Chapter 177

Tokyo Metropolis, Shinjuku Ward.

Xidao Youhui, wearing a thick sweater, walked into a bookstore.

As a book reviewer, his duty is to evaluate various books on the market and then point out their good and bad points. So the bookstore is his "second workplace" besides the newspaper office.

He walked past the counter, then followed the signs, and quickly found the literary journal area.

When he walked to the display stand, he stopped and prepared to look for the book he wanted.

Just at this moment, a magazine entered his field of vision.

Xidao Youhui was no stranger to this magazine. Just not long ago, he had written a bad review for a work in it, and as a result, that work had suspended publication last week.

What surprised Xidao Youhui a bit was that this magazine called "April Youth," compared to the previous issues, was it not a bit too thick?

Generally speaking, literary magazines usually serialize about a dozen articles, so the page count is often within 100 pages. But the one in front of him was far more than that number.

Even with the most conservative estimate, it was at least 200 pages, more than twice as thick as other magazines.

Holding a puzzled mentality, Xidao Youhui pulled one out from the pile of books on the display stand. He glanced at the cover and found that it was written "Special Issue of 'The Invisible Guest'."

Seeing this title, Xidao Youhui couldn't help but be surprised.

A special issue refers to an issue of a newspaper or magazine that specifically publishes a certain kind of content. So, this issue of "April Youth" was specifically going to focus on Akiwara Yuto's work?

What was the editorial department of "April Youth" thinking to make such a move!

Xidao Youhui hesitated for a moment, then took the one in his hand to the front desk to pay, and immediately after, he walked directly to a nearby park and sat on a bench.

He flipped through the table of contents, then opened the first page of the main text, and started reading.

The story continued to unfold.

Xuxiang Shenzhi continued to describe his memories to Watanabe Saki.

That day, after he discovered that the driver's father, Shanqi Long, was waiting for him outside the hotel, he instinctively wanted to leave.

But he thought about it and stopped his steps, pretending to be a stranger, and took the initiative to step forward to communicate, "Hello, I am Xuxiang Shenzhi, may I ask what is the matter?"

Shanqi Long stepped forward, bowed and introduced himself, and then said he learned from the police that the other car at the accident scene was Xuxiang Shenzhi's.

He walked forward seriously, looking at Xuxiang Shenzhi: "The police said my son ran away with money, but I know my son, he didn't steal anything, someone is covering up the facts."

"Sorry, I don't know the specific situation. Perhaps you and your wife should go and ask the police," Xuxiang Shenzhi answered subconsciously, "I was in New York during that time."

Shanqi Long was silent for a while, then took out his pocket and took out a cigarette, "Sorry, do you have a lighter?"

Xuxiang Shenzhi didn't doubt him, then used a lighter to light the cigarette for him.

Shanqi Long saw his move and smiled, "What a coincidence, the car that Ms. Dacheng Lixiang was driving at that time had one exactly the same as your lighter."

He put down the cigarette, and his smile faded.

"Mr. Xuxiang, I know you have a connection with that woman. I have followed you, you can't fool me!"

His voice got louder.

"I know you are rich and powerful, but I just want to beg you to return my son to me, even if it's just a corpse, we just want him to be buried in peace!"

After finishing this sentence, he grabbed the lighter and threw it into the ornamental pool nearby. Xuxiang Shenzhi looked at the lighter slowly sinking and couldn't help but think of his car sinking into the lake.

The 2 security guards soon heard the movement here and ran over, forcibly separating Shanqi Long and Xuxiang Shenzhi, and took the former outside.

Xuxiang Shenzhi watched Shanqi Long being taken away and didn't speak for a long time.

Subsequently, Shanqi Long was taken to a nearby police box and was interrogated by the police.

After this, he did not appear in front of Xuxiang Shenzhi again...

After finishing these, Xuxiang Shenzhi lowered his head and glanced at the timer placed between him and Watanabe Saki. On this timer, the time was gradually decreasing.

Watanabe Saki stared at her client for a while, then spoke.

