Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 362 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (73)

The cheerful laughter and chatter in the living room seemed to be suddenly cut off, becoming faint and indistinct.

Only Wu Qidong's words on the phone, like a thunderclap, echoed repeatedly in Jin Shuhe's mind.

"Xiao He, are you still listening?"

……

"Xiaohe?"

Wu Qidong called him twice: "If you can't get back now..."

"I'm going back."

Jin Shuhe's voice sounded relatively calm.

"Okay, don't rush. Be careful on the road, okay? We'll talk about it when you get back. Just stay calm, okay?"

Wu Qidong, still feeling uneasy, gave further instructions.

"Yes, I know, Uncle Wu, don't worry, I know..." Jin Shuhe himself didn't realize that his speech had become somewhat neurotic and incoherent.

"I'll hang up now. Call me anytime if you need anything."

It's no use talking on the phone. Wu Qidong has a ton of things to deal with. The entire Major Crimes Unit is in a state of high alert. Everyone who could be called back has been called back, and they're all constantly on the go.

"What's wrong? Xiaohe?"

Lu Liruan had noticed something was wrong with him earlier, so she put down her snacks, sat up straight, and waited quietly for him to hang up the phone.

He seemed to be in a daze, and the atmosphere around him was heavy and oppressive.

She rushed over, took his hand, and asked softly, "Whose call was that? Is something wrong?"

Jin Shuhe was young and healthy, and almost whenever Lu Liruan touched his hand, it was always warm.

But now, even his palms were ice-cold, which startled Lu Liruan. She gently rubbed the back of his hand while continuing to ask him, "Don't scare me, what's wrong?"

He seemed frightened, excessively horrified, and lost in his own thoughts.

"Sister Li Ruan..."

He's not a child anymore. Seeing how worried Sister Li Ruan was, he forced out a sentence: "I have to go back now."

"Going back to where?"

Lu Liruan was bewildered by his seemingly random statement.

"Return to Pucheng."

"Huh? Now?" Lu Liruan realized that he didn't say as soon as possible, but now, and he was ready to go back right now.

Lu Liruan glanced at her phone; it was already past 10 p.m.

Jin Shuhe's logic returned a little.

Deputy Captain Wu just called, and the first thing he said was, "Xiao He, I have something to tell you. You must not act impulsively, you must stay calm, do you hear me?"

Jin Shuhe seemed to have a premonition, and his whole body froze instantly: "Uncle Wu, you go ahead and say it..."

"The January 27th case has occurred again."

In that short sentence, every word felt like a sledgehammer striking, hitting Jin Shuhe's nerves directly.

"Xiao He, do you want to come back and participate? Or if you don't want to participate..."

Wu Qidong didn't know what to say. No matter what he said, it was too cruel for Jin Shuhe.

No matter how many years have passed, even Wu Qidong can't forget the horrific, gloomy, and even somewhat eerie crime scene...

Not to mention Jin Shuhe.

Over the years, Wu Qidong has always cared about Jin Shuhe.

Every time I see this child, he stands stubbornly and resolutely at the entrance of his workplace.

Wu Qidong even had a thought in his mind... that it would be good if another case broke out, so that at least the case could continue to be investigated.

But he couldn't think that way.

Every incident poses a huge risk to the victims and potential victims.

This is a dilemma.

It's been delayed for so many years.

Wu Qidong even felt that the January 27th case might remain unsolved indefinitely, buried in the archives.

But he never expected that... the child would have to face it himself. Wu Qidong felt deeply heartbroken just thinking about it.

Too cruel.

"I'm going back."

Wu Qidong had already anticipated that he wouldn't hear a second answer from Jin Shuhe.

“Sister Li Ruan…” Jin Shuhe’s throat tightened.

"My mother's case has recurred." He heard his own voice, as if he were listening to someone else.

He still feels dazed.

Lu Liruan paused.

"today?"

"It should be, but the specifics are unknown at the moment."

"Okay." Lu Liruan slapped his hand hard.

Jin Shuhe didn't react at first, and turned her head to look at her in confusion.

"Aren't you going back? I'm looking at tickets now. I'm looking at train tickets, you're looking at plane tickets. Let's buy the next available ticket."

Lu Liruan didn't try to calm him down; instead, she immediately supported him.

Train tickets and high-speed rail tickets are sold out, not even for the next day, let alone immediately. There are only a few tickets left for red-eye flights in the middle of the night.

