The Last Mr. Dongguo

Nine people of different backgrounds were gathered together by a mysterious figure on this special night of the Ghost Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar), sending chills down everyone's spines. The atmosphere was incredibly eerie. There was the elusive Gu Hezhi, the fat man with a smile that concealed a knife, the enigmatic Director He, a couple who didn't seem like a couple, the man in a baseball cap who seemed indifferent to everyone, Fei Li whose thoughts were stuck in the past, the tense and conflicted Li Mengying, and the ever-vigilant Cheng Luan. None of the nine invited seemed to be there for the painting, and they had no connection to each other. Despite the presence of the mysterious figure and the unsettling atmosphere, no one left. Each of the nine harbored their own thoughts, and the atmosphere slowly reached its breaking point.

"Hello everyone, it is an honor to have you all here. Please forgive me if there is any inconvenience. To show our sincerity, we have asked Director He to prepare a sumptuous dinner for you. Please come to the restaurant and enjoy the delicious food. Afterwards, we can appreciate the paintings together."

As the clock struck twenty-one, a standard announcer's voice emanated from the hall's loudspeakers, and the polite invitation to the dinner eased the tense atmosphere. Led by He Zheng, the nine people arrived at the restaurant. Sure enough, a sumptuous dinner was already prepared, with exactly nine sets of cutlery on the table, like guards already in place, awaiting their seats.

"Please, please, everyone, make yourselves at home."

He Zheng was about to lead everyone into the restaurant when a very pleasant cell phone ringtone interrupted his actions.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call." He Zheng turned to leave while answering the phone.

"I'm busy today, so you don't need to come..."

He Zheng said a few words and then hung up, his serious expression immediately replaced by a smile. Afterwards, at He Zheng's invitation, the nine people took their seats, and the banquet began.

"Director He, was the person who just spoke the one who invited us to look at the paintings?" Liu Ting asked He Zheng while cutting her steak.

"Yes, that should be it. I've never seen him before."

"Why didn't he come to eat with us?"

"I don't know." He Zheng shook his head helplessly.

"Oh dear, Director He, stop keeping us in suspense and quickly invite the host out. We originally thought you were the host today, but it turns out the host is someone else. What's the meaning of hiding like this? And where did that Professor Gu go? Could Professor Gu be the host?"

"No, no," He Zheng quickly waved his hand. "The voice is off. Besides, given Professor Gu's relationship with me, even if he wanted to hold an art exhibition here, there's no need for him to do this."

"So tell me, was that a recording or a live transmission?" Li Mengying was still uneasy, partly influenced by the old man on the street, and partly worried about the man in the baseball cap. At that moment, the man in the baseball cap sat far away at the corner of the table, slowly cutting a steak with a knife, his cap pulled low so his face was obscured. He sat there quietly.

"You'll have to ask Director He. Where is your monitoring room? To get sound from the speakers, you have to go through the monitoring room. I bet that person is watching us from there right now."

Everyone involuntarily looked up at the camera above them, and the lens responded with a pale blue light.

"Impossible. The monitoring room is full of security guards. Captain Li patrols it every half hour. There's no way an outsider could have entered." He Zheng said, then asked into his headset, "Captain Li, what's the situation in the monitoring room?"

"Everything is normal."

"Hehe, that's strange. Where did that sound come from?"

"Forget it, let's not dwell on those little things. Let's just enjoy this delicious food. It's really good, the steak is cooked just right. No wonder it's a top-notch chef that Director He invited. What do you think, darling?" Liu Ting looked at the man beside her who had been silent all along, and the man just nodded and smiled.

"Mr. Liu, you certainly have strict family discipline. I haven't heard Mr. Zhang say a word since he came in. Mr. Zhang, let me toast you."

He Zheng picked up his wine glass and bowed respectfully.

"Not at all, I'm not a very talkative person. At the company, it's all thanks to General Manager Liu who takes care of things, so I have a lot of free time." Zhang Tingyu quickly raised his glass in return.

"Hmph, I really didn't know you two had the leisure to look at paintings. Today is the Ghost Festival, aren't you afraid of running into Feng Xin?" The burly man downed his glass of red wine in one gulp. "Feng Xin is probably starving and freezing somewhere right now. You two are truly worthy of being bosses, you have such big hearts."

"What do you mean?" Liu Ting's welcoming smile vanished, and she slammed the knife and fork into the plate. "We've done all we can. Besides, Feng Xin died of illness in the hospital. What does it have to do with us? We've contributed money and effort; we've already done more than enough."

"A person who was perfectly fine in the morning died in the hospital in the afternoon, and now even the body has disappeared. Don't you think there's something fishy about this?" The burly man drank another glass of red wine, his cheeks were visibly flushed, and his eyes held a hint of sorrow.

"Who are you to Feng Xin?" Cheng Luan demanded sharply from the corner of the dining table.

"And who are you? What's it to you?" The burly man was clearly drunk, his eyes darting around, his face full of disdain.

"Criminal Investigation Division, Cheng Luan."

"police?"

Surprise, excitement, joy, sadness.

The once seven-foot-tall strong man now looks like a wronged child.

"My name is Feng Hao, and I am Feng Xin's older brother."

What an unexpected find! I never imagined that the case of the missing body this morning would be resolved here.

"Can you tell me about the circumstances surrounding Feng Xin's death?"

"Xin Xin is..."

"Distinguished guests, is your meal enjoyable? Just sitting here eating is certainly no fun. I've been thinking, how about we play a game to liven things up?" Feng Hao's words were interrupted by a sudden sound from the speakers. "I recently read an 'Ode to the Divine Crow,' and it deeply moved me. The ode describes how, in the third month of spring, a male and female crow painstakingly built their nest. One day, the female crow went out to gather materials. Upon returning home, she discovered a bird thief stealing her materials. The female crow and the bird arguing and fighting ensued. The female crow, outmatched, was badly injured. As she lay dying, she summoned the male crow and told him to find a good female to spend the rest of her life with, and to raise their two chicks. The bird thief, having stolen their property, went unpunished, while the victim suffered hardship and even death. This outcome made the male bird unable to bear living there any longer, so he abandoned his nest and flew away. Do you think such a bird thief can escape the law? Shouldn't it be punished?"

"Is there any need to ask? A life for a life, it's only right and proper." Feng Hao gritted his teeth and looked at Zhang Tingyu. In his heart, he was already convinced that Zhang Tingyu was the murderer who killed his sister.

"Perhaps, perhaps the bird thief has his reasons?" Zhang Tingyu tried to suppress the panic in his heart, but Fei Li saw through his entire demeanor.

"Murder is murder. There's no excuse. If you break the law, you should be punished."

The man in the baseball cap spoke. If he hadn't spoken, everyone seemed to have ignored him. Now that he spoke, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him. He carefully removed his baseball cap, revealing his face.

It's really him!

boom!

The sudden darkness concealed Li Mengying's bewildered expression.