It was already one in the afternoon when they left Hui Jiayuan District.
They hadn't had lunch yet. Under Zhao Ming's suggestion, they went to an old restaurant nearby, Gu Feng Lou.
This restaurant specialized in Shandong cuisine, and the chef was also from Laoqin Island. According to Zhao Ming, the food was very authentic.
Zhao Ming shouted that he wanted to treat them. He ordered a few signature dishes, such as eight leeks with scallions, spicy intestines, soft-fried hand-peeled shrimp, lamb stew, crispy meat dumplings, and winter melon meatball soup.
Zhao Ming didn't lack money. Since he wanted to treat them, they didn't stand on ceremony.
Han Bin tasted the dishes. They were indeed authentic.
In particular, the spicy intestines were very clean and chewy. They were numb and spicy, and the aftertaste was endless. It would be perfect if it was paired with a glass of draft beer.
Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to drink while on a mission.
After the meal, Han Bin and the other three split into two groups. Zhao Ming and Tian Li returned to Yu Hua Branch to send the evidence from Lu Jingfang's house to the forensics team.
Han Bin and Bao Xing rushed to Beauty Media.
On the seventh floor of Fengan Building.
Han Bin and Bao Xing got off the elevator and walked east. They saw the sign for Beauty Media.
They entered the company. On their left was the front desk. A young woman was sitting behind the counter, and a middle-aged man was standing next to her. He was holding the counter with his right hand and chatting with the woman in a low voice.
Bao Xing walked over and knocked on the counter. "Hello, is Mr. Chen Xihai here?"
The woman behind the counter didn't say anything. She turned to look at the man next to her.
"I'm Chen Xihai," the man answered and looked at Han Bin and Bao Xing.
Bao Xing showed his police badge. "We're from the city's criminal investigation department. We want to know more about you."
"Okay, this way please, officers." Chen Xihai took a deep breath and gestured for Han Bin and Bao Xing to enter.
Han Bin looked around the office environment. It was different from the offices of other companies. There were individual partitions here, and they were different from normal partitions. The walls were very thick, and it looked like they were made of soundproof material.
The three of them entered the conference room. Chen Xihai smiled and said, "Officers, please take a seat. I'll pour you a glass of water."
Han Bin waved his hand. "No need to trouble yourself."
Han Bin thought it was a coincidence that he met the person he was looking for as soon as he entered the door. "Mr. Chen, can I see your ID?"
"Sure." Chen Xihai took out his wallet from his pocket and handed it to Han Bin.
Han Bin glanced at him. "Chen Shifeng."
"Yes, that's my real name."
"What position do you hold in this company?"
"General Manager."
Han Bin returned the ID card. "This is the first time I've heard of a general manager using a stage name."
"Our company is a media company. It's a bit like an artist. It's different from other companies. Most of the employees have stage names, so I chose one." Chen Xihai smiled and continued.
"Actually, I've always been dissatisfied with my name. I've wanted to change it for a long time, but my name was given by my parents. It's not good to change it, so I chose a stage name."
"Mr. Chen Shifeng, do you know why we're looking for you today?"
Chen Shifeng shook his head. "I'm not sure."
"Do you know Lu Jingfang?"
"Yes, she's an employee of our company. Why?"
"When did you see Lu Jingfang last time?"
"It's been a while. I don't really remember."
"Isn't she an employee of your company? Doesn't she usually come to the company? "
"Our media company's work content is different from other companies. We mainly shoot some movies, TV series, short videos, live broadcasts, etc. Because the content is different, the filming environment is different, and the working location is different. As long as we can produce good work, we don't have any rigid requirements on whether we want to work in the company."
"What's her main job?"
"Shooting short videos and sending them to the company's editor. The editor is responsible for editing, reviewing, and uploading them to the video website."
Han Bin said, "In other words, Lu Jingfang is only responsible for shooting the video, and the post-production work is handled by your company."
"Yes, yes, in addition to processing the video itself, we also communicate with the video website to get some channels and publicity. That way, more people can see the video and get more fans."
