In the hall, everyone could hear the helplessness of the white-haired old man. It seemed that what happened a few years ago had always been a pain in his heart.
But when they thought that the store suddenly changed its style and it was related to the white-haired old man's son, everyone was still quite curious about it.
Lu Weiwei quickly asked: "Old man, why did your son die for love? He is fine, but is it bad to be alive?"
"Harmful!" After hearing Lu Weiwei's words, the white-haired old man also sighed and said helplessly:
"To be honest, I don't understand what's going on with this young man, and I don't want to understand either."
"If we could go back a few years, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"My son is still the store owner who guards this small place, so there won't be so many things."
Sighing heavily, the white-haired old man seemed to be quite unwilling.
Officer Wang curiously asked: "Which woman did your son die in love with? How come we haven't heard of her?"
"It didn't happen in Jiangnan City. Of course you haven't heard of it."
Faced with Officer Wang's questioning, the white-haired old man said casually.
Officer Wang frowned: "Didn't it happen in Jiangnan City? Oh, I definitely don't know that. However, I am also a little curious about the death of your son."
"After all, the missing persons case we are currently investigating is also related to the things you have here."
After the words fell, Officer Wang took the transparent evidence collection bag from Lu Weiwei's hand and showed it in front of the white-haired old man:
"This button with the eagle pattern is exactly the same as the button in the wooden box on the second floor."
"And the person we want to investigate is also closely related to this button. So, now that you are saying that you don't know much about this, this... we can't just jump to conclusions, can we?"
"Are you doubting me?" The white-haired old man has also been eating rice for many years. Officer Wang made such an insinuation, how could he not know?
Officer Wang smiled and said: "Old man, don't get me wrong. I'm not doubting you. I just want to know why such a key object appears in your home?"
"And, why do you need to use a delicate wooden box to pack this thing?"
Looking around, Officer Wang added, "But the other similar buttons you have here are all randomly fastened on the wall. This shows that this button with an eagle pattern is definitely not ordinary."
After understanding what Officer Wang said, the white-haired old man also sighed and said with a smile:
"That's it? Are you done?"
"Yes, please answer my question first." Officer Wang also said quickly.
"Okay." The old man also felt that if he didn't explain the matter clearly, he seemed to be unable to get around the policeman's threshold.
He simply explained to everyone: "This button with the eagle pattern is a relic of my son, so I put it in a wooden box. Is there any problem?"
"Relic?"
After hearing what the white-haired old man said, Gu Chen, Lu Weiwei, Officer Wang and Yuan Shasha all looked at each other in confusion.
It seems that this is one step closer to what everyone is investigating.
Gu Chen tried to calm down and then said slowly: "Old man, because this involves the case we are currently investigating, we have some questions that we would like to clarify with you. Please actively cooperate with us, okay?"
"Okay." The old man seemed helpless, so he picked up the porcelain teacup in his hand and continued to drink water strategically.
When the white-haired old man's teacup fell, Gu Chen quickly asked:
"I want to know what is the origin of this relic of your son's?"
"Well..."
"Please make it clear." Seeing that the white-haired old man was a little hesitant, Gu Chen reminded him.
The white-haired old man frowned, sighed, and said helplessly: "To be precise, this thing is more exquisitely made, but it's not worth much."
"The reason why it can become my son's relic is because the button of this eagle totem is a token of love given to him by his girlfriend."
"Token of love? Girlfriend?" Yuan Shasha heard this and quickly asked:
"Old man, is this your son's girlfriend you just mentioned the girlfriend he died in love with?"
"Yes." Faced with Yuan Shasha's curiosity, the white-haired old man also took the initiative to admit:
"His girlfriend was someone he met when he was studying abroad. The two of them have always had a good relationship."
"Has your son ever studied abroad?" Officer Wang heard this and also asked.
The white-haired old man continued to nod and sighed: "What I regret most now is sending him to study abroad."
"In the past, I always felt that studying abroad was quite prestigious. Moreover, many of our neighbors here sent their children abroad."
"Wait a minute." The white-haired old man here was halfway through speaking. Gu Chen quickly asked: "Excuse me, where is your household registration?"
"This is it." The white-haired old man said truthfully: "This is where my registered residence is."
"But if you push it forward a few decades, this is still just farmland, a rural area."
"Later, it was developed into a commercial district, and real estate development was also in full swing."
With a faint sigh, the white-haired old man shook his head helplessly: "So, in the early years, many of the original residents here changed from ordinary farmers to demolition households."
