Chapter 33: Don't Try to Guess a Girl's Heart~

The three of them arrived at the local police station and went straight to the officer in charge of investigating Zhang Yan’s disappearance.

After a brief exchange, the officer detailed the progress of the investigation and handed a file to Lu Zhongxin. "Everything, starting from the initial report, is right here."

Seeing Lu Zhongxin take the file, the officer seemed to recall something and pointed to it. "There’s a CD inside. I copied the street surveillance footage from the day Zhang Yan went missing onto it."

As he finished speaking, he watched as Lu Zhongxin handed the materials to the chubby man beside him. That chubby man, who was clearly a newcomer, began leafing through the papers as if no one else were around. It gave the officer the distinct impression that the chubby man was the real leader of the group.

What kind of setup was this? Had it become the trend in the Criminal Investigation Division for newbies to lead the veterans? Looking at the way the other two acted, it was obvious they were waiting for the chubby man to finish reviewing the documents.

Just as the officer was feeling puzzled, Yu Dazhang suddenly looked up at him. "Due to time constraints, we won’t be heading back just yet. May we borrow your computer?" As he spoke, Yu Dazhang held up the CD and gave it a little shake.

Some might find this curious. Even by 2014, CDs were becoming obsolete, and many computer towers no longer came with optical drives. Wouldn't a USB flash drive be more convenient? For those who are confused, congratulations—it means you have lived a fortunate life and have never been caught up in legal proceedings.

While audiovisual materials can be stored on other media, CDs remain the most widely accepted standard. Their compatibility, stability, long storage life, ease of duplication, and suitability for long-term archiving are traits that USB drives cannot match. When the day comes that you need to submit evidence to a court, your lawyer will tell you: audiovisual evidence must be submitted on a CD.

This is especially true within the legal system, where evidence must be preserved for the long term. If, when the time comes to retrieve evidence, the storage device is found to be corrupted, it inevitably raises suspicions of tampering. At that point, no amount of explaining will clear your name. Therefore, any officer with investigative experience will always choose a CD as their primary storage medium.

The three men followed the officer into an office. "Use this computer; I use it to look up files all the time," the officer said, pointing to a desktop.

"Thank you." Yu Dazhang pulled up a chair, sat down, and then turned his head toward the officer. "If you don't have anything else to do, could you assist us with this investigation?"

*So he really is the one in charge...* The officer had been stunned the moment Yu Dazhang sat down. Now, faced with the sudden question, he snapped back to reality. "Oh, sure, no problem. My superiors already told me to assist you as much as possible."

"Then I appreciate your help." Yu Dazhang said, taking the CD and inserting it into the drive. After a few clicks, a video window popped up on the screen. It was the afternoon five days ago, the day Zhang Yan went missing.

*This makes things much easier...* Yu Dazhang thought with a flicker of satisfaction.

It appeared this officer was quite thorough; he had only copied the relevant surveillance segments onto the CD. This would save a significant amount of time. The video showed the school entrance, with the camera positioned directly opposite the gate. Zhang Yan could be clearly seen walking out.

The moment she stepped out of the gate, one of her actions caught Yu Dazhang’s attention. She glanced back—a look that lasted a full two seconds, as if searching for someone. After she turned back, Yu Dazhang saw an expression on her face that looked suspiciously like the guilt of someone caught doing something wrong. She then moved her school bag to her chest and pulled out a mobile phone.

Yu Dazhang focused his attention on Zhang Yan’s hands. She was turning the phone on. The earlier glance back was now explained: she had been checking to see if any teachers were behind her. Mobile phones were prohibited in school, and the rules were even stricter in high school. Because her attention was fixed on the phone, her walking pace naturally slowed down.

Just as she was about to leave the surveillance area of the school gate, she swiped her finger across the screen a few times. She didn't know what she saw, but her hand suddenly stopped. She walked out of the frame while continuing to stare at the phone screen.

"I’ve organized the footage in chronological order," the officer said, seeing the video end. "The first segment is her leaving school, and the next is the surveillance from her way home..." The officer reached for the mouse, ready to click on the second video.

"Wait." Yu Dazhang held his hand down. "I need to watch this segment again. Skip directly to the last five seconds."

"Alright." The officer complied with his request.

"Again, just the last five seconds."

"Got it."

"One more time..."

After watching it three more times, Yu Dazhang had a rough assessment. When Zhang Yan turned on the phone and swiped through it, she was likely checking for missed calls or messages on messaging apps. That wasn't the most critical part, however. What kept Yu Dazhang watching three extra times was the change in Zhang Yan’s expressions. Because the moment was so brief and the surveillance footage was low-resolution, it wasn't perfectly clear. He needed to watch it repeatedly to distinguish the specific meaning behind each look.

The moment she stopped moving her hands, there was a smile on Zhang Yan’s face. This indicated that the person who messaged her was someone she didn't dislike, perhaps even someone she liked. Yet, the next moment, her demeanor shifted rapidly from a faint smile to confusion and bewilderment. By the final second before she left the camera’s view, she was frowning in annoyance. There was a touch of dissatisfaction in her gaze, and even a faint trace of disappointment.

*What a rich range of expressions...* Yu Dazhang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, appearing to be deep in thought.

*Young lady, that was quite a performance; those five seconds were enough to write an entire palace intrigue drama.* There is a song with a very fitting lyric: "Don't try to guess a girl's thoughts, you'll never figure them out~"

Now, Yu Dazhang had no choice but to guess. Since the person messaging her wasn't someone she disliked, the subsequent change in expression must have been due to the content of the message. What kind of content could cause Zhang Yan’s demeanor to shift from happy to confused, then to dissatisfied, and finally to disappointed?

*Hitting a wall here, damn it...* Guessing a girl's mind was Yu Dazhang’s greatest weakness. In his two lifetimes, he had never been a "player." In his past life, he never even married and remained single. He had dated while in school, but those relationships were always brief. The Yu Dazhang of his past life was truly reserved and introverted, the type who didn't know how to charm girls. Later, when he became a police officer, he not only lost the inclination but also the time.

With no other choice, Yu Dazhang had to seek help from the gallery.

"Tell me, what kind of thing could make a girl change her expressions so rapidly in just a few seconds?" He had people right there to ask.

Qian Cheng and Lu Zhongxin looked at each other, both wearing expressions of confusion. The officer was a bit more reliable, at least appearing to be in deep thought.

Two minutes later.

"Well?" Yu Dazhang noticed that the expressions of the three men were changing more frequently than Zhang Yan’s in the video.

"No idea," Lu Zhongxin said, looking completely baffled.

"Can't think of anything," Qian Cheng’s face was twisted in thought.

The officer simply offered an apologetic look.

*Great, a room full of terminal-stage clueless men...* Yu Dazhang sighed helplessly. "Play the next segment."

It wasn't that Yu Dazhang was being overly pedantic; in evidence gathering, one cannot afford to miss a single detail. Why are some people able to crack major cases repeatedly, while others can't even get past their probation in the Criminal Investigation Division? It all comes down to the mastery of details. In an investigation, if you can spot details others miss, even if you don't solve the case, the division will value you as an asset. Every experienced detective knows that the key to solving a case lies in identifying the crucial turning point.

The next segment of the video was filmed as Zhang Yan passed a shop on her way home. In the video, Zhang Yan was holding the phone to her ear, talking while walking.

*Finally, something in my wheelhouse...* Yu Dazhang’s lips curled into a faint smile. It’s true what they say: one should always keep learning. Every extra skill gives you an edge over others.

*Young lady, I hope your lip-reading isn't too complicated.*