The next day, it finally cleared up after the rain.
When Lu Yin woke up, Lu Qiang was not by her side. She half propped herself up, and whispered to the outside, but no one answered, and there was a faint sound of water flowing from the direction of the bathroom.
She put on her pajamas, and her toes fell to the ground. She was carried in directly by him yesterday, one high-heeled shoe was thrown at the door, and the other disappeared. Lu Yin picked up her shoes and walked out barefoot.
There was no one in the living room, the breakfast bought outside was on the dining table, the fried dough sticks were still in a plastic bag, the soy milk was in a thermos bucket, and there were stacked bowls and chopsticks next to it. She turned her head, and the bathroom seemed to be silent again. Lu Yin found another shoe under the coffee table, and put it together on the shoe rack at the door.
She turned back and stayed at the door of the bathroom for a while, put her hand on the handrail, pressed lightly, and opened a gap. A hazy mist came out, her shoulders relaxed, and she opened the door wider.
Lu Qiang was half in the shower, without any clothes on, standing in front of the sink half bowed, and didn't look back when he heard the movement, just glanced over from the mirror. His beard was full of foam, he raised his head slightly, stared at the door, his hands kept moving, and the razor smoothly slid up from under his neck, revealing a clean shave with a light blue color.
Lu Yin glanced at him, lowered her head, and wanted to close the door for him.
Lu Qiang looked in the mirror, "Morning."
Lu Yin clenched her hands and turned back on her toes: "... Morning."
This greeting is a little different from usual, it hides something on my mind, and it is not easy to wake up in the morning, but because of the change of identity, hearing this simple word, I suddenly feel tenderness and sweetness, which makes the morning after the storm a little bit better.
Lu Qiang said, "Come in if it's convenient for you."
"No," she explained, "I thought you weren't here."
Lu Qiang finished shaving his beard a few times, arched his back, and splashed two handfuls of water on his face. He was completely naked, and he didn't deliberately shy away from it. He showed her openly.
Lu Yin lowered her eyes and landed on the back of his thighs, where there were two smooth and strong muscles that contracted and tightened with his movements. She moved her eyes up a little, her face became hot, and she quickly avoided her sight.
Lu Qiang wiped his face, raised his eyelids, and looked at her lightly from the mirror: "Do you want to take a bath together?"
One side of his brow was naturally raised, his lips were straight, and he asked her in the most ordinary tone, but Lu Yin's heart beat half a beat faster, and he always felt that his tone was frivolous.
Lu Qiang said: "I was so tired last night, come here to wash?"
"Need not."
"The water is hot."
Lu Yin couldn't help but glared at him: "I'll talk about it later."
At nine o'clock, the two of them packed up and sat down at the table to eat breakfast.
Lu Qiang gave her a bowl of soy milk, divided half of the deep-fried dough sticks and handed them over, and brought the remaining half to his mouth for two bites.
Lu Yin pinched it with her fingers, chopped it into pieces and threw them into the soybean milk. When it softened, she ate it with a small spoon.
Lu Qiang looked at her bowl, and remembered that a year ago, when they just met, she ate like this at the breakfast table, lowering her head, sipping in small sips, like a kitten.
At that time, he did not expect to have today.
Sensing his gaze, Lu Yin licked her lips: "What's wrong?"
Lu Qiang asked: "Do you want to eat eggs?"
She nodded, and stirred the bowl twice with the spoon, "You, when did you come back last night?"
Lu Qiang rolled the eggshells on the table: "Around two o'clock." He commuted for about an hour, excluding the time to wait for the bus and walk, he only stayed at the street corner for ten minutes.
Lu Yin asked, "Is there anything important for her?"
"No."
She raised her head in doubt, and Lu Qiang said, "She stayed at the hotel at the end of the street last night, with Qiu Zhen." He peeled half of the egg, turned it in his hand, and explained: "She was killed by Qiu Zhenqiang back then." Violent that girl."
"I know."
Lu Qiang was surprised: "How do you know?"
"Officer Tan said that outside the police station that day."
Lu Qiang was silent, and after a while, he remembered that there was still a half-peeled egg in his hand.
The two of them didn't know that something had happened to Wu Qiong, and Lu Yin somewhat sympathized with her. She didn't ask about their past entanglements, and she didn't think about why they only called Lu Qiang in the middle of the night. Thinking about it in her heart, she pursed her lips and said, "Why don't you call her later and ask?"
"I don't have her number." Lu Qiang said, "She called with Qiu Zhen's cell phone."
Lu Yin opened her mouth and said nothing. Lu Qiang put the eggs in her bowl and buried himself in eating.
The living room fell into silence for a moment, the warm sunlight outside the window spilled onto the corner of the table, the floor reflected the outline of the window edge, the two sat facing each other, only the crisp sound of porcelain spoons hitting the dishes. They still don't know that such a quiet and stable morning is already quite rare for each other.
***
The police came to the door on the afternoon of the third day. Lu Qiang and Lu Yin came back from looking at the house outside. Qian Yuanqing fixed a date on June 20 of the lunar calendar. Marrying a chicken follows the chicken. The banquet will be held in the countryside, and they will come back later to invite colleagues.
