Chapter 552: Alarmed
Zou Ming had arranged a weekend meeting for Su Qing with Hua Zifeng. The meeting was to take place in Zou Ming’s office at the Beijing Public Security Bureau. He didn’t feel comfortable with Su Qing meeting Hua Zifeng alone; after all, even though Hua Zifeng was a detective from Xiangcheng and worked closely with the Xiangcheng Police Station, this was their first time meeting. Zou Ming was still somewhat wary of him.
When Su Qing arrived at the Beijing Public Security Bureau, Hua Zifeng and his assistant were already there. Zou Ming greeted her, "Su Qing, come, let me make an introduction. This is the detective from Xiangcheng, Mr. Hua Zifeng, and next to him is his assistant."
Then, Zou Ming introduced Su Qing to Hua Zifeng. "This is Su Qing. She was also one of the victims targeted by Master Zhang in that case."
"Su Qing." Upon seeing her, Hua Zifeng rose to his feet with a smile. "I heard you were the top scorer on last year’s college entrance exam for Beijing. Meeting you today, I see you truly radiate intelligence and grace. You’re every bit the brilliant woman I’d expect to get into Beijing University."
"You flatter me, Mr. Hua. I was just a bit lucky. Beijing University is full of talented people; I wouldn’t consider myself one of them," Su Qing said with a faint smile.
A glint flashed in Hua Zifeng’s eyes. "You’re being too modest."
Zou Ming, who was standing to the side, smiled. "Let’s all sit down and talk."
He then turned to Su Qing and said, "Mr. Hua here probably just has a few questions for you. Don’t be nervous. I’m sure he won’t make things difficult for a young lady like you."
Su Qing’s status as an unofficial consultant for the Public Security Bureau was not public knowledge, and those who knew kept their lips sealed. Therefore, Hua Zifeng was unaware of her role. Zou Ming’s words were a subtle hint for Hua Zifeng not to give her a hard time.
Hua Zifeng naturally understood the implication. He smiled and said, "That’s right. I just want to understand a few things about the situation."
In reality, however, Hua Zifeng was reeling. He had just sensed an aura from this girl, Su Qing, that felt almost identical to the one he sensed from Susan. This discovery sent his mind racing with speculation. On the surface, though, his composure was unshakable, his expression as warm and pleasant as ever.
"Have you ever been to Xiangcheng?" Hua Zifeng asked with a smile.
Su Qing nodded. "I have."
She looked at Hua Zifeng, acting as if this was their first meeting. "I’m good friends with Cheng Beilin of the Cheng Family in Xiangcheng. She invited me to her wedding there. I imagine that’s something you could easily find out if you looked into it."
Of course Hua Zifeng knew. He also knew that Su Qing had been in Xiangcheng when Cheng Beilin was kidnapped. It was that very kidnapping that had led to the unravelling of the incidents involving the Hetian Association and the mountains of Guang Province.
"Indeed." Hua Zifeng gave a faint smile. The questions he had originally planned to ask were now stuck in his throat. The aura he sensed from her was so unexpected that it had thrown him completely off balance. His mind was racing. ’What is the relationship between this Su Qing and that Susan? And does Susan’s trip to A Tai have anything to do with her?’
’Or could it be... that Su Qing *is* Susan?’
Although the Su Qing before him bore no resemblance to the Susan he had seen—not in appearance, not in voice—the identical feeling of their auras forced Hua Zifeng to consider the possibility.
They made small talk for a few more minutes. Hua Zifeng suppressed his doubts and asked Su Qing some general questions about last year’s case in Guang Province. Su Qing told him what she could, and her account didn’t differ in any significant way from what he had already learned. He couldn’t help but press his lips together slightly before suddenly looking at her and asking, "Excuse me, Su Qing, but have you ever been to A Tai?"
Before Su Qing could answer, Zou Ming laughed. "You must be joking, Mr. Hua. Su Qing doesn’t even have a passport. How could she have gone to A Tai?"
Su Qing smiled as well. "That’s right, I don’t have a passport. Why do you suddenly ask, Mr. Hua?"
"Haha, just a casual question." ’Even if she had been to A Tai, she’d never admit it,’ Hua Zifeng thought. The doubts in his mind only grew.
After a moment of thought, he asked another question. "Well then, have you taken any long trips recently?"
"I have." Su Qing nodded. This was something she never planned to hide, as anyone could verify her movements if they investigated. That was why she had gone directly into the mountains of Guang Province before her trip to A Tai—to create the illusion that she had simply gone into the mountains. "I went into the mountains a while ago to look for medicinal herbs."
"Do you have any witnesses?" Hua Zifeng pressed.
Hearing this, Zou Ming became displeased. "Mr. Hua, what are you implying? Surely you don’t think a young woman like Su Qing would lie to you?"
"No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just a professional habit. I always look for evidence in all matters," Hua Zifeng said with a chuckle.
Su Qing smiled. "Mr. Hua, since you came all the way to Beijing to question me, I imagine you’ve already looked into my background. And as a detective, I’m sure tracking a person’s movements isn’t difficult for you. If you want to know my itinerary from my recent trip, I’m sure you could find it out easily enough."
Hua Zifeng maintained his smile. "I was being a bit blunt."
"It’s alright. I’m sure you’re just trying to solve the case," Su Qing said. "To be honest, I also hope Master Zhang is apprehended as soon as possible. After all, he tried to harm me and my family. As long as he’s at large, my family and I are in danger. That’s why I came here to cooperate with you today—I also want this case to be over quickly."
"Understood, understood," Hua Zifeng nodded. "As things stand, Master Zhang has disappeared. We can’t find a single trace of him. You could say he’s vanished into thin air—no sign of him, dead or alive."
As he said this, Hua Zifeng kept his gaze fixed on Su Qing’s eyes, searching for any subtle clues.
But Hua Zifeng was disappointed. Upon hearing his words, Su Qing put on a shocked expression. "Disappeared? You found him? And then he disappeared again, is that what you mean? Doesn’t that mean he could still come back to Beijing? Are my family and I still in mortal danger?"
Hua Zifeng turned to look at Zou Ming. "Captain Zou, you didn’t tell Su Qing that Master Zhang had disappeared."
Of course, Zou Ming had told her. But since Su Qing was now claiming not to know, then that meant he hadn’t. So he nodded and said, "No. Su Qing is just a student. Our job is to protect her. As for the progress of the case, we wouldn’t tell her anything before reaching a final conclusion."