Su Zhisheng’s expression turned serious. “Tell me more about this body you found.”
He took a fish from the bucket and tossed it precisely to the night heron that had just dropped the bombshell.
“Caw caw, I was passing by the hotel yesterday, on my way to check out the koi pond. I can’t eat those fat fish they keep, but I was craving the sight of them.”
“As I flew past a window, I heard people arguing, so I stopped to watch. Next thing I knew, the man got so worked up he strangled the woman and shoved her into a cleaning cart.”
Su Zhisheng frowned. “There was a cleaning cart in the room? Was it a supply closet?”
In the middle of the night, it probably wasn’t for cleaning.
Cleaning ladies usually worked during checkout hours. They generally didn’t clean guest rooms at night.
So, the most likely scenario was that a cleaning lady had either been preparing to clean public areas like the hallways, or she had just finished her work and was returning the cart to the supply closet.
As for why they were arguing, that was easy to understand. Today was Su Mingjie’s engagement banquet. Even though it was a lawn ceremony, the hotel would still need to be cleaned top to bottom to leave a good impression on the distinguished guests.
“Extravagant events like this, involving high-profile socialites, are always the most demanding. No wonder the cleaning ladies are run ragged. Those managers are terrible—they used to just shout, now they’ve escalated to murder…”
“Caw caw, no, that’s not it. The hotel has two shifts of cleaning ladies. The daytime ones work during the day. The pretty ones work at night.”
Su Zhisheng paused.
“So the cleaning uniform was just a disguise.”
The night heron flapped its wings and continued, “The killer was a middle-aged man. He didn’t have a beer belly, but he had a bald spot. Under the light, the top of his head was so shiny it almost blinded this heron’s eyes!”
“After the man pushed the cleaning cart out of the hotel room, I don’t know what happened next. But since the animals haven’t been gossiping about a murder at the hotel yet, the body probably hasn’t been discovered.”
Su Zhisheng searched for a map of the hotel online and held it out.
“Which room was the crime scene?”
The night heron tilted its head, stretched out its beak, and lightly tapped the screen.
“The crime scene was in this building, in the middle section. There are too many rooms in that section—I’m not sure which floor.”
“Good. You’ve already been a huge help.”
He fed the heron another fish as his mind pieced together important details.
After being taken back by the Su family, the first thing he had done was memorize information about the local wealthy families and entertainment companies in G Province. The important relationship charts needed to be drilled into memory.
If he remembered correctly, this hotel was part of the Zhang family’s holdings.
Though Zhang Weilong played around in bed, he only ever dated one man at a time, so he wasn’t worried about police scrutiny. But he had been very tight-lipped about the person who had made the introductions—deliberately hiding that information.
“No wonder my stepmother is so close to the Zhang family and managed to secure an investment from Mrs. Zhang.”
It seemed they had a pre-existing partnership. The beauty salon was just a means of recruiting new people.
Su Zhisheng pulled out his phone and dialed the police station.
Now, he was no longer just an ordinary person filing a report—he was a sworn police consultant.
As one of them, he no longer had to limit himself to providing minimal information like a civilian. He could also share his deductive reasoning and hypotheses with his own captain.
“If I’m right, once the body is discovered, the Zhang family might try to flee. It would be best to make some arrangements in advance… Of course, I could be wrong. The Zhang family’s hotel might just be an unlucky crime scene.”
On the other end of the line, Xing Tianwei’s voice carried approval.
“I agree with your reasoning. Say whatever comes to mind—don’t hold back. Solving cases is all about brainstorming. Your logical analysis is as good as anyone’s.”
Su Zhisheng’s lips curled into an uncontrollable smile.
Though Captain Xing’s voice was cool and his wording wasn’t particularly warm, his words of affirmation gave Su Zhisheng—a rookie with no formal criminal investigation training—an immense sense of accomplishment.
No need to worry about being wrong. Just say it…
As Su Zhisheng continued reporting, his voice even grew lighter.
“The night heron’s lead only narrows it down to the building. We’ll need to check with the front desk to get the exact room number.”
“Okay. Stay near the hotel and wait for us to meet you.”
Xing Tianwei was always decisive. He quickly ended the call and began deploying the operation.
Su Zhisheng was about to put his phone away when his biological father—the deadbeat dad—called.
Following her husband’s orders, his stepmother had been sending message after message, urging Su Zhisheng to come to the engagement banquet. At first, Su Zhisheng ignored them. Later, he flat-out refused.
When Su Jingye found out, he assumed Su Zhisheng was just playing hard to get, hoping the Su family would offer more concessions. So he decided to let him stew, expecting Su Zhisheng to come begging for reconciliation at the engagement banquet.
But the engagement banquet had arrived, and Su Zhisheng still hadn’t come home to change into formal wear—clearly, he had no intention of attending.
Su Jingye was furious and finally called him personally.
“You’ve caused enough drama for days on end. Keep playing hard to get, and don’t ever think about setting foot in the Su family’s door again!”
