Ling Lie returned to his own office. Ji Chenjiao was on the phone, seemingly related to Chaoxia County. Ling Lie read the news while keeping an ear open.

Today’s headline in Xiarong City was still Jiang Yunduo’s car accident, but the media and citizens were not focused on the girl’s tragic death, but on Rongmei being haunted.

Just like what Ling Lie learned in Chaoxia County yesterday, reporters made a big fuss about the fire, deaths, and lack of religious services, forcefully linking Jiang Yunduo’s death to vengeful spirits causing trouble.

The police had seen this kind of reporting countless times. What traffic could an ordinary girl’s car accident generate? Even if her unfortunate family background and being PUA-ed by her coach were exposed, the traffic would not be as good as supernatural stories.

Ling Lie was attracted by several interviewed patients. Their faces were pixelated, wearing Rongmei’s patient gowns, but whether they were actually patients couldn’t be determined from the news alone. It was also possible that streamers or reporters found people to pretend for attention.

They said with worry that they also felt Rongmei had been strange lately. They often had sleep paralysis, waking up feeling heavy all over, as if something was pressing on their shoulders. Some said they also saw the ghost in white floating in the corridor that Jiang Yunduo mentioned, but it disappeared in a blink of an eye. Some worried that after Jiang Yunduo went crazy, the ghost would have no “toy” and would soon latch onto them.

At this time, Ji Chenjiao hung up the phone. Ling Lie looked up, “County Bureau?”

Ji Chenjiao’s expression was slightly solemn, “They found out in last night’s investigation that more than ten people claimed to have seen ghosts, with different situations. Some said the ghost blew on their neck, some said they woke up in the middle of the night and saw a person standing at the foot of the bed. The County Bureau now feels the situation is getting more and more complicated, and the patients are all in a panic.”

“First, rule out real ghosts,” Ling Lie said. “More than ten people claimed to have seen ghosts… some were influenced by Jiang Yunduo and imagined seeing ghosts.”

This group effect is very common. For example, if a child in a class vividly describes seeing someone plastered to the window every night, soon more and more children will feel there is someone on their window. But in fact, there is none.

Ji Chenjiao said: “But it doesn’t rule out that someone did see something. Someone playing god and ghost in Rongmei’s north district, what is the purpose? The County Bureau is still investigating Jiang Yunduo’s social network, but her hometown Xianzu Town is far from Chaoxia County. Her only acquaintance in Chaoxia County is her coach Tu Binghua. What reason would Tu Binghua have to scare her? She might not have been targeted, but randomly selected.”

Mentioning Tu Binghua, Ling Lie said: “Why didn’t you go see this person yesterday?”

“The doctor said her condition was poor, emotionally collapsed, not suitable for investigation.”

“Hmm?” Ling Lie showed a thoughtful expression, his eyes somewhat cold.

Ji Chenjiao waited for a while, “What did you think of?”

Ling Lie asked: “Then after we left, did the county bureau people go to her? Before they called you.”

Ji Chenjiao: “They went last night and this morning. Tu Binghua said nothing, just cried.”

“A bit like Xu Ling,” Ling Lie commented like an outsider. “Son died, Xu Ling also had this attitude of refusing to answer. Xu Ling was hiding the secret of Fengchao Island. What about Tu Binghua?”

Without contacting Tu Binghua yet, Ji Chenjiao found it difficult to draw a conclusion.

A few days later, the turmoil at Rongmei not only did not subside but intensified with the help of the internet. Some streamers even invited so-called “masters” to interpret Rongmei’s feng shui layout, concluding that Rongmei’s overall layout was a “fierce formation.” People who died inside were trapped, unable to escape. Over time, resentment deepened, their power grew, and they would come out to cause trouble.

The County Bureau had already conducted investigations in Xianzu Town and the provincial team’s location. Jiang Yunduo was introverted and hardworking, becoming the main force of the provincial team entirely on her own. Her injury was also an accident; there was no case of being ostracized. Before and after her surgery, her teammates visited her, encouraging her to overcome her illness and return to the team soon.

It seemed no one had a motive to harm her.

The County Bureau issued three police reports in succession. One of them clearly mentioned that there were blind spots in the surveillance on both sides of the inpatient building’s corridor, the nurse’s station, and the emergency staircase. By hiding in these blind spots, one could avoid surveillance and enter the corridor.

But very few people read the reports. The few rational voices were drowned out. People believed that Rongmei must have problems, and the police did not dare to report anything about ghosts and gods.

