Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 196 Successor

The screen image is frozen on a photograph.

The man in the photo is slightly turned to the side, mixing drinks at the bar.

Judging from the shooting angle and the clarity of the photo, it was not a staged shot, but a candid or surreptitious shot.

He was wearing a well-tailored white shirt and a black tuxedo, without a bow tie, the top button of his shirt was undone, and his hair was slicked back with a slicked-back style, the left side of which was a little messy.

He had an ordinary face, with plain features and no memorable features; he would be hard to spot in a crowd.

Lu Jingming tapped the table with his long fingers slightly bent: "What are your thoughts?"

Wei Qingsong's pen flew across the paper: "First of all, one thing is very clear: the information about Guan Kai provided by the Manitoba police differs from the information about Guan Kai in Chen Donghai's testimony."

"According to Chen Donghai, Guan Kai is a rising star in Xuancheng, but in the eyes of the Manitoba police, Guan Kai is just an inconspicuous bartender."

“The information from the Manitoba police is accurate, and the testimony provided by Chen Donghai is also correct. A chamber of commerce attended by such elite individuals would definitely have photos stored online. With a little verification, we can find photos of Guan Kai, a rising entrepreneur in Xuancheng.”

"When two pieces of information conflict with each other, and both pieces of information are true, then there must be some hidden secrets involved."

How did a nobody bartender in Manitoba transform into an entrepreneur after arriving in Xuancheng?

Xiao Song was diligently taking notes when suddenly it dawned on him: "Could it be... the huge sum of embezzled funds from the Black Panther Group that has gone missing?"

Wei Qingsong tilted her head and chuckled: "I can only say that I cannot rule out that possibility."

Chen Jin analyzed logically: "You know what, it's actually quite possible. Look at Guan Kai, he has an ordinary appearance and an ordinary job, just like tens of thousands of ordinary office workers in this city. He's someone the police would hardly notice. But the more ordinary someone is, the easier it is to hide their identity and not attract attention."

Xiao Song added, "By the way, Chen Donghai also mentioned that Guan Kai has a peculiar sun tattoo on his arm. Why would an ordinary person have a full-body tattoo?"

"That's not necessarily true," Song Guifan said lazily.

Wei Qingsong glanced at him subconsciously.

This guy is really interesting.

Despite being humiliated on the spot by Lu Jingming, he remained unperturbed and continued to attend the meeting as if nothing had happened.

They said they were there for a meeting, but it seemed more like they were just there to make up the numbers.

From the moment he entered, he had been lying in an inconspicuous corner, resting with his eyes closed.

Wei Qingsong thought he wasn't listening at all.

“While tattoos are seen as a social marker by the public, in essence, they are just an outward symbol. Ordinary people can get tattoos if they want to,” Song Guifan calmly corrected his brother’s misconception.

"That's true, I was a bit prejudiced." Xiao Song nodded in agreement and turned around to copy Song Guifan's words into her notebook.

Song Guifan raised an eyebrow and continued, "However, I have a question. You all seem to agree that the mysterious successor to the Black Panther leader is Guan Kai. Why does no one suspect Guan Wenhan?"

Lu Jingming's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at him thoughtfully: "Officer Song, what have you discovered?"

"It's not so much that we discovered anything, it's just a bit strange." Song Guifan squinted. "You know, the more ordinary a person is, the less likely they are to be discovered. But when Guan Kai and Guan Wenhan are put together, almost all of you have cast suspicious glances at Guan Kai, while ignoring Guan Wenhan. Isn't that a contradiction?"

Chen Jin and Xiao Song were stunned by what they heard. They looked at each other and both fell into confusion.

What he said seemed to make a lot of sense. After a moment of thought, Xiao Song tentatively raised a question: "According to the information, Black Panther was a well-known and powerful gang in Myanmar Province back then. Would the leader of Black Panther groom a female successor?"

“I don’t mean to be sexist, but I just feel that when I think of gangsters, I’m more likely to think of muscular men or men with scars than a beautiful woman.”

Wei Qingsong chuckled: "That's typical of fixed thinking and stereotypes. Look, Guan Kai isn't a muscle man or a scarred man either."

"Also, don't forget, she's the hotel manager who had us completely fooled. Beautiful woman, those four simple words can't define her."

"She is meticulous, highly intelligent, extremely arrogant, and has a conceited and provocative personality. This woman is not simple at all."

Xiao Song blinked and asked curiously, "So, Sister Wei, you also think that Guan Wenhan is the mysterious successor?"

Song Guifan also looked at Wei Qingsong with great interest.

"I can't give a definitive conclusion, but I don't think Guan Kai is the mysterious successor I imagined."

"How so?" Song Guifan asked with great interest.

Wei Qingsong turned on the dormant screen, and Guan Kai's bar photo reappeared before everyone.

Looking at this photo, what kind of person do you think he is?

Chen Jin shook his head: "We laymen certainly can't figure it out. Why don't you just reveal it, Sister Wei?"

"Okay." Wei Qingsong snapped his fingers.

“Look, he’s wearing a proper shirt and suit, but no bow tie, and the top button of his shirt is undone, the opening is a little too wide, revealing a bit of the white T-shirt underneath.”

"He had his hair styled and applied hair oil, but the left side of his hair was messy."

"These details are enough to show that he is not very meticulous and is rather casual. He enjoys a relaxed and comfortable life more than a well-organized plan. Although he presents himself as a professional elite, his actual personality is completely opposite to that, so he is completely unable to engage with it."

Do you think a smart organizational leader would groom such a successor?

"Therefore, when Guan Kai and Guan Wenhan appeared in the public eye at the same time, the smokescreen and distraction was not Guan Wenhan, but Guan Kai."

"Clap clap—" A crisp clapping sound rang out.

Song Guifan laughed heartily twice: "Impressive. No wonder the provincial department is praising your municipal bureau for its increasingly efficient case handling. With Captain Lu in charge and Advisor Wei's brilliant profile, it's hard not to admire you."

Wei Qingsong couldn't figure out what he was up to, so she politely replied, "Not at all, the colleagues in the provincial department are more professional and have a wider range of police specialties. Our bureau has never had a forensic artist, not even an external one."

Song Guifan raised an eyebrow: "Can I interpret this as Consultant Wei extending an olive branch to me on behalf of the Tangzhou Municipal Bureau?"

Wei Qingsong: "..."

You're overthinking it; she was just being polite.

I really don't understand how Xiao Song, who seems so well-behaved and honest, could have such a strange way of thinking as her older brother.

Lu Jingming tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention back.

"Xiao Song, please follow up with the Manitoba police regarding the content of the meeting just now. The rest of you, get back to work. Meeting adjourned."

(End of this chapter)