Chu Lingyun's claim of an "alibi" gave Gao Muyang the perfect, legitimate excuse he needed to let her off the hook—for now. He seized the opportunity smoothly.
"Alright then," he declared, his tone shifting to something almost casual. "Let's head to the cafe next door for a break. Must be parched after all that talking. My treat."
Without giving her a chance to refuse, Gao Muyang's long arm swept out, scooping her up like a stray kitten and steering her firmly towards the cafe. His sudden generosity left Chu Lingyun feeling flustered and oddly shy.
*This Gao Muyang…* she thought, bewildered. *Is he considerate? He manhandles me like I weigh nothing, completely oblivious to personal space boundaries or the blush he's put on my face!*
*But is he clueless? He somehow picked up on my tension and chose a comfortable, upscale setting for further questioning.*
In short, he was a walking contradiction. Fierce as a tiger, yet capable of appreciating a delicate rose – like Zhang Fei threading a needle: *rough exterior, fine detail*.
He also knew the relaxed cafe atmosphere would likely yield better results, helping him piece together the full picture of events.
As for what astonishing, jaw-dropping revelations Chu Lingyun might utter next, Gao Muyang *thought* he was mentally prepared. Turns out, his preparation was sorely inadequate...
Once seated, Gao Muyan ordered a large iced Americano for himself and thoughtfully requested a warm latte for Lingyun. He then instructed her to start gathering proof for her alibi.
Working together, they listed several potential pieces of evidence, though the process was fragmented. Some required online verification, others needed physical collection.
The list included:Her digital clock-out record from work last night.Witness testimony from colleagues who worked late.Surveillance footage from her workplace.Traffic or street camera footage along her commute route home.Neighborhood surveillance proving she hadn't left her residence during the estimated time of the fire...
As a detective, meticulousness was paramount. This complete chain of evidence was non-negotiable. Even if Gao Muyang *wanted* to cut her slack, basic procedural justice had to be followed.
Chu Lingyun didn't fully understand the necessity but respected it. Thankfully, modern tech and standardized procedures made some evidence relatively easy to obtain.
She could pull up her clock-out record on her phone and message her overtime colleagues for witness statements and help accessing security footage.
Other evidence, like street cameras or finding local witnesses, promised to be more troublesome, requiring legwork and on-site visits – meaning someone was in for a lot of running around.
After a moment's thought, Gao Muyang decided to delegate the fieldwork to his colleague, Gazi. He would stay and continue questioning Chu Lingyun – a strategy for efficiency.
*The truth was,* a wave of protectiveness washed over him. He felt reluctant to subject her to the fatigue and hassle of chasing down evidence. Better to let Gazi play the part of the *donkey on nuclear fuel*.
The news of his immediate field assignment hit Gazi like a whirlwind. He burst into the cafe, a picture of theatrical despair. "For *this little thing*?" he wailed at Gao Muyang, gesturing dramatically towards Chu Lingyun. "You're making your *brother* run around *now*? How could you?!"
He shot Chu Lingyun a sidelong glance, adding with mock outrage, "Hmph! Looks like a startled chipmunk. Could probably jump right over her with one step!"
Chu Lingyun stared blankly, utterly bewildered. *What did I do to deserve this?* Caught in the crossfire and insulted for no reason, she felt like she might actually cough up blood.
Gao Muyang's ears flushed slightly; he'd been called out. He coughed twice, masking his embarrassment with a stern facade.
"Enough clowning around! Serious business! Get moving and collect that alibi evidence. I'll handle the interrogation here. We split up, crack this case faster! Slack off now, kiss that commendation goodbye!"
Gazi puffed out his chest indignantly. "Hmph! Yang-ge, you're playing favorites! I see you! Skipping work hours to cozy up with a girl? What kind of brother does that, huh?!"
"I'm out there sweating buckets at the fire scene, and now you want me running *more* errands while you sip coffee in the shade, chatting up this little… *suspect*?"
"You… You're letting a pretty face cloud your judgment! Unfair! This is completely unfair! Fine! I'm reporting you! Straight to Beijing, I'll go!"
Gao Muyang rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Fine, fine! Go! Report away! But if you go," he said, pulling a takeaway cup from behind his back like a magician, "this coffee I got *especially* for you will just have to go to the dogs."
He'd bought it for Gazi, only to be met with teasing instead of thanks.
