Chapter 13
Meeting

A Lexus, about 70% new, was parked outside the police station.

Xie Qing didn’t want too many colleagues to see her, so she directly opened the car door and got in.

Xie Xun was a serious and upright person, and the original Xie Qing wasn’t close to him.

“Father,” Xie Qing greeted him indifferently, “Is there something you need?”

Xie Xun took off his reading glasses and put the morning paper into the seat’s storage pocket, “Did I interrupt your meal?”

Xie Qing replied, “It’s fine. I’ll eat later.”

“Alright,” Xie Xun said, “I’ll keep it short. Did something happen at Deputy Mayor Shen’s house?”

Xie Qing nodded, pretending to ask, “How did you know about the incident early this morning?”

Xie Xun said, “The police came to our house early. Your sister was with Shen Yi last night.”

“Oh…” Xie Qing drew out the sound, “Is Xie Yun alright?”

“She’s fine,” Xie Xun paused, “Were you involved in this case?”

Xie Qing said, “I went with my mentor. According to Captain Huang, this case doesn’t seem to be related to ordinary citizens.”

She indirectly told Xie Xun that the case wasn’t related to politics or business.

A hint of a smile appeared in Xie Xun’s deep eyes, “Well said. Your brother was right, you’ve grown up. Let’s not talk about that.”

He took out a bank card from his bag, “Here’s 100,000 yuan. Buy yourself a car. Although I don’t agree with you being a forensic doctor, you should have what your sister has. Your father treats you both equally.”

He indeed treated them equally.

The original Xie Qing would have received this if she had resigned. But Xie Yun had Chen Yuehua’s support and bought a fancy car for 150,000 yuan, which caused the original Xie Qing to throw a fit.

Xie Qing didn’t envy Xie Yun but didn’t want Xie Xun’s money either. She pushed the bank card back, “Father, I’m working now and shouldn’t spend your money. Besides, I stay in the dormitory and use the company car for work, so I don’t need to buy a car.”

The smile in Xie Xun’s eyes gradually faded, “When an elder gives, you shouldn’t refuse. Take it.”

Xie Qing wanted to distance herself from the Xie family to avoid arranged marriages, but she also felt that doing so might affect her reputation, as the Xie family hadn’t wronged her. Moreover, compared to Chen Yuehua’s favoritism and stubbornness, Xie Xun was just less affectionate towards the original Xie Qing.

Having a family is better than not having one—as long as Xie Xun doesn’t interfere too much with her work.

Xie Qing adjusted her mindset and obediently took the card, “Thank you, Father.”

Xie Xun gestured to the driver, “First, learn to drive. Then let your brother help you buy a car you like. Come home on weekends when you’re free. Remember, your grandmother’s 70th birthday is next week.”

The driver started the car.

Xie Qing said, “I remember. If I don’t have any tasks, I’ll go personally. If I do, I’ll give the gift to my brother to bring.”

Xie Xun nodded in satisfaction, signaling that Xie Qing could leave.

Xie Qing got out of the car with the bank card. As soon as she stepped out, she ran into a few veteran detectives from the first team.

Old Du glanced at Xie Xun’s car and teased, “Wow, Xiao Xie, fancy car!”

This gave her a chance to explain.

Just as Xie Qing was about to explain, Xie Xun rolled down the window and added, “Your grandmother likes new clothes. If you’re busy, call your brother to arrange it.”

Xie Xun, who usually didn’t care about such small matters, specifically mentioned this to avoid misunderstandings among Xie Qing’s colleagues.

Xie Qing waved, “Father, I got it. Drive safely.”

Old Du exchanged knowing glances with the other colleagues, smiling.

Xie Qing knew it was still about the previous bet. Now that they found out her family was well-off, they probably thought she wouldn’t stay long as a forensic doctor.

It was just a small joke. She didn’t need to take it to heart and quickly headed to the cafeteria after greeting them.

…

Xie Qing had just finished cleaning the office when Cao Haisheng and Chen Qian arrived.

Cao Haisheng said, “No needle marks in the hair, but the blood concentration is very high. Your judgment was correct. Let’s go, we have a meeting with the second team.”

Chen Qian said, “Handling two cases at once, you two must be exhausted.”

Cao Haisheng laughed, “Chen, you’ve been through this too. You stay busy. We’ll head out first.”

The master and apprentice went downstairs and entered the second team’s meeting room, sitting in the front row.

Huang Zhenyi and the other first team members were already there, discussing the Huang Qi case. The case had little progress, and the investigation of taxi drivers was still ongoing.

The case was difficult, the pressure was high, and progress was slow. Everyone couldn’t help but complain, drinking tea, smoking, and grumbling about this and that. Fifteen minutes passed without a single constructive suggestion.

The meeting room was filled with smoke, resembling a fairyland.

