Crimson Instinct

Chapter 22: A private interrogation (1)

*Bai Li*

Great. Xin Lei and I were happily about to reach Fu Ting's room, but someone just had to interrupt.

Well, trials and tribulations were the law of nature.

How can anything succeed in one simple attempt? There had to be obstacles.

I just hoped that Xin Lei was not panicking. I had been involved in numerous secret missions throughout my fourteen years in the army, and the first thing we were taught in training was that when the circumstances turn unfavorable - don't panic, especially if we were in disguise. Don't blow the cover.

Guard Wu acknowledged that man as Tian Song.

But I didn't hear any reply from him. He must be observing Xin Lei and me.

Then came his voice. "I have never seen you before."

Naturally, I thought.

With his tone, I sensed that he must be quite a serious type. He didn't seem to be so talkative.

I had to say something. With his pitch and direction, he seemed to be of my height. I turned to his side.

"We are new recruits transferred from the Xiachen district headquarters." My tone was confident. I didn't stutter. I only said what was necessary.

Because if you talk too much, then it's a sign of saving your ass, and there is a high possibility that you would expose rather than hide yourself.

It didn't matter if he tried to verify from Xiachen headquarters. We would be long gone by then.

I heard Guard Wu say. "Yes, sir. I was showing them around."

That was a good response. He wouldn't ask why we were heading to the detainee area.

"Hm." After a few moments of silence, he simply hummed. But somehow, that pause made me uneasy.

I got the feeling that he was sharp. He would ask more questions, but

I sensed him going away, and Xin Lei breathed out, definitely in relief. She took my hand. Her fingers felt soft on my skin. She traced 4 letters and wrote,

'Nice.'

My palm felt cold when she withdrew her hand away. I wanted it to last a little longer.

Guard Wu said, "Hurry before someone else catches us."

Well, that was a great plan, indeed.

*Xin Lei*

Soon, Bai Li and I stopped as Guard Wu said. "This is Fu Ting's room."

He took out a key and twisted in the lock.

*Click*

We went inside. As soon as we entered, I saw a man wearing the detainee uniform, handcuffed to the desk. He might be about the same age as Fu Biyu, or maybe a year or two older? He also looked the same as Fu Biyu did when we visited their home; the same tired expression and the same faint lines under his eyes. I noticed his eyes were slightly red too, and his eyelids seemed a little wet.

He must be crying.

Then he suddenly turned his head towards us and exclaimed. "Meili! Did you find her? Where is she? Where is my daughter!? Is she okay?"

He was so eager and hopeful. He looked as if he was desperately waiting for good news, and he was - about his daughter.

Fu Ting didn't yell to let him go, or that he was innocent. His first question was to ask about Fu Meili.

And that said that he genuinely loved his daughter. It didn't matter to him if he was arrested as long as Fu Meili was found.

So, how could he have kidnapped her? There was no doubt. I believed that he was innocent because of the reaction like what he gave cannot be faked.

I glanced at Bai Li and found that he was quiet. Maybe he was thinking along the same lines as me.

"Who are you?" Fu Ting asked as he frowned. "You are not those officers I met until now."

I nodded. I typed on my phone and hit the speaker button. "We are not officers. We came here to meet you. My name is Xin Lei. I'm Xin Nianzu's daughter."

Fu Ting widened his eyes. "Xin Nianzu? My lawyer?"

I nodded again.

"Where is he? He hasn't met me in the last few days."

Bai Li said, "That's what we came here for. He has disappeared."

He was shocked. "What? W-why, and how?"

"Because apparently, Fu Meili's case is not so simple."

"Meili" Fu Ting teared up. "My daughter...Where is she?"

I hesitated and typed. "She isn't found yet."

Now he was angry. "What are the officers doing!?" He spoke in a loud voice. I panicked.

I kept a finger on my mouth, indicating him to be quiet.

"Quiet." Bai Li warned. "I understand your worry, but calm down. Tell me everything you know."

Fu Ting rubbed his temples with his fingers, clearly in distress. "What should I tell you when I don't know anything!"

"For starters, where were you at three pm? Around the time, Fu Meili disappeared? The teachers gave testimony that you left somewhere at that time."

"I went back to my room. It was Biyu's birthday in four days, and I had bought a gift for her. I remembered that in a hurry, I didn't keep it properly in the cupboard, so I got worried that the servicing staff would throw it away thinking of it as trash."

I typed. "Wasn't it gift-wrapped?"

He shook his head. "I wanted to do it myself and add a special note to it. I was going to do that night."

Bai Li asked, "Didn't the police find your gift?"

"That is what I don't understand! I kept the gift box in the cupboard, but they didn't find it. They searched my entire room, but it was nowhere. How can that be possible!? And that is why they are refusing to believe me."

Maybe the perpetrator threw it away to destroy the proof of his innocence.

"And Fu Meili's handkerchief?"

"I don't knowI really don't know how it came there." He was sobbing. "It was her blood. Who can be so cruel to hurt her? She is only eight..."

I couldn't help but tear up. I only hoped that Fu Meili was safe.

Bai Li asked Fu Ting, "Fu Jun was also in Fu Meili's group. Did he see or say anything?"

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