Chapter 797: Why is Lao Lie Short of Money?

Bright and early, Lin Qiupu arrived at the office and cleaned his desk first. Maintaining good hygiene habits was the first step to improving work efficiency, a principle he always upheld.

After reviewing all the current case files, he headed to the meeting room to prepare for the morning briefing on the case.

This meeting room was also Song Lang’s favorite. Most of the time, he would be in there, staring at the whiteboard covered with photos, or standing by the window smoking. Sometimes, he would even lie down on the conference table.

Song Lang disliked staying in the office; he preferred open spaces for contemplation. He rarely investigated cases personally, instead meticulously assigning tasks to everyone. Once all the clues were gathered, his genius mind would unravel the truth, distinguishing fact from fiction to reveal startling revelations.

Lost in thought, Lin Qiupu gazed out the window and suddenly heard a crunching sound. Turning around, he was startled to see Chen Shi sitting by the door eating scallion pancakes.

“Why are you here?” Lin Qiupu exclaimed. “Didn’t you say you weren’t getting involved in this case?”

“I came to collect the reward for the last case. Hurry up and give me the money. I need to buy fish for Yuanyuan at the seafood market this morning. She’s about to take the college entrance exam, and her brain needs a boost.”

Lin Qiupu had forgotten about this. Every time a case was solved, the Second Team would hold a small commendation ceremony internally. However, Chen Shi rarely attended; he always waited until after the dust settled to claim his reward.

Setting aside the documents in his hand, Lin Qiupu fetched an envelope containing money from his office. When he returned, Chen Shi was examining the case file.

“Do you have any thoughts?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“The testimony of the eyewitness seems problematic.”

“Does the young man have any reason to lie? It was he who reported the case.”

“Lies can be intentional or unintentional.” Chen Shi stood up and picked up an ashtray. “He said he saw the killer repeatedly smashing the victim’s head with the ashtray, right?”

“That’s what he said.”

“The victim was lying on the ground while the killer was standing, correct?”

“Yes.”

Chen Shi handed over the ashtray. “Let me demonstrate. This action would be quite awkward.”

Lin Qiupu thought for a moment. It was indeed a point of doubt. The ashtray wouldn’t extend the length of the arm much, making it difficult for someone standing to use it to smash the head of a person lying down. “Maybe this is how it happened. The victim was sitting in a chair before, and after being struck a few times by the killer, he fell to the ground. The young man witnessed this scene and imagined the rest of the attack.”

“His imagination wasn’t just about the attack process. He also described the features of the killer. He is so sure the killer is Liu Feng because Liu Feng came during the day, and the two testimonies share many similarities, like a rerun of the same scene. I think the young man’s memory has been contaminated. He mistook what he saw during the day for what happened at night.”

“Makes sense. Although human memory is unreliable, the young man did witness part of the attack. That much is certain.”

“It was dark at the time. How much truth did he actually see? Did he see the killer in the middle of the attack or after it ended? Was this person accidentally seen, or did he deliberately let himself be seen by the young man?”

“Intentionally? Are you suggesting he deliberately dressed up as Liu Feng to frame him?”

“That’s my theory. You know I tend to complicate things.” Chen Shi surprisingly humbled himself this time. “Captain Lin, consider it carefully!”

Lin Qiupu pondered, pacing back and forth. “Frame-up… I’ve also considered it. Don’t leave yet. Let’s finish the morning meeting first and discuss it with everyone.”

“Compliance is better than defiance.” Chen Shi sat back down to continue munching on his scallion pancake. Lin Qiupu glanced at the greasy pancake in his hand and thought, Song Lang never eats this kind of food. He only likes heavy dishes like sweet and sour spare ribs.

At eight o’clock, everyone gathered in the meeting room. Lin Qiupu summarized the clues they had so far and the doubt Chen Shi had identified. “… Although this case seems to make sense on the surface, there are still doubts. We can only close the case when we are completely certain.”

“Not to mention that night, Liu Feng went to find Boss Shen, it must have been at the command of the big boss!” Old Zhang said.

“Definitely, otherwise Lie Guoxiao wouldn’t have called him to surrender,” another policeman added.

Chen Shi said, “Those who walk the streets have strong loyalty. He now confesses to the crime. Even if he changes his testimony later or finds a good lawyer, they won’t betray the boss. So why did he go to find trouble? It’s impossible to get any information from his mouth.”

“I went to see Wei Boss from the auction house yesterday,” Lin Dongxue said. “He said Boss Shen intends to auction off the painting ‘Mountain Residence XX’ and wants to arrange the auction as soon as possible. He’s willing to give the auction house a 40% commission.”

“Does Boss Shen have any ulterior motives? Does he want to sell the painting that Lie Guoxiao left here? This person is so audacious!”

“How much is this painting worth?”

Lin Dongxue mentioned the previous transaction price of the painting, shocking everyone present. Lin Qiupu continued, “Lie Guoxiao only pawned it for five hundred thousand. Compared to the true value of the painting, it’s tens of times less. It seems he didn’t want to sell the painting, just urgently needed money. Boss Shen, on the other hand, secretly wants to sell the painting. Did Lie Guoxiao find out and send Liu Feng to teach him a lesson?”

Lin Qiupu thought of a case seven years ago where Lie Guoxiao also pawned a painting and then redeemed it a few days later. Both seven years ago and now, he couldn’t figure out why this old man suddenly needed money, and why he insisted on using easily damaged ancient paintings to exchange for money.

Is there a mystery here?

For reference, Lin Qiupu recounted the events from seven years ago. After finishing, he surveyed the faces around the table and noticed Chen Shi was tapping his fingers incessantly on the table.

When Chen Shi’s fingers stopped, he raised his head, eyes gleaming. “Everyone, I have a bold guess. This is actually a subtle extortion. Captain Lin just mentioned the case from seven years ago, where Lie Guoxiao pawned the painting at the pawnshop. The pawnshop owner, Mr. He, coincidentally had a fake of the same painting. I believe it’s actually the reverse; the one Lie Guoxiao took to the shop was the fake. He relied on his influence to claim that the fake was genuine. Cleverly, when the item was redeemed, it had to be the real deal. What could those timid and helpless pawnshop owners do?”

Everyone was stunned. Chen Shi slowly continued, “They could only admit their bad luck and offer up the genuine item from their own collection!”