Chen Shi asked Xu Xiaodong to take Tao Yueyue around outside, and then said, "I also think there was a killing notice. Dahong Group and Zhou Tiannan have an unclear relationship. Either the Qu Brothers had received Zhou Tiannan's 'benefits' and didn’t pay the promised remuneration, or they were originally Zhou Tiannan's men or disciples. Because they wanted to cut ties with Zhou Tiannan, their clan needed to be cleaned out. In short..."

"Don't jump to conclusions yet!" Lin Qiupu interrupted him. "When we investigated the Dahong Group, we didn't find even half a piece of paper mentioning the name Zhou Tiannan. We can't conclude that there’s a connection between them. These are just your speculations. "

"Speculations? Among those who participated in the murder plan, there were a few that Yueyue has already recognized as people who were talking with the man in the black hat at the cafe that day. This is already a proof. You don’t know Zhou Tiannan. He does things cleanly and never dirties his own hands. He’s just an ordinary junior high school teacher that can’t be more ordinary, living in a house of around 100 square meters, driving a good car, and smoking good cigarettes. There are beautiful women who come to him every three to five days[1]. Every week it’s someone different. However, we didn’t find any gray income when we checked his accounts. This person is leak-proof like that. Our thoughts should be a bit more flexible and not be too confined to the evidence in front of us."

Lin Qiupu pondered and asked, "Yueyue said so herself?"

"Before coming here, I showed her the interrogation videos and she recognized a few of them."

"What about the ones that didn't appear? Including Yan Ke!" Lin Dongxue said, "Could it be that Zhou Tiannan has a second mission? He wouldn’t want to kill his brother as well, right?"

"There is such a possibility!" Chen Shi nodded.

"Tomorrow morning, we will meet Qu Jingli!" Lin Qiupu said.

The following morning, Lin Qiupu, Lin Dongxue, and Chen Shi went to Qu Jingli's residence. After his brother's death, he attended the funeral in a low-key manner and took over the entire company.

The three of them got off at the door and found that several cars had been parked in the yard. Chen Shi said, "These are the bodyguard company's cars."

He also hired some security guards at home. Qu Jingli had just gotten up and was going to have breakfast. Next to him stood a bulky man in a suit. Lin Qiupu sat down in front of him. "Mr. Qu, we want to talk to you."

"About my brother's death? I’ve said everything I should say. Can I be left alone these days? I’m physically and mentally exhausted from the consecutive shocks and have nothing to talk about."

"I only want to ask you one thing. Did your brother receive a death notice before he was killed?"

Qu Jingli raised her eyebrows slightly and smiled. "Death notice? Have you been watching thriller movies too much? Who would notify someone before killing them? If we’ve received them, why would we hide them?"

Qu Jingli picked up the orange juice on the table and prepared to drink it. Chen Shi said, "Aren't you afraid of it being poisoned?"

"Unbelievable!"

Chen Shi pointed to the bodyguard on the side. "Because this man on the side has already tested it for poison, right? I noticed a drop of orange juice dripping from his clothes and breadcrumbs around his mouth. Why do you need someone to test the food? And what’s with the bodyguards in your yard? Just like the day of your brother’s incident - The number of bodyguards suddenly increased. You knew what was going to happen in advance, but you didn’t want to tell the police!"

Qu Jingli showed a slightly angered expression. "This is my personal business! I have no sense of security so I hired people to protect me. What about it?”

"Do you think bodyguards can protect you? The ones you hired are from the same company that your brother hired from. They had proved how incompetent they were that day... Sorry, no offense." The last sentence Chen Shi said was directed to the bulky man.

Qu Jingli put the cup down heavily and said unpleasantly, "You police have been trying to solve cases using your delusions all day long? My brother's case isn’t being investigated, but you’re here giving me trouble again. Are you ill?"

Lin Qiupu said, "Mr. Qu, we’re here for your safety. We need to understand the insider situation more comprehensively."

Qu Jingli smiled and shook his head, uttering one word at a time, "No. Comment! Don't think you can use this opportunity to investigate me and my company. You’ve already messed me up before. Please don't interfere again. You’re the criminal police, right?" He pointed to himself. "If I really were killed, you can file a case and investigate. When did the police become so active that they’d protect people before they die? Is it because I have money that I can get special treatment?"

"What are you talking about?" Lin Dongxue said angrily.

"Beauty, don't be angry. Your smile looks better." Qu Jingli said with a grin.

Lin Qiupu signaled Lin Dongxue not to argue with him and stood up. "Since this is the case, then we will take our leave first."

"Take your time. I won’t see you off!"

After leaving the house, Lin Dongxue was still holding a grudge. "Look at his impatient attitude. Does he think that we really want to protect him?"

Chen Shi said, "I think it is impossible for him to cooperate with us. Zhou Tiannan's motive to kill the brothers must be inseparable from the activities they’ve done before. There were so many shareholders that mysteriously went missing. There must be a case behind them."

Lin Qiupu looked at his phone. "There’s a new situation... The last signing ceremony wasn’t held smoothly. Qu Jingli has now taken over the company and intends to re-sign with that foreign company. The time is set for the day after tomorrow."

Lin Dongxue exclaimed, "Is he crazy? Someone is going to kill him, but he dares to come out and show his face! Just how important is it for the businessman to earn money?"

"Probably more important than their lives!" Chen Shi said.

"In any case, when Qu Jing’an was killed, it made headlines in the newspaper. The impact was very bad. We can't let Qu Jingli follow suit in getting killed. I will go and apply with the chief for the procedures. If necessary, we’ll forcefully protect him." Lin Qiupu said.

"Then I’ll get creative," Chen Shi said.

"Do what you want!"

Lin Qiupu left first. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi took a walk in the neighborhood. Lin Dongxue said, "Zhou Tiannan is just a Moriarty. He makes plans and gets others to do it. When will this hard bone be eaten?"

"Every time I see him, I want to punch him." Chen Shi smiled bitterly. "This matter can’t be rushed. Find the evidence bit by bit!"

"Do you think that Zhou Tiannan is murdering to prevent loose lips this time? The Qu Brothers might have something that they can hold over him."

"Mm..." Chen Shi thought, "It's not impossible! You’re looking at the big picture nowadays."

"I have another idea. If Yan Ke is the next soldier to be sent, why not follow him from now on and figure out what he’s going to do. Then we’d also be prepared.”

"Actually, I’ve sent someone to follow Yan Ke already."

"Your friends?"

"Yes!"

1. Frequently.