Jiang Xiao had no suicidal tendencies, and no one killed her, so how did she fall from the building?
Zhen Nuan was puzzled.
Judging from the current situation, Jiang Xiao wanted to frame Dong Sisi, but would she really risk her own life to harm someone? Jiang Xiao's plan was undoubtedly full of flaws.
After asking that question, Yan Han lowered his head and continued reading the report. Zhen Nuan could tell from his eyes that he already had a plan and was in complete control. She wanted to ask, but after thinking for a moment, she remained silent.
She suppressed her curiosity and looked around as if trying to distract herself.
The detective's work was demanding, always rushing from one crisis to another, yet his office was exceptionally tidy and clean. It contained few items: a desk, chairs, bookshelves, a water dispenser, and nothing else. Unlike some leaders who filled their offices with antique decorations or miniature rockeries, he didn't display a pile of profound books to add an air of scholarly refinement.
Most of the books on the bookshelf were for criminal police use, and the rest were folders.
It was clear that the room's owner was a practical and minimalist type.
There were two potted green plants by the window—Brazilian wood—but the trees were pruned so neatly that they looked like a pink dog with its fur cut off.
Zhen Nuan shifted her gaze to something nearby, landing on a potted cactus next to Yan Han's computer.
It was common to have cacti on your desk, but it was rare to see one that bloomed.
Once her gaze was fixed on it, she couldn't look away.
It was placed in a spot where the sun could shine, and in the thin winter sunlight, a small, furry creature with a tiger's head was nestled in the pale yellow porcelain flowerpot.
Several slender, upward-pointing pillars sprouted from a dark green sphere, each topped with two flowers. Pure white, with layered petals, they were exceptionally beautiful.
This was the first time Zhen Nuan had ever seen a cactus flower.
"So beautiful!" she exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the crystal-clear petals, unable to resist wanting to touch them.
With a swift motion, Yan Han moved the cactus pot away, avoiding her fingers.
She looked up hesitantly, only to see his back as he nimbly stood up.
He placed it very carefully on the top shelf of the bookshelf, where there was an empty space—a place specifically reserved for it, without any books or documents.
Zhen Nuan looked at the spot where the cactus had been; there was no dust or signs of wear on the porcelain. It turned out he had put it on the table to let it bask in the sun.
It looked very precious.
Zhen Nuan tried to say something nice. "It must have been cultivated for many years. I heard it usually takes seven or eight years, or even ten years, to bloom. It's so rare."
Yan Han didn't respond or look at her. He took a pen from the pen holder and signed the last page of the report.
Zhen Nuan shut up immediately after saying that, because she caught a glimpse of the letters written in white correction fluid on the pale yellow flowerpot: yh&xs.
It usually takes seven or eight years, or even ten years, to bloom... She seemed to have said something like that just now.
She fell into an awkward silence. Even she, in her naiveté, knew that she had touched on something he didn't want others to talk about.
The way he lowered his head to write looked quite calm and even, but she was still extremely embarrassed.
However, after a second or two of silence, he replied casually, "Yeah, I've had it for ten years."
It was as if his previous silence was simply due to his slow reaction.
Zhen Nuan breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, "That's amazing. Actually, cacti seem easy to grow, but many people actually manage to kill them."
"Really?" He smiled, signed the document, closed the folder, and handed it to her. "There's a meeting later, and you'll need to give a report."
"Yes!" Zhen Nuan replied energetically.
After she left, she turned to the last page and saw the character "Yan Han" written in cursive script, which was unrestrained and elegant.
As Zhen Nuan walked out of the police station, she saw a large crowd gathered outside the retractable gate. Upon closer inspection, she saw Jiang Xiao's brother and sister-in-law standing in the center of the group.
The woman recognized her and yelled in a shrill voice, "Stop right there!"
Zhen Nuan turned around in confusion.
The woman was short and looked up at her, demanding, "Are you the forensic doctor who performed the autopsy on my sister-in-law?"
"Yes..."
"Brother, it's her!" the woman shouted to a burly man behind her. "She's the one who said my sister-in-law committed suicide."
Before Zhen Nuan could react, the woman's brother rushed up and shoved her shoulder hard. Zhen Nuan stumbled and bumped into a flower bed, her knee hitting with a painful thud.
Jiang Xiao's brother came up and pulled his brother-in-law away. "Brother, let's talk this out. She's a young lady, don't hit her."
The brother-in-law turned around and yelled, "It's your sister who died! Show some backbone, stop being such a coward all the time!"
Jiang Xiao's sister-in-law pulled her husband. "We have to get the relatives to make a scene. If we don't, they'll protect each other and bully innocent people. Xiao Xiao was killed, but she said it was suicide. What was she thinking? How much money did she take from the Shen family?"
Jiang Xiao's brother hesitated for a moment, then his sister-in-law screamed in anger, "Think about how difficult things are for our family. Our parents died young, and you, as their brother, worked yourself to the bone to send Xiao Xiao to university. We finally had a university graduate, and she was murdered. You became disabled because of supporting Xiao Xiao, and all these years Xiao Xiao has been supporting our family in return. She died so tragically, how can we not seek justice for her? They dream of not getting compensation!"
Zhen Nuan knew that if it was murder, there would be compensation, but if it was suicide...
She stared at the dark, menacing-looking group of people, barely managing to stand firm, and mustered her courage to explain loudly, "I really want to help you, but the truth is that Jiang Xiao really did commit suicide..."
Her sister-in-law immediately shrieked, "Hey, you're such a pretty girl, how can you do such a terrible thing? Have you lost your conscience? Xiaoxiao was killed by that despicable couple, why are you saying it was suicide? You police officers are all the same, bullying the weak and taking advantage of the vulnerable. You must have taken money from Huasheng Group to speak up for them! You don't stand up for the people, yet you're eating taxpayers' money! You're all a bunch of ingrates!"
