Turbid Light

After seeing off Li Qiuqi's parents, the serious crime squad held a meeting and decided to investigate from two directions. Cheng Xiaoxiang and Lu Yuyao started from Li Qiuqi's disappearance case and kept a close eye on Xu Jiaming. Chen An and Bai Shuo started from the banquet list and looked for people who had an enemy with Xu Mingwei.

The list wasn't long. According to the steward who prepared the banquet that night, it was a small gathering, primarily to pave the way for the development of the Central Business District. Late last year, Xu Mingwei had won the bid for the Central Business District. However, with the recent national economic downturn, Mingzhu Garments' performance has also declined, leaving him with limited funds for development. Therefore, the banquet was held to win over wealthy businessmen and ease tensions. Ideally, he hoped everyone on the list would participate in the development.

The Changtang Courtyard Night Banquet was Xu Mingwei's only public event after he was discharged from the hospital, and there was no further news about him after that.

Unlike the opulence of the Mingzhu Group, the Cheng Group's emphasis on frugality was obvious. Chen An walked through the busy staff and headed straight for the office at the end, while Cheng Luduo had already prepared for the questions.

The tea was delivered to Chen An on time. Cheng Luduo put down the work at hand, put his hands on his knees, and waited for Chen An's questions.

"Mr. Cheng, I'm sure you already know about Xu Mingwei's death. This time I came mainly to learn more about his situation."

Entertainment reporters reported on it, social media pushed it, and it was hard not to know. Cheng Luduo said he knew.

"After the New Year, Xu Mingwei held a banquet. You were on the list, but you didn't go. Why?"

Cheng Luduo said: "I understand his purpose in holding the banquet, but I am not interested in the development of the central business district."

"Isn't it just a matter of not being interested?"

Before coming, Chen An learned that Cheng and Xu had close contacts, including their children, but something unexpected happened in the middle and the two families no longer had any contact.

"You and Xu Mingwei were good friends in the past, but now that he's dead, you don't seem to have any reaction." Chen An continued to ask.

Cheng Luduo has many fine lines at the corners of his eyes, which is far from the young man in the photo frame on his desk. It seems that some things have to be said.

"Thirty years ago, I started my own business, and Xu Mingwei took over the business from his father-in-law. We met in the business world and we admired each other. Even when my son Chengxu was born, our two families maintained close ties."

"I thought our two families would be staunch allies, but after Xu Mingwei's first wife passed away, our relationship took an unexpected turn. He suddenly had two sons, and when he walked in, Xiao Ming was hiding in our house crying. They say a man who loves his wife prospers, but I'm ashamed of what he did. His betrayal seems to have foreshadowed the decline of Mingzhu Clothing."

"Mingzhu Garments was facing a severe financial deficit, and at one point the company couldn't continue. Xu Mingwei came to me, and I offered my help, but it only lasted a month. Xu Mingwei tried every way to evade taxes, but he was eventually caught. With the inspectors about to arrive, I don't know where he got all the money he needed to cover the deficit."

Having said this, Cheng Luduo paused and swallowed the rest of his words.

"You think he was able to make so much money because he committed a crime." Chen An pushed him.

Cheng Luduo subconsciously didn't want to think so, and quickly shook his head to deny it, "No, it's not. I don't know, I just don't know how he got the money, so I said that."

He had no evidence to prove that Xu Mingwei had engaged in illegal activities.

"So, the estrangement between you two is just because you have doubts about the money?" Chen An didn't think that Cheng Luduo would alienate Xu Mingwei because of suspicion without evidence. His attitude towards Xu Mingwei was not only suspicion, but also fear.

"Mr. Cheng, you've been very nervous since you walked in. Are you nervous because of my arrival, or because of Xu Mingwei?"

It is reported that Xu Mingwei is a charity fanatic. After Mingzhu Clothing became successful, he did charity work everywhere and was known as the most influential philanthropist in Qu'an City. Newspapers also tried their best to praise Xu Mingwei. To this day, his resume is spotless, and even his remarriage is touted as the glory of a successful man.

Everything has its limits. The more perfect his image is, the more terrifying the face behind it may be.

Hearing this, Cheng Luduo unconsciously clenched his fists, and the guilt he had been feeling for a long time was revealed at this moment.

"Xu Mingwei once killed a driver."

Chen An frowned briefly, "Driver?"

Cheng Luduo never wanted to recall the scene at that time.

Late at night, Xu Mingwei invited Cheng Luduo to Changtang Courtyard for a chat. A young driver came to pick him up. He was deeply impressed by the driver, who had a short haircut, prominent eyebrows, and two fangs when he smiled.

