Chapter 527: Pathological Liar

Upon hearing this, Lü Hao broke into a cold sweat and immediately plastered on a smile, saying, “Yes, we met. She invited me to dinner that day, and we talked about all this over the meal.”

“Which restaurant?”

“Changlai Restaurant on Liuxi Road…”

“Are you sure?”

“No, no, I got it wrong. It was Burger King.”

“Are you sure? How about we verify that right now?”

“No, no, it was a food stall.”

Chen Shi sneered, “A food stall, right? No surveillance cameras there, convenient for you to lie.”

“I’m not lying! Why would I lie?” Lü Hao was really bad at lying. Although he said this, his expression was extremely flustered.

Chen Shi said, “Do you think we’d come to you unprepared? Actually, before coming to you, we had already spoken to her husband. We roughly know what your relationship is.”

Lü Hao kept touching his nose, his face turning red. Chen Shi dealt him the final blow, “Or, shall we find a place to sit down and have a proper chat?”

“No, no, no!” Lü Hao finally admitted defeat, “I admit, I admit, we have that kind of relationship, but not exactly what you’re thinking. It’s more… complicated.”

“What exactly is the relationship? Be clear!” Lin Dongxue was getting impatient.

Lü Hao grinned at Lin Dongxue, “Can you give me some face? It’s just… we’re having an affair!”

“How long has this been going on?”

“Over a year.”

“How did you two meet?”

“She came to get her hair done, left her contact info. It’s not as bad as you think, she made the first move. She said her marriage was unhappy, her husband is useless in every way. She didn’t know why she married him. I comforted her at first with words, then it became physical comfort…” Lü Hao raised his eyebrows and smiled at Lin Dongxue, “Miss, this isn’t illegal, is it?”

“Why didn’t you tell the truth at the start?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“I have my pride!”

“So, you two met on the 8th. Where did you go, and what did you do?”

“The usual, found a bed, ordered takeout, ate and had sex, had sex and ate, then slept till the next day.”

“Address!”

Seeing the stern faces of his questioners, the ever-smiling Lü Hao felt a bit ashamed, restrained his smile, and gave the address. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a hotel but a cheap apartment near his workplace.

Lü Hao explained that it was his friend’s place. The friend had gone abroad, leaving him the key, so he used it temporarily.

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi thought to himself, yet another lead that couldn’t be verified with physical evidence.

He said, “Can we take a look?”

“There’s nothing to see, just a shabby little place. Rest assured, there won’t be any bodies in there.” Lü Hao tried to joke, but neither of his listeners smiled, leaving him scratching his head awkwardly.

“Let’s go!”

“I… I have guests at home.”

“We’ll accompany you to inform your guests.”

“No need, I haven’t eaten.”

“I’ll treat you!”

Unable to come up with any more excuses, Lü Hao reluctantly agreed. The three of them got into a taxi, with Lin Dongxue in the front seat and Chen Shi watching Lü Hao from the back. Chen Shi felt this guy was hiding something, possibly the key to the whole case.

Lin Dongxue glanced at the time and thought, damn, the train is about to leave. She texted Chen Shi: “Should we reschedule the train tickets? We won’t make it.”

Chen Shi replied: “I’m getting interested in this case. Let’s stay overnight.”

“Alright, your call.”

Chen Shi called Tao Yueyue to say he wouldn’t be coming home tonight. Tao Yueyue didn’t react much, saying, “Then I’ll stay with Sister Gu.”

“Okay, take care!”

“You be careful too…” then quickly added, “with Sister Lin!”

“You little rascal!”

After a while, the three arrived at Lü Hao’s friend’s place. Upon entering, Lin Dongxue covered her nose, “People actually live here?”

Lü Hao smiled apologetically, “It’s a bit messy, my friend doesn’t clean up much. Let me get you a chair.”

“No need!” Lin Dongxue noticed Lü Hao was particularly attentive to her, initially suspecting he might be gay, but now it was clear he was just a lecher.

Some instincts are hard to fake. Every move, every glance reveals the truth.

There wasn’t even a bed in the room, just a mattress on the floor, with sweat stains faintly visible in the shape of a body. Nearby were takeout boxes, used condoms, and an ashtray.

Chen Shi picked up a cigarette butt from the ashtray and looked at it. He remembered seeing the same brand in Lin Hui’s car; it must have been smoked by Lin Hui.

Lin Dongxue said, “Lin Hui keeps her own place very tidy. Why would she come to this pigsty?”

Chen Shi made a “I don’t know either” gesture. He just knew that if it were Lin Dongxue, she wouldn’t undress in such a place.

Lü Hao grinned, “Don’t be fooled by the mess, it’s our love nest. She comes here every week. We’re very happy together. She says being here recharges her, giving her the strength to face life again.”

“Didn’t you say you had a girlfriend?”

“Oh, my girlfriend is too immature. I prefer mature women like Lin Hui… I also like women like you, by the way. How did you become a detective?”

Lin Dongxue ignored him, asking, “You two stayed here for two days?”

“Yes, two full days.”

“Why did you call her on the night of the 10th?”

“She left her charger here. Look, it’s this one…” Lü Hao picked up a power cord.

Chen Shi glanced at the five used condoms by the “bed.” Two days’ worth was about right, unless this guy was particularly vigorous. He asked, “Did Lin Hui mention anything about her family?”

“Yes, she said she might get a divorce.”

“Because of you?”

“No, no, we have a kind of sibling-like relationship. I’m too young to think about marriage. We’ve never talked about it. Her marriage issues are mainly because of her husband. Her husband…” Lü Hao paused, “is a total loser, just plays games all day. They got married because his family background seemed okay, and he was interesting. After marriage, she found out he’s a mama’s boy and doesn’t handle anything, and they often fight.”

Chen Shi listened while inspecting a cabinet leg. He stood up and asked, “Has Lin Hui come into money recently?”

Lü Hao tensed up, then masked it with a smile, “You mean her bonus? Yes, she mentioned it. She did well at work and got a 100,000 yuan bonus. She planned to travel with me.”

“Alright, you can go.”

Lü Hao breathed a sigh of relief, which made Chen Shi even more suspicious. As they went downstairs, Lü Hao hailed a taxi and left. Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, “There were marks from a dog in that room. Lin Hui must have gone home before coming here.”