AD | Chapter 11

As soon as the words left his mouth, Manager Wu’s face flashed with panic, but it disappeared in an instant.

The conference room fell into a brief silence. Manager Wu rubbed his chin, deliberately dragging out his tone. “Zhuo…?” His fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the conference table. “Hiss… You asking me like this all of a sudden, I really…” He looked up, wearing a look of perfectly timed confusion. “Officer, you might not understand. We have too many streamers under our management. The name sounds a bit familiar, but for the moment… hiss, I can’t match it to a face. May I ask if something happened to these three people?”

Lu Qingfeng sneered inwardly.

A case involving three lives had been reported extensively by the media. How could a manager of an internet company that lived off traffic not have heard of it?

He was clearly pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth, playing tai chi with them.

Instantly, a surge of anger rose from the bottom of Lu Qingfeng’s heart. He raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the table, his voice turning cold. “Do you know that the three people I mentioned are dead? The only current clue points to Rongguang Group. We now suspect the company has significant involvement. Manager Wu, do I need to educate you on how serious the crimes of withholding information and obstructing official duties are?!”

Hearing this, he hurriedly stood up from his chair and said with an apologetic smile, “Officer, our company consists of law-abiding citizens. Moreover, it is currently the company’s 12th anniversary celebration, and we have signed new streamers. We truly were unaware that people from our company had died!”

“How about this? You two officers wait here for a moment. I will go ask the operation team leaders under me. When every streamer in our company first signs the contract, they undergo onboarding. After onboarding, they are assigned to a group, and each group has a leader. I will bring them all over for you to question.”

After saying this, without waiting for the two to say anything else, he quickly left the conference room.

In an instant, only Lu Qingfeng and Lin Shuyao remained in the conference room.

Silence fell over the conference room again. Lu Qingfeng looked around, and his gaze finally landed on a large abstract painting hanging on the wall. The painting was composed of many irregular fragments, making people feel extremely uncomfortable.

Lin Shuyao obviously noticed this painting as well. But before he could speak, Lu Qingfeng asked directly, “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing. It’s just that this painting looks a bit uncomfortable,” Lin Shuyao replied.

Lu Qingfeng nodded and then asked, “What do you think of that Manager Wu just now?”

“Didn’t Captain Lu see through him just now?” Lin Shuyao sneered. “This person… is playing tai chi with us.”

“The media has already reported this case. The impact is so bad. Even if the higher-ups don’t know, the streamers below will be asked by fans during their broadcasts. After getting off work, the streamers will discuss it among themselves. Spreading from one to ten, and ten to a hundred, even if they don’t go online, they would know.”

Pausing here, he continued, “Moreover, he claimed to be very busy, yet when he saw us, he was dressed meticulously—his hair was neatly combed, and his suit was ironed and crisp. If he were truly busy beyond measure, where would he find the leisure for this?”

Lu Qingfeng agreed and continued to press, “And what else?”

“When you mentioned the names of the deceased, there was a moment of panic in his expression, indicating that he likely knew about it. People always have subconscious movements when lying. What he did just now was trying to muddle through with performance.” Speaking to this point, Lin Shuyao paused, looking somewhat confused. “However, observing, analyzing, and investigating the murderer is your job. Why do you always ask me?”

Lu Qingfeng smiled but did not answer. Instead, he said, “I also think he lied. And more than one lie…”

At this point, both stopped talking because Manager Wu pushed the door open and entered. Behind him followed a large row of people.

“Two officers, these are all the operation team leaders under our company. If there is anything you want to know, you can ask them directly,” Manager Wu said with a piled-up smile.

Lu Qingfeng did not speak immediately because he noticed that everyone who entered had their heads down, daring not to look at them.

Manager Wu let out an impatient “tsk” and said, “Didn’t I just tell you? The officers are investigating the case. Whoever is responsible for these three people, speak up!”

Only then did someone in the crowd weakly say, “Uh, Officer, I am the one who managed the three of them.”

The speaker was a thin girl. She looked very short, and her figure was strangely skinny, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

Lu Qingfeng frowned, turned to Manager Wu, and said, “Manager Wu, is it convenient for us to talk to her alone?”

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Manager Wu’s eyes. He glared at the girl again, then piled on a smile and said, “Cough, convenient, convenient. Whatever the officer wants to ask, just ask her. I will take the others out first and not disturb you.”

When only the three of them remained in the conference room, Lu Qingfeng coughed once and then asked, “Miss, what is your name? How long have you been working here?”

“My name is Bai Mengyu. I have been working here for five years,” Bai Mengyu replied.

“That is indeed a long time. You are the team leader for Zhuo Jia, Jiang Yue, and Ye Ziqing, right?”

Bai Mengyu did not speak, but merely nodded lightly. Lu Qingfeng continued to ask, “How was their relationship usually? Were they close?”

