When she saw Liu Chongsen, Lin Shuyue's 80% guess became 100%.
He Wanqing's disappearance was definitely caused by Liu Chongsen.
Apparently, she was not the only one who thought like this. Feng Qinqin ran towards Liu Chongsen and Lin Shuyue couldn't hold her back.
In the blink of an eye, Feng Qinqin was beside Liu Chongsen.
"Where did you take Wanqing? Return her to me!" Feng Qinqin was almost going crazy when she couldn't find He Wanqing. Like her, He Wanqing was an only child in her family. Her parents held her in high regard.
Even now, at twenty-four, He Wanqing's parents still kept a close eye on her. Feng Qinqin couldn't imagine how heartbroken her parents would be if something happened to He Wanqing. And what kind of criticism would she, who had come with He Wanqing, would face?
This wasn't the first or second time He Wanqing's parents had criticized her. They had a strong desire to control her, and if she showed any signs of escaping their control, the first people they would purge would be her friends.
For example, the female classmate she mentioned to Lin Shuyue last night. However, she never left He Wanqing's side. She always felt that she had defended their friendship.
But now, she hesitated. He Wanqing had always been kind, but this time, with that net of pollack, Feng Qinqin saw her stubbornness.
No, it's not just stubbornness, it's more like madness.
A net of pollack, Liu Chongsen took a step back after being pushed by Feng Qinqin.
He quickly stopped, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the reporter friends below taking pictures of them. His expression remained unchanged: "Madam, what happened? Can we talk it over nicely?"
"Where is He Wanqing? I'm asking you, where is He Wanqing?" Feng Qinqin stepped forward and grabbed Liu Chongsen's clothes.
"I really don't know." Liu Chongsen looked helpless: "How about this, you call the police, okay?"
Feng Qinqin stared at Liu Chongsen for several seconds, then took out her cell phone and called the police.
Once the police were notified, the atmosphere of Liu Chongsen's sculpture exhibition changed. No one cared about the quality of Liu Chongsen's works or when new works would be released. Everyone's attention was now focused on the missing He Wanqing.
There was a lot of discussion at the scene. Liu Chongsen stood in the center with a slight smile on his face. He looked at everyone calmly and he even had the mood to comfort the audience.
Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai stood on the periphery, watching Liu Chongsen's behavior. "Ah Bai, tell me, does He Wanqing's disappearance related to him?"
Hang Jiabai said, "I haven't checked yet, so I can't draw a conclusion yet, but from what you've told me, there's a 50% chance it's possible."
As a police officer, they look at the evidence first. A 50% probability is already very high.
Hang Jiabai's gaze lingered on Liu Chongsen for a moment, then fell on the statue of the "Goddess of My Dream".
After watching for a long time, Feng Qinqin was also pulled away by the security guard. When he came back to them, he suddenly remembered something: "Ah Yue, lend me your computer."
"Okay." Lin Shuyue handed the bag to Hang Jiabai.
Hang Jiabai opened Lin Shuyue's bag, walked past a lot of miscellaneous things and a sharp brick, and took out the computer wrapped in a computer inner bag.
They found a place with seats, Hang Jiabai open his own Penguin and found Zuo Xiangfeng's Penguin.
Zuo Xiangfeng hadn't visited the Penguin account in years. In the Penguin Space album, there were many, many photos, all of them of him and Shi Muyuan.
Hang Jiabai flipped through the pages and finally found a photo taken six years ago.
"Ah Yue, look, this photo doesn't look like the statue of the Goddess of My Dream?" Hang Jiabai called Lin Shuyue over.
Lin Shuyue leaned over to take a look. Shi Muyuan in the photo was wearing a white off-shoulder slim wedding dress.
Her hair was slightly loose, and she wore a wreath of sunflowers on her head.
This photo was taken of her and Zuo Xiangfeng. At that time, Zuo Xiangfeng was looking at her on the right, so her expression was particularly gentle.
Lin Shuyue took a look at the photo and then looked at the statue of the "Goddess of My Dream".
The goddess in dream wore a wreath of lilies on her head, and only one shoulder of her upper body was covered with clothing, which extended from her chest to her hips, with a bunch of pleats to highlight her slender waist. The other shoulder was bare, revealing her delicate collarbone and breasts.
Her right hand is facing down, just like in the photo, as if she is walking towards "you".
Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai exchanged a serious look. Feng Qinqin looked at the photo and then at the statue.
Then, her eyes widened as she suddenly realized, "This guy is so shameless. He actually used someone else's photo to make a sculpture. Ugh."
Feng Qinqin pouted.
Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai listened in silence. They both knew that a sculpture this similar could no longer be described as "copying".
Hang Jiabai sent this photo to Zuo Xiangfeng, then packed up the computer and returned the backpack to Lin Shuyue.
He told Lin Shuyue, "I'm just a freshman at the Public Security University. It's not my turn to weigh the pros and cons."
People are not plants or trees, so who can be heartless? Hang Jiabai watched his senior brother fall from a generation of genius to his current state. Even though Zuo Xiangfeng has now become a leader in the field of novel writing.
But in Hang Jiabai's opinion, Zuo Xiangfeng should be the one who shines in the criminal investigation industry.
This place was very close to the police station, so the police arrived quickly. There were four of them, all very young, the oldest no older than 40. Their faces were expressionless, and upon arrival, they began with the routine questioning of the caller.
Feng Qinqin walked to the front and explained the whole story.
At this time, Liu Chongsen on the side seemed to have just realized what was going on. After Feng Qinqin finished speaking, he said to the police.
"I do know this He Wanqing, okay? Even if I know her, we're just idol and fan." Liu Chongsen pushed his glasses up on his nose. "She took the initiative to contact me via email. We usually call each other by our nicknames. Her name is Fei Niao."
When Liu Chongsen talked about this, he asked his assistant to take out his computer and open it in front of them.
The first email he looked at was from He Wanqing: "Officers, please take a look. These are all the messages she sent me. I waited until the fifth email before I replied. We haven't been in touch much since then."
"This email was our last contact. She said she wanted to see the sculptures I made, so I invited her to my studio. We visited for about three hours, then she went back. We haven't been in touch since then."
Liu Chongsen was very frank. The youngest of the police officers who arrived glanced at him, took the computer, and began to read the emails one by one.
He was looking at the computer, and the other policemen were not idle either. Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai, who were traveling with the person who called the police, were also being questioned.
People from the exhibition organizer also came hurriedly.
Half an hour later, the police learned all the details. However, the result of the police response was the same as in the case of Xu Simiao from Yangcheng University: a case would not be filed for an adult within 48 hours, unless He Wanqing's parents came in person or produced evidence that He Wanqing had been killed.
Feng Qinqin had no choice. First, she had not yet told He Wanqing's parents that He Wanqing was missing. Second, she could not produce any evidence that He Wanqing had been murdered.
Fortunately, the police weren't incompetent. Following regulations, they demanded the exhibition organizers produce the venue's surveillance footage. The male receptionist at the exhibition organizers lost their composure and groveled before the police.
Lin Shuyue chuckled, feeling it was an eyesore, and turned her head away.
The young policeman had read all the emails. After learning that such an important exhibition hall and club had no surveillance cameras, his face turned cold and he started scolding.
Starting in October of this year, a regulation was issued that any large commercial venue must install surveillance cameras. Liu Chongsen's exhibition was to be held at this location for three days, and there were many people coming every day.
Not installing a camera is simply nonsense!
The male receptionist was scolded so badly that morning that he could barely lift his head. Meanwhile, several other police officers questioned He Wanqing about her disappearance, taking notes as they went.
Although a case cannot be filed, the police dispatch record must still be kept. Otherwise, it would be a dereliction of duty on their part.
There were approximately 80 people at the scene. The police, after questioning everyone present, found no trace of He Wanqing. They searched all possible hiding places in the exhibition hall, but found no trace of He Wanqing.
After the police left, Lin Shuyue and the other two were kicked out by the security guards of the convention center.
It was past four o'clock and it was getting dark outside. The three of them were a little hungry, so they ordered a pancake with shredded potatoes, spicy strips, and ham sausage on the roadside and ate while chatting.
It seemed like none of them were worried about He Wanqing's disappearance. Feng Qinqin's face was really bad. She called the hotel, but He Wanqing didn't come back. She called He Wanqing, but her phone was turned off.
Feng Qinqin's face turned grim. She pulled out her phone, reported the incident to the newspaper's supervisor, and then quietly sat down to eat a pancake. After finishing one, she took several deep breaths and called He Wanqing's mother.
Almost as soon as the phone rang, it was picked up: "You still remember to call us? He Wanqing, do you know how much your parents missed this afternoon waiting for your call? How long have they been waiting?"
The voice from the other end of the phone was sharp and harsh. Lin Shuyue and Hang Jiabai looked at each other, and Hang Jiabai handed the soy milk in his hand to Lin Shuyue.
On a cold day, a cup of soy milk like this is very warming.
The sound coming from Feng Qinqin's phone made her brows raise. She drank soy milk and looked at Feng Qinqin.