"Mr. Xuxiang, you have already played all your cards now, two murder cases, two corpses. Fortunately, the police only know about one murder case because they only found one corpse."

"But we know that the Shanqi couple and the prosecution side must have communicated, and perhaps they will accuse you and Dacheng Lixiang of killing their son and hiding the corpse together."

"And the biggest mystery is, who killed Dacheng Lixiang in the hotel, and then disappeared and framed you."

Hearing this, Xuxiang Shenzhi lowered his head and fell into deep thought, and only replied after a while.

"Perhaps, it was that truck driver at the beginning. After the car accident happened, he might have known that something had happened, but he deliberately concealed it, and then in order to blackmail us, he tricked us into that hotel."

"Please don't use the word 'perhaps', the judge won't believe these."

Watanabe Saki shook her head, and then emphasized: "If we want to prove it was that driver, we must provide more specific details."

Xuxiang Shenzhi hesitated, and added an important piece of information that the female lawyer didn't know.

Before the case happened, Xuxiang Shenzhi received an envelope with the name of the deceased written on it.

In this, besides a photo of the lake, there was also an mp3.

Xuxiang Shenzhi discovered that this photo was Tian Zehu where he buried the corpse, and in that mp3 there was a sound—demanding Xuxiang Shenzhi to pay 50 million yen, and he would keep silent.

Without a doubt, this was a blackmail letter!

Following the hints in the letter, Xuxiang Shenzhi arrived at the parking lot outside Yokohama Station at 17:00.

But outside the parking lot, Xuxiang Shenzhi saw Dacheng Lixiang.

"Mr. Xuxiang," Watanabe Saki interrupted him, "This statement has big flaws, the judge can't believe it!"

Xuxiang Shenzhi answered: "Perhaps that driver had already been suspicious and followed us in the dark, and that blackmail letter was to test the relationship between me and Dacheng Lixiang."

He raised his head and stared at Watanabe Saki.

"When I sank the car into Tian Zehu, I heard a crisp sound. I thought it was some wild animal at the time, now thinking about it, perhaps it was him?"

Watanabe Saki knocked on the table dissatisfiedly and grabbed the initiative of the conversation again.

"We must now shift the judge's attention away from the deceased, and then let them focus on the fraud. Only in this way, I have the confidence to let you get away, and even let this case be left unsettled."

Watanabe Saki coughed and continued to speak.

"For the following three questions, you must answer at least one!"

"First, why did the murderer send a message to your mobile phone?"

"Second, why didn't the murderer take the money away?"

"Third, how did he leave the room without any traces?"

"This is what you have to answer to the plaintiff."

Xuxiang Shenzhi heard these words and immediately frowned.

He realized that these three questions were contrary to the blackmail matter.

He stood up and walked two steps, then saw that more than half of the time had passed on the timer on the table, and his mood became panicked.

He lowered his head and asked Watanabe Saki impolitely: "You are a lawyer, just tell me how to answer!"

Watanabe Saki stood up, then looked at him and showed a smile.

"For the story below, you should say this."

Listening to the facts "fabricated" by Watanabe Saki, Xuxiang Shenzhi was stunned subconsciously.

According to Watanabe Saki's method, that afternoon at 5 o'clock, after Xuxiang Shenzhi arrived at the parking lot outside the station, the blackmailer sent him an email with a phone number using an unfamiliar mailbox.

And the content of this email was also seen by his lover, Dacheng Lixiang, standing next to him.

Dacheng Lixiang told Xuxiang Shenzhi not to reply to the email, and then went out herself, using her own mobile phone to call the phone number in the email.

In the phone content, Dacheng Lixiang learned the blackmailer's request, which was to go to the Sakamoto Hotel in Yamanashi and check into room 715.

Besides that, the blackmailer requested Dacheng Lixiang to throw the mobile phone into the trash can and then go to that hotel in the form of a train.

After a long journey, the two finally arrived at the Sakamoto Hotel, but they were told by the front desk—someone had already booked room 715 in the name of Xuxiang Shenzhi.