"How long has Lu Jingfang been at your company?"
Chen Xihai thought for a moment. "It's been more than two months. She started doing live streaming, but she's a little shy and doesn't have much talent. We pulled some resources for her on another live streaming website, but she hasn't been able to make it. Later, she started making short videos. It's been about a month, and the number of views and fans is growing very fast. It's not bad. "
After saying that, Chen Xihai looked at Han Bin and asked, "Police comrade, why are you here today?"
"Lu Jingfang is dead."
"What!" Chen Xihai stood up suddenly, his eyes wide open. "You said Lu Jingfang is dead?"
Han Bin kept staring at him. Although Chen Xihai's actions and actions showed that he was surprised, his facial expression did not show the slightest bit of surprise.
Han Bin was sure that his surprised expression was fake.
If he was not surprised, it meant that he knew about it beforehand.
Either he found out about it in advance from other sources, or he was the murderer!
"Don't you know?"
Chen Xihai said without hesitation, "How would I know? Is what you said true?"
Han Bin turned to Bao Xing and said, "Search him."
Bao Xing stood up and walked to Chen Xihai's side. "Mr. Chen, please cooperate."
"Police comrade, what is the meaning of this?"
Han Bin also stood up, looking wary. "I suspect that you have something dangerous on you. Please cooperate."
"I don't have it. Are you mistaken?"
"Then all the more you should cooperate with us so that we can prove your innocence."
Chen Xihai swallowed his saliva and hesitated for a moment. "Okay, you can search me then."
Bao Xing made an inviting gesture. "Mr. Chen, please stand up. Thank you."
Chen Xihai sighed and stood up according to Bao Xing's request.
Bao Xing followed the procedure and carefully searched Chen Xihai's body. He nodded at Han Bin. "Team Leader didn't find anything."
Han Bin looked apologetic. "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry. I was a little sensitive just now."
"Police comrade, why would you suddenly suspect that I'm carrying something dangerous? I'm a law-abiding citizen. I would never carry something like that."
"Since you're a law-abiding citizen, why would you lie to the police?"
Chen Xihai forced a smile. "I didn't. How would I dare to lie to the police?"
"If you don't want to say it here, we'll have to go somewhere else."
Chen Xihai revealed a vigilant look. "What do you mean?"
Han Bin said seriously, "Mr. Chen, please come with us to the police station."
Chen Xihai quickly waved his hand. "No, no, no. Why would I go to the police station? Haven't I already cooperated with your investigation?"
"You're lying through your teeth. You still have the cheek to say that you cooperated?"
"Police comrade, when have I ever lied to you? Why didn't I know? Please remind me. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue."
"Fine, then I'll ask you again. Before we came, did you already know about Lu Jingfang's death?"
"I …" Chen Xihai wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Aiyo, I thought it was a big deal. You searched me because of this."
"Bang!" Bao Xing clapped his hands and scolded, "What do you mean it's not a big deal? Other than the known people involved in the case, only one person knows about Lu Jingfang's death, and that's the murderer!"
Bao Xing's shout almost scared Chen Xihai to the point that he couldn't even speak properly. "I … I … How could I be the murderer? I'm not, I'm not."
"If you're not the murderer, how do you know that Lu Jingfang is dead?"
"I heard it from someone."
"From who?"
"Zhang Lixin. Zhang Lixin told me that you went to the dormitory to look for her and said that Lu Jingfang was dead. I didn't believe it at first, but then she said that she saw Lu Jingfang's photo, so I was skeptical. When I saw that you guys really came, I was sure that what she said was true. "
"Since you already know about Lu Jingfang's death from Zhang Lixin, why did you say that you didn't know and lie to the police?"
"I … I …" Chen Xihai hesitated and gritted his teeth. "It was Zhang Lixin who said that. She didn't want you to know that she was the one who told the police."
"Humph." Han Bin snorted. "It's obviously a very simple matter. Why did you make it so complicated?"
