Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1171: The First Bullet

When Zhou Yusheng woke up, he felt a splitting headache—but it wasn’t his usual chronic one. Instead, it was the kind that came after a hangover, and oddly enough, it made him feel more relaxed.

Gao Wen wasn’t there, but he had left a note.

"I went to school. There's breakfast downstairs, help yourself. I also left you some clean clothes—take a shower if you can, you really stink. And don’t forget to lock the door when you leave. –Gao Wen."

Zhou Yusheng smiled instinctively.

Maybe he had slept too much, but he did feel much better than before.

He looked around, then hesitated before rummaging through Gao Wen’s study. Soon, he found a small bottle in a drawer of one of the bookshelves.

He stuffed the bottle into his clothes, then hesitated again. Finally, he opened it, poured out a few pills, wrapped them in a tissue, and returned the bottle to its original place.

He went downstairs, showered, ate a little, then left—heading straight to the bureau without bothering to go home.

…

Gao Wen's classes were still the most popular at the university. In a place as serious as the Political and Law University, having celebrity-level attention was rare.At first, the students didn’t know much about Gao Wen’s past. But later, someone dug up the fact that he used to be the captain of the city’s second criminal investigation unit. His accomplishments and the major cases he solved gradually became known.

An intelligent and highly experienced man, Gao Wen wasn’t just book-smart—he had real-life case experience. On top of that, he was a charming middle-aged man. Naturally, he had a strong appeal—especially to the young women in class. But Gao Wen was married and had never had any negative rumors.

His lectures were always filled with practical case studies, most of which were cases he’d handled himself.

Today was no different—students listened attentively. But Gao Wen couldn’t fully concentrate.

He had spotted a male student sitting at the back of the classroom—quiet and composed. It was the same student who had stayed behind yesterday to ask questions.

It distracted Gao Wen.

Even so, his strong professionalism allowed him to complete the lecture as planned. When the bell rang, students began to leave, some crowding around to ask questions. Gao Wen glanced again toward the back of the room—but the quiet male student was already gone.

“Professor Gao, what are you looking at?” a few students asked curiously. They noticed something rare—Professor Gao seemed distracted.

Gao Wen thought for a moment, then asked, “Does anyone know which class the boy sitting at the back near the window is from?”

“Just now?” The students looked puzzled, clearly thinking hard.

Finally, one girl said slowly, “Professor Gao… I don’t think anyone was sitting there just now.”

“No one?” Gao Wen froze.

“Yeah, pretty sure it was empty.” Another girl confirmed it confidently.

“Oh… I must’ve imagined it.” Gao Wen nodded. “Alright, that’s it for today. Everyone can go now.”

He packed up quickly and left the classroom under the watchful eyes of his students.

…

“Captain Zhou!”

In the hallway, busy officers greeted Zhou Yusheng as they passed by—but none stopped to chat. It was just protocol. Not like with Sir Ma, who could strike up a conversation with anyone.

Zhou Yusheng was thinking about the dismemberment case as he headed toward the temporary task force area. That’s when a reception officer caught up to him.

“Captain Zhou, someone’s outside asking to see you.”

“See me?” Zhou Yusheng was surprised.

“He said his name is Chen Mingming, and that you'd want to see him once you heard his name.”

Zhou Yusheng hesitated before saying, “Take him to the reception room. Put him in a private room. I’ll be there shortly.”

The officer left, and Zhou Yusheng rushed to his office, pulled something from a drawer, and ran to the restroom. There, he shaved and tidied up his hair and clothes.

At the door to the reception room, he paused for a breath before pushing it open.

Just as he had instructed, the officer had brought Chen Mingming to a private room.

“Why did you come here alone?” Zhou Yusheng asked the boy.

He was just nineteen, recently enrolled at the Political and Law University. A good student. Loved sweets. No strong dislikes. Neat and tidy.

Chen Mingming—his son. Three months ago, after Zhou Yusheng divorced his wife, the boy had taken her last name.

Chen Mingming stood by the window, watching officers come and go in the courtyard. He didn’t look back, only commented, “People here walk so fast. I heard there was a dismemberment case yesterday. Looks like you’re on a deadline.”

Zhou Yusheng frowned. He never got used to this tone from his son.

“This is police business. You’re just a student,” he snapped. “Didn’t I tell you not to contact me during work hours?”

Chen Mingming finally turned around, glanced at his father without expression. “I went to your place. The fish tank was gone. You weren’t there. I tried calling, but no one answered. Then Professor Gao picked up and said you were drunk and passed out. So I came here.”

“What do you want?” Zhou Yusheng looked away and sat down. “Sit down. Don’t just stand there.”

“I’ll be leaving soon.” Chen Mingming shook his head. “I only came to tell you I’m leaving next month. Mom’s made all the arrangements. We’re immigrating to Canada.”

Zhou Yusheng opened his mouth. So many things to say, but all he could manage was: “So soon?”

“You and Mom have been divorced for three months,” said Chen Mingming calmly. “You were separated for a year before that. Do you think that’s soon?”

“Why go abroad? Isn’t here good enough?” Zhou frowned. “Gao Wen took you as a student. Can’t he teach you just as well? China is no worse than other countries. Your mom—what is she thinking?! No. I won’t agree. I’ll talk to her about this!”

Chen Mingming pulled out his phone and handed it to him.