"Once you have money, it's easy to get carried away. Then every household buys luxury houses and luxury cars, but that's nothing. Everyone has to fight for other things."
"So, with various lobbying from some study abroad agency managers, many of us here began to send our children abroad."
After a pause, the white-haired old man continued: "I am no exception. If other people's children are sent abroad, then my child must be sent abroad, right?"
"Otherwise, where can I put my old face? Just like this, I sent my son to study abroad. It doesn't matter what he studies. He can study whatever he likes?"
"We have money and can afford it. He said he wanted to study art. I asked, what is art?"
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "He told me that it is a noble spiritual pursuit."
After saying this, the white-haired old man suddenly laughed at himself and shook his head helplessly:
"I didn't understand at all what noble spiritual pursuits were at that time. Maybe we are all old antiques in this generation and don't understand anything. We don't understand what young people are thinking."
"So, I don't understand at all what noble spiritual pursuit he talks about, and I don't want to understand it."
"If he is happy, he can just go out to study. I can afford the tuition and living expenses."
"What happened next?" Listening to the white-haired old man telling about his late son, it seemed that there were many unknown stories, and Gu Chen quickly asked.
"Later?" The white-haired old man raised his head and thought, sighed and shook his head, and said slowly:
"Later on, my son began to rarely contact me. From the beginning, he contacted me every day and told me about his life and experiences abroad."
"Later, he contacted me once a week, and then rarely contacted me again for a month."
"Only when he was short of money, he would take the initiative to contact me. During those years abroad, I spent money like water, but I felt nothing?"
"Nothing? You think it's nothing to spend money like water?" Officer Wang heard this and felt a little funny, feeling that the white-haired old man was pretending.
But the white-haired old man said slowly: "The few years I spent abroad only cost me a house."
"Isn't a house not too much?" Lu Weiwei said in disbelief when she heard this.
You know, the housing prices in Jiangnan City are scary, especially in the area where the white-haired old man lives, where housing prices are generally higher.
But the old man sent his son to study abroad this year and lost a house.
This kind of speed at which money is flowing like water is still staggering.
But the words of the white-haired old man suddenly made everyone feel that the situation was too small.
"What's this? My family has more than a dozen houses like this, and they were all allocated during the demolition."
"Well……"
Officer Wang was speechless for a moment, but he quickly changed the subject and said, "Okay, let's talk about other things. For example, how did your son get to know his girlfriend who died in love abroad? Can you tell us?
"
"Actually, there's nothing to say. Since you want to listen, then I'll... talk about it?"
"Tell me, tell me." Hearing this, Officer Wang quickly reached out and made a "please" gesture.
The white-haired old man also sighed and said helplessly: "His girlfriend is from Shanghai. She is an alumnus of the same school as him and is one year older than him."
"The two met at a parade."
"Parade?" Officer Wang sounded a little strange and asked one more question:
"I want to know, what kind of parade is it specifically?"
"It's a march against the financial hegemony of Wall Street and the greed of Wall Street. Most of them are people at the bottom, expressing their anger and dissatisfaction and denouncing the vampires on Wall Street."
"Of course, my son just thought it was a bit interesting at first. He doesn't stand for any party, but this kind of activity will happen often in the United States."
"So, he thought it was quite fun. He was so confused that he joined the parade with some classmates."
"What happened next?" Gu Chen adjusted the angle of the law enforcement recorder and continued to ask.
"Later?" The white-haired old man squinted his eyes and continued to think carefully:
"Later, the march turned into a riot, and those marching on Wall Street began to smash up nearby stores."
"Especially some people who were fishing in troubled waters took advantage of the parade to protest, and started to fish in troubled waters and smashed shops."
"Then, he rushed into the store and snatched away all kinds of valuable things. This kind of practice seems to be called... what in the United States?"
"Zero yuan purchase?" Officer Wang said.
"Well, yes, it seems to be called zero-yuan shopping."
"That's really messy." Listening to the white-haired old man's story, Lu Weiwei was thoughtful and continued to ask:
"Then what happened to your son? If the parade team exhibited such irrational behavior, or it was mixed with some fishing in troubled waters, the American police should take care of it, right?"
"Moreover, your son was mixed in with the parade, and it was difficult for the police to distinguish who were the demonstrators? Who were the zero-dollar robbers? Then your son will definitely be implicated, right?"
"You're right." Listening to Lu Weiwei's story brought back many memories of the white-haired old man.
It seems that these memories have been buried in my mind for many years.
But now it seems that it has resurfaced again.
There were tears in the corners of the old man's eyes, but he held it back and tried to control his emotions.
