Chapter 159 [VIP] The Red Dress Serial Murders (12)

Chapter 159 [VIP] The Red Dress Serial Murders (12)

Meng Tingzhe's asthma suddenly flared up, but he had forgotten to bring his inhaler. He hurried back to the office and took the inhaler out of the drawer, spraying it a few times under his nose. After a while, he felt much better, but he had a strange feeling. He could have sworn he heard something when he entered the study.

It was like something had fallen to the ground with a "crash."

Normally, no one would dare enter his office without his permission. Which foolhardy staff member was so bold?

He tiptoed to the study door and eavesdropped. Indeed, there was a rustling sound inside. It was faint. Could it be a thief?

He grabbed the baseball bat by the door and twisted the doorknob, swinging it open. "Who's there?" he shouted.

However, the person inside startled him. It was his younger sister, Meng Siqi. She was bending down to pick up a book, and there were piles of books scattered on the floor around her.

What was she doing in his study? What was she investigating? Was she tired of living?

She suddenly turned around, the book in her hand dropping to the floor as she looked at him nervously, as if she had been frightened by him.

As soon as Meng Siqi turned her head, she saw Meng Tingzhe standing at the door with a baseball bat, his face dark and his eyes cold and fierce. Though he softened his gaze slightly when he realized it was her, his expression remained stern.

She feigned nervousness, her wide eyes fixed on Meng Tingzhe. "Brother, what are you doing here?"

"You ask me? Didn’t you know this is my office?" Meng Tingzhe approached her with a heavy, oppressive manner.

If it came to a fight, Meng Siqi might not stand a chance, but she didn’t want to cause any trouble in the mall today, especially since Meng Hui was there.

Just now, she had quickly returned from the hidden room to the study. She pressed the silver button to close the bookshelf and shut the hidden room door. But she worried that the sound of the hidden room door closing would attract attention, and she worried that taking out just one book might arouse suspicion. So, she had no choice but to scatter the books from the shelf.

"I was trying to take a book from the shelf, but I accidentally knocked them all down! Brother, Dad asked me to rest in the office for a while, so I read some books. I really didn’t know this was your office."

"Is that so!" Meng Tingzhe tightly gripped the baseball bat, a cold smile on his face. "Sister, who are you trying to fool? You’re a police officer. Can’t you tell whose office this is?"

"I thought this was the general manager's office," Meng Siqi asked deliberately.

"Can’t you tell the difference between the chairman and the general manager?" Meng Tingzhe said with a slight hiss.

"How would I know? This is my first time here. I always thought you were the deputy."

"The deputy? After all these years, don’t you understand your brother? Do you really not know anything about me?"

Meng Tingzhe stared intently into her eyes. Meng Siqi always felt that Meng Tingzhe's words carried hidden meanings. Was he testing her to see if she had discovered more of his secrets?

"What do you mean?" Meng Siqi confronted him boldly, not backing down from his sharp gaze. "I’ve never been good at studying. When I filled out my college application, I was so stupid. I could’ve gone to the provincial police academy, but instead, I ended up at a vocational school!"

Her voice rose in frustration. "Do you really think someone like me would know the difference between a general manager and a chairman? If you don’t believe me, let’s go ask Dad! Dad—" she shouted.

Meng Tingzhe’s lips twitched, and his icy demeanor softened slightly. He slowly lowered the baseball bat.

"Sister, I’m sorry." Meng Tingzhe’s tone suddenly softened, even carrying a hint of femininity, which reminded Meng Siqi of him dressed as a woman. "How could I ever hurt you? I’ll protect you for life."

"Come on, let me take you to get something to eat," he said, reaching out with his slender hand to pat her shoulder.

Meng Siqi secretly sighed in relief. This was probably the best outcome. Under Meng Tingzhe's watchful gaze, she walked out the door. When he invited her again, she smiled. "No, I need to head back to the police station this afternoon. I’ll be on my way."

"Sister," Meng Tingzhe suddenly called out to her, a strange smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "What did Dad want you to do today?"

He leaned in, his piercing eyes locking onto hers. Meng Siqi pressed her back against the door, holding her breath, trying to stay calm.

"What’s wrong? Are you nervous?" Meng Tingzhe smiled.

"I came to see Dad. He said he missed me."

"Is that so? The old man sent me away today, but thankfully I stayed alert. I didn’t expect you and Dad to have a family reunion. What was that lawyer doing here?"

Meng Siqi calmly replied, "How would I know? I just had a meal with Dad. If you want to know what's going on with them, you'll have to ask Dad yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, you wouldn’t know, right? Come on, sister, let me take you for a cup of milk tea."

