met free Chapter 923 Investigation into Guo Jianfeng's Interpersonal Relationships
Chapter 923 Investigation into Guo Jianfeng's Interpersonal Relationships
“There’s one more thing,” Zhang Lin picked up the deceased’s gold fountain pen, “A woman’s DNA was detected inside the pen cap, matching the pattern on the earring. This pen is a custom-made gift from Jinshi Financial, usually given to important clients, which suggests that the murderer may have approached Guo Jianfeng under the guise of a client.”
Morning light streamed through the blinds, illuminating the autopsy report. Guo Jianfeng's timeline of death was marked in red. Li Ming stood up and put the evidence photos into a folder: "I'll immediately arrange for a screening of Jinshi Financial's female clients, especially those with blood type B and those who recently received custom-made pens. Zhang Lin, could you please do another tissue section to check if the drug's distribution in the body conforms to the injection route?"
“Don’t worry,” Zhang Lin rubbed his sore shoulders. “Also, I suggest checking the pharmacies around the building. Diazepam is a controlled substance, and the murderer may have obtained it through illegal channels, such as buying it online or getting it from outside the hospital.”
Li Ming walked to the door but then turned back, his gaze falling on the diamond earring on the autopsy table: "That woman in the red dress, since she dared to show herself under surveillance, either she was confident she wouldn't be exposed, or she was deliberately misleading the public." He paused, "But in any case, every piece of evidence she left behind will become a nail in her heart."
While one group checked the surveillance footage, Li Ming personally led a team to investigate Guo Jianfeng's interpersonal relationships.
In another murder case, confirming the victim's identity has its advantages. The victim's murder must have some connection. A murderer must have a motive; whether it's for money or love, it's rare for someone to have an antisocial personality, randomly killing a stranger. Furthermore, such cases are not necessarily rare in Dongchuan; domestically, cases like this are relatively uncommon.
Therefore, Guo Jianfeng's death must be related to his work or life. By investigating Guo Jianfeng's interpersonal relationships, we can determine the scope of criminal suspects.
The next morning at nine o'clock, in the conference room on the 32nd floor of Jinshi Financial Company, Li Ming, accompanied by investigator Xiao Zhang, interviewed Guo Jianfeng's colleagues one by one. Outside the glass curtain wall, spring rain was drizzling. On the conference table was a work photo of Guo Jianfeng—wearing a dark blue suit, a gold pen clipped to his collar, his gentle smile exuding professionalism.
“Jianfeng, he’s our department’s star employee,” Chen Yu, the marketing director, twirled his coffee cup. “He won the annual sales championship last year and helped our clients make a lot of money. He’s low-key and never takes credit for others. Last month, he even gave up his promotion opportunity to a newcomer.” He pointed to the green plant in the corner of the office area. “That fiddle-leaf fig was brought from home by him. He said the office was too depressing and he wanted to add some life to it.”
"Who does he usually hang out with?" Xiao Zhang asked, flipping through his notebook.
"You're quite close to Lin Yutong from finance, aren't you?" Chen Yu hesitated for a moment. "But it's just a normal colleague relationship. Lin Yutong is getting engaged next month, and her fiancé is a senior executive at a foreign company. Jianfeng often helps her with clients' financial plans, and it's common for the two of them to work overtime until very late."
The second person to enter was intern Wang Lu, her hands trembling slightly as she held the folder: "Brother Feng is such a nice guy. It was my first time doing client due diligence, and I messed up the report format. He helped me fix it until 3 a.m. and even bought me milk tea." She bit her lip, "He said that once I'm officially hired, he'll take me to meet my first big client, and now..." Her voice trailed off.
"Has he mentioned his family situation?" Li Ming noticed the custom cufflinks from Jinshi Financial on Wang Lu's sleeve.
“All I know is that he comes from a single-parent family and his mother runs a grocery store in his hometown,” Wang Lu wiped her eyes. “Last year, his mother was hospitalized, and he worked during the day and took care of her at night. He didn’t get a good night’s sleep for half a month, but his sales performance didn’t drop. Everyone called him ‘Iron Man’.”
The third person was Zhang Li, a veteran employee in the risk control department, whose shirt collar was worn white: "Guo Jianfeng is too meticulous. Last month, a client wanted to operate illegally, but he refused to approve it, which offended the sales director." He lowered his voice, "But afterwards, the director praised him at the regular meeting, saying that the company needs people with strong principles like him."
"Did that customer cause him any trouble later?" Xiao Zhang pressed.
“What trouble could there be?” Zhang Li shrugged. “The financial industry is only so big, and everyone here is a respectable person. Besides, Jianfeng has several big clients, and the director still needs him to boost performance.”
The fourth person was Liu Min from the administration department. She sat down with a stack of attendance sheets in her arms: "Guo Jianfeng is never late or leaves early, and he rarely even takes sick leave. Last month, he had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius, but he still came to the company to hand in customer information, saying, 'I can't keep the customers waiting.'" She pointed to the red pen marks on the attendance sheets, "You see, his overtime hours are the longest in the department, but he has never complained."
"Does he have conflicts with other departments? For example, the technical department?" Li Ming recalled the building's electrical wire collection records.
"The technical department?" Liu Min shook her head. "He even has to ask me how to use the photocopier. He doesn't really have any dealings with the technical department. Oh, by the way, he helped Lin Yutong fix her computer last week. She said it had a virus and he spent the whole afternoon fixing it."
The fifth person is Old Zhou from the security department, who is in charge of patrolling the floors: "Mr. Guo is always smiling, and he will greet us when he passes by the security room. Once, my grandson wanted to buy a school district house, and he specially made an investment plan for him, without charging a penny." He took out a crumpled piece of paper, "Look, this is it. He said that if you save according to this, you can save enough for a down payment in three years."
"Has he been behaving strangely lately?" Li Ming took the paper, which was covered with a fund investment plan.
“I didn’t notice,” Old Zhou scratched his head. “It was just last week, I think. He got into an argument with a woman in a red dress in the parking lot. They were talking really loudly. I saw from a distance that the woman slapped him across the face.”
These words made Li Ming and Xiao Zhang look up simultaneously. "The woman in the red dress?" Xiao Zhang pressed, "Did you get a good look at her face?"
“He was wearing sunglasses,” Old Zhou squinted. “But his figure is a bit like Lin Yutong’s, both are tall and thin. Mr. Guo covered his face as he entered the elevator. Later I asked him what happened, and he said, ‘My family is having a fight,’ and told me not to make a fuss.”
The sixth person was Ms. Wu, the cleaning lady, who came in carrying disinfectant: "Xiao Guo is so polite. He always holds the door for me when he passes by. Last month, when my husband was hospitalized, he quietly slipped me two thousand yuan, saying, 'Consider it an advance on cleaning fees.'" She pulled a crumpled envelope from her pocket, "I wanted to return it to him, but now..."
"Does he usually eat in the office?" Li Ming noticed the "Cloud Restaurant" tissue on Wu Jie's cuff.
“I order takeout occasionally,” Sister Wu nodded. “My favorite is the medium-rare steak from Yun Duan, which he says is ‘the standard for successful people.’ Once, when I was cleaning out his trash can, I saw a note on the takeout order saying ‘Extra black pepper sauce.’”