Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
"Don't embarrass yourself, it's not like you've never seen money before!" I shot Fatty an angry glare. Honestly, my heart was racing too; a million, who wouldn't be tempted?
"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Fatty's sudden change in attitude left me stunned, and I looked at him suspiciously.
Fatty turned off his phone camera, securely tucked the phone into his pocket, turned around, and with his back to Jin Zhao, he winked and said, "You must have discussed the price with Jin Yang, it definitely isn't just a million. I get it!"
I couldn't help but chuckle; think whatever you want.
Jin Zhao hurriedly said, "One million each, mine is one million each."
Damn! Isn't this pushing me and Fatty into a corner? One million each would be enough for us to live decently in Star City. By decent living, I mean the kind where we can drink a bit, sing a bit, and go to Health Treatment every now and then.
I couldn't let this guy go any further; if he kept this up, his offer might put me in an even tougher spot. On one side were my brotherly friends, and on the other was a life free from worries. There's a saying that goes something like this: it's not about betrayal; it's about not having enough leverage to betray. Given the wealth of the Jin Family, it wouldn't be surprising if Jin Zhao had several million on hand. To avoid going to jail or even to save his life, he could easily throw out a few hundred thousand.
I cleared my throat and said, "Jin Da Shao, this is pointless. I just sent your photo to Captain Ling via WeChat. You know Captain Ling, so I won't say more."
What I said effectively cut off his hopes. Who is Lingfeng? A red aristocrat in legend; even if you gave him all of Jin Zhao's money, he might not bat an eye unless you could hand over all of the Jin Family's assets. But is that even possible?
Despair flickered in Jin Zhao's eyes as the box in his hands clattered to the ground.
I exchanged glances with Fatty, making a phone gesture. Understanding my cue, Fatty called Lingfeng, while I kept my eyes on Jin Zhao, ready to prevent any rash actions.
About ten minutes later, Lingfeng stormed in with three police officers.
Not only did Lingfeng arrive, but also members of the criminal police team. Lingfeng was just there to take credit; the real work was done by the detectives. Once again, Ding Fatty and I found ourselves at the police station. It was amusing that both times were for Jin Zhao, and both times were to prove his guilt—though the first time was a wrongful accusation while the second was not. Because once inside the station, Jin Zhao confessed everything he had done.
The case was actually quite simple: Jin Zhao used a projector to create ghostly images in Old Man Jin's room and then sent ghostly MMS messages to Old Man Jin's phone while Jin Yang was sound asleep, causing Old Man Jin to be startled into a fatal shock.
The criminal police team happily closed the case; their solve rate went up. Lingfeng was also pleased as he gained another political achievement; as for me, there was a bit of happiness too—at least Jin Yang was exonerated.
I went to pick up Jin Yang and told him everything. When I dropped him off at home, Jin Zhenzhong looked at me with a strange expression. I understood his feelings; yes, I had saved his son, but at the same time, I had sent his eldest son into trouble. Was he grateful or resentful? It's hard to say.
I wasn't sure how I felt either. That night, I called Lingfeng and Fatty to drink at a barbecue stall.
After each of us had two bottles of beer, Lingfeng, slightly tipsy, said to me, "Zheng Nan! Are you feeling frustrated?"
"Frustrated? Why would you think that?" I chewed on some grilled squid and looked at Lingfeng in confusion. Although I felt something was off, it definitely wasn't frustration.
"With you, the Jin Zhao case is definitely not that simple; it's just that no one is pointing it out!" Lingfeng said as he fiddled with the garlic on the grilled eggplant, gathered a big pile, shoved it into his mouth, chewed a few times, and then took a swig of beer with a satisfied sigh.
"Are you saying there's more to it?" I looked at Lingfeng in confusion. Ding Fatty also stopped gnawing on chicken wings and looked at Lingfeng with a puzzled expression.
"Not much, just two points. First, the motive. Zheng Nan, what do you think Jin Zhao's motive is?" Lingfeng smiled.
"Motive? Does this kind of conflict of interest even need a motive? After getting rid of Old Man Jin, the vast estate would start being redistributed. Plus, framing Jin Yang not only allows him to take a larger share but also lays the groundwork for being the sole heir in the future." I replied in astonishment; such an obvious reasoning felt embarrassing to analyze.
"Haha, makes sense! But have you considered that under inheritance law, the first heirs are parents, spouses, and children? If we don't consider Old Man Jin's parents and spouse, without a will, the ones who benefit the most would be Jin Zhenzhong and Jin Xinghua. When Old Man Jin passed away, his lawyer didn't announce any will." Lingfeng casually remarked.
"What do you mean?" Both Ding Fatty and I asked in surprise.
