Chapter 253: Chapter 253

"You could even say that he treated the windshield as his personal palette, using the sunlight as paint, freely sketching with complete abandon, immersing in it with joy."

Shi Nian closed his eyes, imagining himself as the suspect, picturing the expression on that person’s face at that moment.

"At that moment, he must have been smiling, seemingly forgetting that painting such a picture was meant to harm. At that time, he was merely enjoying the joy of painting itself. Even..." Shi Nian frowned and opened his eyes, not continuing.

Tang Yanqing turned her head slightly: "Why did you stop suddenly?"

Shi Nian shook his head: "Maybe I was overthinking."

"Tell me. I won’t laugh at you." He indulgently encouraged her.

Shi Nian frowned: "Perhaps I’ve become... twisted. I always feel the suspect’s joy while painting may also derive from another reason - he hopes his audience would admire and praise his excellent painting skills. So, his smile then was born from imagining that audience."

"He could almost foresee who the audience of his painting would be. And he painted this picture, possibly for this special audience... eagerly anticipating that person’s amazement."

After speaking, she shook her head vigorously.

As one of the painting’s audience, she hoped she was not the person the suspect anticipated.

What a peculiar intuition.

Tang Yanqing squinted, gazing deeply at her expression, yet remained silent.

Among those who saw this painting, aside from the victim Rosa herself, only relevant detectives could see. Within this group, the only exception was her.

If using exclusion to deduce who the suspect’s special audience was, the first possibility was her.

—Did that person draw a picture of a clown’s face on Rosa’s windshield, for hitting Rosa, but for Shi Nian to see, to please her?

Tang Yanqing remained silent, yet Shi Nian keenly sensed it, looking up to glare at him: "Fair trade, you shouldn’t hide your thoughts from me either. Say, what are you thinking?"

Tang Yanqing replied cheekily with a laugh: "Do you really want me to say? Won’t get angry after hearing it?"

"Yes." Shi Nian nodded in agreement.

Tang Yanqing slowly restrained his smile, his dark eyes deep, staring at Shi Nian’s eyes across his sunglasses: "In the past four years, is there any man I don’t know who had ever shown interest in you or pursued you?"

Shi Nian was stunned, then immediately kicked him in the shin: "What are you talking about! In these four years, I’ve been Xiang Yuan’s wife, how could I have such relations with other men?!"

He exaggeratedly bent to rub his leg: "See, told you not to get angry about it, but you still didn’t listen."

"Forget it, I won’t talk to you!" Shi Nian stomped her foot, ignoring him.

He thus safely temporarily hid a layer of his inner worry.

Shi Nian exasperatedly recalled those phone calls often received at dawn when alone in those past four years. The calls without ID or voice.

Whenever those calls came, she instinctively thought the person from four years ago had caught up... pulling her back to the nightmare four years back, she had to wrap herself in the blanket, think of Dad, to overcome.

However, this matter... still better not to tell Tang Yanqing.

Anyhow, such calls couldn’t be from the secret suitor he implied.

No man could be foolish enough to use such a scary way to pursue someone, right? That’s just self-destruction.

Shi Nian refocused on his phone: "What were you testing just now?"

Tang Yanqing, even across sunglasses, could still feel his keen gaze on her.

"The suspect can calculate the angle and height of the sunlight on this road, proving he had surveyed here. I’m calculating his frequent whereabouts, possibly indicating short-term rental nearby or cafes, anything leading to clues."

"Exactly!" Returning to the case, Shi Nian became enthused: "Being so familiar with light surely isn’t observed overnight. If they appeared repeatedly, they’d run into passersby who’d remember them. Patiently screening, we might pick them from the crowd!"

Tang Yanqing looked over smiling: "More and more professional."

Saying this, he dialed his phone, "Emperor, get Penny from Old Qiao’s group to charm out Old Qiao and Rosa’s conversation contents."