"I have other things to do, sorry, maybe next time." She sidestepped past Meng Tingzhe and, with a sharp crack, crushed the red lipstick that had rolled onto the floor.

"Sister," Meng Tingzhe's voice came from behind, "remember to come home for dinner on the weekend."

"Okay," Meng Siqi replied dismissively, "see you then."

Meng Siqi quickly returned to the Chairman's office, where Meng Hui and Guo Zhaohong were still in conversation. Another man was present, similarly dressed in a suit like Guo Zhaohong. He was likely a colleague from Guo Zhaohong's law firm, as two witnesses were required for the will. Meng Hui introduced them, and the other guarantor lawyer was named Tang Yong.

Meng Siqi said she wanted to head back to the police station. She didn’t want to interfere with Meng Hui's will matters and didn’t want to disrupt his work.

As Meng Hui saw her out, he smiled and waved, reminding her to visit often and take care of her personal life. Meng Siqi also felt a sense of reluctance and repeatedly urged Meng Hui to take care of his health.

Back on the first floor, she ran into Manager Ma again.

Meng Siqi intentionally asked Manager Ma when no one was around, "May I ask you a question, Manager Ma?"

"Go ahead, Officer Meng."

"On June 30th, my brother said he would treat me to lunch, but he stood me up. I just wanted to ask, where did he go?"

Manager Ma thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Chairman Meng went to Jiaonan that day."

"Jiaonan?" The city television station was in Jiaonan, and while Jiaonan was quite large, this was already a significant match. She asked, "What was he doing in Jiaonan? Do you know the exact location?"

"He was probably there for business. Chairman Meng often travels for work, but I don’t know his exact schedule. He wouldn’t tell me."

"Thank you, Manager Ma."

Meng Siqi bid farewell to Manager Ma, her mind a mix of emotions. Today had been quite a shock. Meng Tingzhe matched the suspect's description too closely—wearing glasses, having an obsessive love for makeup, and having been to Jiaonan.

Most importantly, she had heard the "ahaha" sound in the study earlier—a sound Meng Tingzhe had made. He seemed to have asthma. Zhao Yuting had said that the raincoat man made a sound like "oh-oh," which matched the sound of asthma too well.

At this point, her thoughts drifted back to a year ago, as she had interacted with Meng Tingzhe more than once.

If she wasn’t mistaken, in September or October last year, Meng Tingzhe had approached her regarding business matters and had desperately tried to arrange her marriage to a 41-year-old businessman, Jiang Jianlong. It was actually Meng Tingzhe trying to use her marriage for business gains. At that time, he had offered her 5,000 yuan in a coffee shop, but she had refused him.

Thinking back, Meng Tingzhe must have been furious. Not long after, the first Red Dress murder took place.

She also remembered New Year's Eve this year, when Meng Hui had severely scolded Meng Tingzhe because of her "third-class merit" report. At that time, Meng Tingzhe must have been gritting his teeth. However, not long after, as she was investigating Long Shanwen's case, the second Red Dress murder occurred.

It had been a rainy day, and she remembered she was at Lu He's house, taking a shower and changing clothes. Lu He had cooked noodles for her but had rushed out.

In both cases, she seemed to have had interactions with Meng Tingzhe. Meng Tingzhe must have been driven by failures in his career or personal life to prey on women who were defenseless.

As for the third case, which had happened not long ago, what could be the reason? Could it be that Meng Tingzhe had known in advance about Father Meng Hui's will and inheritance distribution?

A chill crept up her spine. If Meng Tingzhe was indeed the perpetrator, she didn’t know how to face what was coming. Although Meng Tingzhe was not related to her by blood, they were legally siblings, and to avoid suspicion, she couldn’t continue investigating him.

She needed to return quickly and inform Lu He of her suspicions regarding Meng Tingzhe. She hoped that Lu He would investigate Meng Tingzhe's specific whereabouts in Jiaonan on the 30th. If he had indeed been near the television station, they could summon him for interrogation.

Meng Siqi didn’t walk fast, but each step became heavier. She didn’t dare to imagine what would happen to the Meng family if Meng Tingzhe was indeed the perpetrator.

After returning, Meng Siqi relayed the information she had gathered that day to Lu He. Meng Tingzhe was skilled at applying makeup and, on the afternoon of June 30th, he matched three characteristics described by Zhao Yuting: a man, wearing glasses, and making the "ah-oh, ah-oh" sounds.

