Chapter 144: Suspicious Person

[Chen Mo]: Uncle Blade, last Friday night, during that torrential downpour, did you see anyone suspicious nearby? Anyone you thought was strange would be helpful. Specifically, around the time the girl now staying at my place came and knocked on my door—was there anyone unusual around then?

The retired mercenary known as Blade, who was hiding near Chen Mo’s residence, looked at the message on his phone. He was confused for a moment, then quickly began to recall the events of last Friday.

Last Friday night...

Soon, a series of images flashed rapidly through Blade’s mind.

Suddenly, his mind locked onto a particular figure.

[Uncle Blade]: There was a man who stood for quite some time under the eaves of a house near me.

[Uncle Blade]: The rain was coming down so hard at the time, I just assumed he was taking temporary shelter, so I didn’t pay him much mind.

[Chen Mo]: So why do you suddenly think he’s suspicious now?

[Uncle Blade]: Because it was too fast.

[Chen Mo]: Too fast?

[Uncle Blade]: Mm, he left too quickly.

[Uncle Blade]: If a normal person decides to take shelter from the rain, they’d at least wait a little while to see if it lets up before leaving. But the time he spent sheltering was very short.

[Chen Mo]: How short?

As a criminal detective himself, Chen Mo knew that with enough information, he could determine whether the person was a suspect on his own.

[Uncle Blade]: It was about a few minutes after that girl went into your house. He stopped sheltering from the rain and left right away.

After reading Uncle Blade’s message, Chen Mo immediately understood the implications.

’This person really is suspicious.’

[Chen Mo]: Did you get a picture of him?

Considering Blade’s line of work, Chen Mo thought it was possible he might have been carrying recording equipment.

’It would be great if I could see who it was.’

Chen Mo knew basically everyone Su Yuqing associated with.

As long as he saw the person, he was confident he could recall information about them.

[Uncle Blade]: No, but the house where he took shelter has surveillance cameras. They might have caught him.

Chen Mo’s eyes lit up when he saw this message.

His mind, which had been groggy from his illness, was instantly jolted into clarity.

[Chen Mo]: Which house is it? Please send me the house number. I’ll find a chance to check it out another day.

[Uncle Blade]: How is a kid like you going to investigate? If you need me to, I can check it out for you. Discreetly.

’Obviously, he’s more of a professional at this kind of covert work than I am.’

Chen Mo thought it over. It would probably be better to leave this to Blade. Besides, he’d been sick the last couple of days and couldn’t move about freely. He could rest easy if Blade was handling it.

[Chen Mo]: I’ll have to trouble you then.

[Uncle Blade]: Don’t mention it. Your parents did me a great favor. Helping you is my way of repaying them, so it’s no trouble at all.

Even though he had confirmed the details with Blade, Chen Mo still felt a trace of unease.

This was because the few houses nearby with surveillance cameras all used the same type, and they all used cloud storage.

The system Chen Mo used at his own house only saved seven days of footage to the cloud.

Once it was past seven days, the footage could no longer be reviewed.

From last Friday to today, Sunday, more than seven days had clearly passed.

He had no way of knowing if that family used a seven-day cloud archive, an SD card storage model, or a thirty-day or even year-long cloud service.

Chen Mo prayed they were using one of the latter two options.

Otherwise, the one lead he had worked so hard to find would be lost again.

At that moment, a gentle breeze blew in from the window, bringing a hint of coolness and making the air in the room feel fresher.

Wrapped in his blanket and sitting up against the headboard, Chen Mo wondered which death row inmate could possibly be connected to Su Yuqing.

Trying to recall something like this so suddenly, Chen Mo really couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Besides, he still hadn’t figured out whether his sudden "return" was a dream or if he had truly come back. Chen Mo himself couldn’t distinguish the line between reality and illusion.

He was completely lost himself at this point.

As Chen Mo felt the cool breeze from the window blowing in, calming his feverish mind, Su Yuqing walked in carrying a tray.

"What are you spacing out about?" Su Yuqing gently placed the tray on the nightstand. The rising steam carried the sweet fragrance of rice into Chen Mo’s nostrils.

In a celadon bowl was a thick pumpkin and millet porridge, its golden pumpkin puree and creamy white grains blended into a satin-like texture. A few goji berries were sprinkled on top like dabs of rouge. Beside it sat a small dish of crisp, shredded celtuce salad.

After setting up the small laptop table over Chen Mo’s blankets, Su Yuqing moved the tray in front of him.

"I added some lily bulb and yam—they’re good for the lungs," she said, scooping up a spoonful. She scraped it against the rim of the bowl, blew on it gently to cool it, and added, "See how it tastes."

Chen Mo was about to reach out for the spoon, but Su Yuqing had already pressed the porcelain spoon to his lips.

With a helpless smile, Chen Mo took a sip from the spoon she held. The slightly cooled porridge was mild and smooth. As he swallowed, a delicate sweetness slid down his burning throat. The warm sensation was like a soft cloud, soothing the pain he felt even when just swallowing.

"It’s delicious." Chen Mo felt the stinging in his throat ease considerably. He couldn’t help but want another spoonful. The discomfort wasn’t so easily banished, and that single spoonful had only provided a moment’s relief from the irritation.

Like a child who had just been praised, the corners of Su Yuqing’s mouth turned up in an irrepressible smile as she scooped another spoonful of porridge.

This time, she didn’t rush to feed it to him. Instead, she gently pressed the bottom of the spoon against the surface of the porridge to make the temperature more suitable.

"Have a bite of the yam," she said, scooping up a translucent slice and deliberately scraping the spoon against the side of the bowl a few extra times. "It’s cooked really soft, it will melt in your mouth."

Before she had even finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept in from the window, lifting a stray lock of her hair.

As Chen Mo turned his head to dodge the strand, a faint, pleasant fragrance brushed past his nose, soothing the dull ache in his temples.

Su Yuqing hurriedly held down her flyaway hair. Noticing the wind picking up, she looked out the window and asked, "Should I close it?"

"Don’t close it." Chen Mo suddenly took hold of Su Yuqing’s arm as she started to get up. "This is perfect. It’s cool, and the air in the room is so much better."

Su Yuqing felt the skin touched by Chen Mo’s palm as if it were submerged in warm water. A warmth spread from her wrist all the way to her heart.

As if coveting the coolness of Su Yuqing’s arm, Chen Mo didn’t let go for a moment.

"I can’t do anything with you holding on to me," Su Yuqing said with a playful pout.

Only then did Chen Mo snap back to his senses and let go of her arm.

As the cool wind continued to gust into the room, a thin skin quickly formed on the surface of the porridge.

Su Yuqing scooped up a spoonful of the now lukewarm porridge, but paused as she brought it to his lips. "The wind is too strong; it seems to have cooled the surface. I’ll go heat it up..."

"It’s fine like this." Chen Mo met her hand and took the porcelain spoon into his mouth, his tongue sweeping it clean. He smiled contentedly and said, "I’m burning up right now. I actually prefer it a little cool."