After finishing their meal, Lin Feng and Qingniao went downstairs.
Qingniao got into her SUV and took out two identification cards from her bag.
"For this visit and investigation, we need a credible identity."
"I've already arranged it for you. You and I are now special investigators of the Seventh Division."
Qingniao handed one of the IDs to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng put away the ID, thinking that Qingniao was quite thorough.
Chuzhou was not far from Qingcheng; both were directly administered cities under Jiang Province.
It only took an hour to drive to Chuzhou.
Compared to Qingcheng, Chuzhou had a more poetic and picturesque landscape, somewhat resembling the water towns south of the Yangtze River.
Chuzhou was an ancient city with a long history. It had beautiful mountains and waters, with the Xichu River flowing through the entire city.
Qingniao drove to the Qingbei District of Chuzhou according to the address.
Qingbei District was one of Chuzhou's nine districts and eighteen counties.
There were fewer tall buildings here; it was mostly filled with old houses that had a long history.
Su Xiaoyue's home was in an old house in Qingbei District.
According to the information Qingniao obtained, the Su family, to which Su Xiaoyue belonged, had produced high-ranking officials in history.
Their most prominent ancestor had served as Prime Minister. The Su family's residence was a house rewarded by the imperial court back then, and the family was also bestowed with a plaque.
When Lin Feng and Qingniao arrived at the Su family residence, the main gate was open. The couplets pasted on the gate had lost their color due to age.
The courtyard was covered with fallen leaves and dust.
It looked as if no one had lived there for a long time.
"Excuse me, is anyone home?"
Qingniao called out a few times after entering the residence.
There was no answer. When they pushed open the doors to a few rooms, they were all empty.
"No need to shout. No one has lived here for a long time; the beams are covered in spiderwebs."
"Little Bird, is your information incorrect?"
After a careful inspection, Lin Feng could confirm that the residence had been abandoned long ago.
"That's impossible. The information collected by the Seventh Division has never been wrong. Perhaps the Su family encountered some kind of incident."
"How about this, I'll contact the local authorities and ask."
With no other options, Qingniao was about to make a call when she saw a middle-aged woman in a sanitation worker's uniform walking into the courtyard of the Su residence.
"Auntie, where did this family go?"
Qingniao put down her phone and kindly asked the sanitation worker.
"You're asking about the Su family? They haven't lived here for a long time."
"The Su family's daughter found a rich boyfriend, and the whole family moved to the city."
The sanitation worker said.
"Auntie, do you know the name of the young lady Su found as her boyfriend? And where in the city they live?"
Qingniao asked eagerly.
"Yes, I do. The man's name is Chen Tai, and he is the richest man in Chuzhou. Chen Tai built all the highways in Chuzhou. He's incredibly wealthy; everyone knows him."
The sanitation worker's spirits rose when she mentioned Chen Tai.
"Such a wealthy boss, he must be quite old, right?"
Qingniao was a bit curious. Logically, to become the richest man in Chuzhou would require decades of effort.
"Chen Tai is almost seventy this year. The Su family's daughter has found herself a sugar daddy. Young girls these days just like wealthy men, they don't care about age anymore."
The sanitation worker chuckled, clearly expressing dissatisfaction with modern young people.
"Alright, then we know. Thank you, Auntie."
Knowing Su Xiaoyue's whereabouts, Qingniao didn't waste any more time. She pulled Lin Feng along and headed straight for the city center.
On the way to the city, Qingniao specifically pulled up Chen Tai's profile.
After the profile was displayed, both Qingniao and Lin Feng were astonished.
They didn't realize how extraordinary Chen Tai was until they looked him up. He held the economic lifeline of the entire Chuzhou, with businesses spanning both legal and illegal sectors.
Most importantly, Chen Tai had deep connections with many high-ranking officials and dignitaries in Chuzhou.
For Chen Tai's birthday, local officials from Chuzhou would attend to offer their blessings.
To maintain these relationships, Chen Tai had even built a private yacht.
The yacht sailed periodically, each time bringing dozens of models.
Its scale was comparable to the "Haitian Sheng Yan" (a lavish party), specifically catering to Chuzhou's officials and dignitaries.
This meant that Chen Tai's status as the richest man in Chuzhou was backed by powerful figures.
