Chapter 640: The Medicine Seller

“What’s the matter?” Chen Shi asked.

“Geng Qing said, ‘I mentioned to my dad before about studying abroad. The job I have now, if I were an international student, the perks would be several notches higher. The school I plan to attend charges four hundred thousand yuan a year in tuition alone. I just mentioned it casually, not planning to actually go yet, but he actually started raising funds for me… My dad is always like this. Whenever I mention something I want, he quietly goes and gets it, never boasting. One day I come home and suddenly see the thing I wanted sitting on the table. I’m grown up now, but he still treats me like a child.'” Geng Qing smiled bitterly.

“If you study abroad, how many years would you stay?” Chen Shi nodded.

“Probably three years overseas.”

“Just now I saw Wang Mengqi looking really angry. Did you guys ask him something? It can’t be him. He gets along so well with my dad. Last Chinese New Year, he bought lots of gifts and celebrated with us at home. My dad said it felt like we were family.” These happy memories turned into sadness after his death, and Geng Qing’s eyes welled up again.

“Don’t be too upset. We’re investigating continuously, and we’ll update you as soon as we have any progress.”

“Okay.”

Leaving the funeral home, Lin Dongxue said, “I think Wang Mengqi couldn’t possibly be suspicious. They’re such a perfect match, like a married couple.”

“What exactly is a ‘marital compatibility’?” Chen Shi asked.

“Seriously? You two don’t know… They say that couples who have been together for a long time start to look alike.”

“Is that so?” Chen Shi chuckled. “At most, after getting married, they both gain weight.”

“There’s scientific basis for this. Let’s see if we have a ‘marital compatibility’…”

“Hey hey, I need to drive. We’ll end up in a car accident and then we’ll really have ‘marital compatibility’!”

“Get lost!” Lin Dongxue laughed and scolded.

Chen Shi’s phone rang. He asked Lin Dongxue to help answer it. She leaned over, took out the phone from his pocket, and put it on speakerphone. Sun Zhen said, “Brother Chen, I’ve found another person claiming to sell that kind of medicine. Are you coming?”

“Wait for me, I’m on my way… Also, please order some takeout for us. I’ll pay you back later.”

“No big deal. I’ll treat you and your sister-in-law.”

At the office, Sun Zhen showed Chen Shi today’s chat records. Sun Zhen asked if there were any unidentifiable poisons. The other side replied briefly, “Hundred thousand yuan earnest money, along with your ID photo.”

“That’s a hefty sum!” Chen Shi sighed.

“Do we pay him?” KK criticized, “I told you, anyone who demands money upfront is definitely a scammer.”

“Where did you find this person?” Chen Shi asked.

“He found me. I posted on a forum with my contact information.”

“Let’s give it a try. I’ll cover the money.”

“Dude, the team should pay for this. It’s an investigation. You shouldn’t pay out of your own pocket,” Lin Dongxue said.

“That would be great!” Chen Shi gratefully said. “Asking me for a hundred grand hurts a bit.”

Once the police money arrived, Sun Zhen immediately transferred it to the designated account. Lin Dongxue noted the number and asked the IT department to investigate. Then Sun Zhen provided a photo, and on Chen Shi’s advice, they created a fake ID.

If this person was indeed Xu Fa, he might know Sun Zhen, KK, and Chen Shi. Lin Dongxue, being a police officer, wouldn’t even need to investigate.

There was no response for a while. KK joked, “See, scammer. The ‘intelligence tax’ paid here is totally not worth it.”

“Shut your bird beak!” Chen Shi retorted.

“Got a reply!” Sun Zhen excitedly said, but it was only a short sentence: “Add another hundred thousand. I’ll leave the goods at the specified location. Come to pick it up. After picking it up, pay the remaining twenty thousand.”

“This scammer’s gall is through the roof! Anyone who demands money upfront is definitely a scammer,” KK said.

Sun Zhen looked at Chen Shi with difficulty. “Brother Chen, I think this might also be a scam. Should we just forget about it?”

Lin Dongxue sent a message, “My brother says adding another hundred thousand is impossible unless we have a lead.”

Chen Shi bit his lip, saying, “I’ll put up this hundred thousand!”

“Human tragedy!” KK sighed dramatically. “With this two hundred thousand, you could gamble for a night, take it to XX and have fun for several nights. Just like that, it’s all gone.”

“Is this guy’s job just to sit here and criticize?” Lin Dongxue said.

“I can stand up and criticize too!” KK got up from his chair.

On Chen Shi’s insistence, they sent another hundred thousand to the other party. Chen Shi stared at the screen, waiting for the inevitable “Haha, you’ve been had.” The room fell silent. Chen Shi said, “Check the other party’s IP.”

“I checked early on. They’re using a proxy, switching several times. We can’t trace the original IP.”

“So cautious. I think there might really be something.” Chen Shi seemed to console himself.

After ten minutes of waiting, the other party finally replied, “Three o’clock this afternoon, Luyang Road, opposite the Construction Bank’s trash bin.”

“Wow, it’s real!” KK exclaimed.

Lin Dongxue checked her watch. “It’s one forty now. Let’s hurry and see if we can catch him.”

Ignoring their takeout, they rushed to the car. It only occurred to them downstairs that they had previously transported a corpse. Using a police vehicle would surely tip off the suspect.

KK came down with his lunch box and said, “Damn, are you guys in that much of a hurry? You’re not even eating?”

“KK, lend me your car,” Chen Shi said.

In KK’s beat-up car, he volunteered to come along. He got in, grinning, “I’ll show off a bit so your sister-in-law knows I’m not just loafing around… Sister-in-law, do you want some food?”

“Don’t call me sister-in-law! It sounds weird!” Lin Dongxue warned firmly.

“Not now, not in the future either.”

“If you’re so fond of flattery, why don’t you call me ‘mom’?”

“Mom!” KK shouted.

Lin Dongxue was speechless. Chen Shi laughed, “This guy has no shame. Don’t get entangled with him.”

“I don’t get entangled with just anyone. With such a beautiful sister-in-law, it’s my honor!” KK cheerfully pulled out his phone. “Look, my phone wallpaper is still you. People ask me if you’re some movie star.”

“Don’t talk to me. Let me quietly eat my meal,” Lin Dongxue helplessly opened her lunch box, ate, and fed Chen Shi a few bites, teasing KK with dog food.

At two thirty, the three arrived near the designated location, eyes fixed on the trash can without blinking. As three o’clock approached, KK began to waver, “Scammer, right? Still not showing up.”

“Maybe he’s already put it in there?” Chen Shi guessed. “I’ll get out and take a look.”

Just as he opened the door, KK shouted, “Chen Ge! There’s someone upstairs using binoculars to look this way!”

Following KK’s finger, they saw someone in an old building across the street using binoculars to observe the trash can. It seemed the other party genuinely wanted to trade, ensuring the client wasn’t law enforcement.

“I’ll go up now and apprehend him?” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“How would you charge him? Is it illegal to look at a trash can with binoculars? The crucial point is this medicine. We must get our hands on it.”

“But what if he recognizes us? Although we’re not celebrities, we’re often in the limelight, especially with this case ongoing. He’s bound to be wary.”