Gazi's eyes lit up like fireworks at the sight of the coffee. He snatched it with a grin, his complaints instantly downgraded to grumbling acceptance. "Alright, alright… I'll go. For the coffee."
Chu Lingyun watched the rapid mood swing, utterly bewildered but also reluctantly impressed. Regardless, he *was* running around for her sake. Social anxiety be damned, she owed him thanks.
She forced out the words, laced with painfully polite formality: "Um, thank you. Sorry for the trouble."
Gazi, however, wasn't having it. He snorted, directing his disdain at her. "Ha! Trouble? Nah. Just cursed with bad luck!" He took a pointedly loud sip of his coffee.
Gao Muyang's patience snapped. He fixed Gazi with a hard stare.
"Are you going or not? Endless chatter! Tell me, what's a young girl like her supposed to do out there? Huh? How's she supposed to boss around street-level tough guys? Demand surveillance footage? Magic?"
"Without a badge, without authority, she can't make anyone lift a finger! *That's* your job! Quit whining and *do* it! Or do you want this case solved sometime this century?!"
Gazi opened his mouth to argue, but logic finally pierced his indignation. He muttered under his breath,
"Oho, defending her already! Quick to scold me! Look at yourself! Since when does interrogation involve taking the suspect out for coffee *on your dime*? What kind of questioning is *this*?"
"You're clearly treating her special… Fine, fine!" He threw his hands up dramatically. "For my *brother's* future happiness, I'll bite the bullet! I'm going! Who's scared? Hmph! Scumbag!"
With that parting shot, Gazi bolted out the door as if demons were chasing him. *Like the poet said: Mission done, robes brushed clean, fame left unseen.*
Gao Muyang's furious "You—!" hung in the air, unfinished. Gazi was gone, leaving the two remaining occupants staring at each other in stunned, awkward silence.
Finally alone with Chu Lingyun, Gao Muyang slumped back in his chair, utterly drained. *Dealing with her tension, then his tantrums… This job is killing me.*
He rubbed his temples, lamenting the sheer absurdity of his day. *When will it end?*
He didn't notice the delicate flush creeping up Chu Lingyun's cheeks, staining them a bright crimson like steamed shrimp. Was it the warm coffee? Or… something else?
Her first impression of Gao Muyang hadn't been favorable. He'd radiated an intimidating presence—tall, stern, icy—making her instinctively wary.
But unexpectedly, after seeing how fiercely Gao Muyang had defended her, Chu Lingyun found her opinion shifting.
He wasn't as intimidatingly cold as she'd first thought. In fact, a strange warmth bloomed in her chest, sending flutters through her stomach and painting her thoughts in a distinctly rosy haze.
This pleasant bubble, however, was destined to be short-lived. Gao Muyang's next move, a classic example of a clueless, straight-as-an-arrow tough guy, would promptly pop every last one of those rosy fantasies.
...
Meanwhile, despite mercilessly teasing the pair, Gazi approached his assigned task with zero slack. He raced to the locations and threw himself into the investigation with professional diligence.
He might gripe all he wanted, but Gazi couldn't genuinely dismiss the weight of seven lost lives. Besides, knowing Gao Muyang as he did, he understood his partner wasn't the type to let romantic distractions cloud his judgment.
If Gao Muyang sent him out here, there *had* to be a significant, breakthrough reason – likely to prevent alerting anyone while crucial leads were pursued.
Sure enough, diligence paid off. He quickly identified a key piece of evidence: a high-definition security camera positioned directly above the main entrance to Chu Lingyun's residential complex, capturing everyone coming and going.
Further inquiries confirmed this was the *only* pedestrian access point for residents. Other gates were either vehicle-only or permanently locked.
Records showed Chu Lingyun owned no car and held no driver's license, leading to one inevitable conclusion: she entered and exited the complex exclusively through this main gate.
This drastically narrowed his workload. All he needed was footage from this specific camera covering the critical time window of the fire.
The property manager promptly provided the recordings. The late-night footage showed deserted streets – not a soul in sight. Chu Lingyun appeared entering the complex after work and didn't reappear on camera until the following morning. She hadn't left.
Back at the cafe, with Gao Muyang's help, Chu Lingyun had meticulously compiled her own evidence trail – work records, colleague confirmations, digital timestamps – all painting a picture of an utterly ordinary evening: work, commute, home. No deviations.
**The result was undeniable: Chu Lingyun was cleared of all suspicion!**