Chapter 23 Major Shareholders Behind the Scenes
The snow on Qindao Island finally stopped, but the sky was still gloomy, like a heavy lead plate pressing down on his head. Yu Hao stood in front of the window of the Criminal Police Brigade office. The bare branches outside the window swayed in the wind, making a dry friction sound, as if telling of some kind of uneasiness. Three days had passed since Guo Zhong was murdered. The case seemed to have entered a dead end. A carpet search found no new clues. The connection between the two murders was vague, but the key line could not be grasped. Yu Hao rubbed his temples, feeling a pressure he had never felt before. "Captain Yu." Lu Chao pushed the door open and came in, holding a stack of documents in his hand, with heavy dark circles under his eyes. "The record of Liu Feng's third interrogation has been sorted out." Yu Hao took the document and flipped through a few pages: "Still the same?" "Well, he insisted that he only stole money and did not kill anyone." Lu Chao's voice was helpless. "As for Guo Zhong's death, he knew nothing." Yu Hao closed the document and threw it on the table. "Where's the polygraph?" Lu Chao shook his head, fished a cigarette from his pocket, sniffed it under his nose, and put it back, a habit he always had. "The polygraph shows no signs of lying. Pupil changes, heart rate, and galvanic skin response all match the characteristics of a truthful statement." "Perhaps he really was wrongly accused, but until we find the real culprit, we can't make a definitive conclusion." Yu Hao walked over to the whiteboard and stared at the intricate clue map. Wang Shun, Guo Zhong, Liu Feng, Wang Kun... these names were connected and separated by red lines, like a carefully woven spider web. At that moment, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated, making a dull buzzing sound on the wooden tabletop. The screen displayed the words "Teacher Li of Yucai Primary School." "Hello, Teacher Li," Yu Hao answered. "Captain Yu," Luo Xue's homeroom teacher's gentle voice came from the other end of the line. "Luo Xue said you'd pick her up later today." Yu Hao glanced at his watch. "Yes, I have an urgent meeting. Is she okay?" "Fine, she's doing homework in the classroom," Teacher Li smiled, the children's laughter faintly audible in the background. "The principal asked me to tell you that the school has recently increased security and surveillance. No strangers are allowed to enter the school. Please rest assured about campus safety, police." "Okay, I got it. I'll be there promptly at 6 o'clock," Yu Hao said, hanging up the phone neatly. Ever since that nightmare, he had personally picked up Luo Xue every day, fearing any accidents. Luo Xue's story about a female classmate who had been scratched on the face only intensified his worries...
The snow on Qindao Island finally stopped, but the sky was still gloomy, like a heavy lead plate pressing on overhead.
Yu Hao stood in front of the window of the Criminal Police Brigade office. The bare branches outside the window swayed in the wind, making dry friction sounds, as if expressing some kind of uneasiness.
Three days had passed since Guo Zhong was murdered. The case seemed to have reached a dead end. A thorough search had yielded no new leads.
The connection between the two murders is vague, but the key line can never be grasped.
Yu Hao rubbed his temples and felt a pressure he had never felt before.
"Captain Yu." Lu Chao pushed the door open, holding a stack of documents and dark circles under his eyes. "The records of Liu Feng's third interrogation are ready."
Yu Hao took the document and flipped through a few pages: "Still the same?"
"Well, he insisted that he only stole money and didn't kill anyone." Lu Chao's voice was filled with helplessness. "As for Guo Zhong's death, he was completely clueless."
Yu Hao closed the file and threw it on the table. "What about the polygraph test?"
Lu Chao shook his head, took out a cigarette from his pocket, sniffed it under his nose and put it back, which was his usual action.
"The polygraph showed no signs of lying. Pupil changes, heart rate, and galvanic skin response were all consistent with a truthful statement."
"Perhaps, he was really wronged, but we can't make a conclusion until the real murderer is found." Yu Hao walked to the whiteboard and stared at the intricate clue map on it.
