Chen Ling finally dared to look straight ahead: "I didn't think anything." Under the circumstances, he made up an excuse, "Go quickly, I need to take a shower."
To avoid being intruded, after closing the door, he moved the stool from the corner to prop it against the door.
It was quiet outside the door, with no sound of footsteps.
Chen Ling put his ear to the door and listened attentively.
A "bang" sound exploded in his ear canal. He covered his startled ears and took a half step back. A gentle and laughing voice sounded outside the door: "Are you eavesdropping on me?"
"I didn't!" Chen Ling quickly ran to the shower head and turned on the water so that the splashing sound could cover up his embarrassment.
When he pretended to finish taking a shower and came out, there was no one in the yard. He was in no mood to have a midnight snack, and was replaced by sleepiness. The moonlight stretched the young man's shadow, which swayed quietly as he walked.
Thunderstorms in summer always come suddenly. A loud thunder breaks the tranquility of a nice morning.
Chen Ling was dreaming when he suddenly woke up and sat on the bed in a daze.
He looked up at the tightly closed window. The rain was blown in by the strong wind and flowed everywhere along the cracks of the window. He leaned on the edge of the bed to get out of bed and found that the slippers beside the bed were in the wrong position.
Chen Ling has a habit of placing his slippers neatly with the heels facing the bed when he goes to bed, because if the toes of the shoes face the bed, evil spirits will crawl onto the bed in the middle of the night.
But now, the two slippers were crooked, obviously having been moved.
Alarm bells rang loudly, and he turned to look at his bed. Sanqingling was still lying next to the pillow, but the sheets under the thin quilt on the other side were not smooth.
Chen Ling was unsure for a moment whether he had turned over and messed up the bed at night, or if something had really climbed up.
But one thing is certain, someone entered his room last night.
Chen Ling went to wash up with doubts. Just as he put the toothbrush into the cup, he was frightened by the person who suddenly appeared in the mirror behind him and staggered.
Wu Weiwei looked very energetic: "Good morning, Brother Chen."
"..." Chen Ling held his chest, which was throbbing non-stop, "Next time, don't suddenly stand behind me and scare me."
Wu Weiwei said "Oh" and pointed outside excitedly, "Mr. Jiang Shengxing has arrived. He came specially to deliver the information."
Jiang Shengxing, a big boss of a consortium, has never been so attentive to others as he is today. He is sitting in the yard, watching Zhao Xunchang, who rarely gets up early, practicing Tai Chi.
The slow movements were filled with an indescribable tension and power, which was amazing. What was even more amazing was that there was a large purple-blue parrot standing on the wall next to it, just like a saw-billed gourd, very quiet, and not a chatterbox at all.
He shifted his gaze and headed towards the shady house near the corner. After thinking for a while, he decided to go over and say hello.
The light in the room was dim, and he felt a chill as he approached. Jiang Shengxing stopped, not daring to peek through the crack in the door, and stared at the ground with his brows lowered.
"Are you up?"
It was a long time since the voice fell, but no footsteps were heard. Just when Jiang Shengxing was about to give up, he suddenly found that the gap in the door suddenly became wider, and a pair of long legs appeared in front of him.
After a pause, he bowed his head and greeted: "I came here to ask how you rested last night and if there is anything you need."
The Jiang family worships an old ancestor, and everyone in the family knows about this. However, if the old ancestor has any needs, the first ones to be informed will only be the direct descendants, and all the side branches will have to stand back.
It's an honor, but also a panic.
Yesterday morning, Jiang Shengxing was lazy and did not work in the group. He rubbed his tired eyes and propped up his face, and suddenly found a strange man sitting on the sofa not far away.
Although the other party did nothing and said nothing, he sensed a terrifying intimidation from the other party's quiet sitting posture and slightly pursed lips, and a terror that was enough to scare him to death.
A voice in his head told him that this was Jiang Yu, the ancestor they had revered for generations.
"Very good." Jiang Yu's voice awakened Jiang Shengxing who was immersed in his memories, "Nothing is needed."