The serious crime squad had not yet intervened, but held a meeting on this matter. Xi Wan said: “It’s obvious that the media is setting the rhythm. Because things with supernatural colors are eye-catching, they keep hyping this point to keep the heat high.”

Liang Wenxian: “Then we should consider whether the media did this actively for traffic, or received benefits behind the scenes and planned the current result.”

The more they analyzed, the more the situation slipped into a complex and dark direction. The most direct impact of Jiang Yunduo’s car accident was that the fire nine years ago re-entered people’s vision.

The fire itself seemed to have no suspicious points. The families of the deceased and the injured had been properly settled. The fire was not related to the Yu Group. But now the trend of public opinion was to accuse the Yu Group of not appeasing the spirits of the dead after getting the land. Even the building they built was very ominous in terms of feng shui. Many developers would hire people to check feng shui. The Yu Group didn’t do it, hastily building and doing business, leading to the current tragedy.

The Yu Group’s stock price thus fell, Rongmei’s reputation accumulated over many years severely declined, and patients ended their treatment and left early every day. Even the Yu Group’s residential buildings in Chaoxia County were affected.

This was too much like a premeditated action. Why would the media move against the Yu Group? The media was more likely used as a tool to fuel the flames. The Yu Group might have been ambushed by a competitor.

Then Jiang Yunduo was a chosen sacrifice. Someone wanted to use life and blood to shake the Yu Group.

Thinking of this, Ji Chenjiao felt a chill down his spine.

Ling Lie suddenly said: “This ‘master’ has a point.”

Ji Chenjiao quickly covered his mouth. Ling Lie was used to being outspoken. It didn’t matter what he said at home, but this was the workplace after all. Although the serious crime squad were all his own people, openly siding with feudal superstition was absolutely not allowed.

Ling Lie struggled with his hands and feet, whimpering non-stop.

Liang Wenxian said: “Captain Ji, I understand what Xiao Ling means. Although what this ‘master’ said is superstition, from the perspective of some superstitious people, Rongmei’s structure is indeed problematic.”

Ji Chenjiao let go of Ling Lie. Ling Lie hurriedly said: “The Yu Group is very superstitious. Rongmei being built like this and causing such a big mess, there must be a problem within the Yu Group.”

Liang Wenxian: “A competitor causing trouble, a hidden story behind Yu’s construction of Rongmei… this matter may be far more complex than we see now.”

There were no clues about the Yu’s hidden story, but whether a competitor was involved was relatively easy to check. Rongmei was in the eye of the storm; who benefited the most?

Cardian Real Estate gradually emerged in this public opinion storm.

Unlike the Yu Group, Cardian’s foundation was not thick. It rarely entered cities, basically developing in counties. If Chaoxia County didn’t have Rongmei, they would likely occupy the market in Chaoxia County.

But with the behemoth Yu Group entrenched in Chaoxia County, Cardian’s development in surrounding counties was constrained.

Now, the greater the external doubts about Rongmei, the more Cardian’s stock rose. Cardian’s planning and public relations also used this event to fiercely hype their own projects online.

It turned out that Cardian was engaged in health and fitness real estate in surrounding counties, launching services such as medical aesthetics. This overlapped with Rongmei’s business to a certain extent. Under Rongmei’s brilliant light, it was difficult for people to notice Cardian.

The County Bureau followed the vine to get the melon. Ji Chenjiao also sent some team members to support, finding that this wave of online public opinion indeed came from Cardian. They wanted to take the opportunity to shake Rongmei and eat up a wave of customers that originally belonged to Rongmei.

But Cardian denied planning Jiang Yunduo’s death, and further denied instructing people to play god and ghost in Rongmei, insisting they only used what had already happened.

And the Yu Group, at the center of the storm, has not made any response so far.

During lunch break, Ling Lie lay on Ji Chenjiao’s desk in a daze. This person always loved to occupy others’ things. Didn’t he have an office desk? He obviously had one, but he just didn’t like staying there, insisting on sitting in Ji Chenjiao’s seat.

The heart of “usurpation” was clear.

Ji Chenjiao played with his upturned hair, “What are you daydreaming about?”

Ling Lie: “Yu Qianming is in Beizhi Hospital now. I want to find a time to see him.”

Ji Chenjiao’s hand paused, then patted Ling Lie on the head, “Should go visit. Which day are you planning to go?”

