Notes From A Criminal Investigation Chapter 2

Fortunately, Owen did not take the opportunity to hold hands in the dark.

After the performance, Leo was immersed in the plot, with tears still on her face. Owen had no feelings for musicals, and he was struggling with himself throughout the performance. According to his experience in picking up girls in Yangzhou, he should have held Leo's hand without hesitation during the performance, and he might even have taken further action. However, facing the pure and innocent Leo, he was unusually afraid of wolves in front and tigers behind, worried that if he acted carelessly and annoyed her, he would have no chance in the future.

Leo is a very serious person and sometimes even old-fashioned. Owen has experienced this since he was a child.

After the performance, Owen accompanied Leo to the backstage to ask the leading actor for his autograph.

When they arrived backstage, Leo stopped at the door and said, "Can we really get an autograph? Jack is a big name." Owen smiled mysteriously and said, "Everything is under control." After entering the backstage, the opera house leader enthusiastically took Owen and Leo to find the famous actor Jack.

Jack, the man with blue eyes and golden hair, signed an autograph for Leo in a very procedural manner and agreed to take a photo together.

After leaving the opera house, Leo was still immersed in the opera, and his emotions were more excited than usual. He asked, "Why did the director of the opera house take you to ask for an autograph?"

Owen said: "I have personal charm!"

Leo said: "Stop talking so smoothly and tell the truth."

Owen said, "The opera house received an investment last year, which brought it back to life. This money was invested by my father, so I can take advantage of the power of others. I know you like this musical, and it happens that this musical troupe is performing in Yangzhou. I asked the opera house to find a way to get the performance team to Jiangzhou. I'm not bragging, it's true."

"So that's how it is!" Leo's family education has always advocated contentment with poverty and contempt for the rich, at least on the surface. He was able to follow Owen to the backstage of performances as if it were flat ground, take photos with the actors he admired, and even the musical troupe's performance in Jiangzhou was related to Owen. This shocked Leo deeply, and he felt that the family education he received seemed to be a cover to isolate himself from the outside world, and he was suspected of covering his ears and stealing the bell.

Owen completed a low-key and effective show-off, secretly proud of himself but pretending to be calm.

Leo pushed his bicycle forward, and Owen walked beside him, chatting casually.

After walking along the tree-lined avenue for about ten minutes, the tall building of Shannan Bank could be seen in the distance. Arriving at this building meant that Leo would ride his bicycle along Shengli Road out of the city and return to Shi'an Factory. Owen slowed down his pace, wanting to walk a little longer with Leo.

There was a commotion at the corner of the street, and people were running fast and gathering together. Jiangzhou citizens always like to watch the excitement, and fighting and car crashes on the street often attract onlookers. The noise and running mean that something new has happened on the street.

On the street, two young people, a man and a woman, were arguing fiercely, like fighting cocks, neither of them giving in.

They seemed to be a young couple. The girl wanted to break up, but the boy disagreed. The girl was only 18 or 19 years old, and was pretty. The boy was in his twenties, and his clothes and temperament were very ordinary. The onlookers were very excited and talked a lot. Some people even urged them to break up quickly. After arguing for a while, the girl turned around and wanted to leave. The man reached out to grab the girl, and the woman struggled hard to get away. During the struggle, the man became angry and took out a dagger and stabbed the girl.

The crowd was just watching the fun and making a fuss, but when the man committed the crime, they were all stunned and watched him stab people with a dagger. The woman was stabbed in the shoulder by the dagger, but she was not fatally injured. She saw her former lover's eyes were red and murderous, and she was so scared that she had no strength to respond.

A bystander came to his senses and shouted, "Run!"

The man pulled the woman to the ground, squatted beside her, and calmly stabbed her a second and third time.

A reporter from an evening newspaper happened to be among the crowd, and out of professional sensitivity, he chose an excellent angle and captured the brutal murderer and the stunned onlookers in his camera.

