Chapter 481: Pitiful People Must Have Hateful Places[1]

Chen Shi opened the door directly. Standing outside the door was Lin Dongxue carrying a bag in her hands. She raised the bag in front of her and smiled. "I was afraid you guys would get bored. I brought some food and drinks."

"We aren’t hungry. It’s best to have a woman in order to relieve boredom." Chen Shi said.

"Screw you!"

Lin Dongxue came in and asked, "Is it boring staying here? Why are you voluntarily performing this task? It’s very inconsistent with your restless personality."

Chen Shi replied, "Everyone is looking for a needle in a haystack right now. I think the chance of catching the suspect here is a little better... Any new progress?"

"We’ve searched for Zhang Xiao's relatives and friends. He hasn't communicated with his relatives or friends recently. Most people don't even know that he’s out of prison. In addition, the bank's surveillance monitoring shows that a thin, tall man took part of the money from his card. The ATM machine has a withdrawal limit. He withdrew 100,000 yuan in cash and the rest of the money was transferred to another card. The account owner is called Zheng Jingjing, but it may be a fake ID card bought online."

"It seems that the suspect is likely to have an accomplice. Is this card frozen yet?"

"Captain Lin has contacted the bank and will handle it tomorrow morning."

"I suggest not freezing it yet. Freezing it would be telling the other party that the police are targeting them. They have enough cash in their hands to run away, and they’ll only be more difficult to find at that time. 700,000 isn’t necessarily a gigantic sum. The point is to catch them."

"Uh, let me tell my brother!"

"Personal opinion. He doesn’t need to take my suggestion.”

Lin Dongxue and the two chatted for a while before leaving. They planned to spend the night there. Before leaving, Chen Shi urged her to be very careful when she went home alone and told her to take a taxi as soon as she left the community area. Lin Dongxue smiled. "I'm not a child. Don’t worry!"

Lin Dongxue walked out of the community. The nights in August were cool and the moonlight was nice tonight. She strolled around casually for a while.

A van was parked not far from the community with the words "Collecting used electrical appliances" posted on the van. Lin Dongxue felt like it was a little familiar, so she walked over and knocked on the window. There was someone in the car. Wu Xu was using a cloth to wipe the car’s insides. When he heard the noise, he raised his head. When he saw that it was Lin Dongxue, his alert gaze suddenly relaxed.

He opened the car door. "Officer Lin? You’re still investigating a case this late at night?"

"No, I happened to be passing by... Why are you here?"

"I go around everywhere collecting broken things. You’re not here for questioning, right?"

"No, no," Lin Dongxue smiled. "Since I saw your car, I came over to say hello. I’ll be leaving now!"

She walked away for a distance when footsteps came up from behind her. Wu Xu caught up, holding a cardboard box in his hands. "Officer Lin, this is for you."

Lin Dongxue opened it curiously and inside was a small gift box. She looked at Wu Xu in surprise. "What is this for?"

"I’m giving it to you. I bought it myself after earning some money. It’s not expensive. It’s just a small souvenir."

"Why are you giving me something?"

"You encouraged me back then and helped me stand up again. I always wanted to find a chance to repay you, but I didn't know where you lived."

Lin Dongxue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "I just said a few words casually. I can’t accept this."

"You can just take it. You know I’ve been in jail until now and it’s been many years since I’ve bought anything for girls. Let’s just say it’s to fulfill my wish... I know you have a boyfriend, I just... Just... Want to repay you. There’s no other meaning behind it!”

Lin Dongxue was in a bind. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I really can't accept it. Your good intentions will be accepted in my heart.[2]"

She reached back and handed it over, but Wu Xu didn't take it. He said in a disappointed tone, "In the end, you’re just like everyone else, looking down on me, a prisoner who’s been released from prison, right?"

"You’re thinking too much. You’re really overthinking this. No matter what your identity is, after all, we have only met briefly. How can I accept your gift?"

"I know you look down on me. This is a little embarrassing to say. I know what your identity is and I know what mine is, so I shouldn’t daydream like this.”

Lin Dongxue was a little annoyed. She couldn’t reason with him, so she stuffed the small box into Wu Xu's pocket and said goodbye.

Looking at Lin Dongxue's back, Wu Xu bit his lip and his eyes shone with a fierce light.

The next morning, Chen Shi went to the bureau. The task of monitoring the suspect's house had been assigned to another group of policemen. Lin Qiupu asked him and Xu Xiaodong to come back first. When they had breakfast together, Lin Dongxue told them about what happened last night.

Lin Dongxue sighed. "I didn't mean to discriminate against him. I wouldn’t accept a present given to me all of a sudden, even if it were someone else! I don't know why he was overthinking it so much!"

Chen Shi said, "Aiya, Wu Xu's recent ‘camera appearance rate’ is a bit high. Surely..."

"Haven’t you already investigated? He isn’t suspicious."

"To me, it’s natural to discriminate against people like him."

Xu Xiaodong pretended to clap his hands. "Brother Chen always speaks in a way where others will understand and doesn’t hide anything."

"Why do you need to discriminate against him?" Lin Dongxue asked.

"Isn't that normal? He’s a prisoner who’s been released from prison. He was in prison with the scum of society during the years where his peers were studying, working, or getting married. His mentality must be a lot worse than ordinary people. That is, he’s different from us. He’s an outlier. I must avoid such people in my daily life as much as possible. I don’t want to give them any sympathy."

Xu Xiaodong nodded. "Pitiful people must have hateful places."

Lin Dongxue's cheeks twitched and said, "I didn’t think you men would be so worldly[3]. Xiaodong is one thing. Old Chen, I thought your thinking was better than the average person’s.”

Chen Shi smiled. "One of my life rules is that when a person bears the price for their previous behavior, I won’t give them sympathy! There are also many pitiful criminals brought into the Public Security Bureau, but when have I sympathized with them? It’s only reasonable to bear the consequences caused by yourself. There are indeed tolerant saints in the world, but I can’t do it. My sympathy is only reserved for those who are born with misfortune. So, I suggest for you to stay far away from people who are drug addicts, people who prostitute themselves, and people who’ve been to prison. Don't give them any sympathy, lest they take a mile after you give an inch.”

"Brother Chen sees everything so clearly!" Xu Xiaodong praised.

Lin Dongxue looked at Chen Shi and laughed helplessly. Chen Shi asked, "Why are you laughing?"

"Look at you speaking in such a long-winded manner that is full of reason, I was thinking that you must be very annoying when you’re old."

"Haha, I'm not just going to be annoying when I’m old. I’m always going to be annoying."

"Well, at least you know yourself."

At this time, the mobile phones of the three of them rang together. Lin Qiupu informed everyone that the third missing person was found.

1. An idiom that mentions that people must have done something worthy of hate for them to be as pitiful as they are. Otherwise, there’s bound to be some form of support.

2. What people say when they say they’re just happy with the thought.

3. She worded it in a sarcastic manner.