“Jiang Yue and Ye Ziqing both joined the company three years ago. When they joined, I specifically registered them together. As for… Zhuo Jia joined at the same time as me. We had a relatively good relationship. And Jiang Yue and Ye Ziqing joined together. It is said that their relationship has always been very good,” Bai Mengyu said.

“Why did you become the team leader when you and Zhuo Jia joined at the same time?” Lin Shuyao asked confusedly.

Hearing this question, Bai Mengyu first cautiously glanced at the camera above the conference room, then said, “Maybe because I came to the company slightly earlier than her. The leadership saw that my performance was better. Zhuo Jia took frequent leave for a period, and later she didn’t even ask for leave, just absent from work without permission, so…”

After saying this, Bai Mengyu glanced at the surveillance camera not far away again, appearing somewhat uneasy. Her fingers unconsciously began tapping on the table. Lu Qingfeng found it strange and leaned closer. Suddenly, Bai Mengyu grabbed Lu Qingfeng’s hand.

“Police officer, you must catch the murderer.” As soon as her words fell, Lu Qingfeng felt a piece of paper being stuffed into his palm.

Lu Qingfeng was startled in his heart: “Is she… seeking help?”

But his expression remained calm. He smiled at Bai Mengyu. “Rest assured, we will definitely catch the murderer. As long as you cooperate with us. How old are you? How is the treatment at this company?”

“I just turned twenty-three this year. The company’s benefits are quite good. There was even a slight increase in points this year…” Bai Mengyu replied softly.

In the monitoring room, Manager Wu, who had been smiling, was now watching the two police officers’ questioning in the conference room with a gloomy face. He let out a dissatisfied “tsk” and said, “What is this bitch doing? I told her to handle something, why hasn’t it been done after so long?”

Someone beside him immediately echoed in front of Manager Wu, “Wu-ge, do you think this bitch is stalling for time? Is she trying to pass information to the police? The punishment last time was too light…”

“Shut up!” Manager Wu shouted sternly. “She is someone close to the boss. Do you think you can punish her as you wish? If scars are left on her body, can you bear the responsibility?”

“Yes, yes, Wu-ge is right. It was my loose tongue!”

Manager Wu snorted coldly. “It is fortunate that the boss is on a business trip. If these words reached his ears, you would suffer.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Lu Qingfeng and Lin Shuyao stand up in the monitoring screen. His eyes lit up, and he instructed the people beside him, “Finally finished asking. You few stay here and keep an eye on these two police officers. I will go to the conference room to see what is going on with this bitch.”

After saying this, he quickly left the monitoring room. As soon as Manager Wu left, the man from before spat viciously. “Pah, sycophant, fat pig. When I helped the boss build his empire, what were you?”

Manager Wu swaggered to the door of the conference room. Just as he reached out to push the door, it opened from the inside. Lu Qingfeng stood in front of the door, looking slightly surprised. “Manager Wu? Perfect. Thank you for your cooperation. We will be leaving now.”

“Good, good. It is good that we could help. I will see you two out,” Manager Wu said.

After seeing the police off, the smile on Manager Wu’s face instantly disappeared. He turned and walked into the conference room, his face gloomy. He poked Bai Mengyu’s forehead heavily with his finger. “You little girl, two police officers, dawdling for so long. What are you good for?”

Hearing this, Bai Mengyu shrank back in fear, her voice trembling. “They asked me how long those three hadn’t come to the company. I said I didn’t know and muddled through. Then they asked me many other things. I am scared. Wu-ge, do you think they will come again? What if they really find out something?”

“Bullshit!” Manager Wu’s face became even uglier. “The boss hasn’t returned yet. The sky won’t fall! Keep your mouth shut and don’t look for trouble!”

Bai Mengyu hurriedly lowered her head and apologized repeatedly. Only then did Manager Wu seem satisfied. He patted her shoulder heavily, but the gesture was full of threats.

Lu Qingfeng and Lin Shuyao left the Rongguang Group building together. It wasn’t until they got into the car that Lu Qingfeng took out the note Bai Mengyu had stuffed into his hand.

The note was already soaked in sweat, with messy handwriting: “The three of them were murdered. I have evidence! But they are monitoring me. The evidence is at my home.”

After reading this note, Lu Qingfeng and Lin Shuyao exchanged a glance. Both saw the same gravity in each other’s eyes. It seemed that this unexpected gain from the note could be the key to catching the murderer.

However, before Lu Qingfeng could speak, the phone rang. He hurriedly answered it.

On the other end, mixed with the noisy sound of traffic, was Tao Yu’s anxious voice. “Captain Lu, can you come over now? We are at the intersection of Yu’an Road.”

“We have found the driver of the taxi taken by the man in black captured in the surveillance footage. However, he himself does not use the internet and seems unaware that a murder case has occurred. But he said he remembers where that strange passenger went and can take us there.”

“Good, we will come to meet you.”