Chapter 23: The Overly Suspicious Brother

Chen Shi parked his car outside Lin Dongxue’s apartment building, gazing at the unremarkable neighborhood. “So, this is where you live?” he asked.

“Is that a complaint about my place being shabby or the location being bad? It’s just a rental, and it’s close to work… I’ll go up alone. We’re not close enough for you to come in!” Lin Dongxue replied.

“I’ll wait here then. You and your brother are alike, always thinking the worst of people!” Chen Shi chuckled.

“It’s different. My brother is suspicious by nature; I just have the usual caution of a regular girl.”

“Twenty-five years old, at the age for matchmaking, and still calling yourself a girl?”

“Watch it!” Lin Dongxue raised her fist playfully.

“Spare me, please!”

“I’ll be back soon!” Lin Dongxue said as she got out of the car.

Chen Shi leaned on the steering wheel, lost in thought. At the entrance of the apartment complex, he saw a father carefully guiding his toddler son, his face full of tender love. “Slow down, sweetheart!” the father cautioned.

As Chen Shi watched, his mind wandered until Lin Dongxue’s knock on the car door brought him back. “What are you looking at?” she asked.

“Just daydreaming,” Chen Shi replied.

Lin Dongxue had changed into her usual jacket and tied her hair into a ponytail, looking neat and efficient. Chen Shi also noticed her face was slightly paler than before, indicating she had removed her light makeup.

“Let’s go!” Lin Dongxue said.

On the way, Lin Dongxue asked, “Can you guess how my brother will investigate this time?”

“How else? Since it’s determined to be a crime by someone familiar with the victim, he’ll start with their interpersonal relationships. Real-life murder cases aren’t often driven by love or hate; it’s usually about money. So, your brother will likely focus on people who had financial disputes with the victim. He’ll probably send you to interview witnesses.”

“How do you know my brother so well?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“It’s not that I know him well; he’s just easy to figure out.”

Lin Dongxue laughed. “So, you’re saying my brother is stupid?”

“To reach his position at his age, he’s either a genius or an early bird catching the worm.”

“Which is he?”

“A bird that thinks it’s a genius.”

Lin Dongxue laughed, playfully punching Chen Shi. “Your reasoning is flawed. There’s another possibility: he could have family connections.”

“That’s impossible. Your parents passed away, so where would the connections come from?”

Lin Dongxue was shocked. “How… how did you know?”

“Uh… just a guess. You rent an apartment instead of living with your parents, and you never mentioned them in our conversations. Your aunt set you up for dates, so I deduced it. If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”

Lin Dongxue was suspicious. For a moment, she thought Chen Shi seemed unusually flustered. Could he know her brother? But that seemed impossible. Their lives had no intersection.

When Lin Dongxue returned to the police station, the meeting room was packed. Lin Qiupu, as always, stood straight and scanned the room with sharp eyes. “Last night, a major family massacre occurred. The victim, Kong, was an employee of an insurance company…” After introducing the victim and the case details, he continued, “The bureau is taking this case very seriously. Once it’s public, it will attract attention across the province and even the country. We must give the victim and the public an answer. Please put all your energy into solving this case within forty-eight hours. Do you have confidence?”

“Yes!” everyone responded in unison.

Lin Qiupu turned off the lights and projected photos of the crime scene on the screen, explaining the situation. Those who hadn’t been to the scene gasped at the gruesome images.

Everyone shared their thoughts. From the clues, it was evident that this was likely a crime by someone familiar with the victim. Lin Qiupu assigned tasks focusing on the victim’s interpersonal relationships, especially the high-interest loan company that had lent the victim 800,000 yuan. This was a key point in the investigation.

Hearing this, Lin Dongxue admired Chen Shi even more. His guess had been spot on.

He also guessed another thing correctly: her task was to interview witnesses, the easiest job.

In the past, Lin Dongxue would have protested, but now, with Chen Shi as a strong ally, she didn’t mind. In fact, she thought, the more they underestimated her, the more she wanted to prove them wrong.

However, Lin Qiupu’s next words surprised her. “Dongxue, you’ll go with Xiao Dong.”

“What?” Lin Dongxue blurted out.

“What do you mean, what? Follow orders. Dismissed!” Lin Qiupu said.

As the officers dispersed, Xu Xiaodong approached cheerfully. “Dongxue, let’s get going!”

Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth. It was obvious Lin Qiupu didn’t trust her and assigned Xu Xiaodong to follow her. She thought Lin Qiupu was being overly cautious.

She glanced at Xu Xiaodong and said, “I need to use the restroom.”

In the hallway, Lin Dongxue called Chen Shi. “You were right. My brother assigned me to find witnesses and paired me with a colleague.”

Chen Shi laughed over the phone. “Then go ahead.”

“But…”

“I know you’re eager to prove yourself!” Chen Shi’s voice came from both the phone and beside her. Lin Dongxue turned and saw Chen Shi walking in casually.

She hung up. “What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t Lin Qiupu say I could help with the case? It’s fine for me to be here. As for your eagerness to prove yourself, it’s the early stages of the case, and everyone’s in the dark. Interviewing witnesses isn’t a bad thing.”

“What are you going to do? Come with me?”

“No way, not for this tedious task.”

“How untrustworthy!”

“Actually, I’m here to see if the forensics team found anything. I trust objective results over opinions for solving cases.”

At that moment, Xu Xiaodong came out of the meeting room. Seeing Chen Shi, he exclaimed, “Hey, aren’t you that guy from last time?”

“I’m Chen Shi. Lin Qiupu asked me to help with the case. Nice to meet you,” Chen Shi said shamelessly, extending his hand.

Xu Xiaodong shook his hand, confused. “Did Lin Qiupu really ask him to help?”

“Oh, yes,” Lin Dongxue confirmed.

“Wow, impressive!” Xu Xiaodong exclaimed.

“Not at all,” Chen Shi said, pointing ahead. “I’m heading to forensics.”

“Wait!” Lin Dongxue called after him. “You don’t know anyone here. I’ll take you. I want to hear what they found too.”