The Beautiful Boss's Personal Bodyguard-Chapter 351

After sending off the two cops from the municipal bureau, Zheng Dazhi’s face darkened, "Chief, what’s going on here?"

Cheng Gong’s expression turned sour as he glanced at the sky and sighed, "Looks like a storm is brewing."

...

Leaving the police station, the two officers from the municipal bureau didn’t actually go to visit any old leaders or tidy up the case. Instead, they drove straight to Erwanzi Street. Judging by their familiarity, it seemed they already knew where He Biandan lived.

The black Volkswagen came to a smooth stop at the entrance. The dilapidated wooden door had several holes exposed by the rotting wood, and two faded Door Gods fluttered in the cold wind, tattered and torn.

"Do you believe a murderer could come from such an environment?" asked the old cop.

"I’m not a cop; I don’t understand these things," the young officer replied with a stern face. Judging by his expression, he seemed to be the boss, while the old cop beside him seemed like a lackey.

Having grown accustomed to this attitude, the old cop didn’t say much more and went up to knock on the door.

No response.

He knocked again. Still, no one.

The two exchanged glances, a silent understanding between them. The person they were looking for was likely gone.

"We’re here already, might as well take a look inside."

The two pushed the door and entered.

The old cop, named Liao Kaifan, was a veteran detective from the municipal bureau, but due to his personality, he remained on the front lines. Though he held the title of a squad leader, everyone familiar with the system knew it meant nothing more than enduring more hardship on the front lines. Nobody blamed anyone else, for Old Liao was an amiable person but firm inside, the kind who would cheerfully dine with someone offering a bribe of five million yuan, then recite the Communist Party member’s principles and the Eight Honors and Eight Shames, talking the briber out of it. With such a disposition, he had made quite a few enemies. The road to promotion was extremely tough for him. At over forty years of age, why fuss? He was set to retire at the end of the next year and was content with leisure, seeing as his daughter earned enough to keep him happy. Then suddenly, the old leader called him back for a case. Everyone in the bureau was quite surprised - what kind of case could warrant the ’treasure of the bureau,’ Old Liao?

The other man, who looked young and capable, was Ma Chao – not a cop. The police uniform he wore was borrowed temporarily. The old leader had instructed Old Liao to look after him, and from bits and pieces, Old Liao had learned that Ma Chao was a personal bodyguard of some high-ranking leader, here to deal with some private affairs. Just turn a blind eye and it will pass.

Plainly put, it was a favor.

The situation in the yard didn’t seem particularly out of place to them – the cluttered layout, the ruined houses, the remaining snow, none of this was related to the case.

Old Liao squatted on the ground, surveyed it, and asked, "Notice anything?"

Ma Chao carefully looked around and replied, "It’s very quiet here, not like a buzzing compound. This dog is skinny, timid, and hasn’t been fed for awhile."

"Hmm. Not bad, for a newcomer to have such observational skills deserves some extra points."

"And what can you see?"

Old Liao, touching the ground, said, "There are many footprints, the kind that come and go in a hurry."

"What does that tell us?"

"It doesn’t prove anything. But it does support your point – the people here have likely all left."

Ma Chao walked around the yard expressionlessly. The western room was the most dilapidated of the four, apparently still under repair. The newspapers plastered over the windows were from last month, but for some unknown reason, work had stopped.

Moving to the southern room, empty as well, peering in through the window, it was in disarray, but still a lived-in look. A thin layer of dust covered the table, not thick – the family hadn’t been gone for long.

When he turned to the eastern room, someone finally came out.

"They’ve all left. Didn’t you ask already? Why come every day?"

Old Liao and Ma Chao turned their heads simultaneously; it was an old man in a black padded jacket wearing knee guards. These knee guards were common in winter, warm and cheap, favored by those suffering from rheumatism.

Ma Chao stepped forward to ask questions but was blocked by Old Liao, "Uncle, are you the only person left in this yard?"

"There used to be several, but they’ve all moved out after someone said there was a murder," the old man replied.

"Who was murdered?"

Old Liu’s mood soured, "Are you just toying with me?"

Old Liao chuckled and pulled out two cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Old Liu, who glared at him but still took the cigarette. Old Liao lit the cigarette for him and then for himself.

"Please, have a seat."

There was an armchair at the entrance, its armrest worn smooth - the chair had seen many years. Old Liu sat down and started to chat.

"You’re not from the local station?"

"Oh, you noticed?"

Old Liu showed a flicker of disdain in his eyes, "Those guys over there don’t usually wear that uniform. When they go to work, they often wear freakin’ fur hats on their heads."

Old Liao smiled, "That should be understood. Grassroots police officers have a hard time. Blending in with the community makes it easier to carry out their work."

Old Liu took a pause from his smoking and asked, "You’re a leader, aren’t you?"

Old Liao neither confirmed nor denied, "Why do you say that?"

"The way you talk about the grassroots and the community, and carrying out work. Only big leaders talk like that on TV. The average person can’t say it that way. Plus, your tone, tsk tsk, it doesn’t sound like a regular person. Only a little something’s missing, otherwise, you’d be more believable!"

"What’s missing?"

"Belly."

"Belly?"

Old Liu nodded, took a drag of his cigarette, his fingertips wrinkled like rotting tree bark, "The leaders, they all have big bellies. Don’t laugh, just look at them on TV. Of course, the national-level leaders don’t count, they have their weight loss plans. Take this local station; the chief has quite big ears, right?"

Old Liao nodded.

"Look at his belly, tsk tsk, now that’s a leader’s belly. In the beginning, there was a deputy chief here. He worked for years and couldn’t get promoted. Then his family pulled some strings, and he was transferred elsewhere. Do you know why he couldn’t be promoted?"

Old Liao chuckled, "Why?"

"His belly was too big, even bigger than the chief’s! When traveling out of town, he was mistaken for the chief a few times, which displeased the leadership. After that, he was always left out of work arrangements. They absolutely refused to promote him, not even giving him a glance."