Feng Qinqin looked unhappy and her whole body was very tense.
After the person on the other end of the phone finished speaking, Feng Qinqin said, "Auntie, this is Feng Qinqin. This afternoon, we came to visit the sculpture exhibition hall, and Wanqing disappeared. We called the police, but they couldn't find her."
Lin Shuyue listened to the sharp voice on the other end of the phone pause for a while, and then the voice became louder.
"Feng Qinqin, right? You went out with my Wanqing, so why wasn't you the one who got lost? Tell me, are you jealous of my Wanqing because she's prettier than you and has better grades than you at the newspaper office? So you're jealous of her and want to bully her?"
He's mother's words made Hang Jiabai look sideways.
Feng Qinqin clutched her phone tightly. "I don't have that idea, aunt. We just came out to have fun together. We came to the sculpture exhibition hall to participate in this exhibition because of Wanqing's suggestion..."
Before Feng Qinqin could finish her words, He Wanqing's mother interrupted her categorically: "Impossible! My Wanqing never likes to see any plastic or sculpture exhibitions. Feng Qinqin, Feng Qinqin, I've seen that you're no good! You just think my Wanqing is better than you, so you're trying every way to corrupt my Wanqing."
"She's just stupid. She can't see through your evil ambitions! I'm not Wanqing. I see through your little tricks! I'm telling you, Feng Qinqin, call Wanqing out immediately after you finish the draft. Otherwise, I'll drag Wanqing's father and I to the capital, and you'll be in trouble."
Before Feng Qinqin could refute, the phone was hung up with a click.
Lin Shuyue looked at Feng Qinqin. Feng Qinqin was silent for a moment, then gave a wry smile.
Lin Shuyue couldn't help but ask, "Has He Wanqing's mother always been like this?"
He Wanqing's temperament was too gentle, and Lin Shuyue could hardly imagine that she had such a mother. In her stereotype, a family that could cultivate a temperament like He Wanqing must have parents who were well-educated, not to mention a family of scholars, right?
As for He Wanqing's mother, she was far from being well-educated and well-mannered. Just based on the few paragraphs she started to talk about, there were many people who believed that she was a shrew at the village entrance.
Feng Qinqin rubbed her face and said, "Wanqing and I only met in college. In the first two years, our relationship wasn't that close. I only knew Wanqing as the most beautiful girl in the department and a good student."
"Later, in our junior year, we joined a club together and became acquainted and good friends. We also have a good friend, Xia Mengmeng, who is the girl I told you about last night."
"After graduation, we returned to our hometown together and interned at the same newspaper, working under different mentors. The day I wrote a report on my own, I was sleeping at home when I received a call from Wanqing's mother."
Feng Qinqin's face turned slightly awkward, as if recalling the phone call she received that day. "The way she spoke, and the content of her conversation, were similar to today's. The general message was that I stole Wanqing's opportunity to get ahead, and that I approached her with ulterior motives. But that time, Wanqing snatched the phone from her before she could finish her words."
"Afterwards, Wanqing came out to me at night and apologized to me. She cried and told me many things about her life since she was a child. I forgave her."
"The second time was around Chinese New Year last year. I was having dinner at home when she called and said I had corrupted Wanqing because she never read novels before, but now she was bringing novels home. Wanqing apologized to me, and I forgave her."
Feng Qinqin really cherished her friendship with He Wanqing. She really liked He Wanqing's personality, so even if her mother spoke harshly, Feng Qinqin didn't care. At most, they could introduce each other to each other in the future.
But when she really came into contact with He Wanqing's parents, Feng Qinqin still felt resistance from the bottom of her heart.
Lin Shuyue felt particularly sympathetic towards Feng Qinqin and patted her on the shoulder, saying nothing else.
As she said before, don't get involved in other people's emotions easily, whether it's family or friendship. Feng Qinqin had contact with He Wanqing's mother before, and she decided to be good friends with He Wanqing after knowing everything. She must have thought it through.
How long had she known Feng Qinqin? Less than three days at most. Who the hell was she to interfere?
But if she put herself in their shoes, if her friend was in He Wanqing's situation, she would probably stay away from her. It's not that He Wanqing is bad, it's mainly because it's too stressful to be around her.
As a bystander, Lin Shuyue felt suffocated by what her mother just said.
Someone came out of the exhibition hall and saw Lin Shuyue and the other two. Some curious people came over.
"Sisters, haven't you found that friend yet?" The speaker was a girl in her twenties. Her first words were to address Lin Shuyue and the others as brothers and sisters, and she was very familiar with them.
"No." Feng Qinqin was in a bad mood, so Lin Shuyue came over to talk to her.
