Chapter 423: The Only Hope

Translator: Azza

Editor: Conspiracing

Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong to look for the colleagues in the information department again to see if they could find any clues from Luo Zuyu’s other songs. The two went over and wheedled the information department, but everyone evaded them at all costs. In the end, a male police officer promised to help out with this "little favor” to give Lin Dongxue a bit of face. As a result, he sat in front of the computer for three hours, during which Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong stared at him from the side as if they were his supervisors.

At 9:00 PM, Chen Shi went over carrying some food and asked, "How’s it going?"

The male police officer who had been tricked into doing overtime said, "Oh, Brother Chen, I really should get off work. My wife has already called me several times."

"What song are you on?"

"The fourth song."

"We’ll let you go after this song. Come. Would you like to eat wontons?"

The male police officer sighed and continued to analyze the audio track on the computer. The information department’s office was full of computers, and there was a smell of the CPU overheating. Lin Dongxue whispered to Chen Shi, "Why have you only come now?"

"Are you hungry?"

"I’m alright. I just ordered takeaway."

"I just contacted Ling Shuangshuang's friend and got part of her audio chat records to use as a sample."

"It's done!" The male police officer exclaimed. "You guys can use the computer. I really have to go."

"Sorry!" Chen Shi pressed him back down. "Can you analyze another audio sample for me as well to see if it's the same person?... Have some chocolate!"

The male police officer wailed. Under the supervision of the three, he had no choice but to take the USB drive in Chen Shi's hands. After comparing the voiceprints, he said, "It’s the voice of the same person."

"Could you write us a report that can be used as evidence?"

"Brother Chen..."

Chen Shi felt too ashamed to press further and said, "Okay then, you can go home!"

Lin Dongxue said, "We’ll invite you to dinner another day!"

The male police officer went away with a wry smile. Lin Dongxue said, "We’ve analyzed several songs. Two of which had some suspicious female voices, all of which had been processed."

"It seems that this new song in our hands is just a demo, so the mixed portion hasn’t been further processed... That’s pretty lucky!" Chen Shi took a piece of paper from the table and scribbled on it. "This kid has added the screams of victims to his songs not just once or twice. How cocky can he get? I need you to check out these things again first. First, make sure that the singer is Luo Zuyu himself. Then go to the recording studio and confirm the original sources of this audio. Furthermore, find the owner of each scream. This is the only way to obtain valid evidence!”

"This isn’t a small workload. We’ll have to beg for help again." Lin Dongxue shook her head helplessly with a smile.

"You’re born beautiful, so someone is bound to be willing to help... It's getting pretty late. Let’s get off work for the day.”

The hard work was handed over to Xu Xiaodong. The next day, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to find the female entertainer. When she saw the police again, Su Xiaowei showed a little resistance and said, "I have already said everything that I needed to say. Why did you come to find me again?"

Chen Shi opened the door to see the mountain.[1] "Miss Su, I don’t think you told us the truth."

"How funny. Why should I lie?"

"Why do people lie? Of course, it’s for their own benefit. Or it’s to seek even more benefits and avoid harm. You and Luo Zuyu belong to the same company. Luo Zuyu debuted over ten years ago, relying on his brother and sister-in-law's networks all the way to get by smoothly. You debuted almost ten years ago. Since you have an ordinary family background, you’ve never had much of a presence and your career is neither here nor there. Most netizens don’t even know your name... I guess that Luo Zuyu’s sister-in-law must have offered you a very tempting reward to make you agree to provide a false statement, right?"

Su Xiaowei pursed her lips, raised her eyebrows slightly, and grasped her right arm tightly with her left hand. These small details didn’t escape Chen Shi's eyes. There was no doubt that she was very nervous at the moment.

"This is just your speculation. We’re all entertainers in the same company. It’s normal to help each other."

"What did you say? Help each other? What kind of help did you give?"

Su Xiaowei was in a panic. "Of course,... Of course, it’s telling the truth to the police. I did date him on the night of the 14th."

"What clothes did he wear that night?"

"A black sweater, jeans and a beret cap."

"Since you guys are dating, it seems that you must have known each other long ago. Can I see your private chat history with him then?"

Su Xiaowei stared at Chen Shi and said, "No, Elder Sister Ji has told me before that my relationship with Luo Zuyu must never be made public."

"Is that so? Then how about going back to the public security bureau with us again?"

Su Xiaowei bit her lip and didn't speak. Cold sweat appeared on her forehead. Chen Shi stopped pressing her with questions. She was already at a delicate point. If she was provoked again, she would probably get angry.

After an awkward silence, Su Xiaowei suggested that they should leave. "I still have a performance today. I’ve already said everything that I can say. Please excuse me."

"Okay, we'll see you later then."

After leaving Su Xiaowei's house, Lin Dongxue said, "You gave up just like that?"

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"I’m giving her some time to digest everything before I apply pressure again."

"A female entertainer who is in her thirties and still has no achievements. In the face of such a deal, do you think she’ll give up just like that?"

"What if it was you?"

Lin Dongxue thought about it, "Your views on people are too rational. She’s a woman after all. Your method of persuasion needs to appeal more to her emotions."

"Why don't you do it then?"

"Okay. First, I would need to know myself and know the enemy!"

"Yes, you need to know yourself and the enemy before you can win the fight. We should first check all her recent call records. Her lies will collapse automatically!"

Lin Dongxue was completely speechless and smiled bitterly, "I meant that I should get to know this female entertainer."

"Let’s go ahead with both methods!"

The two returned to the bureau to start their investigation. The information about Su Xiaowei on the internet was very limited. Lin Dongxue learned from her household registration information that she was from a single-parent family. She was only admitted to the arts academy when she was 22 years old. It was obvious that she had met with a lot of frustration during her journey.

Lin Dongxue was resting her cheek in her hand, thinking about how to convince Su Xiaowei when Chen Shi entered the office and chucked a pile of papers onto her desk. Lin Dongxue grabbed them with her hands in surprise and looked at them. "Where did you get these from?"

"I found them with the help of my external help. Is this information enough?" Chen Shi took the water on the table and took a sip.

The papers were full of bits and pieces of Su Xiaowei's information. Lin Dongxue really admired him. Chen Shi said, "After checking her call records, we have two findings. First, she and Luo Zuyu were never acquainted with each other at all. Second, there was only one number from last night to today that called her a few times. The other party was a director from a TV station. They are filming in the countryside today. We should set off now to find her as soon as she has a break at noon. When a person is full after lunch, their alertness is generally weaker. She’ll be easier to persuade. Also, she’ll have some free time then."

"You really don’t even waste a second of time." Lin Dongxue smiled.

"Su Xiaowei is our only hope right now!"

1. He asked in a very straightforward manner.