Chapter 413: Compulsory Summons

The five-star hotel was indeed comfortable. The two barely slept all night. In the morning, as they were heading to the breakfast buffet, Lin Dongxue said, “This place is really nice. I hope next time we come here it’s for leisure, not work.”

“Even during an investigation, you’re not missing out,” Chen Shi replied.

“Neither are you!”

“When will we come again? When you get promoted?”

A year ago, Lin Dongxue wouldn’t have dared to imagine this, but thanks to Chen Shi, their cases were getting solved rapidly. Many from their team had already been promoted, and she was now a deputy team leader. One day, the title of Team Leader Lin might actually refer to her instead of Lin Qiupu.

The thought excited her a little.

“My brother always says if you joined the police, we’d all have to step aside.”

Chen Shi shook his head, “I enjoy my freedom. Things are good as they are.”

Though the hotel’s breakfast spread was extensive, it was quiet and sparsely populated.

Lin Dongxue picked up some food and almost bumped into a woman on the phone. The woman, dressed in a sharp business suit, nodded in acknowledgment and continued her call, “Get the manuscript to me as soon as possible… I don’t care about your issues, we’re recording this afternoon, and there’s no time…”

Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, “She looks like a manager.”

Chen Shi showed her his phone, “She’s the boss of Luo Zuyu’s company, reportedly his sister-in-law.”

“Wow, a celebrity.”

“Maybe we’ll meet them in a different context soon.”

After breakfast, Lin Qiupu called Chen Shi, “I reviewed what you sent me. Before I apply for a summons, I need to confirm with you. Are you sure it’s him? This is no joke. If we’re wrong, we’ll be in serious trouble.”

“Don’t worry, all evidence points to him.”

On the other end, Lin Qiupu was thoughtful, “For someone this high-profile, if we don’t use force, it’ll drag on forever. Alright, I’ll start the paperwork now.”

“Also, make sure to coordinate with the press. If this goes public, they’ll likely use media to hinder the investigation.”

“Don’t worry about that… Where’s Dongxue?”

“She’s with me. We’re waiting at the hotel.”

After hanging up, Lin Dongxue was excited, “My brother’s coming soon?”

“Not immediately. Let’s get some more rest; I have a feeling we won’t be sleeping much in the next few days.”

“No sleep, but you were so excited last night.”

“Reflect on that yourself. Who was…”

“Okay, okay, stop.”

At 9 o’clock, they were woken up by a phone call. Lin Qiupu asked them to come down. Dressed and downstairs, they found a group of police negotiating with the hotel staff. The staff insisted on calling the manager despite the search warrant.

“Doesn’t your manager have a phone?” Chen Shi said.

“Well…”

“Call him now. You have five minutes.”

The staff reluctantly made the call and then said, “You can investigate, but don’t disturb the other guests.”

“How many cleaners do you have? Call them all down. I need to question them.”

Other officers handled questioning the cleaners. Chen Shi didn’t want to miss his first meeting with Luo Zuyu. The police went to Luo Zuyu’s floor, knocking on the presidential suite door. A man who appeared to be a manager answered, “What do you need?”

Lin Qiupu showed his credentials, “We suspect Mr. Luo, staying here, is connected to a case. We need to take him for questioning.”

“Does it have to be at the station? Mr. Luo has an interview this morning, already scheduled.”

“That’s not a valid excuse. This is a compulsory summons.”

The manager sighed, “Let me inform Mr. Luo.”

Before Luo Zuyu came out, a lawyer approached, “Hello, I’m Mr. Luo’s lawyer, authorized to represent him. Let me through.”

Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, “He hasn’t even shown up, and his lawyer’s already here. They were prepared.”

The lawyer entered, and time passed without anyone coming out. Meanwhile, another officer reported finding significant blood traces in the bathtub of another room.

Chen Shi handed his room key to the officer, “There’s a bag in my fridge with vomit from room 2207. Take it for testing, and bring the vase it was in too.”

“Vomit?” Lin Qiupu glanced at Chen Shi.

“It might be crucial evidence,” Chen Shi smiled.

Then Old Zhang reported, “Captain Lin, we’re missing a cleaner, the one seen on the 22nd floor on the 14th. She hasn’t shown up for three days.”

Chen Shi thought to himself that the key witness had either been bribed or… worse.

Lin Qiupu said, “Find her!”

Just then, Luo Zuyu, fully dressed, walked out casually, offering his hands, “Do I need handcuffs, officer?”

For many officers, it was their first time seeing Luo Zuyu up close. They couldn’t help but be surprised at how well-groomed and charismatic he was.

Lin Qiupu said, “We’ll spare you the handcuffs for your dignity.”

“Haha, sparing my dignity? You should worry about your own. Arresting someone without evidence?”

“Mr. Luo!” his lawyer whispered, “Don’t say anything unnecessary.”

After taking Luo Zuyu away, they searched the room. The manager appeared uneasy. Chen Shi asked, “How many rooms did you book here?”

“Seven.”

“Why so many?”

“We have a big team: Mr. Luo, his personal stylist, assistant, nutritionist, and other staff.”

“And one more,” Chen Shi said, “Your boss.”

“Right…” the manager was sweating, “You’re thorough, officer.”

Chen Shi borrowed Lin Dongxue’s notebook, “Tell me who’s in each room and when they checked in. I’ll verify it.”

After noting this down, Chen Shi asked, “Tell me your movements after 6 PM on July 14th?”

“Is that relevant? You’re only summoning Mr. Luo.”

“Please cooperate.”

“Okay… I left the hotel at six, had dinner with Director Chen, went for a spa treatment at eight, joined a conference call in my room from nine-thirty to ten-thirty, and then went to Mr. Luo’s room at eleven… but he wasn’t there.”

“You stayed in an empty room?”

“I had some drinks and was tired. I napped on the sofa.”

“Until when?”

“About eleven-thirty when I heard knocking. Mr. Luo returned, we discussed work, and then I left.”

Chen Shi smirked, “You’re lying!”