Street Hustler and His Policewoman Wife

Chen Xiao keenly felt that this was very important information.

But, is this information hard to discover?

Chen Xiao didn't think so.

Unless Cao Xiuyuan is nothing more than a name.

But would he be?

In general cases, the team leader isn't necessarily the most skilled in criminal investigations.

However, Yuan Keyu's case would never involve mere mediocrities.

So Chen Xiao believed that Cao Xiuyuan must have realized this point.

It's just that there seems to be no progress on this point currently.

Cao Xiuyuan had said if Chen Xiao or Qin Fei could provide useful clues by the time breakfast was finished, then both could join the special task team.

Chen Xiao was here to help Qin Fei this time.

He's not a police officer and doesn't need accolades from the police.

So after thinking for a moment, Chen Xiao deliberately furrowed his brows and asked Qin Fei:

"Captain Qin, have you noticed anything wrong?"

Qin Fei's brows were also tightly furrowed.

He didn't respond immediately but thought for a few seconds before replying:

"I just feel something's off somewhere."

Chen Xiao was secretly delighted: "Something off? What's off?"

Qin Fei replied: "I can't say, but it's just strange that Professor Yuan came to Xiaozhuang South Town."

Chen Xiao: "That's definitely strange. He's spent years abroad, and his parents have passed away, with no close relatives from Xiaozhuang South Town. It's surely odd for him to go there."

"It's not just that simple. He must have come to Xiaozhuang South Town to meet someone or do something. And these are things he doesn't want to share with his wife and daughters, and perhaps not even with his organization."

"Given this, his trip to Xiaozhuang South Town should have been secretive, as indeed all his actions appear to be. But there's just something that doesn't fit!"

Listening to Qin Fei's words, Chen Xiao understood he must be sensing some contradiction.

So Chen Xiao decided to strike while the iron was hot, murmuring as he continued to ponder:

"The records in the case file clearly state that Professor Yuan indeed arrived at Xiaozhuang South Town without notifying anyone. He traveled by train and then took a car to Xiaozhuang…."

Before Chen Xiao could finish, Cao Xiuyuan, who was drinking soy milk, suddenly paused, followed by Qin Fei exclaiming:

"Yes, yes, yes! I've always found something strange. The problem is with the transportation!"

Chen Xiao frowned: "Transportation issue?"

"The problem isn't with the transportation itself, but it's only a bit over 300 kilometers from the Provincial City to Xiaozhuang South Town, with 80% being highway. After returning to China, his organization provided him with a car worth over twenty thousand. For a 300-kilometer trip, shouldn't he most logically drive himself?"

Chen Xiao didn't reply.

Cao Xiuyuan glanced at him, smiling silently.

Qin Fei remained absorbed in his thoughts, unaware of Cao Xiuyuan's expression, and said:

"He could've clearly driven to Xiaozhuang South Town, yet he chose the more cumbersome and slower train and town bus to get there. Something's amiss; it's too contradictory."

Cao Xiuyuan asked, "Where is the contradiction?"

"Professor Yuan used his own ID to purchase the tickets! The train ticket is understandable, but how about the bus ticket? Town buses are often boarded on the roadside, but Professor Yuan went to the station, using his ID to buy the ticket!"

"Perhaps for Professor Yuan, using his ID to buy a ticket is a basic instinct for a cultured person," Cao Xiuyuan continued.

Qin Fei replied: "But there's surveillance footage from the bus station, recorded in the case file, where Professor Yuan effortlessly found the bus to Xiaozhuang South Town. As anyone who's been to a bus station knows, a lot of town buses go from the county to the various towns, forming a long row every batch."

"If Professor Yuan wasn't familiar, why didn't he need to search before arriving at the bus spot for Xiaozhuang South Town? This indicates he's familiar with the Xiaozhuang South Station buses!"

"Based on this, we can assume he's also familiar with Xiaozhuang South Town's transportation situation. If he's familiar, why would he go from the train station to the bus station, rather than stopping the bus to Xiaozhuang South Town at the sign two kilometers from the train station?"

After listening to Qin Fei's explanation, Cao Xiuyuan clapped his hands:

"Good heavens, you've got some skills there. Right, our investigation indicates Professor Yuan's route might be leaving us clues. From entering the bus station to reaching the bus stop position at the station's ticket hall exit, he showed no hesitation or even lifted his head to look around, heading straight to the bus."

"From this alone, it's clear that Professor Yuan, who seemingly lives abroad, is quite familiar with Zhushan City's Fengshan County Xiaozhuang South Town," Cao Xiuyuan said, putting down his food and continuing:

"Professor Yuan is extremely smart, as evident from his everyday life, not just his academic expertise."

"Without notifying anyone, he traveled to Xiaozhuang South Town using seemingly normal but actually unusual transportation methods relative to his identity. To me, this suggests there's an implicit message. We've continuously investigated around this clue, but unfortunately, we've yet to make any significant breakthroughs."

Cao Xiuyuan was somewhat disappointed, but soon he reached out:

"But regardless of the outcome, the fact that you both noticed this aspect shows that your individual thinking and abilities are sufficient for the special task team."

"Therefore, on behalf of the task team, I welcome you both to join us!"

Qin Fei saw this, looked at Chen Xiao with surprise, and proceeded to shake hands with Cao Xiuyuan.

Chen Xiao also stopped pretending when seeing Cao Xiuyuan reach out to him, so he shook hands as well.

What was originally a casual handshake, Cao Xiuyuan slightly tightened his grip during the moment.

The slight exertion was actually Cao Xiuyuan's way of letting Chen Xiao know that he had seen through some subtle intentions.

Chen Xiao merely grinned at Cao Xiuyuan.

The two tacitly didn't converse, with the latter only asking Qin Fei:

"When can you two depart? Will you go with me, or join us later on?"

Qin Fei thought for a moment and said: "Brother Xiuyuan, you know we just took on this case, and there are still post-case arrangements to handle."

Cao Xiuyuan pursed his lips: "Alright, but do hurry up. I'm looking forward to meeting up with you two."

"Okay, we'll definitely actively cooperate with the organizational work!"

Cao Xiuyuan patted Qin Fei's shoulder and glanced at Chen Xiao before turning to leave.

Chen Xiao contemplated for a moment and then called out: "Captain Cao, please wait."

"What's the matter?" Cao Xiuyuan asked.

"Now that Captain Qin and I are part of the special team, but we can only go to Xiaozhuang South Town later. I'm thinking that if we can familiarize ourselves with the complete case file during this period, it might bring new insights!"

Cao Xiuyuan hesitated: "Aren't you busy with the post-case arrangements?"

"That's Captain Qin's task. I'm free, quite relaxed; I'm just loyally sticking around here to keep him company."

Cao Xiuyuan laughed heartily and opened his briefcase, taking out two more document folders.

"The investigation into the sealed room case has yielded three case files you could access. I hope you'll review each sequentially, think through them before proceeding to the next."

Chen Xiao couldn't help but squint: "So, has each document been updated?"

"That's right. I hope that before seeing the next file, you've already deduced its contents!"