The Plough

Shen Shiqi is dead.

The cause of his death is somewhat mysterious.

Two nights ago, someone rented out the Xianlemen, and Shen Shiqi eagerly went, holding onto several beautiful dancers and dancing the night away. According to the playboys who went with him, Shen Shiqi was in a great mood and had a blast. In the end, he even bought one of the dancers' "outdoor clocks" and took her to a famous hotel in Shanghai.

The last time the hotel staff saw him was around one o'clock in the morning, holding onto the seductive woman, checking into a room with a key card, and never coming out again.

The next afternoon, the maid needed to clean the room and rang the doorbell for a long time with no answer. She had to use the key to open the door herself, and was almost scared half to death - Shen Shiqi lay naked on the bed, eyes wide open, blood flowing from his seven orifices, and had long lost his breath.

The dancer was half-naked, lying on the bed, still breathing, but unconscious.

The waiter was in shock and immediately found the hotel manager, and the news quickly spread.

"What kind of death causes bleeding from the seven orifices?" Yue Dingtang asked.

"I don't know. I just saw it reported in the newspaper. The body should have been taken back to the city bureau. It's up to you, Officer Yue!" Ling Shu opened a paper bag, took out a fried stick of dough, and bit off a big piece, causing Yue Dingtang to frown.

"The doctor said you have a bad stomach, and you're still eating such greasy food?"

Ling Shu didn't care, "Isn't there soy milk to go with it? Besides, this is called fighting poison with poison!" 

Although it was a human life, Shen Shiqi's past deeds were truly not worth grieving over. It was difficult to even put on a show of mourning, and it wouldn't be surprising if some people set off firecrackers behind his back. This just goes to show how poor Shen Shiqi's social skills were.

But the Shen family still had some ability, especially Shen Shiqi's uncle. With this matter coming to light, he would definitely not give up easily. He might even put pressure on the city bureau to solve the case within a deadline.

"There are many people who dislike Shen Shiqi, and I am one of them. There are even more people who wanted him dead. This time, it's really hard to find the killer." Ling Shu chewed on a fried dough stick, speaking unclearly, "But do you think this could be the work of Mr. Cheng?"

Yue Dingtang asked, "What's the motive?" 

Ling Shu said, "It's simple. Mr. Cheng has taken the woman that Shen Shiqi loves, and Shen Shiqi must be resentful but dare not resist. Mr. Cheng is wary of him seeking revenge in the future, so he strikes first."

Yue Dingtang replied, "He You'an was offered to Mr. Cheng by Shen Shiqi himself. In fact, I suspect that He You'an deliberately let Mr. Cheng discover her existence."

Ling Shu asked, "What do you mean?"

Yue Dingtang explained, "Do you remember the first time we met Mr. Cheng?"

Ling Shu naturally remembered.

That day, He You'an invited them to an old restaurant to discuss the threatening letter. The adjacent private room happened to be occupied by Shen Shiqi and Cheng Gong.

"So, you mean He You'an knew in advance that Shen Shiqi would be dining there and deliberately arranged to be next door?"

Yue Dingtang said, "Not only that, but we came out first and He You'an was still inside. She could have avoided us, but she chose to show herself."

Ling Shu replied, "Maybe she was just afraid of being discovered by Shen Shiqi and it would be even harder to explain, so she took the initiative to come out."

Yue Dingtang glanced at him and said lightly, "You're good at making excuses for her." 

"Beautiful women deserve some special treatment," Ling Shu rubbed his nose. 

"Besides, I haven't been blinded by beauty. I'm still analyzing the situation with a clear and rational mind. With so many restaurants in Shanghai, what are the chances that the place chosen by He You'an happens to be the same one as Shen Shiqi's? And what are the chances that they would arrange for us to be seated next to each other? It's too much of a coincidence to be believed. 

"If all of this was intentional, what is her motive? Is she trying to ditch Shen Shiqi and board a bigger and more stable ship like me?" 

Yue Dingtang said, "Regardless of her intentions, Jiang He is right that He You'an is not as simple as she appears. Her kindness towards you is not purely genuine. So far, I still don't know what role she plays and what her purpose is. If she's just trying to get close to Cheng Gong and find another sugar daddy, then it's too much fuss over nothing."

Ling Shu asked, "Did you show her the newspaper article about Chen Youhua?"

"I did, but she didn't react much, not even a second glance," Yue Dingtang replied.

Ling Shu lazily said, "Dealing with women is not your forte. Let me handle it."

Yue Dingtang retorted, "You're going to handle it in slippers and a hospital gown?"

Ling Shu ran his hand through his hair and said, "With my charm and charisma, does it matter what I wear?" 

Yue Dingtang couldn't bear to tell him that Ling Shu's hair was in disarray from being pressed against the pillow, and when he went out to buy breakfast and the cold wind blew, it stood up even more, making people can't help but laugh.

With a pale face and lips, and a bewildered look in his eyes, if he went to see He You'an like this, he would most likely be stopped outside before even seeing him.

"You lie down honestly for me. The doctor said that if there are no major problems today, you can be discharged in the evening."

