The two of them immediately went to Zhou Weimin’s office.
Then came the work report. Zhang Haiyang detailed to Zhou Weimin the situation they learned today at Woniucun and Luo Fei’s speculation about Su Xiao having a man outside.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Weimin looked at Luo Fei with even more kindness and admiration. Without a doubt, among the four newcomers who joined this year, Luo Fei was currently the best performer and most outstanding, which Zhou Weimin had never expected. Luo Fei entered through the civil service exam and was considered to have taken an indirect path, yet his performance now gave Zhou Weimin a huge surprise.
"Luo Fei is doing very well, keep up the good work." Considering that he might have praised Luo Fei too much in recent days, in order to prevent Luo Fei from developing arrogance, Zhou Weimin restrained his desire to lavish praise and merely gave a brief compliment.
Luo Fei nodded, indicating he would continue to work hard, then waited for Zhou Weimin to dismiss him.
The next second Zhou Weimin continued, "It’s just as well that you two, mentor and apprentice, came here together. I have good news to inform you."
As Zhou Weimin said this, Luo Fei and Zhang Haiyang exchanged a glance, both guessing it might be about the reward for the Gu Youguo case.
Sure enough
"The last time you two solved the homicide case involving Gu Youguo, the commendation from above has also come down. Haiyang’s third-class merit is confirmed, but the higher-ups felt that Luo Fei is still a trainee officer, lacking experience, so this time Luo Fei is awarded a personal commendation."
Once Zhou Weimin finished speaking, Luo Fei did not feel disappointed for missing out on the third-class merit. He felt that getting a personal commendation was already satisfying because, to be honest, regarding the Gu Youguo case, Luo Fei truly felt he was just a bit lucky. There was no real question of whether or not the case could be solved—the perpetrator never intended to run away and was just waiting at home for the police to arrive.
However, Zhang Haiyang felt some injustice for Luo Fei.
"Director Zhou, you know it was really Luo Fei who enabled us to crack the Gu Youguo case. I barely contributed anything myself, so how can it be that I get a third-class merit while Luo Fei only gets a personal commendation? Wouldn’t Liu Haiquan and the others mock me for this?" Zhang Haiyang frowned, feeling very unhappy. It was like he had taken undue credit for his apprentice’s accomplishments.
"Master, don’t say that. As you saw, I didn’t do much in this case either. Our contributions were equal, and I think you getting the third-class merit is likely because the higher-ups have considered giving it to you for all your diligent work over the years, and this case merely served as a pretext." Luo Fei said from the side.
Zhou Weimin nodded with appreciation at Luo Fei after hearing this and thought, "This kid really has a clear view of things." He then looked at Zhang Haiyang with some dissatisfaction and said, "You’ve been a policeman for years, yet you don’t see things as clearly as your apprentice! You’ve consistently performed well over the years, and the higher-ups have long considered awarding you a third-class merit. The Gu Youguo case was just an excuse to do so."
Upon hearing Luo Fei and Zhou Weimin’s words, Zhang Haiyang finally felt a bit better, relieved that he hadn’t wrongfully claimed his apprentice’s merit.
After comforting Zhang Haiyang, Zhou Weimin turned to Luo Fei and said, "Luo Fei, don’t be too disappointed. If you didn’t receive the third-class merit this time, we’ll get it next time. I believe you have that capability."
Meanwhile, at the Criminal Investigation Team
Compared to the police station, the Criminal Investigation Team was very busy. Even though it was close to the end of the workday, no one appeared to be planning to leave.
In the team leader’s office of the criminal investigation team, Yang Mei had just finished reporting to Zhao Donglai.
"Luo Fei’s speculation is quite reasonable. It’s certainly suspicious for the victim to buy expensive phones and jewelry worth tens of thousands. We all overlooked this point earlier, assuming it was normal for a young woman to have such things," Zhao Donglai affirmed Luo Fei’s idea after hearing Yang Mei’s report.
He then instructed, "This information is very important. Perhaps this mysterious person, who has always had a close relationship with the victim, is actually the murderer. Our priority now is to quickly find out who this person is. Later, check the victim’s shopping and bank transfer records—since this person had such a close relationship with the victim and bought phones and jewelry, they probably had financial dealings."
"Okay, I understand, Uncle." Yang Mei nodded.
Zhao Donglai frowned immediately at her words and said, "How many times have I told you to call me Captain Zhao at work?"
"Alright, Captain Zhao, I understand." Yang Mei smiled lightly, clearly not taking Zhao Donglai’s words to heart. She seemed much more open and relaxed around family.
Zhao Donglai couldn’t do anything about it, as she was his only niece.
"By the way, Yang Mei, you worked with Luo Fei at Woniucun to investigate the case today. What do you think of him as a police officer?" Zhao Donglai asked seriously.
Hearing this, Yang Mei’s face immediately fell, and she looked at Zhao Donglai in disbelief, "Are you kidding, Uncle? I just met that guy for the first time today, and I’m only twenty-four. How come you all keep trying to set me up with someone? Do I seem like I can’t find a boyfriend?"
"What are you thinking! I was asking, if Luo Fei were to join the criminal investigation team, what would you think?" Zhao Donglai explained, realizing Yang Mei had misunderstood.
Yang Mei now realized she had made an embarrassing mistake, and her face turned bright red. Fortunately, it was in front of her uncle, so it wasn’t too awkward.
The next moment, Yang Mei thought for a while and earnestly said, "I think he’s okay. But as a police officer, his criminal investigation skills may not be strong. His observational and logical reasoning skills are quite good, though, and it’s said he has a keen sense of smell. Although that’s still debatable. But Uncle, I don’t see anything exceptional that would make you go to the police station to request personnel."
Yang Mei was very surprised, as transferring Luo Fei from the police station to the criminal investigation team wouldn’t be a simple matter. Not to mention whether the police station would even agree to release him, the process itself was complicated and cumbersome. In Yang Mei’s view, it didn’t seem worth it.
Zhao Donglai did not directly answer Yang Mei’s question but said, "Honestly, this kid Luo Fei is not bad. He seems quite smart at first glance. The key is his keen sense of smell and his sharp intuition for solving cases—it’s quite impressive. In the Gu Youguo case and today’s case, each time he could pinpoint the case-solving clues, which is not easy. You know, an investigation could have numerous tangled clues, and finding the crucial one among them is a skill."
"Moreover, you don’t know, this kid didn’t graduate from a police academy. He passed the civil service exam this year and joined the police station in Songxin Town. If there’s a chance, I’d like to transfer him to our criminal investigation team. Of course, not now—at least he needs to be assessed for some time, at least a year or two."
"A civil service exam graduate becoming a police officer? What’s he thinking, wanting to be a policeman without attending a police academy?" Yang Mei appeared quite surprised.