“Forensic report is out,” Ji Fanyang walked into the office holding a file, “Wang Jing died from an overdose of injected drugs.”
“Hmph,” Lu Hui made a sarcastic laugh, “Playing dumb, huh?”
Rao Feifei stood up and closed the office door, “So, the Liu family is involved in drug trafficking?”
“One hundred percent drug trafficking,” Lu Hui said, pointing at Ji Fanyang. “Go find a reporter. I want this to be reported simultaneously.”
“Expose the investigation process to the reporters?” Captain Xu pushed the door open and walked in. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Liu Kai is lying in bed, paralyzed, unable to speak clearly, and can’t even give orders,” Lu Hui said. “We need to force those who can’t stay calm.”
“Such as?” Captain Xu asked.
“Release the news, and we’ll find out,” Lu Hui said confidently.
“Wang Bureau won’t agree to this,” Captain Xu frowned.
“We won’t tell him,” Lu Hui said.
Yang Jie sighed, “You want the entire Zhongchuan to know except Director Wang?”
“It sounds impossible,” Ji Fanyang added.
“Act first, report later. You’ve learned a lot of rules in the past two years,” Lu Hui glanced at his cautious team members. “Hurry up!”
Rao Feifei left the office first, followed by Yang Jie.
Captain Xu knew he couldn’t stop Lu Hui, shook his head helplessly, and said, “When Director Wang scolds you, don’t pull me down with you.”
“I got it,” Lu Hui drawled, showing no concern.
In the afternoon.
“Now that the case has progressed to this point, let’s review the facts,” Yang Jie stood next to the whiteboard, holding a pen. “Four years ago, Liu Kai’s younger son, Liu Huairui, died suddenly of a heart attack. The hospital had records, but they were not detailed. Two years and four months ago, Du Chengwu, suspected to be under Liu Kai, was placed in the witness protection program. Two months later, he disappeared, and his wife, Wang Jing, claimed he died. The police have not yet found the body. In April of this year, Wang Jing’s body was salvaged from Houshan Lake in Zhongchuan. The autopsy showed that she died from an overdose of injected drugs. The daughter, Du Huan Yue, is missing.”
Yang Jie wrote five names from top to bottom on the whiteboard: [Liu Kai] – [Liu Huairui] – [Du Chengwu] – [Wang Jing] – [Du Huan Yue], and then said, “Liu Kai suffered from hereditary dilated cardiomyopathy. He had a heart attack a week ago, and now he is paralyzed in bed. Liu Kai’s wife died five years ago, and the only ones left to inherit Liu Kai’s estate are Liu Huaizhou and Liu Wei.”
“Liu Huaizhou is a high school teacher who doesn’t hear anything outside his classroom. Liu Wei usually takes care of Liu’s family affairs and is Liu Kai’s right-hand man,” Ji Fanyang said.
“Now, we have three questions left,” Lu Hui said, “Who bombed the factory, who sent someone to kill Du Chengwu, and whom I killed before.”
“Is this ‘who’ referring to the same person?” Rao Feifei asked.
“It might be, or it might not be,” Lu Hui said. “We need to wait.” He stood up, took the pen from Yang Jie, and wrote three questions beneath the five names, “First, find out how Liu Huairui died. Second, where is my reporter?”
“He’ll be here soon,” Rao Feifei said. “Do you want the team leader Lu to explain?”
“You go,” Lu Hui looked at Rao Feifei from head to toe. “Your family is well-off, and you have some connections. The Liu family is in chaos now, and no one dares to touch you.”
“…But what if Director Wang brings up this matter?” Rao Feifei cautiously asked.
“Blame it on me,” Lu Hui casually took on the responsibility. “What’s there to be afraid of?”
“Oh, okay,” Rao Feifei nodded.
“Alright, Rao Feifei, go do the interview. Yang Jie and Captain Xu, go to the hospital. I and Ji Fanyang can’t go out easily,” Lu Hui said. “Feifei, mention the disappearance of citizen Fan Zhe while you’re at it.”
