Love Me To Death..

Chapter 30. It was him...

RuoXi saw the uniformed officer rising from his chair to intervene but the doctor motioned at the man to remain seated turning his eyes back to RuoXi, his dark eyes narrowed. The doctor knew of her. "I am not sure how I can be of help to you, Ms. Luo", he muttered taking another sip of his coffee, hoping his dismissive tone was enough for the woman to run along. It wasn't. She was here to get this man to talk and she would. "But, I am sure you can be of great help to me." Luo RuoXi took a seat before Zhan giving him what she hoped was a warm smile. It was a smile she had practiced a lot before she had started reporting. She knew the smile made her look friendlier, made her seem more approachable. It made people think she cared. Although, the truth was...she didn't. "Haikuan-ge is going to start the conference soon. What are you doing here all alone?", she asked politely ordering a coffee for herself. "Drinking coffee", the clipped tone directed her way had RuoXi giving Zhan another smile. "Dr. Xiao...I just want to talk. Ask you a few questions."  "I am not the person who'll have answers for you, Ms. Luo. You shouldn't have questions for me at all. Your informant must have made sure you have a constant supply of all the inside information we have. Is there anything he missed?"

It was hard for Zhan to keep the venom out of his voice and RuoXi's gaze hardened slightly before she pasted a soft look on her face again. Xiao Zhan was already shutting her down. The doctor was not even trying to be nice. "Yibo has been tight-lipped recently. Not surprising since he was thrown out of the investigation team."  "He was set up", corrected Zhan and RuoXi waved a hand in the air. "He can lie all he wants and make me look like the villain. Anyways, he is not the reason I am here. I came to see you but, you don't seem to like reporters, Dr. Xiao." "I don't like you, Ms. Luo." Zhan's face was hard and unyielding and the man's candid response surprised RuoXi. "I am not the enemy, Dr. Xiao. I just want to help those victims. I've been talking to their family and friends-"  "Using the department's name", interrupted Zhan but RuoXi didn't stop talking.  "I am trying to understand why the killer destroyed their lives. I am here for the people who died horribly at his hands." "You know what I think?", asked Zhan, and without waiting for RuoXi to respond he continued. "I think all you are trying to do is use all the suffering and death left behind by that man to fill your pockets. You have been using a killer to make a name for yourself. I have seen you on television, Ms. Luo. You seem to care less about the victims and more about that sadistic killer." "You have a really low opinion of me, Dr. Xiao", RuoXi said with a weary sigh keeping the anger brimming within her out of her voice. "But, I came here with good intentions. Intentions of helping you. I am not the bad guy here." Her words were dripping with sincerity and the doctor's lips stretched into a sardonic smile. "Your actions could have fooled me. Your good deeds have shaken up the entire precinct. None of us are pleased with you, Ms. Luo."

Zhan placed his cup on the table and leveled RuoXi with a hard stare. "What are you here for? I am sure you have other things to do like snooping around and harassing people."  "Please, call me XiXi, and don't think the worst of me. I came to attend the conference and saw you leaving the precinct. Thought I'll speak to you for a while and kill time."  She edged closer to the elder leaning on her elbows, all the while keeping her eyes on Zhan. "Yibo told me something, Dr. Xiao." The doctor's eyes didn't change but his mouth tightened into a hard line. RuoXi wondered if Yibo's name had made him angry. "He said that the Death Angel didn't have Deng Shu in his sights. He said it was you. What did you do to get on the bad side of the Death Angel?" The dark, almond eyes transformed before Ruoxi, going from having their icy glint to red, blazing fury. "I know you and Yibo don't see eye to eye.  I heard he even tried to get you off the team. I don't know what went down between the two of you but he doesn't like you a lot, Dr. Xiao." "Is that what Yibo told you?" The tone was flat. Detached. "He did." RuoXi leaned away with a calm smile taking a sip of her coffee. "I know Yibo is as hardheaded as they come. That icy, apathetic demeanor of his doesn't make him the ideal choice for asking for protection. And, let's be honest. Haikuan-ge and the other officers also side with him. You don't have a lot of friends in that building."  "Are you saying you are a friend?", Zhan arched a brow and RuoXi smiled a little wider. "I want to be. You see death closely, Dr. Xiao. I am sure you want those victims to get justice as I do. You must want that killer off the streets, even more now that he has set his sights on you. I am not a police officer but I know people. Powerful people. I'll keep you safe. All I want is your side of the story. What you are feeling knowing he is chasing you. Knowing you are probably his next prey. How are you dealing with it?" "Who is your informant, Ms. Luo?", The doctor asked and RuoXi threw a question of her own. "Why did he choose you, Mr. Xiao? Why does he want you dead?" The doctor's eyes raised to something behind RuoXi, widened slightly and the reporter turned smiling only for her smile to fall at the sight of Wang Yibo.