Chapter 475 - 448: Beneficiary
Xu Chunliang thought to himself, "You’re kidding me, do you really think I’d go kill someone for you? I’ve got more sense than that. This woman is really getting on my nerves: ’Do you have anything else?’"
Pei Lin said, "No... nothing else. Oh, about what we talked about yesterday, just forget it. I don’t want any misunderstandings. But thank you, truly."
Xu Chunliang hung up the phone. This woman is really messed up. Thank me? I’m not the one who did it! Now, the happiest person must be you.
Following the police notification, Xu Chunliang arrived at the place and found out that Lu Qi was in charge of the case. They both tacitly pretended to be strangers to each other.
Lu Qi, expressionless, brought him into the interrogation room, accompanied by a big-eyed female apprentice responsible for taking Xu Chunliang’s statement.
Lu Qi, doing his job by the book, began the official investigation after asking for some regular information: "Xu Chunliang, where were you between 7 PM last night and 1 AM today, and whom did you meet?"
Xu Chunliang, on his way there, had prepared his alibi. He had dinner with the old man last night and stayed home all night, with complete evidence that he wasn’t at the scene.
With Xu Chunliang’s consent, Lu Qi checked his call history. Around 8:15 PM, Yang Mufeng called him, so he asked about the call’s details.
Xu Chunliang replied, "Yes, I answered the call but heard nothing but noise in the background. Nobody spoke, so I hung up, assuming it was misdialed."
Lu Qi said, "As we know, the deceased had some conflict with you and had suspended you for an investigation, correct?"
Xu Chunliang said, "You don’t suspect me, do you?"
The young female cop sternly replied, "You’re being questioned now, so you’d better cooperate and answer truthfully."
Xu Chunliang nodded, "That’s right. I’m currently suspended for investigation, and I do dislike him. But disliking someone is different from hating them. I still express my condolences for his death."
Lu Qi asked, "To your knowledge, did the deceased have any enemies?"
Xu Chunliang first thought of Pei Lin, but he didn’t plan to reveal their secret conversations. He smiled nonchalantly, "Yang Mufeng just arrived a few days ago. I didn’t know him well. We had no serious grudges, just some minor work disputes. He suspended me simply to establish authority. Oh, he even added me on WeChat yesterday."
Xu Chunliang showed the record to Lu Qi. With a clear conscience, he feared no investigation. Yang Mufeng had already extended an olive branch before his death, which was indisputable.
After reviewing, Lu Qi was already sure that Xu Chunliang wasn’t involved. He nodded, "Thank you for your cooperation."
Xu Chunliang asked, "Can I leave now?"
Lu Qi replied, "Yes!"
Xu Chunliang stood up, and Lu Qi stood up to shake his hand, offering to see him out.
Once outside and alone, Xu Chunliang asked, "What’s the deal?"
Lu Qi said, "Standard procedure for cases, don’t overthink it." Then he added, "We’ve basically ruled out your suspicion." Actually, they had already cleared Xu Chunliang as a suspect, but it was best not to be too conclusive.
Xu Chunliang asked, "How did Yang Mufeng die?"
Lu Qi hesitated.
Xu Chunliang said, "I’m not a suspect. What’s there to hide? Tell me, maybe I can help."
Lu Qi said, "The cause of death was poisoning. The deceased had severely reduced red blood cell count and hemoglobin levels, along with signs of acute liver dysfunction, kidney impairment, electrolyte imbalance, metabolic acidosis, and coagulation issues. The toxin was potent, the dose was lethal, and Yang Mufeng died almost instantly without any struggle, so no one noticed."
Xu Chunliang exclaimed, "Damn, who poisoned him?" He was almost excited. Who could it be, stealing his business? It seems the Five Poison Sect’s legacy lives on.
Lu Qi said, "We can’t determine yet if it was suicide or murder. The toxicology report showed ricin toxin, a potent cell poison. Even a tiny amount taken orally is lethal."
"Isn’t it simple? Just find out who was with him that night."
Lu Qi said, "We checked the surveillance from that night. He sat in a blind spot. The place was crowded, and the staff barely remembered him."
Xu Chunliang said, "Another unsolved case, huh."
Lu Qi shook his head with a bitter smile, knowing this case wouldn’t be easy to solve.
As Xu Chunliang was about to leave, he saw Xie Chunlei approaching, probably also here for questioning.
They exchanged a glance and nodded as a greeting.
The police had contacted all reachable numbers on Yang Mufeng’s phone, initially judging his time of death to be between 8:10 PM and 9:00 PM.
During this period, he made several phone calls, most of which were to colleagues at the Huayuan Group.
Pei Lin’s call was among them. Shortly after Xu Chunliang left, she also came in for questioning. The police’s questions were pretty much the same.
