As Xin Weimin listened to the footsteps fading away in the corridor, he took off his reading glasses, placed them on the table, and let out a long sigh.

He sat quietly at his desk for a moment, then picked up the receiver of the red landline and dialed a number.

The receiver rang twice before the other end answered.

"Xiao Zhou, it's me, Xin Weimin. I hope I'm not disturbing your rest by calling so late?"

The old man spoke casually, but his eyes had regained the sharpness that once shone through in Beijing's social circles.

The next morning, Han Yue had just arrived at the station and hadn't even had a chance to sit down when the team leader appeared beside her desk and knocked on the partition:

"Xiao Han, Director Zhou wants you to go to his office."

Han Yue, puzzled, straightened her police uniform collar, strode down the corridor, and knocked on the door of the bureau chief's office.

Director Zhou sat behind his desk, holding an enamel mug in his hand, steam rising from it.

He gestured to the chair opposite him, indicating for Han Yue to sit down, and got straight to the point:

"What are the bases and evidence for the investigation into Zhao Jiaming's case, and the combined investigation application you submitted earlier regarding Duan Xing and Chen Jing?"

Han Yue sat up straight:

"Reporting to Director Zhou, there is currently no direct evidence."

But all the clues in the three cases pointed to Lin Mo.

The three victims all died after conflicts with Lin Mo, and the circumstances are remarkably similar, making it statistically highly unlikely to be a coincidence.

Director Zhou nodded slowly, blew away the foam in his teacup, and took a sip.

Then he placed the teacup on the table and interlaced his fingers in front of him:

"Xiao Han, although you've just joined the criminal investigation department, you should already know the rules, so I don't need to explain them to you."

Without evidence, a case cannot be concluded based on inference alone.

From this moment forward, unless new substantive evidence emerges, you shall not conduct any further investigation or contact with Lin Mo.

Why?

Han Yue frowned.

"Because Lin Mo is the Xin family's son-in-law, it has a bad influence!"

Director Zhou sighed.

"Moreover, Mr. Xin Weimin personally called me last night."

If you continue to pursue this, you'll be offending the Xin family to the point of no return.

I've said enough; you should know where to draw the line.

Han Yue's lips were pressed into a thin line, but she did not back down.

She straightened her back, met Zhou Ju's gaze, and spoke in a low but firm voice:

"Director Zhou, even if he is the son-in-law of the Xin family, everyone is equal before the law."

Moreover, the Zhao family is not to be trifled with.

Zhao Jiaming's grandfather's status in Beijing was no lower than that of Old Xin!

"Besides, I have this relationship with the Zhao family. If the case is left unresolved, how am I supposed to explain it to them?"

Director Zhou picked up his teacup, took another sip, and slowly put it down before speaking:

"If the Zhao family wants an explanation, then show them the evidence."

What about the evidence?

do you have?

It's all just your guess at the end.

According to the rules, the principle of presumption of innocence applies; this is a fundamental principle of law.

The principle that speculation should not be taken as fact applies everywhere.

Han Yue opened her mouth as if to say something, but the landline on Director Zhou's desk suddenly rang.

He glanced down at the caller ID, then waved his hand at Han Yue, a gesture that clearly indicated the conversation was over.

Han Yue gritted her teeth, stood up, saluted, and turned to leave the office.

After closing the door, Han Yue clenched her fists and muttered to herself as she walked:

"Let him go? No way! I will bring the murderer who killed my cousin to justice!"

Just as she reached the corner of the corridor, a familiar figure stepped out of the elevator. The moment Han Yue saw the person, a hint of hostility flashed in her eyes.

The newcomer was Xin Lu. Today, she was wearing a beige suit skirt and carrying two exquisitely packaged cans of tea. Her long hair was neatly tied up in a bun at the back of her head, and she looked radiant.

She paused for a moment when she saw Han Yue. Their eyes met briefly in the corridor. Xin Lu nodded slightly as a greeting, and then walked straight towards Director Zhou's office.

There was a gentle knock on the office door.

Director Zhou looked up, immediately stood up, and walked around the desk to greet her. The smile on his face was completely different from the businesslike manner he had displayed when speaking to Han Yue earlier.

"Lulu, you're here now, why did you bring anything? Is your grandfather alright?"

"Please sit down, please sit down!"

"My grandfather is doing very well; he asked me to bring you this tea!"