"Sister, do you have any clues?"
"No, we arrived just as the police arrived. So how could someone disappear? Look at this convention and exhibition center, it only has two floors, and most of the second floor is occupied by offices. There isn't much room for people to hide on the first floor. There is some on the second floor, but it's broad daylight and there are a lot of people there. Could your friend, if she had three heads and six arms, run away from underground?" The girl spoke very quickly, with a strong Tianjin accent.
Perhaps Lin Shuyue had read too many jokes in her past life, and when she heard the Tianjin people talking, she thought of a certain crosstalk and wanted to laugh. Although it was inappropriate to laugh at the scene where He Wanqing disappeared, she couldn't help it.
The girl from Tianjin was warm and generous. Seeing Lin Shuyue, a very energetic girl, smiling at her, she smiled too: "Sister, I work in the mall at the back door of the Convention and Exhibition Center. If you have time to come and see me, I can give you a discount. Remember to find me at the cosmetics counter at X Sheng Tang."
"Okay." Lin Shuyue said, and the girl from Tianjin scurried off. Lin Shuyue watched her follow her example and strike up a conversation with someone else.
She turned her head to look at Hang Jiabai: "Is she just trying to promote her cosmetics to me?"
"It seems so." Hang Jiabai said, looking at her and Feng Qinqin, "Now let's split up and look for He Wanqing nearby, shall we?"
The person disappeared in the convention center. There were only two exits, not even a basement. It would have been quite difficult to transport a living person out.
Darkness is the best time for delivery, and night is also the best cover.
"Let's go." Lin Shuyue responded, and the three of them walked towards the back together.
Passing by the entrance of the exhibition hall, Lin Shuyue saw from the good and evil radar system that Liu Chongsen was still inside the exhibition hall.
The back door of the exhibition hall led to a residential street. A medium-sized shopping mall stood in the center of the street. Along the two sides, most of the shops were food stalls. Lin Shuyue's eyes fell on a hot pot restaurant.
The store is very small. In the center is a stove about 8 meters long. There are several huge trays in the stove, which are filled with soup. Each tray contains a lot of hot food, which is bubbling.
Waves of white mist rose up, covering the lights in the store.
"Let's go to that store and take a look." Hang Jiabai, a criminal police officer with many years of experience, spotted the Weilu Malatang restaurant at a glance. In this respect, he was just like Lin Shuyue, great minds think alike.
Feng Qinqin already knew Hang Jiabai's occupation, so now she just did what they said.
When they arrived at the Malatang restaurant, they saw two familiar faces as soon as they entered.
"Senior Brother Jiabai." The people who were eating inside saw Hang Jiabai and immediately stood up and greeted Hang Jiabai.
Even Lin Shuyue was shocked. She and Hang Jiabai were together the whole time today. From beginning to end, except for the time when they were taking notes, she didn't see Hang Jiabai talking to them at all.
Hang Jiabai smiled at the group, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then introduced them to each other: "Ah Yue, let me introduce you to two classmates from our school. They are Xu Yu and Zhou Xuan."
"This is my girlfriend, Lin Shuyue."
Xu Yu was the young policeman who had been looking at Liu Chongsen's computer at the convention center that afternoon. The other officer was older, and Lin Shuyue's only memory of him was of him busy taking statements from the people in the exhibition hall.
The two called Lin Shuyue "sister-in-law" and sat down together. Feng Qinqin sat next to Lin Shuyue and met the two policemen from the afternoon, but she was not happy at all.
Now, whenever she thought of He Wanqing's parents coming, she felt suffocated.
Hang Jiabai put some sesame paste and chopped green onions on a plate tied with a plastic bag. He gave one plate to Lin Shuyue first before continuing to serve the second plate.
Over there, Xu Yu took a chicken wing and put it in sesame sauce. He said, "We've already checked. This guy named Liu Chongsen was completely unknown at Huabai Academy of Fine Arts before. He became famous two years ago."
"That so-called Goddess of My Dream, Son of the Sun God, and Mother Goddess were all created around the same time. He was quite prolific. But after those three statues appeared, there haven't been any other famous ones."
Zhou Xuan came and took a bunch of gluten and put it in the sesame sauce bowl. "Do you think there's one statue that looks particularly like Xiang Feng's girlfriend?"
Before Hang Jiabai could reply, a voice so cold it could make ice chips fall off his ears: "It's not like, it is."
"Come on, come with me and smash that statue. I want to see what's inside it."
"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong. If there's nothing inside that ghost statue after it's smashed, I'll have to pay for it. If there's something inside, hold me back, or I'll kill that idiot right there."