Wang Shun, Guo Zhong, Liu Feng, Wang Kun... These names are connected and separated by red lines, like a carefully woven spider web.
At that moment, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated, making a dull buzzing sound on the wooden surface. The words "Teacher Li from Yucai Primary School" appeared on the screen.
"Hello, Teacher Li." Yu Hao answered the phone.
"Captain Yu." The gentle voice of Luo Xue's homeroom teacher came from the other end of the line. "Luo Xue said you would pick her up later today?"
Yu Hao glanced at his watch. "Yes, there's an urgent meeting. Is she okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm doing my homework in the classroom." Teacher Li smiled. The children's laughter could be heard faintly in the background. "The principal asked me to tell you that the school has recently strengthened security and surveillance. Strangers are not allowed to enter the school. Please rest assured about the police station regarding campus safety."
"Okay, I got it. I'll be there on time at six o'clock." Yu Hao hung up the phone neatly.
Ever since that nightmare, he personally picked up and dropped off Luo Xue every day, fearing that something might happen.
Coupled with what Luo Xue told him about a female classmate whose face was scratched, this worry became even stronger.
He specifically met with the school principal to discuss the need to strengthen campus security and even arranged for patrol officers to increase patrols during school hours.
"School?" Sun Wei walked in at some point and handed over a cup of coffee.
Her short hair was neatly tucked behind her ears, revealing her well-defined profile. "These past few days, you've been more punctual in picking up Luo Xue than you have been in work."
Yu Hao took the coffee, the bitter liquid slid down his throat with a slightly burnt aroma: "Better safe than sorry."
"I understand." Sun Wei's lips trembled slightly. "It's true that things have been a bit turbulent lately." She hesitated for a moment. "Oh, I just ran into Master in the corridor."
Yu Hao was a little surprised. His master had been back for two days, but he seemed to be busy with something important and rarely appeared in the police station. He had never seen him, and even when he called him, he would hang up after a few words.
Lu Chao once suspected that President Qin must have accepted a major task directly assigned by the provincial department - Qin Guoan was the most senior criminal investigation expert in the bureau and was often assigned by the provincial department to handle major cases.
"Did he say anything?" Yu Hao put down his coffee cup.
Sun Wei shook her head, took out a box of mints from her white coat pocket, and handed one to Yu Hao: "I didn't say anything, I just wanted to remind you to take care of your health while solving the case."
"I understand. Let's find some time and go report the case to him together." Yu Hao put the mint candy in his mouth. The cool mint flavor spread in his mouth, slightly refreshing him.
The sky outside the window gradually darkened, and dark clouds hung low, as if they would crush this tired city at any time.
Yu Hao packed up the documents and picked up his coat: "Okay, I'll go pick up Luo Xue first. Call me if you have anything."
*
The next morning, fog covered the "Rongfa Auto Repair Shop" on the outskirts of Qindao City, like a layer of gauze, blurring the vision.
Yu Hao and his companions parked their car on the side of the road and peered through the iron fence. The repair shop wasn't big, with only two elevators and a simple paint booth. A corner was filled with scrap tires and spare parts, like a small garbage mountain.
"Gou Rong..." Yu Hao whispered the name as he flipped through the information in his hand. The man in the photo was in his early forties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and eyes as sharp as a hawk.
Information shows that he has been running this repair shop for fifteen years and has never had any illegal record. He is just an ordinary small businessman.
But bank statements don't lie - more than half of the rent Guo Zhong received in recent years was transferred to Gou Rong's account, with two fixed payments every month, without fail. The remittances have only slowed down in recent months.
After the money was deposited into Gou Rong's account, he would withdraw it in cash. As for its final whereabouts, the police had no way of finding out.
The door to the repair shop was half open, and the rusty hinges made a harsh creaking sound. Yu Hao and his companions pushed the door open and entered.
