Chapter 310: Rental House

Wu Xingzhou's room was very clean, one could even say spotless.

"Has this been cleaned up?" Qi Fei felt suspicious in his heart, worried that Wu Chongyue and his wife had deliberately cleaned Wu Xingzhou's bedroom to destroy evidence.

But both of them denied it flatly.

Zhu Haitang said: "In the past, this child's room was indeed messy. It was just this year that for some reason it suddenly changed, cleaned up spotlessly. I don't know why either."

"A person's habits suddenly changing, there must be a reason, right?" Wu Shanqiu said.

"My brother was just like that, good for a while and bad for a while. I remember when he was little he was quite obedient, but after middle school he became more and more disobedient," Wu Xingyang muttered.

"Hey, hey, people are already gone, don't say any more," Zhu Haitang said to Wu Xingyang.

Qi Fei observed the three people back and forth, only feeling strange. They seemed cautious about each other's words, always feeling that the other party had leaked something, but what exactly were they minding? Qi Fei didn't know.

He checked every corner of Wu Xingzhou's bedroom and found that this room couldn't be described as clean; it was too clean, even a single hair couldn't be found.

He turned his head to look at the three members of the Wu family with suspicion, confirming again: "Did you really not clean this room? I see that even the fingerprints here have probably been wiped clean."

The three of them shook their heads in unison, and Wu Chongyue appeared even more excited: "How long are you going to suspect us? The old saying goes that a tiger doesn't eat its cubs; how could we possibly harm our own son!"

"Ah, they suspect we killed Xingzhou. Old Yue, you have to tell them, we are innocent and haven't done anything!" Zhu Haitang finally reacted.

"Wife, don't worry, a straight body doesn't fear a crooked shadow. We haven't done things we haven't done, and we aren't afraid of police investigation!" Wu Chongyue held his head high, looking like he had a clear conscience.

"According to what you said, why did you expel Wu Shulan from the clan genealogy?" Cai Ding asked directly.

When Wu Chongyue heard the name "Wu Shulan," he subconsciously frowned and then said: "Expelling from the clan genealogy is not something I can decide alone. This was a unanimous decision by everyone. She told you it was because of my son's matter? Absurd! She knows what she has done herself?!"

"Hmm? Then you have to tell us, so we don't wrong you," Wu Shanqiu was sharp-tongued and immediately followed up.

Wu Chongyue waved his hand: "This is a matter within our clan and has nothing to do with my son's matter. I don't need to tell you!"

"If you want to investigate my brother's death, you can go and see that rental house. If someone really killed my brother, it would be those guys in the rental house," Wu Xingyang suggested on the side. By saying this, he successfully diverted the topic.

Qi Fei scanned the three people in front of him, wondering what motive made them so united?

"How we investigate is not something you need to worry about," Qi Fei responded coldly, then turned to Wu Chongyue and said, "I see that Wu Shulan is more than just afraid of you. I have reason to believe you intimidated her."

As he was speaking, dog barks came from downstairs again, followed by the sound of "bang, bang, bang" knocking on the iron gate. It seemed that there was more than just them visiting the Wu family today.

Wu Chongyue hurried downstairs to open the door, and a man of similar age to him walked in with a crumpled piece of paper.

"Boss, look if this time for the successor eldest grandson is okay? I asked the Great Immortal to calculate it; it's an auspicious day. If you think it's feasible, I'll go and tell all the clan relatives." The man pointed to the content on the paper and said to Wu Chongyue as soon as he came up.

Wu Chongyue looked embarrassed. The man looked up and saw Cai Ding, blurting out: "Oh my, there are police here. Is the Xingzhou matter still not settled?"

Wu Shanqiu's curiosity was aroused, and she leaned in front of the two old men to inquire: "Who is this new eldest grandson?"

"Look, it's our Xingyang. It's still the boss who spread branches and leaves early, having two in three years. Xingyang is also the oldest among the grandchildren of the clan," the man flattered, but Wu Chongyue's face turned red and white.

"We will discuss this matter later." Wu Chongyue terminated the topic in a hurry and said to Qi Fei and the others with extra enthusiasm: "I will take you to the place where Xingzhou rented."

The group walked onto the village road in the fields again. In Sanwu Town, most roads could only be walked, and everything slowed down, which gave Qi Fei an illusion of traveling through time every time he came back.

The fields receded behind them, and the antique Jiangnan old houses and bluestone paths of Sanwu Town appeared before their eyes again. Wu Chongyue led them through streets and alleys, finally arriving at the house Wu Xingzhou rented.

Unlike the luxurious self-built house the Wu family built on flat ground in the fields, this rental house was just a temporary room partitioned off in the courtyard of a residential house.

Most people in the town knew Wu Chongyue, and the landlord was no exception. As soon as he was greeted, he hurried out with the keys to open the door.

When the door opened, a strange smell indeed rushed toward them. However, it was different from the paint smell Wu Xingyang mentioned; this smell wasn't pungent. Qi Fei poked his head into the room and understood what this smell was.

The room was piled with sculptures, oil paintings, and some abstract installations he couldn't understand. This smell was emitted by the pigments.

The room wasn't big to begin with, and with these things piled up, there was almost no place to put one's feet. The messy room in the mouths of the Wu family should be what this house looked like.

"Wu Xingzhou, Gold Award of the National Youth Oil Painting Competition." Wu Shanqiu stood on tiptoe to look at a trophy base placed on a high place and read it out.

Qi Fei looked at the drawing boards and sculptures that looked like miscellaneous items again. He might not necessarily understand the style, but he could see that these were works that only talented people could create. Soon, his gaze fell on one of the unfinished works. This was a self-portrait of Wu Xingzhou. In the portrait, he tilted his head to look outside the frame, as if making eye contact with the person looking at the painting. Unlike that black-and-white memorial portrait, Wu Xingzhou in the painting was in the light and shadow of brightness and darkness, his eyes melancholy and deep, only the shadow of rebellion could not be seen.

Qi Fei reached out to touch the dust on the workbench and looked at the withered potted plant on the windowsill, asking the landlord: "Has Wu Xingzhou not been here for a while?"

The landlord stood by the door, shaking a large bunch of keys in his hand and saying: "I'll state first, that child wasn't here the night the incident happened. No one has been here for more than a month. If it weren't for this sudden incident, I would have been ready to find the big brother to move everything to his house."

He was speaking to Wu Chongyue. There was no need to ask; this prestigious big brother was Wu Chongyue.

As he was speaking, a weak voice came from outside: "Who are you? Why did you break in without saying hello?" ===== CHAPTER 311 =====