Chapter 5 Weird Text Message
Years of habit had led Ji Feng to sleep only five to six hours a night. As the dawn broke over the sea, he'd already finished a run along the coast, returning drenched in sweat. After a quick shower, he shoved a mouthful of breakfast into his mouth, got in his car, and, chewing as he drove, headed straight for Haidai Baoyingli Auction Co., Ltd., Shen Zhaoran's former company.
Xin Xiao was already waiting at the door, standing there with a serious face. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ji Feng coming over: "I thought you drank too much and overslept last night. You almost made me stand here like a door god."
"I don't think I'm late." Ji Feng patted his shoulder jokingly in pure Cantonese.
"What?" Xin Xiao asked, as he couldn't understand Ji Feng's Cantonese.
"This little bit of wine is just a drizzle." Ji Feng switched to Mandarin and Cantonese, which Xin Xiao could understand.
They were received by a female staff member named Li Min, who was about 30 years old, with an elegant temperament and decent manners. "Two officers, we are also very sorry about what happened to Mr. Shen. It's just that he has been dead for many years, and we can't remember many details clearly."
"It's okay, just tell me as much as you know." Ji Feng grinned, revealing his white teeth, and looked nonchalant. "For example, what he usually does, who he deals with, and whether there was anything wrong before the accident." As he said that, he took out his work ID and waved it in front of Li Min.
Li Min frowned slightly, as if it was the first time she had seen this kind of policeman. After a moment's thought, she said, "Mr. Shen is our boss. We ordinary employees don't have much contact with him, so there are some questions I'm not clear about."
"I understand." Ji Feng nodded. "Then let's talk about the first question first. Does Mr. Shen have any close relatives or friends?"
Li Min thought for a moment and replied, "His social circle was a bit wider in the early years. But in recent years, as his business scope has narrowed, he's interacted most with an expert from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau. I don't know his name, but it seems his last name is Zhou."
"Do you know who knows him?" Xin Xiao asked.
“I don’t know, Mr. Shen’s wife should know.”
"Do they come and go frequently?"
"Yeah. On average, I come here at least once a month, and I stay for half a day each time."
"Do you know why Mr. Shen wants him to do this?"
Li Min hesitated for a moment and said, "I guess we should ask him to identify antiques?"
Ji Feng's eyes were sharp as he pressed on, "From your observation, does their relationship seem normal? Is there anything unusual?"
Li Min thought for a moment and replied, "It's pretty normal. I didn't notice anything unusual."
"Besides this person, is there anyone else you interact with more frequently?"
Li Min shook her head slightly. "Basically, there aren't many. They were just ordinary business contacts who only came once or twice."
"What does Mr. Shen usually do at work?"
"His job is relatively simple. When there are lots to be auctioned, he arranges for the business department to prepare them for the auction. If there are no lots to be auctioned, he basically doesn't come to the company."
"From what you know, has Mr. Shen ever offended anyone?"
"Not that I know of. Mr. Shen has always been a smooth person, believing in 'harmony brings wealth', and is shrewd but sensible."
"How much do you know about his personal feelings?"
Li Min looked troubled: "This question... is a bit difficult for me."
Ji Feng sensed the hesitation in her tone and explained, "In order to find out the truth as quickly as possible, we need to understand every aspect of Mr. Shen. And I think that Mr. Shen being your former boss is a kind of fate in itself. Out of morality, we should also do our part."
"Then I will only state the facts. As for the rest, you can judge for yourself."
"understand."
Li Min paused and said slowly: "My colleagues and I occasionally hear Mr. Shen and his wife arguing in the office. The noise is quite loud and many colleagues have heard it."
"What was the quarrel about?"
"I couldn't hear it clearly. I only caught a few words intermittently, like 'ungrateful,' 'conspiratorial,' and 'exploiting.'"
"What exactly does that mean?"
"I really don't know about that."
"Do you know much about his wife?"
"His wife is Lan Ruojin, the daughter of antique collector Lan Xiting. She's a true beauty, rich and beautiful."
"Lan Xiting? Is he the great collector who went to England and bought the famous Song Dynasty artist Su Fu's painting 'A Thousand Miles of Xichuan' and donated it to the country after returning?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Oh, it's him." Ji Feng nodded thoughtfully.
“After Mr. Shen passed away, was the auction house managed by his wife?”
“No, it’s Madam’s younger brother, Mr. Shen’s brother-in-law Lan Renxuan who is taking care of all the affairs.”
“How has the auction house been doing in recent years?”
"It's hard for me to judge. You can go to the company's website and look at the financial report. I think the report will tell the whole story."
“Did Mrs. Lan behave in any unusual way before and after Mr. Shen’s death?”
"It's not unusual, it just doesn't look that tragic. But it's not surprising either. After all, their union was more about profit, and their relationship, well, that's just the way it is."
"What's the meaning?"
