The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship-Chapter 597 - 520: Got a Grudge Against My Brother?
Nan Yu put down the phone and rubbed his nose: "That... my brother said he hasn’t eaten dinner yet."
Jian Si was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood what that meant, she was deeply averse to interacting with Nan Zhan, especially letting him into her home.
Glancing at Zhengzheng, who was still eating with his head down, she said, "By the time he gets here, the food will be cold."
"He is downstairs."
Jian Si thought, how could it be such a coincidence that someone like him keeps coming to their modest neighborhood for no reason unless there’s a case here that interests him.
"Zhengzheng is about to go to sleep..." Jian Si knew her excuse was rather far-fetched, but she just didn’t want Nan Zhan coming up.
"I haven’t finished my homework yet," Zhengzheng suddenly looked up, still biting a crab leg, his speech muffled, "I can’t go to sleep anytime soon."
Jian Si stealthily gave him a look, but as if he didn’t see, he lowered his head and continued to munch on the crab.
Nan Yu, able to discern her thoughts, was about to make an excuse call to Nan Zhan when knocking sounds came from outside.
Jian Si never expected Nan Zhan to make an unsolicited visit, not only glancing toward Nan Yu, but Nan Yu immediately wore an innocent face, silently assuring her with his eyes that he truly hadn’t betrayed her address.
Nan Zhan stood outside the door, his tall frame enveloped in the dim yellow light above, his slender eyes slightly squinted, eyes seeming to be tinted with the outdoor fog, inscrutable to others.
"Brother," Nan Yu quickly called out, "I was just about to go down to meet you."
"No need," Nan Zhan glanced at Jian Si, Jian Si somewhat reluctantly made space to one side, "Mr. Nan."
Nan Zhan didn’t stand on ceremony, striding right in.
"Hello, big brother," Zhengzheng politely greeted, then continued devouring his crab.
The moment he saw Zhengzheng, Nan Zhan paused, the child’s facial features carrying an eerily familiar air.
"This is my younger brother," Jian Si noticed his gaze and quickly explained, "Zhengzheng, take your food back to the room to eat."
"Oh," Zhengzheng licked his fingers, grabbed two crabs in one hand and stood up, then looked at Nan Zhan, "I have a question I want to ask big brother."
"Zhengzheng, go back to your room," Jian Si became anxious, involuntarily stepping forward to press his shoulders, trying to push him inside the room.
"I just want to ask big brother how he knew which unit and number we live at?" Zhengzheng blinked, showing his curiosity.
Nan Zhan was mildly interested, "Maybe I already knew you lived here?"
Zhengzheng shook his head, "If you knew, Nan Yu wouldn’t have said he was ready to go down and meet you. You’re not a kid; if you knew where our house was, why would you need someone to meet you?"
"Zhengzheng," Jian Si pushed him toward the room, "Go eat your crab."
"Okay, I’ll explain it to you." Nan Zhan unexpectedly patiently pulled over a chair and sat down, not seeing himself as an outsider, and Zhengzheng also hurriedly sat on the chair opposite him, left the crab uneaten, and listened curiously.
"Actually, it’s quite simple, by looking at your... sister’s shoes."
"Shoes?" Jian Si heard this and subconsciously looked at her sneakers by the door, Nan Yu also curiously looked over, it was just a pair of ordinary white sneakers that didn’t seem to have anything special.
"Although the sneakers are scrupulously clean, there are some mildew marks on the edges, which should not be exposed to sunlight when drying. A damp environment can easily cause clean clothing to mildew; this suggests you live on the shady side of an apartment building, the side that never gets sunlight. In this compound, there’s only one building that is completely in the shade."
"Then how did you know we live on the sixth floor?" Zhengzheng continued with curious questioning.
The corners of Nan Zhan’s mouth maintained a haughty smile as he moved his gaze from Zhengzheng’s face to Jian Si’s, "When your sister last rode in my car, she forgot her pencil sharpener, she went back to get it. It’s not hard to figure out which floor she lives on by calculating her stride and the distance between floors; and when she came back, her face was a bit flushed. If she lived on a lower floor, she wouldn’t appear to be breathing slightly heavier." Nan Zhan’s gaze still rested on Jian Si’s face, the words spoken leaving her somewhat puzzled, "Miss Jian, do you often feel guilty?"
Jian Si dared not look into his eyes, choosing to ignore his last remark.
Zhengzheng’s question was answered, and he couldn’t help showing an impressed expression.
"Zhengzheng, aren’t you going back to your room yet?" Jian Si didn’t even know why she was irritated, her tone becoming harsh all at once.
Zhengzheng pouted, took another crab, and quickly closed the room door.
"Mr. Nan, sorry, the meal has cooled down." As Jian Si turned to him, her tone was particularly harsh, probably because she hadn’t softened her tone from earlier, it sounded as if she was unwelcoming of his arrival.