When the man stabbed for the sixth time, Owen rushed over carrying Leo's bicycle. He held the bicycle horizontally and smashed it on the man's face. The man's attention was all on the woman, and he didn't notice the changes in his surroundings. He was hit by the bicycle and fell to the ground.

Owen kicked the attacker hard in the face again.

The assailant fell into a frenzy, lying on the ground, swinging his knife wildly. Owen's leather shoe kicked the assailant in the face, making a crisp "bang" sound.

A young man with a schoolbag jumped out and kicked the attacker in the other side of his face. The young man was Tyler, a classmate of Owen and Leo. Although he had been socializing with people since junior high school, had fought and stolen cars, it was the first time he saw a murder in the street, and his mind was stunned. After Owen jumped out and knocked the attacker to the ground, he came to his senses and kicked the attacker hard.

The power of example is infinite. When someone dared to stand up, there was a second person, and then a third person. The third person was a fat man, who picked up his bicycle again and threw it at the attacker. More and more people rushed out and beat and kicked the attacker.

When the police arrived after hearing the news, the attacker's face was covered in blood and he was lying on the ground like a dead dog.

The stabbed woman was seriously injured and died on the spot.

After the attacker was subdued, Leo carried Owen on his bicycle to a nearby hospital for bandaging. In the emergency room of the hospital, Owen pulled open his trouser legs with a grimacing face. The wound on his calf was four or five centimeters long, and blood kept pouring out. Leo was terrified.

When the doctor began to treat the wound, Owen reached out and held Leo's hand. This was a bold attempt, and Leo did not refuse because he chose the right time and place.

Owen was overjoyed when his plot succeeded. He closed his eyes and concentrated on experiencing the feeling of shaking hands with Leo. In childhood, Owen and Leo often played together, hugging and pushing each other. At that time, they were too young, and when they touched each other, it was like the left hand touching the right hand, and there was no feeling at all. Entering puberty, he held Leo's hand again, and felt waves of bioelectricity from the other's soft and boneless hand, which accelerated his heartbeat, caused drastic changes in the endocrine system, and increased dopamine.

Facing the murder scene together, Leo's evaluation and feelings towards Owen changed significantly. When Owen returned from the provincial capital, he exuded a strong dandy temperament, which made her feel alienated. After encountering the murder case, Leo never expected that Owen would be the first to rush out and beat the murderer.

Coming out of the hospital, Leo said, "I didn't expect you to still be as brave as when you were a kid."

As he spoke, Leo shook off the "claw" calmly, which made Owen very regretful. Even more regrettable was another thing. Owen said: "We are too far away from the murder scene, otherwise we could have saved the girl. What a pity."

Leo comforted her softly: "You have tried your best. If the people around you could have stepped forward in time, the girl might have been saved."

At Owen's strong request, the two returned to the scene. The scene was cleaned up in a short time, but there was still a group of idle people talking about the crime scene and refusing to leave. Owen and Leo gathered in the crowd and listened for a while and learned a lot of details: the murdered woman's brother worked in a nearby bank and was the bank's security chief; the security chief was very tall and knelt on the ground crying when he learned that his sister had been killed.

The bank's family compound is nearby, and some nosy family members of bank employees were talking about the security chief's family affairs in the crowd.

An old woman, carrying a basket of vegetables, expressed her deep sympathy for the security chief and said, "He is a good man, usually quiet, responsible at work, and sincere. They are brother and sister. When they were very young, their parents died in a car accident. The brother raised his sister. It was not easy for him to be both the eldest brother and the parent. He raised his sister and the relationship between them is not comparable to that of ordinary brothers and sisters. I heard that he was trying to transfer his sister, who is a teacher in the town, to a job and had already made some progress, but who knew he would encounter such a thing. It's really true that man disposes, but God disposes!"

Hearing these things, Leo sighed: "What kind of world is this now? Good people don't live long, but evil people live for thousands of years."

Compared with the sentimental Leo, Owen was obviously heartless and said, "Then I will become a disaster and live for a thousand years."