"I heard it from hearsay. It's said that Mr. Shen had a girlfriend back then, but in order to get a good price for his collection, Mr. Lan Xiting needed a close-knit auction house and an excellent auctioneer as a shared interest. Simply put, he wanted a marriage with his daughter, Lan Ruojin. It just so happened that Mr. Lan had all the right qualities, so he chose him. The Lans promised Mr. Shen that if the piece went up for auction, our Baoyingli would be the only choice, an exclusive commission. The advantage of this arrangement is that the auction house can do its best to get the highest price for each piece, and the auction commissions stay within the family. Mr. Shen was at the beginning of his career, eager to expand his market. An orphan himself, he lacked the warmth of a family, so being accepted into a wealthy family was a natural fit, so he agreed to this marriage based on mutual benefit. It was a win-win partnership, a result of resource integration. It's just that it was unfair to Mr. Shen's ex-girlfriend."
"Is there such a thing?" Xin Xiao interrupted.
"Did Mr. Shen behave in any unusual way before his death?"
Li Min thought for a moment and replied, "No, at least I didn't notice anything unusual."
"So what has Mrs. Lan been up to since her husband's death?"
“I’m not sure. She rarely came to the company after Mr. Shen passed away.”
"Have you heard of someone named Lin Wantang?"
"Lin Wantang? Never heard of him."
"One last question. Has anyone, like someone from the Public Security Bureau, contacted you about these matters, including details related to the case, before?
"Our company has more than 30 employees. I don't know about the others, but you are the first to come to me to find out about the situation."
"Okay, thank you."
It was already afternoon when the two of them returned to the detachment. Ji Feng went straight to the archive room where the case files were stored. He wanted to see the original case files. When Ji Feng pushed the door open, he ran into Jiang Bo coming out of the archive room holding a case file.
"Hey, Captain Ji is back." Jiang Bo smiled and said, "Did you have a good rest last night? Are you adapting to the humid climate in Lan Valley?"
"Luckily, I'm a rough guy and can fall asleep anywhere, haha."
"The case has been reopened. I came to take a look at the interrogation records."
"Oh, okay, I'm here to take a look at the previous files as well."
"Oh, really?" Jiang Bo nodded, his eyes passing over him and landing on Xin Xiao behind him. "Xin Xiao is here too? That's perfect. All the files are in there, except for this interrogation record."
Xin Xiao snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain: "Captain Jiang is really dedicated, I should learn from you."
Jiang Bo seemed to have heard the hidden meaning behind the words, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Then watch carefully, don't miss any key clues."
After saying that, he turned and walked into his office, closing the door behind him.
Xin Xiao pulled Ji Feng into the archives room, closed the door, and whispered, "See? Is he sick? He's been here for years. Before you came, he didn't even ask questions. As soon as someone else took over, he came to see the interrogation records early in the morning. What's the meaning of this?"
Ji Feng looked at the closed wooden door and smiled calmly: "It doesn't matter, maybe it can help us."
"Tsk, just wait and see." Xin Xiao said indignantly, "When he first took charge of this case, he insisted that Lin Wantang was the murderer. Now we want to overturn his conclusion, do you think he will be willing to cooperate?"
"I don't think Captain Jiang is such a stingy person." Ji Feng said casually.
"I think he is narrow-minded and deliberately setting up obstacles because he is afraid of being slapped in the face by us!" Xin Xiao said without hesitation.
"Maybe not." Ji Feng said.
"Of course." Xin Xiao said disdainfully.
Ji Feng stopped arguing and flipped open the thick case file. The records, with their handwriting already blurred, seemed to be telling a secret buried by time.
He spent the entire afternoon meticulously reading through all the case files, save for the interrogation transcript in Jiang Bo's hands, and finally finished them all before leaving work. He had already pored over scanned copies of these files countless times while teaching at the academy, but now, rereading the paper files, he still found nothing. He stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the rush hour crowds and traffic. His thoughts drifted back to the academy—if he were still there, he'd probably be drinking and chatting with his students or playing basketball on the court.
As night falls, the city lights light up the sky like stars, distant yet close at hand.
He was the only one left in the office. The city shone brightly outside the window, but inside the room, only the dim glow of the desk lamp illuminated the room. He pulled out a piece of white paper and began to sort out the information he had so far:
Why would Lin Wantang risk breaking into a house and killing someone, knowing he was dying? Excluding personal choice, it must have been a last resort. Is there a hidden reason?
Forced?
Bribery?
revenge?
Silencing?
Fulfill a wish before death?
Or is it part of a larger conspiracy?
Why on earth?
Ji Feng analyzed the cases he had accumulated over the years of teaching and the various possibilities in criminal psychology, but he still couldn't figure it out. Each clue was like a spider's thread in the fog, vaguely visible but elusive.
Suddenly, the phone vibrated. It was a text message from an unfamiliar number:
"Stop investigating and return to the academy."
Ji Feng was stunned. He quickly called back, only to find the number was already switched off. His brow furrowed. Who was it? What was their purpose? Could this be the correct direction for the investigation?
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