Chapter 141 (1/2)

Jiang Zhengkai and Jiao returned home late in the evening. They weren’t in high spirits; if they accepted Jiao’s conjecture, then it meant that the target of the first murder shouldn’t have been Mei but rather Jiao. Neither conjecture was something for them to rejoice about.

“Honey, why do you think the murderer wanted to kill me?” As Jiao laid in bed, she couldn’t help but still be bothered by this matter. “Could Xiaomei have known the murderer? But she was so young and timid. She couldn’t have!”

“Haha! Stop stressing about it.” Jiang Zhengkai took Jiao into his arms. “This is all a guess. Perhaps his initial target was Zhao Renchu, and you and Mei are both bystanders. Don’t you remember? Zhao Renchu did not object when his female partner changed.”

“Really?” Squinting, Jiao thought about it as she leaned against Jiang Zhengkai’s chest. “But that can’t be right, can it? If the murderer did not know Mei, then why would he help her kill Li and Zhu Yuping? None of this makes any sense!”

“Mm, fine. Let’s say that you were supposed to be the first victim. What then would his motive be for killing you?” Since Jiang Zhengkai could not ease Jiao’s anxieties with warm words, he could only use cold logic to wipe them away. “If he wanted you dead, shouldn’t he still be targeting us?”

“But didn’t I get a makeover?” Jiao lifted her head from Jiang Zhengkai’s chest, then gazed straight into Jiang Zhengkai’s eyes. “Perhaps Mu Mingyuan’s makeup skills are so good that the murderer could not recognize me?”

“From what you’re saying, it is indeed possible,” Jiang Zhengkai agreed as he nodded his head. “Perhaps this murderer knew me and didn’t act because he thought that I was baiting him. At the same time, he failed to recognize you. Thus, he didn’t act because he was afraid of falling into a trap.”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Jiap nodded along. “That must be it!!”’

“If that’s our model, then why don’t we change our strategy for the next two days?” Jiang Zhengkai proposed, then murmured to himself, “What if I get a makeover instead of you? We could try that?” When Jiang Zhengkai reached this point in his thought process, he firmly shook his head. “No! It’d be too dangerous. If someone recognized you, then you’d immediately land in danger. And if it means putting your life in danger, then I’d rather not solve this case.”

“Honey, what did you say?” Jiao affectionately asked, somewhat shocked. “You would rather not solve the case for my sake?”

“Yes!” Jiang Zhengkai nodded decisively. He guided Jiao’s head back onto his chest. “If you don’t get a makeover, the women in the alley will easily recognize you. I won’t take this risk!”

“Are you an idiot?” Jiao giggled. “Am I the same as I was in the past? Back then, I had long hair. And now I have short hair and my fas.h.i.+on style is also completely different! Didn’t it also take you a while to recognize me after I changed my looks?”

“I’m still against the idea!” Jiang Zhengkai was still opposed.

“Honey!” Jiao rocked against Jiang Zhengkai coquettishly and pleaded, “Let’s just try it! We can try it for just two days…”

The very next morning, Jiang Zhengkai arrived late at the office, at around 9 o’clock. His tardiness had nothing to do with the bureau or the crime scene. Instead, he was late because Jiao had spent the entire night pleading with him before he finally agreed to her idea. It was only then that Jiao allowed him to sleep peacefully.

“Xiaoqiang, come in here for a moment.” Jiang Zhengkai called Lu Xiaoqiang, who was equally sleep deprived, into his office when he walked past his desk. Lu Xiaoqiang pulled himself together robotically and followed behind Jiang Zhengkai into his small office.