hsntnovel Chapter 18: Brother Ma's Barbecue
Chapter 18: Brother Ma's Barbecue
"Are you sure you want to go in?"
Jiang Chen shook the chain on his wrist: "What can I do in this state? Eat."
Su Wan didn't reply, and got out of the car.
Lin Xiaoyu followed behind her, Xiao Zhang walked at the very back, and Jiang Chen was sandwiched in the middle. The four of them crossed the parking lot and pushed open the glass door of the barbecue restaurant.
Ding-a-ling—the wind chimes on the door frame rang once.
sizzle--
The skewers tumbled on the charcoal fire, dripping oil and sending up plumes of white smoke.
The dozens of tables were almost full, and the place was bustling with noise, like a vegetable market.
Beer glasses clinked together, men's laughter mingled with women's coquettish whimpers, some were playing drinking games, and others were boasting.
Su Wan's gaze quickly swept across the entire hall.
In a corner by the window, a bald man was gnawing on a lamb kidney, his mouth glistening with grease.
He was wearing a black, tight-fitting T-shirt, and the tattoo on his arm that was visible stretched from his wrist all the way to his cuff—it was a dragon.
There is a scar above my left eyebrow, as if I was hit by a blunt object. After it heals, it leaves a pinkish-white fleshy ridge.
His gaze wasn't on the lamb kidneys.
From the moment Su Wan entered the room, his eyes followed them.
"How many?" The waiter greeted us with a warm smile.
"Looking for someone." Su Wan didn't look at her and walked straight towards the bald man.
The bald man looked up, still chewing something, and mumbled, "Officer?"
Su Wan showed her identification: "Are you Brother Ma?"
The bald man laughed, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by smoking: "I'm not Brother Ma, I'm just a bouncer. Brother Ma's not here, he's out of town on business."
"Where did you go?"
"Then I don't know." He picked up a tissue from the table and wiped his hands. "If you want to have a meal, I can arrange it; if you want to ask me something, I don't know anything."
Su Wan stared at him for two seconds.
"What's your name?"
"Xiao Long, that's what everyone I know calls me." He stood up, half a head taller than Su Wan, but his eyes kept darting around as he spoke. "Why don't you all go upstairs and sit for a while? I'll call Brother Ma and ask what he thinks."
Su Wan turned her head and glanced at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen nodded slightly.
"lead the way."
Creak, creak, creak—
The stairs were made of welded iron frames covered with composite flooring, which made a dull sound when stepped on.
The walls were covered with framed photos, all of them showing Brother Ma with various people.
In a photo with a certain leader, the leader's face was crossed out with a marker.
With his arm around the shoulder of a washed-up celebrity;
The moment when a banner was presented to a nursing home after donating money.
In every photo, Ma Ge is smiling broadly.
Every photo says the same thing: I'm a legitimate businessman.
The room number on the second floor was gilded, and the three numbers "888" reflected the light under the dim lighting.
Xiao Long pushed open the door and stepped aside.
The private room wasn't large, with a round table that could seat ten people, covered with a red tablecloth.
A calligraphy scroll hangs on the wall—"Honest Business Practices"—signed by a name I don't recognize.
The windows were closed, and the curtains were half-drawn, revealing the parking lot below and the dark sky in the distance.
"Please have a seat, I'm going out to make a phone call," Xiao Long said, turning to leave.
"Fight right here." Su Wan's voice left no room for negotiation.
Xiao Long paused for a moment, his smile freezing on his face.
He took his phone out of his pocket, dialed a number in front of everyone, and put it on speakerphone.
beep - beep - beep -
The phone rang three times before being answered.
"explain."
One word, spoken in a low voice.
"Brother Ma, the comrades from the Municipal Bureau are here. They want to ask you about something."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.
"Make them wait."
Beep—the phone hung up.
Xiao Long put his phone back in his pocket and shrugged. "Brother Ma said to wait. What would you like to drink? Tea or soft drinks?"
Su Wan's face darkened. She didn't sit down, but paced around the private room, her gaze sweeping over every corner.
Lin Xiaoyu stood by the window, lifted the curtain, and glanced outside.
"Captain Su, this window offers a direct view of the parking lot below," she said in a low voice.
Su Wan walked over and took a look—from this angle, she could see their car perfectly.
In other words, the people above had already seen them before they even entered the store.
"Interesting." Jiang Chen sat down at the round table, placing his handcuffed hands on the surface, his posture relaxed like a diner having a late-night snack.
Xiao Long brought in a tray with four cups of tea and a plate of melon seeds on it.
He carefully arranged the teacups one by one, his movements slow but his fingers trembling slightly.
"Little Dragon," Jiang Chen suddenly spoke.
Xiao Long paused for a moment: "Huh?"
"Did Brother Ma know we were coming?"
Xiao Long's smile vanished completely: "I don't know."
"Then why did you clean up the second floor beforehand?" Jiang Chen pointed to the trash can in the corner of the private room, which still contained cigarette butts and tissues that hadn't been emptied yet. "This private room was used an hour ago."
Xiao Long's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
"That's... what Brother Ma uses to entertain guests at noon."
"Was Brother Ma still here at noon?" Su Wan immediately seized the opportunity. "Didn't you say he went out of town on business?"
Xiao Long opened his mouth and realized he had jumped into the pit he had dug himself.
"Brother Ma... left in the afternoon."
Just as Su Wan was about to press for more information, her phone suddenly vibrated.
It was a message from Zhou Guoping.
"Surveillance footage near the crematorium showed that around 9 p.m. on the night of the incident, an electric scooter appeared in the footage, with the rider wearing a food delivery uniform. The license plate was obscured, and the rider's face was covered by a helmet, making it impossible to identify them. However, there was an insulated box hanging on the back of the scooter—the kind of box used by food delivery workers."
Su Wan handed the phone to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen glanced at it but didn't say anything.
He turned to Lin Xiaoyu and said, "Xiaoyu, could you order some takeout for me?"
Lin Xiaoyu was taken aback: "Huh?"
"Order takeout." Jiang Chen pondered for a moment. "Order from this restaurant and have it delivered."
Although Lin Xiaoyu didn't understand why, she still took out her phone and placed an order.
Less than ten minutes.
dong dong dong-
A knock on the door. Not the usual three knocks, but three short knocks followed by one long one.
Jiang Chen's ears perked up.
Xiao Long went over and opened the door.
A deliveryman stood at the door, wearing a blue delivery uniform, his helmet pulled low, covering most of his face, only revealing his chin and lips.
He was carrying a plastic bag containing several lunch boxes.
"Hello, your takeout is here." The voice was young, with a professional politeness.
Lin Xiaoyu went over to take it, and the deliveryman handed her the plastic bag and turned to leave.