“Got it,” Rao Feifei responded.
The two female team members left the office, leaving only Ji Fanyang and Lu Hui.
“What do we do now?” Ji Fanyang asked.
“Close the door,” Lu Hui said. He took out a tablet and propped it on the desk. “I suspect that Liu Wei plotted against Liu Huairui, and I was just a coincidence. Regardless, Liu Huairui would have died in that gunfight. The mystery is why the gunfight broke out.”
“So, you think you are an innocent third party pulled into this?” Ji Fanyang sat beside Lu Hui, pointing at the tablet screen. “I’ve watched this TV series.”
Lu Hui swiped his finger to switch to another TV series. “An innocent third party with a gun by chance.” He emphasized the words “innocent” and continued, “And how did Du Chengwu play a role in it? How did he know in advance that he would be pursued?”
“He must have done something,” Ji Fanyang speculated. “Why did Wang Jing die?”
“Wang Jing had evidence in her hands,” Lu Hui said. “It must be something Du Chengwu gave her. So, the key is what Du Chengwu took.”
“Was the evidence stolen, or was it destroyed?” Ji Fanyang proposed a hypothesis. “If it was stolen, who has it now?”
“And where is Du Huan Yue?” Lu Hui pressed the play button on the TV series. “I believe the truth is not far away.”
“One last question,” Ji Fanyang turned to Lu Hui. “I met someone claiming to be Huang Zili at the Liu family banquet. Do you know him?”
“… What happened to him?” Lu Hui’s gaze flickered.
“He said he wanted to throw me into the lake,” Ji Fanyang said. “Is he your informant?”
“Sort of,” Lu Hui said vaguely.
“He looks like someone from Zhongchuan. Should I invite him to dinner?” Ji Fanyang asked.
“Better not,” Lu Hui stopped the TV series intro and said, “Just a small favor.”
“…What reason will you give him for helping us?” Ji Fanyang was skeptical, recalling the trick Lu Hui used to deceive Ding Xinyu during their co-rental period. “Are you going to say that we are…”
“…I’ve fallen for you and want to keep you,” Lu Hui interrupted, “Otherwise, how do I explain my sudden enthusiasm for a stranger who specially flew from Donghua to Zhuchuan?”
“…Are you serious?” Ji Fanyang sighed, rubbing his temples. “This is awkward.”
“Unless you play the role of my sugar baby,” Lu Hui suggested, getting excited. “Not a bad idea, it can make Huang Zili dig deeper into his pockets.”
“Stop, stop, stop,” Ji Fanyang had to interrupt Lu Hui’s increasingly absurd money-making ideas. “Are you going crazy from being poor?”
“I have to support myself now, and I have to support you,” Lu Hui said. “Why not go find a wealthy woman yourself?”
“Okay, let’s watch TV,” Ji Fanyang pressed the tablet, letting the TV series continue playing. “Why don’t you find a wealthy woman?”
“Wealthy women prefer someone younger,” Lu Hui turned his head to smile at Ji Fanyang. “Like you, little brother.”
“Shut up, old man,” Ji Fanyang picked up some potato chips to cover Lu Hui’s mouth.
“Zhuchuan Province, Zhongchuan City, Linze Mountain Houshan Lake salvaged a female corpse, and I was standing next to the police salvage boat.” The reporter held a microphone and said, “The police cannot reveal too many details, but they say that if citizens encounter a man named Fan Zhe, around twenty-seven years old, height one meter eighty-three, please call the Zhongchuan City Police Bureau; the phone number is displayed on the screen below.”
Hearing the familiar name, the woman who was peeling an apple froze for a moment.
“Miss Liu,” a doctor knocked on the door and came in, walking to the bedside. “The old man’s condition is temporarily stable. It’s best not to mention anything emotionally stressful to him in the near future.”
“I know,” Liu Wei separated the apple into eight slices. “Dr. Lu, feed Grandpa for me. I have something to take care of.”
“Okay,” the doctor took the fruit plate, watching Liu Wei pick up her bag and leave the ward.