As she spoke, Xin Lu placed the tea gift box on the coffee table, then sat down on the sofa with an elegant and composed demeanor.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, chatting about everything from Xin Weimin's blood pressure to several new projects in the city, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Director Zhou was promoted by Xin Weimin, which is a great favor.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Xin Lu casually brought it up:

"By the way, Uncle Zhou, you must have heard about what happened at the restaurant last time, right?"

"I heard about it. I was just talking about Xiao Han, who is in charge of the investigation."

Zhao Jiaming died unexpectedly, so the case should be closed as soon as possible. Public resources shouldn't be wasted just because he was a member of the Zhao family!

Xin Lu was very satisfied with the flowers Zhou Ju had chosen, and she nodded in approval.

"Yes, Uncle Zhou!"

Lin Mo is my boyfriend. He got into a conflict with Zhao Jiaming to protect me!

Zhao Jiaming is a man who, relying on the Zhao family's influence, commits all sorts of evil deeds without any scruples!

They actually attacked me in public! If it weren't for Lin Mo, I might have been bullied!

Director Zhou paused slightly in his teacup, then smiled even more warmly.

Xin Weimin, the son-in-law of the Xin family, specifically mentioned this identity on the phone last night, and Xin Lu personally came to confirm it today:

"Yes, Zhao Jiaming deserved to die!"

"Yes! Uncle Zhou, I can assure you, Lin Mo has absolutely nothing to do with Zhao Jiaming's death!"

Director Zhou nodded knowingly, patted the sofa armrest, and said solemnly:

"Don't worry, Lulu. Old Xin has already spoken to me about Lin Mo's matter."

We will not wrong an innocent person.

No one can pin something on someone without evidence; in fact, investigations shouldn't be arbitrary.

Xin Lu smiled slightly, picked up her teacup, and gently tapped it against Director Zhou's enamel mug:

"With Uncle Zhou's words, I feel relieved."

As soon as Xin Lu got into her car after leaving the police station, her phone rang.

She answered the phone, and it was her secretary's voice on the other end:

"Mr. Xin, the business license and company registration procedures have been completed. The business scope now covers health products and biotechnology as you mentioned. Bank account opening and tax registration have also been completed."

"Okay, let's go find an office space."

Xin Lu hung up the phone, turned the steering wheel, and drove directly to Lin Mo's residence.

When Xin Lu knocked on the door, Lin Mo was still discussing knowledge points with Long Qingxue.

Although Lin Mo was annoyed at being interrupted, he had no choice but to give up.

Tell Long Qingxue to rest inside and not to make any noise.

He went to the door and opened it.

Xin Lu walked into the room and sat down on the sofa.

With her legs crossed, her black silk-stockinged feet, clad in sandals, swayed back and forth.

Seeing Lin Mo staring at her toes, Xin Lu rolled her eyes at him, but secretly she was delighted.

"Your problem has been resolved!"

Xin Lu briefly explained the situation at the police station.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief. He took out two porcelain bottles from his spatial storage and handed them to Xin Lu:

"One bottle of Beauty Pills, ten pills. One bottle of Golden Gun Pills, ten pills."

Xin Lu took the porcelain bottle and carefully put it into her LV bag.

After leaving Lin Mo's house, Xin Lu found a name in her WeChat contacts that she hadn't contacted in a long time.

Su Manyun.

This wealthy woman is the legal wife of Wang, a real estate tycoon in Dajiang City. The two used to frequently receive treatments at the same high-end beauty salon and were considered nodding acquaintances.

Su Manyun's biggest hobby is plastic surgery. From double eyelids to jawline reduction, she has spent at least hundreds of millions of yuan on her face.

Xin Lu invited her to have afternoon tea at her usual private tea house.

The two sat in a private booth by the floor-to-ceiling window, where the autumn sunlight streamed in from the side and fell directly on Xin Lu's face.

Su Manyun had just taken a sip from her bone china teacup when her gaze became fixed on Xin Lu's skin, unable to look away.

"Lulu, where have you been getting your skincare done lately? The results are amazing! Look at the glow, the smoothness—it's comparable to a baby's skin!"

Xin Lu touched her cheek, her expression carrying just the right amount of shyness:

"Sister Manyun, this isn't something you do for skincare."

"Not skincare? Oh, I know, you must be in love, and you've improved a lot!"

Su Manyun put down her teacup with a mischievous grin on her face.

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