Chapter 157: Father-Son Conflict (Part 3)

As they spoke, Grandpa Lu and the lawyer walked out. Grandpa Lu laughed heartily, “Officer Song, you really got me there. Just a chicken and I was detained for half a day.”

“Old man, did anyone mistreat you?”

“No, no, everyone was quite polite. Please, Officer Song, don’t pull this trick again… Let’s go, have a meal at my place. I’ll ask the cook to make your favorite sweet and sour ribs.”

“I’m on duty, I’ll visit you tomorrow.”

“You must solve the case soon and give my son some justice!” Grandpa Lu turned to the lawyer and said, “Go get my car.”

The lawyer smiled wryly, “I’m not a driver, I’m a lawyer.”

“You’re a lawyer?” Grandpa Lu looked a bit surprised.

The lawyer glanced at Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, urging, “The more we talk, the more mistakes we might make. Let’s hurry back, sir.”

Chen Shi watched Lu Qixing’s retreating figure, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “He still remembers this matter?”

Lin Dongxue remarked, “His son died, and he doesn’t seem very sad.”

“People in his position have long learned to hide their emotions,” Chen Shi said. “Who’s still on duty in the task force?”

“Are you calling a meeting?”

“No meeting, let’s have a meal together.”

Lin Dongxue was delighted, “I’ll go gather them.”

Chen Shi invited a few members of the task force to a nearby well-known Chaozhou beef ball hot pot restaurant, a place that Tao Yueyue had mentioned wanting to visit a few days ago. She was especially happy when ordering, asking for many beef balls, meat rolls, vegetable platters, and vermicelli. Chen Shi said, “You better finish all that.”

Tao Yueyue calmly replied, “How would I know what I want to eat if I don’t order everything?”

In this restaurant’s hotpot, the beef balls were as big as a baby’s fist, very chewy, and filled with stuffing. If cooked long enough, the stuffing would melt and even burst out.

Everyone enjoyed the meal happily. When they were almost done eating, Chen Shi said, “Let’s discuss the case a bit, it won’t ruin the mood, right?”

“The case is my life, go ahead!” Officer Zhang’s words elicited a burst of laughter.

“Based on the clues we have, the victim was attacked at home on the night of February 2nd, and he lost a priceless guitar. His assistant, Sun, mysteriously disappeared. Investigation shows that Sun was almost like a babysitter sent by Grandpa Lu to his son. Sun handled the victim’s company affairs and personal matters, so he must have known the value of that guitar.”

“So, Chen, you’re saying that Sun, driven by greed, killed Lu Zhendong and stole the guitar?” Xu Xiaodong asked.

“I can only say it looks that way on the surface, but this theory doesn’t explain all the doubts. I think it needs further consideration… Xiaodong, what have you found?”

“Uh, I’ve been watching the movies produced by Zhendong Films all day, some online films. It’s eye-opening. What kind of film company is this? It’s just a ‘kindergarten’ Grandpa Lu set up for his son, filled with pretentious, cool, and flirtatious content. The protagonists are either retired soldier kings, thousand-year-old demon kings, or all-powerful kings… Anyway, they’re all kings! And all these roles were played by Lu Zhendong himself. His expressionless face delivering cringy lines will open your eyes to a new world. After watching, you’ll think ‘Dream Chasing in the Performing Arts Circle’ is actually a decent movie.”

“Stop ranting, talk seriously.”

“I’ve been mentally polluted all day, I need to vent!” Xu Xiaodong took a bite and continued, “This film company is just Lu Zhendong’s playground. The films are hard to find and all pay-to-watch, and they all lose money. The latest one doesn’t even have ten subscribers. I suspect this film company not only satisfies his vanity but also helps him pick up girls. I noticed, on average, the female lead changes every two or three films, and some of them were his girlfriends.”

“How are their acting skills? Are they formally trained?” Lin Dongxue asked curiously.

“Have you seen kids playing house? Their acting is worse than that. The crew knows they’re just playing along with a rich kid.”

“Rich people really know how to have fun!” Lin Dongxue sighed. Of course, compared to those rich kids making headlines, Lu Zhendong was relatively harmless, just indulging himself in his own film company.

Chen Shi said, “Organize the information for each film: plot, shooting time, investment, cast. You follow this lead and visit their film company tomorrow.”

Xu Xiaodong said, “Sure, I’ll go broaden my horizons and see what this company is like.”

Chen Shi asked, “Old Zhang, what did you find?”

Chen Shi inquired about everyone’s progress. Currently, there were many clues, but none stood out. Chen Shi assigned each person a lead to follow.

The hotpot had been refilled several times, and they were almost done. Chen Shi asked Tao Yueyue, “Bored?”

Tao Yueyue, engrossed in her phone, said without looking up, “It’s fine, you guys discuss the important stuff.”

Chen Shi patted her head, “I’ll take you for ice cream later.”

Old Zhang laughed, “I wish my daughter were as understanding.”

Lin Dongxue praised, “Yueyue is really well-behaved.” Then she asked Chen Shi, “Do you think the argument on the night of February 2nd is related to the murder?”

“Not sure, but I know what they were arguing about.”

“What was it?”

Everyone eagerly waited for Chen Shi’s analysis, putting down their chopsticks. Chen Shi said, “Lu Qixing wanted to use his son’s relationship with Jia Xingyun to bribe Jia Xingyun’s father, but his son spent that money.”

“What!? How did you guess that?” everyone was shocked.

“Jia Xingyun’s father just took office in Long’an, overseeing land approvals, a great position. In Lu Qixing’s business, real estate is a major part. On February 2nd, Lu Zhendong invited Jia Xingyun to dinner at Victory Hotel, and they had stir-fried chives with eggs, sea egg drop soup, green pepper potato strips, and fish-flavored pork. He even flaunted it on Weibo. During the father-son argument that night, ‘Weibo’ and ‘Jia Xingyun’ were mentioned. Would Grandpa Lu get so furious over something trivial? Even hitting his son? They also mentioned ‘that money.’ What money? This money must be related to the dinner and Jia Xingyun! Although I never met Lu Zhendong, his character is evident from his lousy films. He’s a playful, idealistic big boy, and he must have hated this bribery. Coincidentally, a week before the incident, Lu Zhendong bought a priceless guitar. Where did he get so much cash?

“So, I boldly guess this money was originally intended for bribery. Grandpa Lu used his son’s friendship for dirty deeds, which angered Lu Zhendong. He retaliated by spending the money, leading to their fierce argument!”