I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 73: Chapter 71: An Invitation to Be a Consultant

Su Miaoyi and Cheng Jue spent nearly a whole day at the police station.

Their meals were brought to them.

It wasn’t until evening that Song Yucheng came over and returned their phones.

He told them they could leave.

Su Miaoyi said nothing more.

She had already told Kang Ting everything she saw. She’d done her part.

After leaving the police station, she discovered Lu Zhishen waiting for them outside.

”Here to buy me dinner?” Su Miaoyi asked.

”Yeah.” Lu Zhishen nodded, then glanced at Cheng Jue.

Su Miaoyi made the introduction. ”This is my younger brother, Cheng Jue. And this... call him Brother Lu.”

Cheng Jue just looked at him.

Su Miaoyi tilted her head, prompting, ”Say hello.”

Cheng Jue said dutifully, ”Brother Lu.”

Lu Zhishen nodded. ”Let’s go. I’ll take you to dinner first, and then... you can stay at my place tonight.”

Cheng Jue immediately turned to Su Miaoyi.

’Why is this man suggesting we stay at his house?’

’What is their relationship?!’

Su Miaoyi completely ignored his overreaction and said to Lu Zhishen, ”Wouldn’t that be an imposition?”

”But your brother is here,” Lu Zhishen said, meaning it wouldn’t just be the two of them.

”I meant, won’t it be too much trouble for you?” Su Miaoyi said.

”It’s no trouble,” Lu Zhishen said. ”My house is huge. There’s more than enough room.”

After dinner, Lu Zhishen drove them to his home.

When they arrived at his house, Su Miaoyi finally understood what he meant by ”huge.”

It was a massive, six-story villa with both a front and back yard.

Su Miaoyi couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

’It’s like I’m the only poor person in the entire world.’

”What is it?” Lu Zhishen asked.

Su Miaoyi shook her head. ”Nothing. Just my daily bout of class envy.”

Lu Zhishen gave a faint smile. ”It was all left to me by my parents. This house and that car are all that’s left. The rest... I donated everything else after I graduated from college.”

Su Miaoyi looked at him.

”To me, they’re all just material possessions,” Lu Zhishen said.

Su Miaoyi cupped her fist in her palm toward him and said, ”Well, I happen to love those material possessions.”

Lu Zhishen chuckled and led them into the villa.

As Su Miaoyi stepped into the villa, her eyes scanned the entire layout.

The interior decor had a rather vintage style.

”What would you like to drink?” Lu Zhishen asked, heading toward the kitchen.

”Anything’s fine.” Su Miaoyi watched his retreating back. ”With a house this size, you’d probably have to shout to talk to someone in the kitchen from the living room.”

”We just call each other,” Lu Zhishen said.

Su Miaoyi: ”...”

”The third floor is all guest rooms. Pick whichever you like.” Lu Zhishen returned with drinks for them. ”I had them cleaned just two days ago, and they’re fully stocked with toiletries.”

Su Miaoyi handed her bag to Cheng Jue. ”You go on up and pick a room.”

”Why aren’t you going?” Cheng Jue asked, watching her.

Su Miaoyi met his gaze.

’She’d noticed that ever since she started college...’

’...anytime she so much as said a word to another guy, this kid would suspect she was in a relationship.’

Cheng Jue kept staring at her.

Su Miaoyi narrowed her eyes. ”I’m going to take advantage of him.”

Lu Zhishen, who had been enjoying the show, had just taken a slow sip of water. He immediately did a spit-take, spraying it everywhere.

He choked, breaking into a fit of coughs.

Cheng Jue’s eyebrows shot up. ”You—!”

Lu Zhishen was still coughing.

Su Miaoyi said, ”Don’t you ’You—!’ me. You believe everything I say? Are you two? Go upstairs.”

Cheng Jue glanced at Lu Zhishen, then back at her, before heading upstairs without another word.

Once he was upstairs, Su Miaoyi turned to Lu Zhishen.

Lu Zhishen’s face was flushed from coughing. ”That was intentional assault.”

”This is what happens when you sit back and enjoy the show,” Su Miaoyi said.

Lu Zhishen: ”...”

Su Miaoyi cracked a smile.

Lu Zhishen took a deep breath. ”Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

”I wanted to ask... is there something going on between Captain Kang and the Fengjiang Clubhouse...?” Su Miaoyi asked.

