lcionline Chapter 927 Investigating Old Ghost
Chapter 927 Investigating Old Ghost
Li Ming walked out of the interrogation room, rubbed his throbbing temples, and looked at his tired reflection in the glass—all the clues pointing to Chang Baofeng were crumbling one by one, while the real murderer was perhaps hiding in the shadows, watching them go further and further in the wrong direction.
The rain stopped, and the east was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Li Ming dialed Qin Chuan's number to report the latest developments: "Director Qin, Chang Baofeng's testimony is contradictory, but some of the evidence does have problems. We might have arrested the wrong person; we need to re-examine everything—"
"I understand," Qin Chuan said wearily. "Don't release her yet, but don't push her too hard either. If the real killer dared to frame someone, they wouldn't leave such an obvious loophole. Have you considered that the person behind Chang Baofeng might know more about the case than we think?"
Hanging up the phone, Li Ming looked at Chang Baofeng in the interrogation room. She was sobbing softly, her shoulders trembling slightly, her head resting on the table. He suddenly realized that this woman, caught in the vortex, might also be a victim—used by the murderer, a pawn in the cover-up of the truth. And his mission was to find the hidden player in this intricate game, to expose all the evil to the light of day.
At six o'clock in the morning, the investigators returned with new evidence: the scratches on Lin Yutong's red dress did not match the surveillance footage, and Chang Baofeng's business partner in Haizhou Port provided a complete recording of their conversation, proving that she was indeed not at the scene of the crime. Looking at this evidence, Li Ming felt both disappointed and relieved—disappointed that the lead had gone cold, but relieved that an innocent person had been temporarily cleared of suspicion.
As Chang Baofeng was taken back to the detention cell, she passed through the corridor of the Criminal Investigation Division. On the wall was a poster analyzing Guo Jianfeng's case. She stopped and stared at Guo Jianfeng's photo on the poster, her eyes filled with a mixture of grief and confusion. Li Ming walked past her and heard her whisper, "Who killed you?"
These words were like a key, suddenly unlocking a knot in Li Ming's heart. He turned to Chang Baofeng and asked, "Does Guo Jianfeng have any enemies? Besides work-related competition, has anyone threatened him?"
Chang Baofeng pondered for a long time and shook her head: "He is very popular in the company, but..." She hesitated for a moment, "Once he let slip that there was a client called 'Old Ghost' who had a very strange temper and always made unreasonable demands. But I haven't heard him mention him since."
Many people in the financial company knew about Lao Gui, so the police quickly obtained relevant information about him.
At nine o'clock in the morning on the sixth day after the incident, the wrought iron gate of the "Half-Mountain Villa" area in Dongchuan City slowly opened. Li Ming led Xiao Zhang across the neatly trimmed lawn. The fountain in the distance reflected a rainbow of colors in the sunlight, a stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. When they knocked on the carved wooden door, the butler, dressed in a smart uniform, led them into the six-meter-high reception room. Sitting on the leather sofa was a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses—Guo Jianfeng's client, "Old Ghost," whose real name was Chen Guisheng.
“Captain Li, I’ve heard so much about you,” Chen Guisheng said, taking off his sunglasses to reveal a scar near his eye. “I heard that Xiao Guo had an accident, and I’m really upset about it.” He pointed to the Pu’er tea on the coffee table. “Try this; it’s this year’s Bingdao ancient tree tea.”
Li Ming cut to the chase: "Mr. Chen, our investigation found that you threatened Guo Jianfeng. Can you tell us what happened?"
Chen Guisheng sighed and flicked cigar ash into the ashtray: "Last month, the futures he managed for me lost eight million. I was furious and had my men talk to him." A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "What's a little commotion in the business world? I wouldn't kill someone for money."
"You talked?" Xiao Zhang slammed the threatening letter on the table. "This is the threatening letter Guo Jianfeng received. 'If you dare to lose money from me again, I'll cut off three of your fingers.' It's signed 'Old Ghost.'"
Chen Guisheng glanced at the letter and scoffed, "It was just a bluff. I had someone send two cases of Moutai as an apology, and Xiao Guo accepted it." He pulled up the WeChat transfer record, "Look, on March 10th, I transferred 200,000 yuan as 'tea money,' and he accepted it very readily."
Li Ming stared at the transfer record; the 20 yuan was noted as "Happy cooperation." He looked up at the coal mining license on the wall: "Mr. Chen, you made a lot of money mining in Shanxi in your early years, didn't you? Now all your funds are in Jinshi Financial?"
“It’s all hard-earned money,” Chen Guisheng poured himself a glass of wine. “I’m getting old and don’t want to go through all that trouble. It’s easier to leave it to professionals. Xiao Guo is smart, but he’s timid. Last time he lost money, he actually said he would pay me out of his own pocket to make up for it—” He suddenly stopped, his eyes flickering.
"He's going to pay for it out of his own pocket?" Li Ming seized on the key point. "Why? Where will he get the money?"
Chen Guisheng paused, his hand holding the wine glass still. "I didn't ask. Maybe he was afraid I'd withdraw my investment. You know how things are in the financial world; if you lose a client once, your reputation is ruined."
Just then, the butler came in and quietly reported, "Master, Madam's medicine is ready." Chen Guisheng waved his hand, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes behind his sunglasses. Li Ming noticed a red figure flash past the second-floor stairwell, the sound of high heels approaching. A woman in a red dress carried a bowl of medicine downstairs—she wore pearl earrings and walked with an elegant gait; it was Chen Guisheng's wife, Lin Wanqing.
"And who is this...?" Li Ming stood up and asked.
“My wife,” Chen Guisheng introduced, “has poor health and takes medication regularly.”
Lin Wanqing nodded, placed the medicine bowl beside her husband, and as she turned around, Li Ming caught a glimpse of the silver watch peeking out from her cuff—the dial was engraved with the words "CWQ," the same style as Guo Jianfeng's "JL" couple's watch.
“Mrs. Chen’s watch is quite special,” Li Ming said casually. “Where did you buy it?”
“It was custom-made overseas,” Lin Wanqing smiled. “It’s a wedding anniversary gift from my husband. Captain Li, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go upstairs now.” Her red dress swept across the coffee table, carrying a faint scent of perfume that was vaguely similar to the smell recorded in the Jinshan Building’s freight elevator surveillance footage.
Li Ming turned to Chen Guisheng and continued to ask, "Where were you on the day of the incident?"
“I’m here with my wife,” Chen Guisheng said, turning on the surveillance footage. “I haven’t left the house all day, and the housekeeper and driver can testify to that.” In the footage, Chen Guisheng is sitting on the sofa reading a book, while Lin Wanqing is watering flowers in the garden. The time displayed is from 13:00 to 15:00 on March 12.
Xiao Zhang leaned closer to Li Ming and whispered, "He has an alibi for the time of the incident, but that woman in the red dress..."
Li Ming nodded slightly and turned to Chen Guisheng: "I heard you have a nickname 'Old Ghost,' how did you get that?"
"I spent a lot of time in the mines when I was young, so I'm pale. My coworkers were just making things up," Chen Guisheng laughed. "What, is that illegal?"
“It’s not illegal,” Li Ming stood up, “but if someone uses your nickname, we’ll need to investigate thoroughly.” He glanced meaningfully at the stairwell, “Mr. Chen, thank you for your cooperation. We’ll contact you again if needed.”