Chapter 158: Zhendong Film Company

After this long monologue, Chen Shi took a bite of food and poured himself a glass of chilled lemon drink. The table fell silent.

Old Zhang broke the silence first, “Chen, I think your deduction is almost the truth. I can’t find any flaws.”

Chen Shi smiled, “Old Zhang, don’t shorten my life with flattery. Just call me Xiao Chen.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Is this related to the murder?”

“Would Jia Xingyun and his father kill because they didn’t get the money? Would Grandpa Lu kill his son for messing up? Neither is likely! However, this incident coincided with the murder, and in covering it up, Grandpa Lu might have obscured some clues. So, I’ll confront him directly tomorrow! Speaking of which, the security at the victim’s neighborhood mentioned that a hacker erased the surveillance footage. I suspect Grandpa Lu did it. Dongxue, check who he’s been in contact with recently. In a murder case, no one involved should have any secrets!”

“Chen is right!” Everyone nodded in agreement. They seemed to have forgotten that Chen Shi was just a driver, yet now they trusted him like a seasoned detective.

Chen Shi looked at the pot and asked, “Should we get some more main dishes?”

“No, let’s go home and sleep. We’ll continue investigating tomorrow.”

“Thanks for your hard work!”

Tao Yueyue asked, “Will you be investigating tomorrow too?”

Chen Shi said, “If you don’t want to come, you can stay home and sleep.”

“No, I want to come, but I want to go with Sister Lin.”

“Then go ask her yourself!”

The next morning, Chen Shi brought Tao Yueyue to the municipal bureau, looking tired. Lin Dongxue, as always, was energetic and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? Didn’t sleep well?”

Chen Shi rubbed his temples, “As a freelancer, I’m not used to your nine-to-five routine!”

Tao Yueyue raised her hand and said, “I report, Uncle Chen drank last night.”

“You little traitor!” Chen Shi joked, “By the way, this kid wants to go with you. Is that okay?”

Lin Dongxue smiled, “Sure, Yueyue, don’t get lost today.”

“I won’t!” Tao Yueyue made a funny face.

Chen Shi said, “I’ll go check out that company with Xu Xiaodong.”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Do you suspect there’s a clue there or don’t trust Xu Xiaodong?”

“Neither. The company is a blind spot. Its staff doesn’t overlap with Lu Zhendong’s social circle. I want to see it for myself.”

After a simple breakfast, Chen Shi and Xu Xiaodong went to Zhendong Film Company. They expected it to be closed, but the staff was still working, albeit lethargically, editing videos, writing scripts, and contacting websites. Some were openly playing World of Warcraft.

“Such tranquility!” Chen Shi remarked.

A female employee approached and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

“We’re the police. We’d like to see the person in charge.”

“That’s me.”

“Can we talk privately?”

In a makeshift meeting room, Chen Shi said, “Excuse me, but doesn’t your company know your president was murdered? Why are you still working?”

“Shh, please don’t say that!” The person in charge became nervous.

“You haven’t told them?”

“I only got a call from Mr. Lu’s father’s secretary yesterday. It was a bolt from the blue. We have dozens of employees here, suddenly out of work. I couldn’t sleep all night, not knowing how to break the news… Sigh!”

The three of them looked at the employees still “working hard” outside, each with mixed feelings.

The person in charge said, “You’re police officers. Why don’t you tell them?”

Chen Shi looked at Xu Xiaodong, who sheepishly said, “Chen, you’re older and more convincing.”

Chen Shi said, “Young people should gain experience. You’ll have to face this sooner or later.”

“I’m afraid they won’t believe me.”

“Why wouldn’t they? You have a police badge!”

Neither wanted to be the bearer of bad news, so the person in charge said, “I’ll tell them, but could you two stand beside me?”

Chen Shi nodded, “Will this month’s salary be paid?”

“Mr. Lu had a reserve fund here, intended for new film operations. I planned to use it for salaries. But it’s public money. When I called Mr. Lu’s father’s company, they ignored me. I’m at my wit’s end.”

To people at Lu Qixing’s company, this film company probably wasn’t a real business.

Chen Shi said, “I’m the task force leader. I’ll review this fund later, then you can use it for salaries and severance pay. I’ll notify Mr. Lu’s father.”

“Thank you so much.” The person in charge wiped away tears.

“Are you moved to tears?”

“No, I’m sad to see the company go… Even though we didn’t make money, we had a good time together.”

“There’s no feast that doesn’t end.”

“I understand, but it’s still hard.”

They accompanied the person in charge to announce the news. The company erupted into chatter. Some female employees cried, indicating that Mr. Lu still had a good image in their hearts.

Chen Shi said to Xu Xiaodong, “At the end of the Qing Dynasty, a warship crossed the Pacific on a mission. When it returned, it found China had become a republic. The crew’s feelings were probably like this!”

After some quiet, the person in charge said, “Severance pay will be distributed later. These two officers have some questions. Please cooperate.”

Chen Shi nodded in thanks and asked for a list, interviewing people one by one.

The company was small but well-organized. Xu Xiaodong whispered, “Most of these employees have had bit parts in Lu Zhendong’s films. Seeing them in real life is kind of exciting!”

“You can ask for autographs,” Chen Shi said.

Chen Shi first called over a personnel manager, “I see on the list you have planners, writers, and editors, but no actors. Yet every film has at least four to five main actors.”

The manager said, “Actors aren’t company members. We hire them per project. They leave after filming.”

“Where do you find them?”

“Film schools.”

Chen Shi was a bit surprised, “With those acting skills?”

“No, they’re the ones who didn’t make it through film school auditions. During annual selections, Mr. Lu would take a few of us to the gate. We’d hand out business cards to those disappointed girls, offering them a chance. These young girls have dreams of stardom and fall for Mr. Lu’s refined demeanor and the company’s legitimacy.”

Chen Shi laughed, “Did you just slip? Were these films a pretense for something else?”

“Uh… Mr. Lu did say at the annual meeting that our goal wasn’t to make films the audience liked, but ones he liked. You might think they’re bad, but as a long-time employee, I can vouch that Mr. Lu genuinely pursued art… Maybe he just lacked the talent! As for using films as a pretext for other things, I can assure you, despite his frequent girlfriend changes, he was quite proper and wouldn’t act improperly unless in a confirmed relationship.”

Xu Xiaodong said, “All the female leads in his films were his girlfriends, right?”

The manager paused before admitting, “Yes, all of them!”