After saying this, he remembered something and chuckled again: "Send someone to fix the door of the shower room in the yard."
"I'll send someone to do it right away." Jiang Shengxing didn't dare to be negligent.
Jiang Yu responded and walked past Jiang Shengxing into the yard. Zhao Xunchang had already finished practicing Tai Chi and was drinking water from a cup. He caught a glimpse of a figure approaching from the corner of his eye, calmly put down the cup and greeted him.
After a night of settling down, he was no longer so afraid of this old ghost.
Judging from the relationship between Jiang Yu and his little disciple, maybe one day he will have to respect him as master.
Can elders be afraid of younger people? Of course not.
Jiang Yu didn't mind this casualness. He nodded slightly, and his eyes were soon attracted by another person.
Chen Ling exchanged a glance with the man and flicked the head of the parrot that came closer with his fingers. The little guy had been unusually quiet recently. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed to have started from the day when the ancestor's grave was successfully moved.
He glanced at Jiang Yu silently again, curled his fingers, and focused his attention on Jiang Shengxing: "Mr. Jiang, thank you for taking the trouble to make a special trip."
"No trouble." Jiang Shengxing took out a thin document from the briefcase he carried with him.
Chen Ling took it and opened it.
The previous owner of the Starry Sculpture Studio was named Zhu Peng, a middle-aged man in his forties.
Judging from the daily life photos included in the files, Zhu Peng has nothing to do with art. He looks more like a nouveau riche, dressed in rustic clothes. Seven out of ten photos were taken in nightclubs.
Chen Ling took the photo away and placed it face down on the stone table. He paused before pulling his hand away, then picked up the photo again.
Soon, he pulled out the one in the middle, tapped it with his fingertips, and said to Wu Weiwei, "This is Zhou Wenhui."
Wu Weiwei had never seen the body, nor had he seen a photo of Zhou Wenhui. He stared at it blankly for a few seconds with his head tilted, then asked, "How do you know?"
"The mole at the corner of her eye." Chen Ling moved his fingertips and pointed at the nose and lip corners of the woman in the photo. "Although the face of the corpse I saw that day was swollen, the bone structure would not change. Her sunken nose and downturned lips are exactly the same as the woman in the photo... But it's better to ask Mr. Ding to confirm it first."
"Mr. Ding left before you got up, saying he was going back to change his clothes." Wu Weiwei thought of Ding Junyuan's wrinkled, bloodstained clothes and clicked his tongue.
Chen Ling looked at Jiang Shengxing: "Mr. Jiang, can you find this woman?"
Jiang Shengxing glanced at Jiang Yu first, then nodded and said, "Yes." After that, he sent the photo out and asked someone to check it immediately.
Chen Ling continued reading the information.
According to information, Zhu Peng was a gangster when he was young. He looked decent and dressed in a trendy way, which attracted many girls, including his future wife, a lady from a wealthy family.
The rich girl loved painting and dancing. Soon after she fell in love with Zhu Peng, she married him despite her family's opposition.
After marriage, the two lived a happy family and soon had a child. The rich girl's family gradually changed their opinion of Zhu Peng because of the appearance of the child, and even began to provide financial assistance, hoping to improve the living conditions of their daughter and grandson.
Because his wife loves art and Zhu Peng met a friend in the art investment circle by chance, he opened an art gallery called Time Corridor after the funds were in place.
More than a decade ago, art galleries had not yet become popular in local cities, and there was only one in the north city. Many young couples, photography enthusiasts, and art lovers liked to come here.
Later, with the popularity of online reviews, this art gallery was pushed to the top of the local non-historical attractions.
Zhu Peng keeps pace with the times, engaging in online marketing, opening an art cafe, renting the space to film crews for filming, etc. Each of these has brought him considerable income.
If things continued like this, the three-story building would need to be expanded. But two years ago, he suddenly proposed to sell it.
The reason for the change of ownership is sympathetic. He lost his beloved wife and has no interest in running the business.
Zhu Peng's wife drowned in a lake in a park in the city.
