Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 25.1

Chapter 25.1

As the commotion erupted at the Lu Mansion, Mr.Lu and other people in the mansion came out quickly.

Seeing his father, Lu Jingheng’s confidence rose to the maximum, and he raised his voice as he said what was happening at the moment.

But with the evidence the police found, Mr. Lu could not go against the law.

He Yunqin hopped into their car and drove towards the police station as well. To avoid causing any issues for Yu Chongyi, he parked the car in a quiet spot on a side street.

After working together a few times, Yu Chongyi and He Yunqin, along with Wang Peter, had developed a good understanding. About an hour later, Yu Chongyi emerged from the police station, scanned the area, and headed straight for He Yunqin’s car.

“We discovered a bloody cheongsam at the vacant Lu family villa on Mingquan Mountain. It belonged to Chen Baidie, the same outfit she wore the night she vanished. We spoke to the maid at Chen Baidie’s home, and she confirmed that Lu Jingheng had been quite attentive to Chen Baidie just days before her disappearance. Now, we suspect that Lu Jingheng held Chen Baidie captive in the villa for a while before relocating her. Unfortunately, he’s keeping quiet and won’t admit to any of the kidnappings.”

He took a breath and added, “We searched the Mingquan Villa but didn’t find anything else. Nanbao Foreign Company owns 49 properties in the city, and we’ve checked over half of them, yet there’s still no sign of Chen Baidie or my cousin.”

“We’ve tracked down the suspect, but the victim is still not found. What’s the status of the warehouse at the Nanbao Foreign Trade Company’s dock? With their current storage arrangement, it would be simple for the killer to conceal someone there. Have you had a chance to check the dock yet?” He Yunqin asked after pondering for a while.

Yu Chongyi replied, “Mr. Lu pointed out that the items in their warehouse are quite valuable, and no one is permitted to search them. He even pressed Director Bai on whether he had any solid evidence linking his son to a crime. If his son turns out to be innocent, can Director Bai manage the consequences? Despite his significant influence in the International Settlement, he’s cautious about causing a stir. He called the mayor late last night to request a search warrant. We just need to wait for that to be approved before we can investigate the dock.”

“Mr. Yu, even though the Lu family’s Mingqua villa has been vacant for years, accessing it isn’t easy. So you can start by investigating the Lu family’s employees,” He Yunqin said again.

Yu Chongyi responded, “We were just about to do that. We reached out to the Lu Mansion because we were worried there might be accomplices among the staff. We plan to wait for them to arrive and conduct thorough interviews.”

Wang Peter interjected thoughtfully, “The killer was so meticulous before, so why would he leave Chen Baidie’s clothes at Mingquan Villa? That seems like a significant mistake. He Yunqin, have you thought about why that might be?”

He Yunqin took a moment before replying calmly, “Just a heads-up, I visited Chen Baidie’s sponsor this afternoon to inquire about her whereabouts before she disappeared.”

Wang Peter was surprised and slapped his thigh in realisation. “When you mentioned it, that rich sponsor probably thought you were just trying to find Chen Baidie quietly, but he missed the key clue at Liuyun Temple. So, right after you left, he likely sent people to check out Liuyun Temple. I bet he sent a good number of them, and the killer might be hiding at the nearby Lu family villa. When he learnt someone was investigating Liuyun Temple, he probably panicked that they would discover the villa too, so he hurriedly took Chen Baidie away. But in his haste, he accidentally left behind a piece of her clothing.”

He Yunqin frowned, deep in thought for a moment.

Yu Hongdou noticed the man’s expression changed and became more curious about who Chen Baidie’s wealthy backer was.

After thinking it over, she picked up on Wang Peter’s reasoning. “When the killer realised he had left something important at the villa, he probably wanted to go back for it. But with the police searching Mingquan Mountain, he didn’t have the chance to return. So, the cheongsam wasn’t intentionally left there; it was just a result of a series of unexpected events.”

Hearing the clear explanation, Wang Peter glanced at Yu Hongdou. ‘It would be really helpful to have her as an assistant if she isn’t connected to a cop.’

Yu Chongyi took a moment to catch up with the other’s thoughts, slowly piecing everything together in his mind until it finally clicked. “Oh, I get it now.”

He Yunqin looked at Yu Chongyi and said, “I had a feeling someone might have used Chen Baidie’s clothes to frame Lu Jingheng, but it seems the killer didn’t see this mistake coming. This person is smart and cautious, but luck just isn’t on their side. The bloody clothes of Chen Baidie we discovered tonight are a major breakthrough for us; without them, we wouldn’t have enough grounds to suspect the Lu family.”

Curious, Yu Hongdou interjected, “But if Lu Jingheng is the murderer, he knew that Chen Baidie’s cheongsam was left at Mingquan Mountain, yet he still took the female students to the theatre tonight as if nothing was amiss. Doesn’t that imply he thinks differently from most people?”

Wang Peter scoffed, “I still think Lu Jingheng isn’t the killer. A guy like him, lost in his daydreams about romance, is more likely to be the one getting kidnapped than the one planning a kidnapping.”

He Yunqin responded, “Mr. Yu, Lu Jingheng was out with several female students from St. John’s tonight. If he had done something shady, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed. I need to confirm whether Lu Jingheng could be the murderer. Can you ask your colleagues to check in on these female students’ homes to see what Lu Jingheng was up to tonight?”

Yu Hongdou added, “All those female students are from the Foreign Languages Department. The one Lu Jingheng is interested in is Li Lulu, and she lives on Huaihua Lane. The other two are Wu Xiaochun and Tang Yali.”

Yu Chongyi nodded and said, “I’ll have someone investigate this right away, and they should be back within an hour at the latest.”

Have a nice day!