Redemption Vows: A CEO's Forced Contract

Lu Xianri: The First Display of Talent

On the other side.

Rong Jingning and her colleagues arrived at the crime scene.

It was a rental room of about thirty square meters. The entire room was filled with a strong smell of blood. Since the victim had her carotid artery cut, the blood had almost dyed the small rental room a bright red.

The deceased female college student was named Li Qingqing. She was a sophomore at University D. She didn't live in the dormitory with her classmates but rented a house outside. Originally, she lived with her boyfriend, but she suddenly broke up with him a week ago and then lived alone in this rental room. Unexpectedly, at such a young age, she met with such a tragic end.

"Jingning, go and collect all the suspicious items at the scene," said Rong Jingning's master, Sun Bing, a middle - aged man in his forties. Rong Jingning had been led by Sun Bing during her first year at the police station.

Rong Jingning nodded. Just as she was about to get the evidence bags, someone beat her to it. A figure quickly brushed past her and began to collect evidence within the area blocked by the cordon.

That person was the young man in student attire who had come in with Li Junjie earlier. There was no trace of the sunny smile he had when they first met on his face now. Instead, he looked serious and solemn, but his eyes were still bright and free of any impurities.

"Who on earth is he?" a colleague whispered.

"I heard that he is a top student from West Point Military Academy in the United States specially invited by the police force. His name is Lu Xianri. He helped the FBI solve several major cases during his time at school."

"Ah, so amazing! Then why did he come to our police station?"

"I don't know about that."

"..."

While listening to the whispers, Rong Jingning calmly picked up the evidence bags and walked towards the crime scene. She didn't care at all about the identity of this boy. All she knew was that she should follow her master's instructions, quickly find the suspicious evidence at the crime scene, and then bring this blood - thirsty and cruel murderer to justice, and give those dead girls a fair deal.

Rong Jingning walked inside the cordon. Seeing Lu Xianri collecting evidence on the left, she started from the other direction. Following the criminal investigation knowledge taught by Sun Bing, she carefully observed every corner.

It wasn't until their hands unexpectedly touched that Rong Jingning suddenly looked up from her complete concentration.

She and Lu Xianri simultaneously discovered an extremely easily overlooked thing in the corner - a wheat ear stem.

The deceased was clearly a college student who never did any housework. The trash can was full of take - out food containers, the kitchen was filled with sundries, and there was nothing but some carbonated drinks in the fridge. It was obvious that Li Qingqing never cooked at home. But then, how could there be a wheat ear stem in her house?

Perhaps this wheat ear stem was left behind by the murderer.

Rong Jingning looked up at the man in front of her. Lu Xianri also happened to look up at her. Their eyes met unexpectedly. Both pairs of eyes were equally clear and also carried a hint of surprise.

Rong Jingning was the first to avert her gaze. She picked up the wheat ear and put it into the evidence bag. Then she nodded to Lu Xianri, put all the evidence she had collected into a box, and walked towards Sun Bing.

Lu Xianri closely followed behind Rong Jingning.

After everyone had collected almost all the photos and evidence at the scene, the large group of people left the rental house and got into the police cars, driving in the direction of the police station.

Since this case had caused quite a stir in City N, the municipal police bureau specially established a special task force, with the person in charge unexpectedly being Lu Xianri, who had just joined the police station that very day.

Regarding Lu Xianri's appointment as leader, colleagues held differing opinions. Some criticized his youthfulness, claiming he would inevitably withdraw due to incompetence; others strongly supported him, praising his extraordinary investigative talents as a "once-in-a-century genius."

Rong Jingning had also been assigned to assist in this special task force due to her exceptional performance over the past year.

Night had fallen, immersing the entire city in darkness, with only scattered lights dotting the blackened sky like stars.

The second-floor conference room of the municipal police station remained brilliantly lit. Four police officers sat around the rectangular meeting table, all wearing serious expressions as if deeply contemplating something.