Pei Lin told the police that Yang Mufeng contacted her representing the Huayuan Group, inviting her to take the position of general manager of Huanyan Health. She also provided an alibi: from 7 PM to 10 PM last night, she was shopping and dining with her cousin Pei Yu at Jianjie Square; this was confirmed.
When Yang Mufeng called her, she was at Da Yu Japanese Cuisine with Pei Yu. He didn’t speak, and she heard some noise in the background, thinking he might have dialed by mistake.
Although everyone thought Yang Mufeng dialed the number by mistake, Lu Qi saw it differently. All the phone numbers had no name notes, making it unlikely for Yang Mufeng to accidentally dial so many numbers repeatedly. If he dialed them voluntarily, his memory would indeed be remarkable.
This phone seemed newly replaced, and the data hadn’t been transferred yet. However, no other phone was found on Yang Mufeng.
The test results for the two remaining wine glasses also came out, and no toxic substances were detected. The fingerprints on the whiskey glass belonged to Yang Mufeng, while the ones on the other glass are being checked in the fingerprint database.
Lipstick marks were also found on the collar of the deceased.
Suicide or homicide? If it was suicide, why would Yang Mufeng choose the noisy SEVEN STAR bar? If it was homicide, was someone else with him last night?
Yang Mufeng’s death didn’t cause much of a stir at the Huayuan Group, as he had only recently joined, hired by Tang Jinglun with a generous offer as a so-called senior talent.
Tang Jinglun’s employment strategy also faced internal doubts within the group. His capable assistant Dong Changhao had just resigned, and Yang Mufeng, hired at a high cost, died strangely in a bar, leaving Huanyan Health temporarily without leadership.
Although Zhao Feiyang was not gloating, deep down, he was glad to see Tang Jinglun facing setbacks. Digging into Changxing’s resources, launching Huanyan Health, only to be hit twice right at the start. The laughable part is that Huanyan Health currently lacks a person in charge.
Pei Lin told him that Tang Jinglun sought her help, hoping she could temporarily take the lead at Huanyan Health to help it through the toughest period. Tang Jinglun also promised that Pei Lin could leave as soon as a suitable candidate was found.
Zhao Feiyang thought Pei Lin shouldn’t get involved in this messy situation, but Pei Lin felt this was not the time to kick someone when they’re down. After all, Tang Jinglun is the company’s CEO, and he even involved the old lady.
With a firm stance, there was no need to worry about Tang Jinglun making a big deal out of this, and she saw this as an opportunity to further understand Huanyan Health, which was beneficial, not harmful, to Zhao Feiyang.
Pei Lin even had a bold idea, to use this turmoil to prove that Tang Jinglun’s health strategy was unfeasible, thereby highlighting Zhao Feiyang’s importance and ensuring Huanyan Health returned to his control.
Zhao Feiyang was swayed by Pei Lin’s idea and finally allowed her to accept Tang Jinglun’s appointment, in the name of a firefighter.
Zhao Feiyang specifically called Xu Chunliang, asking him to return to work as soon as possible.
Xu Chunliang knew Huanyan Health was short-staffed, but he had no immediate plans to return. He laughed, "Dean Zhao, I’m still suspended for inspection."
Zhao Feiyang replied, "Yang Mufeng is dead anyway, what’s the point of writing a report?"
"You suspended me too."
Zhao Feiyang said, "Stop being petty. President Tang has already made new arrangements and temporarily hired a firefighter."
"Who?"
"Your sister-in-law!"
Xu Chunliang was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized it was Pei Lin. Zhao Feiyang was really appointing capable people regardless of kinship ties, turning Changxing into a family-run business.
Zhao Feiyang said, "She’s only helping temporarily. As soon as the group finds a suitable candidate, she’ll leave. Xiaoxu, you have to assist her."
Xu Chunliang said, "I’m not unwilling to help, but to be honest, I just left the police station. In this matter with Yang Mufeng, I am also one of the suspects. Before the police conclude their investigation, it’s not suitable for me to return to work."
Hearing this, Zhao Feiyang hesitated, "What are you suspected of?"
"You seem to have forgotten. Yang Mufeng suspended me for inspection, and everyone believes we had a conflict."
Zhao Feiyang said, "Nonsense, a small work conflict doesn’t lead to murder, does it?" A strange feeling arose within him; could Xu Chunliang really have done it? Why else would the police suspect him?
Xu Chunliang said, "Of course, I’m innocent, but it’s not up to me, it’s up to the police."
Zhao Feiyang said, "In that case, I won’t force you. Take your time, and only return to work after handling your own matters."
Xu Chunliang chuckled inwardly, knowing Zhao Feiyang wouldn’t stick through hard times. He said this deliberately, and Zhao Feiyang was quick to dissociate himself; did he really think Xu could’ve done it? After all, who would be happiest now that it can’t be verified against her testimony, allowing her to carry on the facade of a virtuous wife.