The harsh sound of an electric drill came from inside. A man in greasy work clothes was squatting next to a black car, repairing the chassis. Several workers, who looked like apprentices, surrounded him.
Hearing footsteps, the man raised his head, revealing a face similar to the one in the photo but more vicissitudes of life, with a long scar on his right cheek.
"Repair the car?" Gou Rong stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, leaving a few oil stains on his work clothes.
Yu Hao showed his police ID and said, "Yu Hao from the Criminal Investigation Team, I have a few questions for you."
Gou Rong's eyes flickered. He put down the wrench and wiped his hands on a dirty towel. "What's the matter?"
"Do you know Guo Zhong?" Yu Hao looked straight into his eyes, not missing any fluctuations.
"I know him." Gou Rong answered decisively.
"Do you know why I'm looking for you?" Lu Chao said suddenly while standing aside.
"How would I know that?" Gou Rong shook his head disapprovingly and pulled out a pack of wrinkled cigarettes from his pocket. "I'm just an honest businessman."
Seeing Gou Rong's indifferent attitude, Yu Hao and the others instinctively lost their good impression of him.
This may be the prejudice of a criminal police officer who has been with the police for many years, but it is also a professional sensitivity formed by long-term dealings with criminals.
Yu Hao raised his eyebrows and said in a colder voice, "How did you two know each other?"
Gou Rong shrugged and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Hey, big brother, I know a lot of people. Do I have to remember how I met them?" He flicked the ash off his cigarette. "Maybe we met while repairing the car."
"Ordinary friends?" Yu Hao took a step forward, shortening the distance between them.
Gou Rong didn't say anything, but took a deep breath of cigarette and exhaled slowly. The smoke formed a barrier in front of him, blurring his expression.
Yu Hao wasn't annoyed, but his expression grew a bit colder. "He transfers money to you every month. Are we just ordinary friends?" Yu Hao looked him straight in the eye. "And the amount is not small."
Gou Rong was stunned for a moment, then stamped out his cigarette. He turned and walked to the faucet in the corner, slowly washing his hands. "I helped him fix his car, and he paid me. What's the problem?"
"What kind of car repairs require a fixed monthly payment?" Yu Hao took a few steps closer. "And as far as I know, Guo Zhong doesn't have a car."
Gou Rong turned off the faucet and shook the water droplets off his hands. "Officer, what do you want to say?" His voice suddenly became louder with obvious impatience.
Yu Hao pulled out a call log from a folder. "In the past six months, you and Guo Zhong spoke on the phone forty-seven times, an average of twice a week."
He pushed the paper in front of Gou Rong. "The last call was the night before he died. It lasted twelve minutes." He paused and lowered his voice. "Can you tell me what you talked about?"
Gou Rong's expression changed. He walked to the workbench, picked up a pack of cigarettes, and with trembling fingers, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Just a casual chat between friends."
His voice was a little hoarse, as if he was choked by cigarettes. "Guo Zhong likes to nag. He talks for a long time."
Lu Chao, who was standing aside, had obviously reached the limit of his patience. "Do you want to explain it yourself, or come back to the bureau and explain it clearly?" There was an obvious threat in his voice.
Gou Rong remained unmoved.
Yu Hao smiled coldly and motioned a criminal police officer beside him to take out a document.
"What?" Gou Rong looked at Yu Hao and asked in confusion.
"Open it and take a look." Yu Hao handed over the document, his eyes fixed on Gou Rong's reaction.
Gou Rong opened the file, glanced at it, and his shoulders suddenly slumped. He sighed and said, "Okay, I'll tell you."
It was a joint house rental contract, which was found in Guo Zhong's home.
Shortly after the incident, the criminal police searched Guo Zhong's residence, but did not find much valuable in the plain house except for this contract.
Several people sat down on the worn sofa in the repair shop. The leather surface had cracked, revealing the yellowed sponge inside. Gou Rong began to talk about his relationship with Guo Zhong.