I have seen the house one after another before I got the certificate. I signed the contract today. It is a newly developed property on Qufu Road.
Lu Qiang thought about asking Genzi and the others to have a drink in the afternoon and talk about logistics together, but he didn't expect to be stopped by some plainclothes as soon as he entered the community.
Among them was a policeman he knew well, who was under Lao Xing's subordinates. He had contact with Lu Qiang in previous cases. His business-like attitude required Lu Qiang to go back to assist in the investigation.
Lu Yin's heart trembled, and both hands grabbed his hand at the same time.
Lu Qiang lowered his eyes: "What's the matter?"
The plainclothes said: "A homicide occurred on the 10th. I hope you can cooperate with our investigation and come with us."
Lu Qiang obviously felt the hand he was holding tremble. He looked back at her. Lu Yin looked flustered and shook her head in disbelief. Fine lines had already appeared on her lips.
Lu Qiang squeezed her hand, turned around and asked, "What murder case? What does it have to do with me?"
The tone of the plainclothes was not good: "Don't ask so many questions, someone will take notes for you when you go back."
Lu Qiang glanced at that person and went to look at Lu Yin. Her lips were biting white, her hands were already sweating, and her fingertips were cold.
"It's okay," he said with a smile, "it's useless. It's a big deal to assist in the investigation. Maybe it's to find witnesses or something."
Knowing that he was comforting her, Lu Yin's legs trembled: "Lu Qiang, what's going on?"
He touched her cheek with the back of his hand, "I'll take a look. You go home and eat by yourself at night. There are still vegetables you bought yesterday in the refrigerator."
Lu Yin didn't recover from the fright at all, and didn't listen. He pulled her back and took a few steps forward. She mechanically turned her head and asked in a low voice, "...then when will you come back?"
"Later."
"I want to go too."
He frowned, lowered his voice and said, "Go back, be obedient."
Lu Qiang put his palm on the back of her head and sent it out gently, watching her walk slowly into the community.
Lu Yin's steps were all in vain, and she looked back frequently. Lu Qiang raised his chin, and curled his lips at her calmly. Lu Yin's lips were stiff, and he also tried to force a smile.
Her figure finally disappeared, and Lu Qiang got into the car with those plain clothes, thinking that going in and out of the police station was commonplace back then, and he was too familiar with this procedure. Although he was puzzled, he might not be able to tell them if he asked them, so he kept silent all the way.
He was taken to a separate interrogation room, facing a table, two chairs, a computer and teacups on the table, the room was empty, and a video camera was next to it. After waiting for about ten minutes, two police officers came in with thick documents and spread them out on the table.
The two whispered for a while, drank a few sips of tea slowly, one of them wrote something in the notebook, and turned his head to answer.
Lu Qiang glanced coldly, his back slid a little, his legs spread apart, and he leaned comfortably.
The two chatted for a few minutes, and finally got to the point, a question, a record, and the face immediately became dignified.
At the beginning, it was some basic information, and Lu Qiang answered them one by one.
The police officer asked, "Where were you between 2:00 am and 5:00 am on May 10th?"
He recalled: "At home."
"What are you doing at home?"
He raised his eyebrows: "Sleep."
"Who can prove it?"
"My wife."
The police officer on the opposite side looked up at him, "Is there anyone else who can prove it?"
"No."
"Do you know Fortune Hotel?"
Lu Qiang thought for a moment, then suddenly raised his head: "The one on Luzhou Road?"
"you've been to?"
He had a bad premonition, and vaguely knew that calling him was related to something: "I know, but I haven't gone in."
The police officer looked at him with sharp eyes, trying to find flaws in his expression, but Lu Qiang calmly looked back at him.
After a few seconds, the other party looked away, flipped through a stack of documents for a while, and showed him a photo: "Do you recognize this person?"
In the photo is a young girl, wearing a blue turtleneck sweater, short hair, pointed chin, looking at the screen with a flat expression, without smiling.
Lu Qiang's lip line was straightened: "What's wrong with her?"
The policeman slapped the table, "Answer the question head-on, do you recognize me?"
Lu Qiang swept him: "Know."
"What is your relationship with her?"
Lu Qiang repeated again: "I only know each other."
The police officer put down the photo and leaned back: "It's so simple to just know each other? You have a criminal record with us. Six years ago, you committed rape. The victim at that time was the person in the photo," he tapped on the desktop: "Be honest, what were you doing between two o'clock and five o'clock on the night of the tenth?"
Lu Qiang said, "Sleep at home."
The police officer looked serious, "Don't lie, we can find out where you were at that time, just by dropping the surveillance."
Lu Qiang said, "Whatever you want."
The policeman snorted coldly. Interrogating such a calm-minded suspect is very exhausting. He threw away the pen and took the evidence directly from the basket at his feet. The outside of the evidence was sealed with a plastic bag. He grabbed a corner: "You see never seen it?"
Lu Qiang looked over and saw that it was a folding umbrella with a pure black surface and a log-colored handle. His eyes darkened slightly: "It's mine."