Beizhi Hospital was affiliated with Xiarong City’s best Xiarong No. 1 Hospital. It was a branch built on the edge of the North District, specifically for patients with unusual status. Ji Chenjiao felt it was not unreasonable for Ling Lie to visit the sick. Although Ling Lie was no longer a Yu family member, he had lived in the Yu family for nearly ten years.

But he obviously misunderstood Ling Lie’s purpose.

“I’m not going to visit the sick,” Ling Lie said. “I’m going to use this Rongmei matter to probe Yu Qianming’s reaction.”

Ji Chenjiao raised his eyebrows, “He is a seriously ill patient.”

Ling Lie: “But he is also the helmsman of the Yu Group for decades.”

Ji Chenjiao saw a trace of inhuman coldness in Ling Lie’s eyes. Ling Lie often became like a cold robot when facing cases, but once out of that state, he was very lively and noisy again.

“I’ll go with you,” Ji Chenjiao said.

The coldness in Ling Lie’s eyes melted, “Pfft—”

Ji Chenjiao: “What are you laughing at?”

“What capacity will you go with me as?” Ling Lie said cheekily, “Boyfriend?”

Only then did Ji Chenjiao realize it was inappropriate. Although Ling Lie was essentially going to investigate the case, he at least had the identity of a former adopted son. Yu Qianming was ill; it was justifiable for Ling Lie to go see him. Bringing a police boyfriend would be too arrogant.

Ling Lie stood up and hugged Ji Chenjiao.

Ji Chenjiao hurriedly looked aside. Fortunately, there was no one else in the office at this time.

Ling Lie left as he said. The lunch break wasn’t over yet, and he drove away in Ji Chenjiao’s car. Not long after he left, Shen Qi rushed in with a notebook, “Brother? Where’s my brother?”

Ji Chenjiao thought he was calling him and raised his hand to signal.

Shen Qi: “Oh, Captain-brother, where’s my brother?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…” Right, Shen Qi’s brother had changed.

Two days ago, Ling Lie even sent him a meme—your brother is fine, next second mine.

How outrageous?

“Ling Lie went out for something,” Ji Chenjiao said. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s like this.” Although Shen Qi changed his brother, he was still very close to Ji Chenjiao, immediately pulling up a chair to sit down. “My brother asked me to check the Yu Group’s real estate investments in various counties and towns a while ago. I found they have a total of twenty-one projects in these nine counties, mostly building commercial and residential buildings, rarely directly developing residential communities. Liquan County, Weitian County, Pujun County, plus Chaoxia County. These four counties are special.”

Ji Chenjiao found the other three counties on the map. They were unknown, their locations were scattered, east, south, west, and north, and no common points could be seen for now.

Shen Qi said: “The Yu Group built a convenience amusement park in Liquan County, a Children’s Palace in Weitian County, and a mishmash park of world wonders in Pujun County. They also built residential buildings with prices higher than the local average in the county. My brother asked me to pay attention to whether any accidents happened in the other eight counties related to the Yu Group. The connection I found is that all four of these counties have had fires.”

Ji Chenjiao’s nerves immediately tensed.

Shen Qi pulled up photos after the fire and before reconstruction. Blackened buildings stood half-collapsed under the lead-gray sky, the thick smoke not completely dispersed. The silent images seemed to carry the screams and wails of life passing away.

Ji Chenjiao asked: “Have all these fires been investigated clearly?”

Shen Qi nodded and found the local police reports. Some were gas explosions in self-built buildings on commercial streets, some were fires in vegetable markets that couldn’t be controlled due to poor firefighting. In short, all were accidents.

The process of the Yu Group acquiring these lands was similar to that in Chaoxia County. The places that caught fire needed new buildings, but many investors gave up after seeing them, feeling there were problems with feng shui, structure, etc. The Yu Group, however, didn’t care about the so-called “bad luck” at all, not only building convenience institutions and facilities like Children’s Palaces, but also building commercial housing in the county.

Shen Qi investigated, but the more he investigated, the more confused he became. Looking at Ji Chenjiao, “I really don’t understand the thinking of these rich people.”

A still rough idea brewed in Ji Chenjiao’s mind. Could it be that the Yu Group needed to invest on the ruins of fires? They didn’t not care about feng shui, but cared more about feng shui than any developer?

All four counties had fires, and people died in all of them, all accidents.

But were accidents on black and white paper the truth?