Lu Liruan placed the order immediately.

"You two are leaving now?"

Several elders looked surprised upon hearing Lu Liruan's words.

"Well, I have a really tight filming schedule, they need to capitalize on the Lunar New Year hype! There's no other way, I need to earn money to support my family!" Lu Liruan pretended to be relaxed, making it impossible for anyone to tell what was going on.

Jin Shuhe sat quietly to the side, and Lu Liruan told him not to speak.

"You can't lie, you'll give yourself away the moment you open your mouth!" Lu Liruan touched his face just now: "I'll do it! You go pack your luggage!"

"Or... Sister Li Ruan, I can go back by myself. You can stay at home with your aunt and uncle for a few more days." Jin Shuhe had now come to her senses a little and realized that her actions might make everyone uncomfortable and spoil the mood.

"What's most important to me right now is to be with you, to make you feel at ease," Lu Liruan said to him clearly.

“They’re doing well now, so you’re the most important person, Xiaohe. Look at me… You’re the most important person to me, no one is more important than you. Don’t exclude me from your world.”

Lu Liruan's tone was calm and firm, as if she had given Jin Shuhe a strong support.

The living room was lively, but he felt cold all over, as if the warmth of the room couldn't get close to him at all.

But Sister Li Ruan can.

He could feel that Sister Li Ruan was still by his side.

In my recollection of this incident, for the first time in so many years, someone truly... stood by me through it.

“Okay…” Jin Shuhe grabbed Lu Liruan’s hand and buried his face in her palm: “Sister Liruan, stay with me… don’t leave me alone.”

Lu Liruan leaned back on the sofa and spoke to the elders. Her hand, hidden by the sofa, was still tightly holding the child's.

"So sudden?" Ms. Qin was clearly a little unhappy.

“Isn’t that work? Ruan Ruan can’t control what other people’s work requirements are!” Dad Lu patted her.

The eldest aunt chimed in, "Alright, if you're in such a hurry, hurry back. Now that you young ones are gone, we old folks can have a good few days of playing mahjong together."

"I haven't prepared anything for you two yet!" Ms. Qin stood up, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay, Mom. Once the courier service resumes after the New Year, you can send it to me. We're catching a flight soon, and we have too much stuff to carry. We might have to check it in, which would cost even more."

"Go on, pack your things." Lu Liruan patted Jin Shuhe.

Jin Shuhe caught a glimpse of Ms. Qin's reluctant gaze and felt extremely guilty. He lowered his head and went into the house.

But he needed Li Ruan to stay with him...

He couldn't bring himself to say it a second time: "Then I'll go back by myself, Sister Li Ruan, don't worry about me..."

He desperately needs it.

Lu Liruan smiled and gently pressed Ms. Qin into her seat: "I'll come back when I'm done with work~"

"Okay, then you two be careful and send us a message when you get home." Ms. Qin had come to terms with it; it was a good thing that her daughter was busy with work. Earning more money while she was young would make life easier in the future.

They bought plane tickets for 3 a.m., but Jin Shuhe and Lu Liruan left home around midnight.

At this time, the elders should be asleep, but today I stayed awake to see them off.

"Dad! Let's go back! It's too cold!" Lu Liruan walked in front.

Jin Shuhe took the bag that Lu's father had helped him carry down from his hands.

“Xiao He… help your uncle and aunt take care of your… sister.” Dad Lu still used “sister,” making it sound like they were originally a family.

"Yes, I understand, Uncle. I will." Jin Shuhe promised without hesitation.

In the northern city at midnight, the cold was bone-chilling, and the remaining snow crunched underfoot.

You should feel cold, and your heart will feel cold too.

But at this moment, Jin Shuhe felt very at ease, and inexplicably had a sense of security.

The woman walking in front of me, Sister Li Ruan, was thin and slender, with a curved eye when she smiled, and a soft voice...

But she can protect herself.

Jin Shuhe felt that she was still like a child, being well protected by her.

A thousand emotions swirled within me—tension, pain, fear, and anger…

But I wasn't lonely.

The loneliness that had accompanied me since childhood, the loneliness I had grown accustomed to, is gone.

He quickened his pace, caught up with Lu Liruan, and took her hand.

Even at midnight, the airport is exceptionally busy.