The policeman put it down and held up another one, "What about this one?"
In the bag was a plastic lighter, green, with a black ink mark on it, he recognized it. Lu Qiang admitted: "Mine."
The police officer raised the last one and stopped asking him, "This cigarette case also has your fingerprints on it." He finally found the flaw, his eyes lit up: "You said just now that you have never been to the Fortune Hotel, but these evidences It was found from room 1202, and the forensics department has experienced it, and your fingerprints are on it, big and small."
The police officer pressed on step by step: "How do you explain?"
***
Lu Yin spent the afternoon in torment, not in the mood for dinner, sitting on the sofa, staring at the wall clock on the wall. She has never encountered such a thing since she was a child. Before she met Lu Qiang, she had never stepped into the gate of the police station. The word murder has been lingering in her mind. At the police station, she didn't know the depth for a while, and she was restless.
At ten o'clock in the evening, Lu Qiang hadn't come back yet, so he called him, but the phone was still turned off.
Like an ant on a hot pot, she was flustered and couldn't sit still. After waiting for another quarter of an hour, she grabbed a coat and drove out.
At this time, there were still people working in the interrogation hall. Lu Yin stood on tiptoe at the door and looked around, but she didn't see Lu Qiang. She asked a policeman casually, but the policeman didn't know who Lu Qiang was.
She was standing against the wall in the hallway.
The police officer came in and out a few times just now, and couldn't help reminding him kindly: "If it was brought back for interrogation, it might be in the separate interrogation room on the second floor. It seems that there are still people in the fourth trial at this time."
Lu Yin thanked her, but just as she finished speaking, she was already walking upstairs.
The police officer stretched his neck and shouted, "You can only wait in the corridor, you can't get in."
After watching for a while, the figure disappeared, and no one responded to him.
Lu Yin found the fourth judge, who was in the penultimate room in the corridor. There are no windows on the entire wall, only a few dark red anti-theft doors, a row of long benches opposite, and pale energy-saving lamps overhead.
The corridor was so quiet that the sound of her heels hitting the ground could be heard.
Lu Yin held her left hand with her right hand, breathing slowly and evenly. She took two steps back and sat on the back seat. She didn't know if it was Lu Qiang inside, although she couldn't do anything, staying here was much more at ease than at home.
About ten minutes later, there were rustling voices and scattered footsteps in the corridor. Lu Yin looked sideways, and saw two people turning around from the stairs, talking, and coming in this direction.
The one walking in front was an old man with a thermos cup under his armpit, his hands behind his back, and his steps were steady. She shifted her gaze and landed on the policewoman behind her.
Lu Yin's eyes lit up, she got up involuntarily, and walked forward to meet her.
Lao Xing glanced at Lu Yin, didn't pay attention, and knocked on the anti-theft door of the fourth trial several times.
Lu Yin stopped Tan Wei: "Officer Tan, I wish I could meet you."
Tan Wei put her hands in her trouser pockets, stared at her for a moment, and asked, "Who are you?"
"I belong to Lu Qiang..." She paused, feeling embarrassed, and just said, "I'm his girlfriend."
Tan Wei raised her chin, as if remembering, and then said clearly: "I remember."
Lu Yin didn't have the time to study her expression at the moment, so she hurriedly asked, "Is the person here Lu Qiang?"
Tan Wei looked at her lightly: "Yes."
Lu Yin's heart sank halfway, and she clenched her fists: "He was brought here by some policemen today, saying that he wanted to investigate a murder case. Excuse me, can you tell me what's going on?"
Tan Wei laughed: "Yo, I dare not say that."
Lu Yin frowned slightly.
She said: "The last time I told you about that, Lu Qiang almost killed me, so I dare not say any more."
Lu Yin pursed her lips: "Sorry."
Tan Wei smiled, "What's wrong with you, how can I apologize?"
Lu Yin didn't want to say anything else to her, so she asked directly: "How long will the interrogation be over? When can Lu Qiang leave?"
Tan Wei said: "It depends on how he explained it. If there is no other business, he can leave at any time. If there is other business..." She paused, curled her lips: "It's hard to say."
Lu Yin's heart skipped a beat, and she wanted to ask a few more questions.
Tan Wei knocked on the anti-theft door a few times, "Go home and wait, you can't stay here overnight."
"Can I see him?"
Someone opened the door inside, and Tan Wei said, "No."
Lu Yin took a few steps, the gap was not that big, and there was a dark yellow light overflowing from it. She saw a table, and the red dot of the video camera next to it kept flashing. In a few seconds, she searched quickly and landed on the chair opposite.
In the middle sat a tall man, leaning lazily on the back of the chair, with his shoulders hanging loosely, and his palms resting between his legs.
She looked up and saw his face. He was tilting his head and looking in this direction.
Their eyes met, and the next second, the security door closed with a bang.
Lu Yin took two steps, with her palm resting on the door panel, the corridor instantly returned to silence, only the white light above her head remained.
Lu Yin thought about his appearance just now, when they looked at each other, he clearly frowned.