After a long while, the old man blinked, sniffed, and said with a forced smile:
"He just wanted to experience the fun of the parade, but there were some irrational behaviors in the parade."
"Because they were protesting peacefully, they occupied various areas near Wall Street and set up camp there."
"Because their demands were reasonable, the police on Wall Street couldn't do anything to them at first."
"But as time goes by, and with the reports of various reporters, more and more people around the world begin to pay attention to this place."
"As a result, the United States is a little bit embarrassed, but it lacks an excuse for tough measures."
With a faint sigh, the white-haired old man continued to explain: "Of course, my son later told me that there may have been some employees who deliberately mixed in with their peaceful protest and deliberately caused some extreme behavior."
"This gave the police on Wall Street in the United States an excuse, and they were forced to leave."
"Later, it evolved into all kinds of all-out violence. Many people were arrested, and some were beaten to death by the police on Wall Street."
"These people were running away in all directions. My son was injured in the chaos. Fortunately, a woman grabbed him and ran outside. He passed through the chaotic crowd and finally came to a safe street."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "That woman is your son's girlfriend, right?" Gu Chen seemed to have guessed something.
When the white-haired old man heard this, he nodded silently and proactively admitted: "Yes, the person who took my son out of that chaotic area was his girlfriend."
"But why did his girlfriend die for love with him?" Lu Weiwei still doesn't understand, what is the problem?
The white-haired old man smiled bitterly and said helplessly: "Don't tell me it was you, even I didn't know, but at that time, the two of them hit it off immediately, and soon they were together."
"My son would talk to me about his girlfriend from time to time, and then he discovered that his girlfriend's parents both work at the American Wall Street investment bank."
"This can be said to be the upper class society in America, and it is in charge of huge wealth."
"It's so strange." After hearing what the white-haired old man said, Lu Weiwei was a little confused.
When the white-haired old man saw this, he also took the initiative to ask Lu Weiwei: "Comrade policewoman, what are you surprised about?"
"It's just about your son's girlfriend's position." Lu Weiwei felt that it was better for her to get straight to the point, so she quickly explained herself:
"You see, your son is participating in the fight against the greed of Wall Street. This position is opposite to that of Wall Street."
"And your son's girlfriend, whose family works for a Wall Street investment bank, naturally benefited from the Wall Street investment bank."
"Logically speaking, children from this kind of family should follow the same stance as Wall Street. But why do you feel that your son's girlfriend's stance is the opposite of Wall Street?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Seeing Lu Weiwei raise this question, the white-haired old man burst into laughter.
Lu Weiwei frowned slightly and quickly asked: "What's wrong, old man? Am I asking the wrong question?"
"No, no, no." The white-haired old man waved his hand and quickly explained:
"There is nothing wrong with what you said. I asked my son the same question back then, but he told me that people are different."
"There are many students in their school whose parents work in Wall Street investment banks, and they rarely participate in such demonstrations."
"I thought that in the eyes of these people, the people who participated in the demonstrations on Wall Street were a group of losers."
After a pause, the white-haired old man also sighed and continued:
"Sometimes, you have to admit that in some prestigious schools, there are certain elite circles, and these elite circles have nothing in common with ordinary people since they were born."
"They are the kind of people who are born with a sense of superiority. It is difficult for them to get along with ordinary people, and it is difficult for them to resonate with ordinary people."
"So, there will be many groups here, but my son's girlfriend chose to stand on the opposite side of Wall Street."
"Because she knows too well the greed of Wall Street capital, especially its disregard for the rights of ordinary people."
"It is precisely because of this that his girlfriend chose to join the parade. In the end, she relied on her understanding of the terrain to break out of the crowd."
"Otherwise, according to the habits of the American police who work for Wall Street capital, he will definitely be taken to the police station."
"Fortunately, I managed to escape the encirclement that time, and that's how I met her girlfriend."
"It seems quite romantic." Yuan Shasha couldn't help but sigh after hearing this:
"Meeting such an excellent girlfriend in a foreign country should be a blessing, right?"
"But it's also a kind of sadness." As soon as Yuan Shasha finished speaking, the white-haired old man added.
Yuan Shasha didn't understand and asked again: "Why?"
"Why? Because it is destined to be difficult for two people to get together." The white-haired old man crossed his fingers and was thoughtful.
Lu Weiwei on the side shook her head and said with emotion: "You said that it is destined to be difficult for the two of them to get together. Is it because of family reasons?"
"But if it's family reasons, and your parents are elite Wall Street investment banks, then your family is still a demolition household."
"Besides, your home has more than a dozen suites."