Leo said angrily, "Don't joke around now, I'm not in the mood. You've been doing all kinds of bad things in the provincial capital these years, don't stare, I've heard about it, this is the truth. If you want to be friends with me in the future, you have to change your ways, study hard, and become a decent person."

In the provincial capital's circle, if someone said something like this, everyone would laugh at them and regard them as a hypocrite or a fool. However, Leo was very sincere when she said this, which made it impossible for Owen to laugh at her in a "deconstruction" way.

At night, Leo repeatedly dreamed of Owen rushing to save people. When Owen saw someone killing someone, he rushed over without thinking, completely out of instinct. His brave and decisive posture of rushing to save people left a deep impression on her.

The news of the street murder was soon published in the Jiangzhou Evening News.

Every day at dinner time, Julian would read the newspaper before dinner to learn about Jiangzhou news. This has become an unshakable habit. After reading the fourth page, he put the newspaper on the table and sighed: "People's hearts have changed. If it were ten years ago, there would definitely be a group of people rushing out to help the victims."

Leo picked up the newspaper curiously, read the fourth page article, and angrily said: "The reporter has no professional ethics and quoted out of context!"

Julian said: "How do you know the reporter took your words out of context?"

Watching the show with Owen was a secret, and parents must not know about it, otherwise they would nag me endlessly. Leo paused and said, "There were classmates in our class who were at the scene and knew what happened. The crime happened very suddenly, and the onlookers were stunned and did not react. Later, many people rushed out and subdued the murderer together. The reporter only wrote about the first half of the incident, and the later part where the onlookers beat the murderer together was cut off."

"Is there such a thing?" Julian picked up the newspaper again.

"Passersby are indifferent, a life as beautiful as a flower withers", under the title is a clear large photo: the murderer raised a knife and was stabbing a young woman lying on the ground. The young woman was covered in blood, and she gave up resistance, with a look of pain and despair. There were several people standing next to the murderer, none of them smiling, their expressions were a little dull.

Leo blinked and said, "Two of our classmates saw this and explained it very clearly."

Julian checked the names of the photographer and editor and said, "If what you said is true, then there is a big problem with the report. The newspaper criticized the passers-by for being indifferent, but the newspaper's photographer was also at the scene. He was only concerned with taking pictures. Why didn't he do something brave? Although I am also a photography enthusiast and understand the photographer's eagerness to take pictures, human life is more important than a wonderful photo. At this time, the most important thing he should do is put down the camera. Even yelling at the criminals is more valuable than a wonderful photo."

"Dad, your point of view is very sharp." Leo was so angry when he read the newspaper that he did not notice the contradiction vaguely revealed in the article.

Julian said angrily: "Today, newspapers only use exaggerated or even false reports to increase sales. Only with sales can there be advertising, and only with advertising can one make money. Money is the main reason why people's hearts are no longer ancient and social atmosphere is not right."

On the way to Jiangzhou No. 1 Middle School, Leo put the newspaper into his schoolbag.

After school in the afternoon, Owen and Leo walked out of the school one after another and came to the river.

The section of the river in Jiangzhou City is called Jiangzhou River. Jiangzhou River passes through the urban area, flows eastward, and finally merges into the Yangtze River. In recent years, the Jiangzhou Municipal Government has made every effort to create riverside landscapes and build riverside garden belts, providing citizens with a natural resting place.

"What's the matter? You were so secretive and refused to tell me just now." Owen looked around and immediately fell in love with this "date" place.

"The newspaper reporter completely ignored the facts. The fact that everyone worked together to subdue the murderer was not mentioned at all in the news." Leo handed the Jiangzhou Evening News to Owen and asked him to read the article on page 4.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness! My dad is a coward now. The richer he is, the more cowardly he becomes. He is most afraid that something will happen to me. If he knew that I was going to do something brave and righteous, the sky would definitely fall and our family would be in chaos. My dad would most likely assign me two more bodyguards." Owen patted his forehead and shouted that he was lucky.

