Besides, Pei Dai was from the criminal police team, so if he was involved, he was definitely connected to the murder.
Pei Dai had previously been involved in this case, as Qin Zhao had mentioned in a message he'd sent him back then.
Jiang Sui wasn't unfamiliar with the name Pei Dai; he seemed to be his aunt's first love.
After a long time of contemplation, Jiang Sui finally found Mei Yeqin.
Jiang Sui knew his aunt would undoubtedly be able to guess something, so he didn't try to stop her, only frowning slightly, a hint of resistance. He didn't want more people to know about her suffering.
Mei Yeqin was the most intuitively aware of Jiang Sui's emotions. Seeing the young man nod in acknowledgment, she didn't press further.
On her part, she gave the young man the tolerance he deserved.
"I'll give you his phone number. I'll call him later. You can contact him directly."
Mei Yeqin pondered for a moment before finally relenting.
Jiang Sui's eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at her, "Thank you, auntie."
He was a bit childish now, Mei Yeqin thought. His previous coldness, as if he was afraid she wouldn't tell him, wouldn't help him, had been so cold to her. Now, that coldness had been broken considerably by his look of surprise.
"But if you need my help with anything, you still have to tell me."
This was something Mei Yeqin always emphasized to the boy, telling him that she was his strong support and a safe haven. Although the boy had never needed it before, this was clearly a good start.
The boy, listening to Mei Yeqin's words, met her expression with a stunned look. With all his strength, he spoke a word that brought both joy and bittersweetness to Mei Yeqin.
"Auntie, once this is over, you can examine me."
Mei Yeqin's face was momentarily stunned. She hadn't quite grasped what the boy meant at first, but in a moment, she understood. With some difficulty, she spoke with a touch of sadness.
"Okay."
So this guy had always known she was a psychiatrist.
At that moment, Mei Yeqin felt as though she had done nothing wrong. She would protect her sister's son, Ah Sui.
Pei Dai, on duty, had a dazed look on his face when he received Mei Yeqin's call. He was distributing midnight snacks to the office when he suddenly placed his index finger to his lips.
"Quiet..."
As the noisy crowd around them quieted, everyone looked at Pei Dai with varying expressions.
His resolute and handsome face was distorted into a strain of difficult tenderness.
"Qinqin."
The surprised voice made Mei Yeqin, who had just connected, feel a little uneasy. When the call didn't go through at first, she'd worried he'd changed his number, or hadn't saved her phone number in his phone. But hearing this awkward tenderness inevitably brought back memories of her school days.
He actually still had her number.
But Mei Yeqin quickly regained her composure.
"It's me."
A long electric current radiated through their ears. After a long moment, Mei Yeqin finally spoke.
"It's so late, I don't know if I'm disturbing you. I have something to ask you."
Mei Yeqin was the type of person who didn't talk much, and she was known as the aloof beauty at school. Only Pei Dai knew that she simply didn't know how to get along with others and was a little confused. In fact, she was very direct.
Even the phrase, "Let's fall in love," was too direct, making him feel a little embarrassed.
He was almost thirty, but now he was like a young boy, his heart pounding non-stop.
"Qinqin, tell me, what's going on?"
After he finished speaking, he felt a little too hasty. Was he being inappropriate or too impatient? Would he scare her away?
This worry made the usually aloof Captain Pei frown.
Fortunately, he had already entered the office at this time, otherwise everyone would have been in for a surprise attack.
Pei Dai, feeling somewhat restless, paced around the office.
Mei Yeqin, however, didn't dwell on it.
"My nephew, Jiang Sui, has a case want to tell you about."
Her directness made Pei Dai pause, his brow furrowing even deeper. He had an impression of Qinqin's nephew, a cold, young man. A rough calculation suggested he was still a child. And there was a case to discuss?
But Mei Yeqin never joked, nor did she enjoy it. This made Pei Dai's face grow more serious. This was the Pei Dai he usually was when he was investigating a case.
"I'm not entirely sure about the Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School case, but my guess is it's related to the young master of the Li family. I remember you were involved in that case..."
Pei Dai paused as he listened to Mei Yeqin's words. He remembered this case so vividly, the imprint in his mind had never faded. The mysteries from that year were so numerous...
How could Qinqin's nephew be connected to this case? If so, he would surely remember it. But at this moment, Pei Dai couldn't recall the connection between this case and Jiang Sui.
"Ah Sui didn't tell me the specifics. I'll give him your contact information and ask him to find you. He's a student at Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School."
Pei Dai's frown softened slightly at Mei Yeqin's last words, but it remained tightly furrowed. No one liked the idea of the family of someone they loved being implicated in a case, and now, with something like this happening, Captain Pei, always known for his tongue, was even more tongue-tied.
"Qinqin, don't worry. I won't wrongly accuse a good person, nor will I let a bad person go free."
...
At this point, Pei Dai felt a little uneasy. It sounded like he was referring to a suspect, and he quickly corrected himself.
"Qinqin, that's not what I meant. If Jiang Sui makes any mistakes, I'll definitely teach him a lesson for you..."
After that, things became even more awkward. Pei Dai, anxious as an ant climbing a tree.
Mei Yeqin's eyebrows curved slightly. It was surprising that after all these years, this nerdy boy was still like this. Perhaps those youthful years in campus had made up for some of the pain of her sister's passing. The corners of Mei Yeqin's lips curved slightly.
"I understand. Just treat it as work. No need to make any concessions for anyone. Just go through the normal process. Ah Sui is my sister's child. I know him best."
"That's it. Go ahead and do your work. I won't bother you anymore."
Pei Dai murmured a bewildered "hmm."
That look of certainty made Pei Dai feel a little relieved, but also a little uncomfortable. He looked at the phone that had hung up.
The lack of any trace of nostalgia left a bitter taste in his mouth, and the joy he'd just felt faded slightly.
It felt like a dream; after all these years, she had finally called him.
But this call was for someone else.
Not really, someone else. It was Sister Qinqin's child, a family member, and his nephew, so to speak.
Captain Pei found comfort in this thought.