"There's no outsider here; I can tell you this: if Old Man Jin had 100 dollars and left a will, Jin Xinghua would get at most 10 dollars! But if Old Man Jin died suddenly, Jin Xinghua could get at least 40 dollars! He might even get more!"
Lingfeng's analogy was so straightforward that Ding Fatty and I nodded with laughter.
"In other words, if Jin Zhenzhong could get 90 dollars, then he and Jin Yang would each get 45 dollars if they split it evenly. Now that Jin Xinghua has taken some money away, he and Jin Yang can only get 5 dollars each. You should understand this calculation," Lingfeng said as he took another sip of beer and sighed. "Jin Zhao isn't stupid; how could he not figure this out?"
Fatty and I felt embarrassed; damn it, this was all knowledge.
"But after getting rid of Jin Yang, he could still get more money!" Fatty argued back.
"After deducting the inheritance tax, it's almost nothing! Why would he take such risks for it?" Lingfeng said dismissively. "That's the first point: motive!"
"Okay, okay, what's the second point?" I finally downed the beer in my hand.
"The second point, which you should have noticed as well, is the red ghostly figure in Jin Yang's room that cannot be explained. And then there's that turtle on Jin Yang's WeChat reminding him not to wear red clothes. Who is this person?" Lingfeng continued.
"Right!" I slapped my thigh. "I always felt something was off! Jin Zhao had no reason to play tricks in Jin Yang's room, and Fatty and I checked carefully; there was nothing like a projector in Jin Yang's room."
Lingfeng laughed and said, "Everyone has their own habits, like the way they hold chopsticks while eating or how they use their phones..."
Fatty interjected, "Exactly! Some people are used to using their right hand, while others prefer their left!"
Lingfeng jokingly scolded, "Come on, what kind of habits are those? No jokes here. Back to the habit issue: if Jin Zhao used a projector to play tricks in Jin Manyuan's room, then he wouldn't do something different in Jin Yang's room. Well, it's not absolute, but it's ninety percent likely; that's criminal psychology."
Such fascinating psychology—I definitely need to check it out. Fatty and I exchanged glances and nodded in silent agreement.
"So, the ghostly tricks in Jin Yang's room are definitely the work of another person, and this person's methods are even more concealed; at least you two didn't notice them," Lingfeng concluded before turning to call the boss for another beer.
I couldn't help but shiver. What exactly was going on with the ghostly figure on the second floor? Initially discovering the Red Shadow in Jin Yang's room and then immediately noticing Jin Zhao's abnormal behavior left no buffer time between those events. Thus, we subconsciously concluded that the ghost in Jin Yang's room was caused by Jin Zhao.
Only now, after Lingfeng's reminder, did I realize that there was indeed something suspicious about it. Furthermore, when Jin Zhao discovered the Red Shadow in the bathroom during the incident with Shih Chih-Yang in Wuling City, he looked extremely shocked; it seemed he had no knowledge of the ghostly figure on the second floor.
In short, the ghostly figure on the second floor was not caused by Jin Zhao.
Seeing me lost in thought while drinking quietly, Lingfeng couldn't help but smile and said, "Zheng Nan, this case is already closed. I can also assure you that these chaotic matters will not happen again in the Jin Family."
"Why not?" Fatty curiously chimed in.
"Everything has its motivations driven by interests. Now that things have settled down and everyone has what they need, how could there be any more ripples?" Lingfeng said casually. However, connecting his words together made me realize that his focus was clearly directed at Jin Xinghua.
I let out a bitter laugh; how could the grudges and interests of noble families be understood by someone like me?
Sigh, whether it’s Jin Zhao or Jin Xinghua, what does it have to do with me? I got my friend Jin Yang, who was trapped, out; my mission was complete, and they can do whatever they want.
I thought this matter would come to a temporary end, but unexpectedly, the next morning I received a call from Jin Yang.
“Zheng Nan, Taozi is missing!” Jin Yang sounded somewhat panicked on the other end.
What nonsense is this? What does it matter to me if some peach or apple or banana is missing? I groggily muttered, “Jin Yang, what do you mean?”
“Taozi, my housekeeper Taozi, is missing! She disappeared!” Jin Yang said urgently.
I shook my head, threw off the blanket, and sat up. A chill hit me. I like to keep the air conditioning very low and sleep under thick blankets; Ding Fatty knows I lack a sense of security.
“Jin Yang, I’m your brother, that’s true. We have a good relationship, that’s also true. But your housekeeper… what was her name again? Right, Taozi. You don’t need to tell me about her going missing! Just report it to the police!” I yawned and prepared to hang up the phone and go back to sleep.
“It’s not just missing; she vanished right in front of me!” Jin Yang shouted.
Comment 0 Comment Count