After passing through security and finding the boarding gate, Lu Liruan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"So many people are in a hurry to go back."

"Maybe... not many people can stay home for long periods of time." Jin Shuhe glanced at the work group on WeChat.

The group chat was quite lively yesterday.

Those on holiday were showing off how happy they were at home, while those who weren't on holiday were lamenting in the group chat, and there was even activity of sending and receiving red envelopes. But now the group chat is very quiet.

Jin Shuhe thought it might be because of himself.

Even though no one says it, everyone should know what happened to them, right?

Jin Shuhe's guess was correct.

When another case occurred on January 27th, Chen Mingkang, who was on night shift that day, was the first to receive the news.

Last night was incredibly busy in that area. During the Lunar New Year, the emergency calls came in non-stop – relatives fighting, neighbors arguing…

They helped a policeman who claimed to be an arsonist, and another who claimed to be involved in a gang fight. When they came back, their voices were hoarse from shouting, and their clothes were scorched and burning from the smoke.

I was planning to go back to the rest room to sleep for a few hours before going home, but I had only been lying down for a few minutes when the call from the emergency call center was transferred to me.

The moment Chen Mingkang heard the details of the case, a bad feeling welled up in his heart, and he grabbed the phone and pressed the other end for answers.

"Currently, only the police officers have conducted a preliminary investigation. Any further details will have to wait for your forensic team to review them."

"it is good."

Without hesitation, Chen Mingkang called Captain Xie and Deputy Captain Wu respectively.

"Don't have preconceived notions."

Team Leader Xie told Chen Mingkang over the phone, "I'm on my way, I'll be there soon. Call Xia and have her bring some people over."

The forensic office staff can still take a break during the Spring Festival. When I called forensic doctor Xia, she was at home.

Fortunately, her family is local: "Well, I'll contact someone in Pucheng, grab my toolbox, and head over."

Wu Qidong personally led the team, and when they entered the crime scene, they saw forensic doctor Xia talking to a junior forensic doctor, his eyes looking very serious.

"Forensic doctor Xia, have you found anything?"

Upon seeing Wu Qidong, the forensic doctor Xia gestured for him to come outside and talk.

"There are no specific data reports yet, but the wounds on the victims..."

“You know, there aren’t that many rules and regulations in our communication,” Wu Qidong gestured for her to speak first.

"The wounds on the victim's body are considered to be the same as those on the victim's body in the first case of the January 27th Incident, and the weapon used was the same."

As the forensic doctor Xia finished speaking, Wu Qidong's expression immediately turned even more unpleasant.

It's unclear whether it was due to the initial phone call from Chen Mingkang, or a strange intuition that had developed over many years of investigation.

The moment he stepped into the crime scene, he felt a sense of familiarity.

"besides……"

"Go on," Wu Qidong said, snapping out of his reverie.

"This time, the murderer left the murder weapon at the scene, or rather, it appeared to have been left at the scene."

"The murder weapon was left behind?"

"Ah."

In the five cases preceding the 127 case, no murder weapon was left at the crime scene.

“Deputy Captain Wu, I’m not a professional forensic examiners, but I have a feeling… it looks like it was left intentionally,” said forensic doctor Xia, expressing his opinion.

"When I entered, the victim's body was lying in the living room, and the murder weapon was placed on the dining table."

"Okay, I understand." Wu Qidong nodded to the forensic pathologist: "Give the murder weapon to Xia, the forensic doctor, and have her do a DNA test."

The victim died from excessive blood loss. He had several open stab wounds and the amount of bleeding was extremely alarming, covering almost half of the living room floor in blood. It was an extremely bloody and violent incident.

Although both Chen Mingkang and Wu Qidong felt that... there was no concrete evidence to combine the cases, and it wouldn't be enough just because the scenes looked similar.

The members of the Major Crimes Unit were extremely busy, but they tacitly agreed not to tell Jin Shuhe about it.

Until the forensic report came out, everyone who saw it looked rather grim.

Old bloodstains were found on the murder weapon, and DNA analysis confirmed that they belonged to the first victim in the January 27th case.

The murderer used the same weapon he used in his first crime more than ten years ago to kill this victim...

The implications of this are very pessimistic; the way the murderer did it is very likely a provocation against the police.

Tell the police: I'm back.

Only after it was confirmed that the cases could be merged did Wu Qidong call Jin Shuhe to tell him the current situation...