Free Web NovelChapter 1117: Chapter 1088: An Expected Outcome
At the hearing, Xiao Lin’s absence made Francis extremely displeased! At some point this Eastern man had somehow become the Genovese Clan’s young miss’s personal bodyguard and advisor—in plain words, a male nanny. The moment there was the slightest chance he wasn’t by her side, this young lady would feel off, sense that something was wrong, and instantly drop her usual well-bred-lady image to fly into a rage, charging around looking for him. You could say she’d become a joke among the Sicilian upper class, though she herself didn’t care in the least.
As expected, Casabell Jenvies was sentenced to thirty years and would serve his time in Palermo Prison. This was the best deal Meisai had managed to secure. To the director of the Palermo Police Station, Casab was a man guilty of every conceivable crime; there was no way he could openly lobby or tamper with the case. The evidence turned in by the informant was so complete it was outrageous. To get that thirty‑year sentence already meant exploiting plenty of legal loopholes, finding a reliable judge, and owing a lot of favors.
Even so, after the hearing Francis still glared at him like an enemy, blaming him for being inhumanly rigid, which left Meisai honestly at his wits’ end and suffering. He didn’t bother to explain much, because he still had an important place he had to go.
Sin City could no longer be called by that name. In the Palermo mayor’s eyes, the Xia Group’s execution capability was astounding. A project that would take at least half a year, even over a year, locally, in the hands of this young miss only needed half that time, or even less, to complete a full overhaul. She repaired the original buildings and adopted a strategy of silent construction carried out in parallel with operations, turning this former headache of a Sin City—one he’d once wanted to blast to rubble—into a bona fide commercial center.
Just the operating income of these few weeks, with heavy promotional efforts during the trial‑operation phase, had multiplied several times over the past. So when Meisai headed to Sin City, the beloved and rather adorable mayor, who’d been frightened at the opening ceremony, was paying his first formal visit to this rejuvenated district, sitting across from Xia Xue. Arriving with him at the same time was a dignified and beautiful woman.
"What did you say?" Xiao Lin practically roared at Troy, his voice about to blow. He had just come back inside after a fierce sparring match with Crow on the lawn and hadn’t even had time to shower before hearing news that made his hair stand on end.
"Boss, even if you rush over now, you can’t stop the two of them from meeting." Troy hadn’t expected such a huge reaction, but if he’d tried to keep his mouth shut, Xiao Lin’s temper would probably have blasted him out of the house.
"Murong Lengyue and the mayor are in Xia Xue’s office right now, is that it?" After taking a deep breath, Xiao Lin asked the question word by word. This was the scene he least wanted to see. If possible, he hoped these two women would never run into each other. When he saw Troy nodding hard, Xiao Lin let out a wail, then changed into clean clothes and got ready to head to the top floor of an office building located in the center of Sin City.
"Young Master Xiao!" He had just left the residence with Crow when he saw Meisai step out of his car, staring at him in some surprise. "You’re going out? Could I trouble you for a bit of your time first?"
"Is it something important? I really do have to go out once right now." Whenever Crow saw Meisai, it always maintained a guarded expression. It wouldn’t actively attack, but it would constantly glare vigilantly at this director. Xiao Lin naturally didn’t overlook such cautious behavior.
"Yes. If you’re in a rush, I can wait."
"Come in with me, to my study." In that instant, Xiao Lin exhaled and chose Meisai over the other matter. The reason was simple: this man would never show up for no reason. If he’d come, it had to be for something major.
Meisai looked around the not‑so‑large study. The bookshelf was empty except for a few decorative items; not a single book was in sight. The desk, on the other hand, was piled high with various old, yellowed volumes. "Medical texts?"
"Something to read when I’m bored." Xiao Lin brewed a cup of tea for Meisai.
Meisai handed Xiao Lin a USB stick. "There are three video clips on this. Take a look first." Compared with coffee, the fresh fragrance of green tea sharpened Meisai’s mind much more on a morning like this; and its bitterness suited his own taste better than coffee. Maybe this was what people called cultural differences.
"I got a delivery last week, also a video. It can’t be that much of a coincidence, can it?" At the word "video," Xiao Lin immediately thought of that unexpected package from last week.
"Is it about the night Wang Zhantian was killed?" Meisai pressed. Xiao Lin nodded; it was probably the same thing.
The content was roughly the same, but expressed in a different form.
"What I received was a composite video. Yours is the decomposed segments. That’s Tang’s handiwork, isn’t it?" Xiao Lin pulled out the USB and passed it back to Meisai. "Where did these videos come from?"
Meisai blinked. Xiao Lin had just asked a question he couldn’t answer. "A composite video can’t be split open into three complete clips, and the videos on yours are pretty intact. There’s footage of me and Yelu Shou in front of ’tomor,’ there’s footage of Lang coming out of the alley, and there’s footage of Nicholas. So who shot these videos? They’re all filmed from a third‑party perspective. Spliced together, they still don’t make up the full video I got; it should be a bit longer. Meisai, what is it you’re trying to tell me?"
In front of Xiao Lin, Meisai suddenly felt ashamed. "I..."
"Shou followed Lang into ’tomor,’ and that day I wanted to personally meet this artist hiding behind Tang. That’s what you want to ask, isn’t it?" Meisai nodded. "Then, Director, how did Tang get these three videos?"
"The video Wang Zhanting gave me is the same as yours. He wanted to use it to force me to reopen the investigation into Wang Zhantian’s case. I refused."
"Wang Zhanting?" That answer genuinely surprised Xiao Lin, but he didn’t see what this had to do with Meisai. At most, it was just the police doing a poor job and deceiving the public. "Ah."
"All I can say is that when Wang Zhantian was killed, Nicholas was at the scene. But that foot we once found in the photo wasn’t Nicholas’s. It’s very likely the person who shot the footage."
"If we say Wang Zhanting was the one who filmed the whole video, it’s not impossible either."
Meisai shook his head; he felt that possibility was very slim. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
