If the He Family really falls silent, she will become a truly ordinary person and might even close the distance between her and Chu Ge.
From this perspective, it seems... things aren't so bad after all.
After dropping off He Qing, Chu Ge drove to the place Ye Li mentioned on the phone, her adoptive father's house.
When Chu Ge arrived, there were seven or eight people gathered at the entrance, presumably the neighbors, peering in and watching, looking eager yet hesitant, discussing amongst themselves.
"This morning really scared me to death, I thought someone was being murdered inside, Old Li was screaming like a pig being slaughtered, and there were thumps of something hitting the wall," said a middle-aged woman, her face still showing signs of lingering fear.
A nearby resident chimed in, "Do you think he was on that stuff? Otherwise, why would he die like that? I only dared take a quick peek from afar, and my legs still feel weak."
"Looks like it. I never thought someone like that lived in our building."
"Yes, I've heard that once people like him have a craving, they'll do anything. Now that I think about it, I'm really worried."
Amidst the chatter at the door, Chu Ge walked inside.
Upon entering, he was hit by a foul smell. There was almost no furniture inside, the walls around were grayish, and in some places, mold had caused the plaster to peel off. One wall had several bloodstains, clearly from when Ye Li's adoptive father had hit his head and scratched it with his hands. The blood was no longer fresh red but a darker hue.
Beneath this wall was the body of Ye Li's adoptive father, Old Li. He appeared even more emaciated than the last time Chu Ge saw him, just skin and bones.
His bluish-white face not only looked distorted but also extremely grim, indicating unimaginable suffering. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and even though his eyes were closed, it was apparent that the eyeballs had once protruded severely.
Logically speaking, Old Li, in his inhuman appearance, would make even the bravest men feel a chill down their spine; a glance could likely lead to nightmares. However, at this moment, Ye Li sat on the floor, holding him tightly, her lips trembling, repeatedly calling out "Dad."
Chu Ge sighed quietly, wondering how much good karma this scumbag had accumulated over several lifetimes to have the fortune of having such a good daughter as Ye Li.
Since Ye Li could enter the house, it showed she had the key. Without asking, Chu Ge could surmise that she likely came back occasionally to check on this scumbag, giving him some of the money she earned from tutoring.
Otherwise, this scumbag probably wouldn't have survived until today.
Coming to Ye Li's side, Chu Ge gently patted her shoulder, "Ye Li, I'm here. Let's send him off."
After several calls, Ye Li finally came back to her senses. Upon seeing Chu Ge, tears immediately streamed down her face. She bit her lips tightly and nodded.
"Wait."
Just as Chu Ge was about to take Old Li's body, a voice suddenly came from behind the door, making him feel at a loss.
He was all too familiar with this voice. Without looking, he knew Mu Lingshan had arrived.
Watching Mu Lingshan walk through the door, along with another male police officer who often partnered with her, Chu Ge was truly puzzled by how he and Mu Lingshan always seemed to run into each other everywhere.
However, this was indeed within the jurisdiction of Mu Lingshan's precinct. With such an ugly death, it was normal for someone to have reported it. Her appearance, although leaving Chu Ge speechless, wasn't really surprising.
"Officer Mu, is there anything?"
Considering Mu Lingshan's strong sense of justice and courage the last time she was at his home, and with some outsiders present, Chu Ge refrained from calling her by any nickname, although he really wanted to ask, "Tiger Girl, what brings you here?"
Mu Lingshan paused her steps, somewhat surprised at Chu Ge's formal way of speaking to her, which she wasn't used to.
But she soon felt a bit frustrated, questioning why this should even be a surprise. Wasn't it normal for this guy to talk to her seriously? Calling her "Officer Mu the Flower" or "Tiger Girl" wasn't right, was it? Why did she feel satisfied with such minor things?
"Inspecting the scene."
With that thought, Mu Lingshan resumed her cold expression, saying those four words calmly.
Chu Ge said no more. He gently helped the grief-stricken Ye Li stand aside, cooperating fully with Mu Lingshan and the male officer as they began examining the room.
Actually, there's really nothing to investigate here. The current situation is crystal clear. Old Li's corpse is lying right there; even the neighbors who know nothing could see that he brought this on himself due to his drug addiction. Let alone Mu Lingshan, so even without a coroner's examination, the possibility of murder is basically zero.
