Chapter 650: Dong Group

In the following days, everyone was focused on finding clues in the surveillance footage they had collected. Their eyes were strained and tired from watching so many videos, which were all less than seven days old. The more frustrating part was that they had no idea who the missing person was—no gender, age, or any other details—making their search seem futile.

Chen Shi, for once, was quite helpful, spending two full days watching videos. He commented, “Watching surveillance is so boring. I think I could even enjoy the worst movie now.”

Xu Xiaodong said, “Do you know, Chen, there’s a movie called Sleep that’s supposedly the longest in the world. It’s just footage of someone sleeping for five hours.”

“Must be riveting,” Chen Shi laughed.

“I’d rather watch that!” Xu Xiaodong rubbed his eyes, drank some coffee, and continued looking at the screen.

They had sent an email to the anonymous sender as Chen Shi suggested, but there was no response yet. Chen also suggested looking into people around Dong Xiao to see if anyone had mysteriously disappeared. Dong Xiao was an orphan, had been married several times, and had no children. All his ex-wives were alive.

The police also investigated those close to him, starting with Vice President Lü Qi. He used to be a senior executive at another communications company but suddenly jumped ship when Dong Xiao moved Zhuoyuan Company south, becoming Vice President. His former company was swiftly acquired by Zhuoyuan, and it was speculated that Lü Qi betrayed his old boss, stealing core technology for Dong Xiao. If this were proven, Lü Qi could go to prison.

Lü Qi, like Dong Xiao, was elusive, having rarely given media interviews. The only news about him was a ten-year-old article praising him as a young entrepreneur who had ventured to Shenzhen in the 90s with a box of PHS phones to earn his first fortune. He was married once but divorced due to his busy career. The article seemed self-promotional and offered little value.

Dong Xiao’s new lover, Su Chan, was said to have been a model and acted in a few unsuccessful movies. She somehow met Dong Xiao and became his mistress, though Dong Xiao was still married.

The police turned their attention to the company’s internal staff, subtly inquiring among cleaners and security guards, but none of them knew of anyone missing recently.

Several days passed without any progress. The bizarre and slightly eerie video was watched repeatedly but yielded no new insights.

On January 16, Chen Shi loudly announced in the conference room, “If I watch another day of video, I’ll go insane. Let’s just go see Dong Xiao directly!”

Lin Qiupu replied, “How can we investigate without evidence?”

“Why not bring in all the surveillance in the country? You’d find a thousand cases, but we don’t have infinite energy. We’re worn out before even starting the investigation.”

His words resonated with many, who nodded in agreement. Lin Qiupu said, “Do you plan to walk into Dong Xiao’s office and ask if he’s committed murder?”

“Can we identify the room from the video? If we find the room, we can check for blood traces and whose blood it is.”

Right, there was that approach. Lin Qiupu realized.

They watched the video again, noting the room’s features. The ceiling had some relief sculptures, and there was an oil painting on the wall. Lin Qiupu instructed Peng Siyue to change into plain clothes and bring Luminol reagent for the investigation.

The team arrived at Zhuoyuan Company and explained their purpose. The receptionist said, “Please wait a moment while I call Mr. Dong.”

After a brief call, she said, “Mr. Dong is available now.”

They took the elevator to the 37th floor, which was entirely Dong Xiao’s office, spacious and warm with sunlight streaming through large windows. The police noted the relief sculptures on the ceiling matching the video but didn’t see the painting. This was an exciting clue—the crime scene was on this floor.

Dong Xiao’s office had no desk or chairs. He sat on a massive sofa, his bulk spread out, making him look even more obese. Sitting beside him was a doll-like woman in a cheongsam, Su Chan. Dong Xiao held her hand and said, “Dear, I need to talk to the police. Could you excuse us?”

“Is it about that incident being discovered?” Su Chan teased.

“Oh, you shouldn’t joke about that! Go on now,” Dong Xiao patted her hand.

Su Chan glanced at the police, her enchanting gaze mesmerizing the male officers. She swayed to the elevator, leaving a trail of jasmine perfume in the air.

The same perfume, on a beautiful woman, had a captivating scent that lingered in the minds of the men, who struggled to focus. Noticing the atmosphere, Lin Qiupu coughed to remind them to stay on task.

He was among the few not affected by Su Chan. He admitted she was beautiful but thought his sister was far better. With makeup, Lin Dongxue could easily outshine her.

“I’m very busy. Please get to the point. Are you criminal or economic police?” Dong Xiao asked.

“Criminal.”

“Then you’re in the wrong place…” Dong Xiao took a plate of spaghetti from his male secretary. “Sorry, I have hyperphagia. I get hungry every five minutes. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

Dong Xiao slurped the spaghetti quickly, almost like drinking it, and finished in an instant. Because of his size, the secretary wiped his mouth, resembling a caretaker for a giant baby.

“Mr. Dong, we’re investigating a missing person case. We need a detailed list of your employees,” Lin Qiupu said, using the prearranged excuse without mentioning the video.

“A missing person? What does that have to do with me?”

“How many employees do you have?”

“Thousands…”

“According to our information, the missing person is from your company, so we hope you can assist us.”

“Sure, Xiao Jia, print the employee list.”

After the secretary left, Lin Qiupu moved to the window, asking, “How long has your company been in Long’an?”

“Haha, it’s been three years. Officer, the view from here is nice, isn’t it?”

As Dong Xiao’s attention was diverted, Chen Shi signaled to Peng Siyue. They slipped into an adjacent room with a slightly ajar door, immediately spotting the oil painting from the video. This was indeed the room from the footage…