"We can be sure now that this Su Xiaoyue is definitely with Chen Tai. As for their exact relationship, it might not be what the rumors say."
Lin Feng said to himself as he looked at Chen Tai's profile.
"Why do you say that? Did you notice something?"
Qingniao was confused. They hadn't even reached Chen Tai's place yet, and Lin Feng had already drawn a definitive conclusion.
"Look, according to the information, Chen Tai has been moving houses frequently recently. His houses have either been flooded or suddenly collapsed."
"Didn't you mention before that when Su Xiaoyue gets upset and cries, it triggers floods?"
"So, Chen Tai's houses being repeatedly flooded must be related to Su Xiaoyue."
"And Su Xiaoyue's deep sadness must also be related to Chen Tai, indicating that Su Xiaoyue's situation is not good."
Lin Feng analyzed.
Qingniao's eyes lit up. Lin Feng's points were all valid, and she hadn't realized it before.
"Hmph, you're quite observant. I always thought you were useless except for your lecherousness."
Qingniao chuckled, gaining a new perspective on Lin Feng.
"Don't underestimate me. When I was awesome, you didn't even know what you were doing."
Lin Feng smiled. Investigating cases was child's play for him.
He simply didn't want to waste his brain cells; otherwise, there would be no case he couldn't solve in this world.
"You're getting carried away with a little praise. Once we get to Chen Tai's place, we'll know everything."
"If it's really as you say, I think Su Xiaoyue might be coerced by Chen Tai."
"However, Chen Tai is not an easy person to deal with. Having reached his position, this guy is a shrewd operator."
Qingniao had encountered many rich people and knew that they were all more cunning and sly than the last.
As expected, when Lin Feng and Qingniao arrived at Chen Tai's villa, they were stopped by his security guards at the gate before they could even enter.
"Hey, didn't we give you our IDs? We're sent by higher authorities to investigate. Why aren't you letting us in?"
Qingniao was somewhat indignant.
"These IDs are useless here. If you want to get in, bring a search warrant!"
"Without a search warrant, I don't care who sent you. Don't you know who the richest man in Chuzhou is? You think you can investigate our Master Tai so easily?"
"Get lost!"
Several security guards threw Qingniao's IDs back at her and yelled rudely.
"Let me tell you, you mean to say Chen Tai is the emperor here, and we're not qualified to investigate him, nor are we worthy of entering his gates?"
Lin Feng understood the meaning behind the security guards' words.
"Exactly. Since you're sensible, why are you still babbling?"
"If you want to investigate our Master Tai, go back and ask your superiors. I wonder if your superiors have the guts!"
Chen Tai's security guards were extremely arrogant.
Qingniao clenched her fists in anger and could only call the local authorities, hoping to get a search warrant from the person in charge.
As a result, not only did they refuse to issue a search warrant, but they also kept probing Qingniao about her background.
"Forget it. These people are all in cahoots. Even a strong dragon can't defeat a local snake. The official procedure definitely won't work."
"Let's use my method."
Lin Feng gave Qingniao a look.
"Your method? What method?"
Qingniao was puzzled.
Then, Lin Feng grabbed one of the security guards by the neck.
"Come on, open the door. Let's see who dares to stop me!"
Lin Feng resorted to force.
Seeing this, the security guards didn't hesitate. They all grabbed the electric batons from their waists and swarmed Lin Feng.
Facing a bunch of petty thugs, Lin Feng couldn't be bothered to waste more words. He knocked them all away with a single punch each.
Then, he kicked open the large iron gate and forcibly entered with Qingniao.
"This is your method? We're here to investigate, not to break the law!"
Qingniao was speechless. As a public official, how could she resort to such a crude method to trespass?
"In this world, whoever has the bigger fist makes the law."
"Since you're cooperating with me, you should do it my way."
As Lin Feng spoke, a group of thugs rushed out of Chen Tai's villa.
Seeing Lin Feng breaking in, they menacingly pulled out their daggers and stabbed at Lin Feng without a word.
"See? When dealing with people who disregard the law, can you be polite?"
Lin Feng gave Qingniao a sidelong glance and dealt with the group of thugs.
Qingniao fell silent, seemingly realizing that Lin Feng's method was correct.
This Chen Tai was not a legitimate businessman at all.