Hearing this, Shi Nian chuckled, amused.

Then Tang Yanqing tasked Guan Liang: "Old Qiao’s traditional criminal investigation surely starts from stakeholders’ perspectives. Later on, Emperor will obtain Rosa’s own stakeholder list. Cross-reference this list for physics or painting specialties; check recent app location info for appearances near the accident scene."

Finishing his instructions, Tang Yanqing saw Shi Nian standing by the roadside deep in thought.

He walked over, couldn’t help but embrace her.

Shi Nian jumped startled, looked around, slapped away his hand: "Hey, you’re in uniform now! Please, respect this uniform."

He stuck out his tongue: "Fine, I’ll hug you tonight when in casual wear."

Shi Nian’s ears blushed: "Hey, who agreed to let you hug me?"

He raised his eyebrows at her: "Not wanting hugs, why show me your smart, lovely self? You know seeing that makes it impossible not to hug."

"You..." Shi Nian felt helpless: "Absurd logic!"

He chuckled, leaned close to her ear: "True absurd logic, is merely forcing... Are you hinting I should, um..."

Shi Nian flared up, jumping to hit him: "Don’t you spout nonsense!"

He grinned holding his elbows: "Who just taught me about respecting uniforms? How can anyone jump to hit an officer in uniform?"

Shi Nian caught by her words, stopped glaring, her cheeks crimson.

Seeing her , he felt content. Whatever clown face, seeing her face made him overlook everything else.

Xiang Yuan finished his statement, left police station after Lu Zhao arranged the formalities.

He hesitated slightly, but went to the emergency center. Read full story at NoveIꜰire.net

Rosa had been transferred to a ward. As he entered, Rosa lay facing away, seemingly asleep.

Xiang Yuan stood a meter from the bed for a moment, then retreated to ask at the nurse’s station why no one accompanied her.

The nurse checked records, saying Rosa’s parents were notified, rushing from out-of-state, should arrive tonight.

Xiang Yuan felt relieved, asked about Rosa’s condition and sleep timing.

The nurse said Rosa’s life is no longer at risk, rest would gradually heal her injuries. But a severe shock would require considerable counseling time later.

Regarding sleep, the nurse laughed: "No, she hasn’t slept. Just gave her an injection five minutes ago, heard her say she’s not sleepy."

Xiang Yuan understood, frowned lightly. After thanking the nurse, he returned to Rosa’s ward.

Sat on the sofa, he softly said: "I know you’re awake, you just don’t wish to see me. It’s okay, I’ll sit for a while and leave. Rosa, regardless of right or wrong, you ultimately had a car accident, it’s still my place to say sorry."

Rosa continued lying facing away, her face marked by a lonely bitter smile.

"A Yuan, just a sorry? You ought to know, I’ve always awaited your words: ’Marry me.’ You didn’t say because of Shi Nian; now you’re divorced, but still won’t say them?"

Xiang Yuan frowned at her words: "I recall not telling you this news, how did you know? Could it be, Shi Nian told you?"

Rosa shut her eyes, bitterly laughed: "Yes, she told me. With this news, she asked me not to trouble you at the partner meeting, she implored me to help you... She assumed we two finally could be together, right? How come, all our guesses were wrong?"

Xiang Yuan softly closed his eyes.

"Rosa, I don’t want to deceive you, I don’t love you; thus, we won’t have marriage."

Rosa tightly bit her finger: "You don’t love me? Previously due to Shi Nian, you claimed not to love me; but now you’re divorced, no other woman’s beside you, who do you love then?"

Asked this, deep inside, Rosa had already conceived the answer.

She no longer felt body pain. The anesthetic should have worn off, she should be in pain—because, the heart hurt more.

"A Yuan, don’t say now who you love is still Shi Nian! That just divorced you, just turned into your past Shi Nian!"

Xiang Yuan gently closed his eyes, smiled somberly: "Yes. The person I love, remains her."