Chen s.h.i.+ recorded this list of suspects and continued to ask, "When was the last time you saw your son?"

"The evening of February 2nd."

"What did you do? What did you two talk about?"

Lu Qixing's eyes glanced at his sleeves unconsciously. “We talked about some things in the company. He started a stupid film company. He didn't earn a dime. It was purely to play with. I hoped that he would close that company down to take over my company… After all, I don't have too many years left in me.”

"In this room?"

"Yes, in this room." Lu Qixing looked at his sleeve again.

"What time did he leave?"

"Eight."

Chen s.h.i.+ thought to himself, this is very close to the time of death. It is very likely that Lu Qixing is the last person to see Lu Zhendong.

"I need to ask some other questions. Do you have illegitimate children?"

The answer was unexpected. Lu Qixing replied, "There's quite a lot."

"Do you have any around you?"

Lu Qixing laughed. "Ever since my company went public when I was forty, a woman would hold a child and come to me telling me it was my illegitimate child almost every year. They just want money. Nine times out of ten, it's fake.”

“What about the one out of ten then?”

"You can check them out then. I'm not too sure. I'll get my secretary to give you a list of the company's top management later.”

A lovely smell wafted in from outside and a worker said from the outside, “Sir, breakfast is ready.”

Lu Qixing responded, "Wait a second." Then, he took a card from the drawer and handed it over to Chen s.h.i.+. "There's 200,000 in it and no pin number as a small gift for solving the case. I'll give you a reward after everything is over as well.”

"Thank you." Chen s.h.i.+ accepted.

"I have a favor to ask. This case needs to be investigated by itself. We're a big company, so some amounts of under-the-table transactions are normal. I hope that Officer Song can turn a blind eye to it.”

"Rest a.s.sured, I won't take you to the detention center."

"I'm relieved!" Lu Qixing patted Chen s.h.i.+'s hand. "Now that I have Officer Song leading the case, my son's case will definitely be solved... Come and eat!"

The two went out and a table of food was ready. Jia Xingyun was still there waiting for Lin Dongxue's return when Lu Qixing greeted him. "Nephew[1], come and take a bite."

"No, I still have some stuff to take care of."

"Come on, don't be polite!"

So Jia Xingyun went over and sat down. When he was eating, there was a maid standing next to him to attend to his needs. Lu Qixing picked up some of the food with his chopsticks and handed it over to Chen s.h.i.+, "Try this, it's some wild meat that's just arrived."

"What is it?"

"Wild chicken?" Lu Qixing looked at the maid.

The maid responded, "Sir, it's a golden pheasant."

"Right. You haven't tried it before, right Officer Song?"

"Hold on. What is it??"

"Golden pheasant." Lu Qixing was confused.

Chen s.h.i.+ picked up a lid and covered the dish. He called Lin Qiupu. "Send a few people to come over. Someone is eating our nation's second-cla.s.s protected animal-"

"Who?"

"Lu Qixing."

"Don't make trouble! Go and investigate your case!"

"If you don't cooperate with me, I can quit immediately... Hurry please!"

Lu Qixing pleaded, "Officer Song, you're not giving me face? I said the case needed to be investigated in an isolated manner. If you bring me in, how bad would that look?”

"Less nonsense! Are there other game meats? Let me check your kitchen."

"Only this one." Lu Qixing looked miserable and Jia Xingyun was extremely scared because he wasn't sure what the situation was.

Half an hour later, a depressed Lu Qixing was cuffed amidst sirens and the gaze of onlookers. Lin Dongxue stood next to Chen s.h.i.+ and suppressed her laughter. "You only spoke a few words with him, but you arrested the person who reported the case? Is this you investigating in an out-of-the-box manner again?”

"He was too much of an inconvenience to the case. I didn't frame him either.”

Lu Qixing, who was crammed into the police car, glanced at Chen s.h.i.+ with a sad expression. Xu Xiaodong came back from verifying the information and saw the scene in front of him. He asked in surprise, “What's the situation?”

"I'll tell you later. Have you verified the information?” Chen s.h.i.+ asked.

"Jia Xingyun and Lu Zhendong did eat together that day." Xu Xiaodong to the side of Chen s.h.i.+.