Nan Zhan, however, was nonchalant as if he had arrived at his own home, "It doesn’t matter, I’m not picky."
Jian Si felt an urge to open the door and throw him out. Could it be that people with high IQs also have thicker skins?
She had gone to the kitchen with great reluctance only for Nan Yu’s sake, heated up the leftovers, but the thought of serving leftovers to a guest still made her feel uneasy. She rummaged through the fridge and stir-fried some greens and also sliced up some ham that was bought yesterday.
"Bro, how come you’re here?" Nan Yu sat down by his side.
"There’s a case nearby."
"Bro, you’re taking cases now?"
Nan Zhan picked up a pair of clean chopsticks: "Entrusted by someone."
Nan Yu knew that Nan Zhan took on very few cases throughout the year, and for someone as accomplished as him, taking a case was a matter of interest and mood. So, he was particularly curious about what kind of case could attract Nan Zhan’s attention.
The civilian sector was not under Nan Yu’s jurisdiction, but he was still informed about major incidents occurring there. After some thought, he guessed which case had piqued Nan Zhan’s interest.
It happened half a month ago, in an abandoned well in the area, where an unnamed female corpse was found. The body was naked when discovered, and the forensic examination concluded it was a rape-murder, with two fatal stabs to the chest. What’s more brutal is that the killer even cut off the victim’s private parts after the murder—the method was extremely brutal.
The incident caused a sensation in the civilian area, but the identity of the corpse has remained unclear till now.
Nan Yu knew that Director Li from the city bureau was his friend; it was very likely he asked for Nan Zhan’s help with the investigation.
"Bro, you shouldn’t be a lawyer; you should open a private detective agency."
Nan Zhan glanced at him disdainfully: "Are you suggesting I investigate gossip about men cheating and women having affairs?"
Nan Yu touched his nose: "Of course not, that would be a waste of your talent."
"Clack"
Two plates were set in front of Nan Zhan, and the hostess’s face was not very welcoming, looking not very hospitable, her voice cold and distant: "Mr. Nan, please help yourself."
Nan Zhan didn’t care whether Jian Si was unhappy or not, he picked up the chopsticks and started eating. Although he said it didn’t matter if it was leftover food, he didn’t touch those leftovers at all, quickly finishing the two dishes she made fresh—probably he had guessed long ago that Jian Si wouldn’t really let him eat leftover food.
While he was eating, Jian Si sat on the living room sofa, seemingly watching TV, but in fact, she was all ears to their conversation.
When they talked about things like autopsy, livor mortis, and motive, she felt chill bumps rising on her back.
She still vividly remembered the naked corpse case in the well half a month ago because she was at the scene when the body was discovered.
The well was just three rows of buildings away from here. This area used to have severe water shortages, often leading to irregular tap water supply. To ease people’s urgent needs, a well was dug there. As time passed, the water issue was solved, and the well was naturally abandoned. Usually covered with a wooden plank, it was layered with thick dust and dead leaves over the years.
That day by coincidence, a few children were playing hide and seek; one child thought his companion was hiding in the well and opened the cover—only to be met with a putrid smell. Holding his nose, he looked down and saw the decomposing body.
And this child was Zhengzheng’s classmate; Zhengzheng was playing with them, so naturally, he also saw that body.
When Jian Si and other parents arrived, they were terrified; other kids were crying incessantly, only Zhengzheng was extremely calm, staring at the body for a long while.
One concerned parent reminded Jian Si: "Your brother might be in shock; he hasn’t said a word, better take him to the hospital."
Only Jian Si knew that Zhengzheng was not scared at all; ever since he could read, he had been interested in detective novels. His favorite was the legal channel on TV. Sometimes her skin crawled watching those programs, but Zhengzheng remained unmoved.
Honestly, his composure sometimes baffled Jian Si.
"Do you know who the body was?" Listening to their discussion, Jian Si couldn’t help but interject; it was, after all, a criminal case in their district, it was only natural to be curious, right?
Nan Yu said: "Not yet. The corpse is too decomposed to discern the features, and according to the autopsy, this woman died between 4-12 months ago. With so many people coming and going from the complex, it’s very difficult to investigate everyone."
Jian Si made a sound of acknowledgment. Anyone would feel challenged, and moreover, it might be a serial killing case; there could be a psychopath living in the complex—
"The suspect doesn’t live here." Nan Zhan’s sudden remark made Jian Si look his way.
He had already put his chopsticks down, appearing to enjoy his meal greatly. He spoke the sentence swiftly, and now he clammed up again, as if he hadn’t been the one to speak at all.
They left soon after the meal. Nan Yu wanted to wash the dishes, but Jian Si declined.
Seeing them out, Nan Zhan had already gone downstairs, Nan Yu stood at the door and said, "Sorry, Sisi, did something unpleasant happen between you and my brother?"