"Haha, it's different, comrade policewoman, this is completely different."
It felt like Lu Weiwei didn't quite understand the meaning. The white-haired old man sighed heavily and said helplessly:
"Let me tell you this, my son's girlfriend's family lived in a villa in Shanghai when his girlfriend was very young."
"Moreover, his girlfriend's parents both graduated from prestigious foreign universities and made a name for themselves on Wall Street, becoming well-known Wall Street investors."
Rubbing his face with both hands, the white-haired old man continued: "Are you looking at my house? Our ancestors have been farming for generations, and it was only in my generation that I got lucky and suddenly became a demolition household."
"And in this demolition, more than a dozen houses were demolished. So, in any case, I have become a rich man."
"However, for the world's top investment bank elites, my wealth is simply not worth mentioning."
"You don't even care about this?" Officer Wang felt incredible and quickly complained:
"Logically speaking, your family owns more than a dozen apartments in Jiangnan City, so you are a real rich man. You have achieved wealth and freedom early on."
"But, no matter how elite they are, they can't be considered elite, right?"
"You don't understand." Seeing Officer Wang say this, the white-haired old man shook his head and said with a wry smile:
"At first, I thought so too. I felt that although our family was a demolition household, we were all rich people, and not just ordinary rich people."
"No matter how elite someone is, they should at least be respected, right? At least they should be considered well-matched, right?"
After saying this, the white-haired old man felt a little lonely, and waved his hands and said:
"But the fact is that the parents of Wall Street investment banking elites only want to marry certain people in the industry who are highly bound by their interests."
"And this kind of 'marriage' is very normal in their circle."
"Moreover, people don't look down on us, old men, at all. We feel that we are uneducated and just nouveau riche. To their families who have received a high-level elite education, we are just like nouveau riche."
"And their daughter will never marry into a family like ours."
"Oh, then I understand." After hearing this, Lu Weiwei also clapped her fingers and said thoughtfully:
"So, it was the opposition from your son's girlfriend's family that finally led to the two of them committing suicide together, right?"
After the words fell, she saw the white-haired old man shaking his head. Lu Weiwei looked confused and quickly asked:
"Am I wrong?"
"Of course what you said is wrong." Seeing that Lu Weiwei didn't answer correctly, the white-haired old man quickly said:
"It was my son who died in love, but that woman has been living well and married to an elite family of a Wall Street investment bank."
"What did you say?" After hearing what the white-haired old man said, Lu Weiwei, who just now felt that she had guessed the result correctly, suddenly became uneasy and said:
"No way? Your son died in love, but his girlfriend married someone else? Then didn't your son die in vain?"
"It's embarrassing to say it." It feels like a family scandal, and the white-haired old man has never been willing to mention it.
It seems that few people have asked about it in the past few years.
But now, a bunch of police have come and are just exposing the scars here.
The white-haired old man's eyes were moist, he also sniffed, and said with a wry smile:
"It's nothing. Let him let the past pass. I am also very sad and sad about the death of my son."
"But, all this is my fault. If I didn't send my son to study abroad for the sake of comparison, I could still live a comfortable life in China."
"Even if I have to lie flat for the rest of my life, it doesn't matter. I can still afford to support him."
Shaking his head, the white-haired old man tried to calm down and said with emotion:
"However, this step was wrong, every step was wrong. I lost my son and became the laughing stock of sympathy and ridicule among the neighbors."
"My son foolishly committed suicide for his love, but what did he get in return? I don't understand."
"Old man." Seeing that the white-haired old man was getting more and more sad at the moment, Gu Chen quickly interrupted him and said:
"I would like to ask where is the place where your son died for his love?"
"The Magic City is on the Huangpu River near his girlfriend's home." The white-haired old man said.
"That means that all of this happened in the Magic City? And your son's girlfriend was probably also in the Magic City at the time, right?"
"Yes." Faced with Gu Chen's question, the white-haired old man said readily:
"At that time, both of them returned to China for vacation, and both of them stayed in Shanghai."
"In the end, it seems that my son's girlfriend failed to bear the pressure from her family and agreed to marry a foreigner with capital in the financial circle."
"My son was so heartbroken that he finally chose to die for love in the magical city..."
Having said this, the white-haired old man seemed to be unable to suppress the suppressed and sad emotions just now. Suddenly he burst into tears and said with choked sobs:
"When my son's body was brought ashore, it was over and it was too late."
"My son died, but after he jumped into the river, he has been wearing this button with an eagle pattern on his body."
"I know it was a gift from his girlfriend because my son told me about it on the phone."