Holding a nervous heart, the two took the elevator and checked into room 715.

But neither of them knew that at this time, someone had secretly hidden in the wardrobe of the room.

After waiting for two hours, Xuxiang Shenzhi's mobile phone received an email sent using Watanabe Saki's mailbox. That email was also very obvious, it was the blackmailer using Watanabe Saki's mobile phone to send it.

When the two saw the email and wanted to leave in a panic, the suspect hidden in the wardrobe rushed out, knocked Xuxiang Shenzhi unconscious, and cruelly murdered Watanabe Saki!

And this murderer was precisely Shanqi Long, who had lost his beloved son and had been following Xuxiang Shenzhi!

After hearing these words, Xuxiang Shenzhi showed an unbelievable expression.

"Wait, do you think Shanqi Long did it?"

Watanabe Saki nodded.

"Shanqi Long has a very strong motive for murder. His purpose for killing is to take revenge on both of you. First kill Dacheng Lixiang, then frame you, making everyone think you are the murderer! Mr. Xuxiang!"

Xuxiang Shenzhi walked back and forth in the room, thinking about the female lawyer's words while walking.

He recalled what he had said to her before, this female lawyer was a person who would stop at nothing to win the lawsuit, and basically had never lost a lawsuit.

And if he could involve Shanqi Long, then he was very likely to be acquitted.

"Lawyer Watanabe, wait," Xuxiang Shenzhi stopped his steps and raised a doubt, "Although there is a motive for murder, how to explain that he successfully escaped from the room?"

Watanabe Saki didn't answer directly, but took out a document: "This is the employee list I got from the hotel, look at this employee."

Xuxiang Shenzhi followed the direction Watanabe Saki pointed and saw a line of words "Cleaner Shanqi Zuo Jiangzi".

Watanabe Saki nodded, then smiled and said: "That's right, Shanqi Long's wife, she works at that hotel. So your appearance at that hotel was not an accident!"

Immediately after, she explained the specific method.

That day, the Shanqi couple acted separately, first confusing Xuxiang Shenzhi through the envelope sent, and then determined the relationship between the two through secret observation.

And the photo of the lake in the envelope was likely just a casually taken lake. And the reason why the Shanqi couple judged this was precisely Xuxiang Shenzhi's reaction of being distracted when watching the lighter being sunk into the pool before.

So after seeing the photo in the envelope, Xuxiang Shenzhi, who had a guilty conscience, subconsciously thought it was Tian Zehu and guessed that the other party already knew everything.

Besides that, Shanqi Long also requested to take away Dacheng Lixiang's mobile phone, and followed Xuxiang Shenzhi and Dacheng Lixiang, taking the same train.

Because of nervousness, the two did not find Shanqi Long.

After getting off the train, Shanqi Long took the prepared transportation and lurked in room 715 before the two.

At the same time, Shanqi Zuo Jiangzi opened the window of the next room through her key as a cleaner.

Then, she walked into room 715 and handed the key to Shanqi Long. Then, she walked out of the guest room.

After this, Xuxiang Shenzhi and Dacheng Lixiang checked into the room, and Shanqi Long, in the wardrobe where he was hiding, secretly sent a text message to Xuxiang Shenzhi using Dacheng Lixiang's mobile phone.

After waiting for the two in the room to be in a panic, Shanqi Long walked out of the wardrobe, knocked Xuxiang Shenzhi unconscious with the prepared "murder weapon", murdered Dacheng Lixiang, and then scattered the money on the ground.

Then he used the prepared key to open the window from the inside and left. After climbing out, he pushed the window back.

Immediately after, he climbed to the next room along the eaves and left the hotel along the stairs on the other side.

At the same time, Shanqi Zuo Jiangzi timed it well, brought the police to room 715, and opened the door according to the police's instructions.

After the police entered the door and began to check the scene and control Xuxiang Shenzhi, she took advantage of everyone's inattention and quietly walked to the window to lock it.

Just like that, a perfect closed room was formed!