As for Meng Tingzhe's habit of cross-dressing and being affectionate with men, Meng Siqi kept that confidential. She felt it was important to protect Meng Tingzhe's privacy, believing that since it was still the speculation stage, caution was needed.

Lu He was pleasantly surprised by her discovery. He immediately ordered his team to investigate Meng Tingzhe's whereabouts on June 30th, especially in the afternoon and evening, to verify his alibi.

If his alibi for that day was unclear, they would have no choice but to bring him in for questioning.

Meng Siqi asked, "Can we investigate the alibis for the first two cases?"

"The time gap is too long; gathering evidence might be difficult, but I'll assign people to look into it," Lu He replied.

Meng Siqi was in a state of tense anticipation. The next day, she received information from Team One's investigation that on the afternoon and evening of June 30th, Meng Tingzhe had been negotiating with a company called Zhongmao. There were lunch and dinner banquets with multiple witnesses. Although he had left for a bit, he had not strayed outside the Zhongmao circle.

Meng Siqi shook her head and said, "Captain Lu, the time between Tan Xiaoshuan's disappearance and murder is quite long. This doesn't completely rule out Meng Tingzhe as a suspect, does it?"

It takes less than half an hour to drive from Zhongmao to the city television station, though it might take up to forty minutes in the rain. If Meng Tingzhe left the noon banquet, drove to the city television station, ambushed Tan Xiaoshuan, took her to a construction site, returned to Zhongmao for the evening banquet, and then went back to the construction site after it ended to commit the crime—everything is entirely possible within the timeframe.

Lu He nodded and said, "Yes, it's possible, but it would be hard to prove unless we find new eyewitnesses who can confirm Meng Tingzhe was seen driving near the city television station."

Despite the peculiar coincidences involving Meng Tingzhe, Meng Siqi knew that everything hinged on evidence. They couldn't jump to conclusions based on coincidences alone.

Lu He seemed to comfort her by saying, "Siqi, I believe you have mixed feelings about investigating your brother. As a police officer, I admire your spirit."

Meng Siqi understood what Lu He meant. Investigating Meng Tingzhe was indeed complicated for her. Although Meng Tingzhe had always opposed her, he was still part of the Meng family. She had to consider Meng Hui's feelings. If Meng Tingzhe turned out to be the ruthless perpetrator of the Red Dress serial killings, it would not only impact Ye Xiuhui but also deliver a massive shock to Meng Hui, who had brought Meng Tingzhe home from the orphanage and raised him as his own.

But she was a people's police officer. In the course of duty, personal emotions had no place. Justice and fairness were paramount, even if it involved family or old friends. A calm and skeptical mindset was necessary—this was perhaps what Lu He meant by "admiring your spirit."

Lu He did not involve her directly in Meng Tingzhe's investigation nor inform the Meng family, showing that he had been considerate of her feelings.

Lu He added, "Currently, the leads on the Red Dress serial killings are scarce. I'm surprised and grateful for your discovery. I'll assign people to follow Meng Tingzhe, especially on rainy days."

Meng Siqi understood that even if they cleared Meng Tingzhe of initial suspicion, they couldn't easily drop his lead without more clues. Monitoring his movements on rainy days might be a necessary last resort.

Unexpectedly, after only two days of clear weather, it rained heavily again. Fortunately, Meng Siqi had collected her laundry in time. Due to the continuous rain, she could only dry her clothes over these two days. After gathering all the laundry and closing the windows tightly, she remembered Lu He's words—she would go downstairs in half an hour for a meal; Lu He would prepare something delicious for her today.

Outside, the thunder roared and lightning flashed, quickly turning into heavy rain. Meng Siqi's mood sank along with it. She had become somewhat sensitive to rainstorms.

She dried her hair, which had gotten wet from the rain on her way home, with a towel. She took off her short-sleeved police uniform and long-sleeved undershirt, changing into a loose white shirt.

After finishing some tasks, she went downstairs a few minutes early. Outside, the rain poured and thunder roared. With a troubled heart, Meng Siqi pushed open Lu He's door.

At that moment, she froze in place.

Lu He's body was curled up on the floor as if he had suffered an accident. His long legs were bent, and his arms were also bent, as he lay at the bedroom door. It seemed like he was trying hard to crawl into the bedroom. Her first thought was: Could the Red Dress killer have attacked Lu He?

"Lu He!" Meng Siqi rushed over and knelt beside him.

His entire body was cold, shivering. But it was July, and even on a rainy day, the temperature was high. Could he be running a fever?

She gently adjusted his head, which was lying face down on the floor, and finally saw his face. His skin was pale, his forehead covered in sweat, and his lips were as white as paper, trembling slightly as if he was seriously ill.