“What are you doing?” Zhou asked warily.

“You said you’d talk to Mom, right? She probably won’t answer your call, so use mine. Want me to dial for you?” he said flatly.

He tapped the screen—Contacts → Mom → Call.

Seeing the interface switch to calling mode, Zhou Yusheng suddenly slapped the phone away with a loud smack. The phone hit the ground.

“Adult matters are none of your concern!” he barked.

"Is that so." Chen Mingming gripped his own wrist, glanced at Zhou Yusheng, then bent down to pick up the phone from the floor. Without turning back, he opened the door and walked out. "Goodbye, Captain Zhou."

"Wait—" Zhou Yusheng opened his mouth but ultimately couldn’t say a word. He sat alone in the reception room, covering his face… Suddenly, he felt that familiar headache coming back.

It was as if a bomb in his head could explode at any moment. His face turned pale.

Instinctively, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a crumpled tissue, unwrapped it, and swallowed the pill inside.

…

Chen Mingming walked alone down the corridor. Though some passing officers glanced at him curiously, no one questioned him. Outsiders wouldn’t normally be allowed in, so if someone was here, there had to be a reason.

Besides, the entire station was busy—no one had time to worry about a young stranger.

He stopped in front of a bulletin board in the hallway.

Announcements, commendations for outstanding officers, notices of solved cases… Chen Mingming was looking at a recognition notice. The officer credited for solving the case was Zhou Yusheng. The suspect was a ride-hailing driver who had assaulted a victim and then dumped the body under a bridge.

Chen Mingming stared at the criminal's name, his eyes blinking.

Then suddenly, a few words appeared in his vision:

9.9 days.

Chen Mingming’s pupils suddenly contracted.

…

A while later, Zhou Yusheng felt his headache easing and hurried to the task force workspace.

Ma Houde was slurping instant noodles while flipping through the newest case updates.

Seeing someone enter, Sir Ma looked up, stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Well, you still look like a salted fish, but at least you're not a dead one like yesterday."

Zhou Yusheng ignored the comment, sat down, grabbed a file in front of Ma Houde, and began reading. "Any new developments?"

“We checked all the transport hubs—there’s no record of Wang Liang buying any tickets,” Ma Houde replied casually. “We also tracked his phone’s location. Turns out, Wang Liang never left the area. He just went into hiding.”

He pulled out another file and tossed it over. “Last night we launched an operation based on his phone’s signal. We found an abandoned building site.”

“You got him?” Zhou Yusheng asked.

Sir Ma shook his head. “Found the phone, not the man.”

Zhou Yusheng frowned. “As expected. Wang Liang looks more and more suspicious. He quit his job, faked going home, and there was even a body hidden in his house… Can’t we issue a warrant at this point?”

“I’m about to ask the chief to approve it.” Sir Ma stood up while wiping his mouth, cigarette in hand—but cursed before lighting it. “Damn it… this case made me eat nothing but instant noodles!”

Zhou Yusheng chuckled. Ma Houde always looked like a lazy bum, but when it came to cases, he was the most dedicated of them all.

He probably hadn’t even gone home last night.

“Sir Ma, Captain Zhou!” Lin Feng rushed in, breathless and visibly anxious. “We have a new lead!”

“What is it?” Ma Houde frowned.

Lin Feng said quickly, “Little Bao just confirmed the dismembered victim’s identity—it’s Wang Liang!”

Ma Houde’s cigarette dropped from his lips. “What? Wang Liang is the victim?!”

Lin Feng nodded. “Yes. In the freezer, there was a piece of intact finger bone with a surgical pin. The deceased had undergone surgery. We traced the pin’s serial number and contacted the hospital… The patient is Wang Liang!”

“You’re sure it’s our Wang Liang? Not someone else with the same name?” Sir Ma asked instinctively.

“Confirmed. It’s him.”

“…Well, shit.” Ma Houde dropped back into his chair. “A whole day wasted chasing a ghost.”

Zhou Yusheng, however, frowned. “Sir Ma, now that we’ve confirmed the victim’s identity, things are actually clearer.”

Ma Houde turned and thought for a moment. “You’re right. At least now we can investigate the victim’s background. The way Wang Liang was dismembered… the killer is either a psychopath or someone who had a deep grudge. Let’s start by looking into possible enemies.”

Zhou Yusheng nodded. “Lin Feng, based on the file, didn’t Wang Liang scam a few women? Wasn’t there one who filed a report but the case couldn’t be opened due to lack of evidence?”

Lin Feng flipped through some documents. “Yes, the woman’s surname is Zhang—Zhang Xiaoqin. She worked at a nightclub as a hostess.”

“Start with her,” Ma Houde ordered. “And not just her—anyone who had financial or personal disputes with Wang Liang. Investigate them all… Damn it, guess we’re in for a lot of overtime.”

Just then—

“Bad news! Bad news!!” A panicked officer ran in, startling everyone. “There’s been a death! Sir Ma, Captain Zhou—someone died!!”

“Another murder?” Ma Houde cursed.

“N-no, it’s in the detention center! A prisoner just died!” The officer turned to Zhou Yusheng, face pale. “Captain Zhou—it’s that ride-hailing driver you just arrested!”

Zhou Yusheng’s expression darkened. “Suicide?”

The officer looked rattled and stammered, “It seems… it seems he was… shot!”

“What?!”

( End of Chapter)