However, the necessary procedures still need to be followed. After Mu Lingshan and the accompanying police officers examined the scene and gathered some information, they carried Old Li's body downstairs.
When Mu Lingshan instructed the male police officer to lift the corpse, the corner of his mouth immediately twitched, and he had a look of helplessness and frustration. However, since he was there, no matter how unwilling he was, there was nothing he could do about it.
Noticing the change in the male police officer's expression, and even glancing over, Chu Ge couldn't help but find it amusing, rubbed his nose, and gave him an "I feel your pain" look.
The poor guy was unlucky. If he hadn't come, the task of carrying the corpse would have fallen to Chu Ge.
Even though Chu Ge had no fear or apprehension about the dead, having to carry this scumbag's body and put it in his Maserati to drive away was definitely annoying. If it weren't for Ye Li's sake, even if the corpse rotted and stank, or even was eaten by dogs, what did it matter to him?
The forensic results came out quickly, and as expected, there were no surprises.
While waiting for the results, Chu Ge rented a hearse and accompanied Ye Li to handle Old Li's funeral arrangements.
Honestly, there wasn't much to handle. Given his lack of connections, even after Ye Li made a few calls, no relatives or friends showed up. They directly took him to the funeral home, cremated him, and then took a small urn with his ashes. The funeral was incredibly lonely.
Leaving the funeral home, it was already past four in the afternoon. Chu Ge initially wanted to return to welcome He Qing, but seeing Ye Li so upset, he couldn't bear to leave. He stayed in her rented apartment, chatting with her, cooking for her, and spending the night there.
For Chu Ge, dealing with Old Li's body marked the end of the matter. However, for Mu Lingshan, she still had a lot on her plate.
For instance, using the clue provided by Ye Li about someone called "Brother Liang" and various channels to investigate the source of the drugs Old Li used, with the intention of ultimately tracing back and eliminating this social instability factor.
However, Mu Lingshan's investigation received no support, and she didn't want anyone to know she was investigating this matter at all.
After all, drug trafficking is a capital offense. Without some background and strength, no ordinary person would dare engage in such activities.
This means, any case related to drugs, if investigated thoroughly, is never a small case. It usually involves many intricate connections.
Thus, unless during a major crackdown, once such cases reach a certain point, they often settle by catching some small fry, and that's considered a big accomplishment, leaving everyone happy.
At this point, even if someone wants to continue investigating such matters, not only is there a significant risk involved, but there's also a high chance of leaks, eventually achieving nothing and coming up empty-handed.
It's no exaggeration to say that the persistent problem of drug-related issues is largely due to these reasons.
In the following days, Chu Ge spent most of his time with Ye Li, while Mu Lingshan secretly continued her investigation alone.
It's hard to say if it was because Mu Lingshan was lucky or due to her diligence, but on the second day of her investigation, while tailing Liang Yu, she discovered that Liang Yu seemed to be dealing drugs.
However, Mu Lingshan didn't act rashly. She continued to be patient and wait because, firstly, she couldn't be sure if the items exchanged for cash were indeed drugs, and secondly, she wanted to find out who Liang Yu's supplier was.
There was no movement on the third day. On the fourth evening, she saw Liang Yu meet with a man in a bar. Though she couldn't confirm if the man drinking with Liang Yu was related to drugs, she still marked him as a suspect.
After the man left Liang Yu, hoping for a stroke of luck, she pulled down the brim of her baseball cap, tightened her mask, and secretly followed him.
Some things in this world just seem to happen almost magically. As Mu Lingshan exited the bar and hailed a taxi, Chu Ge also arrived at the bar and happened to see her profile.
Despite Mu Lingshan wearing a baseball cap and a mask, dressed casually, Chu Ge, with his sharp eyes, recognized her instantly.
Watching this scene, Chu Ge couldn't help but be utterly speechless. With Mu Lingshan's current get-up, anyone could guess she was following someone and investigating something.
"Damn it, this Tiger Girl, can't she give me a break? She's just a regular cop; instead of going home to sleep after work, what is she messing around with all day?"
Chu Ge rubbed his forehead, muttered to himself, but still hailed a taxi and followed as well.
If he hadn't bumped into her, that would be one thing, but since he had, Chu Ge couldn't just turn a blind eye.
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