After listening to Watanabe Saki's criminal reasoning, Xuxiang Shenzhi was completely speechless.

He doubted whether the person he hired was a lawyer or a detective?

But because of these words, he was more convinced of the other party.

Just at this moment, Watanabe Saki's mobile phone rang. She finished listening to the phone call and then said to Xuxiang Shenzhi.

"Latest news, although I don't know the name of the witness found by the prosecution, it has been confirmed that it is that passing driver."

She lowered her head, looked at the clock with little time left, and then accelerated her speaking speed.

"Mr. Xuxiang, assuming that you were not with your lover on the day of the car accident, but were in New York, and you have an alibi. Therefore, you did not participate in the car accident that caused the death of the Shanqi couple's son..."

"... What you have to do is to push everything onto Dacheng Lixiang. As for the license plate number and other evidence, you don't have to worry."

"... And your appearance at that Sakamoto Hotel was also because Dacheng Lixiang requested you to go. And you didn't even know about that young driver."

"What we have to do now is to establish a connection between Dacheng Lixiang and the missing young driver, and ensure that Dacheng Lixiang's personal items are on that submerged car."

"... In this way, you can get rid of two murder charges! And your crime will just be helping your lover conceal the accident!"

Watanabe Saki thought for a moment, then took a map out of her bag and placed it on the table.

"What we have to do now is, where did you sink that car? Of course, don't admit any accusations yourself, but let me anonymously tell the police."

"Of course, before this, I will find someone to find that car first, and then put Dacheng Lixiang's personal items into the car!"

Watanabe Saki lowered her head and stared at Xuxiang Shenzhi's gaze.

"In this way, we can tell the judge the truth of the whole thing, but at the same time, it has nothing to do with us."

Looking at the map, Xuxiang Shenzhi fell into silence. After a long time, he raised another doubt.

"That driver will testify. If he appears, my alibi in New York will be invalid."

Watanabe Saki laughed, and then said to the surprised Xuxiang Shenzhi.

"This witness is lying to you. Lawyer Matsui and I can't find him, so you don't have to worry."

She paused and added: "This witness is a lie I fabricated, the purpose is to let you provide the necessary information, Mr. Xuxiang."

"So, why don't you tell me the whole truth."

On the other side, Xuxiang Shenzhi heard the female lawyer's questioning and laughed out loud.

And his expression also changed from the initial panic and anxiety to confidence, almost like a different person.

"Lawyer Watanabe, congratulations on passing my test. Actually, I just wanted to verify your level and see how you explain the process of this case."

It turned out that from the beginning to now, Xuxiang Shenzhi had been pretending. He had already learned through his own channels that the Shanqi couple had appeared at the hotel.

So from the beginning, he had already prepared to involve Shanqi in the incident.

After all, as a wealthy entrepreneur, how could he just sit and wait for death?

Watanabe Saki nodded and handed over the map and a pen.

"Mr. Xuxiang, time is running out, please tell me where you sank the car?"

This time, Xuxiang Shenzhi did not shirk or pretend, but took the pen very readily, and then drew a circle on the map with the pen.

Watanabe Saki took the map, then walked to the window of this presidential suite, and glanced at the opposite side of the window with a strange look.

"Mr. Xuxiang, I have one more thing I want to ask you."

Xuxiang Shenzhi raised his head in confusion. After all, in his view, as long as he followed Watanabe Saki's layout, he probably wouldn't have much of a problem.

Watanabe Saki then asked: "When sinking that car into the bottom of the lake, are you sure the other party was already dead?"

Xuxiang Shenzhi hesitated, then said: "I thought he was dead at the time."

Immediately after, he told the truth.

When he pushed the car into the lake, he heard a strange sound from the trunk. Immediately after, he opened the trunk and found that the young driver opened his eyes and asked him for help.

But because of the serious injury, he couldn't move his body.

Xuxiang Shenzhi thought for less than two seconds, but still continued to push the car into the lake.

In his view, he had no way back. After all, if he let the young man go, not only would his extramarital affair be exposed, but he might also be charged with attempted murder.