Leo thought of the image of the "bodyguard in black" and couldn't help laughing. He said, "Is it that exaggerated? I feel that the social security is pretty good. You are deliberately trying to discredit the Jiangzhou government."

"To put it in a literary way, the public security is similar to the Yangtze River, calm on the surface, but turbulent under the water." Owen saw Leo curling his lips and said, "My father has a friend named Ding Chenguang, who is also in the motorcycle business. His only daughter is Ding Li, who was killed in Jiangzhou a few years ago, and the case has not been solved yet. After Ding Li was killed, my father was scared out of his wits. In the early days of Yangzhou, he actually assigned me a bodyguard."

Leo's parents chose to become working class, which means they lost wealth but gained peace. Over the years, Leo lived on campus and in the Shi'an factory area, and rarely faced the dangers of society. When she heard Owen talk about the swordplay in the business world, she got goose bumps all over her body. She looked at Owen with sympathy and said softly: "Owen, how do you feel about becoming a rich second generation? Are you having a hard time and feeling distressed?"

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Owen said with a sad face.

"Of course, I want to hear the truth. Uncle Hou becoming a rich man will definitely have a negative impact on you. When I mentioned Ding Li just now, I was nervous."

"Being a rich man is very stressful" is a fixed view of Julian and Stella. In the family communication a few years ago, they often mentioned the story of Owen mixing with the youth of society due to lack of parental discipline. Julian and Stella believed that Owen was so smart and cute when he was a child, but because he became a rich second generation, he went astray and ruined his life. They expressed deep sympathy for Owen in their conversation. Influenced by his parents, Leo also felt that Owen was pitiful for losing his parents' love.

"I'll tell you the truth. I didn't tell the truth to other people." Owen looked serious. He first looked down at the peaceful river, then looked up at the starry sky at a 45-degree angle. Then he deliberately looked at Leo with a deep gaze and said, "I now feel that being a rich second-generation is good except for the safety issue. If I could be a full-time dandy, it would be so cool, so cool!"

He spoke very seriously at the beginning, but smiled happily at the end.

"You actually said that the dandy boy was having a great time! I hate you. I won't pay any attention to you." Leo was going to hear Owen's complaints, but unexpectedly the tone changed suddenly. He became very angry and raised his hand to hit him.

Owen reached out and grabbed Leo's wrist.

Owen and Leo haven't seen each other for several years since the Hou family moved out of the No. 6 compound. This time they met again at Jiangzhou No. 1 Middle School. Not long after they met, they experienced a bloody incident together. Their relationship suddenly went back to a few years ago. The two used to be in a "brother-sister" relationship. They grew up together and met every day. Their friendship was full of family affection. After several years of separation, the huge changes in the family environment gave them room to grow and brought a new perspective, restoring their "brother-sister" relationship to a normal young man and woman who love the opposite s3x.

Owen often held Leo's hand when he was a child, and they even wrestled together, and he never felt anything strange. He always remembered how he felt when Leo opened the door. At that time, the scene was completely like a goddess of youth appearing out of nowhere. This feeling of a goddess appearing was completely different from the feeling of childhood sweethearts.

Leo's wrist was held by Owen, her face flushed all the way to her neck, she shrank back, but did not break free from his clutches. She had not expected Owen to be so bold, her mind was in a mess for a moment, her face was burning like fire.

"Let go!"

"I won't let go!"

"Owen, let go!"

"Newspaper girl, I won't let go!"

Hearing the name "newspaper girl", Leo recalled the embarrassing experience in his childhood and burst into laughter. The goddess of youth smiled, and Owen was encouraged and refused to let go.

Leo finally gave in and stopped trying to free his hands from Owen's clutches.

The two held hands and talked under a tree by the river. Leo glowed with a brighter look, and the youthful radiance filled Owen's face, making him feel the beauty of holiness.

