Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 33 The Fatty is Here
Chen Shu had already gained a general understanding of the situation of the four tenants on site.

However, he did not immediately go to the four rooms, reveal his police identity, and then conduct investigations and inquiries one by one.

He simply pointed to the darkened restroom at the end of the corridor and asked Huang Sisi, who was still standing at the entrance, "Is this the place?"

"Mm." Huang Sisi, who had been watching Chen Shu closely, quickly nodded and responded softly, but didn't say much more.

Now that she was actually there, she became much quieter than before, perhaps because she was reminded of the stolen phone and felt distressed.

Chen Shu actually understood her feelings very well.

Nowadays, people leave home to work and earn money. Not to mention that a new mobile phone costs at least one or two thousand, and sometimes as much as four or five thousand, which is already quite expensive.

Furthermore, after experiencing the pandemic over the past two years, earning money has become extremely difficult; a mobile phone might cost someone half a month or a month's salary.

This pressure and anxiety can be truly suffocating.

Furthermore, migrant workers are often alone away from home, and after a busy day, they return home to lie in their cramped rented rooms.

The nightly companionship and contact with family far away all exist within the small screen of a mobile phone. This psychological gap alone is unforgettable.

After receiving confirmation, Chen Shu went into the restroom and turned on the light. Although it was a shared restroom, it was unusually clean and tidy, perhaps because Huang Sisi had just showered and cleaned it that morning.

The toilet is small; a toilet, a sink, and a shower fill the entire space.

The windowsill that Huang Siqian mentioned should be above the toilet, which is the only countertop in the bathroom.

The window was closed, and the windowsill was currently empty. She must have placed her phone on the platform while taking a shower.

Chen Shu shifted his gaze along the windowsill towards the corridor.

If the bathroom door had been open, even if the lights were off inside, anyone, regardless of height, build, or location in the hallway, would have been able to see the phone on the windowsill at a glance.

Who could it be? He wondered as he paced toward the door of the house.

As he walked out, the image of the ragged boy in the last room kept replaying in his mind. And as he passed the room of the small family of four, the middle-aged man inside glanced at him again.

On the other hand, the three men in the other two rooms were engrossed in their own games, completely oblivious to the outside world.

Chen Shu arrived at the door of the house, pulled Huang Siqian to the stairs, and prepared to talk to her about the details of the case again.

"Xiaoqian, after you left the restroom, how long did it take before you realized you'd left your phone there? Who went in or out of the restroom during that time?"

"Well, after I got back to my room, I dried my hair and changed my clothes before going out. That's when I realized I'd left my phone in the bathroom. It's been about half an hour. I don't know who went to the bathroom during that time."

Didn't you ask the neighbors next door?

"No, I was too embarrassed to ask them. Asking them would make it seem like I suspected them of being thieves..." As she said this, Huang Sisi's cheeks flushed, and she lowered her head to look at her toes.

"Hmm... Was the gate open at the time?" Chen Shu raised his fingers and knocked on the gate.

"It should be open; our main gate is always open."

Hmm, that means the people in the next house could also break in and steal phones… Just as he was thinking this, Chen Shu's phone rang. “Brother Shu, I’ve arrived. Where are you?”

Zhu Chaoran's loud voice came through the receiver; he had arrived very quickly.

"I'm on the third floor, come up here. Oh, and bring the security camera."

"I know. I'll bring a few more pairs of handcuffs."

Handcuffs? Why... But Chen Shu didn't think much of it and hung up the phone.

He turned to look at Huang Siqian, who was standing silently to the side again, and wondered to himself whether she was talkative or quiet. But those eyes were really beautiful.
Wait a minute! Since Zhu Chaoran is coming up soon, why not use his police uniform to try and 'scare the tiger' and see if the suspect will come out on his own?
Chen Shuling had a sudden inspiration and made up his mind that he would no longer ask Huang Sixi.

He crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the door, and looked down at the stairwell, quietly waiting for Zhu Chaoran to come up.

The three people at the gate stood so quietly, as if they were waiting for a last hope, or a final struggle.

Throughout the entire process, Huang Siqian's colleague Xiaomin did not say a word.

"Thum! Thug! Thumb!"

A short while later, Zhu Chaoran came running up the stairs, panting heavily, with his usual heavy footsteps.

"Brother Shu. Phew, I'm here. Where is everyone?" As soon as he landed by the door of room 303, he glanced at Huang Siqian and Xiaomin, who were standing silently beside him, and then asked Chen Shu directly.

Chen Shu was also a little puzzled. He should have seen these two people that morning. Why were they coming over now to ask who they were? Who were they?

Seeing Chen Shu frowning and looking puzzled, Zhu Chaoran quickly added, "It's the thief who stole the phone! I even brought handcuffs! What's wrong, Brother Shu? You've been here for so long, haven't you caught him yet? This isn't like you."

In Zhu Chaoran's memory, Chen Shu was perhaps an omnipotent person.

In particular, the image of Chen Shu squatting beside the motionless kidnapper lying on the ground during the last arrest of the kidnapper, chuckling maliciously while staring at the two wrecked cars, still occasionally disturbs his sleep.

Don't be fooled by his usual cheerful demeanor; that's only because you haven't provoked him. When something serious happens, he's absolutely terrifying. Zhu Chaoran involuntarily shrank back, still shaken.

He wasn't intentionally undermining Chen Shu; he just habitually assumed Chen Shu had already resolved everything. As usual, he was waiting for Fatty to come and clean up the mess.

However, the atmosphere at the scene seemed to have reached a stalemate, and he also noticed that Chen Shu's eyebrows were gradually furrowing and his expression was changing repeatedly.

He shifted his gaze to the two young women behind Chen Shu. Both of them blushed, biting their lip to try and hide their embarrassment.

Zhu Chaoran reacted quickly, immediately pulling out his body camera and smoothly changing the subject:

"Brother Shu, I know we need to handle this case properly. Look, I even brought your body camera. Do you want me to turn it on now?"

Chen Shu took the body camera that Zhu Chaoran handed over with a sincere expression, turned it on, and clipped it to the collar of his short-sleeved shirt.

He felt a pang of emotion, wondering if the fat man was genuinely stupid or just there to provide a comedic relief.

"Ahem! Now that everyone's here, let's get to work!" Chen Shu, facing inward, deliberately cleared his throat loudly, then waved to Zhu Chaoran. The two of them re-entered room 303 one after the other.

(End of this chapter)