Her words stirred up the surrounding uncles and cousins, who all pushed and shoved each other as if their own sons had died, hurling insults at Zhen Nuan.
Amidst the clamor of voices, Zhen Nuan shouted at the top of her lungs, "Please calm down, things won't be clear like this. Please send a few people as representatives to come inside with me and sit down for a proper talk. I'll show you the evidence. Please trust me."
But the brother-in-law only wanted to make a scene and didn't want to talk. "The evidence must have been tampered with by you. You're just making things up. You're the ones who decide!"
He roared with great force, and the others cheered him on even more indignantly.
"No..." Zhen Nuan tried to explain, but realized that it was completely futile.
The brother-in-law saw through her attempt, snatched the folder from her hand, glanced at it, and was about to tear it up. "The Shen family killed someone and didn't want to pay compensation. They bribed you to cover up the murder. We won't leave until we make a big scene today."
Zhen Nuan was startled and quickly tried to grab it. "You can't touch that!"
She didn't know where she got the strength, but she held onto the folder tightly to prevent him from tearing it up. The burly man was furious and swung his rough hand, slapping Zhen Nuan on the head.
Zhen Nuan couldn't take it anymore. Her mind went blank, she saw stars, and she fell to the ground.
But she didn't let go, managing to snatch the document back. Her slender, white hand scraped hard against the cement floor, breaking and bleeding, the cold wind making it feel like a knife cutting into it.
"Zhen Nuan!" Guan Xiaoyu ran over to help Zhen Nuan and yelled at the man, "What right do you have to hit someone? This is right in front of the police station! Don't you have any respect for the law?"
When the brother-in-law saw that Guan Xiaoyu was also wearing a white coat, he knew that she was in league with Zhen Nuan. He angrily shoved her along with her. "You took money from the Shen family and said that Jiang Xiao committed suicide. We've come to demand an explanation!"
Sister-in-law Jiang Xiao: "You're the ones who condoned the Shen family's murders, aren't you?!"
In an instant, everyone chanted slogans: "You police are protecting murderers!" "You police are protecting murderers!"
Pedestrians and vehicles passing by all stopped to watch.
Guan Xiaoyu wanted to reason with them, but unfortunately, they outnumbered her and had loud voices, so she couldn't win.
The security guard on duty tried to dissuade them, but to no avail.
Seeing that everyone was acting like they had lost their minds, the security guards, fearing that Zhen Nuan and Guan Xiaoyu would get hurt, tried to protect the two of them and leave.
Seeing this, the troublemakers all rushed forward and grabbed them, refusing to let go. As the noise grew louder, both sides began to push and shove each other.
Zhen Nuan was squeezed in the very center, struggling to breathe. Her collar and hair were being pulled, and countless slaps and scratches rained down on her body and head.
She was cold and in pain, clutching the folder, and cried out, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!"
But the crowd went berserk, shouting: "Protecting a murderer! You're colluding with the rich! Protecting a murderer!"
Despite enduring the men's punches and the women's bites, the security guards desperately pulled Zhen Nuan and Guan Xiaoyu out and pushed them toward safety.
A young security guard in his early twenties, with a bloody gash on his face, yelled at the two women, "Run!"
Guan Xiaoyu was also terrified and grabbed Zhen Nuan, who had fallen to the ground, and ran.
The brother-in-law was still eyeing the folder in Zhen Nuan's arms. He rushed over, grabbed Zhen Nuan's shoulders, twisted her arm, and snatched the folder from her.
Zhen Nuan held on, using all her strength; the folder's outer shell even cut her hand under the force.
Enraged, the other party punched her in the head.
She instinctively covered her head with her hands, but for a moment, her mind went blank.
It's over.
If she hurt her hand... if she could no longer hold a scalpel, her life is over.
The man was as strong as a boxer, his fists whistling as they hurtled toward her.
But—
Against the light, Zhen Nuan saw a section of gray-black trench coat cuff, and a slender hand with distinct knuckles gripped the man's thick wrist, seemingly twisting and pushing it lightly.
The man cried out in pain, his body twisting to one side. He looked at the newcomer, burning with rage, and threw another punch, but the other man twisted him, nimbly dodging behind him, and with a swift and precise elbow strike, pinned the big man to the ground.
Everything happened in just two or three seconds. Zhen Nuan stared blankly.
When Sister-in-law Jiang Xiao saw this, she cried out at the top of her lungs, "Look! Look! The police are beating people! Help! The police are beating people!"
Zhen Nuan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Was this what they called the villain accusing the victim first? More and more people were gathering at the scene. If it caused a bad influence, Yan Han would definitely be the scapegoat and punished.
But he did it to save her!
She stood shivering in the wind, her whole body drenched in cold sweat. What should she do?
Just then, she saw the man's hand slip discreetly to his waist and remove the utility knife from his keychain.
She was startled and wanted to warn Yan Han, but the next moment he deliberately loosened his grip on the man.
The latter immediately sprang into the air.
Yan Han did not dodge, but instead reached out and grabbed the knife with his bare hand. At first glance, it seemed as if he was disarming the man, but Zhen Nuan inexplicably realized that he had deliberately moved into it.
In an instant, Yan Han made a cut on his palm, and as if that wasn't deep enough, he reversed the inner blade to his wrist and struck it again, causing blood to spurt out instantly.
Zhen Nuan was stunned. She was completely bewildered, her mind blank with panic. She opened her mouth and cried out in the most pitiful, shrill, terrified, and heart-wrenching voice she had ever heard:
"Ah!!! A bad guy is killing people with a knife! He's stabbing a policeman! Someone's stabbing a policeman! Someone's stabbing a policeman!"
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