The driver was quite talkative, so he chatted with him for a while. Only after arriving at Changtang Courtyard did he realize that Xu Mingwei had recruited him. At the time, Xu Mingwei was vying for a development zone and lacked funds, so he wanted him to invest. If he had approached him seriously, there might have been a possibility of cooperation, but the problem was that Xu Mingwei bribed him with women.

He didn't know how many young and beautiful women Xu Mingwei kept in the Changtang Courtyard, but he felt disgusted when he saw these women appearing in every corner of the courtyard. Even outsiders knew that Changtang Courtyard belonged to his ex-wife, and not only did he quickly welcome Huo Iris into the family after his wife's death, he also kept women in his ex-wife's courtyard. He once again felt contempt for Xu Mingwei.

Cheng Luduo left angrily, but halfway there he found that his briefcase was left in the living room. When he turned back, he heard even more tragic screams. The sound echoed in the house. Cheng Luduo slowly approached the room and saw through the peephole that a knife was stuck in the man's heart, and blood was flowing from the sofa to the door.

Cheng Luduo broke out in a cold sweat and even hallucinated that blood was flowing through his leather shoes and wrapped around his ankle. He stumbled back to get his briefcase and ran back home. He quickly bought a plane ticket to go abroad the next day and took his family to hide abroad. It was two months later that he came back.

"Are you sure you're seeing right?"

Cheng Luduo wiped the sweat off his face and said, "No, the driver was quite good-looking. I remember him lying on the sofa with a knife stuck in his heart."

"Didn't you verify the driver's identity afterwards?"

Cheng Luduo shook his head. He was already scared. This strange Xu Mingwei frightened him. He was not sure whether he had been discovered that day, so he dared not ask about the driver.

However, he guessed that Xu Mingwei should not have noticed him. After he came back, Xu Mingwei came to apologize to him. After that, he deliberately distanced himself from Xu Mingwei, and the two had no more contact.

"I once wondered if the driver wouldn't have died if I hadn't left."

Cheng Luduo is different from Xu Mingwei. They are both business leaders, but Xu Mingwei is more ruthless. His contempt for feelings and disregard for human life caused the two to part ways.

The driver's death was a shadow for him, a shadow buried in his heart that he almost forgot.

"Do you still remember when this happened?"

Cheng Luduo thought for a moment and said, "About twelve years ago."

Twelve years ago, Chen An planned to let Bai Shuo check whether a similar murder had occurred twelve years ago, even though he thought Xu Mingwei might have settled the case privately.

The co-pilot's cell phone was vibrating constantly, and Chen An took advantage of the traffic light to answer a call.

"Boss, there are only two cases with similar circumstances." Bai Shuo looked at the documents spread out on the table, "But... I don't think either of them fits Cheng Luduo's description. They don't fit the description based on their appearance, and they don't fit the description based on their injuries."

"Although both were stabbed with daggers, the wounds were not in the heart. One died from a severed carotid artery, and the other from eleven stab wounds in the abdomen."

After passing the traffic light, Chen An parked the car on the road and carefully read the information sent by Bai Shuo. As he said, the two victims were not young, and their appearance was far from good-looking. They looked like gangsters. Their injuries were consistent with what Cheng Luduo described.

Unable to identify the driver, Chen An focused his attention on Xu Mingwei. The combination of electrocution, plastic sealing, and exhibition created a strong sense of ritual. Cheng Luduo had witnessed Xu Mingwei murder. He likely killed many people over the years, and perhaps some of his victims died in this manner, prompting the killer to emulate his example and seek revenge.

"Look again, is there anyone who was electrocuted in the same year?"

Bai Shuo on the other side flipped through two more file bags and said, "No."

"Expand the scope. Has there been any in the past twelve years?"

Bai Shuo checked again on the terminal and also felt strange, "No."

"No? Not even an accident?"

Although cases of using electricity as a murder weapon are rare, isn't there even such a thing as accidental death by electrocution?

"No."

Chen An asked him to keep an eye on the situation and investigate any similar cases immediately.

At the same time, Li Qiuqi, who had been searched for by many people, appeared herself.

Cheng Xiaoxiang had just come out of Li Qiuqi's school and asked her counselor. The counselor pushed everything onto Li Qiuqi, saying that she had run away on her own and they were looking for her. When asked if he had followed up on Li Qiuqi and the people around her, the counselor used the excuse that he had already called the police. Seeing that he knew nothing, Cheng Xiaoxiang gave up questioning him.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuyao learned from Li Qiuqi's friends that she had gone on a trip with Xu Jiaming and hadn't seen much of her since returning. They also said they didn't pay much attention to her and weren't close to her. Someone had disappeared out of nowhere, and none of her friends, boyfriend, or parents cared.

Just when they were worried, Li Qiuqi appeared.

"Boss, Li Qiuqi has been found!"

Chen An held up his phone, and the next second a piece of news popped up.