Chapter 400: The Reporter

"Murder?" My brow twitched, the corners of my lips curling up. "A woman's intuition?"

"I don't have any direct proof." Li Jingyu sat on the bed, looking at her pale, slender fingers. "My father was an intensely selfish man. He never would have made a will while he was still alive, let alone leave his entire estate to my eldest brother. Second, he was in excellent health. How could he drop dead from a sudden heart attack? These two doubts have been gnawing at me, which is why I said his death must have been a carefully orchestrated murder."

"So you want me to investigate for you?" My tone shifted. "There are plenty of private detectives in the central-south region. Why come to me?"

Li Jingyu faltered, lowering her beautiful eyes. "You saved my life on Lanjiang Dam. To repay that debt, I'm giving you this chance to make a fortune."

"I don't see a fortune here. Jiangjin Real Estate already considers me their public enemy number one. If I offend the wealthiest family in Xinhu on top of that, how am I supposed to survive in the central-south region? Do you expect me to flee the country?" Setting down my water glass, I looked her straight in the eye. "Let's talk about something practical. Let's see if you can actually move me."

"If you hadn't been on the dam that day, I would have been killed by those thugs. You saved my life, which is the only reason I'm willing to tell you this. Lives are at stake, along with hundreds of millions in assets. I cannot allow a single mistake." Li Jingyu was already accustomed to speaking this way, incapable of tact or compromise.

"It seems you still don't understand." I stood up from my chair, making as if to leave. "No profit, no early rise. I need compensation I can actually see."

"As long as you can uncover the truth behind my father's death and find proof that the will is a forgery, name your price." Bringing out her persona as a powerful businesswoman, Li Jingyu offered a smile.

"You're quite good at writing blank checks. Right now, you have nothing. If I investigate and find that the Old Master died of natural causes and there are no issues with the will, won't all my running around be for nothing?" I knew perfectly well that Li Changgui had been murdered, but I wasn't going to point that out. A conclusion reached through a "grueling investigation" would be far more convincing than an empty claim, and it would let me negotiate for better terms.

"Then what do you want? Without evidence, I can't bring down Li Chunqiang. What do you think I have left to give you?" Sitting upright on the edge of the bed, the air feeling a bit stifling, Li Jingyu realized how her words sounded and squeezed her legs together. "I'm gambling here, and so are you. Once we win, I'll pay you over a million in a single lump sum. We can sign a contract right now."

"A million doesn't really tempt me, but your status is what catches my interest."

"What do you want?"

"The compensation doesn't matter. I have plenty of ways to make money; I have no need to take such a huge risk to investigate this. But the business influence of Xinhu's wealthiest family is exactly what I need. I can help you reclaim your family business, but you have to promise me one thing: once you return to the top, you will suppress Jiangjin Real Estate at all costs!" I spoke with absolute finality, without a shred of hesitation.

"You've had this planned out, it seems. But..." Li Jingyu looked me up and down. "Where does a private detective get the confidence to help me reclaim my family business? Or have you already grasped some vital clue regarding my father's death?"

"No comment."

"I've heard rumors of your conflict with the Jiang family, but I never imagined it had escalated to this degree." A fleeting glint of cunning flashed through Li Jingyu's eyes. "Alright, I accept. Let's sign the contract now."

She pulled a prepared contract from beneath her pillow and placed it in front of me. "Take a look. I'll revise anything you object to, and I will add a clause at the end about moving against Jiangjin Real Estate."

"You business types only care about profit. Even if I signed this, you'd find endless excuses and loopholes to get out of it." I shook my head. "I won't sign it, and there's no need to. Suppressing the Jiang family is a vague concept, but I expect you to go all out once this is over. Otherwise, whatever I help you win back, I can easily destroy. You should know what happened the night a citywide warrant was put out for me. I'm not a businessman, so don't try to play me with corporate tricks."

I casually pushed her meticulously prepared contract aside and stared into her eyes. She was a deeply ambitious woman; it was obvious in her gaze. A fierce fire burned deep within her pupils. Even at rock bottom, she held herself to the most stringent standards.

"Having this much confidence proves I didn't misjudge you. Fine. Once this is done, I will do everything in my power to persuade the shareholders to strike at the Jiang family. They're currently at a low point as their power wanes, and those shareholders should be more than happy to see our brand expand into Jiangcheng and break the Jiang family's monopoly in certain sectors."

After hearing her out, I finally gave a nod. "This verbal agreement is enough. Now, tell me the specific information you have."

Li Jingyu took a moment to recall. "My father lived a secluded life. For the past few years, he rarely showed his face to participate in the company's internal affairs. He lived alone in a villa in Xinhu City's Shuangfo District..."

"Shuangfo District?" The sudden appearance of that name made me blurt out in surprise.

"It's just a district name. What's so strange about it?" Li Jingyu looked at me, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Nothing, I'm just a bit sensitive about the name Shuangfo." I sighed inwardly. The Two-Faced Buddha had terrified me into jumping at shadows.

"My father lived out his retirement alone in that villa and rarely interacted with the outside world. He would only occasionally call my eldest brother over to discuss things. A few days before my father's death, my eldest brother paid a visit to the villa." Li Jingyu paused for a moment, as if making up her mind before continuing, "I don't know what the two of them did, but there were occasional rumors in the company. People claimed they saw my brother bring beautiful young models into the villa, yet when he came out, the models weren't with him."

"My father was always a strict, wise, and dignified figure in my heart, so I never let my thoughts wander in that direction. But facts proved that my father wasn't the giant I thought he was; he was hiding an unknown, secret side." Li Jingyu's voice was tinged with pain. I could understand the crushing disappointment of having an idol suddenly shatter.

"Late at night, a few days before the incident with my father, an online entertainment reporter was hiding around the villa to take photos. Rumor has it he heard terrible screams coming from inside the villa even from far away, and he managed to photograph something incredibly shocking that science can't explain."

"Eventually, the whole thing was swept under the rug. My brother publicly clarified that it was all fabricated nonsense and there was no reporter. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but when I audited the company accounts later, I discovered that four million of my brother's funds had been transferred into an ordinary bank account. When I investigated further, I found that the owner of that account worked in news media."

Li Jingyu took out a pen and paper, writing on it as she recalled the details. "The reporter's name is Zhang Heng. He's an out-of-towner living in Haixing District, working as an entertainment reporter for a website. You can find his past articles with a quick search online. How should I describe him? He's very... unique."

Li Jingyu had pondered for a long time without knowing how to describe him, finally forcing out the word 'unique.' "This man is the key. He must be holding on to some of my father and brother's darkest secrets. Find him, and this mystery can be solved."

"Zhang Heng?" The sudden appearance of a new player completely threw off my original guess. "He photographed something outside the villa that science can't explain?"

I suddenly felt that Li Changgui's death was much more complicated. Strapped to the Electric Chair, Wang Yuchun might not have lied, but she had definitely hidden something extremely important.

Pulling out my phone, I started searching online for news Zhang Heng had reported. Aside from a very small portion of entertainment gossip, the vast majority centered around Shuangfo District. And the three words that appeared most frequently across his columns were—Two-Faced Buddha!

"Cult Resurfaces: Followers Swallow Fire and Self-Immolate, Chanting the Name of an Unknown Buddha Before Death."

"Large Numbers of Stone Tablets Stored in Underground Palace: Twin-Born and Two-Faced, Resembling Both Buddha and Demon."

"Latest Update on the Flaying Case: The Killer Is Not Human; It Is a Divine Punishment from the Buddha."

"A Chance Encounter on the Street! Jiangcheng Serial Killer Lu Xing Spotted in Shuangfo District!"