Yue Dingtang got up to get a scarf and hat, put them on one by one, and reached out to him.

Ling Shu asked, "What are you doing?"

"My coat," Yue Dingtang replied.

Ling Shu took it off and handed it to him, grumbling that it was really cold. Then he crawled back into bed, rolled around inside the covers, and turned over to nibble on a fried dough stick, looking like a rice ball at first glance. This appearance was nothing like the unstoppable Ling Shu in front of women.

Yue Dingtang couldn't bear to witness it and turned around to leave, not willing to stay for even a moment longer.

Or perhaps, he was in a hurry to learn more about the truth behind Shen Shiqi's death.

Since He You'an came to them, this series of events that followed not only piqued Ling Shu's curiosity, but also greatly interested Yue Dingtang. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to help He You'an uncover the truth.

However, the more they dug, the more they felt that the truth below would be unexpected.

They originally thought it was the work of the murderer, but there were always last-minute changes that made them change their suspicions.

If everything was really as He You'an said, all planned by Chen Wendong, then was Shen Shiqi's death also related to Chen Wendong? Why did Chen Wendong want to kill Shen Shiqi? 

The snowball rolled bigger and bigger like a mystery, chasing after them heavily. They wanted to change course and quit the game, but it was too late. 

Ever since they took on He You'an's commission, they were already in the game.

When he rushed back to the police station, he received news that Shen Shiqi had been brought back. And judging from Chief Huang's troubled expression, the phone call with Shen Shiqi's uncle didn't go well.

"Mr. Yue, this case is quite peculiar. I'm afraid we need your help," the chief sighed before even speaking.

Yue Dingtang asked, "What's the matter? No leads?" 

"There are some clues, but unfortunately, Shen Shiqi's uncle called and was very impolite. I'm afraid that if this case isn't solved, I'll lose my position. Mr. Yue, we've known each other for a long time. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see me lose my job. If that happens, I may have to ask for your help..."

Chief Huang was a fan of officials, and Yue Dingtang had already noticed that. He was hired as a consultant by the city bureau, not because he solved the Yuan Manor case, but because of his connections to the Yue family. 

"Chief Huang, you're overestimating me. I'm just a poor teacher, what help can I offer? The most important thing now is to solve the case. If we can't do that, the Shen family will have something to say. Even if they use their connections to have you removed, can the next person guarantee that they will solve the case?"

Without receiving his assurance, Chief Huang was a bit disappointed, but he couldn't say anything.

"The body has been brought back. According to the forensic examination, the cause of death was poisoning. It seems to be caused by a poison called see-something, which is even more powerful than arsenic."

"Cyanide?" 

"Exactly, that's the name! You guys are impressive for having been abroad! Here's the deal, go to the second floor now. The person in charge of the interrogations is there and can tell you all the details. I have an important guest coming soon, so I have to attend to them. I won't keep you any longer!"

Yue Dingtang guessed that Chief Huang was intimidated by the Shen family's threat and was busy finding a backer. He didn't stay any longer and said his goodbyes before heading straight to the second floor.

Potassium cyanide is a highly toxic substance that has been used in industrial chemical production for over forty years. However, it's not easy for ordinary people to find, let alone have heard of this poison. The other party must have been planning this for a long time, even specifically targeting Shen Shiqi. 

According to the testimony, around 2am the night before last, someone saw a hotel waiter carrying a tray walking on the fourth floor of the restaurant where Shen Shiqi was staying. He eventually walked towards room 407, the presidential suite where Shen Shiqi was staying.

However, the hotel later confirmed that Shen Shiqi did not order any room service that night, nor did he make any phone calls. After entering the room, he lost contact. 

As for the two bodyguards who were with him, because the accompanying dancer felt uncomfortable with someone outside, Shen Shiqi sent them out to eat supper and they were not outside when the incident occurred.

As for the cause of Shen Shiqi's death, preliminary examination showed that he smoked a cigarette sent by a fake waiter, which contained a deadly poison. The dancer only ate the food on the tray and only passed out without any harm. After listening, Yue Dingtang pondered for a moment.

"So you're saying the food was not poisoned, only drugged, and the poison was in the cigarettes?" he asked.

The police officer in charge of questioning opened the file and pointed to it.

"Yes, the dancer didn't smoke, she only ate the food. The victim had both," he explained.

Yue Dingtang asked, "How did they determine it was potassium cyanide so quickly?"

The police officer replied, "It's not certain yet. The forensic team made a preliminary judgment, but further testing is needed. However, the deadly substance in the cigarettes has been confirmed through animal testing."

Yue Dingtang's mind was in turmoil, with various thoughts racing through his head. He had some ideas, but they were fleeting and hard to grasp. He was brought back to reality when he heard the police officer complaining,

"It's been raining for the past two days, making it difficult to track down many pieces of evidence. It's adding to the difficulties of the investigation." 

Suddenly, a bright idea struck him, like two parallel lines that had never intersected before, he had discovered their point of intersection.

"Go and help me investigate someone!" he exclaimed.