhaozhao pouted and retreated to wash her hands, returning with utensils in hand. "Dad's not home yet?"
"There's been a discovery of a Song Dynasty tomb in Jiangzhou. He'll be gone at least two weeks."
She then glanced at her daughter. "So? First day on the job—tiring?"
Zhou Zhaozhao lied with a smile. "Not at all. My supervisor is really nice."
"Good. That puts my mind at ease."
After dinner and a shower, Zhou Zhaozhao lay in bed, feeling as if the entire day had been a surreal dream. Her mind wandered to how Lu Lie had tended to her wound earlier, sending ripples through her heart.
She slept dreamlessly.
At dawn, she woke aching from yesterday's exertion. As she struggled to sit up, her phone rang unexpectedly. The number was local, but unfamiliar.
She answered cautiously. "Hello?"
A loud, boisterous voice, laced with static, burst through.
"Zhaozhao! We've got a case—214 Huayuan Lane, Xiangxue Road, Jingning District. Lu called for you directly."
Gripping her shirt hem, Zhou Zhaozhao replied, "On my way!"
She dashed into the bathroom. After a quick wash, she caught sight of herself in the mirror—disheveled short hair, pale skin, and sleepy eyes. No time to fix the stubborn cowlick. She threw on her clothes and hurried out.
Though the rain had stopped, the ground remained slick. She walked briskly to the neighborhood gate and hailed a cab.
The scene wasn't far—just a twenty-minute drive. Due to nearby construction, the car couldn't go in, so she walked the rest of the way with the help of GPS.
The pet shop was at the far end of the alley. The crime scene unit had already arrived, yellow-black tape cordoning off the area, drawing curious bystanders.
As she stepped under the tape, someone called out, "Zhaozhao, you're here. Shoe covers."
She accepted them, set down her forensics case, and entered the store.
It was small but tidy—about fifty square meters, with rows of reptile enclosures neatly arranged.
The body lay awkwardly on the floor. Clothes were disheveled, eyes shut tight, face contorted in agony. A pool of blood spread beneath his head. Vomit surrounded the corpse—he had clearly suffered greatly before death.
Lu Lie crouched beside the body, gloved hands working methodically. His face was grim.
"Male. Estimated height 175 cm. Overweight. Corneas are severely clouded," he reported, peeling back the eyelids.
He unbuttoned the shirt and continued, "Lividity and rigor mortis present. Time of death exceeds ten hours. Bruising on the face, injury to the back of the head—he fought before he died."
Removing his gloves, Lu Lie stood and briefly glanced at Zhou Zhaozhao.
She wore a black-and-white checkered shirt and slacks, no trace of makeup. Her skin was porcelain smooth, lips cherry-red, teeth neat and white. A strand of hair stuck up at the crown of her head—slightly ridiculous, strangely endearing.
She swallowed and called softly, "Captain Lu?"
He nodded, the corner of his lips twitching into a smile, but then his expression turned sharp. He frowned. "Where's Liu Taishan?"
"Already called. He's on his way," came the reply.
Lu Lie's tone was icy. "He's always dragging his feet."
He glanced around for Zhou Zhaozhao again and found her bending over an enclosure, inspecting something closely.
Perplexed, he turned to Zhao Songge. "Where's the one who reported it?"
"Outside. The victim's younger brother. Xiao Bingbing is questioning him."
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhaozhao's eyes had been caught by a large orange snake with reddish-brown checkered markings in the center enclosure.
A few half-eaten mouse tails were scattered inside. The snake flicked its tongue toward her.
"That's a corn snake. Very docile. Loves mice and frogs."
A cheerful male voice spoke beside her. She turned to find a boyishly handsome face flashing a grin. He winked and opened his mouth to say more—
—only to be summoned away by Lu Lie's thunderous tone.
Zhou Zhaozhao stole a glance at Lu Lie, gaze lingering longer than she intended, then opened her forensic kit and began her investigation.