Since that was the case, it was better to end it once and for all.

Watanabe Saki heard this fact, was angry, and loudly denounced:

"Mr. Xuxiang, my task is to protect you from going to jail, not to cover up your crime. How do you want me to defend you! You murderer!"

Xuxiang Shenzhi looked indifferent. After all, at the very beginning, Watanabe Saki had already tested him.

And he also knew that the other party was a lawyer who would stop at nothing to win, and had no moral values at all.

Xuxiang Shenzhi said with a smile: "You won't, after all, you want to win the lawsuit!"

Watanabe Saki turned around and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I promise you, I won't let my winning record be broken because of this matter of yours."

She picked up her notebook and said again: "But you have to guarantee that there are no other accidents hidden from me!"

"I guarantee there are none," Xuxiang Shenzhi shrugged.

Watanabe Saki showed a mocking expression.

"Are you sure? But there is another possibility, isn't there? That is, you broke the agreement not to see Dacheng Lixiang again, not the other party."

"Besides that, it was also you who took the driver's wallet and forged the illusion that he had run away with the money. After all, only with a big client like you can the bank make irregular operations."

Xuxiang Shenzhi seemed to have his mind read, "You can't prove this."

Watanabe Saki also said in an ironic tone: "You also can't prove it wasn't you who did it."

She glanced at the timer and restored the whole thing again.

On the day of the car accident, after Xuxiang Shenzhi discovered the deceased, he took the initiative to request Dacheng Lixiang not to call the police.

Then he made a series of arrangements, including sinking the corpse and letting Dacheng Lixiang pick him up later.

Because of this, Dacheng Lixiang was panicked and even suffered from depression.

So, she made a phone call and told the whole story to the family of that young driver.

In order to make up for the mistake, Dacheng Lixiang took the initiative to call, booked that hotel in the name of Xuxiang Shenzhi, and then used a mobile phone to deceive Xuxiang Shenzhi that the passing driver had seen something, found her, and demanded a blackmail of 50 million yen.

After a series of operations, Dacheng Lixiang came to the Sakamoto Hotel first and checked into room 715.

As for the 50 million yen, it was what she wanted to give to the Shanqi couple, and used to make up for her own mistakes.

After arriving at the hotel, Dacheng Lixiang began to wait for Xuxiang Shenzhi, and wrote an email using a mailbox, and set it to be sent at a fixed time.

On the other side, Xuxiang Shenzhi, because he was worried about the exposure, brought 50 million yen and came to room 715.

But after arriving at the hotel, he heard his lover tell the truth and was furious.

At the same time, his mobile phone also received the email sent by his lover at a fixed time.

Only then did he know that everything was a trap already set by his lover!

Facing his lover's request to "go to surrender together", he hesitated. After all, he was rich and powerful, had a great time in life, and was not willing to bear the crime of murder.

Suddenly, he saw a statue nearby, picked it up, hit Dacheng Lixiang's head hard, and killed her.

In this process, the sound he caused attracted the attention of people outside, and someone even called the police.

Leaving from the door at this time was undoubtedly a stupid decision.

And the window of the room was locked by the hotel and could not be left.

So he scattered the money on the ground and pretended that he was "unconscious" on the ground.

Immediately after, the police broke in.

After listening to this accusation from Watanabe Saki, Xuxiang Shenzhi showed an impatient expression.

"Lawyer Watanabe, your guess is completely wrong. Otherwise, when Dacheng Lixiang told the Shanqi couple the truth, why didn't they call the police."

Watanabe Saki stared at Xuxiang Shenzhi's gaze and said in a serious tone.

"Because they know that you definitely won't tell where the corpse is. In the case of no corpse, the evidence of the crime is difficult to establish."

After finishing this sentence, she signaled Xuxiang Shenzhi to stand up and walk to the window with her.

"Mr. Xuxiang, pay attention to the hotel opposite, the second window on the second to last floor. The Shanqi couple is living in that room, they are using binoculars to monitor you."

