Chapter 666: Not Worthy of Mentioning Her Name

Lin Qiupu stated, “That day, Dong Xiao came to catch you in the act. You fought with him and then killed him. Deciding to leave no loose ends, you injured everyone in the house, locked them in small rooms, set the entire place on fire, and fled with Su Chan and Dong Xiao’s body. Those people were all trapped and burned alive.”

Hearing this, Lü Qi’s face filled with panic. He kept shaking his head and finally yelled, “Stop saying that!”

“Mr. Lü,” the lawyer handed him a handkerchief and gave him a meaningful look.

Lü Qi took the handkerchief and wiped his sweaty face, breathing heavily. His reaction, combined with Su Chan’s earlier “story,” gave Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi enough confirmation.

But they also knew there would be no confession; next would come the ugly denials.

The lawyer spoke up, “These are all just Secretary Li’s words. You don’t have reliable evidence. If my client now says Secretary Li did all this, whom would you believe?”

“Yes, without evidence, I won’t confess,” Lü Qi regained his composure.

“But Secretary Li shooting and injuring you is a fact. Why would he do that unless there was an emergency?” Lin Qiupu pressed.

“Haha!” Lü Qi exaggeratedly spread his hands, “Listen, shooting someone turns out to be the right thing now? By the way, I’m going to sue Secretary Li for shooting me. Lawyer, take note.”

“Why did Secretary Li shoot you? Answer the question,” Lin Qiupu demanded.

“He’s crazy. He rushed in with Dong Xiao, and seeing things were bad, I ran. Dong Xiao told him to shoot, and he really did, so I got hit.”

“Where were you hit?”

“Chest muscle.”

“Mr. Lü, that doesn’t match your story. Secretary Li must have shot you from the front, but according to your version, you’d have been hit from the back.”

“I heard the shot, turned around, and got hit. Is that so hard to believe?” Lü Qi couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a convincing lie.

Lin Qiupu had to listen to Lü Qi’s “version” of events, which was filled with smug arrogance, making Lin Qiupu’s blood boil. He clenched his fists so hard they creaked.

Chen Shi subtly signaled Lin Qiupu to stay calm. Arguing now was pointless; the fire had indeed destroyed everything, and they were desperately lacking evidence.

Lin Qiupu reluctantly moved on to another question, “Do you know Su Chan’s other identity?”

Lü Qi casually replied, “You mean our affair behind Dong Xiao’s back? Or her past as a model?”

“Did she leave on the night of January 21? Think carefully.”

It was a simple question, but Lü Qi suddenly flew into a rage. “Doubt me all you want, but don’t doubt her. People like you aren’t even worthy of mentioning her name.”

“Mr. Lü, are you threatening the police?” Lin Qiupu asked pointedly.

The lawyer whispered a reminder for Lü Qi to stay calm. Lü Qi glared at Lin Qiupu and Chen Shi. Chen Shi thought, this guy becomes very aggressive when nervous, indicating he might know something about Su Chan’s secret.

“Do you know she’s a corporate spy?” Lin Qiupu calmly continued.

Lü Qi flared up again, “What do you mean! You think she’s with me to steal business secrets? Haha, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. We are genuinely in love. Nothing can break us apart—certainly not Dong Xiao, nor anyone else.”

“Mr. Lü!” The lawyer quickly interjected. He was hired mainly to prevent Lü Qi from accidentally spilling too much.

Lü Qi composed himself and continued, “She can’t be a corporate spy. Our love is something you common people can never understand.”

“Common people, huh? Quite the big talk,” Lin Qiupu sneered. “You’re being used and don’t even know it. Pathetic.”

“I have nothing more to say. I’m leaving,” Lü Qi said arrogantly.

Without evidence, Lin Qiupu had no choice but to let him go. As he left, Lü Qi taunted, “Next time, bring some solid evidence if you want to talk. But if you just want to invite me for a meal or tea, I might consider it… Oh, where’s that pretty policewoman? I didn’t get to say goodbye!”

“Scum, do you think you can be arrogant forever?” Lin Qiupu fumed but was held back by his subordinates as Lü Qi’s laughter echoed down the corridor.

Lin Qiupu felt deeply frustrated, burying his head in his hands. He asked Chen Shi, “How can we find the evidence?”

Chen Shi thought about it. Ever since Lü Qi set fire to Fengyi Pavilion, there had been no mistakes. The only witness, Secretary Li, had gone mad. It felt like the heavens were on Lü Qi’s side.

Investigating was his passion and expertise, but finding evidence was another skill entirely.

He didn’t know how to answer without demoralizing Lin Qiupu, but from the current state of things, it seemed very likely that Lü Qi would go free.

Money could indeed turn the world upside down, giving Lü Qi almost flawless execution of his crimes.

Chen Shi sighed deeply at the thought.

Lin Qiupu suddenly asked, “Where’s Dongxue?”

He looked around but couldn’t find Lin Dongxue, so he called her. She said she was on her way back. Half an hour later, Lin Dongxue returned and said, “Guess where I’ve been?”

“To see Su Chan?” Chen Shi guessed.

“How did you know?”

“When Su Chan left, I also thought about where she would go. I wondered if we should follow her.”

“Haha, we thought alike. I went straight to Lü Qi’s place, and sure enough, she was there, searching for something! Su Chan hasn’t found the corporate secrets she’s after yet; otherwise, she wouldn’t stay with Lü Qi. She’s searched everywhere at Dong Xiao’s place and probably thinks Lü Qi has them.”

“Did you meet her?”

“She saw me when she left. She seemed a bit embarrassed, but with just us two women, she opened up a bit. She said she’s been very scared staying with Lü Qi and just wants to finish her mission and leave him. She said she’s been pretending for so long she’s forgotten how to genuinely laugh or cry. I felt a bit sorry for her… I think Su Chan might be a breakthrough. Once she gets what she wants, she might side with us.”

Lin Qiupu listened and said, “Don’t you think she’s trying to win your sympathy and use you?”

“Brother, I think she’s really pitiful. She’s risked herself with both Dong Xiao and Lü Qi for her mission, running around in fear these past few days.”

“Pitiful? I think she brought it on herself!” Lin Qiupu considered Dong Xiao, Lü Qi, and Su Chan all to be birds of a feather. “Even if we lack evidence now, we absolutely won’t help her complete a corporate crime. That’s our principle!”

With that, Lin Qiupu stormed off in anger.

Lin Dongxue sighed, “He’s not old, but he’s so stubborn.”

Chen Shi asked, “Did Su Chan ask you anything about the investigation?”

Lin Dongxue thought for a moment, “She did. She asked if we found any documents about mobile phone motherboards at Dong Xiao’s place… She’s indeed trying to fish for information. What a cunning woman.”

“But I think your idea is correct. Su Chan was involved in the whole case and is an important witness. Hmm, there’s still hope for this case!”