It turns out that Gou Rong is the major shareholder of the house rental company.
According to Gou Rong's account, when the two of them partnered to rent out Nan'an Village, he contributed 80% of the investment, while Guo Zhong only contributed 20%.
Since the two agreed that Guo Zhong would be responsible for daily management, the profits were divided into a 3:7 ratio.
What Gou Rong said was indeed consistent with what was written in the contract.
"According to the remittance habits of previous months, Guo Zhong remitted a total of 50,000 yuan to you in two installments every month, but there has been no remittance record in recent months." Yu Hao stared into the other party's eyes and asked.
Gou Rong showed a look of disgust, his mouth curled downwards. "That guy is so extravagant, I don't know where his money went." He rubbed his hands together, his knuckles making a slight "crackling" sound. "So, I'm calling to keep asking him to pay back the money."
"What's the result?" Lu Chao interrupted, the tip of his pen hovering above the notebook.
"He had been promising it all along, but he hadn't actually done anything." Gou Rong shook his head, his eyes drifting off into the distance. "However, just a few days ago, he told me he had a way to make money and could pay me back 100,000 yuan first."
"What way?" Lu Chao leaned forward slightly.
"I don't know, he didn't say." Gou Rong spread out his hands, palms facing up. "It's possible that he just said it to delay paying back the money."
This is probably not groundless rumors, Yu Hao still keenly noticed this information.
Guo Zhong went to the remote and deserted alley, most likely for money, but he did not expect the other party to kill him directly.
So what leverage did Guo Zhong have on the other party that allowed him to be so confident that the other party would give him money?
"Did he say when he could give you the money?" Lu Chao continued to ask.
"Originally it was supposed to be these few days, but he died, and the matter has come to a complete halt." Gou Rong shook his head, his expression suddenly becoming gloomy. "Looks like I'll have to deal with the rental issue myself."
"Continue to collect rent?" Lu Chao looked up at the other person with raised eyebrows.
"How could I have the time and energy?" Gou Rong gave a wry smile, revealing a few yellowed teeth. "If I can sell it, I'll sell it. If I can rent it, I'll continue to rent it. Guo Zhong had already started this when he was alive. I heard there are still a few potential buyers."
Lu Chao asked, his voice full of suspicion: "Then why do you always withdraw money in cash?"
"Do you police officers have to take care of this too?" Gou Rong looked a little annoyed, with a vein popping out on his forehead.
"Not really, I just think your rhythm is quite synchronized." Yu Hao shrugged, his tone relaxed, but his eyes were still sharp.
"Can we use it for the daily expenses of the repair shop?" Gou Rong's voice rose eight octaves.
"Of course," Lu Chao sneered and closed the notebook. "As long as you want, you can even burn it for the Buddha."
Gou Rong glanced at Lu Chao, then turned his head to the side, and saw a face that looked like it wanted to eat someone.
Yu Hao smiled, stood up, and straightened his coat. "That's all for today. If you remember any important information, feel free to contact us."
He handed over a business card, and when Gou Rong took it, their fingers touched briefly, and Yu Hao could feel the cold sweat on the other's palm.
As I walked out of the repair shop, a cold breeze blew towards me, taking away the lingering smell of engine oil.
"Captain Yu, why do you think he wants to hide his relationship with Guo Zhong?" Lu Chao asked in the returning police car.
In the rearview mirror, Yu Hao's eyes were deep. "Perhaps the reason is that he doesn't want us to learn more hidden things through him."
"What do you mean?" Lu Chao was a little confused.
"Perhaps, there is still someone behind Gou Rong, or perhaps, the two of them are doing something shameful. We haven't dug deep into this relationship yet."
"This is another bastard. Let's find a chance to give him a beating." Lu Chao clenched his fists.
The police car sped past, stirring up countless snow particles scattered on the roadside...
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