Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“What? Nanjiang? Master, are you kidding?” Ran Tao spoke into the phone reluctantly, “I’ve driven halfway there already! Now you want me to go back to Nanjiang?”
Zhao Yu said, “If you already drove halfway, then you are right near Nanjiang, right? I want you to go to the Nanjiang Film and Television School to investigate Guo Yihang’s and Qiao Ruxue’s backgrounds! Hasn’t Zeng Ke sent the information to you already? After you go to Nanjiang Province, next go to Caohai City, as that is Guo Yihang’s and Qiao Ruxue’s hometown.”
“Um… But master…” Although Ran Tao dared not disobey, he had to mention a key point, “I am not doing all of this alone. I have a dog here! I can’t take a dog with me to investigate a case, can I?”
As if Tycoon could understand his words, the dog’s barking came across the phone line.
“Isn’t it cooler to bring a dog?” Zhao Yu asked. “You can handle this. Besides, this task has to be completed, and my dog has to be taken good care of at the same time, so kill two birds with one stone!”
After that, Zhao Yu hung up the phone.
Zeng Ke and Wu Xiumin, who were beside him, could not help but laugh Zeng Ke then said, “I can imagine Ran Tao’s upset face right now! Ha ha ha…”
Zeng Ke then asked, “Leader, we have already notified the Quliang police force about the issue regarding Guo Yihang and Qiao Ruxue. They will dispatch some men to find out what you have requested soon. So, why do you need Ran Tao to go there again?”
Wu Xiumin retorted quickly, “He’s our mobile member! He must do something! Otherwise, when he comes back with the dog, he’d complain to us nonstop.”
Zhao Yu agreed. “Why are you always so good at telling the blunt truth?”
Hearing him tease her, Wu Xiumin couldn’t help but laugh again.
Although Zhao Yu had said that this was so, that’s was not really his plan. He still believed that the relationship between Guo Yihang and Qiao Ruxue was not so simple, and that is really why he wanted Ran Tao to there, so that he could confirm that fact for Zhao Yu.
At this moment, it was dawn. After the sun rose, the temperature also rose sharply, making all of them feel warm after a busy and cold night.
The white boards that Zhao Yu used for analyzing the case were set up, and Zhao Yu had pinned his white papers that were filled with case information on them. Due to the large number of deceased victims in this case, the information looked messy and a bit cluttered. Even the two white boards could not accommodate it all.
As Zhao Yu over read the clues again, his doubts grew. He believed that Guo Yihang was only a newcomer. If he had wanted to put Qiao Ruxue’s enemies into a crew altogether, it would obviously not be that easy. So, either Guo Yihang had an accomplice, or the truth was not as simple as they had first thought.
Zhao Yu pondered this for a while, then decided that he needed to meet someone in person…
Early the next morning, Quliang Bureau Chief, Wang Chenggang, brought in a luxurious breakfast for everyone. However, Zhao Yu was not in the mood to have breakfast, but went directly to the guest room of the command vessel and met with the president and executive seniors of Champion Pictures.
The president of Champion Pictures was Gao Peng. When he found out that Zhao Yu was the leader of the Special Investigation Group from the highest Criminal Division, Gao Peng became very nervous and started to sweat.
Gao Peng was 53 years old and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He had almost gone bold, and his bulky figure gave him quite a typical boss-like look.
“Leader Zhao…” Gao Peng rushed to Zhao Yu and said, “Please catch the murderer! These murdered crew members were pillars of our company.”
Zhao Yu ignored what he was saying and got straight to the point, asking, “Tell me, how did the crew get together?”
Hearing Zhao Yu’s abrupt question, the sweat on Gao Peng’s face started to pour down like rain. At the same time, all of the other people in the room looked at each other in confusion, without saying a word. They didn’t expect Zhao Yu to be so straightforward, without even saying any pleasantries or opening words.
Gao Peng looked back at the other executives, scratched his head, then said, “Our company must have put the team together.”
“Yeah…” someone agreed. “First, we set up a project. Then, we choose the actors and other staff members. We do this all in accordance with the company’s procedures.”
“Oh yes, I remember!” Gao Peng lightly smacked his forehead, then said, “It was Cai Jinda, the scriptwriter, who chose the candidates!”
Zhao Yu was surprised to hear Cai Jinda’s name. As soon as he did, something occurred to him.
“Director Qian Jin, the cameraman Zhang Chenggong, and lead actor Xie Hao….” Gao Peng said, while counting with his fingers. “These people were all recommended to us by Cai Jinda. They were all quite close with each other.”
“Yes!” Another person present shared the same thought. “Qin Hao, Kang Leming, Xu You and Zhang Yong… These people have all worked with the director for a long time, as well!”
“Leader Zhao, I have a complete list of the crew here,” Gao Peng said. “The crew of ‘Lighthouse’ has 37 people, but because the filming was about to be finished, most of them had already left the island. Only some key members stayed behind to finish!”
“Oh yes, and Li Qian!” Gao Peng added. “After setting up the project, Cai Jinda asked us to pick a well-shaped, mature, and charming actress for the lead role, so we chose Li Qian!”
He then said, “As you know, this is a low-budget production. As such, we only had about one million in spending funds. So, we couldn’t be too picky, and after watching Li Qian’s audition, Cai Jinda agreed to her being the actress!”
Zhao Yu frowned as he asked, “Why did this script writer get to have a say in deciding the cast? Isn’t that usually up to the director or producer?”
Gao Peng wiped away his sweat as he answered, “Well… Seniority matters in this industry. For a small company like us, Cai Jinda has the absolute authority! After all, he used to be a famous scriptwriter!”
He then added, “Although I’m the nominal chief producer, I actually have to ask for his advice about everything!”
Speaking of this, Gao Peng sighed helplessly and almost brought out a whining voice, “I still can’t believe such a terrible thing happened. Officer, did you find out who the murderer is yet?”
Zhao Yu did not answer his question, as he was already lost in thought about Cai Jinda’s affairs. Is it possible that Cai Jinda was Guo Yihang’s accomplice?
He helped Guo Yihang, but was killed by Guo Yihang?
If so, how can we explain the plus sign that was written on Cai Jinda’s stomach?
Suddenly, Zhao Yu thought of another important thing, so he asked in a hurry, “How did Guo Yihang get assigned to the crew?”
“Guo Yihang?” Gao Peng thought for a moment, then shook his head and asked, “Who is Guo Yihang?”
“What? He is the supporting actor!” While introducing him, Zhao Yu showed the picture of Guo Yihang to him. “Don’t tell me he just appeared for no reason.”
“Oh…” Unexpectedly, a manager suddenly nodded and asked, “Isn’t this the last young actor that we chose? His part is actually quite small. Also, they should have finished filming his part long ago. Why would he stay on the island?”
“Guo Yihang? Oh… I remember!” Gao Peng nodded and said, “When we were preparing to shoot, director Qian Jin mentioned to me that the young man was doing well and that his appearance and temperament was just what he was looking for. So, he put him in the cast.”
“What?Director Qian Jin?” Zhao Yu couldn’t help but shake his head and smack his lips.
So Guo Yihang was not doing this alone!