Lu Zhishen fell silent for a moment before asking, ”Is the current case related to the Fengjiang Clubhouse?”

”I saw the murderer kill someone in the pool at the Fengjiang Clubhouse,” Su Miaoyi said.

Lu Zhishen frowned. ”A few years ago, Captain Kang handled a case related to the Fengjiang Group. The investigation went on for a while before it just fizzled out.”

”Someone pulled strings behind the scenes?” Su Miaoyi asked.

Lu Zhishen nodded. ”After that, Captain Kang had a few more run-ins with them and came out on the losing end almost every time. He even fell for one of their traps. They made a complete fool of him, a whole police captain.”

Su Miaoyi’s brow furrowed. No wonder Kang Ting was so wary when she mentioned it. ”So, you’re saying this Fengjiang Group is powerful enough to do whatever it wants in Jiangcheng.”

Lu Zhishen said, ”I’m not here very often, so I don’t know the details. But knowing Captain Kang’s personality, if the Fengjiang Group is really dirty, he won’t let them go. It’s just a matter of time.”

Su Miaoyi nodded.

”Is the case very complicated?” Lu Zhishen asked.

Su Miaoyi shook her head again. ”I only saw the murder itself and provided a sketch of the killer. I don’t know anything else.”

Lu Zhishen didn’t say anything.

Su Miaoyi continued, ”Before the murder, the killer gave the victim a drink. I suspect it was poisoned; the victim started hallucinating shortly after drinking it. Could the poison be connected to the Fengjiang Clubhouse?”

”The clubhouse is extremely private,” Lu Zhishen said after a moment’s thought. ”It’s not out of the question.”

Without concrete evidence, it was all just speculation.

”When are you heading back to Jinghai?” Lu Zhishen asked.

”I’m planning to leave tomorrow,” Su Miaoyi said. ”Cheng Jue has exams. What about you? Are you staying for a few more days?”

Lu Zhishen nodded.

They made small talk for a little while longer.

Then, Su Miaoyi went to her room.

It had been a grueling day, and she hadn’t slept at all the night before, having spent it on the move.

By the time she reached her room, she could barely keep her eyes open.

She forced herself to stay awake long enough to wash up.

She glanced at the two blisters that had formed on her feet.

She didn’t have the energy to deal with them. The moment she collapsed onto the bed, she was fast asleep.

She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when her phone suddenly rang.

Roused from her dream, she fumbled for her phone, pried one eye open, and pressed the answer button.

It was an unfamiliar number.

The area code was from Jiangcheng.

”Hello?”

”Is this Su Miaoyi?”

Su Miaoyi was silent for two seconds before she recognized the voice. ”Captain Kang?”

”Where are you right now?”

”I’m still in Jiangcheng. What’s wrong?”

”Shao Dong is dead,” Kang Ting said abruptly.

Su Miaoyi sat up in bed and switched on the bedside lamp. ”Who’s Shao Dong?”

”The killer,” Kang Ting said. ”The man who killed Xu Shuxuan.”

Su Miaoyi was finally wide awake. ”When did he die?”

”Over two weeks ago,” Kang Ting said.

”You’re not calling to say you suspect me, are you?” Su Miaoyi asked. ”I was in Jinghai the entire time two weeks ago. I hadn’t come to Jiangcheng.”

”No,” Kang Ting said. ”I want to hire you as a consultant for the department.”

Su Miaoyi was stunned.

Kang Ting continued, ”Shao Dong died at his home. At first glance, it looks a lot like a suicide. But I feel there are too many inconsistencies.”

”Do you need me to come over now?” Su Miaoyi asked, glancing at the time.

’She had only been asleep for two hours.’

”Where are you? I’ll send someone to pick you up,” Kang Ting said.

”I’m at Lu Zhishen’s place,” Su Miaoyi said. ”I can just call a car.”

”Have him bring you. We might need him for a sketch,” Kang Ting said.

”Alright.” Su Miaoyi hung up and got out of bed.

As her feet touched the floor, she staggered, landing right on one of her blisters.

She sucked in a sharp breath and walked out of the room on her heels.

Standing in the hallway, she looked at all the doors, with no idea which room was Lu Zhishen’s.

So, she gave him a call.

’So we actually are calling each other after all...’