Xuxiang Shenzhi saw that room, a figure was standing in front of the window, looking over here."

"This!" Xuxiang Shenzhi suddenly showed a suspicious expression, but he still held a negative attitude towards the facts Watanabe Saki had said before.

Watanabe Saki shook her head and said again: "Regarding the Shanqi couple, I know more than you. When the Shanqi couple learned of Dacheng Lixiang's death, they realized that the possibility of bringing you to justice was very small, so what they could do was to keep you in their sight at all times."

"From that time on, Shanqi Long began to become your shadow. Whether it was your residence or the hotel you booked, he found a place where he could monitor, and monitored you and everything around you 24 hours a day."

"He even followed me."

Xuxiang Shenzhi believed Watanabe Saki's words, he thought he still had a chance to win.

"Even so, this employee list can still prove that they are framing me!"

Xuxiang Shenzhi pointed to the document Watanabe Saki had taken out before, which read "Cleaner Shanqi Zuo Jiangzi".

"This doesn't prove anything, Mr. Xuxiang, this work schedule is just something I forged," Watanabe Saki sighed, "If you want me to help you, admit to me that you killed Ms. Dacheng Lixiang."

Xuxiang Shenzhi panicked, only then did he realize that he had been played around.

"Okay, Lawyer Watanabe, I won't hide it, I admit that everything you said is right, I killed Dacheng Lixiang. In short, please do your job! Think about how to deal with the judge!"

Looking at Xuxiang Shenzhi's expression, Watanabe Saki showed an inexplicable expression.

At this time, the phone in the hotel room rang.

Xuxiang Shenzhi pressed the speakerphone, and Lawyer Matsui's voice sounded inside.

"Mr. Xuxiang, why can't your mobile phone be reached? Tell you a good news, I found a crucial witness! And let him accept my proposal!"

Watanabe Saki glanced at the phone, then looked at Xuxiang Shenzhi, "Rest for 10 minutes, and then we will start."

After finishing this sentence, she made an excuse to go downstairs to buy a cup of coffee.

When she left, Xuxiang Shenzhi called her, "Lawyer Watanabe, thank you."

Watanabe Saki hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at him, then nodded and pushed open the door.

After she left, Xuxiang Shenzhi took out his mobile phone and glanced at it, finding that his mobile phone had been turned off at some point.

He picked up the phone and listened to Lawyer Matsui say.

"I found that driver and used money to convince him, which can prove that you were not there at the time."

After finishing this sentence, Lawyer Matsui asked again: "How did you talk with Lawyer Watanabe, what is your impression of her?"

Xuxiang Shenzhi laughed, "She is trustworthy."

Just at this moment, an interference sound appeared in the call.

Xuxiang Shenzhi lowered his head and saw that the pen in his jacket pocket had leaked ink at some point.

At this time, he suddenly saw the notebook Watanabe Saki had placed on the table, which was written with things unrelated to the case.

He remembered his mobile phone, which seemed to have been turned off after the other party answered Lawyer Matsui's phone call.

When he fell into silence, a noblewoman wearing a luxurious dress walked into the elevator heading to the 7th floor...

On the other side, Watanabe Saki walked to another hotel opposite the hotel and arrived at the second room on the second to last floor.

She walked into the door, hugged a middle-aged man holding binoculars on the balcony, and handed a device that looked like a recording device to him.

Immediately after, she took off her wig, took off her colored contact lenses and eyelashes, and wore a pair of framed glasses. She revealed a "haggard" look. Completely unlike the previous noblewoman image...

The story ended here, but Xidao Youhui, who had finished the whole story, couldn't help but have his hair stand on end!

What does this mean? Watanabe Saki was actually not a real lawyer? She was actually disguised by the victim's mother?!

What about helping to open the crime? As a result, it developed into inducing the murderer to tell the facts? This was really beyond people's expectations!

Damn, how many times did this story reverse, it could actually derive so many possibilities!

Was his brain broken at the time, he actually said this work of the other party failed!

This work, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as a masterpiece!