Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2524 - 2460: Sharp as a Tack

Once they arrived at the main entrance and the rest had departed, Meng Xinian elevated his tone a little, "Comrade Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu halted immediately, "Officer Meng, is something else needed?"

"Your face seems somewhat recognizable," Meng Xinian inquired.

Noticing his apparent desire to converse further, Xiao Wu instructed several colleagues, "You all proceed; I'll join shortly."

The group of Public Security Officers departed ahead.

Xiao Wu headed back into the courtyard.

Meng Xinian thought he was rather astute, choosing to linger while sending the others away first.

"Officer Meng, my aunt happens to be Deputy Liu's spouse."

Deputy Liu resided within the courtyard, naturally.

Meng Xinian knew well the residents of the courtyard. Upon hearing this, clarity dawned on him.

"So, you're Madam Liu's nephew."

That explained it; he had visited the courtyard previously, which is why the face rang a bell.

"I'd like to find out who filed the report today? What proof did they provide that prompted all of you to rush here for a search?"

Meng Xinian questioned straightforwardly.

Xiao Wu rubbed the back of his head, appearing somewhat sheepish, and replied, "The reporter was a man called Nian Che. He claimed his fiancée, Chen Zhu, had been abducted from Fuxi Restaurant today. He even brought along witnesses from Fuxi Restaurant, so we took his word for it."

"That's the reason a whole team of you showed up to conduct the search?"

Xiao Wu felt a jolt.

Was he still harboring resentment over the incident?

They had already offered apologies, and Meng Xinian had indicated his understanding.

Was he planning to confront him privately now?

This wasn't right, Officer Meng.

Xiao Wu appeared rather distressed, "Officer Meng, the complainant never mentioned anything about your status, just provided this location. He insisted he had trailed them here and witnessed the person entering with you personally. We failed to check your identity beforehand and simply arrived, which was undoubtedly our error."

"Why the anxiety?" Meng Xinian remarked, a touch exasperated: "I'm not here to hold you accountable. Instead, I need you to reflect carefully—who pushed for an immediate search with reinforcements?"

Xiao Wu paused in surprise, then pondered deeply.

After some time, he responded, "It was Xiao Ma. He was indeed with us earlier. He insisted that if a search was to happen, speed was essential; otherwise, the hostage might be relocated or harmed before we could intervene. That's why he led us right away, arguing that a larger group would be more efficient, and given the potential danger from someone capable of detaining an innocent woman, extra numbers ensured safety."

At first, Xiao Wu saw no issue, but with Meng Xinian's prompting and revisiting the day's occurrences, he abruptly sensed Xiao Ma's eagerness was overly intense.

In the past, Xiao Ma had never shown such zeal.

No matter the situation, he simply adhered to orders and tagged along with the group, never taking initiative.

"This... regarding Xiao Ma..."

Xiao Wu wavered, uncertain if he should voice his thoughts.

Meng Xinian inquired, "Xiao Ma was there before, wasn't he? The fellow with the mole on his neck?"

"Correct, that's him."

Xiao Wu was astonished, unprepared for Meng Xinian's sharp observation. Amidst the crowd, not constantly in view, how had he spotted such a minor detail?

It was no surprise that tales of Meng Xinian's exceptional military achievements and promising future circulated widely.

For an instant, Xiao Wu held profound respect for Meng Xinian.