"Thinking about it, my son committed suicide because of his love for that woman. I don't want to blame my son. I am also at fault for all this, and I accept it calmly."
With a heavy sigh, the white-haired old man also shook his head and said: "So, finally, I found this eagle-pattern button in an exquisite wooden box, and kept it in the box and placed it on the second floor."
Shaking his head, the white-haired old man also burst into tears and seemed unable to speak any more.
When Gu Chen heard this, he also curiously asked: "You said that your son returned to China during the holidays, which means that he had not graduated yet, right?"
"Yes." After hearing what Gu Chen said, the white-haired old man nodded and admitted.
"Then..." Gu Chen hesitated for a moment and continued to ask:
"Then I would like to take the liberty to ask. You said that your son was the owner of this shop a few years ago. Does this mean that this shop was in operation before?"
"Yes." Seeing that Gu Chen didn't seem to understand what was going on here, the white-haired old man sniffed and simply explained to Gu Chen:
"The thing is, my son studied art abroad. I don't know exactly what he studied, but after he returned to China during the holidays, he opened this shop."
"Even if we sell some decorative buttons, I don't know what's so good about these small decorative buttons. Every day, there are more people looking at them and less people buying them."
"Besides, if this store remains open like this, it's a bad business."
"Isn't it?" Yuan Shasha had wanted to say it for a long time, but she quickly explained:
"When I came to this store before, I felt that there were many customers, but most of them just came in to take a look and did not buy."
Afraid that the old man would be sad after hearing this, Yuan Shasha quickly explained: "Because this kind of product is too avant-garde, it seems that no one has accepted it yet."
"Yes." After hearing what Yuan Shasha said, the white-haired old man didn't seem to mind and said slowly:
"In my opinion, the styles of these decorative buttons are indeed beautiful, like works of art."
"But after all, there are only a small number of people who appreciate elegant art, and not everyone is willing to pay for his art."
With a faint sigh, the white-haired old man shook his head helplessly: "But my son likes it. In his opinion, he has always wanted to turn this shop into an art collection."
"In this way, he can fully unleash his imagination in his own art collection."
"He loves art, I absolutely believe that."
"Ahem." Listening to the white-haired old man's increasingly excited story, Lu Weiwei quickly coughed twice before asking again:
"So, after your son goes back to school, you are always here to help take care of the store, right?"
"Yes." The white-haired old man didn't seem to shy away from these questions and said straightforwardly:
"I am willing to help my son realize his wish. He wants to build an art collection. OK, I will help him realize it."
At this point, the old man's hands were shaking and his voice became choked:
"But, I helped him realize his original wish, but what about him? Why did he leave in such a hurry?"
Shaking his head, the white-haired old man continued to sigh: "You are such a stupid boy. How can I feel sorry for you? Why are you so cruel? For that woman, you gave up our family and let us white-haired people give away black-haired people?"
Seeing that the white-haired old man seemed to be in an emotional state, he broke down and cried for a moment.
Gu Chen and others looked at each other, feeling that something seemed a little strange.
Because the white-haired old man was still sad about the death of his son, Gu Chen decided not to disturb the old man for the time being, but called everyone aside to discuss investigation countermeasures.
"In my opinion, this eagle button is indeed suspicious."
"According to the old man, this is his son's relic, and it was also a token of love given to him by his girlfriend."
"Moreover, judging from the location, the place where the old man's son jumped into the river to die in love was in the Magic City."
"And his girlfriend's home is also in the Magic City, and the button of the eagle totem was given by his girlfriend."
With a sigh, Gu Chen said helplessly: "So, now I doubt..."
"Now you suspect that this old man's son is his girlfriend?" Lu Weiwei seemed to understand what Gu Chen meant.
And Gu Chen nodded without hesitation and admitted: "Yes, I am suspicious of his girlfriend now."
"If the button with the eagle totem belongs to his girlfriend, then what does this button represent? Why did Zhang Zhiqiang disappear? Why did Zhang Zhiqiang quietly go to a small factory to process a batch of buttons with the eagle pattern?"
Observing the people on the left and right, Gu Chen continued: "Moreover, have you discovered? The missing Zhang Zhiqiang is also from Shanghai, and this button is also related to the old man's son's girlfriend."
"If you want to put all these clues together like a puzzle, then these puzzle pieces all have a common connection point..."
"That's the Magic City."
Just before Gu Chen finished speaking, Lu Weiwei, Officer Wang and Yuan Shasha almost spoke in unison.
Everyone took part in Gu Chen's thinking and found the key clue.
