Novice Forensic Doctor

Chapter 523: Chapter 493 You could say something!_1

Mrs. Xia’s feeding made Zhou Ning feel stuffed, but after sleeping so long and having only a sip of porridge in the morning, his appetite was actually quite good. Mrs. Xia was smiling at him lovingly the whole time, her gaze no less affectionate than his second aunt’s toward her own children.

After the meal, Zhou Ning chatted with Xia Shouchang for over an hour before standing up to say goodbye.

As the car was approaching Qin University, Mr. Qu’s call came through.

"Boss, are you free now?"

"I am, I’ll be home in ten minutes. Are you guys coming over now?"

"My crew and I are already at your townhouse. I just remembered, does the new house at Building 7 on the third floor also need security measures?"

Zhou Ning slapped the steering wheel, annoyed at himself for forgetting this detail.

"Thanks for the reminder, there are workers on the third floor, you can start there, I will be there shortly."

"Alright, don’t rush. We’ll first take a look at Building 7. It’s more convenient to make changes now since it’s under renovation."

Zhou Ning thanked him a couple of times, hung up the phone, and sped up, driving towards home.

Just as he was about to turn from Hong Kong East Road onto Qin University Road, Zhou Ning glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed a black car following behind, which seemed to be the same one he had seen when leaving the Party Committee compound.

Zhou Ning turned off the turn signal and kept driving. Just as the dashed line between the middle and right-turn lanes was about to become a solid line, he quickly signaled and changed lanes. ƒrēewebnovel.com

Looking at the rearview mirror again, the black car had disappeared. As the horn sounded, Zhou Ning realized the red light had turned green and hurriedly made the right turn, though he felt a bit puzzled.

Had he seen wrong?

Pushing the doubts aside, he parked the car in front of the townhouse where a van door opened, and Mr. Qu and a few people jumped out.

"Boss, that was quick."

They shook hands, and Mr. Qu made the introductions.

"We have checked out the third floor, asked them to leave space for the windows, and briefly communicated with the designer. Once the design is ready for your review, we’ll proceed with the construction."

Zhou Ning nodded, smiling and leading the group into the townhouse.

"I feel bad for disturbing you over the May Day holiday, but I’ve been on trips and only have today off. Let me start with my requirements."

Half an hour later, they had a design plan ready, and Zhou Ning was very satisfied; this innovative design was not just slightly better than his initial ideas—it was also very aesthetically pleasing. He signed the contract and felt relieved.

"Then proceed with the construction as soon as possible. I’ll leave you to it. We have children at home—is the construction noise going to be loud?"

The long-haired designer with Mr. Qu waved his hand and quickly explained:

"Don’t worry, there will hardly be any loud noise during the construction, we’ll barely need a drill, and it will all be done in about half an hour. We can work while the kids are playing in the yard to minimize disturbance. If it’s okay with you, we’ll follow the contract and install it in three days. As for the surrounding surveillance, we can set that up in just a moment."

"Great, I have no objections. Is the password lock really not safe?"

The man laughed.

"No lock is foolproof to a professional. Rest assured, once the security system is installed, I’ll upgrade your lock to include facial recognition. Any unrecognized person won’t just be warned by a sound if they linger, but if they stay too long, it’ll directly connect to the alarm system."

Zhou Ning was surprised but felt this was somehow related to their own system. Mr. Qu, looking somewhat embarrassed, hurriedly explained:

"Boss, their company is also a collaborative partner of Qin University. Part of the software functionality has been applied to this recognition system. We’ve tried it—with makeup, masks, or disguised hair—and it can still perform identification pretty well."

Zhou Ning smiled, noticing Mr. Qu’s evasive gaze, and spoke with understanding.

"So, it hasn’t hit the market yet. I’m just a guinea pig, huh? Well, I’m willing to give it a try. Since it can recognize faces and directly alert the police, it sounds like a promising direction."

Mr. Qu smiled.

"Heh, it’s just a simplified version, after all. We’re worried about others cracking the software. But I’m not concerned—the database isn’t accessible to just anyone. That’s where our key strength lies."

Zhou Ning nodded.

"That settles it then. Call me before installation, and I’ll make sure someone is at home."

After the group left, Zhou Ning returned to his room, thought for a moment, and dialed Xu Dayuan’s mobile phone. The ringing nearly reached ten counts before being answered, and the voice that came was almost unrecognizable to Zhou Ning.

"Boy, you finally remembered to call and check if I’m still alive, huh?"

Zhou Ning was taken aback.

"Director Xu, what happened to you? Do you have a cold, or did complications with a case get you irritated? Momo told me this morning that even though your workload is quite heavy, things are progressing smoothly. Zhu Xingxing and Zhu Zuozhang have been perfect collaborators. Is there something Momo doesn’t know?"

Xu Dayuan coughed several times, his wheezing sounding quite severe as if he was about to cough up his lungs.

"Don’t even mention it. It was pouring during the crime scene investigation. To preserve the evidence intact, I had to cover the area with a rainproof tarp with my team. Age doesn’t forgive, I never expected to catch such a nasty cold from that bit of trouble."

Zhou Ning blinked and carefully deciphered Xu Dayuan’s implication.

"Are you hinting that you want me to come over to help you?"

Xu Dayuan laughed.

"Forget it, I know you only returned last night too, and I heard that the case wasn’t going smoothly, with the Disciplinary Committee’s people still not having left, right?"

Zhou Ning responded with a hum.

"The issues involved are numerous, the case alone is already quite complex, Mr. Hu even went there personally. This time at Rudong, did Zhu Xingxing and Zhu Zuozhang perform well at work?"

