Chapter 84: The Rich Second Generation (Extra Chapter for Votes)

The elderly couple couldn’t reach an agreement, unable to confirm whether the deceased male was indeed Cheng Chao. Lin Dongxue asked, “Do you know his blood type, or how to contact his parents?”

The father shook his head, “I never wanted to see him, why would I ask that?”

The mother said, “He came to our house for dinner once. He mentioned that his father passed away early, and his mother remarried someone from the countryside.”

“Oh, right. Who knows which poor ravine he came from, and why did he have to scam our daughter? What did we ever owe him in our past lives?” the father said bitterly.

Lin Dongxue then asked, “Where does he live?”

Both shook their heads, the mother saying, “Xiao An should know.”

“Who is Xiao An?”

“An Xu, my husband’s classmate’s son. Once…” the mother hesitated, “Once, I told him about Cheng Chao, and he said he’d teach him a lesson, so I guess he might know.”

“Okay, give us his contact information.”

After the elderly couple left, a young man driving a luxury car arrived at the station. He was An Xu, the man pursuing Jiang Mei.

Upon learning of Jiang Mei’s death and the case details, An Xu’s eyes widened in shock, and he furiously gritted his teeth, “I must flay that poor boy alive.”

Lin Dongxue coolly said, “Maybe there’s no need for you to get involved.”

Lin Dongxue took An Xu to identify the victim from a restoration image. An Xu glanced at it and said, “Yes, that’s him!”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I…” An Xu scratched his head and chuckled, “A while back, I paid him a visit to teach him a lesson. Told him to stay away from Xiao Mei. I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall, face to face, so I definitely remember him!” During this explanation, Lin Dongxue noticed the large gold chain on his neck swinging conspicuously.

Lin Dongxue took note of this incident, and An Xu quickly said, “Hey, Miss Officer, it was just a joke, I didn’t really hit him.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Last month? No, the month before.”

“If it was that long ago, there probably wouldn’t be any scars left on the victim,” Lin Dongxue said, “This would constitute assault, and if the victim had reported it, you could be detained for a few days.”

“I’ll be more careful next time,” An Xu replied, smiling apologetically. “It was just a moment of impulse. I really like Xiao Mei at first sight. She’s pretty and gentle, and I really like her personality. Our parents were also happy for us to be together. Who knew that poor boy had bewitched her? I’ve been buying her flowers and jewelry, but she never looked kindly at me. Didn’t she think about what that poor boy could give her?”

“Love is complicated…” Lin Dongxue almost scoffed, but it was best not to say unrelated things during the investigation, so she swallowed her words and changed the subject, “Jewelry? Do you remember what jewelry Xiao Mei was wearing?”

An Xu described the jewelry roughly, and Lin Dongxue took notes, then asked for Cheng Chao’s address. An Xu mentioned he had business to attend to at his company and wouldn’t join them.

Lin Dongxue, along with Xu Xiaodong and a technician, went to Cheng Chao’s residence. The landlord unlocked the door, saying, “This kid hasn’t been back for days, still owes three months’ rent. I can’t even get through to him on the phone. Ah, being a landlord can be such a hassle, especially with such deadbeats… Officer, has something happened to him?”

“We are still investigating that, and can’t reveal any details,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Alright, just let me know if there’s any news. My house is sitting empty, losing fifty yuan a day. My family depends on this rent for our livelihood!”

They looked around Cheng Chao’s place. The furniture came with the rental, and besides a computer and some daily necessities, there wasn’t much personal stuff. Xu Xiaodong opened the kitchen cabinet and found a pile of instant noodle packets, remarking, “Looks like he was quite poor, often resorting to instant noodles to get by… just like me.”

“You’re proud to compare yourself to him? All your money goes on games and cats,” Lin Dongxue teased.

Xu Xiaodong sheepishly scratched his head.

Cheng Chao’s financial situation indeed wasn’t great; they found overdue bills for utilities in a drawer, indicating he wouldn’t pay until services were nearly cut off.Additionally, they discovered a pawn shop receipt from a month ago where Cheng Chao had pawned a gold bracelet for a few thousand yuan, likely a gift from Jiang Mei.

Cheng Chao worked as a stock clerk at a supermarket, earning a modest income. Half of what he made went towards supporting his hobby—painting.

Indeed, the apartment contained many art supplies, including a digital drawing tablet. Lin Dongxue checked his computer and found an unfinished comic, with his browser history full of similar websites. He had been trying to submit his work to a comic site.

Furthermore, the desktop wallpaper was a photo of Jiang Mei, beaming with joy.

Thinking about how this couple had been forcibly separated by their parents, Lin Dongxue couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy.

A technician found some hair and skin flakes on a comb and the bed, which they took back for identification. Whether the deceased was Cheng Chao was crucial, and Lin Dongxue anxiously awaited the results. By the end of the day, she received a call from forensic analyst Peng Sijue.

“The DNA found in the room matches the male victim,” Peng Sijue informed her.

Lin Dongxue sighed in relief, the identity confirmed. However, Lin Qiupu’s reaction was entirely different; he paced his office, muttering, “Could it really have been a stranger?”

“Could it have been An Xu?” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“Who is An Xu?”

“The rich second-generation guy Jiang Mei’s parents wanted her to date. He admitted to having previously threatened Cheng Chao to stay away from Jiang Mei.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“He’s been here.”

Lin Qiupu shook his head, “This man certainly had a motive to kill Cheng Chao, but why would he want to kill Jiang Mei? Remember, the female victim died of poisoning, and she died before the male victim.”

“That’s why I think my theory is closest to the truth. They were probably planning to die together when a third party intervened.”

“This kind of case is the most troublesome…” Lin Qiupu rubbed his chin.

“Did the local police find anything?”

“Nothing. You can go home for today. Let’s leave it here.”

As Lin Dongxue headed for the door, she suddenly turned back, “Could this third party who suddenly interfered be An Xu?”

Lin Qiupu widened his eyes, but did not commit to a response, merely waving her off to go home.

After changing clothes, Lin Dongxue was about to call a taxi when she received a text from Chen Shi, “Want to try my cooking tonight?”

“I’d rather have skewers.”

“Are you treating?”

“Alright, alright, you penny-pincher… Pick me up at the police station.”

“Give me five minutes. If I’m not there, read this message again.”

Laughing at the message, Lin Dongxue felt a little lighter despite the heavy case lingering on her mind.