Beizhi Hospital’s management was very strict, and the environment was naturally beautiful to the extreme. It didn’t look like a hospital, more like an undisturbed forest in a reinforced concrete city.

Police identity could not let Ling Lie enter it because he did not have permission to investigate and collect evidence, but the name Yu Ge, once used, was very useful. After the nurse reported to Yu Qianming, someone came soon.

“It’s you?” The visitor was in his thirties, wearing a shirt and trousers, showing undisguised contempt and annoyance, as if Ling Lie standing in front of him was not a person, but a pile of stinking cow dung.

Ling Lie was also a little surprised when he recognized him. This person was named Yu Yesheng, Yu Qianming’s youngest son, and also an illegitimate son. When Ling Lie was still in the Yu family, Yu Yesheng was not often allowed to return home, so the two met very few times.

But in the few meetings, Ling Lie could feel Yu Yesheng’s unfriendliness towards him. Compared to Yu Qianming’s legitimate other sons, Yu Yesheng was even more hateful towards him, a cousin with no competitive relationship, always trying to trip him up.

At that time, Ling Lie did not understand where this hostility came from. Later, far away from the Yu family, occasionally thinking about the past, he suddenly realized that Yu Yesheng did not actually hate him, but as the bottom of the contempt chain in this family, Yu Yesheng desperately wanted to climb up. How to make the brothers stop targeting him?

The answer was to target someone they all disliked—the little cousin Yu Ge.

With Ling Lie’s intelligence and insight, he naturally would not fall for Yu Yesheng’s trick. He had always held a漠视 attitude towards the Yu family and did not care about Yu Yesheng’s stupid actions. After so many years, his impression of Yu Yesheng remained as idiotic, ugly, and fawning.

These were not good words, and ugly even summarized this person’s appearance.

So upon seeing him, Ling Lie was surprised. The person he couldn’t stand more than ten years ago actually looked pretty good now. Had he grown up? No, when he left the Yu family, Yu Yesheng was already an adult, no further development. Was it plastic surgery? Ling Lie stared at Yu Yesheng’s face, memories slowly becoming clear, and felt it was still that face, but for some reason, it seemed more pleasing to the eye now.

Yu Yesheng was very uncomfortable being looked at by Ling Lie, and his voice became colder, “Didn’t you hear me asking you? What did you come for?”

Ling Lie: “Do I need to report to you? Your appearance here doesn’t it mean Mr. Yu asked you to welcome me? What, you even want to defy your old father’s order?”

Yu Yesheng was so angry he was fuming. The anger of being ridiculed by this person in the past surged up again. His face turned green and white, “Follow me!”

Ling Lie followed behind Yu Yesheng. Before that luxurious door opened, he still stared at Yu Yesheng’s back and thought: Where exactly is he pleasing to the eye?

The top VIP area of Beizhi Hospital demonstrated the effect of wealth. Upon entering, it didn’t feel like a ward, but a palace. But even the exquisite decoration could not cover the heavy death aura emitted by the person on the hospital bed, and the smell of disinfectant floating in the air.

Ling Lie looked at Yu Qianming. The wide hospital bed was in the sunlight. His sparse hair was bleached transparent by the light, and the wrinkles on his face were also nowhere to hide, a completely different person from his appearance on TV a while ago.

But Ling Lie found that there was still a trace of cunning hidden in his eyes. This cunning was like a sharp light inadvertently revealed under rust. Although he was old, dull, and on the verge of death, as long as he was alive, he was still the helmsman of the Yu Group.

Yu Qianming coughed and squinted to examine Ling Lie, as if looking for familiar traces of the past on this somewhat strange face. After a moment, he nodded, “Grown up.”

Ling Lie approached, “After all, ten years have passed.”

Yu Qianming laughed hoarsely and patted the edge of the bed, “Come, let uncle take a good look at you.”

Ling Lie moved a chair over and sat down, “Mr. Yu.”

Yu Qianming: “The address has changed.”

“It should,” Ling Lie said. “How is your health?”

“Counting days,” Yu Qianming was like an old monster who had lived for thousands of years, his eyes were substantially turbid. “You have indeed changed, compared to the little brat ten years ago. Have you… have you met with Yu Qin?”

Ling Lie nodded, “A while ago, I went to Dongye City and visited her on the way.”

Yu Qianming: “Why the sudden concern for us? Not because I’m on my deathbed, right?”