"Now, we still have to confront Zhang Lixin. If she admits it, then it's fine. If she doesn't admit it, then you have to come with us. "
"Aiyo, police comrade, I didn't know that you have such sharp eyes. If I knew, I wouldn't lie even if you beat me to death."
"This Zhang Lixin, isn't she trying to harm me?"
Han Bin scolded him with a straight face. "Alright, you're already a grown man, but you still don't have your own opinions. How can you blame others?"
Chen Xihai swore, "Police comrade, I know I'm wrong. I'm really wronged. I'm not the murderer. I really heard it from Zhang Lixin."
"If you say so, then so be it. How can you prove it? If you can't prove it, we can only treat you as a suspect."
"I, I …" Chen Xihai picked up the phone on the table and clicked on the call log. "You see, this is the record of her call. It can't be fake."
"This can only prove that she called you, but it can't prove that she said anything to you."
"Then what should we do?"
"Did Zhang Lixin say anything about us coming over?"
"She just said that you might come to me. I don't want too many people to know about this and affect the company's stability, so I ran to the front desk and waited."
Han Bin thought for a moment and said, "Let's do it this way. Call her back later and say whatever I ask you to say. Don't say anything extra."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Han Bin took out his notebook and wrote on it.
After he finished writing, he tore off the page and put it in front of Chen Xihai. "Read it. Don't say anything extra."
"Yes." Chen Xihai took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed Zhang Lixin's number.
After a while, a woman's voice sounded on the phone. "Hello, Mr. Chen, are you looking for me?"
"Xiao Zhang, didn't you say that the police would come in a while?"
"Why haven't they come after so long?"
The voice on the phone sounded like Zhang Lixin's. "I'm not sure. They left around one o 'clock. They only asked about you. I can't guarantee that they will go to you."
"The police really told you that Lu Jingfang is dead."
"It's true. Why would I lie to you? They even showed me Lu Jingfang's photo after she died. It scared me."
"Who did you tell about Lu Jingfang's death?"
"You're the only one I told. I didn't tell anyone except you."
"How many police officers did they send?"
"Three men and a woman. They're all young. The leader's surname is Han. He looks quite energetic."
"I got it. Don't tell anyone else about this."
"Okay, I got it. I won't tell anyone except you." Zhang Lixin made a solemn vow and added, "President Chen, if the police ask, please don't tell them that I called them. The police told me not to tell anyone, especially you."
"I got it." Chen Xihai hung up the phone after he said that.
Bao Xing sneered. "Well, you all think the police are fools."
"Officer, it's really nothing. Zhang Lixin just wanted to do me a favor." Chen Xihai explained and continued, "You heard the phone call just now. This should be enough to prove my innocence."
"It's useless for me to believe you. According to the procedure, there needs to be a written statement."
"Officer, what do you mean?"
"How about this. Inform Zhang Lixin to go to the Third Squad of the Yuhua Branch's Criminal Investigation Unit to make a statement. Tell them the truth and it will prove your innocence."
"This …" Chen Xihai was in a difficult position. "Officer, can't you inform her? Why do you want me to inform her? "
Han Bin laughed. "Don't. My words are not as effective as Mr. Chen's. She still listens to you."
"Then won't she know that I told you about the situation? It'll be awkward for us when we meet in the future. "
"You don't have to inform her. I'll believe you even if she doesn't go to the police station to make a statement. However, I can't guarantee that the other officers will. Without this written evidence, who knows when the police will come to investigate you."
"Don't, don't. I'll listen to you. I'll inform her later and ask her to go to the police station to make a statement as soon as possible."
Han Bin sighed. "Tell me about it. It was originally nothing, but you had to make something happen."
Zhang Lixin was one person in front of others and another. She had even begged Han Bin not to tell Chen Xihai that she had made a statement with the police.
Well, in the blink of an eye, she had betrayed the police.
At this moment, Han Bin was a little unhappy. This was because Zhang Lixin's behavior would cause trouble for the police.
Even if the phone call proved that Zhang Lixin had indeed told Chen Xihai about Lu Jingfang's death, it did not mean that Chen Xihai did not know about it beforehand.
