"What's up?"
Han Bin jerked his chin toward the noodle shop nearby. "That noodle shop next door, how long has it been open?"
"Two or three years, why?"
"Do you know the name of the owner?"
"Why are you asking?" The shop owner gave Han Bin a skeptical look.
Han Bin pulled out his police badge and placed it on the glass counter.
"Police."
"Oh! Don't scare me like that. What's going on?" The shopkeeper took a step back.
"Nothing serious. Just need to ask a few questions," Han Bin said, putting the badge back in his pocket.
"Go ahead."
"What's the owner's name?"
"His surname is Liu. I think his full name is Liu Zhixin."
"How old is he?"
"Looks like he's in his thirties."
"How tall?"
"Around 1.8 meters."
"How many people work at the shop?"
"Just two — he and his wife. No other staff."
"Has the shop been open every day recently?"
The woman thought for a moment. "It was closed the day before yesterday."
"Where do they usually stay at night?"
"They sleep in the shop. Real hard workers. Just imagine how greasy it must be in there. I couldn't stand it."
"Alright, thanks. You can go back to work." Han Bin finished and walked out of the convenience store.
He opened his phone and messaged the team group chat:
"Confirmed: the noodle shop owner is Liu Zhixin. Shop was closed the day before yesterday — highly suspicious."
After sending the message, Han Bin rejoined Tian Li and walked into the noodle shop.
Inside, there were two groups of customers. One seemed to be a middle-aged couple, and the other was Li Hui and Zeng Ping.
Han Bin gave Tian Li a look and didn't join Li Hui and Zeng Ping. Instead, they sat at a table toward the back.
"Let's order here," Tian Li called out.
A woman in her thirties, plump and holding a small notepad, walked over. "What would you like to order?"
Han Bin glanced at the wall menu. "One bowl of mixed noodles."
"Eggplant minced meat noodles, no cilantro," Tian Li added.
The woman took note and shouted toward the kitchen, "One mixed noodles! One eggplant minced meat, no cilantro!"
Tian Li messaged the group chat:
"Captain Zeng, when do we move in?"
"Do we know how many people are in the kitchen?" Zeng Ping asked, typing slowly.
Han Bin replied, "Should be just Liu Zhixin."
"There are knives and gas in the kitchen — not a good place for a confrontation," Zeng Ping said, sounding worried.
"Should we call him out first, then make a move?" Li Hui suggested.
"If he's the real killer, he's probably extremely jumpy right now. If we call him out, he might run," Zeng Ping warned.
"Then we trick him into coming out," Li Hui said.
"How do you plan to do that?"
"Just watch. I promise he won't suspect a thing," Li Hui replied with a confident emoji.
"You distract him. I'll grab him from behind," Han Bin replied.
Li Hui: "What about me, guys?" sends a cute emoji
Zeng Ping replied with a voice message: "You cover the back door. If he runs that way, that's your moment to shine."
Zhao Ming: "The smell of the waste water back here is killing me." vomiting emoji
Tian Li: "Keep it down. We're trying to eat here."
Zhao Ming: "..."
Soon, the food for Zeng Ping and Li Hui arrived.
Zeng Ping had mixed noodles, and Li Hui got flat noodles with a fried egg.
Li Hui bit into his egg, speaking with his mouth full, "Man, I'm starving after today."
"Slow down. You're splashing soup everywhere," Zeng Ping frowned.
Li Hui nodded but kept slurping at full speed.
Han Bin's noodles arrived too — beef, green peppers, onions. A good portion. Decent value.
He mixed it up, took a bite — pretty tasty.
He was hungry too, and started digging in.
The suspect was cornered in the noodle shop. They needed full stomachs before taking action.
Li Hui wolfed down his food, and in no time, his bowl was empty. He scratched his head, wiped his mouth, and shouted, "Hey boss, come here a second!"
The owner's wife walked over and glanced at the table. "All done? One bill or separate?"
Li Hui pulled a serious face. "What bill? Take a look in this bowl."
"What's wrong?" She was puzzled. The bowl looked empty except for the soup.
"Look closely — there's a hair in the soup," Li Hui said.
The woman squinted, stared for a while, then spotted a 4–5 cm long hair floating. "But you've already finished eating."
"So what? Thinking about eating noodles with hair in them makes me feel sick." Li Hui looked disgusted.
"Well, we're just a small business. How about I knock a yuan off and charge you seven?"
"Forget seven or eight — you're not charging me at all," Li Hui waved her off.
"That's not fair. We can't afford to give out free meals," the woman said, growing stern.
"Oh, so I find hair in the food and you're the victim now?" Li Hui leaned back with arms crossed.
"If we're talking logic, look at this." She pointed to her head. "I have long hair. That one's short. Probably yours."
"Are you saying I put hair in my own food?" Li Hui raised his voice and eyes. "Call the chef out here. It's his hair."
"And if it's not?"
"Then I'll pay full price." Li Hui patted his chest. "I'm not short on money."
"Alright, wait here." She turned to the back and shouted, "Zhixin, come out a second."
"What is it?" A bald man came out, wiping his hands on his dirty apron.
"That table says there's a hair in the soup and thinks it's yours."
"Heh."
Liu Zhixin rubbed his smooth scalp, walked over to Li Hui and said, "Buddy, you finished the whole bowl and now complain there's hair? That's why I shaved my head — to avoid folks like you."
"Come on, it's a small place, not worth causing trouble. Just pay and move on," said a middle-aged man eating nearby.
Li Hui's face turned a bit red. This was his first time pulling this stunt, and he wasn't used to it.
He didn't have the thick skin for it.
"Ha!"
Han Bin laughed, stood up, and walked over, positioning himself behind Liu Zhixin. "Hey man, it's just a bowl of noodles. Don't embarrass us Qindao folks like that."
"What the hell's it to you?" Li Hui stood up, annoyed, and pointed at Han Bin like he was ready to fight.
"Don't make a scene in my shop. Pay and get out," Liu Zhixin said, pushing Li Hui's arm aside.
At that moment, Han Bin made his move.
He grabbed Liu Zhixin's right hand, twisted it behind his back, and forced him down onto the table. "Police! Don't move!"
Li Hui grabbed the other hand and cuffed him. "Liu Zhixin, you're under arrest."
It all happened so fast.
The wife and the other customers were stunned.
"What are you doing?! Why are you arresting my husband?" the owner's wife shouted.
Tian Li stepped in front of her. "We're from the Criminal Investigation Unit. Your husband is suspected in a murder case. He needs to come with us to assist in the investigation."
(End of Chapter)