Huang Zhenyi remained silent for a long time, then suddenly pressed his cigarette butt into the ashtray, “The killer is cunning, so we need to be even more cunning. Otherwise, what’s the point of having the police? Stop talking about irrelevant things. As long as we haven’t caught the killer, we can’t rest. It’s Friday again, so let’s get to work. Meeting adjourned!”

Everyone scattered like birds and beasts.

Li Ji and Li Ke also left together. At the door, Li Ke turned back and gave Xie Qing a look.

Xie Qing waved her fist to show encouragement, and the young girl left happily.

Huang Zhenyi sighed, “Seeing these young ones makes me feel old.”

Cao Haisheng straightened his back, “Half-crippled, how can we not feel old?”

Huang Zhenyi said, “I know an old Chinese medicine doctor who’s good at massage. Want to give it a try?”

Cao Haisheng shook his head, “Forget it. You know my family’s situation.”

Huang Zhenyi said, “I heard your area is going to be demolished. Once the money comes in, things will be easier, right?”

Cao Haisheng’s wife was in poor health and relied on medication. Both his son and daughter were in college, and his salary was barely enough.

Cao Haisheng sighed, “The whole family is waiting for that money. It should come by the end of the year.”

Cao’s village was along the coast, with beautiful scenery. Last year, it was taken over by the city’s normal school.

Cao Haisheng’s family had a large courtyard of over 200 square meters, worth a lot.

Xie Qing said, “Master, money in the bank has limited growth, but real estate is different. Anhai City is still developing rapidly, and more factories will enter the development zone. With factories come workers, and the demand for housing will continue to increase. House prices will rise soon. If the price goes from 200,000 to 500,000, you’ll only be left watching.”

“Slap!” Huang Zhenyi slapped his thigh, “This girl is amazing. I don’t understand much, but it makes sense. Old Cao, you should listen to Xiao Xie. Get houses, not money. If you need money, I’ll lend it to you.”

Cao Haisheng pondered, “I’ll think about it.”

Xie Qing said, “Master, there’s nothing to think about. Listen to me, get as many houses as you can. Your children will have an easier life.”

That’s how it was arranged in the book.

Xie Yun later bought houses and land in the Development Zone, leading the Chen and Xie families to invest in real estate and make a lot of money.

Cao Haisheng was a cautious intellectual but could calculate the big picture. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, “Alright, I’ll discuss it with my family.”

“That’s the spirit. Even I want to save up and buy another house,” Huang Zhenyi stood up and called out to Ren Yaguang, who passed by the door, “Yaguang, check how many of our second team members are back.”

Ren Yaguang looked towards the office area, “Not… hey, they just came in. Almost everyone is here.”

Time for another meeting.

Everyone was tired from staying up all night and looking a bit sluggish.

Huang Zhenyi said, “Everyone, hang in there. Let’s review the case and then find a place to rest. We still have work to do…”

First, Director Yan gathered information from the Shen family.

Shen Yi had good academic performance, graduated from a top university, and later co-founded an electronics store with his classmates. With the popularity of computers, pagers, and mobile phones, the business was booming. His sister, Shen Qing, mentioned that due to Deputy Mayor Shen’s special status, he had strict requirements for his children. Shen Yi was quite introverted and didn’t enjoy socializing much, but his relationships with classmates and friends remained strong.

In summary, they believed Shen Yi was an excellent student and person with no known enemies. Even if he had enemies, they were unaware of them.

Next, Huang Zhenyi visited the Marriott and the Golden Cabinet. Both places reported no unusual incidents the previous day, such as arguments, fights, or thefts. He also inquired with the local police near the Golden Cabinet. The business there was relatively clean, and their surprise inspections hadn’t found any drug users or dealers.

The first team also confirmed that Anhai City had been relatively peaceful recently, with no significant information on organized crime.

After Huang Zhenyi finished, Cao Haisheng spoke from a forensic perspective, confirming the victim’s cause of death.

In other words, finding the source of the drugs was key to solving the case.

From this point of view, the case had clues and direction, making it clearer than the Huang Qi case.

However, the veteran detectives remained pessimistic.

They separately investigated Xie Yun, Gu Ling, Zhang Xuejian, and others, gaining detailed insights into Shen Yi’s last moments.

Yesterday was Zhang Xuejian’s birthday, and he invited friends to dinner at the Marriott. They left at 9:15 PM and went to the Golden Cabinet to sing karaoke.

According to the investigation, Shen Yi didn’t like drinking and only had some alcoholic beverages. There were no unpleasant incidents with his friends during this time.

They left the Golden Cabinet around 1 AM. Shen Yi, who hadn’t drunk much, parted ways with his friends and drove home alone.

A person with no known enemies ended up leaving the world in a manner that seemed like revenge from an enemy.

After summarizing the case, all the detectives were alert but fell into a long silence.