If Chen Xihai was really the murderer, he would not be too surprised to hear about Lu Jingfang's death. Han Bin could see through his fake surprise that he was lying.
The problem was that Zhang Lixin thought she was smart and called Chen Xihai, which was equivalent to giving Chen Xihai an excuse to find out about Lu Jingfang's death.
Although it was just a hypothesis, this suspicion could not be completely ruled out. Therefore, Han Bin was not in a good mood at this time. When he left Hui Jiayuan District, he clearly told Zhang Lixin not to tell anyone about this. Obviously, Zhang Lixin did not care about his words.
"President Chen, since you already know about Lu Jingfang's death, let's get straight to the point. I need to ask a few questions as a routine."
"What questions?"
"Whatever I ask, you just have to answer truthfully." Han Bin organized his words and asked, "The night before yesterday, where were you between 9: 30 pm and 1: 30 am?"
"The night before yesterday." Chen Xihai muttered and recalled, "I was drinking with my friends outside. We started drinking at 8: 30 pm until 10: 30 pm. Then, I found a designated driver to drive me home."
"Your friend's name, contact information, contact information of the designated driver, and the name of the restaurant where you ate."
Chen Xihai did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Comrade, how should I address you?"
"My surname is Han."
"Officer Han, my friend's identity is a little special. Can you not mention his name? I'll just tell you the name of the restaurant and the contact information of the designated driver. You can check it directly. It will also be able to prove it."
"Mr. Chen, I advise you not to do this kind of special thing. Handling a case is very strict. It's useless even if I agree to it. Without a case procedure or a witness, there will be no way to completely prove your innocence. In the future, when the case is reopened, you are very likely to be targeted by the police again. Not everyone is as easy to talk to as I am."
"Yes, yes, I understand. Actually, there's nothing special. It's just a friend from the video website company. When you contact them, I hope you won't alarm their company. I don't want to bring a bad influence to them."
"As long as they cooperate with the police investigation, we will also cooperate with them."
"Okay, with your words, I feel at ease." Chen Xihai took a deep breath and continued, "That night, we had dinner at the Qilu Seafood Restaurant. There were three people in total. Other than me, there was also the vice president, Liao Qifeng, and a department head of the video website."
"Liao Qifeng is in his office. You can ask him directly later."
"The surname of the person in charge of the video website is Zong Ran. His mobile number is 1579482 xxx."
After that, Chen Xihai took out a business card from his pocket. "This is the business card of the designated driver. His information is on it."
Han Bin took the business card and glanced at it. He then continued to ask, "I heard that you have a black Mercedes-Benz."
"Yes, what about it?"
"Did you lend your Mercedes-Benz that night?"
"No, I never lend my car out. If something happens, I will be responsible. I won't do such a stupid thing."
"The night before yesterday, did you drive your Mercedes-Benz to the construction site where Lu Jingfang was?"
"No, absolutely not. After I finished drinking, I asked the designated driver to send me home. Why would I go to that place? I'm afraid that it will be robbed. Impossible."
Han Bin wrote it down in his notebook. Then, he thought of another question. "Do you have shoes with dog paw prints?"
"No."
"Have you seen people wearing shoes like that?"
"I haven't noticed."
"Don't try to deceive the police again. Otherwise, you will become a major suspect."
Chen Xihai quickly promised, "No, I definitely won't. I won't dare to lie again."
No matter how good Chen Xihai's words were, Han Bin would not completely believe him since he had lied once.
"According to the regulations, we need to collect your fingerprints and DNA. Please cooperate." Han Bin then gave Bao Xing a look.
Chen Xihai was a little hesitant. His body involuntarily shrank back. "Officer Han, I'm innocent. There's really no need for this."
"It's just a routine. Just cooperate."
"I …" Chen Xihai looked conflicted.
"Hey, that's interesting. What's there to be afraid of? Don't tell me you have a guilty conscience?" Bao Xing said.
Chen Xihai quickly denied, "I'm not."
Bao Xing grabbed his arm without any explanation. "That's good. Fingerprints and DNA can prove your innocence."
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