Back in the car, Chen Shi stretched and pulled out a cigarette. "Officer, mind if I smoke?"
"Go ahead," Lin Dongxue replied stiffly. "By the way, I'll pay you back for the money."
Chen Shi took out his phone and handed it over. It had a QR code on it. Lin Dongxue was about to scan it but then realized it was a WeChat contact card. She frowned. "Why'd you give me a contact card? I need a transfer QR code. Who's going to add you on WeChat?"
Chen Shi smiled as he lit his cigarette. "What's wrong with adding me on WeChat?"
"Why would I add you? You're a suspect! Don't try to get friendly with me!" Lin Dongxue paused, then added, "What's your game here?"
"My game?" Chen Shi looked puzzled.
"You know exactly what you've been doing. First, you played hard to get. Then you tried to act all nice. And now you're trying to bribe me with a pair of shoes. Don't think you can fool me. My colleagues already checked your background thoroughly."
Chen Shi let out a bitter smile. "I honestly don't know what I've done. Care to remind me?"
"On the evening of September 10th, what were you up to?"
"I picked up a fare, had dinner with some buddies, then went home to shower and sleep."
Lin Dongxue sneered. "That's it?"
"What, do you expect a taxi driver's life to be that exciting? Or would you like to remind me again, help me recall?"
"Stop trying to trick me. I'm not falling for it."
Chen Shi stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and pointed at his face. "Look at this handsome face. Does it look like the face of a criminal?"
"Bad guys don't have 'criminal' written on their faces!"
"Not necessarily. The 'writing' bad guys have isn't in Chinese characters. You need a sharp eye to see it. Take that pickpocket earlier—I could tell right away he was nervous. He didn't look like a good guy."
At that moment, Lin Dongxue's phone buzzed. Lin Qiupu had sent several messages: "Why aren't you here yet?"
Lin Dongxue replied, "Drive… Wait!"
She pushed the car door open, sat in the passenger seat, and grabbed Chen Shi's hand. His hand was pale and slender, completely unlike a taxi driver's. Chen Shi smiled. "What's up? Can you read palms?"
Suddenly, the sound of metal clicking filled the car. Lin Dongxue had handcuffed him. She was about to cuff herself to the other end, but Chen Shi pointed at her and said, "You're an idiot. How am I supposed to drive if my left hand's cuffed to the steering wheel?"
Lin Dongxue glared at him, and Chen Shi added, "I need my right hand to shift gears and steer. Have you ever driven a car?"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Lin Dongxue uncuffed him, then leaned over to cuff his left hand to the steering wheel. Looking at the many flaws in Lin Dongxue's actions, Chen Shi thought to himself, even if he knocked her out and grabbed the keys, it wouldn't be hard.
At the same time, he couldn't help but think, this girl has a really nice figure!
Starting the car again, Chen Shi smiled and asked, "What's your name?"
"I'm not talking to a criminal suspect like you."
Chen Shi scratched his cheek. "You keep calling me a criminal suspect. That's harsh. What if I'm not?"
Under his intense gaze, Lin Dongxue hesitated for a moment. He didn't look like a criminal, but then again, with a background like his, it would be hard to tell.
"It's impossible!" she snapped.
"I'm just saying, what if I'm not? How about a bet?"
"A bet? On what?"
"If I end up being proven innocent, you treat me to a meal."
"No way!"
"Miss, look at me—a taxi driver. I don't even know what happened, but you dragged me in for questioning. It's no big deal for you guys, but for me, it's a huge deal. Not to mention how my colleagues and family will react. I lost thousands of dollars today. Are you going to compensate me?"
"Thousands? Do you think your car is studded with diamonds?"
"Who knows? Maybe I'll drive a rich woman to the hospital to give birth, and she'll give me a huge red envelope as a thank-you."
"Smooth talker!" Lin Dongxue said, disgusted. She hated men like him, even more than the persistent Xu Xiaodong.
Chen Shi, oblivious to his own behavior, nudged her with his elbow. "How about it? It's not a bad deal for you!"
"Fine!" Lin Dongxue said, irritated. "I'll agree, but it's not like it'll happen!"
"There's nothing impossible in this world." Chen Shi smiled, eyes on the road ahead.
A while later, as they passed a red light, Chen Shi lowered his head to play on his phone. Suddenly, Lin Dongxue's phone buzzed again. A WeChat notification popped up—someone with the avatar of Wu Yanzu, named "Big Grey Wolf," had added her as a friend.
"So your WeChat number is just your phone number!" Chen Shi grinned.
Lin Dongxue shot him a glare. "You're really something."
Chen Shi nudged her again. "Accept it. How are you going to contact me about that meal later if you don't?"
Lin Dongxue clicked "accept" reluctantly and set it so the other person couldn't see her Moments.
When they arrived at the Criminal Investigation Division, Lin Qiupu and the others were waiting outside, almost as if they were welcoming them. Her colleagues gathered around, praising Lin Dongxue's luck for bringing in a suspect as soon as she left.
Lin Qiupu said solemnly, "Dongxue, if this case is solved, you'll get first-class merit."
At that moment, the car door opened, and Chen Shi waved at everyone with a smile. "Hello everyone, I'm Chen Shi. It's almost noon—do you guys provide lunch?"
Everyone was stunned. They had never seen a criminal suspect act so casually. Lin Dongxue quietly warned, "This guy is slippery. Don't let him fool you!"
Lin Qiupu called over two officers. "Xiao Hai, Xiao Wang, take him to the interrogation room!"
Two hours later, the interrogation room door suddenly swung open, and two officers rushed out. "I can't take it anymore! This guy's arguments are so convincing, and his logic is tight. We couldn't get anything out of him. Captain, you need to handle this!"
Lin Qiupu slammed his cup down. "I'll go talk to him!"
Lin Dongxue grabbed her coat. "I'm going too!" It would be a shame if she didn't see her brother struggle with this.
They walked into the interrogation room. Chen Shi complained, "This chair is so uncomfortable! My hemorrhoids are acting up. Can you get me a cushion?"
Lin Qiupu dropped the files and snorted. "When you chose to break the law, you chose to be treated this way. If you want comfort, stay at home!"
Chen Shi responded, "Let me make one thing clear. I'm not a criminal. I'm only a suspect. Your attitude toward me is wrong. You're mixing up internal and external contradictions. On a small scale, it's work negligence. On a larger scale, it's a matter of stance!"
Lin Qiupu slammed the table. "Stop using diplomacy. I'm not going in circles with you. What did you do on the night of September 10th? Tell me everything!"
Chen Shi spread his fingers and began to recall. "From 6 to 7:30 PM, I had dinner with some buddies at a food stall. From 7:30 PM to 2 AM, I was picking up fares. You can check my records. At 2:30 AM, I went home, showered, and went to sleep."
The stenographer muttered, "He said the same thing earlier!"