“Today is Mingjie’s engagement day. Hurry up, put on your formal wear, and come to the hotel to meet the various young elites of G Province.”
“Mingjie has done you a favor by helping you find a marriage prospect. You should have let go of that grudge by now and properly thanked him.”
“As for your stepmother, she had no idea Zhang Weilong was a murderer. Yet you, harboring resentment, called the police and got her beauty salon surrounded by officers. If I hadn’t spent money to suppress the news, the Su family’s reputation would have been completely ruined!”
“After the engagement banquet is over, I’ll enforce family discipline on her. As for you, you will kneel before the ancestral altar for an entire night and reflect on your behavior.”
In his own mind, he was being quite lenient with his son Su Zhisheng. Even though Su Zhisheng had nearly caused a major disaster, he was only giving him a minor punishment—unlike Hu Xiuchun, who had really screwed up and would face the full force of family discipline.
On the other end of the line, the wealthy deadbeat dad’s tone was imperious.
Issuing a string of commands right off the bat, his condescending attitude was downright nauseating.
Su Zhisheng sneered.
Calling the police to save someone was the act of a law-abiding citizen. Yet Su Jingye, that old bastard, was trying to pin a crime on him while acting magnanimous—who was he trying to disgust?
“I’m not going!”
Having grown up navigating the streets, Su Zhisheng had a vicious tongue when he wanted to. “Keep your ‘good husbands’ for yourself. Sure, you’re old, but you’ve still got some looks left. Find yourself a man to marry, then you won’t have to work so hard—you can just stay home with your feet up and enjoy the good life.”
“You insolent brat!”
As the president of an entertainment company, Su Jingye was used to having the final say, whether at the office or at home.
“And here I was, still trying to find you a good match. This is how you thank me?”
Su Zhisheng wasn’t falling for it.
Back when he lived in the Su household, the old man had favored the fake young master time and again for the sake of profit. When it came to marriage, he would just as readily sacrifice Su Zhisheng’s future for the same reasons.
“I’ve already thrown the Su family away. I’ve also called the police more than once to cause trouble for the Su family. Yet you still shamelessly come crawling back, trying to shove this wealthy lifestyle down my throat—don’t you have any self-respect?”
“You—you—” On the other end of the line, Su Jingye’s face turned crimson with rage!
Being talked back to by Su Zhisheng like this brought back painful memories of his early days, when he had to grovel and be trampled on just to get by.
This was the second time Su Zhisheng had offended him.
There would never be a third!
“Fine. You’ve got guts. I’ll post on Weibo right now, publicly announcing that you’re being disowned!”
Su Jingye was absolutely furious!
What Su Zhisheng had done to Hu Xiuchun was far more serious than a few words of verbal abuse.
But now that the needle had pricked him personally, Su Jingye immediately resorted to a much harsher punishment.
“From now on, when the online mob comes after you, no one will lift a finger to help. Don’t even think about leeching off anything from the Su family. Without us, someone like you—Su Zhisheng—won’t even be able to set foot in a luxury hotel like the one hosting today’s engagement banquet!”
“Tch. We’ll just see about that!” Su Zhisheng hung up.
He had always been an invisible presence online. If it weren’t for the Su family, he never would have been harassed by internet trolls in the first place. And the deadbeat dad expected a thank-you?
As for setting foot in that luxury hotel?
He was absolutely getting in today.
The Zhang family’s hotel was a complex of several buildings arranged in a hollow circle. In the center of the courtyard lay a massive lawn, normally used for hosting various events.
Today, the entire hotel was booked out—no ordinary guests without invitations were being admitted.
The lawn was a sea of flowers, with exquisitely crafted desserts and drinks laid out on long tables for guests to enjoy.
After taking a photo with his fiancé in the dressing room, the fake young master Su Mingjie finally made his way to the lawn.
As he walked, he gave instructions to his assistant.
“Tell the fans that I released this photo early to satisfy their cravings. After the engagement banquet is over, I’ll personally select more photos to share the joy of today with them.”
“Okay,” the assistant replied knowingly.
When he said “personally select,” what he really meant was that the retouchers would work frantically until the young master was satisfied.
Once the photo was posted online, fans went wild with praise.
Su Mingjie was already good-looking. Dressed in a custom suit, he looked like a little prince who had stepped out of a fairy tale. His fiancé, Wei Lingfeng, was cold, serious, and held him possessively in his arms like a dragon guarding its treasure.
The fans couldn’t get enough of the couple, squealing with excitement. Even passersby, drawn in by the beautiful photo, couldn’t resist clicking to see more.
And of course, the news of the wealthy Su family disowning their adopted son also piqued the curiosity of the gossip-loving public.
The announcement gave no reason, sparking all sorts of speculation.
With all these factors, the hype around this wealthy engagement banquet only continued to grow.
On the lawn, as Su Mingjie made his entrance, the guests stopped their small talk and began greeting the main attraction.
Many were eager to curry favor with the Wei family, so they showered Su Mingjie with flattery.
“Mingjie, congratulations on your engagement.”