This incident dealt a heavy blow to Zhu Peng. Especially for a long period of time after the burial, he was in a daze and was easily startled, causing a lot of trouble to the people around him.
The data ends here.
Chen Ling looked through the information again in disbelief. There was indeed no follow-up: "Mr. Jiang, is this all the information?"
"Indeed, these are all there are." He pulled out one of the sheets and slid his finger over it. "These are all of Zhu Peng's home addresses, license plate numbers, and contact information. I sent someone to investigate and verify, and Zhu Peng is now living in Songyang Mansion."
Chen Ling closed the folder and instructed Wu Weiwei: "Get your stuff and go."
Wu Weiwei moved very quickly and in a few moments he came back with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
Chen Ling took one of the bags and put it on his back, considering whether to call a private car or take the bus. He heard a crisp clang in his ear and looked sideways to see a bunch of luxury car keys being held by a bony hand.
Jiang Yu: "I'll take you there."
Chen Ling wanted to refuse.
Jiang Yu raised his eyebrows and raised his delicate chin slightly, "You can waste time on the road, but Zhu Peng can't wait." He suddenly moved closer, his nose touching the young man's temples, "Through the photo, I can smell his death."
Before Chen Ling could dodge, the man had already left and stood quietly looking at him.
The key to the matter may very well lie with Zhu Peng. Once the key chain is broken, the clues that have been hard to find will be broken.
"Okay then." After saying that, Chen Ling whispered thank you again.
Jiang Yu smiled and asked back, "I'm afraid a verbal thank you is not enough."
Chen Ling held his backpack and walked out while asking, "What do you want?"
Jiang Yu: "Let me hug you."
Chen Ling: “…”
"Just a joke." Jiang Yu raised his hand to the top of the young man's head and pressed down. His fingertips touched the soft hair and warm scalp underneath.
Chen Ling could feel that the man's movements were very light. He just rubbed it twice casually and then withdrew his hand.
Jiang Yu put his hands into his trouser pockets, twirled his thumbs, and a hint of satisfaction flashed across the corners of his lips that no one noticed.
The car was given by the Jiang family as a gift to their ancestors. It was a high-end black sedan of a high-end brand. The body of the car was spacious and the leather seats were soft and comfortable. Once Wu Weiwei sat in it, he couldn't get up.
Take out your phone and start taking crazy selfies, posting them on WeChat Moments to show off.
Chen Ling sat quietly in the co-pilot seat, pulled out pieces of talisman paper, opened the lid of the box of cinnabar liquid, and stamped it with the Huangshen Yue seal.
The exorcism spell sounded, clearly pouring out from the young man's rosy lips, over and over again without getting tired of it. Jiang Yu raised his eyelids, glanced at the person in the rearview mirror, and tightened his fingertips on the steering wheel.
After reciting the blessing mantra, the newly applied cinnabar seal had dried, and Chen Ling put the talisman paper back into the small pocket on the side of his backpack.
Outside the car window, a traffic policeman just stopped a car for a spot check.
Chen Ling suddenly realized a very serious problem: "Jiang Yu, do you have a driver's license?"
Jiang Yu reached out and opened the storage space in front of the young man, took out a thick and heavy stack of documents and threw them to him.
Chen Ling suspiciously opened them one by one: ID card, passport, driver's license, credit card, bank card, and even property title and stock fund certificate.
… Is this reporting an asset breakdown
Chen Ling felt it was too hot, so he just flipped through the driver's license. Other people's ID photos all had below-normal looks, but Jiang Yu's was not like that. He looked straight at the camera, his light-colored eyes were lonely and distant, as if the photographer owed him eight million.
As expected of the Jiang family, they managed to get all these things done in such a short time.
Chen Ling obediently stuffed the things back for the other person and continued to hold his backpack and watch the scenery passing by outside the window.
Wu Weiwei in the back seat moved his eyes back and forth between the two men, touching his chin thoughtfully: There is a problem, there must be a big problem between Brother Chen and this investor.