Chapter 119: Free Meal

Lin Dongxue assigned everyone to visit the young men who were drag racing with the boy on the day of his “accidental” death.

These young men came from troubled backgrounds—either from broken homes or families that had fallen on hard times. They stuck together for support, none of them had steady jobs, and they spent their days idling and their nights racing their second-hand, modified cars on empty streets.

Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi found the leader of the small group, Zhang Jinlei, the oldest among them. When they arrived at his place, he had just woken up, appearing disheveled with messy hair. Lin Dongxue showed her badge, “We need to ask you some questions.”

“Again? Didn’t I tell you already? Xiao Lü’s death was an accident!”

“Please cooperate with the investigation.”

Zhang Jinlei, annoyed, scratched his neck with his long nails, flakes of dirt falling off, making Lin Dongxue feel disgusted. He grinned, “I haven’t eaten yet. Treat me to a meal, and I’ll answer your questions.”

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were seated in a nearby Chinese restaurant. Zhang Jinlei ordered a table full of food and ate ravenously, as if he hadn’t eaten in days. Lin Dongxue thought, for someone so small, he sure could consume a lot of calories without gaining weight.

Chen Shi asked, “It’s three in the afternoon. Is this your breakfast, lunch, or dinner?”

“Haha, all three meals in one!”

“Can you go over where you went and what you did on the night of the accident?”

“You cops are so annoying!” Zhang Jinlei said, holding a rib with his hand and eating with relish.

“Hey, you’ve eaten. Now start talking,” Lin Dongxue said, tapping the table.

“Pretty lady, don’t get worked up. I’ll talk…” He mumbled through a mouthful of food. After finishing the rib and sucking his fingers clean, he began, “At seven, we went to Zijinghua Restaurant on Zhongqing Road for dinner. We left around nine, then drove north to Changqing Road. At eleven, Xiao Lü was hit by a truck at an intersection. After that, we didn’t go anywhere.”

Chen Shi said, “That doesn’t add up. The accident happened at the intersection of Changqing Road and Jinqiao Street, which is south. Why did you take such a detour?”

“Wow, uncle, you know the roads well?”

“Don’t change the subject. Where did you really go?”

“We were racing, of course we took a longer route.”

Zhang Jinlei’s explanation seemed plausible, but Chen Shi noticed a hint of unease in his expression. After finishing, Zhang Jinlei pulled out an e-cigarette. Chen Shi asked, “What’s that?”

“Come on, uncle, don’t you know? It’s a vape.”

“Have you always used it?”

“Yeah, I bought it to quit smoking. Found it interesting and stuck with it. Been using it for years. Want to try?”

As he spoke, Zhang Jinlei blew a cloud of vapor in Chen Shi’s face. While not irritating, it wasn’t a pleasant experience either.

“That’s a fancy vape. Can you afford it?”

“What do you mean? Just because I don’t have a job, I can’t use this?”

“Another question. Did the deceased use this too?”

“No, he smoked regular cigarettes… Anything else? I’ve told you everything. Xiao Lü’s death was purely an accident. You’re just wasting time and taxpayers’ money!”

“Have you ever paid taxes?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“I smoke and drink, don’t I? That’s paying taxes.”

Chen Shi stood up, “Thanks for your cooperation. We’re leaving.”

“See you out,” Zhang Jinlei said, continuing to eat.

Lin Dongxue thought Chen Shi was really leaving, but as they stepped outside, Chen Shi pulled her aside to the wall by the entrance. Lin Dongxue asked, “That trick again?”

“It never fails!” Chen Shi smiled, pulling out his phone, activating the recording function, and sticking the camera around the corner to record Zhang Jinlei’s actions.

Zhang Jinlei wiped his mouth, pulled out his phone, and made several calls, each lasting only a few seconds. Chen Shi tried to read his lips, “Police… looking for me… don’t slip up? Don’t slip up!”

“You can read lips?”

“Learned a bit in school on a bet with a friend.”

“This guy is tipping off his buddies. There’s definitely something fishy!” Lin Dongxue wanted to call other officers but decided texting would be faster. She messaged the task force group: “Zhang Jinlei claims they were at Zhongqing Road eating at seven, left at nine, then went to Changqing Road, and the accident happened at eleven. He’s now tipping off his buddies. If you get the same information, it’s suspicious. Confirm receipt.”

Four officers replied in succession, “Received!”

Chen Shi put away his phone, “Let’s go to that restaurant and expose their lie.”

“Alright!”

Two hours later, they arrived at Zijinghua Restaurant on Zhongqing Road and asked the owner if five young men in cars had dined there on December 10th. The owner immediately nodded, “Yes, yes, I remember them well.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Why do you remember them so clearly? What did they do?”

“What did they do?” the owner raised his voice, “They ruined my day! They ordered a lot of food, then claimed there was a dead rat in the soup and demanded compensation for emotional distress. They smashed my chairs and teacups. My staff are all useless, just watching instead of helping. I had to apologize like a servant and let them leave without paying… over seven hundred yuan! Later, I heard they do this often, scamming restaurants everywhere. Do the police handle this?”

“We’re investigating it,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Great, arrest those rascals and punish them!” the owner said through gritted teeth.

“When did they leave?”

“Around eight.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, it was bad weather that day. I closed at eight since there were no customers.”

Leaving the restaurant, Chen Shi said, “They lied.”

“Why did they lie? To hide this incident from us?”

“I don’t think so. To them, dining and dashing might not be a big deal, so they told us about this restaurant. They must be hiding something else.” Chen Shi looked at the passing cars. “The accident happened south of Changqing Road. The destination wouldn’t change. If I were heading there, I’d take Xinglian Road.”

“Let’s drive it and see if anything seems off.”

They drove slowly down the road, finding no clues in the daylight. As it neared six in the evening, Chen Shi asked, “Time to clock out?”

Lin Dongxue smiled, “I’m the team leader now. I need to set an example and can’t leave early.”

“I have a suggestion. Let’s check with the nearby police station for any recent incidents.”

“Good idea!”