"Don’t even mention it, Zhu Xingxing surprised me quite a bit. I guess she’s encountered many cases working with you. It was she who discovered the issue during the autopsy, otherwise, in cases disguised as car accidents, it would be very difficult to make a determination."

"And your Mr. Xia’s set of mechanical animation simulation devices, it really opened my eyes. Every car, according to the impact site, the damage to the vehicle, and the position of the body’s injuries, could provide a complete set of analysis. Otherwise, this case probably would have taken eight to ten days to find a lead."

"Now it’s good, the test results have already come out, and after handling the follow-up affairs, we can go back tonight. The formalities have been completed. Now tell me, what’s the matter with the call that made it so difficult for you to speak up?"

Zhou Ning sighed and, sensing Xu Dayuan’s keenness, knew that he must have something on his mind. He sighed again and then spoke:

"Actually, it’s nothing much. I don’t know if it’s just me being overly sensitive, but I’ve been feeling like someone’s been following me lately. Today, when I got back from Xia Momo’s home, I noticed a black car trailing me the whole way. On purpose, I lost them when making a turn on Qin University Road."

"But in the blink of an eye, the car had disappeared. I’ve even wondered if I’m just being overly tense. However, that feeling of being watched still lingers, so I had Mr. Qu install security systems in both of my homes, as well as special anti-burglary windows."

"I’ve set you as my emergency contact person. I wanted to inform you about this, just in case you get a message and don’t know what it’s about."

Xu Dayuan asked anxiously:

"Did anyone check the car’s license plate? Or rather, did you see what kind of car it was?"

"I didn’t get a clear look. The car had no plates. All I remember is that it had a very dark tint, making it impossible to see inside the car. As for the surveillance, I didn’t have Mr. Qu check. I do hope I’m just being overly nervous, but that feeling of being watched still worries me."

"Also, upon reflection, it seems that ever since Xiaoyu gave birth, someone has often been running at night near my home, wearing a duckbill cap, dressed in a black hoodie, but I’ve never seen their face."

"Later, I asked the property management of the residential community; the garden falls into a surveillance blind spot, and I couldn’t find the person. Additionally, I asked the residents, and no one seemed to know of anyone who jogs at night."

Xu Dayuan fell silent for a good while, then reassured:

"I’ve got it. During this period, I’ll talk to the public security police patrol and adjust the route of the mobile patrol vehicles, making a fixed patrol point around your community, and stop by several times every day. If nothing else, it should deter any ill-intentioned persons from trying anything."

Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief; indeed, he had been hesitant, because it was just a dream after all, coupled with the events of today and before, which had unsettled him. Receiving Xu Dayuan’s promise alleviated some of his worries.

"Then I won’t be polite with the leader. After all, it’s my family that I’m most worried about. If I were the only one in danger, I wouldn’t be so fearful, but I don’t want my family to encounter any danger."

"Understood, don’t nag me. I’ll arrange it in a bit. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to hang up; there’s still some wrap-up work to do here, so we can head back earlier."

"Okay, I won’t bother you any longer, leader."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Ning let out another sigh of relief. In fact, regarding the night runner in the neighborhood, he had checked before but hadn’t paid it much mind. After all, the location was on the north side of Qin University; perhaps, some students had climbed over the wall for exercise. But putting all the events together still gave him chills.

Glancing at the time, Zhou Ning prepared to steam rice, since his second aunt and the others would be back soon. There were plenty of vegetables in the fridge, but his cooking skills were limited to boiling noodles. Steaming rice was also a recent skill. Just as he had started washing the rice, the second aunt and the others entered, and upon seeing Zhou Ning with an apron, the second aunt hurriedly waved her hands.

"Stop washing the rice. If you’re busy, go ahead. If not, go rest properly. Have a chat with your grandfather; I’ll cook."

Zhou Ning didn’t put up any resistance, as cooking was indeed somewhat challenging for him.

"Okay, I didn’t touch the vegetables in the fridge; just make a little less."

After washing her hands, the second aunt checked the fridge and looked over at Zhou Ning with some confusion.

"Didn’t you eat lunch? When you went to the Xia family’s, did you eat there?"

Zhou Ning gave a thumbs up.

"Second aunt, you’re really like Sherlock Holmes. I went to Momo’s place and had a meal there, chatting with the old couple before coming back."

As he spoke, he took Xiaoyu’s child from her arms. Although the little one was small, he never stinted on smiling brightly whenever Zhou Ning held him, which made Mr. He feel somewhat jealous.

"Hey, why does my son always fuss and cry when I hold him, but smiles so happily when you do?"

Zhou Xiaoyu handed the backpack to He Shancun and gave him a look.

"Quit your yapping and tidy up. My brother is good-looking, and you want to compete with that? My son just likes pretty people. Momo even held him casually when she visited."

He Shancun gave his nose a rub, took the backpack, and after dinner, sat with Zhou Ning in front of the old man talking about their day out. The old man was delighted, but age spares no one, and he went upstairs early to wash up and sleep.

He Shancun, with a look of mystery, leaned close to Zhou Ning and whispered:

"Doctor Chen confessed his feelings today. Guess what happened?"

Zhou Ning glanced at He Shancun.

"Looks like he got turned down."

He Shancun’s expression stiffened and he rolled his eyes indelicately.

"Really now, you’ve killed my enthusiasm for telling the story."

Zhou Xiaoyu joined in, apparently the child had been taken by the second aunt to be coaxed to sleep, affording her a bit of free time and sparking her curiosity. She asked gossipingly:

"Isn’t Doctor Chen in love with my brother’s colleague? That Liu Yufei from Liu Da? Stop beating around the bush. What really happened? Out with it!"