After a long silence, someone finally spoke: "What we can confirm is that the same perpetrator committed these serial murders. The primary crime scenes were all the victims' residences, indicating the killer was brought home by the victims before their deaths. We can't rule out acquaintance homicide." The speaker was Zhang Hanran, a seasoned officer with extensive experience in criminal cases.

"Old Zhang, I disagree with the acquaintance theory," Sun Bing shook his head. "We've thoroughly investigated both victims' social networks and found no overlaps. I suspect the killer works in an occupation that allows easy entry to victims' homes—like food delivery workers or couriers."

Zhang Hanran furrowed his brows, opening his mouth to retort but then hesitating as Sun Bing's argument held merit. The small conference room plunged into heavy silence again.

Rong Jingning sat at the edge of the table, her gaze fixed on the crime scene photos pinned to the white lacquered board. Having previously worked on multiple criminal investigations with her mentor Sun Bing, she possessed considerable experience. From the current evidence, there were no decisive clues except for the wheat ear discovered today at Li Qingqing's crime scene.

Her eyes unconsciously shifted to Lu Xianri at the head of the table. They had found the wheat ear together, and while he clearly valued this clue, the newly appointed leader hadn't spoken a word throughout the meeting, his thoughts remaining enigmatic.

"Team Leader Lu, what's your perspective?" Zhang Hanran broke the silence again. As the oldest team member, he felt he should have led the task force. Though he hadn't openly opposed Lu Xianri's appointment, his challenging tone betrayed lingering resentment, especially given Lu Xianri's prolonged silence.

All eyes immediately turned to Lu Xianri, including Rong Jingning's.

Lu Xianri raised his eyes, his stern expression transforming into a warm smile as he scanned the group. "I've carefully noted everyone's observations. Let me synthesize the key points." His gentle tone carried an authoritative calmness. "First, the killer undoubtedly has psychological disorders. Most serial killers leave distinctive marks—both victims were sexually assaulted with heart-shaped carvings on their faces, indicating random targeting rather than personal vendettas. Second, we can eliminate acquaintance homicide. As Officer Sun noted, it's also unlikely to be delivery workers. Both victims were killed shortly after returning home, meaning the killer entered with them and maintained peaceful interaction for some time. Delivery personnel wouldn't linger indoors—attacks would be sudden. This also rules out random strangers following victims home. Therefore, I deduce the victims voluntarily brought the killer inside—someone perceived as non-threatening. My research on U.S. cases shows women are most vulnerable to children. However, a child couldn't physically overpower these victims. Thus, we should consider someone with childlike appearance but aged 20-40—a demographic more prone to psychological disorders."

"A dwarf?" Rong Jingning's calm voice interjected.

Zhang Hanran and Sun Bing stared at her in astonishment. Lu Xianri's meticulous reasoning had already impressed them, leaving no room for rebuttal. Rong Jingning's bold hypothesis—though shocking—seemed disturbingly plausible.

Both veterans regarded the two young officers with newfound respect, particularly Zhang Hanran, whose previous doubts about Lu Xianri dissolved into complex emotions.

"Not exactly a dwarf," Lu Xianri responded, his starry eyes glinting as he looked at Rong Jingning. "Recall the movie Orphan—the protagonist appears as a vulnerable girl but harbors deadly maturity. I suspect our killer similarly exploits a childlike facade to gain victims' sympathy, then murders them. The heart-shaped markings suggest specific motives I can't yet determine."

Their gazes locked—two pairs of clear eyes communicating unspoken understanding.

After a moment, Lu Xianri's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Officer Rong, do you recall the wheat ear we found at the crime scene? Any insights?"

Without hesitation, Rong Jingning replied: "Late spring marks wheat harvest season. Urban areas don't sell raw wheat ears—processed grains get transported from rural areas. Except for few farmlands near suburbs, wheat ears rarely appear in cities. I suspect the killer resides near farmland. With urban development shrinking agricultural zones in City N, we should focus investigations on Liuxia District in the northern suburbs."

As her words faded, the conference door suddenly burst open. A police officer in military-green uniform rushed in: "Team Leader Lu! A convenience store owner from Li Qingqing's building reported seeing her bring a child home on the day of her death. Could this help the case?"