Ling Lie did not beat around the bush, “Mr. Yu, actually I came today to ask you about the Yu Group’s investment in Chaoxia County.”

Hearing this, Yu Yesheng couldn’t help but interject, “What identity are you using to ask? Yu family member? Police? You haven’t been a Yu family member for ten years! Do you have a license? What right do you have to investigate?”

But Yu Qianming waved his hand, “How are you talking to Officer Ling? I have a past with Officer Ling. I am now dragging a sick body, wanting to see more old friends every day. He is willing to see me; I am very happy. What’s wrong with a few chats between old friends?”

“But…”

“You go out. Let me and Officer Ling… and Xiao Ge reminisce.”

Yu Yesheng glared fiercely at Ling Lie and left the ward.

Yu Qianming wanted to sit up. Ling Lie went forward to support him, feeling a handful of bones. Ling Lie remembered when he was first brought to the Yu family, Yu Qin rarely approached him, but Yu Qianming would occasionally hug him. At that time, Yu Qianming was tall and strong, with very strong muscles on his shoulders and back.

Illness can wear away a person’s shape.

“It’s about the car accident of that patient in Rongmei, right?” Yu Qianming said, “I’ve seen the news too. Do you also believe it’s vengeful spirits causing trouble?”

Ling Lie shook his head, “Of course I don’t believe it. People have a herd mentality. One person says they saw a ghost, and more and more people will say they saw a ghost. If someone guides them, the rumors will be more serious.”

Yu Qianming: “A competitor knows my health is poor and wants to take the opportunity to mess with the Yu Group, but it doesn’t matter. The group already has countermeasures.”

Ling Lie: “I won’t pry into these commercial battles. What I’m curious about is, why did the Yu Group take that hot potato that no one was willing to take back then?”

Yu Qianming’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Ling Lie continued: “The outside world says that before building Rongmei, the Yu Group did not ask a ‘master’ to check feng shui and perform religious services. I mulled over this and found it a bit strange.”

Yu Qianming smiled, “What, I remember you sneered at these ghostly things when you were a child. Did your captain also teach you feng shui?”

That captain naturally referred to Xiao Yu’an. At that time, Ling Lie was controlled by the special operations team and voluntarily became an informant for the special operations team, thus having to leave his original family. It was Xiao Yu’an who personally went to the Yu family, completed a series of complex work, and changed him from a fake young master Yu Ge to Ling Lie walking in the dark.

“Not really. We believe in science. I’m looking at it from your perspective, can’t figure out why you would take that land and not consider any feng shui factors,” Ling Lie said unhurriedly. “I still remember when I was a child, every year you would lead the family members to worship ancestors and ghosts, often inviting ‘masters’ to check feng shui. You believed in those.”

Yu Qianming stared into Ling Lie’s eyes, as if to find an answer in them.

Ling Lie let him look calmly, then continued: “Although I am no longer your family member, I lived in the Yu family for so many years. When there is news about you on TV, I watch it every time. As far as I know, the Yu Group almost only invests in projects in big cities. Chaoxia County is just a small county.”

Yu Qianming withdrew his sticky and focused gaze, looking at the ceiling, “Then you have to ask Yu Qin.”

“Rongmei’s project is Yu Qin’s responsibility?”

“I guess so. A few years ago, she proposed a strategy of expanding into counties as cities were saturated. I let her do it, and several county projects were very successful.”

“You don’t know about the fire?”

Yu Qianming waved his hand, “Yu Qin is different from us old antiques. Her adolescence was spent abroad. She doesn’t value feng shui much.”

Ling Lie heard the evasion in Yu Qianming’s words, and that he was pushing everything onto Yu Qin. Were these county projects all Yu Qin’s work? Was Yu Qianming completely unaware of the details?

It wasn’t that simple.

The visiting time was limited to one hour. Yu Qianming was like a chess master. Every question Ling Lie threw out, he could almost counter. Ling Lie couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, this old thing is cunning.

But he didn’t come today to obtain any evidence, just to test Yu Qianming’s attitude. Yu Qianming’s highly defensive actions happened to show that the Yu Group’s investment in Chaoxia County did hide some problems.

When the time was up, Yu Yesheng came in with a nurse and asked Ling Lie to leave. Ling Lie said meaningfully to Yu Qianming: “Mr. Yu, rest well. I will come to visit you again.”

Leaving the ward, Ling Lie’s attention returned to Yu Yesheng’s angry face.

Yu Yesheng: “What exactly are you looking at?”