The two chatted by the river for about 20 minutes, and then Leo wanted to go home. Leo was the daughter of the Yang family, and her parents set a clear time for her to go home in order to protect her. If there was a significant difference between her time to go home and her time to finish school, Leo had to give her father a reasonable explanation.

After returning to the city, Owen bought a bicycle. The next day after school, Owen rode his bicycle to take Leo back to Shi'an Factory. After arriving at Shi'an Bridge, Leo refused to let Owen follow him.

Owen insisted: "Let's get off the bus and walk for a while."

Leo also wanted to be with Owen from the bottom of his heart, so he "reluctantly" agreed to this plan. The two pushed their bicycles towards Shi'an Factory. There was still one kilometer from Shi'an Bridge to Shi'an Factory. The two had a lot to talk about, and the journey home was too short.

Owen said: "I have been following you these past two days and found that you have a basic route when riding your bicycle from school to the Shi'an factory, and you have hardly ever deviated from it."

"Really? Maybe it's my dad's style. You know my dad's personality. He's a surgeon and he's very rigorous. He's not only rigorous in work but also in life. From another perspective, he's rigid. After graduating from junior high school, I took the military art troupe exam during the summer vacation and passed it. My dad wanted me to study medicine and thought that joining the art troupe was a job for young people, so he refused to let me go. I wanted to go, but I gave in and ended up going to No. 1 Middle School."

Leo talked about something that was very important and regrettable to him.

"Fortunately you didn't go, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to meet up." Owen comforted him, "If you are really interested in the art troupe, I will let Guolong Group invest in setting up a Guolong Art Troupe. You can be the head of the troupe and do whatever you want."

Leo rolled his eyes at the dandy boy and said, "There are many things that cannot be bought with money. You must change your rich second-generation mentality in the future. My future boyfriend must be admitted to a key university through his own ability."

Over the years, the two childhood sweethearts have developed a certain gap in their thinking. Leo realized that Owen now has the mindset of a rich second-generation and is used to using money as a criterion. Although their views on the world are quietly changing, the feelings they have cultivated since childhood and the chemical reaction between handsome men and beautiful women make their relationship very pleasant.

Since the end of September, Owen has been riding a bicycle to take Leo home. Leo was greatly influenced by his father and behaved cautiously. He did not want anyone to know about their relationship, so he arranged his trip home very secretly. After school, the two went to different areas to get bicycles, drove out of the city, met in the suburbs, and finally parted at Shi'an Bridge. There was a dense forest near Shi'an Bridge, and there was a flat grassland in the middle of the dense forest. The two often sat on the grassland to review their homework.

No one knows Owen and Leo's little secret except Yang Hong, Leo's deskmate and friend.

On October 18, Owen received a call from his buddy in the provincial capital, and they were going to get together in Jiangzhou in the afternoon. The buddy said ambiguously on the phone that two girls from the art school were going to come to Jiangzhou together, and they would have a good time together. When Owen was in the provincial capital, he was in the circle of rich young men. Because he was young, in order to act cool in the circle, he followed the big brothers and even acted as a pioneer when something happened.

After returning to Jiangzhou, Owen's life took a wonderful turn. He only had eyes for Leo and no longer had any interest in other girls. But today, the big brothers from the provincial capital came over, and Owen had to receive them out of loyalty.

After school, Leo left the school and rode his bike home alone.

An hour later, a rare autumn rainstorm hit Jiangzhou, and the water level of the Jiangzhou River surged.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the rainstorm continued intermittently, and Leo had not returned home yet. His parents became anxious.

At 7:30 p.m., Julian and Stella called their neighbors to search for Leo along the road, and found the bicycle lying on the ground at Shi'an Bridge. After the neighbors of Shi'an Factory Yard No. 6 reported the case, they braved the heavy rain and thunder to search along the river, but still found nothing by daybreak.

Owen had a big drink with his friends from the provincial capital, and then went home to sleep. At this time, Leo had already died alone.