Jia Xingyun, who had just come out and stood next to Chen s.h.i.+, remarked, "See? I didn't lie!"

"What did you guys eat?" Chen s.h.i.+ asked.

“Scrambled eggs with chives, seaweed and egg soup, green pepper and potato strips, and marinated pork strips.”

Lin Dongxue looked at Jia Xingyun in shock. Jia Xingyun smiled faintly and shrugged. "What? You can't eat cheap meals when you have money? You can look at Zhendong's Weibo. He has the 'delicious food' we ate that day posted there.”

"I'm also very surprised. I verified it twice with the restaurant. That's indeed what they ate." Xu Xiaodong said.

Chen s.h.i.+ said to Jia Xingyun, "It seems that your friends.h.i.+p isn't shallow."

"Haha, yes. We can be full just from drinking water in our friends.h.i.+p[2]. My relations.h.i.+p with Zhendong is indescribably good. Can I go, officer?”

"I'll find you if we need anything."

"No problem!" Jia Xingyun raised his eyebrows at Lin Dongxue and left.

Tao Yueyue queried, "Uncle Chen, there are a lot of delicious food in that room. Can I go eat it?"

Chen s.h.i.+ smiled, "Let's go together."

Lin Dongxue reprimanded, "Hey, hey! We need to investigate the case. We can't be so leisurely!”

"It's a waste to leave it there. Let's eat together."

"I don't want it!"

The four returned to the room from before. Chen s.h.i.+ and Tao Yueyue impolitely ate the food on the table. Of course, the golden pheasant dish was just taken away as a physical evidence. Chen s.h.i.+ asked while eating, "Not gonna eat? I can't even tell what this was made from."

Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly. "Forget it. I'll just eat fast food later on.”

Lin Dongxue took out her mobile phone and looked at the victim's Weibo. What Jia Xingyun said was true. On February 2nd, Lu Zhendong really posted the "delicious food" of that day. He even posted individual photos.

"Oriental herbs with egg pieces, allowing people to taste the concept of Tao Yuanming[3]." This caption was used to describe the scrambled eggs with chives.

“Rich pickled seaweed with egg soup is like bathing within the salty sea breeze.” This was for the seaweed egg soup.

“Potato with green pepper[4] is like a pa.s.sionate and unrestrained luxurious sensory feast.” This was the green pepper and potato strips.

“Specially prepared mildly spicy, sweet and sour sauce baked pork with long spring onions. It's a cocostyle[5] date of tastes.” This was the fish-flavored, marinated pork.

Lin Dongxue giggled. "This guy is quite funny... Unfortunately, this is his last Weibo post."

"What does Jia Xingyun do?" Chen s.h.i.+ asked.

Lin Dongxue searched his background up. "He's the second generation of a government official. His father is the department chief. He was just transferred to the city and is running a media company."

"One engages in film and television, and the other engages in media. Indeed, they have a similar scent[6]…” Chen s.h.i.+ muttered to himself. "Xu Xiaodong, take a moment to look at what Lu Zhendong's film and television company is doing and what works he's produced."

Someone knocked at the door and Chen s.h.i.+ shouted, "Come in." A lobby manager came in with a group of employees and cleaners. Lin Dongxue showed a confused look. Chen s.h.i.+ explained, "I called them in for questioning."

Chen s.h.i.+ went up to them and interrogated, "On February 2nd, Lu Zhendong was here. Lu Qixing himself has confirmed that. Please raise your hand if you were present that day.”

Several people raised their hands.

Chen s.h.i.+ told the other people to step out first, leaving only one person behind. He asked them what happened that day. The employee said that the father and son were playing a game of chess with each other and chatted for about half an hour before Lu Zhendong went back to his residence.

Chen s.h.i.+ cycled through the employees and asked them the same questions.

When he got to the fourth person, he stopped asking and said, "Even the adjectives they used are the same. This group has been 'taken care of' beforehand.”

1. Not actually blood related. It's just because they have known each other for a long time/ are close.

2. They are full just from their friends.h.i.+p.

3. A Chinese poet who lived during Eastern Jin and Song dynasties.

4. Written in English.

5. I a.s.sume the author is trying to say the tastes meeting together is like a sweet date, because “rou coco” usually describes a sweet, chocolate taste.

6. Birds of the same feather flock together.