"Lu He, what's wrong?" Meng Siqi's heart pounded with panic. She grabbed his cold, clammy hand. "I'll take you to the hospital now! You have to hold on."

She tried to lift his arm to help him up.

"Siqi..." A faint voice came from Lu He's mouth.

He said something, but Meng Siqi didn't hear it. She leaned closer to his mouth and asked, "What did you say?"

"..."

Her eyes gradually welled up with a painful wetness. Lu He, don't get into trouble, please. I know a large part of the reason I came back thirty years was because of you. You mustn't get into any trouble.

"Siqi..."

His mouth moved, but Meng Siqi still couldn't hear clearly. She lifted his arm again. "Don't talk. We can't waste time on your condition. I'm taking you now."

"No, no, hold... hold..." Lu He intermittently uttered a few words.

"Hold? Okay, okay," Meng Siqi nodded fervently. "Are you cold? Let me hold you."

Meng Siqi sat on the ground, placing his cold head against her warm abdomen, his shoulders on her thighs.

She hoped her body warmth would comfort him. The sound of rain pattered outside as Meng Siqi gradually felt her body temperature dropping, and a faint flush of color appeared on Lu He's face.

His arms moved slowly, and before she noticed, Lu He's arms tightly wrapped around her waist, his head buried in her abdomen. Through the thin shirt, her skin felt his gradually even breathing.

He seemed to be slowly regaining his health, but Meng Siqi wasn't sure if she should take him to the hospital. She asked softly, "Lu He, should I take you to the hospital? Is that okay?"

He didn't move, but his hold on her waist didn't loosen a bit. Meng Siqi called out again, "Lu He?" Most of his body was lying on the cold ground, and this wasn't a solution.

As she hesitated, Lu He's thin lips moved slightly. "Siqi, let me hold you." His hand held her tighter, as if afraid she would leave.

Meng Siqi wasn't sure what to feel. She knew Lu He was sick and needed warmth, but this was the first time they had been so close, their skin touching, the intimacy growing stronger as time passed.

Over the span of thirty years, her journey with Lu He had moved from shock and curiosity to closeness and shared experiences. She was grateful for his help, for him being her mentor and old friend in the path of criminal investigation, and for the many ordinary things he had done that were so touching.

She wasn't sure what she felt for Lu He. Everyone around her seemed to link her and Lu He together, and this thirty-year journey seemed to have started because of him.

She didn't know what love was. She had never been in a relationship and didn't know what it meant to be close to a man.

The last time Lu He said he wanted to pursue her, her response about 'caring' was mainly because she hoped he'd look after his own safety.

Her fingers clutched Lu He's collar as she watched his face calm, his eyelids gently close, and his lips regain color.

She began to wonder if she could let him into her heart, to keep him in her blood-pumping heart for the rest of her life.

Her heart beat fiercely as he felt the warmth from Meng Siqi's body.

For over twenty years, Lu He’s heart had remained cold and empty. He finally felt the warmth that was like his mother's.

"He'er, remember, don't make a sound! No matter what, don't make any sound!"

"Mom will always love you!"

"Forever, He'er!"

But she had left him. For over twenty years, Lu He woke from nightmares, each time hearing his mother’s broken voice.

He vividly remembered his mother’s warm embrace like a spring breeze, but he hadn’t felt that warmth since.

But she had left him. For over twenty years, Lu He woke from nightmares, each time hearing his mother’s broken voice.

He felt transported back to childhood, when his mother took him to the steel factory to watch molten metal pour out that night.

She always pointed it out, saying, "Look, He'er, isn’t it beautiful?"

"Beautiful." His small hand was held, and he would always remember the color of that flame, the color symbolizing life. Lu He slowly smiled, holding the person before him, feeling warmth once more, though it was different from his mother’s.

The warmth and scent of Meng Siqi's body gave him a unique feeling, with every touch of her body, his blood surged like molten steel, fiery and intense.

He vividly remembered his father wearing a steel mill safety helmet, sweating profusely, and this feeling mirrored his father’s race against time, his dedication to the steel industry.

He didn't want to leave her, he wanted to keep possessing her forever, no matter what the cost.

Even if it meant jumping into the scorching steel furnace like his father!

"Lu He, are you feeling better?"

Lu He heard her voice again, the one that brought him both peace and an unsettling tremor. He didn’t respond; he pretended not to hear. He knew he could get up, but he clung to her tightly, regardless, he had to hold onto this rare moment.

"My legs feel numb," Meng Siqi said, sounding a bit wronged.